Maryland: Prince George's County

The Montgomery and Prince George's County legislative delegations have joined forces to push for the Purple Line, a light rail transit line that would stretch from Bethesda to New Carrollton.

The new Purple Line Legislative Caucus, made up of state senators and delegates from the respective counties, announced last week it would begin pushing for a Purple Line transit system in the General Assembly.

A third hiring freeze is to be implemented in Anne Arundel County effective October 1, according to Republican County Executive John Leopold.

Enacted in response to the state's financial woes, Leopold says the freeze will not apply to public safety positions.

"These are austere times and it's going to take some tough medicine to weather a struggling economy and cuts to local government," said Leopold in a statement.  "We must take every step available to find savings where we can."

Voters exiting the polls across Maryland's 4th Congressional District yesterday cited their desire for change as the most important factor in their decision to support U.S. Rep.-elect Donna Edwards (D-Fort Washington) in both her successful primary and general election campaigns.

"She brings a freshness and new blood," Phyllis Widemon of Upper Marlboro told PolitickerMD.com after casting her ballot for Edwards.

Andrea Fletcher Harrison (D-Springdale) cruised to victory in Tuesday's special election to fill the District 5 vacancy on the Prince George's County Council. With 100 percent of the precincts reporting, Harrison received more than 87 percent of the vote over Republican Steven Johnson, a businessman from Cheverly. The victory was expected in the heavily Democratic district.

Harrison has served the past five years as the deputy chief of staff for the District 5 council office, where she worked as the policy director for Councilman David Harrington (D-Cheverly).