Continuance

Washington County Board of Education members decided Tuesday night to hold off on approving a new policy regarding public comments during public meetings so more work could be done on the policy. School board member Justin Hartings said he wanted to avoid situations in which members of the public speak about an issue yet board policy forbids board members from responding to them. The proposed new policy, up for a first reading Tuesday night, was a good start, but he wanted to see more, Hartings said.

The case of a former Hagerstown man charged with sexually abusing an underage girl has been sent on to Washington County Circuit Court. Washington County District Judge Mark Thomas ruled during a Wednesday hearing that there was enough evidence to forward the case of William Thomas Berry III, 28, to Circuit Court. Berry is charged with sexual abuse of a minor, sexual abuse of a minor as a continuing course of conduct and child abuse, according to court records. Hagerstown police have said the preteen girl came forward in 2008, alleging Berry sexually assaulted her many times between 2002 and 2005.

Robert Griffin III is off to a good start. The Washington Redskins' rookie quarterback finished his 14 plays over three series with a 20-yard touchdown pass to receiver Pierre Garcon in Thursday's 7-6 win over the Buffalo Bills in his preseason debut. The Heisman Trophy winner from Baylor was 4 of 6 for 70 yards and a sterling 145.8 quarterback rating. He wasn't sacked and didn't run, although he and running back Evan Royster combined to fumble a handoff that set up Buffalo's first field goal.

Visit the Hagerstown City Park Sunday for the summer concert series to enjoy a musical performance by the Hagerstown Municipal Band at Peter Buys Band Shell. The event begins at 7:30 p.m.™and is free and open to the public. For more information on this concert series, visit www.hagerstownband.org or call 301-739-8577, ext 169.   Last of summer movie express set for Aug. 15 The Regal Cinemas Summer Movie Express will feature its last of the summer $1 showings on Wednesday, Aug. 15. Following is a list of dates and movies planned: Aug. 7 and 8, “Chimpanzee,” rated G, and “Hood Winked Too,” rated PG; Aug. 14 and 15, “Arthur Xmas,” rated G, and “Smurfs,” rated PG. For more details on this summer time movie express, visit www.shopthevalleymall.com or call 301-582-1000.

Gas prices have risen for three weeks and might not stop until after August, according to the AAA Mid-Atlantic Weekend Fuel Report. The national average for regular grade gas has been projected to rise from $3.39 to $3.45 per gallon this week, from $3.39 to $3.40 in Hagerstown, and from $3.39 to $3.44 throughout Maryland. On Tuesday, the average price of gas in and around Hagerstown was $3.40 per gallon, according to the AAA Fuel Price Finder website. Regular grade gas at United Petroleum on Pennsylvania Avenue was $3.37 per gallon Tuesday.

Taking down the statue of Joe Paterno was the right thing to do. This statement doesn't really need explanation. The statue of Paterno outside Beaver Stadium at Penn State University is only a symbol, but a very powerful one. While it once stood for integrity, success, loyalty and doing things the right way, it now stands for doing things the wrong way. The child abuse stain of Jerry Sandusky will never be removed. It will be like an oil leak on the concrete that can't be washed away with a hose no matter how hard you try. However, this is a step in the right direction.

The Washington County Board of Education voted unanimously Tuesday to give Schools Superintendent Clayton Wilcox authority to continue negotiating and to finalize an agreement for Meritus Medical Center Inc. to provide health services in schools starting in August. The estimated cost for the agreement is $2.7 million to $2.8 million, Board Vice President Jacqueline Fischer said in making the motion for the authorization during Tuesday's afternoon board meeting. The agreement with Meritus Medical Center Inc. will be for one year, with a possible one-year extension, Wilcox said.

Friday marked the eighth straight day in which the high temperature in Hagerstown reached at least 90 degrees, according to i4weather.net, a website maintained by local weather observer Greg Keefer. On five  of those days, including Friday, the high temperature reached at least 95 degrees, Keefer's records showed. The heat is expected to continue through the weekend, with temperatures in the 90s forecast through Sunday, the National Weather Service said. On Friday, Washington and Frederick counties in Maryland and and Berkeley and Jefferson counties in West Virginia were under an extreme heat watch, according to the National Weather Service.

A Berkeley County employee who was hired last month through a federally-funded program that has since been cut will be laid off at the close of business on July 20. The Berkeley County Council voted 3-2 not to offer Litter Control Assistant Lewis Shifflett part-time employment, either. The council tabled a vote on whether to continue to employ information technology analyst Donald DeChalus, who, like Shifflett, was employed through the WorkForce West Virginia Employee Subsidy Program.

Thousands of Eastern Panhandle, W.Va., residents still reeling from violent storms Friday night struggled through another day without electricity Sunday as temperatures soared into the 90s and the humidity reached as high as 96 percent in parts of the Tri-State area. Joann Linaburg stood on the front porch of her home at 115 A N. Alabama Ave. wondering when the utility crews working down the street might have her electricity restored. Linaburg, who was without power following the storms, said she was staying “somewhat” cool in her house by keeping everything closed up. She said some of her neighbors went to stay elsewhere, but she was going to wait it out. “Me and my little fuzzy dog are staying here.