Clear Spring

Clear Spring is accepting bids for its garbage collection contract through Feb. 10. The town council agreed Monday to put its next three-year garbage contract up for bid early. Town Clerk Juanita Grimm said the contract will not take effect until the next fiscal year, which starts July 1. Obtaining bids early allows the council more time to consider potential contractors and recycling. Mayor Paul D. Hose Jr. said the package asks companies to include a line item in their bids for recycling services.

Clear Spring Elementary School hosted its fourth Golden Table luncheon of the school year March 26. The event honored students who demonstrated the Character Counts! pillar of fairness during March. Recognized at the luncheon were Kyleigh Jones, Madeline Stevens, Wyatt Gearhart, Brady Shepherd, Gunner Hockman, Gerald Alsip, Annabella James, Kaylee Chaney, Emmitt Hammond, Ian Thomas, Cade Sanders, Seth McKinney, Michael Myers, Jordan Yeakle, Madeline Moats, Max (Matthew) Sullivan, Hunter Tharp, Kain Powell and Drew Miller.

The North Hagerstown boys basketball team rolled into Clear Spring on Friday night with a chip on its collective shoulder. The sting of last week’s tough 75-73 loss to Catoctin was still fresh on the Hubs’ minds, especially head coach Kevin Hartman’s. “We just had to come out and play with more energy, especially after that loss to Catoctin,” said Hartman. “It had to start on the defensive end.” After falling behind early, the Hubs surged past the Blazers, cruising to a 77-47 MVAL Antietam victory.

A young Clear Spring baseball team saw a window of opportunity and made the most of jumping through it on Monday in the season opener against Hancock. The Blazers, handcuffed through four innings, pushed across three runs in the fifth inning to claim a 4-2 victory over Hancock. “We looked like nine deer in the headlights going everywhere to start the game,” said Clear Spring coach Mark Shives. “(Hancock pitcher Hunter McKinley) gave us a window and I was impressed that we worked through it.” McKinley, a sophomore right-hander, blanked the Blazers on one hit through four innings before opening the fifth by hitting Tyler Walling and Austin Yost with pitches.

Police on Monday arrested a man in connection with a burglary in Clear Spring after they found a vehicle in Williamsport that contained burglar tools and a rifle that was stolen in the crime, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office. Michael James Morris, 20, of no fixed address, was charged with first- and second-degree burglary, theft over $1,000, possession of controlled dangerous substance paraphernalia and possession of burglar tools, police said. At 8:45 a.m. Monday, officers responded to a property in the 12000 block of Cove Road in Clear Spring for a report of a burglary, according to a news release.

When Clear Spring unloads its bats, it unloads with commitment. The Blazers went the five-inning route on Wednesday, slamming out 13 hits on the way to a 15-2 victory over Smithsburg in the MVAL Antietam Conference. Five players had two hits each as the Blazers (10-6, 7-6) highlighted the night with an eight-run third inning. Dylan Stouffer and Jared Brant each had two hits, including a home run, and Nick Hill, Adam Mellott and Hunter Fiddler each had a pair of hits. “We've been making the swings like we need, attacking the baseball and being positive,” said Clear Spring coach Mark Shives.

In baseball, it’s all about the teamwork. And that’s what mattered most for Clear Spring pitcher Ajay Yost. “I won because I had my teammates behind me,” Yost said. “It was all because of them.” Yost struck out eight without walking a batter in five innings, and Clear Spring eliminated Halfway from the Maryland District 1 10-11 Tournament with a 5-4 victory. Clear Spring earned a trip to Valley tonight at 6 for the championship round. Clear Spring will have to beat Valley tonight and again Saturday to win the title.

Like those in most other municipalities across Washington County, Clear Spring officials Monday night acknowledged the federal nutrient-reduction targets aimed at cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay, but called the estimated $1.3 million price tag for suggested improvements financially unfeasible. Clear Spring Town Council members in June reviewed a list of potential projects that the town could undertake as part of Phase 2 improvements in the county's Watershed Implementation Plan, or WIP, that would attempt to reduce the amount of nitrogen and phosphorous that makes its way to the bay by 2025.