Dirt

Two 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, softened 2 cups 10X sugar Two 4-ounce packages of vanilla instant pudding 3 cups milk 24 ounces Cool Whip 2 teaspoons, vanilla Two 1-pound-2-ounce packages of Oreos 2-quart flowerpot Wax paper or aluminum foil Artificial flowers Plastic wrap In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and 10X sugar until smooth. In a separate bowl, beat pudding and milk together until it thickens. Then add the Cool Whip and vanilla to the pudding mixture.

Work is in progress on the site of a new Lowe's. The store is to be built on Leitersburg Pike across from Long Meadow Shopping Center, as can be seen in this photo, which was taken about a month ago.

julieg@herald-mail.com The ka-klank of the gate dropping is like a starter's pistol. There is little point in looking back for the competition because the action is in front. Dirt hill after dirt hill, then an asphalt-covered turn whipping into another series of dirt hills. Each dirt hill equals air time - perhaps as high as 4 or 5 feet. "I like that you can actually feel like you're flying," said Ryan Hullinger, 14, owner of a new BMX bike with custom rims.

A section of the LCS Services Landfill that caught fire Sunday morning involved a pile of trash about 8 feet tall that had not been covered with dirt, according to a Hedgesville Volunteer Fire Co. spokesman. Typically at the landfill along Allensville Road, trash is dumped at the facility, then a layer of dirt is spread over the debris, Lt. Bradley Crowell said. Landfill workers repeat the process until a section reaches a certain height, then they move to a different section, Crowell said.

andreabh@herald-mail.com Randy Grove isn't a race car driver, but he may have out-lapped anyone else on the dirt track at Hagerstown Speedway. Grove for 25 years has piloted the grader and water truck around the half-mile red clay track off U.S. 40 west of Hagerstown. He goes round and round the 900-foot-long, 70-foot-wide straight-aways and 90-foot wide turns about twice a week during racing season, packing, wetting, re-packing and smoothing the soil in preparation for the next race.

Commentary I don't want to hear anyone in Washington County complaining about being depressed or nothin' anymore because two new studies indicate that we ought to be the happiest people on the planet. I love health studies because you get such a wealth of certitude from such a minute input of fact. Mark Twain said he never read health reports because he was afraid he "might die of a misprint," but personally I think they're great. There's something about watching people hungrily reading every word in the hopes of adding three extra days to their lives that stirs the soul.

HAGERSTOWN - The Hagerstown Housing Authority is waiting for CSX railroad to remove contaminated dirt from a construction site near Wesel Boulevard, said Ted Shankle, executive director of the authority. Motorists can see the dirt in neatly arranged mounds covered with plastic between the Lowe's Distribution Center on Wesel Boulevard and U.S. 11. Gary Sease, CSX director of corporate communications, said Thursday that CSX will haul the dirt away and dispose of it properly next week.

WASHINGTON COUNTY - Washington County is moving dirt from its former rubble landfill on Kemps Mill Road, west of Hagerstown, to cap the Resh Road Landfill. "That's always been in the plan," Washington County Commissioners President Gregory I. Snook said Friday. Although Commissioner John C. Munson said Thursday that preparations to reopen the rubble landfill in a year or so are under way, Snook said that's not the case. Snook said the commissioners have not decided yet whether to open the landfill again.

The Hagerstown Housing Authority is waiting for CSX railroad to remove contaminated dirt from a construction site near Wesel Boulevard, said Ted Shankle, executive director of the authority. Motorists can see the dirt in neatly arranged mounds covered with plastic between the Lowe's Distribution Center on Wesel Boulevard and U.S. 11. Gary Sease, CSX director of corporate communications, said Thursday that CSX will haul the dirt away and dispose of it properly next week. "We take full responsibility with it," Sease said.

Potatoes were brought to Europe from the Andes by Spanish Catholics, which meant Protestants were opposed to them for religious reasons. As late as the 1700s, what passed for campaign bumper stickers in England in those days read, “No Potatoes, No Pope.” It is fascinating to hear of the British criticizing anyone else's cuisine. But be that as it may, the potato blight, which killed a million Irish, more or less proved their point. But the real culprit was genetic, not papist.

Americans live in a food paradise. Food is generally plentiful, cheap and made to be convenient. And, despite the occasional food-poisoning event, the food supply is consistently safe to eat. Government food-safety regulations limit amounts of pesticides, microbial pathogens and other contaminants on produce and in manufactured products. Inspectors check on food producers, food manufacturers restaurants and others in the food chain. But researchers are examining whether Americans' food-safety vigilance has a downside.

A section of the LCS Services Landfill that caught fire Sunday morning involved a pile of trash about 8 feet tall that had not been covered with dirt, according to a Hedgesville Volunteer Fire Co. spokesman. Typically at the landfill along Allensville Road, trash is dumped at the facility, then a layer of dirt is spread over the debris, Lt. Bradley Crowell said. Landfill workers repeat the process until a section reaches a certain height, then they move to a different section, Crowell said.

While many people around the area are glued to their seats to find out who will win NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series, a local racer spent Saturday in his own winner's circle. A banquet was held at American Legion Post 571 for 13-year old Kyle Lee of Mercersburg, Pa., who is celebrating both his Quarter Midget Club Eastern Grands national championship and his United States Auto Club Dirt Triple Crown national championship. Kyle also won this year's Hagerstown Quarter Midgets Club points championship.

A 13-year-old Washington County boy who moved with his father to Florida just six weeks ago will return home Friday to be buried. Ron Koger said his son, Ronald Koger III, died Tuesday when his dirt bike collided with an all-terrain vehicle near Cape Coral, Fla. "He was always happy," Ron Koger said Thursday during a telephone interview. "He was an all-American boy. He died what he loved doing. " Ronald Koger III also was the son of Valerie Koger. Koger said he and his son were at an undeveloped piece of land where people go to swim and ride motorcycles.

Burglary, theft cases reported in Washington County   The following incidents were reported Friday through Monday by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office: • DVDs and jewelry were stolen in the 16200 block of Dundee Court. • A burglary in the 11200 block of Eastwood Drive. • Vandalism in the 20000 block of Mt. Aetna Road. • Vandalism in the 9900 block of Stephanie Lane. • A vehicle stolen in the 14600 block of Tulip Lane. • A theft in the 11300 block of Dogwood Drive.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. -- The first "Ride in the Dirt for Cancer" fundraiser held at the Tomahawk MX track near Hedgesville, W.Va., earlier this month raised $5,000 for the American Cancer Society, track owner Chad Gochenour announced Wednesday. Given the two-day fundraiser's success, Gochenour said in a news release that he hopes to continue the event annually. Barbara Henry, community manager for the American Cancer Society in Berkeley and Jefferson counties, said the donation was especially appreciated given the impact of the economy on donations.

ROUZERVILLE, Pa. -- Cindy Kling is a mother on a mission, photocopying and passing out dozens of fliers about the theft of her son's dirt bike. She has been thinking about how the boy saved for years to buy the 1999 Kawasaki KX 60cc, which was stolen from the family's driveway July 18. "He was pretty torn up. He'll say things like, 'There are just not-nice people out there,'" Kling said. Noah Houser, 11, watched motocross on television at age 3 and immediately wanted a dirt bike.

GREENCASTLE, Pa. -- Children created their own prehistoric drawings out of dirt and shortening Tuesday during a prehistoric painting part of the Mighty Michelangelo Program at Lilian S. Besore Memorial Library. The class for children from 6 to 8 years old is taught by Rose Trombetta.

Dirt and stains can make the exterior of your home look dirty and unattractive and rob it of its curb appeal. Fortunately, the days of countless hours of cleaning, scrubbing or power washing are gone. There's now a scrub-free way to a beautiful exterior. Here's how: o Step 1: Control the moisture around your home. Keep shrubs, plants and mulch away from exterior walls. Trim any branches or tree limbs that touch the outside of your home. Clear gutters and drains of any leaves or debris.