Md. furloughs prevent New Year's Eve marriages

[January 04, 2010]  ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- Budget woes meant that couples who wanted to tie the knot at one Maryland courthouse on New Year's Eve were out of luck.

Dec. 31 is usually the second-busiest day, after Valentine's Day, for weddings at the Anne Arundel County Circuit Courthouse in Annapolis.

But because of state furloughs to reduce a $2 billion budget deficit, no weddings were to be performed there Thursday.

Jason Caton is assistant chief deputy of the clerk of the court and one of two people who perform most of the courthouse's civil marriages. He told The Capital of Annapolis that Jan. 4 will probably be pretty busy with people who didn't realize the courthouse would not be performing New Year's Eve weddings.

[Associated Press]

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