Gas

All it took to decide the outcome of Thursday’s night’s Maryland JuCo Tournament women’s quarterfinal game between Hagerstown Community College and host Frederick Community College was a four-minute stretch of the first half. Frederick turned a 17-16 deficit into a 31-19 lead with a 14-2 run, and Hagerstown never got within nine points after that as the Cougars eliminated the Hawks, 74-59. “It was mostly turnovers,” said HCC coach Marlys Palmer, whose Hawks committed 22 turnovers in the game.

The best-selling book "Friday Night Lights" chronicles the fanaticism of Texas high school football players and fans. But it also provides a revealing look into life in the oil patch. The pattern is predictable as the seasons. The price of oil skyrockets for one reason or another, touching off a tumultuous boom and an ensuing spending spree throughout the state. With more money than sense, people overbuild, overspend, overinvest and overindulge, acting as if the good times will never end. Then the bottom falls out, and those who have been to too extravagant are forced to start from scratch.

The 500 block of West Washington Street in Hagerstown was briefly closed to traffic Thursday while authorities investigated the odor of gas in a building, a Washington County Emergency Services dispatcher said. The dispatcher said the call came in at about 1:25 p.m. The street had reopened by 1:45 p.m. Further details were not immediately available.

As Tri-State residents get ready for the last-minute rush of holiday shopping and packing for road trips to visit family, AAA suggests there are a few chores they might want to make time for to help save money on gas for those long drives. "Everyone most likely won't be doing everything" on AAA's tip list, said Christine Delise, spokeswoman for AAA Mid-Atlantic. But many of the tips for saving money on gas are simple things people can do on their own without going to a  mechanic, she said.

Maryland officials will hold a meeting Monday morning at Hagerstown Community College to discuss natural gas production from Marcellus Shale - a form of shale found in Washington County and other parts of the northern Appalachian Basin. On June 6, Gov. Martin O'Malley signed an executive order to create the Marcellus Shale Safe Drilling Initiative, which was designed to help state officials determine how to produce gas from Marcellus Shale without risks to public health, safety and the environment.

A father of four who died after his motorcycle collided with a pickup truck Monday morning on Md. 66 near Beaver Creek began riding the motorcycle to save on gas, his wife said Tuesday. Rodger D. "Dwayne" Singleton, 33, of Boonsboro, rode the motorcycle because it used less gas than his truck, Dawn Singleton said. The move was important for family finances, she said Tuesday afternoon. "We got four kids to feed," said Singleton, adding that her husband had been riding a motorcycle for about seven months.

David E. Miller of Clear Spring was one of five winners whose names were drawn as winners of $100 gas cards from the American Red Cross. Donald E. Sours of Luray, Va., was the big winner. He won the Gas for a Year card, valued at $2,400. His name was drawn from along 45,218 entrants, including the region's presenting whole blood, double red cell donors and platelet donors at all blood drives and donor centers from July 1 through Aug. 31.

Tell us about your favorite one-tank getaways in a few sentences and you could win a $50 gas card. In addition, include your name, where you live so we know where your trip begins, what type of vehicle you drive on this trip and, if you know it, how many miles from your home to this destination. And if you have any photos from a recent trip that show the location, please include them. If you send photos, please send a seperate text-only e-mail to make sure your submission is received.

No, gas has not risen to $8.88 per gallon - yet. Herald-Mail reader Larry Black took this photo of the new Weis Markets gas station's gas prices sign before it was set to the correct price per gallon. The new Weis is at Stonehouse Square along Leitersburg Pike in Hagerstown.

Wash hands with soap and boiled or disinfected water after participating in flood cleanup activities. Destroy food contaminated by floodwaters. Test and disinfect private wells. Use insect repellents that contain DEET or Picardin. Never use gas, propane, natural gas or charcoal-burning devices inside your home. Clean up and dry out the building within one to two days. If the moldy area is more than 10 square feet, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends consulting a professional.

The Borough of Chambersburg and an area business have been awarded state funding to purchase natural gas vehicles or convert existing vehicles to natural gas. The Borough of Chambersburg, along with project partners IESI Corp. and the Borough of Shippensburg, will receive $472,500 for the purchase or retrofit of 19 vehicles to operate on compressed natural gas. The vehicles include refuse and recycling trucks, a utility bucket truck, and an ambulance, according to a news release from state Rep. Rob Kauffman, R-Franklin/Cumberland.

ThompsonGas recentlly announced the acquisition of a Virginia propane business that will increase its annual capacity by approximately 1.5 million gallons. The Hagerstown propane service provider purchased the assets of Campbell's Bottled Gas Inc. and Campbell EasiGas Inc. of Manassas, Va., the company said in a news release last week. It was the 26th acquisition by ThompsonGas since it was founded in 1946 in Boonsboro, the release said. The Campbell companies serve approximately 1,350 bulk customers with 2,000 propane cylinder racks dispensing 20-pound grill cylinders, President J. Randall Thompson said in a May 6 email.

Some natural gas leaked from a gas meter at the corner of West Washington Street and Burhans Boulevard in Hagerstown's West End after it was struck by a vehicle Sunday afternoon, according to Washington County Emergency Services. No injuries were reported from the single-vehicle accident, which occurred at about 2:30 p.m. Sunday, a 911 supervisor said. Columbia Gas was called to fix the gas leak, the 911 supervisor said.

Two people were arrested after about 10 gallons of gas were stolen Friday from lawn-mowing tractors at Jim's Small Engine Repair at 14623 Maugansville Road, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office. The owner of the business walked around his property and noticed gas-siphoning equipment and four gas cans near some tractors, police said. Deputies responded to the business and observed a Ford Ranger pickup truck leaving the area, police said. Yellow plastic tubing, the same type found at the business, was visible in the truck, police said.

“I think the Hagerstown caller on April 4 was wrong in claiming 60 to 70 percent want the ban on assault weapons, and 91 percent want the background checks. The legislators are smart enough to know not to vote for it, or they won't get re-elected. That should give you an idea of what percent of Americans don't want either one.” - Maugansville “I cannot believe that I watched our city council discuss a dog park for 20 minutes. Get your act together and clean up ... downtown Hagerstown.

The price of gas in Maryland, following a tax hike in the General Assembly, is on target to increase by 4 cents in July, with a series of percentage hikes to follow, lasting through the year 2016 - not to mention a permanent tie to inflation. All told, gas likely will cost 20 more cents a gallon by the time the hikes are phased in over the next three years. It goes without saying that rural Marylanders who do the most driving will pay a higher percentage of the new tax, at least on a per-capita basis.

A proposal backed by Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley that would raise the state gas tax in July by 3.8 cents per gallon remains unpopular with many Washington County legislators. Under the proposal, the gas tax would increase to 27.3 cents per gallon, the first increase in the tax since 1992. The current gas tax in Maryland is 23.5 cents per gallon. Under the measure, which cleared the House of Delegates on Friday by a vote of 76-63 and now heads to the Senate, motorists also would be subject to an additional estimated half a penny tax increase per gallon on July 1, 2014, according to the Associated Press.

The Borough of Chambersburg has been awarded a state grant to help build a compressed natural gas fueling station. The Redevelopment Assistance Capitalization Program Grant worth $500,000 was awarded to the borough to assist in the construction of the compressed natural gas, or CNG, fueling station at a site the borough is leasing near the intersection of Wayne Avenue (Pa. 316) and Interstate 81, according to a news release from the borough. The governor's office approved nearly $125 million in projects and announced the awards Thursday.

Md. lawmakers approve natural gas surcharge bill ANNAPOLIS (AP) - Natural gas companies would be able to seek a surcharge of up to $2 on monthly gas bills to help recover costs for replacing aging infrastructure, in a measure approved by state lawmakers Thursday. The Senate voted 35-12 after spirited debate. The House of Delegates' vote was 120-17. The measures are similar and any differences will need to be worked out for the legislation to go to Gov. Martin O'Malley. Lawmakers who supported the bill said companies need the cash to help replace aging pipes and address safety concerns.

For several years, Gov. Martin O'Malley has been talking about raising transportation funds for Maryland with a possible sales tax increase on gasoline. Last year, he floated an idea of a 6 percent sales tax increase on gas, but did not find a lot of backers. In his State of the State address Wednesday, O'Malley made another reference to the state's transportation needs. “There is no reason why we should be content with having the worst traffic congestion in the country. Building a 21st-century transportation network won't happen by itself,” O'Malley said.