Legum’s New Line

Trying to survive is a slumping economy, the Frederick News-Post will stop publishing a Monday edition. [Frederick News-Post]

Starting March 1, The Annapolis Mall will stay open one hour less each day. [WJZ]

Magna Entertainment, the parent company of the Maryland Jockey Club, defaults on its loans. [WBAL]

Obama uses proceeds from a national “cap and trade” program for greenhouse gases to fund tax cuts for the middle class, disappointing some environmentalists. [Bay Daily]

The State Senate will launch a probe of “abnormally high’ utility bills this winter. [The Capital]

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The big news out of Annapolis today is that the bill to repeal the death penalty, strongly supported by Gov. O’Malley was defeated in committee. The Washington Post has details:

A Maryland Senate committee narrowly voted today to reject Gov. Martin O’Malley’s bill to repeal the death penalty…

The vote by the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee was seen as a setback for O’Malley (D), though repeal supporters said they remain hopeful that the bill’s fate will be different when all 47 members of the Senate are given a chance to weigh in…

The committee voted 5 to 5 today on a motion to send the repeal bill to the floor with a favorable report. That was one vote shy of a majority vote needed from the 11-member committee, one of whose members was absent today.

Senate President Mike Miller, in a gesture to Gov. O’Malley, is allowing the bill to go before the whole chamber even though it did not clear the committee. Despite the optimism of supporters, however, the bill has little chance of passage. Miller is an ardent death penalty supporter and would not send the bill to the floor unless he was confident it would fail. Yesterday, Miller said “I don’t anticipate a long, protracted debate. I think I know where the votes will be.”

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A new report reveals that “Baltimore Gas and Electric issued 1.9 million shut-off notices in 2008.” Over the last two years “shut-offs jumped 23 percent across the state.” The trends coincided with “a 72 percent rate increase by BGE after the lifting of rate caps imposed at the time of deregulation.” [Washington Post]

While Maryland schools overall get high marks, a new report suggests that Baltimore City schools are lagging. [InsideEd]

O’Malley signs emergency legislation to postpone scheduled pay raises for judges. [Baltimore Sun]

And unveils “a new website where taxpayers can track the status of projects and other items to be funded with federal economic stimulus money.” [WBAL]

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources will plant a tree in honor of Socks, President Clinton’s recently deceased cat. Socks lived for many years on Maryland’s Eastern Shore with Clinton’s former secretary Betty Currie. The tree was donated by a local kennel. [Baltimore Sun]

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Gov. O’Malley’s push to repeal the death penalty is likely to get a vote in the entire state senate, even if his legislation fails in committee. The move would be a courtesy by Sen. President Mike Miller, a death penalty supporter, but also “may reflect his confidence that the repeal effort will fail.” [Baltimore Sun]

Maryland loses 3,000 acres of woodlands a year, robbing the bay of one of its most effective sources of pollution control. [Bay & Environment]

Anne Arundel County Police Chief James Teare defends his department’s handling of a report of possible sexual activity in the backseat of County Executive John Leopold’s car. Teare says the officer who arrived at the scene found no evidence of wrongdoing, adding “Mr. Leopold was fully dressed and wearing his notable red sweater vest.” [Baltimore Sun]

Gov. O’Malley announced he supports efforts to required people to prove legal residence before receiving a Maryland state driver’s license. [Maryland Politics]

Comptroller Peter Franchot thinks the national recession will last well into 2010. [WBAL]

Sen. E.J. Pipkin (R-Eastern Shore) wants the state to consider adding a third span to the Bay Bridge. [The Capital]

The Orioles announce a stimulus package for baseball fans. [Maryland Daily Record]

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If you’ve missed your daily fix on Maryland political news, fear not. Unfortunately, I haven’t had time to update the site today or yesterday. But please stand by, Legum’s New Line returns in full force Thursday morning.

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Rally in Annapolis calls for in-state tuition for all Maryland residents, regardless of immigration status. [WJZ]

Can Michael Steele expand the reach of the GOP? [TIME]

Obama praises O’Malley in his speech to the National Governors Association. [Maryland Politics]

The federal government may reimburse Maryland for the cost of inauguration security, about $11 million. [WBAL]

A bill before the General Assembly would restrict the sale of sugary, flavored malt beverages, known as “alcopops.” Industry lobbyists dispute that the drinks appeal to youths. [Baltimore Sun]

A cashier working at a McDonald’s in Edgewater was arrested for selling drugs through the drive-thru window. [Baltimore Sun]

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In recent weeks Twitter — a micro-blogging service that allows you to send short messages to other users — has taken off in national political circles. The use of Twitter by top DC journalists and politicians, including David Gregory, Claire McCaskill and Karl Rove, has been the subject of recent articles in the Washington Post and Politico.

The Maryland political Twitterverse is less developed but there are still plenty of folks worth following. Here’s my list of the top 10:

@TDRAndy: The Maryland Legislative reporter for the Maryland Daily Record. Tweets the news as it happens while on the ground in Annapolis.

@baltimoresun: Don’t let the generic screen name fool you. Whoever writes this for the Sun brings plenty of personality to Maryland news. Currently has over 1600 followers.

@andrewagreen: Maryland politics reporter for the Baltimore Sun and writer for their indispensable Maryland Politics blog.

@GovernorOMalley: O’Malley’s official feed. Was very active during the DNC convention but has slowed down recently. Expect an uptick as the 2010 election season approaches.

@mdchamber: Tweets from the Maryland Chamber of Commerce provide insights into the state’s influential buisness community and their agenda in Annapolis.

@insidecharmcity: Conservative political blogger and indefatigable aggregator of Maryland political news.

@kenulman: Democrat and Howard County Executive. Interesting, though infrequent, tweets.

@mdreps: The latest from the Maryland Republican Party.

@mddems: The same for the Maryland Democratic Party, but with less frequent updates.

You can follow my tweets on Maryland politics and whatever else is on my mind: @juddleg.

Sign up for Twitter here.

And if I’ve missed anyone good, let me know in the comments.

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O’Malley blasts Republican governors who are refusing to accept federal stimulus funds. [AP]

State legislative analysts recommend eliminating Maryland’s financial assistance program for movie productions. [Maryland Daily Record]

Two delegates from Fort Washington have introduced bills to eliminate the High School Assessment tests required for graduation at Maryland public schools. [Gazette.net]

Former Governor Robert Ehrlich says the Maryland GOP is down, but not out. [WJZ]

Magna Entertainment, the owner of Pimlico and Laurel Racetracks, “may file for bankruptcy next month.” Magna “is taking the state of Maryland to court after officials rejected its bid for a slot machine license at Laurel.” [WTOP]

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Congressional Quarterly examines the potential political impact of Rep. Frank Kratovil’s vote for stimulus bill. [CQ Politics]

The Washington Post editorial page praises Gov. O’Malley’s effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay. [Washington Post]

Tonight at 6:30PM, Maryland Public television will run a documentary on sprawl in Maryland, exploring “the choices Marylanders face in dealing with growth while trying to maintain their quality of life.” [Bay & Environment]

Experts say Maryland should start the bidding process over for slot machines, after the initial effort yielded disappointing returns. Lawmakers, however, seemed determined to press forward. [Capital News Service]

A raid by Baltimore City cops results in the seizure 90 pounds of cocaine, valued at over $2 million. It was the largest cocaine seizure in the department’s history. [Baltimore Sun]

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As Marylanders struggle with skyrocketing electric bills, Baltimore Gas & Electric Co. is planning what will surely be a very unpopular request: a rate increase for 2010. The Maryland Daily Record has the details:

BGE will wait to file with the Public Service Commission until later this year to request an increase in the rate it charges for the delivery of electricity and natural gas starting in 2010, said Mark Case, the firm’s vice president of regulatory affairs.

Case did not elaborate on the potential size of BGE’s rate request in an interview Thursday, but a settlement with the state requires that distribution rate increases be capped at no more than 5 percent of the distribution rate.

“We’re looking now at 2010, and essentially it’s a situation where we know with the economy and the cold weather we’ve had this winter it’s a tough time for our customers, so we’ve tried to hold out as long as we could,” Case said.

Anger over big electric bills has prompted Sen. James Rosapepe (D) and Sen. E.J. Pipkin, (R) to introduce bill that would re-regulate the electricity market.

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