Trade

marlob@herald-mail.com In his first year of computer science classes at Shepherd College, Jason Broadwater quickly discovered he didn't want to spend the rest of his life staring at a screen. That was in 1997 and Broadwater, a Parkersburg, W.Va., native, learned of a unique training center in Hagerstown called the Cumberland Valley Technology Center and began a four-year journey that culminated Thursday night when he graduated from the program - one of 27 graduates in carpentry, electrical, plumbing and heating, ventilation and air conditioning.

Each show had to be great. There was no way of knowing whether it would be the last time a viewer would see Hugh McVeagh's magic tricks. When he wasn't teaching magic, the Washington County magician spent the majority of his career performing for terminally ill children, who watched his weekly shows in an auditorium at the National Institutes of Health's cancer institute in Bethesda, Md. "There were a lot of kids who were never able to...

After Republicans in the Pennsylvania House decided last week they wouldn't vote on a bill to cut school property taxes - despite the House leadership's approval - the prospect of resolving this issue any time soon went up in smoke. And, just as is the case when the smoke clears from a house fire, something worse became visible. Some in the House now want to cut school property taxes by increasing the state sales tax. No, they're not kidding, but the GOP-controlled Pennsylvania Senate is not likely to go along.

The Central Maryland and Western Maryland Building and Construction Trades Council recently elected council officers. Elected to three-year terms were president, Randy Appel, from Operating Engineers No. 37; vice president, Mike Adams, business representative, Sheet Metal Workers No. 100; secretary-treasurer, E. William DuVall II, Carpenters No. 1024. Trustees include: John Livingston, Plumbers/Steamfitters Local 486; Leland Malone, Iron Workers Local 568; and Lance Weaver, Local 616, Laborers.

The Herald-Mail's Editorial Page Advisory Committee proved its worth again prior to the Sept. 12 primary, when members said that candidate William Staley's message was one that shouldn't be ignored. Staley, a School Board candidate and former welding instructor at the county's Technical High School, said that not every student wants to go to college and that the school system should be strengthening, not weakening, trades training programs. School Board members Paul Bailey and Jacqueline Fischer pointed out that between 1994 and 2002, five trades courses were dropped, in large part because of low enrollment.

When Anita Stup decided to announce the end of her 16-year career in elected office, she didn't call a press conference, or phone up a favorite reporter. Instead, she took out a quarter-page ad in local newspapers this past Wednesday, to reveal that her current term as a District 3 delegate representing Washington and Frederick counties in the Maryland General Assembly would be her last. Her announcement comes with more than a year left to serve, but she says there's no big mystery behind its timing, nor are there any health problems forcing this decision on her. "I always said I would only serve two terms," Stup said.

WAYNESBORO, Pa. - Ty Long and Jeff Stull, bored with their jobs as auto mechanics, are trading their wrenches for hammers and switching from blown head gaskets to wall panels. Long and Stull, both 38, are partners in Long Ago Log Homes. Long recently closed Auto Diesel Service, the auto repair shop he ran on Salem Avenue in Hagerstown for 13 years. Stull worked for area auto repair shops. Still in its infancy, their new business is being run from Long's home at 5915 Iron Bridge Road.

Every year dozens of Tri-State area residents make money selling their wares at festivals and craft shows. For many of these people the weekend events provide supplemental income. Several festival vendors support their families with such small business ventures. Some may have stores or Internet sites customers can visit. Others work in makeshift workshops in their basements or garages. Then they haul their wares to area parks and events where they try to display their often handmade items in a 10- by 10-foot space that can cost from $125 to $800.

When he eventually becomes a certified PGA club professional, Ryan Allen will have no problem writing about his own experiences. The 21-year-old print journalism graduate from the University of Maryland spent three years as a sports correspondent and one year as an intern at The Herald-Mail while a student at North Hagerstown High School and Maryland. Along the way, he has left his options open, but his focus has shifted to golf. He recently was hired as the second assistant golf professional at Fountain Head Country Club.

By CLYDE FORD Staff Writer, Charles Town CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - The Jefferson County Commissioners are making a pitch with the state Economic Development Commission to have a federal foreign trade zone established in the Eastern Panhandle. A foreign trade zone is an area where importers and exporters can store their goods without paying taxes on them until they are actually sold, said County Commissioner James Ruland. Several areas in the state are competing to have the federal foreign trade zone in their area.