Aids

Granting an appeal by Gov. Martin O'Malley, the Obama administration reversed course Friday and approved disaster aid for Somerset County residents who suffered damage from the remnants of Hurricane Sandy. However, the federal government did not alter its Dec. 3 decision to deny help to Western Maryland. "This assistance will provide much-needed and long-awaited relief for hundreds of residents in Somerset County," O'Malley said in a statement released Friday night. "Well, that is grand," said Somerset homeowner Sandy Sturgis after hearing the news.

State and local officials have returned to the Eastern Shore communities ravaged by superstorm Sandy's heavy rains and high winds to comb over the damage in hopes of appealing federal officials' decision to deny aid to Maryland. The Federal Emergency Management Agency declined the state's request for funds for individual residents because the damage was not considered substantial enough. But U.S. Sens. Barbara A. Mikulski and Ben Cardin, Gov. Martin O'Malley's administration and other state leaders vowed this week to appeal the decision, citing extensive damage to the area, where more than 300 homes are estimated to have been severely damaged.

Maryland's congressional delegation continued to press the Obama administration Friday to reconsider its decision to deny federal aid to Eastern Shore families hurt by superstorm Sandy as state leaders encouraged victims to report damage. In a letter Friday, Sens. Barbara A. Mikulski and Ben Cardin asked FEMA administrator Craig Fugate to "exercise flexibility" in determining whether residents in Somerset, Worcester and Dorchester counties should be eligible to apply for federal housing aid. Federal Emergency Management Agency officials determined this week that the damage in Maryland from the Oct. 29 storm was not extensive enough to justify assistance for several hundred families whose homes were affected.

Continuing a tradition begun in 2008, members of the Bel Air New Car Dealers Association made two $5,000 donations to Harford County charitable institutions that serve members of the community in the greatest need for food and shelter. Checks were presented Tuesday to the Harford Community Action Agency in Edgewood, which manages and stocks the county's food banks, and the Faith Communities and Civic Agencies United (FCCAU) Welcome One Emergency Shelter in Belcamp. "We had two very successful parking lot sales at the Festival at Bel Air during 2012, over the Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends," Thomas D. Walls, president of the Bel Air New Car Dealers Association, wrote in a press release.

An aide at the Maryland School for the Deaf was charged Thursday with molesting three girls when they were students at the school between 2008 and 2010, Howard County police said. One of the three girls – now ages 15 and 16 and no longer at the Columbia school – recently reported her allegation to a teacher, after learning that she might not have been the only student repeatedly inappropriately touched, police said. That led to the investigation, and detectives are exploring the possibility that there may be more victims, according to police.

U.S. Sens. Barbara A. Mikulski and Ben Cardin publicly challenged on Wednesday a federal decision not to provide aid to Maryland residents affected by Hurricane Sandy - calling on President Barack Obama and federal emergency officials to rethink the decision. "It's a sad day in Maryland," Mikulski said at a hearing on storm relief efforts before the Senate Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee, holding up a copy of The Baltimore Sun reporting the Federal Emergency Management Agency's decision Tuesday to deny Maryland families aid. The areas hit by the storm are some of the most "cash poor" in the state, she said - and people can't recover on their own. "We understand the collective damage issue," Cardin said, noting the many fronts of storm damage FEMA is handling.

Trying to make sense of the Obama administration denying federal relief to Maryland for the flooding and other damage caused by Hurricane Sandy, and I'm coming up dry. No one besides maybe Grover Norquist would have beefed had Maryland picked up a few million bucks to help some homeowners in the Eastern Shore counties of Worcester, Somerset and Dorchester. There are, however, howls about the denial. The damage was limited here, but it was concentrated and significant, certainly enough to justify some help.

A new study predicts that exporting the nation's cheap, seemingly abundant supplies of natural gas will boost the U.S. economy, giving a nudge to prospects for shipping liquefied fuel abroad from a nearly idle terminal in the Chesapeake Bay. The report, commissioned by the Department of Energy , finds that the economic benefits gained from exporting liquefied natural gas, or LNG, outweigh the impact that higher domestic fuel prices may have...

The Obama administration has denied Maryland's request for federal aid for hundreds of Eastern Shore residents affected by superstorm Sandy, prompting an outcry from state officials, who vowed to appeal the decision. Though the federal government issued a disaster declaration for Maryland and is helping cover costs for repairing public property, Federal Emergency Management Agency officials said the storm did not cause enough damage to justify assistance to individuals who lost homes or businesses.

On Nov. 16, Venture Crew 307, the co-ed Scouting unit chartered to Catonsville United Methodist Church, held a successful steak dinner and silent auction fundraiser. On behalf of the crew, I would like to thank the more than 200 people that came and supported this effort. Our silent auction was a success because of the many donations by local businesses and friends of the program. They are: A.W.O.L. Skate Shop, U.S. Barber, Sam's Bagels, Smyth Jewelers, Sarafino's, Phoenix Emporium, Roy's Restaurant and Play it Again Sports.