Counseling

Concerned that parent groups such as PTAs would need to file as lobbyists under proposed new ethics regulations, the Washington County Board of Education Tuesday asked its legal counsel to clarify the issue with the state attorney general. Board member Justin Hartings said it would be "crazy" for a PTA to have to register as a lobbyist. "If the PTA wants the principal to put a welcome mat in front of the school, right, that's advocating for a school official to take an act. It gets silly, and I don't want it to be silly.

"Only a year. Was that just a year ago I saw him laughing and talking? It seems like 10 years," thought Margie.   Looking out her window she saw the back shed he had built. She chuckled remembering him falling off the ladder when an inquisitive squirrel startled him. He picked himself up, unhurt but a bit chagrined and sent her a disgusted look at her laughter.  "How I love that man and how I miss him. When will this emptiness go away?" The process of grieving is so different for each loss and for each person.

The Berkeley County Council on Thursday was advised not to exempt churches from paying certain county permit fees and risk a legal challenge on the issue of separation of church and state. Legal counsel Norwood Bentley III told council members that waiving the county's regular planning and engineering fees would violate the law because the government is not supposed to give any particular denomination or religion a financial benefit. Council members delayed taking action on proposed revisions to the county's fee waiver policy, which Bentley revised after a church requested a permit fee waiver for a replacement sign.

A man twice convicted and sentenced to life for the bludgeoning death of a Smithsburg woman was in Washington County Circuit Court again Tuesday, claiming he had ineffective counsel and asking for a new trial. "He was droning on and on about my mental records," Jack Lewis Hammersla Jr. testified Wednesday before Judge Daniel P. Dwyer, referring to Assistant Public Defender Brian Hutchison's closing argument to the jury in his second trial. "He should have been honing in on the central facts that were in my favor.

Domestic violence and sexual assault are on the rise in the Eastern Panhandle, but funding for victim services has decreased sharply. “Since 2000, the Shenandoah Women’s Center has grown threefold,” said Executive Director Ann K.D. Smith, “but not the funding.” The Shenandoah Women’s Center (SWC) was formed in 1977 to provide services to help victims of violence and sexual assault. Offices are in Martinsburg, Charles Town and Berkeley Springs to help women and men who are victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and sexual harassment.

Bridge of Life Church in Hagerstown has begun providing a counseling office to help people overcome life's problems. Bridge of Life uses a Christ-centered psycodynamic model of therapy for sexual and physical abuse, and for most mental disorders, including personality, mood, behavioral, sexual, anxiety and identity/dissociative. Dianne Kleckner, the primary counselor, has been at Bridge of Life for two years. She holds bachelor's and a master's degrees in Christian counseling from Christian Bible School and Seminary.

HALFWAY -- The suspension of Halfway fire company's chief has been extended, the fire company's deputy chief said Tuesday. Jeff Ringer, chief of the Volunteer Fire Co. of Halfway, Md. Inc., was placed on paid administrative leave for 30 days, effective May 3, and would have returned to work this week, Deputy Chief Ed Ernst said. Ernst said company President James G. Kimble told the fire company's Executive Board last week that Ringer's suspension was being extended. The board, of which Ernst is a member, did not get to vote on the matter, he said.

View more photos here! HAGERSTOWN -- On paper, the outlook heading into the 27th annual Mid-Atlantic Invitational Tournament suggested the winner of Friday's first-round game between Benedictine (Va.) and Good Counsel would come away with the championship on Saturday. After a sluggish start, Benedictine put a stamp on the MAIT title, rolling to a 66-40 victory over pesky John Carroll at the Gael Center. Good Counsel, a 74-67 loser to Benedictine on Friday, had an easy time in the consolation matchup as it posted a 91-42 victory over St. Maria Goretti.

SCORE volunteer Bob Poor addressed artists gathered at the Washington County Arts Council during an evening business counseling session recently. SCORE and the arts council partnered to offer the three-evening workshop.

WAYNESBORO, Pa. -- A group of Waynesboro attorneys has created a service they say can be more confidential, less expensive and faster for people working through disagreements. After being in planning stages for most of the year, the Franklin County Dispute Resolution Center opened a week ago. Private mediation and counseling is available for disputes in a variety of categories, including child custody, divorce property, boundary, contract and landlord-tenant. "It could give people a little more control of their case than litigation," co-founder Clint Barkdoll said.