SNOW HILL – Even as they passed the fiscal year 2011 budget this week, elected officials predicted that fiscal year 2012 would pose continuing financial problems.The County Commissioners balanced the budget for the next fiscal year in part with strict cuts to departmental budgets.“What they [department heads cutting their budgets] did this year, they’re not… Read more »

SNOW HILL – Recent changes to the Maryland stormwater regulations law now call for new fees as well as multiple reviews for new construction, changes the Worcester County Commissioners heard more about this week.The commissioners signed off on the fee changes Tuesday morning.In the past, stormwater management was the last consideration in the development process,… Read more »

SNOW HILL – A new statewide building standard means Worcester County has to make some decisions about local exceptions, including a much debated requirement for sprinkler systems in all new residences.The Worcester County Commissioners will seek further input on the sprinkler question during a public hearing this fall.The state of Maryland has been attempting to… Read more »

OCEAN CITY – According to a joint study released this week by state and local conservation groups, seagrasses in the coastal bays in and around the resort area made considerable gains last year, but the good news was tempered somewhat by the work that still needs to be done to restore the important plants to… Read more »

BERLIN – In a week during what would have typically included the blustering last minute preparations for the opening night of live racing at Ocean Downs, the track remained eerily quiet this week as race officials continue to wrestle with meeting their live-racing obligation for the zoning of the property.For the last 60-plus years, the… Read more »

OCEAN CITY — Creating a simple list of things that the Ocean City Council wants the Maryland Municipal League (MML) to address in Annapolis during the next session quickly turned into a rather spirited debate about the controversial topic of unemployment insurance on Tuesday. It’s no secret that unemployment costs have gone up tremendously for… Read more »

OCEAN CITY — After banning the psychoactive plant Salvia Divinorum from the resort via emergency ordinance last summer, a newly alleged hallucinogenic herbal smoking blend has popped up in Boardwalk stores in the early weeks of the summer season, according to Ocean City police this week.Although officials say that it is too early to tell… Read more »

OCEAN CITY — Even though the town of Ocean City negotiated rising health care costs to half of what it could have been, the bottom line is that the town will pay almost $1 million more to provide health insurance for its workforce in fiscal year 2011.One of the most cumbersome statistics that was a… Read more »