Oil

ON THE GULF OF MEXICO (AP) -- Underwater robots positioned a giant 100-ton concrete-and-steel box over a blown-out well at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico on Friday as workers prepared to drop the device to the seafloor in a first-of-its-kind attempt to stop oil gushing into the sea. A spokesman for oil giant BP PLC, which is in charge of the cleanup, said the box was suspended over the main leak just after noon EDT Friday and was being moved...

Pennsylvania State Police said about 200 gallons of heating fuel was removed over the weekend from the Waterfall Grange Hall in Fulton County. The fuel is believed to have been taken between Friday and Sunday at the Grange Hall at 1035 Waterfall Road in Taylor Township, according to a state police news release.

KEEDYSVILLE karenh@herald-mail.com After a century that saw enormous increases in creature comforts and world population, the age of oil is ending, U.S. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett told members of the Keedysville Ruritan Club on Tuesday. "We are just as hooked on fossil fuels as a cocaine addict is hooked on his cocaine, and we will be weaned from it," Bartlett said before the Ruritan's business meeting. Bartlett, R-Md., told about 25 people that the country must invest in energy alternatives and maintain its heritage of respect for God and civil liberties to preserve its greatness.

BURKITTSVILLE, Md. ? A 20-year survey of abstract expressionist Margaret Ann Kennedy's paintings will evince growth, as Kennedy steps outside her comfort zone and embraces a new medium, acrylic paint. The exhibit, "Loaded Brush: Works by Margaret Ann Kennedy, A Twenty Year Survey" opened at Washington County Arts Council's gallery Wednesday; an opening reception is set for Saturday, Jan. 19. The exhibit ends Tuesday, Feb. 12. It is the first time a gallery in Washington County has featured a survey of her work, said Kennedy, 78, during a recent interview at her home studio in Burkittsville.

Q: What is the best way to remove poison ivy from a hedge? A: Actually, it will be the same method no matter where it is growing. You will have three things you are trying to do at the same time: 1. Avoid contacting the poison ivy with your bare skin. 2. Put herbicide on the poison ivy. 3. Avoid getting herbicide on the hedge plants. I would use Roundup or a similar complete plant-killing herbicide. It only works on green material, so if you spill it, it won't soak into the soil and kill more plants.

WAYNESBORO, Pa. - Nancy Stramm will be the guest artist at the next Waynesboro Studio Club meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 20, at Church of the Brethren, 117 S. Church St. Stramm will demonstrate an animal oil painting. The painting shown is "Autumn Splendor," an oil on canvas.

For roasted seasonings: 1/4 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter) or organic, extra virgin olive oil 1/8 teaspoon coriander seed 1/4 teaspoon cumin For split red lentils: 2 cups water 1/2 cup split red lentils 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon turmeric Place ghee or oil in a small pan. Sprinkle seasonings onto oil. Saut on the stove over low heat for a minute or two until fragrant. Bring water to a boil, then add lentils and turmeric. Cook over low heat for 20 to 25 minutes, or until water is absorbed.

In the case of malanga, a tropical tuber (fleshy part of an underground stem), beauty may be in the eye of the beholder - or in the mouth of the taster. The root, described as crunchy and juicy, is popular in Cuba and Puerto Rico. When cooked, it becomes smooth and has a nutty flavor. It works well in soups and stews and can be prepared like potatoes - sliced, diced or mashed. Malanga Chips 1 pound malanga 1 quart water Oil for deep-frying Seasoned salt or chili powder to taste Scrub malanga, peel and thinly slice.

If you want more information ... Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services: www.dpscs.state.md.us Maryland Prison Industry Enhancement Program: http://dpscs.md.gov/mce/pie.shtml Inmate locator: www.dpscs.state.md.us/onlineservs/oil/

Interstate 68 was closed in both directions at Sideling Hill in far western Washington County for about an hour Monday following to a tractor-trailer fire and oil spill, authorities said. The transmission blew on a tractor-trailer heading east on the interstate, a supervisor for Washington County Emergency Services said. No one was injured, an emergency services supervisor said. Police responded at around 7:40 a.m. Monday morning. One eastbound lane remained closed late Monday morning at Exit 74 (Md. 903/Mountain Road)

Pennsylvania State Police said about 200 gallons of heating fuel was removed over the weekend from the Waterfall Grange Hall in Fulton County. The fuel is believed to have been taken between Friday and Sunday at the Grange Hall at 1035 Waterfall Road in Taylor Township, according to a state police news release.

A decision by the Williamsport Town Council on whether to amend or change the zoning for an oil recycler using an old county sewage treatment plant was delayed Monday night. Edward Kuczynski, Williamsport's town attorney, said Spirit Services' attorney, Jason Divelbiss, requested the town delay a decision on the zoning change while issues are researched. One of the issues to be explored is the cost and feasibility of a secondary road to the site, Kuczynski said. Spirit Services is using the county's former Nicodemus sewer treatment plant, which is at the end of Lockwood Road, a narrow road with residences along it. Kuczynski recommended the council delay the zoning decision until at least its December meeting, though he said he expected Divelbiss might request another postponement because it will take time to research the issues.

On Monday night, the Williamsport Town Council is scheduled to address a zoning change request for an oil recycler using the county's old Nicodemus sewer treatment plant, an issue that has raised other questions regarding the property, Mayor James G. McCleaf II said Thursday. The county owns the old sewer plant property but has been leasing it to Spirit Services, McCleaf said. McCleaf said testimony during a Nov. 5 public hearing before the mayor and Town Council about the rezoning request included information that Spirit Services' proposed purchase of the plant is contingent upon a change in zoning for the property.

Today's modern vehicles have computers that can monitor the air pressure in your tires. They have onboard calculators that can figure out your average fuel economy, the amount of time you have been traveling and the number of miles you can drive before you run out of gas. Cars today can park themselves and sound alarms if you begin to drift into another lane. They watch your blind spots for you and have video displays of what's beneath your rear bumper. They have cruise control that automatically maintains a proper distance between you and the car ahead.

As a longtime bicycle rider and a frequent user of rail trails, I am about to take a pledge that I should have taken a long time ago. Events of late in Washington County have shown me the error of my ways, and I hope I can begin the long road back to redemption with this promise: I, Tim Rowland, do solemnly swear - and I would urge all rail-trail cyclists to join me - that I will never again urinate on private property. As we have seen in recent public hearings, bicyclist urine, or BU, has become a chief argument against building a rail trail from Hagerstown to the Potomac River.

I just might have the world's best smelling bathroom. The skeptic would ask if I've smelled every bathroom in the world. The answer, of course, is no. And the rest of the answer is, "Have you smelled MY bathroom?" Not to brag or anything, but the scent of my loo and its surroundings calls to mind a field of sprightly lavender on the outskirts of a quaint village, perhaps on a Mediterranean shore. I'm not sure my teenage sons would explain it just that way, but I'm saying, it smells good.

In looking at specific flavors, I have found by adding different varieties of olive oils, I can get a much deeper or more pronounced flavor.  One note: That bottle of olive oil that's been next to your stove or on your counter for the better part of a year, should be cast out.  More than likely, the oil is off flavor, possibly rancid and maybe just down right bland. The initial cost of good, quality olive oil might seem less than frugal, but you'll use less oil to get the same flavor.

The Washington County Forty West Landfill now accepts used and unused cooking oils from county residents for recycling. Commercial oils will not be accepted from restaurants or other businesses. Cooking oils may be brought to the recycling area during normal facility hours, and placed into the designated tank adjacent to the recycle lot attendant building. Any type of liquid vegetable oil may be accepted for recycling such as peanut, corn, canola, olive and safflower. Animal fats and grease will not be accepted.

An oil spill was reported in Clear Spring near the intersection of National Pike and Mill Street, also called U.S. 40 and Md. 68 respectively, a supervisor for Washington County Emergency Services said. Police were responding to the oil spill at 12:19 p.m. Tuesday. However, the area was clear by 1 p.m. Tuesday.