Maryland officials have agreed to make developer-friendly changes in a law that requires new building projects to reduce the pollution that rain washes off their roofs and parking lots.

The latest state income tax payments to local governments fell $61.8 million year over year, piling new fiscal woes atop budgets already reeling from state cuts, high snow removal costs and earlier revenue declines.

A key Senate panel voted Monday evening to approve the appointment of Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller's son as an Anne Arundel County District Court judge, a nomination that was first put forward two years ago and prompted three members of the county's judicial nominating commission to resign in protest

The governor's bid to expand a popular tax credit for rehabilitating old buildings faces resistance from key House leaders, who worry that a broader program would be too costly during tough fiscal times.

After laying off nearly three dozen city employees, Mayor Josh Cohen last night introduced an $80 million budget that consolidates three departments, doesn't raise tax rates and cuts even more city jobs.

Baltimore Deputy Mayor Andrew B. Frank, one of the highest-ranking officials from the Sheila Dixon administration retained by Mayor Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake, announced his resignation Tuesday.

In Michigan, where many enterprises are struggling to survive, the renowned University of Michigan is in the midst of a construction boom and hiring spree. Michigan State University, on the other hand, plans to lay off faculty and cut programs, blaming state funding that is lower than it was a decade ago. Flagship universities in other states are also prospering, while their lesser-known counterparts suffer from vanishing state appropriations. 

So, why not change the arrangement and require big-name universities to take responsibility for their own financing, leaving more state money to support the other state schools? As legislatures face their toughest budget year since the recession began, the idea of giving a few universities autonomy to control their own finances has some appeal.