Study Considers Oyster Solutions

St. Mary's Resident Named To State Arts Council

Barbara Bershon, executive director of the River Concert Series at St. Mary's College of Maryland, recently was appointed by Gov. Martin O'Malley to a three-year term on the Maryland State Arts Council.

"The caliber and experience of Barbara Bershon, together with the vision and capacity of our leadership team, will ensure that accessibility, artistic excellence and diversity are hallmarks of Maryland's arts community," O'Malley said in a statement. "We are inspired and grateful for her commitment to serve this vibrant sector."

St. Mary's Sheriff's Office Helps Scouts Earn Badges

Deputies and crime laboratory technicians from the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office recently helped 83 Girl Scouts at Camp Winona in Hughesville receive law and order merit badges.

Detective Vyvyan Walker provided the Scouts with information about how detectives conduct criminal case reviews. Detective Eric Walker talked about gangs. Crime laboratory technician Summer Porter taught them about fingerprinting, and technician Amanda Pilkerton discussed crime scene sketching.

Highway Administration Continues Calvert Projects

The Maryland Department of Transportation's State Highway Administration has begun a $345,000 safety and intersection improvement project along Route 2/4 between Route 524 (Old Town Road) and Walnut Creek Road in Calvert County.

The administration will build an auxiliary/acceleration lane to improve intersection operations. The project is expected to be completed by December.

The new lane, on the right side of southbound Route 2/4, will provide more room for traffic leaving the Walnut Creek subdivision to accelerate before merging into southbound traffic.

Duke Street at Route 2/4 in Prince Frederick has been closed for about a week, partly to accommodate widening and re-grading. Drivers can access Duke Street during construction by taking Route 2/4 to Old Field Lane and turning left on Merrimac Court to Duke Street.

The Route 2/4 widening project extends from Old Field Lane/Sherry Lane to Commerce Lane and includes the Route 2/4 intersection with Route 231 (Church Street/Hallowing Point Road). Work includes widening from four to six lanes and improvements to intersections and turn lanes. The project is expected to be completed by fall 2010.

Southern Maryland Sites Receive Grants

The Southern Maryland Heritage Area Consortium awarded $16,750 total to projects in Calvert, Charles and St. Mary's counties in its fifth annual mini-grant program.

The award recipients include: