Noise

Sometimes, it all comes down to how you look at things. Every set of circumstances can be viewed from different angles, and there are many different opinions about those circumstances, views and angles. For example, it is said that “the squeaky wheel gets the grease” - which implies he who complains the loudest usually gets his way to shut him up. That's a huge concept in my business. If anyone complains, newspapers either change, investigate or report on something to resolve the injustice.

WAYNESBORO, Pa. - The Washington Township Supervisors heard a complaint at their Monday night meeting from John and Sherry Welsh of Mentzer Gap Road about noise created by public address systems used by athletic teams, churches and other groups who use the township's Pine Hill Park. The couple, whose home is near the entrance to the park, said they had to call police on three occasions last year because of the noise. "I don't mind the kids yelling and screaming, but adults don't need PA systems," John Welsh said.

WAYNESBORO, Pa. It's a simple correlation, they say, that when the weather gets warmer, the vehicle windows go down and the level of noise from stereos goes up. That noise briefly morphed into the sound of a freight train as Nancy Sheffler spoke last week while at her business on East Main Street. "It's not as bad as it used to be," she said as the rumble dissipated inside Sheffler's Uniform Shop. Nerves don't seem to be as rattled as windows in the 10,000-person borough that late last summer adopted an ordinance giving local police the authority to file charges if stereos can be heard within 50 feet.

By DAN KULIN / Staff Writer photo: RICHARD T. MEAGHER / staff photographer Downtown Hagerstown is going to the birds ... again. Every October, as many as 100,000 crows come to roost in the woods near the corner of Wesel and Burhans boulevards, said Mike Heyser, the city building inspector. "If you go out there and clap your hands it almost sounds like a helicopter taking off," said Heyser, one of the city employees who respond to residents' complaints about the birds.

View the Monster Jam slideshow. WASHINGTON COUNTY - Loud, growling monster trucks wowed the crowd Friday at Hagerstown Speedway. Even the names of the trucks - El Toro Loco, Stone Crusher - were intimidating. The trucks ooze muscles and machismo. Each is about 11 feet high and 12 feet wide, weighs more than 9,000 pounds, and uses tires at least 66 inches high and 43 inches wide, according to a Monster Jam fact sheet. As the pumped-up trucks screamed around the dirt track, the PA announcer yelled with excitement and thousands of people in the stands, including many children, roared, adding to the din. Several fans said Friday that noise is part of the experience, but some, particularly parents, looked for ways to minimize it. Shaun Rose of Hagerstown bought two pairs of ear plugs from a vendor.

charlestown@herald-mail.com CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - The Jefferson County Commission on Thursday revisited the issues of noise and how to control it. A group of homeowners from the Glenn Meadows subdivision near Shepherdstown, W.Va., told the commissioners about a problem they are having with late-night partying in their neighborhood. Glenn Meadows resident Tim Pownell said people at a house in the subdivision often have parties late into the night, sometimes as late as 3 a.m. People were partying at the house last Friday and Saturday, Pownell said.

Sound is expressed in decibels (dB) on a scale that gets geometrically louder as the numbers increase. Researchers with the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders say prolonged exposure to any noise above 90 dB can cause gradual hearing loss. Regular exposure of more than one minute to noises of 110 dB or louder risks permanent hearing loss. 180 - Rocket launch 140 - Rock concerts, firecrackers, jet engine at takeoff 120 - Snowmobiles, ambulance siren, loud cars 110 - Chainsaws 100 - Woodshop background noise 98 - Power drill 96 - Farm tractor 90 - Motorcycle, lawnmower, hairdryer 80 - City traffic noise, phone ringing 60 - Normal conversation 40 - Refrigerator humming 20 to 30 - Whispered voice 0 - Threshold of normal hearing

scottb@herald-mail.com Some residents living near Municipal Stadium were awakened after midnight Saturday by what resident John McCune on Tuesday said sounded like "booming aerial bombs" but actually were fireworks shot off after a Hagerstown Suns game. On Saturday morning, resident Mildred Dieterich called the Suns to say she had trouble sleeping because of the noise. "I just thought it was a little inconsiderate," she said Tuesday. In response to a complaint from McCune, of Radcliff Avenue, the City of Hagerstown will explore whether an ordinance is needed to prevent such noise from the stadium after a certain time, City Administrator Bruce Zimmerman said Tuesday.

One of the visitors in the early 1800s to the town of Millstone, located east of Hancock along the National Pike, was Gen. Andrew Jackson. When weapons were fired honoring the visit, "Old Hickory" was asked why his horse didn't appear to be startled by the noise. Jackson, who would become the nation's seventh president in 1829, replied, "My horse and I have heard a similar sort of music before. " From the Cracker Barrel

Square project moves to day shift By JULIE E. GREENE Staff Writer Noise from the reconstruction of Public Square is bothering Alexander House residents, forcing construction crews to switch to a daytime shift, officials said Wednesday. Callas Contractors Inc. crews will start working day hours on Friday, said City Administrator Bruce Zimmerman. "We were trying to avoid complications with traffic" by having the demolition of the square done at night, Zimmerman said.

Voices filled Five Forks Church north of Waynesboro on Sunday during a visit from the 160-member National Christian Choir. Audience members filled the auditorium and spilled into the hallway for the performance featuring contemporary Christian music, hymn arrangements, gospel songs and a cappella moments. “It's more of a worship service rather than a concert where the audience sits detached,” said Kathy Bowman, director of music and ministries for the choir. Started in 1984, The National Christian Choir rehearses weekly in Rockville, Md., during the school year.

They've been called “Angels in Harlem.” And it's a pretty appropriate tag. Using their heavenly, note-blending voices, members of the Harlem Gospel Choir lift the spirit, touch the soul and share the joy of their faith. And, hallelujah, they are helping to preserve a form of music that has spoken to audiences beyond sacred places - influencing jazz, blues, soul, country and rock. For more than two decades, the Harlem Gospel Choir has shared its high-energy, hand-clapping, inspirational performances with people all over the world.

The Joyful Noise concert series will present “The Shamrock and The Daffodil,” a program of songs, poetry and legends from Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Christ Reformed Church in Hagerstown will present the concert Sunday, March 10, at 3 p.m. The program is a celebration of Saint David's Day, which is March 1, and Saint Patrick's Day, which is March 17. It will feature legends of the saints, as well as poetry by William Yeats, Robert Burns and others, as well as music. The choirs of Christ Reformed Church and their soloist and readers will join harpist Sally Lay in traditional songs, such as “Danny Boy,” “Comin' Thro' the Rye” and “Blue Bells of Scotland,” as well as some lesser-known but traditional songs.

Sometimes, it all comes down to how you look at things. Every set of circumstances can be viewed from different angles, and there are many different opinions about those circumstances, views and angles. For example, it is said that “the squeaky wheel gets the grease” - which implies he who complains the loudest usually gets his way to shut him up. That's a huge concept in my business. If anyone complains, newspapers either change, investigate or report on something to resolve the injustice.

A booming noise heard just after 9 a.m. Wednesday was the explosion of a large shop air compressor at a farm off Paradise Church Road, but no injuries or structural damage occurred, a Washington County Emergency Communications dispatcher said. The explosion was reported by several callers, the first at 9:08 a.m., the dispatcher said. The compressor was on a farm at 14014 Paradise Church Road, she said.

Hagerstown Community College's Robinwood Players will perform Michael Frayn's “Noises Off” from Friday, Nov. 30, through Sunday, Dec. 2, at Kepler Theater. “Noises Off” is a “play within a play” and tells the story of an acting group preparing to perform a terrible play called “Nothing's On.” Show times are 8 p.m. Nov. 30 and Dec. 1. A matinee performance will be held at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2. Admission costs $10, but HCC students, staff and faculty can attend for free.

Honking. For the love of God, Washington County Commissioners, you gotsta amend your anti-noise ordinance to include honking before it's too late. Mark Twain said that comparing a human to a feline elevated the human but “degrades the cat.” I get that same uneasy feeling every time I see a governmental board trying to legislate animals. The humans never come out looking good. And that's what is going to happen here, where the commissioners needed to decide what animal sounds were to fall under the umbrella of a pending noise ordinance.

Washington County's newly revised animal control ordinance includes a leash law. The Washington County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the ordinance on Tuesday, more than three months after holding a public hearing. The new ordinance also defines “excessive noise” by an animal. The leash law adds a new layer to the county's requirement that animals can't roam “at large.” The new version of the ordinance says “every Dog must, when off the property of its Owner, be restrained by a leash.” Even before the leash law, though, the county already required animals to be “under the immediate control, charge, or possession of the Owner or other responsible person capable of physically restraining the animal.” Before passing the new version, the county commissioners discussed finer points of the law and whether it could be improved further.

“I want to thank the person from Hagerstown who took issue with my George Michael and David Limbaugh comment. I must confess that I read both columns. Paul Staley answered your concerns about George Michael. Concerning Neil Parrott's petitions, we have a representative government. Petitions should be rare.” - Halfway “Hey caller, I didn't call Obama evil or a liar. I just said he was in over his head. And he blames everyone else for his own lack of leadership. I think it's time he starts taking responsibility for his own actions.” - Hancock “I got droned, as far as I'm concerned, I was droned tonight.

Washington County is as primed as maybe it's ever been for the Maryland State Cross Country Championships, which will be held Saturday at Hereford High School. Three county runners enter as West region champs and strong title contenders - Williamsport senior Evan Hardy (2A boys), Smithsburg junior Luke Daigneault (1A boys) and Boonsboro junior Sarah Zielinski (1A girls). Hardy, who finished third as a sophomore and second as a junior at states in 1A, has one final shot at the gold, but this time in 2A. “He hates losing,” Williamsport coach Randy Buchman said.