Thumbs up, thumbs down

October 31, 1997

To Paula Wilson, a Berkeley County, W.Va. 911 dispatcher who managed to successfully talk a local woman through the birth of a baby girl. Mom and child are doing well, thanks to her.

To Mary Bond of Carney, Md., a multiple sclerosis sufferer who nevertheless donated her own motorized wheelchair to replace one stolen from Jeff Hasenbuhler, a 16- year-old from Hagerstown's West End. Is she a saint or what?

To the Waynesboro school students who jumped out of their bus when it arrived at an accident scene and helped douse a fire and pull a driver to safety. Thanks, kids, for your heroics.

To the North Hagerstown, Williamsport, and South Hagerstown high school bands, for their 4-5-6 finish in statewide band competition. With 45 bands in the competition, that's a pretty darned good accomplishment.

To Maryland Gov. Parris Glendening, for tightening screening procedures for campaign donors to prevent conflict-of-interest problems. Better late than never.

To Bill Ecker, a consultant paid to help Washington County seek a new school chief, for not finding out that the Montgomery County, Va. school board voted three times not to extend Bartlett's contract. It was in the local newspaper.

To Hagerstown City Attorney John Urner, for dropping his firm's representation of a firm negotiating with the city over a new shopping center. It was the right thing to do.

To all who had a hand in creation of the Shenadoah Women's Center's Charles Town counseling center to serve rape and domestic-violence victims. Someday, maybe such a place won't be needed.

To the more than 300 who volunteered to walk, dance or run Oct. 25 to raise $40,000 for Y-Me, the local group that provides support for victims of breast cancer.

To the chapter of the ACLU, who feels uninsured motorists should get a hearing before their tags are pulled. These birds get three notices already; do we have to hold adults' hands to get them to do the right thing?

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