Charles County Public Schools will open two-hours late on Monday, Feb. 1, 2010. There is a code two for employees who follow the code system.
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Last week, Comcast Corp.‘s chief executive officer, Brian L. Roberts, smiled at a seated crowd of congressional staffers and policy wonks at an Internet convention at Washington’s Hyatt Regency and said he loved being in the nation’s capital.

On Thursday, the cable mogul will appear before a group that may not be as friendly.

That is when Roberts and Jeff Zucker, chief executive of NBC Universal Inc., will testify before two congressional subcommittees on the proposed $30 billion merger of the companies.

Board Docs - Charles County Commissioners’ Meeting - Tuesday, February 2, 2010

1.07 [2:00 p.m.] Briefing: Ready at Five and County Youth Initiatives (Ms. Tanisha Sanders, Manager, Local Management Board/Ms. Delinisha Gray, Early Childhood Coordinator)

2010_Early_Childhood_Day_Flier.pdf

2010 Early Childhood Day Sponsorship.pdf

2010 Early Childhood Exhibitor.pdf

Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley will proclaim February 1, 2010 a statewide day of celebration in honor of the St. Mary’s College of Maryland (SMCM) Sailing Team. The Governor will present the SMCM Sailing Team with a certificate honoring its 2009 Collegiate National Championship victory. The proclamation will take place at 5:45 p.m. at The Maryland State House, Governor’s Reception Room, Annapolis.

On June 3, SMCM won the 2009 ICSA/GILL Co-ed Dinghy National Sailing Championship in San Francisco, the Super Bowl of intercollegiate sailing. This marked the third time in program history that SMCM has captured the Co-ed Dinghy National Championship. Yale University came in second, followed by Georgetown University. 

The Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC) is offering grants to aid in the purchase of wine grape vines to local farms in Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Prince George’s and St. Mary’s counties. These funds are being made available as a continuation of SMADC’s Growing Grapes for Wine Program which was established to encourage the development of a competitive wine industry in Southern Maryland. 

The grant program requires matching funds supplied by the farm owner for the purchase of grape vines of recommended grape varieties compatible with the region. The Grapes for Wine Program is offered together with the University of Maryland Extension Agency which will provide ongoing training and production expertise.

Frederick County is hoping to let the sun shine in on its energy policy by seeking assistance from the Maryland Energy Administration to install solar collection systems on county buildings.

This would not only allow the county to save on energy bills; but would allow a private developer to install and retain ownership of the system, said Hilari Varnadore, director of the county’s Office of Environmental Sustainability.

The Frederick County Commissioners last week approved a letter of interest to the state energy office that would allow the sustainability office to pursue the initiative, also known as Project Sunburst.

“Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one’s own beliefs. Rather it condemns the oppression or persecution of others.”
~ John Fitzgerald Kennedy

This may be the tax season where even die-hard do-it-yourselfers break down and hire a preparer or at the very least invest in some tax software.

Taxes are more complicated than usual with all the new deductions and credits created last year to stimulate the economy. And in some instances, Congress went back to revise and expand the tax breaks. The popular home buyer credit, for instance, is on its third version.

Even as a proposal to legalize medical marijuana emerges in Maryland, a backlash over the burgeoning industry has developed in other states - and is likely to influence legislation here.

Last week, the Los Angeles City Council tried to rein in the growth of marijuana dispensaries, limiting the number to 70 and imposing tight restrictions on where and how they can operate. And in Colorado, towns are trying to shutter some of the hundreds of dispensaries that have popped up.

Gov. Martin O’Malley has said he wants to help businesses by tapping federal stimulus money to lower their unemployment tax rates. But first he has to face down the toughest opponents of his plan: businesses.

The emerging battle has lawmakers scrambling for a compromise before employers face massive payment increases to the state’s unemployment benefits fund in about a month. It also puts the Democratic governor in the awkward position of pushing an immediate antidote that business leaders have decided is poisonous because it imposes long-term costs.