Mars

HEDGESVILLE, W.Va. - The Berkeley County Planetarium will present a program on Mars on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. and Wednesday at 7 p.m. These programs are free and open to the public. Staff development credit is available for teachers and school system employees. No one will admitted to the planetarium, once the program has begun due to safety concerns. Berkeley County Planetarium is in Hedgesville High School on W.Va. 9. For further information about the Mars programs at Berkeley County Planetarium, call Elizabeth S. Wasiluk, planetarium director at 304- 754-3354, ext. 3140

YOUTH BASEBALL PONY 13 Regional Mars, Pa. 7, Hagerstown 6 BOARDMAN, Ohio -- Dylan Stouffer had two hits, including a two-run homer in the first inning, but Hagerstown lost to Mars on Friday in the second round. Tyler Walling and Austin Stone had two hits each. Hagerstown will play Butler, Pa., this morning at 10.

SHIPPENSBURG, PA. - Legendary astronaut Buzz Aldrin visited Shippensburg University on Thursday and spoke casually of the past, the present and, as he said, "most importantly" the future. "We need to get back into exploration," the 76-year-old said to the audience of about 1,000 people, reassuring them that if America did, "we will get to Mars. " Since his landmark flight in 1969, Aldrin has spent his life working in space exploration. The founder of the Share Space Foundation, Aldrin said one of his foundation's goals is to encourage students so that future generations can experience what space is like.

Letters to the editor Some questions on Mars landing To the editor: The Mars landing and exploration generates several questions that need to be asked and answered to forestall skepticism about what is being presented for public consumption. First, we see on TV what is supposedly from a camera somewhere in back of the robot showing the robot and the area ahead. In the past to get such a picture another camera had to be used adjacent to the area. In the moon landing this was accomplished by another member of the mission.

How cool would it be to hear your doctor tell you to "take two M&Ms and call me in the morning?" It might happen, according to a corporation which, according to the Washington Post, is holding "serious discussions with large pharmaceutical companies about the development of a line of cocoa-based prescription drugs that could help treat diabetes, some forms of dementia and other ailments. " In the interest of full disclosure, it should be mentioned in passing that the corporation that is pushing the idea is Mars Inc., makers of many things chocolate, so if you stretched the imagination you might be able to construe a potential conflict of interest.

Visible evening planets Jupiter is in the southwest after sunset. Mercury is visible low in the southwest. Mars rises before midnight. Visible morning planets Mars is high in the southwest. Saturn rises shortly before the sun. For more information about the visible evening planets and nighttime sky, download the planetarium's podcast "Skylights" from antpod.com . Solar System This month, the visible planets seem to be in transition.

The dark, underground electronic enclave at my home will no longer be known as the "Batcave. " It will forever forward be referred to as the "Spider Hole. " I love that term to death, even though I don't have a clue what it means and no one in the press has bothered to explain. But we in the press know a cool word when one is passed down to us by authority, so why bother to question it? That's why "utility knives" overnight became "box cutters. " So they got the old coot. Mad props to our armed forces.

Keller Williams Premier Realty associates took the day off May 9, but it was hardly a day of rest. Associates of the real estate firm at Valley Mall chose to “Give Where They Live” as part of RED Day, one of the biggest events in the real estate industry. Short for “Renew, Energize and Donate,” RED Day was created to unite the realty offices and associates in an international day of service. As part of the event, the firm chose to spend the day at San Mar Children's Home near Boonsboro.

A man was flown to Meritus Medical Center on Saturday afternoon after the sport utility vehicle he was driving struck a tree on Pen Mar Road near Cascade, the Washington County Sheriff's Office said. The accident was reported shortly after 2:30 p.m., authorities said. Sgt. James Grimm of the Washington County Sheriff's Office said at the scene that the driver of the vehicle, whose name and condition were unavailable Saturday, was “conscious and alert” when he was taken away.

Rescue workers responded Saturday evening to a minor hang glider accident off High Rock Road in the Pen Mar area, a Washington County Emergency Services supervisor said. The supervisor said no one was injured when the pilot tried to take off and got stuck in a clump of trees. The accident was reported at 6:58 p.m.

If the four guys from Hagerstown Honda have as much fun on the sales floor in the upcoming year as they did lip-synching and swaying to The Temptation's “My Girl,” 2013 should turn out to be a fine year. Joined by several other spirited acts by Hagerstown-area professionals Friday night, the group took the stage at Hager Hall Conference and Event Center, performing a choreographed dance to the 1964 R&B classic before a crowd of about 300 people at the fifth annual Showcase of the Stars.

The Future Educators Club at Hagerstown Community College recently held a raffle to benefit San Mar Children's Home in Boonsboro. Student club members raised more than $900, which they presented to Daniel Day, San Mar's director of development, and Millie Steinke, San Mar's education and volunteer coordinator, in December. The funds will be used to purchase technology needed for educational activities. According to HCC professor and club co-adviser Mary Beth Chaney, HCC students will return to San Mar Children's Home in the spring to volunteer as tutors and peer mentors and to assist with a variety of social events for the children.

The PenMar Development Corp. plans to hire a real estate consulting firm in the near future and have a strategic redevelopment plan later this year, Executive Director Dori Nipps told the Washington County Board of Commissioners. The board held an evening meeting at the Fort Ritchie Community Center on Tuesday and Nipps told the commissioners that PenMar will meet with a consultant later this month. “We would really like to have a plan to work from in April or May,” Nipps said after the meeting.

Cumberland Valley Cycling Club President Teresa Deckert and Century event chairwoman Beth Johnston recently presented a check for $6,135 to Bruce Anderson, chief executive officer of San Mar Children's Home. The check was given at the Lifesavers 2012 Breakfast at Hager Hall on Nov. 3. The money raised was from the 2012 Cumberland Valley Century event, held in August. The ride benefits San Mar Children's Home. The check also included money donated by riders at registration.

Thomas Stephen Carnes, 70, of Wilmington, N.C., died Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012, at his home. Born March 11, 1942, in Meadville, Pa., he was the son of Gerald H. Carnes and the late Anne Krawazyn Carnes. Mr. Carnes was a teacher and principal in the Washington County, Md., school system for 32 years, retiring in 1998. Following his retirement, he and his wife and a son relocated to Wilmington. He was active in and a volunteer with the Cape Fear Guardian Ad-Litem Association and Interfaith Hospitality at St. Paul's Episcopal Church.

The Josh Tindall Combo is the featured group this week as the summer concert series continues at Pen Mar Park. The concert will be Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m. For more information, call Jim or Fay Powers at 301-791-1551. TOPS 0462 Mack was the thinner winner for the week for TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) Chapter 0462 in Smithsburg. He is now below his goal weight. Sallie recorded a loss and is back on track for the week. Mari, the chapter's newest and youngest member, led the chapter in chair exercises, which can be done at home.

The new owners of the former Fort Ritchie U.S. Army base squashed a few rumors Tuesday and fielded questions from some of the 200 people who rent duplexes and town houses on the base. More than 60 people, most of them base residents, packed the community center on the base to listen as Doris J. Nipps, PenMar Devlopment Corp.'s executive director, assured them that there is no danger of being evicted. Several attendees said rumors in the community were rampant, with the biggest being that PenMar is closing housing on the base.