Alex Mann

Gettysburg-based High Performance Homes, LLC custom built a home for Dan and Suzanne Swisher in Westminster. It's a high tech, energy efficient structure. It's also made to allow Dan to zoom around on his wheelchair, easily accessing important appliances, storage areas and simple pleasures.

Hampstead resident Brittany Phillips implored the Town Council at its Nov. 13 meeting to employ environmental tests organized by the Environmental Protection Agency. Mayor Christopher Nevin asked Phillips to meet one-on-one to discuss the matter. She and others in the audience were not satisfied.

Matt Khouri and Ryan Miller, both 28 and Liberty High School grades, and co-owner Will Jenkins, a 27-year-old Glenelg Country School grad, organized an event to built brand awareness for their Delmarva Boil Company shrimp business and raise money for Hurricane Florence-torn UNC Wilmington.

Hampstead's West Street will be closed between Allstate Insurance and Towne Pride Interiors Wednesday, Nov. 14.

The City of Westminster Mayor and Common Council on Monday debated improving the city’s communication with the public, especially in respect to public safety. Lawmakers at the Nov. 12 meeting discussed bringing on a full time staffer or contracting a company to handle communications temporarily.

The Carroll County District Court has accepted a petition by the county's State's Attorney's Office to enlist the services of a special prosecutor for a criminal case against Taneytown Councilman Donald Frazier. Steven Kroll, of the Maryland State’s Attorneys’ Association, will prosecute the case.

Operation Christmas Child is taking its philanthropic initiative in Carroll County to the next level, aiming to collect 18,000 shoebox gifts. The gifts are distributed to children in need across the world. The effort has collected and distributed 157 million since its inception.

The Maryland Department of the Environment and Department of Agriculture set dates and locations for six regional workshops to help communities initiate the third phase of the Watershed Implementation Plan, which aims to reduce Chesapeake Bay pollution in line with the Total Maximum Daily Limit.

Mount Airy has scheduled a meeting for residents impacted by the tornado the touched down in town Friday, Nov. 2. Those that accrued damages or that have concerns, town resident or not, can attend the 7 p.m. meeting with the Maryland Insurance Administration Monday, Nov. 12 at Mount Airy Town Hall.

Taneytown has issued a code violation to Councilman Donald Frazier after criminal charges revealed that he rented out at least one room and apartment in the basement of his Bentley Street home. The City Code does not allow for apartments or rentals in the zoning district where his home is located.

The Taneytown Mayor and City Council convened Wednesday, Nov. 7 for their monthly workshop meeting, at which they commemorated late City Manager and former Mayor Henry Heine. Back to business later in the meeting, the lawmakers evaluated next steps for the proposed National Civil War Memorial.

A four-vehicle accident on Littlestown Pike by Meadow Branch Road around 3:25 p.m. Wednesday caused traffic to stall.

Voters resoundingly elected incumbent Republican lawmakers in the three legislative districts that touch Carroll County (Districts 4, 5 and 9). In District 5 — which covers most of Carrol — Republican Sen. Justin Ready, and Delegates Susan Krebs, Haven Shoemaker and April Rose cruised to victory.

The Mount Airy Mayor and Council deliberated Monday, Nov. 5 an ordinance that would establish in law council members duty in their capacity as liaisons on volunteer commissions. The bill stems from planning commission debate about the competing responsibilities of Councilman Bob King, the liaison.

Manchester resident Larry Burbank was inducted into the Maryland Senior Citizens Hall of Fame Oct. 25 in Glen Burnie. The Hall recognizes “Maryland senior citizens 65 years of age or older who have made outstanding volunteer contributions affecting the lives of people in the State of Maryland.”

A tenant of Taneytown Councilman Donald Frazier has filed a criminal complaint against him after Frazier allegedly burst into her apartment and assaulted her Oct. 19, leaving the woman shaken and her young son hysterical, court records, a police report and a 911 recording show.

Taneytown mayor and City Council visited renown sculptor Gary Casteel's studio Thursday. The 72-year-old artist has proposed plans for a National Civil War Memorial in the small city, 15 miles south of where the war-defining Battle of Gettysburg took place.

Residents of Hampstead, and nearby Carroll County neighbors, questioned Maryland Department of the Environment experts about the dangers of a once-polluted agricultural property, which Florida Rock Properties Inc. hopes to develop into a community called Hampstead Overlook.

Brett Owen Mack, 28, of the 100 Block of Westminster Avenue, was charged with reckless endangerment, intoxicated endangerment and first- and second-degree assault, according to Carroll County Sheriff’s Office arrest report Friday. Mack’s bail status was not available via electronic court records.

Westminster's Mayor and Common Council voted to introduce a zoning amendment that would allow for taverns and nightclubs in a tiny downtown zoning district. Council also approved the bid of a construction company to upgrade the city's sidewalk curb ramps to meet ADA regulations.

At two of Carroll County's iconic farms — Baugher's and Showvaker's — the search for the perfect pumpkin was on Saturday as children, couples and families employed their own carving criteria to pick their ideal gourd.

Taneytown's Board of Zoning Appeals approved Wednesday, Oct. 17 Carroll Biz Challenge winner Brewery Fire's appeal for special zoning to allow the microbrewery to open up show in the city. Dave Palmer and Jesse Johnson, the owners, benefitted from an outpouring of local business support.

The Historical Society of Mount Airy is seeking nominations for the 2019 Hall of Fame. The deadline is Friday, Nov. 30 and selected nominees will be inducted March 19.

Sculptor Gary Casteel, of Gettysburg, made it his mission to create a National Civil War Memorial after finding that it, unlike other major wars the United States participated in, did not have a national memorial. He's proposed to the Taneytown Mayor and Council they erect it in the small city.

Democrats Emily Shank and Jaime O'Marr are running to represent Maryland's 5th Legislative District in the state House of Delegates and Senate. Republican incumbent Sen. Justin Ready is seeking reelection. The candidates discussed state and local issues at a Community Media Center candidate forum.

The Town of Hampstead Mayor and Council were briefed by Town Manager Tammi Ledely about two mistakes related to two major projects — the Main Street Revitalization and the proposed Hampstead Overlook development. The errors are not expected to delay their respective projects.

The City of Westminster Common Council convened Monday, Oct. 8 to discuss its new water allocation policy, including a master distribution chart that works similarly to a balance sheet. Council members discussed the importance of viewing water as a invaluable, finite resource like money and gold.

As the national opioid overdose crisis and policies to combat it evolve, the drugs remain a crucial tool in treating cancer-related pain. Doctors use opioids, paired with other techniques, to improve patients quality of life. Cancer advocates work to negate unintended consequences of opioid policy.

Finksburg's Revolution Motor Works has joined a national campaign called Brakes for Breasts, for which it will donate 10 percent of each brake job to the Cleveland Clinic Breast Cancer Vaccine Research Fund.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation partnered with state and federal agencies to spearhead an initiative to increase stream-side forest in Carroll County. On Saturday, Oct. 6 the nonprofit, along with an army of volunteers, planted more than 1,000 trees on Travis Trout's farm in Keymar.

A host of veterans, public officials and civilians gathered Saturday, Oct. 6 to rededicate Westminster's Longwell Avenue Armory in the name of Private Jerome L. Day, the first soldier from Carroll County to die in World War I.

The City of Taneytown mayor and council convened for its monthly workshop meeting Wednesday, Oct. 3. A certified public accountant presented findings of the city's 2018 independent audit. Councilman Joe Vigliotti addressed a letter that Councilman Donald Frazier sent to all of the lawmakers body.

The Mount Airy Town Council welcomed its newest addition, Councilwoman Patty Washabaugh, at its monthly meeting Oct. 1. She won the town's first special election Sept. 10. At her first meeting Monday, lawmakers addressed legislation that would alter council liaisons' roles on volunteer commissions.

Howard E. Koontz III, who died Aug. 17, will be recognized with for his altruistic life at the 13th annual Carroll Community Foundation Philanthropist of the Year event Oct. 17. Koontz, a dedicated member of the Westminster Rotary Club, will be recognized as the Legacy Philanthropist of the Year.

The Office of the State Fire Marshall has announced that it is investigating the cause of a fire at a Union Street house fire early Friday morning in Westminster.

The City of Westminster’s Fall Fest Parade scheduled for Thursday night has been cancelled because of an ominous forecast, city officials confirmed.

The public poured into the Hampstead Town Hall, in an unprecedented fashion, for a Planning and Zoning Commission meeting Wednesday. Town officials slated time for developers and concerned residents to talk about a 100-acre development proposal dubbed Hampstead Overlook.

The 2018 Maryland Microbrewery Festival was cancelled Tuesday, Sept. 25, after Union Mills Homestead staff determined that the grounds hadn't rebounded from frequent episodes of heavy summer rains.

Brewery Fire co-owner Dave Palmer fielded a variety of questions after giving a brief presentation to the Taneytown Planning Commission Monday, Sept. 24. The startup brewery recently won the Carroll Biz Challenge and is eager to establish a home in Taneytown, but needs a special zoning exception.

Catching up with Scott Sirchio about Mount Airy's first Oktoberfest event, which he co-created. The family-friendly beer extravaganza is scheduled for Sept. 29 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

A group of Ukrainian diplomats toured Sykesville. “The participants [were] eager to learn how local economic development is set here, how [nonprofits] help to stimulate growth of existing business, development of entrepreneurship,” said Vitaliy Yurkiv, an economic development specialist from Kyiv.

A Westminster man was arrested after being identified as a wanted man and fighting with officers Tuesday, police said.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation announced Tuesday that, with the help of volunteers, it will plant over 1,000 trees along Little Pipe Creek in October. The nine acres of forest will serve as a riparian buffer between cattle and crop fields and the stream to help stop pollution from reaching the bay.

Local Christian outreach center Shepherd’s Staff on Wednesday announced it would continue its three-decade coat drive tradition. The 31st Call for Coats Program will be open Saturday, Sept. 22 through Friday, Nov. 16,

Heavy rains have triggered flash floods, soaked the ground and closed roads in Carroll County this summer.  They’ve also complicated an already tricky grape-growing season for vineyards and wineries.

Manchester-resident Gabriel “Gabe” Miller went through puberty early. It’s a symptom of the rare disorder he lives with. Gabe can’t go to public school because of his immune system, so his mother educates him at home. He can’t play sports, either, and social opportunities are tough to come by.

The Westminster Mayor and Common Council convened Monday, Sept. 17 to go over the latest details concerning the biggest project in city history — an approximately $70-million overhaul of its wastewater treatment facility.

More than a year after the fatal crash, friends, family and colleagues gathered Saturday at Monument City Brewing Company in Baltimore to celebrate Petty Officer 2nd Class Timothy Eckels Jr.’s life. The Manchester native was among 10 Navy sailors killed in 2017 aboard the USS John S. McCain.

Westminster's Tevis Energy sent resources and workers to Virginia and the Carolinas to fuel trucks and generators as Hurricane Florence took aim. It’s a paid gig, but that doesn’t take away from the support they’re providing and risk workers are shouldering as the storm prepares to wreak havoc.

Pfc. Martin Runk of the Westminster Police Department took the times for a ride-along Thursday, Aug. 30. The former Baltimore City police officer responded to an overdose, k