Young Women

Kristine Bainbridge has accomplished more before the age of 30 than most young authors. The 27-year-old Williamsport resident has just released her second book. "Dark_god" is a 166-page murder mystery that prefaces the tale with an eerie tagline: "Do you know where your daughters are?" "Whenever I sat down at the computer, words and ideas just flowed," says Bainbridge. "It only took me about four months to write the novel. " "Dark_god" follows a young woman, Chloe, along with her friend Kara and sister Rory in a race against time to save Kara from a psychopath only known as dark_god, who is killing young women in a small town in a quest to gain immortality.

Young women gather for prayer luncheon The women of Zion Baptist Church held a prayer luncheon Feb. 28. Young women from area churches gave presentations describing the women who have influenced them and have a direct impact on their relationship with God. The young women gave thanks to their mothers, grandmothers, family members and women in American history. The church expressed its appreciation to the women for their openness and willingness to share their thoughts and lives with the community.

Happy New Year May you have a wonderful end to 2008 and an even better beginning to 2009. Cooking demonstration The Women's Club invites all members and the public to a cooking demonstration by Chef John Walla of Black Eyed Susan Restaurant on Thursday, Jan. 8, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the club at 31 S. Prospect St.  Admission is $12 and payment will be accepted at the door. Reservations can be made by calling the Women's Club at 301-739-0870. Treats will be available to sample.

HAGERSTOWN -- By competing in and winning the Miss Maryland competition this year, Louise Schlegel, 20, earned about $11,000 in scholarship money. The Silver Spring, Md., resident, who won the Miss Allegany County title before moving onto the state pageant, said that money will help her pursue a graduate degree after graduating from the University of Maryland Baltimore County. She's also considering seeking another undergraduate degree. Schlegel was one of about 40 people in attendance Sunday at a fundraiser for the Miss Washington County-Miss Western Maryland Scholarship Foundation at the Plaza Hotel in Hagerstown.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Women of Armenian descent will be eligible to apply for full-tuition scholarships at Wilson College under the new Hagop Bogigian Scholarship. Scholarships will be available to two women each year for up to four years, provided they maintain satisfactory academic progress as defined by the college. After four years, the scholarships would become available to new students. To receive a scholarship, a student would have to meet all Wilson College entrance qualifications and be accepted for admission.

Don't put weight before inner beauty To the editor: Growing up in today's society is extremely hard: not only because of high prices, but also because of the way people are pictured. All you hear about are children and adults being overweight. Although this is true, this is not my problem. I have a problem with how girls and women are pictured. Our society believes that everyone should be that "skinny size zero. " Our bodies are made differently and no one person will look the same.

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.VA. - "America, come twist these strands about the pole with us ... to celebrate the Earth ... to celebrate the final parking of our cars ... " Poet Edward "Ed" Zahniser composed those words for one of Shepherdstown's first May Day celebration's 11 years ago, but their meaning still resonated true with the family crowd that gathered Saturday on McMurran Hall's east lawn for this year's Maypole ceremony. "It was lost for years," Zahniser said of "Shepherdstown May Day 1997," a poem he dedicated in memory of the late 20th-century poet Irwin Allen Ginsburg.

HANCOCK - Outdoorsy from her earliest memories in Connecticut, Victoria Malaney grew up in a family that fished, canoed and hunted. Now a resident of Flintstone, Md., Victoria still says she is happy in the woods and seizes every opportunity to be outdoors even at the age of 81. "I went to camp in Connecticut," she said. "And my dad was a hunter who taught me gun safety, fishing and canoeing. " Seven years ago, Victoria learned of the Women in the Outdoors program through the National Wild Turkey Federation.

Orientation for contestants for the 2008 Miss Washington County and Miss Washington County Outstanding Teen Scholarship Pageant was held at The Plaza Hotel in Hagerstown on Saturday, Jan. 5. In addition to having their photos taken, contestants received information about the Miss Washington County-Miss Western Maryland Scholarship Foundation, the duties of Miss Washington County and Miss Washington County Outstanding Teen, scholarship details, code...