Clear Spring

  Editor's note: This list was edited on May 20 to correct the day that Pastor Jack Payne will minister at By His Grace Ministries in Clear Spring to Friday, May 24 at 7 p.m.

Thursday, May 16 Toddler Time for ages 18 to 36 months, Smithsburg Library, 11 a.m. Exchange Club of Hagerstown meets at Nick's Airport Inn, 12:15 p.m. Hagerstown Kiwanis Club meets at Academy Theater Banquet & Conference Center, 58 E. Washington St., 12:15 p.m. Food Bank and Second Time Around Clothing Shop open at St. Peter's Lutheran Church, Clear Spring, 1 to 2 p.m. Story time, Sharpsburg Library, 3:30 p.m. The...

When Clear Spring's Dylan Stouffer heads to the plate, he has two voices in his ear. One is his own, setting up his hitting routine. The other is coach Mark Shives, yelling instructions from the third-base coaching box. Stouffer listened to Shives on Wednesday, taking the directions to heart to hit two home runs - including a grand slam - and drive in five to lead the Blazers to an 11-0 victory over Boonsboro in the Class 1A West region East...

For Sonny Lemon, the annual wagon train ride is more than just an opportunity to trace the famous route that opened Washington County to the west - it's a family tradition that goes back more than 20 years. Lemon, a Boonsboro native, first began riding in the National Pike Festival and Wagon Train in 1989 with his friend and fellow horseman, Robert Shank. The National Pike Festival celebrates the historic, 19th-century road that helped extend the Baltimore-National Pike to Cumberland, Md., allowing for the development of roadways that would eventually lead to national westward expansion, according to the event's website.

“People wonder what's wrong with Washington. Well, it's the people themselves, that re-elect people like this former governor from South Carolina, who cheated and lied to his wife, and also lied to the people, by thinking he was above the law, and using taxpayer funds to fly to South America to meet his lover. Even though he paid the money back, the fact that he thought he could do it means he doesn't belong in Washington, D.C. But we keep sending these kinds of people to represent us, which is what is wrong.” - Hagerstown “We as humans do things from A to Z that God does not like.

The Town of Clear Spring's proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year does not include a property tax increase for residents, but water and sewer rates are slated to increase by 2 percent each, according to town officials. The town's property tax rate, if the budget is finalized as proposed, will maintain the current property tax rate of 28 cents per $100 of assessed value, Town Clerk Juanita K. Grimm said Monday night during the Clear Spring Town Council meeting, at which the proposed budget was reviewed.

A fire Monday evening caused $100,000 in damages to a two-story house at 13156 Draper Road near Clear Spring, the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office said Tuesday. It took 73 firefighters took about 40 minutes to get the blaze under control, according to a Fire Marshal's Office news release. Authorities said the fire, which was discovered by a neighbor at 8:11 p.m., caused $85,000 in damages to the structure and $15,000 in damages to the contents. The one-alarm fire started in the attic, according to the release.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013 PREP BASEBALL BRUNSWICK, Md. - After losing two games to Brunswick during the regular season by healthy scores, Boonsboro turned the tables on the Railroaders in the postseason. After 12-2 and 10-1 losses during the regular season, Boonsboro put together one of its finest games of the season in turning back the Railroaders 6-1 in the Maryland Class 1A West region East section semifinals Tuesday. Boonsboro (8-11-1) will hit the road again today to face Clear Spring (14-4)

Birthdays Tuesday, May 14 - Mary Hess, South Burhans Boulevard, Hagerstown, turns 74; Ryan Johnston, Yorkshire Drive, Hagerstown, turns 17; Shelby Funk, Walnut Point Road, Hagerstown, turns 22. Anniversary Tuesday, May 14 - Lisa and Wade Staley, Fairview Road, Clear Spring, are celebrating their 25th anniversary.

North Hagerstown's Max Ober cemented his place at the top of the Washington County tennis mountain on Monday. Ober dethroned two-time defending county boys singles champion Serge Aleshin-Guendel of Boonsboro 6-2, 6-4 in the county tournament final at North. Ober, who's undefeated this season and hasn't lost to a county opponent in two seasons, used his athleticism and net play to put pressure on Aleshin-Guendel, who came up with superb passing shots at times but struggled with his consistency.