>Horse owners sentenced in animal cruelty case
>Posted: Thursday, March 10, 2011 12:15 am
Horse owners sentenced in animal cruelty case By Brandon Oland, Times Staff Writer Carroll County Times
The owners of 26 horses impounded and taken to Days End Horse Farm Rescue last May were sentenced to 90 days of prison in Garrett County District Court.
Richard Ray Friend and Carol Friend pled guilty to seven counts of animal cruelty for failing to provide sufficient food, drink, shelter and veterinary care for the horses. Nineteen similar counts were dismissed in a plea agreement, according to a Days End Horse Farm release.
All 90 days of Carol Friend’s sentence were suspended. Richard Friend had 70 days of his sentence suspended. Both were placed on three years of probation.
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>Report: Red tape cost Maryland $19.5 billion
>Posted: 7:36 pm Thu, March 10, 2011
By Ben Mook
Daily Record Business Writer
Red tape and not-in-my-backyard activism were called out Thursday as major impediments to six stalled and troubled energy projects in Maryland that could have had a $19.5 billion economic impact on the state if they had moved forward.
The findings were part of a report released by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce called “Project Denied” that looked at the economic impact of stalled energy projects nationwide.
“This study should serve as a wake-up call for legislative action to improve the permitting process,” said William Kovacs, the group’s senior vice president of environment, technology and regulatory affairs.
The study was conducted by TeleNomic Research and was authored by Steve Pociask, president of the American Consumer Institute, and Joseph Fuhr, professor of economics at Widener University and senior fellow at the American Consumer Institute. The study looked at stalled or dropped power projects across the country that have been affected by problems ranging from financing and permitting hold-ups to citizen activism.
>Commissioners Hear Update On Broadband Project
>
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Mar. 3, 2011
Assistant director Frank Shap, Garrett County Department of Economic Development, presented an update report to the county commissioners on Tuesday about the status of a statewide Internet broadband initiative.
As part of the federal economic stimulus program, Shap said, Maryland recently received $115 million to create a “fiber backbone” throughout the state, from the lower Eastern Shore to Oakland. The state will match that grant with about $40 million of its own money.
A fiber optic route is to be developed through each county and the city of Baltimore. Qualified Internet service providers will be able to connect to the routes and extend coverage to customers and the “critical community facilities” in the various counties. These facilities, Shap explained, are typically schools, health departments, governments, colleges, and public safety offices.
Locally, a fiber optic line already runs from along I-68 from Frostburg to Friendsville and is currently available only for public users. That line, however, will soon be accessible to private users. In addition, splice points at Grantsville, Keyser’s Ridge, and Friendsville will enable broadband service to extend to other portions of the county.
“The state will construct approximately 50 miles of fiber in the county, starting at Keyser’s Ridge and going down Rt. 219 to McHenry, through the Deep Creek Lake area, and through Oakland,” Shap said.
From Oakland the proposed line will follow Rt. 135 through Mtn. Lake Park and into Allegany County.
Also proposed are lines running off the loop to the McHenry Business Park, along Memorial Drive in Oakland to Southern Middle and Broad Ford elementary schools, and along Rt. 39 out of Oakland to Crellin. Friendsville will receive service via the I-68 line.
>Bloomington Community Pleads Case For Keeping Elementary School Open
>
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Mar. 3, 2011
More than 30 Bloomington Elementary School parents, students, teachers, and other supporters met with the Garrett County commissioners on Tuesday afternoon to plead their case for keeping the school open.
Located at the foot of Backbone Mountain near the Allegany County line, Bloomington Elementary has 34 students in prekindergarten through grade five.
“If the recommendation to close the school goes through, it’s going to have an effect not only on the school kids, but on the community,” said Greg Harvey, BES Advisory Group. “It’s not just an issue that deals with 34 kids.”
He said the school is the hub of the community, and closing it would have detrimental effects on Bloomington. Those include decreased property values, a decreased tax based for the county, the loss of after-school and community activities, the loss of school- related jobs, and the eventual loss of businesses, services, and residents.
Harvey pointed out how nearby Westernport declined after Allegany County closed Bruce High School.
“The reason for being in Westernport went away,” he said about the exodus of numerous families.
The local BOE is facing a more than $4 million budget shortfall in fiscal year 2012 because of state cutbacks, an increase in the county’s wealth index, and the expiration of “hold harmless” legislation, which previously ensured level funding despite enrollment decline.
As a cost-saving measure, Dr. Wendell Teets, superintendent of Garrett County schools, proposed last September that Bloomington and Kitzmiller elementary schools be closed. He explained that these two schools have the highest cost of operation per student with the lowest enrollments.
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>
50 FASTING CT
SWANTON, MD 21561
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>Million dollar home sales rise nearly 20%
>By Les Christie, staff writerMarch 7, 2011: 2:47 PM ET
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — The rich are different from you and me: They’re buying real estate.
After four straight years of declines, sales of million-dollar homes and condos rose last year in all 20 major metro areas, according to DataQuick Information Systems. On average, these cities saw an 18.6% jump in high-end home sales.
479Email Print San Jose, Calif., had the biggest market for million-dollar homes, with a 27.4% spike in sales last year; Phoenix saw the smallest increase at just 0.4%
Meanwhile, sales outside of this price point actually fell 2.8%.
“It hasn’t been a good six months for all people, but it was a good six months for rich people,” said Glenn Kelman, CEO of Seattle-based real estate brokerage Redfin. “When Wall Street goes up, rich people buy homes.”
And Wall Street has gone up: Stock values have nearly doubled from their March 2009 lows.
>Vegetable gardening class March 22
>For the Cumberland Times-News
Cumberland Times-News The Cumberland Times-News Mon Mar 07, 2011, 11:19 PM EST
CUMBERLAND — The Cumberland Neighborhood Housing Services 2011 Educational Series will begin with a segment on vegetable gardening March 22 at 7 p.m.
Presented by Derrick Bender, agriculture and natural resources educator and master gardener coordinator, the class will cover tips for planting a vegetable garden, choosing vegetables to plant, selecting the best site, preparing the soil and caring for a garden. Employed by the University of Maryland Extension, Bender serves as the AGNR educator for both Allegany and Garrett County. The class will be held at the CNHS office, 1400 N. Mechanic St.
“More families are discovering the benefits of growing their own vegetables,” said Rich Parsons, executive director of CNHS. “Not only can you realize significant savings in food budgets, but fresh vegetables keep families healthier. This class will help ensure successful outcomes with gardening and provide an opportunity to discuss challenges people encounter in their gardening efforts.”
The Do-It-Yourself Series is free and open to the public. For more information on upcoming CNHS classes, programs and events, call 301-722-6958 or visit the web site at www.cumberlandnhs.org.
Cumberland Neighborhood Housing Services Inc. is a private not-for-profit organization directed by a volunteer board, whose purpose is to renew pride, restore confidence, promote reinvestment and revitalize neighborhoods within the city of Cumberland. Incorporated in 1982, the organization is a member of NeighborWorks and National Campaign for Home Ownership.
>Schools asking state to cap cuts
>From Staff Reports
The Cumberland Times-News Mon Mar 07, 2011, 11:43 PM EST
CUMBERLAND — Local public school officials are trying to do a little damage control on massive state funding cuts that loom on the horizon.
And they have asked state legislators for help.
Superintendents and finance directors from Allegany and Garrett County public schools traveled to Annapolis last week to testify in support of a bill that would cap at 7 percent the amount of state revenues a school district could lose in a year, as calculated by budget formulas.
Allegany County schools stand to lose $6.5 million in fiscal 2012, or more than 8 percent of state funds.
Garrett County schools are in line to lose about $2.4 million — closer to 10 percent.
The losses are due to declining enrollment and a wealth per-pupil state funding formula that measures real property values, personal property values and taxable income from tax returns.
In addition, the Budget Reconciliation and Finance Act of 2011 pending in the state legislature would reduce Allegany County’s state funding by another $1.3 million, school officials have said.
“What we’re trying to do is preserve some money for Allegany County and Garrett County, but it’s a statewide bill,” Sen. George Edwards said Friday. The bill would be effective for five years, he said.
“Garrett and Allegany are impacted this year, but other counties could be impacted next year.”
The legislation, if approved, would restore about $880,000 to Allegany County schools in fiscal 2012.
Last week, Allegany County Superintendent David Cox proposed a $109.6 million budget that includes the elimination of several programs that directly impact children.
On the chopping block are after-school programs at elementary and middle schools and a contract with Washington County that has allowed residents of Little Orleans to send their children to Washington County schools. The board is scheduled to vote on the proposed budget at its meeting today, then present it to the Allegany County Board of Commissioners later this month.
During testimony in Annapolis last week, Cox asked legislators to help avoid “further eroding the very support that has brought us tremendous gains in student achievement.”
“In our county, over half of our children receive free and reduced meals, and the median income is $39,000 per year,” Cox said. “It is hard to explain to your community that our wealth per pupil has increased due to utility company improvements and the relative stability of our real estate market, even though property values are not as high as in most other areas of the state.”
Cox and other school officials are scheduled to travel to Annapolis again Wednesday to give similar testimony in support of House Bill 937, which mirrors Senate Bill 495. No vote is expected until later this spring, Edwards said.
Allegany County Board of Education member Ed Root observed testimony before the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee last week.
“I sat there and tried to read the committee, but they get numb after a day of all that testimony,” Root said. “It was hard to get a read on how well-received it was.”
Delegate Wendell Beitzel, who sponsored the House bill, said that delegations from Prince George’s County and Baltimore City schools are lobbying hard for additional funds for their school systems. That could bode well for Allegany and Garrett counties.
“There’s a lot of maneuvering going on,” Beitzel said, adding that legislators could very well approve those additional funds. “If they do that, then I think we’re entitled to get thrown in the mix.”
Contact Kristin Harty Barkley at kbarkley@times-news.com.
Board to accept bids for South Penn pre-K addition, Allegany stage lights
CUMBERLAND — At its public meeting today at 7 p.m., the Allegany County Board of Education will accept a bid of $1,222,059 from the Frostburg-based firm Lashley Construction for construction of the pre-K addition at South Penn School.
Other bid items on the agenda include:
• Bus drop-off contract for West Side Elementary.
• Stage lighting at Allegany High School.
• S&S Electric Inc., $49,000 for replacement of emergency generator at Allegany High School.
• L&R Floors Inc. for carpet and floor tile replacement at various schools.
Also on the agenda:
• Recognition of the Fort Hill band for first place in the Maryland State Band Competition.
• Recognition of the students who participated in the All-State Chorus and Orchestra.
• Donation of computer equipment to Allconet.
The 5 p.m. work session includes the discussion of minimum standards for participation in athletics by athletics supervisor Tim Scaletta.
Other presentations include:
• Maintenance/construction update, Facilities Director Vince Montana.
• Building trades program extension, Harry Smith.
• Responding to public inquiries and complaints, Secondary Education Director Karen Bundy.
• Student schedules and course loads, Fort Hill High School Assistant Principal Ben Brauer.
• Library materials selection, Media Coordinator Lisa Stevenson.
Both meetings will be held at the Central Office, 108 Washington St.
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>
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