Racers grateful for all the help

To the editor:

On Sept. 26 and 27, nearly 1,300 runners came through Washington County. This was the Inaugural Cumberland to Washington, D.C., Ragnar Relay.

The first runners left Cumberland at 8 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 26, and the last runners reached D.C. at about 6 p.m. on Saturday Sept. 27.

As captain of the RunnerzInTheNight team, I would like to thank Karen Abbamonte, Jerri Lapole and Ray Jackson for their dedicated help in the middle of the night. Ray and Jerri stayed at E. Russell Hicks Middle School from 10:30 p.m. until 3:30 a.m., helping the runners who were running through the rain.

Karen was at Cool Hollow Road in the dark from 2:30 a.m. until 6:30 a.m. The dedication of these people helped my team finish Second Overall and First Overall Male division.

My team and I would also like to thank the following businesses that showed their support by allowing the exchange points to be there: Mt. Olivet Presbyterian Church, Country Diner in Clear Spring, Hagerstown Speedway, Van Lear Brethren Church in Christ, E. Russell Hicks Middle School, New Dimensions Restaurant, Family Recreation in Washington County and the National Park Service.

The race started on the C&O Canal for about 30 miles and then continued on the road through Allegany County, Washington County and Frederick County.

It then went back onto the canal for about 29 miles before ending on the road.

The total race was 181.1 miles. The area can take pride in the fact that this was the biggest first-year race in the Ragnar Series.

There were 116 teams signed up, with most runners coming from out of the area, some from as far as Utah.

The teams were 12-person teams except for five teams that had six runners (Ultra Teams). There were three teams with local connections. Two were from Frederick County and my team was a mixture of people from Cumberland to Alexandria,Va.

The local runners on my team were myself, Doug Oates (Boonsboro graduate), Kevin Spradlin (former Smithsburg athlete), Eamon Connelly (Boonsboro graduate), Chad Connors (Frederick steeplechaser) and Victor Cretella (Frederick steeplechaser).

Next year the race should be bigger with more runners coming through the area. I hope there is as much , if not more, support for this great race.

Wayne Kretzer Jr.
Hagerstown

To cut budget, free nonviolent Md. inmates now

To the editor:

So Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley plans to eliminate 283 vacant officer positions in the Division of Corrections (Herald-Mail, Oct. 10, page A2) in order to save $3 million?

When O'Malley closed the House of Correction, I felt he had heart, but what heart he had has evaporated.

Compare and contrast his puny effort in corrections with Gov. Kaine ("Virginia to Close Prisons...," Oct. 10, Washington Post, Page A10).

Gov. O'Malley needs to take the same approach and close prisons!

If O'Malley granted a blanket six-month sentence reduction for every non-violent minimum security prisoner in Maryland's pre-release centers, he'd easily free 400 prisoners. If he granted a blanket six-month sentence reduction to every prisoner convicted of a non-violent offense, even if they were housed in medium security, there'd be another several hundred prisoners freed.

And if Gov. O'Malley wants to save another $3 million, all he has to do is take action and commute to "time served" the sentences of the 134 lifers who were in pre-release on work release in 1993 and returned to medium security, although not one of us so transferred had violated a single rule or regulation, and most were, as I was, gainfully employed, paying the prison for room, board, and transportation; paying federal and state taxes and Social Security, and not costing taxpayers for medical care as we were on Blue Cross/Blue Shield and similar plans with our employers.

Since I was checked back in in 1993, Maryland taxpayers have paid for two laser eye surgeries and a hernia operation. My ECI cell buddy, also one of the 134 lifers removed from work release, cost Maryland taxpayers an easy $100,000-plus for open heart surgery before he was finally released this past February by a sentence modification granted by Judge Wright.

The 134 lifers who were on work release in 1993 when the policies changed have now cost Maryland taxpayers more than $50 million for our needless, continued incarceration.

Take 134 lifers times 15-plus years times a $25,000 minimum expense per year. It adds up to more than $50 million for a politician's folly.

Most of the 134 lifers who were in work release in June 1993 had college degrees and quality jobs.

I was a maintenance mechanic for a computer floor manufacturing plant; my cell buddy had a stationary engineer license and now works as a stationary engineer on the Eastern Shore in a wood-chip power plant.

What did Maryland taxpayers gain by keeping this kind of skill incarcerated for 15 more years?

Douglas S. Arey
JCI No. 130196
Jessup, Md.

Holly Place thanks you

To the editor:

On behalf of the residents and staff of Holly Place and our board of directors, Senior Living Alternatives Inc., I would like to thank everyone for all of the support you have shown us. The financial support has been tremendous and donations continue to come in daily, which is what we need to keep our doors open.

We continue to need donations so we can meet a matching donation of $20,000 from an anonymous donor. We need to raise this amount by Dec. 15, to receive this donation.

We also received more than 100 American Express rebate cards and were able to use them to replace our outdated smoke detectors and buy carbon monoxide detectors as required.

I also want to thank everyone who has donated paper products, canned goods, other food items and all of the other miscellaneous items we have received.

Our recent basket bingo was also a success and we thank everyone who helped us with that event.

We would not be here if not for wonderful, caring people such as you. We hope and pray that with the continued support of our caring community, Holly Place will be able to continue its mission to serve our low-income seniors in a safe home like environment.

Your tax-deductible contributions can be sent to Holly Place, 268 S. Potomac St., Hagerstown, MD 21740.

Melanie J. Davis
Executive Director
Holly Place