ANNAPOLIS – Maryland school officials say they could be forced to test every single new tile, pipe or wall put into school buildings for asbestos, under new guidance on Environmental Protection Agency regulations

ANNAPOLIS – Environmental Protection Agency enforcement against Maryland schools for asbestos-related violations have exploded in the past year, from less than one per year from 2001 to 2006 to 16 actions since September 2006

ANNAPOLIS – It was “a real tough year” for Maryland’s Christmas tree farms, as the drought killed off many seedlings and saplings and stressed the mature trees that will go into homes this holiday season

ANNAPOLIS – Leaders of Chesapeake Bay-area governments conceded Wednesday that they are unlikely to meet bay restoration goals by 2010, but pledged to ramp up their efforts to do so

ANNAPOLIS – Complaints against condo and homeowner’s associations across the state are becoming increasingly frequent as more and more of these common-ownership communities are built, state officials said

ANNAPOLIS – Bearded Orthodox Jews, guitar-strumming Israel supporters and a dancing Condoleezza Rice impersonator, among others, congregated outside the Naval Academy’s main gate Tuesday while a conference inside talked about Middle East peace

ANNAPOLIS – Charles County farmer Chip Bowling harvested his corn crop back in September and immediately planted the same fields with wheat and rye

ANNAPOLIS – Wildlife officials expect the deer harvest to about average in the firearm season that kicks off Saturday, traditionally one of the busiest hunting weekends of the year

ANNAPOLIS – The House gave preliminary approval Wednesday to a bill that outlines how a dedicated Chesapeake Bay cleanup fund would be used to reduce runoff pollution in Maryland’s waterways

ANNAPOLIS – A House committee Friday approved a bill that would pay for waterway restoration programs, but stripped out a plan to fund the measure with a development tax