Hilton

Hilton unopposed for Charles Town mayor By DAVE McMILLION / Staff Writer, Charles Town Charles Town Mayor Randy Hilton is running unopposed for a third four-year term in the city's May 24 municipal election. Hilton said he wants to serve another term to continue the progress that has been started in town. In the only contested race in the election, Ward III incumbent Russell C. Miller will face challengers Stephen A. DiServio and Doug Vaira. Miller, who was elected to fill a two-year unexpired term on council, said he wants to retain his council seat because he thinks he has gained the experience necessary in the last two years to serve the city.

charlestown@herald-mail.com CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - If you see someone moving around in an office at the top of Charles Town's City Hall some night, don't be alarmed. It's probably Charles Town Mayor Randy Hilton taking care of business. Now that he has retired from his full-time job, Hilton said he sometimes comes to City Hall at the corner of George and Washington streets at night because it's a quiet place to work on town business. Hilton retired in June and has decided to spend more time at City Hall to address the needs of the city.

charlestown@herald-mail.com CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - During Mayor Randy Hilton's tenure, a $7.1 million renovation of downtown Charles Town was completed, a visitors center was established and city officials tackled a drug trafficking problem that was marked by open-air drug markets and shootings. Also, the police department was reorganized, City Hall was renovated and the city began pursuing other projects such as working to purchase Happy Retreat, a historic home in Charles Town that city officials have said they want to use for a community center and museum.

charlestown@herald-mail.com Charles Town Mayor Randy Hilton Monday night urged reporters to "stay tuned" after City Council members authorized him to sign a document relating to a proffer agreement for the Huntfield development. There were not enough council members at Monday night's council meeting to have a quorum, but later in the meeting, two more members were reached on a speaker phone to form one. The quorum was formed so council members could go into a closed-door session.

Town Hall renovations under way in Charles Town By CLYDE FORD Staff Writer CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - Charles Town Mayor Randy Hilton did not know what to expect when he stuck his head through a trap door in a ceiling at Charles Washington Hall. "This is wonderful," Hilton said as he looked around at the dust covered walls and floors. The sight of the thick wood trim and wainscot wood ceiling inspired Hilton to imagine how grand the meeting room must have appeared.

By CLYDE FORD Staff Writer, Charles Town CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - Charles Town officials want to start cracking down on property owners with unfinished, boarded up buildings in town. At Monday night's council meeting, the mayor and council members were briefed by a zoning consultant and part-time building inspector on ways to start stricter enforcement of building code violations. "We have people come to us and they're frustrated," said Charles Town Mayor J. Randolph Hilton.

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - A settlement was reached Friday in a "friendly" lawsuit filed in June by the Jefferson County Commissioners against the City of Charles Town over the collection of school impact fees on all new housing developments. The commissioners agreed to accept an offer from the city to settle the dispute during a special meeting Friday and after an executive session with Jefferson County Assistant Prosecutor J. Michael Cassell. Charles Town Mayor Randy Hilton and attorney Doug Rockwell, who represented the city in the case, presented the commissioners with the offer.

charlestown@herald-mail.com A final report by experts on a proposed comprehensive redevelopment of an old commercial area along North Street says they are "very impressed by the level of energy" in the project and are giving recommendations on how to continue the work. The report was written by the Urban Land Institute, an organization that assists the public and private sectors in land use. In October, representatives from the Urban Land Institute visited Charles Town to review a plan by the cities of Charles Town and Ranson, W.Va.

By CLYDE FORD Staff Writer, Charles Town CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - The Charles Town mayor and council declared a vacant building a "public nuisance" at Monday night's council meet, the first in a crackdown promised months ago on dilapidated structures. The People's Supply on North Samuel Street has sat vacant for years. The town's building inspector described in a letter to the council a series of problems at the building: windows and doors missing, gates left open and trash piled up. Charles Town Police Chief Mike Aldridge said police officers have been called to the building to get children off the roof.

gregs@herald-mail.com A new 103-room, extended-stay hotel is planned for 2.5 acres near Interstate 81 and Halfway Boulevard in Hagerstown, representatives for the development said this week. A Homewood Suites, a brand under the Hilton name, would be built off Railway Lane among a number nearby restaurants and hotels. Jeff Tedrick, the project manager for Bowman Development Corp., said once construction begins on the hotel, it will take 12 to 13 months to complete, and another two or so months to train employees before the hotel would open.

Two 17-year-old Hagerstown boys were arrested Thursday morning in connection with an armed robbery of Hartle's Subs at 1301 Marshall St., Wednesday night, according to a Hagerstown Police Department spokesman. Nijah Abdul-Rahin and Sheldon Maxie-Hilton are charged as adults, said Lt. Tom Langston. Abdul-Rahin and Maxie-Hilton are each charged with first- and second-degree assault, armed robbery and use of a handgun during a crime of violence or felony and other charges, Langston said.

Hilton Douglas Mason, 80, of Kearneysville, W.Va., died Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011, at Winchester (Va.) Medical Center. The family will receive friends Saturday from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. at Brown Funeral Home, Martinsburg, W.Va. The service will be Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at the funeral home. Burial will be in Uvilla United Methodist Cemetery.

Carroll James Hilton, 89, of Charles Town, W.Va., died Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009, at Greenfield Assisted Living, Berryville, Va. A memorial service will be Saturday, Oct. 17, at 11 a.m. at Zion Episcopal Church, Charles Town.

A grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at The Homewood Suites by Hilton Hotel in Hagerstown on Tuesday, Jan. 22. Business and community leaders were joined by elected officials, and presentations were made by City of Hagerstown Mayor Robert E. Bruchey II and Washington County County Commissioners President John Barr. The multi-million dollar five-story hotel just off Railway Lane, at 1650 Pullman Lane, near Outback Steakhouse, includes exceptional amenities.

Homewood Suites by Hilton on Wednesday opened the 102-suite Homewood Suites by Hilton Hagerstown. The hotel is owned by Bowman 2000, LLC and managed by Bowman Hospitality & Convenience Inc. The Homewood Suites by Hilton Hagerstown, an upscale, all-suite residential-style hotel, is at 1650 Pullman near Valley Mall. Launched in 1989, the Homewood Suites by Hilton brand has more than 206 hotels open and another 125 in the pipeline. To make reservations at a Homewood Suites by Hilton hotel, travelers can visit the Homewood Suites Web site at homewoodsuites.

HAGERSTOWN - A former local high school football standout and one of the country's most recognizable blondes felt a "mutual attraction" when Hunter Cross and Paris Hilton went to camp for "The Simple Life. " Cross, a 1998 North Hagerstown High School graduate, called Hilton strong and amazing, but said he does not know whether he will see her once her current legal problems are resolved. During this season of the reality show "The Simple Life," Hilton and Nicole Richie go to a series of camps.

Not everyone scowls when the price of a gallon of gasoline goes north of $2. Not everyone wrings their hands at swelling population centers to the east. After all, it's nice to have nearly 8 million people within a full gas tank of your business. In this instance, the business is local tourism, and the numbers seem to hint that something - possibly higher gas prices - is putting the spurs to the travel-related economy. Washington County has more hotel rooms, and more of them are full, than ever before.

gregs@herald-mail.com A new 103-room, extended-stay hotel is planned for 2.5 acres near Interstate 81 and Halfway Boulevard in Hagerstown, representatives for the development said this week. A Homewood Suites, a brand under the Hilton name, would be built off Railway Lane among a number nearby restaurants and hotels. Jeff Tedrick, the project manager for Bowman Development Corp., said once construction begins on the hotel, it will take 12 to 13 months to complete, and another two or so months to train employees before the hotel would open.

charlestown@herald-mail.com CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - During Mayor Randy Hilton's tenure, a $7.1 million renovation of downtown Charles Town was completed, a visitors center was established and city officials tackled a drug trafficking problem that was marked by open-air drug markets and shootings. Also, the police department was reorganized, City Hall was renovated and the city began pursuing other projects such as working to purchase Happy Retreat, a historic home in Charles Town that city officials have said they want to use for a community center and museum.

charlestown@herald-mail.com A final report by experts on a proposed comprehensive redevelopment of an old commercial area along North Street says they are "very impressed by the level of energy" in the project and are giving recommendations on how to continue the work. The report was written by the Urban Land Institute, an organization that assists the public and private sectors in land use. In October, representatives from the Urban Land Institute visited Charles Town to review a plan by the cities of Charles Town and Ranson, W.Va.