MARYLAND BRIEFING

Friday, August 31, 2007

STATE BUDGET SHORTFALL

O'Malley Hopes for Deal, Special Session

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley said yesterday that he remains hopeful that he and lawmakers can reach consensus on a plan to close a looming budget shortfall in time to hold a special session this fall.

Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert) has urged a special session to close the projected $1.5 billion shortfall with tax increases, spending cuts and the legalization of slot-machine gambling. House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel), a slots foe, has said lawmakers can wait until they are scheduled to reconvene in January.

O'Malley (D), visiting the State Fair in Timonium yesterday, told reporters that he is hopeful he can present a plan in coming weeks that would allow a special session in October or November. If legislative leaders are not on board by that time, "we might as well wait" until January, O'Malley said.

"We really need to firm it up and nail some things down in the next few weeks here," O'Malley said, acknowledging that finding consensus on slots remains difficult.

-- John Wagner

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY

Excavation Halted Without Finding Body

D.C. and Prince George's County police have stopped digging in a small wooded ravine in Fort Washington where they believe the body of a woman who disappeared 11 years ago might be hidden. They did not find a body.

With help from a search dog, metal probes, shovels and a backhoe, police searched Tuesday and Wednesday for the remains of Shaquita Bell, a 23-year-old mother of three when she was last seen June 27, 1996. That day, police said, Bell left her grandmother's home in Alexandria with her estranged boyfriend, Michael Dickerson.

Bell disappeared days before she was to appear as a witness against Dickerson, who had been charged with assaulting her. Dickerson, who is serving a 15-year sentence on the assault charge, has denied involvement in her disappearance.

D.C. police Capt. C.V. Morris said yesterday that the digging had stopped. Search dogs will be deployed whenever it rains, in hopes that they might pick up Bell's scent, Morris said.

-- Ruben Castaneda

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY

Police Tight-Lipped as They Dig Outside Home

Anne Arundel County police searched a quiet, rutted road in Pasadena this week as part of a "cold-case homicide/missing person" investigation. But officials are saying little about the case.

Residents of Wishing Rock Road say they have been cautioned not to speak about the spot of fresh earth where investigators dug in the backyard garden of a modest ranch house there.

A Baltimore television station showed footage of police digging at the scene. But in a two-paragraph statement yesterday, police refused to discuss the reports.

"We do not know how media outlets have received their alleged information nor can we confirm their information," the statement said.

"Due to the ongoing investigation, we cannot discuss nor confirm any facts pertaining to this case. This is not a 'breaking news' incident nor is it a matter of public safety concern," the statement said. "If and when we have further details to provide, we will do so with another formal press release."

-- Mary Otto

Three Crashes in 11 Hours Kill Three Motorists

Three people died after separate vehicle crashes over 11 hours in Anne Arundel County, police said yesterday.

Police responded to the first crash at 12:17 p.m. Wednesday after receiving a call about a truck striking a house on Riviera Drive in Pasadena, according to a statement. The driver, William Richard Romansky, 65, of Pasadena, suffered "a medical emergency causing him to lose control" of the vehicle and later died at Baltimore Washington Medical Center of "an unknown medical condition," the statement said.

Lisa Ann Madej, 40, of Pasadena died at Baltimore Washington Medical Center after the car she was driving struck a tree off Creek Road later Wednesday afternoon, police said. Police said that neighbors "heard a loud crashing noise" about 4 p.m. but that the car wasn't found for about an hour.

Amy Michelle Ross, 17, of Stevensville, Md., died at Anne Arundel Medical Center after the car she was driving south on Generals Highway in Crownsville struck an oncoming tractor-trailer at 10:48 p.m., police said. Police said the truck driver, Susan Marie Oldendick, 36, of Edgewood, had steered the vehicle to the side of the road to try to avoid the car. She suffered minor injuries.

-- Raymond McCaffrey

CHARLES COUNTY

Pedestrian Killed Trying to Cross Route 301

A La Plata pedestrian was killed early yesterday when he was hit by a vehicle while attempting to cross Route 301, the town's main commercial corridor, authorities said.

James M. Williams, 51, was struck as he tried to cross in the 6300 block of the highway about 1 a.m. yesterday, said Kristen Timko, a spokeswoman for the Charles County Sheriff's Office. Williams was taken by helicopter to Prince George's Hospital Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Megan J. Monroe, 25, of Waldorf, who drove the vehicle that hit Williams, has not been charged, Timko said. Authorities do not believe alcohol was a factor in the crash.

-- Philip Rucker