With the PolitickerMD.com Wake-Up Call e-mailed to your inbox, phone, Blackberry or PDA first thing in the morning, you can get a rundown of Maryland's top political headlines. Sign up to get the Wake-Up Call delivered every morning.

DUI remains on back-burner for Bavre

State Del. Kumar Barve (D-Gaithersburg), who serves as the House Majority Leader, accepted a plea deal after failing a sobriety test in November 2007. Barves’ punishment landed him a year of unsupervised probation and a $1,000 fine with $800 suspended as it was a first-time offense. (PolitickerMD)

http://politickermd.com/danielreiter/2971/barve-s-political-career-dui-incident-remains-small-issue-if-any

Maryland man pleads guilty in tax scandal

The first defendant to plead guilty in the D.C. tax office scandal was sentenced yesterday to 6 1/2 years in prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering and possession of stolen property. (Henry E. Cauvin, Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/23/AR2008072301438.html?sub=AR

MTA apologizes for poor service

The head of the Maryland Transit Administration offered beleaguered MARC train commuters an apology and a series of explanations yesterday for what he called six weeks of service "far below what customers expect or deserve." (Michael Dresser, Baltimore Sun)

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.marc25jul24,0,3669954.story

Currie probe looks deeper

The federal investigation into state Sen. Ulysses Currie's work for Shoppers Food Warehouse is centered on whether the grocery chain paid the lawmaker to use the prestige of his office to secure favorable legislation and actions by state agencies, according to newly released documents that detail electronic phone records and surveillance of the prominent lawmaker's home. (Gadi Dechter and Laura Smitherman, Baltimore Sun)

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.currie24jul24,0,819816.story

Maryland minimum wage still not good enough

[xmlslideshow:300:240:4:0] -->       A local expert says that although the federal minimum wage will rise to $6.55 per hour today, it is still insufficient to survive on. (Bryan Schutt, Carroll County Times)

http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/articles/2008/07/24/news/local_news/newsstory5.txt

Coal mine project gaining steam

FROSTBURG - While there is little question among those involved that the coal reserves beneath the Casselman Basin will become a coal mine, what will be done with the coal is still in question. (Sarah Moses, Cumberland Times-News)

http://www.times-news.com/local/local_story_205094456.html