Shore city gets promise of aid

“We're going to rebuild Cambridge and come out even stronger”

Nearly three weeks after a huge fire ripped through the heart of this Eastern Shore city's downtown business district, Gov. Martin O'Malley toured the stricken area yesterday, offering a state aid package of grants and low-interest loans worth $258,000.

Merchants and property owners who have seen business drop by 50 percent since the seven-alarm blaze destroyed the 100-year-old building that housed two antiques businesses at 444-448 Race St. got further good news.

Local developer Brett Summers said he has completed negotiations with the building's owner, Young Hwang, a Florida resident who owns numerous Cambridge properties, to buy the site - where only the facade of the building remains standing - for $240,000. Read more