politics and government

Bills introduced recently in the state Senate and House of Delegates would implement a tax increase in the form of a new levy on the service fees of online travel agents (OTAs), brick-and-mortar travel agents and other local travel service providers. The Maryland Senate's S.B. 190 and companion in the House of Delegates H.B. 1065 would add a new tax on travel services, ultimately making Maryland travel more expensive and less competitive.

The determination of conservative Republicans to thwart Barack Obama at every turn was clear from the first days after his election in 2008, as their Senate leader Mitch McConnell publicly vowed to make him "a one-term president."

If history is any guide, voters will reward GOP for shutting down non-essential government

Maryland roads and bridges are better than the national average, but still garner poor ratings. Further loss of funding for maintenance could have consequences.

As drivers travel aging roads and crumbling bridges, federal highway funding is failing to keep pace with inflation in nearly every state — and some such as Maryland are experiencing a sharper decline than others, according to an analysis of transportation spending.

A lawsuit against the Carroll County Republican Central Committee will be heard by the Court of Appeals of Maryland — the highest court in the state.

Gov. Larry Hogan named budget adviser Robert R. Neall and transition chief James T. Brady to the Board of Regents of the University System of Maryland Friday as he submitted 331 "green bag" appointments to the Senate for approval.

By making it an ideological priority to deny the Islamic nature of Islamic terrorism, the White house is forcing serious people to think more deeply about the challenges we face. It's not the debate Mr. Obama wants, but it's valuable nonetheless.

State lawmakers concerned about increasingly common rail shipments of crude oil through Maryland have called for a full risk assessment of such transports, and on railroads to be more transparent about their local operations.

Failure to pass federal budget is a constant problem for Washington

The top speed on some Maryland highways could go to 70 miles per hour under a bill passed by the Senate Thursday.

Plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the Carroll County Republican Central Committee have appealed a county Circuit Court's ruling to the Court of Special Appeals of Maryland, and early Wednesday they filed paperwork requesting the Court of Appeals of Maryland — the highest court in the state — hear the case.

Republican Gov. Larry Hogan took his pitch to expand charter schools on the road Wednesday, appearing alongside the Obama administration's top education official at Baltimore school at a time when both seek increased funding for charters.

One consequence of Maryland now having a Republican governor, Larry Hogan, is that a topic once confined to the political closet is now out in the open and subject to discussion — gerrymandering. This is a healthy development in the state's politics.

Profile of newly elected 3rd District Councilman Wade Kach

Thousands of immigrants in Maryland will have to wait to apply for relief from deportation under the Obama administration's new executive actions after a federal court ruled that the president exceeded his authority, an outcome that is likely to lead to more court battles and partisan rancor on Capitol Hill.

Even before proposed state budget cuts, the Baltimore City schools face a shortfall for next year of more than $60 million.

Even before proposed state budget cuts, the Baltimore City schools face a shortfall for next year of more than $60 million.

Thankfully, the recent vaccination controversy that dominated headlines and muddled the 2016 Republican presidential primary is mostly over. But political flare-ups of this sort provide a gentle — and for some, unwelcome — reminder about the interconnected nature of modern American life. Libertarians on both the left and right can agitate for greater autonomy as a bulwark against what they see as a too-intrusive government, but the fact is that the era when individual decisions can

The appointment of former Harford County executive David R. Craig as secretary of the Maryland Department of Planning was confirmed Friday by the State Senate.

Forty-two years after American troops left Vietnam, the Maryland Senate unanimously voted Monday to designate a day to welcome them home.

William R. "Doc" Cronin, former owner and publisher of The Harford Democrat and Aberdeen Enterprise newspaper, died.

Look through the latest polls for boys basketball, girls basketball and wrestling.

House Republicans must stop holding DHS funding hostage over Obama's executive order on immigration

President Obama's latest war strategy makes one wonder: Is another Woodrow Wilson in the Oval Office debating with himself about how to meet the existential threat that faces him?

Maryland needs to enact redistricting reform soon, and California has a promising model to follow.

With ISIS, give peace a chance

Some Maryland lawmakers are hopeful that the stars are aligned for Maryland to reform the way it draws its political district lines – a process that has resulted in some of the most convoluted maps in the country.

As Presidents Day approaches, the Times caught up with Cathy Baty, the curator of collections at the Historical Society of Carroll County, to discuss the occassions standing or former presidents have visited Carroll County.

Dick Israel spent more than two decades behind the scenes in Annapolis guiding lawmakers. Now he plans to spend his final months alive lobbying the them from afar, advocating for the right to die when he chooses, a final act of control over a disease that robbed him of it.

A political brawl over funding the Department of Homeland Security is troubling local officials in Maryland, who rely on millions of dollars in grants from the agency to pay for firefighter gear, emergency planning and training.

Onstage at a major computer security summit at Stanford University, President Barack Obama signed an executive order Friday to make it easier for private companies to dip into the government's deep reservoirs of data on cyberattacks.

Gov. Hogan's proposal to exclude approximately 1,400 pregnant women from the program next year is just one way the new Republican governor wants to rein in Medicaid spending. Some Democrats say they will fight the cuts.

Miller rules out proposed Hogan tax cuts this year

Augustine commission has provided some sound advice on how to make Maryland business friendly — and has done so without the political bluster

Julian E. Jones Jr. is on a learning curve. He started on the night of June 24, 2014, when he won the Democratic primary for the Baltimore County 4th Councilmanic District. With no Republican opponent in the following November general election, Jones was essentially elected to represent an area where he's lived for 20 years.

Senate confirms Hogan appointees without drama

The Obama administration has made incredible strides for girls and women of color.

Bobby Jindal would be a long shot for president, but he should still be considered, says Cal Thomas.

The Carroll County Republican Central Committee has voted to recommend three names to fill the vacant delegate seat in District 5, just hours after a Carroll County Circuit Court judge denied the request for a temporary restraining order that would have prevented the central committee from doing so.

Gov. Larry Hogan pledged Thursday to make Maryland more welcoming to veterans, though he acknowledged it may be tough to pass some of his proposals to help them.

Declaring that Maryland can no longer depend on the federal government for job growth, former Lockheed Martin CEO Norman R. Augustine presented Thursday a list of steps Maryland can take to improve its ability to compete for business.