The Baltimore Sun from Baltimore, Maryland • A1

SUN THE BALTIMORE LIGHT FOR ALL TUESDAY Informing more than 1 million Maryland readers weekly in print and online April 8, 2014 Price $2. Our 177th year, No. 98 JjJf Jnlj Isioli Deal is offered in stent lawsuits St. Joseph's ex-owner agrees to $37 million to end class action ALGERINA PERNA BALTIMORE SUN PHOTO Del. Curtis S.

Anderson, a Baltimore Democrat, speaks on the floor of the House on the last day of the Maryland General Assembly's 2014 session. Many lawmakers are now turning their sights to the primary elections, which take place June 24. GENERAL ASSEMBLY Wage hike, new marijuana bills OK'd as session ends By Ian Duncan The Baltimore Sun The former owner of St. Joseph Medical Center has agreed to pay up to $37 million to resolve allegations that cardiologist Mark G. Midei put hundreds of patients through unnecessary heart stent procedures, according to court documents.

As many as 273 patients stand to get payments of at least $134,000 before lawyers' and other fees. The settlement represents a major step toward resolution after more than four years of court fights that began when St. Joseph informed hundreds of people that their surgeries might not have been needed. The agreement could resolve the legal claims of any patient who received such a notification, ending class-action suits in both Baltimore and federal courts. Though patients could still opt out Assembly action On the final day, legislators approved: Raising the minimum wage to $10.10 by 2018 Making possession of small amounts of marijuana a civil offense, not criminal Setting rules for medical marijuana for seriously ill patients Toughening penalties for drivers who cause fatal accidents while on the phone of the deal and continue to pursue legal action, Hassan Murphy, one of the lawyers for the plaintiffs, said he hopes the setdement will bring the case to a close for many.

'We are pleased to have settled the class actions," he said. Film industry subsidy, bail hearing representation in air as lawmakers wrap up By Erin Cox, Michael Dresser and Timothy B. Wheeler The Baltimore Sun Before the confetti fell in Annapolis on Monday night, state lawmakers had loosened marijuana laws, made Maryland the second state in the country to raise its minimum wage to $10.10 an hour and whittled their way through more than 2,600 bills considered during the 434th legislative session. The two major votes on marijuana decriminalization and increasing the minimum wage closed out the annual 90-day Since January, legislators have passed a wide spectrum of other bills, from protecting transgender people from discrimination to allowing hunting in Western Maryland on Sundays. Along the way, they were caught up in a dispute over how many millions to set aside to subsidize the film industry first threatened by the production company behind the Netflix thriller "House of Cards," then wooed in person by none other than the series' chief star, actor Kevin Spacey.

Late Monday, the issue remained unresolved. Senators and delegates struggled to resolve the thorniest issue of the session: revamping Maryland's system for setting bail in the aftermath of a court ruling that deemed the current process unconstitutional. In the waning hours before Mon-See ASSEMBLY, page 8 Mark Midei frenzy of lawmaking. Measures to create stricter penalties for drivers who cause fatal accidents while texting and revamp Maryland's stalled medical marijuana program also received final passage. Midei had been a star doctor and major moneymaker at the Towson hospital, but he eventually lost his medical license after the Maryland Board of Physicians found that he falsified records to justify the expensive procedures.

He was not named as a defendant in the case and has denied wrongdoing. Under the terms of the settlement, Catholic Health Initiatives, which owned the hospital, also did not admit to any wrongdoing. A spokesman for the organization said last week that such a deal would end the legal and financial uncertainty of further court battles. The medical center was sold in 2012 to See STENTS, page 11 SUMMARY OF THE NEWS Few killings in Balto. Co.

go unsolved, police say Community support, new techniques get credit By Jessica Anderson The Baltimore Sun 'Ban the Box' bill advances over opposition from businesses ALEXANDER KHUDOTEPLYAFPGETTY PHOTO Pro-Russian activists deploy the flag of the so-called Doetsck Republic over a building they seized in eastern Ukraine on Monday. Ukraine's prime minister accused Russia of trying to "dismember" his country by plotting seizures of government buildings. NEWS PG 6 By Yvonne Wenger The Baltimore Sun Supporters of a proposed law to help more ex-convicts land jobs in Baltimore scored a victory Monday when they fended off efforts by the business community to block the measure indefinitely. The protracted debate over the so-called "Ban the Box" legislation which would remove the box ex-offenders must check on job applications underscores a sharp divide among city leaders over how to help those with criminal records become gainfully employed. The business community had sought to replace the requirement with voluntary measures, including a pledge to hire a certain number of ex-offenders each year, said Councilman Nick J.

Mosby, the lead sponsor of the legislation. And some City Council members warned against putting too many restrictions on the private sector. But the council agreed to move the See BOX, page 6 JOBS BILL: Seven Republican members of the House urge Speaker John Boehner to back a Senate bill that would extend unemployment aid. NEWS PG 6 The call to the county homicide detective came in the middle of the night A man had been gunned down at a bus stop on Eastern Boulevard in Essex. Found on the scene, the victim's cellphone held a message from someone named Ashley.

It read simply, "You dead." Like most homicide victims in Baltimore County, Robert Holiday knew his killer. Witnesses willingly spoke to investigators and testified in court. The result: three convictions in a year and a life sentence for Holiday's former girlfriend, Laquesha "Ashley" Lewis. Baltimore County police claim a 100 percent homicide clearance rate last year, about double the figure from Baltimore City. While urban and suburban homicide units face dramatically different realities and challenges, Baltimore County stands out even among its suburban peers.

Across Maryland, the homicide clearance rate is 61 percent. See COUNTY, page 11 REGIONAL TRANSIT AGENCY GOES AHEAD: Howard County will move ahead with the launch of its new regional transit agency this summer despite a legislative decision in Annapolis to withhold state funding until it is studied further. NEWS PG 2 SOME CLOUDS 69 41 RECORDED CASINO HAUL: Gamblers dropped $61.8 million at Maryland Live, generating the bulk of a record-breaking $77.9 million haul in statewide casino revenue in March. MD. BUSINESS PG 1 HIGH LOW Cooler Wednesday SPORTS PG 10 bridge sports 8 lottery news 4 movie directory news 9 horoscopes news 9 obituaries news 10 opinion news 12 puzzles md.

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