EDITOR'S NOTE: Political Notes is a weekly look and government and political news.

The Maryland Transportation Authority needs to create a separate inspection manual for the Bay Bridge and hire staffers to oversee the inspection process of its bridges and tunnels, according to a report released Wednesday.

The eight members of the MdTA Bridge and Tunnel Inspection Review Panel released a study of the state's inspection procedures nine months after a fatal wreck on the Bay Bridge.

In the 97-page document, the group found that state officials were in line with national standards for inspections, but also submitted a...