Worker

A worker applies a coat of waterproofing sealant Tuesday to the exterior of the SpringHill Suites hotel under construction near Valley Mall in Hagerstown.

In a communication-saturated world, there are several ways of conveying messages, many of which require tact. Uncomfortable situations arise frequently at work, in the public arena and even at home. Some communication experts say timing, location and the words you choose make all the difference. "It's not what you say but how you say it," says Siri Young, prevention specialist for Washington County Health Department. [cont. from lifestyle ] She believes in win-win communication, which provides meaningful contact for all parties involved.

A beam is balanced in place Wednesday as a worker welds it during excavation work on the Pa. 316 South bridge near Waynesboro, Pa. The $1.9 million bridge replacement project began in May and is expected to be completed by late April 2011.

A former employee of San Mar Children's Home in Boonsboro has filed a discrimination complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights, claiming she was discharged from her job because she is a lesbian, according to documents. Sarah Rutledge, 29, alleges her co-workers made disparaging remarks about her sexual orientation and marriage to a woman throughout her time at San Mar. Rutledge said she also was placed on probationary status on Sept.

HANCOCK - A worker installing lighting at Hancock Elementary School was injured Wednesday morning, according to Washington County Public Schools spokeswoman Carol Mowen. The male worker was injured about 8:15 a.m. and taken by ambulance to Washington County Hospital, Mowen said. The man was an employee of one of the school system's subcontractors. The project's general contractor is GRC General Contractor Inc., based in Zullinger, Pa., and the subcontractor is Shifler Electric in Hagerstown, Mowen said.

A worker who was believed to be using hot tar Wednesday at the Red Roof Inn in Williamsport was flown to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore after he was burned, according to a Washington County 911 spokesman. Additional details were not available Wednesday night about the person's condition. It is believed someone called authorities for help from the Waffle House across the street from the Red Roof Inn at 310 E. Potomac St., the spokesman said. The call was received at 5:09 p.m., the spokesman said.

A Boonsboro man narrowly avoided serious injury north of Hagerstown on Friday when a heavy piece of construction equipment fell and struck him, police and a worker there said. Eugene Griffith Jr., 26, of Boonsboro was taken to Washington County Hospital. He was conscious when he left the scene, said Maryland State Police Trooper 1st Class Andrew Smith. His condition was not known Friday evening. He was still listed as being treated in the emergency room, a hospital spokeswoman said.

What we need is an old-fashioned Democrat To the editor: Confident in my national family, I wait for the emergence of a Democrat leader. I do not mean the middle of the road realist who calculates the best chance of winning elections. I mean the individual unafraid to lose. I wait for the individual who presents a voice that cuts to the essence of the Democratic theme. Come what may, this voice will not waiver, never retreat except to achieve more than it yields.

While comparing bite marks with a co-worker a minute ago, it occurred to me how much havoc teeny weeny testy bugs can wreak with our lives. How powerful the itty bitty things are. What fear they instill in the hearts of men. As my co-worker and I talked, she was browsing the 'Net in search of information on Lyme disease. She showed me what was left of the mark on her left bicep, a circular pink area she claimed was huge and firehouse red a week ago. "A spider bite," I said.

FREDERICK, Md. - The driver who struck and killed a highway worker on the shoulder of a ramp in June was charged Monday in the incident, Maryland State Police said. Brian James McCully was issued a traffic citation for negligent driving, which carries a fine of $280, police said in a news release. McCully was exiting from U.S. 340 onto eastbound Interstate 70 June 26 when his pickup truck struck State Highway Administration worker Richard Wayne Moser, who died at the scene, police said.