Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake took the stand in federal court Thursday, telling a judge that her administration's 2010 overhaul of the fire and police pension plan was necessary for the public good. Read More...

A state panel said Wednesday that members of the Carroll County Board of Commissioners violated the state's Open Meetings Act by holding a fee-based forum on a controversial smart-growth policy attended by a majority of the board. Read More...

Baltimore school police officers overwhelmingly ratified a five-year labor contract Thursday that ties their pay to performance, breaking from a traditional plan with uniform yearly salary increases.
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Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley is on the verge of asking lawmakers to reverse an 85-year-old practice of using state tax dollars to pay the bulk of teacher pension costs, a move that could open a bruising battle with local governments in a year crowded with showdowns over same-sex marriage and raising taxes. Read More...

State lawmakers will convene Wednesday for the 431st legislative session of the Maryland General Assembly, prepared to debate whether any plan to halve the state's $1 billion structural deficit should include new revenues or be comprised entirely of spending cuts. Read More...

A Howard County judge threw out charges Thursday that an Ellicott City woman was driving under the influence of alcohol, ruling that they were linked to an illegal quota indicating that officers had to cite two to four motorists every hour. Read More...

Rep. C.A. "Dutch" Ruppersberger (D) has drawn a Republican opponent, as state Sen. Nancy Jacobs (Harford) said Tuesday that she would challenge the veteran Democrat in Maryland's 2nd Congressional District. Read More...

Prince George's County is bracing for a $125.7 million budget shortfall that will force officials to make tough programming cuts and consider controversial proposals to increase revenue. Read More...

Two Baltimore (Md.) police officers in the process of taking a suspect into custody were surrounded by angry onlookers when an assailant suddenly tackled one of the cops, springing that suspect but himself becoming the object of the officers' attention. Read More...

Gerard E. Evans has regained the top spot among Maryland lobbyists a decade after serving a prison term for fraudulent practices. Read More...

The Anne Arundel County police chief appeared Thursday before a grand jury investigating whether County Executive John R. Leopold misused government resources, sources said. Read More...