Chemicals

Methamphetamine and chemicals and equipment used to make the drug were found in a room at the Budget Inn at 2347 Molly Pitcher Highway, Pennsylvania State Police said Sunday. The items were found Thursday night after a trooper saw two men walking along a road near the motel about midnight, according to a news release. It was determined that one of the men was wanted by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on federal weapons charges, the release said.

Authorities responded to St. Maria Goretti High School on Oak Hill Avenue on Thursday afternoon to help the school dispose of old chemicals that were found there, a Hagerstown Fire Department spokesman said. A couple ounces of chemicals were found at the school Thursday and school officials contacted authorities about how to dispose of the chemicals, said Hagerstown Fire Department Battalion Chief Russell Grim. “This is the best way to take care of it,” Grim said at the school.

Dear Pat: I am doing some remodeling and rearranging some walls in an older house. We can see evidence of termite and insect damage on the framing. Would it be wise to treat the lumber with borate chemicals? - Andrea K. Dear Andrea: It is common to find signs of termite damage or other insect infestations in an older framed house. Use a screwdriver or some other sharp object to probe the interior framing that you do not plan to replace. You could find the insides of some wall studs are eaten away.

Chemical contracts awarded by county The Washington County Commissioners on Tuesday awarded several companies contracts to provide 35 chemicals for grounds maintenance for some county and city departments. The contract primarily provides the needed chemicals for Black Rock Golf Course and some chemicals used by the Washington County Highway Department and the Department of Water Quality. The City of Hagerstown piggybacked onto the contracts. Six vendors from Maryland, Virginia and New Jersey were awarded the yearlong contracts to provide the 35 chemicals.

Switch aids in sewage control By DAN KULIN dank@herald-mail.com A state official said a switch to a disinfection process using chlorine Tuesday has ended the flow of contaminated waste water from Hagerstown's sewage plant into Antietam Creek, but the city's top sewer plant official disagrees. continued "With the chlorine in place as a temporary fix, the dumping of untreated sewage into the Antietam Creek has ended. ... They are removing the pathogens we're concerned about," Maryland Department of the Environment spokesman Richard McIntire said.

WILLIAMSPORT - Garden State Tanning legally dumps more toxic chemicals directly into the Potomac River than any other company in Maryland, a state environmental watchdog group alleged Thursday. -- cont. from front page -- The Maryland Public Interest Research Group said that the automotive leather manufacturer legally released 313,430 pounds of toxic chemicals into the river between 1992 and 1996. Most of the material came from ammonia and nitrate compounds, said MaryPIRG Campaign Director Michael Pace.

A lot of Washington County fourth-graders are busy putting the finishing touches on their entries in the Home Chemical Safety Week poster contest. The winners will be announced at 10:30 a.m. during Tuesday's meeting of the Washington County Board of Commissioners. Home Chemical Safety Week is March 17-23 this year, said Verna Brown, chairwoman of the educational committee of the Washington County Local Emergency Planning Committee. Currently, the home chemical safety curriculum that the LEPC has developed for Washington County Public Schools was offered for fourth-graders at Salem Avenue, Hickory and Boonsboro elementary schools in February, Brown said.

When millions of gallons of largely untreated waste water that flowed from the Hagerstown sewage treatment plant into Antietam Creek this month it wasn't good. But there was not enough contamination to cause noticeable harm or pose a serious health threat to the creek or those who were on it. That was thanks to the winter temperatures, the dilution of the waste water by the creek - and later the Potomac River - and the relatively short duration of the contamination, state and local officials say. The treatment plant off Frederick Street was partially shut down Feb. 9 after high concentrations of chemicals common to industrial cleaners and other industrial products came into the plant and killed the sewage-eating bacteria used to break down complex bacteria and chemicals.

MIDDLEWAY, W.Va. ? The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection announced Friday that Creo Manufacturing America LLC had submitted plans to clean up approximately 270 acres at a 60-year-old industrial site in Jefferson County. It wasn't immediately clear Friday how long the cleanup might take, but DEP officials said the company, which is part of the Eastman Kodak Co., had applied to participate in the state's Voluntary Remediation and Redevelopment Program. "This is something that has to be done before it can be sold to anybody," said Jane Peters, executive director of the Jefferson County Development Authority, who described the announcement as "a step forward" to redevelopment of the property.

GREENCASTLE, Pa. - Representatives from the Industrial Pallet Corp. in Greencastle said the company actively is working to mitigate the concerns of local residents and establish a peaceful relationship with its neighbors. Plant manager Jeff Deike said the company was unaware it would be the target of criticism at Monday's Greencastle Borough Council meeting, but said it already has taken steps to address many of the issues raised by residents. Deike said the company actively has been working with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to limit the amount of dust escaping the plant.

Authorities responded to St. Maria Goretti High School on Oak Hill Avenue on Thursday afternoon to help the school dispose of old chemicals that were found there, a Hagerstown Fire Department spokesman said. A couple ounces of chemicals were found at the school Thursday and school officials contacted authorities about how to dispose of the chemicals, said Hagerstown Fire Department Battalion Chief Russell Grim. “This is the best way to take care of it,” Grim said at the school.

Authorities discovered Tuesday morning that several chemical reaction devices were discharged in the 200 block of South Prospect Street. Hagerstown Police Department officers initially responded to the area about 2:14 p.m. for a report of shots fired, said City of Hagerstown spokeswoman Erin Wolfe. Hagerstown City Fire Marshal officials determined the chemical reaction devices were no longer a danger, Wolfe said in a news release. Wolfe said Tuesday night that investigators do not want to go into detail about what type of devices were used because it might compromise an investigation.

A combination of chemicals being used to unclog a drain led to a building being evacuated and parts of two streets being closed in Hagerstown Friday evening, city officials said. The hazardous materials incident caused the first block of South Potomac Street and a portion of Antietam Street to be closed for about 90 minutes, according to a city news release. A man using a cleaning agent and a drain-clearing solution to unclog a bathtub drain created a cloud in an apartment at 55 S. Potomac St., the release said.

Methamphetamine and chemicals and equipment used to make the drug were found in a room at the Budget Inn at 2347 Molly Pitcher Highway, Pennsylvania State Police said Sunday. The items were found Thursday night after a trooper saw two men walking along a road near the motel about midnight, according to a news release. It was determined that one of the men was wanted by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on federal weapons charges, the release said.

A group of retired and former Chemical Leaman Tank Lines Inc. drivers, owner operators, terminal managers, dispatchers and mechanics met for lunch Nov. 14 at Western Sizzlin' Steak House at York Road and Halfway Boulevard. In attendance were Leroy “Buck” Renner and friend, Sharon; Bob Davis and wife, Doris; Charles “Sonny” Weddle and wife, Shelby; Joe Robosson and wife, Dorothy; Allen Hilliard and wife, Phyllis; Norman Vickery; Rodger Lohman and wife, Shelva; and Gerry Rubeck.

A group of retired and former Chemical Leaman Tank Lines Inc. drivers, owner operators, terminal managers, dispatchers and mechanics met for lunch Oct. 10 at Western Sizzlin' Steak House on York Road in Halfway. In attendance were Leroy “Buck” Renner and friend, Sharon; Bob Davis and his wife, Doris, and daughter; Fred Detrow; Charles “Sonny” Weddle and wife, Shelby; Joe Robosson and his wife, Dorothy; Allen Hilliard and his wife, Phyllis; Chester Masser and his wife, Cathy; Raymond Bingaman and his wife, Rhonda; Al Lane; Joe Sours; and Norman Vickery.

Hats of every shape and style floated through the ballroom Friday night at Fountain Head Country Club as 160 people commemorated the past 100 years of the Washington County Historical Society. The theme of the event was The Mad Hatter’s Ball, society Executive Director Linda Irvin-Craig said. Anchoring the room was an 11-foot tree adorned with dozens of hats from nearly every decade, Roger Fairbourn said. Fairbourn, vice president of the board of directors, said while the society was founded in 1911, the height of the tree he built for the event was merely coincidence.

A group of retired and former Chemical Leaman Tank Lines Inc. drivers, owner operators, terminal managers, dispatchers and mechanics met for lunch at Western Sizzlin’ steak house in Halfway on Jan. 10.   In attendance were Norman Vickery, Leroy “Buck” Renner and friend, Sharon, Bob Davis and wife, Doris, Fred Detrow, Charles “Sonny” Weddle and wife, Shelby, Joe Robosson and wife, Dorothy, Allen Hilliard and wife, Phyllis,...

Some trees in downtown Hagerstown will be sprayed this week to discourage birds from roosting. City Engineer Rodney Tissue said J.C. Ehrlich Pest Control Services will spray trees in the public right-of-way along Franklin, Jonathan and Potomac streets with a substance that repels birds. Spraying will be from 5 to 10 p.m. today as well as from 5 to 10 p.m. on Jan. 10, 12 and 17, Tissue said. Tissue said the spray is an organic, chemical-free compound called Rejex-It. He said he is not certain exactly how it works, but Rejex-It, which is sprayed on to trees in a fine mist, causes birds to look for other trees in which to roost.

Do you have these products in your home? Bleach, rat poison, mothballs, charcoal lighter fluid, oven cleaner, batteries, mercury thermometers, gas, oil, wood polish, shoe polish, bug spray, toilet and drain cleaners? Household products are called hazardous if they can harm people when not used in the right way. Not every product is hazardous and some are more dangerous than others. You can use most products safely if you follow the directions on the label. Doing things that are not on the label is risky for your health and your family's.