REGIONAL BRIEFING

MARYLAND

Panel Recommends $40,000 Pay Raise for Judges

Maryland's Judicial Compensation Commission is recommending pay raises of nearly $40,000 over four years for the state's judges. The commission plans to submit the proposal to lawmakers next month.

But Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert) said there "isn't any sentiment right now to increase salaries."

-- Associated Press

It Might Be Months Before Church Damage Fixed

A historic Maryland church held "four glorious services" on Christmas, but it might be months before damage caused by a steeple sprinkler system malfunction on Christmas Eve can be repaired.

The Rev. Gid Montjoy of St. Anne's Parish in Annapolis said a walkway has been constructed in the entryway beneath the steeple to allow access to restrooms. But until repairs to the flooded area are completed, parishioners will use a side entrance for services.

St. Anne's, which sits in Church Circle across from the governor's mansion, traces its origins to the late 17th century. The building was constructed in 1859.

-- Ashley Halsey III