Hearings are scheduled in the House and Senate in Annapolis today for the Small Business Services Tax.  The tax would add 2.5% to essential services businesses use every day including payroll processing, IT support, and consulting.  The democrat-sponsored bill appeared in a similar form last year, but was shot down according to Senator Mike McKay…     “They had talked about it last year, yes. It didn’t go anywhere. It got, really, a tremendous amount of pushback.  Because they’re just throwing anything and everything up on the wall, it’s back again. I don’t think it’s going to have a shot,…

Quarterback Justin Fields has decided to leave the Pittsburgh Steelers and sign with the New York Jets.  In his only season with Pittsburgh Fields compiled a 4-2 record before being benched for Russell Wilson.

The Bishop Walsh mock trial team compiled a 10-0 record this season to win the Circuit Four title and advance to the state quarterfinals Tuesday.  The opposition Tuesday is Bryn Mawr School of Baltimore.  The match will be held in Howard County Circuit Court in Ellicott City.  The winner Tuesday advances to the state Final Four in Annapolis later this month.  Bishop Walsh is coached by Tony Orndoff with assistance from Nathan Williams and attorney advisor Jessica Colwell.

On Sunday, March 9th, 2025, the Cumberland Police Department arrested Joshua Michael Reikie, 45, of Flintstone MD. Reikie was arrested on an active Bench Warrant issued by the Allegany County District Court on March 5th, 2025. The warrant alleges Reikie failed to appear in court on that date for a previous charge of driving on a suspended license. He was taken before a District Court Commissioner for an Initial Appearance where he was released on his own recognizance. Name:    Joshua Michael Reikie                                 Age:   45 Charges:   Bench Warrant – Failure to Appear.  

Clinicians at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh have performed the first bloodless heart and kidney transplant.  The patient involved is a Jehovah’s Witness who for religious reasons does not accept heart products. The medical team worked before, during, and after surgery to minimize blood loss including giving medications beforehand to boost red blood cells. The patient has been discharged and is recovering at home.

Maryland has a state song, a state bird, even a state cat. Now, efforts are underway to add a state cocktail to the list.  Delegate Wayne Hartman of Worcester County has introduced a bill in Annapolis to make the Orange Crush the official state adult beverage.  Hartman says the drink containing orange juice, vodka, triple sec and other ingredients originated at the Harborside Bar and Grill in Ocean City in 1995.  The Maryland Tourism Coalition has voiced support for the designation.

It doesn’t happen often in Annapolis, but Senator Mike McKay has been able to have floor rules suspended in the Senate to introduce a late bill.  Senate Bill 1046 has bipartisan sponsorship authorizing the use of body cameras for certain types of corrections officers inside and outside of prisons.  McKay said the bill stems from the death last May of an agent doing a home visit…     “This really has to do with parole and probation. And unfortunately, we had Parole Agent Martinez, about 8 months ago, who was brutally stabbed in an in-home visit on a sexual predator.”

Maryland Senate Bill 848 had a hearing before the Senate Finance Committee late last week. The bill moves money that has been essentially sitting in an account of unspent insurance funds to the Maryland Department of Health to help fund abortions.  The funds were collected from insurance companies as part of the Affordable Care Act. State Comptroller Brooke Lierman testified that the bill requires no additional funding…     “SB848 is a practical, effective solution to insure that these funds are used for their intended purpose – supporting equitable access to abortion care in Maryland for those who are uninsured…

Allegany County Administrator Jason Bennett gave an update on some budget information at last Thursday’s commissioner meeting. Bennett said the Maryland Department of Legislative Services is recommending that an additional $600,000 of the cost of teacher pensions be absorbed by the county. That would raise the cuts and costs from the state to the county to $5.7 million dollars…    “We went to Annapolis last week and testified two times over the governor’s budget and had a good chance to talk with members of both the House Ways and Means and Appropriations Committees and the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee….

On Sunday, March 9th, 2025, an officer with the Cumberland Police Department conducted a traffic stop in the area of Interstate 68 when a registration violation was observed on a passenger vehicle. When the officer made contact with the vehicle's occupants, it was discovered that the subjects were prohibited from contacting one another due to an active Protective Order. As a result, Colton Austin Hamilton, 25, of Cumberland MD, was placed under arrest for violating the order. He was taken before a District Court Commissioner for an Initial Appearance where he was released on a $5,000 unsecured bond. Name:   …