State and local elected officials react to the troubling news that Black & Decker was purchased Monday by Stanley tools of Connecticut, which is where the combined company will be located.

"Having the worldwide headquarters of Black & Decker here in Towson has long been a point of pride for Baltimore County," said County Executive James T. Smith Jr. "The company has been an important part of our economic landscape for decades. This is clearly not a positive development. But such decisions are based on global competition. This is the sort of thing we have to expect in this tough economy."

"It would be great if, as much as possible, they kept operations here," said state Sen. James Brochin, a Baltimore County Democrat. "Black & Decker has been a huge asset for Towson and a huge asset for the community. The civic work they do is off the charts. There are a lot of people who invest a lot of time in that company, and those families make up the core of this district."

And Gov. Martin O'Malley plans to talk with Stanley's CEO and has directed the state labor and economic development departments to provide employment services to any displaced workers.

***

A bronze Willie Don draws a crowd of past and present pols to the Inner Harbor, including Gov. Martin O'Malley, Mayor Sheila Dixon and former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.

Former Gov. William Donald Schaefer, who turned 88 on Monday, wasn't about to be upstaged by himself. He gave a short speech: "I'm only going to take two minutes because I saw someone yawn. I used to yawn when I listened to you, too."

***

Making a seemingly random suggestion that comes either a bit too late or a bit too early in the slots process, a company offers to sell a parcel near BWI for the development of an Anne Arundel County casino. But Cordish says he's not buying.