Here are the Capital News Service stories tentatively scheduled to move Tuesday, Oct. 27. If you have any questions, please call Rafael Lorente in the Annapolis bureau at 410-626-1008 or Adrianne Flynn in the Washington bureau at 202-628-1677, or you may e-mail us at rlorente@jmail.umd.edu or aflynn@jmail.umd.edu.

ANNAPOLIS - County budgets may be the most vulnerable victim of winter weather this year, especially in Garrett and Allegheny counties. Severe reductions to the Highway User Fund and cuts in state aid to local governments may force Western Maryland counties to cut services in order to keep roads safe when winter weather hits. The National Weather Service predicts normal temperatures and precipitation this year, but for western Maryland that still means severe conditions. Slug: CNS-Severe Conditions. About 800 words.

By Karen Anderson.<

WASHINGTON - The University of Maryland, College Park is comparably "green" to other large state schools across the country. The campus earned a B on the recent 2010 College Sustainability Report Card, marking its fourth straight year of grade improvement. And there's evidence its green is continuing to grow. Slug: CNS-Green Campus. About 500 words. With photo.

By Laura Gurfein.<

ANNAPOLIS - The Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee holds a hearing Tuesday to review whether the Office of Public Defender Board of Trustees was within its mandate to fire Maryland's chief public defender, Nancy S. Forster. The abrupt and controversial firing of Forster in August has thrust the obscure three-member board into light. Slug: CNS-Public Defender. About 550 words.

By Christopher M. Matthews.<

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