Aberdeen City

Our politicians in Aberdeen are back at the wheel, trying to steer residents down a path in which they have no interest. The mayor and City Council had a "retreat" at Ripken Stadium a few weekends ago, where they started to work on their plans to solve the problems here in Aberdeen. Some of the ideas have merit but are approached from the wrong angle. Mayor Michael E. Bennett proposes securing investments for a pub or bar in "downtown Aberdeen" - we can describe this as the area on West Bel Air Avenue between the train tracks - and he explains that we need to eliminate height restrictions for this to happen.

Aldi Supermarket will hold a hiring event Friday in Aberdeen in preparation for the opening of its new store later this year. The hiring event will be held from 6 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Express, 1007 Beards Hill Road in Aberdeen. Aldi is looking to fill positions such as cashier, shift manager and manager trainee, the company said in a media advisory for the event. Pay rates quoted in the advisory are $12 hourly for cashier, $16.25 hourly for shift manager and $25 per hour for manager trainee.

Aldi Supermarket will hold a hiring event Friday in Aberdeen in preparation for the opening of its new store later this year. The hiring event will be held from 6 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Express, 1007 Beards Hill Road in Aberdeen. Aldi is looking to fill positions such as cashier, shift manager and manager trainee, the company said in a media advisory for the event. Pay rates quoted in the advisory are $12 hourly for cashier, $16.25 hourly for shift manager and $25 per hour for manager trainee.

A 16-year-old boy has been charged in connection with the explosion of two improvised bottle bombs in an Aberdeen Dumpster, according to state fire marshals. Aberdeen city police originally responded to the first block of East Bel Air Avenue for a calls of "shots fired" shortly after 10 p.m. Thursday, according to a notice of investigation from the State Fire Marshal's Office. Police discovered two explosive devices – bottle bombs – inside a commercial Dumpster at the Magnolia Apartments, according to the notice.

A witch hunt was what Aberdeen Councilman Charles Boutin called it. We presume he meant that the supposed target of the hunt was a witch, not the official conducting the hunt. But we can't be sure, given the open revolution at Aberdeen City Hall.In an episode evocative of Al Haig's megalomaniacal White House declaration that "I'm in charge here," Mayor Ruth Elliott escalated her battle with the City Council last week by suspending the police chief against council objections, accusing him of fixing parking tickets.

Aberdeen's City Council unanimously approved annexations of more than 500 acres last night - crucial properties that officials say could pave the way for the construction of thousands of homes - in the face of a public hearing that drew hundreds of people in protest. About 300 people turned out for the council hearing - so many that it had to be moved from Aberdeen's City Hall to a larger hall at the nearby municipal Fire Department. Some saw irony in the council's surprise at the turnout and lack of foresight in finding a larger venue for the hearing because the chief concerns voiced by the public include whether the city can properly plan for how such growth will affect infrastructure.

A 16-year-old boy has been charged in connection with the explosion of two improvised bottle bombs in an Aberdeen Dumpster, according to state fire marshals. Aberdeen city police originally responded to the first block of East Bel Air Avenue for a calls of "shots fired" shortly after 10 p.m. Thursday, according to a notice of investigation from the State Fire Marshal's Office. Police discovered two explosive devices – bottle bombs – inside a commercial Dumpster at the Magnolia Apartments, according to the notice.

ABERDEEN -- A 27-year-old night clerk at the Econo Lodge Motel on Route 22 near Interstate 95 was today listed in critical condition after being shot late last night during a robbery, said a city police spokesman.Maj. Harry Gruber said Glenda Darlene Wyatt, a resident of Joppa, was behind the desk shortly before midnight when a man dressed in dark clothing and armed with a 9 mm handgun entered the lobby and announced a holdup.While Ms. Wyatt reached for the money, the gunman ordered two other female employees onto the floor after firing two warning shots into the ceiling.

With its second new city charter in two years, Aberdeen holds a municipal election Tuesday that offers the century-old community the potential to make a fresh start after the embarrassment of a contentious, petty governance since 1992.Two City Council members and a mayor will be elected for two-year terms.The campaign is dominated by the ongoing battle between Mayor Ruth Elliott and at least three other members of the council, including Councilman Charles R. Boutin who is her challenger.That deep-seated enmity has clearly harmed the city, in issues ranging from personnel management to annexation questions to daily office operations, even though the mayor and council have agreed on some matters to keep the wheels rolling.

A committee reviewing Aberdeen's charter will also look into the possibility of extending term lengths for members of the City Council. Aberdeen City Council members serve two-year terms and all face elections in the same year. Many of the council members, as well as Mayor Michael E. Bennett, say that lengthening the term to four years and staggering the elections would be better for the city. A nine-member committee, appointed by the City Council, will report its findings and recommendations in November.

The City of Aberdeen's annual Earth Day celebration drew a good crowd to Festival Park Saturday, as the weather cooperated with sunny skies and mild temperatures. There were plenty of games made from recycled materials for the youngsters to play and plenty of animals for them to see and touch, including turtles, a green iguana, a chinchilla and rabbits. Earth Day also featured a number of environmental exhibits and activities such as face-painting and tie-dyed shirt making.

Our politicians in Aberdeen are back at the wheel, trying to steer residents down a path in which they have no interest. The mayor and City Council had a "retreat" at Ripken Stadium a few weekends ago, where they started to work on their plans to solve the problems here in Aberdeen. Some of the ideas have merit but are approached from the wrong angle. Mayor Michael E. Bennett proposes securing investments for a pub or bar in "downtown Aberdeen" - we can describe this as the area on West Bel Air Avenue between the train tracks - and he explains that we need to eliminate height restrictions for this to happen.

A committee reviewing Aberdeen's charter will also look into the possibility of extending term lengths for members of the City Council. Aberdeen City Council members serve two-year terms and all face elections in the same year. Many of the council members, as well as Mayor Michael E. Bennett, say that lengthening the term to four years and staggering the elections would be better for the city. A nine-member committee, appointed by the City Council, will report its findings and recommendations in November.

Aberdeen's City Council unanimously approved annexations of more than 500 acres last night - crucial properties that officials say could pave the way for the construction of thousands of homes - in the face of a public hearing that drew hundreds of people in protest. About 300 people turned out for the council hearing - so many that it had to be moved from Aberdeen's City Hall to a larger hall at the nearby municipal Fire Department. Some saw irony in the council's surprise at the turnout and lack of foresight in finding a larger venue for the hearing because the chief concerns voiced by the public include whether the city can properly plan for how such growth will affect infrastructure.

Aberdeen's water woes deepened after a water-use commission again delayed a decision on whether the city could supplement its supply with water from a Harford County river. Tom Beauduy, deputy director and counsel of the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, said the group would likely wait until December to rule on the permit because the city has not submitted results of a well-capacity test performed several weeks ago. The city wants to use water from Deer Creek so it can reduce its reliance on wells near Aberdeen Proving Ground in which perchlorate, a hazardous chemical, was discovered in June.

Ground-water samples taken by the Army near Aberdeen's drinking-water wells contain a chemical linked to thyroid cancer, and a top environmental officer at Aberdeen Proving Ground says that discovery makes the area a "high priority" for investigation and treatment. The Army and Environmental Protection Agency stressed that no traces of the chemical, perchlorate, were found in the drinking water or in the 11 wells along the APG boundary. "It's not in city wells, but it's close -- too close for comfort," said University of Maryland toxicologist Cal Baier-Anderson, who works closely with the post on environmental issues.

ABERDEEN -- Hometown pride manifests itself as never before in the respect and admiration among friends and neighbors who watched Cal Ripken Jr. grow up. The mere idea of a museum in his honor is more than that. It will soon be reality, with the grand opening scheduled, along with a parade, on the day after he promises to establish baseball's all-time record for individual longevity.For circling a date on your calendar, make it Sept. 6 when he is scheduled to surpass what was believed to be Lou Gehrig's heretofore untouchable mark of playing 2,130 games for the New York Yankees.

How times have changed in Aberdeen politics. After two tumultuous years since creation of the city charter in 1992, the waters have calmed and the Harford County municipality is moving forward with its daily business. That's apparent in the city election Tuesday, where three candidates are running for two council seats.Absent from the scene is Ruth Elliott, the first directly elected mayor, and her standard bearers, who waged an ongoing battle with the "establishment" of the City Council.