Iron

SHARPSBURG -- The Antietam Iron Works Bridge on Harpers Ferry Road, over Antietam Creek south of Sharpsburg, is expected to be closed into December as work has started to rebuild the bridge, a county official said Thursday. Work began June 14, said Rob Slocum, Washington County's deputy director of public works. The project is similar to the work done at the Funkstown bridge in 2008. It includes removing and rebuilding the roadway on the bridge, rebuilding portions of the bridge's walls with the existing stone and new mortar, putting new concrete caps over the walls, and some roadwork near the bridge, Slocum said.

Editor's note: This is an occasional series of how-tos that you might have missed learning while growing up or in school. SMITHSBURG - Linda Nairn, family and consumer science teacher for Smithsburg Middle School, says that ironing is a lost art form. "My mother taught me to iron. She learned how to iron from my grandmother," says Nairn, who has been teaching for 35 years. As technology has progressed, the iron and ironing board have slowly been replaced by hand-held steamers or the promise of wrinkle-free materials.

SAINT JAMES -- New Saint James football coach Chris Milmoe has tabbed "Ironmen" as the theme to the upcoming season as many of the Saints players are being counted on for two-way play. The main ironman on campus this year will be senior Mike Russ, who returns at quarterback and will find himself in a new defensive position that he is relishing. The 6-foot, 210-pound senior will be the focus of the Saints offense as they run the spread attack under Milmoe. Russ will move from linebacker to free safety and he is ready to knock heads with the opposition.

CHAMBERSBURG, PA. - As TB Wood's Inc. celebrated its 150th anniversary on Saturday, the community had a chance learn more about the company and longtime employees could reflect on working there. The hundreds of people who attended the party had the chance to take a tour of TB Wood's, were treated to a free meal and could check out antique cars and games. "Our big goal is - there's a lot of people in Chambersburg who don't know what TB Wood's does," said Tracey Schroder, marketing services manager for the company.

BALTIMORE - Cal Ripken Jr. will forever be known as the Iron Man, a fitting title for the most durable athlete in the rich history of the sport known as America's Pastime. The nickname captures the perseverance of the former Baltimore Orioles star, who played in 2,632 consecutive games from 1982-98. It would be an injustice, however, to summarize the spectacular 21-year career of Calvin Edwin Ripken Jr. solely by The Streak. In assessing Ripken's affect on baseball, his peers and the fans who cheered for him, there are two words more appropriate than Iron & Man: Awe and respect.

Flat-iron steaks have gone from the grinder to the grill. Flat-iron steaks, the cut from beef that previously would have likely been ground up for hamburger meat or sold as roast, might be a common sight on grills this summer. The cut - the second most tender cut of beef next to the tenderloin - is available from at least 7,000 retailers, particularly among restaurants and food service providers, said Mary Bartz, spokeswoman for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, a trade association.

COLLEGE SOFTBALL Charleston 5-2, Shepherd 0-3 SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. - Stephanie Sims, Amy Edmondson and Mia Zappacosta had two hits each to lead Shepherd in the nightcap of a WVIAC doubleheader split. Andrea Lewis tossed a two-hitter with 10 strikeouts to lead the Golden Eagles (33-19, 20-6) over the Rams (26-17, 12-4) in the opener. GOLF Three aces recorded At Whitetail Golf Club, Dee Sanders, of Chambersburg, Pa., recorded her first hole-in-one on the 89-yard 14th hole with a 4-iron.

At her home in Afghanistan, Wasima Naseer could not have stepped outside after dark without a man by her side. Naseer, who is studying economics and international studies at Wilson College, a women's college in Chambersburg, Pa., said she was "scared" the first time she walked alone after dark nearly a year ago in Oregon. Naseer, 22, said that now, running errands and stepping outside by herself has become "normal. " It has been more than 80 years since women in the United States won the right to vote and it has been about five years since women in Afghanistan broke with some of the country's male-dominated traditions.

I am very happy that the Washington County Commissioners now have at their disposal a $200,000 armored car. I think we ought to put it to good use. We should send it to Iraq. With the commissioners in it. Yes, we are now the proud owners of a Lenco BearCat armored rescue vehicle, which is at our disposal to use in all those terrorist situations which to date have never happened. This Iron Minivan comes to us, like I need to tell you this, courtesy of the Department of Homeland Security, and to be exact, it cost $201,282.

Two golfers recently scored holes-in-one at Black Rock Golf Course. Jeff Newlin aced the par-3, 140-yard second hole using a 9-iron. It was his second hole-in-one. His playing partners were Roger Byrd and Bassam Karim. Charles Harper made a hole-in-one on the par-3, 155-yard 15th hole. He used a 5-iron to record his first-ever ace. The feat was witnessed by Mike Perry, Frank Duranko and Russell Stamper.