Bargaining

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- For bibliophiles, Wednesday was a chance to drive home with Stephen King, Mark Twain and other authors -- well, at least their work. Bargain hunters arrived at the American Association of University Women's book sale early and in great volume. "We had 335 in the first 20 minutes," said Flossie Murdock, a volunteer. Before the opening of the sale -- which runs through Sunday at Washington County Agricultural Education Center, south of Hagerstown -- a line of people wrapped around the building, volunteer Nina Wells said.

Just when you thought you had heard it all, another athlete opens his mouth. ... Latrell Sprewell of the Minnesota Timberwolves (did you know I'd be talking about an NBA player?) is apparently offended by a contract offer he received from the team that would reportedly pay him $9 million per year. By now, we're not surprised when an overpaid professional athlete complains about how hard it is to be him. So, the idea that Sprewell is insulted by such a paltry offer is not necessarily noteworthy here.

HALFWAY -- Like a gas pedal approaching the floor, the numbers rolled up at Valley Mall on Saturday -- 10 percent, 40 percent, 70 percent off. One day after Christmas, shoppers who packed the mall liked the discounts they saw. Maggie Richardson of Hagerstown said she found "awesome" deals at Bon-Ton, Yankee Candle and elsewhere. Her mother, Alice LaNeve of Falls Church, Va., bought two Pittsburgh Steelers shirts and a third shirt with Steelers' colors for around $50 total, which is what one shirt alone might have cost normally.

My mother never met an old chair that she didn't like. She took them in the way some people do stray cats. Long before anyone had heard of shabby chic, our extended family sat around the dinner table in an assortment of mismatched Victorian chairs, with several extras lined against the wall should more relatives or friends drop in. While I broke with family tradition and bought a set of new dining chairs, I do have a number of "strays" in use...

The Women's Club will be having its spring bargain sale Friday, March 14 and Saturday, March 15, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Club Building at 31 S. Prospect St. Gently used clothing, household merchandise, jewelry, toys, baked goods, and linens will be for sale. Orders for vegetable beef soup, and ham and bean soup at $4.50 a quart and $2.25 a pint, and country ham sandwiches at $2.50 each can be ordered by March 7. Call the club at 301-739-0870.

andreabh@herald-mail.com Hundreds of people book-marked the Washington County Agricultural Education Center on Sharpsburg Pike south of Hagerstown as the place to be on Wednesday for opening day of the American Association of University Women's 34th annual book sale. They rooted through about 50,000 used books looking for volumes to satisfy their thirst for reading material ranging from biographies to westerns. The history section teemed with shoppers. The self-help section didn't.

Editor's note: This is the fourth in a series of stories examining the history of towns in Washington County. heathers@herald-mail.com HAGERSTOWN - When the proprietor of Maryland, Charles Calvert, offered inexpensive land to settlers to build in Western Maryland in the 18th century, a young German immigrant named Jonathan Hager accepted the challenge of settling on what was then the frontier. Records from the Washington County Historical Society show that on June 5, 1739, Hager purchased 200 acres of land he named "Hager's Fancy" for 44 pounds.

Family objects to plea bargain; sentencing stalled By DON AINES Staff Writer, Martinsburg MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Whether a Martinsburg man will spend any additional time in jail for the death of a long-time friend was thrown into doubt Friday when family members of the victim objected to the plea agreement. "The victims have changed their position. Now, all of a sudden, they don't agree with the plea," Prosecuting Attorney Pamela Games-Neely said Friday. Michael Andrew Neely, 43, was scheduled to be sentenced before Judge David Sanders for involuntary manslaughter, which carries a maximum of one year in prison, according to Games-Neely.

By KIMBERLY YAKOWSKI / Staff Writer photo: JOE CROCETTA / staff photographer The lines were long and aisles full at area stores as holiday shoppers made their way back to retailers Sunday to return gifts and take advantage of after-Christmas bargains. cont. from front page The customer service line at Kmart on Wesel Boulevard was almost out the door Sunday afternoon - typical for this time of year, said Department Manager Cindy Miller. She said people were most often bringing back clothing and toys.

After approximately 200 teachers turned out for last week's Chambersburg Area School Board meeting, much of the same can be expected Wednesday, according to Dave Snyder, president of the Chambersburg Area Education Association. The board and the teachers union are scheduled to meet again Wednesday in an attempt to move toward a new collective-bargaining agreement for teachers. The meeting is scheduled to take place at 5 p.m. inside the district's administration building. However, a large crowd of teachers armed with signs protesting the lack of progress in contract talks — much like last Wednesday's exhibition — is expected to fill the entranceway by about 4 p.m., Snyder said Tuesday.