Motor Home

Merle Luther Houpt, 84, of Hagerstown, died Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011, at his home surrounded by his loving family. Born Dec. 27, 1926, in Boonsboro, he was the son of the late Harvey Edgar and Esta May (McCauley) Houpt. He was a graduate of Boonsboro High School. Merle was a veteran of the U.S. Army. He was a member of Beaver Creek Christian Church and also attended Hancock United Methodist Church. Merle loved flying airplanes, music, traveling in a motor home with his family, as well as fishing and hunting.

Suspect in shooting sought by city police The suspect in a Saturday shooting that injured a 31-year-old man was being sought by police Sunday evening, Hagerstown Police Department Sgt. Chad Woodring said. Luis Esteban Santiago, 26, was considered a suspect in the shooting of a man at about 11:20 p.m. Saturday in Court 3 of Noland Village, police said in a press release. The victim, who was not identified, was taken to Washington County Hospital with injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening, police said.

Vacation horrors? How about three in four years? Three years ago, a dump truck ran into my house, making a huge mess requiring extensive cleanup and rebuilding. After three months of dealing with the chaos, along with the insurance claims, it was with great relief that I departed for a much-needed vacation to Sturgis, S.D. Friends joined me as we packed up and left on our journey west. Motorcycles were strapped to the floor of the large trailer being pulled by a super-duty truck, and other pickups loaded with friends and gear followed.

Sometimes it can be a bit difficult to tell the difference between a gadget and a really good idea. Both make their way into the RV industry, but the gadgets often fade away, while good ideas can make a resounding impact on the industry. Fleetwood introduced the Bounder motor home as the first affordable Class A with a raised-floor, basement-storage design, and it launched a whole new segment in the motor-home industry. Likewise, Champion developed the Eurocoach in the late 1980s, and it was the first smooth-side, bus-style Class A with styling and design feature elements that companies still use today.

Pa. will be election battleground By DON AINES / Staff Writer, Chambersburg CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Pennsylvania will be the battleground state in the November presidential election, according to U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, whose own political future hinges on the upcoming election. "Pennsylvania will be the No. 1 targeted state for the Bush campaign this fall," Santorum said Tuesday during a campaign swing through Chambersburg. "This could be the state that determines who the next president of the United States will be. " Santorum, Pennsylvania's junior GOP senator, told a group of about 150 supporters at Chambersburg's Memorial Park that he was told by Republican nominee George W. Bush that Pennsylvania and Ohio will be the decisive states in November.

Cops: Teen did not know gun was loaded ROHRERSVILLE - A 17-year-old boy who died Sunday afternoon after accidentally shooting himself in the chin with a rifle earlier in the day did not know the rifle was loaded, a sergeant with the Washington County Sheriff's Department said. Samuel Franklin Bowers Jr., 17, was flown to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center by Maryland State Police medevac helicopter shortly after the 2:54 a.m. incident at 4103 Rohrersville Road.

Ode to your refrigerator By JoEllen Barnhart Every company has its nerve center. The true hot spot where all major decisions are made, plans are formulated and great accomplishments are shared. In the home, the nerve has a nickname: The fridge. Yes, the humble refrigerator. The first practical home-use refrigerator appeared in Chicago in 1913, called the Domelre. That's French for: "giant metal box for sticking pictures and notes on, si'l vous plait. " Take a close look at your fridge.

Editor's note: Each Sunday, The Herald-Mail publishes "A Life Remembered. " This continuing series takes a look back -- through the eyes of family, friends, co-workers and others -- at a member of the community who died recently. Today's "A Life Remembered" is about Harold Eugene Corderman, who died Dec. 4 at the age of 64. His obituary was published in The Herald-Mail on Dec. 6. When Linda Vaverchak went on a blind date with Harold Corderman in 1969, she found herself riding with him to Martinsburg, W.Va.