Credits

Michael Day, 60, of Hagerstown thought it was all over even before the 84th annual Academy Awards had barely begun. Different from years past, the first category during the Feb. 26 broadcast was Best Cinematography. Day was hoping that "Tree of Life" would win. Instead, the Oscar went to "Hugo. " "I was 0 for 1 and I thought this wasn't going to be my year," he said.  But this wasn't Day's first time at the Oscar Picks podium. He nabbed the coveted prize last year, and spent the $50 prize by taking his wife, Carol, out to dinner.

Just hours after citizens packed a public hearing in opposition to relaxing excise tax requirements, the Washington County Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to approve an eight-month stimulus program offering excise tax credits toward new homes. The public hearing was related to the separate issue of whether to continue a policy of doubling the excise tax in fast-growing subdivisions. At that hearing, builders urged the commissioners to end the doubling of the taxes, calling it a "punitive roadblock," while a string of citizens asked them not to risk out-of-control growth for the sake of temporary construction jobs or to appease developers.

HAGERSTOWN -- When Ruth Anne Callaham got word that The Daily Record had named her one of Maryland's Top 100 Women for 2009, the executive director of Food Resources Inc. in Washington County said she was humbled. "People with high credentials have lifted me up," Callaham said. "It is exciting and just makes me want to do my job better. " For the past six years, Callaham has headed the organization now at 220 McRand Court that obtains, stores and distributes food to agencies and residents who are in need.

Hecht hopes to fix flaw in state's system of good-time credits By LAURA ERNDE laurae@herald-mail.com ANNAPOLIS - A quirk in Maryland law allows prisoners who violate the terms of their early release to be rewarded with extra good-time credits. Del. Sue Hecht, D-Frederick/Washington, said Thursday she hopes to fix that problem with legislation this year. "It's like you get benefits by re-offending. That's the part that just makes no sense," she said.

The Washington County Commissioners voted Tuesday to lower a tax cap on property assessments effective in fiscal year 2008, but plans to issue rebate checks or credits on tax bills might be off the table. Read the full story in Wednesday's Herald-Mail newspapers.

Semester at Sea, a program of the Pittsburgh-based Institute for Shipboard Education, happens on a cruise ship.It includes a traditional classroom setting and field studies in several countries. In the program's 30-year history, 35,000 students have experienced the world, according to information on the Web site, www.semesteratsea.com. University of Pittsburgh is the program's academic sponsor and grants academic credit for participation in the program. Students are required to take a minimum of 12 credits - four courses.

pepperb@herald-mail.com The Washington County Board of Education voted 6-0 Tuesday to change high school graduation requirements to add one math credit and two elective credits for a total of 24. Schools Deputy Superintendent for Instruction Patricia Abernethy said the Washington County Association of Student Councils and Parent Teacher Association agreed with the requirement change. She said students can take up to 32 credits in the course of their high school career.

Shepherd University is hosting an autism workshop "Creating Inclusion in the Classroom" featuring Amy Bryan-Chapman, autism coordinator and behavior specialist for Berkeley County Schools, Saturday, Nov. 17, at the Erma Ora Byrd Hall on campus. The workshop will have two sessions.  The first is an overview of autism spectrum disorders, and the second will cover strategies for easing transition, change, and scheduling for students with autism. Areas to be discussed during the workshop include identifying behaviors, developing strategies and lesson plans for scheduling and transitions, discovering the impact of autism on developmental skills, and learning how autism affects the ability to learn.

Berkeley County changes graduation requirements By DON AINES Staff Writer, Martinsburg MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - The Berkeley County Board of Education Tuesday approved new graduation requirements for students that are designed to give them a better preparation for entering the work force. The new requirements will affect those students in the class of 2002 who are now in eighth grade, according to Frank Aliveto, the assistant superintendent for instruction. Each of those students will be required to earn four credits in career major courses.

WASHINGTON COUNTY A plan to send rebate checks to Washington County property owners might not be legal, county officials said Thursday. In September 2005 and January 2006, the County Commissioners unanimously endorsed the idea of issuing refunds to taxpayers to help offset the cost of rising property assessments. The projected rebate was $100. Commissioner John C. Munson said he assumed county staff would have checked into the legality of issuing refund checks before now. "You would think so, but I am not aware of (that having been done)

Natalie A. Rudisill and Benjamin M. Seibert were awarded $500 scholarships from   Bulldog Federal Credit Union members, according to David Barrett, credit union president and chairman of the scholarship selection committee. Both will graduate in June from Williamsport High School.    Rudisill, captain of the indoor and outdoor track teams, president of Students Against Destructive Decisions for two years and secretary of the National Honor Society, plans to attend University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where she will major in engineering with a concentration in mechanical engineering.

Mildred Hays never set out to make it to 100 years old. But then, as a mother of 10 children and widowed in her mid-30s, she didn't have much time to think about it. “I was just doing everyday living,” she said. “But I'm thankful to be 100.” Hays hit that milestone April 28, and on Saturday, about 160 family members gathered at Virginia Avenue Church of God to celebrate with her. Many were locals, while others traveled from Montana, Massachusetts, Michigan and Florida.

One of two men charged in Monday's armed robbery of the Washington County Teachers Federal Credit Union on Virginia Avenue robbed it three years earlier, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office and Circuit Court records. Cruz Daniel Maldonado, 21, of 398 Bryan Place in Hagerstown, pleaded guilty in January 2011 to the April 19, 2010, robbery of the credit union, Washington County Circuit Court records show. Judge W. Kennedy Boone III, now retired, sentenced him to 15 years in prison, but suspended 10 years, court records say. Maldonado was released from prison in November, according to Mark Vernarelli, a spokesman for the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.

When it comes to figuring out who should get credit for bringing Washington County a share of a wealth-based grant called the disparity grant, it depends on whom you ask. House Speaker Michael E. Busch, D-Anne Arundel, credits John Donoghue, D-Washington, with bringing home disparity funding for Washington County. But Republican members of the county delegation, and Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, D-Calvert/Prince George's, credits a wider circle of people, including local legislators such as Christopher B. Shank, R-Washington.

Two Chambersburg-based credit unions merged their resources Friday following a rank and file vote. The members of Community of Healthcare Employees Credit Union (CHECU) voted to approve the proposed merger of CHECU with Patriot Federal Credit Union during a special member meeting Friday in Chambersburg. The merger will not be finalized until June when regulatory approval has been secured, according to Thomas Iacona, senior vice president of corporate communications for PFCU. “We are very pleased to announce the approval of the merger by our members.

A Hagerstown man has been charged in Frederick County Circuit Court with using a state-issued credit card to steal almost $95,000 while employed at the Victor Cullen Center, according to the Maryland Attorney General's Office. Douglas Allen Fairfax, 42, of 1008 Hagerstown Boulevard, is charged with one count of theft between $10,000 and $100,000, records said. His initial court appearance is set for May 3, court records said. Fairfax is accused of using the credit card to steal $94,868 between Jan. 18, 2011, and Feb. 29, 2012, while employed as the food administrator at the Victor Cullen Center., a Maryland Department of Juvenile Services secure treatment center in Sabillasville, Md., the attorney general's news release said.

The West Virginia Senate unanimously passed a bill Tuesday that would provide a subsidy for the MARC commuter train service in the Eastern Panhandle. Senate Bill 103, which proposes the creation of the West Virginia Commuter Rail Access Act, passed by a 33-0 vote. State Sen. Craig Blair, R-Berkeley, was absent, according to the roll call for the bill. The legislation would provide a mechanism for the state to give CSX Transportation a tax credit for not billing the Maryland-run commuter rail service for its use of the railroad's tracks in West Virginia.

An armed bank robber remained on the loose Monday evening after a police search of a Virginia Avenue residence in Hagerstown did not turn up a suspect. Washington County Sheriff's Office deputies - looking for a white male armed with a handgun who robbed the Bulldog Federal Credit Union bank branch at 17555 York Road - surrounded two buildings between 17620 and 17628 Virginia Ave., shortly after the 3:05 p.m. robbery, according to Det. Dave Sanders of the sheriff's office. Sanders said the man, who was wearing dark clothing and a ski mask, got away with an undisclosed amount of money and fled on Piper Lane toward St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church.

U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency County Executive Director Colleen Cashell said beginning today USDA will issue payments to dairy farmers enrolled in the Milk Income Loss Contract program for the September 2012 milk marketings. A farm bill extension provides for a continuation of the program through Sept. 30. All dairy producers with MILC contracts are automatically extended to Sept. 30. Eligible producers, therefore, do not need to re-enroll in the program. MILC operations with approved contracts will continue to receive monthly payments, if available.

The Washington County Department of Social Services is assisting in a promotional campaign called “Your Money. You Earned It. Now Claim It!” to encourage eligible Washington County residents to claim their earned income credit and child tax credit that is available to working families and can give them up to $5,891 on their 2012 tax returns.  This year's campaign consists of posting fliers and brochures in strategic locations, including the...