Smell

tarar@herald-mail.com HAGERSTOWN - Two local companies were cited by the Washington County Health Department as being the source of a "terrible smell" that hung over a part of Hagerstown's South End Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, a health official said Thursday. Kimmy Armstrong, a registered sanitarian program supervisor at the Health Department, said the odor smelled like a combination of "cat urine, burning oil and sulfur. " The smell became apparent at about 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday and stuck around until about noon Wednesday, officials said.

My first question when I saw that Washington County had changed the name of its "Sewer Department" to the "Department of Water Quality" was: Oh great, I wonder how much we paid a consultant to come up with that one? But no, apparently it was all done in-house, which I believe represents a positive step forward for local governments. This proves my long-standing point that local governments have within their own ranks the genius and creative thinking to enact major policy shifts without resorting to those in the consulting business who routinely are paid unconscionable sums to come up with unused fire/rescue studies or Herman Bartlett.

The problem: “Someone should research the reason behind the horrific smell around Antietam Battlefield,” Kendra Harmon wrote in an email. “The smell on most days in Sharpsburg and behind the battlefield on Old Keedysville road is unbearable!” Harmon said she heard the smell was coming from rotting vegetables and wondered why they were left to rot instead of being harvested. Who could fix it: National Park Service What they say: The smell is coming from white radishes that were planted as a winter cover crop for soil- conservation purposes, said Ed Wenschhof, chief ranger at Antietam National Battlefield.

Rebekah Jenkins, left, grimaces while dissecting a fish Tuesday during a Marine Biology class as part of the SonLight Homeschool Co-op program at New Life Ministries near Clear Spring. Cambria Puffenberger turns her heard from the smell.

One day I get a, "Mmmm, that smells good," from my 3-year-old. The next day it's, "What's that smell?" Quite often what's evident to her as I'm cooking floats by my nose unnoticed. I'm constantly reminding myself that where children are concerned, a little scent goes a long way. My olfactory sense is muted; hers is pronounced. Researchers estimate that we lose about 1 percent of the olfactory - smell - receptors every year. "Adults get desensitized over time," says Kerry Ott, president of Eleuria Inc., a producer of custom perfumery.

A downtown building was evacuated and traffic interrupted Tuesday afternoon when the Hagerstown Fire Department responded to a call for an odor of gas at 11 Public Square. According to Kyd Dieterich, battalion chief, the odor smelled more like sewage. "Apparently, some trash in the waste can left a horrifying smell," Dieterich said. Dieterich said the waste can had been emptied, but a stench remained. The offending waste can was in the offices of the Civil War Preservation Trust, on the second floor above the Rhubarb House, Dieterich said.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Backed-up sewer pipes created a stink at Berkeley County Magistrate Court Tuesday morning and prompted the postponement of afternoon cases. Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys Gregory Jones and Stephen Groh said a terrible smell permeated the entire building until at least noon. "It was definitely giving you a headache," Groh said. "It was nauseating. " "It smelled like sewer gas," Jones said. The court building's side doors, usually closed and locked, were left open to provide fresh air. It took at least an hour to get rid of the smell, Jones said.

Neighbors react to animal cruelty verdict By BOB PARTLOW / Staff Writer, Martinsburg, MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Former neighbors of a Berkeley County man convicted Wednesday of six counts of animal cruelty said the man should go to jail when he is sentenced Nov. 21. "He didn't get enough,' neighbor Marjorie Christian said of Frank Snodgrass, 48, who kept 30 Russian wolfhounds at his house on 132 Morningside Drive near Spring Mills...

martinsburg@herald-mail.com If the squeaky wheel gets the grease, the people who work in Berkeley County Magistrate Court are hoping the stinky wheel gets the breeze. A breeze of fresh air, that is. Over years, a sewer-like smell has sporadically permeated the John Street courthouse, worsening allergies and causing dizziness, headaches and other problems, some say. To try to remedy the situation, 15 people who work in magistrate court, including magistrates, assistant prosecutors and clerks, came to the Berkeley County Commission meeting Thursday morning and asked that an emergency discussion be held.

Now that I've solved my first case, I'm stationed by the phone, ready to accept the flood of calls I'm sure are coming. My discovery of the Waskotts' criminal deeds landed my picture on the front page of the local paper. I am still amazed that my first mystery has been hanging over my head for a long time. I never would have guessed that I would expose the heinous doings of someone in my own apartment building. Sometimes, as I lie on the rug in my basement room, my deductive genius astonishes me. I pick up today's paper and, smiling, re-read the black type.

Adjusting to life in a new conference is an arduous task for most teams. Dealing with different teams, playing fields and umpires can sometimes deter a team from having a successful first year in its new conference. Some teams struggle. Yet other teams thrive. The Funkstown Skunks 17U team falls into the latter category. The Skunks' first year in the Baltimore Metro League has certainly been a success. Funkstown played 32 games in the 16-team conference made up primarily of 19U teams and finishing 17-15 - good for second in the conference and, with it, a berth to the National Amateur Baseball Federation 17U World Series in Knoxville, Tenn., beginning Wednesday.

German machine-gun fire hammered on the door of Arthur Staymates' landing craft as it approached Omaha Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944. Now a gray-haired octogenarian, Staymates said that the American soldiers believed they would be cut to pieces if they didn't get out before the steel door crashed open. “A whole bunch of us went over the side,” Staymates said during a recent interview at his Hagerstown home. “That saved my life.” Weighed down by ammunition, weapons and supplies, the men plunged into about 8 feet of salt water, hitting the bottom of the English Channel.

For generations, the large brick-and-wood building in Hagerstown's West End was known for the wonderful smells it produced, maybe even more than the hundreds of jobs it provided. “Oh, my gosh, what a fragrance!” recalled Linda Irvin-Craig, 68, who lived in Hagerstown until 1952. “You drove down that street or anywhere in that neighborhood and, if you weren't hungry - you were after you drove by there.” The building - home to Manbeck Bread Co. until it closed in about 1980, and then a military contractor until last fall - is being demolished.

The problem: “Someone should research the reason behind the horrific smell around Antietam Battlefield,” Kendra Harmon wrote in an email. “The smell on most days in Sharpsburg and behind the battlefield on Old Keedysville road is unbearable!” Harmon said she heard the smell was coming from rotting vegetables and wondered why they were left to rot instead of being harvested. Who could fix it: National Park Service What they say: The smell is coming from white radishes that were planted as a winter cover crop for soil- conservation purposes, said Ed Wenschhof, chief ranger at Antietam National Battlefield.

It's hard to believe that "Spy Kids" was once a franchise with a lot of potential. I actually really liked the 2001 original. It had a funny script, the actors had good chemistry, and Alan Cumming was a memorable villain.   The first sequel was a disappointment and the second sequel was even worse. Now comes "Spy Kids: All the Time in the World" and it's the worst one yet. Any charm that the series might have once has is long gone and the result is rather painful.   We get a fresh set of Spy Kids for this installment.

Robert Null used to satisfy his hankering for strawberries by growing his own. But he ran into some problems. "I wasn't getting a good crop. The birds would eat them up," Null said. "I'd even cover them with netting, but the birds would still get 'em. " Finally, Null, 71, of Boonsboro, gave up. "I decided to buy 'em. It's easier," he said. Saturday, Null discovered a sort of strawberry oasis where he could indulge his appetite for the juicy, sweet-smelling fruit at the Ringgold Ruritan's Ringgold Strawberry Festival.

People in my chosen profession have come to hear Bryce Harper talk. The funny thing is very few have actually listened to what the 18-year-old baseball superstar in the making has said. Harper’s comments have been few and concise. He doesn’t care for the full glare of the national spotlight just yet and his comments and availability have been limited by the Washington Nationals to help him keep his mind on baseball. Yet, there is more spin on so few words than on one of the curveballs Harper has been sizing up as a member of the Hagerstown Suns.

HAGERSTOWN -- Brenda Franklin had Jamaica on her mind. Her 14-year-old granddaughter departed for the island nation Saturday to meet her father for the first time. Meanwhile, at Wheaton Park in Hagerstown, Franklin, 56, of Martinsburg, W.Va., sat amidst a sort of small-scale Jamaica, taking in the same sights, sounds, smells and flavors that her granddaughter likely was experiencing in the Caribbean. Franklin soaked the vibes of reggae music, jerk chicken and red snapper dishes, and traditional domino games at the Caribbean Festival.

The smell of spring To the editor: As I settle into the rhythm of my daily jog around the prison's track in the early morning, I, like most every man and woman, take delight in my imagination. The hopes for obtaining some respite from the bone-chilling touch of Old Man Winter are achieved through "mental vision quests. " And, like many, I long for the tranquility of spring and summer. For me, spring becomes a representation of a solitary happiness. Thankfully, it is my olfactory senses that signal my brain that spring, at least by my reckoning, really is here.

By SAMANTHA CRITCHELL AP Fashion Writer NEW YORK (AP) - There probably are very few people eating chestnuts roasted on an open fire during the holiday season, but anyone who has walked - even just once - down Manhattan's Fifth Avenue at Christmastime likely has a pleasant association with that warm, nutty smell. You might also feel that way about a whiff of vanilla, cinnamon, pumpkin pie or gingerbread. There's also the ever-popular scent of a fresh-cut tree. They're the smells of Christmas, filling the air. And they're an easy way to make your home feel instantly warm and holiday-ready.