Selection Process

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) -- Finding a new president isn't the only selection process going on at West Virginia University this week. Four students have been named finalists as the university's new mascot. The hopefuls will participate in a cheer-off competition Wednesday night at the WVU men's basketball game with DePaul. The winner will be announced at Saturday night's home game with Louisville. The finalists are Brock Burwell of Harrisville, Rebecca Durst of Point Pleasant, Rebecca Funk of Big Pool, Md., and current mascot Michael Squires of Clarksburg.

The Faculty Merit Foundation of West Virginia announced that nomination forms for the 2008 Professor of the Year Award have been distributed throughout West Virginia and also are available online at www.wvhumanities.org . The nominations must be postmarked no later than Nov. 7. The primary step in the selection process is the request for nominations, which must include comprehensive and specific information about each nominee. The foundation board selects finalists based on written information presented and on interviews with candidates.

A new paramedic training program will be offered this fall at Hagerstown Community College for people interested in making the field their career. The two-year, advanced program has a maximum class size of 18, so students should register quickly, said George Perry, program coordinator. Applicants must take placement tests, be interviewed and go through a selection process, he said. Students will be required to earn 69 credits to receive their paramedic degree. The paramedic course uses an up-to-date curriculum and includes classroom and practical training.

Jefferson school chief search to begin By DAVE McMILLION / Staff Writer, Charles Town Jefferson County Board of Education members will try to find a replacement for Superintendent of Schools David W. Markoe by July 1, board member Peter Morgens said Wednesday. "So the search will get going pretty quickly," Morgens said. Board member Pete Dougherty said he would like the board to use the same selection process it used when it hired Markoe four years ago. That process involved the formation of committees made up of people from different cross sections of the community to review superintendent candidates, Dougherty said.

The trial for a man accused of killing his ex-wife, dismembering her body and dumping it in a Berkeley County stream last year is to begin this morning with what is expected to be a challenging jury selection process for the high-profile case. A jury pool of 150 people was sought for Bunker Hill, W.Va., attorney Stephen R. Fielder's murder trial, but 23rd Judicial Circuit Judge David H. Sanders said Monday that only nine of 50 additional prospective jurors contacted by the Berkeley County Circuit Clerk's office were available.

A community is the sum of its people, and Washington County is blessed with a wealth of active and interesting men and women who move us ever forward and make living here a more positive experience. They are the ones we turn to when we need solutions, ideas and comfort, the ones who realize that a community functions best when every individual is given opportunity and care. Personal recognition is frequently the last thing on their agendas. They act because it's the right thing to do, not out of a need for accolades.

adamb@herald-mail.com MIDDLETOWN, Md. - Three little words were all it took to turn Breanne Toms' vacation to Los Angeles into an unforgettable experience. Shortly after Toms heard "Come on down," the 20-year-old nursing assistant ended up taking a boat, a sauna and a seven-day cruise to Alaska home to Middletown after winning the coveted showcase on the popular game show "The Price is Right. " Her winnings were valued at $39,774. "Half of me felt really nervous, and the other half was really excited," Toms said.

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. - More than 120 people have applied to become the next president of Shepherd University and the person heading up the selection process said he hopes a new president can be announced in May. John Sherwood, chairman of the search committee, considers the more than 120 applicants to be a large pool and thinks it can be attributed to the positive aspects of Shepherd. When some colleges or universities are looking for presidents, sometimes the institutions are mired in crisis, Sherwood said.

Berkeley County Assessor Patricia A. "Patsy" Kilmer resigned Wednesday, saying she unknowingly violated the state's Ethics Act through some of her personnel decisions including how she hired employees' children for summer work. Kilmer's resignation was accepted Thursday by the Berkeley County Council, which subsequently voted to advertise the position for two weeks with the goal of appointing a new assessor by the end of the year. Tamera "Tammy" Edgar, the county's commercial appraiser, was appointed to lead the assessor's office until the vacancy is filled.

After the announcement of the NCAA Tournament pairings on Sunday, which left Maryland out in the cold following its 19-12 season, you knew the Terps were a pretty good bet to get a bid to the National Invitation Tournament, better known as the Nobody Interested Tournament. It didn't take long for the crying to start following the NCAA's announcement of its 65-team field. Maryland coach Gary Williams was miffed over the fact that Arizona and Wisconsin, teams with similar records as the Terps, each gained a spot in March Madness.

Berkeley County Assessor Patricia A. "Patsy" Kilmer resigned Wednesday, saying she unknowingly violated the state's Ethics Act through some of her personnel decisions including how she hired employees' children for summer work. Kilmer's resignation was accepted Thursday by the Berkeley County Council, which subsequently voted to advertise the position for two weeks with the goal of appointing a new assessor by the end of the year. Tamera "Tammy" Edgar, the county's commercial appraiser, was appointed to lead the assessor's office until the vacancy is filled.

A community is the sum of its people, and Washington County is blessed with a wealth of active and interesting men and women who move us ever forward and make living here a more positive experience. They are the ones we turn to when we need solutions, ideas and comfort, the ones who realize that a community functions best when every individual is given opportunity and care. Personal recognition is frequently the last thing on their agendas. They act because it's the right thing to do, not out of a need for accolades.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) -- James P. Clements, a 44-year-old college provost from Maryland who calls himself a "get it done" kind of guy, will become West Virginia University's 23rd president, sources involved in the selection process told The Associated Press on Friday. The sources requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the results of the search before the official announcement. A press conference to introduce the president was scheduled for later in the day, after the Higher Education Policy Commission approves the Board of Governors' selection.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) -- Finding a new president isn't the only selection process going on at West Virginia University this week. Four students have been named finalists as the university's new mascot. The hopefuls will participate in a cheer-off competition Wednesday night at the WVU men's basketball game with DePaul. The winner will be announced at Saturday night's home game with Louisville. The finalists are Brock Burwell of Harrisville, Rebecca Durst of Point Pleasant, Rebecca Funk of Big Pool, Md., and current mascot Michael Squires of Clarksburg.

The Faculty Merit Foundation of West Virginia announced that nomination forms for the 2008 Professor of the Year Award have been distributed throughout West Virginia and also are available online at www.wvhumanities.org . The nominations must be postmarked no later than Nov. 7. The primary step in the selection process is the request for nominations, which must include comprehensive and specific information about each nominee. The foundation board selects finalists based on written information presented and on interviews with candidates.

Reviews from Annapolis were uneven about the Washington County Republican Central Committee's method for filling the vacant Subdistrict 2A seat. Members of the Washington County delegation spoke well of the choice, Andrew Serafini, but some Republicans questioned the selection process. Through press releases, the committee released a list of the 19 applicants, then the name and background of its choice, Serafini. Del. Richard B. Weldon Jr. said he would have held a press conference when the process started, one in the middle and one at the end. "I think it should have been transparent," he said, because a closed process "leads to damaging speculation.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - The process of finding a replacement for retired Chambersburg Police Chief Michael T. DeFrank will likely take until the late summer or early fall, beginning with the selection of a Top 10 list of candidates by the Pennsylvania Police Chief's Association. DeFrank, 61, retired earlier this month after heading up the Chambersburg Police Department for a quarter of a century. With 34 full-time officers, the department takes the largest bite out of the borough's general fund at more than $3 million.

To the editor: This is an open letter to the citizens of Smithsburg from Councilmen Jerome Martin and Jack Wenthe. Councilman Martin was elected to the town council in 2000 and Councilman Wenthe has served on the council since 2006. In 2002, when then-Mayor Tommy Bowers was presented with the challenge of hiring a new police chief, he garnered the resources of two councilmen, two citizens and police officials (City of Hagerstown Police Department and the Washington County Sheriff's Department)

The trial for a man accused of killing his ex-wife, dismembering her body and dumping it in a Berkeley County stream last year is to begin this morning with what is expected to be a challenging jury selection process for the high-profile case. A jury pool of 150 people was sought for Bunker Hill, W.Va., attorney Stephen R. Fielder's murder trial, but 23rd Judicial Circuit Judge David H. Sanders said Monday that only nine of 50 additional prospective jurors contacted by the Berkeley County Circuit Clerk's office were available.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Former Chambersburg Emergency Services Chief John Vanlandingham resigned in November 2005, and although a selection process is under way, it likely will be several more months before his successor is chosen. Last year, a selection committee narrowed the field from about 90 applicants to six finalists, who went through an assessment process in July, Assistant Borough Manager David Finch said. He served on the committee, along with Mayor John Redding, three members of borough council and a former Mount Lebanon, Pa., fire chief serving as a consultant.