MARYLAND BRIEFING

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

NOVEMBER REFERENDUM

Chamber Throws Weight Behind Slots Proposal

The Maryland Chamber of Commerce will announce its support today for the proposal on the November ballot to legalize slot machine gambling in the state.

The 850-member business group has supported slots since the General Assembly first debated the issue during the Ehrlich administration. Last week, the chamber's board of directors voted formally to endorse the measure and the coalition organizing to get it passed, joining the Maryland Association of Counties and the state teachers association.

Chamber spokesman Will Burns said the group had made no decision on financially backing the pro-slots campaign. But, at a minimum, the chamber will be active in the grass-roots campaign to pass slots "and let people know what the alternatives are," he said.

"If the referendum fails, we expect more budget cuts, higher taxes or a combination of both," Burns said. If Marylanders end up paying higher taxes, "the business community will be in the cross hairs," he added.

-- Lisa Rein

ADVOCACY GROUPS' REPORT

State Rated Among Worst in Revealing Child Abuse

Maryland is among the 10 worst states when it comes to releasing information to the public about child abuse in cases involving death or serious injury, creating serious barriers to reform, a national report has concluded.

Maryland received an F in the study, which is being released today by two national child advocacy groups, First Star and the Children's Advocacy Institute of the University of San Diego School of Law.

The study found that Maryland policy is written in "severely restrictive conditional language." For example, Maryland is one of a few states in which information cannot be made public in cases involving death or serious injury unless criminal charges have been filed against the abuser.

The report also criticizes Maryland policy because it allows information to be withheld if state officials determine that disclosure could harm the best interests of a child or the child's siblings.

The report, "State Secrecy and Child Deaths in the U.S.," examined all 50 states and the District.

-- Associated Press

CHESAPEAKE BAY

Underwater Grasses Show Growth Spurt

The acreage of underwater grasses in the Chesapeake Bay, a key indicator of the estuary's overall health, increased slightly last year but still remained far below goals set by scientists, according to a report released yesterday.

The grasses covered nearly 65,000 acres of the Chesapeake last year, according to the report from the Environmental Protection Agency's Chesapeake Bay Program. That was a 10 percent increase over the 2006 figure, which had been the lowest since 1989.

But it was still far short of the goal -- 185,000 acres -- set by the federally led Chesapeake cleanup effort. The report says that grass beds grew in the upper Chesapeake, near the mouth of the Susquehanna River. But they decreased in the middle and lower bay, a drop scientists blamed on dirty water and rising temperatures, which can render the bay slightly too warm for one important grass species.

-- David A. Fahrenthold

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY

Victim of Fatal Shooting Is Identified as Langley Park Man

Prince George's County police have identified the victim of a Friday night shooting in the Langley Park area as John Realpe Montoya, 29, of the 1800 block of Jasmine Terrace in Langley Park.

Officers responding to a report of a shooting in the 7900 block of Riggs Road found Montoya with gunshot wounds to the upper body. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The police are offering a reward of up to $25,000 for tips leading to the arrest and indictment of a suspect. They had no motives or suspects in the case.

-- Hamil R. Harris