Platform

Charles F. Mades Age: 62 Address: 17223 Cloverleaf Road, Hagerstown Democrat Platform: Running on his record of 16 years as sheriff of Washington County Proven record of public service and excellence in the field of law enforcement Says he has professionalized the office during his tenure

Ernest E. Pletcher's platforms: · Review technological upgrades to the office and develop/upgrade procedures for closed circuit television at the courthouses. · Review staffing and budget. · Develop disaster security procedures and administrative procedures manual.

· Curtail property-tax increases by freezing property assessments until homes are sold · Change state policy of dropping some paroled prison inmates at the bus station outside Hagerstown and giving them money for a ticket home · Nonmonetary reforms - such as requiring expert trial witnesses - to stem rising medical malpractice insurance premiums · Legalize slot machines to pay for education · Eliminate some...

· Build strong rapport with residents in communities affected by the drug trade in hopes of building cases against out-of-state drug dealers. · Establish Web site to profile drug dealers and gang members. · Create evening hours for prosecutors so victims and witnesses don't have to take time off work to meet about their cases. · Assign a prosecutor as a liaison to help elderly people. · Monitor all domestic violence cases. Look into alarms for most at-risk domestic violence victims.

· Work with other community groups to offer programs for at-risk youth and recently released prisoners to steer them away from gangs. Share information about gangs with the community. Identify gang members. · Work with the parole and probation division and the courts to offer treatment to people who are addicted to alcohol or drugs. Train officers to perform drug interdiction and enlarge the Washington County Narcotics Task Force. · Finish a central booking facility, which will allow law enforcement officers who are processing suspects to return to the streets more quickly.

· Experience: 25 years of prosecutorial experience and leadership. · Emphasis on victims: Focuses his office's efforts on rights and needs of crime victims. · Teamwork: Leads a team of experienced prosecutors and staff who work closely with law enforcement. · Efficiency: Has cut the number of Washington County Circuit Court filings and time from filing a case to closing it in half. · Innovation: Continues to innovate prosecution through the development of a juvenile drug court, a prison violence initiative and other initiatives.

For photos of all of the Miss Maryland Outstanding Teen contestants, visit www.missmd.org. Miss Outstanding Teen Abingdon Name: Shateara Lach Harrison-Clark Hometown: Abingdon, Md. Talent: Vocal Platform: Family values Miss Outstanding Teen Allegany County Name: Aleksandra Knepper Hometown: Frostburg, Md. Talent: Piano Platform:...

Miss Maryland hopefuls Pageant gets under way this week   Miss Allegany County Julie Bennett Age: 22 School: Frostburg State University Talent: singing Platform: promotion of theatrics in schools  Miss Annapolis Michele Wedderburn Age: 24 School: Towson State University Talent: singing Platform: parental involvement ...

Every little girl's dream is to be a princess - and for Sara Farmer, she's living that dream. Sara, 14, was crowned Miss Western Maryland Outstanding Teen in February at The Maryland Theatre. With a shiny tiara and a sash, Sara could practically pass as a princess. But unlike her royal counterparts, Sara had to work hard to earn her title. The daughter of Greg and Amy Farmer of Hagerstown, Sara is a freshman enrolled at the Barbara Ingram School for the Arts in Hagerstown.

A good scholarship pageant contestant has to have a lot of things going for her, according to Megan Kiley, Miss Washington County Outstanding Teen. "Beauty is just the icing on the cake," she said. A junior at Boonsboro High School, Megan, 17, decided to enter the Miss Washington County Outstanding Teen scholarship pageant after her dance teacher suggested she enter the Miss Frederick Outstanding Teen competition. Megan competed and was crowned with her title in February during the Miss Washington County/Miss Western Maryland pageant at The Maryland Theatre in Hagerstown.

It was a single flip on her parents' mattress that determined her future. Never mind that she was 3 years old. The talent already was there. But Dominique Dawes had no way of knowing at such a tender age that she would one day vault into the spotlight as an elite gymnast. "I was just a child who liked to tumble and roll around," she said. Dawes said her mother remembers that first flip on the bed - a move by the toddler that was self-taught. "I was an active kid," she said.

Lindsay Staniszewski knows how it feels to be "different. " "In high school I was bullied verbally because I was different in the way I carried myself and because I didn't succumb to peer pressure," she said, "I know how it feels to be an outsider. " Now a senior at the University of Maryland, College Park, Staniszewski is anything but an outsider. Last June, she was named Miss Maryland during the annual scholarship pageant. On Saturday, June 25, she'll pass on the crown to another young lady during the Miss Maryland Pageant.

New homes Elmwood Realty LLLP, 13319 John Martin Drive, Williamsport, 2,086-finished-square-foot two-story, single-family dwelling with morning room, frame construction with full, unfinished welled- exit basement with rough-in bath, pre-engineered roof trusses, attached two-car garage, covered front porch. Westfields Investment LLC, 18103 Prestwick Terrace, Hagerstown, 2,982-finished-square-foot two-story, single family dwelling, full basement with rough-in bath, welled exit and 5,981 square feet for rec room, two-car attached garage, morning-room option.

Local Democrats who thought they had some small ray of sunshine to hold onto last month with the defeat of Frederick/Washington county state Sen. Alex X. Mooney might want to review the axiom about keeping friends close and enemies closer, as well as the one about being careful what you wish for. Mooney landed on his feet this week when he was picked to lead the state GOP, a beleaguered outfit that is perpetually short of ideas and cash. With Mooney, the GOP can at least scratch that last issue off its list.

NEW ORLEANS, La. (AP) -- An oil platform exploded and burned off the Louisiana coast Thursday, the second such disaster in the Gulf of Mexico in less than five months. This time, the Coast Guard said there was no leak, and no one was killed. The Coast Guard initially reported that an oil sheen a mile long and 100 feet wide had begun to spread from the site of the blast, about 200 miles west of the source of BP's massive spill. But hours later, Coast Guard Cmdr. Cheri Ben-Iesau said crews were unable to find any spill.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. -- As David Donohue spoke Thursday morning, he wasn't yet aware his comrades from the U.S. Coast Guard were racing to an offshore petroleum platform that exploded off the coast of Louisiana. Donohue, Franklin County's director of emergency services, was telling the Franklin County (Pa.) Commissioners about his recently completed 60-day deployment to the Gulf Coast as reports started developing regarding the latest explosion. The commissioners thanked Donohue for his response and talents as well as keeping in contact with his Franklin County staff this summer.

Business people complained of overregulation and overtaxation Tuesday while chatting with Republican Robert L. Ehrlich, who is trying to regain the governorship this year. Ehrlich, who lost to Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley in 2006, said he has held about four dozen similar roundtables and has heard some of the same frustrations. "All right, it's Nov. 3," he told Tuesday's group, urging participants to tell him their wishes as if it were the day after the election and he had become governor again.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- An oil platform that burned for more than day after a massive explosion sank into the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday, the U.S. Coast Guard said. Crews searched by air and water for 11 workers still missing from the Deepwater Horizon, though one relative said family members have been told it's unlikely anyone survived Tuesday night's blast. Supply vessels had been shooting water into the rig try to control the flames enough to keep it afloat, but couldn't, Coast Guard Petty Officer Katherine McNamara said.