Chesapeake Hyatt Hotel Dips into Cash Reserves to Meet Bond Payments

Tue, Jun 11 2013, 10:51 AM EDT

A government-backed hotel built in Maryland now finds itself unable to generate enough money to meet bond payments. Just last week the state-backed Chesapeake Hyatt Hotel was forced to dip into cash reserves to make payments on $160 million in bonds issued by the Maryland Economic Development Co. ...

Developers of Downtown Superblock Asking City for More Support

Fri, May 31 2013, 12:02 PM EDT

Developers who are part of a downtown renovation project seven years in the making keep asking for more time and more money from the city.

The plan was to transform a section of Lexington Street into a so-called "Superblock," with stores and apartments. ...

Baltimore City Schools Face Mounting Criticism over Misused Stimulus Funds

Thu, May 30 2013, 06:49 PM EDT

Baltimore City School is facing mounting criticism over the way they spent thousands of dollars in federal stimulus money.

An audit found that more than $24,000 went to pay for things like dinner cruises and food for PTA meetings which ended up amounting to $99/plate. ...

Dr. Alonso Responds to Audit Showing Misuse of Funds

Thu, May 30 2013, 09:02 AM EDT

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Whistleblower Says Free Phone Programs Out of Control

Wed, May 01 2013, 02:12 PM EDT

When it comes to abuse of the government's free cell-phone program, Maryland is a leader. ...

Maryland top abuser of free phone program

Thu, Apr 25 2013, 10:23 PM EDT

Maryland was cited as one of the biggest abusers of a controversial federal program which funds cell phones for people already receiving government aid.

During a hearing of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, experts said the number of recipients of free phones in Maryland was nearly twice the number that should be eligible. ...

Baltimore Leaders Considering Tax Break For New Exelon Headquarters

Wed, Apr 17 2013, 10:50 PM EDT

City leaders will soon decide whether to grant another huge tax break to a major developer that could wind up costing taxpayers several millions of dollars.

Harbor East has plans to grow again and will soon become the headquarters of Exelon, the energy company that brought in $23 million last year. ...

City Police Seeking Consultant to Improve Operations

Wed, Apr 17 2013, 10:50 PM EDT

The Baltimore Police Department is looking to hire a consultation firm to come up with a plan to make the department more effective.

The Baltimore City Police Department is seeking $285,000 to hire a firm called Strategic Policy Partnership. The company would be given the task of coming up with a strategic plan for the department to improve operations. ...

FOX45 Waste Watch Investigation Prompts Federal Investigation

Wed, Apr 10 2013, 10:13 PM EDT

A FOX 45 waste watch investigation into a federal phone giveaway has prompted congressional action.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee has scheduled a hearing later this month to review allegations of waste and abuse of program called Lifeline which offers free cell phones to people already on public assistance. ...

Money Meant for Crime Victims Being Put Into State Fund

Mon, Apr 01 2013, 11:08 PM EDT

A Fox45 investigation has revealed that millions of dollars meant for crime victims is being put into a state fund at the expense of taxpayers.

Fox 45 uncovered millions of dollars in restitution the Department of Public Safety & Correctional Services has failed to disburse to crime victims. ...

City Hotel Costing Taxpayers

Thu, Mar 14 2013, 10:17 PM EDT

A questionable hotel that the city spent hundreds of millions of dollars to build is causing more problems for taxpayers.

The city got into the hotel business five years ago when it used $300 million in city backed bonds to pay for the Hilton. And even though the convention center hotel opened during the height of the recession, city developers repeatedly assured taxpayers that it was on sound financial ground. ...

Federal Employees Not Paying Taxes

Tue, Mar 12 2013, 10:24 PM EDT

A new IRS report shows that federal workers are skipping on their taxes and owe more than $3.5 billion in back taxes.

The new report shows 312,000 federal workers and retirees missed paying their taxes on time in 2011, an uptick of about 12 percent compared to 2010. ...

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