More On FEMA's Denial Of Hurricane Sandy Disaster Aid, Speed Camera Accuracy, and The Open Meetings Act Violation In UMD's Switch From The ACC To The Big 10

Maryland lawmakers are appealing a recent FEMA decision that denied federal relief money for Hurricane Sandy to the hardest hit areas of the state (via our wire service, the Baltimore Sun, and the Gazette).

On today's edition of Inside Maryland Politics, WYPR Senior News Analyst talks with WYPR reporter Karen Hosler about FEMA's denial of assistance to individuals who lost homes or businesses.

Many political watchers are expecting Governor Martin O'Malley to run for President in 2016. But several of the Governor's advisors tell the Washington Post that he would not likely run againct Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, should she choose to get into the race. In a interview that aired yesterday on WMAR, O'Malley himself said that Clinton would "be a great president" if she chooses to run. O'Malley had been one of the first governors to endorse Clinton in her 2008 presidential bid. Clinton has said she's not interesed in the job in 2016, but is being urged by supporters to reconsider. And an opinion poll out last week gave Clinton the support of 61 percent of democratic voters; O'Malley had just 2 percent support in that survey.

The controversy over the accuracy of automated speed cameras is spreading from Baltimore City into other jurisdictions. In recent weeks, an investigation by the Baltimore Sun has revealed that several cameras in the city gave people tickets when they weren't speeding. But it's not possible to fact-check the cameras used by the State Highway Administration or those in Baltimore and Howard counties -- because the time-stamps on the pictures of allegedly speeding vehicles are rounded off to the nearest second, preventing an accurate calucation of how fast the cars were actually going. Officials from Baltimore and Howard counties note that their cameras are in full compliance with state law -- but some lawmakers say that violates the spirit of the legislation. Delegate Jon Cardin says that all cameras should time-stamp their images at the tenth of a second mark, as Baltimore City's do. Delegate Cardin is set to hold a news conference today to discuss proposed legislation that would punish speed camera operators that issue incorrect tickets.

Frederick's former police chief, Kim Dine, has been named "Ally Of The Year" by The Frederick Center -- a network of local residents who are part of the city's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community (via the Frederick News Post).

In sports news: The Chancellor of the University System of Maryland has admitted that the system's Board of Regents violated Maryland's open meetings act when it met secretly to talk about UMD's move from the Atlantic Coast Conference to the Big 10. Last week, Chancellor Birt Kirwan said that the Regents were "confused" about the policy and that they're "determined to do better." Maryland didn't need approval from the Regents to change conferences... and while the Regents could be sued in civil court over the violation, the fine would not exceed one hundred dollars (via the Baltimore Sun).

And: the Ravens lost 31 to 28 to the Washington Redskins in yesterday's game. The Ravens play the Denver Broncos in Baltimore this coming Sunday.