r/hagerstown

A reader’s guide to the agenda, the county’s closed-session problem, and what tomorrow’s special meeting could reveal about the ICE warehouse fight.

Why this meeting matters
A “special meeting” of the Board of County Commissioners is a focused session called outside the regular schedule. Tomorrow’s meeting has three open items, a closed session, and a packet that was revised on short notice. Two of the three items raise serious questions about how Washington County contracts for infrastructure work, and the closed session, as published, appears to mis-cite the Open Meetings Act in ways the statute itself addresses directly.

This guide walks through each item in plain language, then explains what’s wrong with the way the closed session is framed and what can be done if a violation occurs.

Item 1: A consulting contract that raises ethics concerns
The Commissioners are being asked to approve a consulting contract with GDMS, LLC, a small company whose principal is Gregory B. Murray.

Murray’s history matters here:
-He was Washington County’s Administrator until October 2017, when he was forced out under contested circumstances.

-His wife, Debra Murray, was fired at the same time over an unauthorized $250,000 loan tied to a county landfill project.

-He later became City Manager in Punta Gorda, Florida, and resigned in November 2024 after a publicly reported incident at a bar and a contested severance vote.

-Debra Murray has been CFO of Ellsworth Electric since 2018.

-Ellsworth Electric was founded by Commissioner John F. Barr, who remains chairman of the board.

So the company being awarded the contract is run by a former County Administrator whose spouse works for a business controlled by the Commissioner presiding over tomorrow’s meeting.

The contract itself includes:
-A one-sided attorneys’ fees clause requiring the County to pay GDMS legal costs in disputes.

-A broad scope allowing the County Administrator to assign additional work without formally amending the contract.

The scope overlaps with issues central to the federal lawsuit Maryland v. Noem, including sewer capacity, infrastructure readiness, and growth impacts connected to the proposed ICE detention warehouse in Williamsport.

https://preview.redd.it/2f6zhijajd2h1.png?width=960&format=png&auto=webp&s=f78f3bde6b28fe59f66b0ca69109a4922a8a3dfe

https://www.fredericknewspost.com/news/indie-pop-favorites-cults-will-headline-saturday-night-slot-at-silvervox-film-music-festival/article_2b5300cf-e90e-549f-b5ca-04cb20467ba9.html

*** SATURDAY JUNE 20th

New York's CULTS have spent fifteen years perfecting the bittersweet anthem — songs that sound euphoric on the surface but cut you open underneath.

Formed in 2010 by Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion while both were students in New York City, the duo broke through almost immediately with their viral debut "Go Outside," earning both Best New Music honors from Pitchfork and a deal with Columbia Records quicker than most bands get a rehearsal space. Their self-titled debut landed in the top 50 albums of 2011 and launched them onto stages alongside Pixies and Vampire Weekend.

What followed was a decade of fearless evolution, resulting in five studio albums that never sounded like the same band twice. Their 2022 TikTok breakout "Gilded Lily" introduced them to an entirely new generation, while their 2024 album To the Ghosts is among the most emotionally precise records of their career.

Live, CULTS bring a full band and a sound that is bigger, louder, and more alive than anything their recordings suggest, while Follin commands the stage with a presence that stops rooms cold.

CULTS’ Saturday night headlining slot sits within a music lineup with additional acts to be announced in the coming weeks, alongside 125 film premieres and screenings, in-person filmmaker Q&As, and the festival’s entertainment industry talks and panels programming.

Previously announced marquee programming includes “Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror,” with director Linus O’Brien, son of Rocky Horror Show creator Richard O’Brien, attending for a live Q&A, followed by a presentation of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”; Sundance 2026 and SXSW 2026 official selection “Joybubbles”; and SXSW 2026 premiere “Their Town,” directed by Katie Aselton and written by Mark Duplass; alongside a hometown homecoming concert from American Idol breakout star Rae Boyd.

More Info:
https://silvervoxfest.co

After rest stop? How far is the backup

? It was nearing 66 smithburg

Heard from someone that doors were locked, lights off, freezer section empty. Any idea what’s going on? Can’t imagine they’d be closing that store.

I’ve been wondering why Maryland hasn’t allowed community colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees, especially since some other states already do. In those states, community colleges can grant bachelor’s degrees in areas such as nursing, technology, education, etc, thereby improving affordability and flexibility for students.

In those states, community college bachelor’s programs are usually much cheaper than traditional universities. They often continue using community college tuition structures for upper-division courses, meaning students do not see the same sharp increase in cost that typically comes with switching to a four-year university. Even when there are small increases for bachelor's level coursework, the overall cost is still significantly lower than most public universities.

Hagerstown Community College (HCC) is very local and affordable. If HCC could offer bachelor’s degrees, it would allow students to stay local and earn a full bachelor’s degree without needing to relocate or switch schools. It would also reduce overall costs because students would be avoiding expenses like housing, meal plans, and other costs typically associated with traditional four-year universities. It would also benefit students who work (just like those who work while completing their associate's degree), and those who have families or children and are not able to relocate or commute long distances while trying to complete a bachelor's degree. Another benefit is that students could stay at HCC for all four years without needing to transfer after completing their associate's degree. It would also help students who prefer in person learning but are currently forced into online classes because their program is not available at USMH and they are not able to relocate or commute to the main campus.

There’s also USMH (University System of Maryland at Hagerstown), which helps students stay local and avoid extra costs like housing and meal plans. This is especially helpful for students who are working, or who have families and children who can not relocate or travel long distances for school. The issue is that USMH doesn’t actually offer a wide range of degree programs.

Has Maryland ever considered letting community colleges like HCC offer bachelor’s degrees?

On HCC's website, it says, "Thank you for your interest in the Interactive Design and Game Development program. This program is no longer accepting new students. Current students can continue in the program until they complete their degree or decide to switch to another available program. This program is suspended and not enrolling new students as of November 2025.” I don't know what’s happening to this program. There has been no information on why they've stopped accepting new students for this program, I don't know if they will continue offering it but will combine it with another program, and are there alternative programs?

So I went today and wanted to share my thoughts about it.

Got there before they opened, had a massive line but we got in pretty quickly. Right from the get go I noticed that a **ton** of vendors were using AI art that all looked exactly the same. It was pretty atrocious to see, and was disappointing. I really wish the venue would have banned AI art.

That aside, the main pavilion hosted pickle beer, pickle Jell-O shots, and pickle vodka. It’s $5 a shot or $6 a beer, so keep that in mind.

All of the vendors have samples, but they do it from the same line that you make purchases from, so the lines get backed up incredibly long. That being said, most of the lines that were super long, had terrible pickles. The stand outs were Epic Pickles, Mr. Crisp Pickles, and the booth next to theirs that I can’t remember the name of. All very solid choices.

The food there ranges from $9-$15 except this one AI slop place that has pickle grilled cheese sliders at 4 (they’re on crustini style bread) for $22, which is insane, and after we left we got all the ingredients for like $6 and made our own.

The non-pickle centric vendors are pretty good, the stand outs being Blind Spot nut butters who had amazing peanut butters and nuts, and there was a place with hand etched beer mugs/glasses/wine glasses that are super cheap.

It was a decent time, with atrociously long lines, very little shade, and shoddy cell phone reception that made all the vendors struggle with card payments.

I probably won’t go again but figure for anyone going tomorrow you have a heads up

Hey everyone, I’m relatively new to the area and looking to sell a car of mine, preferably to a used car dealer or something of the sort. For reference it is a 2004 beetle with a lot of miles that doesn’t get driven anymore (wife’s car and medical conditions prevent her from driving anymore). What places could I call in the area or junkyards that I could reach out to about selling this car for a quick buck? I would prefer to avoid Facebook marketplace, Craigslist, or anything of the sort.

Moved here into the area this last year! 28F. Stuck at a weird age and time in my life of transitioning into full-adulthood. Wanting to make friends who are around the age 27-33 and like-minded. I really enjoy anime, coffee shops, the gym and horror movies. I’ve seen great things about local breweries and hub city vinyls! Hoping to meet some good people :)

Hey everyone, 34M and I just moved out here to Smithsburg about 2 years ago. I play drums and had a band I used to play with when I lived in Albuquerque, NM. Been struggling to find people to play music with and have been playing by myself, which is starting to get a little stale for me. Does anyone know of any music groups or communities that need or want a drummer or are just open to the public? I’d also be interested in joining a band too. I basically play rock, but can attempt to play other genres. My training is in classical percussion and I know my way around a drum set! Hope to find some other people who are either looking for the same or know of where I could go.

A fiery resistance has sprung up in a conservative Maryland county after the Trump administration quietly bought a warehouse to hold detainees. They have a lot of determination — and some drones.

People volunteered to research city and county codes, pull water and sewer documents and file public record requests. An Uber driver took routes near the warehouse to keep tabs on activity there. The group even attracted two drone operators to do surveillance from afar. In a city where the only regular protests used to take place outside the downtown abortion clinic, warehouse opponents were now descending on county board meetings while Rage Against the Machine blared outside.

The Western Maryland warehouse is part of a broader Trump administration plan to convert several industrial spaces around the country into detention centers. The purchases have drawn bipartisan pushback in many communities, with residents worried about effects on the local environment, infrastructure and tax base. But nowhere has the resistance been so fierce and organized as in Hagerstown and surrounding Washington County.

The most energized warehouse opponents have no background in activism or politics — just a shared sense of dread about where the country seems to be headed and how their community figures into the administration’s plans. Dattilio grew up in Hagerstown, earned a degree in computer science from the University of Maryland, and returned to marry his high school girlfriend. He has four children between the ages of 4 and 10. His family has been in the area for 120 years.

He can’t shake the idea of Hagerstown becoming shorthand for “concentration camp.”

Anyone know what buses this fuck was on?! My kid rides a special needs bus and this piece of shit assaulted three children in my child's age range. I'm waiting on their bus right now as I got the notification from WCPS. Any info would be appreciated.

Hey everyone. I was wondering if anyone could recommend a vet in the area that is not owned by a private equity firm. TIA.