Monday, May 6, 2013
A Quinnipiac University poll shows the Maryland governor in the back of the pack regardless of whether or not Hillary Clinton decides to run in 2016.
The early prospects for 2016 White House bid for Gov. Martin O'Malley are dim, according to one national poll. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would get 65 percent of the vote in a Democratic primary, according to a poll released last week by Quinnipiac University. Trailing Clinton is current Vice President Joseph Biden and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo with 13 and 4 percent of the vote respectively, according to the poll. O'Malley joins Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, and Virginia Sen. Mark Warner at the back of the pack. Each polled with 1 percent of less of the support in the national poll. If Clinton were to decide not to run, Biden becomes the frontrunner with 45 percent of those polled saying they would support the vice …
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Don Starr and Joseph Smith married at Concord Point Lighthouse.
Newlyweds in Havre de Grace made history Tuesday after a midnight wedding in front of Concord Point Lighthouse. Havre de Grace native Don Starr and Havre de Grace City Councilman Joseph Smith tied the knot in a private ceremony on Jan. 1, the day that same-sex marriage was first legally recognized in the state of Maryland. "My guess is we were definitely the first in Harford County and, most certainly one of the first in the entire state," Smith said. "We timed it so we [were] declared married just as the fireworks started in Havre de Grace." The couple, who live in Bulle Rock, have been together for 24 years. "The goal was that we would get married before we hit our 25th anniversary," Smith said. For the past four years, the pair has worn…
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Married same-sex couples who reside in Maryland can file jointly in 2014.
Same-sex married couples in Maryland will be able to file joint tax returns but they'll have to wait a year to do so. Comptroller Peter Franchot said Wednesday in a statement that "same-sex couples in the State of Maryland – whether married in this state or in other states – will have the opportunity to file joint tax returns for Tax Year 2013, and will receive the same state tax treatment as any married couple." The comptroller issued the statement a day after a Washington Times story reported that same-sex couples in Maryland would not be eligible to file jointly. Franchot said the story "contained significant misinformation regarding the tax filing status of same-sex couples in Maryland." That story raises questions about Maryland's tax…
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
DREAM Act, expanded gambling and congressional redistricting also survive referendum challenges.
UPDATED (2:26 a.m.)—Same-sex marriage is the law in Maryland. The passage of the controversial law was the biggest win among a list of six other statewide ballot questions including the DREAM Act, expanded gambling and congressional redistricting that all also passed. Gov. Martin O'Malley took to the podium to address the Question 6 victory party at The Soundstage in Baltimore early Wednesday to chants of his last name. O'Malley thanked the crowd for all they had done "in this noble battle to move Maryland Forward." The governor praised supporters for all their hard work and for securing support for the controversial ballot question by talking to their families and their religious institutions. "You were carrying this banner of human …
Thursday, October 18, 2012
How will you vote on the Congressional redistricting plan on Nov. 6?
In addition to more notable referendum questions such as same-sex marriage, DREAM Act and expanded gambling, Maryland voters will also be asked to decide the fate of the state's recently redrawn congressional districts. Earlier this week, Comptroller Peter Franchot announced he intends to vote against the maps and asked voters to do the same. The comptroller said the recent maps drawn by Gov. Martin O'Malley and approved by the General Assembly are unfair and make Maryland "the poster child for gerrymandering." A spokeswoman for the governor noted that the maps have survived a number of challenges in the courts and that the process used to create them is legally sound. Voters on Nov. 6 will be asked to vote for the referred law or against …
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Former Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend joined other Catholics in backing same-sex marriage in Maryland.
UPDATE (4:07 p.m.)—Former Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend—the eldest daughter of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy—joined other Catholics in announcing her support for same-sex marriage in Maryland. Townsend, of Towson, cited the famous speech made by her uncle, President John F. Kennedy, to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association prior to the presidential election in 1960, where he explained his Catholic faith would inform his decisions but that he wouldn’t be beholden to Rome. "But he brought with him the understanding that while the church can’t tell you what to do, the values of the Catholic Church, the values of love and justice that we learn from our faith can influence what we do, and that’s what we’re doing here today," …
Friday, May 18, 2012
Ruling stems from divorce case filed by a couple married in California in 2008.
UPDATED (5:12 p.m.)—Same-sex marriages legally performed out of state must be recognized by Maryland Courts, according to a decision issued Friday by Maryland’s highest court. “Maryland courts will withhold recognition of a valid foreign marriage only if that marriage is ‘repugnant’ to State public policy,” wrote Court of Appeals Judge Glenn Harrell Jr. in the 7-0 decision. Legal experts and Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler said the decision has both immediate and long-term effects—even as the state moves toward a possible referendum on the recently passed law allowing same-sex marriage in the state. Gansler, who in 2010 issued what he called “a forecast” opinion predicting the court would ultimately recognize out-of-state same-…
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Patch breaks down how each Harford-based state senator voted Thursday.
The State Senate on Thursday passed same-sex marriage legislation. State delegates narrowly passed it last week, despite votes against from the entire Harford County delegation. See how your Harford County-based state senators voted: Join our live chat on the debate. TELL US: Are you content with your senator's vote? Leave a comment.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Lengthy debate and amendments expected Thursday.
The Maryland Senate has delayed its vote on same-sex marriage legislation until Thursday. The 47 legislators had planned to take up the bill, which was passed Friday by the House of Delegates, during its Wednesday morning session. The opponents said the procedural delay would allow them time to seek an opinion from the attorney general on several amendments as well as prepare additional amendments that could be offered Thursday. One amendment, offered by Sen. Edward Reilly, an Anne Arundel County Republican, would allow the law to go into effect on October 1—thus removing an amendment by Del. Wade Kach, a Baltimore County Republican, that set the effective date as January 1, 2013. "It may look like a placebo but this is really a poison …
Friday, February 17, 2012
Advocates secured one more vote than the minimum of 71 to pass the legislation voted to approve the bill.
It was close, but the Maryland House of Delegates voted to approve a same-sex marriage bill Friday night that was a priority for Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley. Legislators passed the Civil Marriage Protection Act with 72 votes in favor and 67 delegates voting against the legislation. The bill needed a minimum of 71 votes to pass. The total was originally reported as 71 votes in favor because a technical glitch locked out Del. John Bohanon’s vote in favor of the bill. Just two Republicans—Dels. Wade Kach and Robert Costa of Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties, respectively—voted in favor of the bill. A similar bill died last year in the House when proponents failed to secure the needed votes and were forced to return the bill to committee…
Maggie Mae McGrath
11:19 am on Wednesday, May 15, 2013
I had to listen to O'Malley speak about how much he has done for the state of Maryland during my daughter's commencement speech. Then President Urgo told us just think how much he can do nationally. I, along with most people there, just about threw up. more ›