Stimulus

ANNAPOLIS -- Roads and building projects have been stalled across Maryland because of a lack of money, and Del. LeRoy E. Myers Jr. said officials are considering using federal stimulus money to jump-start projects that are ready to go. President-elect Barack Obama has said he will push Congress to approve an $850 billion stimulus package. However, Maryland lawmakers do not know how much they will receive, or when they will find out, leaving some uncertainty in approving the state's budget.

Dear Sen. Mikulski: I am watching with great interest this week's debate over Barack Obama's zillion-dollar economic stimulus package, and I only have one question. Now don't worry, I'm not going to bust your chops for relying on those witch doctors we know as "economists. " Hey, did your hear this one? Shepherd is driving his massive flock of sheep across a rural Scottish road and a dude drives up in a car. Rather than being perturbed at the delay, he gets out and appraises the herd.

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- Debbie Hilliard and the staff at the Walnut Street Community Health Center are rejoicing in the news they will be receiving $155,648 in federal funds -- enough to hire a new family practice physician and two support personnel. There was joy in Hancock, too, where the Tri-State Community Health Center has pulled in $276,539 for its facilities in Hancock, Cumberland, Md., and McConnellsburg, Pa. Both awards were announced recently by U.S. Sens Barbara A. Mikulski and Benjamin L. Cardin, Maryland Democrats.

WAYNESBORO, Pa. -- Franklin County, Pa., schools are poised to receive $10.2 million of federal stimulus money, according to figures released Wednesday by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed by President Obama on Feb. 17, included $2.6 billion for Pennsylvania schools. The state divided the money into categories, providing money for programs affecting economically disadvantaged students, education of special needs students and technology improvements.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. -- Shenandoah Valley Medical Systems Inc. is expected to receive $368,060 in federal stimulus funding for community health center services, U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd's office announced Friday. Shenandoah Valley Medical Systems, which is at 99 Tavern Road in Martinsburg, is one of 29 health centers in West Virginia that will receive a total of nearly $7 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, according to a press release from Byrd's office. "Boldly addressing our nation's health-care issues must be a key component of any strategy for long-term economic growth and prosperity," said Byrd, D-West Virginia.

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- Maryland's current economic trouble will pale in comparison to the pain felt if state officials do not properly manage an influx of federal stimulus money, Washington County lawmakers said Wednesday. Members of the county's delegation to Annapolis predicted even deeper cuts next year by the General Assembly if the economy does not rebound significantly. "I would describe the budget that we passed this year as lean, but not mean," said Sen. Donald F. Munson, R-Washington.

BLUE RIDGE SUMMIT, Pa. -- The Blue Ridge Fire and Rescue Squad has applied for almost $1.3 million in stimulus money to build a substation in Rouzerville, Pa. Now the department is soliciting the community for land that could be used if the Federal Emergency Management Agency grant is awarded. "We really need the township support and community support to make it happen," said James Devlin, a department member who prepared the application and submitted it earlier this month.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- In a major victory for President Barack Obama, Democrats muscled a huge, $787 billion stimulus bill through Congress late Friday night in hopes of combating the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Republican opposition was nearly unanimous. The Senate approved the measure 60-38 with three GOP moderates providing crucial support. Hours earlier, the House vote was 246-183, with all Republicans opposed to the package of tax cuts and federal spending that Obama has made the centerpiece of his plan for economic recovery.

o If you like reading Tim Rowland, you'll love watching him. See what else Tim has to say Fort Frederick's history as a fort was relatively brief; it spent many more years as a walled farm, operated by an enterprising black man named Nathan Williams, who bought freedom for himself and his wife, and then purchased the fort in 1860 for $7,000. Williams planted fruit trees and vegetables within the stone walls, which is one way to keep the deer at bay. During the Civil War, he sold produce to Union soldiers, as well as to Confederates garrisoned across the Potomac River.

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- With waiting lists for Section 8 and public housing growing ever-longer, short-term rental assistance programs can mean the difference between a modest home and life on the streets for many Washington County residents, Community Action Council (CAC) Deputy Director Sherry L. Neil said. CAC expects to be able to extend that assistance to an additional 20 to 25 families in the coming months with the help of about $40,000 in federal stimulus funds as part of the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program, Neil said.