“The family stated that Mr. Flanagan was killed Sunday, July 21, [1968] while flying a mission over the DMZ when his aircraft was hit by hostile ground fire. Mr. Flanagan had been in Vietnam since May after his reserve unit in the Air Force was called up for active duty in January. He is believed to be the first guardsman called to duty during the period to have died in action in Vietnam.

“A spokesman for the D.C. Air National Guard based at Andrews Air Force Base said Col. Flanagan had been assigned to train replacement pilots at Myrtle Beach, S.C. His duties, the spokesman said, required him to make brief trips to Vietnam, and two months ago, he volunteered to stay there to do combat missions.”

He was flying an F-100 “Super Sabre” jet fighter when he died. A note on the Washington, D.C. Vietnam Memorial “Virtual Wall” website reports, “A Super Sabre and its pilot was lost during a mission to destroy an anti-aircraft gun position on the South Vietnamese-Laos border, in the hill country 25 miles southwest of Hue.”

“LtCol Flanagan was making his first strafing pass from 3000 feet when his aircraft was hit by ground fire and dived into the ground near the target. The pilot may have been wounded by the anti-aircraft fire as he did not eject. LtCol Flanagan was a member of the District of Columbia ANG [Air National Guard] [and] had volunteered for service [in Vietnam] …”

An undated Carroll Sun newspaper file clipping reported he joined the Air Force in 1951 and flew combat missions in the Korean War. Flanagan “belonged to the 113th Tactical Fighter Squadron of the District of Columbia Air National Guard that was called to active duty Jan. 27, 1968 during the Pueblo crisis,” said the Carroll Sun.

Flanagan was born on April 8, 1930, and raised in Westminster. He attended Westminster High School “before going to Charlotte Hall Military Academy, graduating in 1947,” reported the Carroll Sun.

According to an article in the Carroll County Times in May 1989, “Previous to his service in Vietnam … Before his reserve unit was reactivated, Flanagan was a lawyer with the legal firm of Cable and McDaniel in Westminster. He had practiced law since 1960 when he graduated from the University of Maryland law school.”

The Carroll Sun article reported, “He was the past secretary of the Maryland Bar Association and a member of the Westminster Rotary Club.”

Local historian Jay Graybeal authored an article in the Carroll County Times on June 20, 1999, that Flanagan had “Trained as a fighter pilot, he flew combat missions during the Korean War and also flew during the Berlin Airlift in 1961…”

According to oral tradition, right before Flanagan reported to Vietnam, his family had decided to purchase a home on Willis Street.

Flanagan’s remains were never recovered. He is forever remembered on the black granite memorial that is the centerpiece of the Carroll County Vietnam Memorial Park. His name can also be found etched on Panel 51W Line 025, on the granite Vietnam Memorial, in Washington, D.C.

You can also pay your respects to Flanagan, and everyone who lost their lives in Vietnam, this October at The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall. According to the Babylon Vault Co. website, the Traveling Wall will be at the New Windsor Fire Department Carnival Grounds, 101 High St., New Windsor, from Oct. 9-13. The wall and exhibits will remain open around the clock from 6 p.m., Oct. 9 to 11 a.m., Oct. 13, providing the opportunity to visit during early morning and overnight hours when there are fewer visitors.

The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall is a 3/5th scale replica of the original in D.C. standing over 6 feet tall, spanning 300 feet end to end, according to Babylon Vault. The wall honors the more than 58,000 names of the men and women of the armed forces who served and lost their lives in Vietnam.

Inscribed on the wall includes the names of 18 Carroll Countians who were killed in action serving in the Vietnam War, according to the Babylon Vault media release.

“Of the 18 KIA, Sherman E. Flanagan Jr. from Westminster is still missing in action. We also had one POW from the war. Peter “Eddie” Drabic, Army, was taken as Prisoner of War while on patrol in the jungles in South Vietnam on Sept. 24, 1968, and was held until his release on March 16, 1973, spending 1,635 days in captivity. We will have the panel numbers available for those wishing to do a rubbing from the wall of our hometown heroes,” the release said.

Flanagan was a family friend. It has been said that service members die twice, once when they are killed in action and once when their name is spoken for the last time. A portion of this discussion has been published before — and hopefully will be republished again in the future. May we never forget his service and sacrifice for our country, and forever hold him in our hearts.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster. His Time Flies column appears every Sunday. Email him at kevindayhoff@gmail.com.

The crash happened shortly after 2 a.m. on Maryland Route 97 near Humbert Schoolhouse Road. A 2016 GMC Canyon traveling northbound crossed the center line for unknown reasons and collided head-on with a 2011 Ford E-350 van, according to a preliminary investigation.

The driver of the Ford van, who has not yet been identified pending notification of next of kin, was pronounced dead at the scene by Carroll County emergency medical personnel. He was the sole occupant of the vehicle, state police said.

The GMC Canyon driver, identified as 36-year-old Christopher Wolf of New Oxford, Pennsylvania, was transported to York Hospital for treatment of injuries sustained in the crash. Wolf was the sole occupant of the vehicle and his condition was not disclosed.

Authorities say charges are pending the outcome of the investigation as the cause of the crash remains under review.

The Maryland State Police Crash Team responded to assist with the investigation.

Have a news tip? Contact Todd Karpovich at tkarpovich@baltsun.com or on X as @ToddKarpovich.

District 5, which includes much of Carroll County, including Eldersburg, Manchester, Mount Airy, New Windsor, Sykesville, Taneytown, Union Bridge and Westminster, plus the Frederick County portion of Mount Airy, is our home and our passion, and we humbly and respectfully request the support and the votes of District 5 residents in the upcoming 2026 election.

It is an incredible honor to represent our community and to be bold conservative voices in Annapolis. We are committed to using those voices to call for a more rational state energy policy and a reduction in burdensome regulations on Maryland businesses, to demand tougher laws to prosecute and lock away violent criminals, to oppose new and higher taxes and to advocate for education reforms that reward merit, protect girls’ spaces, promote career and technical skill opportunities, support teachers and return decision-making back to local jurisdictions.

Maryland is at a major crossroads: We must turn back immediately from Gov. Wes Moore’s and the Democratic supermajority’s tax-and-spend policies that raise our cost of living and hurt working families, before it’s too late. Maryland businesses and families are already leaving the state in record numbers. We believe that a more conservative approach, with lower taxes, lower spending and a lighter government touch can return the state to a trajectory of growth and greatness.

The 2026 Republican primary will be held June 23, 2026, with the general election to follow on Nov. 3. We humbly ask our District 5 friends, family and neighbors for your support and your votes, and we look forward to seeing you on the campaign trail!

— Justin Ready, April Rose and Chris Tomlinson

The letter writers are state lawmakers who represent Carroll County

Add your voice: Respond to this piece or other Carroll County Times content by submitting your own letter.

If you look around, there is diversity everywhere. No two regions of America are the same. No states or cities or small towns are exactly the same.

From the beginning, we have been a diverse people. Early native populations across the continent were diverse. Then came Europeans and Africans. Today, our census shows us to be 61% white alone, 18% Latino, 12% African American, 5% Asian, along with Native American, Native Hawaiian and almost 3% multiracial.

So if diversity is obviously present in America, why is it that government policy is so intensely dedicated to erasing its presence?

I believe the answer lies in the fact that changes in our ethnic and racial mix are scary to segments of America’s population. These fearful Americans have been persuaded by frantic voices that the end of their world is near. They have been scared into believing that they are being “invaded” by people who will take away everything they have: their jobs, their culture, their religion. They are told these “invaders” are rapists and murderers who will destroy their families and homes. Leaders say DEI must be stopped “by any means necessary.”

The problem with DEI, according to the loud voices, is that it allows for multiple points of view, numerous ways of doing things. To them, there can be only one view of America and the world, and that is the view of those who are now in power. No other views can be tolerated.

The problem, the real problem with DEI, is that it accepts America for what it really is: an exciting nation with diverse people trying to get along the best they can. That is a threat to those who are basking in the rewards of the status quo.

The problem with DEI is that it represents who we are, not who the powerful want us to be.

Allow DEI, and America will stay great.

— George Conover, Westminster

Add your voice: Respond to this piece or other Carroll County Times content by submitting your own letter.

The community garden began its first planting season in May. Founder Jennifer Lleras said produce grown there is donated to those in need.

Lleras said a group of regular weekly volunteers helps at the garden, and she hopes to have more organizations volunteer there. That would help her tackle a long project wish list, which includes building a shed, implementing a rainwater collection system, creating an area for composting, and installing a sign and seating areas.

“I’m looking for more opportunities to get bigger groups of people involved,” Lleras said. “There are some bigger projects that we have in mind, but we just don’t have the funding or the amount of volunteers needed to really get behind those projects.”

Boys & Girls Clubs of Carroll County’s marketing director Erin Bishop said the Kahlert Leadership Academy is a weeklong summer academy for middle- and high-school students that teaches participants about how to be positive community leaders.

“Our youth had the chance to work side by side, get their hands dirty, and see the difference they can make when they give back,” Bishop said. “That’s what real leadership is all about.”

Have a news tip? Contact Kat Mauser at kmauser@baltsun.com.

Carroll County deputies will start serving the ICE warrants, which allow them to hold a suspect for up to two days, on Aug. 1. The agreement with ICE only affects detainees in the county’s detention center; it does not mean that deputies will actively go out in the community to serve the ICE warrants.

According to the agreement the county signed with ICE earlier this year, the Sheriff’s Office is “expected to pursue to completion all criminal charges that caused the alien to be taken into custody and over which it has jurisdiction. ICE will assume custody of an alien only after said individual has been released from [the Sheriff’s Office] custody.”

In the wake of a national outcry about President Donald Trump’s stepped-up deportation efforts and the way they’re being carried out, activists in Carroll County have been rallying every Monday night in front of county offices in Westminster.

DeWees called critics of the program “incredibly naive,” in a Maryland Matters article this week, saying: “This is a jail-based model. We are not running around looking for people that ICE wants.”

DeWees also “said the program isn’t discriminatory, as each person’s immigration status is checked, regardless of who they are,” according to Maryland Matters.

The rallies are now in their fifth week, and have drawn about 15 to 25 people each time.

“It’s growing every week,” said Natalie Sanchez, who has lived in Eldersburg for more than 20 years and helped organize a local group called Carroll County Immigrant Rights Defense.

A petition urging Carroll County Sheriff Jim DeWees to end the ICE agreement has more than 550 signatures, and notes: “Carroll County residents’ politics are varied, but we are united in our desire to keep an inhumane, illegal, and weaponized immigration system out of our county. We have seen how ICE agents violated Elsy Berrios’ rights in our community… Under any circumstances, we do not support local cooperation with ICE or 287(g) agreements, which have been shown to be racist and dangerous for communities. Under the current presidential administration, cooperation with ICE and implementation of 287(g) agreements amount to local facilitation of and complicity with illegal and inhumane orders.”

Berrios, 52, was arrested on March 31 by ICE officers while driving herself, her daughter and another woman to work at a Carroll County clothing manufacturer, local law enforcement and her lawyer said. Her daughter, Karen Cruz Berrios, took video of the arrest from the passenger seat. Officers refused to show her a warrant for her arrest despite her requests, video of the arrest shows.

When Berrios refused to get out of the car without evidence of a warrant, officers broke her car window, letting shattered glass fall on Berrios and into the car. After she stepped out of the car, they arrested her and took her to ICE’s Baltimore holding facility.

The petition was created by Indivisible Carroll County, a chapter of a grassroots progressive movement seeking “to resist the Trump agenda.”

The 287(g) agreement can be canceled any time, although the federal agency requests a 90-day notice. The agreement notes that the participating local law enforcement “personnel are bound by all Federal civil rights law,  regulations, and guidance relating to non-discrimination.”

CASA said it has implemented a “Know Your Rights” campaign, and has training available for anyone concerned about ICE activities in their community.

“Carroll residents are voicing their distrust and opposition to 287(g),” said Ninfa Amador-Hernandez, policy manager for immigrant advocacy group CASA, on Friday.

She explained that one of the main reasons is “the ability for flagrant civil-rights violations,” which she said have been seen in Latino communities in adjacent Frederick County.

With Carroll’s 287(g) agreement becoming active Aug. 1, she said, the group will continue to monitor the county “for any civil rights violations.”

Sanchez said DeWees doubled down on his commitment to the program when he met with the immigrant-rights group in April.

Commissioner Kenneth Kiler also declined to take up the group’s request to bring up the 287(g) agreement at an upcoming county meeting.

“While we would love for the sheriff to listen to the community and actually cancel the agreement, unfortunately we don’t think that’s actually going to happen,” Sanchez said. She said the group will continue to let their elected officials know about residents’ opposition, and support their immigrant neighbors.

Have a news tip? Contact Bryna Zumer at bzumer@baltsun.com, or on X as @brynazumer. 

To hear some tell it, there is nothing in the federal government’s budget that can be cut. Every dime spent is absolutely critical, and if anything is cut, “people will die!”

Even National Public Radio.

NPR President and CEO Katherine Maher warned, “defunding [NPR] is a real risk to the public safety of the country.”

Maher said advocates for NPR are “devastated that the Senate voted to eliminate federal funding to the local public television stations throughout this country that provide essential lifesaving public safety services, proven educational services and community connections to their communities every day for free.”

If she really believes what she says is true, NPR will now prioritize its spending to ensure the continuation of its life-sustaining functions. Of course, that might mean it will have to eliminate other essential reporting, such as this review of a “teenager friendly” book: “What ‘Queer Ducks’ can teach teenagers about sexuality in the animal kingdom.”

Did you catch the “for free” part at the end of Maher’s statement? If NPR’s programming was really “free,” there would be no need to cut funding, would there?

The truth is, nothing is free. Just because the government is paying for it doesn’t mean it’s free. Anyone who pays taxes is paying for it.

NPR is seriously biased, but it is not free.

It’s like those “free courses” Maryland public school students are now able to take at community colleges. Students may not have to pay to attend the classes, but taxpayers certainly have to pick up the tab.

That’s a concept progressives have a real hard time wrapping their heads around.

Socialists, like New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, are all about free. “Free” public transportation. “No-cost” child care. It’s all a lie.

A wise man once said, “The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public’s money.”

And George Bernard Shaw once quipped, “A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.”

I don’t really blame progressives for being so deceitful. If the public is too naive to recognize what they’re up to and continues to vote progressive lawmakers into office, then the public gets what it deserves.

The good news is, all across the country, Americans appear to be waking up to the lie. Then again, we live in Maryland — one of the bluest of blue states — where robbing Peter to pay Paul is the state sport.

The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future is a great example. The Blueprint prioritizes one demographic group over another. Counties like Carroll now receive less taxpayer money so that the state will have more money to give to other counties like Prince George’s County.

Worse, Carroll County has been forced to adopt the same educational “reform” plan every other county in the state has been forced to adopt. Only a bureaucrat or politician would think the same reforms will work in two jurisdictions as different from one another as Carroll is from Prince George’s County, but that’s what we’ve got going on here in Maryland — a one-size-fits-all government-mandated initiative that treats all Maryland counties the same.

And it will only cost taxpayers $10 billion.

Worse still, state legislators have not allocated enough money to pay for their “reforms,” so they are expecting local governments to make up the difference by raising local taxes.

This is how Maryland Governor Wes Moore is able to run campaign ads in his bid to become president, in which he claims to have fixed the state’s budget woes. He didn’t. He just shifted the tax burden to local governments.

The Blueprint even goes so far as to blackmail the counties. If they refuse to rollover and raise local taxes to pay for the state’s unfunded mandates, they will lose their state education funding altogether.

I’d like to see that. I’d like to see candidate Moore explaining why he cut off education funding to students in his state.

There is very little Democrats will not do or say in pursuit of political power. They have proven this many times, especially since President Donald Trump’s first term, but America is souring on progressive policies — and tactics — and Democrats are trapped. They were perfectly happy to embrace the radical left when they saw it as being in their political self-interest to do so, but they created a monster, and that monster is now feeding on its own.

That progressive policy positions are growing increasingly unpopular with the American public is the reason Democrats are looking for a presidential candidate with “aura.”

Elijah Templeton wrote in The Herald, “Politics have long been more about the candidate presenting the policies than the actual policies themselves and this is nowhere more apparent than America in 2025. This reality has led us to a second Donald Trump term and a Democratic party in complete disarray for one reason and one reason only: the Democrats do not have a candidate with aura.”

These days, the term “aura” is used as a compliment, essentially calling someone cool or suave, so what Templeton is saying is Democrats need a candidate with charisma, not substance; a slick politician, someone people will vote for because they are good-looking and charming rather than on how they will govern.

You know, someone like Wes Moore.

Zohran Mandami and California Governor Gavin Newsom also fit the bill. Fast-talking, silver-tongued politicians who have a lot in common with the average used car salesman.

With socialism becoming a common theme among Democratic politicians these days, a candidate with “aura” is all Democrats have left if they hope to win another national election.

But if the party cannot even disavow a Marxist, antisemitic candidate running to become mayor of the financial capital of the world, it has surrendered the right to be supported by anyone.

And they know it.

Chris Roemer resides in Finksburg. He can be contacted at chrisroemer1960@gmail.com.

The weeklong fair will be open through Aug. 1 in Westminster. It will have livestock shows every evening, live music most nights, air-conditioned exhibit halls to showcase projects from 4-H and FFA members, rides and — new this year — carnival games such as ring toss and axe throwing, as well as a bumblebee ride.

Carroll County Fair Board’s Vice Chairperson Bradley Thomas said the fair will also hold its “big-ticket item,” the annual demolition derby, on Aug. 2 — a day after the fair’s conclusion. The 4-H and FFA livestock sale, which Thomas said is a draw for many business owners and community members, will take place at 5 p.m. on Aug. 1.

“The most important thing, in my mind, is seeing these 4-Hers that have exhibited these projects that they’ve worked on hard over the course of the years,” said Thomas, who participated in 4-H for 12 years when he was a child. “Whether it be a woodworking project or a lamb that they’ve raised and are showing, seeing them get their ribbons and the smile on their face with that is incredible.”

Carroll County’s fair is free to attend, with a $5 fee for parking after 2 p.m. Children’s Day is set for Tuesday, with family-friendly activities such as magic shows, touch-a-truck — during which visitors can see and touch large trucks and equipment — and games for all ages throughout the day.

The fair’s popular Cake Auction, with prize-winning treats made by 4-H and FFA kids up for bids, will be Wednesday at 7 p.m. In 2024, the grand champion cake sold for $10,000. Thomas said the money made from this auction goes back to the fair to help it continue each year.

“The fair really provides a way for the community to come together and pay attention to the agricultural industry that is so important to Carroll County and to Maryland,” Thomas said. “The program really instills a lot of important values into our kids and teaches them a lot of life lessons that that stick with them forever.”

For a full schedule and more information about the fair, go to its website.

Have a news tip? Contact K. Mauser at kmauser@baltsun.com.

The District 5 seat will be left vacant starting Aug. 1, when Rothstein will begin his new position leading the Maryland Department of Veterans and Military Families.

The central committee will accept applications through Aug. 2 for candidates interested in filling the final 17 months of Rothstein’s term.

All seats on the Board of County Commissioners are up for election in 2026.

Republican Alan Grasley is the only candidate who has filed to be on the 2026 ballot for the District 5 seat. He said he’s notified the central committee of his interest in filling the vacancy and plans to apply now that guidelines have been released.

All applicants must be 21 years old, have resided in Carroll County for at least a year and in District 5 for at least six months, and be a registered Republican. Applicants must submit a resume, two letters of reference and any additional application materials to ccrccapplication@gmail.com by 11:59 p.m. on Aug. 2. They must also fill out a questionnaire after application materials are submitted to be considered for the seat.

The central committee expects to submit a candidate to Gov. Wes Moore within 30 days of Rothstein’s departure, Chair Mercedes Moebuis said. Moore will then have 15 days to appoint a candidate.

Any public comments related to the application or its applicants can be submitted to carrollmdrepublicans@gmail.com.

“I am proud to move on to this new position,” Rothstein said. “I believe that the CCRCC will do their due diligence in recommending a candidate.”

Have a news tip? Contact K. Mauser at kmauser@baltsun.com.

The company announced its Westminster location will hold a grand opening at 9 a.m. on July 30 in the Westminster Crossing West shopping center. It’s taking over the former Gavigan’s Furniture space.

New York Times-bestselling romance novelist B.K. Borison, who is based in Baltimore, will be on hand for the ribbon-cutting and will sign books.

The 20,000 square-foot store’s design will “marry the best traditions of independent bookselling with the resources of the historic chain,” the company said in a news release.

It will include a B&N Cafe, books and a range of toys, games, paper and gift items.

“The enthusiastic response from the community has been very encouraging, and our Westminster booksellers have been hard at work preparing a bookstore curated with their new customers in mind,” James Daunt, CEO of Barnes & Noble, said in a statement.

Barnes & Noble is opening seven new bookstores nationwide in July, as part of an ambitious corporate strategy.

The company expects to open more than 60 new bookstores this year, and opened more stores last year than it had in the decade between 2009 and 2019, according to the news release.

Barnes & Noble remodeled its two Baltimore County stores in White Marsh and Pikesville in recent years, and also downsized the Pikesville store, moving it across the street.

Stores in Bel Air and Ellicott City are among those that retain the company’s previous 1990s-style format.

The past decade has seen big changes for Barnes & Noble locally, as the company closed its high-profile, longtime stores at Towson Circle and at the Power Plant in the Inner Harbor. It also opened a new location in The Mall in Columbia.

Have a news tip? Contact Bryna Zumer at bzumer@baltsun.com, or on X as @brynazumer.