Merrie Street, the former Harford County director of government and community relations during the Jim Harkins administration, filed last week as a candidate for Register of Wills.
Street, who lives in Bel Air and has worked in radio, communications and public affairs, will face opposition in the Republican Primary Election from Derek K. Hopkins, an auctioneer from Pylesville.
Hopkins, who is not related to longtime Harford County Register of Wills Harry “Tombstone” Hopkins, has been fundraising and campaigning since he filed as a candidate for the office in August.
It remains to be seen whether Street will garner the support of the local Republican regime, of which she was such a major part while serving as the mouthpiece of the county executive’s office.
It also remains to be seen whether any other contenders will join the race for Register of Wills. Prior to his re-election to the Bel Air Board of Town Commissioners there ...Continue Reading
It’s that time of the year again. It’s time for the Super Bowl of all football games. In case you haven’t guessed, I’m talking about the Super Bowl, which in the minds of some people beats out the Christmas season as The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. I don’t see why. I think we can all make the Big Game a little more subdued if we were all bombarded with sale items and decorations until we go out and buy Super Bowl presents for our family and friends.
I was born on January 29, 1983, the day before Super Bowl XVII. I would like to think that my birth and the Super Bowl have a common bond. It’s not just that both events took place on the same weekend, but that just like my immediate family stopped everything they were doing to celebrate my arrival, football fans all across America ...Continue Reading
From the League of Women Voters of Harford County:
Meet Judge Carr, second longest serving judge in Harford County history. Judge Carr helped to create Juvenile Drug Court as a way to help juveniles get on the right path. He also started the Juvenile Justice Council as a way to address child welfare issues. Theodore Hart oversees implementation in the Third District Court.
- Wednesday, February 3, 2010
- 7:00 PM
- Edgewood Hall, Room 132, Harford Community College
Featured Speakers:
- Judge William O. Carr, Chief Judge Third District Court
- Theodore Hart, Juvenile Master, Harford County
Sponsored by:
- The League of Women Voters of Harford County
- The Political Awareness Association of Harford Community College
- The Paralegal Student Association
To find out more, go to our website at: www.harford.lwvmd.org
or email us at: info@harford.lwvmd.org.
Today marks the end of the third week of session. It has been a busy week full of hearings, legislation, and meeting with colleagues and constituents. I am happy to announce that I have submitted some key pieces of legislation for this year. You can find the list of bills I am sponsoring by clicking here.
Real Estate Taxes: I will be sending this press release next week but I wanted all of you to see it first:
Delegate James introduces legislation to help property owners battle unfair real estate taxes.
Annapolis- February 1, 2010-. Delegate Mary-Dulany James is sponsoring the following 3 bills that could bring tax relief to property owners:
· The first is a bill that will require the property tax appeals board to take the value of the property at the time of appeal, rather than the time of ...Continue Reading
Annapolis, January 28, 2010- Three years after the passing of Delegate Mary-Dulany James’ Maryland Gang Prosecution Act, Delegate James is partnering with Delegate Gerron Levi to introduce another gang related bill.
Delegate James has submitted House Bill 227, Criminal Law – Gangs – Definition, Underlying Crimes, and Sentencing but is merging her legislation with another bill to create comprehensive legislation designed to tackle the issues of gang related crime in our state.
Having two pieces of similar legislation introduced provides the House Judiciary Committee with options as they look at and hear testimony on the topic of gangs. Delegate James has said “My first choice for enactment is the bill that is being submitted by both Delegate Levi and me. However, I am presenting my bill for consideration to provide the Judiciary Committee with an alternate option as both bills will strengthen ...Continue Reading
A round-up of legislation introduced by members of Harford County’s delegation to the Maryland General Assembly:
Sen. Barry Glassman’s Senate Bill 294 would prohibit “a person from driving a motor vehicle in an inattentive manner resulting in the unsafe operation of the motor vehicle when the inattention is caused by the person engaging in specified preoccupying activities; providing that a violation of the Act is not a moving violation for the purpose of assessing points; authorizing a police officer to enforce the Act only as a secondary offense; etc.”
Glassman’s Senate Bill 302 would expand “the scope of the Equipment Dealer Contract Act to include outdoor power sports equipment.”
Glassman’s Senate Bill 324 would require drivers “approaching an emergency vehicle that is stopped, standing, or parked on a highway and using any visual signals, unless otherwise directed by a police officer or traffic control device, to vacate the lane closest to the emergency ...Continue Reading
The following was received from the office of Del. Rick Impallaria:
Annapolis Update #1 – Jan. 27, 2010
Greeting from Annapolis!
Normally, I would have done an Annapolis Update prior to this, but this Session seems to be moving slower than past Sessions and nothing of real substance, at this point, has “hit the fan.”
In my committee, which is the House Economic Matters Committee, we have had a briefing on the unemployment insurance problems with the Fund. The Fund has a major shortfall due to the economic downturn and the State’s formula to resolve that shortfall requires the employer’s contribution to go from 5 percent to 13 percent, which, in my opinion, could cause even greater job loss, due to the additional financial burden being placed on businesses that are struggling to make payroll now. I believe a one-year increase of 2 percent would be enough to replenish the Fund without ...Continue Reading
The following was received from the office of Del. Donna Stifler:
HB 182 (Health Insurance-Coverage for Breast Cancer Screening-American Cancer Society Guidelines) will be heard on Thursday, February 4 at 1 pm in the House Health and Government Matters Committee.
This legislation would freeze in place the existing American Cancer Society guidelines for mammograms as of January 1, 2010. These guidelines recommend regular yearly mammograms starting at age 40, among other screening practices, and more stringent recommendations for high risk women.
Late last year a federal advisory panel (United States Preventive Services Task Force) proposed changing the existing guidelines to tell women that they did not need mammograms until age 50. The Task Force’s recommendations were widely rejected and castigated by the medical community and those involved with cancer prevention. HB 182 would ensure that the healthcare insurers in Maryland would continue to provide coverage for the more frequent use of mammograms ...Continue Reading
Six high school seniors were recently selected to serve as student pages for the 2010 Maryland General Assembly, including Rachel Cooper and Alex Hutcheson of C. Milton Wright High School, Brandon Ellis of Joppatowne High School, Kate Kidwell of Fallston High School, and Katherine Clarke and Kate Froelich of John Carroll High School.
Pages were selected after submitting an application and participating in an extensive interview before a 12-person committee, consisting of students and educators from around the county, who tested the applicants on their knowledge of politics and other various topics. The committee was not informed of which school the applicant attends prior to the decision.
A Student Page Breakfast was held December 3, 2009, at Fallston High School, and the newly-elected pages spent the morning getting to know each other and the elected o?cials they will assist during the session. They were a?orded the opportunity to ...Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Md.—Since the New Year, the Harford men’s basketball team has been on a rollercoaster ride through the MDJUCO Conference standings. The Fighting Owls (12-7, 6-5 MDJUCO) started January off with a win against second-place Allegany, to enter into a tie for second in the standings, and have since seen themselves in ties for fifth, eight and seventh place. Harford’s 91-88 win over Howard on Wednesday night put the Owls into a three-way tie for seventh place with the end of the season rapidly approaching. The Fighting Owls women (5-14, 2-8 MDJUCO) did not fare as well, falling to the Dragons (5-9, 2-6 MDJUCO), 76-51.
The men’s win over the Dragons (6-10, 4-6 MDJUCO) puts Harford in a good position with just five conference games remaining before the MDJUCO Tournament, and only two of those five opponents have winning records. The Owls are ...Continue Reading
