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Clarence Lam to Run for District 12 Delegate Seat

Lam, a doctor who is involved in local Democratic politics, announces his intention to run in the wide-open District 12.

  Dr. Clarence Lam, a Columbia Democrat who has quickly embedded himself into local politics, announced Tuesday he will run for the Maryland House of Delegates in the wide-open District 12. "I am running for state delegate because we need a progressive Democrat to fight for our values in Annapolis," Lam said in his announcement. "I’ll work to ensure affordable, high quality health care, improve our schools, create jobs, preserve our environment, and reinvest in our roads and infrastructure." District 12, which includes West Columbia, Catonsville, Elkridge, Halethorpe, Arbutus, Lansdowne and the Baltimore Highlands, was recently redistricted to include Downtown Columbia. The three incumbent delegates from the District—Liz Bobo, James Malone…

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Columbia Native Jayson Blair Reflects on Resignation from New York Times

May 1, 2013 will mark the 10-year anniversary of Blair's resignation from the paper of record. Today, he works as a life coach.

COLUMBIA, MD -- In the journalism world, the names of plagiarists are noted in the industry's history. But perhaps none is as notorious as Columbia native Jayson Blair. Blair resigned on May 1, 2003 from the New York Times after a string of improper journalistic practices that The Times called "a profound betrayal of trust and a low point in the 152-year history of the newspaper." This week is the 10-year anniversary of his resignation. On Monday, he spoke with Patch about his past, what he's doing now, and how his notoriety affects his life. "A number of TV stations and newspapers have reached out to me this week," said Blair. "Most of them either want to look at what had happened or they want to look at the change in my life. I've been …

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How Stressed Are Maryland Residents?

A new Gallup poll contains a surprise: We’re not as stressed as we think.

Maryland is among the top 10 least stressed states in the nation, according a new Gallup poll released this month. The data shows that Maryland is the ninth least stressed state in the country, with 38.8 percent of Maryland residents responding to a survey in 2012 saying they felt stress in the previous day. Nationally, 40.6 percent of Americans said they felt stressed the previous day, according to the survey results, which included more than 350,000 interviews conducted from January through December of 2012. Hawaii residents are the least stressed nationally, with 32.1 percent reporting feeling stress the previous day; West Virginia residents were the most stressed, according to the survey, with 47.1 percent reporting feeling stressed …

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Ulman Proposes Increases for Education, Public Safety in Operating Budget Without Tax Increases

In a statement and interview before the release of his fiscal year 2014 budget proposal, Ulman said there would be "record funding for education."

Update - 3:15 p.m. - This article was updated to include information from an interview with County Executive Ken Ulman, Budget Administrator Raymond Wacks and the county's Director of Communications David Nitkin. Before the release of his fiscal year 2014 operating budget proposal, Howard County Executive Ken Ulman said in a statement that the propsed budget has record funding for education and a big boost for public safety. "We want to make sure that we continue to invest to maintain the quality of life in this county," said Ulman. Ulman announced the budget with a news release and interview with Patch, but the county did not distribute a copy of the budget on Friday as they were still working on it. The deadline to release the budget is …

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Report: A Howard County Teen Suicide Inspires Anti-Bullying Bill

Grace McComas, 15, was a Glenelg High School sophomore.

A bill known as “Grace’s Law,” inspired by a 15-year-old Howard County teen who committed suicide on Easter Sunday in 2012, would make it a crime to bully someone repeatedly online, according to the Baltimore Sun. McComas’s parents told media outlets that she was harassed online for months before her death. Grace’s suicide resulted in an outcry of condemnation against bullying. Her friends wore blue – Grace’s favorite color – at her funeral, and went on to wear “Blue4Grace” to make visible their stance against bullying. Howard County Republican Allan Kittleman sponsored the Senate version of the bill, which was introduced by Rep. John Cardin, a Baltimore County Democrat. Last week, the Senate approved the bill, which Kittleman called “…

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Michaelwritescode

10:19 am on Friday, April 12, 2013

Yeah bro. Cus bullying totally didn't happen back in 1950. Oh wait. It did. Difference being schools had a policy of looking the other way.   more ›

Howard County Unemployment Drops to 4.8 Percent

Maryland's private sector added 6,000 jobs in February.

Late last week, the U.S. Department of Labor issued a report stating that unemployment in the state of Maryland fell by less than one percent in February. Maryland added 10,500 new jobs, with about 6,000 coming from the private sector, the report stated. The state’s unemployment fell from 6.7 percent in January to 6.6 percent in February, which is over 1 percent lower than the national 7.7 unemployment rate. Furthermore, Howard County’s unemployment rate dropped well below the state average. The county saw it’s unemployment rate fall from 5.0 percent in January to 4.8 percent in February. This number is the lowest in Maryland. “Howard County’s climate for job growth remains strong, and my administration is committed to improving the …

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Brood X Cicadas Set to Emerge This Spring

The cicadas are expected in the millions, according to researchers.