Heart Condition

tarar@herald-mail.com Washington County residents faced hot, muggy temperatures on Tuesday and Wednesday, but relief may be on the way today. Meteorologist Howard Silverman, of the National Weather Service in Sterling, Va., said temperatures in the Hagerstown area probably will hit a high of around 80 degrees today. Silverman said the cooler temperatures will be accompanied by a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. "There's a chance that any one location will be hit," Silverman said.

HAGERSTOWN - A Hagerstown man charged with second-degree murder in connection with the April death of his father pleaded guilty Dec. 20 to a misdemeanor charge of neglecting a vulnerable adult in Washington County Circuit Court. Gerald Wolford Record, 47, also faced a murder charge and a manslaughter charge, both of which were dropped as part of the plea agreement, according to court records. Record, who blamed his older brother for failing to care for their father, was being held Wednesday without bail at the Washington County Detention Center pending sentencing.

WAYNESBORO, Pa. - Milton Garland, who was honored two years ago as the nation's oldest worker, was recently hospitalized with a heart condition and was listed in fair condition Monday at Waynesboro Hospital, a spokeswoman said. Garland, who turns 105 in August, was hospitalized more than two weeks ago. His condition was upgraded from critical to fair late last week, the spokeswomen said. His last public appearance was in the Waynesboro Memorial Day parade. In March 1998, Garland was named America's oldest worker by Greenthumb, a national nonprofit, senior advocacy group that focuses on training and finding jobs for low-income, older workers.

HAGERSTOWN - Two brothers charged with second-degree murder in the April death of their father, who died as a result of what investigators alleged was neglect, were scheduled to appear Thursday morning in Washington County Circuit Court. Kenneth Allen Record, 62, and Gerald Wolford Record, 46, did not appear for the arraignment, however, because attorneys have filed paperwork indicating the men are represented. A January 2008 trial date has been set for the case. The men were being held Thursday at the Washington County Detention Center, each on $750,000 bond, a jail spokeswoman said.

BLUE RIDGE SUMMIT, Pa. - Lester Jay Stone can't remember ever wanting to be an artist. "It doesn't seem to me that I started. I only remember that I could get a pencil and piece of paper and that was it," said Stone, 88. "I paint because I have to. It's there. I could not do otherwise. " cont. from news page He said he doesn't consider himself to be talented. "I don't see it in myself. I just do the best I can. My talent comes from the people who look at my paintings.

The sons of an 85-year-old man who died in April, a month after he was found tied to a chair in his home, were indicted Tuesday on charges of second-degree murder, according to a Washington County Sheriff's Department press release. Robert Charles Record Sr., of 16814 Longfellow Court, died April 5 from complications of dehydration, bedsores and an existing heart condition, deputies said. The Medical Examiner's Office in Baltimore ruled his death a homicide, deputies said. Kenneth Allen Record, 61, and Gerald Wolford Record, 46, of the same address, also were charged with manslaughter and abuse/neglect of a vulnerable adult, deputies said.

HAGERSTOWN -- A Smithsburg woman on Thursday entered an Alford plea in Washington County Circuit Court to five counts of animal cruelty for failing to provide for doves, a cat and guinea pigs. Under an Alford plea, defendants do not admit guilt but acknowledge the state has enough evidence for a conviction. Bertha May Martin, 67, of 12903 Unger Road in Smithsburg, will not serve any jail time, but will be on three years of unsupervised probation, Washington County Circuit Judge Donald E. Beachley ordered.

The son of an 85-year-old man who died in April 2007 of medical complications arising from neglect won't serve any more time in jail after pleading guilty Monday morning to the misdemeanor charge of neglect of a vulnerable adult. Kenneth Record, 62, faced charges that included second-degree murder, but those charges were dropped in exchange for his plea. Washington County Circuit Judge W. Kennedy Boone III sentenced Record to five years in prison, with all but time served suspended.

Click here for more photos BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. -- The body of a 66-year-old woman was found Tuesday morning in the rubble of her fire-ravaged home in Morgan County, W.Va., about 10 miles east of Berkeley Springs. A firefighter found the body of Carol Pospisil after the fire was extinguished at the house at 161 Palm Lane, Assistant State Fire Marshal Patrick Barker said. Pospisil was the only person inside the house when the fire broke out, Barker said. Barker said there were a number of oxygen tanks in the house, which is in eastern Morgan County near the Berkeley County line.

HAGERSTOWN -- When Larry Vaughn realized he wasn't going to live much longer, he returned to Hagerstown, the city where he battled, held office and made lasting connections. Vaughn, a two-term Hagerstown city councilman and many-time candidate, died over the weekend. He was 66. His brother, Wayne Vaughn, said Monday that the cause of Larry Vaughn's death still hadn't been established, but he'd been ill in recent years. Penny Miner of Hagerstown, a friend who looked after Vaughn as he grew ill, said he had breathing problems and a heart condition.