Anyone who is surprised by this week’s court challenge to the state’s award of medical marijuana growing permits last month has forgotten one of the principles of the legalized pot industry: it’s about the money. High-minded motives (no pun intended), public opinion, political realities and medical research aside, the essence of the lawsuit filed in… Read more »

The Ocean Pines Board of Directors gave itself something last week that most politicians would rather not have: full responsibility for delivering on its members’ campaign promises. By elevating Doug Parks to the board because his thinking matched their own, the four-member majority that voted him into office has an unbeatable caucus that should be… Read more »

Mainland residents of Worcester County should pay close attention to the tax differential discussions that will take place, again, this fall and winter between the Town of Ocean City and the Worcester County Commissioners. In essence, the differential, which Ocean City has been seeking for years, involves reducing the county property tax rate for Ocean… Read more »

Let’s take a breath and reflect on how the dismissal of Ocean Pines Association General Manager Bob Thompson last week will affect the community’s property owners, who are, after all, the real stakeholders in this mess. How about not at all? Unless some unusually bizarre twist takes place — and no jokes about how bizarre… Read more »

It’s always about the money. The absence of a physician in Snow Hill, a doctor shortage nationally or not, is the result of a potential patient base that’s too small to allow a full-time doctor’s office or clinic to break even given the cost of health care these days. It’s a shame, but the emergence… Read more »

Fresh off the Ocean Pines Association Board of Directors elected come the pledges from the new members to change the way the board conducts business by bringing greater degree of civility to the board’s discussions. This isn’t a new promise, as virtually no one goes into office anywhere saying he or she intends to be… Read more »

This paper took some criticism this past week for publishing an article regarding Berlin Councilwoman Lisa Hall’s remarks to our reporter while in the midst of a taped interview on an unrelated topic. Some felt that her remarks should have been considered off the record as Hall has personally suffered a difficult year. Unfortunately as… Read more »

Nothing rankles someone who is pledged to impartiality more than the suggestion that he or she is not. It’s no wonder then that Bill Wentworth and associates on the Ocean Pines Elections Committee have just about had it with this year’s political carryings on and have declared that this might be the end of their… Read more »

The town of Berlin had one other option it could have pursued this week instead of dipping into the treasury to pay for the construction of a fence and a walking trail between unhappy neighbors.  It could have done nothing, but said otherwise. That’s what governments often do when they have little authority to intervene… Read more »

The pursuit of a good idea is often delayed by the belief that waiting a little longer could result in something better, even when that something better has yet to be defined. Many a solid project has languished or faded away because of that inaction, as decision makers wait hopefully for the perfect solution to… Read more »