Pothole politics could drive gas tax rise

A few years ago, when Maryland's economy was cruising along and the tax money was rolling in, Howard County Executive Ken Ulman could count on receiving about $16 million a year from the state to keep local roads in good repair. But this year, like the year before, he didn't even get $500,000. And unless the state can tap into a new stream of money, things aren't looking much better for 2012. With the exception of Baltimore City, every jurisdiction in the state has seen its road repair money slashed by about 97 percent from levels in budget year 2007.

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  Chart: Less money for roads

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  Vote for the worst pothole in Maryland

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  The search for Maryland's worst pothole

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  Getting There

It all still lives in Larry Gibson -- the warm lights of Cole Field House, the coaching assistant who told him to remember "1, 2, 3, swish" before free throws, his shots that beat No. 1 Notre Dame and sent Maryland fans streaming onto the court on Super Bowl Sunday 1979. That Larry Gibson, a star at Dunbar and one of the best rebounders in Maryland history, receded from his Terps teammates on a warm Halloween night in 2004 when his Isuzu Trooper rolled and struck a tree on Virginia's Interstate 66, leaving him unconscious.

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  Pictures: Larry Gibson

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  Terps' confidence growing heading into UNC game

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  Tracking the Terps: UM's 1979 team forged lasting bonds

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  Tracking the Terps: Previewing Maryland vs. North Carolina