Karen Leatherwood
39 stories by Karen Leatherwood
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The 2017 Freedom Community Comprehensive Plan has been accepted by the Carroll County Planning and Zoning Commission, and is currently being discussed by - Two things have me feeling really positive about Carroll County right now. First of all, there is no controversy and contention over the county budget.
- For Carroll County residents living in one of the municipalities, the "nonpartisan" Mayoral and Town Council elections are upon us. This got me wondering, why
- I certainly understand that most people are busy and find it challenging to stay on top of everything going on in local politics. Life is busy and it is hard
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One popular internet meme features comedian/actor
- Carroll County has been operating under the assumption that we must preserve the life of the landfill. We can reasonably estimate that if we began burying all of the solid waste at Northern, the current landfill would run out of space in 15 to 20 years. Would that be a bad thing? Why is everyone convinced that preserving the landfill is the right priority?
- Stormwater management. Water quality. Land and Resource Management. Run off. Septic. Best management practices. Stream corridors. All these terms can seem a little overwhelming and hard to understand. Homeowners, here is a great solution for you. In conjunction with the county's staff members that deal with stormwater management, the Carroll County Environmental Advisory Council is presenting a
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Stagnant wages and the ever-increasing cost of living have made affordable housing an elusive dream for many in Carroll County. Living and working in the sa
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Stagnant wages and the ever-increasing cost of living have made affordable housing an elusive dream for many in Carroll County. Living and working in the sa
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From neighboring Frederick County, Katie Nash has achieved the proverbial 15 minutes of fame as a clever tweet and her subsequent firing have made internati
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Out with the old and in with the new. That is the mantra of January. We start a new year and everyone is full of hope and enthusiasm. The crisp, blank pages
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Here we are. Dec. 26. The day after Christmas. It has been celebrated as its own holiday, immortalized in song lyrics and dreaded by trash collectors
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Here we are. Dec. 26. The day after Christmas. It has been celebrated as its own holiday, immortalized in song lyrics and dreaded by trash collectors
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With cold weather upon us and heating costs rising, Carroll County employee Andrea Gerhard's recent presentation to the Board of Commissioners regarding the
- Just waking up in the morning in a safe, comfortable and cozy bed in a home with running water and reliable electricity puts me (and you) in the top tier worldwide. Join me. During this season of Thanksgiving, family gatherings and the Christmas holiday, let us all honor the legacy of the generations past and live lives full of gratitude and generosity.
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President-elect
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President-elect
- I was once skeptical about claims of voter fraud. There are long-standing jokes about voting "early and often" or the graveyard vote. To me, voter fraud seemed more likely an urban legend. That changed the year it happened to me.
- Reconciling faith and politics is impossible. I take some comfort in the fact that this has been an issue that has been dealt with for centuries. Philosophers and theologians have devoted themselves to finding their way in this juxtaposition. The oft-quoted phrase, "Power corrupts," is generally attributed to Baron Acton who, in 1887, wrote "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." Even then, this concept was not new as others had made
- I have a strong affection for property rights. There is something so basic about owning a home and land and enjoying your life on your property. As I see it, a person that owns a piece of land should be able to do with it as they wish. Of course, these rights are limited by the laws that we as a community have agreed to abide under. They should not, however, be limited by merely the preference of adjoining property owners.
- I have a strong affection for property rights. There is something so basic about owning a home and land and enjoying your life on your property. As I see it, a person that owns a piece of land should be able to do with it as they wish. Of course, these rights are limited by the laws that we as a community have agreed to abide under. They should not, however, be limited by merely the preference of adjoining property owners.
- A lot of ink has been spilled listing the things that are unappealing about Donald Trump. Even as a Republican, I could name a few.
- A lot of ink has been spilled listing the things that are unappealing about Donald Trump. Even as a Republican, I could name a few.
- In the past week, Labor Day has become the focus of a fight between Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and the state teacher's union. According to Hogan's freshly signed executive order, Labor Day is the line in the sand. Ocean City sand to be exact. Starting next school year, students will remain on summer vacation until after Labor Day. Hogan, a Republican, is not alone in his desire to see schools opening after Labor Day. Democrats Comptroller Peter Franchot and Eastern Shore Senator James Mathias
- It is back to school time, but for hundreds of Carroll County families, it is not about checking the Times for the bus schedule or making sure you are assigned the same homeroom as your best friend. All over Carroll County home school students face the end of summer break in a variety of ways. (home-schoolers are a diverse group, in fact, I have already excluded some as there are families that choose to school year round with a two- or three-week break between quarters.)
- The most important political conversation for Carroll County residents right now may not be Clinton or Trump, it may be "yes" or "no" to considering drafting a charter.
- The Republican National Convention has ended and the Democratic National Convention is beginning. The 24-hour news cycle is full of pundits praising their candidate and slamming the opposition. Surrogates notoriously excuse their candidate's weaknesses and harp on the often similar weaknesses of the competitor. I am reminded why I have shied away from national politics and gotten more involved in things locally.
- The Combined Education Committee met for the first time on June 30 and started to lay the groundwork to address the growing difference between the county government's ability to fund Carroll County Public Schools and the Board of Education's demands on the county budget. Everyone agreed that they will come into the process open minded. They will keep every option on the table. That being said, there are really just two paths: increase revenue or decrease overhead. Find additional funding through
- All over Carroll County, budget conscious families take shorter showers to save on their water bill, keep the thermostat on a setting that lowers their anticipated utility bill and monitor the usage of their internet data to contain costs. Trash service, however, is a commodity rarely considered. We place our cans on the curb and pay the flat rate bill.
- On Tuesday, June 14, the 25th annual Leadership Carroll class will be graduating. School board member Devon Rothschild will be class valedictorian, and she will
- For many, Memorial Day means a day off work, a chance to get together with family and friends for a barbecue, the unofficial start of summer and opening the pool. The purpose of Memorial Day — originally called Decoration Day — was to honor and remember those who lost their lives serving in the military.
- Logical fallacies are all around us. I was blissfully unaware of many of them until I taught ninth-grade logic last year. As my daughter and I drove home from the county budget public hearing on Thursday night, Katy rattled off some of the fallacies she had heard as she sat through the last hour of the hearing. It got me thinking, and I decided to make a list.
- Logical fallacies are all around us. I was blissfully unaware of many of them until I taught ninth-grade logic last year. As my daughter and I drove home from the county budget public hearing on Thursday night, Katy rattled off some of the fallacies she had heard as she sat through the last hour of the hearing. It got me thinking, and I decided to make a list.
- A week ago, we honored the 2016 Environmental Awareness Award winners and these words came to my mind.
- Since 1987, we have had President Reagan, President Bush (the elder), two terms of President Clinton, two terms of President Bush (the younger) and two terms of President Obama. During all that time, Thomas V. "Mike" Miller has presided over the Maryland State Senate.
- Recently, I found myself in an online discussion with a gentleman who insisted the Board of County Commissioners are to blame for low teacher salaries since they have not "fully funded" education. I double checked my information and reported back that the money budgeted for the Board of Education had been what Superintendent Stephen Guthrie had requested. I was then told that Guthrie does not ask for enough because he knows the commissioners will not approve his request. This got me thinking
- Recently, I found myself in an online discussion with a gentleman who insisted the Board of County Commissioners are to blame for low teacher salaries since they have not "fully funded" education. I double checked my information and reported back that the money budgeted for the Board of Education had been what Superintendent Stephen Guthrie had requested. I was then told that Guthrie does not ask for enough because he knows the commissioners will not approve his request. This got me thinking
- These days, many people registering to vote do not want to be associated with either major political party. There are some legitimate reasons why they feel this way. Here is the problem with that position. Maryland is a closed primary state. Many elections are decided in the primary and that is particularly true in Carroll County.