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2006 Literature Page
2008
Press Releases & Other Stories of Interest
June 11,
2008: Fowler: Patuxent on Death
Row: (The Recorder)
May 2, 2008:
Nurse Awards Set May 5:
(The Recorder)
April 25,
2008: Eating for the Needy - Empty Bowl Supper:
(The Recorder)
April 16,
2008: We appreciate mentors in Community
Mentorship Program: Letter to
the Editor
April 11,
2008: Session ends with a tint of green
(The Recorder)
March 12,
2008: Mercury Vaccine gets a boost
(The Independent)
March 6,
2008: BGE Says Service in Calvert Improves
(Washington Post)
February 15,
2008: Bill Aims to Protect Watermen
(SoMdNews.com)
February 13,
2008: Bill Aims for Tax Relief -
Maryland Farmers Could be Protected
(The Recorder)
February 13,
2008: Liquor License Cost Increase Delayed
(The Recorder)
February 1,
2008: Delegate wants state
crackdown on wire thieves (The
Recorder)
January 31,
2008: Fee Hike Eyed for Liquor Licenses
(The Washington Post)
January 30,
2008: Kullen Looks to Fight Scrap Metal Bandits
(The Recorder)
January 25,
2008: Temptation Office
(The Gazette)
January 18,
2008: Environmentalists rally for
tougher carbon laws (The Examiner)
January 17,
2008: Double Duty: Many Maryland Legislators
don't quit .... (The Bay Weekly)
January 13,
2008: BGE Told To Improve Its Service
(The Washington Post)
January 9,
2008: BGE told to step up service in Calvert
(The Recorder)
―
(Read
the Public Service Commission's formal response - clicking this
will open a pdf document)
January 9,
2008: Farmers speak out on state's new
taxes (The Recorder)
January 5,
2007: Southern Md. Delegation at a glance
(The Recorder)
Both frustration and
tenacious hope were on display on Broomes Island Sunday,
June 8, where Bernie Fowler led the Patuxent River
Wade-In.
In this annual event, the
former Democratic state senator and staunch advocate for
the river leads politicians and citizens into the
Patuxent, where they gauge the health of river by
measuring its clarity.
Specifically, they see how
far they can walk until they can no longer see Fowler’s
white tennis shoes.
Fowler’s shoes have
clearly seen a lot of service; his big toes poked out
the front. But while he’s been leading people into the
river for two decades, not much has changed. This year,
his shoes were visible 26 inches under the surface of
the water, five more inches than last year. But he said
that’s about what he expected, and the clarity doesn’t
represent a great improvement in the river’s health.
Before the wade-in, Fowler
and others addressed a small crowd standing under a
plaque reading: ‘‘Never, never, never give up.” But
Fowler’s remarks make clear just how dire he considers
the situation to be.
‘‘She’s on death row,” he
said of ‘‘Lady Patuxent.” ‘‘We put her there. But we’re
making strong appeals. She’s not going to die. We’re
going to bring her back. We will save this river, trust
me.”
As evidence of some
improvement, Fowler pointed out the grasses that lined
the riverbank, which he said had not been there last
year.
‘‘That’s a sign of hope.
We don’t like to sound like doomsday today. Today is a
day of hope,” he said.
Charles Harrell, senior
pastor at Trinity United Methodist Church in Prince
Frederick, exhorted listeners to see saving the river as
a religious duty, and asked them to work to get their
congregations involved.
‘‘At bottom, I really
believe it’s a spiritual issue, care of the environment
which He has entrusted to us,” Harrell said. ‘‘... If
you’ve got the energy of a thousand or more
congregations in the area behind this thing, there is
nothing that can’t happen.”
A stream of politicians
also shared their thoughts.
Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.,
5th), House Majority Leader, was one of those who chimed
in.
‘‘I have to disagree with
my friend Bernie Fowler on the responsibility of elected
officials,” Hoyer said. Fowler had said government
officials bear the responsibility to act to save the
river. ‘‘It’s the responsibility of everybody sitting
under this tent, of everybody who shares the benefits
from the river or the bay.
‘‘I’m not sure how far
we’re going to get,” Hoyer said before the wade-in.
‘‘It’s as you’ve said — a simple but profound truth.
Although we have a simple and profound test that Bernie
Fowler has made famous around the world, we’re not doing
enough.”
Delegate
Sue Kullen (D-Calvert) said she intends to continue
working for the river but that there will be no single
‘‘silver bullet” solution to its woes. Instead, what is
needed is ‘‘silver buckshot — a lot of different efforts
over years to make a difference for the river.”
Despite the
somber subject, the sweltering afternoon had its light
moments as well, especially when students from the
Chesapeake Public Charter School performed songs, dances
and poetry about the river and the Chesapeake Bay.
Maryland
folksinger Tom Wisner, who composed some of the
selections performed by the children, treated the crowd
to a few songs as well.
Fowler asked
his listeners to have ‘‘courage and optimism that good
things are going to finally happen.”
But he also
said, ‘‘I’m not going to try to make you cry today, but
there’s been times I’ve wanted to do just that.”
(The article was shortened for
space – if you’d like to see the entire article,
visit
Southern Maryland News online).
Nurse Awards Set for May 5
May 2, 2008
― Community
Calendar. The Recorder
Southern
Maryland Registered Nurses will recognize Senator Mac
Middleton, Delegate Sue Kullen, Health Partners
of Charles County, Health Connections of St Mary’s
County, and numerous outstanding direct care nurses,
nurse educators, and nurse leaders at their annual
Nursing Awards dinner, according to a press release. A
$1,000 scholarship will be awarded to a local nursing
student.
The
Legislative Advocate for Nursing and Healthcare Award
values and emphasizes the significance of advocacy for
nursing and for the health of the citizens of Maryland
by those elected to provide for the good of the public.
The Human
Needs Service Award recognizes leadership in developing
or implementing a healthcare related service or program
based on human need, with respect for human dignity,
unrestricted by consideration of nationality, race,
creed, color, or status.
The Grace E.
Brown Nurse Educator Award is for inspiring and
supporting an environment of learning and teaching
skills that have positively affected patients, families,
colleagues, students, and our community.
The Joann
Zwick Caring Award recognizes direct nursing care
positively affecting patients, families, colleagues,
students, and our community.
The Nurse of
the Year Award recognizes achievements, professionalism,
and outstanding contributions to nursing practice
positively affecting patients, families, colleagues,
students, and our community.
Eating for the needy
Empty Bowl Supper supports homeless efforts
Friday, April 25, 2008
― By Shelley
Mascia, Staff Writer, The Recorder
Colorful bowls caught the eyes of people attending the eighth annual
Empty Bowl Supper last weekend.
Hosted by St. John
Vianney Roman Catholic Church on April 19, Project ECHO hosted the
Empty Bowl Supper to raise funds to help complete the homeless
shelter’s new building, the plans of which, along with needed
supplies, were on display.
 |
|
Del. Sue Kullen (D-Calvert),
right, serves up salad to Diane Ragano of Prince Frederick
Saturday at the eighth annual Project ECHO Empty Bowl Supper
at St. John Vianney Family Life Center in Prince Frederick. |
‘‘ECHO is special
because it’s helping homeless people,” Lottie Danielson of Calvert
County said. ‘‘A lot of people think that there aren’t any homeless
people in Calvert County, but there are. It’s hard for people to be
homeless.”
Danielson explained
that the new building will be behind the Housing Authority on Main
Street.
‘‘All Saints Episcopal
Church supports Project ECHO,” said Adrienne Hope-Sales, who is a
member of the Project ECHO board as well as the church. ‘‘We give
money and also provide dinner two or three times a month. This is a
major fundraiser for us and a community effort.”
This year, all 375
bowls were donated collectively by Shepherd’s Hands, Barefoot
Potters, Foxtail Potters, Huntingtown, Calvert, Northern and
Patuxent high schools and others. They were of different sizes,
shapes and colors. The potters had even made some for the animals.
‘‘I made a few bowls
with Mr. Martin of Shepherd’s Hand potters after school,” Patricia
Brooks, 15, of Prince Frederick said. ‘‘I thought it was cool to
make bowls and help homeless people.”
‘‘We started out
making handmade bowls to professional bowls,” said Mike Martin, a
professional potter, of Dunkirk. ‘‘Hopefully, people enjoy what we
make. It’s always fun to watch people go down the line of bowls and
try to figure out what they want.
The Empty Bowl Supper,
now in its eighth year, is Project ECHO’s biggest fundraiser. For
$20, participants could partake of all the eight varieties of soup,
bread, salad and dessert they wanted and got to select one of the
many bowls on display to keep.
The food was donated
by local restaurants including Bowen’s Grocery, Outback Steakhouse
and CD Cafe.
While people ate, they
were also able to participate in a silent auction. Many of the
auction items were also donated by businesses or people who wanted
to help out.
‘‘Andrea Jordon [one
of the organizers] got me involved in the Woman’s Garden Club and in
Project ECHO,” Deanna Richie of Chesapeake Beach said. ‘‘I came here
to help do some of the flower arrangements and help women learn how
to do them.”
While volunteers lined
the food trays, several members of the religious and political
community put on an apron and hat to help serve others. Delegate
Sue Kullen (D-Calvert) came to, as she put it, ‘‘strap on an
apron” and help out the community.
‘‘Last year, I was
salad girl. I’m hoping for the same position again this year,”
Kullen said.
‘‘I am from a
confirmation group from Jesus the Good Shepherd,” said Jacqueline
Wiels, 15, of Owings. ‘‘I look forward to serving. I feel glad that
I am able to help out.
Many of the people
enjoyed the food and were happy to assist in Project ECHO’s
fundraiser.
Every penny that the
dinner made goes toward the new building.
‘‘I have been coming
down to the suppers for the last eight years. It’s been a tradition
to come here,” Cynthia Gonzales of Owings said. ‘‘It’s important for
the community to support Project ECHO because of the good that they
do.”
According to the Web
site, Project ECHO Inc. provides emergency assistance to homeless
people 24 hours a day, every day of the year. ECHO offers a safe,
sober place to stay overnight to homeless men, women and children on
a short-term basis.
The new building plans
on housing more people, with a floor separate for men, women and
families.
‘‘We have had to turn
away people because we simply don’t have enough room,” Hope-Sales
said. ‘‘Our new shelter will make it possible for families to stay
together as they are finding homes. We want to provide them not with
an impersonal place to stay, but someplace that they feel is home.”
We appreciate mentors in Community
Mentorship Program
(Letter to the Editor)
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
―
Letter to the Editor - Calvert Recorder
The
Community Mentorship Program, sponsored by the Calvert County Public
Schools, is open to a limited number of academically able seniors
each year.
Students who participate in the program are able to expand
curriculum opportunities beyond the school site. These exploratory
internships provide work and study under the direction of a
professional mentor in the community.
The
two major thrusts of the program are: 1) To help students explore
possible future career choices, and 2) To involve students in the
planning, development and completion of a related project.
The
mentors, chosen from business, industry, the professions, and the
arts, are experienced and dedicated leaders in the community who
desire to share their working knowledge of current developments in
the field.
The
Mentorship Program not only meets the student’s need by providing a
setting for a mentor-intern relationship, it also provides students
with a deeper understanding and readiness to deal with the problems
of the real world.
As
facilitator of the mentorship program, I want to thank each of the
following professionals who participated this year.
They
have given their time freely and with selfless devotion to the
growth of our students:
Political Science: Delegate Sue Kullen; Nancy Krashoc;
I know
I speak for the Calvert County Board of Education, the
administrators of Northern, Huntingtown, Calvert and Patuxent high
schools, and all the interns when I say I truly appreciate the value
of these mentors’ participation in the program this year.
Over
the years, these experiences have proven to change the course of a
young person’s life, helping to establish directions and goals for
the future. We all look forward to your continued support in the
future. Any professional in Calvert, St. Mary’s or Charles County
who would like more information about participating in this program,
contact me at 410-535-7294.
Jack
Keosseian, Prince Frederick
(The list was shortened for
space – if you’d like to see the entire list of those recognized,
visit
Southern Maryland News online).
Session ends with a tint of green
Economy, environment dominated legislative session
Friday, April 11, 2008
― By Alan Brody, Staff Writer, The Recorder
ANNAPOLIS — Last year’s
special session was supposed to cure Maryland’s fiscal woes. It was
supposed to clear the deck so lawmakers could engage in broad policy
debates on social issues. And it was supposed to provide for a slew
of new programs that had been long neglected.
But
falling state revenues and a slumping national economy rewrote the
script for the 2008 General Assembly session that finished with a
flurry on Monday night.
In the
end, most Southern Maryland legislators said they were largely
pleased with the outcome, but were unsure how it would be greeted at
home.
 |
|
Delegate Sue
Kullen, Calvert County (above right) confers with Delegate
Sally Jameson of Charles County during the legislative
session. |
‘‘We
were trying to be everything to everybody,” said Del. Sally Y.
Jameson (D-Charles), who chairs the Southern Maryland delegation.
‘‘Whether we were effective in that, I don’t know.”
Despite the challenging fiscal climate, lawmakers still managed to
secure a sizeable chunk of money for roads, schools and a variety of
pet projects. The three Southern Maryland counties got more than $26
million for public school construction — St. Mary’s County’s nearly
fulfilled its entire $7.3 million request. The state budget also
includes money for several initiatives for St. Mary’s College and
the College of Southern Maryland, as well as the relocation and
expansion of the Civista Medical Center pharmacy.
The
state also kicked in an extra $1.3 million for Regency Furniture
Stadium, the home of the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs that is slated
to open next month, to cover cost overruns. St. Mary’s County got
almost $700,000 to expand its aging detention center. In
transportation, the state committed to expanding commuter bus
service and building new park-and-ride lots in the region, and
putting $15 million towards land acquisition for the Waldorf bypass.
‘‘I
think it was a conservative session in that we respected the fiscal
challenges, but still managed to move the state forward,” said
Del. Sue Kullen (D-Calvert), pointing to accomplishments in the
environment, education, transportation and health care. ‘‘I think
the biggest challenge in Annapolis is balancing the needs with the
money you have. Everybody’s talking about reining in spending and
you have to do that, but in a way that doesn’t have Maryland coming
to a screeching halt.”
But
declining revenues and a grim economic outlook also forced
legislators to cut more than $440 million and defer numerous worthy
projects...
(Read the story in its entirety at Southern Maryland News Online)
Mercury vaccine bill gets boost
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
― By Meghan
Tierney, Staff Writer: The Independent
ANNAPOLIS — A bill to reduce mercury in vaccines that has failed
for the past three years could receive new immediacy in the wake of
an unprecedented federal settlement with the family of a Georgia
girl who developed autism-like symptoms after receiving a series of
shots as a toddler.
In
1999, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requested that
drug manufacturers stop using thimerosal, a mercury-containing
compound, as an inexpensive preservative in vaccines. The step was a
precautionary measure in response to concerns about the effects of
the known neurotoxin. The CDC now says that studies have not shown a
link between thimerosal and neurophysiological problems, but
opponents say the data is far from conclusive.
‘‘Mercury is hugely neurotoxic. It’s the second-most neurotoxic
substance on Earth,” said Lyn Redwood, vice president of The
Coalition for SafeMinds, a nonprofit that advocates further studies
on thimerosal.
Redwood, a nurse, said federal officials have downplayed concerns
about the compound. ‘‘We’re portrayed as these anti-vaccine wackos,”
she said. ‘‘We want safe vaccines, and I don’t think that’s too much
to ask.”
Thimerosal is still used in certain influenza, hepatitis B and
tetanus vaccines to prevent bacterial growth and contains about 50
percent mercury by weight, according to the Food and Drug
Administration.
It is
theorized that thimerosal triggers autism-like symptoms in
genetically susceptible individuals, though lawmakers say that
regardless of a link with the neurodevelopmental disorder, mercury
is unsafe to inject.
The
bill in the General Assembly would prohibit the administration of a
vaccine that contains more than 1.25 micrograms — a millionth of a
gram — of mercury per 0.5 milliliter dose. Some flu and tetanus
vaccines contain 25 micrograms of mercury. Lawmakers have released
slightly modified versions of the bill for the last three years to
no avail, said Del. Sue Kullen, one of the bill’s lead sponsors.
‘‘We
took a variety of different tacks, but we want to tell drug
manufacturers that we want Maryland vaccines to be mercury-free,”
said Kullen (D-Calvert). She said she would bring it back next year
if it is not adopted. Seven other states have passed similar laws,
said another sponsor, Del. Nicholaus R. Kipke (R-Anne Arundel).
‘‘What
we’re trying to do is limit exposure to our most vulnerable
populations,” he said. Young and unborn children are most vulnerable
to the effects of mercury because they are still developing and have
low body weights, according to published reports. Major drug
manufacturers make mercury-free vaccines, but because they must be
packaged in single-use vials instead of multi-use vials, costs are
slightly higher, according to data provided by the office of Sen.
Thomas ‘‘Mac” Middleton (D-Charles), a sponsor of the bill.
Producers have said they could make the required amount of
thimerosal-free vaccines for the state by 2008, according to the
data.
However, some say the mercury fears are unfounded.
This story has been reduced due to
size:
Read the story in its entirety at Southern Maryland News Online
BGE Says Service in Calvert
Improves
Thursday, March 6, 2008
― By Christy
Goodman, Washington Post Southern Maryland Section
Baltimore Gas and
Electric executives said service to the company's Calvert customers
was better in the last half of 2007 and early 2008.
The company,
owned by Constellation Energy, has been criticized by state Del.
Sue Kullen (D-Calvert) and some of its customers who say
that they receive poor service and that the company is slow to
respond to outages, compared with the Southern Maryland Electric
Cooperative, the utility that serves most of Calvert County.
BGE serves fewer
than 7,800 customers in Twin Beaches and the surrounding area of
northern Calvert. SMECO serves 30,150 customers in the rest of the
county.
BGE reported a
customer average of 0.31 power failures or interruptions in 2004,
not including major weather events. The rate more than doubled to
0.73 in 2006. In comparison, SMECO reported an average of 1.03
disturbances per customer in 2004 and 0.49 in 2006.
A BGE customer
in Calvert went without power for an average of 1.68 hours in 2004
and 2.05 hours in 2006, not including major weather events. For
SMECO customers, the average was 1.81 hours in 2004 and 1.02 hours
in 2006.
BGE is in the
midst of "an aggressive" tree-trimming plan to reduce power
failures, said Stephen J. Woerner, senior vice president.
Tree trimming will finish in June, he said.
The company also
moved a crew to the area of southern Anne Arundel County and
northern Calvert to improve response time.
Commissioner
Barbara A. Stinnett (D-At Large), the only commissioner who is a BGE
customer, said problems have "significantly dropped." She said, "It
is noticeable."
Bill Aims to Protect Watermen
Friday, February 15, 2008
― By Alan Brody,
Capital Watch (SoMdNews.com)
Fearing that watermen
are struggling to cover expenses, Delegate Sue Kullen wants to
create a separate property tax structure for those who make their
living on the Chesapeake Bay and other waterways.
Her bill is designed
to calculate the property tax on its use rather than its typically
higher market value.
‘‘They’re getting
priced out of waterfront,” said Kullen (D-Calvert), a member of the
state’s Working Waterfront Commission that drafted the bill.
It’s all part of an
effort to help watermen stay in business and protect the state’s
fisheries industry by preserving commercial access to the shoreline.
‘‘We’re finding that
some people could not afford the taxes and had to sell their water
access and certain marinas are pulling back their access to working
boats,” she said.
Other types of land
that are separately assessed include farmland, golf courses,
railroads, public utilities and conservation property.
The bill is scheduled
for a hearing on Feb. 28.
Bill Aims for Tax Relief
Maryland Farmers Could be Protected
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
― By Erica
Mitrano, Staff Writer, The Recorder
Relief could be on the way
for farmers worried about passing their farms on to
their children, in the form of a bill in the Maryland
General Assembly to eliminate estate taxes on working
farms.
The bill, introduced in
the House of Delegates by Delegate Sue Kullen
(D-Calvert), would exclude working agricultural property
from the assessment of estate taxes if the inheritor
signed an agreement promising to keep the property in
farmland. The estate tax could be recovered later if the
person who made that agreement converted the property
from agriculture within 10 years.
Tommy Briscoe, 50, said he
had to sell the development rights from his farmland to
pay estate taxes, an option his children won’t have when
he passes the farm on to them.
Assessing farmland at the
market rate can make farming prohibitive ‘‘because what
you pay off the taxes is like buying the farm if you
inherit it. It’s so high, the appraisals are so high,
you can’t afford to pay the taxes on it,” Briscoe said.
The Broomes Island farm
has been in his family for at least four generations.
Previously a tobacco farmer, he now grows corn, wheat
and soybeans on his 250 acres.
‘‘It’s a good bill for
farmers. We’re working it really hard,” Kullen said.
(This
article has been truncated for space - read the
entire story at
Southern Maryland News online).
Liquor License Cost Increase Delayed
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
― By Erica
Mitrano, The Recorder
A controversial
proposal to raise the costs of liquor licenses in Calvert County has
been shelved for this year in the Maryland House of Delegates,
according to Delegate Sue Kullen (D-Calvert).
The Southern
Maryland delegation to the House decided to remove that proposal
from their draft of a liquor laws bill after complaints from Calvert
businesses, Kullen said. However, the increase is still in the
Senate version of the bill and could become law despite the Southern
Maryland delegation’s suggestion. Also, Kullen said the delegates
plan to revisit the issue next year.
The review of
Calvert County’s liquor laws, which are made by the state
legislature, is being undertaken at the request of the Calvert
County Board of License Commissioners, or liquor board. If passed,
it would be the first substantial update to the liquor laws in more
than 25 years.
Under the liquor
board’s original proposal the cost of the most comprehensive liquor
licenses would be raised from $1,000 to $1,250, with a further
increase to $2,250 for any establishment staying open past midnight
on most days. Most other licenses would increase in cost as well
(This article has been truncated for space - read the
entire story at
Southern Maryland News online).
As the price of
construction materials continues to soar, scrap metal has become a
prime target of thieves who are illegally selling the stolen goods
for profit.
Delegate Sue Kullen
wants to make it easier for police to crack down on the larcenies by
creating a paper trail for companies to track their inventory.
Aluminum and
copper wire are among the most highly sought after materials stolen
from car rental dealers, utility companies, construction sites and
elsewhere, Kullen (D-Calvert) said. Thieves stole 50 rolls of copper
wire from a Verizon facility in Waldorf last month, police reported.
Her bill would
regulate the ownership of scrap metals and establish a database to
monitor transactions of such products. It’s an issue that Kullen
said should concern the general public because the spate of thefts
from construction sites is driving up the cost of homes.
Fee Hike Eyed for Liquor Licenses
Commissioners' Support Sought for Calvert Bills
Thursday, January 31, 2008
― By Christy Goodman,
Washington Post Staff Writer
Two bills, one
being drafted and one introduced in the
Maryland General Assembly,
would double fees for beer, wine and liquor licenses in
Calvert County.
The legislation,
requested by the Calvert County Liquor Board, also would raise
license fees for restaurant and bar owners who want to stay open
until 2 a.m., and would create a $300 license to allow liquor stores
to have more than 12 wine tastings per year.
Also included is an
increase in the annual stipend paid to members of the liquor board.
"To the best of my
knowledge, there have been no legislative changes [to Calvert's
liquor laws] for the past 25 years," Marshall Gibson, chairman of
the liquor board, said at Tuesday's regular meeting of the Calvert
County commissioners. He asked them to support the bills.
"This is not
something we would enact," Commissioners President Wilson H. Parran
(D-Huntingtown) said. "The state would enact this." He said the
commissioners would pass on their comments to state legislators.
Senate President
Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert) and Sen. Roy P. Dyson (D-St.
Mary's) are co-sponsoring the bill introduced in their chamber.
In the House, the
measure is to be introduced by the end of this week. "We have a bill
drafted. It has all the support of the entire delegation," said
Delegate Sue Kullen (D-Calvert). She said she will file the bill
once she receives the county commissioners' blessing.
"It is just a way
of ensuring everyone is on the same page," she said. "We didn't want
a fight in Annapolis on something we can easily fix back home."
Most of what the
liquor board has requested was endorsed Tuesday by the
commissioners. Commissioner Barbara A. Stinnett (D-At Large) was the
sole dissenting vote on the fee portion of the proposal, calling the
increases "a very significant jump."
Restaurants and
bars now pay $1,000 annually for a license to serve beer, wine and
liquor. The board proposed raising that fee to $1,250 if the
establishment closes at midnight and to $2,250 if it is open until 2
a.m.
Del. Anthony J.
O'Donnell (R-Calvert), the House minority leader, questioned the
liquor board's figures. "For those few extra hours of operation, you
are paying a heck of a license increase," he said.
Gary Armstrong,
owner of CLUCK-U Chicken in Dunkirk, agreed with O'Donnell. "These
are small-business owners that have to put out a lot of money in
order to be successful. . . . It is already hard enough," he said.
(Story truncated for space - read the
entire story at
Washington Post.com)
Kullen looks to fight scrap metal bandits
Wednesday, January 30, 2008 - Alan Brody
As the price of
construction materials continues to soar, scrap metal has become a
prime target of thieves who are illegally selling the stolen goods
for profit.
Delegate Sue Kullen wants
to make it easier for police to crack down on the larcenies by
creating a paper trail for companies to track their inventory.
Aluminum and copper
wire are among the most highly sought after materials stolen from
car rental dealers, utility companies, construction sites and
elsewhere, Kullen (D-Calvert) said.
Her bill would
regulate the ownership of scrap metals and establish a database to
monitor transactions of such products.
It’s an issue that
Kullen said should concern the general public because the spate of
robberies from construction sites is driving up the cost of homes.
We’ve heard of people
taking unusual routes to climb the corporate ladder. Sue Kullen may
be trying to cook her way to legislative leadership — or at least
win a few friends.
Calorie counters in
Annapolis know to stay away from her office, where Kullen provides
fresh-baked brownies each week for sweet-tooth visitors.
And this year, she’s
added a new treat from her kitchen: homemade peanut brittle.
— Alan Brody
Environmentalists
rally for tougher carbon laws
January
18, 2008 :
Jaime Malarkey, The Examiner
Annapolis
- Environmentalists rallying in
Annapolis
Thursday called on lawmakers to pass
toughest-in-the-nation legislation requiring a
90-percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2050.
With snow falling, advocates called for passage of a
bill that would require a 25 percent reduction in
greenhouse gas emissions in
Maryland by
2020 and a 90 percent reduction by 2050. The plan calls
for a carbon cap that could force expensive investments
in solar and wind power and eco-friendly buildings, but
advocates said they are necessary to halt the
potentially disastrous effects of global warming.
“You think the weather is wacky now,” said
Brad Heavner,
executive director of Environment Maryland. “How wacky
will the weather be if the oceans stop circulating?”
The bill, which failed last year, establishes time lines
for state agencies to design programs to meet the
limits. It also creates a carbon cap-and-trade system
for polluting companies.
Lawmakers said environmental legislation is difficult to
pass in Congress, and states must act first to send a
message. Sen. Paul
Pinsky, a
Prince George’s County Democrat who is sponsoring
the bill in the Senate, said he thinks the proposal has
enough support to pass this year.
“We’re not going to stop, we’re not going to rest, and
I’m not going to stop corralling my colleagues,” Pinsky
said.
But some lawmakers said carbon caps should be left to
the federal government. And even lawmakers who support
the bill said it’s not going to be cheap, especially
amid spending cuts and tax increases.
“People will have to figure out creative ways to get us
there,” said
Delegate
Sue Kullen, a
Calvert County Democrat who is among more
than a dozen lawmakers who plan to sponsor the bill.
Claire Douglass,
director of Maryland’s chapter of the
Chesapeake Climate Action Network, said the
state, with 3,100 miles of coastline, is the third most
vulnerable to sea-level rise.
Double Duty
Many Maryland legislators don't quit their day job to serve us
Volume 16, Issue 3 - January 17 - January 23, 2008 :
Carrie Madren, Bay Weekly staff writer
The Comforter
Delegate Sue Kullen: Democrat, District 27B, Northern Calvert County
What Delegate Sue Kullen does when she’s not making laws won’t much
surprise anybody who’s stopped by her office at 151 Lowe House
Office Building for a pick-me-up of homemade peanut brittle or
brownies. After a visit or two, you learn that the delegate thrives
on making people feel at home: in the political process, in the
world and in the Bayfront cottages she and her husband Steve run as
a sideline.
Those are The Cottages of Governors Run, the Calvert County Bayfront
community where the Kullens themselves have lived for two decades.
The location does most of the work of helping people into the good
life. Vacationers by the week and month get sweeping views, miles of
natural beach, a 400-foot pier and boat ramp. The Kullens add
cottage hospitality, including Martha Stewart linens. Stay there and
you’ll find they’ve ironed your pillow cases with Caldrea Green Tea
Patchouli Linen Spray.
The
cottage industry meshes neatly with Kullen’s delegate’s job. “The
90-day session is not prime vacation time,” she says.
Professionally, Kullen specializes in making the world a welcoming
place for people with disabilities. After a dozen years with Arc of
Southern Maryland, the 47-year-old delegate is on her own in a
business she calls Planning Innovations. As a self-employed trainer
and consultant, she travels around the country teaching
organizations how to better support people with disabilities. To
keep at the top of her game, she forges partnerships with similar
consultants. That group, The Learning Community for Person-Centered
Practices, is working under a federal grant to update the disability
services systems of six states.
“I
start by talking with people to get an idea of how they want to live
their life,” Kullen says. “The outcome is that people with
disabilities are more involved in their services, and the agencies
support them in the way they want to live.”
Read the entire story,
including seven additional legislators at
Bay Weekly.com
BGE Told To Improve
Its Service
Calvert Customers
Critical of Utility
Sunday, January 13, 2008
― Christy Goodman,
Washington Post Staff Writer
Baltimore Gas
and Electric
has about two weeks to develop a plan to
improve its service in the North Beach and
Chesapeake Beach areas.
The
The
Maryland Public Service Commission has
directed the utility, which supplies
electricity to northern
Calvert County, to file "a detailed
description of what the company intends to
initiate within the next six months to
return its quality of service" to 2004
levels.
That
directive was in a Dec. 31 letter to BGE
from Terry J. Romine, the commission's
executive secretary, written after Del.
Sue Kullen (D-Calvert) raised concerns
about service. Romine asked BGE to
submit its plans by Jan. 28.
In
addition to Kullen's letter, many
customers have criticized BGE's service
in Calvert.
"It has
gotten to the point where it is
ridiculous," said Darryl R. Hagner of
Owings, a BGE customer since 1974.
Frustrated
with interruptions to his electric
service, Hagner bought a gas generator
two years ago. He said it has run for
eight to 10 hours on "several occasions"
and for two days during a windstorm.
BGE
"promised a number of improvements, but
I really haven't seen any. . . . As a
consumer, you have got to wonder where
the customer service went," Hagner said,
adding that last year's electricity rate
increase did not bring any service
improvements.
Brenda L.
Catts, a six-year Owings resident, said
that her house is always "one of the
last ones to get power back" after
storm-related outages and that sometimes
her family goes without power for no
apparent reason.
"We don't
feel as if we get any attention from
them. That is what it comes down to,"
Catts said.
The Public
Service Commission letter was in direct
response to a BGE letter Dec. 7 in which
the company explained its 2006 drop in
reliability as the result of Tropical
Storm Ernesto, other storms and falling
trees.
"We are
committed to providing high quality
service to all of our customers in all
the counties we serve," said Linda Foy,
a BGE spokeswoman. "Specifically to
Calvert County, we have taken and will
continue to take a number of proactive
steps to improve reliability."
Foy said
BGE outlined several initiatives in the
Dec. 7 filing and will discuss more
options in the Jan. 28 filing; she
declined to outline what those
additional projects would be.
BGE's Dec 7 letter, signed by Stephen J.
Woerner, a vice president, included a
list of $10 million in projects that
were completed in Calvert County since
2003, a tree-trimming plan and future
projects planned in the area.
But regulators said it did not address
service issues that arose during and
since 2006.
"The commission, however, notes that a
majority of these projects were
completed prior to 2006 and the data
provided by [BGE] reflects that
reliability in Calvert County decreased
even after the completion of these
projects," Romine wrote in his letter.
BGE
serves fewer than 7,800 customers in
Twin Beaches and the surrounding area.
The
Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative
(SMECO) serves 30,150 customers in the
rest of the county.
BGE
reported a customer would have an
average of 0.31 power outages or
interruptions in 2004, not including
major weather events. That rate more
than doubled to 0.73 per year in 2006.
In comparison, SMECO reported an average
of 1.03 disturbances per customer in
2004 and 0.49 in 2006.
A BGE customer in Calvert went without
power for an average of 1.68 hours in
2004 and 2.05 hours in 2006, not
including major weather events. For an
SMECO customer, it was an average of
1.81 hours in 2004 and 1.02 hours in
2006.
"We will wait for [BGE's] corrective
action. Hopefully, it will be enough for
the beach area. If not, we will advocate
for SMECO to take over the service
area," Kullen said. "The bottom line is
people need good quality electric
service and they are not getting it at
this time."
SMECO upgraded its infrastructure after
Hurricane Isabel in September 2003, said
Tom Dennison, a cooperative spokesman.
He said the cooperative is "constantly
trying to improve the time" it takes to
restore power after an outage, resulting
in its improved service for Calvert
County.
"We are fully prepared to step up and
serve" the Twin Beaches, Dennison said.
BGE told to step up service in Calvert
Wednesday, January 9, 2008 - Alan Brody
ANNAPOLIS
— Baltimore Gas & Electric should step up its service and accelerate
infrastructure projects in northern Calvert County to provide
ratepayers with better reliability, the Public Service Commission
wrote last week.
The order
follows Delegate Sue Kullen’s request last fall to examine
BGE’s service to nearly 8,000 households, mostly in North Beach and
Chesapeake Beach.
‘‘The PSC
called BGE on the carpet for not doing what they said they were
going to do,” said Kullen (D-Calvert), who asked the commission to
compare BGE’s service with that received by Southern Maryland
Electric Cooperative customers.
The Dec.
31 letter to Daniel P. Gahagan, BGE’s vice president and general
counsel, notes that BGE’s performance in Calvert ‘‘deteriorated in
2006 as compared to the two prior years.”
BGE
submitted to the PSC a list of projects that improved service in
Calvert County, but most of those were completed prior to when
service declined in 2006. The commission also said that BGE’s first
planned infrastructure upgrades benefiting Calvert County won’t
begin until December 2008.
‘‘It
proves that the citizens of North Beach and Chesapeake Beach are
right on target that they’re not pleased with service and there’s
not an immediate plan for improvement, so BGE has a lot of work to
do,” Kullen said.
A
spokeswoman for the utility said BGE is dedicated to boosting
service across its service territory. ‘‘We are committed to
providing high quality service to our customers in all of the
counties in our service territory,” Linda J. Foy wrote in an e-mail.
‘‘To that end, we have taken, and will continue to take a number of
pro-active steps to improve reliability in Calvert County.”
The PSC
directed BGE to submit by the end of January a detailed description
of its development plans within the next six months to restore the
quality of service in Calvert to at least 2004 levels.
Farmers speak out on
state's new taxes
Wednesday, January 9, 2008 - Erica Mitrano, Southern Maryland Newspapers On-line
Bitter truths were
washed down with breaded oysters and warm brownies at the annual
Calvert County Farm Bureau legislative dinner, held Monday, Jan. 7,
at Trinity United Methodist Church in Prince Frederick, where diners
interrogated legislators while enjoying the home-cooked fare.
A favorite topic among
bureau members was the set of tax increases, including a 1 percent
sales tax increase, passed in a recent special session in Annapolis.
Del. Sue Kullen
(D-Calvert) defended the tax increases, saying they were tough but
necessary.
While she apologized
for the tax increase, she went on to say, ‘‘It was a very, very
difficult situation the state was in. We could go backwards or
forwards. We know when you start messing with somebody’s back
pocket, there was a very serious response from the community, and it
was well heard.”
(This story has been
truncated for space ―
Read the rest of the story
on-line at:
SoMdNews.com
Southern Maryland Delegation
January 5, 2007 - Southern Maryland Newspapers On-line
Delegate Sue Kullen (Calvert County: District
27B)
 Party: Democrat
Age: 46
Occupation: Disabilities
consultant; Former director Arc of Southern Maryland
Education: Graduate of
West Perry (Pa.) High School; Earned her bachelor’s degree at Clarion
(Pa.) University and a master’s at the University of Maryland,
University College.
Residence: Port Republic
Personal: Married
Annapolis phone number:
301-858-3231
E-mail: sue.kullen@house.state.md.us
Kullen was a political cub
when she was appointed in 2004, but she has impressed some in Annapolis
with a proactive agenda and strong constituent service. That showed on
Election Day when Kullen easily dispatched the GOP opposition, despite
being targeted for defeat.
She’ll carry a full plate
into her third legislative session, including some unfinished business
from last year. Kullen sponsored a bill that would have banned
substances containing mercury from being used in vaccinations. It died
in committee. She will also attempt to strengthen a bill passed last
year that, in its original form, would have prioritized the restoration
of the Patuxent River watershed.
A member of the House
Health and Government Operations Committee, Kullen wants to expand small
group market health insurance and will keep an eye on access to mental
health services. She may also take a second crack at legislation that
would have created a prescription drug monitoring program, which Ehrlich
vetoed.
Kullen is also working
with Children’s National Medical Center on a bill that would require
children younger than 18 to wear helmets when riding on all-terrain
vehicles. She also wants to decouple high-stakes testing as a standard
for high school graduation. The Southern Maryland delegation’s vice
chairwoman will also pursue state funding for Project ECHO, an emergency
homeless shelter in Prince Frederick.
She represents District
27B, which extends from northern Calvert County down through Prince
Frederick.
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