From Roy Whiteley, president of Marylanders for Fair Property Taxation:
On February 24, we addressed the Budget & Taxation Committee on SB 458 & SB 724. We were disappointed that more of you could not attend in support of these measures. However, even though our support at the Senate was not as good as it was for the House version, it was adequate and well presented; significant enough to be noticed.
Senator Barry Glassman made eloquent remarks in introducing both bills and their need for passage before introducing Tony and the writer. Our verbal supporting testimony was we feel unjustly foreshortened by Chairman Currie but Tony Passaro, Bel Air TEA Party founder and spokesman did his usual scholarly, humorous delivery that filled in the blanks. Ellie Dieglemann, Ocean City resident and Worcester County Commissioner candidate, together with first time Eastern Shore testier, Cathy Geisler made strong support comments. Currie allowed Cathy ...Continue Reading
In the following letter to Maryland State Superintendent of Schools Nancy Grasmick, a former educator requests an independent investigation into Drama Therapy, the controversial drama production shown to students at Havre de Grace High School at a school-wide assembly held in early December, 2009. The letter to Dr. Grasmick generated a response of sorts. More on that in a minute. First, here’s the letter from Churchville resident, Barbara Falukner-Davis.
Ms. Faulkner-Davis told The Dagger that she first heard about Drama Therapy from an upset friend who is a parent in the Havre de Grace district. Faulkner-Davis is not a parent herself; she says she got involved as a former educator, a taxpayer and a concerned citizen. She says she isn’t trying to get anyone fired, but Faulkner-Davis thinks Drama Therapy should not be shown during the school day and that program’s therapeutic efforts were inappropriate. After viewing a ...Continue Reading
(Bel Air, MD)– The Harford County Department of Planning and Zoning, in conjunction with the Harford County Historic Preservation Commission, is seeking nominations for the 2010 Historic Preservation Awards. As part of this year’s annual celebration, the Harford County Historic Preservation Commission will present Preservation Awards to individuals and organizations whose contributions demonstrate outstanding achievements in historic preservation within Harford County.
Awards will be presented in May in recognition of National Historic Preservation Month. Nominations and awards may be made in three categories: Preservation Project Award, Preservationist Honor Award, and Special Preservation Award.
Nominations may come from the community, individuals, and organizations, or the Commission itself. The Commission is particularly interested in recognizing projects that have demonstrated that historic preservation can be a viable strategy in renewing life in older neighborhoods, projects that can protect the County’s historic and scenic rural landscapes, and individuals whose work and vision have ...Continue Reading
I don’t care if an idea is a Republican idea or a Democrat idea, as long as it is a good idea for the people of Cecil and Harford Counties.
Although members of both parties serve on all our legislative committees and subcommittees I was pleased that both the House Appropriations Committee (on which I serve as the Chair of the Health and Human Resources subcommittee) and the Senate’s Budget and Taxation Committee invited the Republican leadership to formally present their suggestions and opinions to help Maryland continue balancing its budget while preserving the services that taxpayers count on.. The hearing was open to the public and much anticipated by all of who believe in true bipartisanship and the notion that as Henry Ford said “coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is
progress. Working together is success.”
It is truly remarkable what a difference four (4) years can make. If we could journey back to ‘2006’, Marylanders demanded a change in Annapolis. Despite a 60% approval rating of former Governor Ehrlich’s performance during his term, Marylanders elected a new Administration with a message that promised to create new jobs and cut taxes for middle-income Marylanders.
Now, four (4) years later and under the Leadership of Governor O’Malley, Maryland received a “change”. Unfortunately, Governor O’Malley has delivered a “change” – unexpected and undesirable to Marylander’s expectations. In only his first term, Governor O’Malley, in an unprecedented decision, raised the corporate income tax, personal income tax, and the sales tax.
According to Governor O’Malley, the purpose for these tax increases, were to resolve a decade long structural state deficit. It was the message ...Continue Reading
The Young Democrats of Harford County have issued the following announcement:
“Congress Must Listen to Us, Not the Insurance Companies”
Protest: March 9th, Washington DC.
On March 9th, thousands of activists will hit the streets in Washington, DC to protest big insurance and demand that Congress give America the health care reform we voted for.
The Young Democrats of Harford County in concert with the Health Care for America NOW coalition is sponsoring a bus to the “Congress Must Listen to Us, Not the Insurance Companies” protest on Tuesday, March 9th. The bus along with a box lunch will be provided at no cost, leaving the Aberdeen area around 8am on Tuesday the 9th. All Health Insurance Reform advocates from Cecil and Harford Counties (and the surrounding area) are encouraged to attend! Contact Russ Kovach at Russell.Kovach@gmail.com or confirm attendance on Facebook at or see us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=332513251089 to ...Continue Reading
Legislative Updates on the education bills under consideration in the Maryland General Assembly are coming fast and furious now. A second set of updates was presented to the Harford County Board of Education by the schools’ governmental liaison Kathy Carmello, at a business meeting held Monday, February 22 in Bel Air. This time around, Harford School Board Member John Smilko raised the possibility of intrigue among the sundry list of legislative initiatives for the 2010 session.
Background: After first asserting that legislative changes were not needed for Maryland to win a chunk of the $4 billion federal, Race to the Top money, Governor Martin O’Malley has now requested changes geared toward getting the loot in the proposed Education Reform Act of 2010. The legislation extends the probationary period from 2 to 3 years before new teachers can earn tenure; requires that student outcomes be a ...Continue Reading
I’ll add my two cent’s on the “Hotel Tax” debate. I travel a lot with my job. I put together a chart showing the hotel taxes I was charged while traveling for my job. Some of the locations published where the fund collected, most didn’t. Today it’s just a part of doing business and Harford County should join the rest of the 22 counties and Baltimore City and benefit from this funding source. It’s a great source of revenue if used properly.
BEL AIR, Md.—The Harford baseball home-opening doubleheader against Mercer, originally scheduled for Saturday at 11:00 a.m., has been postponed due to unplayable field conditions at Harford Baseball Field thanks to the record snowstorms in the Mid-Atlantic region during February. A make-up date for the games has not yet been set, but more information will be posted as it becomes available. The doubleheader on the road the College of Southern Maryland, originally scheduled for Sunday at 12:00 p.m. has also been postponed with a make-up date of May 3 at 2:00 p.m.
The Fighting Owls’ home-opener will be pushed back to next Wednesday, March 3, when they host Delaware County for a 3:30 p.m. game at Harford Baseball Field. The Owls opened the 2010 season last weekend in Carolina where they went 3-1 in a two-day, four-game series against Brunswick Community College.
Blink and you might miss the Harford men’s lacrosse team. The 2010 Fighting Owls squad is a speedy bunch, with more than half of its 29 players under 165 pounds, but that doesn’t mean that Harford lacks strength and power. The Owls have brawn where every team needs it most—on defense.
And the Harford backfield squad is experienced with three players returning from last season, while the midfield boasts five returners. All in all, head coach Ed Augustitus’s 2010 squad has a good mix of new and old with nine veteran players, but he’ll be the first to tell you that offensively the Owls are young.
Losing your top three scorers (Chad Palmer, Andrew Gilpin, Joe Rosenklde) can hurt, but Augustitus is confident that the team he has put together this year will continue to propel the program upwards.
