Weijia Jiang has more on the difficult road ahead for employees, the company and the Sparrows Point community.

For decades, the plant was the heart of the Sparrows Point community. So when it stops running, many people who live and work there worry everything else could shut down with it.

The steel mill at Sparrows Point was once a thriving operation– Maryland’s biggest operation.

“It used to boom when I was here,” Jimmy Iman of Sparrows Point said.

But soon, it will be a mill that once was.

“Everybody thought they had the perfect job, but it went bankrupt on them. They got nothing,” Iman said.

Owner RG Steel announced it is laying off 1,975 workers starting June 4.

Though disappointed, state leaders say they are not surprised. The company has been struggling financially since RG Steel bought the plant last year.

“It’s not the employees who were the problem,” Kevin Kamenetz, Baltimore County Executive, said. “It’s the market price for steel and it’s the cost of raw materials.”

Kamenetz is hoping another company will buy the mill from RG Steel who explains that the cuts are the result of “continued uncertainty regarding the outcome of discussions with our lenders.”

That means anxiety for business owners like Gabrille Reson.

“I think it’s going to get really bad,” Reson said.

Reston runs Edge Rock Cafe and relies on steel workers to fill the seats and pay the bill.

“It’s sad to say but I don’t know what’s going to happen. Some of the people might have to end up cutting back some,” she said.

Reson says her own future depends on what happens to the mill. RG Steel is considering asset sales but no deals are done.

In the meantime, the Maryland Department of Labor is helping the workers with unemployment benefits, training opportunities and looking for a new job.

RG Steel is also closing operations at plants in Ohio and West Virginia.

Howard Brooks pleaded guilty Thursday to lying to the FBI about payments he made to another mayoral candidate using Gray campaign funds. On Tuesday, former Gray aide Thomas Gore pleaded guilty to making some of the same payments and shredding records of them.

Authorities said the cases makes clear that the Gray campaign engaged in dirty politics.

“Today’s guilty plea further reveals the underhanded dealings that tainted the integrity of the 2010 mayoral campaign,” U.S. Attorney Ronald Machen said in a statement.

What remains unclear is whether Gray participated in or even knew about the criminal activity. While Gray has suffered
politically from the scandal, he has not been implicated in any crimes. He has insisted previously during a long-running federal probe that he knew nothing about the potential misdeeds committed by staffers.

The most serious offenses that arose from the cases against Gore and Brooks occurred after Gray took office and involved attempts to conceal the Gray campaign’s schemes. Gore pleaded guilty to shredding records of payments made with Gray campaign funds to Sulaimon Brown, a minor mayoral candidate. And Brooks admitted lying to the FBI about his involvement in giving Brown the money.

Brown was paid so that he could continue making negative comments about then-mayor Adrian Fenty on the campaign trail, authorities said. According to court documents, Gore and Brooks conspired with another, unnamed Gray campaign staffer to funnel at least $2,810 in cash and money orders to Brown. The effort was funded with excessive or unattributed cash contributions to the Gray campaign.

Court documents indicate that Brooks was “instructed” to pay Brown, but it’s not clear who instructed him. Brooks’ attorney, Glenn Ivey, said after the hearing that the scheme to pay Brown was not his client’s idea.

The third campaign staffer has not yet been charged. Brown has alleged that he received money from Brooks and Lorraine Green, Gray’s campaign chairwoman and a close personal friend of Brooks.

Green has acknowledged meeting Brown and speaking with him by phone on several occasions, but she denied giving him money or promising him a job in the Gray administration.

Green’s attorney did not return a message seeking comment Thursday.

Administration officials have maintained Brown was only promised an interview, but Brown was ultimately appointed without an interview to a $110,000-a-year position. He was fired after less than a month, and went public with his allegations after that.

Gray defeated Fenty by 10 percentage points in the 2010 Democratic primary, harnessing widespread dissatisfaction with a mayor perceived by many as aloof. Gray ran on a platform of restoring integrity to government, but his administration became mired in scandal shortly after he took office.

The payments to Brown are just one aspect of the federal probe.

In March, investigators raided the home and offices of Jeffrey Thompson, a well-connected government contractor who was a major contributor to Gray’s campaign. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has not commented on the raid.

On Thursday, Brooks acknowledged making $2,000 in contributions to the Gray campaign in his own name with money that was not his.

The source of the funds was unclear.

Brooks has cooperated extensively with federal investigators and wore a wire during a meeting with Gore last fall. Under federal sentencing guidelines, Brooks would receive a maximum of 6 months in prison and could receive probation. Ivey said he thought probation was appropriate. No sentencing date was scheduled.

“Although Mr. Brooks’ conduct was egregious, he deserves some credit for owning up to his mistakes and eventually telling the truth,” Machen said. “We urge others to do the same as we continue our efforts to get to the bottom of what happened during the 2010 election.”

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

Meghan McCorkell explains how animal advocates are fighting back against what they call “racial profiling for dogs.”

There are three different petitions circulating online trying to override the appeals court ruling that labels all pit bulls dangerous dogs.

Mark Davidson may lose two members of his family.

“They’re my children,” he said of his two pit bulls.

His landlord told him: Get rid of your pit bulls or move out.

Davidson is in the same boat as many after an appeals court deemed pit bulls vicious dogs and ruled landlords could be held liable if they bite.

The ruling comes in response to the attack of a Towson boy in 2007.

“This is Sophie’s Choice. You’re forced to give up your family and that’s not fair,” Kim Wolfe of the Animal Farm Foundation, a New York-based animal rescue, said.

Since the ruling, local animal shelters have seen an influx of pit bulls come in.

“It’s hard. We’re always at capacity at our shelter. We take in over 11,000 animals a year,” Lisa Morabito of the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS) said.

BARCS is now having trouble keeping up with the numbers coming in.

Animal advocates came together on Thursday to discuss strategies for dealing with the aftermath of the ruling and ways to fight it.

“We all want the same thing. We want safe communities and breed discriminatory laws don’t do that,” Wolfe said.

Stephen Lewis couldn’t imagine life without his 3-year-old pit bull, Lexi.

“Very attentive, very responsive. Just wanted to cuddle with us on the couch with us and nap,” he said of Lexi.

He equates breed-specific legislation to racial profiling for dogs. His heart goes out to owners like Mark Davidson who could lose their best friends.

Ten thousand dollars has already been raised to fight the appeals court ruling.

Members of the House of Delegates have introduced four bills that would override the appeals court decision. Those bills could be discussed if lawmakers convene for a second special session this summer.

RG Steel spokeswoman Bette Kovach said the company would idle operations at its Sparrows Point steel mill outside Baltimore as well as in Warren, Ohio and Wheeling, W.Va. The Sparrows Point plant has about 2,000 employees. Kovach did not release figures on employment at the other two operations or how many layoffs were expected.

“A lot. I don’t know the exact number because we will be putting the plants into asset protection,” Kovach said.

Maryland labor officials said they had been notified that layoffs would begin June 4 and run through June 18 at Sparrows
Point. The Maryland Department of Labor said 1,975 employees would be affected, 1,714 hourly and 261 salaried employees.

Kovach said earlier this week that the company is considering selling assets. The spokeswoman confirmed on Monday reports that potential buyers have expressed interest in acquiring company facilities and all options are on the table.

The company shut down the Sparrows Point blast furnace just before Christmas and notified state officials that it was laying off about 720 workers. RG restarted the blast furnace earlier this year after receiving financing from a New York hedge fund.

Tony Montana, a spokesman for the United Steelworkers, said the union represents about 4,000 workers at RG Steel. Half are at Sparrows Point and the remaining 2,000 employees are split about equally between the West Virginia and Ohio plants.

RG Steel said in a statement that it issued the warning because of “continued uncertainty regarding outcome of discussions with our lenders” to sustain business operations.

Dave McCall, who chairs the USW team negotiating with RG Steel, said in a statement that the union “is continuing to work closely with RG Steel management to improve the company’s liquidity during this process, and we are focused on preserving the tradition of making steel in these communities for the long term.”

RG Steel bought the plants last year, making it the fourth-largest flat-rolled steel producer in the country. The
company has struggled financially since then. Kovach said earlier this week that the steelmaker was considering asset sales.

The company will idle hot steelmaking and finishing at the Sparrows Point mill, hot steelmaking at the Warren, Ohio plant, and finishing operations at the Wheeling, W.Va. plant, which finishes steel made in Warren, Kovach said.

“That’s basically the company,” the spokeswoman said.

The decision does not affect a coke-making facility in Follansbee, W.Va., which is part of a joint venture, Kovach said.

The company also said it had filed notice with union officials and labor regulators. Large employers are required to provide notice 60 days in advance of plant closings and mass layoffs, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Monique Griego has more on new legislation protecting them from foreclosure.

From fighting overseas to battling another war back home, some military members were hit hard by the housing crisis.

“Service members while they were on the battlefield fighting were getting messages or emails from wives saying ‘We’re about to be put out,’” said Maryland Congressman Elijah Cummings.

Cummings couldn’t believe how many soldiers were losing their homes, so he created the Military Family Home Protection Act.

“We felt that there was a way, that America was better than that,” Cummings said.

The new legislation will prevent soldiers from being foreclosed while they’re deployed and for up to a year after. Previously they only had nine months.

The bill just passed in the House by an overwhelming margin.

“It’s going to give a chance for service members to work through the process and hopefully that process will be to save the house and get their finances in order,” said Mark Walker, the American Legion.

The new legislation will also expand protection to surviving spouses of military members who serve overseas and to military members who’ve been declared 100 percent disabled.

“It just seems like the right thing to do, ensuring that they’re being protected while they protect us,” said Shaun Rieley, The American Legion.

The bill also cracks down on illegal foreclosures and protects soldiers from discrimination by banks.

A similar bill still has to go through the Senate. Once passed there, this new legislation will become law.

Cummings is very confident that is going to happen.

Delegate Anthony O’Donnell, the minority leader, and Delegate Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio, the minority whip, sent a letter to the Legislature’s presiding officers and Gov. Martin O’Malley on Thursday.

They say special sessions should only be called in times of true crisis. They also write that any expansion of gambling should be taken up in a regular 90-day session to give lawmakers more time to consider the matter.

Earlier this week, O’Malley indicated a special session could be held in the week of July 9, if a work group on gambling reaches a consensus.

Debate is expected to include discussion about allowing table games and allowing a casino in Prince George’s County.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Pat Warren reports it’s expected to save hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Been out of the country lately? Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler stayed in a hotel in Taiwan and couldn’t figure out the lights.

“I actually bumped my head against the door jamb and I went out in the hallway and said, `Does anyone know how the lights work?’ and the guy said, `You moron, of course. Take the card key and put it in the little box next to the door and that will trigger all the lights,’” Gansler said.

And a light went on that led to a change in Maryland.

“And so I came back here and I said, `Why don’t we have that here?’” Gansler said.

The lights go off when the room is not in use, saving untold thousands of dollars in electricity. Gansler submitted the bill that passed this year requiring future hotel construction in the state to include those kinds of energy-saving devices.

The Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore is way ahead of the game.

In addition to lights, the Four Seasons has temperature controls when rooms are not in use.

“We’ve got motion sensors in the room on our thermostats so the room actually knows there’s a person in it so the air conditioning knows to operate,” said Andy Helmore, Four Seasons Hotel.

Studies show hotels using the devices have an average savings of 30 percent a year.

But as Gigi Barnett reports, city school leaders and union leaders are receiving national attention for a major feat.

It’s a sight some Baltimore teachers rarely see: City Schools CEO Dr. Andres Alonso and the Baltimore Teachers’ Union president Marietta English sitting side-by-side laughing, without a divisive issue to discuss.

But they’ll do much of it this week. They’re at a national conference in Cincinnati which looks at the ways school leaders and unions work successfully to get a job done.

“Teachers’ Unions are not an obstacle in the way of student achievement. We want to be held accountable, we want to have students achieve,” English said.

English and Alonso were invited to the conference because of the approval of a teachers’ contract back in 2010.

The agreement was groundbreaking. It changed the way Baltimore City teachers are evaluated and paid, making them the highest-paid teachers in the state.

Teachers voted in record numbers against the first proposal. Then, months later, approved it.

“It should be about the kids and it should be about student outcomes. That to me is less about unions or management,” Alonso said.

More than 100 teachers’ union representatives and school leaders are at the conference this week. Alonso and English will address the group. They will talk about how they’ve seen a spike in recruitment since teachers approved the new contract.

“As soon as the contract was announced, we got a huge increase in applications for positions,” Alonso said.

So this week, they’re representing Baltimore together. Next week, both say, it’s back to business.

The two-day conference also features Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and participants will also focus on career development for teachers and getting more technology in classrooms nationwide.

More than 600 teachers have applied to work in Baltimore City schools since the passage of the new contract two years ago.

Mikulski said Tuesday that the appropriation would prevent a shutdown of Sierra Nevada Corp.’s production of modified aircraft for customs and border patrol work.

The Washington County Economic Development Commission says the Sparks, Nev.-based company employs about 400 workers in Hagerstown.

The company won a Homeland Security Department contract in 2009 to produce surveillance aircraft for the agency.

With the first five planes nearly completed, Mikulski says the funds would enable the company to purchase two more planes for modification on its production line.

She says a Senate vote on the bill hasn’t been scheduled.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

The DGA sent out an email to donors on Wednesday seeking donations to put advertisements on the air and to help encourage voters to go to the polls on June 5.

Mark Giangreco, a spokesman for the DGA, is asking for donations of $3 or more.

Walker, a Republican, faces Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, a Democrat, in a recall election that is only the third time in the nation’s history that a governor has stood for recall. The recall was prompted by Walker’s successful push to end nearly all collective bargaining rights for most state workers.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

The Board of Public Works approved the money on Wednesday. That brings the total amount allocated for school construction to $349 million for the next fiscal year.

The board approved $187 million in initial funding for school construction in January. Representatives from 19 jurisdictions came before the board to seek portions of the remaining $161 million.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Thomas Gore admitted in U.S. District Court that he converted excessive or unattributed cash contributions to Gray’s 2010 campaign into money orders that were then filled out by another party and given to Sulaimon Brown, a minor candidate. The payments were intended to keep Brown in the race so that he could continue making negative comments about then-mayor Adrian Fenty as he sought reelection, Gore acknowledged.

The 56-year-old Gore, a longtime friend of Gray’s and the acting treasurer for the campaign, also admitted that he lied to the FBI about having shredded a spiral notebook in which he kept records of the payments to Brown. He further revealed that he was caught in the lie when confronted with wiretap evidence.

Brown has long maintained that he was paid by Gray’s campaign and promised a job in the Gray administration in exchange for his harsh rhetoric about Fenty. He alleged that Gray was aware of the payments, which the mayor denies. Brown was appointed to a $110,000-a-year city government job in January 2011, shortly after Gray took office, and fired after less than a month.

“In 2010, the voters of the District of Columbia were deceived,” U.S. Attorney Ronald Machen said in a statement. “Envelopes stuffed with fraudulent money orders prevented the public from knowing that one mayoral campaign was secretly financing the campaign of an opposing candidate.”

Gore pleaded guilty to a felony obstruction-of-justice charge for the attempted cover-up and three misdemeanors of making a contribution in the name of another person. The money orders contained the names of people who did not contribute to the Brown campaign.

Federal sentencing guidelines call for him to receive 12 to 18 months in prison, although prosecutors could seek a reduction in the event of “substantial cooperation” with investigators. Because of the ongoing probe, no sentencing date was set.

Gore and his attorney, Frederick Cooke, declined to comment after the hearing. Gray’s spokesman deferred comment to the mayor’s attorney, who could not be reached and has repeatedly declined to comment about the investigation.

Gray, 69, defeated Fenty by 10 percentage points in the 2010 Democratic primary, tapping into widespread dissatisfaction with a mayor widely perceived as aloof. Gray also touted himself as the more ethical candidate, criticizing Fenty for steering lucrative government contracts to his college fraternity brothers. Voters split along racial and socioeconomic lines, with Gray carrying poorer, majority-black sections of the city by wide margins while Fenty fared well in wealthier neighborhoods.

Several Gray campaign staffers have said Brown’s attacks on Fenty at candidate forums amounted to a sideshow that did nothing to help Gray get elected.

According to a document outlining Gore’s actions, which he acknowledged in court was accurate, Gore and another Gray campaign staffer agreed in June 2010 to start funneling money to Brown. Although the other campaign staffer was identified in the document only as “Person A,” records of the money-order contributions indicate that person was Howard Brooks, a Gray campaign consultant. Brooks has not been charged.

Although the guilty plea only covered three money orders, Gore acknowledged converting cash given to the Gray campaign into five money orders worth a total of $660. Three of those were in the name of Brooks’ son, Peyton Brooks, and two others contain the names of a relative of Howard Brooks and a friend of Peyton Brooks.

The documents indicate that Howard Brooks handed the money orders to Brown, which is consistent with Brown’s account of the payments.

Gore also acknowledged that he met with Howard Brooks last September to discuss the investigation. Gore told Brooks during that meeting that he shredded his records of payments to Brown after The Washington Post reported Brown’s allegations in March 2011.

When U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly quoted Gore’s statements from the meeting with Brooks and asked if they were accurate, Gore said, “That was a statement taken from a wire.”

The comment indicates that Howard Brooks was working for the FBI and carrying a recording device during the meeting with Gore. Brooks’ attorney, Glenn Ivey, did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

Gore sat for a voluntary interview with the FBI in October and lied about the conversation with Brooks, telling agents that he did not keep records of money given to Brown. During the same interview, he later acknowledged the existence of the notebook but lied about when he shredded it. Gore admitted the false statements in court Tuesday.

The federal probe has cast a cloud over district government since shortly after Gray took office. Council Chairman Kwame Brown is also the subject of a federal investigation for activities during his 2008 campaign, and former councilmember Harry Thomas Jr. is heading to prison for three years for embezzling money from the city.

Tom Lindenfeld, a political consultant who worked on both of Fenty’s mayoral campaigns, said the investigation is likely to imperil city government for the foreseeable future.

“The real harm is that we have the probability that things are going to grind to a halt,” Lindenfeld said. “This is going to undermine the potential for real leadership in D.C. in ways that will hurt us for longer than we care to know.”

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Clergy members who belong to the Maryland Industrial Areas Foundation are holding an event in Silver Spring on Wednesday to talk about how they plan to discuss why the measure is important to Maryland.

The group says it’s launching a grassroots field campaign to talk about the law’s virtues.

Opponents are trying to encourage voters to reject the law in a referendum in November.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

The Baltimore Sun reports that the Court of Appeals on Tuesday ruled against Nancy Forster, who was fired in a dispute with the Office of the Public Defender Board of Trustees. Forster was fired because she would not comply with demands to overhaul the agency.

The court did not rule Tuesday on Forster’s claims that she was wrongly fired because the changes the board was seeking were illegal and would have harmed clients.

A seven-judge majority ruled against her for procedural reasons. In a separate opinion, two judges said they agreed with the outcome but for different reasons.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Political reporter Pat Warren explains this isn’t the last adjustment Marylanders will see.

Rescued from doom by deep pockets “that will support job creation and move us forward with a balanced approach,” said O’Malley.

The new budget will raise tax rates on high earners, lower exemptions for some and eliminate exemptions for others, in addition to making some budget cuts.

Taxpayers filing single will see no change up to $100,000, nor will joint filers up to $150,000. Every dollar after that will be taxed at a higher rate in increments of a quarter percent. The highest earners will pay between 5 and 5.75 percent.

It’s a graduated increase that will have a bigger impact on some parts of the state than others.

High earners in Carroll, Harford, Cecil and Prince George’s counties will likely see increases of $256-$436 more. Taxpayers affected by the hike in Frederick, Howard and Anne Arundel counties and Baltimore City are likely to see increases between $437 and $704. The highest increases are likely to affect residents in Baltimore County, Montgomery and Talbot Counties, ranging from $705 to $955 more this year.

The increases take effect June 1 and are retroactive to Jan. 1 of this year.

Lawmakers get their next shot at raising revenue in a special session tentatively scheduled for July. The governor is expected to call that special session on expanded gambling to include table games and a new casino in Prince George’s County.

Adam May has more on the fight surrounding the city’s most popular tourist destination.

This back and forth battle is getting pretty ugly, including charges of racism and a conditional call for a resignation.

State Del. Pat McDonough, from Baltimore and Harford County, says he and his wife were scared for their safety when a few weeks ago their car was surrounded by 100 people at stoplight near Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

McDonough called that group a “young, black mob,” triggering controversy.

“You have to be accurate when you describe a crime scene. So, they were young, they were black and it was a mob,” McDonough said.

The phrase drew criticism from Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.

“It’s certainly sending the wrong message. You don’t think people are that out of touch in 2012,” she said.

And now there’s this rebuttal aimed at the mayor: “I’m calling on her to resign with that caveat that I’ll withdraw that request if she does something,” McDonough said.

“My problem with the mayor is she appears to be engaging in a cover up type policy,” McDonough said. “That the crime issue isn’t as bad as we think it is.”

A spokesman for the mayor says “Del. McDonough is now trying to distract attention away from his earlier racially charged comments and that he should show more respect and recognize the tremendous progress our police officers have made.”

So far this year, downtown crime is down 13 percent, with gun crimes down 36 percent and robberies down 17 percent.

But video of an attack against a tourist on St. Patrick’s Day made national headlines. And last week, police released dispatch records revealing another large disturbance.

Dispatch: “Crossing Lombard, probably 200 children going northbound. CitiWatch confirms that we have a large group of juveniles.”

The next big event downtown is Fourth of July.  Last year saw several fights, the murder of a father visiting from Alabama, and a child hit by a stray bullet.

Police are adding patrols and cameras for the summer.

“What people have to know is that the Baltimore Police Department is prepared, and we know how to respond to this,” said Anthony Guglielmi, police spokesman.

McDonough has a show on a conservative radio program, and Mayor Rawlings-Blake accuses him of exploiting this issue in order to boost the ratings.

The mayor has no intention of resigning. She was not available for interview Tuesday because she’s in Las Vegas, trying to recruit new retailers to Baltimore.

Gov. Martin O’Malley, Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller and House Speaker Michael Busch said Monday evening that if a work group reaches a consensus, a special session will be held the week of July 9.

The Work Group to Consider Gaming Expansion will study the issue and may propose legislation that the General Assembly could consider at the special session.

John Morton III, a business and financial services executive, will chair the work group. Its first meeting will take place June 1, with additional meetings set for June 12 and June 20.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Political reporter Pat Warren has more on why the group is taking this position.

The resolution comes from the national organization headquartered here in Baltimore.

Members of the NAACP held a news conference Monday morning.

“We live in a democracy, and in our democracy we have the benefit of a constitution, which defines equal rights which we all share,” said Rosyln M. Brock, NAACP board chairman.

Same-sex marriage supporters believe that includes an equal right to marry.

“Same-sex couples want the same things as everybody else,” said a supporter.

The language of the resolution mirrors the bill passed in Maryland in that it supports same-sex marriage and religious freedom.

It reads in part, “We support marriage equality consistent with equal protection under the law provided under the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution.  Further, we strongly affirm the religious freedoms of all people as protected by the First Amendment.”

“It is the responsibility, history of the NAACP, to speak up on the civil rights issues of our times,” said Benjamin Jealous, NAACP President.

The future of same-sex marriage in Maryland is likely to be decided in a November referendum. The Maryland Marriage Alliance, which supports traditional marriage, continues to collect signatures on a petition that puts the question to voters.

Spokesman Derek McCoy tells WJZ he expects voters to reject same-sex marriage in Maryland. He says the announcement will help his cause.

“We know numbers. We know what the state is like. We know the demographics. We’ve seen the numbers in the state. We’re confident we can win the state of Maryland, not a question,” McCoy said.

The supporters of same-sex marriage say the NAACP endorsement reflects a momentum in the African-American community to support stronger families and protect children.

African-American voters could play a key role in the outcome of Maryland’s expected referendum.

The first batch of petitions is due in to the Board of Elections May 31. They will be turning them in two days early on May 29. All 55,000 signatures must be turned in by the end of June.

Monique Griego has more on what they were upset about.

Riot police were on hand as hundreds of protesters took to the streets. They were upset about everything from corporate greed to who was invited to the summit.

“Prime Minister Zenawi, you are a criminal!” protesters shouted.

Around 200 Ethiopian demonstrators took over Main Street in Thurmont, angry that Ethiopia’s prime minister Meles Zenawi was invited to rub elbows with world leaders at the G-8 Summit.

Demonstrators accuse Zenawi of committing crimes against humanity.

“Obama didn’t have to invite him,” one of the protesters said.

Occupiers were also in the crowd.

“They deregulated the banks, they deregulated industry. Corporations are people. The citizens united. They let this happen,” Jennifer Drury, a protester said.

As a precaution, police in riot gear blocked off streets but the protests remained peaceful.

Inside Camp David, world leaders discussed the global economy. At the top of the agenda: What to do about Greece’s financial crisis before it spreads to other countries.

“All of us are absolutely committed to making sure that both growth and stability and fiscal consolidation are part of an overall package,” President Barack Obama said.

The G-8 leaders also put more pressure on Iran. Obama is winning support for tapping into government-held oil stocks for the second time in two years. It’s a move designed to boost worldwide oil supplies, opening the door for tougher sanctions on Tehran.

“And our hope is that we can resolve this issue in a peaceful fashion that respects Iran’s sovereignty and its rights in the international community, but also recognizes its responsibilities,” Obama said.

Some of the protesters said there was a low turnout in Maryland because many people decided to go to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit in Chicago. Obama is also attending that summit being held on Sunday and Monday.

This weekend’s summit marks the largest gathering of world leaders ever at Camp David.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s board voted at a leadership retreat in Miami to back a resolution supporting marriage equality, calling the position consistent with the equal protection provision of the U.S. Constitution.

“The mission of the NAACP has always been to ensure political, social and economic equality of all people,” Board Chairwoman Roslyn M. Brock said in a statement. “We have and will oppose efforts to codify discrimination into law.”

Same-sex marriage is legal in six states and the District of Columbia, but 31 states have passed amendments to ban it.

“Civil marriage is a civil right and a matter of civil law. The NAACP’s support for marriage equality is deeply rooted in the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution and equal protection of all people” said NAACP President Benjamin Todd Jealous, a strong backer of gay rights.

Gay marriage has divided the black community, with many religious leaders opposing it. In California, exit polls showed about 70 percent of blacks opposed same-sex marriage in 2008. In Maryland, black religious leaders helped derail a gay marriage bill last year. But state lawmakers passed a gay marriage bill this year.

Pew Research Center polls have found that African-Americans have become more supportive of same-sex marriage in recent years, but remain less supportive than other groups. A poll conducted in April showed 39 percent of African-Americans favor gay marriage, compared with 47 percent of whites. The poll showed 49 percent of blacks and 43 percent of whites are opposed.

The Human Rights Campaign, a leading gay rights advocacy group, applauded the step by the Baltimore-based civil rights organization.

“We could not be more pleased with the NAACP’s history-making vote today — which is yet another example of the traction marriage equality continues to gain in every community,” HRC President Joe Solmonese said in a statement.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

“So far so good,” Obama proclaimed after economic talks at Camp David, his secluded and highly secure mountaintop retreat. He played international host in the midst of a re-election bid that will turn on the economy, underscoring his stakes in getting his allies abroad to rally around some answers.

Yet there were no bold prescriptions at hand. Instead, leaders seemed intent on trying to inspire confidence by agreeing on a broad strategy no matter their differences.

Coping with shaky oil markets, the leaders set the stage for a united release of national oil reserves to balance any disruption in world markets when tough new sanctions are imposed on Iran’s exports because of its disputed nuclear program. The leaders said they were ready to take “appropriate action” to meet any shortages.

The mere preparation to release oil reserves could help calm markets and ensure that oil prices, which have been dropping, don’t climb again and anger consumers as U.S. elections approach.

The Group of Eight summit includes leaders of the United States, Japan, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Canada and Russia.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel came to the summit as the European leader who had demanded austerity as the most important step toward easing the eurozone’s debt crisis. But the election of Socialist Francois Hollande as president of France, and Greek elections that created political chaos in the country, were clear rejections of the belt-tightening Merkel represented.

Merkel said growth and deficit-cutting reinforced each other and that everyone around the table agreed. “That is great progress,” she said. As for promoting growth, she said investments under consideration include research and development, Internet networks and infrastructure. But she said “this doesn’t mean stimulus in the usual sense.”

U.S. officials agreed, saying growth measures that the Europeans might pursue don’t all require outright public spending, and could be in the form of public-private partnerships or in initiatives designed to loosen credit.

A joint summit statement reflected how urgently the countries must contain a financial crisis that could spread from the eurozone to the United States and infect the rest of the global economy. They declared unanimity in ensuring that Greece, which is crippled in debt and politically gridlocked, remains as part of 17-member euro currency union.

“The global economic recovery shows signs of promise, but significant headwinds persist,” said G-8 leaders said. Yet with all of them facing their own difficult political realities, they built some sovereign wiggle room into their pledge to take all necessary steps, saying “the right measures are not the same for each of us.”

The tension between austerity and growth — whether to slash debt by cutting budgets or use public money and other means to help spur economic growth — was the backdrop as Obama welcomed an emerging push for a balance between the two.

The rustic scene was unusually intimate, with leaders sitting around a table to negotiate terms, or strolling through the leafy paths for chats that seemed a world away from the typical summit convention-hall setting. Obama chose Camp David in part to encourage a freewheeling discussion out of sight of most media and potential protests.

It all came before Obama was to lead a much larger NATO summit in Chicago on Sunday and Monday that will be heavily focused on the Afghanistan war.

The drag of a eurozone crisis comes as joblessness and doubts about a life of better opportunities are already the chief concerns for American voters.

In their united view, the leaders conceded some points about Merkel’s push for austerity, saying budget deficits must close.

But it added that budget cutting should “take into account countries’ evolving economic conditions and underpin confidence and economic recovery.” That suggested a willingness to let indebted countries take more time to reduce their deficits in line with eurozone rules in order to lessen the deadening impact of cuts on the economy.

It also called for “investments in education and in modern infrastructure,” which would involve more government spending. That approach also meshes exactly with Obama’s campaign-year strategy for accelerated economic growth, which is to keep spending money on core priorities while taking on the debt through cuts and higher taxes.

The statement of support for Greece remaining in the euro underlines the unpredictable damage to the global financial system that could come from a Greece departure. It follows a week of increasing speculation that Greece might not be able to stay the course, and in which a top European Union official said officials were working on emergency plans in case of a Greek exit. That country is facing the most acute financial crisis of the eurozone and is set to hold elections June 17 to end political deadlock.

At issue is whether Greece abandons the euro to escape austerity measures. Meanwhile, Europe’s woes have given shudders to Wall Street.

The Fitch ratings agency dropped Greece to the lowest possible grade for a country not in default Thursday. Fitch said Greece’s departure from the euro “would be probable” if elections next month do not reverse political trends there, which have brought in politicians opposed to the terms of Europe’s bailout.

“All of us are absolutely committed to making sure that growth and stability and fiscal consolidation are part of an overall package,” Obama said as he and other leaders gathered in a rustic cabin.

Obama’s argument for additional stimulus measures alongside belt-tightening is primarily aimed at Germany, the strongest member of the union that uses the common euro currency, although Obama did not say so. Merkel was seated a few places away from Obama at a small round table.

The Camp David gathering opened with a Friday evening discussion focused on global trouble spots Iran and Syria. Obama said the group supports a United Nations cease-fire plan for Syria that has yet to be honored in full.

An estimated 9,000 people have died in Syria in more than a year of violence that arose from the pro-democracy Arab uprisings.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

At Camp David, a highly secure compound in the woods ringed by layers of security fences, the movements of reporters and photographers covering the summit have been restricted and tightly monitored by Marines in park green polo shirts and khakis. It’s the side-arms that give them away.

With military precision, the Marines dictate when computers may be used and when cell phones can be deployed — data use only.

“No pictures!” shouted one Marine. Another warned: “If I see a cell phone used to take a picture, it will be confiscated.”

Photographers are tightly monitored, with Marines determining the timing and the angle of their shots. As photographers awaited the “family photo” of G-8 leaders Saturday morning, photographers had to cap their lenses and television crews had to place small white hoodies over the front of their cameras.

Once given the go-ahead, lenses rose in near unison and shutters clicked and whirred. Then, silence as the press waited for President Barack Obama and the rest of the G-8 membership to show up.

The orders from the Marines were equally clear for the end of the photo ceremony: “When leaders are out of sight, the lens caps go back on.”

Even Obama got in the act. As the press was ushered into Laurel Lodge for a brief statement before a working session, Obama told the media contingent: “The press, you’re welcome as long as you don’t break anything.”

Forget the situation in Iran, Syria or the eurozone. The most menacing problem at Camp David may be the swarming gnats.

Shortly before the official G-8 photograph near Aspen cabin, the president’s lodge, two blue-shirted military stewards sprayed an anti-bug fog down the path that the leaders took to the platform for the photo. The stewards repeatedly sprayed the area around the photo platform to keep gnats at bay.

“I hear the gnats have been getting you guys, huh?” Obama asked as reporters tried in vain to shoo away the tiny flies.

During the photo, the G-8 leaders managed to avoid being caught for history, hands busily swatting away insects.

Obama has rolled out the red carpet for new French President Francois Hollande, greeting him at the Oval Office and spending time with him at Camp David. So Hollande is trying to repay the courtesy.

When reporters asked Obama for a word in French, the U.S. president turned to Hollande and declared, “he’s my translator!”

He told Hollande to “tell them I say, ‘Welcome.”‘

Hollande obliged, saying in French, “He says, `welcome’ to you.”

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Ben Rhodes, deputy national security adviser, says the administration was pleased with the outcome of negotiations between the Chinese government and the State Department that allowed Chen Guangcheng to be allowed to travel.

Rhodes said, “We are pleased at this development.” He spoke with reporters at Camp David, the presidential retreat where President Barack Obama is hosting the Group of Eight summit.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Meghan McCorkell explains why this could impact the entire same-sex marriage debate.

Proponents say the appeals court ruling is a step in the right direction toward legalizing same-sex marriage.

For years, Jessica Port has been trying to divorce her partner.

“We’ve been split for three years. We both want closure. We both want to move forward,” Port said.

In 2010, a judge refused to grant the divorce because he doesn’t consider the two women legally married. Now, a Court of Appeals unanimously overturns that ruling.

“It means that it’s not repugnant to Maryland’s public policy, which is a big stepping stone for that to be established,” Port said.

“The impact of this decision is incredible. It affects family law, estate, all kinds of rights that married couples have,” Mark Scurti, an attorney for Port’s partner, said.

Gov. Martin O’Malley– who signed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage– says the court’s ruling is a step forward.

“The laws of other states have found ways to protect the right of individuals in the context of civil marriage and our state needs to do the same,” he said.

But opponents disagree. A spokesperson for Maryland Marriage Alliance tells WJZ: “This is merely an example of how the courts and the legislature continue to be out of step with the clear will of the people.”

The group said they already have two-thirds of the signatures they need to put same-sex marriage to referendum.

Port admits it will be a fight in November.

“For now, I can be thankful that Maryland– the state that I live in and the state that I work in and I own property in– is moving in the right direction,” she said.

Opponents of same-sex marriage must turn in more than 55,000 signatures by the end of next month to get the issue on the ballot.

Same-sex marriage will become legal in Maryland in January if voters pass it in November.

Occupy movement members from as far away as Arizona arrived in the mountain town to wave signs and banners along U.S. 15. Police kept them several miles from the presidential retreat about an hour north of Washington.

Occupy Baltimore members said they expect hundreds of demonstrators in Thurmont on Saturday.

Organizer Beth Emmerling said they aim to educate the public, not disrupt the meeting of leaders of the Group of Eight leading industrial nations. She said she’s looking forward to a headline reading, “First G-8, no arrests.”

Police say those who arrived Friday haven’t caused any trouble.

Police aim to keep the demonstrators at least four miles from the presidential retreat in Catoctin Mountain Park where the G-8 leaders are meeting.

Merchants in the town of 6,200 have spruced up their stores and stocked their shelves in anticipation of visitors doing some shopping and dining between marching and chanting.

“As long as we treat them with a welcoming and respectful attitude, they’ll treat us the same way — at least that’s what my hope is,” said Virginia LaRoche, owner of Timeless Trends Boutique on Main Street.

Some past G-8 meetings have been accompanied by large and sometimes violent protests.

This year’s G-8 Summit had been set for Chicago, just before a North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit. The Obama administration moved the economic meeting to Camp David, but denied speculation that the sessions were moved for security reasons.

International events at the presidential retreat are part of Thurmont’s history, and town officials are encouraging residents to embrace rather than fear the summit. Flags of the participating nations — Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, Britain and United States — are displayed in a downtown park planted with red, white and blue flowers.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Mike Hellgren reports.

President Barack Obama has visited Camp David 54 days during his presidency. His predecessor George W. Bush by this time in his term had visited 256 days. So you might think residents are used to this, but not on this scale.

For many in Thurmont, the protesters and reporters from around the world covering them are the attraction.

Frank Shriner, Thurmont resident: “It’s not bad. It’s quiet down here and everything.”
Hellgren: “It provides a little excitement?”
Shriner: “Yes.”

It’s a spectacle in a town a few hundred feet below the retreat where the world’s power players are gathered. But it’s also a world away.

“When I was a Marine at Camp David under the Reagan and Bush administrations, it’s surrounded by woods, a lot of deer and wildlife. It’s serene, it’s quiet. You can take a stroll in the middle of the woods– the president can– knowing that the Marines, sailors, Air Force, and everyone up there in the Secret Service are guarding him. And he can relax,” Martin Burns, mayor of Thurmont, said.

“We live down here and Camp David’s up on the mountain When the president’s up there, we see his motorcade come up [U.S. Route] 15 and the helicopters fly overhead,” John Kinnaird, a commissioner of Thurmont, said.

Along with the excitement though, there is also some frustration here.

“It’s our kid’s life at risk. Plus, I have my pit bull here with me so he’s fine. He’ll protect,” said Thurmont resident Rose Bartlett.

But there are signs of a warm welcome. It’s hard to find some place not decked out in red, white and blue– it’s the American way.

“People in town are pretty amused by it because we live it. Camp David is just over us. So we see the president come and go. We see dignitaries come and go. So it’s really not anything that we don’t see on a daily basis,” Kinnaird said.

At times, it seemed that there were more police than protesters. The local government still has not been reimbursed from the federal government for all the security costs.

Protesters from Occupy Baltimore and Occupy Frederick are in Thurmont but it has been very peaceful so the authorities have not had to activate their security plans.

The G-8 leaders head to Chicago for the NATO Summit after this meeting. Most are expected to leave Camp David Saturday night.

Mary Bubala has more on the arrival of the leaders and the very tight security in place.

Many of the G-8 leaders first flew into Dulles Airport and then made their way to Camp David aboard Chinook helicopters. None of leaders is taking any of the roads in and out. There were a few protesters who tried to get their attention.

The most powerful leaders of the world are in one of the most secure and secluded places on earth– Camp David. Roads leading into the presidential retreat are now shut down and 11,000 acres of state and national parks are on lockdown. A no-fly zone with a 30 mile radius over Western Maryland is in place with fighter jets ready to respond to any threat.

In the past, G-8 summits have seen violent clashes in the streets, but not at this one.

Because they can’t occupy Camp David, protesters were supposed to occupy the small town of Thurmont, but so far, not many have shown up.

Bubala: “What is your message to the G-8 leaders who are in the mountain above you here?”
Beth Emmerling of Occupy Baltimore: “We would love for them to show some compassion in every decision that they make today and take into consideration the faces of humanity.”

Instead of camping out in rural Maryland, busloads of protesters are arriving in Chicago for the NATO Summit which will draw the G-8 leaders starting Sunday.

The G-8 represents the most powerful economies in the world– the United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia, Germany, Japan, Italy and Canada– and are the elite leaders here.

That’s leading protesters, even in small numbers, to the site of the summit.

“We’re not going to violate anybody’s First Amendment rights and I hope they don’t violate our right to preserve peace and order,” Greg Eyler, the chief of the Thurmont Police Department, said.

The town of Thurmont has special security measures in place but so far, they have not had to activate them. Thurmont and Frederick cancelled their schools on Friday as a precaution. The authorities did not know how many people were going to come in and out or occupy their town.

Vic Carter reports.

In Maryland’s Catoctin Mountains just 70 miles from the White House, the presidential retreat Camp David is about to take center stage for the annual G-8 summit.

“I can’t think of many times in history where it was more important for the nations of the world, members of the G-8, to be together on all this,” said Bob Schieffer, CBS News.

The group includes leaders of the United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia, Germany, Japan, Italy and Canada.  They meet yearly to discuss issues of common concern.

University of Maryland professor Dr. I.M. Destler tells WJZ previous summits have focused on global security, the environment and financial policy.

Carter: “For most people, we are so far removed from the G-8. Why should we care about what happens those couple of days?”
Destler: “The thing that is going to hover over this summit is the weakness of the global recovery in the wake of the Great Recession.”

The policies the leaders debate trickle down to everyday issues we all face, like gas prices, the cost of goods and how much our money is worth.

Carter: “The best we can hope for out of this is more trade and more jobs?”
Destler: “Yes, that’s the idea.  Get more economic stimulus, get more commerce between countries.  Every now and then these meetings make a real difference.”

As host of this year’s summit, President Barack Obama moved it from his hometown of Chicago to Maryland’s Camp David.

“It probably was a very good idea to move this meeting to a place where these people can actually get together and talk and not have to worry about going out immediately after the meeting and having to come up with some sort of a progress report or a sound bite. This keeps it very, very serious,” said Schieffer.

Why Camp David? Why is this a good place for these types of meetings to take place?

“The president would probably want to have a place where he thinks people can have some informal, as well as formal, contact,” said Destler.

Two of the largest nations in the world are not members of the G-8, but are invited to participate this year. They are China and India.

The Maryland governor is attending a forum in Baltimore on Friday. Delaware Gov. Jack Markell and West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin also are scheduled to attend.

The forum, which will take place at the University of Maryland, Baltimore BioPark, is being co-sponsored by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America and the Maryland chapter of We Work for Health.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

The Baltimore Sun reports that the council on Thursday made only one cut to the $1.65 billion operating budget that County Executive Kevin Kamenetz recommended last month. The recommended budget for the upcoming fiscal year
includes no furloughs, layoffs or tax increases.

The council is expected to adopt the budget on May 24.

Chairwoman Vicki Almond says that while the budget is “very bare-bones,” the council didn’t want to make larger cuts that would impede public services.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

The proposal, introduced by Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., is based on the disputed claim that fetuses can feel pain at a gestational age of 20 weeks or older.

Nebraska was the first state to pass such a law, and seven other states, including Arizona, have done the same. The legislation is being pushed by the National Right to Life Committee, an anti-abortion group that has made the bill its top legislative priority on Capitol Hill this year.

Opponents say the bill would violate women’s constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy in consultation with their doctors, including in cases of rape, incest and fetal abnormalities. They also say it intrudes upon the district’s self-rule.

With Democrats controlling the White House and the Senate, the bill has little chance of becoming law this year, but anti-abortion activists say they’re prepared to fight for years until it is enacted, and abortion-rights groups have mobilized to defeat it.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has pledged his support for the legislation.

“The gruesome late-term abortions of unborn children who can feel pain is in my opinion the greatest human rights atrocity in the United States today,” Franks said Thursday at the hearing.

Douglas Johnson, legislative director of the National Right to Life Committee, compared the bill to the ban on partial-birth abortions that became law in 2003 and was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2007. That bill only banned a specific late-term abortion procedure. The 20-week measure goes farther by banning all procedures beyond that gestational age.

While the goal of the legislative effort is to reduce the number of abortions and the pain experienced by fetuses, Johnson said, “ultimately, the Supreme Court has to say that this is OK to do.”

Opponents said the bill was part of an effort by anti-abortion activists to roll back the Supreme Court’s 1973 decision that made abortion legal.

“This is a serious attempt to take back Roe v. Wade, at the federal level, at the Supreme Court level,” said Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C. If the bill makes it to the House floor, Norton added, it would “seal the fate” of Republicans in 2012 being associated with a “war on women.”

Ted Miller, a spokesman for NARAL Pro-Choice America, said the bill underscores the importance of re-electing President Barack Obama and maintaining the Democratic majority in the Senate.

In the district, abortion is legal for any reason. In 2004, the D.C. Council wiped an outdated criminal ban on abortions off the books.

Anti-abortion activists have claimed that makes the city unusually permissive on abortion.

District officials and abortion-rights supporters say the district law follows the precedent established by Roe v. Wade.

At Thursday’s hearing, the subcommittee’s Republican leadership called three physicians who testified that they believe abortions after 20 weeks are inhumane and that fetuses can feel pain at that gestational age.

Dr. Anthony Levitano, an obstetrician who once performed second-trimester abortions but has since renounced the practice, described the process of extracting fetal body parts from the uterus in graphic detail.

“If you refuse to believe that this procedure inflicts severe pain on that unborn child, think again,” Levitano said.

Democrats noted that there is no scientific consensus on fetal pain, pointing to a 2010 conclusion by Britain’s Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists that fetuses lack the nerve capacity to feel pain before at least 24 weeks.

Christy Zink, a George Washington University professor and district resident who had an abortion at 21 weeks after an MRI revealed that her fetus had a significant brain abnormality, testified against the bill.

“Its very premise — that it prevents pain — is a lie,” Zink said, adding that her child, if carried to term, “would have
experienced near-constant pain. If he had survived the pregnancy, which was not certain, he might have never left the hospital.”

In recent years, Congress has routinely barred the district from spending local tax dollars on abortions for poor women. Last year, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., drafted a bill to give the city more control over its local budget that also would have made the abortion-funding ban permanent. District leaders rejected the bill because of that provision.

Since 1988, the district has been allowed to fund abortions with local tax dollars only when Democrats have controlled the House, the Senate and the presidency.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

They’ll join dozens, and perhaps hundreds, of demonstrators from East Coast occupy movements who plan to fill the sidewalks and the airwaves with messages protesting the bailout of U.S. banks and other large corporations.

Police aim to keep the demonstrators at least four miles from the presidential retreat in Catoctin Mountain Park where top officials from the Group of Eight leading industrial nations are meeting.

Merchants in the town of 6,200 have spruced up their stores and stocked their shelves in anticipation of visitors doing some shopping and dining between marching and chanting.

“As long as we treat them with a welcoming and respectful attitude, they’ll treat us the same way — at least that’s what my
hope is,” said Virginia LaRoche, owner of Timeless Trends Boutique on Main Street.

Some past G-8 meetings have been accompanied by large and sometimes violent protests.

This year’s G-8 Summit had been set for Chicago, just before a North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit. The Obama administration moved the economic meeting to Camp David, but denied speculation that the sessions were moved for security reasons.

International events at the presidential retreat are part of Thurmont’s history, and town officials are encouraging residents to embrace rather than fear the summit. Flags of the participating nations — Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, Britain and United States — are displayed in a downtown park planted with red, white and blue flowers.

Beneath the flags, a community bulletin board displays news clippings from the Middle East peace talks at Camp David in 1978 and 2000.

At the Cozy, an 80-year-old country inn favored by the press corps, a Camp David museum showcases the town’s connection to historic events.

Pat Ridenour, co-owner of the Thurmont Kountry Kitchen, aims to sell lots of French onion and Maryland crab soup, and homemade fudge.

“I hope we do get as busy as everyone thinks we’re going to get,” she said.

The welcoming attitude contrasts with security measures the Secret Service and local police have been planning for months. Catoctin Mountain Park, a National Park Service property, is closed during the summit, as is neighboring Cunningham Falls State Park. Much of Route 77, which winds between the parks, is closed to all but local traffic.

The travel restrictions have put a crimp in Saturday’s annual mother-daughter dinner at Pioneer Baptist Church in Thurmont.

“We did have a few that were concerned and said they weren’t going to make an attempt,” said Pastor James Coblentz.

But Thurmont resident Amy Blickenstaff, who uses Route 77 to visit her mother in unincorporated Foxville, said the road closure is a minor inconvenience in light of the important events at Camp David.

“The world leaders can come together,” she said. “We’re the ones that have the ability to make the world a better place.”

A better world is also the goal of Toyoshige Sekiguchi, a Japanese Buddhist monk who walked from Pittsburgh to Thurmont, chanting and beating a prayer drum, to publicize his plea to the G-8 to abolish nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants.

Ethiopian national Kebadu Belachew of Washington said he hopes to bring several busloads of people from the city’s Ethiopian community to Thurmont on Saturday to protest the policies of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. The Ethiopian prime minister is invited to the summit for food security talks.

And the Know Drones Tour plans to bring 11-foot replicas of the unmanned aircraft to Thurmont to protest America’s use of drones against terrorism suspects. Critics say drones are also being used for surveillance of the American public. They say drones turn the entire planet into a battlefield.

Members of Occupy Baltimore, lead organizer for the demonstrations, say they don’t expect to get anywhere near Camp
David and plan to focus instead on the news media in town.

“There’ll be lots of international press there to talk to and I think the word will get out,” said Dick Ochs, a retired Baltimore printer.

Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins said he’s not expecting any trouble from the demonstrators, who also have events planned in Frederick, 15 miles south of Thurmont.

“I think their intentions are strictly to demonstrate and wave signs and chant and maybe stand along the road and make their statements and move on,” he said.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

That means Attorney General Douglas Gansler can appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The court will file its order Friday denying Gansler’s May 1 motion for reconsideration.

The case involves Alonzo King Jr., who was found guilty of a 2003 rape in Salisbury. King’s DNA was taken after he had been arrested in 2009 on assault charges.

Opponents of taking DNA argue that taking a sample before someone is convicted violates the constitutional protection from unreasonable search and seizure. Supporters say the samples contribute to a database that helps law enforcement.

State officials suspended such collections following the April 24 ruling.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

A WJZ investigation brought the problem to light here in Maryland.

Meghan McCorkell has the new government warning.

The U.S. Transportation Secretary is sending a message: Anyone who endangers a pilot’s safety with a laser will face serious consequences.

A blinding light splinters across the cockpit. Someone on the ground is targeting pilots with laser pointers causing near tragedy.

“It can cause flash blindness. It can cause dazzle effect,” Ray LaHood, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, said.

Now, the federal government is pushing for stiffer penalties.

“I wonder how stupid people really can be. I wonder if people really understand that when they shine a laser in the eye of a pilot, it can cause great harm,” LaHood said.

The number of dangerous cases is on the rise nationwide. In 2010, more than 2,800 laser incidents were reported. Last year, that number skyrocketed to more than 3,500.

BWI has been listed in the top 20 airports in the country with reported laser incidents.

State police helicopters are also in the line of fire.

“Our pilots’ lives are put at risk because it can cause disorientation. It can blind them for a moment,” Elena Russo, a spokeswoman for the Maryland State Police, said.

A WJZ investigation uncovered last year that eight State Police pilots were targeted.

“We could have lost the whole aircraft had it been a different situation. Or had damage to our eyes,” Gregg Lantz, a Maryland State Police pilot, said.

The government is now cracking down.

“People are going to be not only apprehended and arrested, but they’re going to be prosecuted,” LaHood said.

They could also face civil penalties. The fee for one laser strike is $11,000. For multiple strikes, it is the highest proposed penalty– more than $30,000.

It’s a high price to pay for a dangerous prank.

Nationwide, 28 people have been charged with aiming a laser at an aircraft in the past year. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating dozens of cases.

State and local prosecutors have also sentenced offenders. Some of those cases included jail time.

Mary Bubala has more on the massive security for this high-profile international assembly.

Thurmont is the closest town to Camp David. The authorities and residents of the town are used to high-profile dignitaries coming through their town, but not on this scale with so many powerful people gathered at one time in one place. The security is unprecedented.

 Thurmont — a small mountain town in Maryland just down the road from Camp David– is bracing for world leaders, their staff, the press and the attention of the world to be focused in on them.

“I just don’t want it to get out of hand,” Thurmont police chief Greg Eyler said.

Eyler tells WJZ they have been planning for more than a month, assessing the threats from protesters and preparing the town.

Some businesses closed down altogether while potential weapons have been removed. For example, covers to water meters are bolted down.

“Like trash cans, if they’re not chained down, they can use them as weapons to break through windows. We had, which was unfortunate, we had butterflies made by citizens here in town. We had them on the parking meters. Very decorative and we liked it but we had to take them down,” said Eyler. 

Protesters are starting to show up with both Occupy Baltimore and Frederick expected. There’s also a 30-mile no-fly zone already in effect above Camp David.

And security is in place with a roadside camera up and running.

In an unprecedented move, the Secret Service ordered the complete shut down of Cunningham Falls State Park and Catoctin Mountain Park which surround Camp David.

It is tighter security than what was in place for the Middle East Peace Summit in 2000.

“I think Camp David is going to be the safest, most secure place in the planet this weekend,” Chuck Jenkins, sheriff of Frederick County, said. “Our role is outside of that perimeter, outside of that area. And my concern is the other 644 square miles of Frederick County.”

Contingency plans are in place in case large-scale protests descend on this town. Authorities, however, still do not know how many people are going to show up.

He tells political reporter Pat Warren he is considering a run for governor himself.

The tax hike brokered by the governor and legislative leaders takes effect over the objections of Republicans in the House of Delegates and Senate, and echoed by Democrat Peter Franchot. He stood with protesters at the State House against the governor’s plan to cut real estate exemptions. And he opposes any plan Gov. O’Malley has to raise taxes on gasoline.

“I’m just concentrating on what works,” Franchot said. “I could care less whether it’s Republican or Democratic. If policies are going to help employment and help us get our feet back on the ground, I’m more than happy to articulate it.”

And what works for Franchot as good government might also position him for a run for governor.

“I will take a look at it because the economy is really, really soft and we need more fiscal strength and fiscal responsibility to allow us to do the social things that we want– the education, the health care. We can’t do that if we can’t pay for it,” he said.

For now, he says he will concentrate on helping Maryland families and small businesses.

“In the real Maryland economy, there’s a lot of suffering. In Annapolis, it’s as if people couldn’t care or are just un-informed about it,” Franchot said.

O’Malley has confirmed a second special session this summer on expanded gaming. Not surprisingly, Franchot sees some danger in that as well.

Franchot served in the House of Delegates for 20 years before being elected state comptroller.

Mike Hellgren has the story.

In addition to eight of the world’s most powerful leaders, the population of tiny Thurmont –near the doorstep to Camp David–will swell with journalists, demonstrators and spectators, bringing dollars to the economy there.

“Well, the small businesses hope it’s a huge impact, the restaurants, the hotels,” said Dave Eddy, local radio host.  “It’s a unique time anytime the president or a group such as this comes to Camp David.”

But Vickie Grinder with the Camp David Museum and Cozy Country Inn has another concern.

“I can only compare it to the Mideast peace talks in the late 90s with the Clinton administration. People were not afraid to come out. They weren’t afraid of the protesters. Again that was prior to 9/11. We’ve had over a hundred phone calls at the Cozy over the last several days. ‘Is it safe to come?’ It’s going to be safe. I said ‘Don’t be afraid and don’t believe everything you read,’” Grinder said.

At Mountain Memories gift shop nearby, owner Pat Manahan hopes for an uptick in sales. She’s got a few stories for her customers.

“The biggest scare I’ve ever had was the first time I moved in here. The FBI agents came in here. That back window was a perfect side so when Clinton come up [the fear was]  somebody could stand in that window and shoot at him,” Manahan explained.

The G-8 Summit is having an impact on communities nearby too, including Frederick. The region prides itself as a destination for American history buffs.

“We’re really looking at the long-term impact that we’ll see from the added exposure,” said John Fieseler, Tourism Council.

The red, white and blue is making some extra green and putting Maryland in the world spotlight.

“I say come on out and see a piece of history,” Grinder said.

Along with the excitement, there is also some apprehension.

One local woman says she’s angry that the summit will take place at Camp David because it shuts down part of the town. Others are concerned about the traffic and how they’re going to get to work in the morning.

Vic Carter has more on the history of Camp David, as it prepares for this international event.

Nestled in the sweeping mountains of Maryland is one of the most tightly guarded places in Maryland– the Naval Support Facility Thurmont.

“It’s a very secure location and it is a very beautiful location in the Catoctin Mountains of Maryland,” Allan Lichtman, a professor at American University, said. “And it’s a place nearby where presidents can get away from it all.”

Better known as Camp David, it’s just 70 miles from the White House and is about to thrust Maryland into the world spotlight.

Lichtman: “Camp David is a great location to have a G-8 Summit.”
Carter: “What makes Camp David the perfect place for this type of meeting?”
Lichtman: “It’s a very beautiful setting conducive to perhaps some of these world leaders relaxing, and maybe getting along with each other a little better than they ordinarily would.”

Moved from Chicago, the G-8 or Group of Eight Summit arrives at Camp David Friday. Leaders of some of the world’s richest countries will discuss the economic issues they face. But this isn’t the first high-profile meeting held at Camp David.

Carter: “Give us a sense of the history of Camp David, some of the historic events that happened there.”
Lichtman: “The most important meeting occurred in 1978 when Jimmy Carter brought the leaders of Israel and Egypt together and achieved the historic Camp David accords, a treaty of peace between Egypt and Israel.”

While Camp David has long hosted high-profile world leaders, its beginnings were decidedly lower profile. It was constructed as a Work Projects Administration project in the 1930s.

“Then it became a retreat for President Franklin Roosevelt during World War II when it was known as Shangri-La after the mythical city of paradise,” Lichtman said.

President Eisenhower renamed the retreat Camp David in the 1950s after his grandson, David. Since World War II, every president has used Camp David as a place to get away from the rigors of the presidency, relax with family and entertain.

“We actually stayed where President 41 and Barbara Bush typically stayed in that cabin,” former Maryland Gov. Bob Ehrlich said.

Invited by President George W. Bush in 2003, Ehrlich is one of the few who have visited.

“I’ve never seen Kendel so excited. All she did was call for the first hour or two,” Ehrlich said of his wife.

Ehrlich says the visit was all about relaxing.

“We went to the movies — there’s a movie cabin — with him. There’s popcorn, sort of an old style movie deal there,” he said.

Unfortunately for the Ehrlichs, their once-in-a-lifetime trip was cut short by his job.

“It was actually the weekend of the great snowstorm in 2003 so we had to actually cut church services short on Sunday. And he called our bedroom on Sunday and said, ‘Time to get out of town. I have to get out of town. You have to get out of town. So back to being governor of Maryland, back to being president of the United States,’” Ehrlich said.

Click here to read more about Camp David. 

Political reporter Pat Warren explains what happens next.

Some Marylanders will be writing bigger checks and getting smaller tax refunds.

Gov. Martin O’Malley takes in the sun at a public event while his tax hike foes rake him over the coals.

“The governor ran around this session, talking about every manner of tax increase. He wanted a sales tax increase. He wanted a gas tax increase. I couldn’t keep track of what proposal he was proposing next,” said House Minority Leader Del. Anthony O’Donnell.

On Wednesday, O’Malley got an income tax increase — although the proposal originated in the House and that’s where it got final approval.

“Eight-seven percent of the people of the state of Maryland will have no increase in their taxes. And those who do and who make a quarter of a million dollars, they will be paying  6 and a half dollars a week extra,” said House Majority Leader Del. Kumar Barve.

Single filers will see no increase up to $100,000. Taxpayers filing jointly will see no increase up to $150,000.

One dollar later and the hikes kick in at increments of a quarter percent.

So if you are a two-wage earner household making $150,001, your rate increases to 5 percent. At $175,001, it’s 5.25 percent. At $225,001, it’s 5.50 percent. And anything over $300,000 will be taxed at 5.75 percent.

“These have not been easy years,” O’Malley said.

The income tax increases are intended to avoid a so-called doomsday budget that called for $500 million in cuts that the General Assembly passed in its regular session.

The bills passed Wednesday include a tax hike on small cigars and smokeless tobacco and a transfer of payments of teacher pensions from state to local governments.

The Democratic governor sent a tweet that is among hundreds of short messages the Washington-based group One spray-painted Wednesday on state Route 77 near Thurmont. The presidential retreat is located inside nearby Catoctin Mountain Park.

O’Malley’s message reads: “Together, let’s end hunger.”

An O’Malley spokeswoman says the governor joined the campaign because he has set a goal of ending childhood hunger in Maryland by 2015.

Officials of the eight leading industrialized nations are meeting at Camp David Friday and Saturday.

A spokeswoman for One says the orange paint is washable, so the group is hoping thunderstorms avoid the area.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)