Young Boys

Week of Feb. 27, 1955 Young boys who get in trouble now and are hauled before the juvenile court may be surprised to learn that they have an FBI record. It was learned this week that in the case of one 13-year-old boy, placed on probation for stealing, police filed an FBI file card at police headquarters with his fingerprints, description and offenses. The blooming yellow crocuses on the post office lawn are a treat indeed for winter-weary eyes, but Postmaster Thomas M. Simpson says the bright little flowers are late compared with last year.

KEEDYSVILLE - Two young boys escaped injury Tuesday morning when a lamp overheated and started a fire that caused $60,000 damage to their 11 S. Main St. home. "There was a 75-watt bulb in a lamp rated for 60-watt maximum," said Deputy State Fire Marshal Ted Meminger. He said it appeared that the bulb overheated and caught the lampshade on fire, and the blaze spread to nearby papers and curtains. The duplex was occupied by Joseph and Claudette Gagnon and their five children, ranging in age from 15 months to 13 years.

Reno Powell, a staple of the Hagerstown baseball scene for more than four decades, died Friday morning at Washington County Hospital at age 81. Powell was a coach and officer at the Hagerstown PONY League for 42 years. He served as the tournament director of the sectional tournament held at Funkhouser Park last month. Powell delighted in working with youth. At the Hagerstown PONY League's 50th anniversary celebration in 2001, Powell said he was "a millionaire because you can't take the memories out of my head of seeing all these young boys and what they've accomplished.

tiffanya@herald-mail.com HAGERSTOWN - Toni Smith's life revolves around helping others. Maybe, it's just in her blood. Her father, Andy Smith, is president of Brothers United Who Dare to Care, a Hagerstown-based nonprofit that advocates social parity for minorities and other disenfranchised groups, such as the poor. He's seen as a mentor for young boys who go to the center for computer training, Toni Smith said. "He's always doing something for somebody," she said.

BALTIMORE -- Former Maryland Del. Robert A. McKee on Friday entered a guilty plea in U.S. District Court to a charge of possession of child pornography. Conviction on the charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and supervised release for life. Under the plea agreement, McKee, 59, of Halfway, could serve 37 to 41 months in prison and will have to register as a sex offender. The former Republican lawmaker will be sentenced Nov. 21. McKee was charged Tuesday in a federal information, nearly seven months after Washington County Sheriff's deputies, acting on a tip from someone living in McKee's home, seized computers and other items from the residence.

City man facing child porno charges A Hagerstown man has been charged with using the Internet at the Washington County Free Library to obtain pornographic material of children that he used to solicit a local boy to pose. Michael Wayne Ridenour, 30, of 156 S. Potomac St., was jailed Wednesday on $25,000 bond. He could face up to 24 years in prison if convicted on all charges, according to records in Washington County District Court. Investigator Kenny Barnhart of the Washington County Sheriff's Department was contacted on March 5 by a teacher at Brook Lane Health Services near Leitersburg, who told him about a letter a 13-year-old student found that day at his bus stop.

Slower pace Greetings, Neighbors. Life has been slow in our little hamlet since school let out, unless you are a parent of a non-driving child! Then, you are certainly doing your share of running. Bible School Lots and lots of Vacation Bible School activity going on, though. Boonsboro Bible Church on the east end of Main Street will hold SonTreasure Island from 6 to 8:30 p.m. next week, June 26 to June 30. Children ages 3 through 12 are welcome to attend, regardless of where they go to church.

marlob@herald-mail.com Before 1949, there was no Little League Baseball in Hagerstown. But Harry Fenton Bottorf Jr. and a few others decided young boys needed to have a wholesome sports organization to join, and the rest is history. Bottorf died Wednesday at the age of 84 at Coffman Nursing Home in Hagerstown. "Harry was a very gentle man who was always more interested in kids having something worthwhile to do, more so than just sports," said Joe Bachtell, who got involved with Bottorf and the growing Little League in 1952.

The journey from boyhood to manhood can be exciting and frightening at the same time. Boys today are receiving mixed messages on what it means to be a man. That's one reason that prompted journalist Bill Zimmerman to write "100 Things Guys Need to Know," a book for boys ages 9 to 13. Zimmerman surveyed more than 500 boys to find out what concerns them. As part of the book, he attempts to debunk what he refers to as the 10 Macho Myths. I asked him about these myths in a recent phone interview.

A 3-year-old girl was killed and a 4-year-old boy sustained major injuries when two vehicles collided Thursday afternoon on Wayne Avenue in Quincy Township, Pa., Pennsylvania State Police said. The names of the children were not provided in a state police news release that was issued Friday morning. Franklin County Coroner Jeffrey R. Conner said Friday afternoon that the girl died of her injuries at Chambersburg Hospital, but he was not prepared to release her name. Two other people, Kessa N. Wagaman, 20, of Rouzerville, Pa., and Rose M. Biddinger, 56, of Waynesboro, Pa., were taken to Chambersburg Hospital with moderate injuries, according to the release.

After a 2006 traffic accident claimed the life of Drew Michael Taylor, his family decided to create a foundation in his name. The mourning family members managed to turn one of the most heartbreaking events in their lives into a way to help others through Dash for Drew and the eventual Drew Michael Taylor Foundation. Every year, for the past seven, those who knew Drew and those who had only heard of the tragedy, gather at Greencastle-Antrim High School, lace up their sneakers and make the two-mile trek around the school's track and through Tayamentaschta Environmental Center in Greencastle.

WILLIAMSPORT -- A preschool-aged boy was rescued from a near drowning in the Potomac River Friday afternoon when his father pulled him out and performed rescue breathing, emergency medical services officials said. The boy had been swimming with some family members at the "hot wall" near Williamsport where warm water flows into the river from the R. Paul Smith Power Plant, said William Ball, chief of Williamsport Volunteer Fire and Emergency Medical Services Inc. The incident was reported at 4:04 p.m. and by the time rescuers reached the scene, the father had been able to revive the child, "which was a fantastic thing," Ball said.

SHARPSBURG -- Tom Settle doesn't believe there is such a thing as a bad kid. "I get tired of hearing people saying, 'Oh, kids today are juvenile delinquents,'" Settle said. "It's not juvenile delinquents. It's juvenile parents. " Adults need to model responsibility to children, Settle said. And he has spent his adult life -- 50 years of it -- doing just that. Following a boyhood of Scouting, Settle, 71, of Martinsburg, W.Va., dedicated himself to serving in leadership roles.

"The Obama administration is proposing a large gas tax to help pay for the next bailout package. This will hurt us all. " "We need men in our communities who are honest, loyal and believe in fidelity. When young boys see honor bestowed upon men who have walked away from family commitments because of their self-seeking pleasures, what are these young boys learning? Why are the dishonest, disloyal and infidels raised up? And what about the moms who leave dads and believe their kids won't be affected?

BALTIMORE - Former Maryland Del. Robert A. McKee on Friday entered a guilty plea in U.S. District Court to a charge of possession of child pornography. Conviction on the charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and supervised release for life. Under the plea agreement, McKee, 59, of Halfway, could serve 37 to 41 months in prison and will have to register as a sex offender. The former Republican lawmaker will be sentenced Nov. 21. McKee was charged Tuesday, nearly seven months after Washington County Sheriff's deputies, acting on a tip from someone living in McKee's home, seized computers and other items from the residence.

MARTINSBURG, W.VA. - What are little boys made of? Snips and snails, and puppy-dogs' tails, That's what little boys are made of. What are little girls made of? Sugar and spice, and everything nice, That's what little girls are made of. In gender-segregated fourth- and fifth-grade math classes next year at Mill Creek Intermediate School, the teachers of about 100 "little boys" and "little girls" will orchestrate an experiment to find out just how differently learning varies, too. "If it helps our students be more successful mastering math skills, it's worth a try," principal Kimberly Agee said.

MARTINSBURG, W.VA. -- What are little boys made of? Snips and snails, and puppy-dogs' tails, That's what little boys are made of. What are little girls made of? Sugar and spice, and everything nice, That's what little girls are made of. In gender-segregated fourth- and fifth-grade math classes next year at Mill Creek Intermediate School, the teachers of about 100 "little boys" and "little girls" will orchestrate an experiment to find out just how differently learning varies, too. "If it helps our students be more successful mastering math skills, it's worth a try," school principal Kimberly Agee said.

An 8-year-old boy has been charged with assaulting his school bus driver, pulling a gearshift of the moving bus and then trying to break out of a moving police cruiser after his arrest, according to a Washington County Sheriff's Department press release. The boy, whose name was withheld because he is a juvenile, was charged with resisting arrest, school: disturbing operations and attempting to manipulate vehicle device with malicious intent, according to the release. The alleged series of incidents occurred after the boy got into an altercation with a classmate while the two were being transported on Bus 399 on Tuesday about 3:15 p.m. in the area of Md. 64 and Trovinger Mill Road, deputies said.