Thumbs up, thumbs down

April 09, 1999

thumbs up! To Charles Stroh, who's stepping down after 11 years of guiding young men and women through the training program called Leadership Hagerstown. His help was invaluable.

thumbs up! To Jordan Kisiel, Michael Wagner, Eric Watts, Jason O'Neal, Melvin Osborne and Lindsey Hayes, six Washington County students whose hard work won them the chance to compete in the Maryland State Georgraphy Bee.

thumbs down! To Maryland's House Appropriations Committee, for refusing any compensation to a man who spent nearly eight years in prison for a murder he didn't commit. Another lawsuit in the making.

thumbs up! To Maryland Insurance Commissioner Steven B. Larsen, for his proposal to fine insurers for every late payment to health-care providers. It now takes an average of 84 days, two weeks more than the law allows.

thumbs down! To all Tri-state area officials who won't call for an end to open burning of refuse, despite the dozens of brush and field fires that have hit the area recently. It's not the frontier anymore.

thumbs up! To Del. Sue Hecht, D-Washington/Frederick, for her efforts to secure planning funds for a Washington County campus of the University of Maryland through personal lobbying sessions with Gov. Parris Glendening. Thanks.

thumbs up! To Rick Curry, a buyer in the Washington County Water and Sewer Department, whose close attention to the bottom line saved the county $33,000 in cash and personnel costs.

thumbs up! To the Community Enrichment Coalition of Hagerstown, which runs an after-school tutoring program at the Asbury United Methodist Church. An hour of study is followed by a meal and a class on resolving differences peacefully.

thumbs up! To the West Virginia Department of Transportation, for posting maps of road construction sites on the Internet at www.dot.state.wv.us. What a great idea!

thumbs down! President Clinton, for not clearly stating our objectives in Kosovo. Saving lives is a given, but are we trying to force a partiton of the country or oust the Serbian leaders? Americans need to know before much more time goes by.

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