Ice Storm

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- An ice storm that swept through the area late Tuesday into Wednesday closed local schools, and police in West Virginia believe icy road conditions contributed to a head-on collision Wednesday morning that left four men dead. There was a mix of ice and snow on U.S. 340, and it was raining when a van collided head-on with a tractor-trailer near Chestnut Hill Road, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department. No more precipitation is expected in the area until Sunday, forecasters said.

Becky Hatas has her hands full clearing her driveway on Brandenburg Drive near Falling Waters, W.Va., Wednesday afternoon. The day's ice storm shed a thick layer of ice across the Tri-State region.

ANNAPOLIS - A public hearing with state lawmakers has been rescheduled for Saturday morning at Hagerstown Community College. From 9 a.m. to noon at the Kepler Theater, citizens will have a chance to let state lawmakers know their thoughts on issues before the Maryland General Assembly, said Washington County Delegation Chairman Del. Robert A. McKee, R-Washington. The General Assembly's 90-day session began Jan. 13. The delegation's public hearing was supposed to be held on Jan. 9, but was canceled due to an ice storm.

Christmas is nearly here, and with it comes some winter weather. Snow made its first visit in the Tri-State area this year on Dec. 5, the day of the 21st annual Memorial Illumination, a driving tour honoring the soldiers who fought at the Battle of Antietam near Sharpsburg. Love it or hate it, snow and ice often make good photography subjects, as many of our readers have found in the photos shown here.   Karen Swan of Williamsport shot this photo on Natural Well Road after an ice storm.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - It was tough shoveling last week when snow was followed by an ice storm, so property owners in Chambersburg were given a few extra days to comply with the borough snow and ice policy for clearing sidewalks. Still, 32 property owners will be getting $50 tickets for failing to make any perceivable effort to clear their walks, Assistant Borough Manager David Finch said. Finch said the Valentine's Day storm presented a difficult task for those trying to clear their walks or trying to find someone to do it for them.

A storm dumped 4 1/2 inches of snow on the Tri-State area Friday, slowing down motorists and giving students an early start to their weekend. The snow started about 3:30 a.m. and tapered off by 2 p.m., said Greg Keefer, Hagerstown weather observer. By Friday night, major roads were clear but side roads were treacherous in spots, authorities said. "It's kind of a mess out there," said Sgt. William Wright of the Hagerstown City Police. Shortly before 9 p.m., freezing rain began to ice up the roads, officials said.

"I just wanted to say to all of the workers who have been out in the ice storm since Wednesday. Some of them didn't get home until after midnight on Thursday. I know you guys have been trying to get everyone's power back on and you all are being thought of. " "In reference to 'should dogs be allowed in the Fairgrounds.' Personally, I think dogs should be allowed in all the county parks as long as the owner is responsible for what they do and what they leave. " "To the lady who said that she hasn't seen her dad for 25 years.

Highway workers donate food By SCOTT BUTKI / Staff Writer About 60 Maryland State Highway Administration workers got into both Christmas and competitive spirits this month. The employees, who all work in Washington County, collected 1,130 canned goods and nonperishable items, said Robert Brown, a sign crew maintenance supervisor. Brown helped organized the effort The goods were delivered Thursday to the Salvation Army in Hagerstown. This was the most the employees have raised, Brown said.

scottb@herald-mail.com HAGERSTOWN - The City of Hagerstown is taking steps to reduce the chances of a repeat of the power problems it had following a recent ice storm. Some trees fell on power lines in the city during the Dec. 11 storm, causing power outages. The city is going to pay a contractor to trim trees and, in some cases, remove trees entirely, that are in the public right-of-way in the Carroll Heights neighborhood, city Light Manager Michael Spiker said.

Thumbs up to local, county and state road crews across the Tri-State area who worked during this week's ice storm and last week's snowstorm to keep our roads open. When storms hit, these folks work long hours in an effort to make travel not only possible, but as safe as possible under terrible conditions.       Thumbs down to those at the state level who did not provide the type of information to the news media that would have enabled people stuck on South Mountain and elsewhere in last week's snowstorm to be kept apprised of efforts to get traffic moving again.

With some residential streets still snow-covered and a likely ice storm on the way, Washington County officials urged caution and patience as county road crews attempt to stretch a dwindling salt supply. As the storm approached Monday evening, Washington County Director of Public Works Joseph Kroboth III said the county had enough salt to treat roads for 12 to 18 hours once icy conditions begin, but crews would not be pretreating roads. Because they were conserving salt for the approaching storm, county crews also have not had enough salt to melt the hard-packed snow and ice that still covers some residential streets from last week’s snow, Kroboth said.

Christmas is nearly here, and with it comes some winter weather. Snow made its first visit in the Tri-State area this year on Dec. 5, the day of the 21st annual Memorial Illumination, a driving tour honoring the soldiers who fought at the Battle of Antietam near Sharpsburg. Love it or hate it, snow and ice often make good photography subjects, as many of our readers have found in the photos shown here.   Karen Swan of Williamsport shot this photo on Natural Well Road after an ice storm.

Take it from me, there is nothing more rewarding than rising before dawn on a below-zero morning to chip ice out of a farm animal's water trough. It is thrilling. But mildly so. My one hope for this exceedingly cold winter is that it might eliminate certain insect types native to warmer climes that have of late been encroaching on our turf. Read, stink bugs. The FedEx guy drove up the other afternoon when it was about 6 degrees to see me staring at a stink-bug hangout on the foundation yelling, "Take that!

Becky Hatas has her hands full clearing her driveway on Brandenburg Drive near Falling Waters, W.Va., Wednesday afternoon. The day's ice storm shed a thick layer of ice across the Tri-State region.

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- An ice storm that swept through the area late Tuesday into Wednesday closed local schools, and police in West Virginia believe icy road conditions contributed to a head-on collision Wednesday morning that left four men dead. There was a mix of ice and snow on U.S. 340, and it was raining when a van collided head-on with a tractor-trailer near Chestnut Hill Road, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department. No more precipitation is expected in the area until Sunday, forecasters said.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - It was tough shoveling last week when snow was followed by an ice storm, so property owners in Chambersburg were given a few extra days to comply with the borough snow and ice policy for clearing sidewalks. Still, 32 property owners will be getting $50 tickets for failing to make any perceivable effort to clear their walks, Assistant Borough Manager David Finch said. Finch said the Valentine's Day storm presented a difficult task for those trying to clear their walks or trying to find someone to do it for them.

"I live in the western side of the Woodmoor subdivision in the Halfway area. There is no excuse for how poorly the roads were plowed in our area during the recent snow/ice storm. The storm was Tuesday night and it is Friday afternoon and our street is still terrible. " - Halfway "Roscoe Bartlett, (congressman from Md.), has it right as the Feb. 17 newspaper described his legislation concerning re-establishing Washington's birthday. Of course, Washington should be honored on his birthday and Lincoln given his due recognition as well.

WASHINGTON COUNTY karenh@herald-mail.com Ice could turn roads into skating rinks as a messy winter mix is expected to coat the area today and Friday. As a consolation, the storm should pave the way for warmer temperatures this weekend, forecasters said Wednesday. "We're going to have snow at first ... and that is going to be getting started around midday (today)," AccuWeather meteorologist John Gresiak said. Snowfall accumulations could top 1 to 3 inches, Gresiak said, "and then we really have a lot of fun (Thursday)