Harford County

Regarding your article about Harford County teachers, our teachers were promised a significant raise and weren't given it ("High school teachers stage protest in Harford County," May 30). We wouldn't be where we are today without teachers, and they're underappreciated. They don't make a lot of money, so they deserved this raise. Instead, all of our money is going toward athletes and singers, who aren't doing anything to shape our world. I hope these protests work out, because these teachers undoubtedly have earned the money.

Many Harford County residents were missing from work and school Tuesday, at least some of them, presumably, to attend the massive celebration held in downtown Baltimore in honor of the Ravens' Super Bowl victory. Attendance at Harford County Public Schools was at 89 percent as of shortly after 3 p.m. Tuesday, Teri Kranefeld, communications manager with HCPS, wrote in an email. She noted that not all schools had reported their attendance for the day, but said "daily average" attendance is usually at 96 percent.

Emmorton Travel Baseball is seeking coaches for the 2013 season. Coaches are needed for 8U, 9U, 10U, 11U, 12U and 13U. All interested coaches for the 2013 season are asked to forward resume to Rob Cullison, Travel Coordinator, at  rccullison@verizon.net by 9/24/12. All candidates must submit resume including 2012 travel information. The Forest Hill Storm will be holding tryouts for its 2013 13U team. Tryouts will be held Sunday at noon and Sunday, Sept. 16, at 5 p.m..

Arbor Day 2012 will be recognized by Harford on Friday at 9 a.m. at the Harford Waste Disposal Center (Scarboro Landfill) at 3135 Scarboro Road in Street. The Arbor Day festivities will consist of tree plantings, displays, demonstrations, exhibits, refreshments and a free tree for all who attend. The goal is to plant 1,200 tree seedlings at the Scarboro Landfill site. The Arbor Day 2012 activities mark Harford County earning the Tree City USA award from the National Arbor Day Foundation for the ninth consecutive year.

Planning is complicated, especially as those who make the decisions are rarely the same as those whose lives are affected. I wonder, though, if a little less government planning and a little more of citizens building solutions might do us all (and county budgets) some good. I noticed that on April 29, a Harford County-funded Arbor Day tree planting was held at Cedar Lane Regional Park (close to the Bynum Run Conservation Area). The idea was to promote caring for the community forest to foster a healthy environment in a sustainable community.

From all indications, Harford County has enough registered voters to qualify for two additional early voting sites for next year's presidential election. The state's threshold to qualify for the additional sites is 150,000 voters. That number was reached in the past week. The county's top election official says the Harford Board of Elections plans to recommend to the state board that early voting sites be designated inAberdeen and Edgewood to go along with the existing site inBel Air. We respectfully disagree with such reasoning.

The massive database of tax bills we compiled for properties in Baltimore -- what owners had to pay and what breaks if any they received -- is getting some suburban company. Take a gander at this new searchable database of Harford County property taxes . It's for the tax year that ends Saturday, giving you a look at bills for the last 12 months and an opportunity to compare and contrast. How does your bill compare with your neighbors' bills? How much are big companies paying?

An aquatics center is the latest splash at the Walter & Betty Ward Family Center Y in Abingdon. As part of a $3.5 million expansion of the Harford County facility, the aquatics center includes two indoor pools: a lap pool and a warm-water family pool. Renovations to the center also include more multipurpose areas and space for youth activities, as well as additional parking and an outdoor patio adjacent to the indoor pool. In a letter to Y members, center director Suzanne Green and president and CEO John K. Hoey wrote, “We hope that these additions will enhance your Y experience, while allowing more families, youth and seniors in Harford County to become more active and engaged in their community.” The Walter & Betty Ward Family Center Y is located at 101 Walter Ward Blvd., in Abingdon.

Editor: I agree wholeheartedly with Lisa Muller's letter, "Making a case for better bus service in Harford County," published Jan. 25 in The Aegis. We need bigger buses and more buses that run more often. We need shelters at bus stops. We need better treatment of disabled and senior citizen bus passengers, and as for weekend service, Harford County buses don't even run on Saturdays! In the past few years, Harford County's population has grown by leaps and bounds, but as for public transportation, it's like we're living in the day of the stagecoach!

Special Olympics Maryland has named Stacy Alford as an area, county director team. Alford was born and raised in Baltimore County. She moved to Harford County in 2008 and lives in the Forest Hill area of the county. She is a professional with a national strategic fundraising company who will bring her wealth of experience to the Harford County sub-program. As an aunt to her 8-year-old niece, Leah, with Down Syndrome, Alford also brings the value of personal experience with athletes with intellectual disabilities.