Bathroom

Is the installation of a personal bathroom for Washington County School Superintendent Elizabeth Morgan really an issue? Yes, but not for the reason that you might think. The bathroom, installed for what school system officials say was less than $1,500, became an issue with some school employees who'd been reduced to part-time status. Rumors swirled about the powder room, which tales said included a $6,000 toilet and marble floors. That idea was debunked by Morgan's tour of the facility with Sheila Metzel, president of Educational Support Personnel Local No. 1. Metzel told Morgan that those spreading the rumor were concerned by the possibility that at a time when the school system faced a budget crunch, scarce cash was spent on something extravagant.

The bathroom is the most often renovated room in most houses. This is logical when you consider the tremendous use of this one area by everyone in the household and the fact that water is constantly involved. It also makes sense that when a bathroom is under renovation one of the focal points is always the sink - the vessel where hand-washing, teeth-brushing and grooming with water occurs. Even the tiniest bathroom requires a toilet and a sink in order to qualify as a bona-fide restroom.

SHARPSBURG - The Sharpsburg Town council on Monday discussed the possibility of installing a bathroom in the upper level of Sharpsburg Town Hall. Mayor Hal R. Spielman said he would ask around to see how much a bathroom would cost the town. "I personally think we need to have a restroom up here," Councilman Jeffery Saylor said. Saylor said the addition is necessary for the convenience of town staff and other groups who meet on the upper level of the building.

Dear Pat: We built our house on a tight budget years ago. Now that I am divorced, I would like to remodel and install ceramic tile in the bathroom. How do I prepare the new shower walls and add tile? -- Robin T. Dear Robin: Ceramic tile is clearly the wall-finishing material of choice for bathrooms. It is attractive, durable and offers a wide variety of colors, patterns and textures. When properly installed and maintained, ceramic bathroom tile should last as long as the home.

Jenna Falke and Katelyn VanSant, first-year students at Shepherd University, mix paint in the bathroom of the Safe Haven shelter in Martinsburg, W.Va. They were participating in the Shepherd University Day of Service.

Halfway man climbs into house, dies following fall By DAN KULIN dank@herald-mail.com A 71-year-old Halfway man died Wednesday night after he climbed into his locked house through a window and fell, hitting his head on bathroom tile, a Washington County Sheriff's deputy said. The man's name was not released Wednesday night because some family members had not been notified. The death was accidental and "There was no foul play here whatsoever," Washington County Sheriff's Deputy Tracey Peyton said.

Man found dead in W.Va. By DAVE McMILLION / Staff Writer, Charles Town SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. - A Jefferson County man was pronounced dead after being found unconscious in a bathroom at the Sheetz convenience store on W.Va. 45 Saturday night, said Jefferson County Sheriff Everett "Ed" Boober. The 37-year-old white male went into the bathroom after he and his girlfriend entered the store about 11:15 p.m., Boober said. People began expressing concern for the man after he didn't come out of the bathroom - which was locked from the inside - for about 20 minutes, Boober said.

Man found dead is identified SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. - A Jefferson County man who was pronounced dead after being found unconscious in a bathroom at the Sheetz convenience store on W.Va. 45 Saturday night has been identified as Joseph Killian, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department. Police said Killian, 37, of Route 2, Kearneysville, went into the bathroom after he and his girlfriend entered the store. People began expressing concern for the man after he didn't come out of the bathroom - which was locked from the inside - for about 20 minutes, said Jefferson County Sheriff Everett "Ed" Boober.

martinsburg@herald-mail.com MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Two teenagers were taken into police custody Friday after they left drugs in a bathroom in Berkeley County Magistrate Court for a woman who appeared for a hearing related to a recent murder case, police said. Lt. K.C. Bohrer of the Berkeley County Sheriff's Department said the teenagers are a 14-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl. Bohrer alleged that drugs hidden in the women's bathroom were for Mary Crawford, 31, who was brought to Magistrate Court on a fugitive warrant charging her with murder in connection with the death of her grandfather.

So when did we become so spoiled? I wonder this sometimes. It kicked up again recently when my son told me about a conversation he heard while having dinner at a friend's house. His friend's sister had been complaining about the leftover homemade ham and bean soup their mom had served for dinner. Following the sister's grumbling, his friend's father chimed in. “When I was a kid, we were happy to have leftovers. Every week on payday, we'd go buy rice and some kind of meat.

A Clear Spring woman is on life support at Meritus Medical Center  after she apparently attempted to hang herself Wednesday morning at the Washington County Detention Center, according to county  Sheriff Douglas Mullendore. Kristy Dawn Jenkins, 25, of 11815 St. Paul Road, was found by deputies at about 6:30 a.m. hanging from a sheet on a partition in a bathroom at the jail, a Washington County Sheriff's Office news release said. She was revived by cardiopulmonary resuscitation and taken to Meritus Medical Center east of Hagerstown.

Vickie Hrabal bought her Hagerstown home despite the outdated tile colors in its bathrooms. One featured lime green and olive green, and the other, Pepto-Bismol pink and white. What would be a deal breaker to many house hunters was an accepted challenge for the Oak Hill Interior Designs owner, who employed a decorative trick for each room that she uses for many clients on tight budgets: She got creative. Kitchens and bathrooms are typically the most expensive rooms to remodel, and Hrabal, like many of her clients, wasn't eager to spend a fortune ripping out the old tile and replacing it. Instead, she found wallpaper, valances and modern lighting for each bathroom that complemented the tile, and brought the rooms back to present day without the modern price tag. "It could cost as little as $500 for updated color, a new rug and shower curtain that gives the whole room a whole new look," she said.

Have you ever been in a home with a dirt floor? Not one that's so dirty you can't see the tile, but one that just doesn't have a floor, period. The earth is a floor for many people who live in warm climates. For Americans, it's hard to imagine walking in from the outside and the outside still being in. Even in our poorest areas, homes have floors. Until my trip to Costa Rica last week, I had not seen such a low level of poverty. We went into one neighborhood to deliver groceries and diapers to the poor families who were living there.

Q: What's the No. 1 senior safety concern of the Washington County Sheriff's Department? A: Con artists, according to Cpl. Jim Holsinger. As weather warms up, unsolicited home improvement offers appear. Some of these are legitimate, but some, he said, are from scammers. "The key is unsolicited. If they contact you, that's a tell-tale sign," Holsinger said. Homeowners might be open to saving money by hiring contractors who say they'll work for a low, low price. But Holsinger said, "We tell everyone, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. " He said scammers sometimes complete half the job, then jack up the price.

HANCOCK -- A Maryland State Highway Administration official said Wednesday the restrooms at the Sideling Hill Exhibit Center on Interstate 68 west of Hancock will close Jan. 5 and reopen by the end of April. Sideling Hill is one of several rest areas and welcome centers at which the state intends to modify or eliminate services, State Highway Administration spokesman David Buck said Wednesday. The restroom closure at Sideling Hill will save the state about $114,000 in water, electricity and other costs, Buck said.

Multi-generational design is one of today's fastest growing trends in the housing industry. As more and more people understand the benefits that smart planning affords to those of all age groups and abilities, a demand is being generated for products that combine style, safety, beauty and comfort with practicality and versatility. In fact, it's what good, smart design should be. Multi-generational design has applications throughout the house, but it is particularly important in the bathroom.

o If you like reading Tim Rowland, you'll love watching him. See what else Tim has to say I have a rooster for sale. The asking price is $1,000, firm. All right, so as roosters go he isn't much to look at. No proud, imperial, feathered headdress of a rooster, he. He's small, with bandy legs and no comb to speak of. An Araucana (were he a hen, he'd be the type that lays blue eggs), he's all white with no tail and his attempts at crowing sound like a tractor-trailer with malfunctioning air brakes.

Dear Pat: We built our house on a tight budget years ago. Now that I am divorced, I would like to remodel and install ceramic tile in the bathroom. How do I prepare the new shower walls and add tile? -- Robin T. Dear Robin: Ceramic tile is clearly the wall-finishing material of choice for bathrooms. It is attractive, durable and offers a wide variety of colors, patterns and textures. When properly installed and maintained, ceramic bathroom tile should last as long as the home.

o If you like reading Tim Rowland, you'll love watching him. See what else Tim has to say So naturally, Maryland's budget is in the red again, and naturally the state needs to enact a bunch of cuts to make ends meet, and naturally it comes to Washington County looking for something it can take away from us to help save money. And the only thing we had of value was a highway rest area? That's depressing. It's like the estate broker coming over to your parents' house and telling you that the only antique that's marketable is a pastry cutter in the shape of Dwight Eisenhower.