In brief - September 26, 2009

Garrett County has fourth rabies case

SWANTON — A raccoon that fought with a dog in the Swanton area tested positive for rabies Thursday, making it the fourth case of laboratory-confirmed rabies in the county this year.

The property owner shot the raccoon and contained the dog, which was vaccinated agains rabies, without any human exposure. The dog will be revaccinated during the Garrett County Health Department rabies clinic scheduled today.

Cats, dogs and ferrets are required by law to be vaccinated by the time they are 4 months old. Spring rabies clinics will not be held until May. Pet owners should contact a veterinarian to keep their pets protected.

Anyone with questions regarding rabies should call Environmental Health Services at (301) 334-7760. Wildlife should never be handled with bare hands and owners should use gloves when handling pets within two hours of contact with wildlife.

Local stars needed for FCRC fundraiser

CUMBERLAND — The Family Crisis Resource Center, with the assistance of the 2009 Class of Leadership Allegany!, will present this year’s Dancing with the Local Stars on May 1 at 7 p.m. in Windsor Hall. Last year’s event generated nearly $15,000 that supported services and clients of FCRC.

The planning committee is searching for this year’s local stars. Anyone who is interested in dancing is asked to contact FCRC at fcrc@allconet.org or (301) 759-9246. The center also needs volunteer and choreography expertise for the event. All proceeds will benefit Family Crisis Resource Center services and clients.

ACM offers two Excel courses

CUMBERLAND — A beginner course to take Excel 2003 to the next level will be offered by Allegany College of Maryland’s Center for Continuing Education on Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m.

Excel 2003 Basics for Beginners-Step 2 is designed to expand a person’s current skills and knowledge to become proficient at managing their finances a little easier. The class will meet in the Continuing Education Building, Room CE15.

A Microsoft Excel intermediate-level course will be held Tuesday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the same location.

The hands-on class goes beyond the basics of a simple worksheet and can be useful in charting data for powerful presentations. Lunch is included.

Call (301) 784-5431 to register for either class.