Christopher B. Shank

The Washington County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association is hoping to keep control of fire and rescue companies’ share of the county gaming fund — and keep government out of it. In a meeting Thursday night with county government...

For Myers, Congress can wait Tuesday was Del. LeRoy E. Myers Jr.'s self-imposed deadline for deciding whether to run for Congress. Myers and state Sen. Christopher B. Shank said last month that they might be interested in trying for the 6th District...

Charges of Democratic gerrymandering and complaints that Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley is conducting "a war on rural Maryland" came up Saturday morning when Republican members of Washington County delegation's to the Maryland General Assembly met with...

Speculation that U.S. Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett is about to give up his 6th District seat in Congress is groundless, the 10-term congressman said in an interview about his re-election campaign. "The job is not done," Bartlett, R-Md., said Tuesday. "We...

A business advocacy group and an environmental organization have released their annual scorecards for Maryland’s state delegates and senators. Maryland Business for Responsive Government, a nonpartisan nonprofit group, based its ratings on 14...

Legislation to name things in Maryland — including renaming two mountains — has come to a halt. A state Senate committee decided Tuesday to turn down a series of bills requesting days and months honoring groups and individual people. Also...

Through redistricting, Washington County's delegation might shrink by 25 percent in about three years. Every 10 years, after the U.S. Census measures the nation's population, Congressional and legislative districts are redrawn to reflect the changes. In...

State lawmakers on Thursday took a step toward regulating mopeds and motor scooters and requiring their operators to have licenses and insurance. The Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee passed a scooter bill, despite the protest of one senator who...

Counties would no longer have to pay medical costs for jail inmates with pre-existing conditions, under a bill presented Tuesday before a state Senate panel. Sen. Christopher B. Shank, R-Washington, said his bill wouldn’t restrict inmates’...

Some members of the Washington County delegation to the Maryland General Assembly think Gov. Martin O'Malley is playing "kick the can down the road" with his proposed fiscal year 2012 budget. The "kick the can" metaphor, a popular catchphrase for...

Together again For a while, Del. John P. Donoghue, D-Washington, couldn’t be found at events that Sen. (and former Del.) Christopher B. Shank, R-Washington, attended, including Washington County delegation meetings. But last week, past tensions...

Some Democratic state lawmakers are trying again to legalize same-sex marriage in Maryland. The proposed bill — the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act — would change the state's Family Law, which currently reads: "Only a...