Future

Washington County Public Schools will hold a public meeting at 6 p.m. May 16 at Bester Elementary School to get feedback on the proposed replacement of the school. The options for replacing the school in Hagerstown’s South End will be discussed. This includes whether to save or raze the existing school.

HAGERSTOWN - The second annual 'Choices for the future' fairheld at South Hagerstown High attracted more than 1,000 students. More than 100 colleges, 18 area employers and eight community service agencies were in attendance to provide Tri-State students and their parents with an inside look into their futures. Students received color-coded tickets to correlate with their schools so attendance could be documented for scholarship awards to schools with the highest percentage of attendees.

Lee Green has taken the pledge. He's taking membership in a special fraternity. It is one of serving, helping and nurturing. The former St. Maria Goretti star is living a life of basketball, the dream that he has harbored in the days even before he was running the floor in the Gael Center. Back then, he wanted to be a player. But with time and wisdom, Green found his true calling. Now, he wants to teach players. Green, now based in Dallas, came back to his roots on Saturday to host the Maryland Preseason Skills Clinic on the Goretti campus.

The Hagerstown Ice & Sports Complex is a 40,500-square-foot facility owned by the City of Hagerstown and operated by the Washington County Sports Foundation Inc., a private, nonprofit corporation. The ice and sports complex has a National Hockey League-size rink on nine acres in Hagerstown's Fairgrounds Park at 580 Security Road. Activities include adult and youth hockey, freestyle skating and public ice skating. Those interested in learning to skate can do so in classes at the rink.

Future is now for Suns By BOB PARASILITI / Staff Writer For the Hagerstown Suns, the future is now. The season has been reduced to eight games with no hopes of any of those eight to be meaningful games. The Suns are out of the playoff chase and can't even finish .500 for the year even if they win all the rest of their games. continued Still, manager Rolando Pino claims there is a sense of urgency among his team as it heads into the last week of the season.

"Don't touch anything. " That was my first instruction to the Pulse teen journalists when we were allowed to enter The Herald-Mail Headline News' brand, spanking-new broadcast studio. Nearly all of the six high school seniors are super smart kids, but I wasn't taking any chances. It seems like forever since we started on this broadcast journey. Earlier this year, we had made a decision to stop publishing a weekly Pulse teen section. It was hard adjustment for not only the teens, but for me, too. What was next?

It's contest time again, for those letter-writers who'd like to share their opinions and win a chance at a $25 prize. The inspiration from this contest came, as most do, from a reader's letter. The letter was written by Mrs. Vickie Layton of Hagerstown, who was responding to an Oct. 3 column I wrote as part of the celebration of National Newspaper Week, a column which speculated on the future of newspapers in general, and The Herald-Mail in particular. Layton's letter says: "In your vision of the future of newspapers, the following are some of the words and phrases that jumped out at me: "Surfing the 'Net", "cyberspace", "the newspaper could be that filter", "honing on-camera skills", "partnering with television", "NAB's web site", "users", "electronic clip service", and "mailbox.

Lawyers have a saying: "Hard cases make bad law. " So, I would argue, does passing laws or policies tailored to one specific person. What drew my attention was the recent attempt by the Washington County Board of Education to update its ethics policy, in effect in its present form since 1997. It doesn't seem like much of an update: Among other things, it would require School Board members who wanted to participate in collective-bargaining decisions to disclose whether their spouse, child, parent or sibling would benefit financially.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Nearly 18 months have passed since the parklike grounds of the historic Boydville estate in Martinsburg were protected from development, but officials still are trying to decide what the 13-acre property's future use will be. "I really have no comment about that," said Martinsburg Mayor George Karos, who presided over the Martinsburg City Council's decision in late 2005 to contribute $750,000 of the $2.25 million spent to...

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. - "Finding Common Ground in Morgan County," a panel/community forum will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 3, at Berkeley Springs High School. The forum will focus on the future of development in Morgan County. The discussion will focus on two questions: n What will Morgan County be like in the future? n Can we shape our shared future together? All members of the community are invited to this free event. Call 1-304-258-3350 or send e-mail to 2076bath@earthlink.

Franklin County's career and technology center will showcase the school's $14 million renovation and expansion during a day-long open house Saturday. The open house at the newly named CareerTech is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the school's campus on Loop Road. A full day of activities is on tap including tours of the school at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and noon. “I'm hoping that the public sees the value in what they have invested in in order to upgrade (our facilities) and move this school forward for the future,” said Keith Yohn, administrative director of CareerTech.

Winning isn't all that it's cracked up to be. It carries too many consequences. There was a time when it felt pretty good, though. Winning was the best of all worlds. Victory was the badge of honor that rewarded one for mastering the work, struggle and an opponent to come out on top. It was a chance to bask in the topical sun. But like most things in our culture, once is no longer enough. Winning isn't a benefit anymore … it's an obsession. It's a philosophy that benches Aristotle, Plato and Socrates.

U.S. Rep. John Delaney of Maryland's sixth district recently visited Hagerstown Community College and met with HCC President Guy Altieri to learn more about how HCC is serving the community. “Hagerstown Community College has been an integral part of Washington County for nearly seven decades and will be just as integral to our future,” Delaney said. “Preparing our residents for the jobs of the future is essential to growing our economy and helping our workers compete. That's why I'm going to continue to be an advocate for education and job training in Congress.

Hagerstown Suns majority owner Bruce Quinn said Monday that team officials are eager to hear the thoughts of city council members about a new economic feasibility study of alternative stadium sites. “I did receive a call from the Hagerstown mayor last week informing me that the new Ripken report was due out shortly on alternative stadium locations,” Quinn said Monday in an email. “We anxiously await the report and the city council's interpretation and decision.” Ripken Design, which also completed the study on the city's previously considered downtown stadium site, sent a draft of the new report to the city on Friday, according to Dan Taylor, project manager for the Baltimore-based firm.

In 1996, we were just beginning to understand the power of the Internet and the world of opportunity it would open for students. We knew businesses and communities relied on it - and we knew it was important to give students access to technology, no matter where they live, so they could thrive in this new economy. That's when I decided to come up with a way every West Virginia school could get online. I sat down and wrote a bill that created what we call the E-rate program - a funny name that basically means schools and libraries have the ability, at a discounted rate, to purchase technology and connect to the Internet.

After Saturday, life may never be the same for Antonio Jenifer. Right now, it's pretty good, but it may only get better. Jenifer and the Hagerstown Community College men's basketball team will face ASA College in the NJCAA District III playoff Saturday at 7 p.m. at the HCC athletic complex. At stake is a trip to the national tournament in Hutchinson, Kan. That puts Jenifer on the doorstep to meet the world - especially if the Hawks win. “It is a big part of my life,” the 6-foot-8 sophomore said.

Hagerstown Regional Airport and the former Fort Ritchie U.S. Army base both have a place in Washington County's history, and officials at each facility want them to play a part in the county's economic future. Along with those facilities, Woodmont Lodge, which has hosted presidents, was identified in the report as a potential for upscale lodging. The 665-acre airport is identified as a “primary opportunity area” in the economic development strategic plan developed for the Hagerstown-Washington County Economic Development Commission and County Industrial Foundation, or CHIEF.

Sometimes we, as a community, are so absorbed with fault-finding that we fail to notice the success stories that reside right under our noses. We have a number of shining lights in Washington County, but Hagerstown Community College would have to rank among the brightest. Reinforcing that perception this month were statistics revealing that Hagerstown Community College outgained all other community colleges in the state in enrollment percentage, and was near the top when all other institutions of higher education were considered, as well.

The struggles of operating a successful business in downtown Hagerstown are not a new theme. Numerous longtime businesses have left City Center over the past few years, either for greener pastures outside the downtown or because they could not survive. Empty storefronts and signs advertising available space for lease have become commonplace. SPIN, a former restaurant and bar on South Potomac Street that opened earlier this year and closed recently, is just one example of the businesses that have struggled to make it work downtown.

Still at a stalemate as to what to do about building a stadium in Hagerstown, City Councilman Lewis C. Metzner encouraged his fellow council members Tuesday to stop acting like “there is only one baseball team in the world” to host in the city. “How can we responsibly talk about spending the amount of money we're talking about without putting that out there?” he said during a work session at City Hall. “... I think we should immediately put out an RFP (request for proposals)