Apple

Day-care center owner Kim Ritchey thinks Maryland EXCELS might be a good thing for families and children. She's just not quite sure what the quality rating and improvement system entails or if she will be able to meet its requirements. “There is a lot I don't understand yet,” Ritchey said. “That's why I'm here.” Ritchey and about 50 other area child-care providers attended an Apples for Children leadership retreat Saturday at the University System of Maryland at Hagerstown.

Police Thursday morning executed search warrants at the Apple Tree Gardens Apartments and other locations in Ranson as part of the investigation into an April 25 fatal shooting at the North Mildred Street complex, according to the city police chief. The search warrants were also executed in connection with an investigation into an armed robbery at a 7-Eleven down the street on April 23 which may be related to the shooting, Police Chief William “Bill” Roper said. Xavier Juan Roberts, 23, of Halsey Court, Martinsburg, W.Va., was arrested Thursday evening in connection with that robbery, Roper said.

This was my favorite cake that my mother made when I was growing up. I spoke to her recently to find out where the recipe originated.  She said  she thought she had clipped it from a small town West Virginia newspaper in the late 1960s or very early 1970s. The only modification that she made is the substitution for English walnuts, which gives it a milder taste. I actually substitute pecans, which I like even better. This cake is a real favorite at the Singer Society meetings and Washington County Museum of Fine Arts events.

The Washington County Soil Conservation District is conducting its 24th annual tree sale through March 21. Tree descriptions and pictures, as well as information about all the products being offered are available at the district website at www.conservationplace.com .  Trees will be available for pickup during early April, in time for spring planting season. Anyone ordering trees will be contacted by mail with the specific days, times and location of where to pick up their trees.

Food can make our loved ones seem closer. As soon as I started spending time with the Robisons, my husband's family, I learned that my mother-in-law baked a marvelous ham and made very tasty potato salad. All we needed was a tasty dessert to round out a meal. This apple crisp recipe was introduced to our family by my sister-in-law, Debbie, who married my brother-in-law a year after I married my husband. The apple crisp was delicious warm or cold, in any season. Each of us served it in our homes for family gatherings.

Mr. Emanuel T. Apple, of Williamsport, Md., went home to be with the Lord on Monday, Nov. 7, 2011, at Meritus Medical Center after a courageous struggle with cancer. Born Jan. 25, 1927, in Bethel, Pa., Emanuel, known as "Big A," was the son of the late Durward Grafton and Mary Katherine Mills Apple. He and his wife, Ruth Marie Holland Apple, were married Jan. 30, 1948. He was a loving husband and father who will be sadly missed. "Big A" retired from Cushwa Brick Co., going into his own auto business, known as Apple's Garage, until he retired due to health issues.

Apple production in West Virginia this year is expected to rebound from 2010 when drought, frost and insect damage lowered estimates by more than 20 percent, according to the latest forecast for this year's harvest. West Virginia's apple orchards, most of which are in Berkeley, Jefferson, Hampshire and Morgan counties, are expected to produce 73.5 million pounds, or 1.75 million bushels, this year, up 15 percent from 2010, according to estimates released earlier this month by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in cooperation with the West Virginia Department of Agriculture.

If you want to get a feel for the literary talents of students and faculty at Hagerstown Community College, it is waiting for you in 100 pages known as the Hedge Apple. A mainstay of the college for about 10 years, the Hedge Apple is an outlet for students and faculty to publish poetry, short fiction and artwork. The magazine usually attracts a large number of writers and other artists hoping to have their creations published, said Amanda Miller, a member of the school's English faculty.

Julie Brown sat on the curb at the corner of Martin and Queen streets Saturday afternoon, camera at the ready. She was waiting for the Martinsburg High School Marching Band to pass the corner during the 32nd edition of the Mountain State Apple Harvest Festival parade, which featured more than 180 units. As Rachel Brown, a 15-year-old saxophonist in the band, made the turn with the band, Julie stood up, leaned forward and snapped a photo that was sure to be a candidate for the Brown family album.