Entries for the 'Northern Maryland' Category

The North County News has an article this week that highlights a new $96,000 per annum position to head code enforcement and compliance.  But, there are several problems with this appointment.

The Real Scandal in Salisbury City Government was not that the Mayor tried to ramrod through a water fee increase is not that there was $5 million dollars in the surplus fund than was publicly announced at the Council meeting monday night, or that the Mayor tried to deny council members access to this information.

The real scandal in Salisbury City Government is that at any point during the month, the government offices do not seem to have any type of accurate picture of the City's financial standing.

Imagine my surprise this last Thursday evening when all of sudden, my little old farm house up here on York Road was lit up like a carnival ride from the lights of the Baltimore County Police department. 

Exxon/Mobil is now up to FOUR stations in Nothern Maryland that have had serious problems pouring MTBE into the ground.

First, there was the Exxon in Upper Crossroads (MD 165 and MD 152) outside Fallston. 

Second, there was the 26,000 gallon gas spill in Jacksonville at Four Corners.    Jacksonville thought they had it bad when the US Army virtually destroyed the underground water supply when Nike Missile Fuel was spilled.  That was peanuts compared to the 26,000 gallon leak that was "discovered" last Winter.

Third, the Parkton Exxon closed this winter after the MTBE levels got too high and Exxon said "to hell with it".

The fourth station in the list -- another Meadowcroft station, by the way, just like in Parkton -- is the Hereford Exxon on Mt. Carmel Road.  The station will close in a couple of weeks for almost three months as tanks are replaced as a result of the MTBE leaks.

This event, chronicled in today's Baltimore Sun, is a pretty ugly incident for Freeland.

What makes it worse is that this is the first most people will have heard about it.  Why?  Because the North County News and Baltimore Sun do an absolutely lousy job in reporting the "crime blotter" up here. Most weeks it is one or two items-- especially in the North County News.

I would like to suggest to Captain Marty Lurz of the Cockeysville Precinct that he take a strong approach to reporting the crimes up here to the community through alternative press.  I offer this blog as one outlet.

This time, it's in Maryland, as an illegal alien was charged with a hit-and-run murder on US 29.  The Baltimore Sun has details here.

It's a good thing we don't grow lettuce here in Maryland.  Secretary Chertoff might be worried about the ability to actually pick the crop.

I want to tip my bourbon to Capt Marty Lurz and the Cockeysville Precinct of the Baltimore County Police.  After our little bout of Gunplay in the Gunpowder a couple of weeks ago, I had a chat with one of his regular patrol officers.

All I can say is that Capt Lurz took the traffic situation up here seriously in the last couple of weeks.  Enforcement is WAY up.  They even ran a sobriety checkpoint at the old Parkton Exxon the other night catching drunks coming out of the Parke Inn.  They've been running speed enforcement in Maryland Line, and the number of patrol vehicles on the road lately has been ASTONISHING.

I hope that Councilman T. Bryan McIntire and his colleagues on the County Council will find more money in the County Budget next year to keep up this level of enforcement.  While the North County has grown substantially in the last decade, the police presence hasn't.  Capt. Lurz needs more officers and equipment to cover an area that stretches from almost the Baltimore Beltway clear to the PA line.

I want to tip my bourbon tonight to Outback Steak House, who helped sponsor a great fundraiser for the 2nd Annual 9/11 Remembrance Dinner at Hereford Volunteer Fire Company this evening.

Why Outback?  It's pretty simple.  Outback provides 500 FREE full dinners served buffet style.  The fire company charges $15 a ticket-- and they keep every dime.  It's a great fundraiser that goes a long way to insure quality fire coverage in rural northern Baltimore County.  HVFC -- Company 440 -- has one of the highest response rates of any volunteer company in Maryland, and is able to provide great coverage to the "Hereford Zone" because of fundraisers like this.

So, say thanks to Outback by visiting their local restaurant in Hunt Valley!

By the way -- Saturday Pit Beef at HVFC this Saturday from 10am to 2pm, and the Ladies Auxiliary Spaghetti Dinners kick off again on September 19th from 4-7pm.

If you are going to be in the Cockeysville area on October 12th, you should plan to attend the Anderson/Snyder Memorial Fund Bull Roast at Martin's Valley Mansion to raise money for the Anderson/Snyder Memorial Fund.

Lance Corporal Normal "Wally" Anderson III and Corporal Joshua David Snyder were both graduates of Hereford High School, class of 2002, and United States Marines killed wihin a month of each other in 2005.

For more information on the Bull Roast, click here.

If you live up in Northern Maryland, you are no doubt familiar with the last remaining gas station in Maryland Line.  It was featured in the hilarious movie "Guarding Tess" starring Nick Cage and Shirley McClain.

There is a new deli/restaurant in the little store called Fill Er' Up.  I eat there for lunch a couple of times a month.  The sandwiches and sides are great, if not a little pricey, but the helpings are various generous.

However, the Pizza is HORRIBLE.  I think the problem is the oven.  It leaves a carboard taste in the dough that is repulsive.  And the use of whole milk mozzarella on frozen dough is a really bad combination.

My recommendation:  stick to the sandwiches and subs, and avoid the pizza at all costs.