700 Cited in HOV Crackdown

More than 700 drivers were cited and two unlucky commuters were slapped with $1,000 tickets as part of a crackdown on HOV violators Tuesday, authorities said.

Police from a handful of jurisdictions in Maryland and Virginia handed out tickets during the morning and evening rush hours on interstates 95, 66, 270, 395 and other major arteries. The enforcement effort was dubbed the “Capitol Region HOV Awareness Day.”

The $1,000 tickets were given to two Virginia drivers for their fourth HOV offenses, officials said. The penalty also includes three points on the drivers’ records.

Officers also cited 32 drivers for reckless driving, 25 drivers for speeding and one driver for drunk driving.

from Justin Jouvenal @ the Washington Post

Concerned Citizens Rally Before Hearing on Toll Hikes

Wednesday evening the Maryland Transportation Administration (MDTA) held a public hearing on their proposed toll hikes at Kent Island High School in Stevensville. Prior to the hearing, a group of about 50 concerned citizens rallied outside the school to show their opposition to the proposed hikes.

Nick Loffer, of the Maryland chapter of Americans for Prosperity, organized the event.

Among the speakers was Maryland Sen. E. J. Pipkin (R-36). Sen. Pipkin, along with several other members of the Maryland legislature has been a leader in opposing the hikes and keeping citizens informed of the MDTA’s proposals.

Del. Mike Smigiel (R-36), another leader of the opposition movement, addresses the crowd at the pre-hearing rally organized by AFP. Smigiel, along with Sen. Pipkin, have been rallying Shore citizens to this issue, and others, through their jointly published blog War on Rural Maryland.

Del. Mike Mike McDermott (R-38B) and Del. Mike Smigiel (R-36) outside Kent Island High School after speaking against the MDTA’s proposed toll hikes.

In addition to Sen. E. J. Pipkin, Del. Mike McDermott, and Del. Mike Smigiel, Delegates Addie Eckhardt (R-37B), Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio (R-37B), Del. Steve Hershey (R-36), and Del. Jay Jacobs (R-36) all attended last night’s rally to oppose the toll hikes.

Last evening’s speakers emphasized that opposition to the toll hikes isn’t just about one more example of Annapolis taking more from the Eastern Shore. These proposed hikes will also have an adverse affect on Maryland’s economy. Mid and Upper Shore citizens will be encouraged to shop in Delaware (with no toll, and NO SALES TAX) rather than travel across the Bay. Those that have to commute across the Bay will be forced to spend more of their income in commuting costs rather than with Maryland retailers. Money taken out of the pockets of Shore residents will be going to Annapolis rather being used to invest in new businesses which will employ people.



STICKY POST! NEW POSTS WILL SHOW UP BELOW THIS ONE UNTIL 4PM.

Officials say a 43-year-old Annapolis man has died while participating in the annual Great Chesapeake Bay Swim.

Race director Chuck Nabit says Grahame Rice was pulled onto a rescue boat minutes after being found in the water during Sunday’s race. He was pronounced dead at Queen Anne’s Emergency Center in Queenstown.

Rice’s father-in-law, Bob Robinson, says doctors suspect a heart attack was the cause of Rice’s death. Robinson says Rice had been training for the race all year and had finished it two years ago.

Rice was married and had two children.

Nabit says there has been only one other fatality in the race’s 20-year history.

from the Associated Press

Eastern Shore Senator Laments Loss of Poultry Jobs

State Sen. Richard Colburn is sounding the alarm on the recent bankruptcy filing of a Delaware poultry company with operations on Maryland's Eastern Shore -- calling it "devastating" news for his district.

Allen Family Food's Cordova plant is Talbot County's second-largest employer, Colburn said, behind only the Memorial Hospital at Easton. The bad news comes as the Delmarva Poultry Industry prepares for its annual Chicken Festival this weekend in Georgetown, Del.

Seaford, Del.-based Allen filed for bankruptcy last week and announced plans to close its facilities in Maryland, Delaware and North Carolina, according to delmarvanow.com. The 92-year-old company is seeking to sell assets to Mountaire, another Delaware poultry company.

The state Department of Business and Economic Development reports that about 500-600 employees work at the Cordova plant, not including farmers with Allen-contracted chicken houses.

Colburn, an Eastern Shore Republican, said in a statement that he does not believe Maryland's two other major poultry producers, Perdue and Mountaire, will take over any of Allen's chicken houses north of Route 301.

READ MORE …

Harris, Cardin, Wealthiest Members in Maryland Congressional Delegation

The newest member of Maryland’s congressional delegation, it turns out, might also be its most wealthy.

Rep. Andy Harris, the Baltimore County Republican elected last year to represent the Eastern Shore along with several Baltimore suburbs, holds assets valued between $1.5 million and $4 million, according to annual financial disclosure statements by members of Congress that were made available to the public Wednesday.

Harris, an anesthesiologist, appears to have surpassed Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin, who is worth between $1.4 million and $3.5 million and has frequently turned up as one of the state’s most well-off elected officials. Because lawmakers report the value of assets in broad ranges, it’s impossible to assess actual net worth.

Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett, meanwhile, who also typically reports significant financial holdings, received a one-month extension to file his report.

Harris’ disclosure statement shows that he earned $123,705 last year from Johns Hopkins, where he practiced medicine. The statement also documents $40,011 in salary he received from his time as a state lawmaker and $27,000 from his private medical practice, Tidewater Anesthesia Associates. A spokesman said Harris has taken a leave of absence from Hopkins but still sees patients at his practice in order to maintain his medical license.

READ MORE …

Shore Citizens Oppose Toll Hike … More at 10 and Noon

As noted last night, over 500 citizens turned out to oppose the MDTA’s proposed toll hikes. We well be posting details of last nights events at 10 AM and 12 Noon.

Maryland Congressman, Nine Others, Sue White House Over Libya

Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers Wednesday in filing a lawsuit against President Barack Obama over U.S. involvement in Libya, alleging that the White House overstepped its constitutional authority when it launched the military effort in March.

Amid growing criticism in Congress of President Barack Obama's handling of airstrikes against Libya, a bipartisan group of lawmakers including Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett of Maryland sued the president Wednesday, saying he overstepped his authority when he committed the U.S. military to the conflict in March.

Bartlett, Republican Rep. Ron Paul, Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich and seven other House members say Obama has violated the Constitution and the 1973 War Powers Resolution by failing to seek congressional approval for the military involvement against the government of Moammar Gadhafi.

White House officials largely dismissed the lawsuit. But the effort underscored growing discontent among lawmakers of both parties, even as Obama has stressed that the continuing operation is being led by NATO and the U.S. military has "no boots on the ground" in Libya.

READ MORE …