Editorial: Thumbs down for church vandalism; thumbs up for fair, K-9 dogs, teacher nomination

Thumbs down: On this we can be clear: Hatred has no place in Carroll County. Now, we’ll also be clear that an investigation is underway and there is much we don’t know. But it’s alarming and disappointing that a local church was vandalized last weekend with hateful language and symbols. Police tell us that swastikas and curse words were spray-painted at Stoney Ridge Missionary Baptist Church in Marriottsville. The vandal wrote an obscenity on the church’s sign, spray-painted the back corner of the church, which houses the Sunday school, and sprayed two walls of the shed behind the church, the church’s pastor told us. The graffiti depicted “racist," “devil worship kind of symbols,” a swastika, and “curse words,” Pastor Aaron Jones said, adding that “The letters ‘N, I, G,’ were on the back wall.” While many Missionary Baptist churches in the area are predominantly African-American, Jones said Stoney Ridge welcomes everyone and is not predominantly African-American. Jones, of course, could not say whether someone targeted the church specifically. Now, some might argue that this didn’t do real harm to anyone, and maybe the perpetrator didn’t have malicious intent, and so on. But that’s noise. This is unacceptable behavior — full stop. We do applaud the community, however, for banding together soon after this graffiti was discovered and working to set it right. “Really what it did was it showed the love of the community for this historic church and it brought the members of the church together to clean up and do a good thing,” Jones told us. We’re pleased and impressed with that response. But that doesn’t change the reality that this should never have happened.

Thumbs up: It’s hard not to love fair season. Another year of the Carroll County 4-H & FFA Fair is in the books, and all signs indicate it was another successful year. For one thing, the cake auction once again broke a record, pulling in $87,300 overall. That blew past the previous record, set just last year, of $70,000. The cake auction — which also this year had the distinction of becoming the subject of new board game Carroll County Cake Swap — is the largest fundraiser every year for the fair. “It’s an incredibly important event for the fair because it raises enough money to keep the fair free for the public and the 4-H program going for the youth of Carroll County,” Amy Petkovsek, cake auction superintendent for the fair, told us. With that in mind, we’d like to thank everyone who turned out with wallets in hand, their hearts open and their minds (and maybe stomachs) prepared to help keep this thing going. We can’t wait for another year of mutton busting, tractor pulling, livestock showing, music performing, fair food munching and so on and so on.

Thumbs up: This week has been a good one for dog news. The Westminster Police Department could soon have a drug detection K-9 dog assigned to its street-level drug unit, thanks to a donation from Fratelli’s Italian and Seafood in Hampstead. The restaurant presented a supersized $15,000 check to the police department Friday. The department currently has one police K-9 — Foxy. “This will afford us the opportunity to have the utility of a police canine whenever our drug unit is working,” Westminster police Chief Thomas Ledwell told us. This is an immense, generous donation, and it could help make our communities at least a little safer. Plus, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit welcomed a new addition, Lazar, who completed his training this week and began work on Friday. Lazar is a 1-1/2-year-old German shepherd, all black in color, and is partnered with Deputy First Class Ullrich. The two successfully completed a six-week Patrol and Narcotic K-9 Academy. Lazar is replacing K-9 Buhl, who retired in April. We’re told Lazar has a strong nose and a great work ethic. We’re confident he’ll serve Carroll County well.

Thumbs up: A local teacher has been named a finalist for the 2019 Presidential Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics and Science — the American government’s highest recognition for mathematics and science teachers. Hannah McNett, who teaches environmental science and biology courses at Manchester Valley High School, was one of three teachers from Maryland recommended for the award. That’s some elite company. If she is selected, McNett will be commended by the president of the United States and recognized in Washington, D.C. If she wins the national award, she told us, she hopes to put the prize money toward her daughter’s education. She’s not the only Carroll County Public Schools teacher to receive award nominations, so we know for a fact that she represents a strong corps of educators who continue to work hard and make us proud. The nomination itself is a great honor, but we’ll still be rooting for her to win.