Locks

HANCOCK - The Secrets building at 48 W. Main Street will be empty for some time due to extensive problems with the building that prompted a Washington County building inspector and Maryland State fire marshal to condemn the building Nov. 23, Town Manager David Smith said during Wednesday's town and council meeting. "It's not going to be a quick fix, and we're probably going to be dealing with a blighted property for quite some time," Smith said. Hancock Police Chief Steven L. McCarty said a Hancock police officer responding to a call at the building on Nov. 20 discovered safety issues at the building and advised one of the residents on how to lodge a complaint with the authorities.

They're curing more cancers than ever these days, especially those that affect children. But some of the life-saving treatments doctors use can cause hair loss, sometimes on a permanent basis. At a time when a child wants most of all to be a normal part of the group, he or she must cover up with a hat or a wig made of artificial hair, the kind you can spot as a phony a block away. Amanda Bundick, a 10-year-old student at Greenbrier Elementary School, decided that wasn't good enough, and that she'd give them a little bit of herself, in the form of a foot of her long blond hair.

chambersburg@herald-mail.com CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - By the end of the year, most Franklin County government employees will be issued "proximity cards" that will allow them entry to buildings after hours and to secured areas. The cards will augment the standard key locks now used, but gives the courthouse and other county buildings an additional level of security, according to G. Warren Elliott, chairman of the board of county commissioners. "This is just replacing keys when the areas are locked, or other areas that are not supposed to be accessible to the public," Elliott said last week.

DOWNSVILLE - For several years, the small wooden structure on the C&O Canal's Dam No. 4 has been closed to the public, according to Park Ranger Donna Swauger. cont. from front page Sunday, she opened it for the first of two planned days on which the public can see inside. The original house held machinery used to lower a gate to stop water for canal repairs or flood protection. It was built over a stone stop lock with a long groove into which heavy boards were lowered from above.

Good morning friends. Such a busy week. Turkeys are thawing, pie recipes are ready, decorations are being moved from storage and families are preparing for a day of food and reflecting on all of the blessings for which we are indeed thankful.  The calendar is inching closer to December and all the good tidings that it brings.   Let's look at the calendar and see what awaits us: Bus trip to D.C. St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Funkstown is planning a bus trip to Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, Dec. 2.  The bus will leave the church parking lot at 11:30 a.m. and head to Washington to hear the U.S. Army Band perform a holiday concert.

Twelve sheds in Hagerstown were burglarized this week and police believe the individuals involved were looking for mopeds, all-terrain vehicles or dirt bikes, according to Capt. Mark Holtzman of the Hagerstown Police Department. Police believe the suspects were looking for those types of vehicles because a dirt bike was stolen in one of the incidents, Holtzman said Wednesday. He said police believe the suspects were looking for vehicles because other items of value were not taken from the sheds.

Hancock Police report 78 calls in December HANCOCK - The Hancock Police Department received 78 calls for service in December, Police Chief Donald Gossage said at Wednesday night's Town Council meeting. The police department had three criminal cases, two of which were burglaries and the other an assault, according to the December report. The department issued 32 traffic citations, consisting of 24 warnings and eight moving citations. Eighty-two parking citations were issued.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Six local "celebrities" are ready to take a pie in the eye for a good cause during Celebrate! the Arts at Old Market Day. The public is invited to throw whipped cream pies at the sitters for a fee of $2 per pie. Half of the proceeds will go to the charity/nonprofit organization of the sitter's choice and half will benefit Chambersburg Community Theatre. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 21, southeast side of the fountain at the square. Call 717-263-3900 or e-mail cctinc@innernet.

By BRENDAN KIRBY and TERRY TALBERT Staff Writers Washington County police agencies are urging residents to lock their car doors and stay alert amidst an alarming increase in thefts from autos. In 1996, more than 700 such thefts - an average of nearly two a day - were handled by the county's three major police agencies - Maryland State Police, Washington County Sheriff's Department and Hagerstown Police Department. The sheriff's department alone filed 336 theft from auto reports last year, but the number was really greater than that because some reports included multiple thefts from the same neighborhood, officers said.

It's enormously capable, and just plain enormous. That's the short story on the none-too-short H1, the original Hummer. The military-based, maxi-priced H1 is one of the ultimate, SUV exotics. And while it's fit for just about any off-road situation, it's a tight fit in city streets and many garages. Price and practicality dictated the development of a smaller version. It was dubbed the H2, and it's only by comparison to the original Hummer that it could be considered "small.