Steering Wheel

No one was injured Friday morning when a sport utility vehicle that was stopped on the shoulder of Interstate 70 caught fire. The incident took place near the entrance to the South Mountain rest area in Frederick County, near the Washington County line. The owner of the Chevrolet Blazer, Geraldine McCain, told HMTV6 News Director Raychel Harvey-Jones that a friend who was driving the vehicle westward on I-70 pulled onto the shoulder to adjust the steering wheel to the correct height.

Accidental shooting SMITHSBURG - A Smithsburg-area man accidentally shot himself in the leg Friday night, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Department. Alba Lynn Mathias, 61, was treated at Washington County Hospital and released, a hospital spokeswoman said. Mathias was getting a 9 mm handgun out of a sport utility vehicle at 21925 Durberry Road shortly before 8 p.m. when the gun almost fell out of the case, police said. Durberry Road is north of Smithsburg.

FREDERICK, Md. (AP) - The death of a woman found slumped over the steering wheel of her vehicle on the shoulder of southbound Interstate 270 is not believed to be suspicious, Maryland State Police said. Cassandra Johnson, 50, of Potomac Falls, Va., was found unconscious in her SUV on Thursday about 10:35 a.m., police said. Troopers performed CPR, and Johnson was taken to Frederick Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, police said. Troopers are awaiting autopsy results.

STATE LINE, Pa. - A truck driver found Thursday night slumped over the steering wheel in the cab of a tractor-trailer at the Welcome Center on Interstate 81 appears to have died from natural causes, Pennsylvania State Police said. Trooper Anthony Manetta said Friday that there appears to have been no foul play in the death of George I. Kellestine, 53, of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Kellestine was found at about 6:30 p.m. by a passerby, Manetta said. The time of death has yet to be determined.

Police responding to an accident arrested a man after the vehicle's driver claimed the passenger yanked the steering wheel before the crash, a charging document states. Matthew Lee Reichert, 21, of 119 Plantation Drive in Hagerstown, is charged with first-degree assault, second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, two counts of malicious destruction of property valued at more than $500 and three counts of malicious destruction property valued at less than $500, according to Washington County District Court records.

GERRARDSTOWN, W.Va. - A mother and her son were taken Friday night to Winchester (Va.) Medical Center after the Jeep in which they were riding swerved off the road in Gerrardstown, Berkeley County Sheriff's Department Deputy Michael Longerbeam said. Debra Jean Mullins, 48, and her 16-year-old son were traveling in a Jeep Wrangler east on Apple Harvest Drive, west of Nancy Jack Road, about 7:30 p.m. when an altercation inside the vehicle caused Mullins to swerve the Jeep off the road, Longerbeam said.

FREDERICK, Md. (AP) -- Authorities have released the name of a 27-year-old man found murdered in Frederick County. Maryland State Police say Maurice Williams was originally from Montgomery County but had been living with his fiance and their two children in Frederick. Police responding early Sunday to a report of a single-vehicle crash at the intersection of Hanover Drive and Ballenger Creek Pike found Williams behind the steering wheel with a fatal gunshot wound to the chest.

One person was injured after he was driving an 18-wheeler that flipped on the ramp from I-70 eastbound to I-81 southbound. Lieutenant Woodward of the Maryland State Police reported that the vehicle flipped over after heavy rolls of paper in the back shifted, knocking it off balance. The ramp from I-70 eastbound to I-81 southbound was closed for more than an hour but reopened at 1:20. The driver of the vehicle was taken to Meritus Medical Center with nonlife-threatening injuries at 12:48, Sergeant James Ridgely of the Halfway Fire Company is reporting.

From the land of the Porsche 911 and BMW 3-series comes a vehicle that General Motors' Saturn division hopes will earn similar notoriety. Developed by GM's German Opel branch, the Astra will cross the Atlantic Ocean later this year to replace the aging Ion as Saturn's entry-level compact. In case you weren't aware, Saturn has been busy launching plenty of gleaming new products. In fact, the pace of change is so rapid that, by the time the Astra finds its way to dealer showrooms, the oldest model in the lineup will be the Sky sports car, which was new for the 2007 model year.

by Joe Crocetta / staff photographer click for enlargement Worried that she could be killed if the air bag on the steering wheel of her 1994 Cadillac DeVille deploys, Beverly Corbin got permission from the U.S. Department of Transportation to have a switch installed that would enable her to deactivate the safety device. But Corbin's car dealership, like some others in the area, refuse to install the switch because they're afraid of potential liability even with authorization at the federal level.

No one was injured Friday morning when a sport utility vehicle that was stopped on the shoulder of Interstate 70 caught fire. The incident took place near the entrance to the South Mountain rest area in Frederick County, near the Washington County line. The owner of the Chevrolet Blazer, Geraldine McCain, told HMTV6 News Director Raychel Harvey-Jones that a friend who was driving the vehicle westward on I-70 pulled onto the shoulder to adjust the steering wheel to the correct height.

One person was injured after he was driving an 18-wheeler that flipped on the ramp from I-70 eastbound to I-81 southbound. Lieutenant Woodward of the Maryland State Police reported that the vehicle flipped over after heavy rolls of paper in the back shifted, knocking it off balance. The ramp from I-70 eastbound to I-81 southbound was closed for more than an hour but reopened at 1:20. The driver of the vehicle was taken to Meritus Medical Center with nonlife-threatening injuries at 12:48, Sergeant James Ridgely of the Halfway Fire Company is reporting.

“This is for all you basketball fans. Don’t you think it would be a good idea to have the boys’ NCAA champion play the boys’ NIT champion, and have the same thing with the girls in the NCAA and NIT? I think they would be good basketball games, and we would see how good the NIT is compared to the NCAA.” — Williamsport “I support Terry Baker. A budget is a plan adjusting expenses during a certain period, to the estimated or fixed income for the period. Taxpayer money should not — I repeat — not be spent on nonessentials.” — Hagerstown “Mr.

Dear Tom and Ray: My significant other has collapsed several times in restaurants. My children are concerned about his driving me around. What does one do in an emergency like that? I was told not to turn off the engine. He drives an SUV Ford Explorer automatic. -- Liz TOM: Well, whatever you do, Liz, don't serve him dinner while he's driving. RAY: Actually, YOU need to take over the driving, Liz. Assuming that your significant other's fainting spells have not been successfully diagnosed and treated, it's simply too dangerous to let him drive.

FREDERICK, Md. (AP) -- Authorities have released the name of a 27-year-old man found murdered in Frederick County. Maryland State Police say Maurice Williams was originally from Montgomery County but had been living with his fiance and their two children in Frederick. Police responding early Sunday to a report of a single-vehicle crash at the intersection of Hanover Drive and Ballenger Creek Pike found Williams behind the steering wheel with a fatal gunshot wound to the chest.

FREDERICK, Md. (AP) - The death of a woman found slumped over the steering wheel of her vehicle on the shoulder of southbound Interstate 270 is not believed to be suspicious, Maryland State Police said. Cassandra Johnson, 50, of Potomac Falls, Va., was found unconscious in her SUV on Thursday about 10:35 a.m., police said. Troopers performed CPR, and Johnson was taken to Frederick Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, police said. Troopers are awaiting autopsy results.

"I went to a high school baseball game at Smithsburg High and was very disappointed on the entry to the field. We were made to walk clear out and around all the other sports fields, along a muddy swampy area. There is no way one could begin to bring a handicapped relative or friend. This is discrimination to the disabled, and not only them (but) to the older people who love to watch games. What does it take to get a nice blacktop, walkable path to the field? We used to go through the gate and walk down on the side of the football field.

From the land of the Porsche 911 and BMW 3-series comes a vehicle that General Motors' Saturn division hopes will earn similar notoriety. Developed by GM's German Opel branch, the Astra will cross the Atlantic Ocean later this year to replace the aging Ion as Saturn's entry-level compact. In case you weren't aware, Saturn has been busy launching plenty of gleaming new products. In fact, the pace of change is so rapid that, by the time the Astra finds its way to dealer showrooms, the oldest model in the lineup will be the Sky sports car, which was new for the 2007 model year.

HAGERSTOWN - A New York man was ordered Thursday in Washington County Circuit Court to spend 90 days in jail for pointing a handgun at another motorist while the men drove on Interstate 81 in May 2006. Mark F. Lappies, 50, of 11031 Cobbville Road in Adams, N.Y., entered an Alford plea to second-degree assault and pleaded guilty to transporting a handgun in a vehicle in the incident reported May 24, 2006. Under an Alford plea, a defendant does not admit guilt but admits that the prosecution has sufficient evidence to gain a conviction.

KNOXVILLE, Md. - A 17-year-old boy was found shot to death early Saturday in his car in the 3900 block of Petersville Road in Knoxville, according to a Maryland State Police press release. Phillip Daniel Moeller of Brunswick, Md., was found dead from a gunshot wound shortly after 3 a.m. behind the steering wheel of the vehicle, according to the release. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the release. Dexter M. Mannering, 19, of the 1400 block of Taney Avenue in Frederick, Md., was arrested Saturday afternoon and charged by Maryland State Police with second-degree murder, first-degree assault and use of a handgun in the commission of a felony in connection with the slaying, according to the release.