Discharge

shappell@herald-mail.com julieg@herald-mail.com Hagerstown Police are asking for help in finding a man who allegedly pistol-whipped a woman at a party Thursday night on North Locust Street. When the woman was hit in the forehead with the gun, it accidentally discharged, Detective Steve Hoover said this morning. The incident was reported just after 11 p.m. Thursday. No one was shot, he said. A 28-year-old Hagerstown woman was treated and released from Washington County Hospital, a hospital spokeswoman said.

A Hagerstown man was charged with a drug violation earlier this week following an incident that resulted in a second man being charged with firing a hunting rifle in an alley in Frederick, Md. Michael Keith Nikirk, 50, of Hagerstown, was charged with possession of PCP, or phenyclidiune, a powerful hallucinogenic drug, according to a news release from the Frederick Police Department. Another man police allege was involved in the incident, William Richard Notneagle, 42, of Frederick, was charged with one count each of discharging a firearm in the city, reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct, the release said.

A bill that would give Maryland farmers a 10-year break from new state and local environmental regulations related to water quality if they agree to take part in a state program to reduce nutrient and sediment discharges into the water was heard Tuesday before a House committee. The bill, introduced by state Sen. Thomas M. Middleton, D-Charles, has cleared the Senate and has the support of Gov. Martin O'Malley. Del. Andrew A. Serafini, chairman of the Washington County delegation to the Maryland General Assembly, also supports the bill.

An Inwood, W.Va., man accused of shooting a white pit bull mix dog outside his house earlier this month was arraigned Wednesday on one felony count of animal cruelty in Berkeley County Magistrate Court, according to court documents. Earl Dean Stegall, 45, of 175 Longwood Drive, also was arraigned by Magistrate Betty Jo Hersh on one count of discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling, according to court documents. Berkeley County Sheriff's Deputy H.C. Lu said in a criminal complaint that video footage from cameras mounted at Stegall's home in Timberwood Ridge subdivision show the defendant was facing the dog prior to shooting the animal.

A Washington County Circuit Court judge on Tuesday denied a defense motion to suppress statements Eric Shaquille Baymon made to police following an April incident in which a shot was fired and Baymon sustained a concussion in a struggle for the gun. Baymon, 19, of 42 E. Washington St., Apt. 3, is charged with first- and second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and discharging a firearm in the April 11 incident on East Lee Street. Baymon is a defendant and an alleged victim in the shooting, in which another man, Giancarlos Badia, is charged.

waynesboro@herald-mail.com MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Eugene Roman held out his hands Tuesday morning as U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito handed him medal after medal, all earned by Roman 52 years ago when he served in the Korean War. Roman, 72, who lives in Shepherdstown, W.Va., was a forward observer in an artillery unit in Korea. He said he knew he was entitled to the medals when he was discharged from the Army in September 1952, but he never received them. Capito said Roman's daughter, Sheila Hamilton, who represents the Eastern Panhandle on the West Virginia Board of Education, contacted her in July about getting her father's belated medals.

The estimated cost in Washington County to achieve the federal government's targeted reduction of nitrogen going to Chesapeake Bay via septic systems in Washington County is $230.2 million, an amount that primarily homeowners would be responsible for paying, said Julie Pippel, director for the county's Division of Environmental Management. Homeowners who rely on septic systems could face costs up to $67,390 to comply with the plan by connecting to a public sewer system. There are up to three possible options for septic system owners to comply with efforts to reduce nitrogen discharge, two of which homeowners could pursue voluntarily now, but mandatory measures are coming, said David Barnhart, director of environmental health for the Washington County Health Department.

HAGERSTOWN -- The Canadian company that owns the defunct paper plant at Eastern and Memorial boulevards in Hagerstown has asked the state to renew its water discharge permit. Cascades Tissue Group Maryland LLC, however, has no plans to reopen the plant, said Hubert Bolduc, the vice president of communications and public affairs for Cascades, which is based in Quebec. Bolduc said the company wants the permit to be current in case its plans change. It's typical for a company with a wastewater discharge permit to renew it when it expires, said Edward Gertler, a technical advisor in the Industrial Discharge Permit Division of the Maryland Department of the Environment's Water Management Administration.

The Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority Wednesday approved an $11.1 million loan for improvements to the Waynesboro Borough Authority's wastewater treatment plant, according to a news release from state Sen. Richard Alloway II, R-Franklin/Adams/York. "Wastewater treatment is not only an important quality of life issue in our communities, but also a major consideration for businesses that are considering expanding or relocating in our area," Alloway said. "Upgrading our wastewater treatment capacity is vital to promoting economic growth in the region.

For most people, home means familiar faces, rooms filled with years of memories and a measure of control over one's life. But for many older adults, home is confined to four walls in an institutional setting, where you learn to navigate a wheelchair along crowded hallways, try to sleep through night checks and become attuned to the emotions and habits of fellow residents. Placing a loved one in a nursing home is one of the most difficult decisions anyone will ever make. It's not always a choice.