Education Issues

Tomorrow Maryland voters go to the polls in an election that will allow the state's citizens to register their preferences for president and the 6th District congressional races. But just as important, Washington County voters will choose among 16 candidates for the local board of education. The School Board spends more than 75 percent of all local tax dollars. How well the school system does its job has a direct effect on local prosperity, because today's jobs require more than common sense and a good work ethic.

By KERRY LYNN FRALEY Staff Writer CLEAR SPRING - Speaking out about education issues could earn you a close-up on television once the Washington County Board of Education begins airing its meetings next month. The school board voted Tuesday night to start broadcasting school board business meetings March 11 on Antietam Cable under a plan that has local business partners picking up the tab. Board member Doris J. Nipps asked that the motion to start airing the meetings include a provision that the board's operating budget wouldn't be used to pay for the broadcasts if the business partnership plan fell through.

WASHINGTON COUNTY - Pursuing a ninth term in Congress, U.S. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett on Monday said the world will run out of oil at its current pace of consumption. Eighty-five percent of the world's energy is from fossil fuels, which will be used up in approximately 150 years, said Bartlett, R-6th. The problem is acute for the United States, which has 5 percent of the world's population but is responsible for 25 percent of all oil consumption, he said at a Hagerstown-Washington County Chamber of Commerce luncheon.

AAA Southern Pennsylvania CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - AAA Southern Pennsylvania has welcomed Timothy D. Bacorn. Bacorn has worked in the insurance industry for more than 30 years. He most recently served with Peoples Security Insurance Co. and has served with others supervising the hiring, training and production of marketing representatives. Bacorn will provide auto, home, life, health, and estate planning services in the Chambersburg and Shippensburg, Pa., areas. Smith Elliott Kearns & Co. Smith Elliott Kearns & Co., LLC, Certified Public Accountants, have announced the addition of two staff members in the firm's Hagerstown office.

More than 130 people attended a picnic hosted Sunday afternoon by congressional candidate John Delaney at Fairgrounds Park. Delaney, a Democrat, is running against Roscoe G. Bartlett, the Republican incumbent for the 6th Congressional District. Among those supporting Delaney was U.S. Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin, also a Democrat, who said he stopped at the picnic on his way to Cumberland, Md., for the Heritage Days Festival. “We all know how terrible the unemployment numbers are in this country and we're all very concerned about the trends,” Delaney told the crowd.

The West Virginia Board of Education on Wednesday welcomed its newest member, Tina Combs of Martinsburg, W.Va., during its monthly meeting. Combs, who replaces Jenny Phillips, will serve on the board until Nov. 1, 2016. “I am honored to serve the children of West Virginia,” Combs said in a news release. “I accept this appointment with respect for the important work that lies ahead as we work together to prepare our children for their future.” Combs brings business and work force development experience to the state board as the president and chief executive officer of the Martinsburg-Berkeley County Chamber of Commerce.

Shippensburg University to host open houses SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - Shippensburg University's Admissions Office will host a series of open houses this year, including two on Oct. 25 and Nov. 15. Each program in Heiges Field House is an opportunity for prospective students and their parents to visit the campus; meet and talk with faculty, staff associates and current students; and learn about financial aid. The schedule begins at 8:30 a.m....

Education reform, substance abuse treatment, related incarceration costs and state budget cuts were among the most heavily discussed issues at the 2013 Legislative Outlook luncheon at the Holiday Inn in Martinsburg. About 150 people turned out for the annual Martinsburg-Berkeley County Chamber of Commerce program, which featured remarks by state Sens. John Unger, D-Berkeley, Craig Blair, R-Berkeley, Herb Snyder, D-Jefferson, the Eastern Panhandle's 10 members in the 100-member House of Delegates and Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin's regional representative, Stephanie Mathias.

When a child brings home a bad report card, the time-honored tradition for parents is to ground the errant student until grades improve. But what do you do when an entire state gets an unacceptable report card? Every other year, the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education issues a national report card for higher education called "Measuring Up. " The five subject areas evaluated are preparation (Are students being prepared adequately for higher education?

October brings to mind the Baikonur cosmodrome, Coalwood, W.Va., and the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. Fifty years ago this month, Russia launched Sputnik from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Americans were stunned. The Space Age was supposed to be initiated by the United States, not the Russians. A 184-pound satellite the size of a Halloween pumpkin had splattered American dreams of inaugurating the Space Age. Homer Hickam listened to the radio reports about the launch in his hometown of Coalwood, West Virginia.