Howard County police are investigating the death of a man struck by a train last night in Ellicott City.  Detectives do not suspect foul play and believe the man may have been sleeping or passed out on the tracks when he was struck.

Investigators have identified the victim as a 41-year-old local homeless man, but are not releasing his name until next of kin can be located and notified.

The Governor admitted in his State of the State address that Maryland is in quite a bad fiscal position, yet he bragged that the State still has a AAA bond rating.  On the surface, this seems good.  But the ability to borrow money means the ability to put more financial debt onto the taxpayers and future taxpayers -- our children and grandchildren -- so that they can continue to push their failed fiscal agendas.

On February 12, 2010, law enforcement officers from The Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, Maryland State and Westminster Police will conduct a sobriety checkpoint this Friday, Febuary 12. The checkpoint, which is designed to reduce the number of impaired and intoxicated drivers on Carroll County roadways, will occur on Route 140 at Market Street in Westminster, Maryland.

Ever since I've lived in southern Maryland, the mantra has been that our region and state are recession proof because of our proximity to Washington, D.C. The preponderance of government and military installations, and the constantly upward trend of government growth, was supposed to be our economic ace in the hole. As we enter our second year of high unemployment and revenue shortfalls that led to our $2 billion budget deficit, I'm beginning to wonder if that dependency is more of a curse than a blessing.

Jeffers Hill Elementary Teacher Faces Assault Charge

Howard County police have charged a fifth-grade teacher at Jeffers Hill Elementary School in Columbia with pushing a student in the classroom. Tracie Clay, 38, of Laurel, was charged with second-degree assault in an incident involving an 11-year-old girl.