Cash

dans@herald-mail.com THURMONT, Md. - The Catoctin softball team gambled and lost in the seventh inning Tuesday afternoon against Middletown. The Cougars tried again in the eighth inning and came up empty. They did it again in the ninth. Finally, the Knights made them pay up in the 10th inning. No. 5 Middletown scored twice in the top of the third extra frame, then pulled a line out-throw out double play in the bottom half for a 4-2 victory, handing the No. 3 Cougars their first defeat of the season and throwing the Monocacy Valley Athletic League race up in the air. "We've been doing well right from the start of the season," said Middletown catcher Megan Enders, whose double in the top of the 10th brought in the winning run. "But today, I think we played even better.

martinsburg@herald-mail.com CHARLES TOWN, W.VA. Three of 19 stylists at Hair Cuttery in Charles Town had to be begged to contribute money to buy 360 Powerball tickets earlier this week, but it's likely none are complaining now - after taxes, each will take home more than $30,000 in winnings. One of the 360 tickets matched the first five numbers of Wednesday's Powerball drawing - 7, 21, 43, 44 and 49. The Powerball number on the ticket was 34, but the winning number was 29, according to a press release from the West Virginia Lottery Commission.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Money continues to stream in for the renovation of the old B&O Roundhouse off East Martin Street. State lawmakers say another $200,000 for the renovation of the roundhouse has been included in the legislative budget digest. The digest, part of the recently approved 1999-2000 budget, is a list of special projects across the state that have received funding from the Legislature. Both Sen. John Unger, D-Berkeley, and Del. Vicki Douglas, D-Berkeley, requested digest money for the roundhouse, which is being renovated for public use. The $200,000 is in addition to a $300,000 allocation the county received last week for the purchase of the building.

Most Democrats in the Pennsylvania State Senate favor legalizing slot machines at the state's horse tracks. But to keep things above board, they also favor keeping slot-machine company executives from making political contributions. We agree; lawmakers need to sort this one out on its merits, not on who's kicking in the largest number of dollars. House Democrats, the majority of whom favor slots, removed the Senate's prohibition on gambling company executives' political contributions because they said it would violate the state's constitution.

Charging holiday gifts can speed mail or Internet orders and simplify a return, but using credit might give you a false sense of your ability to pay. While shopping is very much a part of the holiday season, it truly is the thought that counts. Spending more than you can afford can compromise your ability to meet future needs. Overspending is easy. Advertising increases during the holiday season, and stores offer expanded inventories. It is, however, possible to shop, follow your spending plan and enjoy it without feeling like Scrooge.

A Pennsylvania school board is not usually where you would find a gambler, but between now and May, members from all over the state will have to place a bet on whether a share of $1 billion in slot-machine proceeds is worth the effort. It's new money that would reduce the average homeowner's property tax bill by about $333. But, as with many good things, there are some strings attached. If districts take the gambling money, their ability to raise property taxes higher than the rate of inflation will be curbed.

What do windmills have to do with affordable housing? We're not sure, but we look forward to an explanation from the West Virginia Housing Development Fund officials who on Tuesday approved a $1.75 million loan to a firm that develops electricity-producing windmills. The firm is U.S. Wind Force, and though the deal is not the fund's first involving economic development, the Associated Press reports that it's the first that has no link to affordable housing or helping citizens get better jobs to pay housing costs.

By DAVE McMILLION Staff Writer Six Washington County schools have been awarded nearly $200,000 for being among the fastest improving schools in the state, officials said. The schools were awarded the money for showing "substantial and sustained" improvement for two years, particularly in the Maryland School Performance Assessment Program, an annual academic test for elementary and middle school students, officials said. The schools and their awards included: Cascade Elementary School, $31,882.

In March, when the Baltimore school system was looking for a $42 million loan to bail it out of some poor financial decisions, we said that Maryland ought to put some tough conditions on any loan. We also said that state education officials, who should have been paying closer attention to Baltimore's descent into a flood of red ink, needed a shake-up of their own. They may get it sooner than they anticipated. Last week, Circuit Judge Joseph H.H. Kaplan issued a 70-page ruling, which said the state should increase its contribution to the Baltimore schools by $225 million in the next four years.

HAGERSTOWN - Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich's six-year transportation budget includes money for two major projects planned for Washington County - improvements to the busy intersection of U.S. 40 and Edgewood Drive and the proposed widening of Interstate 81. The money is part of the $116 million the county will receive from the state for transportation projects in fiscal years 2007 to 2012, Maryland Transportation Secretary Robert Flanagan said Thursday....