Positions

A Berkeley County employee's position was eliminated Thursday due to a lack of work for the individual, county officials said. The Berkeley County Council voted 5-0 to eliminate a geographic information system technician position, effective Oct. 5. Berkeley County Administrator Deborah Hammond declined to immediately identify the employee because she said the individual was unaware that the reduction in force had been made. “It has been evaluated and studied for a while,” Hammond said of the decision, which came after the council held an executive session on personnel at the end of Thursday's regular meeting.

The Walt Disney Co. is interested. So is Ryan Seacrest Productions. For a Hollywood script writer, those words are music to the ears. For Salisbury University senior communication arts major Kelsey Hovermale of Clear Spring, they represented one of the most important decisions of her college career. In January, Hovermale applied for internships at both companies with an eye toward gaining experience in entertainment journalism. In February, Disney called back. After a brief interview process, she was in. For months, she anticipated working for the entertainment powerhouse.

U.S. Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett, R-Md., faced dozens of questions Tuesday at a town hall meeting he hosted in Funkstown. About 30 people attended. The audience used the opportunity to ask about a range of topics - health care, Social Security, education, illegal immigration, energy and more. Bartlett is trying to win an 11th term as the 6th District representative in Congress. He is facing two challengers in the November general election: John Delaney on the Democratic line and Nickolaus Mueller on the Libertarian line.

Like his mother, it was in Vincent Luke Santucci Jr.'s nature to help people. Santucci, who along with his mother and girlfriend were fatally shot Friday night in Quincy Township, Pa., was “the big brother” to two older sisters and a younger brother, and took care of his mother, too, his father, Vincent L. Santucci Sr., said Saturday evening. “He was a kind person, loving son and brother,” Santucci said. As a chef in Chambersburg, Pa., for several years, Santucci said his son, to whom he referred as Luke, took “pleasure and pride” in preparing food that patrons would enjoy.

A $1.6 million federal grant announced Wednesday will save eight firefighters' jobs for the next two years in the Borough of Chambersburg, according to municipal officials. The borough was awarded a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response, or SAFER, grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., said in a news release. Chambersburg Borough Council President William McLaughlin said he experienced “a sense of relief” when he heard the news.

A $625,000 federal grant will allow the Hagerstown Police Department to hire five new police officers and give veterans a chance to continue working in public service, U.S. Sens. Barbara A. Mikulski and Ben Cardin announced Monday. The Community Oriented Policing Services, or COPS, Hiring Program, administered through the U.S. Department of Justice, will help improve local neighborhoods while offering veterans an opportunity to find good jobs, Mikulski, chairwoman of the Senate Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Subcommittee, said in a news release.

Blues guitarist Ronnie Earl said he is counting the days until his performance next month at the 17th annual Western Maryland Blues Fest. His Saturday, June 2, appearance will mark his first in Hagerstown. "I usually take an air trip every year to a festival. We try to stay on the East Coast," the 59-year-old said during a telephone interview from his home "out in the country" in Grotton, Mass. "Since I've slowed down (the shows) are all special to me now," he said. "People are very kind and offer hospitality to us. When you play all the time, it's not as special, I've found.

Musselman High School principal Holly M. Kleppner had “two pieces of advice” for the Class of 2012 before graduates received their diplomas Thursday night in the Butcher Center at Shepherd University. “No. 1 is to communicate,” Kleppner told members of the graduating class, her first as principal. “No. 2, surround yourself with positive influences.” Kleppner also encouraged the graduating class of 317 seniors to persevere, a characteristic of the group that she said she found to be “most exceptional” about them.

The Waynesboro Area School Board on Tuesday reaffirmed its decision to reject a fact-finding report issued in ongoing contract negotiations with the district's teachers' union. However, the board did not take that second vote Tuesday because the state Labor Relations Board did not make the report available to the public in time. The Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board assigned Alex A. Kaschock to the school district on February 21, 2012, for a second round of fact-finding. He had issued his first report in late 2010.

Hard to blame Capitals forward Brooks Laich - or anyone who played in Washington's three-overtime loss to the New York Rangers - for wanting to catch up on sleep. While dozing, Laich wound up having quite a nightmare. “I woke up, and for some reason, I thought the season was over. I had a deep sleep - I had a long deep sleep - and I thought the season was over,” Laich recounted Friday. “And then it refreshed in my mind that we only lost one hockey game, that it's 2-1. We're still in a good position.” Yes, Brooks, a team needs to win four games to end a series, so there's more hockey to be played between the Capitals and Rangers, starting with Game 4 at Washington today.