Farm subsidies continue to be a big expenditure for American taxpayers, with about $13 billion in subsidies expected to be paid out this year, according to the U.S. Agriculture Department.

In our area, scores of farmers and other individuals receive the payments.

For the period 1995-2005, 69 Allegany County residents received $401,926. During the same period, subsidies in Garrett County amounted to $4.7 million to 352 recipients. Mineral County, W.Va., saw 275 people sharing $1.66 million. Hampshire County, W.Va., had 547 recipients and $7.59 million.

Top recipients in each of those areas were:

Allegany County — Ronald Shipley, Little Orleans, $200,835; Gary P. Browning, Oldtown, $89,624.

Garrett County — Ernest L. Ganoe Jr., Frostburg, $256,358; Scenic Vista Farms Inc., Grantsville, $227,272.

Mineral County — Flying W. Farms, Burlington, $117,546; Brookedale Holsteins, Keyser, $112,800.

Hampshire County — Mount Levels Orchard, Levels, $395,278; Lorin Kane Shanholtz, Romney, $304,816,

A complete state-by-state, county-by-county list is available to the public at http://farm.ewg.org/farm/farm/....

When the Cumberland Police Department turned to the Internet auction site eBay to sell surplus motorcycles, it was joining a growing movement among governmental agencies. Two 1997 Harley-Davidson motorcycles fetched $17,100 for the city.

The Boston Globe reports that schools are turning to eBay-style auctions for fund-raisers. Rather than asking parents for money month after month, the schools use online auctions to sell donated items like restaurant gift certificates, sports tickets, memorabilia and the like. Some schools have raised as much as $20,000 through such auctions....

The Parade Magazine inside today’s Times-News features the publication’s 25th annual What People Earn. The magazine peeks into the pocketbooks of Americans in all 50 states and features photos, and salary figures, for everyone from pro athletes, movie stars and corporate CEOs to farmers, school teachers and cosmetologists.

While you are gleaning through the information, take time to enter Parade’s $50,000 What People Earn sweepstakes....

There are two school board seats opening up this year in Allegany County and two in Anne Arundel County. But what a contrast in interest.

In Allegany County, three candidates — incumbents Fred Sloan and Jeff Metz and challenger Tim Iman — are on November’s general election ballot.

In Anne Arundel, the school board is appointed. Eighteen people are vying for nomination to the two seats.

Does that mean if Allegany County goes back to an appointed school board, we would have more people interested in serving on the school board? Who knows?....

The 2008-2009 school calendar for Allegany County has students returning to school on Aug. 25 and, barring makeup snow days, ending classes on June 2, 2009.

The Thanksgiving break starts with a three-hour early dismissal on Wednesday, Nov. 26 and ends when students return Nov. 29.

The Christmas break starts with a three-hour early dismissal Dec. 23. Students return Jan. 5

Easter break will begin on Good Friday, April 10, and students will be back on Tuesday, April 14....

The Department of Homeland Security agency FEMA is preparing to move its disaster operations staff from the Mt. Weather Emergency Operations Center in Bluemont, Va., to a new building in Winchester, Va. More than 600 FEMA staffers will move into their new location.

The new state-of-the-art facility is the first commercial certified green building in Frederick County, Va. The Winchester site will be the second largest FEMA facility in the country, after the agency’s headquarters at the Federal Center Plaza in Washington, D.C.

The staff in Winchester includes call center workers who take applications for assistance from disaster victims and provide helpline services, those who process personnel actions, workers who provide technology and logistical support, and personnel who manage the disaster inventory service center and warehouse.....

Seen on the Internet — Dumbest customer questions:

• At Home Depot: “Do you sell caskets?”

• “Does ‘long distance service to any part of the U.S.’ include Japan and Kuwait?”

• “Do you have to have the Internet to shop on the Internet?”

• “Are the onion omelets made with eggs?”

• “To get a person’s portrait picture on a cake, do you need a picture?”

• “What is the difference between raisin bread and cinnamon raisin bread?”

Jan Alderton is managing editor of the Cumberland Times-News. His email address is jpalderton@times-news.com.