Dump Truck

Dump truck approved BOONSBORO -- Boonsboro's Town Council voted unanimously Monday to spend $75,151 on a new dump truck with a plow and salt spreader. The vote was 5-0, with Councilman Frank Nuice absent. The truck, a 2008 Ford, will be purchased from Hagerstown Ford, which was the low bidder, said Town Manager Debra Smith. She said the truck can be available within the next three weeks with the plow, and the salt spreader could be functioning by the first week in January.

Medicare Part D '09 sign-ups run through December 2008 Enrollment for the 2009 edition of Medicare Part D has begun and will continue through Monday, Dec. 15. Every year residents can sign up for a new prescription drug plan, with help from the Washington County Commission on Aging and a group of dedicated volunteers. Many seniors have saved money by coming to these events and even if you feel that your current drug plan is a good one, there is no charge to have a commission staff member or volunteer check your situation.

BLUE RIDGE SUMMIT, Pa. - McCleaf Bus Lines, in partnership with the Blue Ridge Fire and Rescue Squad, will host a meal Sunday to benefit Alyssa Austin, a 3-year-old who was struck by a dump truck in September. The meal will be at the fire hall on Monterey Lane. The slippery beef or ham potpie dinner also includes coleslaw, applesauce, roll, dessert and beverage. Tickets for adults are $8 each. Tickets are $4 for children ages 12 and younger.

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- The Maryland State Highway Administration this week will start a $3.4 million project to improve safety at the interchange of Interstates 70 and 81, which has seen dozens of vehicle crashes in recent years, including a fatal accident last week. The work will include the construction of acceleration and deceleration lanes, repaving, a storm-water management facility and light repairs, according to a press release. The project, which is scheduled to be finished in the summer of 2009, will include a temporary closure of the ramp from southbound I-81 to eastbound I-70.

JEFFERSON, Md. -- A passenger in a car that collided with a dump truck Wednesday near Jefferson has died, Maryland State Police said this morning. The crash occurred at 3:28 p.m. at the intersection of Md. 180 (Jefferson Pike) and Holter Road, police said. A black Honda Civic headed south on Holter Road failed to stop at a red light and continued into the intersection, where it was struck by a State Highway Administration dump truck headed east on Jefferson Pike, police said. The driver of the Honda and her passenger, both female, were flown to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, police said.

Maryland State Police were awaiting information to determine whether a Monday morning vehicle accident caused the death of a 71-year-old Allegany County, Md., man or if he experienced a medical problem before the dump truck he was driving overturned on an interstate ramp. Alvin Dale Clise, 71, of Midland, Md., was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, which was reported at 8:35 a.m., troopers said. The dump truck was hauling coal eastbound on Interstate 70 and was going onto the ramp to southbound Interstate 81 when Clise lost control of the vehicle and it overturned, troopers said.

Woman arrested in Hagerstown prostitution sting A prostitution sting Thursday evening through early Friday on Franklin Street netted one arrest, Hagerstown City Police said. Tammie Sue Bussard, 41, of 333 N. Jonathan St., was charged with one count of prostitution, according to records at Washington County District Court. Bussard, who wasn't jailed for the offense, was taken into custody at 10:41 p.m. near Franklin and Jonathan streets, police said. The plainclothes detail ended around 2 a.m. Friday, police said.

WAYNESBORO, Pa. -- A Greencastle, Pa., woman was killed Wednesday afternoon in a head-on collision with a dump truck in front of 84 Lumber on Pa. 16 west of Waynesboro. Evelyn L. Rowe, 86, was driving a blue 1998 Buick Century that hit a 1978 GMC dump truck at 2:15 p.m., according to a news release from Franklin County (Pa.) Coroner Jeffrey R. Conner. The heavily traveled section of Pa. 16 was closed for more than two hours as police and fire police rerouted westbound traffic onto Prices Church Road.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. -- A Franklin County woman was killed Tuesday afternoon when the car she was driving collided head-on with a dump truck near Letterkenny Army Depot, Pennsylvania State Police said. Colleen Rae Craig, 33, of Fort Loudon, Pa., was killed in the 4:26 p.m. crash in the 5000 block of Letterkenny Road just outside what was once the main gate of the depot, Franklin County Coroner Jeffrey R. Conner said. She was pronounced dead at the scene by Chief Deputy Cooroner Paul T. Reed, Conner said.

Vacation horrors? How about three in four years? Three years ago, a dump truck ran into my house, making a huge mess requiring extensive cleanup and rebuilding. After three months of dealing with the chaos, along with the insurance claims, it was with great relief that I departed for a much-needed vacation to Sturgis, S.D. Friends joined me as we packed up and left on our journey west. Motorcycles were strapped to the floor of the large trailer being pulled by a super-duty truck, and other pickups loaded with friends and gear followed.