Winter Weather, Jobs, Septic Systems, Early Voting, and Campaign Finance

A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect until 10am for much of the listening area, a mix of rain and freezing rain possible. Some schools are opening late today; our current list is here. The wintry weather is associated with a storm system poised to bring blizzard conditions to parts of New England, and Baltimore-area travelers are being warned to check their flight reservations today, after more than three-thousand flights were pre-emptively cancelled ahead of the storm. Several airlines have announced they will waive ticket change fees. Those who have air travel plans are urged to call their airlines before they head to the airport.

Governor Martin O'Malley is highlighting initiatives he says will help create jobs in the state. O'Malley yesterday testified before a legislative committee on the Employment Advancement Right Now initiative, which he says would allow the state to partner with businesses to help equip workers with the skills they need to fill state jobs (via our wire service; more here from the Washington Post and here from the Daily Times).

Maryland's limits on the use of septic systems in large developments are being challenged, by a group of 24 Republican lawmakers from rural parts of the state (via marylandreporter.com).

Lawmakers in the House of Delegates are taking up a proposal that would adding more early voting centers in the state, and increase Maryland's early voting period (via our wire service and the Washington Post).

And today, lawmakers will consider closing a loophole in campaign finance law that lets people use limited liability corporations -- or LLC's -- to make multiple donations to Maryland politicians (via the Baltimore Sun).

On today's edition of Inside Maryland Politics: WYPR's Fraser Smith talks to Luke Broadwater of the Baltimore Sun about a new city budget forecast commissioned by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. 

Folks who take the bus in Frederick will soon be able to hide from the weather while they wait; yesterday, Frederick's Board of Aldermen agreed to allow shelters at some bus stops (via the Frederick News Post).

A Loyola University Maryland student has been diagnosed with bacterial meningitis. School officials say the undergraduate student was hospitalized Wednesday after becoming extremely ill, and is still under inpatient treatment (via our wire service and the Baltimore Sun).

The blimps are coming to Aberdeen Proving ground. An over-the-horizon radar system is set to come to APG this fall... it consists of two huge helium-filled aerostats -- nearly 25 feet long. They'll float up to 2 miles above the ground, and monitor the skies for possible attacks including missiles, drones, and rockets (via the Baltimore Sun).

Baltimore County is looking to get rid of more rats. County officials say that rat removal efforts will continue this month, targeting the Riverview community in Lansdowne and the St. Helena neighborhood in Dundalk. The county's rat eradication program began last April; in the intervening months, it's treated more than 2-thousand homes in neighborhoods with known rat problems (via the Baltimore Sun and Baltimore County).

Fishermen in Ocean City may soon face new regulations on catching sharks. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is proposing a near doubling of the minimum size requirement for sharks -- from 54 inches to 96 inches. The move is designed to protect the dusky shark, which is seeing a significant decline in its population, even though it's been illegal to capture them for more than a decade (via the Daily Times).

Baltimore's slogan was once "the city that reads" -- you can still come across the phrase on some old benches. Now, there's a new study on which US cities are the most literate... and while Baltimore is in the top 25, we're not at the very top. Charm City is the 19th most literate city, according to the analysis by researchers at Central Connecticut State University -- which used data like the number of bookstores, library resources, newspaper circulation, Internet resources and educational levels in the cities surveyed. And Baltimore's #19 rank represents a drop -- we were #18 the last time the analysis was conducted. To find the MOST literate city in the US, just head down I-95. It's Washington DC (via our wire service and USA Today).

And in sports: The Baltimore Ravens are reportedly planning to erect a sculpture of Ray Lewis. ESPN reports a statue of the 13-time Pro Bowler will go up outside M&T Bank Stadium sometime in the next year or two. The Ravens won Super Bowl 47 in the linebacker's final game.

And: The Baltimore Ravens expect to work out a long-term contract with star quarterback Joe Flacco. General Manager Ozzie Newsome says he is optimistic a deal will get done. The Super Bowl MVP is not under contract for next season and his agent is saying Flacco should be the highest paid quarterback in the NFL.