Setback

shappell@herald-mail.com Deep concern has given way to renewed hope for the Shockey/Heise family as 5-year-old Shania Shockey's condition appeared to improve seven days after she was rushed back to Children's Medical Center from a Baltimore rehabilitation center. Doctors say the latest complications caused by the severe head injuries the Hagerstown girl suffered last month after being struck by a van may not prove to be a major setback. Shania was listed in serious condition Friday at Children's Medical Center in Washington, a hospital spokesman said.

SHARPSBURG - New architectural guidelines meant to protect the Town of Sharpsburg against extremes will take effect on March 1, Town Attorney Charles Wagaman said Wednesday morning. Town Council members voted 5-0 on Monday night to adopt the new guidelines, said Mayor George Kesler. Councilman Russ Weaver was absent. About eight people attended the final public hearing on the proposal Monday night, he said. One of the changes under the newly approved law will be new maximum and minimum setbacks for strictly residential dwellings.

GREENCASTLE, Pa. - The Antrim Township Board of Supervisors approved proposed changes to its Land Use Permit procedures Tuesday night in an effort to make sure all new residential dwellings are within setback requirements prior to construction. The township previously had residential dwellings surveyed "as-built" to check that buildings met setback requirements. This means the dwelling is surveyed after it is built. "As-built is after the fact," said Supervisor Curtis Myers.

WAYNESBORO, Pa. - The Waynesboro Borough Council tabled a proposed ordinance on a zero-setback and downtown business district ordinance after residents voiced significant concern for the first time publicly. The proposed zero-setback ordinance, considered for more than a year, had received little commentary from residents until Wednesday. Coupled with a proposal for a downtown business district, borough council tabled the decision to consider the comments offered on Wednesday. "These were the first real comments we've had," Council President Richard George said.

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. - A two-acre minimum for lots requiring a well and septic system are part of the new subdivision regulations adopted Friday by the Morgan County Commission, which drew the ire of the leader of a group protesting high-density subdivision growth in the county. "I am flabbergasted that after receiving dozens of oral and written statements regarding the two-acre limit that it was completely ignored by the county commission," said George Farnham, the leader of Outhouses of Unger.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - The Martinsburg Board of Zoning Appeals denied a request Tuesday night by the Martinsburg Union Rescue Mission to upgrade its facilities for homeless men in the city. The board voted against the plan by a 3-2 vote following a public hearing that included more than 25 speakers. The board's vote came after 11 p.m. after more than four hours of testimony. The mission had proposed to build a 20,000-square-foot building with 98 beds, and had requested variances for parking and setback distances from property boundaries.

By STEVEN T. DENNIS Staff Writer WILLIAMSPORT - Save-A-Lot Inc. plans to increase the size of its Williamsport warehouse by 115,985 square feet, according to Washington County planning records. Save-A-Lot operates a chain of discount food stores filled with a limited selection of private label products, John Richards, assistant district manger, said Wednesday. Richards said the company has outgrown its 172,700-square-foot facility at 9822 Prosperity Lane. Richards said the company employs about 100 people at the warehouse, and is still hiring.

Veterans home killed By LAURA ERNDE laurae@herald-mail.com Washington County veterans were disappointed Wednesday by yet another setback in their 14-year struggle to get the state to build a local nursing home for them. A Maryland General Assembly committee balked at spending $75,000 to study the need for a veterans home in Western Maryland. "They keep turning it down and turning it down. One of these days they might have a war and then they'll remember the veterans," said Jim Sprecher, president of the Washington County Joint Veterans Council, who learned the news Wednesday.

GREENCASTLE, PA. -- Antrim Township has settled its six lawsuits against Jeff and Connie Todd out of court, effectively ending more than two years of litigation in a compromise. The township agreed Monday not to seek repayment of legal fees and to lessen the setback requirement for their driveway, despite one resident's request to go to court. In exchange, Jeff Todd agreed to post a $24,937 line of credit or bond that the township can draw on if he does not meet the requirement of the agreement within nine months, according to the Global Settlement and Release Agreement.

Boys Soccer Williamsport keeps rolling right along after scoring an impressive 3-1 victory over a solid St. Maria Goretti squad on Tuesday. The Wildcats still have not been defeated outside of a penalty-shootout setback to North Hagerstown in the final of the Washington County Public Schools Tournament - that defeat coming after a scoreless draw in regulation. Alex Aleshire continues to shine between the pipes. He's allowed only four goals in Williamsport's 10 games, and no more than one goal in any game.

The internal fortitude that makes Josh Conway a tough competitor is being tested again, much to his chagrin. On May 15, 2012, the former Smithsburg star had Tommy John surgery for a complete tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow while pitching at Coastal Carolina University. Conway, who turned 22 last month, was still drafted as a pitcher by the Chicago Cubs in the Major League Baseball Draft and went through an extensive rehab process at the Cubs' spring training complex in Mesa, Ariz.

A New York man fighting extradition from the United Kingdom to Washington County on a 2006 murder charge sustained a setback last month when the European Court of Human Rights ruled he would not be subject to “inhuman and degrading treatment” if he were returned to the United States. Joshua D. Edwards, 24, whose last address was Brooklyn, N.Y., was indicted in October 2006 in the July 23, 2006, shooting death of Jackson Agustin Rodriguez. He also was indicted on a charge of  attempted murder in the shooting of Tony Perry in a Washington Gardens apartment.

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.

Boys Soccer Williamsport keeps rolling right along after scoring an impressive 3-1 victory over a solid St. Maria Goretti squad on Tuesday. The Wildcats still have not been defeated outside of a penalty-shootout setback to North Hagerstown in the final of the Washington County Public Schools Tournament - that defeat coming after a scoreless draw in regulation. Alex Aleshire continues to shine between the pipes. He's allowed only four goals in Williamsport's 10 games, and no more than one goal in any game.

Click here to view all photos Not only did the Smithsburg wrestling team lose a 43-42 heartbreaker to Francis Scott Key in its season opener last week, the Leopards also lost their best wrestler, senior Dylan Sharon, to a knee injury in the match. He is out indefinitely. “Losing Dylan was the heartbreaker,” Smithsburg coach Joe Dietrich said. “He’s had an MRI, but it hasn’t been read yet.” With Sharon, last year’s Washington County champion at 189 pounds, watching from the sidelines on crutches Wednesday at South Hagerstown, the Leopards showed some fortitude in their MVAL Antietam tri-meet with Brunswick and the host Rebels.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- California officials on Wednesday called off the scheduled execution of a convicted murderer after setbacks in federal and state courts. The attorney general's office said in a court filing that it can no longer proceed with the lethal injection of Albert Greenwood Brown at 9 p.m. Thursday. It would've been California's execution since 2006. "I'm relieved," said John Grele, one of Brown's attorneys. "This was a hastily designed plan. " The announcement came a day after a federal judge blocked the execution, saying he needed more time to evaluate the state's newly adopted lethal injection procedures.

GREENCASTLE, PA. -- Antrim Township has settled its six lawsuits against Jeff and Connie Todd out of court, effectively ending more than two years of litigation in a compromise. The township agreed Monday not to seek repayment of legal fees and to lessen the setback requirement for their driveway, despite one resident's request to go to court. In exchange, Jeff Todd agreed to post a $24,937 line of credit or bond that the township can draw on if he does not meet the requirement of the agreement within nine months, according to the Global Settlement and Release Agreement.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - The Martinsburg Board of Zoning Appeals denied a request Tuesday night by the Martinsburg Union Rescue Mission to upgrade its facilities for homeless men in the city. The board voted against the plan by a 3-2 vote following a public hearing that included more than 25 speakers. The board's vote came after 11 p.m. after more than four hours of testimony. The mission had proposed to build a 20,000-square-foot building with 98 beds, and had requested variances for parking and setback distances from property boundaries.

GREENCASTLE, Pa. - The Antrim Township Board of Supervisors approved proposed changes to its Land Use Permit procedures Tuesday night in an effort to make sure all new residential dwellings are within setback requirements prior to construction. The township previously had residential dwellings surveyed "as-built" to check that buildings met setback requirements. This means the dwelling is surveyed after it is built. "As-built is after the fact," said Supervisor Curtis Myers.

HAGERSTOWN ? With just six weeks left in this year's fundraising campaign, United Way of Washington County is more than a half-million dollars short of its goal, campaign leaders announced Wednesday. This year's campaign has raised about $1.3 million, or about 70 percent of its $1.9 million goal, the organization's highest goal yet, campaign co-chair Tom Newcomer said. The organization is asking the community, and particularly businesses and individuals who have not given before, to help United Way reach its goal by donating before the campaign ends Jan. 31, Newcomer said.