As a work group prepares to consider expanded gambling in Maryland in its first meeting next week, the developer of the Maryland Live! casino at Arundel Mills mall says the state is already facing slots over saturation.

Here’s a few other headlines around the web:

• The Daily Record and others report that the Sparrows Point steel mill is laying off 1,975 employees.
• The Baltimore Sun reports that Gov. Martin O’Malley will take on Newt Gingrich on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday.
• The Herald-Mail reports that, while the state unemployment rate ticked upward in April, Washington County’s rate is at its lowest level since 2008.
• Patch.com reports that the Baltimore County Council approved a $2.9 billion budget, but also said the county should attempt to scale back its capital program.

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Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown (Photo: Maryland State Archives)

Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown certainly sounds like a man trying to raise his profile with the voters of Maryland.

In a pair of e-mails — one Wednesday, another Thursday morning — Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown announced the launch of AnthonyBrown.com, a fundraising website that he says will help Marylanders better communicate with and understand Gov. Martin O’Malley’s No. 2 man.

“This website will help me communicate with you about what we are doing in Maryland to strengthen our communities and, also, to hear from you about what more needs to be done,” Brown wrote in an e-mail to supporters.

He went on to say that a series of videos on the site would give users “more information about my background and service.” He named ending domestic violence and encouraging Marylanders to become foster or adoptive parents as issues that are important to him.

The lieutenant governor, the highest-ranking elected official nationwide to have served a tour of duty in Iraq, has long been thought of as a leading gubernatorial candidate in 2014.

O’Malley has reached the term limit as governor and is thought to have national aspirations when he leaves Annapolis.

It’s setting up to be a busy week for Brown, who is also getting married in College Park Sunday.

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Here’s a few headlines around the state this morning:

• The Frederick News Post reports that PlanMaryland has been de-fanged.
• Patch.com reports that Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown is getting married in College Park Sunday.
• The Washington Examiner reports that Prince George’s County lawmakers are frustrated they were not included as part of Gov. Martin O’Malley’s gambling work group.
• The Baltimore Business Journal reports that two Maryland lawmakers want to put transportation issues — like raising the gas tax — to a voter referendum.

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Gov. Martin O’Malley, Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. and House of Delegates Speaker Michael E. Busch posed for nearly 300 photos Tuesday in the year’s final scheduled bill signing ceremony.

For more info on that and other news around the state, here’s a few headlines:

• The Baltimore Sun reports that, among the bills signed by O’Malley, one will put a greater emphasis on social studies in Maryland schools.
• The Washington Post reports that O’Malley will be traveling to Maine and New Hampshire next week.
• Patch.com reports that Baltimore County class rooms have become more crowded due to state and county budgets.

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Gov. Martin O’Malley and the presiding officers of the General Assembly will sign more than 300 bills Tuesday morning, the last scheduled bill signing ceremony stemming from the 2012 legislative session.

Bills to be signed include a tax hike on Marylanders earning more than $100,000 a year and couples earning more than $150,000 a year and a ban on arsenic in chicken feed.

Here’s a few other headlines around the state:

• The Herald-Mail reports that a Hagerstown city council member wants a public hearing on a new stadium that could be built downtown and partially funded by the state.
• The Frederick News-Post reports that no arrests were made during G-8 Summit protests over the weekend.
• The Washington Examiner reports that the contractor building the Dulles Rail project is employing more Marylanders than Virginians.

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Maryland lost 6,000 jobs in April, making the state one of five that saw its unemployment rate tick upward in the month.

Here’s a few other headlines this morning:

• The Herald-Mail reports that small business shows signs of a economic recovery.
• MarylandReporter.com ponders the value of a full-time legislature.
• The Washington Post reports that funding for the Purple Line and Red Line is in jeopardy.

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Business advocates are bemoaning the actions of the General Assembly, and how those actions will impact the state’s economy.

Meanwhile, officials from eight of the world’s largest economies will descend upon Camp David, near the tiny town of Thurmont in Frederick County, for the G-8 Summit that starts today.

Here’s a few other headlines around the state:

• The Frederick News-Post reports that all was quiet in Thurmont Thursday afternoon, but that could change Friday.
• The Herald-Mail reports that John Delaney, the winner in last month’s Democratic primary in the state’s 6th Congressional District, was on the campaign trail in Washington County Thursday.
• MarylandReporter.com reports on the few Democratic members of legislature who opposed the tax bill passed by the General Assembly.

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The House of Delegates gave preliminary approval Tuesday evening to a package that would fund the state’s 2013 budget, setting up a final vote this morning.

Owners of pit bulls are also unlikely to get their way during this special session of the General Assembly.

Here’s a few other headlines around the web:

• The Washington Examiner reports that a recent audit found that some UMBC employees misused university-issued purchasing cards.
• The Washington Post reports on other bills that lawmakers wanted to consider during the special legislative session, none of which have been taken up.
• The Frederick News-Post reports that a United States representative wants federal reimbursement for Frederick County agencies preparing for the G-8 Summit.

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Lots of news in Baltimore yesterday. The city selected a new group to run the troubled Grand Prix street race on Labor Day weekend, and also unveiled the biggest changes to take place at the Inner Harbor’s Light Street Pavilion since it opened three decades ago.

Here’s a few other headlines around the web:

• WJLA reports that Gov. Martin O’Malley received an “eviction notice” from Republican lawmakers, affixed to the gate that surround Government House.
• MarylandReporter.com reports that a business group believes Maryland is over-reliant on income taxes.
• The Huffington Post profiles O’Malley, and why his name comes up as a Democratic presidential candidate in 2016.

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Gov. Martin O’Malley intends to solicit recommendations for a gambling work group this week, and still believes a second special session to debate expanded gambling could come in August.

Next week’s special session of the General Assembly will be entirely focused on completing the budget, he said.

Here’s a few other headlines around the state:

• The Frederick News-Post reports that with the state’s budget still up in the air, the school system budget is also in a holding pattern.
• The Associated Press reports on the possible impact of President Barack Obama announcing his support for same-sex unions on opponents’ petition drive in Maryland.
• The Baltimore Sun reports that Maryland is among the nation’s best states when it comes to economic mobility.
• The Washington Post reports that O’Malley’s band, O’Malley’s March, will play at Rams Head in Annapolis on May 28.

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