Congratulations

Congratulations, Mayor Breichner The Hagerstown election is over, the ballots are counted, and William "Bill" Breichner has been elected as the city's next mayor. Our congratulations go out to him, because based on what he said during the election, we feel the city will be in good hands. Breichner has served the city for a total of 45 years - as a city employee, superintendent of the water department, as city administrator and for the last 12 years as a councilman. But Breichner has done more than put in time, as his campaign proposals demonstrate.

Former First Lady Laura Bush congratulated Maureen McCarrick, of Middletown, Md., and Haley Whitt of Olney, Md., on being named the top two youth volunteers in Maryland for 2009 by the Prudential Spririt of Community Awards at a May 3 ceremony at the Smithsonian's National Museum of History. Each received $1,000 scholarships.

Today we applaud Steven Wolfe, a Grace Academy eighth grader, for making it through two rounds of the Scripps National Spelling Bee this week. To get that far by correctly spelling words that many people have never heard of is a great achievement indeed. Wolfe, 14, won the 26th Annual Washington County Spelling bee in March by spelling "synapse. " According to the judge's list, that word means "the locus at which the nervous impulse passes from the axon of one neuron to the dendrites of another.

The TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) Chapter 462 in Smithsburg is holding an open house today at St. Paul's United Methodist Church, 51 S. Main St. in Smithsburg, from 6 to 7 p.m. Visitors are welcome. John, the chapter leader, led last week's meeting. He said the group had a good report on weight loss. Yearly awards were also given out. Congratulations go to Ola, Richard and John for one year of perfect attendance. Dale had three months of perfect attendance. He was also the best loser in his weight division for the year.

Now that the school year has come to a close, there is a bit of business to tidy up. The South Hagerstown High School Alumni Association has named the recipients of its scholarships. Congratulations and best wishes in their future endeavors as they continue their education at the next level. Already committed to Towson to study nursing is Kaitlyn Nicole Spangler. Joining Kaitlyn at Towson is Stephanie Swope. Sarah Bjerga and Lauren Fahrney plan to attend Hagerstown Community College and then transfer to four-year schools.

Maugansville Fire Co. news: o A basket bingo will be held Sunday. Call 301-797-6770 for tickets. o The following have been named firefighters of the month: July - Nick Martin; August - Liz Roane. Congratulations to both of these dedicated volunteers. o Fifty-three calls were responded to in September and the fire company has an average turnout of personnel of 11.4 for the year. o The fire company would like to thank everyone who supported the fire company's gun raffle Sept.

The following are some of the events happening at St. Maria Goretti High School: o No school on Tuesday, Oct 7 - Teacher meeting at the ABCCE Convention in Baltimore. o Congratulations to Katie Cronise, Marissa Krandell, Will Murray and Mary Saum on their outstanding performance for receiving Maryland Distinguished Scholar Honorable Mention for their academic achievements. o The 18th annual Michael McCollum Golf Classic will be Thursday, Oct. 9, at Fountain Head Country Club.

Eastern Elementary The following Eastern Elementary School students were named Good Citizens of the month for December. The character trait that was to be displayed was kindness: First grade - Rayanna Ford, Devin Wagner, Araina Wigfall, Kaliona Kemp, Skye Poulin and Hailey Grace. Second grade - Chloe Nines, Johnny Abreu, Sumaiyah Ali and Ammar Masood. Third grade - Zuhair Burmi, Bailee Bradshaw, Kaleb Marin, Brandon Keener, Sirri Akaya and Destany Rhodes.

Lots of local athletes go on to play at the college level, and it is always good to hear of their success. Sydney Parks, a former standout player on the Boonsboro High School volleyball team and now a freshman at Baruch College, helped her team in its recent second-place finish in the CUNY Athletic Conference Championship. Baruch defeated rival Hunter College in five sets in the semifinals, which were postponed and relocated due to Hurricane Sandy.  Busy weekend ahead in town So many great opportunities for fun, fellowship and holiday shopping in our little town this weekend.

Now that the school year has come to a close, there is a bit of business to tidy up. The South Hagerstown High School Alumni Association has named the recipients of its scholarships. Congratulations and best wishes in their future endeavors as they continue their education at the next level. Already committed to Towson to study nursing is Kaitlyn Nicole Spangler. Joining Kaitlyn at Towson is Stephanie Swope. Sarah Bjerga and Lauren Fahrney plan to attend Hagerstown Community College and then transfer to four-year schools.

“This call is from the caller who said that Romney has no military experience or foreign policy. It seems I upset a lot of conservatives, which is very great. That was my intent. They're the party that keeps on saying that military experience is needed. They always want a military man to be their nominee, but the minute they get a draft dodger who went to France for three years during Vietnam, they're happy. President Obama was a child during Vietnam, so don't even compare the two.” - Hagerstown “I'm calling about my daughter, which you probably won't put it in the paper anyhow.

The state champs received a first-class welcome at the state capitol Thursday. The Martinsburg High School football team was greeted by state Senate Majority Leader John Unger, D-Berkeley-Jefferson, and other state officials from the eastern Panhandle during a visit. Unger arranged for the visit by players and coaches and introduced a Senate resolution honoring them, according to a staff member from Unger's Charleston office. The players later met with Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and posed for a photo with Unger and the governor.

North High Class of 1962 The North Hagerstown High School Class of 1962 is planning its reunion in 2012. Planning meetings will be held at Hempen Hill Restaurant, 13208 Fountain Head Plaza in Hagerstown, on the second Tuesday of the month. Classmates are invited to attend.   Yard sale is Saturday Hagerstown Business and Professional Women’s Club will hold a yard sale Saturday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 17815 Garden View Road in Maugansville. Housewares, books, jewelry, clothes and miscellaneous items will be sold.  The proceeds will benefit the club’s scholarship program and community projects.

High-five — A slapping of the upraised, open hand of another person, as in congratulation or celebration. Or, for the University System of Maryland at Hagerstown, a five-year accomplishment characterized by a partnership with five Maryland universities, more than 500 college graduates and $500,000 in scholarship money. USM-H hosted a “Cheers for 5 Years” reception Friday at its downtown Hagerstown campus to celebrate its anniversary. The evening wasn’t exactly hands slapped high in the air, but the buffet spread, the proclamations and mock-knighting ceremony by the queen were the college’s way of congratulating those in Hagerstown who helped make higher education accessible to area students while also asking their support for the future.

Editor's note: The Herald-Mail invites readers to answer poll questions on www.herald-mail.com. Readers also may submit comments when voting. A sampling of edited reader comments will run on The Herald-Mail's Opinion page on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. The question posted Friday on The Herald-Mail's Web site was: Do you believe Barack Obama was a good choice to receive the Nobel Peace Prize? Results: Yes, 309 votes (20.9 percent); No, 1,173 votes (79.1 percent) o "All Americans should be proud today.

Former First Lady Laura Bush congratulated Maureen McCarrick, of Middletown, Md., and Haley Whitt of Olney, Md., on being named the top two youth volunteers in Maryland for 2009 by the Prudential Spririt of Community Awards at a May 3 ceremony at the Smithsonian's National Museum of History. Each received $1,000 scholarships.