METRO BOARD ACTION COULD DELAY NEEDED PURPLE LINE DEAL: A Metro board committee voted Thursday on an 11th-hour measure that could delay a multimillion-dollar land transfer critical to the construction of Maryland’s light-rail Purple Line, writes Martine Powers in the Post. Metro is expected to hand over to Maryland the land rights to properties at New Carrollton, College Park and Silver Spring Metro stations so Purple Line work crews can begin construction. The properties are valued between $24 million and $37 million.

PRESSURE ON METRO BOARD CHAIR: Faiz Siddiqui and Robert McCartney of the Post report that pressure grew on Metro board chairman Jack Evans to resign Thursday after he threatened to exercise a rarely used veto in a struggle between the District and Maryland that critics said exemplifies the parochial disputes hampering the transit agency. Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.) joined Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) in calling for Evans to step down. Connolly blamed Evans for inflaming tensions within the region as Metro seeks regionwide support for increased, reliable funding.

STATE SLOW TO PROBE NURSING HOME COMPLAINTS: Maryland lags most of the nation in inspecting high-priority nursing home complaints — a problem past administrations have promised to fix, but that continues to vex state health officials — a federal inspector general has found, reports John Fritze for the Sun.The state failed to investigate nearly 650 allegations of harm at Maryland nursing homes within a required 10-day window, meaning the state missed the federal deadline 74% of the time, the inspector general for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported.

READ MORE HERE: http://marylandreporter.com/2017/10/13/state-roundup-october-13-2017/