(March 12, 2015) During the closed session preceding its meeting last week, the Worcester County Commissioners voted to institute a hiring freeze until the end of the budget session later this spring. The county attributed the decision to “another challenging budget year due to a continued decline in projected property tax revenues,” according to a… Read more »
News
Board minority in Pines keeps golf questions coming
(March 12, 2015) Although the Ocean Pines Board of Directors made a definitive decision on golf management last month, some board members continue to question the motives and methods behind the 4-3 vote. “We are hiring a company that we know nothing about other than what is in their promotional catalogs,” said Director Bill Cordwell,… Read more »
Berlin leadership touts dramatic electric rate drop
(March 12, 2015) The high cost of electricity was once an economic albatross around the neck of Berlin, but the message coming out of a Berlin Mayor and Council meeting on Monday was that those days are long gone. “I consistently check electric rates and how Berlin compares to the other towns,” District 1 Councilmember… Read more »
Disparities plague Pines nonprofits
(March 12, 2015) Longtime Ocean Pines resident and prolific nonprofit wrangler Anna Foultz is speaking out after a recent board of directors meeting failed answer two questions: how do you define a nonprofit, and what should they pay to use community facilities? On Saturday, Feb. 28, Vice President Marty Clarke called on the board to… Read more »
Bomb scare in downtown Berlin, WCB investigating
(March 12, 2015) A bomb scare emptied parts of downtown Berlin on Friday evening after an anonymous caller told Berlin police 10 homemade explosives were set to detonate near the first block of Main Street. According to the Berlin Police Department, the call came at approximately 6 p.m., with the caller warning the bombs were… Read more »
Disparities plague Pines nonprofits
(March 12, 2015) Longtime Ocean Pines resident and prolific nonprofit wrangler Anna Foultz is speaking out after a recent board of directors meeting failed answer two questions: how do you define a nonprofit, and what should they pay to use community facilities? On Saturday, Feb. 28, Vice President Marty Clarke called on the board to… Read more »
Sweet salad will ‘make your mind melt’
So we have another snow day. I am happy, since our winter prospects were looking bleak until two weeks ago. I was completely ready for spring to spring, but now I sit here with the snow on the ground, pets and kids snuggled in the couch as we watch the tele, happy that we were… Read more »
BUSINESS BRIEFS
License Ciara Johnson has received her Property & Casualty Insurance License. She assists the Atlantic/Smith, Cropper & Deeley personal lines’ customer service agents with new business policies. Johnson has two years of insurance experience. Headquartered in Willards, Atlantic/Smith, Cropper & Deeley is an independent insurance agency specializing in employer benefits, business and personal insurances. … Read more »
Board and Thompson butting heads, harder
If the Ocean Pines Association Board of Directors were to say to General Manager Bob Thompson, “We’ve got to hand it to you,” the majority might be thinking about his walking papers. That’s certainly how it appears, given the obvious friction between Thompson and some of the directors, a circumstance highlighted during Saturday’s meeting, when… Read more »
Calvin B. Taylor Bank celebrates 125 yrs of service
(March 5, 2015) As financial institutions merge and regional, national and even international mega-banks become more dominant, Calvin B. Taylor Bank, headquartered in Berlin, is entering its 125th year as an independent entity. It continues to be an instrumental part of the small-town lower Eastern Shore community, and, its many modernizations over the years notwithstanding,… Read more »