Owings Mills-Reisterstown, MD|News|
Marks: No Plans for Ban On Cellphone 'Reverse Vending Machines'
Some Baltimore City officials worry the machines promote the theft of cellphones and other portable electronic devices.

I'm a child of the eastside of Baltimore County and have lived here most of my life — first in Middle River then in Perry Hall, where I graduated from high school. I now live in Towson.
I'm a county history junkie and have a fondness for all the places that make my "hometown" special. You'll frequently find me hiking around Oregon Ridge with my dog or grabbing a slice at Pizza Johns in Middle River.
Over the years I've worked for a number of area publications including The Times in Perry Hall, The Avenue and The Journal Northeast as well as writing for Reuters news service.
For much of the last decade I was a reporter for Patuxent Publishing Co.'s community papers in Baltimore County as it's senior politics and government reporter.
I've won numerous state, regional and national awards for coverage of stories such as the Joseph Palczynski spree killings and hostage standoff in 2000, coverage of Hurricane Katrina, as well as state and local government coverage.
I've also been honored for my investigative work which includes stories involving the Community College of Baltimore County, the hiring of a health officer who was not licensed to practice medicine in Maryland and an investigation that led to the indictment of a sitting county councilman for theft from his campaign finance account.
While at Patuxent, my political blog was honored as the best in the Maryland-Delaware-DC region. I continue to blog about politics for Patch.
I appear each Thursday morning in the 7 o'clock hour where I talk about local politics on WBAL 1090 AM. I've appeared regularly on a number of that station's programs and have made guest appearances on Midday with Dan Rodricks on WYPR 88.1 FM.
I also co-hosted the "All Politics is Local" radio show on WCBM 680 AM.
You can find me on Facebook and on Twitter.
Some Baltimore City officials worry the machines promote the theft of cellphones and other portable electronic devices.

The hot weather on Tuesday and Wednesday will pose potential problems for some people with sensitive health conditions.
Odor of smoke causes afternoon evacuation of the building that houses the county fire and police departments
"The legislature has become too liberal for me," said the five-term Democrat from western Baltimore County.
The two-term Maryland governor tells the National Journal he's in a "year of discernment when it comes to running in 2016.
The two-term Maryland governor tells the National Journal he's in a "year of discernment" when it comes to running in 2016.
County officials say they are required to implement the unpopular state mandated fee even as Howard County considers changes to its plan.
The ban is part of the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's safe sleep program.
The ban is part of the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's safe sleep program.
The ban is part of the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's safe sleep program.
The Baltimore County Planning Board will look at limiting where the popular mobile food venues can operate.
Baltimore County police Ofc. James Laboard was charged with the choking death of Christopher Brown.
Expert witnesses for the prosecution and defense differ in their interpretations of the results of an autopsy.
The lawsuit filed in federal court Tuesday alleges negligence on the part of John Alban and his company, Alban Waste.
An ATF report reveals that more than 190,000 guns nationwide were reported lost or stolen in 2012.
James Laboard, an off-duty Baltimore County police officer, is accused of applying a choke hold that lead to the death of 17-year-old Christopher Brown.
The Baltimore County state senator and Baltimore City delegate take opposing views of a controversial policy that allows the state to record audio and video on public buses.
James Laboard faces two counts of manslaughter in the 2012 asphyxiation death of Christopher Brown.
The storm causes more than 50,000 outages stretching from Montgomery to Harford Counties.