Transformer

A station class transformer was removed Thursday from the old Municipal Electric Light Plant at the intersection of Eastern Boulevard and Mount Aetna Road. Dave Harshman of Myersville Machine and Rigging Co. said the transformer has been dead for about four years. Harshman said workers drained the oil from the transformer on Tuesday. They returned to the site Thursday to remove the transformer and clean up the area. The vacant MELP plant has been closed for decades. It last routinely produced electricity in 1972, according to Herald-Mail archives.

HAGERSTOWN -- A transformer that provides power to a Maryland Correctional Training Center housing unit caught fire Thursday afternoon, forcing 255 inmates to be moved to another housing unit, prison officials said. The fire disrupted power to the housing unit and a generator was being used Thursday night to provide power to the building, according to Danielle Lueking, a spokeswoman for the State Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. Lueking said the inmates had returned to the unit by about 9:30 p.m. Thursday.

An Allegheny Power transformer exploded Tuesday morning, touching off a fire that burned throughout the day, officials said. Hagerstown Fire Department Battalion Chief Richard Hopkins said firefighters were called to the substation at Wilson Boulevard and Oak Street at about 8:20 a.m. At one point, officials from the power company tried to put out the fire with a dry chemical, but Hopkins said it kept re-igniting. "The decision was made to let it burn," he said. Hopkins said there were about 100 gallons of mineral oil that were burning.

Power is out in part of Hagerstown's North End after a transformer malfunctioned near Northern Middle School Saturday around 8 p.m., a Washington County emergency dispatch supervisor said. The area of Northern Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue was without power, he said. The problem originated in the 700 block of Northern Avenue, between the middle school and another building. “Apparently, there was an electrical transformer that malfunctioned there and put out quite a light show,” the supervisor said.

Americans sat glued to their televisions Saturday to hear President Clinton's reaction to the impeachment vote against him. In Hagerstown, viewers got snow. Just as Clinton was about to comment on the historic moment, an electrical transformer in town malfunctioned, cutting service to Antietam Cable subscribers, said Hagerstown Light Department manager Terry Weaver. Viewers were angry and demanded answers. Carrie Schumaker, a reporter and anchor at NBC 25, said the station received "a ton" of calls.

waynesboro@herald-mail.com The trains stopped running Saturday at the Washington County Rural Heritage Museum's annual Christmas open house until Nelson Deal saved the day. An antique Lionel train display is a special feature of the two-day event being held at the Washington County Agricultural Education Center. From 300 to 400 patrons were expected to visit the museum Saturday and today, said James Reeder, president of the museum's board of directors. "We've had a nice crowd so far," he said mid-afternoon Saturday.

A squirrel triggered a 20-minute power outage Wednesday morning that affected 2,366 Hagerstown Light Department customers in Hagerstown's downtown and West End, according to Director of Utilities Michael Spiker. The outage affected customers in the areas of Burhans Boulevard, Gateway Crossing, Park Avenue, Washington Street and portions of Summit Avenue, Prospect Street and Baltimore Street, Spiker wrote in an email to The Herald-Mail. The squirrel managed to bridge two insulators on top of a distribution breaker, causing the station transformer breaker to open at the Wesel substation, Spiker said.

By JULIE E. GREENE Staff Writer The family of the City Light worker who died on the job March 6 said they disagree with City Administrator Bruce Zimmerman's decision not to discipline the crew supervisor. The family of Ronald L. "Beaner" Jones Jr. gathered at Jones' 120 Summer St. home on Thursday evening to talk about Zimmerman's decision and the accident. They said it's been almost seven months and they still have several unanswered questions. Jones, 34, died after he was thrown from a cherry picker as he and four other City Light crew members worked to remove the last of five transformers from utility poles at the Hagerstown Fairgrounds.

By JULIE E. GREENE Staff Writer A Hagerstown utility worker killed Thursday morning after falling about 40 feet from a bucket truck wasn't wearing his safety strap, according to an early report. City officials don't know if the strap would have saved the life of Ronald L. "Beaner" Jones Jr., an apprentice lineman for City Light. Joseph Seidel, spokesman for Maryland Occupational Safety & Health program, had no comment on the details of the accident. It could take three to four weeks before the investigation is complete and a final report is issued, said City Administrator Bruce Zimmerman.

The plan to transform a former U.S. Army Reserve building in Hagerstown into the permanent home of a Washington County senior activities center took a big step forward Tuesday. The Washington County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday voted unanimously to award to the lowest responsive bidder, Murphy & Dittenhafer Inc., of Baltimore, a $209,430 contract to oversee the eight phases of architecture and engineering of the project at 21 Willard St. The $4.3 million project, which includes an estimated $4.1 million in construction, is expected to be completed in January 2015, county Purchasing Director Karen R. Luther told the five commissioners.

Nicknames are difficult to change. The administrative team at the Franklin County Career and Technology Center off Loop Road in Chambersburg, says the school's old moniker, “Vo Tech,” just doesn't fit anymore. Career and Technology Center Administrative Director Keith Yohn said “Vo Tech” is an outdated term that just doesn't fit the new, state-of-the art school. “It's so much more than a vocational technical school,” Yohn said. “We offer vocational and technical skills, but we're also preparing students for careers.” Students from Chambersburg, Shippensburg, Tuscarora, Waynesboro and Greencastle-Antrim school districts attend the Franklin County Career and Technology Center.

Without wasting any time, 8-year-old Andrew Trostle headed straight for Santa Claus at Friday's 22nd annual Greencastle-Antrim Heritage Christmas in downtown Greencastle. When you have a unique Christmas request like Andrew's, the youngster wanted to make sure St. Nick knew exactly what to load in his sleigh. “I wanted to make sure he got my list. I told him I want a cross chopper mower head,” he said Andrew's mother Holly Trostle of Mercersburg explained that the item is a piece of farming equipment.

Leaves are changing, temperatures are cooling and scarecrows from the annual Harvest Hoedown festival will be popping up in front yards all around the area. It's official: Fall is in the air. For more than 15 years on the first Saturday in October, Williamsport's Byron Memorial Park transforms into a festive array of fun for local families, complete with numerous activities for kids such as games, a petting zoo, face-painting, and stations for making scarecrows and pumpkin painting.

Christina Hammer-Atkins remembers school often being boring. So as a teacher, she strives to have engaging and exciting lessons for her students. “I teach for a variety of reasons. One is I hated school as a kid. That's something that a lot of people don't know. I just came from a pretty underprivileged family, and I never want a child to feel the way that I felt when I was growing up and going to school,” said Hammer-Atkins, who learned last week she is a state finalist for 2012-13 Maryland Teacher of the Year.

Volunteer Washington County recently facilitated a partnership between a local business, a nonprofit organization, a state of Maryland agency and private citizens to find a solution to an issue in the community through volunteer efforts.   The Potomac Center, which provides care to adults with intellectual disabilities, is a state-funded agency and was chosen as this year's recipient of the Lowe's Heroes Project.  Lowe's employees volunteered their...

Power is out in part of Hagerstown's North End after a transformer malfunctioned near Northern Middle School Saturday around 8 p.m., a Washington County emergency dispatch supervisor said. The area of Northern Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue was without power, he said. The problem originated in the 700 block of Northern Avenue, between the middle school and another building. “Apparently, there was an electrical transformer that malfunctioned there and put out quite a light show,” the supervisor said.

A squirrel triggered a 20-minute power outage Wednesday morning that affected 2,366 Hagerstown Light Department customers in Hagerstown's downtown and West End, according to Director of Utilities Michael Spiker. The outage affected customers in the areas of Burhans Boulevard, Gateway Crossing, Park Avenue, Washington Street and portions of Summit Avenue, Prospect Street and Baltimore Street, Spiker wrote in an email to The Herald-Mail. The squirrel managed to bridge two insulators on top of a distribution breaker, causing the station transformer breaker to open at the Wesel substation, Spiker said.

When I review a sequel, I usually open by talking about the proud history of the franchise. The history of the "Transformers" franchise is nothing to be proud of.   The '80s cartoon was a glorified toy commercial, the original 2007 film was one of the worst films of that year and the second film in 2009 was one of the worst films of all time.   Yet, even I have to admit, that it's hard not to throw money at movies about giant fighting robots with a knack for explosions and shattering glass.

A station class transformer was removed Thursday from the old Municipal Electric Light Plant at the intersection of Eastern Boulevard and Mount Aetna Road. Dave Harshman of Myersville Machine and Rigging Co. said the transformer has been dead for about four years. Harshman said workers drained the oil from the transformer on Tuesday. They returned to the site Thursday to remove the transformer and clean up the area. The vacant MELP plant has been closed for decades. It last routinely produced electricity in 1972, according to Herald-Mail archives.