A lack of communication about incoming refugees, coupled with a feeling that outsiders were controlling the destiny of a community, apparently is ending a refugee resettlement effort in Hagerstown, Md., according to information from a rural Hagerstown resident and news reports available on the Internet.

Dan Dearth, a journalist with the Hagerstown Herald-Mail, reported on Sept. 29 that the Virginia Council of Churches intended to begin reducing staff at its local resettlement office within days and would close its doors for good by Dec. 7.

The Virginia Council of Churches, a non-profit organization, is one of a number of volunteer agencies that have contracts with the government to assist refugees in resettling.

An editor with the newspaper said Tuesday that staff does not do interviews about stories, and management had not contacted The Gazette as of this morning.

The Herald-Mail is located in Hagerstown and covers a trade area in Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Refugee incident

Ann Corcoran, who identified herself as a housewife who lives outside Hagerstown, is one of the residents who began questioning local, state and national officials about the resettlement after an incident in downtown Hagerstown last year.

The Herald-Mail mentioned the incident in the Sept. 29 article:

http://www.emporiagazette.com/news/article_2ce88f3c-6e8a-5b13-8810-6f08e4fde56b.html