Annapolis

On November 6, some Maryland voters, once they get through picking a presidential candidate, and a Senator, and a Congressperson, and, uh, something about orphans court judges, and referenda about redistricting and gambling and same-sex marriage and and and…

How voters can inform themselves about bond issues

Roy Meyers on whether voters should have more input via ballot on borrowing

Roy Meyers on what can lead to a bond's demise

Number 10 on Forbes’s “America’s Coolest Cities” list: Baltimore

Number 1: Houston

U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Maryland, on the Romney-Ryan team's proposals for Medicare; why gun control has become such a political non-starter in the wake of mass shootings, even for candidates with safe seats; and the government's preparation for extreme weather related to climate change.

This conversation originally aired on January 25, 2012.

Yesterday, the Maryland General Assembly convened for a special session to take up legislation about gambling.

Before the Annapolis Town Centre, there was the Annapolis Parole Camps. True to its title, the historical site couldn't be more different than its contemporary counterpart. The Parole Camps held Union prisoners during the Civil War, released on parole by the Confederacy. They held up to 10,000 prisoners at all times from 1862-1865. Annapolis, once a quaint market-town, became a haven for thieves, murderers, and prostitutes.

Review and analysis of Maryland political news, including Gov. Martin O'Malley's role in recovery efforts after the recent storm that left hundreds of thousands without power, and the latest on continued efforts towards a special legislative session to expand casino gambling. Our guest: Del. Glen Glass, Republican of Harford-Cecil, who says he will boycott a special session if one is called this summer.

Perspectives on news and trends, interviews with newsmakers and authors, quick takes on some of the week's most interesting regional stories with the Maryland journalists who covered them, including: Maryland Reporter's Len Lazarick and the Washington Post's John Wagner on the nixing of a special session to consider extended gambling; Julie Scharper from the Baltimore Sun, on the Mayor's phone scandal and the city budget, and the Capital Gazette's Allison Bourg on the latest Anne Arundel follies.

Questions on same-sex marriage, redistricting and the Dream Act could all make it to referendum on the Maryland ballot this November. Have online petitions made it too easy to override the General Assembly on key issues? And what is the future of voting? Will the current movement to go online succeed?