The Blazers never trailed in the match before recording a 25-22, 25-11, 25-20 victory in the Class 1A semifinals. Clear Spring (15-5) will play for its third state championship in four years on Saturday at noon at Harford Community College against Harford County’s Patterson Mill.

“We knew going into the game that they were going to be a tough team,” South Carroll senior Elaina Murphy said. “I think for the most part our biggest challenge was our serve receive. They had some pretty tough serves and we couldn’t handle it.”

The best set for the Cavs (14-2) was the first. After trailing most of the set, South Carroll rallied from a 21-15 deficit using the service of Morgan Taylor. Taylor served five straight service winners, and Murphy and Jenna Todd contributed kills to go on a 5-0 run to tie the set at 21 apiece. That, in turn, forced a time out by Blazers coach Jessica Custer.

The Blazers looked like a different team after the time out. Clear went on a 4-1 run to close out the set and record a 25-22 win.

South Carroll struggled mightily in the second set. After cutting the deficit to just one at 7-6, Clear Spring’s Ella Wagner went on a serving run of her own, recording five service winners including two aces to extend the lead to 12-6. Even after Cavs coach Kristine Keck called a time out, South Carroll continued its slide. A combination of Cavs mistakes and excellent ball placement lead to South Carroll only recording five more points and dropping the second set 25-11.

“I think our energy fell off in the second set,” senior Gabriella Deyo said. “That ultimately affected our play for the rest of that set. It was a mental thing, and I think that was our biggest challenge today.”

The third set was much closer. After a service error by Clear Spring, the Cavs trailed 20-17 late in the set. Clear Spring then got an ace by Kaisy Custer and kills by Juliet Hodge and two by Olivia Smith to end the set 25-20 and take the match.

The loss ends the career of South Carroll’s Murphy. The senior will leave as one of the greatest players in South Carroll history. She has already been named county Player of the Year by the coaches for three consecutive seasons and should win it again this year.

“I just blessed to have played these four years and stayed healthy and played with these awesome girls,” Murphy said. “It’s been a fun ride.”

Keck was just proud of the effort her team, which is losing seven seniors, showed throughout the year.

“We had an incredible season,” Keck said. “I think these girls preformed to the best of their abilities. The reason they were so successful is that they worked as a team and they trusted each other. That brought us further than maybe their athletic ability indicated it would.”

No. 13 Reservoir falls in Class 3A semifinals

In the Class 3A volleyball semifinals, Washington County’s North Hagerstown (23-0) used 28 kills from Marquette-bound senior Caydence Doolan to defeat No. 13 Reservoir (19-3), 25-19, 15-18, 25-13 at Thomas Johnson High School in Frederick

The Hubs will play Howard/Arundel on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Harford Community College. North Hagerstown will be playing for their fourth consecutive state title.

Doolan was almost a one-person show and kept the Gators off their game all night with her thundering kills.

Reservoir, which has overachieved this season after getting hit hard by graduation, just had no answer for Doolan. North Hagerstown also did a good job of taking advantage of serving errors and unforced errors by Reservoir. The Gators made several runs, and even cut the lead to 20-17 in the first set, but the Hubs were just too much.

In an interesting side note, the last Maryland school to beat North Hagerstown was Reservoir. The Gators did that in the state semifinals in 2021.

Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Tim Schwartz at timschwartz@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/timschwartz13. 

Barnes was charged in September in Montgomery County District Court after he allegedly flooded a Silver Spring baseball field over the summer with Montgomery County Fire Capt. Christopher Reilly. Both were charged with malicious destruction of property and disorderly conduct.

Reilly was acquitted Friday; charges against Barnes were dropped the same day.

“[Barnes] probably should’ve never been charged in the first place,” said Richard A. Finci, a lawyer who represents Barnes. “This whole thing has been blown out of proportion.”

Barnes was reinstated at the Reese & Community Volunteer Fire Company, but remains on nonpublic-contact status at the Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service while it conducts an internal investigation, Peter Piringer, the public information officer in Montgomery, told the Carroll County Times.

There is no particular time frame for the Montgomery internal investigation, Piringer said.

Finci said the charges were dropped after he presented evidence to the State’s Attorney’s Office that proved Barnes wasn’t present when the field was getting flooded.

A complaint filed to police says Reilly and Barnes “deliberately and maliciously sprayed” water onto the outfield at Blair Baseball Stadium around 5:35 p.m. July 17. Reilly told police his actions were out of “frustration” due to baseballs repeatedly hitting vehicles parked at the fire station, according to charging documents.

Video provided to police showed Barnes parking the fire truck, removing the hose and hooking it up to a fire hydrant, according to the charging documents. Reilly then activated the water hose and aimed it at the field for about three minutes.

Finci said Barnes was following his captain’s orders before receiving a call and going inside the station. He came back to find Reilly spraying the field, Finci said.

The fire station is behind the left field fence of the stadium, where the Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts of the Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate Baseball League play. The team was scheduled to play a 7 p.m. game, but it was canceled due to the flooded field.

In the charging documents, Thunderbolts founder Richard O’Connor told police: “We lost substantial income due to the cancellation of the game and the disruption to our end-of-season league schedule.” Fans were refunded for the canceled game.

O’Connor declined to comment while the litigation was pending and could not be reached about the dropped charges and acquittal.

Since it is a “smaller baseball field,” the college players were “bashing home runs” during batting practice, Finci said. There had been pleas in the past for raised nets after balls repeatedly hit fire department property.

During Reilly’s trial, it was revealed that rain from the previous night had threatened the game before the flooding, Finci said.

Have a news tip? Contact Brendan Nordstrom at bnordstrom@baltsun.com or at 443-900-1353.

Now 26, Sigmon has started Kelly’s Homemades, and her all-natural soaps, bath bombs, body scrubs and more products are for sale at several Carroll County farmers markets and businesses.

Sigmon created the line for people with sensitive skin, like herself, and says her products are better than mass market ones, because “You know what the ingredients are,” she said.

Sigmon, who has Down syndrome, was one of about 15 entrepreneurs who were selling everything from bandannas to baked goods at a vendor fair for business owners with disabilities in Westminster Sunday. All of the vendors have started their businesses with the help of Bello Machre. This nonprofit provides housing, job opportunities and social services to people with disabilities in Carroll and Anne Arundel counties.

“We started doing this [vendor fair] about three years ago, and it’s just grown since then,” said Ashlie Pack, director of community development services for Bello Machre.

Bello Machre serves nearly 300 people across the two counties, about 50 of whom use the organization’s employment services. Pack and others serve as job coaches, helping individuals secure employment in the community and start their own businesses.

“Our staff ask a lot of questions, watch people find out what they like, and then assist the people we support in dreaming big,” said CEO Robert Ireland. “[We ask] ‘If you had your perfect world, what would that look like? What would you like to be doing?'”

Some people who use Bello Machre’s programs also end up helping with the organization’s social services. Billy Schmidt, another vendor at Sunday’s job fair who was selling handmade dog bandannas, also works as a peer-to-peer advocate specialist at the organization and helps provide crisis intervention training for local police officers.

“I teach people how to say ‘no,’ and when to say ‘no,'” Schmidt said.

Beyond their career services, Bello Machre also owns several group homes that are open to people with disabilities, which Ireland said is “the foundation” of their programs. They house 160 people total, with most of these in Anne Arundel. Currently, they have four homes in Carroll County that house four people each, and Ireland said on Sunday that they’ve recently acquired a fifth house.

Providing housing is crucial for people with disabilities, who, Pack said, often face long waitlists for accessible homes. And through the employment and entrepreneurship programs, participants also get an opportunity to build their career and get more involved in the Carroll community.

“Carroll County is very accepting for people with disabilities. I wish outside communities were more like ours,” Pack said.

Have a news tip? Contact Lily Carey at LCarey@baltsun.com.

Coker, who stepped in as the commerce secretary in February, paid a visit to Carroll County on Monday, toured several businesses such as Knorr Brake, and met with local leaders.

A lifelong Marylander and former senior executive at both the CIA and the National Security Agency, Coker also has a background in cybersecurity, and has emphasized the importance of investing in technology such as artificial intelligence to help grow the state’s economy.

During his tour, Coker celebrated the 120th anniversary of Knorr’s parent company, Knorr-Brehme, and shared his strategies for helping rural counties like Carroll attract more businesses while also balancing “traditional economies” such as agriculture and tourism.

“The approach that we discussed today is balance and compromise,” he told the Carroll County Times. “With [my policy priorities] of quantum artificial intelligence, and to a degree, another one is computational health, they are going to require more data centers. Data centers require energy, and we have to strike the right balance.”

Energy development has been a major talking point among Carroll County’s local leaders over the past several months. The county has seen an influx of solar developers looking to build community solar farms on land that’s zoned for agriculture. This trend has sparked fierce opposition from the county’s commissioners, who have vowed to slow clean energy developers as much as possible in the name of preserving farmland.

Carroll has also historically struggled to attract businesses to the area, and nearly a third of the county’s population commutes to another county for work.

Coker, who also met with Carroll County commissioners on Monday, said he wants to help “amplify” the message that “Carroll County is open for business.” That message may also invite industries that county leaders have historically been opposed to.

“Speaking frankly, there was a discussion about solar on rural and agricultural land,” Coker said. “We have to talk and strike the right balance. We don’t want to overdo it and take up too much agriculture and lead to food insecurity. … We do need to keep an eye on that. But there’s a sweet spot, if you will, somewhere in there, where we appropriately balance solar with with other land uses.”

Tariffs imposed by the Trump administration have also taken a toll on Carroll County’s large manufacturers, including Knorr Brake. The company’s North America division, which has had its headquarters in Westminster since 1973, employs about 415 people and makes equipment such as brakes, HVAC systems and door systems for trains serving public transit systems — including the MTA Baltimore light rail system.

For Knorr, which imports over 50% of its materials from its Germany-based parent company, the rapidly changing tariffs have been a major hurdle, and have impacted the pricing that they provide to their partners in the train manufacturing business.

“We’re trying to recoup as much from tariffs as we can. But it has been a big hit to our profitability this year,” said Dave Welly, vice president of transit sales for Knorr. “Let’s face it, we don’t know what the tariffs are going to be in six months, a year.”

Coker said his office is working closely with Maryland’s delegation in Congress to encourage the Trump administration to take a more “consistent and fair approach” to tariffs, urging federal leaders to “be clear about it and try to keep them stable.” The state has also been encouraging foreign businesses to come to Maryland through its Global Gateway Program, which Coker said can provide opportunities for companies who might otherwise be discouraged from doing business with the United States due to the tariffs.

Overall, Coker said his goal is to make sure these companies reach the whole state, from major cities such as Baltimore and the Washington, D.C., suburbs to rural counties like Carroll.

“We want to ensure that no one tries to limit the ecosystem to a small geographic footprint in the state. The ecosystem is statewide,” Coker said. “No one should be shying away from opportunities saying, ‘Oh, that artificial intelligence, that quantum is too high tech for us.’ It’s not. Opportunities persist for all of the counties in Maryland.”

Have a news tip? Contact Lily Carey at LCarey@baltsun.com.

In October, the Public Service Enterprise Group sued the owners of 64 properties along the proposed route for the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project and asked the U.S. District Court for Maryland to allow it to access the properties for land surveys.

While the landowners argued that a private entity shouldn’t be granted the right to enter their property, the utility wrote Monday that these arguments don’t hold up — and that they’ve already been struck down in two nearly identical lawsuits from earlier this year.

“Respondents’ motion to dismiss lacks merit,” the letter reads. “Given the time-sensitive nature of the surveys … the Company respectfully requests that the Court promptly deny the motion to dismiss and grant the Company’s motion for preliminary injunction.”

The 67-mile transmission line, which would be the longest in Maryland if approved, has drawn backlash from more than 300 residents who live along the line’s proposed route, and has sparked an intense debate over property rights that has reached a federal court of appeals.

All three lawsuits ask the district court to grant the utility company the limited right of entry to these properties, using the legal concept of eminent domain — the idea that government-backed entities can enter private property in service of the public good, as long as landowners are provided with “just compensation.”

PSEG is a private company and does not yet have government backing, since the project has not received a permit from the state. But the company argues that, because the transmission line was agreed upon by interstate electric grid regulators and will be overseen by the Federal Electric Regulatory Commission, it has the right to use eminent domain to enter these properties.

Regulators have argued that the transmission line is urgently necessary to provide greater stability to Maryland’s power grid, which interstate regulator PJM projects could be staring down a dire electric shortage in the next few years if the state doesn’t build more power generators and transmission lines.

Opponents of the transmission line, led by activist group Stop MPRP, have afrgued that the court should change its interpretation of this statute, and that a private company should not have the right of entry to Marylanders’ properties unless it already has a permit approved.

However, the same district court judge overseeing this case has ruled in favor of PSEG in two similar cases, in which PSEG also sued two other groups of landowners and was granted land entry rights.

“This Court has already agreed that [a state statute] empowers the Company to enter private properties to conduct the surveys for which the Company seeks a temporary right of access here,” the letter reads. “While Respondents present limited new arguments to support their interpretation of [this statute] and related statutes, these arguments fall short of warranting a different conclusion.”

The district court is holding a hearing in Baltimore on Nov. 25 to discuss several of PSEG’s requests for preliminary injunctions, including this case and another that would prevent landowners from hunting on their property while land surveyors are present.

Opponents of the transmission line aren’t giving up. After the district court ruled in favor of PSEG in the other two lawsuits, Stop MPRP appealed both of the rulings to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit. The court has not yet set a hearing date for either case.

Several opponents, including Stop MPRP, the Maryland Farm Bureau and representatives from Baltimore, Carroll and Frederick counties, also filed a motion asking the state to dismiss PSEG’s application for a permit for the transmission line altogether.

In a newsletter sent out Tuesday morning in response to PSEG’s recent letter, Stop MPRP organizers wrote that “PSEG is asking a federal judge to overrule Maryland’s own review process and let the company advance the project — and access private land — before the [Public Service Commission] decides whether the project is even needed, complete, or in the public interest.”

The utility company is set to respond to the motion to dismiss their permit application by this Friday.

Have a news tip? Contact Lily Carey at LCarey@baltsun.com.

Voters sent a message to Trump and Republicans in Congress by voting against their candidates in significant margins. The Democratic candidate for the governor of New Jersey received 56.6% of the vote; for the governor of Virginia, 57.3% of the vote; for the three Supreme Court races in Pennsylvania, plus-61% each of them; for the mayor of New York City, over 50% in a three-way race; and Proposition 50 in California won with 64% of the vote. The margins were so large that even Trump had to admit that they lost, while not accepting any responsibility.

Virginia Democrats flipped 13 House of Delegates seats. New Jersey Democrats flipped three State House seats. Mississippi Republicans lost their super-majority when Democrats flipped two seats in their State House, and Democrats won two statewide seats on the Georgia Public Service Commission — the first time since 2006.

Turnout broke records, even in California, where there was just one item (Proposition 50) on the ballot; almost 10 million voters showed up. Voters were motivated, and, as during the No Kings protests, Americans showed up.

Trump and his Republican supporters must have thought that Americans were not paying attention over the last 10 months. It was like they thought they could give tax cuts to the rich while increasing taxes for the rest of us in the form of tariffs, form a secret police force to intimidates U.S. citizens and legal immigrants, tear down parts of the historic White House, hold parties at Trump’s resorts while keeping food from American children, cancel federal funding for programs like the tunnel connecting New York and New Jersey and the wind farms off the East Coast, cover up Trump’s involvement with a serious pedophile, make life a living hell for trans kids, and we would not notice.

Republicans thought they were the untouchables. Democrats, however, reached out and grabbed them by the seat of their power.

A recent CNN poll found that 67% of registered Democrats or Democratic-leaning independents say they are highly motivated to vote in next year’s midterm elections, compared with only 46% of Republicans. If those numbers hold up and Democrats turnout like they did last week, both the House and the Senate will flip to the Democrats.

The majority of Americans are tired of watching ICE agents separate a dad from his 2-year-old son for not having proper identification and then driving the toddler away in an unmarked vehicle. We are tired of watching ICE agents pull teachers and children from their schools. How do they sleep at night? Americans can imagine how they would feel if these were their children and took those feelings to the polls on Nov. 4.

The Trump administration is using ICE to target anyone who looks Hispanic or has dark skin. Is there any wonder why Democrat Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey won Hispanic voters 68% to 31% and Democrat Abigail Spanberger won Hispanic voters 67% to 33%? Republicans can kiss the Hispanic vote goodbye in 2026.

Multiple sources have documented that at least 170 American citizens have been violently arrested in error by ICE agents during their anti-immigration operations. In many of these arrests, citizens have been injured as ICE agents employ unnecessary physical force, pepper spray or, in one example, breaking the ribs of a 79-year-old by pressing their knees into his neck and back.

Americans are upset and disgusted by Trump’s police tactics of intimidating ordinary Americans. Republicans are allowing him to do these things with their silence. This is why Republicans lost by such large margins on Nov. 4.

Trump came into office 10 months ago, promising to be a boon to the U.S. economy with more jobs and lower prices. Instead, the only folks benefiting from Trump’s economy are the rich with large tax cuts. For everyone else, layoffs are the highest they’ve been in more than 20 years. A Thursday report from the firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas shows job cuts last month (October) increased by more than 153,000, up 175% from October of last year under President Joe Biden. In total, companies have announced more than one million job cuts in 2025, up 65% from the same time period last year under Biden.

Trump says that we are all wrong and that the economy is excellent. He also said he has cured inflation, that gasoline is $1.98 per gallon, and that his tariffs are making us rich. Americans know better, and that is why Republicans lost.

Republicans lost because Americans are tired of their cozy relationships with people like Nick Fuentes, a well-known white supremacist, anti-Jewish, Holocaust-denier and pro-Hitler Republican. Fuentes should be condemned by all Americans, but has been frequently elevated by many prominent Republicans, like Tucker Carlson, who gave him a two-hour interview.

Most Americans were appalled by the comments of Vice President JD Vance, stating that the antisemitic and pro-Hitler remarks by Republican officials aged 18 to 40 were “kids doing stupid things.” His lack of condemnation speaks to the tolerance, if not acceptance, of these beliefs within the Republican Party. It also reflects on the future of the Republican Party as these young MAGA party officials move into leadership roles.

I’ve asked this question before, and I’ll ask it again: Why do these people feel at home within the Republican Party? Most Americans understand why, and that is why Republicans lost.

Americans are tired of a small minority of parents, like Moms for Liberty, pushing their culture wars into our schools. Other parents pushed back and kicked many of them off school boards in places like Bucks County, Pennsylvania; Douglas County, Colorado; Cy-Fair, Texas; and Albuquerque and Denver.

In Houston, Texas, where conservatives held a 6-1 majority on the Cypress-Fairbanks school board, progressive candidates won and now have a 4-3 majority. Americans are tired of the book bans and anti-vaccine stances of Republican school board members.

Republicans have been waging an anti-gay, anti-trans campaign for the past 10 months, including the Republican nominee for Virginia governor, who made this her central campaign — ignoring the economic struggles of voters — and this is why Virginians voted for the Democratic candidate with over 57% of the vote.
Americans are tired of seeing the rich get tax breaks while school lunch programs, along with SNAP funding, are cut. That is why, in Colorado, a majority of voters increased taxes on the rich to pay for free school meals for all public school children.

Even some Republicans are tired of being associated with a political party that covers up the evidence of sexual abuse of underage girls. David Shuster, formerly from CNN and Fox News, posted on his X account last Wednesday that “a few GOP House members say they’ve heard from FBI/DOJ contacts that the Epstein files are worse than Michael Wolff’s description of Epstein photos showing Trump with half-naked teenage girls” sitting on his lap. Worse? No wonder Republicans in Congress are working so hard to hide those files.

Trump and his supporters in Congress are hiding evidence of child trafficking and sexual abuse by the rich and powerful, and this is why Republicans lost last week. When the files are finally released, Republicans will have some explaining to do, which is why they are going to lose the midterms in November 2026.

Tom Zirpoli is the Laurence J. Adams Distinguished Chair in Special Education at McDaniel College. He writes from Westminster. His column appears on Wednesdays. Email him at tzirpoli@mcdaniel.edu.

One option would have public schools starting after Labor Day, as usual, on Sept. 8, 2026. The second option has a start date of Aug. 31, before Labor Day, which is Sept 7.

Superintendent Cynthia McCabe came up with the two calendar options earlier this year and the school board allowed the Carroll County community the opportunity to weigh in on them. A final vote is scheduled at Wednesday’s meeting.

Also at this month’s school board meeting, officials will discuss immigration enforcement policy. Maryland law requires each local Board of Education to develop a policy for interacting with ICE at schools that’s consistent with the state Attorney General’s ICE policies.

“CCPS staff have worked with legal counsel to develop a policy consistent with the guidance which was made available this summer,” wrote Jon O’Neal, the CCPS assistant superintendent of operations.

The proposed immigration enforcement policy will be discussed at Wednesday’s board meeting before it’s published for a public feedback period. In December, the board will vote on the policy.

The Trump administration is allowing federal immigration enforcement activity to take place at previously restricted places, such as churches and schools. Carey Wright, the state’s public school superintendent, sent a memo on immigration enforcement to school district superintendents in January.

The memo said: “Federal and state laws protect education records and personal information,” and “these laws generally require written consent from parents/guardians before releasing information, unless it is for educational purposes, otherwise authorized by law, or in response to a court order or subpoena.” The guidelines from Wright say that schools should communicate with their superintendent and attorneys before they fulfill requests from federal immigration authorities.

This month’s Carroll Board of Education agenda also includes a presentation on the Maryland School Report Card evaluations, school attendance rates and average class sizes.

State data released last week showed that seven Carroll County public schools gained a star in the 2024-25 academic year, and every school in the county achieved at least three stars out of five. Carroll County elementary schools posted the state’s second-highest achievement scores, and middle schools ranked third.

A presentation Wednesday will break down this year’s performance, compare the results with past years’ data, and touch on the ways the school system can improve. The school board will also review overall attendance data. Attendance is linked to school success ratings, and student attendance at Carroll County’s public schools has consistently been better than state averages.

A report on average class sizes at every Carroll County public school, as well as general averages at elementary, middle and high schools, is also on the agenda for discussion.

The average class size at Carroll high schools shrank slightly from 22.9 last year to 21.8 this year. Middle school class sizes have stayed about the same, at 25.2 students per class. Elementary school class sizes dropped slightly, from 23.3 last year to 22.5 this year.

The school system also tracks how many classes in each division have over 30 students per class.

Elementary schools had no classes larger than 30. Middle schools had the most of the three divisions, with 182 classes having more than 30 students. At high schools, 93 classes had more than 30 students.

The Board of Education meeting’s public portion begins at 4 p.m. Wednesday in the conference room at 25 N. Court St. in Westminster.

School board meetings are open to the public and livestreamed on the Carroll County Public Schools YouTube channel and viewable on the right side of the Board of Education’s website at carrollk12.org/board-of-education/meeting-informationunder CETV Livestream. Meetings are also broadcast throughout the month on Carroll Educational Television, Channel 21. Anyone who wishes to participate must fill out an online sign-up form at carrollk12.org/board-of-education/meeting-information or call the communications office at 410-751-3020 by 9 p.m. on the Tuesday before a meeting.

Have a news tip? Contact Gabriella Fine at gfine@baltsun.com or at 443-900-1296. 

From now through Nov. 19, donations of the following items and other shelf-stable food items will be accepted: mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberries, canned vegetables, gravy, pans, canned yams, brown sugar, marshmallows, coffee and tea, paper plates and napkins, gift cards for butter and milk, cereal and snacks, sugar-free jellies.

Donations can be dropped off at Dynamic Automotive, 881 Sandosky Road, Sykesville. For more information, call 301-874-8833.

Collection sites opening soon for shoebox gifts

Volunteers are preparing to collect Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts during National Collection Week, Nov. 17-24. Nearly 5,000 dropoff locations will open across the country, including the following Carroll County locations: Elders Baptist Church, 1216 Liberty Road, Sykesville; Liberty Church, 1641 Old Westminster Road, Westminster; Mount Airy Baptist Church, 1402 N. Main St., Mount Airy; Taneytown Baptist Church, 4150 Sells Mill Road, Taneytown.

Shoebox packing can be done by individuals, families or groups. Shoebox gifts can be packed with toys, school supplies and personal care items. A step-by-step guide on how to pack can be found at https://samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child.

Participants can donate $10 per shoebox gift online through “Follow Your Box” and receive a tracking label to discover its destination. Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to people around the world.

On Thursday, the Tunnels to Towers Foundation thanked Laguna for his service by giving him a home that would meet his needs as a wheelchair user with mobility issues and chronic pain. From wide hallways to a no-step shower, the home is entirely accessible, giving him the independence he struggled to recapture after retiring.

“Nobody thinks long term until an accident happens and you’re in a wheelchair,” Laguna said. “That was a huge hurdle for us everywhere we went.”

Laguna, a Texas-born Iraq War veteran, served in the U.S. military for 18 years before a training accident left him with a severe spinal injury, permanently damaging his nerves and mobility. He served as both a Marine and an Army soldier before medically retiring, a change he said was extremely difficult.

“My whole identity was military. I just loved every aspect of it,” Laguna said. “It wasn’t a job for me. I loved doing it, I love being of service to other people.”

The Laguna family includes Frank, his wife, Candace, and their four children: Aunabella, 13, Alejandro, 15, Antonio, 19, and Allysium, 23, who is deployed in Guam with the U.S. Navy.

Their new house is a fully functioning smart home, allowing the family to remotely access the doors, security system, lights and even stove from an app. This remote access will help over time, Laguna said, by allowing him to stay seated or in bed instead of getting up for to take care of little things like switching off a light.

When plans for the home took shape, the foundation worked with the Lagunas to find a location that fit their needs. For more than a decade, the Lagunas made the long drive from their Texas home to the Washington, D.C., area for medical care — a trip that began to take a toll on Laguna.

Since moving to Mount Airy, the Laguna family has been embraced by the local community receiving care packages and holiday letters from community members and support from American Legion Post 191, the local Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter and other organizations in the area.

“It’s a very old-school, true hometown vibe,” Candace said. “It’s very cool.”

Candace has served as her husband’s primary caregiver, and she and their children work to make sure Frank has whatever he needs, but it can be draining. Now, with an accessible smart home, Frank is able to do significantly more on his own.

“The financial freedom is enormous. But there’s also this mental health freedom as a caregiver,” Candace said. “A home like this allows me to not break myself, and allows me to care for my family a lot better [and] longer.”

The smart home will mean the family can host friends in a way they have never been able to before.

“I can have as many wheelchairs in here as need be,” Frank said. “I’ve got a lot of veteran buddies that are missing arms and legs. This home is not just for me, it’s for all of them as well so they can feel comfortable coming here and they don’t have to worry about obstacles.”

Laguna’s experiences since retiring have reinforced the importance of leaning on others, he said.

“Reach out. Don’t isolate. For the longest time I was in that spot,” Frank said. “There is no ‘more injured than I am.’ We’re all in the same boat. Pain is pain.”

Candace also encouraged other veterans to reach out for help.

“It’s not a sign of weakness to ask for help; it’s a sign of strength. It shows you want better for your family, for yourself,” she said.

At the dedication, Frank Laguna reflected on the importance of service and patriotism: “Being a patriot doesn’t require a uniform. It’s about deep-rooted commitment to the well-being of our fellow humans. It’s about putting others before ourselves, valuing those lives as much as we value our own. Fly your flags proudly, but remember that a flag is more than just fabric. It represents our shared dreams, our struggles and our unity.”

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation was founded in honor of FDNY firefighter Stephen Siller, who died on Sept. 11, 2001, after racing on foot on his day off through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to join his squad responding to the destruction of the World Trade Center.

The nonprofit builds mortgage-free homes for injured veterans and first responders across the country. Each home is built with the individual recipient in mind, adapting to their needs. Since launching the program, the organization has completed more than 100 smart homes, said John LaBarbera, a member of the Tunnels to Towers board of directors.

“This home is not a gift,” LaBarbera said. “It’s an obligation of the Americans [who] Frank swore to protect, and the fulfilled promise of a grateful foundation.”

Have a news tip? Contact Marissa Yelenik at myelenik@baltsun.com.

Shiloh Middle School in Hampstead

Veterans are invited to enjoy breakfast in the Shiloh Middle cafeteria from the Dutch Corner Restaurant in Manchester, Tuesday, 8:45 to 9:15 a.m. The menu items include scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon and pancakes. Breakfast will be free for veterans and their Shiloh student. The school will also host veterans as guest speakers in classes and create a video tribute to veterans. The school is located at 3675 Willow St. in Hampstead.

Hampstead Elementary School

On Tuesday at 2 p.m., Hampstead Elementary will honor veterans at a program featuring a performance from the school chorus and contributions from each grade. Hampstead Elementary’s principal, Addison Beck, will recognize each veteran present. The special guests will be presented with “a token of appreciation” from the students. The PTO will host a light reception ahead of the program. The school is located at 3737 Shiloh Road in Hampstead.

Mount Airy Elementary School

Veterans are invited to enjoy a light breakfast and program at Mount Airy Elementary at 8:45 a.m. on Tuesday. The event will feature student musical performances and a flag-raising ceremony. Afterward, veterans will share stories with students in classrooms. The school is located at 405 N. Main St., in Mount Airy.

McDaniel College in Westminster

McDaniel College will host a Veterans Day recognition ceremony to honor veterans on Tuesday at the Baker Memorial Chapel from 10 a.m. to noon. The program will feature a slideshow presentation, guest speaker and light refreshments. The campus is located at 2 College Hill in Westminster.

Liberty High School in Eldersburg

On Tuesday from 8 to 10 a.m., Liberty High School will host a Veterans Day breakfast and ceremony. Students in the Liberty High vocal ensembles and instrumental programs will perform for the program which will be held in the auditorium. The school is located at 5855 Bartholow Road in Eldersburg.

Taneytown Elementary School

A Veterans Day breakfast, music performance and student parade will be held at Taneytown Elementary School on Tuesday, from 7:45 to 8:30 a.m. The school is located at 100 Kings Drive in Taneytown.

Winters Mill High School in Westminster

On Tuesday from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m., Winters Mill High School will host a brief ceremony and breakfast in addition to a parade through the school’s building. The school is located at 560 Gorsuch Road in Westminster.

Francis Scott Key High School in Union Bridge 

On Friday from 8 to 9:30 a.m, Francis Scott Key High School will host a program honoring local veterans. A car parade will close out the program, which will include a breakfast and student performances, recognizing veterans. The school is located at 3825 Bark Hill Road in Union Bridge.

Have a news tip? Contact Gabriella Fine at gfine@baltsun.com or at 443-900-1296.