Shh!
Veterans Administration officials were doing a lot of explaining and apologizing when they appeared on Capitol Hill this week to face the House Veterans Affairs Committee.

For sale
Allegany County probably could not have picked a better time to weigh offers to purchase its nursing home. Six potential owners have stepped forward. The county is one of just three subdivisions in Maryland that own and operate a nursing home. The others are Frederick and Harford counties.

Top drawer
Cresaptown Elementary is one of the best schools in Maryland. The Blue Ribbon proves it. Out of 860 elementary schools in Maryland, Cresaptown was one of only six to receive the state's Blue Ribbon School of Excellence award - the first ever earned by a school in Allegany County.

Big issues
Although the situations are hardly comparable, the sentiment Benjamin Franklin expressed during the signing of the Declaration of Independence should be appreciated by those who attended a recent tri-county economic development session.

Dear Santa
One of the most beloved pieces of American writing appeared in the New York Sun newspaper in 1897, Francis Church's editorial response to an 8-year-old girl named Virginia O'Hanlon, who wanted to know if there was a Santa Claus.

Positive step
Communication can go a long way to helping resolve a problem. That is why we are encouraged to see Sheriff David Goad and the Allegany County commissioners finally agreeing to resume discussion on the sheriff’s department overtime issue.