Maryland's job growth soars in March
www.Gazette.net
State led nation in workforce gains with 35,800
by Kevin James Shay Staff Writer
Maryland’s diverse economy, highly educated work force and financial stability are key factors behind the state posting the nation’s largest job gain in March, Christian Johansson, secretary of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, said Monday.
The state added 35,800 jobs last month, according to federal figures. It was the largest one-month gain in Maryland since 1970 and the second greatest since 1939, Johansson said. The upswing reversed a 19-month negative trend.
“While one record-setting month does not constitute a trend, we remain optimistic that Maryland is beginning to rebound from the recession,” Johansson said.
Industries across the board showed gains last month, even in sectors that have declined significantly over the past year, such as construction and manufacturing. The only sector that declined was real estate.
If you are thinking of 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! 877-563-5350
Counties grapple with leaner spending plans - Gazette.net
www.Gazette.net
Maryland Community Newspapers Online
by Erin Cunningham Staff Writer
Although not all Maryland counties have released budget requests for fiscal 2011, those that have are expected to spend what they did about two years ago — or in some cases, less….
In Garrett County, officials are considering a $69 million budget — a 30-percent reduction from fiscal 2009’s $99 million spending plan.
County Administrator Monty Pagenhardt said the county will defer several large projects to reduce spending. Sixteen of the county’s 375 employees are retiring, and those positions will not be filled, he said.
“We’ve told people not to submit projects they want in the budget,” Pagenhardt said. “We would not have the money to fund them.”
The story is the same statewide, and many do not expect fiscal 2012 to be much better.
If you are thinking of 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! 877-563-5350
Lowes REALTOR Benefits Program - 10% off coupon at Lowes!
As a member of the National Association of Realtors, my membership can get clients, friends & family discounts and coupons at Lowes. In fact, not too long ago, I signed a client up for the Lowes 10% discount coupon. He had a refrigerator go bad at his condo at Will o’ the Wisp. Sure enough, he got the coupon in the mail, went to Lowes and saved $140 on his new fridge. In exchange, Lowes sends you direct mail from time to time with other coupons for things like new carpet, kitchen items, lawn & garden, etc. You can use the coupon anytime, but you would be much further ahead to use it on a major purchase, as it’s a one time 10% off.
Email me your name, address & phone number, and I can sign you up. It’s FREE. Really. And it works 🙂
If you are thinking of 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! 877-563-5350
Alan Brinsfield - Brinsfield Mortgage - Vacation Home Mortgages & Lending
Alan was kind enough to attend our sales meeting at Railey Realty last week and had some really great mortgage & loan programs to share, as well as some insight into the local market. He really seems to have a handle on some of the hot button issues in lending today, specifically the new reality of appraisals, inclusions and/or contents that convey with traditional vacation rental properties and an overall grasp of how to get loans today in today’s volatile market conditions.
I wanted to share some of his contact info here:
301-724-5666
Brinsfield Mortgage
101 S Centre Street
Cumberland, Maryland 21502
abrinsfield@corridormtg.com
I always recommend comparing lenders and services, and he should be on your list of local (Deep Creek Lake & Garrett County, Maryland) lenders to check with.
If you are thinking of 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! 877-563-5350
Banking/Mortgage - Mary Lou Rohrbaugh - Prosperity Mortgage
I had an opportunity to work with Mary Lou Rohrbaugh for the last 9 years. She is very creative and extremely personable. She will bend over backwards for clients to try and assist them in obtaining a mortgage. She actually got me my first mortgage to purchase my home and later investment properties at Deep Creek Lake. I always recommend shopping lenders and rates to see who you are comfortable with and who has the best loan programs for you – but Mary Lou should be on the list of folks you speak with. She’s great!
Prosperity Mortgage
Mary Lou Rohrbaugh
23789 Garrett Highway
McHenry, MD 21541
Telephone: 301-387-0361
Cell: 301-616-8684
Fax: 866-359-6174
Email: marylou.rorhbaugh@prosperitymortgage.com
Website: http://www.marylourohrbaugh.com/
If you are thinking of 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! 877-563-5350
2010 Student Arts Fair Set This Weekend - Garrett College
Support the Republican! Buy an online membership – it’s only $9.95 for the YEAR!
Americana, the 2010 Garrett County Student Arts Fair, will take place this Friday and Saturday at Garrett College. Students from all area schools will be presenting a vareity of performances and art work from 6:30 to 9 on Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.
Jay’s note: My daughter Kayleah has some of her artwork entered in the arts fair, so we’ll be sure to repost some photos of the event here sometime soon. It’s a fun time to go and support local children in their artistic endeavors – there are so many talented young artists here! Show them some love!
If you are thinking of 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! 877-563-5350
Local nurse volunteers in Haiti
Cindy Mankamyer of Swanton recently returned from Haiti after joining a volunteer medical team with Heart to Heart International, offering medical care in the earthquake damaged areas in and around Port au Prince.
More than two months after the January 12 earthquake, sick and injured people continue to need medical care in the quake-stricken area. While Mankamyer was there, the team of physicians and nurses saw more than 170 patients on just one day at a church-turned-clinic in downtown Port au Prince.
She said there many children sick with malaria, typhoid, and tuberculosis, and some with infected earthquake-related wounds. A number of people had complaints of eye pain, throat pain, and lung congestion, all related to the thick concrete dust that still hangs over the area.
At one point during her two-week stint, Cindy joined a small field team that left Port au Prince and traveled to remote villages, crossing rivers and hiking to mountaintops, to offer medical care to victims who had not seen a doctor since the quake.
“One day, a man with his right arm and right leg in a cast since the January 12 earthquake was carried up the mountain while seated in a small wooden chair,” she said. “He told us how he was crushed under rubble for over an hour until he was rescued.”
The Heart to Heart medical team cut off the casts using a Swiss army knife and a small piece of wood, and then instructed him in some basic physical therapy techniques for his atrophied limbs and stiffened joints.
“The earthquake-stricken areas are devastated,” Mankamyer said. “Families who have lost loved ones and homes are trying to survive in tent cities with little food, no electricity or sanitation, and limited clean water. The Haitian people were very grateful for the medical care, and many of them thanked the ‘blanc’ [“white” in the French/Creole language] doctors and nurses for traveling such a long distance just to help them.”
On her travels to the mountains, Mankamyer spoke with a young Haitian man who described how the quake caused the earth to shake and roll. He and some friends were in a town on the border of the Dominican Republic, more than 40 miles away from the epicenter. He said they were all thrown to the ground. As reports of trapped people came from Port au Prince, he took several friends and drove into the city and spent the next three days and nights digging injured people out of the rubble, and then transporting them to care.
Cindy explained that Heart to Heart rotates volunteers in and out of the area about every 8 to 10 days. The volunteers go not knowing with whom they will serve. The doctors and nurses at the compound with the Garrett County nurse were from Iowa, Kansas City, Missouri, Seattle, Washington, Oklahoma and New Mexico. The two physicians who went on the “extreme team” trek into the mountains were from Iowa and Seattle, Wash. The volunteers, who bonded through their experience, have since created a FaceBook page to stay in touch.
Read the rest here.
If you are thinking of 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! 877-563-5350
Budget, Cell Phone Ban, Sex Offenders Dominate Final Days of Legislative Session
Apr. 15, 2010
by Capital News Service Reporters
ANNAPOLIS – Budget woes, sex offenders, same-sex marriage, cell-phone use while driving, and medical marijuana were just some of the issues that dominated the General Assembly’s legislative session, which drew to a close late Monday night.
Debate over these issues will likely carry on into this fall’s elections, including the rematch between incumbent Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley and former Republican Gov. Robert Ehrlich. O’Malley unseated Ehrlich in 2006.
O’Malley praised what he called the “collegial and cooperative tone” of the session at a bill-signing Tuesday.
“[It’s] a tribute to the leadership in the House and the leadership in the Senate to bring people together and move our state forward in difficult times,” O’Malley said.
Read the rest here.
If you are thinking of 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! 877-563-5350
School Calendar Approved, Race To The Top Rejected
Apr. 15, 2010
The Garrett County Board of Education addressed two significant issues at this month’s board of education meeting this Tuesday.
The proposed 2010-11 school calendar was voted on and approved with a vote of three to two. The main discrepancies over the calendar were the first day of school for students, set for Aug. 25, and Presidents’ Day was set as a possible make-up date.
It was stated that getting students into school on Aug. 25 would allow teachers an additional week of assessment preparation. The main concern of those against the motion was that it would affect the local business industry during the Labor Day holiday, as many high school students are employed during the summer. The motion that was voted on and approved included an amendment to remove Presidents’ Day from the make-up list.
A recommendation to sign on to the Race to the Top Program was not approved at this time. There were several items brought to the attention of the board concerning the program, which resulted in a unanimous “no.”
The federal program is an initiative that challenges the way teachers and students are evaluated in order to compete for federal grants. It requires states to submit proposals for changing assessment systems for students.
The director of the Maryland State Education Association in Allegany and Garrett counties, Steve Benson, was present at the meeting to share a few points of interest. He felt that signing on to the program would give all control over education to the federal government.
Read the rest here.
If you are thinking of 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! 877-563-5350
Local Lawmakers Encounter Success, Disappointment In General Assembly
by Brandon Butler,
legislative aide
The confetti flew in both chambers as the 2010 legislative session of the Maryland General Assembly came to an end in Annapolis on Monday, and Del. Wendell R. Beitzel (R– Dist. 1A) and Sen. George C. Edwards (R–Dist. 1) had a lot to celebrate.
“Despite some disappointments, the Garrett and Allegany County delegations got a lot accomplished this year both individually and as a group” said Beitzel.
Beitzel and Edwards also served on all four conference committees that dealt with the state budget. Beitzel served as a voting member of the committee, while Edwards was an advisor to the committee. This was the first time that Garrett and Allegany representatives served on all of the conference committees and were represented by both the House and Senate.
As a result, the Maryland Mined Coal Tax Credit was, once again, restored. The measure, which makes Maryland coal competitive with cheaper Pennsylvania and West Virginia coal, has been a measure that has directly contributed to industrial jobs in Garrett and Allegany counties.
“The General Assembly has been concerned about job creation and retention; this tax credit is a proven job creator for Garrett and Allegany counties,” said Edwards.
The Allegany County Delegation also sponsored a measure that would authorize counties to establish a preference for local construction firms competing for school construction projects. Delegate Beitzel worked hard to get Senate Bill 551 through during the closing minutes of the session. The House of Delegates even momentarily adjourned the session and immediately reconvened in order to overcome a procedural hurdle that would have prohibited the passing of the Senate bill.
If you are thinking of 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! 877-563-5350
