There has been a major shift this week regarding COVID-19. Rather than robust fear and anxiety, I am seeing drastic increases in frustration and impatience as the days mount and livelihoods become increasingly jeopardized. It’s been almost five weeks since the local economy was shut down with the closure of restaurants, bars, real estate and… Read more »
Category: Between The Lines
Thoughts From The Publisher’s Desk – April 10, 2020
With two more weeks of the planned closure to go, questions are swirling on whether schools will reopen April 27. The fact is nobody knows at this time. Even the folks who will make the decision – the state superintendent of schools, the governor and leading health officials – have no idea. Though a decision… Read more »
Thoughts From The Publisher’s Desk – April 3, 2020
It’s human nature to wonder when the current pandemic will run its course. It’s just too early to tell, but it’s natural for dates to be considered. In our area, the seasonal economy is dependent on tourism. For at least the month of April, there will be no tourism, bringing the local economy to a… Read more »
Thoughts From The Publisher’s Desk – March 27, 2020
It was interesting to learn this week Ocean City is going to preliminarily work off two budgets for the next fiscal year – a pre-COVID-19 one and a post-COVID-19. The town’s fiscal year runs from July 1-June 30. With the town’s economy essentially shut down currently, the city should expect to see a major reduction… Read more »
Thoughts From The Publisher’s Desk – March 20, 2020
(The first piece here is an article written yesterday afternoon by Staff Writer Charlene Sharpe. It was too late to include in an article format.)Health officials confirmed the first positive case of COVID-19 in Worcester County Thursday.Worcester County Health Department officials announced Thursday afternoon that the county’s first confirmed positive COVID-19 case was a male… Read more »
Thoughts From The Publisher’s Desk – March 13, 2020
Efforts to regulate short-term rental regulations have become a divisive issue in Berlin. Friction seems to be the norm these days in the small town, but I think the short-term rental talks and the ongoing budget debates are healthy.Two days after the Berlin Town Council held a work session to discussed regulations, members of the… Read more »
Thoughts From The Publisher’s Desk – March 6, 2020
The Coastal Association of Realtors (Coastal) has been consistently growing its presence as a political activist group in recent years. This week representatives from Coastal testified in Annapolis against the proposed sales tax expansion, which had the potential to serious impact the real estate industry. In addition, Coastal has testified in recent months on several… Read more »
Thoughts From The Publisher’s Desk – February 28, 2020
The Berlin Town Council meeting was cancelled this week because not enough elected officials could attend to meet quorum rules. The cancelled meeting did not mean there was no drama this week.Included in the council packet this was the town’s plan to seek bids from companies to take over trash and recycling operations. In what… Read more »
Thoughts From The Publisher’s Desk – February 21, 2020
When I last took exception to Ocean City Councilman Mark Paddack’s social media rants, he let it be known to me in a voicemail he would not be standing down. After many years in a police uniform and being unable to weigh in on matters on social media, Paddack said he will continue to express… Read more »
Thoughts From The Publisher’s Desk – February 14, 2020
Just because the Town of Berlin released numbers this week on revenue projections from potential property tax increases doesn’t necessarily mean they will happen. It does seem highly likely, however.Town officials all but assured property owners another tax increase was coming this year on the heels of last year’s 18% hike, but they indicated last… Read more »