There are over 1.3 million Americans, including 23,000 Marylanders who will be missing the “Happy” and perhaps dreading the New Year. Congress is in recess, and it didn’t take any action in extending long term-unemployment benefits prior to its holiday break. Those benefits expired this past Saturday, Dec. 28., just three days after Christmas and… Read more »

Aside from being one of the best writers in the history of the written word, Charles Dickens gave us such grand opening lines in his “Tale of Two Cities” that they have been employed in other writing to the point of ridiculousness. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it… Read more »

Berlin’s Board of Election Supervisors and the mayor and Town Council sat down for a work session on Monday evening. The focus was on Berlin’s increase in population from roughly 3,000 to almost 4,500 in the 10 years since the last federal census was taken. What looks to be more difficult than locating people in… Read more »

Sometimes a proposal, a statement or even the wording of a code can hit a raw nerve. That’s what seemingly occurred at the Dec. 4 Ocean Pines Association work session when Director Terri Mohr gave colleagues background material for a motion to reinstitute an OPA code of conduct at the upcoming Dec. 18 meeting. Director… Read more »

While Berlin is getting ready for its Victorian Christmas and many have worked hard to prepare for a successful holiday season, there is still something that can’t be forgotten. We’re not writing here that it is being placed on the back burner in favor of the holidays. That’s not the case at all. This is… Read more »

There’s always plenty on the agenda to be done at any particular Berlin Mayor and Council meeting. Sometimes, though, it’s important to stop the discussion of public policy and recognize a citizen who is nothing short of a true hero. That happened Monday night when Mayor William G. Williams III and the council recognized and… Read more »

The political season is certainly under way, as was evidenced Tuesday by the gathering of candidates for the General Assembly in Ocean Pines, where the consensus among these hopefuls is that Maryland is not as business-friendly as it ought to be. And, by golly, candidates will say that something ought to be done about it…. Read more »

This week the Berlin Town Council voted to support a workforce housing project with tax and other incentives of $167,000 over the course of 15 years. The Cannery Village project, slated for the east side of Berlin, is one of several being considered throughout the state under the Maryland and Federal Community Development tax equity… Read more »

A report issued this week by the Tax Foundation ranked Maryland among one of the worst in the nation for its state tax policies. The Foundation has just released its 2013-2014 State Business Tax Climate Index, ranking states based on corporate tax rates, individual income taxes, sales taxes, unemployment insurance and property taxes. Overall Maryland… Read more »

The Ocean Pines Yacht Club was demolished this week as work on the new building got into full gear, and with that has come an uproar from some on changing work orders and materials. It’s not to be unexpected, as change orders occur in projects of any size, especially one of this nature.  What is… Read more »