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Carroll County Public Schools is asking the county and state for $81.3 million in capital construction money for fiscal year 2028, more than double last year's ask, and the largest single-year request in at least seven years. The Board of Education discusses the plan at this afternoon’s 4 p.m. meeting. Also on today's board agenda, a second vote on the Family Life Advisory Committee roster the board rejected last month, with two new names listed as at-large appointees. There’s more on all of this below.
Also this week, the Carroll County Arts Council unveiled its fall lineup at the Carroll Arts Center, headlined by a new local-musician concert series. That kicks off this Saturday, Sept. 12, with June Star, and some guy named Mike Holden opening.
Around town, R/C Theatres brings back its $5 back-to-school movie deal, The Double Barrel Tasting Room's website is officially live, and TownMall has Halloween trick-or-treating on the calendar.
Let's get into it.
👀 Around Town
🎬 R/C Theatres brings back its annual Back to School deal — $5 movies, Sept. 8–Oct. 8 — tickets are on sale now. Some restrictions apply. See details.
🦴 Westminster Wire cleared up some location confusion after Facebook comments had it wrong: the new OrthoMaryland Walk-In Care at the 140 Village Center is going in to the right of the old Shoppers space — signage is up outside. Watch the video.
🍷 The Double Barrel Tasting Room — the 24-tap wine bar opening this fall at 73 W. Main St. — announced its website is now live at thedoublebarrel.co, with a first look at its story, menu, The Barrel Club, and its debut merch collection. Read a May Westminster Wire article about it.
🎃 TownMall of Westminster hosts Mall Wide Trick or Treating, Saturday, Oct. 31, 1 p.m. until the candy runs out, at Center Court — stop by for a free trick-or-treat drawstring bag. Sponsored by Shoe Ortho.
🚧 Westminster Wire answered a question we hear a lot — what does the "Boardwalk to Nowhere" connect to? On one end, the answer is: the existing Bennett Cerf Trail, once you cross Hahn Road. Watch the video.
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🗞️ News
📚 Carroll Schools' Capital Budget Request More Than Doubles to $81M, Even as Liberty High's State Funding Shrinks
Carroll County Public Schools is asking the county and state for $81.3 million in capital construction money for fiscal year 2028 — more than double last year's ask, and the largest single-year capital request in at least seven years. The jump comes from HVAC and roof jobs hitting full construction cost at five schools simultaneously, plus construction-bid inflation, while Liberty High School's modernization saw its anticipated state funding cut by $27 million. The Board of Education takes public comment through September and votes on the plan Oct. 14.
👪 CCPS Board Packet Shows New Family Life Advisory Committee Picks Ahead of Today's Vote
Materials for today's Carroll County Board of Education meeting show two changes to the Family Life Advisory Committee roster the board rejected in a 1-4 vote last month. Kristen Zihmer named Elizabeth Devilbiss as her at-large appointee, replacing Krista Schultz, whose nomination Zihmer withdrew in August over resurfaced Facebook posts. Board President Steve Whisler has swapped in Amy Gilford in place of Kathryn Hart, the appointee whose selection outside the committee's normal application process drew objections last month, a scenario CCPS staff said the guidelines were "silent on." Hart told Westminster Wire she rescinded her nomination herself. One of the four no votes last month, Dr. Greg Malveaux, said afterward it was a mix-up; he believed he was voting on Zihmer's withdrawal, not the Hart appointment, and has pledged to support the roster at today’s meeting, though it would still fail 2-3 if Zihmer, Tara Battaglia and Dr. Patricia Dorsey hold their objections. The board takes up the revised roster at today's 4 p.m. meeting. The Carroll County Times is reporting that “Like Hart, Gilford did not follow the application process, according to a list of applicants,” the newspaper obtained.
🎭 Carroll Arts Center Unveils Fall Lineup, Headlined by a New Hometown Concert Series
The Carroll County Arts Council announced its fall 2026 season at the Carroll Arts Center, 91 W. Main St., headlined by a new Hometown Headliner concert series spotlighting local musicians: June Star on Sept. 12 and Ebb & Nova's 10th-anniversary show on Oct. 23, both at 7:30 p.m. Live performances move to tiered pricing ($20–$30+, $10 for under 18). The fall calendar also includes film screenings — Reign Over Me (Sept. 11), The Phantom of the Opera (Oct. 27), Ex Machina (Oct. 28), and The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Oct. 30) — free community jams Oct. 7 and Nov. 4, a new community exhibition, Our Collective Canvas, running Sept. 17–Nov. 7, and classes ranging $35–$250.
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— Westminster Wire