ANNAPOLIS – Despite a rapid decline in Maryland’s welfare rolls since the reforms of 1995, advocates said that is only a small step in reducing poverty levels and more needs to be done as lawmakers convene in the General Assembly next month

HYATTSVILLE — In one corner of this cavernous warehouse, Phillip Whitlock shares a laugh with today’s volunteers before getting down to business

ANNAPOLIS – Prince George’s County legislators say education is their top priority for the 2002 General Assembly, but caution that funding for that and two other key issues, health services and economic development, may be hard to secure in this tight budget year

ANNAPOLIS – The enactment of Maryland’s 2001 Anti-discrimination Act means David Pool no longer has to fear losing his job

COLLEGE PARK – Ben Hyman is only 13, but he has a lot to teach local government officials about Smart Growth

ANNAPOLIS – Despite ranking 19th in state population, Maryland is fifth in the annual number of AIDS incidences, a statistic fueled by drug use and cited by activists trying to make the state do more to combat the virus

ANNAPOLIS – Almost 400 years ago, Pilgrims celebrated a successful harvest, peaceful co-existence with their Indian neighbors and survival with a day of thanks — the holiday we now know as Thanksgiving

BALTIMORE – Women, children and single-parent families are most often the victims of hunger in Maryland, according to a study released Wednesday by the Maryland Food Bank

ANNAPOLIS – Maryland veterans won’t find burial space in the state’s national cemeteries – they’re out of room – but there are still some options for an in-state interment

ANNAPOLIS – It’s time to change Maryland’s child support guidelines to reflect the real cost of raising children, said researchers working on a legislative study