The state prosecutor’s office says that two Marylanders attempted to cast illegal votes in last year’s presidential election. Drivers who received speed camera tickets in Greenbelt will soon be getting refunds. You’ll have to pay more to park in Annapolis this week, once the city’s new parking meters are in place. US Senator Ben Cardin renews his call for Congress to pass legislation designed to end racial profiling. Maryland’s limited tax-free clothing shopping week is fast approaching. And more.
Two Marylanders Indicted For Illegal Votes: The state prosecutor’s office says that two Marylanders attempted to cast illegal votes in last year’s presidential election – both, by using the names of their dead mothers.The Frederick News Post reports that a Frederick County woman has been indicted for trying to cast an absentee ballot for her mother, who passed away two months before Election Day. And the Baltimore Sun reports that a Montgomery County woman attempted to cast a provisional ballot under her deceased mother’s name. Elections officials say that neither of the ballots was counted, and that the incidents appear to be unrelated.
Greenbelt Speed Camera Tickets To Be Refunded: Drivers who received speed camera tickets in Greenbelt will soon be getting refunds. WJLA reports that Breckford Corporation, which installed and maintains all six speed cameras for the Prince George’s County city, has revealed that cameras on Cherrywood Lane and Hanover Parkway were not certified as being properly calibrated. Some 664 drivers ticketed in Greenbelt will get refunds. Earlier this year, Brekford reportedly had to reimburse drivers who were ticketed in Hagerstown for the same reason. Brekford has a contract to run Baltimore’s speed and red light cameras, but the city’s cameras are currently not operating, after problems with the system were discovered earlier this year. City officials haven’t given a restart date, but say that the camera system will need to be proven glitch-free before that happens.
New Parking Meters, Higher Rates Come To Annapolis: You’ll soon have to pay more to park in Annapolis. The city’s installing new parking meters that will accept both coins and credit cards; the new meters will charge motorists two dollars an hour to park; the old, coin-only ones charge just one dollar an hour. The Capital Gazette notes that the parking rate hike was approved last year. Some 384 parking meters are being replaced in the state capital; officials say all that should be done by Thursday.
Cardin Continues To Call For End Of Racial Profiling: US Senator Ben Cardin is continuing to call for Congress to pass legislation designed to end racial profiling nationwide. Cardin is the author of the Senate version of the bill, which has 16 co-sponsors in that chamber; a companion bill was introduced in the House of Representatives yesterday. The legislation would place a strict ban on all racial profiling by law enforcement.
Officer Under Investigation For Excessive Force: Baltimore City police are investigating alleged excessive force by an officer against a suspect. Police chased a suspected stolen car Monday and it crashed at a car lot. The young driver was allegedly assaulted by an officer while he was on the ground. WJZ reports that the officer has been suspended and his supervisor will also be investigated.
Bernstein’s Press Conference: Baltimore City State’s Attorney Gregg Bernstein announced several convictions and sentences yesterday at a press conference on a street corner in East Baltimore. WYPR’s Kenneth Burns reports that Bernstein faced a heckler at the event; there’s more here from the Baltimore Sun.
Inside O’Malley’s Climate Change Proposals: WYPR News Director Joel McCord talks with the Baltimore Sun’s Erin Cox about the proposals Governor Martin O’Malley made last week to deal with climate change. It’s this morning’s look Inside Maryland Politics.
Schiffer Confirmed To NRLB: An Annapolis lawyer has been confirmed by the US Senate to serve on the National Labor Relations Board. President Obama nominated Nancy Jean Schiffer to the post less than two weeks ago, and yesterday she was cleared to take the post, on a vote of 54 to 44. The Baltimore Sun reports that Schiffer has worked as an attorney for the AFL-CIO and the United Auto Workers; she began her career in the Detroit office of the National Labor Relations Board.
Property Tax Bills Rise For Some Baltimoreans: Hundreds of Baltimore homeowners are seeing much larger property tax bills this year -- because in the past, they’ve been receiving excessive historic renovation credits.City officials tell the Baltimore Sun that they aren’t looking to recoup back taxes from the approximately 300 people who benefited from the error, but also say that all future bills will be adjusted.
Calvert Cliffs License To Transfer To Exelon: The company that holds the license for the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant in Southern Maryland is on track to transfer that license to Exelon Corporation. The Baltimore Business Journal reports that the Constellation Energy Nuclear Group has reached a deal to integrate Calvert Cliffs – and of two other nuclear plants – with Exelon’s “Exelon Generation” subsidiary. Constellation Energy Nuclear Group is a partnership between Constellation Energy – now a subsidiary of Exelon – and the France-based utility EDF. In order to transfer the licenses, Exelon is setting aside $400-million to buy EDF’s stake in the company. The deal will need to be approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for it to go through; the NRC plans to hold a meeting about the future of Calvert Cliffs next week in Baltimore.
Beltway Resurfacing Project: Drivers should anticipate nighttime lane closures and ramp detours as a resurfacing project gets underway on the top side of the Baltimore beltway in Towson. The State Highway Administration says the project is expected to begin early next month and continue through next summer.
Naming Rights For Towson Basketball Arena: Towson University is announcing a naming rights deal today for its new arena. The Baltimore Sun reports the university and Linthicum-based credit union SECU have reached a $4.75-million deal to name the school’s new basketball facility the “SECU Arena" The $70-million arena seats 52-hundred people.
Limited Tax-Free Shopping Week Nears: Maryland's back-to-school week for limited tax free shopping is fast approaching. As the Baltimore Sun reports, the state’s six percent sales tax will be waived on certain items of clothing and footwear that cost up to $100 dollars from Sunday, August 11th through Saturday, August 17th. Not all clothing is on the list; for example, you’ll still have to pay sales tax on ties, belts, and jewelry, no matter how much each item costs. There’s more information here from the state Comptroller’s office.
Baltimore Baseball: The Orioles won last night’s game against the Houston Astros 4 to 3. The O’s take on the Astros again tonight; the game gets underway at 7:05 at Camden Yards.