Vandals

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - The Martinsburg Police Department is seeking the public's help in finding the person or people responsible for vandalizing businesses on Virginia Avenue, according to a press release. Police said that over the past "several days," several garages, outbuildings, homes and vehicles have been spray painted in the area of the 500 to 800 blocks of Virginia Avenue. Anyone with information on the reported vandalism may call the Martinsburg Police Department at 304-264-2100 or Berkeley County Crime Solvers at 304-267-4999.

More than five dozen fish in one of Western Maryland Hospital Center's ponds got an unexpected dose of detergent Wednesday morning, sending workers into a daylong flurry to save the creatures from the poisonous foam. Hagerstown Fire Department Deputy Chief Ron Horn filled the hospital's entrance pond - from which the fish had been removed - with water Wednesday afternoon. The pond was drained after workers discovered the foamy mess Wednesday morning, Hospital Communications Director N. Linn Hendershot said.

BOONSBORO - Mary Young only needs one landmark to tell people how to get to her Mapleville Road home near Boonsboro. She can tell people to look for the 800-pound, one-armed green dinosaur in her front yard. The dinosaur is a few pounds lighter since vandals broke one of its arms with a baseball bat in the spring of 2006. That prompted Robert Young to put a sign next to the dinosaur asking for information about the vandals. The Youngs said a young woman stopped by their house with the identities of the vandals, including information about their vehicle.

Vandals tear down tree dedicated to fallen sailor By RICHARD F. BELISLE / Staff Writer, Waynesboro GREENCASTLE, Pa. - Harry Daniel Zeigler is known here as the "sailor who never returned home. " continued Zeigler was a 20-year-old seaman third class aboard the USS Lexington, a Navy aircraft carrier. He was wounded when Japanese planes attacked the ship in May 1942 during the Battle of the Coral Sea. The crippled ship was sunk by a U.S. Navy destroyer.

SHENANDOAH JUNCTION, W.VA. charlestown@herald-mail.com Vandals broke into a press box and a concession stand at Jefferson High School's football field Wednesday night, tearing up scoreboard and public address systems and smashing vending machines and food coolers, police said. In the concession stand, melted butter and nacho cheese was "poured everywhere" and all but one window was smashed in the press box, said Detective Victor Lupis of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department.

WILLIAMSPORT -- Williamsport United Methodist Church took on a diner-like atmosphere Saturday as people purchased meatloaf dinners to help raise $1,900 to repair tombstones that were overturned by vandals last month at Riverview Cemetery. The Rev. Susan Boehl said the fundraiser originally was scheduled from 3 to 7 p.m., but the food ran out at 5:30 p.m. "It's been wonderful," Boehl said. "People really come out for a good cause. We're just happy to be a part of it. " Boehl said she came to the church in July.

By RICHARD F. BELISLE Staff Writer INWOOD, W.Va. - A 32-foot Christmas tree, trimmed by more than 40 volunteers this weekend and lit in a community-wide ceremony on Monday, was set afire by vandals during the night Tuesday. The fire burned a three-foot wide swath up the tree from its base to the top destroying wiring, lights and decorations along its way, said Ray A. Ring of Bunker Hill, an organizer of the effort to put up a Christmas tree in Inwood for the second year in a row. "It was a beautiful tree.

kimy@herald-mail.com The fractured Yogi Bear statue at Jellystone Park Campground may soon be made whole again. The missing arm of the 10-foot statue, taken by vandals, is in the Potomac River at Taylor's Landing boat ramp, according to Maryland State Police and Washington County Sheriff's Department. Park manager Cheryl Smith said employees have been walking along shore looking for the waving right arm of the statue. They plan to keep looking for a few more weeks. If the arm is not found, an artist will be hired to make a cast from a similar statue and fashion a replacement, Smith said.

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. - Shepherd University Campus Police on Tuesday were trying to find those who vandalized the newly installed FieldTurf at Ram Stadium. According to the report posted on Shepherd's Web site, an approximately 4-foot by 8-foot section of turf was cut out and removed. The section contained "50" in large white numbers against a bright green background. Sgt. David Kelvington, with the campus police, said the incident was reported Monday at about 9:30 a.m. by someone on the campus' facilities staff.

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. - Workers have repaired a section of new turf at Shepherd University's Ram Stadium after it was cut from the field by vandals, a school spokeswoman said Thursday. Workers were applying the number "50" to the field Thursday where the section was removed, said Valerie Owens. Owens said a police investigation into the vandalism was continuing. It is possible that the entire turf project could be completed by next week, Owens said. Shepherd officials decided to put an artificial surface on the field after dealing with water drainage problems at the 5,000-seat stadium.