u s house committee on appropriations

With little competition at home, lawmakers from Maryland are traveling farther down the campaign trail this year to influence the midterm elections.

A spray painted message exposes the political heart of the furor over undocumented minors crossing the southern border.

WASHINGTON — Carroll County officials voiced swift opposition Friday to news that the federal government is eyeing a former military property near Westminster as a potential a shelter for immigrant children — underscoring the challenge the Obama administration faces as it tries to manage a surge of new arrivals.

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Andy Harris, the state's sole Republican in Congress, vowed Friday to use his position on the House Appropriations Committee to block any effort by the federal government to set up a shelter for immigrant children in Carroll County.

President Barack Obama asked Congress Tuesday for $3.7 billion in emergency funding to address the influx of children from Central America entering the country illegally, a first step in what the White House described as a broader effort to speed deportations.

Rep. Andy Harris plans to introduce an amendment Wednesday that would block the District of Columbia's effort to decriminalize marijuana.

Rep. Andy Harris, Maryland's sole Republican in Congress, said Friday that he is seeking the chairmanship of an influential conservative caucus of lawmakers in the House of Representatives.

The Republican leadership shuffle playing out in the House of Representatives may have created an opening for Rep. Andy Harris, the state's sole GOP lawmaker.

First Lady Michelle Obama is correct to criticize those who would weaken nutritional standards of school lunches for political gain

New skatepark in Hampden, which draws about 100 people a day, many from out of town, holds its grand opening May 3. It's a big day for them, and for Stephanie Murdock, who raised money for seven years, and for the owners of Vu, a skateboard shop that opened on Falls Road around the corner from the skatepark.

Harford County is close to receiving elusive state authority to levy a tax on hotel and motel room rentals, thanks to a backdoor legislative tactic deployed by the leader of the Maryland Senate, with the blessing of a leading candidate for county executive.

The head of the Mayor's Office of Information Technology has been placed on paid leave indefinitely as Baltimore's inspector general investigates allegations that the department made payments to contractual employees for work they may not have performed, officials said Tuesday.

Baltimore's inspector general will begin an immediate investigation into allegations that information technology subcontractors were paid without performing any work for the city or received payment long after a contract was complete, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced Tuesday.

Maryland Democrats dodge accountability for the health care rollout, state budget decisions.

Harford County Public Schools Interim Superintendent Barbara Canavan told Harford County state legislators Friday she supports an expanded pre-kindergarten program, provided the state pays for it..

Mikulski first bill appropriations chair

State Sen. Ed Kasemeyer's thoughts on session

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers return to Capitol Hill Monday to begin a critical week of budget negotiations with wide-ranging economic implications for Maryland — on issues from Baltimore harbor dredging to pre-school classrooms to the Eastern Shore's poultry industry.

Three years after touting his medical background as he campaigned for Congress, Rep. Andy Harris is emerging as a top spokesman in opposition to Obamacare — and taking on other health policy issues as well.

Groundbreaking ceremony for Phase I of park for skateboarders, partially funded by the Tony Hawk Foundation. The facility, funded partly by Baltimore City, will be built in Roosevelt Park in Hampden. The community of skateboarders in the area is expected to turn out in force to celebrate the start of the park, which is spearheaded by Stephanie Murdock, coincidentally an aide to City Council member Mary Pat Clarke.

The Howard County Board of Education has asked the local delegation to pursue legislation that would increase their compensation.

Gail Bates, a West Friendship Republican and longtime member of the Maryland House of Delegates, announced on Tuesday, July 16, a run for the state Senate.

Robert Pearre to begin work in Baltimore June 17

Allegations that a cabal of Black Guerrilla Family gang members effectively took over the Baltimore City Detention Center have prompted a rare out-of-session legislative hearing on the state's prison system.

WASHINGTON — In addition to having a hand on the nation's checkbook, Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski is reaping a political reward from her new assignment as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee: A significant increase in campaign cash.

Long-held dreams of freshly painted walls, hallways bathed in natural light and classrooms buzzing with technology are moving closer to reality in Baltimore City, as school communities wait with cautious optimism as a financial plan to overhaul the district's buildings faces its final hurdle.

The House of Delegates approved a $1.1 billion plan Friday to rebuild Baltimore's badly deteriorated school facilities, sending the bill to the Senate.

Three women known for strong will and public accomplishment received the Maryland Senate's First Citizen awards Wednesday, capping an annual tradition in the upper chamber.

An ambitious, $2.6 million plan to renovate the Havre de Grace opera house on Union Avenue would include joining the former city hall building with the neighboring firehouse, installing a first floor theater and making the entire building accessible to handicapped people.

Baltimore County Republican Rep. Andy Harris was appointed to serve on the powerful House Appropriations Committee on Thursday, giving the state another voice in how federal dollars are spent.

Budget gets good reviews from fiscal leaders

Very few of Howard's eight delegates have made up their minds about the issue.

Obituary: Richard N. Dixon, former Maryland treasurer

One day after his death, Richard Dixon, 74, was the subject of tributes and accolades sweeping across all of Carroll County — where he was born, raised, built a family and served his community as a school board member, state delegate and Maryland treasurer.

State Treasurer Nancy Kopp announced on Thursday, June 7, that Carroll County native and former Maryland treasurer Richard Dixon, 74, has died.

Prostate cancer survivor Robert Ginyard, is a nationally known as a speaker for ZERO — The Project to End Prostate Cancer. Ginyard will testify before Congress June 6, asking for research funding.

Deficit or no, House GOP would increase military spending and sidestep pending budget cuts rather than make a deal with Democrats

Baltimore schools chief Andres Alonso's ambitious plans to leverage state dollars to finance $1.2 billion in school renovation and construction will not move forward in the General Assembly this year.

A report on the 189-acre Spring Grove Hospital Center campus in Catonsville and the potential to divide it for redevelopment was released...