Wednesday, April 11, 2012
George Zimmerman will face criminal charges, NBC reports.
UPDATED, 6:29 p.m.— George Zimmerman has been charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin in Florida, according to the Miami Herald. Zimmerman, 28, shot 17-year-old Martin on Feb. 26 in Sanford, FL, where Martin was visiting his father. The story has been in the national spotlight for more than a month, prompting marches and vigils in Florida and across the country, including in Howard County and other parts of Maryland. On Patch, the discussion has taken on different angles, from the general: "Why the decline in civil society?" JH asked, to questions as to why local officials had to have a say. Bill bissenas wrote: "Politicians such as (Howard County Executive Ken) Ulman and others using a killing as a prop …
Friday, April 6, 2012
Editor Valerie Bonk, who launched the site in September 2010, says goodbye to Eldersburg Patch.
Dear Eldersburg and Sykesville residents, Today will be my last day as the editor of Eldersburg Patch. It has been nearly 19 months since a group of Patch editors gathered at G.L. Shacks to launch the site, and since then it's been an amazing journey getting to know everyone in the community over time. I'm moving on to the next step in my career but I am grateful to have had the opportunity to cover such a wonderful community. I grew up in nearby Ellicott City, a geeky homeschooled ballerina with a passion for journalism and I am very grateful that I was able to cover and grow in my career in such a great slice of Maryland. I want to make sure I thank each and everyone of you who offered article suggestions, stopped to talk to me when I…
Friday, March 30, 2012
What do you think needs to happen?
Two crashes near the intersection of routes 32 and 26 have resulted in two fatalities in the month of March, leaving many wondering whether something needs to happen to keep motorists and passengers safe. On Sunday, March 25, around 11:20 a.m., troopers from the Maryland State Police Westminster Barrack responded to a car collision on Liberty Road, west of Georgetown Boulevard, leaving one dead and two injured. At 10:23 p.m. on Tuesday, March 6, troopers from the Maryland State Police Westminster Barrack responded to the intersection of Liberty Road and Sykesville Road for a report of a serious three-car collision, which also left one dead and two injured. The recent incidents met with a variety of responses from readers. Here's a …
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Maryland ranks 40 out of 50 states when it comes to open government and anti-corruption laws and practices, according to a report released today by the State Integrity Investigation project.
A report released Monday by the State Integrity Investigation project drew some scathing remarks from a spokeswoman for Gov. Martin O'Malley. I highlighted the release of the report by the non-profit here on this blog yesterday and included several links to the review of all 50 states. The post wasn't intended to be a comprehensive report as much as an effort to let readers know it existed and show them where it could be found. Raquel Guillory, a spokeswoman for the governor, cried foul and sent an email detailing what the O'Malley administration sees as problems with the report. I'm presenting her email here unedited: Hey: I can't believe you guys put this up on your website without contacting us. The whole thing is very sketchy. The "…
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Eldersburg Patch readers comment on the news of the week.
Eldersburg readers took their opinions to Patch this week, commenting most on a story about a local teacher who created a new tool for students, proposed legislation for homeschoolers, time off from work for parent-teacher conferences, and what should replace Kmart in the Carrolltown Shopping Center. Here is a selection of some of our most noteworthy comments. Liberty Math Teacher Launches eNotebook App "How wonderful it would be for all students to be equipped with tablets loaded with all necessary reading material/textbooks and with eNotebook! This would certainly help them with organization. I am considering returning to college (for a 3rd degree) and now I want an iPad so I can use this app! Congratulations on a wonderful idea!" - …
Friday, February 17, 2012
30,000 customers have already benefited from efficiency audits.
Last month in this column we talked a little bit about winterizing your home. Experts recommend doing many things to prepare for the winter, including installing energy-efficient doors and windows, maintaining your furnace, adding insulation, and more. But sometimes it can be difficult to know where to start. Here's a tip: BGE offers lots of useful information on its website. And the company also offer customers the option to save on their energy costs and lessen their carbon footprint through participation in one or more of the BGE Smart Energy Savers Programs, which were established in 2009. According to BGE spokesperson Rachael Lighty, “BGE Smart Energy Savers Program is a suite of programs that enable all customers to control energy…
Friday, February 10, 2012
The project would create Maryland jobs, improve health, benefit the climate and more.
Last month Governor Martin O’Malley and U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar together noted that the federal government announced that wind energy projects off the Mid-Atlantic coast would cause “no significant environmental damage.” According to The Washington Post this finding removes “one of several expected regulatory hurdles to wind farm construction sought by O’Malley and governors in other East Coast states.” O’Malley explained that the development would aid efforts in Maryland and elsewhere to make offshore wind a reality. This is a big deal for a number of reasons. Currently, more than half of Maryland electricity comes from coal-fired plants, as noted by the Marylanders for Offshore Wind Coalition in their recently released …
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
The Asian bistro is the latest restaurant to hit Eldersburg.
Editor's note: The following restaurant review of Jin's Asian Bistro in Eldersburg was submitted by reader Jessica Schwoyer who visited the restaurant during its opening week. Submit your own review of the restaurant here. Overall rating: 2 out of 5 stars. Food: Excellent. Everything was fresh, and was presented beautifully (4 stars, losing points for using frozen fish). Service: Servers were highly unattentive, and we waited many times for simple things like a refill of water, or for the bill (1 star). My meal: We then asked the sushi chef to bring us what he was the most proud of, and out comes a beautifully presented custom sushi roll for us, 12 pieces or so, lined up diagonally across a large square, white plate. Inside was salmon …
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Some Starbucks stores in California and Georgia are selling alcohol with your "cup of joe."
Responding to customer feedback for more options to relax in its stores in the evenings, Starbucks announced plans last week to bring wine, beer and premium food offerings to a handful of locations in Atlanta and Southern California by the end of this year, according to a company press release. "We’re pleased with the response of our customers to the introduction of wine, beer and premium food at several of our stores in the Pacific Northwest, and we’re excited to see how the idea translates to other markets," said Clarice Turner, senior vice president of U.S. Operations for Starbucks. A free-standing Starbucks will be moving into the K Bank building in Eldersburg, located next door to Arby's restaurant, off of Route 26. If these new …
Monday, January 30, 2012
Is this a trend, a sign of the times or a coincidence?
A bank robbery, an assault with a baseball bat and the theft of copper from an abandoned physciatric facility are all crimes that occured in Eldersburg and Sykesville between Jan. 14 and Jan. 26 of this year. While these crimes could have occured anywhere, they in fact happened in the backyard of local residents. All but the bank robbery suspect were caught and charged according to their crimes, with the local Sykesville Police Department, the Carroll County Sheriff's Department and the Maryland State Police from the Westminster Barrack all working in the Eldersburg and Sykesville area to cut down on such crimes. While statistics show that the area has historically had a low crime rate, recent incidents may show a change in this trend…
Dave Renken
11:17 am on Sunday, April 8, 2012
Valerie, I'm sorry to see you go. I hope we will see your journalism skills and integrity used in even bigger venues in the future. God bless you in your future. more ›