Featured Articles from Herald-Mail

Tri-State-area communities will be remembering those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom this weekend by hosting ceremonies, services, parades and speakers. Events in Franklin County and West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle include: Berkeley County, W.Va. In Martinsburg, W.Va., the traditional Memorial Day service at War Memorial Park along North Tennessee Avenue will begin at 10 a.m., according to Steve Catlett, executive director of the Martinsburg-Berkeley County Parks & Recreation Board.

A West Virginia woman accused of beating her children and taking the identity of her oldest child for financial gain also is accused of using her ex-husband's identity to obtain electrical service, according to court records. Rebecca Jean Ferguson, 40, of 10245 Williamsport Pike, Falling Waters, was arraigned Thursday on one felony count of taking the identity of another person by Berkeley County Magistrate Sandra L. Miller, the court records said. An audio recording that Potomac Edison emailed to West Virginia State Police Cpl. J.M. Walker on Monday allegedly documents Ferguson's use of her ex-husband's name, Social Security number and date of birth to transfer service to 33 Grubb Landing in Inwood, W.Va., where she once lived, the records said.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Marty William Maness, who is charged in the June 26 armed robbery of the Modnur Inc. Pharmacy in St. Thomas, Pa., waived his preliminary hearing Monday in Franklin County (Pa.) Court. The woman identified by Pennsylvania State Police as his accomplice, Kathy Jo McFadden, had her preliminary hearing continued by her attorney. Maness, 43, of Thompson Road in Needmore, Pa., is scheduled for mandatory arraignment Aug. 16 in county court. He remains in Franklin County Prison in lieu of $75,000 bail.

By BRENDAN KIRBY Staff Writer A 285-pound male black bear was hit by a truck on eastbound Interstate 70 just east of Conococheague Creek early Tuesday, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The area, just west of Md. 63, is heavily wooded and sparsely populated, Natural Resources Police Officer Ray Harner said. Black bears generally avoid people, he said. Forest Game Project Manager Steve Bittner was called to the scene at 6:15 a.m. by Maryland State Police and a decision was made to euthanize the injured bear, a DNR release said.

By LISA GRAYBEAL Staff Writer, Chambersburg SCOTLAND, Pa. - Pet owners who dread trips to the veterinarian now only have to travel as far as their driveway. With their fully equipped 29-foot mobile clinic, under the name Keystone Mobile Veterinary Services, local veterinarian Dr. Matthew Murphy and his technician wife, Brenda, have been making house calls for nearly three years, saving pet owners time and travel and making it easier on the animals. "Sometimes animals get so upset you can't examine them.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has announced a bridge closure starting this week on Jack Road over Back Creek at the St. Thomas/Hamilton townships line in Franklin County. The bridge will be closed for four months while construction crews demolish the existing structure and build a new bridge. The $2.6 million contract was awarded Oct. 31, 2010, to Clearwater Construction Inc. of Mercer County and includes the construction of two new concrete bridges over Back Creek on Jack Road and St. Thomas-Williamson Road, according to a news release.

CARLISLE, Pa. - A Florida truck driver was unwrapping a piece of candy Tuesday night when his rig plowed into a line of slower traffic on Interstate 81, claiming the lives of three people, including two from Waynesboro, Pa., authorities said Thursday. [cont. from front page ] The crash has prompted State Rep. Jeff Coy, R-Franklin, to ask Pennsylvania State Police to beef up patrols on I-81 in the Carlisle and Chambersburg areas. Jesse Roy Coble, 59, of Deland, Fla., was charged with three counts of vehicular homicide, driving a vehicle at an unsafe speed and careless driving in the 10:45 p.m. accident, according to Cumberland County District Justice records.

CHARLES TOWN, W.VA. -- For seniors who value their independence but no longer drive, getting out of the house can be an awesome challenge. Now, because of an agreement between the Eastern Panhandle Transit Authority (Pan Tran) and Jefferson County Council on Aging (JCCOA), they can ride a public-service bus. By making a simple phone call the day before, they can board a van at their home, be driven to where they want to go and back home again. Passengers ages 60 and older and those with Medicare cards can ride free or make a donation.

Pennsylvania State Police reported 13 crashes in Franklin County, Pa., over the holiday weekend. Of the 13 crashes from Friday through Monday on roads patrolled by the state police, three were related to alcohol, police said in a news release. Eleven people were injured, police said. The Chambersburg barrack made 23 arrests for driving under the influence, and issued 178 speeding citations, three child safety seat citations and 15 seat belt citations. The Chambersburg barrack is part of state police's Troop H, which also includes Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Perry and York counties.