If funding is not renewed for an Army robotics program, General Dynamics has announced that it will lay off 132 employees this fall. While the current contract for the Autonomous Navigation System has run out, the company will keep the employees for 60 days, with the hope of continued federal funding for the program with next year’s fiscal budget. Read more . . .

A partnership between Carroll County and the Maryland Broadband Cooperative will provide businesses high-speed Internet access throughout the county. Carroll County Economic Development officials announced Tuesday that the Carroll County Fiber Network will be completed by springtime. Read more . . .

Train Up A Child opened July 27^th on Main Street in Sykesville. They offer new and used curriculum and teacher materials for pre-kindergarten through 12^th grade. Read more . . .

New survey by Intuit showed that the number of small business jobs in Maryland increased by 0.1 percent in August. The growth, while small, was about the same as the national rate. Read more . . .

Local group Waste Not! Carroll has volunteered to provide the containers, services and materials to the county to make it possible to recycle the disposables of the approximately 20,000 attendees. This is the first year that this is being done, and both the county and Waste Not! Carroll are pleased that it will serve as an example to encourage the public to recycle. Read more . . .

Meals on Wheels serves 125 clients in Carroll County, and thanks to an anonymous donation, as well as a donation from Wal-Mart Foundation, they can now serve the meals better. They were able to purchase a new van with a larger storage capacity and both hot and cold compartments to keep the meals at Heath Department approved temperatures. Read more . . .

McDaniel College was ranked 122nd among liberal arts colleges and universities in the U. S. News & World Report's 2011 annual college rankings. They were one of the 189 liberal arts colleges listed in the first tier of the standings. Read more . . .

New Windsor’s new wastewater treatment plant will replace the town’s sewage lagoons, complying with the Maryland Department of Environment’s requirements for the town by 2012. By removing nitrogen and phosphorous from the system’s runoff, it will keep these pollutants out of the Chesapeake Bay. Read more . . .

After Sykesville residents vetoed the use of speed cameras in town, the police department dedicated a traffic enforcement officer to monitor speeding. However, businesses along Main Street are worried that the risk of getting a speeding ticket may discourage people from visiting and shopping in Sykesville. Read more . . .

As your child selects an instrument for school this fall, Coffee Music can be a great asset. With their good selection of new and used instruments, along with their outstanding customer service, they can simplfy shopping for this back-to-school item. Read more . . .

The Maryland Association of Counties’ 2010 Summer Conference will have a session on Thursday, August 19^th entitled “The New Reality: The face of County Government Employment in the Future.” Carole Hammen, Director of Carroll’s Department of Human Resources, will be speaking on county employment, as well as moderating a session regarding federal health care reform. Read more . . .

Harvey Tegeler, Brenda Myers and Karen Palmer received awards from the Maryland Association of Insurance & Financial Advisors at their annual leadership conference in Cambridge. Read more . . .

BGE will go ahead with plans to upgrade to a high-tech “smart grid”, having agreed to Maryland Public Service Commission's revised BGE’s proposal. The revision limits BGE from directly charging customers for the upgrade, but allows BGE to retain a $200 million Department of Energy stimulus grant to implement the conversion. Read more . . .

Taneytown City Council voted unanimously for Hess to once again serve on the City Council. He brings with him experience from his 2003 to 2005 term, when he served as council liaison to the Parks and Recreation committee. Read more . . .

The Commissioner Candidates present their views about creating a countywide police force. Read more . . .

New business Mariah-Belle Pet Care, owned by Rachann Mayer, offers eco-friendly boarding, grooming and day care for dogs and cats. It is located at 2 Bond Street, Suite D in Westminster. Read more . . .

Mobile marketing and advertising is undergoing tremendous growth, resulting in a paradigm shift of how people receive information. Because of this, Internet marketing and advertising have adapted new techniques to reach more users. Read more . . .