Boots

AUG. 29, 1918-MARCH 26, 2009 FROSTPROOF, Fla. -- Beulah "Boots" Paxton, 90, of Frostproof, Fla., died Thursday, March 26, 2009, at Florida Heartland Hospital in Sebring, Fla. Born Aug. 29, 1918, in Cumberland, Md., she was the daughter of the late Joseph and Elsie (Rice) Stafford. She also was preceded in death by her husband, James B. Paxton; one brother, Joseph Stafford; and two sisters, Mae Barger and Dottie Smith. She moved to Frostproof 14 years ago from Cumberland.

A boot drive will be held today at two locations in Berkeley County for a firefighter who was injured in an April 7 barn fire off Williamsport Pike. The drive is being held to benefit Kenneth Ayers of the Baker Heights Volunteer Fire Department, who was injured when part of a barn wall fell on him, fracturing bones in his face. The drive will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Spring Mills and Sheetz on Edwin Miller Boulevard. Money raised in the drive will help Ayers' family and defray medical expenses.

HAGERSTOWN -- A good baby sitter is priceless, as parents of young children know. A current TV commercial emphasizes that point as one mother desperate to find a baby sitter offers a vacation to the friend who will part with the name of their baby sitter. It is with great reluctance that a phone number finally is shared. A crop of local baby sitters could find themselves in demand after the training they received at the Washington County Red Cross Babysitter Boot Camp this summer.

MOUNT PLEASANT, Md. (AP) -- The Frederick County Sheriff's Office says it is investigating the skeletal remains of a man in his 40s found by a hunter east of Frederick. Cpl. Jennifer Bailey says the bones were found around noon Saturday by a hunter walking in the woods along Gas House Pike, about three miles east of Frederick and a mile south of the unincorporated community of Mount Pleasant. Bailey says the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore is working to identify the man and determine the cause of his death.

WILLIAMSPORT - One church is planning to fill more than hungry stomachs this Thanksgiving. Word of Life Outreach Ministries at 15251 Falling Waters Road will open its doors Thanksgiving Day from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for anyone wanting to enjoy a holiday meal and good company. Those who attend the meal are encouraged to take a coat or a pair of boots as a free gift from the church. There will be clothing for men, women and children. To get to the church, turn onto Spielman Road off Md. 68 and go one half-mile mile to Falling Waters Road.

ANNAPOLIS - He can hardly believe it, but in a month Kevin de Ronde will be a dad. Like any soon-to-be parent he's super excited, but also a little apprehensive. How will it all shake out? What about day care? What about romantic life after baby? "I have so many questions," says de Ronde of Pasadena, Md. "Right now, I'm even wondering how we're going to get to the hospital in time. " He smiles at the thought of the not-arriving-at-the-hospital-in-time scenario, but there's also real worry in his voice.

BEIJING (AP) -- Promise Isaac and Victor Obinna scored Wednesday to lead Nigeria over 10-man United States 2-1, earning a place in the quarterfinals of the Olympic soccer tournament and eliminating the Americans. Isaac scored in the 39th minute with an easy tap-in off Chinedu Ogbuke Obasi's centering pass, and Obinna curled a right-footed shot into the top of goal in the 80th. Sacha Kljestan converted an 88th-minute penalty for the Americans and substitute Benny Feilhaber headed onto the post in the 90th, as the United States was eliminated from Group B after the Netherlands beat Japan.

Lost - Black and white cat. Where - The cat was lost on Shalom Lane in Black Rock Estates. When - The cat has been missing since Monday. Description - The female cat is described as a white and black domestic shorthair. It has white on its face, chest, stomach and its four feet. The cat weighs 9 pounds. The 3-year-old cat was wearing a gray collar. It answers to Boots. Phone number - Call 443-255-0602 if you see this cat.

HAGERSTOWN -- Remember galoshes? The sloppy-weather overshoes parents used to coax children to wear? Children rarely took a liking to the rubbery footwear, in part because they were violently unfashionable, but also because children, by nature, seem to be largely unfazed by weather. Today's children have sensible, yet stylish rubber boots with pull-on straps and decorations of butterflies, ladybugs, whales and firetrucks. And they at least are as undaunted as ever by rain, muck and mud. Case in point -- the Hagerstown Community College Student Government Association's Easter Egg Hunt.

MARTINSBURG, W.VA. - Little tykes pulled little tractors and a lot of weight at the Kiddie Pedal Pull Saturday afternoon during the last day of events at the Berkeley County Youth Fair. Luke Jones, 3, struggled mightily to pedal a small green tractor carrying a sled and 10 pounds of weight across the stage. "I like John Deere and that was hard to push and that was fun," Luke said excitedly as he threw his arms in the air. Luke's friend, Dylan Painter, wearing a John Deere shirt and small work boots, had pedaled halfway across the stage to much applause.