Maryland Department

They have prominent red eyes, make alarmingly loud noises, and are expected to swarm on the East Coast this summer. After maturing underground for 17 years, millions of periodic cicadas are expected to emerge from the Carolinas up to New Jersey beginning in the middle of May, but they are not expected to hit Washington County, said Annette Ipsan, extension educator for horticulture and the Master Gardener program in Washington County for the University...

An earthen dam has eroded to the point that it might collapse, DNR wrote in a news release. By Tuesday, DNR had removed most of the water from the pond, which is about 0.8 acres, said Don Cosden, the director of DNR's Inland Fisheries Division. Cosden did not know when the dam will be fixed and the pond refilled. That depends on an engineering estimate of the work and how long it would take to secure funding, he said. The pond, which is off Md. 67, is considered a “fisheries management area.” The state mostly maintains it, Cosden said, but the community uses it to fish for catfish, bass, bluegill and black crappies.

A bill introduced by two local legislators that could become law would make it a crime to interfere with the reporting of suspected child abuse or neglect. Current Maryland law requires teachers, counselors, social workers, caseworkers, and parole or probation officers to notify appropriate agencies if they suspect child abuse. The bill seeks to punish anyone who tries to interfere with such reporting. The legislation was introduced in the House of Delegates by Del. Michael J. Hough, R-Frederick/Washington, and in the Senate by state Sen. Christopher B. Shank, R-Washington.

Matt Harsh, co-owner and operator of Chesley Vegetable Farms, a 45-acre fruit and vegetable farm in Washington County, was appointed by Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley as one of five new members of the Young Farmers Advisory Board. The board is comprised of representatives from different commodity groups who provide the agriculture secretary with information and recommendations on policies and issues facing the agriculture industry. Members serve three-year terms and are eligible to serve two consecutive terms.

An agriculture business forum will be Thursday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Washington County Agricultural Education Center off Sharpsburg Pike. Maryland Department of Agriculture Secretary Earl F. Hance, Maryland Department of Agriculture Assistant Secretary S. Patrick McMillan, the Washington County Board of County Commissioners, county government division and department directors, and members of the Hagerstown-Washington County Economic Development Commission...

WILLIAMSPORT - Williamsport Mayor James G. McCleaf II said Monday the town will apply for a permit from the Maryland Department of the Environment. McCleaf said the town needs a permit to pump water from a spring to water a baseball field at Byron Memorial Park. Pumping the water from the spring would save the town money, he said.

CLEAR SPRING - Customers of the Clear Spring water system no longer have to boil their water, according to the Maryland Department of the Environment, which found the water safe and free of contaminants. The "boil water" advisory was lifted Friday, five days after a lightning struck the Clear Spring Reservoir during Monday evening's storm, knocking out power and the chlorinator briefly.

Officials will hold a public information meeting on the proposed Civil War Railroad Trail project that would connect Hagerstown to Weverton, in the southern portion of Washington County. The meeting has been scheduled for Thursday, June 21, at 7 p.m. at the Boonsboro Volunteer Fire Co., 6 St. Paul St. in Boonsboro. Washington County has partnered with the City of Hagerstown and the Hagerstown Bike Advisory Committee on the planning stages of the project. The public is invited to attend to learn more about the potential project and offer comments, according to an emailed news release from Washington County.

By JENNYLYNN BROWN Staff Writer FALLING WATERS, W.Va. - A family fishing trip turned tragic when two boys found the body of their grandfather Sunday morning in the Potomac River, a spokeswoman for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources said. Samuel Guice, 71, of 909 Shaffer Drive, drowned a little after midnight near the place he and the boys had earlier fished, said Patricia Manown of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. DNR police called the death an accidental drowning.

HARPERS FERRY, W.Va. - Boaters and others should avoid the upper Potomac River from Harpers Ferry to Little Falls at least through Monday due to hazardous water levels, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Recent precipitation has made the river and adjacent streams dangerous for boaters, tubers, swimmers or wading anglers, DNR police announced Saturday. The warning does not apply to professionally guided river trips or teams of experienced white-water paddlers.

No right to speed through school zones To the editor: I am surprised at how many people think they have a constitutional right to speed through school zones. In the few last weeks, several writers have voiced their displeasure at having to pay speeding fines for this previously “routine” behavior.  Mostly, they justify their careless and unsafe actions on the grounds that a heartless mechanical Robocop has caught them (on camera and red handed) and is completely uninterested in their flimsy excuses.

Matt Harsh, co-owner and operator of Chesley Vegetable Farms, a 45-acre fruit and vegetable farm in Washington County, was appointed by Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley as one of five new members of the Young Farmers Advisory Board. The board is comprised of representatives from different commodity groups who provide the agriculture secretary with information and recommendations on policies and issues facing the agriculture industry. Members serve three-year terms and are eligible to serve two consecutive terms.

They have prominent red eyes, make alarmingly loud noises, and are expected to swarm on the East Coast this summer. After maturing underground for 17 years, millions of periodic cicadas are expected to emerge from the Carolinas up to New Jersey beginning in the middle of May, but they are not expected to hit Washington County, said Annette Ipsan, extension educator for horticulture and the Master Gardener program in Washington County for the University...

The unemployment rate in Washington County fell from 9.4 percent in January to 8.8 percent in February, and the number of people working and the total labor force also dropped, according to preliminary figures released Friday by the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. From December to January, the county jobless rate rose from 8.9 percent to 9.4 percent as the labor force - the combination of people employed, unemployed and looking for work - rose by more than 2,800, last month's report said.

A bill introduced by two local legislators that could become law would make it a crime to interfere with the reporting of suspected child abuse or neglect. Current Maryland law requires teachers, counselors, social workers, caseworkers, and parole or probation officers to notify appropriate agencies if they suspect child abuse. The bill seeks to punish anyone who tries to interfere with such reporting. The legislation was introduced in the House of Delegates by Del. Michael J. Hough, R-Frederick/Washington, and in the Senate by state Sen. Christopher B. Shank, R-Washington.

A bill that would give Maryland farmers a 10-year break from new state and local environmental regulations related to water quality if they agree to take part in a state program to reduce nutrient and sediment discharges into the water was heard Tuesday before a House committee. The bill, introduced by state Sen. Thomas M. Middleton, D-Charles, has cleared the Senate and has the support of Gov. Martin O'Malley. Del. Andrew A. Serafini, chairman of the Washington County delegation to the Maryland General Assembly, also supports the bill.

An agriculture business forum will be Thursday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Washington County Agricultural Education Center off Sharpsburg Pike. Maryland Department of Agriculture Secretary Earl F. Hance, Maryland Department of Agriculture Assistant Secretary S. Patrick McMillan, the Washington County Board of County Commissioners, county government division and department directors, and members of the Hagerstown-Washington County Economic Development Commission...

Development rights on 27 acres of land in Washington County have been entered into two preservation programs, according to state news releases. Gov. Martin O'Malley and the state Board of Public Works approved the addition of the lands into the Rural Legacy Program and Conservation Reserve Easement Program, or CREP, the releases said. A 17-acre parcel near Clear Spring has been preserved through CREP, one release said. CREP is part of the Chesapeake Bay initiative, and purchases easements on properties to buffer streams and erosion-prone slopes, said Eric Seifarth, the land preservation planner for Washington County.

An earthen dam has eroded to the point that it might collapse, DNR wrote in a news release. By Tuesday, DNR had removed most of the water from the pond, which is about 0.8 acres, said Don Cosden, the director of DNR's Inland Fisheries Division. Cosden did not know when the dam will be fixed and the pond refilled. That depends on an engineering estimate of the work and how long it would take to secure funding, he said. The pond, which is off Md. 67, is considered a “fisheries management area.” The state mostly maintains it, Cosden said, but the community uses it to fish for catfish, bass, bluegill and black crappies.

Officials will hold a public information meeting on the proposed Civil War Railroad Trail project that would connect Hagerstown to Weverton, in the southern portion of Washington County. The meeting has been scheduled for Thursday, June 21, at 7 p.m. at the Boonsboro Volunteer Fire Co., 6 St. Paul St. in Boonsboro. Washington County has partnered with the City of Hagerstown and the Hagerstown Bike Advisory Committee on the planning stages of the project. The public is invited to attend to learn more about the potential project and offer comments, according to an emailed news release from Washington County.