Herald Mail

In The Herald-Mail's world series of food contests, Carla Cardello is going two for two. In April, the McConnellsburg, Pa., resident's chocolate-and-coconut-flavored cupcake was the winner of our 2012 Cupcake Contest. This month, of the 17 entries in The Herald-Mail's 20th Cookie Contest, Cardello's recipe was selected by judges as the winner. Her entry was, um, a chocolate-and-coconut-flavored cookie. "I didn't even mean for it to be that way. It really was a coincidence," Cardello, 25, said with a laugh.

The Herald-Mail is expanding “What's Wrong With This Picture?” Since 2009, the feature has provided a weekly look at safety problems, major annoyances and pet peeves under the direct control of local, county or state government. The new feature, now known as “Monday Breakdown,” will have a broader scope. We will continue to welcome the same types of submissions from readers as before. But now, we also will seek answers to questions of many more types. Any question that starts with “Why...?

In each of the past 13 years, The Herald-Mail has celebrated the New Year by selecting a Person of the Year, someone who has had a significant, positive effect on Hagerstown and Washington County and those who live here. We are preparing to do that again this year, with the selection of the 2012 Person of the Year. Candidates for the honor are nominated by people in the community. After nominations are in, the Person of the Year is chosen by a group of local residents and Herald-Mail employees.

Sometimes, it's childhood memories that are most scary. A feeling of helplessness at the doctor's office. A scary portrait on the wall that seems to watch as you pass. These were two of the inspirations of winning authors in The Herald-Mail's 2012 Scary Story Contest. Ashley Hutson, 29, of Sharpsburg, is the grand-prize winner of the Scary Story Contest. She wins the top prize of $50. Ethan Fulton of Hagerstown is the winner in the children's division with his story, "The Thing in the Woods.

The Herald-Mail will hold a pair of candidate forums this week at Kepler Theater on the campus of Hagerstown Community College. The first forum, on Wednesday, will include candidates for Hagerstown Mayor and City Council. The second forum, on Thursday, will include candidates for the 6th District seat in Congress and the Washington County Board of Education. Both forums are from 7 to 9 p.m. Attendees will be invited to write questions to be asked of the candidates. The general election is Nov. 6.

The problem: The condition of the road on Md. 60 at Longmeadow Road, north of Hagerstown. A Herald-Mail employee said she could feel the ridges in the road when her car bounces over them. The problem is the most noticeable when making a left turn onto Md. 60 or Longmeadow Road. Who can fix it: Maryland State Highway Administration What they say: Heather Keels, a district community liaison for the Maryland State Highway Administration, wrote in an email: “SHA's Hagerstown shop is aware of the rutting that has formed on Md. 60 in several areas, including the Longmeadow Road and Cortland Drive intersections.

In observance of Labor Day, The Herald-Mail business office will be closed Monday. It will reopen Tuesday at 8 a.m.  The Herald-Mail will publish on Labor Day.

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In the wake of the largest renovation in company history and the launch of a new television channel on Antietam Cable, The Herald-Mail Co. is swimming into uncharted waters under a new name. Since the addition of the TV station, HMTV6, the company has been rebranded as Herald-Mail Media, offering its traditional daily print and online products along with television news and weather. “I think it's a real exciting time in our industry, and specifically for our company,” Herald-Mail Media President Andy Bruns said.

There is a new outlet for local news, weather and other information as The Herald-MailCo. expands into a new format with HMTV6 on Antietam Cable. In addition to reading the newspaper or logging on to The Herald-Mail's website at www.herald-mail.com , area residents can turn to HMTV6 on Antietam Cable Channel 6 to watch regularly updated news, weather, sports and features of local interest, said Andy Bruns, president of The Herald-Mail Co. The channel launched at 1 a.m. Monday.