WEEK IN REVIEW
March 26-April 1

Sunday, April 2, 2006

Police Message Board to Be MonitoredDisparaging Postings Prompt Union to Act

The Montgomery County Fraternal Order of Police plans to monitor more closely an online message board that some officers have used to post disparaging messages about colleagues, immigrants and other community residents, a union spokesman said.

The head of the union said the organization intends to block access to members who post racist, sexist or other inappropriate remarks, said Lanny Davis, a lawyer and public affairs expert hired to represent the union on the issue.

Assembly Blocks Schools TakeoverLawmakers Accuse Board of Political Motives

The Maryland General Assembly moved swiftly to block a state-ordered seizure of 11 low-performing schools in Baltimore, maneuvering in dramatic fashion to pass legislation to thwart the will of the State Board of Education.

Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert) said lawmakers were angered that the board's action took place without advance notice. He said the actions proposed by State Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick and supported by Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) smacked of politics because Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor this year.

Stem Cell Funding Passes HouseEhrlich Says He'll Sign Legislation

Maryland is seeking to become the fourth state to fund stem cell research, after passage of legislation in the House of Delegates and a pledge from Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) to sign it, despite misgivings by most lawmakers in his party.

The bill calls for the state to offer as much as $15 million in grants in the coming year to university and private-sector researchers seeking treatments for debilitating conditions through work on stem cells, including those derived from human embryos.

Senate Moves Against Utility AgencyProposal Would Create All-New Commission

The General Assembly moved to resolve a burgeoning crisis over electricity rates with a plan to dismantle Maryland's primary regulatory agency, which lawmakers said had become beholden to power companies.

Under a bill that was rewritten and cleared a Senate committee in a single day, the legislature would mount what is in essence a hostile takeover of the Public Service Commission, dismissing its five members April 9 and taking authority to appoint four of the five replacements April 10, before electric bills are set to rise.

Muhammad May Be His Own LawyerJudge in Sniper Trial Says That's His Right

Sniper John Allen Muhammad will be allowed to conduct his defense during his murder trial in Montgomery County, according to a ruling by Circuit Court Judge James L. Ryan. The judge acknowledged that the defendant had a constitutional right to be his own lawyer, but he told Muhammad that he didn't think it was the right decision.

Muhammad is accused of killing six people in Montgomery during the sniper shootings that terrified the Washington area in 2002. He has been sentenced to death in Virginia.

Across the RegionMetro to Dulles; Baseball on TV

· The region's airports authority has reached a deal with Virginia officials to take control of the Dulles Toll Road and use the revenue to move quickly to build a Metrorail line to Dulles International Airport, according to sources familiar with the agreement.

· A top-ranking congressman said Congress might intervene in an impasse that threatens to keep most Washington Nationals games off the region's largest cable provider during the upcoming season. Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.), chairman of the Government Reform Committee, warned that he would hold hearings on the matter unless the cable company, Comcast Corp., agrees to broadcast more games during the season. The company plans to air fewer than a quarter of the games.