Laws

Some rules, noted the late comedian George Carlin, shouldn't be necessary. “No running with the scissors,” for example, was one that he said made eminent sense, even to a little kid. Texting while driving would seem to fit in this category, yet many still do type away with their thumbs on the keyboard and their foot on the gas. Most recently, Pennsylvania has made texting behind the wheel illegal, soon to be joined by West Virginia (where...

In August 2010, 19-year-old Daniel Schatz ran his pickup truck into the back of a tractor-trailer on Interstate 44 near Gray Summit, Mo. The collision set off a chain-reaction accident with two school buses, killing Schatz and a 15-year-old bus passenger, Jessica Brinker. Investigators later discovered that Schatz had been exchanging text messages on his cell phone while he drove, sending six and receiving five in the 11 minutes prior to the crash. The wreck underscores the danger of driving while distracted.

Limits on passengers, increased on-the-road training and traffic stops for seat belt violations will start affecting Pennsylvania's teenage drivers in just weeks. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation partnered with police agencies Monday to raise awareness about changes to teen driving laws. PennDOT scheduled police to visit 20 high schools in Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin and Perry counties. Among them were Greencastle-Antrim High School and Chambersburg Area Senior High School.

News laws go into effect By LAURA ERNDE / Staff Writer South Mountain officially becomes the first state battlefield park today, a designation that is one of nearly 300 laws passed by the Maryland General Assembly and going into effect today. The first visible signs of the battlefield designation won't be seen until next year. The park has requested about $500,000 in operating money from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources' 2002 budget, which begins in July, said Al Preston, assistant manager of the South Mountain Recreation Area.

Other local laws taking effect today: - Allow alcoholic beverages to be sold in restaurants on Sundays starting at 11 a.m. instead of noon. The law also increases the Sunday hours of operation at bars if the following Monday is a federal holiday. - Increase the salary of the Washington County State's Attorney from $67,840 a year to $90,428, an increase of more than 33 percent. The raise does not actually take effect until after this year's election in November. Incumbent State's Attorney M. Kenneth Long Jr. is running unopposed.

Do you know what today is? Another school day canceled because teachers want a break? Big Foot took over the world? Think again. Students do not have school today because of Election Day. Many teenagers are oblivious to why they get a free day but could really care less. The main reason? Teenagers don't think elections matter to them. In order to vote, a person must be 18 or older. Teenagers today do not seem to take a big part in politics. Sure, everyone has opinions about who is running for office and what they believe in, but teenagers seem to think that politics are about nothing but fun. Although if teenagers today had more of a say in what laws took place, they would probably think a little bit differently when Election Day rolled around.

WAYNESBORO, Pa. - Frustrated by a system that they say offers little help in getting their ex-boyfriends to pay child support for their children, some Waynesboro women are starting an effort to change the nation's child-support laws. The women say states operate under different rules, making it hard for parents to track down ex-partners or get them to pay child support. "We were sitting around drinking Pepsi and smoking one day after Christmas, and we started talking about the problems we were having getting child support," said Bonnie Cochran, 54. Her daughter, Massina Cochran, 24, has been unable to get child support from the father of her 3-year-old daughter, she said.

Beginning today, driving laws for new motorists will be a lot tougher, a policy some local teenagers say they support. "It will be kind of annoying waiting longer to drive on my own, but it makes sense," said Rachael Hefner, a South Hagerstown High School student. [cont. from front page ] Hefner, 16, said she considers herself a responsible driver, but said she knows others her age who aren't. When she receives her learner's permit she will be subject to rules under the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration's Graduated Licensing System.

It may seem like piling on to say this again, but Martinsburg City Councilman Frank Idoni needs to get the message that law enforcement must be left to police officers. Elected officials who imagine they can do as well as trained police officers are as misguided as those who substitute home remedies for a doctor's prescriptions. On Wednesday Idoni was charged in Berkeley County Magistrate Court with allegedly punching and spitting on a teenager who Idoni felt was driving too fast.

shappell@herald-mail.com Nearly all motorized scooters will be subject to the same laws as other motor vehicles in the wake of talks between Washington County authorities and the State's Attorney's Office, a Washington County Sheriff's Department captain said. That word comes just a few weeks after the sheriff's department said it would strictly enforce laws governing the use of some motorized scooters. Washington County Sheriff's Department Capt. Doug Mullendore said area authorities will continue to strengthen enforcement of motor vehicle laws because of recent talks with the Washington County State's Attorney's Office.

With a section of the city's firearm regulations requiring repeal because it is superseded by state law, the Hagerstown police chief wants to take the opportunity to “close a gap” in current restrictions by making it unlawful to possess and transport weapons on city streets unless they are unloaded and enclosed in a case.  Police Chief Mark Holtzman told the mayor and five-member city council Tuesday during a work session at City Hall that...

Two Hagerstown Community College students recently received academic scholarships for the spring 2013 semester. Administration of Justice majors John Aldridge and Lisa Sandlin, both of Hagerstown, received the Maryland Law Enforcement Officers Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded by HCC faculty members to eligible students working toward an associate of applied science degree in administration of justice. Aldridge will graduate in May 2015 and plans to work in a Strategic Response Team unit, formerly known as SWAT.

Perhaps NRA should support national sales tax To the editor: About 30 years ago, under the cry of “no parole,” “no probation” and “three strikes, you're out,” the legislature of California passed laws to make sure that more criminals spent more time in jail. Now, the children of the people who issued those cries are refusing to raise their taxes enough to build more jails to house these new criminals. As an NRA member, I agree with the NRA that we need to have stronger enforcement of the laws we already have.

Maryland's new gun law is set to take effect in October, and gun owners and gun-store employees are scrambling to figure out what the 62-page bill will mean to them. Tim Hafer, a manager at the Downsville Gun Shop and owner of Hafer's Gunsmithing, said the bill is confusing. The bill is written for “lawyers and judges,” he said. “A regular person will not be able to decipher it ... there are questions about everything ... what they will be able to buy and what they won't,” Hafer said.

One of three men accused of passing counterfeit currency Monday has been charged with assaulting Maryland State Police troopers as they attempted to take him into custody in the parking lot of Premium Outlets, according to Washington County District Court records. Tyreik L. Gibson, 28, of Lansdowne, Pa., was charged by state police with three counts each of first- and second-degree assault, and one count each of second-degree assault on a law enforcement officer and malicious destruction of property of more than $500, court records said.

Legal advice is something just about everyone will need at some point during their lifetime, and residents of Washington County and surrounding areas will have the chance to get some help for free on Wednesday. Assistant State's Attorney Michele F. Hansen said May 1 has been nationally known as Law Day since the 1950s. “At that time, we were in the Cold War situation. So President Eisenhower decided that we in the United States would have a counter to their Labor Day,” Hansen said.

State Sen. Richard Alloway is seeking co-sponsors for his latest bill that aims to prevent Pennsylvania municipalities from passing laws that do not align with state firearms regulations. “The reason I introduced it is to protect the rights of gun owners across Pennsylvania,” Alloway, R-Franklin/Adams/York, said Thursday. Some communities in the Philadelphia area have made decisions that are misaligned with state regulations such as permitting and reporting of lost or stolen firearms, Alloway said.

Two weeks ago, Dean Reeder stood outside the charred remains of his barn near Boonsboro, wondering if authorities would ever bring the people who set the fire to justice. At the time, his Lappans Road barn and nearly 20 other properties were among fires that were intentionally set across Washington County over a one-week span that began on March 17. On Wednesday, however, he and several other people whose property was burned praised law enforcement officials, particularly the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office, for charging four people with the crimes.

When you see Hammerhead, Ox, Hardcore and the rest of the Defenders rumbling through your town, just remember this: They aren't looking to make trouble. Because most of them are police officers and first responders, their day jobs usually involve putting an end to trouble. Seven members and an associate of the Defenders Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club's 56th and newest chapter, the Mason-Dixon Chapter, donned their colors and mounted their Harleys on Saturday for a ride through the county.