Former Southern Standout Up For NCAA Woman Of The Year
Support the Republican Newspaper! It’s only $9.95/year for the online edition!
One time Southern High School standout Sarah Stephens, who became an All-American at Frostburg State University, is among the top 30 honorees for the 2011 NCAA Woman of the Year Award.
The NCAA?Woman of the Year award honors senior student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in academic achievement, athletic excellence, service, and leadership.
Stephens, a star dual-sport athlete (volleyball and tennis) for FSU, made the top 30 after the NCAA selected her from among 141 conference nominations. She is one of 10 Division III representatives. The 30 finalists are composed of 10 student-athletes from each NCAA division.
In the next round of selections, nine finalists, three from each division, will be chosen from the top 30 by the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics and all 30 student-athletes will be honored at an awards dinner on Sunday, Oct. 16, in Indianapolis. The NCAA will announce the three finalists in September prior to the awards dinner.
Stephens graduated from FSU with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. She achieved a 3.96 cumulative grade-point average and was on the FSU dean’s list for eight consecutive semesters. She was also named a College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-American last fall and was inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma Business Honor Society in 2009.
More here.
Buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland? Call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues!
Snow Will Blow
Snow will blow once again this winter at the Wisp Ski Resort, a guarantee expressed this week by Karen Myers, a co-owner of the resort and president of Recreational Industries Inc. She made that promise in spite of the fact that the land development corporation that is responsible for the Lodestone Golf Course and home sites atop Marsh Mountain has been slapped with a judgment from BB&T, the provider of the loan for the project. Myers and the other owners are working with attorneys and consultants to persuade the financial institution to agree to a loan restructuring, but in the meantime she says that it will be business as usual at the Wisp this winter. “We plan to be making snow in less than 90 days,” Myers said, “and hope to open the day after Thanksgiving (Nov. 25).” She added that the resort has already sold a record number of season passes for the 2011-12 season and is “enjoying its best summer ever.” See story for details. Photo by John McEwen.
Buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland? Call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues!
Foreclosure sales remain major market segment in Maryland
Foreclosure sales remain major market segment in Maryland
Average discount is more than 40 percent
by C. Benjamin Ford, Staff Writer More News
About 23.5 percent of all homes sold in Maryland in the second quarter were in some stage of foreclosure, down from 30.6 percent in the first quarter but up from 17.6 percent in the prior-year quarter.
There were 3,866 foreclosure sales in the state in the second quarter, according to new data from RealtyTrac of Irvine, Calif.
More than one-third of those sales were in Prince George’s County, where 40.1 percent of all home sales involved a foreclosed property….
…Those prices varied wildly across the state, from an average county low of $62,099 in Garrett County to a high of $301,979 in Howard County.
Buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland? Call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues!
Tough economic times put libraries on the defensive
Montgomery’s libraries have lost about 37 percent of their funding since 2008 — the largest statewide
by Erin Cunningham, Staff Writer
A sign early at the Technology Center earlier this month annouced that the area is closed at the C. Burr Artz Public Library in downtown Frederick. Public libraries around the state have seen their budgets cut in recent years.
Some of Montgomery County’s libraries became infested with ants and cockroaches earlier this year when the county cut back on cleaning and vacuuming of the buildings.
The county was able to come up with the money to pay for pest control, according to libraries Director Parker Hamilton, and the bugs are gone.
“Thank goodness,” she said.
But there still is a concern about the sanitation of the buildings, which are being cleaned about three times per week; a year ago they were vacuumed daily, Hamilton said
Buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland? Call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues!
State Weighs Elk Reintroduction To Western Maryland
Support the Republican Newspaper! It’s only $9.95/year for the online edition!
Aug. 25, 2011
The Maryland Legislative Sportsmen’s Foundation (MLSF), the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) have announced the formation of a partnership in order to determine the viability of elk reintroduction to western Maryland.
The partnership plans to make biological, social and economic feasibility assessments, which are estimated to require a minimum of 12 months to complete. The groups state that a thorough evaluation will be completed before any decision is made.
“Elk once roamed Maryland but have been absent since the 1700s,” said David Sutherland, MLSF chairman.
“We are pleased to initiate the first steps toward evaluating elk reintroduction in western Maryland.”
The Sportsmen’s Foundation will contract with a professional consulting group to conduct a formal survey of public opinion on the question of returning elk to Maryland. DNR will oversee development of the survey — which will include outreach to farmers and other stakeholders who may be impacted by a return of the species — and assist with analysis of the results. In addition, the agency will conduct an assessment of potential elk habitat in the state’s western end.
More here.Buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland? Call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues!
Wisp Ski Operation Intact, Despite Filing Against Development Group
Support the Republican Newspaper! It’s only $9.95/year for the online edition!
Aug. 25, 2011
If Mother Nature cooperates, snowmaking at the Wisp Resort in McHenry will commence in less than 90 days, and skiers and snowboarders will be back on the slopes beginning the day after Thanksgiving, Nov. 25.
That is according to Karen Myers, president of Recreational Industries Inc., who met with reporters this week after it was learned that Branch Banking & Trust (BB&T) Corporation has entered judgments against the Wisp’s land development company, called Wisp Resort Development Inc., and various loan guarantors because of lagging payments on loans of over $28 million to fund the new Lodestone Golf Course and home sites atop Marsh Mountain.
The guarantors of the loan, all of which are named in the judgment, are Recreational Industries Inc., DC Development Inc., and Clubs at Wisp Corporation, as well as Myers, Gary Daum, and Steven Richards, owners.
Since the filing in Garrett County Circuit Court last month, rumors have abounded that the Wisp Resort either has been or will be sold because of the current financial situation.
“This is probably the same story that is being told by a lot of other developers around the country,” Myers said, noting the continuing lag in the housing market, adding, “The ‘illness’ [in our operation] is just related to the land development segment of the business.”
Meanwhile, Myers described the Wisp Resort as “a vibrant and profitable business” that will begin its 56th season of skiing this fall.
It was in February 2007 that BB&T provided a loan of $23.5 million as a revolving line of credit to fund the construction of the golf course and the Lodestone home sites. Because this type of loan is predicated on sales of home sites to pay down the loan balance and because the lot sales were sluggish, as construction on the golf course neared its end in 2008, an additional $5 million was borrowed “because we believed it was better to have a finished golf course than a partially finished golf course,” Myers explained.
Buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland? Call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues!
Wisp owners mull sale of western Md. ski resort; low nearby home sales to blame
By Associated Press, Updated: Thursday, August 25, 3:30 PM
MCHENRY, Md. — The owners of Maryland’s only ski resort say they’re considering selling the landmark property to resolve financial problems linked to a slide in home construction around nearby Deep Creek Lake.
Karen Myers says selling the Wisp Resort is the last option she and her partners in DC Development LLC would pursue to repay more than $23 million to BB&T Corp. of Winston-Salem, N.C. They’re also seeking new investors in their businesses. But in an interview this week at the base of 3,100-foot Marsh Mountain, Myers said everything is on the table if they can’t buy more time.
The owners of Maryland’s only ski resort say they’re considering selling the landmark as the last option in repaying a loan that was used to build the nearby Lodestone golf course community. But only about 20 of the 197 planned home sites have been sold and the bank is demanding payment.
“One of my goals really was to be a part of Wisp in the next stage of development,” said Myers, whose group has owned the resort since 2001. “I hope that I’m a part of the team that does it.”
She said Wisp is in no danger of closing.
Buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland? Call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues!
35 Acre Horse Farm - 518 Blue Goose Rd - GA7650049
518 BLUE GOOSE RD
FRIENDSVILLE, MD 21531
SEE VIRTUAL TOUR. LOADED WITH PHOTOS 35 Acre Horse Farm with 120 x 60 indoor arena, barn, run-in, pastures, trails, home offers quality throughout with country kitchen, unbelievable master suite, game room, exercise room, living room w/stone fireplace, pellet stoves, heated garage, wrap around decks, guest quarters, Taxes showing are for 20 acres. Great Boarding/Training Opportunity.
Contact Jay Ferguson @ 301-501-0420 or DeepCreekLaker@Gmail.com for more information or to setup a private showing for this property.
The listing with the total package is GA7650049 = $679,000 – House, Indoor Riding Arena, Barn, Guest Home/Mobile with 35 Acres
The listing with the house, barn and 20 acres is GA7650107 = $539,000
Buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland? Call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues!
No injuries, damage reported as earthquake unnerves locals
From Staff Reports
Cumberland Times-News The Cumberland Times-News Tue Aug 23, 2011, 11:13 PM EDT
CUMBERLAND — A 5.8 earthquake centered in Mineral, Va., unnerved residents and briefly shook buildings in Cumberland, Frostburg and McHenry and throughout the region Tuesday. No injuries or damage were reported locally.
Some buildings were evacuated as a safety precaution, including the courthouse on Washington Street and the Social Services Administration building in downtown Cumberland.
Kathy Rogers, spokeswoman for the Western Maryland Regional Medical Center, said security immediately began making rounds after the shaking was felt there.
“Everything is fine. The electricity stayed on and we are not having any problems,” she said. “I was at my desk and could feel the floor shaking for about 10 seconds. People are welcome to call us if they have concerns.”
The wall and windows facing South Mechanic Street on the second floor of the Times-News wobbled visibly during the afternoon temblor, bringing a roomful of reporters to their feet.
The incident prompted numerous calls to the newsroom from residents and businesses at Frostburg, Cumberland, Bean’s Cove and various other locations throughout the region.
At McHenry, a trooper at the Maryland State Police barrack said, “It felt like the wind was blowing but you knew it wasn’t the wind when you felt the floor shake.”
At Frostburg, the city police department felt the tremors. “We sure felt it but it was over before you realized it.”
A business at Frostburg reported the shaking there lasted about 25 seconds and shook office chairs.
Dick DeVore, an Allegany County emergency management spokesman, said that cell phone calls were not connecting for many users. “That would seem to be associated with the volume of calls being made rather than with any damage from the earthquake,” he said. “Text messages are working fine.”
Allegany County Board of Education officials began inspecting school buildings for structural damage shortly after the quake. Students were scheduled to return to classes today.
“All the buildings need to be checked for safety,” said Steve Wilson, supervisor of human resources, who was inside the Board of Education’s central office building during the earthquake Tuesday afternoon. Employees immediately evacuated, congregating on sidewalks along Washington Street.
“I thought a truck had hit the building,” Wilson said.
Coincidentally, BOE employees had reviewed evacuation procedures Tuesday morning as part of back-to-school preparations, said Bob Farrell, security coordinator.
“I’m glad we went over it,” he said.
At Northern High School in Garrett County, teachers reported that those on the second floor of the building felt the quake, but not those on the first floor.
Area emergency centers said they were flooded with calls with reports. CNN reported that the quake was felt from Toronto, Canada, down to Georgia. The earthquake also extended west to Detroit and Indianapolis.
Times-News staff writers Mike Sawyers, Jeff Alderton, Kristin Harty-Barkley and Emily Newman contributed to this report.
Buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland? Call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues!
Earthquake felt across Maryland, but no injuries, major damage reported
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
First Posted: August 23, 2011 – 3:55 pm
Last Updated: August 23, 2011 – 6:23 pm
BALTIMORE — Maryland officials say the earthquake was felt across the state, but no injuries or major damage are being reported.
Maryland Emergency Management Agency spokesman Ed McDonough says Tuesday’s 5.8 magnitude quake, which was centered in Virginia, was felt from Garrett County to Somerset County, but only a few serious incidents are being reported.
The Maryland Transportation Authority closed the Harry W. Nice Bridge temporarily, but all other tunnels and bridges remained open.
State police spokesman Greg Shipley says all special operations teams are on standby.
Buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland? Call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues!
