Published: September 18, 2009 11:28 pm      

In Brief - 9/19/09

Horseback ride benefits St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital

GRANTSVILLE — A charity horseback riding event to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital will held on Oct. 3 beginning at noon.

The ride will take equestrians through parts of scenic Grantsville. A free dinner will be provided at the end of the event. Those interested in participating in the fundraiser or obtaining more information should call (301) 895-5592.



Fall foliage hotline gives peak times, information about festivals

CUMBERLAND— As autumn arrives and leaves begin to change color, travelers planning to tour Maryland’s scenic countryside can call the toll-free Maryland Fall Foliage Hotline to discover when and where the leaves will be at their peak and to learn about fall festivals happening throughout the state.

Dial (800) LEAVES-1 to hear a five-minute recorded summary of where the brightest red, orange, scarlet and gold foliage will be in Maryland.

The foliage hotline is a joint project of the Maryland Office of Tourism and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

To receive a free Maryland travel kit, call (800) 719-5900. For more information, log on to www.visitmaryland.org.



GC classes focus on electrical hazards, QuickBooks functions

MCHENRY — Garrett College Continuing Education and Workforce Development will offer several classes in coming weeks.

In cooperation with the Maryland Center for Environmental Training, the office will offer Controlling Electrical Hazards on Sept. 28 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in GC’s Continuing Education building.

The course is designed for operators and maintenance personnel who deal with electricity in the workplace. OSHA’s electrical safety practices will be covered in detail. The deadline for registration is Sept. 21.

Electrical Licensing Exam Prep I will be offered from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sept. 25. The course is designed to assist students in preparing for the master electrician exam. Registration deadline is Sept. 21.

For more information or to register, call (301) 387-3069 or connie.meyers@garrettcollege.edu.

In addition, a two-session class titled QuickBooks Beginner Level will be held on the McHenry campus on Oct. 28 and Nov. 4 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. The classes will provide an introduction to QuickBooks for participants with little or no experience using the program. Topics to be covered include creating a new QuickBooks company, modifying the preset chart of accounts, adding information to company lists, opening and using registers for any QuickBooks balance sheet accounts and reconciling a QuickBooks checking account.

The sessions will be facilitated by Sarah Wilt, an established small business owner, consultant and Certified QuickBooks Trainer. For additional information, contact Maney Gale at (301) 387-3086 or maney.gale@garrettcollege.edu. To register, call (301) 387-3069 by Oct. 23.



Allegany High School class of 1954 will meet for lunch Monday

CUMBERLAND — The Allegany High School class of 1954 will meet for lunch Monday at noon at the Sand Springs Steakhouse, 188 W. Main St., Frostburg.

For additional information, call Carole Wilson at (301) 724-3068.



Sluggish demand affects West Virginia power plants

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Mild weather and a sluggish economy have resulted in less electricity being generated by West Virginia’s coal-fired power plants.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports that compared to last year, the amount of electricity produced by coal-fired power plants is off by 13 percent nationwide and by nearly 25 percent in West Virginia. The comparison is from June 2008 to June 2009.

Utility officials say that drop in demand means that some of West Virginia’ plant’s power plants have been taken off line for periods of time this summer.

Allegheny Energy spokesman Allen Staggers says three plants have had days where they haven’t produced electricity.

Appalachian Power spokeswoman Jeri Matheney reports similar actions have been taken at company generating stations.



Jury finds police officer at fault in fatal crash

UPPER MARLBORO (AP) — A Prince George’s County jury awarded $4 million to the mother of a college student killed when an off-duty police officer driving twice the speed limit slammed his cruiser into the young man’s car.

Jurors found Cpl. Mario Chavez at fault Thursday in the December 2007 accident in Bowie.

The crash killed University of Maryland student Brian Gray, 20, who was trying to make a left turn when Chavez’s cruiser hit the driver’s side of Gray’s car.

Mary Gray says the jury’s determination that her son was not at fault meant a lot to her.

Associate County Attorney Shelley Johnson says she hasn’t decided whether to appeal.

Chavez testified he drank three to five beers the night before the 7 a.m. crash. He wasn’t tested for alcohol or drugs.



Correctional officers acquitted in brutality trial

HAGERSTOWN (AP) — A jury in Hagerstown acquitted two former state correctional officers accused of beating an inmate at the medium-security Roxbury Correctional Institution.

Sixty-three-year-old Robert Harvey, of Hagerstown, and 27-year-old Keith Morris, of Warfordsburg, Pa., were found not guilty Friday afternoon.

They are among eight fired Roxbury guards who were charged with assaulting inmate Kenneth Davis in March 2008.

The only other trial held so far ended in a hung jury. Two other defendants have pleaded guilty.



Civil War battlefield in Virginia will be preserved

WINCHESTER, Va. (AP) — A Civil War battlefield that saw especially fierce fighting 145 years ago Saturday will be preserved under a $3.35 million effort involving an array of private and public funding.

The preservation effort announced Friday involves 209 acres of the so-called Middle Field of the Third Battle of Winchester, which was fought on Sept. 19, 1864. The Union Army’s 19th Corps lost 40 percent of its men to injuries or death during the battle — a total of 2,074 soldiers.

In all, the battle resulted in more than 9,000 casualties and marked a decline in Confederate power in the heavily fought Shenandoah Valley, according to the National Park Service.

“As someone with ancestors who fought on both sides of the American Civil War, the preservation of these battlefields has personal significance,” U.S. Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., said in a statement.

Preserving the 209 acres is important because they link areas already protected by the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation and the Civil War Preservation Trust, both of which helped broker and finance the purchase.



State responds to defense motion in Dixon case

TOWSON (AP) — State prosecutors have responded to motions by defense attorneys seeking to dismiss charges against Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon.

Defense attorneys contend prosecutors wrongly used Dixon’s official actions as mayor as evidence of wrong doing.

But state prosecutors contend legislative immunity and privilege do not apply to state criminal prosecutions of local officials. They also say none of the allegations call into question any legislative acts taken by Dixon.

Defense attorneys have until Sept. 25 to file a response. A hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 30 on the motions.

Dixon faces trial in November on charges including perjury and theft.



Delaware officials release sports betting figures

DOVER, Del. (AP) — More than 14,500 wagers were made on NFL games during the first week of Delaware’s new sports betting lottery, state officials said Friday.

Sports wagers made at the state’s three racetrack casinos totaled $257,870, but acting finance secretary Tom Cook declined to provide details on the payout to bettors or the net result for the state.

“The state had a positive revenue stream the first week,” he said.

Further details on the early economic impact from sports betting likely won’t be publicly available for a few weeks, but the panel charged with setting the state’s official revenue forecast likely will adjust the lottery numbers when it meets Monday, Cook said.