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3 NEWS BALTIMORE SUN MARYLAND The Baltimore Sun Media Group, a Tribune company, publishes The Baltimore Sun, balti- moresun.com, 30 community newspapers and magazines, and a growing portfolio of print and online products, including and bthesite.com. In print and online, The Baltimore Sun reaches more than 1million Maryland readers each week, making it the most widely read source of news and information. To subscribe, comment or relay concerns, call 888-539-1280 or e-mail custom- Register to comment on articles, to receive newsletters and other content at baltimoresun.com/register. To replace missing or damaged papers, please call between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m.

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Main number 410-332-6000 News 410-332-6100 Sports 410-332-6200 Features 410-332-6156 Photography 410-332-6945 Maryland Voices 410-332-6227 service 888-539-1280 or e-mail Sunstore 410-332-6800 Advertising 410-332-6300 Classified 888-539-7700 THE BALTIMORE SUN MEDIA GROUP Sun Rewards code is worth 2,500 points. Enter the code below at www.mysunrewards.com/dailycode Each daily code is only valid until midnight. MXO1OS The Baltimore Sun is committed to providing fair and accurate coverage. Readers who have concerns or comments are encouraged to call us at 800-829-8000. CORRECTIONS City Councilwoman Belinda Conaway abruptly dropped a $21million lawsuit Monday against Examiner columnist Adam Meister, conceding that she had, as reported, claimed a Baltimore County house as her primary residence.

want to thank Belinda for suing Meister told reporters after a brief court hearing, stripping off a white dress shirt to reveal a red-white-and-blue campaign T- shirt for Nick Mosby, who is challenging Conaway in the 7th District. it were not for your frivolous lawsuit, you would have zero primary opponents, and nobody would have known about your house in Meister said. column had accused Conaway of living in the Randallstown home instead of in an extended-family household in the city she represents. Through her lawyer, Conaway continued to say that she lives in Baltimore. Conaway is a city councilwoman and proudly lives in the lawyer, Thomas J.

Maronick told reporters. But at a hearing called on motion to dismiss the suit, Maronick told Circuit Judge John P. Miller that the case could not go forward because Conaway had signed a document stipulating that the Randallstown address was her primary residence for tax purposes. Maronick said she had signed the document by mistake years ago and did not see it again until after filing the lawsuit in May. did not actually see that document Maronick told the judge.

Back in March, online column linked to a copy of a deed indicating the house was primary residence. But Maronick said he questioned the authenticity of the document. have seen lot of things get Maronick said. Meister said he obtained a paper copy of the deed and posted an image of it online. But other property records were available straight from government websites.

Baltimore County property tax records are online and indicate that Conaway and her husband received a county homestead tax credit for the property last year that amounted to $708.71. Asked about the online government records, Maronick said, get the genuine article until very Conaway attended the hearing along with her husband, Milton D. Washington, and her father, Circuit Court Clerk and mayoral candidate Frank M. Conaway Sr. She declined to comment.

The suit, filed in May, accused Meister, the Denver-based newspaper chain and the owner, Philip Anschutz, of libel, defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. No one represented the Examiner or Anschutz at the hearing. Meister was represented by C. Alex Hortis and Christopher Mellott, both of Venable LLC. Meister indicated that the lawyers represented him pro bono, but he noted that he still had to pay court costs and spend a lot of time on the matter.

He declined to say how much the costs were. a pretty frugal he said. penny spent on defending myself against something so bogus is too laura.vozzella@baltsun.com Councilwoman Conaway drops $21million libel suit By Laura Vozzella The Baltimore Sun The Baltimore County Council got an earful Monday night about proposals to adjust council district lines, as Woodlawn- area residents opposed plans to take the Social Security Administration headquarters and several thousand residents out of their district, and Loch Hill neighbors said they wanted to stay in the same jurisdiction as Towson. More than 100 residents turned out for the hourlong public hearing on the proposal approved by the five-member redistricting commission this summer, part of a process to revise the political map under the new U.S. census to keep the seven council districts roughly equal in population about 115,000 residents each.

The proposal, now up for council approval, would adjust the line between two west-side districts by moving the Woodlawn High School precinct from the 4th District to the 1st. That would leave the 4th only district with an African- American majority without the federal offices housing the Medicare and Medicaid programs, the largest employer. Pat Clark of Randallstown said the change would deprive the district of a economic meaning the federal offices and an Enterprise Zone, where tax breaks are offered as an incentive to attract business. She pointed out that the 1st District, which includes Catonsville and Arbutus, already has such a zone under the existing boundaries. She argued that the proposal does not achieve the chief purpose of redistricting keeping populations roughly equal in each district.

Under the plan, the 4th District would drop from 117,000 residents to 110,000, and the 1st District would rise from 108,000 to 114,000. Julian Jones of the Woodstock neighborhood of the 4th District said the proposal would split Randallstown and Woodlawn. The two belong together, he said. go together like peanut butter and he said. Shirley Supik, who owns the Emmart Pierpont Safe House on North Rolling Road, a county historic landmark built in 1791that was once a stop for escaping slaves on the Underground Railroad, also opposed the redistricting plan.

She said the change would mean that the graves of the safe former conductor and the station master would be in different districts. have a really strong community, and as you can see, they said Supik. afamily, and you separate she said, getting applause from the crowd. Councilman Kenneth N. Oliver, who represents the 4th District, told redistricting commission chairman Ed Crizer who also testified at the hearing that he did not consider the proposal and because it would take so much population away from his district.

Oliver said after the meeting that propose an amendment to the plan next month that would give 112,000 residents each to his district and the 1st, represented by fellow Democrat Tom Quirk of Catonsville. Quirk asked Crizer how the change would affect the political power of African- Americans. Crizer said he thought the shift could potentially empower black voters by moving more African-Americans into the 1st District, possibly leading to a second minority member of the council. On the east side, many residents of the Loch Hill area are not happy about a plan to shift the line between the 5th District, represented by Republican David Marks, and the 6th District, represented by Democrat Cathy Bevins. The change that involves aportion of the Loch Raven Academy voting precinct would leave Loch Hill outside the 5th, which includes Towson.

part of said Loch Hill resident Allysha Lorben. shop in Towson, Ibike around Tony Gross, president of the Loch Hill Community Association, said, a small community. We closely ally with The council has until the end of the year to decide on the redistricting proposal but is expected to take the vote in October. The new political map takes effect in 2014. The panel Monday night was expected to take up a measure setting new rules for apartments added to a home or garage on as places for relatives to live, but did not.

The three sponsors of the measure decided to postpone consideration until next month. The proposed ordinance would restrict such apartments to immediate family members, setting requirements for bathrooms and kitchens once the relative moves out, or the property is sold. arthur.hirsch@baltsun.com Redistricting draws fire Woodlawn, Loch Hill areas affected by changes to lines By Arthur Hirsch The Baltimore Sun The state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner bought $179,800 worth of medical supplies without following a formal procurement process, according to a state audit. The audit also found that employees at the office, which investigates suspicious deaths, made $510,400 worth of purchases using state-issued credit cards without getting proper approval from a supervisor. Chief Medical Examiner David R.

Fowler said in a telephone interview Monday that the lack of oversight at the agency, which employs about 76 people, came when the purchasing officer retired. Fowler said employees are now being trained to perform those duties. we were left a position short and a skill set Fowler said, noting that no fraud occurred because of the lack of oversight. The medical supplies were bought from two vendors from July 2009 to April 2011, with one vendor being paid $122,700 and the other $57,100. State regulations require deals that are worth more than $5,000 to go through a procurement process and have a written contract.

State auditors reviewed 29 instances of using state credit cards for purchases from July 2010 to March 2011. Twenty-three of those charges, totaling $510,400, were not reviewed or approved by a supervisor. As a result of the audit, the medical office has agreed to follow a formal written procurement process and have supervisors review credit card purchases. The agency will also have an independent employee review invoices before paying vendors. andrea.walker@baltsun.com twitter.com:ankwalker Audit rebukes state medical office for poor oversight of purchases By Andrea K.

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