Young Adults

Writer-director Alonso Mayo has had his filmmaker's dream come to fruition: the premiere of his first full-length feature film. "It's exciting," Mayo said during a phone interview from a vacation in Lawrence, Kan. Mayo's film, "The Story of Luke," opened in limited release on April 5. For Hagers-town audiences, the film will be shown at the Maryland International Film Festival-Hagerstown  Saturday, April 13, at Academy Theater. The 34-year-old said he was in high school when he realized he wanted to become a filmmaker.

O.J., what were you thinking? Paris, can't you afford to pay someone to drive the car after a night of clubbing? Lindsay, didn't six weeks of rehab teach you anything? Michael, didn't you realize that killing dogs was wrong? And that the word was going to get out? Every week day, the editors of the paper meet to discuss the top stories of the day. We assess their value and where they should appear. With more and more frequency, we are discussing the merits of celebrities in the news.

Editor's note: There are a lot of people you see around town that you recognize, but don't know anything about. People like... Hampton Wedlock Age: 50 Occupation: Millwright at Mack Trucks Inc. Hometown: Hagerstown Where would you see Wedlock? During baseball season, Wedlock volunteers his time as an umpire for major league games at Halfway, Sharpsburg, Maugansville, South Mountain and National Little Leagues. During the over 20 years he has been umpiring for District I, Wedlock has been to umpiring clinics locally, as well as umpire school in Bristol, Conn.

Secret payments to EDC director must be revealed To the editor: Reading the articles about the secretive payment to the Washington County Economic Development Commission director should infuriate every taxpayer of this county. The argument put forth about the funds being personal income is a stretch of legalese to, perhaps, hide more onerous events such as the confidentiality agreement itself. People who hold positions of public trust should not purposely enter into such contracts in an attempt to shield the information from public scrutiny.

HAGERSTOWN -- By the time Principal Jeffrey E. Stouffer finished saying "congratulations," graduates had pulled off their mortarboards and tossed them in the air. The cascade of maroon and white, surrounded by puffs of flashbulb light, resembled a fireworks show in the middle of Hagerstown Community College's Athletic, Recreation and Community Center. The swell of excitement as Washington County Technical High School's Class of 2009 graduated was unmistakable. Several minutes earlier, the graduates' relatives and friends spontaneously rose for a standing ovation.

Editor's note: There are a lot of people you see around town that you recognize, but don't know anything about. People like ... Hampton Wedlock Age: 50 Occupation: Millwright at Mack Trucks Inc. Hometown: Hagerstown Where would you see Wedlock? During baseball season, Wedlock volunteers his time as an umpire for games at Halfway, Sharpsburg, Maugansville, South Mountain and National little leagues. During the more than 20 years he has been umpiring for District I, Wedlock has been to umpiring clinics locally, as well as umpire school in Bristol, Conn.

HAGERSTOWN -- "The day will come when this is your spot," Catherine Parson said, gripping the podium that held notes for her keynote speech. "When you arrive, don't tell me you don't have anything to say. You will be tested, so you will have a testimony. " Parson's words bounced off the walls and hung in the air over the Black Achievers Gala Saturday night. "Get prepared, you have a place to go," she said. The students in the Hagerstown YMCA's Black Achievers Program have heard the message before.

Week of Oct. 14, 1957 Mrs. James Long and son Stevie of this city now know the power of a skunk's defensive weapon, and that when they observe one parked on the porch at the front entrance, they'd better play it safe and go to the back door. But then, Mrs. Long and Stevie made the mistake of not immediately identifying the animal, because it was a rare albino polecat. Because it was all white with only a black spot on its back and one under each eye, they mistook it for a cat. "They had to throw away their clothing after they made the discovery too late that it was a skunk," said Mrs. Long's sister.

Hagerstown City Councilwoman Penny Nigh is correct - Hagerstown has enough rental housing, whether or not it's subsidized. A study by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond in the early 1990s found that the city's percentage of rental to owner-occupied housing was 60 percent rental, 40 percent owner-occupied, just the opposite of what the experts felt it should be. But that doesn't mean there isn't a need for more affordable housing in this county,...

"To the person who said they are retired and when they get bored to go out on the highway and drive the speed limit. I thought that was an absolute hoot. I chuckled to myself because I visioned you driving down Robinwood Drive, going the speed limit. I have also done that. When I go down Robinwood Drive, I always do the speed limit, you get 15 cars behind you, people sitting on top of the steering wheel, banging it, people pulling their hair, people looking like they are going to kill you because you are doing the speed limit.