Smoking

HAGERSTOWN - In an effort to protect children from secondhand smoke, a Hagerstown man said Wednesday he wants to educate adults about the health risks involved with smoking in vehicles when children are riding as passengers. Andy Smith of Brothers United Who Dare To Care, an organization that was organized to help black men take responsibility for their lives, their families and their community, said clinical studies show that children who are exposed to smoke in confined areas are more likely to suffer from asthma and other long-term illnesses.

A Conrail locomotive spews thick, black smoke as it pulls cars laden with coal Tuesday and approaches the railyard in Hagerstown's West End.

If you were driving down Washington Avenue March 24 around 5:30 p.m., you might have seen something unusual outside of Girls Inc. of Washington County. There, you would have found a group of girls holding a sign notifying drivers of the fact that 50 Americans die every single hour from tobacco-related diseases. Along with this statistic was a plea for readers who smoke to stop so that they do not become one of these victims. This activity, and several others that day, was part of Girls Inc.'s observance of Kick Butts Day. The girls joined with thousands of youths in every state and around the world to make a difference by living out the Kick Butts Day motto of "Stand OutSpeak Upand Seize Control Against Big Tobacco" This is an annually celebrated event at Girls Inc. and something that the staff is committed to sharing with the girls as they follow their mission to encourage all girls to be strong, smart and bold.

Hagerstown Mayor Robert E. Bruchey II is smoking again. Bruchey said Friday that he picked the habit up again during the Christmas holiday. "You shouldn't try to quit smoking during holidays," he said. The mayor had quit during the Great American Smokeout on Nov. 20. He had made several "half-hearted" attempts to stop smoking earlier. He picked up the habit 18 years ago while serving in the Army in Germany. Bruchey said personal and medical reasons led him to start smoking again, but he wouldn't elaborate.

For those women who have asked the age-old question, "What's a little lung cancer if I can keep my trim figure?" the answer may be: Not much. Last week came the news that fatness is rapidly catching up to smoking as the nation's No. 1 killer, and likely will take over the top spot in "when the roll is called up yonder" status in another year or two. According to news accounts, "Although tobacco is still the top cause of avoidable deaths, the...

HAGERSTOWN -- Viewing photographs of nicotine-stained teeth and cancer-ridden tongues isn't the way most children like to spend their weekends. But that's what happened for a few hours Saturday afternoon at North Street School in Hagerstown. About 30 children and their parents gathered at the school to attend a meeting of the Neighborhood Youth Club, an organization that promotes black history and teaches children about the dangers of smoking. Hagerstown resident Daphne Hughes said she brought her five children to the event so they could see for themselves the health problems that are associated with smoking.

Smoking banned on school grounds Smoking is now prohibited on school grounds in Washington County at all times. The Washington County Board of Education approved a policy change Tuesday that means stricter alcohol, tobacco and drug rules for students. Smoking is now prohibited during football games, track meets, after hours and on weekends. Neither students nor parents and teachers are allowed to smoke. "There is zero tolerance and that has to be the mission," said School Board member B. Marie Byers.

There was no shortage of role models at Friday night's No Smoking Youth Club banquet for family and friends at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center. Staff, visitors and even the keynote speaker were there to sing the praises of quitting smoking or better yet, never starting. "Smoking is probably the most preventable health problem we have," author and health educator Richard Williams said. "Diabetes, heart and lung problems are all connected to smoking. " Williams has a doctorate in health education and administration, and has taught college-level courses in nutrition and health education.

marlob@herald-mail.com CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - The Jefferson County Board of Health unanimously passed an amendment Friday to the 2003 Clean Indoor Air Regulation, sharpening the definition of bars. But to restaurant owner Danny Smith, the group more importantly finally cleared the way for him to take the same steps as Charles Town Races & Slots to keep smokers happy in certain designated areas in his establishment. "All I want is a level playing field," Smith said.

marlob@herald-mail.com HAGERSTOWN - Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" might be a well-known song, but Barbie Barvir and Danielle Grant are determined to keep that phenomenon where it belongs - in music rather than in reality. "I believe very strongly in the cause of teens not smoking, and so does Danielle," Barvir said as she explained why they decided to work toward that goal as senior Girl Scouts in Shawnee Council. Their aspirations led them to a coalition called Washington County Teens Rejecting Abusive Smoking Habits (TRASH)

An electrical malfunction in a ceiling fan in a first floor bathroom caused smoke to build-up in a house at 13502 Halifax Drive Thursday night, according to a spokesman for the Longmeadow Volunteer Fire Co. Firefighters removed the fan from the house in Hagerstown's North End and damage was minimal, said Sgt. Jeremy Smiley. Smiley said people in the house off Longmeadow Road decided to stay in a hotel for the night. Firefighters received the call at 9:12 p.m.

Adam LaRoche's slump is now at 26 hitless at-bats with strikeouts accounting for half the outs. Unfamiliarity with Reds rookie pitcher Tony Cingrani had the Nationals collectively looking awkward at the plate. With a chance to complete a four-game series sweep, Washington struck out 11 times against the left-hander - including four in one inning - and 14 overall against five Cincinnati pitchers in a 5-2 loss to the Reds on Sunday. In his third career start, Cingrani (2-0) pitched six scoreless innings and allowed only two hits, one coming off the bat of Nationals rookie Anthony Rendon.

Four Hickory errors helped the Hagerstown Suns build an early four-run lead en route to an 8-2 victory over the Crawdads on Saturday at Municipal Stadium. The miscues extended the first, fourth and fifth innings and allowed the Suns (12-11) to take a 4-1 lead. The errors were too much for the Crawdads (14-9) despite two more home runs to pad their South Atlantic League-leading total. Kylin Turnbull (1-0) returned to the Suns and immediately notched a victory with six innings of three-hit pitching, allowing one run without a walk while striking out seven.

Hagerstown Fire Marshal Doug DeHaven said he expected tenants of a downtown Hagerstown apartment building would be able to return to their homes Sunday after a report of smoke in the building's basement. Hagerstown firefighters responded to 25 1/2 W. Franklin St. at about 4:45 p.m. Sunday for the incident. No injuries were reported, officials said. DeHaven said the smoke came from a basement mechanical room that contained a furnace, but he did not know Sunday afternoon whether the smoke came from the furnace.

Russell Eardley Jr. was given a surprise 80th birthday party and luncheon hosted by his family Feb. 3 at Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hagerstown. His wife, Lois Eardley, recently died, and in her memory, the family provided funding for the installation of a smoke alarm system for Spread Your Wings Learning Center, a preschool program for 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds, which newly opened in the church in January and is now accepting new students. “Family means everything to me,” Russell Eardley said.

Authorities are expected to reopen Dual Highway soon after they responded to the 1600 block of the road for a smoke condition in a house, according to a Washington County 911 supervisor. It turned out the problem was a furnace malfunction, the supervisor said. There was no fire in the house and no one was hurt, the supervisor said. The intersection of Dual Highway and Edgewood Drive was shut down to allow crews access to the home, the supervisor said about 2 p.m. The call for the investigation went out at 1:42 p.m.

Traffic was snarled in the 16700 block of U.S. 40 west of Hagerstown while firefighters investigated a call for smoke at the New Delmar Inn, a Washington County Emergency Services supervisor said. The incident was reported at noon Thursday.

One person suffered smoke inhalation and four others were displaced when a fire started in the basement of a home early Thursday at 229 E. Franklin St. in Hagerstown, a city spokeswoman said. Hagerstown spokeswoman Erin Wolfe said the fire, which was reported around midnight, started in a breaker box. She said damage was limited to the basement, and firefighters cleared the scene by 1:30 a.m. The Red Cross was called to help the people who were displaced. Wolfe said one resident was transported by Community Rescue Service to Meritus Medical Center east of Hagerstown to be treated for smoke inhalation.

A call for possible smoke coming out of a shop off West Lee Street around 7:40 p.m. Tuesday turned out to be a false alarm as the smoke was coming out of an exhaust stack, a Washington County Emergency Services supervisor said. Potomac Towers resident Jerry Weddle, 70, said he was watching “Jeopardy” in his sixth-floor apartment, when he saw smoke coming out of what looked like the corner of the nearby shop. Apparatus Repair & Engineering is in the shop, which is next to Ellsworth Electric at 88 W. Lee St. - Julie E. Greene

The Chambersburg Borough Council announced Monday it has received a federal grant for what the borough manager describes as “one of the most important programs developed by the Chambersburg Fire Department.” Sen. Robert P. Casey Jr., D-Pa., and U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., assisted the borough in obtaining $65,430 from a Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, Fire Prevention and Life Safety Education grant. It will be used to continue the installation of smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors, as well as to train citizens in fire prevention.