The details: Several Democratic members of Congress, including Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, are avoiding the town hall meetings that come with constituents irate about health care throughout the month of August. As they attempt to pass an increasingly unpopular health bill, members are resorting to such tactics as requiring town hall attendees to show identification and to submit questions in advance.

Killing the golden goose

2| Governments expand as private sector sheds jobs

The details: The Rockefeller Institute of Government says state and local governments have added 110,000 jobs, even as the private sector has lost 6.9 million jobs since December 2007. “Your producers in society [are] losing their jobs and looking for work, and … they are likely to face tax increases going forward — and government growing,” Cato’s Tad DeHaven told The New York Times.

Witch hunt

3| Committee targets health insurers

The details: House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., started a witch hunt against health insurers as Congress considers President Barack Obama’s health bill. Waxman demanded that insurance companies provide his committee with various data, including proprietary and competitive information, to bully them into supporting the president’s bill.

‘Clunkers’ dies

4| Program runs out of cash

The details: After 700,000 people cashed in on the ‘Cash for Clunkers’ program, it will end Monday evening. The program, which gave customers up to $4,500 to destroy perfectly good cars and purchase more fuel-efficient vehicles, has paid out only 200,000 claims, but dealers are believed to hold such a large backlog that the program’s $3 billion expired in about one month.

‘Compassionate release’

5| Terrorist bomber gets hero’s welcome

The details: Scottish authorities released mass-murderer and terrorist Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, the only person ever convicted for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103, on the grounds that he had terminal cancer. After killing 270 people, al-Megrahi had served only 8 years of a 27-year minimum sentence. A large crowd rejoiced at the former Libyan intelligence agent’s return to Tripoli.

States still hiring

6| Red ink no deterrent

The details: State government employment is down in 26 states since last year’s economic collapse but not in Maryland or Virginia, according to a recent Rockefeller Institute study. Despite billion-dollar deficits and more than 3 percent in job losses in the private sector, Maryland actually increased its state workforce by 0.9 percent, while Virginia’s payroll grew 0.5 percent.

Furloughs unconstitutional

7| Federal judge slams county

The details: Federal Judge Alexander Williams Jr. ruled that Prince George’s 10-day involuntary furlough of 5,900 employees to save $17 million violates provisions of the U.S. Constitution that regard “the impairment of contracts.” The judge ordered county officials to consult with union members regarding the payment of lost wages.

Worst summer ever

8| Another Metro death

The details: At least 14 Metro employees and passengers have been killed since June, making this the deadliest summer in its 33-year history. Nine people died in a June 22 Red Line crash when the computerized system on the nation’s second busiest transit system failed. The latest casualty: a subcontractor employee who was electrocuted at a Bladensburg bus garage.

HOT lanes frozen

9| I-95, 395 project on hold

The details: A plan to build high-occupancy toll lanes between Spotsylvania and the Pentagon has been delayed indefinitely due to a weak credit market and a federal lawsuit filed by Arlington officials opposed to the project. The HOT lanes, which would be free for buses and vanpools, was designed to ease congestion and increase capacity on the heavily traveled interstate.

Not so E-Z

10| Thousands refuse to pay fee

The details: Almost 40,000 Maryland motorists have closed their E-ZPass accounts after the Maryland Transportation Authority started collecting a $1.50 per month fee. Drivers say they resent having to pay $18 a year to use an electronic tolling system initially touted as a way to reduce traffic backups and reduce the need for expensive new highway additions.