Safety

Hagerstown Councilman J. Wallace McClure said Tuesday night that he wants to organize an army of volunteers to clean up the city. McClure named the effort Operation Pride and Groom. To be successful, the effort will require volunteers to go out time and again to clean up trash and pull weeds, he said. McClure said he needs residents to tell him what public rights-of-way in Hagerstown are strewn with trash and overgrown with weeds so he knows where to take his army. He suggested volunteers work on Saturdays between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. They should wear long pants and long sleeves and bring gloves, two plastic bags and a trowel, if they have one, McClure said.

By MARLO BARNHART Staff Writer Youngsters can have some fun while learning about safety during the Safe Kids Gear-Up Games Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Eastern Elementary School. While the entire family is invited, the interactive games are for children 14 and under. There will be Wheel-O's, in which participants don helmets and other protective equipment and ride a tricycle to the next event. The next events include: Mulch Mountain Relay - players compete to see who will be first to fill a foot-deep playground with buckets of mulch.

With state residents gearing up for the year's busiest travel holiday, Maryland State Police are urging motorists to drive with caution and are increasing patrols and enforcement to give them some incentive. About 525,000 Marylanders are expected to drive or travel by rail or air today through Sunday, according to police. Extra troopers will be on patrol, watching for aggressive drivers who are speeding, tailgating and making unsafe lane changes, said Hagerstown Baracks Commander Lt. Bruce Smith.

As the world's economy becomes more global in scope, more companies are rethinking the way they do business - everything from redesigning websites to attract a global audience to investing in overseas manufacturing and distribution facilities. At JLG Industries Inc., an Oshkosh Corp. company and a manufacturer of aerial work platforms and telescopic material handlers, efforts to embrace a global economy also include an internship program that moves beyond job training to teach cultural nuances and encourage community outreach.

Nemcek, Harmon, Keller, Weller honored for help The Washington County Community Partnership for Children and Families recently recognized four community members for helping youngsters and their families. HEIGHT="6" ALT=" "> Ethel Nemcek volunteers her time, money and energy to help children and their families with health, legal and educational concerns. HEIGHT="6" ALT=" "> Dolores Harmon was praised for her work as regional manager for Western Maryland's Child Care Services.

Let's promote safety, not safety issues To the editor: Sunday and Monday of this past week (July 12 and 13), the Washington County Sheriff's Department has been conducting roadside drug searches on tractor-trailers. This has been occurring on the right shoulder of Interstate 81 between exits 5 and 6. While I am in total agreement with their efforts to catch illegal drug activity, I have to disagree with the manner in which our sheriff's department does this.

When you go food shopping, do you check the dates on the food packages you select? Those dates matter, but they can be confusing if you don't know what they really mean. Except for infant formula and some baby food, product dating is not generally required by federal regulations. Most food companies choose to date their foods so that you can count on their quality and safety. If the food company uses a calendar date, it must express both the month and day of the month (and the year, in the case of shelf-stable and frozen products)

Teen childbirth, parenting classes FREDERICK, Md. - Families Plus! will offer Teen Childbirth and Parenting Classes from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays, May 4 through 25, at Family Partnership, 7630-B Hayward Road. There is no charge. Families Plus! provides a free, four-week series of childbirth and parenting classes for pregnant teenagers and their partners. The series is repeated every other month. To register or for information, call 1-301-631-3326. Safety fun day in Williamsport WILLIAMSPORT - Williamsport Neighborhood Watch Group and The Town of Williamsport will host a safety fun day from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 7, at Byron Memorial Park.

When a fire broke out in an apartment building next door to Meghan Lynch's home on May 6, she wasted no time calling 911 and alerting the apartment building's occupants. After calling 911, Meghan ran into the apartment building and began knocking on the doors to get the occupants out, said Mike Weller, public educator with the Hagerstown Fire Department. She then started assembling them at a meeting point to wait for the fire department to arrive, Weller said. Meghan's heroic act and others like it were honored at an awards ceremony Saturday at the 13th annual Kids Alive Fest at Children's Village of Washington County.

charlestown@herald-mail.com CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - Flagmen who work for the state Department of Transportation must be knowledgeable about proper traffic control procedures and attend monthly safety meetings that help highway workers stay safe on the job, an agency spokeswoman said Tuesday. The emphasis on safety is important to protect highway workers from accidents like the one Monday in which a flagman died after being struck by a car in a construction zone at the entrance to the Huntfield development, said spokeswoman Susan Watkins.