Fuel

Dave Neff and Gary Horchner were hard at work Tuesday splitting firewood along Lappans Road.

AC&T Co. of Hagerstown recently was awarded a $2.7 million contract to provide fuel for military vehicles from the Brig. Gen. Randolph Millholland National Guard Armory on Roxbury Road south of Hagerstown. Romeo Smith, a contract specialist with the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), said the contract was awarded in July. It will extend from Aug. 1, 2010, to July 31, 2013. Smith said AC&T received the contract after submitting the lowest bid. The Defense Logistics Agency is the Department of Defense's largest logistics combat support agency, according to the DLA website.

Editor's note: This is the second article in a three-part series about one teen's struggle to go fossil fuel free for a week. Going cold turkey I designated a week in the latter half of June. Starting Monday, June 16, no fossil fuels for me. The weekend before, I tried to think of things to do to get ready. One thing was dire: collecting water. I sat looking toward the sky. A weather Web site said there was a decent chance of rain, but that there would be no more rain during the week.

WASHINGTON COUNTY - Mike Wollard understands economic recession. He started his business amid one. "I needed a job, so I created one," said Wollard, who launched Hagerstown Moped & Hobby Inc. in 1982 after being laid off from an industrial apprenticeship program. Now, 26 years later amid what many say is at or close to a recession, Wollard's business again is riding the sales increases that come as gasoline prices accelerate and his high-mileage mopeds and scooters are in demand.

CHARLES TOWN, W.VA. - An investigation to determine what caused a fire on a Jefferson County Schools bus Tuesday continues to focus on the vehicle's fuel system, the coordinator of the school system's transportation department said Wednesday. A preliminary examination of the bus suggests the failure of an engine component around a fuel line or fuel injector might have started the fire, said Robert Boylan, coordinator of transportation for Jefferson County Schools. The failure of the component might have caused a fuel leak, Boylan said.

Editor's note: This is the third and final article in a three-part series about one teen's struggle to go fossil fuel free for a week. When we got home, I was wet and even more unhappy. I wanted something hot. And I knew that meant building a fire. Earlier in the day, I'd tried to construct a fire drill. If used correctly, this creates fire by way of friction. Unfortunately, mine was faulty. Or maybe it was operator error. In any event, I resorted to matches. But even then, the dried leaves I was trying to burn only shriveled up and the fire went out. I was tired of everything taking so much effort and time!

More than 800 gallons of diesel fuel was stolen on two separate days this week from a construction site at the intersection of Downsville Pike and Rench Road, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Department. The first theft was reported Monday morning when workers went to the site and found 630 gallons of diesel fuel was missing, Lt. Mark Knight said Wednesday. Another 230 gallons of diesel fuel was reported missing from the site Tuesday morning, Knight said. Knight said police think the thefts are related and that the second theft probably occurred because the perpetrators found the site was an easy target for fuel theft.

Oil tank ruptured CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - A heating oil tank in the basement of a house in Middleway, W.Va., ruptured Thursday afternoon, spilling about 275 gallons of fuel, said Jay Cepelka, chief of the Citizens Fire Co. Some of the fuel was discharged into the yard outside the house after it was pumped through a sump pump, Cepelka said. Most of the fuel in the yard was absorbed, Cepelka said. None of the fuel reached a stream, he said. The rupture occurred about 2 p.m. at the Jay Kearns residence along Old Middleway Road, Cepelka said.

AAA offers the following suggestions on how drivers can stretch a gallon of gas: Be sure your tires are properly inflated. Underinflated tires can cause fuel consumption to increase by 6 percent. Keep your front suspension and steering in proper alignment and make sure your brakes are properly adjusted to minimize rolling resistance. Change your motor oil as recommended by the vehicle manufacturer. Consider choosing an energy-conserving oil, which contains additives that reduce friction and increase a vehicle's fuel economy.

Pennsylvania State Police said about 200 gallons of heating fuel was removed over the weekend from the Waterfall Grange Hall in Fulton County. The fuel is believed to have been taken between Friday and Sunday at the Grange Hall at 1035 Waterfall Road in Taylor Township, according to a state police news release.

Berkeley County leaders are backing a company that wants to build a $19 million facility to produce a solid refuse fuel from household garbage that could then be burned at a Martinsburg cement plant. The Berkeley County Council voted 5-0 in support of Entsorga West Virginia LLC's proposal to build a commercial mixed waste resource recovery facility at the old county landfill property off Grapevine Road. Project consultant Emily F. Dyson told county leaders Thursday that Entsorga could be positioned to provide fuel to the Essroc cement plant in 2014 if the project clears final county and state regulatory, planning and engineering hurdles.

Northbound U.S. 15 at Md. 550 in Thurmont was closed Wednesday morning due to a diesel fuel spill from a tractor-trailer, Maryland State Police said in a news release. The incident took place at about 4:36 a.m., police said. About 40 gallons of diesel fuel spilled from the tractor-trailer's saddle tank, the release said. Units from area fire companies and the State Highway Administration were at the scene, and Maryland Environmental Protection was en route, according to police.

Pennsylvania State Police said about 200 gallons of heating fuel was removed over the weekend from the Waterfall Grange Hall in Fulton County. The fuel is believed to have been taken between Friday and Sunday at the Grange Hall at 1035 Waterfall Road in Taylor Township, according to a state police news release.

For many people who bought Powerball tickets before Wednesday night's $587.5 million drawing, two bucks might seem like a small investment. For some, that's what it is, but others see playing the lottery as gambling that, in some cases, could fuel an addiction. “I buy a ticket once a week, but I know how to handle it,” said Serita Cooper of Hagerstown. “I'm not addicted to it. I don't have to have it every day.” For others, the urge to buy lottery tickets could be an addiction, just as playing table games or slots can be, said Richard Benchoff, program director of Wells House Inc. in Hagerstown, which provides treatment to men with addictions.

A company that wants to sort and biologically treat garbage in Berkeley County to create a “solid refuse fuel” has applied for state certification. Entsorga West Virginia LLC filed a “certificate of need” application with the West Virginia Public Service Commission on June 13, according to the state regulatory agency's online case docket. The company is proposing to build a $19 million resource recovery facility on 4 acres of the Berkeley County Solid Waste Authority's old landfill property off Grapevine Road, according to the application.

As the summer approaches, the national average price for a gallon of regular grade gasoline has dropped for the eighth consecutive week, according to the AAA Mid-Atlantic weekend gas watch. It is now at $3.59 this week, while in Hagerstown, it is $3.50 per gallon. That is down from $3.65 and $3.56, respectively, from last week, and $3.79 a gallon for both at the same time last year. The average in Hagerstown Tuesday dropped to $3.48 per gallon, according to the AAA Fuel Price Finder.

The average price of gasoline this week has increased at both the national and local levels, according to the AAA Mid-Atlantic Weekend Gas Watch. Regular grade gas in the area is averaging $3.66 per gallon, 5 cents higher than the state of Maryland average of $3.61, 10 cents higher than the national average of $3.56, and 8 cents higher than the local $3.58 average last week. On Tuesday, the average price of gas in the area was $3.65, according to the AAA Fuel Price Finder at http://midatlantic.aaa.com.

A Mississippi truck driver who led police on a drug-fueled chase through three states in December 2010 was sentenced Monday in Washington County Circuit Court to serve 21 years in prison. The outcome could have been worse for Thomas McNeel, whom Pennsylvania State Police were prepared to shoot as he drove a tractor-trailer across the Mason-Dixon Line, Washington County Deputy State's Attorney Joseph Michael said. Circuit Judge M. Kenneth Long Jr. sentenced McNeel, 43, of Pontotoc, Miss., on four counts of second-degree assault against police officers for aiming his tractor-trailer at Washington County Sheriff's deputies Carl Witmer and Gregory Johnston, and Maryland State Police Sgt. Brian Smith and Trooper 1st Class William Talbert.

A hazmat team is cleaning up a fuel spill from an overturned tractor-trailer on Business Center Drive off South Burhans Boulevard, a Washington County Emergency Dispatcher said at about 11:40 a.m. Friday. No one was injured, but the tractor-trailer is on its side, and the Washington County Special Operations Team's hazmat unit was called to the scene because of the diesel fuel and oil leaking from the truck, the dispatcher said. Business Center Drive, a dead-end road within an industrial park, is closed due to the cleanup, he said.

Winning is great, as is recording fast times. But to Sarah Zielinski, nothing beats just the simple act of running. “I love to run,” the Boonsboro junior said. “I'm really motivated by the fact that I love running.” The sport of cross country brought out the best in her again this fall, as Zielinski was named The Herald-Mail's Washington County Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year for the second straight year. “She had a great season and did exactly what we asked her to do at most meets,” Boonsboro coach Becky Walter said.