Slate

Even though it didn't work well in the Hagerstown City Council race, a group of Western Maryland delegates to the Maryland General Assembly has decided to run as a slate in the 2006 campaign. If the effort forces the candidates to stake out clear and firm positions, that would be a good thing. If it is only a mechanism to raise enough money to bury their foes in a mound of dollar bills, that would not be so good. Like their counterparts in the city, the members of this slate are Republicans.

gregs@herald-mail.com HAGERSTOWN - Six people will announce today that they're running as a slate of candidates who hope to oust the current administration in the City of Hagerstown's May elections, candidates and others involved with the effort said Monday. Also officially joining the race as of last Friday are two members of the current administration, Mayor William M. Breichner and Councilman Kristin B. Aleshire. The group of candidates to announce their candidacies today are all running as Republicans, and either have been members of community boards or own businesses and some are in both categories.

gregs@herald-mail.com HAGERSTOWN - Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele's trip to Washington County began Monday night with a meeting of Republican candidates running for local political office in Hagerstown. The informal meeting at Schmankerl Stube, a German restaurant on South Potomac Street, lasted about 90 minutes. Steele spent the first half-hour in a private discussion with the candidates and business leaders. Steele, who is touring local school districts throughout the state as part of an education initiative, spent Monday at a Frederick County, Md., school and is scheduled to be at Washington County Technical High School today.

The slate of candidates that wishes to take over Hagerstown City Hall is new to the business of running for office, so they may be excused for two political blunders on the same day: The slate's first public, sort of, gathering was exclusionary (invitation only) and it was held at a ritzy restaurant that happens to be situated not in the city of Hagerstown, but in Washington County. A private coming-out party. Good move. Nothing screws up democracy faster than allowing the people to become involved.

The Boonsboro Lions Club recently elected its slate of officers for 2008-09.

WILLIAMSPORT - Campaign signs for next month's town election have been vandalized and stolen, the competing candidate slates told police Thursday. Representatives from both the Independent Progressive Party slate and the slate of independent candidates filed complaints on Thursday, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Department. Mayor John W. Slayman is running for re-election on the Independent Progressive line. James G. McCleaf II resigned from a council seat to run against Slayman as an independent.

anthonyb@herald-mail.com FREDERICK, Md. - Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, will speak at a Republican fundraising breakfast Saturday at the Francis Scott Key Holiday Inn in Frederick. Gingrich comes to the event in the midst of a promotional tour for his newest book, "Winning the Future: A 21st Century Contract with America. " Gingrich will sign copies of the book and mingle with the public during the event. The Western Maryland Republican Victory Fund, a new political action committee, is holding the event, according to state Del. Joseph Bartlett, R-Frederick.

Patriot Act is laying waste to our Bill of Rights To the editor: While Congress was a nervous wreck trying to quickly stop terrorism, the Patriot Act was approved, which ultimately took away certain unalienable rights of the American citizen. One of the main violations was the Fourth Amendment found in the Bill of Rights concerning search and seizure, which states, "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall be issued, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized.

charlestown@herald-mail.com HEDGESVILLE, W.Va. - A 26-year-old man was flown to the Baltimore Shock Trauma unit Sunday afternoon after the all-terrain vehicle on which he was riding at the Tomahawk Motocross track rolled over him, a Hedgesville Volunteer Fire Department official said. It appears the man completed a jump during a competition at the track when he wrecked, said paramedic Jim McQuaid. McQuaid said the man was at the bottom of a hill and was unconscious when he arrived.

The inaugural Hollywood Poker Open (HPO) is coming to the Mid-Atlantic. Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races in Charles Town, W.Va., will host the only HPO regional tournament in the East from Thursday, March 21 through Monday, April 1. The action culminates with the main event on Thursday, March 28, through April 1. The top finisher walks away with first place cash and a $2,500 seat in the $500,000 Guaranteed HPO Championship at the M Resort in...

Waynesboro Communities That Care will hold auditions for the upcoming Waynesboro: You Have Talent show at 6 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday in Harbaugh Hall, Trinity United Church of Christ. Audition times will be on a first-come basis and will be for students in the Waynesboro Area School District only. Each audition will be three to five minutes, and judges may stop the performances in the middle. A CD player will be available for use, but no accompanist will be available. Each applicant must provide his or her own music.

Washington County Public Schools will present the 2013 All County Middle and High School Orchestra concert Saturday, Jan. 26, at 7 p.m. at North Hagerstown High School. The event will feature Maryland Symphony Orchestra Conductor Elizabeth Schulze leading the All County Senior High School Orchestra. The All County Middle School Orchestra will be conducted by Jan Wagner of Shenandoah University. Tickets cost $4 in advance and $5 at the door. Senior citizen gold cards will be honored.

Billy Snoots got a flu shot last year and effectively avoided the virus. Considering the rapid spread of influenza regionally and nationally over the past few months, Snoots said he wasn't taking any chances again this year, especially since he has a neighbor who has fallen ill with the flu recently. “I've put it off for a good while, so finally I said with the way things are happening, and it's happening so much, I figured I'd just go ahead and get one,” said the 70-year-old from Hagerstown.

Brook Lane Health Services and Washington County CARES will present "Geriatric Mental Health Tool Box: Case Study in the Legal Aspects of Providing Geriatric Care" from 8:30 to 11:45 a.m. Friday, Jan. 25. The seminar will be in the Brook Lane Community Room, on the campus, at 13218 Brooklane Drive, Hagerstown. The program is for mental health professionals and will address various legal concerns for both the professional care provider and older individual. For more information, go to www.brooklane.org or call Debbie Staley at 301-733-0331, ext. 189.

Members of the Williamsport Polar Bear Club, the board of directors and staff at the Humane Society of Washington County, and the town of Williamsport invite the community to the 10th annual Polar Bear Plunge on Jan. 1.   The event will take place at noon at the boat ramp in Williamsport. All proceeds benefit the animal shelter.  Participants will become official members of the Williamsport Polar Bear Club. Registration costs $20 per person and includes a custom-designed Polar Bear zipper pull, window decal and an official Williamsport Polar Bear Club certificate.

TRIAD of Washington County, a senior citizen advocacy organization, will have a free seminar from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 27, at Western Maryland Hospital Center Auditorium, 1500 Pennsylvania Ave., Hagerstown. Deputy 1st Class Carly Hose, public information officer and crime prevention specialist with the Washington County Sheriff's Office, will discuss "How to Avoid Becoming a Victim of Identity Theft and Scams. "

An anti-school bullying rally is slated to be held at noon Saturday at 365 Church at 881 Mid-Atlantic Parkway near Martinsburg, according to organizers. Incoming Berkeley County Republican Del. Larry W. Faircloth said in a news release that possible changes to improve state law concerning bullying will be discussed.    “We will be discussing what we are going to be proposing in the upcoming session, and accountability on the issues as well,” Faircloth said.

The United Way of Franklin County's 250-ticket bonanza and silent auction will be held on Sunday, Nov. 4, from noon until 4 p.m. at Green Grove Gardens. A $20 ticket provides one entry into the drawing to win the $1,000 grand prize sponsored by CenturyLink, a barbecue dinner for two provided by CM Pig Out, and beverages, including Coors Light, wine and non-alcoholic beverages. Raffles, fishbowls, games and the opportunity to bid on silent auction items will continue throughout the afternoon.

A Hispanic business forum will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday in the community room at Chambersburg Mall. The free workshop for current and aspiring business owners will feature discussions on the legal, accounting and insurance aspects of operating a business. For more information, contact Will Ortiz at 717-446-3253 or send an email to wortiz@ohl.com; or Sila Alegret-Bartel at 240-420-0803 or send an email to sila@ictmllc.com.