Rain

Here is the Morning MoJo Report for Monday, April 23: * As of 7 a.m., traffic on I-495 and southbound I-270 was a little sluggish, but was running fine on all the other interstate highways throughout the area. * The MARC Train, Light Rail Service, Commuter Buses, local bus services, the Metro Subway system, and the Mobility service were all running on time and operating on their regular schedules, according to the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) website, mta.maryland.gov.

Normally on the first night of IceFest, downtown Chambersburg is packed with curious spectators watching huge blocks of ice carved into frozen masterpieces. But, not this year. The rain put a damper on the 10th annual event. Not only is the rain going to erode the sculptures, but also attendance will be down, IceFest committee members said. All of Thursday's IceFest activities, including the ice carving, were postponed due to the rain. The ribbon cutting ceremony will be held at 5 p.m. today.

Vanderbilt “Van” R. Raines, 91, of Martinsburg, W.Va., died Friday, Jan. 20, 2012, at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Martinsburg. The family will receive friends Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m. at South Berkeley Chapel in Inwood, W.Va. The service will be Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the funeral home with Chaplain Steven Jenks officiating. A military graveside service will be Thursday at 1 p.m. in Hillcrest Memory Gardens, Jeffersonton, Va.

Work continues on the first phase of a multimillion-dollar stormwater project in Waynesboro, but the end appears to be in sight, a borough official said Wednesday. Improvements being made to the outfall along Cemetery Avenue are the first phase of a multimillion-dollar project addressing Waynesboro's undersized and aging stormwater system. The project began in early May and resulted in the closing of Church and Maple streets and Old Mill Road near their intersections with Cemetery Avenue.

Between 2 and 4 inches of snow had been expected to fall in most areas starting about 8 p.m. Wednesday and ending around midnight, according to the National Weather Service. However, given the recent warm weather and road-pavement temperatures well above freezing Wednesday, state highway officials were leaning toward a "minor event" for travel Thursday morning in Washington County, said David Buck, spokesman for the Maryland State Highway Administration. State highway officials were not anticipating problems on Interstate 81 or Interstate 70 in Washington County on Thursday morning.

A steady rain began falling Monday night as city officials prepared to light a 25-foot blue spruce tree in Hagerstown's Public Square. A crowd of people showed up despite the chilly weather, and umbrellas bobbed back and forth as people took advantage of hot popcorn, and free hot chocolate and cookies. “By the way, it's not raining. It's just a heavy dew,” master of ceremonies Lou Scally told the crowd before the 6 p.m. lighting. With the flip of a switch from Mayor Robert E. Bruchey II and a group of Barbara Ingram School for the Arts students who helped decorate the tree, the blue spruce shone in the square to the cheers of onlookers.

A wall collapsed two weeks ago in a stormwater outfall under construction, delaying the project at least a month, local officials said. Improvements being made to the outfall along Cemetery Avenue are the first phase of a multimillion-dollar project addressing Waynesboro's undersized and aging stormwater system. Rains Oct. 19 caused the collapse of a wall near Cemetery Avenue's intersection with Church Street. The collapse occurred near Antietam Dairy. "Water got in behind it. ... It was over an inch of rain in 15 minutes," said Kevin Grubbs, director of engineering services for the Borough of Waynesboro.

A growing season that included 2 1/2 weeks of nearly 100-degree days and, later, excessive rainfall is causing problems for farmers in southcentral Pennsylvania. “It's not an easy season to be a farmer,” said Steve Bogash, a regional horticulture educator for the Penn State Cooperative Extension. Franklin and Fulton counties each experienced about 9 inches of rain beyond what is normal in the past 60 days, according to Craig Evanego, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Recent rains are causing delays for the Borough of Waynesboro's biggest public infrastructure project. Crews are trying to install gabions, which are coated wire baskets, on the walls of Cemetery Avenue's stormwater outfall. Borough Engineer Kevin Grubbs called it "a long, tedious process. " "It's pretty labor-intensive," he said. Installation of the gabions is one of the final steps of ongoing work in the outfall. It is the first phase of a multimillion-dollar effort to address issues with the municipality's undersized and aging stormwater system.

A few of the many yard sales lining Main Street during the Sharpsburg Heritage Festival Saturday morning turned into porch sales. Rain dampened the enthusiasm of those who ran yard sales and concession stands, and there were a lot fewer of them in town than if the sun had been shining. Plastic bags, sheets and tarps became the order of the day as vendors tried to protect their wares. "We usually do a good business ... when it's not raining," said Kathy Gustafson, who, with fellow members of the Sharpsburg Church of the Brethren at 123 E. Main St., huddled under canopies to protect their homemade ham and bean, chicken corn and vegetable soups, chili and baked goods.