Heavy Traffic

CLEAR SPRING, Md. - Heavy traffic volume on eastbound Interstate 70 contributed to several vehicle collisions Sunday, Maryland State Police said. Police said the first incident was reported on I-70, just east of Md. 68, when a driver lost control of a vehicle and drove off the road. No injuries were reported, police said. About one hour later, an unmarked Washington County Sheriff's Department vehicle, being driven by Investigator Ryan Shifflet, was involved in a minor two-vehicle collision, sheriff's department Cpl. Chris Howard said.

The Washington County Commissioners held part of their meeting in Funkstown Tuesday evening. Several town residents and officials at the meeting asked the commissioners about a bypass road that has been discussed for decades. The road would route traffic around the town. "It's the only way we're going to get rid of traffic," Mayor Robert L. Cline said. Residents said during the meeting that the town's one-way streets, single-lane bridges and proximity to development in Hagerstown have resulted in heavy traffic through the town.

Three vehicles were involved Thursday morning in an accident on eastbound Interstate 70 two miles east of the Mapleville Road (Md. 66) exit (Exit 35). Nobody was injured, according to Trooper Eichelberger of the Maryland State Police. The accident happened when a pickup truck collided with the back of a car, which then collided with the rear of another pickup truck that was slowing down due to heavy traffic, Eichelberger said. All three vehicles were traveling in the left lane and were moved to the right shoulder.

Police log 12/23 Vehicle accidents aggravate heavy traffic Maryland State Police said traffic was unusally heavy on Interstate 70 Saturday. Troopers were busy during the day handling about a dozen traffic accidents, most of them on I-70, Trooper Scott Bare said. Several were multiple-car accidents, including one that involved five cars, Bare said. No one was seriously injured, Bare said. "On day shift, they just ran from one (accident) to another," Bare said.

Hagerstown's new mayor and City Council toured the Hagerstown Fairgrounds on Tuesday and discussed how they might be able to accommodate space for the YMCA. YMCA officials are looking for land to construct a building as well as for athletic fields. They have considered land at the fairgrounds, but would have to reimburse Program Open Space for the land under state regulations. An alternative could be some land just north of the fairgrounds, but city officials said they want to hear more definitive plans from YMCA officials.

A 6-year-old child was flown to a Virginia hospital after being struck by a van Tuesday on North Queen Street in Martinsburg, W.Va., the Martinsburg Police Department said. The child, whose name was not released, was in critical condition at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Virginia, according to a police department news release. A woman who answered the phone at the police department Wednesday morning said officers didn't have an update on the child's condition. Officers said the child crossed into heavy traffic with another child and an adult at about 4:40 p.m. in the 800 block of North Queen Street.

waynesboro@herald-mail.com WAYNESBORO, Pa. - The Borough Council, acting on recommendations from the Waynesboro Planning Commission, approved two major housing developments Wednesday, one in the face of some strong citizen opposition. Brimington Farm, a 553-unit project of single- and multi-family homes formerly called Hollengreen Farm, was given the go-ahead on a unanimous vote by the council. Construction will begin in the spring on land bordered by State Hill and Welty roads.

HANCOCK -- The westbound lanes of Interstate 70 west of Hancock were closed Sunday for 90 minutes after a three-car collision, according to Maryland State Police. A westbound 2000 Dodge Caravan driven by Scott A. Thomas, 44, of North Canton, Ohio, struck a 2007 Audi at about 3:23 p.m., according to a news release. Heavy traffic had caused cars to come to a stop on the interstate at the 1.5-mile marker -- east of U.S. 522 -- when the Caravan hit the Audi, driven by Andrew S. Cray, 23, of Chippewa Falls, Wis., police said.

Traffic snarls continued into the evening in parts of the Hagerstown area following a 2:59 p.m. crash that closed the northbound lanes of I-81 between Exit 5 (Halfway Boulevard) and Exit 9 (Maugans Avenue), according to reports. Traffic was being rerouted onto Greencastle Pike toward U.S. 40, a Washington County Emergency Services dispatcher said. Motorists reported heavy traffic as of about 6:15 p.m. in areas including the West End of Hagerstown and along Virginia Avenue.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. -- A multimillion-dollar church worship and education center on Monday won the unanimous blessings of the Berkeley County Planning Commission for its sketch plan, a first step in getting permits to build the complex off Rock Cliff Drive and Interstate 81. The Rev. Kevin Green, 44, and his wife, Beth, are pastors of The Living Room, a Wave Network affiliate church in the former Heilig-Meyers furniture store in the Berkeley Plaza...

With nearly 900,000 Maryland residents expected to drive 50 miles or more for this Thanksgiving holiday, travelers might have to face heavy traffic en route to their destination. For many area residents the solution is simple: travel when there is not a lot of traffic. “I travel at the time it's convenient for me,” Hagerstown resident Dennis King, 61, who plans on having Thanksgiving Day dinner in Silver Spring, Md., with his son. “It doesn't seem to be any different on Thanksgiving Day than a normal weekend day.” The total number of anticipated Maryland travelers for the Thanksgiving holiday period only increased slightly this year, according to an AAA press release.

Driver, not police, at fault in crash To the editor: This is in response to Mr. Breeden's letter in the Nov. 15 Herald-Mail. The individual who ran from the police is the person at fault, period. He is the person who ran from the police after they attempted to do their job and make a traffic stop. He is also the person whose vehicle struck another one, causing injuries to the family inside. It is ridiculous to blame the police for doing their jobs and trying to stop someone from running.

A 6-year-old child was flown to a Virginia hospital after being struck by a van Tuesday on North Queen Street in Martinsburg, W.Va., the Martinsburg Police Department said. The child, whose name was not released, was in critical condition at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Virginia, according to a police department news release. A woman who answered the phone at the police department Wednesday morning said officers didn't have an update on the child's condition. Officers said the child crossed into heavy traffic with another child and an adult at about 4:40 p.m. in the 800 block of North Queen Street.

Traffic snarls continued into the evening in parts of the Hagerstown area following a 2:59 p.m. crash that closed the northbound lanes of I-81 between Exit 5 (Halfway Boulevard) and Exit 9 (Maugans Avenue), according to reports. Traffic was being rerouted onto Greencastle Pike toward U.S. 40, a Washington County Emergency Services dispatcher said. Motorists reported heavy traffic as of about 6:15 p.m. in areas including the West End of Hagerstown and along Virginia Avenue.

Three vehicles were involved Thursday morning in an accident on eastbound Interstate 70 two miles east of the Mapleville Road (Md. 66) exit (Exit 35). Nobody was injured, according to Trooper Eichelberger of the Maryland State Police. The accident happened when a pickup truck collided with the back of a car, which then collided with the rear of another pickup truck that was slowing down due to heavy traffic, Eichelberger said. All three vehicles were traveling in the left lane and were moved to the right shoulder.

Traffic was heavy on local roads like Interstate 70 on Monday as people wrapped up their July 4 holiday weekend traveling, a Maryland State Police spokesman said. Interstate 70 in Washington County was clogged with slow-moving traffic in both directions Monday afternoon. There were accidents throughout the county, including on I-70, but the crashes were mostly minor due to the slow-moving traffic, state police Sgt. T.J. McKenrick said. Traffic was flowing better on I-70 by 9:49 p.m., another state police spokesman said Monday night.

"A caller recently asked if anyone could remember which commissioners voted for the county's building stimulus package. It was commissioners Baker, Wivell and Barr who voted 'yes.' Aleshire voted 'no,' and Kercheval was absent. " - Washington County "To the person on East Franklin whose cat was killed: Sometimes you cannot help it. A cat ran out in front of me last year, and I cried for two days. I appreciate your sorrow. I have lost and mourned numerous pets over the years.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. -- A multimillion-dollar church worship and education center on Monday won the unanimous blessings of the Berkeley County Planning Commission for its sketch plan, a first step in getting permits to build the complex off Rock Cliff Drive and Interstate 81. The Rev. Kevin Green, 44, and his wife, Beth, are pastors of The Living Room, a Wave Network affiliate church in the former Heilig-Meyers furniture store in the Berkeley Plaza...

HANCOCK -- The westbound lanes of Interstate 70 west of Hancock were closed Sunday for 90 minutes after a three-car collision, according to Maryland State Police. A westbound 2000 Dodge Caravan driven by Scott A. Thomas, 44, of North Canton, Ohio, struck a 2007 Audi at about 3:23 p.m., according to a news release. Heavy traffic had caused cars to come to a stop on the interstate at the 1.5-mile marker -- east of U.S. 522 -- when the Caravan hit the Audi, driven by Andrew S. Cray, 23, of Chippewa Falls, Wis., police said.

Fireworks Outlet robbed INWOOD, W.Va. -- A man pulled a knife and tried to tie the hands of a female employee during a robbery Wednesday morning at the Fireworks Outlet on Winchester Avenue, according to a Berkeley County Sheriff's Department press release. The man entered the business at 7677 Winchester Ave. about 10:34 a.m. and demanded money from the employee, who complied with the request, deputies said. The man tried to tie the hands of the employee, but was unsuccessful, deputies said.