Michael Steele

Five local residents were honored Saturday night at the 2006 Black Achievers Gala in Hagerstown. Robert Augustus Jackson Jr., Ursula Mason, Shelby Simonelli, James Thomas Jr. and Steve Swayne were recognized at the event, and Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele was scheduled to be the night's featured speaker. See Sunday's Herald-Mail for the full story.

Washington County Schools Superintendent Elizabeth Morgan, center, makes a plea to Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, right, for fair facility funding during a tour of Antietam Academy on Wednesday. Ike Williams, left, is principal of the academy, an alternative high school for at-risk students.

A group of Washington County Public Schools educators met Gov. Robert Ehrlich and Lt. Gov. Michael Steele Tuesday, Feb. 14, while in Annapolis to attend a Maryland State Department of Education Maryland Initiative for New Teachers grant presentation (MINT). Rebecca Skrabak of Eastern Elementary School and Amy McKenzie of Fountain Rock Elementary School were awarded MINT grants.

Former Md. Lt. Gov. Michael Steele is scheduled to speak at a Washington County Republican Club gala on May 26. Steele also is a former chairman of the Republican National Committee. The gala will be at Hager Hall Conference and Event Center on Dual Highway. The cocktail period will start at 5:30 p.m., dinner will be at 6 p.m. and the program is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. A $35 donation per person includes dinner. For reservations, call Peggy Garrish at 301-582-3838 or go to www.washingtoncountyrepublicanclub.com .

Annapolis - Miss Washington County Farm Bureau Holly Shifler attended the Maryland Farm Bureau Women & Young Farmers Day here with Washington County Farm Bureau President Priscilla Harsh, Public Affairs Committee Chairman David Herbst and Women Committee Chairman Betsy Herbst. David Herbst said they met with Gov. Robert Ehrlich, Lt. Gov. Michael Steele and Secretary of Agriculture Lew Riley for a question-and-answer session. He said they also met with several local lawmakers, including Dels.

Steele will make a difference To the editor: In reply to the Linda Campbell editorial from the Aug. 9, 2006, Herald-Mail ("Candidate hides in weeds"), one should realize that the distortion, leaks and bias against certain candidates are the "weeds. " For that very reason, Michael Steele has made the decision to answer the questionnaire from The Baltimore Sun, with his policies published on the Web site. For years, the print media has had its way - particularly in a blue state such as Maryland.

Lt. Gov. Michael Steele will be a featured guest at a fundraiser for the Maryland Republican Party tonight in Williamsport, but that doesn't mean he'll be making any announcements there, according to Audra Miller, communications director for the state party. Speculation has been rampant that Steele would announce soon that he's going to run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated next year by Sen. Paul Sarbanes, a Democrat. But while he's been named as a potential candidate for months, Steele hasn't yet made an official commitment.

Lt. Gov. Michael Steele will be the featured speaker at the Washington County Republican Club's annual Lincoln Day Dinner on May 10 at the Four Points Sheraton on Dual Highway. A social hour begins at 6 p.m. with dinner from 7 to 8 p.m. Tickets cost $40 for individuals and $75 for couples. Steele, a Prince George's County native who was elected with Gov. Robert Ehrlich in 2002, is running this year for the seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Sen. Paul Sarbanes, a Democrat.

scottb@herald-mail.com Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele is scheduled to visit two Washington County schools on Wednesday, March 31, his press secretary said Wednesday. For the past few months, Steele has been visiting schools across Maryland to remind students of the importance and value of education, said Regan Hopper, Steele's press secretary. Steele has visited more than half of the counties in the state so far, Hopper said. Steele is scheduled to visit South Hagerstown High School and Antietam Academy on Wednesday morning.

During Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele's stop at Washington County Technical High School, The Herald-Mail asked him about two topics unrelated to his visit. · His possible U.S. Senate candidacy after Paul Sarbanes announced that we wasn't running again: "I'm a little bit disturbed that not several hours ... after the senator's announcement, there was all this ... jockeying for someone to come out of the chute who's going to replace him. ... Let's get a little bit of distance, so that we can all appreciate what a public servant is really like and he is genuinely a public servant.

No longer the Republican National Committee chairman, Michael S. Steele still had plenty to say in Hagerstown Thursday night about GOP strategy, ideals and passion. Steele was the featured speaker at a Washington County Republican Club gala at Hager Hall Conference and Event Center. He said it was his first speech since leaving office, and he was glad to be back among old friends. Steele, Maryland's lieutenant governor from 2003 to 2007 under Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., served two years as RNC chairman, starting in 2009.

Former Md. Lt. Gov. Michael Steele is scheduled to speak at a Washington County Republican Club gala on May 26. Steele also is a former chairman of the Republican National Committee. The gala will be at Hager Hall Conference and Event Center on Dual Highway. The cocktail period will start at 5:30 p.m., dinner will be at 6 p.m. and the program is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. A $35 donation per person includes dinner. For reservations, call Peggy Garrish at 301-582-3838 or go to www.washingtoncountyrepublicanclub.com .

"The Potomac Playmakers' new home at the Academy Theater in Hagerstown is absolutely delightful. It's so nice to have such a nice facility in downtown. The play that's running now, 'Something's Afoot,' is so entertaining. It's an Agatha Christie musical spoof, and the actors/singers do an incredible job. Three cheers for Ruth Ridenour and the whole Potomac Playmakers cast. " - Williamsport "I am glad the Republican Party finally got it right, by selecting Michael Steele as their leader.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Republican Party chose the first black national chairman in its history Friday, just shy of three months after the nation elected a Democrat as the first African-American president. The choice marked no less than "the dawn of a new party," declared the new GOP chairman, former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele. Republicans chose Steele over four other candidates, including former President George W. Bush's hand-picked GOP chief, who bowed out declaring, "Obviously the winds of change are blowing.

The last week of September 2007 will prove to be a pivotal moment for the Republican party, from having four viable contenders in the race for the presidency - in spite of public outrage with the overall performance of the Bush administration - to a party with the four frontrunners completely out of touch with social trends relative to politics and minority affairs. "I'm puzzled by their decision. I can't speak for them. I think it's a mistake," said Newt Gingrich. He spoke in reference to Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, Mitt Romney, and Fred Thompson, all of whom declined to participate in a PBS debate on minority issues held at Morgan State University and moderated by Tavis Smiley.

Odds and ends from a columnist's notebook: Readers may have noticed that contrary to our promise of last week, The Herald-Mail has not served up an endorsement of a candidate every day. We changed our plans for what we believe is a very good reason: Tonight and tomorrow night, Hagerstown Community College, the League of Women Voters of Washington County, Antietam Cable Television and The Herald-Mail Co. will sponsor a couple of candidate...

Rep. Benjamin Cardin (D) and Lt. Gov. Michael Steele (R) - the candidates seeking the seat of retiring Sen. U.S. Sen Paul Sarbanes - might be best known to Western Marylanders for their dueling puppy dog ads. But fluff aside, Cardin offers a solid, documented track record of sound policy, while Steele has yet to define himself for the voters. Admittedly, running as an outsider when your party has a lock on insider status allows for little wiggle room. Steele has consequently been tiptoeing a tough line, hoping voters will notice his winning personality and ignore the fact that he hasn't said much of substance about much of anything.

HAGERSTOWN - For visitors and employees of downtown Hagerstown's businesses, it must have been hard not to notice who was in town Monday morning. Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele arrived at Public Square at about 9:15 a.m. in his "Steele Wheels for Change" recreational vehicle, which was decorated with large self-portraits and his last name. Then, he took to the street. The Republican U.S. Senate candidate, flanked by members of his staff, local officials and campaign supporters, walked along West Washington Street visiting shops, greeting locals and posing for pictures.

HAGERSTOWN For visitors and employees of downtown Hagerstown's businesses, it must have been hard not to notice who was in town Monday morning. Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele arrived at Public Square at about 9:15 a.m. in his "Steele Wheels for Change" recreational vehicle, which was decorated with large self-portraits and his last name. Then, he took to the street. The Republican U.S. Senate candidate, flanked by members of his staff, local officials and campaign supporters, walked along West Washington Street visiting shops, greeting locals and posing for pictures.