Hogan announces aid package for Odesa, Ukraine
Bandages, body armor and breathing equipment are on the way from Maryland to a besieged Ukrainian port city. Gov. Larry Hogan announced the shipment, part of a $7 million effort that will arrive in the port city of Odesa — a sister city to Baltimore — in the coming days. It is the second such […]
Pandemic spending oversight panel frustrated by lack of answers
A state panel is looking for answers about unemployment and pandemic aid programs administered by the Maryland Department of Labor.
Sandy aid includes $8.6M for Somerset County
WASHINGTON — Maryland’s two U.S. senators are announcing more federal aid to help Somerset County recover from Superstorm Sandy. Democrats Barbara Mikulski and Ben Cardin said Wednesday that the Department of Housing and Urban Development will award $8.6 million in Community Development Block Grants to help communities on the lower Eastern Shore recover from the […]
13 senators, including Mikulski, seek more Sandy aid
WASHINGTON — Thirteen senators from seven states damaged by superstorm Sandy are asking President Barack Obama to boost federal disaster aid to the states. Senators from Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, West Virginia and Delaware asked Obama in a joint letter Tuesday to add more emergency aid for federal disaster assistance programs […]
O’Malley seeks storm disaster declaration
ANNAPOLIS — Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley says he is seeking a presidential disaster declaration for damage from a storm that knocked out power to more than a million in the state. O’Malley announced Friday that he was seeking the declaration for the city of Baltimore and Calvert, Charles, Kent, Montgomery and St. Mary’s counties. The […]
Applications for unemployment aid dip to 367K
WASHINGTON — The number of people applying for U.S. unemployment benefits ticked down last week following a sharp drop the previous week. Applications are falling again after rising for most of April, suggesting hiring could pick up this month. Weekly applications dropped 1,000 to a seasonally adjusted 367,000 in the week ending May 5, the […]
Applications for jobless aid up to 2-month high
WASHINGTON — More people sought unemployment benefits last week, pushing the number of applicants to the highest level in two months. The Labor Department said Thursday that weekly unemployment benefit applications jumped 13,000 to a seasonally adjusted 380,000. The previous week’s figures were also revised higher. The four-week average, a less volatile measure, rose to […]
House passes bill to keep highway aid flowing
WASHINGTON — The House passed a stopgap three-month bill Thursday to keep federal highway and transit aid flowing and avoid a widespread shutdown of construction projects. The move pushes congressional action on a long-term overhaul of transportation programs deeper into an already fractious election year. The action came on a mostly party-line vote of 266 […]
Gridlock in Md. House could spell disaster for police aid
ANNAPOLIS — Maryland’s House of Delegates could resort to sizeable reductions to local police aid, including never-before-cut discretionary grants, should it fail to adopt a revised version of the Senate’s budget package. The House Appropriations Committee is considering contingency measures that would cut the remaining local share of State Aid for Police Protection grants by […]
Unemployment aid applications fall to 3-year low
WASHINGTON — The number of people applying for unemployment benefits dropped to the lowest level since May 2008, a hopeful sign that layoffs are declining and hiring is picking up. The Labor Department said Thursday that weekly applications fell by 19,000 to a seasonally adjusted 366,000 last week. The four-week average, a less volatile measure, […]
Freddie Mac reports Q3 loss, asks for $6B in aid
WASHINGTON — Government-controlled mortgage giant Freddie Mac has requested $6 billion in additional aid after posting a wider loss in the third quarter. Freddie Mac said Thursday that it lost $6 billion, or $1.86 per share, in the July-September quarter. That compares with a loss of $4.1 billion, or $1.25 a share, in the same […]
Obama touts aid for emergency service workers
NORTH CHESTERFIELD, Va. — President Barack Obama is pressing for Congress to spend billions of dollars to help firefighters facing layoffs. Obama said Wednesday that while the private sector continues to add jobs, financially strapped state and local governments are doing the opposite and cutting firefighters, teachers and police officers from the public payrolls. He […]