Thumbs up: Carroll County's newest sheriff's deputy has four legs and takes the name of a beloved Winters Mill High School student who lost his battle with brain cancer last year. K-9 dog Jake, named after the late Jake Offutt, is a German shepherd-Belgian Malinois mix.
After his training, he will be part of the K-9 unit as a patrol and narcotics-detection dog. Offutt's parents, Leach and Joe, were touched by the gesture of Sheriff Jim DeWees, who called Jake Offutt strong and courageous. K-9 Jake, along with his new handler, Master Deputy Brittany Powell, will go through 16 weeks of training before he can go on the streets as a patrol K-9. Once he's been on the streets a little longer, he will go through a six-week narcotics training session.
Thumbs up: The Community Media Center is hosting a series of training sessions this spring to get the community acclimated to the center's upgrades to high-definition production methods.
Last summer, the CMC secured a $952,000 loan from the county commissioners to upgrade studio equipment from analog to digital. The training in new technology begins Monday, March 28, with a four-class series on the center's new digital production switcher. The class is designed for beginners and requires no previous experience with production technology. Visit www.carrollmediacenter.org/workshops for more information.
Thumbs up: Leigh Swistock, a Manchester resident attending Carroll Community College, became the school's first student to win either the 2016 New Century Scholar or the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society's Guistwhite Scholar award. The former means she's the top Phi Theta Kappa student in Maryland; the latter means she's one of the top 15 in the nation from the 1,800 eligible.
Swistock's combination of academic excellence and extracurricular activities helped earn her those honors. Swistock will receive $5,000 for the Guistwhite Scholar award and $2,000 for being selected the New Century Scholar, funds that will aid in her plan to study hospitality management at the University of Central Florida after she graduates this spring.
Thumbs up: South Carroll's third consecutive 2A-1A team state wrestling title gave Carroll County schools six in a row, which ties a state record held by Anne Arundel and Prince George's counties. Winters Mill won 2A-1A state crowns from 2011-13 before SC started its current run of trophies. The county crowned state champions in South Carroll's Shane Conners, Joey Thomas and Jamar Williams, and Westminster's Ryker Eckenbarger.
Manchester Valley's Ethan Bare was Carroll's lone wrestler to finish third. Century's Cody Davis, South Carroll's Cam Werner, and Manchester Valley's Zach McAleer each placed fifth.
