>Senators working on Garrett cable issues
>U.S. Ben Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski (both D-MD) have sent a letter to the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission urging the agency to come up with a “common sense” solution that will allow residents of Garrett County to receive “in-state” TV broadcasts Currently, Garrett County is considered part of the Pittsburgh, PA media market and receives Pennsylvania news, sports and other programming.
>NeXT GEN Earns Top Scores At FLL State Championship
>
Support the Republican Newspaper! It’s only $9.95/year for the online edition!
Mar. 3, 2011
by Arlene Lantz
The NeXT GEN Southern Middle School FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Team earned top honors at the Feb. 26 Maryland State FLL Championship held at the University of Maryland Baltimore Campus. The team is now eligible to attend the FLL World Festival in St. Louis, Mo., in April.
To earn the Champion’s Award, NeXT GEN placed in the top in all judging areas out of the 64 teams competing from across Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C. The group excelled at the robot missions on the table, did an excellent research presentation on concussions, convinced the judges they had a great mechanical design, and pulled it all together with their teamwork. The students from Southern Middle School have practiced weekly since September at Swan Meadow School.
At the FLL World Festival, the students will meet and work with teams from all over the world. They will be competing with the best of the best teams. The team members will continue to practice to improve their table performance and technical presentation, continue their research on their innovative “Brain Freeze” idea to detect concussions, further develop their programming skills, and build important teamwork skills.
The team extends thanks to the Garrett County Board of Education, Dr. Teets, FRC Team 1629, Dr. Buczynski, Dr. Domenick, Tammy Ashby, Eric Tribbey, Adele Naylor, Jason Jobe, Kendra Todd, Coach Don Stemple, Coach Dave McLaughlin, the Aurora Lions Club, and Swan Meadow School for their support to the team.
>Mountain Lake Park passes ordinance banning natural gas drilling in town
>Mayor says town’s duty to ‘take action’ when other levels of government are not
From Staff Reports
The Cumberland Times-News Sat Mar 05, 2011, 08:00 AM EST
MOUNTAIN LAKE PARK — Residents of this small Western Maryland town are telling natural gas drilling companies to stay away, in no uncertain terms.
Town leaders approved an ordinance Thursday night that effectively bans the creation of new gas wells, a response to the gas industry’s increased interest in developing wells in the Allegany and Garrett County portions of the Marcellus shale reserve.
The ordinance, which had a first reading in January and public hearing in February, was unanimously approved.
“Our town government is responsible for the health, safety and rights of our citizens,” Mayor Leo Martin said in a press release. “When the county, state and federal governments fail in their duties it is our duty to take action.”
Called Mountain Lake Park’s Community Protection from Natural Gas Extraction Ordinance, the law was modeled after a similar ordinance adopted by the city of Pittsburgh in November.
Martin encouraged other Maryland municipalities to take a similar stand.
“If Pittsburgh can do it, we can do it,” Martin said in a press release.
But can Garrett County?
At a January public hearing that drew an estimated 300 people, Garrett County’s attorney Gorman Getty said that legally, the county doesn’t have the authority to ban drilling because it doesn’t have a comprehensive zoning ordinance.
The Marcellus shale issue has spurred controversy across the region as residents are weighing its benefits and costs.
While tapping into the vast natural gas resource could bring economic growth to the area and wealth to private landowners, concerns have been raised about whether the processes used are safe in terms of the environment and public health.
About 150 residents gathered at the Palace Theatre in Frostburg Thursday night for a panel discussion, which pitted gas industry representative Gregory Wrightstone against filmmaker and gas industry critic Josh Fox. A majority of audience members appeared to be against drilling in Allegany and Garrett counties.
Mountain Lake Park’s ordinance includes a local Bill of Rights that asserts legal protections for the “right to water, the rights of natural communities and ecosystems, the right to local self-government, and the right of the people to enforce and protect these rights by banning corporate activities that would violate them.”
The Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund, headquartered in Chambersburg, Pa., drafted the ordinance.
>Community Events Surrounding GC President Inauguration Slated
>
Mar. 3, 2011
Plans are well under way for the inauguration of Dr. Richard L. MacLennan as president of Garrett College, which will take place on Saturday, April 9, at 11 a.m. in the gymnasium on the McHenry campus. The theme of this installation ceremony is “Celebrating the College in the Community,” and there will be a series of events and festivities open to the community.
“In selecting the events for this inaugural celebration, the planning committee members wanted to create a program that would reflect Dr. MacLennan’s focus on the college as an integral part of the larger community it serves,” said Dr. Jeanne Neff, planning committee chair and chair of the board of directors of the Garrett College Foundation. “It was his request that the Garrett County community be central to the celebration.”
The festive three-day agenda will include the third part of the Joan Crawford Lecture Series on Wednesday, April 6; a county-wide community service day involving students, faculty, and staff, followed by a family-style picnic and a Garrett Lakes Arts Festival performance by the Iona Pan-Celtic Band on Friday, April 8; and the pageantry of procession in full academic regalia for the presidential inauguration on Saturday, April 9. The inauguration ceremony will be followed by a reception and an evening gala event hosted by the Garrett College Foundation.
Dr. MacLennan assumed leadership as the 10th president of Garrett College in July 2010 after serving for 12 years as vice president of student services at Olympic College, a three-campus college in Kitsap County, Wash. A focus of his 25-year career has been helping people access training and education.
Support the Republican Newspaper! It’s only $9.95/year for the online edition!
>Romantic Getaways - Deep Creek Lake #4!
>Romantic Getaways
Wednesday, 02 Mar 2011 04:40 PM Article Font Size
Here are the 10 best romantic getaways in the North:
1.Chicago: Adventure, romance, and the advantages of city life, it is all there for you in Chicago.
2.Amelia Island: The name alone suggests romance. Imagine being in such a heavenly resort with your mate.
3.Door Country: This destination is fit for at least a week’s stay if you don’t have more time. The seascape is beautiful and perfect for a romantic getaway.
4.Deep Creek Lake: If a romantic weekend is what you are looking for, then this is the perfect place.
5.Alexander Springs, Florida: This oasis in the forest is an outstanding camping ground as well.
6.Whidbey Island: Meadows, beaches, and historical sites, you will get it all in Whidbey.
7.Santa Barbara: This romantic getaway is worth every dollar you spend to get here.
8. Red River: If water sports are what you are looking for, this place has no competition.
9.Redwoods: Camping in this state park is one of the best experiences.
10.Austin: It may be a small town, but it offers a wide range of outdoor excitement.
Read more on Newsmax.com: Romantic Getaways
>Bartlett, Van Hollen Provide Bipartisan Push for Renewable Energy Funds
>By Steve Kilar
WASHINGTON – With only four days until disputes between Democrats and Republicans over 2011 budget cuts could force a federal government shutdown, a bipartisan duo of Maryland representatives called for increased funding in the 2012 budget for renewable and efficient energy technologies.
“We’re starting at least 20 years too late doing this — so now it’s really, really catch-up time,” said Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, R-Frederick, to a group of legislative staff and energy interest group representatives.
In conjunction with the Environmental and Energy Study Institute, Reps. Bartlett and Chris Van Hollen, D-Kensington, hosted a budget analysis panel Monday to throw support behind President Obama’s $3.2 billion proposal for renewable and efficient energy programs in fiscal year 2012.
The proposal is a 44 percent increase from fiscal year 2010 appropriations, the last time Washington finalized a budget.
>Negro Mountain
>Here we go again. No sooner did we get past the attempt to change Maryland’s official state song, there is now a call to change the name of Negro Mountain, near the small Garrett County community of Grantsville.
Sunday’s edition of The (Baltimore) Sun reported that the winds of discontent are blowing in Annapolis, with calls to change not only the mountain’s name, but also history in the process.
Negro Mountain is said to have been named by 18th-century settlers in the region, but some latter-day folks don’t like that earlier choice. As one might suspect, sides have formed in this little dust-up. A few Baltimore lawmakers hold the opinion that the name, which they consider an outdated relic of the past, should be retired in favor of a more appropriate, currently acceptable one.
Legislators from Western Maryland are having none of such talk, arguing that the name honors an early African-American hero and that the Baltimore crowd should butt out of Western Maryland’s business.
“How about they take care of Baltimore’s crime and drugs, and leave the mountains to us,” opined Delegate Kevin Kelly, a Democrat from Allegany County.
>Ban on felt-soled waders in Md. streams has retailers scrambling
>RACHEL BERNSTEIN The Daily Record
First Posted: March 01, 2011 – 12:50 pm
BALTIMORE — Maryland will become the first state to ban the felt-soled fishing boots that an invasive algae uses to travel from stream to stream. But the ban will have consumers scrambling to replace gear and retailers left with boots they can no longer sell.
The state Department of Natural Resources plans to prohibit wading with felt soles starting March 21 to curb the spread of an invasive organism — called didymo — that gets trapped in damp fibers. When fishermen don’t properly clean and dry felt-soled boots, the algae spreads the next time they wade into a different body of water. So far, there are no effective or proven ways to get rid of didymo once it contaminates the water.
“When you talk about the price of a new pair of waders, what’s at cost here is really the price of clean water,” said Jonathan McKnight, associate wildlife director for the DNR and co-chair of its invasive species matrix team. McKnight said he hasn’t heard many complaints about the new regulation so far, and that even some manufacturers have stopped making felt-soled boots.
Susan Rivers, a biologist with the Maryland Fisheries Service, said she switched to rubber-soled boots before the regulation was announced.
“They are different, but the material you have to get used to, it is just like wearing a different type of boot,” Rivers said. “I know people are concerned, but
ultimately it’s something that will save our waterways.”
>Home for sale - 159 Glotfelty Drive - GA6642444
>159 GLOTFELTY DR
OAKLAND, MD 21550
Custom built 4 BR, 2BA ‘barn’ style home with countless built-ins & unique features. Quality craftsmanship and attention to detail in every room! Large bedrooms & closets, built in office/desk area, stacked stone & tongue & groove panels accent the walls and add charm throughout. Many extras: pavilion, 3 stall garage, 2 sheds/outbuildings, enclosed porch area, steel roof, mud room, & more!
Contact Jay Ferguson @ 301-501-0420 or DeepCreekLaker@Gmail.com for more information or to setup a private showing for this property.
>Win Pageant Crowns - Republican News
>
Feb. 24, 2011
Three young Garrett County women were crowned during the recent Miss University City 2011 Scholarship Pageant at Mountain Ridge High School in Frostburg. Nineteen-year-old Grace Herpel, a mass communications major at Frostburg State University, won the title of Miss Francis Scott Key. Olivia Gaither, a 16-year-old junior at Southern Garrett High School was crowned Miss Francis Scott Key Outstanding Teen, and SHS student Stevee Royce, 15, won the Miss University City Outstanding Teen title. The winner of Miss University City was Danna Thomas, 21, an arts administration and jazz studies major at the University of Virginia. Alyssa Todaro, 21, a PhD student in behavioral and community health at Pennsylvania State University, won the title of Miss Appalachia 2011, and Hannah Brewer, 13, a home-schooled student from Manchester, was named Miss Appalachia Outstanding Teen. The Miss University City Scholarship Pageant is an official preliminary to the Miss Maryland Scholarship Program. The winners will compete at Miss Maryland and Miss Maryland’s Outstanding Teen pageants in Hagerstown. Preliminaries for Miss Maryland will be held on June 22 and 23, and Miss Maryland’s Outstanding Teen preliminaries will be June 23–24. The final for both Miss Maryland and Miss Maryland’s Outstanding Teen will take place on Saturday, June 25. Left to right are Gaither, Brewer, Royce, Thomas, Todaro, and Herpel.
Support the Republican Newspaper! It’s only $9.95/year for the online edition!
