pension and welfare

Kamenetz proposes bond to pay pensions

The CEO pay disclosed this year by the 20 largest publicly traded companies in the Baltimore region offers plenty of fodder — as it does every year — to steam the ranks of workers with paychecks that barely budge.

Kamenetz plan to borrow money to invest in pension is a sensible idea

Outrage over blown calls mingles with skepticism about media fairness

Apologizing for the Monday night debacle that saw the Seattle Seahawks pick up a controversial win over the Green Bay Packers as the replacement referees bungled a touchdown call and missed an offensive pass interference penalty, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the episode wasn't the final impetus for a new eight-year contract between the league and the NFL Referees Association.

The impasse between the NFL and the NFL Referees Association is over, and the mistake-prone replacement officials can go back where they came from.

There apparently has been some incremental progress in the negotiations between the NFL and the union representing the locked out officials, so don¿t be completely surprised if something gets announced before tomorrow night¿s nationally televised game between the Ravens and Cleveland Browns.

Police and firefighters deserve more consideration from city

Walmart should stop buying pork from suppliers who cage pregnant pigs.

A ruling in the Baltimore police and fire pension lawsuit is at best a Pyrrhic victory for the unions.

Mitt Romney's plan to cut taxes for the rich won't help the poor

A key provision of Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's overhaul of the fire and police pension system was struck down by a federal judge Thursday, a ruling that could force the city to pay tens of millions of dollars more to retirees each year.

An internal audit had revealed four workers at the Anne Arundel State's Attorney's Office were illegally collecting full pension payments while working part time. Each had been told they were allowed to do so, but when the county discovered the mistake, it threatened lawsuits to recoup a total of $229,030.83 in pension checks.

As the impasse continues between the NFL and the NFL Referees Association, there have been no face-to-face talks between the two sides since the first day of September.

Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz wants to borrow $255 million and repay it over the next 30 years to help fund the county's retirement system, a move that would carry risk but that the administration says could benefit taxpayers in the long run.

Fear of a federal bailout of state employee pension plans is not justified by the facts

Maryland stands to lose if the federal government steps in to bail out bankrupt state pension systems.

Sparrows Point workers packed a union hall Monday with urgent questions about the future of the recently sold steel mill — questions that largely don't have answers yet.

The Maryland General Assembly gave final approval to Gov. Martin O'Malley's gambling bill early Wednesday morning, agreeing to allow table games and a sixth casino in the state while also giving new tax breaks to casino owners.

Under legislation signed last month by President Barack Obama, federal workers will be able to phase into retirement — working part time while drawing a partial pension.

Maryland teachers rely on their state pensions for financial security in retirement

Mitt Romney's racially charged rhetoric on welfare suggests he thinks he can't win on the economy alone

The GOP nominee should forget the fight with Harry Reid and go after Obama on waste and economic mismanagement.

Under legislation signed last month by President Barack Obama, federal workers will be able to phase into retirement — working part time while drawing a partial pension.

Baltimore County will borrow $25 million from its pension system to build a-profit recycling facility, a move some County Council members and union leaders are questioning.

Seven senior federal employees and four employees' groups filed a federal lawsuit Thursday to stop their agencies from posting their personal financial disclosure forms online.

Policy changes within the Volunteer Office of the Baltimore County Department of Social Services have altered the county's flagship donation drives for children in need, leaving one volunteer wondering whether the county's neediest residents will be served the same way.

Switching to defined contribution plans won't save Maryland tax dollars

Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz is cutting pension benefits for workers while double-dipping himself.

Kamenetz says Baltimore County has taken steps to rein in pension, health care costs

Rising costs and shrinking investment returns put Maryland's government pensions back in the fiscal spotlight

Maryland's state employee retirement system decided Tuesday to leave its assumption about how much it will earn on its investments over time unchanged.tate pension system decides to leave its assumed rate of return at 7.75 percent.

One week after Baltimore County's retirement system lowered its long-term expectations of how much it will earn on investments, the state system faces a similar decision Tuesday – one with potentially significant consequences for current and future retirees and Maryland taxpayers.

Criticisms of Maryland's state pension plan are misguided

Embattled Anne Arundel County Police Chief James Teare Sr. agreed to retire next month, ending the criminal investigation of his role in the misconduct case against County Executive John R. Leopold.

Baltimore County's retirement board has lowered its projections on how much it will earn on investments, a move that will cost the county an additional $15 million annually starting next year.

It's Major League All Star Week so I thought I would take the opportunity to reminisce a little about the only All Star Game I have personally witnessed which occurred 50 years ago this week on July 10, 1962, at what was then known as D.C. Stadium in Washington.

Maryland has pursued questionable investment strategies that have underperformed and produced high fees.

With public attention focused on the Supreme court and Eric Holder, a do-nothing Congress actually does a few things.

Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler says the Affordable Care Act is the kind of law the Framers had in mind when they wrote the Commerce Clause.

Harford Executive David Craig asks state work group to take up legislation in 2013 to expand gaming

Mossburg column presents a distorted picture of pension funds' health

Reforms to Maryland's pension system put it in much better stead than Marta Mossburg suggests.

Obituary: Richard N. Dixon, former Maryland treasurer

Richard N. Dixon, a conservative Democrat who served as Maryland's state treasurer for six years, died Thursday after a stroke he suffered Tuesday, Treasurer Nancy K. Kopp announced.

The failed recall of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker tells us little about how the presidential election will unfold but much about the weakened state of organized labor.