Hybrid

julieg@herald-mail.com Mack Trucks is expecting $1.5 million in federal money to help the truck manufacturer create a gas-electric hybrid refueling truck at its Hagerstown powertrain plant for the Air Force. Mack has been trying for nearly three years to develop a hybrid truck that could be produced in high volume for commercial sale, Mack spokesman Bob Martin said Friday. The truck manufacturer has been trying to get federal assistance for its effort for some time, so Congressional approval of the defense appropriations bill containing the money is "very positive," Martin said.

View the Volvo Powertrain slideshow. HAGERSTOWN - Garbage pickup crews often work at dawn - when most of us like to sleep - so their squeal, screech, vroom(!), squeal, screech, vroom(!) is not welcome. What's this got to do with the future of the Volvo Powertrain plant in Hagerstown? Plenty. For at least three years, a team of engineers there, together with others in three countries overseas, have been working intensively to develop hybrid engine systems for the garbage, long-haul and other markets buying Volvo and Mack trucks.

Mountain State University plans to open a 10,000-square-foot "hybrid study" learning center in Martinsburg Mall in time for the spring semester, school officials said Thursday. The learning center represents an expansion of MSU's footprint in the shopping center at 800 Foxcroft Ave., which it purchased in April 2010. The school already has built an administrative office-testing center complex there. With current enrollment of about 400 students at the Martinsburg campus, college officials hope the new learning center, which combines elements of a traditional classroom environment with technology-enhanced instruction, such as DVD lectures, films on demand and online video clips, will help spur future growth.

Truck Enterprises Hagerstown, Inc., 18216 Maugans Ave., will host a display of Kenworth's new medium duty diesel-electric hybrid utility truck Dec. 3 and 4 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The truck's visit to the local dealership, located at Exit 9 off Interstate 81, is part of a series of stops at Kenworth dealerships throughout the United States. The purpose of the tour is to show the latest technology available for municipalities and truck fleets interested in being "green" by cutting down on the emissions coming from their trucks and cutting their expenditure on diesel fuel.

Volvo Powertrain in Hagerstown would receive $2 million under a defense spending bill that has been sent to President Bush for approval. The money would fund a contract to finish development of a heavy-duty hybrid electric vehicle for the U.S. Air Force. The Department of Defense 2008 spending bill includes more than $96 million for defense projects in Maryland, according to a press release from U.S. Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, D-Md. Hybrid electric vehicles are used by the Air Force as dump trucks and to fuel aircraft, an Air Force spokesman told The Herald-Mail in September.

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday approved the Department of Defense 2008 spending bill, which includes $2 million for Volvo Powertrain in Hagerstown. The money would fund a contract to finish development of a heavy-duty hybrid electric vehicle for the Air Force. The Senate's version of the spending bill, which must go to conference before being voted on by both houses of Congress, includes $74.5 million for defense projects in Maryland, according to a press release from the office of U.S. Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, D-Md.

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday approved the Department of Defense 2008 spending bill, which includes $2 million for Volvo Powertrain in Hagerstown. The money would fund a contract to finish development of a heavy-duty hybrid electric vehicle for the Air Force. The Senate's version of the spending bill, which must go to conference before being voted on by both houses of Congress, includes $74.5 million for defense projects in Maryland, according to a press release from the office of U.S. Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, D-Md.

HAGERSTOWN - Volvo Powertrain in Hagerstown might get a $2 million contract with the U.S. Air Force to complete development of a heavy-duty hybrid electric vehicle. The money is included in a version of the Department of Defense 2008 spending bill, which must be approved by the Senate, according to a press release from the office of U.S. Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, D-Md. That debate and vote have not been scheduled. The project with Volvo Powertrain is aimed at reducing dangerous emissions and improving fuel economy, said John Walsh, spokesman for Mack Trucks Inc., which is part of the Volvo Group.

FREDERICK, MD. - From compact fluorescent light bulbs to a hybrid electric trash truck, a wide range of energy-efficient products was on display Friday morning at the SMART Green Showcase in Frederick. The conference was sponsored by U.S. Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett and Strengthening the Mid-Atlantic Region for Tomorrow, a not-for-profit group that supports research and development for businesses. It featured dozens of booths where companies displayed their greenest wares. "We're trying to show people how to go green without spending a lot of money," said Dan Chambers, who represented The Home Depot at the conference at FSK Holiday Inn. Chambers pointed to products like high-efficiency toilets and programmable thermostats, which he said can save homeowners serious money.

Recent events in Texas have once again prompted me to take up educating folks about agriculture. In case you did not hear, 15 steers died on a small ranch east of Austin, Texas, from prussic acid poisoning after grazing in a field of hybrid Bermudagrass known as Tifton 85. As if losing your livestock wasn't bad enough, misinformation caused even more problems. The story gained widespread attention after a local CBS News affiliate reported the grass that killed the steers was a genetically modified variety, which was incorrect.  That CBS affiliate later published a correction.

Mountain State University plans to open a 10,000-square-foot "hybrid study" learning center in Martinsburg Mall in time for the spring semester, school officials said Thursday. The learning center represents an expansion of MSU's footprint in the shopping center at 800 Foxcroft Ave., which it purchased in April 2010. The school already has built an administrative office-testing center complex there. With current enrollment of about 400 students at the Martinsburg campus, college officials hope the new learning center, which combines elements of a traditional classroom environment with technology-enhanced instruction, such as DVD lectures, films on demand and online video clips, will help spur future growth.

Hybrid vehicles are all the rage today. A shopper can find almost any kind of personal motor vehicle in hybrid form, ranging from ultra-small economy cars to full-size SUVs and pickups. Those modest-sized hybrids, relatively speaking, could well be joined by some significantly larger cousins: Class A motor homes. Winnebago and Fleetwood are now showing concept-vehicle hybrid Class A motor homes - and these concepts present some exciting new possibilities for RVers. Both the Winnebago Adventurer (www.

GAITHERSBURG, Md. -- Memories and laughter were shared Sunday night when about 50 people gathered with the Matthew and Blasia Drumm family to watch the premiere of the "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" episode filmed last November in South Mountain, Pa. Dan Ryan Builders, which took on an ambitious 106-hour construction schedule for the show, hosted a viewing party at the Dogfish Head Alehouse. A wall-mounted, flat-screen television played a special DVD and the ABC show -- interspersed with moments of the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens game.

Truck Enterprises Hagerstown, Inc., 18216 Maugans Ave., will host a display of Kenworth's new medium duty diesel-electric hybrid utility truck Dec. 3 and 4 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The truck's visit to the local dealership, located at Exit 9 off Interstate 81, is part of a series of stops at Kenworth dealerships throughout the United States. The purpose of the tour is to show the latest technology available for municipalities and truck fleets interested in being "green" by cutting down on the emissions coming from their trucks and cutting their expenditure on diesel fuel.

I don't make a habit of staying in bed-and-breakfast accommodations. Back in 2002, after a day of driving and meetings, sitting around the parlor watching TV with fellow residents isn't high on my priority list. Breakfast with someone who wants to know what kind of dogs I've owned is not necessarily the kick-start I need in the morning either. No guilt about messing up my room and sometimes I just want to lie on the bed and flick through the TV channels checking out America's Most Wanted without wondering who is shuffling down the hallway outside my bedroom door.

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. - Funk-jazz quintet Modern Groove Syndicate will close out Morgan County Arts Council's summer concert series Saturday evening at Berkeley Springs State Park. The instrumental band hails from Richmond, Va., and is touring to promote its latest album, "Ms. Popular," released in December. Showtime is 5:30 p.m. Formed as a trio in 1998, Modern Groove Syndicate has evolved into a five-piece funk-jazz-pop hybrid, though a fresher, younger version than the jazz-fusion stuff you'd find in mom and pop's collection.

View the Volvo Powertrain slideshow. HAGERSTOWN - Garbage pickup crews often work at dawn - when most of us like to sleep - so their squeal, screech, vroom(!), squeal, screech, vroom(!) is not welcome. What's this got to do with the future of the Volvo Powertrain plant in Hagerstown? Plenty. For at least three years, a team of engineers there, together with others in three countries overseas, have been working intensively to develop hybrid engine systems for the garbage, long-haul and other markets buying Volvo and Mack trucks.

FREDERICK, MD. - From compact fluorescent light bulbs to a hybrid electric trash truck, a wide range of energy-efficient products was on display Friday morning at the SMART Green Showcase in Frederick. The conference was sponsored by U.S. Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett and Strengthening the Mid-Atlantic Region for Tomorrow, a not-for-profit group that supports research and development for businesses. It featured dozens of booths where companies displayed their greenest wares. "We're trying to show people how to go green without spending a lot of money," said Dan Chambers, who represented The Home Depot at the conference at FSK Holiday Inn. Chambers pointed to products like high-efficiency toilets and programmable thermostats, which he said can save homeowners serious money.

WASHINGTON - Volvo Powertrain officials met Thursday with U.S. Sens. Barbara A. Mikulski and Benjamin L. Cardin, both D-Md., to thank them for the federal investment being made in the Hybrid Electric Engine project at the Volvo Powertrain facility in Hagerstown. It was reported in November 2007 that Volvo Powertrain in Hagerstown would receive $2 million under the Department of Defense 2008 spending bill. The money is to be used to fund a contract to finish development of a heavy-duty hybrid electric vehicle.