High School Diploma

Charles L. DeBow thought he was visiting Hagerstown to enjoy a late birthday dinner with his family Tuesday night. He was still going to get dinner, but DeBow's son, Jim DeBow, first took his father to the Washington County Board of Education offices, where the elder DeBow was surprised when he was presented with his high school diploma by Superintendent Elizabeth Morgan. "It's my honor to present you your high school diploma -- just a little bit late, but well deserved" Morgan said as she handed DeBow his diploma.

Kathleen Dorman talked Sunday about her days abusing cocaine and how she was “headed in all the wrong places.” Dorman - speaking during an adult education commencement at Hagerstown Community College - said she was told that she was never going to amount to anything and for seven years, she prayed to God for help. That help arrived in the form of a husband who she now credits with being an “angel” in her life. Dorman moved to Hagerstown from Baltimore and began seeking her high school diploma with help from the Washington County Family Center.

Tractor-trailer fire closes I-81 ramp Man sought in girl's kidnapping captured in Grantsville AT&T had cell phone problems Second judge recuses self from bail bondsman's hearing U.S. Navy vet receives high school diploma 'just a little bit late'

The Cumberland Valley Technology Center, the education division of the Cumberland Valley Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors, is accepting applications for apprenticeship/craft training classes in carpentry, electrical, HVAC-R, industrial maintenance, masonry and plumbing. Those interested in applying must be at least 16 years old, have a high school diploma or GED, and be physically able to perform the work. For information, call the chapter office at 301-739-1190 or 301-416-7247.

The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy has awarded $50,000 to the Washington County Family Center in Hagerstown to support the Literacy for Life Program for parents with young children who attend the center.  The center is one of five Maryland recipients selected in the 2012 state grant competition. Grants already have been awarded to family literacy programs in more than a dozen states nationwide. The center is sponsored locally by the Washington County Department of Social Services.

The Barr Construction Institute, the education division of the Cumberland Valley Chapter of Associated Builders & Contractors, is accepting applications for apprenticeship/craft training classes. Training is offered in carpentry, electrical, HVAC-R, industrial maintenance, masonry and plumbing. The program is registered with the U.S. Department of Labor, the Maryland and Pennsylvania Apprenticeship & Training Councils and the Department of Veterans Affairs. It is accredited through the National Center of Construction Education and Research, an affiliate of the University of Florida.

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. -- Morgan County school board member Margaret H. Zembower resigned her position effective Wednesday due to health reasons, Board President Laura Smith said at Tuesday night's meeting.  Zembower's term expires June 30, 2010. She is from Magisterial District 1 and has been a school board member since 1990. She had served as its vice president since 1996.   Zembower is a retired educator who taught for 40 years.  Morgan County residents in Districts 1 and 2 may apply for the open seat, Smith said, and the board has 45 days to fill it. Applicants must be 18 years old and have a high school diploma or GED.   Board member Larry Omps, who also is from District 1, agreed to serve as vice president of the board.

The Cumberland Valley Technology Center, the education division of the Cumberland Valley Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors, is accepting applications for apprenticeship, craft training, maintenance, upgrade and industrial classes. The center offers training in carpentry, electrical, HVAC-R, roofing, plumbing, welding, pipefitting, sprinklerfitting, sheet metal, heavy equipment operator, ironworker, concrete finishing/cement mason, masonry, painter and insulation. The program is registered with the U.S. Department of Labor, the Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia Apprenticeship and Training Councils and the Veterans Administration.

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. ? Local candidates in Morgan County interested in running for election this year may file through Jan. 26 at the County Clerk's office. The positions up for election in the 2008 race include the prosecuting attorney, assessor, sheriff, two magistrates and one county commissioner. · Prosecuting Attorney: Four-year term; no term limit. Must be an attorney and reside in W.Va. Annual salary is $90,000; filing fee is $900. Debra McLaughlin, a Republican, has held the position since 2002.

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. - Local candidates in Morgan County interested in running for election this year may file today through Jan. 26 at the County Clerk's office. The positions up for election in the 2008 race include the prosecuting attorney, assessor, sheriff, two magistrates and one county commissioner. · Prosecuting Attorney: Four-year term; no term limit. Must be an attorney and reside in W.Va. Annual salary is $90,000; filing fee is $900. Debra McLaughlin, a Republican, has held the position since 2002.

Kathleen Dorman talked Sunday about her days abusing cocaine and how she was “headed in all the wrong places.” Dorman - speaking during an adult education commencement at Hagerstown Community College - said she was told that she was never going to amount to anything and for seven years, she prayed to God for help. That help arrived in the form of a husband who she now credits with being an “angel” in her life. Dorman moved to Hagerstown from Baltimore and began seeking her high school diploma with help from the Washington County Family Center.

David H. "Holliday" Martin, 86, of Hagerstown, died Friday, Feb. 8, 2013. Born May 12, 1926, in Cearfoss, he was the son of the late Peter Lesher and Helen Shank Martin. Holliday removed himself from high school at the age of 17 to enter the U.S. Navy and served on the USS Currier during World War II. He later received his high school diploma. He worked for 35 years for Verizon. Holliday last attended Mount Tabor Lutheran Church of Fairview. He was a member of Clear Spring American Legion Post 222 and The Pioneers (a group of former phone company employees)

The Continuing Education Division at Hagerstown Community College will offer veterinary assistant training beginning Feb. 18 at HCC's Valley Mall center. The training consists of four courses offered from Feburary through December. Upon successful completion of all four courses, participants will earn a certification of completion from HCC. Veterinary assistant training prepares students to work in the animal care field, supporting veterinary technicians and veterinarians in a variety of settings.

World War II veteran, Elvin Edward Thomas, 93, of Bunker Hill, W.Va., was called home Monday, Dec. 17, 2012, after a short illness. Born Oct. 29, 1919, in Sun, W.Va., he was the son of the late Clarence Megginson and Amelia Thomas. He received his high school diploma from DuBois High School in Mount Hope, W.Va., where he excelled in academics, as well as an outstanding athlete. After high school, in the early years of his career he worked as a bellhop at a hotel in Beckley, W.Va.

A local group has recommended that Washington County help pay for every county high school graduate to go to college locally. The proposal, made Friday at a Greater Hagerstown Committee meeting, is based on a similar program started six years ago in Garrett County, Md. There, 44 percent of the 2011 graduating seniors attended Garrett College, according to the Greater Hagerstown Committee Education Forum, which has been studying college and...

The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy has awarded $50,000 to the Washington County Family Center in Hagerstown to support the Literacy for Life Program for parents with young children who attend the center.  The center is one of five Maryland recipients selected in the 2012 state grant competition. Grants already have been awarded to family literacy programs in more than a dozen states nationwide. The center is sponsored locally by the Washington County Department of Social Services.

Charles Trite said he attended the Veterans Day ceremony Friday in Smithsburg to honor the memory of his former brother-in-law, Harry Brown. A U.S. Marine, Brown died at Iwo Jima in 1945. "I enjoy coming to these ceremonies," Trite said. "It's something I feel I should do. " The 81-year-old Trite said he also felt like he needed to do something in 1945. That's when, at age 15, he convinced his mother to sign a form that allowed him to enlist in the Navy. Although the war was over by the time he joined, Trite said he sailed to Europe as a deckhand on a light cruiser.

MAY 12, 1915-AUG. 21, 2011 Mrs. Helen Augusta Spinnler, 96, passed from this life on Aug. 21, 2011, at the Lorien Nursing Home in Columbia, Md.   Born May 12, 1915, in Paterson, N.J., she was the daughter of Walter Babb and Lena Shortway Babb.   She was married to William C. Spinnler for 45 years. Helen was a homemaker for most of her life, raising seven children. She also worked part-time for more than 20 years, selling boys' clothing at Woodward & Lothrop, the Youth Center and Montgomery Ward.

Prospective students will be able to tour the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics' new Hagerstown campus Saturday at an open house scheduled for 10 a.m. The school, in Top Flight Air Park near Hagerstown Regional Airport, remains on schedule to begin its first class April 29, PIA Director James Mader said. The school will offer a 16-month, aviation-maintenance-technician diploma program. PIA will accept 25 students in its first class and has received more than 25 applications, Mader said.