Weather

Partly cloudy /A2

Five-day forecast 49/32 SportS

TODAY

Defensive Knights 49/32 Partlyprimed for cloudy. playoffs /B1

/A3

8 a.m. 35 Partly cloudy 5 p.m. 45 Partly cloudy 9 p.m. 40 Variably cloudy

THURSDAY

46/34
FRIDAY

Cloudy with showers likely.

www.carrollcountytimes.com

75

49/28
Morning clouds, becoming mostly sunny.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Westminster

SATURDAY

45/27

Partly cloudy.

40/27
Partly to mostly cloudy.
YESTERDAYS PRECIPITATION As of 5 p.m. Tuesday . . 0.00 in. Total for the month . . . . 0.50 in. Normal month-to-date . . 1.43 in. Total for the year. . . . . . 3.04 in. Normal year-to-date . . . 4.48 in. YESTERDAYS TEMPERATURES High . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Low . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Normal high . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Normal low . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Record high . . . . . . . . 70 (1990) Record low . . . . . . . . . . -2 (1979) POLLEN FORECAST The pollen season has ended in the area. Forecasts will begin KEN KOONS/STaFF PhOTO again in the spring. Poppy Kendall, center, helps Sidney Kendall, 2, vote for a superhero, while Sayre Kendall, 4, left, awaits his turn at the Mount Airy branch of MOON PHASES Public Library Tuesday. the Carroll County

SUNDAY

Police: Wagner hit mans car, head with a golf club

By S. Wayne Carter Jr.
Times sTaff WriTer

Resident arrested in assault

Children learn about election process during Mount Airy library event
By aliSha GeorGe
Times sTaff WriTer

Voting against the villain

NEW FIRST QTR FULL LAST QTR FEB. 21 MAR. 1 MAR. 8 MAR. 15

SUNRISE AND SUNSET

Sunrise today . . . . . . . . . 7:01 a.m. Sunrise tomorrow . . . . .6:59 a.m. Sunset today . . . . . . . . .5:43 p.m. Sunset tomorrow . . . . .5:45 p.m.

MOUNT AIRY Campaign posters covered the wall next to the voting box in an attempt to sway the election. Below a catchy slogan on each poster was a picture of the candidate and a plea for patrons to cast their votes. Spiderman, Batman, Iron Man, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and Storm all vied for the chance to be Mount Airy librarys favorite superhero during an

election Tuesday. After filling out a ballot, every voter received an I Voted superhero sticker and had the opportunity to participate in a patriotic craft that included red, white and blue tissue paper, glue and star stickers. The election activity was planned because it is an election year and states are conducting primary elections, according to Childrens Service Supervisor Beth Heltebridle. Voting is something

children may hear their parents talk about. This is kind of making the experience of voting one they can understand with fictional characters they know, she said. While the act of voting was geared at children, the theme was designed to attract many different ages and both boys and girls, Heltebridle said. Poppy Kendall, of Clarksburg, and her Please see Voting, A7

Police have arrested a Westminster man they believe assaulted a former acquaintance with a golf club Monday night at his ex-wifes house. Josh Lee Wagner, 24, was arrested around 12:27 a.m. Tuesday and faces charges of first-degree assault, second-degree assault and malicious destruction of property. Wagner is being held on $75,000 bail at the Carroll County Detention Center. Troopers from the Westmin- WAgner ster barrack of the Maryland State Police met with the victim, identified as Joshua Wallance, at Carroll Hospital Center where he was being treated for numerous contusions and bruises suffered in the incident. Wallance told police he had parked his vehicle in a friends driveway in the 2600 block of Baltimore Boulevard when a second vehicle pulled in behind him. The driver, later identified as Wagner, exited the vehicle and approached Wallances vehicle. Wagner started yelling at Wallance while he was still in the drivers seat, then pulled out a golf club and began hitting the drivers side window with it, according to the police report. After breaking the window, Wagner started striking Wallance in the head with the golf club. After striking him about 15 times, Wagner then began breaking the vehicles front windshield, according to the report. Wagner then got back in his vehicle and left the scene. The incident occurred around 8:17 p.m. Monday. Police found and arrested Wagner in the Westminster area about four hours later. Wallance was treated at the hospital and released. Wallances 3-year-old daughter was in the backseat during the incident, according to the police report. She was not injured. Further investigation showed that Wagner and Wallance had been acquaintances in the past, said Lt. Jim DeWees, commander of the Westminster barrack. [Wallance] was completely shocked by the attack, DeWees said. He thought [Wagner] Please see Assault, A8

Fraternal Order of Police to put up billboard

Sign to advertise fraud hot line, ask city employees to report suspected wasteful spending by officials
By peter panepinto
Times sTaff WriTer

The Carroll County Fraternal Order of Police is planning to erect a billboard in downtown Westminster that will advertise the City of Westminster Fraud Hotline and ask city

employees and residents to report any suspected wasteful spending by city officials, while new allegations of misusing funds and resources have recently risen. The billboard is Phase II of the FOPs campaign to uncover waste and fraud

within Westminster government, said FOP Lodge 20 President John Shippee. The hot line, which was Phase I has received more than 30 calls since it was established in January, he said. Shippee expects the billboard to be up by

the end of the month. New allegations of misusing funds and resources have risen since the hot line was established. The FOP is a charging that some city officials spent funds to repaint police vehicles that were ordered in the wrong color and that a former councilman requested a police escort through the city for his daughters lacrosse team, Shippee said.

Westminster Police Chief Jeff Spaulding responded to the new allegations, stating that the vehicles were paid for with money seized from drug dealers and that an onduty officer handled the escort detail, which only took 10-15 minutes. In early 2006, the department ordered five police vehicles from Ford and when they arrived from the factory, they were the

wrong color and did not match the departments fleet, Spaulding said. Ford would not permit the return of the cars as the color code matched the order. Its not clear if it was a city staff member or the dealer who made the error, he said. Two of the cars were put into service as is as unmarked cars, and the Please see Billboard, A8

Teacher of the year speaks at school

Parker talks to students at East Middle about succeeding in life
By aliSha GeorGe
Times sTaff WriTer

ToDAy IN ThE TIMES

Maryland Teacher of the Year Joshua Parker urged Westminster East Middle School students and parents at the honor roll assembly Tuesday to do what they did while watching the Super Bowl a few weeks ago: scream and cheer. Were going to celebrate the fact that these children made the honor roll,

he said. That is, I think, how we should celebrate achievement. Parker spoke at the schools three honor roll assemblies Tuesday to students who both made the honor roll and those who did not, said school principal Chris Roemer. While most honor roll assemblies only feature the children who received the honor and their parents,

Roemer thought it was important that all students hear Parkers inspiring message. I think hes a great representative of the teaching profession in Maryland, he said. Parkers message wasnt given while he was standing still. He instead shot baskets in the school gymnasium and asked for student participation. Everyone

wants to be great at something and there are three keys to becoming great, he said. The path of greatness is paved with stony roads of obstacles, which is the first key, Parker said. Sixth-grader Megan Alisauckas said students learned a lot from Parker, such as the importance of Please see Teacher, A8

Facing consequences
US, Europe consider harsh financial punishment for Iran. A2
INSIDE 2012, Carroll County Times
Business Classified Comics Nation/World C5-6 D1-4 C7 A2 Obituaries Opinion Puzzles Sports A4 A6 D3 B1-4

Discover your inner chef Find recipes and food trends at www.carrollcountytimes.com/ features/food.

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Westminster, Maryland