Real Estate

Name of business: Keystone Real Estate Settlement Services Inc. Owners: Tracy A. White and Heather E. Miller Address: 19 Fifth Ave., Chambersburg, Pa. Opening date: January 2012 Products and services: Residential and commercial real estate transactions, including purchases and refinances, and title-searching services Target market: Real estate agents and lenders Previous business experience: We have...

Dan Samel, 83, of Hampstead, N.C., passed away peacefully in his sleep early on the morning of June 21, 2012, at the Davis Health Care Center in Porter's Neck, N.C., following a battle with cancer.   Dan was born in Dover, N.J., the son of David and Florence Samel. David was a jeweller in Dover, and later Trenton and Pennington, N.J., and Florence was a schoolteacher in Morris County, N.J. Dan graduated from Roxbury High School in Succasunna, N.J., and later earned a Bachelor of Science in accounting from Seton Hall University.

West Virginia University Hospitals-East MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Dr. Babak Barmar, board-certified nephrologist, recently joined the medical staffs at West Virginia University Hospitals-East's City Hospital and Jefferson Memorial Hospital. Barmar is also board certified in geriatrics and internal medicine, and is in private practice at Kidney Specialists PLLC in Martinsburg.  He serves as a clinical assistant professor for the WVU School of Medicine, Division of Nephrology.

Editor's note: This is another in a series of Eastern Panhandle candidate previews that The Herald-Mail will be running over the next several months. The announcements also will be posted on our website, www. herald-mail.com, through the West Virginia primary on May 8. To submit announcements, email them and a color photo (preferably a jpeg) to billk@herald-mail.com or matthew.umstead@herald-mail.com . Any questions? Call 301-791-7281. John Orem, a Republican and Martinsburg real estate broker and businessman, is running for sheriff of Berkeley County.

Catherine “Cathy” Reese was not expected to outlive childhood. Instead, Cathy would go on to have four children and live to age 82, leading a life filled with service, interests and travel that touched many people. As a second-grader, she was diagnosed with failing kidneys, attributed to her premature birth. At age 14, she developed rheumatic fever, and with her kidneys still not functioning well, was not expected to recover. A strong faith kept Cathy and her family going, and after a lengthy recuperation, the doctor released her from his care, stunned that she survived.

Since starting this column a few months ago, I have received the most feedback from readers regarding revitalization of downtown Hagerstown. My error perhaps was in assuming that revitalization of downtown Hagerstown is an inherently good thing. Not everyone agreed with me. While I disagree with my critics on that point, I do view the number of comments as a positive sign. People care. This column addresses six key reasons why I think revitalization of downtown Hagerstown is important to everyone, including residents of Hancock, Smithsburg, Boonsboro or Dargan.

The Hagerstown area might not be at the housing market bottom, but it is close, a national wealth and real estate expert said this week. "I can't say you are at the bottom, but I will say you are not at the top, and you are probably close to the bottom," said Robert Shemin, a nationally recognized real estate expert and New York Times best-selling author. "You are kind of like everyone else, the majority of the country," he said. "What's happened is you had a tremendous drop in the market, a run up and a run down.

The Hagerstown Hotel and Convention Center property at 1910 Dual Highway is scheduled to be sold at a foreclosure auction on Tuesday. The sale is set for 11 a.m. at the entrance to the Washington County Courthouse, according to a notice filed by Richard E. Hagerty, substitute trustee with Troutman Sanders LLP of McLean, Va. The property is being sold because owners Watchwood LLC and Bahman Inc. defaulted under the terms of their 2006 financing agreements...

The president of the Berkeley County Emergency Ambulance Authority board last week defended the agency's real estate moves in recent years, countering recent claims of mismanagement that "fall just short of malfeasance. " In prepared remarks made to Berkeley County Council Thursday, Charles R. Hall III refuted charges made earlier this month by Rick Trenary, who was critical of how the ambulance authority had been spending money on facilities. The council will hold a public hearing on April 7 to consider response from the community on the ambulance authority's request to increase its household fee by $15 a year.