Bulletin Board

HAGERSTOWN marlob@herald-mail.com When Virginia "Ginny" Danko leaves her desk for the last time Feb. 28, she will take away many, many memories of her more than 30 years clerking for the District Court of Maryland. More importantly, she will leave behind a tradition of hard work, professionalism and a fun work environment, all of which she labored to instill and hopes will continue after she's gone. Her supervisor, Dixie Scholtes, administrative clerk for the courts in Washington and Frederick counties, credits Danko with having great people skills.

bobp@herald-mail.com Over all his years in high school football, Glenn Cross has seen a lot of red. The temper and adrenaline rush that all coaches feel aside, for Cross it has been the red of Fort Hill and the vivid red of North Hagerstown, the two teams he coached for much of his tenure. Tonight, his allegience won't be tested in the least. "I'll be wearing North Hagerstown red," Cross said. "It's been a long time since I've been up there. I've seen these kids every day and this has been a great thing to watch (coach Danny Cunningham)

Secretary prepares to enter retirement phase By RICHARD F. BELISLE Staff Writer, Waynesboro WAYNESBORO, Pa. - Peggy Rock has sat at the same desk and in the same wood-and-metal chair for the same Waynesboro automobile dealership for 50 years. Now she's heading for retirement. "I'm phasing out," said Rock, 71, a secretary for Lynn Pontiac-Buick-GMC Inc. at 141 S. Potomac St. Rock started working for the dealership in August 1947. She's been "phasing" into retirement by working mornings three days a week.

The turkey's been picked over, the pumpkin pie is on ice and soon, I will be, too. Yes folks, my football season is quickly coming to a close. If I'm reading the stars correctly, I should have one more installment of bulletin board material to write next week. Of course, all but one of the local high school teams are finished playing, so nobody's exactly scrambling to find the thumb tacks to post this in the locker room. At any rate, it's almost time for me to star in my version of "The Big Sleep.

By GUY FLETCHER Staff Writer A new era in Hagerstown's daily newspapers begins today with the introduction of The Herald-Mail Co.'s site on the World Wide Web - www.herald-mail.com. "I think the Web is a great opportunity to be a complementary service to the newspaper," said Herald-Mail Editor and Publisher John League. The site features point-and-click access to news stories, photographs, sports, weather forecasts and general newspaper information. Cybersurfers also can find a cookbook, wedding announcements, obituaries and archives of award-winning stories and photographs.

A group of 35 community leaders, educators, activists and business representatives are starting to teach character in Washington County. [cont. from front page ] Today is the third and final day of a training seminar at Hagerstown Community College for those involved in "Character Counts. " The national program is meant to combat poor manners and bad behavior in society, principally in schools. "We've reached the bottom and we're coming back up," said Herb Gould, a police officer from Waverly, Tenn.

Cougars aim for last laugh again The Smithsburg girls didn't say anything to become bulletin-board material at Catoctin. Their actions on the court - 10 wins against the Cougars in the 3 1/2 seasons - were enough. And now, with the Monocacy Valley Athletic League race on the line, the Leopards know they'll need the last word again when they play tonight in Thurmont. "We know they're gunning for us and we know how good they are," Powell said. "They play as hard, if not harder than anyone in the league.

The game of basketball has evolved over the years. In the past, talk on the court really wasn't necessary. Now, it seems required. And that's fine for the most part. A little smack, properly used of course, makes the game more fun and interesting. But in the Atlantic Coast Conference this season, there is no right place for talk of any kind - on the court; off the court; heck, probably in the locker room as well, if the microphones from every TV network that slobbers over ACC basketball work that well.

marlob@herald-mail.com FUNKSTOWN - The sign out front may still say Funkstown School but starting this year, it really is the Funkstown School for Early Childhood Education. And while Susan Burger is the only administrator in the building, her title is managing assistant principal. Burger said with those differences explained and out of the way, there is only one more thing - only children from pre-kindergarten through first grade are in the building. Oh, and kindergarten is all day. Any questions?

By BRENDAN KIRBY Staff Writer For several years, North Hagerstown High School students and teachers have talked about doing something special for Black History Month, but bulletin board displays and morning announcements have had to suffice. But on Sunday, about 150 people filled the school's auditorium to celebrate their heritage and rally as a community. "I'm surprised to see it go through this time," said senior Montez Anderson, who delivered a speech written by Martin Luther King Jr. "I'm proud.