Las Vegas

About 150 relatives and friends gathered in Shepherdstown Sunday afternoon for an official send-off to Andrea Rogers as she heads to Las Vegas and the Miss USA competition. Rogers, 24, of Martinsburg, W.Va., was crowned Miss West Virginia USA in October in a pageant in Flatwoods, W.Va., in Braxton County. The 5-foot, 11-inch blonde is a permanent substitute special-education teacher at North Middle School in Martinsburg. Miss USA state contestants often have a send-off reception, she said.

Six members of Hagerstown Elks Lodge 378 recently took a trip to Las Vegas to discuss fundraising efforts for their Brother Elks retirement home in Bedford, Va. Between meetings in Las Vegas, the six men visited some of the local sites, including an art museum and Red Rock Canyon nature reserve, where three members of the group went bird-watching. In the evening, they attended an Italian opera performance. The fundraising meetings included a picnic, where they gathered with other Elks members.

FREDERICK, Md. - Alyssa Palermo, managing member of Palermo Insurance LLC in Frederick, was the winner of a 2009 Kawasaki Bayou 250 at a March conference in Las Vegas. Palermo, pictured at right with her prize, won a drawing for the all-terrain vehicle. Her name was entered with nine other GEICO agency owners who had the highest GEICO Power-sports sales percentage over plan in the country. Palermo sells and promotes motorcycle, ATV and recreation vehicle insurance through the GEICO Powersports program.

To many people, a siren means "Attention! Watch out!" But Scott Cawood's siren is another sort - a voluptuous, seductive woman. Sirens are women who use their sexual attractiveness to lure men. Cawood, the Sharpsburg-area metal artist featured in The Herald-Mail's Oct. 22 Gallery page, designed the elaborate siren that decorates a high-end motorcycle created by Metropolitan Choppers in Frederick, Md. The bike was commissioned by Treasure...

chambersburg@herald-mail.com HAGERSTOWN - As she worked on a plywood panel mounted with circuits, switches, outlets and fixtures, Audra Stone was asked if she expected to win the electrical competition - and a trip to Las Vegas - at Saturday's 2006 Associated Builders and Contractors Local Skills Olympics. "No. He will," Stone said, pointing to Morris Schenk, who was relaxing in the hallway. Schenk won it as a third-year student in 2005, but stepped aside to let the second-place student take the trip to the national competition, another student said.

Martha LaRue DeLosier, 84, of Jacksonville, Fla., formerly of Hagerstown, Md., passed away May 10, 2012.  Martha was born Nov. 20, 1927, in Hagerstown, to Roy and Hazel Bowman. She was united in marriage to Bernard DeLosier on Aug. 8, 1952, in Hagerstown, and to this union four children were born.  Martha was employed by Central Telephone Co. in Las Vegas, Nev., as a customer service supervisor. Martha was a member of Shadow Hills Baptist Church, Las Vegas, where she volunteered with Helping Hands.

Pa. man killed in I-81 motorcycle crash First Data lays off some of its Hagerstown employees Deputy: Man rescued from High Rock was 'highly intoxicated' 'Top Chef: Las Vegas' update Car hits Hagerstown house

LAS VEGAS (AP -- A broken O.J. Simpson has been sentenced to at least 15 years in prison for a Las Vegas hotel armed robbery by a judge who rejected his apology and said, "It was much more than stupidity. " Simpson stood stone-faced Friday when Judge Jackie Glass quickly rattled off his punishment after he pleaded with her that he didn't mean to steal from anybody when he tried to retrieve memorabilia. He appeared ready to break down in tears as he told that he was "sorry and confused" before going into a rambling and emotional 5-minute declaration.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. -- Surgical technology students from the graduating class at James Rumsey Technical Institute participated in a weeklong national convention of the Association of Surgical Technologists along with their instructor Carol Hoover. The conference was held in Las Vegas. The students attended many educational sessions and met with surgical technologists from across the nation. For more information about surgical technologists and the Surgical Technology Program at James Rumsey Technical School, contact Hoover at 304-754-7925 or cahoover@access.

FAIRPLAY - Brenda Eyler is not your typical suburban mom. In November, the Fairplay native belted out a Gospel tune on stage at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. She performed as part of the USA World Showcase that will air Jan. 8, 2007, on PAX TV. Viewers can go online and vote for their favorite performer. The winner returns to Las Vegas and has the chance to win $50,000. The 38-year-old mother of two chose to sing "The Shadow of the Cross," for the showcase because she started singing in church.

Martha LaRue DeLosier, 84, of Jacksonville, Fla., formerly of Hagerstown, Md., passed away May 10, 2012.  Martha was born Nov. 20, 1927, in Hagerstown, to Roy and Hazel Bowman. She was united in marriage to Bernard DeLosier on Aug. 8, 1952, in Hagerstown, and to this union four children were born.  Martha was employed by Central Telephone Co. in Las Vegas, Nev., as a customer service supervisor. Martha was a member of Shadow Hills Baptist Church, Las Vegas, where she volunteered with Helping Hands.

About 150 relatives and friends gathered in Shepherdstown Sunday afternoon for an official send-off to Andrea Rogers as she heads to Las Vegas and the Miss USA competition. Rogers, 24, of Martinsburg, W.Va., was crowned Miss West Virginia USA in October in a pageant in Flatwoods, W.Va., in Braxton County. The 5-foot, 11-inch blonde is a permanent substitute special-education teacher at North Middle School in Martinsburg. Miss USA state contestants often have a send-off reception, she said.

Veteran Airman 1st Class Brent Evan Koontz, 391st Combat Sustainment Support Battalion Operation Iraqi Freedom 08-10, age 23, died Friday, March 16, 2012, in Hagerstown. Brent served in the U.S. Air Force. He was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, and later was stationed in Las Vegas. He was a graduate of North Hagerstown High School. Brent was proceded in death by his maternal grandparents, Kenneth L. and Mary V. (Genny) Koontz and paternal grandfather, Charles H. Socks.

Donny Osmond has been in the public eye since he first appeared on “The Andy Williams Show” at the tender age of 5 with his older brothers. He survived the frenziness of the Osmond Brothers during the 1960s. And by the time he was “a little bit rock 'n' roll” alongside younger sister Marie in the late 1970s, Donny was a bona fide star. His career has had its share of ups and downs - right now it's up - and it's that journey he wants to share with his longtime fans in his new concert, “Basically Yours.” Osmond, 53, will perform at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 26, at the H. Ric Luhrs Performing Arts Center on the campus of Shippensburg University.

The question posted Wednesday on The Herald-Mail's website was: Do you plan to take a vacation this summer? Poll results: Yes: 559 votes (51 percent) No: 549 votes (49 percent) "I'm taking a vacation in two weeks to watch the World Cup. Then one in October to go to Las Vegas. if anyone is looking for a cheap getaway, Vegas baby. Sure, you can leave it all on the tables, but there is so much more to do there and it is cheap to get there now. " "I'd like to take a family vacation in Greece, so we can see what America's future looks like.

It's a Voltaggio victory. Frederick, Md., native Michael Voltaggio, 30, of Los Angeles, was named Top Chef on Wednesday night's sixth season finale of Bravo's "Top Chef: Las Vegas. " Voltaggio, who is chef de cuisine at The Dining Room, Langham Huntington Hotel & Spa, out-cooked 16 other contestants, including older brother Bryan, to win the coveted reality show moniker. Voltaggio and his brother have become fan favorites during season six of "Top Chef" as the competitive brothers battled it out to the finale, which moved from Las Vegas to Napa Valley, Calif.

Only one more episode to go before top title is awarded By CRYSTAL SCHELLE crystal.schelle@herald-mail.com It's official: It's a Voltaggio brother showdown. After Wednesday night's episode of "Top Chef: Las Vegas," brothers Bryan Voltaggio, 33, and Michael Voltaggio, 30, are officially two of the three finalists for the ultimate cook-off for the title of Top Chef. Bryan Voltaggio of Urbana, Md., is chef and partner of Volt Restaurant in downtown Frederick, Md. Michael Voltaggio, 30, is chef de cuisine at The Dining Room, Langham Huntington Hotel & Spa in Los Angeles.

Pa. man killed in I-81 motorcycle crash First Data lays off some of its Hagerstown employees Deputy: Man rescued from High Rock was 'highly intoxicated' 'Top Chef: Las Vegas' update Car hits Hagerstown house