New Lease

Bill D'Angelo, 64, who said he has been coming to the Millville, W.Va., post office all his life, tries out his key Thursday at the new cluster boxes. The post office closed Thursday, Jan. 6, 2011. Patrons of the Millville post office were handed their mail in person for the last time Thursday, a practice in this Shenandoah River hamlet since 1882. Starting today, some patrons will pick up their mail at Jefferson County post offices in Harpers Ferry, Charles Town and Ranson. Others will have their mail delivered by rural carrier, an official said Thursday.

julieg@herald-mail.com HAGERSTOWN - The new owner of the building that houses Frostburg State University's Hagerstown Center wants to lease the space for retail and office use, he said Monday. "It's an important building in town. I think it could make an impact if something good is done with it. (It could) help downtown revitalization efforts," said Mike Deming, the new owner of the building and owner of DEMCORE Development. The 6-16 W. Washington St. building that fronts on Public Square and West Washington Street was bought under the name 6 West Washington LLC for $1.4 million on Aug. 31, according to Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation records.

Halloween is upon us. If you're a kid, this means good-natured ghosts, friendly Frankensteins and monsters who mean well. But if you're a teenager, Halloween is a time to watch people get hacked up by slashers. Here is a guide to cinema's most famous blood-splatterers. Michael Myers Franchise: "Halloween" Origin: As a boy, poorly raised Michael went crazy and killed his older sister. He has spent most of his life in a sanitarium, but now wants to get his hands on his younger sister.

CLEAR SPRING -- The Clear Spring boys basketball team was glacial to start Friday night. It was cold and very slow moving. But in the second half, the Blazers were Glazer. Point guard Brandon Glazer moved the Blazers in a quicker tempo to beat Catoctin's sticky 1-3-1 defense to take control of the second half and the game in a 73-53 win over the Cougars in an MVAL Antietam matchup. "Glazer's emotion and leadership was something," said Clear Spring coach Mark Shives.

Cello player Matt Haimovitz, who will perform Thursday night at WestSide Cafe in Frederick, Md., was recognized as a prodigy when he was very young. But one day in 1984, when he was 13, he was asked to perform the next day in New York's Carnegie Hall, one of the most famous concert venues in the world. He had one day to study the music - a string quintet by Schubert. And who were the other four musicians performing with young Matt Haimovitz? Isaac Stern, Shlomo Mintz, Pinchas Zukerman and Mstislav Rostropovich - four of the best string players in the world.

lizb@herald-mail.com Allegheny Power is upgrading and installing equipment throughout the Tri-State area to accommodate growth, company spokesman Allen Staggers said. "As new development occurs and our lines are at full capacity, we add," Staggers said. Allegheny Power, Allegheny Energy's power delivery company, provides energy throughout the Tri-State area and in parts of Ohio and Virginia. In Washington County, Allegheny Power is installing a new electrical circuit in Hagerstown's Edgewood area.

Stadium improvements don't always mean bigger crowds To the editor: Harry Grove Stadium, home of the Frederick Keys, is 22 years old. It holds 5,000 fans; Hagerstown's stadium holds about 4,000. The Keys ticket prices are about $2 more than the Suns, general and reserved admission. The Keys average attendance is about 4,000 fans per home game or about 80 percent of capacity, twice as much as the Suns average of 1,900-plus, which is about 50 percent capacity.

Holding the book "White Teeth" in my hand for the first time, I felt sure it had to be about one of two things: Dentists or sharks. But, surprise, it is about neither (although there are some references to a character aspiring to be a dentist). The novel is written by a Brit, Zadie Smith. She is 24 years old, recently graduated from Cambridge University and this is her first book. By the end of my reading one thing became clear. This is a very good book. The setting is mostly in London ranging from the 1940s to present day. The tale is multi-faceted, exciting and deep.

More than a week after the unveiling of a feasibility study for a new multiuse sports and events center in downtown Hagerstown, public comment about the subject dominated a Hagerstown City Council meeting Tuesday night. Eighteen people spoke out - 16 in favor and two against - on the possibility of constructing the new stadium, which would be the new home of the Hagerstown Suns minor league baseball team. Ripken Design, an independent consulting firm from Baltimore, presented its report last week to city, Washington County and state elected officials.

tarar@herald-mail.com The Washington County Commissioners are thinking about helping a 600-member athletic youth organization find a home at the former Fort Ritchie U.S. Army base, after the PenMar Development Corp. turned down a request from the group earlier this year. County officials are working on drafting an agreement under which the county would lease an unused gym and a nearby field from PenMar, County Attorney Richard Douglas said this month. If the commissioners lease the gym and field from PenMar, the commissioners then would sublease the property to the Chewsville, Smithsburg, Leitersburg youth league, Douglas said.