Bad Weather

Barring bad weather, more than 2,000 county middle and high school students will complete the Maryland Writing Test on Monday. Testing began Wednesday, but the second day was postponed because of the snowstorm. Seventh-graders take the state-required test, as do students new to Maryland and students who did not pass it in previous grades.

The Washington County delegation to the Maryland General Assembly is holding its annual public meeting on Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon at South Hagerstown High School's auditorium. As the 2009 General Assembly session approaches, people are invited to talk about issues on their minds. If there is bad weather that day, the public meeting will be canceled and won't be rescheduled.

WILLIAMSPORT - A pork and sauerkraut dinner will be held Saturday, Feb. 26, at Williamsport United Methodist Church, 25 E. Church St., from 4 to 7 p.m. The dinner was postponed because of bad weather in January. The dinner will be served by the Williamsport United Methodist Men's group. The menu will include mashed potatoes, green beans, beverage and dessert. Tickets cost $8 for adults and $4 for children ages 6 to 12.

The annual public forum with the Washington County delegation to the Maryland General Assembly will be Saturday. Members of the delegation will be at South Hagerstown High School from 10 a.m. to noon to hear comments and concerns from the public. The delegation holds the meeting each year just before the General Assembly's regular session. This year's legislative session begins Wednesday. If there is bad weather Saturday, the forum will be canceled and will not be rescheduled.

WASHINGTON COUNTY ? The annual public forum with the Washington County delegation to the Maryland General Assembly will be held Jan. 5. Members of the delegation will be at South Hagerstown High School from 10 a.m. to noon to hear comments and concerns from the public. The delegation holds the meeting each year just before the General Assembly holds its regular session. This year's legislative session begins Jan. 9. If there is bad weather Jan. 5, the forum will be canceled and won't be rescheduled.

All eligible blood donors - especially those with type O-negative blood - are urged to roll up their sleeves Tuesday at the bloodmobile at St. John's United Church of Christ in Clear Spring, local American Red Cross officials said. The bloodmobile will be from 1 to 7 p.m. Currently, there is less than a day's supply of that type of blood, said Pam Sharp, director of product management for the Greater Alleghenies Region, with which Washington County and parts of the Tri-State area are affiliated.

pepperb@herald-mail.com WASHINGTON COUNTY - The Washington County Board of Education decided Tuesday to rework the January school calendar to fit in more class time before the end of a restructured marking period. The Washington County Board of Education voted 6-0 to hold classes on two days on which, under the original schedule, classes would not have been held. The School Board then decided to move the end of the marking period back one week so students would have more instruction before grades were turned in. Those days off will be shifted to late January, and will not count as make-up days for time lost because of bad weather.

SHARPSBURG - Antietam National Battlefield will be among 80 historic sites in 24 states to benefit from a volunteer effort Saturday, April 1, from 9 a.m. until noon. The Civil War Preservation Trust is recruiting volunteers to help clean and restore historic battlefields, cemeteries and shrines. The one-day effort is being called Park Day. Volunteers are needed to clean up trails and stream banks, remove cedar seedlings and assist with other restoration projects. Battlefield staff will provide any needed equipment.

The first public programs of the school year have been scheduled at Washington County Public Schools' William Brish Planetarium. "A Christmas Story" will be presented Tuesdays, Dec. 2, 9 and 16, and Jan. 6, at 7 p.m., unless schools are closed because of bad weather. Admission is $3 for adults and $2 for children and students. Senior citizens with a WCPS Gold Card will be admitted free. The planetarium is at the school system's central office at 820 Commonwealth Ave., Hagerstown.

The Potomac Valley Audubon Society will sponsor a birding trip to the Altona Marsh in Jefferson County, W.Va. at 8 a.m.  Wednesday, March 20. The Marsh is a 70-acre marl wetland protected by a Nature Conservancy easement. It is a good site for birding, not only because it harbors a rich variety of species but also because the terrain offers easy viewing. Species likely to be seen at this time will include waterfowl, winter visitors and year-round birds. The trip is free. Children ages 12 and older must be accompanied by an adult.

The Potomac Valley Audubon Society will sponsor a bird walk at Harpers Ferry on Wednesday, Dec. 12. Participants will meet at 8 a.m. in the parking area on Shenandoah Street just below the intersection with U.S. 340. The walk will be free and anyone with an interest is welcome to come along, regardless of their birding skills. Children are welcome. About three miles of level walking will be involved. A portion of the walk will be along a railroad track. Advance registration is required.

Closed storefronts and empty parking spaces were common sights in downtown Hagerstown late Tuesday morning, as the lingering effects of the storm that once was Hurricane Sandy moved through the area. With many offices in the area closed, popular lunch spots such as the Brickyard Grill on West Washington Street and The Plum, a restaurant on Rochester Place, also were closed at 11 a.m. A light but steady rain and temperatures that hovered in the low 40s did not help. The Columbia Bank on West Washington Street and the post office on West Franklin Street were open.

Inclement weather took a toll on some parts of the 78th annual Quincy Ox Roast weekend, but organizers said the overall outcome for the four-day event was positive. Poor weather affected turnout Saturday, but Sunday proved to be much better, cook Donny Gossert said. “I never heard a complaint,” he said Monday. Sizable crowds Sunday and Monday kept workers busy, making up for the bad weather Saturday, said his wife, Molly Gossert. “Over the years, we've learned to cope with (bad weather)

Bob Dylan, America's rock 'n' roll poet laureate of doom and gloom, once whined in an early song that “You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.” He was probably talking about politics and everything else under the sun, but, then again, he could have really just been talking about the weather on Bleecker Street in New York City that day. If he was right, at least about the weather, then why do newspapers have to...

A low-pressure system that moved through Hagerstown on  Tuesday left almost three-quarters of an inch of rain in the area, but a cold front behind it is expected to help dry out the region, according to weather forecasters. It also appears New Year's Eve revelers might be spared any bad weather, the National Weather Service said. Although the weather service initially only forecast a tenth to a quarter of an inch of rain for Tuesday, 0.74 inch fell in Hagerstown during the day, according to weather observer Greg Keefer's website at i4weather.net . Tuesday's forecast was based on a radar reading, which can vary, said Heather Sheffield, a weather service meteorologist in Sterling, Va. The rain is expected to be followed by a cold front that will bring windy conditions Wednesday, with gusts up to 37 mph, the weather service said.

This is the winter of Ruth Murphy's discontent. With month after month of snow, ice and frigid temperatures, the 75-year-old woman is having trouble staying positive. But it wasn't always that way. There was a time when Murphy enjoyed brisk weather, sledding with her children and family ski trips. But age, failing eyesight and arthritis have changed her lifestyle. Instead of taking to the outdoors, she takes to her house. "With health problems, I feel safer staying put,"  Murphy said.

"Texting while driving has risen to new heights. Yesterday I passed a young man on a moped, driving on the shoulder where there were still patches of snow and ice. Nothing wrong with this — except he didn't have any hands on the bike. Instead, he was using both hands to text. This is not the first time I've seen someone texting while driving. I don't care what they are driving; car, moped, or bike — people should be smart enough to know that their attention needs to be on the road and their surroundings.

BARDANE, W.Va. -- Randox Laboratories, a maker of clinical diagnostic testing equipment, will open a manufacturing facility in a vacant building in the Bardane Industrial Park, company officials said Wednesday. The announcement was made at the offices of the Jefferson County Development Authority. Thomas Bayuzik Jr., authority executive director, said the British company bought the former 33,000-square-foot Investors Associates building in the industrial park. The building can be expanded as the company grows, Bayuzik said.