Christopher B. Shank

Seasoned legislators in Annapolis know a lot can happen in the last week of a session in the Maryland General Assembly. Money can show up for capital projects after fierce lobbying. Bills with momentum can stall as other issues take precedence. For...

In a long-sought victory for Baltimore, the Maryland Senate approved a $1 billion financing plan Friday for an unprecedented systemwide drive to rebuild and renovate the city's crumbling school buildings. The measure passed easily on a bipartisan vote of...

The Maryland Senate voted by the narrowest of margins this week to send a bill that aimed to address rental housing discrimination back to committee, effectively ending its chances of passing this year. Sen. Christopher B. Shank, R-Washington, who...

Every year, police in Baltimore City respond to thousands of calls related to domestic violence. Officers arrest and charge abusive partners, judges issue protective orders to women who fear for their lives, and domestic violence counselors struggle to...

A federal appeals court has upheld Maryland's handgun permitting law, reversing a lower court decision by concluding that the state can constitutionally require an applicant to show “good and substantial reason” that he or she needs a...

The woman stabbed to death in her Garrison apartment this week was under police watch and had sought a court order for protection against her alleged killer, a former boyfriend who had been threatening her for years, Baltimore County police said Thursday....

An operation by Maryland State Police near Sharpsburg last year prompted two Washington County legislators to introduce a bill during the current session of the Maryland General Assembly requiring the chief of the primary law enforcement agency in a...

The Washington County delegation’s efforts to secure a share of a wealth-based grant were rewarded Thursday when a key Senate committee voted to approve a measure that could bring about $1.55 million to the county’s general fund for fiscal...

The Maryland Senate voted Wednesday to make Maryland the 18th state to abolish the death penalty, putting Gov. Martin O'Malley one step closer to a significant legislative victory. The 27-20 vote sent the bill to the House of Delegates, where repeal...

A move to repeal the death penalty in Maryland took another step forward with the state Senate voting 27-20 on Wednesday to abolish capital punishment. Every legislator in the Washington County delegation is against the repeal except Sen. Ronald N....

A bill that would enable Washington County to enter into agreements with technology-related businesses to let them make payments in lieu of personal property taxes was heard Tuesday at a Senate Budget and Taxation Committee hearing. The agreements...

Efforts to end Maryland's death penalty moved forward late Monday as the Senate squashed attempts to retain the death penalty for what one senator called "the worst of the worst." Senators resumed an emotional debate they left off Friday evening,...