A message from the Sheriff's Office: The phony grant scheme is a popular scheme used by fraud criminals. In these cases, a small business will get a phone call from a so-called grant writing service that will promise the unsuspecting victim government grants of hundreds of thousands of dollars. In order to get the grant, the small business owner has to pay a processing fee of $3,000 to $5,000, and is told it can take two years to get the grant. During that time the fake "grant-writing company" disappears with the money. These schemes often target struggling small businesses are they are more likely to seek these grants because of money constraints.

Scammers are not only after money but also services; in one scam the business owner will get a call purportedly from the telephone company telling the business it wants to check the line and to enter a certain code. Once the business owner does that the scam artist can place long distance phone calls and bill them to the business. The code that the business owner entered inadvertently gave the criminal access to the small businesses phone service which means that the criminal can charge phone use to the small business' phone bill.

According to the Better Business Bureau, in another scam, operators of the scheme will gather enough information about a business to make a phony bill look legitimate. The fake bills will be small enough so not to raise a red flag, and may even include past due or final notice to pressure the small business into paying quickly.

The State Highway Administration (SHA) is hosting an open house Thursday (July 19) at the South Anne Arundel County Branch of the public library to explain expansion plans for Route 2 in southern Anne Arundel and northern Calvert counties.

The meeting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on July 19 (Thursday) at the South County Library in Deale (5940 Deale-Churchton Road).

The design is underway in five key intersections:

• Solomons Island Road (MD2) at Harwood Drive (subdivision community north of Southern High School)
• Solomons Island Road (MD2) at Owensville Sudley Road (MD255)
• Solomons Island Road (MD2) at Deale Road (MD256)
• Solomons Island Road at Mt. Harmony Road

The SHA has determined that, on average, daily traffic volumes range from 10,000 vehicles per day near Mt. Harmony Road to nearly 20,000 north of Harwood Drive. According to the SHA open house announcement, these volumes are concentrated during morning and evening peak commuter times.

For that reason, the SHA has concluded that left turn lanes should be added at each of the five intersections. SHA said that the turn lanes should enhance safety along the corridor by "removing left-turning vehicles from the main line of traffic, reducing the potential of rear-end and angle collisions"

In addition, the shoulder on these roads will be widened on both sides in the areas of these intersections for better bicycle compatibility.

The informational meeting will provide information on the project. Display areas will be set up to show the anticipated operational and  safety improvements, and SHA representatives will be available to discuss project issues and answer questions.