Local Historic Documentary Uncovers Frightening Finds

HAGERSTOWN, MD - What was supposed to be a historic documentary of the "Hager Hotel" on South Potomac Street, which is now the home of "ACT Black Box Studio", took an unexpected twist when researchers found items which may be remnants of the building's tragic past.

The documentary, which was originally titled "History of the Hager Hotel", has since been renamed to "Haunting of the Hager Hotel" due to the unusual finds which were discovered during filming. Among the finds were several pieces of silverware from the hotel fire in 1926, as well as several blood-covered items including a serving tray, glass mug, and a bird skeleton.

The show's producer, Ken Buckler, stated that he was commissioned by Authentic Community Theatre to create the documentary to help celebrate the building's arts and entertainment heritage. Buckler is the producer of a web series called "History Hub Hunters" which explores local history through metal detecting.

The hotel previously was host to many entertainers who performed at the nearby Maryland Theatre. One of the musicians staying at the hotel was injured in the 1926 fire while evacuating the building, which at the time was called the "Castello Hotel". Other tragedies at the hotel include the mysterious 1940 death of a 17-year-old, and a brutal attack in 1941 when a resident of the hotel was beaten and thrown down a flight of steps.

"The first part of the documentary, upstairs, was going absolutely fantastic," said Buckler, "but when we got in the basement, things really took a turn for the weird."

Due to the age of the items, as well as the fact that there are no unsolved cases involving the building, law enforcement was not involved. Local government representatives were unavailable for comment.

The complete documentary will be available for viewing at the website, HauntedHubCity.com.

Antietam Broadband Prices to Increase January 1

HAGERSTOWN, MD - According to a classified ad posted in Herald-Mail, Antietam Broadband will be raising their Cable TV rates on January 1, 2020.

The cost increase is attributed to increases in regional and national programming costs.

	Current Monthly Fee	New Monthly Fee
Broadcast TV	$4.88	$9.03
Basic Plus	$46.45	$52.95
Variety Plus	$15.99	$16.99
Total	$67.32	$78.97

Additionally, the monthly fee for Digital Television Adapters will increase by $1.00 per month.

There was no mention of any planned rate increases for broadband internet access.

Citizens Above Partisanship to host County Commissioner Cort Meinelschmidt on March 25

WILLIAMSPORT, MD - Members of Citizens Above Partisanship, a non-partisan group of Washington County Maryland residents, will host County Commissioner Cort Meinelschmidt at their meeting on Monday, March 25.

Commissioner Meinelschmidt will speak about recent progress on ethics and transparency in county government. As part of CAP's effort to reach out across the county, this meeting will be held at the Williamsport American Legion post at 6:30 p.m., with the speaker portion of the meeting beginning at 7:00 and a Q & A immediately following.

More information is available at the Citizens Above Partisanship Facebook Event.

The WashCo Chronicle is an independent news aggregator and news source. We have made every attempt to publish only factual information, but if we made a mistake please let us know and we'll correct it as soon as possible.  The best way to reach us for corrections or news tips is through our Facebook page.

Inquiry to Arlington About Anti-Profanity Law

ARLINGTON, VA - The following letter was sent to Arlington County Government regarding their new anti-profanity law.

Hello, I am the editor of the WashCo Chronicle, and I'd like to learn a bit more about your recent anti-profanity law.

Is there a list of words which are considered profanity?

Is only English profanity prohibited, or is profanity in other languages also prohibited? Are officers properly trained in recognizing profanity in languages other than English?

Are there signs informing visitors to Arlington County of this law?

Do you feel this law will have a positive or negative impact on Arlington County? How?

Thank you for your time!

Ken Buckler

Editor, WashCo Chronicle

www.washcochronicle.com

A response will be posted once it is received.

Canal Fee Could Cost Local Economy $12 Million Per Year

HAGERSTOWN, MD - A local resident recently requested the WashCo Chronicle investigate the budget and proposed entrance fee of the C&O canal, in response to the recent announcement that the National Park Service may charge an entrance fee beginning in May. While a line-item budget for the C&O Canal is not currently available, the National Park Service "Green Book" budget is available online: http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/budget.htm

 Currently for local sections of the C&O Canal, there is no entrance fee, and no camping fee for hiker/biker camp sites on the canal.

The proposed entrance fee for 2015 is $3 per person or $5 per vehicle, which would then increase to $7 per person or $15 per vehicle in 2017. A hiker/biker camping fee would also be implemented at $20 per night.

According to the National Park Service, 5,062,079 people used the C&O Canal in 2013. C&O canal use contributes approximately $80,000,000 per year to the local economy near the canal.

In 2014, the C&O Canal requested $9,539,000. The enacted budget was $9,389,000, $150,000 less than what was requested.

For 2015, the C&O Canal has requested $9,467,000.

Assuming that on average a vehicle contains two people, if the full 5,062,079 people were to use the C&O canal, disregarding camping, this would provide the C&O canal an additional $12,655,197.5 in 2015.

5,062,079 / 2 people = 2,531,039.5 vehicles
2,531,039.5 vehicles X $5 = $12,655,197.5

It is unclear why the canal would need that large an increase in income, especially when upcoming improvements to the canal walls at lock 17 through 20, scheduled for 2017, are only estimated to cost an additional $3,967,000.

However, it's important to realize that if people do pay an access fee for the C&O canal, they may be less likely to keep spending money in the local economy. Assuming that most people are on a budget for recreational expenses, that $12,655,197.5 would be subtracted from local economy contributions. That's a 15% reduction in income for local businesses. What's worse, if some people refuse to go to the C&O Canal due to the fee increase, neither local businesses nor the C&O Canal receive the funds.

With many small businesses still struggling since 2008, one should question if they really could afford a 15% reduction in tourism income. This 15% could really make or break businesses which rely on C&O Canal tourism, such as local restaurants or stores.

Below are excerpts from the 2015 National Park Service budget as they relate to the C&O Canal. The full budget can be downloaded from http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/budget.htm

NOTE: This article was updated to correct a calculation error.

Ken Buckler is the editor of the WashCo Chronicle

Questionnaire Sent to Washington County Commissioner Candidates

This was sent out a bit later than I would have liked, but I finally sent out to the County Commissioner candidates the following questionnaire.  I will post responses as I receive them.

I am the editor of the WashCo Chronicle, an independent news source for Washington County, and currently working on covering local elections. Since you are a candidate in the November Gubernatorial Election, the following are the questions I wish to cover as part of the WashCo Chronicle.  Your assistance with this will be appreciated!

All responses will be published as received, and no editorial comments will be added.  Nothing will be added or removed from your response, so that voters can see the "raw" story.  All candidates are being sent the same questions.

Your participation is much appreciated!

1) Why should the citizens of Washington County vote for you to become a member of the County Commissioners?

2) What do you feel is the most important challenge currently facing our county? How will you address this challenge?

3) What are your thoughts on the Western Maryland New State Initiative - an attempt to break off Western Maryland from the rest of the Maryland, in order to better protect the our area's interests?

4) With the increase in cost of running fire and ems service in Washington County and the decrease in volunteerism how do you plan to increase funding or do you plan to propose a fire tax?

5) If elected, what will you do to bring more businesses into Washington County, and boost our economy?

6) Do you have any closing statements you'd like to include?

Thank you very much for participating! There is no word limit, and no deadline for submission. Of course, submitting after election day would be counter productive.  Responses will be posted to the WashCo Chronicle as they are received from the candidates.

Thanks,

Ken Buckler

Editor, WashCo Chronicle

http://www.washcochronicle.com

The status of each candidate's response will be updated below as they are received.

Beall, Brian  (Awaiting Response)

Bowers, Ronald L  (Received)

Miller, Millard H. Jr.  (Awaiting Response)

Miller, Paul F.  (Awaiting Response)

Baker, Terry  (Awaiting Response)

Barr, John F.  (Received)

Cline, Jeff  (Awaiting Response)

Myers, LeRoy  (Awaiting Response)

Wivell, William Joseph  (Awaiting Response)

Congressman Delaney Addresses Western Maryland Flooding

The following is a letter from Congressman John Delaney to Maryland Voters.  It has been re-published here with his staff's permission. Many thanks to Congressman Delaney for working to help flood victims in Washington and Allegany counties.

On June 12, 2014, heavy rain in Western Maryland produced severe flooding in Washington and Allegany County. Many residents saw their homes damaged or destroyed, businesses were flooded, and millions of dollars in damages were incurred. The damage was especially severe in Cresaptown, Bowling Green, and Clear Spring, where the flooding reached historic levels. Unfortunately, the State of Maryland has decided not to apply for federal disaster relief. Last week, I wrote to Governor O`Malley urging him to reconsider. After more than a month of displacement and loss, our flood victims deserve assistance.

In the storm’s aftermath, I was proud to see our communities show incredible strength and compassion, as area churches, neighboring communities and the Red Cross worked together to shelter and feed those victims who lost their homes. Neighbors donated to neighbors, friends and families came together, and hundreds of people came forward and asked “how can I help?” As the rebuild continues, I’m going to fight for federal assistance for Allegany and Washington County.

As your Member of Congress, I’ve urged Maryland’s state government to submit a formal request for federal assistance. State action is required as the first step for Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) aid to be delivered. Altogether, affected communities sustained $3.6 million dollars in losses and over 200 buildings were damaged.

When the Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) originally assessed whether flooded areas qualified for aid, the state agency estimated that flooding in Western Maryland did not meet federal standards. However, while the raw totals for damaged buildings fall short of federal standards for assistance, the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) can also consider the economic hardship of the communities affected, the number of flood victims without insurance, the concentration of the damages, and the depth of local resources. My letter to the state called attention to these factors, which I believe greatly increase our odds of securing assistance.

Although the Administration has missed the date to submit a request, it may still be possible to receive an extension to apply for assistance. In my letter to Governor O’Malley, I requested that MEMA file an extension for federal aid and offered whatever support my office can provide. I also believe that the FEMA standards need to be revised, because clearly they are not accurate when it comes to assessing disasters in environments like Western Maryland. Local families and businesses have suffered devastating losses as a result of the recent flood, and as elected officials we must remain committed to helping affected areas make a full recovery.

While I am concerned that Maryland’s state government never submitted a formal request for FEMA’s assistance, I was happy to see the Administration request relief through disaster loan programs administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA). On July 25, 2014, Governor O’Malley wrote a letter to the SBA asking that the agency issue a disaster declaration to make low-interest loans available to impacted residents and businesses. With so many families and business owners still struggling to rebuild, we have a responsibility to explore every avenue to recovery, and I was pleased to see the Administration do their part advocating for affected communities.

As our district works to repair damaged areas and move displaced families back into their homes, I will continue to act as a voice for those flood victims who have not received the help they deserve. If you or a friend of family member was impacted by the June floods, please contact my office.

Sincerely,

John

Shawn Quinn Confirmed to Attend Baltimore Pride 2014

Shawn Quinn (left) and Lorenzo Gaztanaga (right)

The Libertarian Party of Maryland website reports that candidate for Governor, Shawn Quinn and running mate for Lt. Governor, Lorenzo Gaztanaga will have a booth at Baltimore Pride 2014.  Saturday, June 14th, 2014 (from 2pm to 8pm) and Sunday, June 15th, 2014 (11am to 6pm) are the scheduled running time.  Both gentleman will be available via dedicated booth.

Baltimore Pride 2014 will feature many forms of entertainment with music, dining, and various festival booths, according to their website. The location has moved from previous years to the intersection of Mt. Royal and Cathedral Streets.  The following link is a map of the area (Artscape normally resides at this years location).

As previously reported, Shawn will also be at the Frederick Pride Festival later this month on Saturday, June 28th, 2014.  For additional information, visit the Baltimore Pride 2014 website:  http://baltimorepride.org/




Photo Source: http://lpmaryland.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Libertarian-ticket.jpg

Article is a guest post by David Malekar, who regularly contributes content to the WashCo Chronicle.