Traffic Stop Leads to Arrest
March 27, 2010
On March 26, 2010 at approximately 10:50 am OFC Debord conducted a traffic stop on SB Rt. 15 for a speeding violation that occurred in the Town of Thurmont. The vehicle was occupied by three (3) subjects. During the course to the traffic stop, OFC Debord performed a wanted query on all three subjects. A passenger in the vehicle was identified as: Jorge Alberto Amaya Constanza, age 25, of Beltsville Maryland. OFC Debord received a query response which indicated that Mr. Constanza was wanted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for Failing to Appear for a Deportation Hearing. Mr. Constanza was taken into custody and transported to the Thurmont Police Department where his identity and wanted status was confirmed by ICE. Mr. Constanza was transported to Central Booking and turned over to an ICE Agent.
Media release was prepared by:
Lt. P. Allen Droneburg
Deputy Chief of Police
Thurmont Police Department
Fitness Matters By George Puvel
March 14, 2010
Expert answers to your health and wellness questions
Question: It’s obvious to me that women see their physicians much more frequently than men. As a guy, I want to be proactive about my health, but I really don’t know how often to schedule regular check-ups. Any advice?
Answer: That’s a great question, and one that lots of fellas have probably been curious about. To be honest, it really depends on who you ask. Every doctor is different, and I’m sure they all have an opinion when it comes to this issue. My advice would be to ask your personal physician first. You can also follow something I like to call the 5-year rule. This means that you should schedule a doctor visit at least every 5 years, starting right after high school and continuing through to age 50. After that, more frequent visits may be in order in hopes of catching any health issues early on as you get older. Ideally, the visits should include a basic physical exam, as well as comprehensive blood work. This should be enough to keep you healthy and happy for years to come, but again, ask your doctor what he/she thinks as well!
Question: Boot camps seem to be a pretty popular form of exercise these days. What do you think of these workouts-worth a try?
Answer: You’re right-boot camps have taken the country by storm. Group exercise instructors are including them in the club setting, and we’ll soon be including them as well. I like boot camp workouts because they’re different. They get you out of your fitness comfort zone. When workouts become stagnant, results tend to follow, and this is sure to have a detrimental effect on your motivation to exercise. These types of workouts also tend to focus on multi-joint, full-body movements with both cardio and strength components, which often produce greater fitness benefits. But that’s not even the best part! Boot camps are a lot of fun, and we all know you’re more likely to participate in something that you find enjoyable.
Question: Lately, I’ve become much more aware of my carbohydrate intake, specifically focusing on sugars. I watch sweets and limit refined grains, but what about fruit? It obviously has a lot of sugar, so should I limit that too?
Answer: Fruit is essentially all sugar, but it also has lots of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. Because of this, there is no reason to limit or avoid fruit. In fact, most people could probably use an extra serving or two each day. The only individuals that may need to moderate their intake a bit would be those dealing with diabetes, but even they can still have a few servings daily, as long as they’re spaced well throughout the day. Generally, when we talk about limiting sugar, we’re focusing on the added sugars that seem to appear in so many foods. Added sugars contribute significantly to overall carbohydrate and calorie intake, and are one of the many reasons for the nation’s expanding waistline. Unfortunately, it’s very easy for an avoidance of added sugars to become an avoidance of all sugars, and even carbohydrates in general. Let’s not forget-carbohydrates are an important energy source for the brain, the red blood cells, and our muscles. And carbohydrate-heavy foods are not just empty calories; they contain a variety of other healthful nutrients as well!
About the author: George Puvel is the club owner at Anytime Fitness in Thurrmont. To submit a question for future articles, please contact the author at Thurmontmd@anytimefitness.com.
Senior Moments-Lifetime of Civic Duty by Carol Hutson
March 13, 2010
We often hear of people who go above and beyond for their community; those who always put the needs of others before their own. We have many such people in “Our Town,” people who first and foremost truly want to make Thurmont, a better place to live. One such person is our own James Mackley.
James H. Mackley, born on January 3, 1929, to Lloyd and Ruth Mackley. Jim being the fourth generation volunteer firefighter, followed in his great-grandfather James C. Mackley, grandfather Irvin Mackley, and father Lloyd Mackley’s footsteps when he joined the Guardian Hose Company volunteer fire department on December 6, 1945, at the tender age of 16, he was one of the youngest volunteer firefighters at the time. “Because so many men were in the military they lowered the age limit which allowed Jim and others to join.” noted president of the Guardian Hose Co. Wayne Stackhouse. “December 6, 2010, will commemorate his 65 years of dedicated service, Jim has served the fire co. and the Thurmont Ambulance Co. with dedication unlike any other.” he added. Trustee, Terry Frushour advises, “Jim took his fire training course in 1946, served as Assistant Fire Chief and as Fire Chief from 1978-1987 and received the Special Life Member award on February 15, 1975. He was inducted into the Frederick County Fire and Rescue Association Hall of Fame in 1997.” Assistant Treasurer Bill Zentz added, “What is important to know about Jim, he remained an important member of the company long after many people burned out, he is phenomenal.” Wayne advised, “Jim Mackley came up through the ranks, starting as a line officer hanging off the back-end of the truck, all the way through to chief. He is well respected. I call it, a PILLAR, if you wanted to build a foundation for a fire company, he would be the COLUMN you would build around. He has been instrumental in every aspect of the fire co. He still takes active interest in the meetings and fund raisers.” Terry adds, “Jim has always been a mentor for many in the co. He is someone to look up to if you wanted to set goals. He was an assistant Boy Scout leader and very active in his church and on the church council, Jim and Dot have served Meals on Wheels for years to seniors in our community.”
Jim has seen many changes in the fire company, “When I started they did not have turn-out gear. My first big fire, cinder sparks filtered down burning holes in my coat,” Jim remembers. Jim was an active member of the fire co. until he had a very bad spill on his scooter while responding to the fire alarm, hitting his head on the curb he was flown to Hagerstown for treatment, which ended his career otherwise at 81 he would still be gearing up at the sound of the alarm. One important aspect I took away from my interview with these very active- life long dedicated members of our Guardian Hose Company is, they are not only a ‘brotherhood of firefighters,’ they are family! None, taking credit or trying to standout above the rest. A foundation as President Stackhouse said, that has built this fire company into the most active VOLUNTEER fire company in Frederick County! Jim served in the Navy after he graduated from high school in 1946, his tour of duty took him to the Mediterranean for two years, after which his adventurous spirit lead him to Alaska where he worked for a gold mining company for two years. It was on one of his visits home in 1951, that fate intervened, while driving his Chevy a pretty young nursing student riding in a Model A Ford called out, “I like Chevy’s.”
That was the beginning of their love story. Dorothy grew up on a farm in Bedford, PA and was training at Victor Cullen’s Sanatorium to be a nurse. Jim and Dorothy dated for three years. Jim knew that Dorothy was the one he wanted to spend his life with, they were married on June 5, 1954. They moved into their home on Main Street five months after their marriage and has lived there ever since. Dorothy worked as an in-home nurse until retirement. They have been blessed with three wonderful children: Mike (Chuck), Ruth and Sally, and have seven beautiful grandchildren: Ryan, Sarah, Meghan, Emily, Matthew, Elizabeth and Christopher. Jim loves it when his twin granddaughter’s, Sarah and Meghan say “Oh, pappy your so cute!” Jim is well known for his sense of humor and pranks. In his younger days while trying to attract Dot’s attention as she and her friends were swimming, Jim and his mischievous pals hooked firecrackers to the spark plugs of their car, it startled the girls when it gave a loud bang when they started it. Jim recounts the time Dot and her friends were bowling, he and his playful pals placed a bucket under the back axle of their car, when the girls tried to leave the back tires only spun. “Jim and the chief of Rocky Ridge fire company have always try to outdo each other,” states Trustee Frushour, “I remember the time Jim presented the chief with an agitator from a wash machine.” he laughs.
Jim’s Treasured Moment: Getting married and the birth of their children and grandchildren.
Jim’s Senior Moment: Being honored in 2005 for his 60 years of service to the fire company.
Dorothy’s Treasured Moment: When their son Chuck was ordained 25 years ago, he is currently serving as minister to the United Church of Christ in Clear Spring.
Beware! Fradudulent check mailings in Thurmont
March 10, 2010
Please view the attached documents which have been determined fraudulent by the thurmont Police Dept. We are advising all residents to be cautious not to become a victim of these schemes.
Please notify the Thurmont Police Department at 301-271-0905, or by
stopping in Mon.-Fri. (8am-4pm) if you receive any suspicious fraudulent
mailings.
Hello Thurmont from Commissioner Terpko
March 5, 2010
Hello Thurmont,
We weathered the storm and made it through all the snow. We did have some tough challenges and town staff, as always, handled the situations with ease and the utmost professionalism. With approximately 50 plus inches of snow that fell, the town staff had to literally remove most of the snow on most streets in town. There were many streets where staff had to use a skid loader to remove snow from the roadways and then run a plow on the road to remove any remaining snow. Most of the town residents had patience and understanding in this matter. I know a lot of people wonder how town staff determines which roadways are to be cleared first and why. Well it is done according to need, for example: Main roadways through town are done first and roadways to our industrial area of town. Then staff does the hills, side roads and roads leading to businesses such as grocery stores, etc. After these roads are done, then the town starts in developments and clears those roads. During the blizzard, town staff had to also open roadways for 1st responders or emergency responders so they could get out to assist others in town or in the county. Town staff will also assist the police department, ambulance company or the fire department on calls to ensure the roadways are clear and they can respond to the residents in need. For the most part this plan works well. Where town staff ran into problems is when we have a major storm and residents have vehicles parked on both sides of the streets. This causes problems trying to get a plow down the road and then the street does not get cleared or cars get plowed in or worse a car or vehicle gets hit. The Board of Commissioners is working on a plan with staff to possibly alleviate this situation. A suggestion would be, in developments where people have driveways and yards, put the cars there and remove them from the streets. Other areas possibly have everyone park on the even side of the road when it starts to snow, and then after the road is plowed, have everyone move to the odd side of the street. Then staff can have both sides of the road plowed. We also have the options of using the town parking lot for some residents who need off street parking. This plan is only in the discussion state, so if anyone has a suggestion or idea, please feel free to contact any one of the Commissioners with your thoughts and ideas. We welcome any suggestions to help make the plowing of snow go as smoothly as possible. Stay tuned, there will be more to come.
We will soon be working on next year’s budget. It is definitely going to be another challenging year. We will be reviewing all operations and expenses in each department. Keep watching for updates to budget items in all departments, including electric, water, and sewer. We will work diligently to not raise taxes, and keep all rates affordable.
In closing, I would like to thank our town staff for all the work they did during the blizzard keeping our roads clear, electric on, and water and sewer operating; also, our emergency service agencies which kept our residents safe and secure. I would also like to thank the following companies and people. The Guardian Hose Company, and the Ambulance Company for housing people who were stranded, could not get home or had to work to keep us safe or be able to respond to emergencies. WF Delauter and Son for help with snow removal, Biser Electric for assistance during the storm, Jan Lawyer for getting a business owner to work to provide fuel to the town to operate the equipment, and Direct to U for opening to provide diesel fuel to the town staff to operate all equipment to remove snow and allow our residents to get out and around.
Until next time,
All the best
Commissioner Ron Terpko
A word from Emmitsburg Mayor Jim Hoover
March 5, 2010
Snow or no snow this is the time of year that begin planning for this year’s community activities. Over the past several years activates such as the Farmers Market, Pool Parties, Concerts in the Park, Ice Cream Socials and the Powerful Partnership with Mount Saint Mary’s have been established. This year the Powerful Partnership has been expanded to include the National Emergency Training Center, Provencal House, Emmitsburg Library and Frederick County Parks and Recreation. And, again this year I will be hosting the 4th Annual Bar-B-Que Competition. Look for posters around town for dates and times of the many activities coming up.
In other business, the Lincoln Avenue water and sewer line construction is well under way. We have heard from many of you about the condition of the street and asking how much longer the project will take. Obviously the project has encountered some weather related delays, the projected is expected to be completed toward the end of April weather permitting. We understand the project has been creating some inconveniences and we appreciate the communities’ cooperation. Originally this project included improvements to add additional curb, cutter and sidewalks but, due to plans by the utility company to replace the telephone poles those improvements will be completed at another time in the near future.
Another project of community interest is the baby pool. Last year the baby pool was closed all season and is likely to be closed again this season. The pluming to the pool is in need of complete replacement but, the pluming is located under the pool. To replace the plumbing, part of the pool bottom will have to be excavated, this is not unusual but, it is costly. The Town is getting bid proposals for a variety of options to repair the pool and to replace the pool with playground equipment. Those options will be discussed and possibly considered at the March 15, 2010 Town meeting. The intent is to improve the overall pool complex. Recently (over the last 3 to 5 years) we added additional tables with umbrellas, a pavilion with picnic tables and bar-b-que grills and many infrastructure upgrades.
In closing I want to remind everyone that the Town Office is open until 7:00 p.m. every Tuesday. This is a great opportunity to pay water bills, pick up and drop of permit applications, reserve pavilions and pick up keys.
DUI & Possession Arrest
March 1, 2010
On February 27, 2010 at approximately 12:20am, OFC Fitzgerald initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle in the 400 block of North Church Street in Thurmont. After contacting the driver, OFC Fitzgerald detected that the driver had been consuming an alcoholic beverage. The driver was asked to perform standard field sobriety tests which indicated the driver was under the influence of alcohol. OFC Fitzgerald placed the driver under arrest for DUI. A search of the driver incident to his arrest produced a small baggie of suspected marijuana from the driver’s pants pocket. A CDS smoking device was located in the vehicle. The driver was identified as Stephen E. Owens, age 19 of Smithsburg, Maryland. Mr. Owens was charged with Possession of CDS (Marijuana), Possession of CDS Paraphernalia, Violating a License Restriction, Failure to Obey a Traffic Device, Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol Per Se, and Driving Under the Influence of alcohol.
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