Physical Therapy

HAGERSTOWN Christmas is already looking bright for Joshua Johnson Jr.'s family. The 19-month-old boy's brain did not develop fully after he was diagnosed with static encephalopathy, but the boy has been making remarkable progress after receiving physical therapy at Washington County Hospital. Johnson was one of the stars of the show Sunday evening during the annual Tree of Lights ceremony at the hospital, which raises funds for hospital services. Like last year, this year's Tree of Lights is raising money for pediatric rehab services like the ones Johnson has been receiving.

CHARLES TOWN, W.VA. - Cpl. Ronald Fletcher of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department caught his colleagues off guard Wednesday night when he came home from Washington (D.C.) Hospital Center, where he was being treated for gunshot wounds. Fletcher said earlier Wednesday that he was not able to leave the hospital because of minor blood clots. Fletcher said it is believed the blood clots were caused by bruising to the lungs. Fletcher thought it was possible that he might be released from the hospital Thursday, depending on the results of the tests.

charlestown@herald-mail.com An 18-year-old Martinsburg man was charged Monday in last week's two-vehicle collision on Golf Course Road that left a West Virginia State Police officer seriously injured, police said. Aaron Curtis Lewis was charged with fleeing from an officer causing injury, a felony charge. Lewis was being held in the Eastern Regional Jail on $50,000 bond Monday night, West Virginia State Police 1st Sgt. Deke Walker said. Lewis turned himself in at Berkeley County Magistrate Court, Walker said.

Visitors to the Waynesboro Health Fair could be screened for glaucoma, diabetes, and high cholesterol, receive information on childbirth and breast-feeding, and pick up information on food and nutrition, nursing homes, human services and many diseases. They could even experience what is feels like to be under the influence of alcohol. Officer Stuart Hannah of the Waynesboro Police Department put Fatal Vision goggles on participants to simulate a blood alcohol count of .07 to .10, the legal limit in Pennsylvania.

Fidelity Bank Nancy H. Eichelberger, vice president, Fidelity Bank Operations, recently graduated with honors from the Maryland Banking School. The three-year program is offered at the University of Maryland by the Maryland Bankers Association. Eichelberger, of Hagerstown, has been as associate at the bank for more than 18 years. North Hagerstown Rehabilitation Laura L. LaBoiteaux, DPT, has joined North Hagerstown Rehabilitation. She graduated in 2004 from the University of Maryland with a master's of science in physical therapy.

Engagement Announcements for 11/11 Strite-Funkhouser Ben and Ida Strite of Williamsport wish to announce the engagement of their daughter, Karen Michelle Strite, to Scott Fenton Funkhouser, son of Keith and Stacy Funkhouser of Cumberland, Md. Miss Strite is a 1997 graduate of Williamsport High School and is in the dental hygiene program at Allegany College of Maryland. She is employed by Martin's Food Market on Dual Highway in Hagerstown. Mr. Funkhouser is a 1997 graduate of Fort Hill High School and a 1999 graduate of Allegany College of Maryland with an associate's degree in criminal justice.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Brittany Lynch was all too familiar with having few social outlets at school by the time she arrived at Blue Ridge Community and Technical College two years ago. Her graduating class at Rosedale Christian Academy in Winchester, Va., could be counted on one hand - two boys and two girls, including herself. "There was nothing to do in high school except sports and study. That's it," the 21-year-old liberal arts major recalled last week. Yet, when she enrolled at Blue Ridge in 2006, Lynch discovered the circumstances at the school's relatively new campus in Martinsburg weren't much different.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - The Easter Seal Society of Franklin and Adams Counties Inc. is celebrating progress. In the five decades that the Chambersburg and Waynesboro, Pa., chapters have worked together to help the disabled become more self-sufficient, they have taken major steps. "Our mission is to help people with disabilities live a more independent life," says Robert S. Hoover, 70, who has been president/CEO of The Easter Seal Society of Franklin and Adams Counties since 1991.

andrear@herald-mail.com John Hoffman was in for shocks when he sought treatment for chronic heel pain. Hoffman recently received a series of shock waves - also known as pressure or sound waves - to his left heel in hopes of healing a painful condition called plantar fasciitis, which refers to damage to and inflammation of the plantar fascia, a gristle-like connector that runs between the heel and toes and helps support the foot's arch....

Butler-McAleer Suzanne Marie McAleer and Christopher Peter Butler were married Saturday, July 29, 2006, at St. Timothy's Catholic Church in Walkersville, Md. The bride is the daughter of Daniel and Bobbie McAleer of Boonsboro. The bridegroom is the son of Thomas and Therese Butler of Ijamsville, Md. The bride is a 1997 graduate of Boonsboro High School, received a Bachelor of Science in elementary education from Towson University and is pursuing at master's degree in reading at Frostburg State University.