Headlights

Odds and ends from the notebook: On Jan. 2, Jimmy Koontz was pondering whether it was worth getting his 1978 Chevrolet pickup fixed when a deer made up his mind for him. On his way to work about 6 a.m. near Rouzerville, Pa., Koontz said a small buck jumped in front of the truck, smashing the grill, the headlight housing and denting the bumper. It was the latest unpleasant surprise for a Hagerstown couple who have been fighting to stay solvent since their daughter, Alivia, was born with a rare heart defect.

Headlights reflect off Dual Highway Monday afternoon during a soaking rain. According to National Weather Service technician Trina Heiser, Hagerstown received 3/4 of an inch to 1 inch of rain by 8:15 p.m. Monday.

Area police responded to a number of calls Monday. The radiator hose on a Ford Bronco was cut while it was parked in the lot at Williamsport Nursing Home, Maryland State Police said. A convertible top on a 1993 Geo Metro was cut while it was parked at 721 Medway Road, Hagerstown City Police said. Someone took $50 from the cash drawer at ARS Antiques at 7 E. Baltimore St., Hagerstown City Police said. A Sony Playstation and a video belonging to Blockbuster Video were taken from 136 E. Franklin St. The value was $280, Hagerstown City Police said.

When you live so close to state lines, like Tri-State-area residents do, it's not uncommon to be driving in a state other than the one in which you make your home. Some drivers probably think nothing of it, but states and Washington, D.C., have traffic laws with their own idiosyncrasies, and it's better to know what they are than to plead ignorance. Ignorance of the law is not a defense for disobeying the law, said Sgt. Arthur Betts, public information officer for Maryland State Police's headquarters in Pikesville, Md. Some states post signs at the state line noting its traffic laws, but it's the driver's responsibility to know the traffic laws for the state he or she is driving through, Betts said.

For more than 50 years, children have walked to school at Winter Street Elementary School, the only school in Washington County Public Schools that does not have students come to school on a bus. In observance of International Walk to School Day on Oct. 4, employees of the Washington County Health Department provided students with packets of items and information to help them understand and practice safety measures on their way to and from school,...

A bench warrant was issued Tuesday morning for the arrest of Edward Masood, a Washington County Public Schools department head, after he failed to appear in court on a misdemeanor charge of malicious destruction of property. Masood was charged with smashing the headlights of another man's car in February. Washington County District Judge Ralph France issued the bench warrant for Masood, the school system's supervisor for athletics, fine arts, health and physical education.

HAGERSTOWN marlob@herald-mail.com Nearly two months ago, Edward Masood failed to appear in court on a misdemeanor charge of malicious destruction of property, and a bench warrant was issued for the Washington County Public Schools department head. Masood was in court Tuesday with his attorney, John Salvatore. This time, the alleged victim in the case - Malcolm Norred - didn't show up. After calling Norred's name several times and getting no response, Assistant Washington County State's Attorney Mark Thomas announced to Washington County District Judge Ralph France that the prosecution was dismissing the charge against Masood.

"Why don't the County Commissioners take the money for the stadium and give it to the Board of Education to pay our teachers?" "Regarding the speeders in Tuesday's paper, Woodpoint Avenue and Key Avenue were mentioned. I am glad to see this because one of the worst times of day is when the parents pick up or drop off their kids at Salem Avenue Elementary School. These people, once they get their kids in or out of the car, they just speed out of this area like it is a dragway or something.

How you can show your support There's another way to show your support for the Wibberley family besides attending the funeral services Saturday: Turn on your car's headlights Saturday and line the funeral procession route. That is what Gerald N. Minnich, owner of Gerald N. Minnich Funeral Home, suggests people do. The funeral home is handling arrangements for Wibberley's funeral. The crowd for the services has been projected to be as large as 500 to 1,000 people.

To many people, a siren means "Attention! Watch out!" But Scott Cawood's siren is another sort - a voluptuous, seductive woman. Sirens are women who use their sexual attractiveness to lure men. Cawood, the Sharpsburg-area metal artist featured in The Herald-Mail's Oct. 22 Gallery page, designed the elaborate siren that decorates a high-end motorcycle created by Metropolitan Choppers in Frederick, Md. The bike was commissioned by Treasure...

"The public schools in this county and the Board of Education building provide more than 40 possible locations for recycling centers on county-owned properties. Why doesn't our world-class public school system support public recycling centers at all these locations?" - Rohrersville "To all the Mail Call readers, thousands and thousands and thousands of them, take it from an old-timer: Oprah Winfrey's efforts are too much, too little, too fast. It's gonna turn around and bite her right in the backside.

When you live so close to state lines, like Tri-State-area residents do, it's not uncommon to be driving in a state other than the one in which you make your home. Some drivers probably think nothing of it, but states and Washington, D.C., have traffic laws with their own idiosyncrasies, and it's better to know what they are than to plead ignorance. Ignorance of the law is not a defense for disobeying the law, said Sgt. Arthur Betts, public information officer for Maryland State Police's headquarters in Pikesville, Md. Some states post signs at the state line noting its traffic laws, but it's the driver's responsibility to know the traffic laws for the state he or she is driving through, Betts said.

To many people, a siren means "Attention! Watch out!" But Scott Cawood's siren is another sort - a voluptuous, seductive woman. Sirens are women who use their sexual attractiveness to lure men. Cawood, the Sharpsburg-area metal artist featured in The Herald-Mail's Oct. 22 Gallery page, designed the elaborate siren that decorates a high-end motorcycle created by Metropolitan Choppers in Frederick, Md. The bike was commissioned by Treasure...

For more than 50 years, children have walked to school at Winter Street Elementary School, the only school in Washington County Public Schools that does not have students come to school on a bus. In observance of International Walk to School Day on Oct. 4, employees of the Washington County Health Department provided students with packets of items and information to help them understand and practice safety measures on their way to and from school,...

Headlights reflect off Dual Highway Monday afternoon during a soaking rain. According to National Weather Service technician Trina Heiser, Hagerstown received 3/4 of an inch to 1 inch of rain by 8:15 p.m. Monday.

HAGERSTOWN marlob@herald-mail.com Nearly two months ago, Edward Masood failed to appear in court on a misdemeanor charge of malicious destruction of property, and a bench warrant was issued for the Washington County Public Schools department head. Masood was in court Tuesday with his attorney, John Salvatore. This time, the alleged victim in the case - Malcolm Norred - didn't show up. After calling Norred's name several times and getting no response, Assistant Washington County State's Attorney Mark Thomas announced to Washington County District Judge Ralph France that the prosecution was dismissing the charge against Masood.

A bench warrant was issued Tuesday morning for the arrest of Edward Masood, a Washington County Public Schools department head, after he failed to appear in court on a misdemeanor charge of malicious destruction of property. Masood was charged with smashing the headlights of another man's car in February. Washington County District Judge Ralph France issued the bench warrant for Masood, the school system's supervisor for athletics, fine arts, health and physical education.

Odds and ends from the notebook: On Jan. 2, Jimmy Koontz was pondering whether it was worth getting his 1978 Chevrolet pickup fixed when a deer made up his mind for him. On his way to work about 6 a.m. near Rouzerville, Pa., Koontz said a small buck jumped in front of the truck, smashing the grill, the headlight housing and denting the bumper. It was the latest unpleasant surprise for a Hagerstown couple who have been fighting to stay solvent since their daughter, Alivia, was born with a rare heart defect.

Editor's note - Please be as brief as possible when calling Mail Call, The Daily Mail's reader call-in line. Mail Call is not staffed on weekends or holidays so it is best to call Mail Call during the week. The Mail Call number is 301-791-6236 . You are welcome to leave a recorded message on any subject, but some calls will be screened out. Here are some of the calls we have received lately: "The Maryland law states that you have to have your headlights on when you have your windshield wipers on. This is very important when it's raining because it's a safety issue and I see a lot of people driving in the rain with their windshield wipers on but their headlights are off. People should also check to see if they have a headlight or taillight out because this too can cause a problem.

This summer, the Maryland Department of Transportation's State Highway Administration has highlighted its highway safety initiatives in an effort to reverse the increasing trend in traffic crash fatalities. In 2001, there were 662 traffic fatalities, up from 617 in 2000 and 598 in 1999. If these trends continue, fatalities may rise as high as 725 this year. This year, the Highway Administration has focused on the aging driver with a reminder that by staying alert and attentive, crashes can be avoided and prevented.