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1952228
A&E B-4
Automotive B-11
Business A-11
Calendar A-2
Classied B-8
Obituaries A-12
Opinion A-13
Sports B-1
Please
RECYCLE
Volume 4, No. 19,
Two sections, 28 Pages
Copyright 2015
The Gazette
INDEX
DA ILY UPDATES AT GAZETTE .NET
TheGazette
Wednesday, May 27, 2015 25 cents
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COMMUNITY GUIDE INSIDE TODAY
Take a look at our comprehensive listings forMontgomeryCounty.
BETHESDA
|
CHEVY CHASE
|
KENSINGTON
n Supporters seek
Chevy Chase records on
spending to stop project
BYMARGIEHYSLOP
SPECIAL TO THE GAZETTE
The town of Chevy Chase
owesneither apro-PurpleLine
groupnor ablogger free copies
of documents thatmightdetail
how it spenthundredsof thou-
sands of dollars on lawyers,
lobbyists and public relations
rms to stop the proposed 16-
mile light-rail line from run-
ning through town, its lawyers
argue in court lings.
Those arguments, filed
May 11 in Montgomery
County Circuit Court, is the
towns reaction to a lawsuit
by the Action Committee for
Transit and activist Benjamin
Ross of Bethesda. Both sup-
port building the $2.45 billion
line linking New Carrollton
Group, town
tangle over
Purple Line
BILL RYAN/THE GAZETTE
Senior Evan Woods of Whitman High School in Bethesda wins the boys 4A 3,200-meter race at Fridays state track championships in Baltimore. Other Whitman
and Bethesda-Chevy Chase athletes also fared well in state championships over the weekend. See Sports, Page B-1.
Going for the gold
n Student speakers share
past journeys, future goals
BY LINDSAY A. POWERS
STAFFWRITER
With roots in four parts of the world and eyes
on four sets of goals, student speakers at Mont-
gomery Colleges Friday graduation ceremony
celebrated a sharedmoment of success.
The four speakers, all recipients of top college
awards, were among more than 3,500 students
earning degrees and certicates in the colleges
class of 2015. About 950 graduates walked at Fri-
days commencement.
Montgomery College President DeRionne P.
Pollard said the graduates who were celebrated
Friday made up the institutions largest graduat-
ing class.
FidelisMariae A.Militante, a nursingmajor at
the college, was one of three graduates named a
2015 Board of Trustees Scholar. She represented
the Rockville campus.
It is a signicant milestone in my lifes jour-
ney, a journey lled with difcult obstacles and
joyous achievements, a journey not unlike your
journey, Militante, of Rockville, told her fellow
graduates.
After coming to the U.S. from the Philippines
when she was 11, Militante said, she felt a lack of
motivation and direction and watched her par-
ents struggle in their new country. They worked
multiple jobs to help propel her to higher educa-
tion, she said.
Education is the cornerstone ofmy life, said
Militante, who plans to earn a bachelors in nurs-
ing and become a doctor.
Student speaker Antony M. Musembi, an-
other Board of Trustees Scholar, representing the
Takoma Park/Silver Spring campus, greeted fam-
ily members watching the ceremony in his home
country Kenya, which he left about 26 years ago.
Fromthatpoint toFridays ceremony, he said,
his journey has been extremely difcult and, at
the same time, absolutely wonderful.
Montgomery College helped himdiscover his
passions, said Musembi, a Silver Spring resident.
His future plans include starting an organization
for disadvantaged youth and earning a business
doctorate.
Graduates, at [Montgomery College], we
have beenbestowedwith the abilities, knowledge
and power to act, so lets go forth andmake a dif-
ference! he said.
Pavanjot Singh Guraya of Germantown, a
business administrationmajor, said in his speech
that three communities have played important
Graduation highlights student diversity
DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE
Steve and Cokie Roberts of Bethesda deliver the keynote address at Montgomery Colleges 68th commencement
exercises at the Rockville Campus on Friday.
n Davis branch in Bethesda
offers music, book sale and more
BY GAZETTE STAFF
Friends of the Davis Library will hold its an-
nualCommunityDayandBookSaleonSaturday,
with activities for children and adults alike, from
magic tomusic.
The event will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at
the public library, at 6400 Democracy Blvd. in
Bethesda.
Heres the rundown:
10:30 a.m.: magician Joe Romano.
10:30a.m. to1:30p.m.:balloonartist clowns.
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.: tattoo artists, strolling gui-
tarist, re engines on display.
11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.: KIDMuseum activi-
ties.
2 to 3 p.m.: mountain dulcimer music per-
formance.
The friends chapter also will host its bian-
nual book sale, with books, CDs,DVDs andother
itemsandcollectibles for adults andchildren, ac-
cording to a news release. The book sale will run
throughout the Community Day activities in the
librarymeeting room.
Community Day is the highlight of our year
here at Davis, library Manager Anita Vassallo
said in the release. Our Friends provide a won-
derful occasionwith entertainment for thewhole
family, and we hope that many Davis customers
will stop by to enjoy the celebration.
For more information, contact the library at
240-777-0922.
Library plans
day for family
See PURPLE, Page A-10
See GRADUATION, Page A-10
NOT SAFE
FOR WORK
Round House Theatres
latest play focuses on
bad behavior, job issues
at mens magazine. B-4
A&E
n Leggett: Thursdays
meeting with Hogan,
Baker was productive
BY KATE S. ALEXANDER
STAFFWRITER
A last-ditch meeting to
convinceGov. LarryHogan
of theneed tokeep thePur-
ple Lineon trackwentwell,
MontgomeryCountyExec-
utive Isiah Leggett said.
I dont say that
lightly, he said.
Leggett (D)met behind
closed doors Thursday
with Hogan (R) and Prince
Decision
might come
in June
See DECISION, Page A-10
1931769
1931759
WEDNESDAY, MAY 27
Small Business Counseling, 10 a.m.-3
p.m.,Wheaton Library, 11701 Georgia
Ave. Volunteers from Service Corps of
Retired Executives offer advice. One-hour
appointments onMondays,Wednesdays
and Thursdays: 240-777-0678. Free.
Miracle League Baseball, 10:30 a.m.-
noon,WashingtonNationalsMiracle
Field, 17950 Germantown Park Drive, Ger-
mantown. Baseball for children and adults
with special needs. DrNo813@aol.com or
301-332-6716.
Honor and Praise, Navy Band Brass
Quartet, 2 p.m., Lakeside Commons Club-
house, Riderwood, 3140 Graceeld Road,
Silver Spring. Free. 301-572-1300.
Senior Health Fair, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.,
Rockville Senior Center, 1150Carnation
Drive. Free health screenings, healthy
snacks.
THURSDAY, MAY 28
Alzheimers and Dementia Support
Group, 6-7 p.m., Brightview Fallsgrove
Assisted Living, 9200Darnestown Road,
Rockville. Discuss problems and solu-
tions. Refreshments provided. 240-314-
7194 or wpapuchis@bvsl.net.
FRIDAY, MAY 29
Peled plays Schumann Cello Con-
certo, 8 p.m., Shrine of St. Jude Catholic
Church, 12701 VeirsMill Road, Rockville.
The nale of theWashington Chamber
Orchestras inaugural season. $10 and up
at the door; free for people 18 years and
younger. www.thewco.org.
SATURDAY, MAY 30
Durue and Copland: A Concert of
Contrasts, 7:30 p.m., St. Mark Presbyterian
Church, 10701 Old Georgetown Road,
North Bethesda. National Institutes of
Health Community Chorus, with East Av-
enue Ensemble of Chevy Chase. Free; do-
nations support NIH charities. nihco.org.
Meditation guidelines, 11 a.m.-noon,
Potomac Community Recreation Center,
11315 Falls Road, Potomac. Free. 240-899-
7099 or sampathindira@gmail.com.
Strathmore/Bel Pre community yard
sale, 9 a.m.-noon, Strathmore/Bel Pre
Pool, 13914 Bethpage Lane, AspenHill.
Rain date is June 6. 301-460-0497 or
linda.k.bea@verizon.net.
Jazz featuring the Bruce Krohmer
Trio, 7:30 p.m., Takoma Park Community
Center, 7500Maple Ave., Takoma Park.
With a short talk about the local jazz
scene and the history of jazz. arts@takom-
aparkmd.gov.
35th Washington Folk Festival, noon-7
p.m., Glen Echo Park, 7300MacArthur
Blvd. Same timeMay 31.Musicians, story-
tellers, dancers, and crafters. Free shuttle
bus from the Geico parking lot, 5260West-
ern Ave. Free. 301-526-8558 or dwainfest@
aol.com.
Community Day, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Davis
Library, 6400 Democracy Blvd., Bethesda.
TheMagic is Real with Joe Romano, re-
trucks, crafts, tattoo artist, clowns, balloon
animals, mountain dulcimer folkmusic,
and used book and CD sale. Free. 240-777-
0922.
Chinese Zither Music by the Wash-
ington Guzheng Society, 4:30-5:30 p.m.,
Wheaton Library, 11701 Georgia Ave.,
Wheaton. Themusical ensemble, led by
Bing Xia, performs on the 24-string Chi-
nese zither, an instrument with roots in
the Qin dynasty, circa 237 B.C. Free. 240-
777-0678 or scott.lambdin@montgomery-
countymd.gov.
Spring Dance Recital, 7-8:30 p.m.,
Clarksburg High School, 22500Wims
Road, Clarksburg. General admission $15;
free for children 3 and younger. 301-972-
6600 or DancewithDeAnne@yahoo.com.
Rockville Science Center 2.0: Imagine
Our Future, 9-11 a.m., Rockville Senior
Center, 1150 CarnationDrive, Rockville.
Brainstorming sessions. Coffee and
donuts. 240-386-8111 or RSC2.0@Rock-
villeScienceCenter.org.
Sundari, 6:30 p.m., KennedyHigh
School, 1901 Randolph Road, Silver
Spring. Dance interpretation of the Cin-
derella tale. $15; children younger than 10
admitted free. knsdance.com.
SUNDAY, MAY 31
Sweet-T 5K Benet Walk, 2-5 p.m.,
Covenant Life School, back lawn, 7501
MuncasterMill Road, Gaithersburg. To
benet the Teressa FrenchMemorial
Scholarship Fund. www.TeressaFrench.
myevent.com or 301-602-9224.
Rent: The Concert Version, 7-9:30
p.m., CongregationHar Shalom, 11510
Falls Road, Potomac.Musical follows a
year in the life of artists andmusicians
struggling to survive and create. $20 per
person, including dessert reception. www.
harshalom.org or 301-299-7087.
Gandhi Brigade Youth Media Festival,
noon-8 p.m., Silver Spring Civic Building,
One Veterans Place. Juried competition,
a four-hour video competition, social
justice andmedia workshops, and perfor-
mances. Free. tinyurl.com/kbpknml or
ashley@gandhibrigade.org.
Disc Golf for Beginners, 11 a.m., Seneca
Creek State Park, 11950Clopper Road,
Gaithersburg. $3 per person forMaryland
residents, $5 per person for others. 301-
924-2127 or bethany.lillard@maryland.gov.
Life of Dialogue: A Symposium Com-
memorating the 50th Yahrzeit of Martin
Buber, 1:30-5:30 p.m., Temple Emanuel,
10101 Connecticut Ave., Kensington.With
scholars from theU.S. and Israel. $25
donation suggested. www.am-kolel.org or
301-349-2799.
MONDAY, JUNE 1
Citizenship Preparation Program, 9
a.m.,Montgomery College,Westeld
South Ofce Building, 11002 VeirsMill
Road, Suite 306,Wheaton. 240-567-8839
or Izis.Weills@montgomerycollege.edu.
American Red Cross Blood Drive,
2:30-8 p.m., Liberty GroveUnitedMeth-
odist Church, 15225 Old Columbia Pike,
Burtonsville. Call 800-733-2767 for an ap-
pointment.
TUESDAY, JUNE 2
African American Book Discussion, 7
p.m., Praisner Library, 14910 Old Colum-
bia Pike, Burtonsville. Copies available at
information desk. anne.seiler@montgom-
erycountymd.gov.
Lecture and Lunch, 11 a.m.,Womans
Club of Bethesda, 5500 Sonoma andOld
Georgetown, Bethesda.With Brig. Gen.
Wilma Vaught, U.S. Air Force, retired,
president of theWomen inMilitary Ser-
vice for AmericanMemorial Fund. $14 for
lunch. 301-530-1784 or www.bethesda-
womansclubmd.com.
Renters Meeting, 7-8:45 p.m., St.
Pauls UnitedMethodist Church, 10401
Armory Ave., Kensington. Montgomery
County Renters Alliance will discuss
rental housing concerns. Free. info@
RentersAlliance.org.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3
AARP Smart Driver Course, 12:30-5
p.m.,Wheaton Library, 11701 Georgia
Ave., Wheaton. Registration required;
limited to 25. $15 AARPmembers, $20
nonmembers. 240-777-0678 or dianne.
whitaker@montgomerycountymd.gov.
Holiday Park Senior Prom, 5:30-7 p.m.,
Holiday Park Senior Center, 3950 Ferrara
Drive,Wheaton. Light dinner starts at 5:30
p.m.With Night andDay band. 240-777-
4999 or gayathri.aluvihare@montgomery-
countymd.gov.
THE GAZETTE
Page A-2 Wednesday, May 27, 2015 b
BestBet
Purple Against...
gala, 6-9 p.m., Cross-
way Community
Theatre, 3015Upton
Drive, Kensington.
Julies Love, an or-
ganization created to support the
working poor and eradicate hunger
inMontgomery County, will host
fundraiser and awards gala. To
include performances from the
award-winning Broadwaymusical
The Color Purple. $30. khrcre-
ative123@gmail.com.
SAT
30
EVENTS
Send items at least two weeks in advance of the paper in which you would like them to
appear. Go to calendar.gazette.net and click on the submit button.
Questions? Call 240-864-1325.
PHOTO GALLERY
Northwest High Schools Aaron Beidleman nished second in the high jump Friday
at the 3A/4A State Track Championships in Baltimore. Go to clicked.Gazette.net.
SPORTS Summer sports get started this week in the Cal Ripken Collegiate
Baseball League, American Legion baseball, basketball leagues and
football passing leagues. Follow the action at Gazette.net.
Get complete, current
weather information
at NBCWashington.com
GAZETTE CONTACTS
The Gazette 9030 Comprint Court
Gaithersburg,MD 20877
Main phone: 301-948-3120 Circulation: 301-670-7350
RobertRand,managingeditor, Bethesda: rrand@gazette.net, 240-864-1325
The Gazette (ISSN 1077-5641) is publishedweekly for $29.99 a year byThe Gazette, 9030
Comprint Court, Gaithersburg,MD 20877. Periodicals postage paid at Gaithersburg,Md.
Postmaster: Send address changes. VOL. 4, NO. 19 2 SECTIONS, 28 PAGES
AMay 20 article about theMontgomery County budgetmisstated the date of
the U.S. Supreme Courts decision in the Wynne double-taxation case. The ruling
was issuedMay 18, notMay 15.
AMay 20 article about former ArmyRangerGary James Smith ofOlney enter-
ing an Alford plea in Montgomery Circuit Court to involuntary manslaughter in
the 2006 death of fellow soldier Michael McQueen misstated the outcome of the
rst trial in 2008. A jury found Smith not guilty of rst- and second-degreemurder,
but guilty of depraved heart murder, a crime that is not intentional, according to
Smiths attorney.
CORRECTIONS
Students to conduct research in Israel
Six local high school juniorswere awarded
Dr. Istvan Madaras SciTech Scholarships to
conduct scientic research this summer at
the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology
inHaifa.
They are Yashodhar Govil, Nathan Zim-
merberg, Sam Wasserman and Sam Wenger,
all of Bethesda and Whitman High School in
Bethesda; and Gabriel Swagel of Chevy Chase
andMikhael Hammer-Bleich of Silver Spring,
students atCharlesE. Smith JewishDaySchool
in Rockville.
The SciTech Summer Science Camp,
which will run from July 20 to Aug. 13, is a re-
searchprogramfor juniors and seniorswithan
interest and ability inmathematics, science or
computer technology, according to a news re-
lease.
Bethesda student wins art contest
Peter Stubin, a senior at Walter Johnson
HighSchool inBethesda, is thetopwinnerof this
years 34th annual Congressional Art Competi-
tion in the8thCongressionalDistrict.
Stubins ink-and-pastel piece, Flossing,
will hang in the U.S. Capitol for a year, starting
in June.
Rep. Christopher Van Hollen (D-Dist. 8) of
Kensington recently announced all the winners
atWashingtonArtWorks inNorthBethesda.
A total of 251 students from 31 schools in
VanHollens district participated in the compe-
tition. Jurors selected94entries foranexhibition
that ran at Washington ArtWorks from April 24
throughMay10.Fromthem,16works, including
Stubins, were selected for special recognition,
including the following:
TheJaneE.LawtonMemorialAward:Han-
nah Nechin of Potomac, a junior at Charles E.
Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville, for her
pen-and-inkwork, Stomp.
Washington ArtWorks Award: Michelle
Zhu of Chevy Chase, a sophomore at National
Cathedral School, for her oil on canvas, Blue-
bird.
Worksby the followingrunners-upwillhave
theirworkdisplayed inVanHollensCapitolHill
anddistrict ofces for thenext year:
Brian Chou of North Bethesda, a junior at
Georgetown Preparatory School; Alexis Faleder
of Silver Spring, a sophomore at Melvin J. Ber-
man Hebrew Academy; Jirawat Khumbungkla
of Silver Spring, a freshman at NorthwoodHigh
School; Ofri Shmul of Rockville, a junior atWal-
ter Johnson High School; and Deanna Yan of
Bethesda, a junior atWhitmanHighSchool.
Honorable mentions went to Clara da Silva
of Bethesda, Whitman High School; Amanda
Levin of Potomac, Wootton High School; Chris
McTaggart of Bethesda, Landon School; Peter
Millspaugh of Bethesda, Landon School; and
Lei Yan of Rockville, RichardMontgomeryHigh
School.
Campus congrats
Julian Weichel of Bethesda graduated
May 8 from the University of North Carolina,
Greensboro, with a major in business entre-
preneurship.
Weichel, who graduated from Whitman
High School in Bethesda, won an innovation
award for launching the Food Recovery Net-
work at theuniversity.He is scheduled to leave
Wednesday forBali, Indonesia,workingunder
a three-month contract with the Bali Institute
to run cultural immersion programs for high
school students.
He is the son of Kim and CarlWeichel.
THE GAZETTE
Wednesday, May 27, 2015 b Page A-3
PEOPLE
More online at www.gazette.net
TOM FEDOR/THE GAZETTE
Steven Anthony of Bethesda gets splashed by his daughter Danielle, 7, as her friend Cassidy Lewin (left), 7, laughs during their visit to the Bethesda outdoor pool Sunday after-
noon. At right is his son Christopher, 8. Last weekend, the county opened its seven outdoor pools for the season. Theyre open only on weekends until June 15.
One cool dad
n Workers building new re
station at Randolph Road,
Georgia Avenue intersection
BY KEVIN JAMES SHAY
STAFFWRITER
Northern Silver Spring residents
andmotorists shouldprepare for con-
structionat the intersectionofGeorgia
Avenue and Randolph Road to last
longer thanexpected.
As is the casewithmajor projects
such as this, the completion date for
a $74.8 million interchange project
therehasbeendelayedabout a year to
spring 2017, Charlie Gischlar, a Mary-
land State Highway Administration
spokesman, wrote in an email Tues-
day.
This includes landscaping and
minor items, Gischlar wrote. The
benet to motorists will be realized
sooner thanthespring2017totalcom-
pletiondate.
About a year ago, workers started
on the interchange project, with
completion expected to be the winter
of 2016. They are lowering Randolph
Road 23 feet to allow vehicles to pass
under Georgia Avenue, which trans-
portation ofcials say will help allevi-
ate traffic congestion and improve
safety.
The project alsowill add a lane on
Georgia Avenue, as well as new turn
lanes, ramps, sidewalks and signals.
The Glenmont Greenway Trail on the
west side of Georgia Avenue is slated
to be extended 900 feet. The signal-
ized intersection now sees more than
86,000 vehicles daily.
The federal government is kick-
ing in $42.8 millionmore than half
of themoney for the interchange. The
statesshare is$17.6millionandMont-
gomeryCountys is $14.4million.
The busy intersection is seeing
more construction, including a new
re station that is expected to be done
by summer 2016. That project is be-
ing coordinated with the interchange
work, but the completion date for the
re station is not expected to be af-
fectedby the interchangeprojects de-
lay, Lucille Baur, a spokeswoman for
MontgomeryCounty, saidTuesday.
The23,133-square-footGlenmont
Fire Station No. 18 is being erected at
the site of the former Glenmont Ele-
mentarySchoolnear that intersection.
The original station across Georgia
Avenuewhichdated to 1953was
purchased by the state and demol-
ished last year to make way for the
fresh interchange there.
The new station, which was com-
memorated with a groundbreaking
last week, will be more than three
times as large as the old one. There
will be fourmoderndrive-throughap-
paratus bays, decontamination and
information technology rooms, and
environmentally friendly features.
The facility will strengthen criti-
cal emergency services in an area that
continues to see tremendousgrowth,
acting Fire Chief Scott Goldstein said
in a statement.
An interim Glenmont re station
is being operated on Grandview Av-
enue about amile south in the former
home of the Wheaton Volunteer Res-
cueSquad.
The construction cost for the new
station is budgeted for $8.5 million.
Theprojects totalbudgetof $14.8mil-
lion includes design, furniture and in-
terimstation costs, amongothers.
In most cases, reghters remain
in the original building while a new
one is built, Baur said.
Thatwasnot possible in this case
due to the [state] road construction
project, she said.
kshay@gazette.net
Silver Spring interchange project faces delay
RENDERING FROM HUGHES GROUP ARCHITECTS
Workers recently broke ground on the new Glenmont Fire Station No. 18 in Silver
Spring. It is slated to be completed in summer 2016. This rendering gives an idea of
how the station will look.
1952216
Hearing thats up to 25% better than normal?
1952589
THE GAZETTE
Page A-4 Wednesday, May 27, 2015 b
n Project promotes play
BY SAMANTHA SCHMIEDER
STAFFWRITER
When the children who live at Seneca
Heights Apartments in Gaithersburg left for
school the morning of May 20, the area to
the right of the building was covered in dirt
andlledwith volunteers.
When they came home that afternoon,
the formerly energetic volunteers were
weary, but visibly proud, and the formerly
dirty plotwas a brandnewplayground.
SenecaHeights, ownedandoperatedby
the Montgomery County Coalition for the
Homeless in Rockville, provides housing for
previously homeless individuals and fami-
lies. Their new playground became a reality
with help from KaBOOM!, a nonprot that
works to bringplay into childrens lives, and
the J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Founda-
tion, and their volunteers.
KaBOOM! project manager for the
build Britany Riley explained that organiza-
tions and communities must apply for help
from KaBOOM!. Once a group is chosen,
KaBOOM! works with them to secure the
volunteers, supplies and funds tomake it all
happen.
KaBOOM! is a national nonprot that
is dedicated to bringing balance and ac-
tive play to kids all across the United States,
mostly doing playground builds with com-
munities underserved in play, Riley said.
She explained that the organization also
is starting theconversationabout the impor-
tance of play which will help stop children
frombeing sedentary, bored and solitary.
The homeless coalition and Seneca
Heights applied for the playground at the
beginning of this year and were working
with KaBOOM! by March to gure out the
specics.
Susanne Sinclair-Smith, the coalitions
executivedirector, explained thatKaBOOM!
enlisted the help of the children who live in
the apartments to design the playgroundby
asking them to draw and explain their ideal
play space. KaBOOM! then took the chil-
drens drawings to their experts and found
the best materials to make their dreams a
reality.
The build takes place in one day. We
think its a really cool opportunity to have
this done in one day. Its a really tangible
project, you can leave the day knowing
therewillbe30kidsplayinghere,Riley said.
Thoughmost of theworkwas doneMay 20,
therewassitepreparation in thedaysbefore.
[The community is] responsible for the
tools, food, recruiting,Rileysaid, explaining
that once KaBOOM! pairs those who are re-
ceiving the playgroundwith a funding part-
ner, it is their job to get everything together
for the build. KaBOOM! helps by providing
somevolunteers, buildexpert andorganiza-
tion.
When KaBOOM! rst approached us
they tolduswewouldneed 200 volunteers,
Sinclair-Smith said. She explained that
all of the team leaders were instructed by
KaBOOM!s leadership onhow tobest com-
plete their assigned task.
Im impressed with KaBOOM!s ability
toorganize volunteers, Sinclair-Smith said.
She explained that there were about 100
volunteers fromMarriott and the rest was a
variety of staff, volunteers and board mem-
bers with the coalition, plus people from
KaBOOM! Some volunteered supplies and
food rather than labor.
Project andorganization leaders, aswell
as community representatives, came out
to the site in the morning and afternoon to
show their support for the project. Seneca
Heights residents were able to raise about
$300 to donate to KaBOOM! to go toward
the project.
Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Dist. 4) of Fort
Washington noted after the opening cer-
emony how she has been focusing on early
childhood education in Congress and help-
ing provide children with a safe nurturing
place to play and learn.
I think particularly for children who
have been homeless and they havent had
the kind of stability and attention to all the
things [other] kids have, like play, Edwards
said, adding that the playground will help
children be children again. I wish I could
stay all day.
At the end of the day, the cluttered area
hadbeentransformedintoswingsandslides
as well as covered picnic and sitting areas,
colorful hopscotch and alphabet caterpil-
lars. And most prominently, some very
pleased volunteers and excited residents.
sschmieder@gazette.net
SenecaHeights receives new playground
BILL RYAN/THE GAZETTE
Mukesh Kumar of Ellicott City and Deb Toro
of Chevy Chase, volunteers with the J. Willard
and Alice S. Marriott Foundation, assemble
playground equipment in Gaithersburg on May
20. The Montgomery County Coalition for the
Homeless partnered with outside companies
and KaBOOM!to build the playground at Seneca
Heights.
n $5.1 billion plan for
scal 2016 will increase
spending almost 2 percent
BY KATE S. ALEXANDER
STAFFWRITER
Montgomery County on
Thursday formally adopted its
scal 2016 operating budget, a
$5.07 billion spending plan up
almost2percent fromthecurrent
year. The county also adopted its
updated capital improvements
program.
County Council members
tentatively set the operating
plan the previous week, adding
roughly $17 million for council
priorities, and adopting tax rates
for the coming year. Thursdays
vote sets the plan for the coming
scal year that starts July 1.
The total operating budget
fundscountygovernment,Mont-
gomery College, Montgomery
County Public Schools and the
Maryland-National Capital Park
andPlanningCommission.
Because of slow revenue
growth, this was a difcult year,
but we take pride in our work,
Council President George L. Lev-
enthal said. The county execu-
tive sent us a good budget, and
we have strengthened it in ways
that are important to our com-
munity.
County employees will re-
ceive 2 percent raises in the new
scal year, plus 3.5 percent step
increasesandlongevity increases,
which vary by bargaining unit
and are offered only to employ-
ees who have 20 years with the
county. The pay increases add
about $18million to thebudget.
Of the countys revenues,
$393millionwill go into reserves.
We know from our fiscal
plan that next years budget will
present a serious challenge, said
Leventhal (D-AtLarge)ofTakoma
Park.
The reserve provides for con-
tingenciessuchastheMay18U.S.
Supreme Court decision that will
cost the countymillions, he said.
The county did not fully fund
anyagencys request for 2016.
County Executive Isiah
Leggett said he faced a $238 mil-
lion budget gap, with income tax
property transfer revenues bring-
ing in less thanexpected.
Leggett (D) recommended
providing only maintenance of
effort fundingtotheschools.State
maintenance of effort law re-
quires the county provide at least
the same funding per student as
the yearbefore.
A total of $2.318 billion will
go to the school systems operat-
ingbudget,which is $75.1million
less than the systems request.
This includes countymoney, and
state and federal aid.
However, money from an-
other fund also will go the school
systemto fundretireehealthben-
ets.
Leggett also recommended
not fully funding Montgomery
Colleges budget request.
The college sought $253.8
million; Leggett recommended
$247.8million.
The council provided $251.5
million, adding roughly $7.9 mil-
lion more than Leggett recom-
mended to the colleges budget,
in part, to avoid a large increase
in tuition.
For Park and Planning, the
budget provides $29.87 million,
which is $326,000 less than re-
quested.
kalexander@gazette.net
CountyOKs budget
in a difcult year
1951930
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1952236
THE GAZETTE
Wednesday, May 27, 2015 b Page A-5
n Board to resume search
process in January
BY LINDSAY A. POWERS
STAFFWRITER
Larry A. Bowers will re-
main Montgomery County
Public Schools interim super-
intendent as the county school
board continues to search for
a new permanent leader.
The board unanimously
appointed Bowers to the role
a second time on
Wednesday, a few
days after its top
choice to become the
school systems next
superintendent with-
drew his name.
State schools Su-
perintendent Lillian
M. Lowery approved
the appointment, ac-
cording to William Reinhard,
a spokesman for the Maryland
State Department of Educa-
tion.
Bowers, who has worked
in the district for about 37
years, has served as the in-
terim leader since February
and now will stay until June of
next year. Former Superinten-
dent Joshua P. Starr resigned
in February before his four-
year contract would have ex-
pired this summer.
During a school board
meeting May 20, Bowers, who
had been set to retire at the
end of June, said he hadnt
planned to stay in the post,
but was willing to step in.
Im very committed to
this system and what weve
been doing, and I want to
make sure it continues, he
said.
Bowers appointment was
met with clapping and cheer-
ing from the audience in the
crowded school board meet-
ing room.
I think you can tell that
the MCPS staff is very happy
that there will be stability and
positive direction, school
board President Patricia
ONeill told Bowers.
ONeill said after the meet-
ing that the board is taking a
pause in its superintendent
search and plans to resume in
January.
On May 14, the board an-
nounced it had picked Andrew
Houlihan, chief academic
ofcer of the Houston Inde-
pendent School District, as
its preferred candidate out
of a pool of 25 people it con-
sidered. Houlihan informed
ONeill in a May 17 letter that
he was withdrawing his appli-
cation.
While I believe that my
leadership would be an as-
set to Montgomery County, I
also feel that at this point in
time, such leadership is not
the right t for me, my family
or the system as a whole, he
wrote in the letter. He did not
elaborate further on his rea-
soning.
Houlihan has not returned
messages left for him at his
home in Texas and through
the Houston school system.
About 17 county entities
were represented in a com-
munity panel that talked pri-
vately with Houlihan. They
included the districts three
employee associations, the
Montgomery County Council
of Parent-Teacher Associa-
tions and various minority or-
ganizations focused on social
and education issues.
ONeill said board mem-
bers were disappointed Hou-
lihan bowed out.
Anyone making a move
to a new area, a new job, has
to consider their family, their
professional circumstances,
are they the right t, and he
made that determination,
she said.
Union officials said
Wednesday that they support
Bowers appointment as the
search continues.
I think every-
one is extremely ex-
cited about the level
of leadership and
the level of stabil-
ity that Mr. Bowers
has brought and will
continue to bring,
said James Kout-
sos, president of the
Montgomery County Asso-
ciation of Administrators and
Principals.
Doug Prouty, president
of the Montgomery County
Education Association, said
the board will now have more
time to nd a really quality
superintendent candidate.
Im actually very enthusi-
astic about this, Prouty said.
I think its exactly the right
thing to do at this time.
A letter on Monday to the
school board written on behalf
of 29 high school principals
expressed support for Bow-
ers to stay for the next school
year.
Whitman High School
Principal Alan Goodwin, who
wrote the letter, said in an
interview that he and other
principals agreed that ap-
pointing Bowers would al-
low the school board to slow
down the search process and
take more time to find a new
superintendent.
Byron Johns education
chairman of the Montgomery
County branch of the NAACP,
said an interim leader was
the best of the boards next
options after Houlihan with-
drew.
It wasnt evident that
Houlihan had the necessary
experience for the job, Johns
said. The board now has more
time to revisit its search pro-
cess and include community
members earlier on and more
extensively, he said.
Bowers has done an
ample job in the past few
months, he said, but now
needs to move the agenda
forward as he takes on a full
school year.
In the next year, Bowers
said, the district will focus on
math, literacy and closing its
achievement gap.
I think the message is
that were going to stay on the
same track but we have some
hard work to do, he said.
lpowers@gazette.net
Bowers to continue on as
interim superintendent
Bowers
n Parking, Metro and money are hurdles
BY KATE S. ALEXANDER
STAFFWRITER
A proposed arena in Montgomery County
is no closer to opening than it was a year ago.
Without a space to accommodate most
high school graduation ceremonies, many
Montgomery County Public Schools seniors
and their families again will trek elsewhere,
such as Washington, D.C.
Despite years of working to build an arena
in the county that could host events, the
project remains stymied by Washington Met-
ropolitan Area Transit Authority and lacks
county nancial support.
As an arena site, developers have been
eyeing about 8 acres of WMATA land used for
parking at the Shady Grove Metro station.
Montgomery County awarded developer
D&A Sports and Entertainment the project
more than six years ago.
But the progress both the county and the
developer expected last May has not hap-
pened.
County Executive Isiah Leggett said the
county cannot nancially support the project
now because of a tight budget and difcult s-
cal outlook.
Leggett (D) said the project also faces
challenges with Metro and its willingness to
be a part of it.
Asked for comment, WMATA spokesman
Mike Tolbert emailed this statement: Metro
is supportive of this project. However, we re-
quire that any commuter parking that is dis-
placed by the proposed arena be replaced. As
an end-of-line station, Shady Grove is a busy
station and its parking facilities are often at or
near capacity.
No one, Leggett said, is in a position to
come up with a plan that satises all of the
concerns.
Its a long, long ways from anything con-
crete happening out there, he said.
Tom Doyle of D&A Sports and Entertain-
ment could not be reached for comment.
Last year, Doyle said the question of how
much parking would have to be provided at
the arena was the only thing standing be-
tween the project and a green light from
WMATA.
But while the county hoped to have the
issue resolved last July, a year later, Leggett
said, the project still does not have WMATA
approval.
Most Montgomery County high schools
will hold commencement at the Daughters of
the American Revolutions Constitution Hall
in Washington, D.C.
Once built, the arena in the county will be
available each year for graduation ceremo-
nies, Doyle said previously.
That is a mandatory requirement of this
whole project for us, he said in 2014. I went
to public school in Montgomery County and
everybody before and after me has had to suf-
fer with going somewhere else.
Leggett said he, too, is eager to stop host-
ing graduations outside the county.
Its something I want to change, he
said. Ive gone down to Constitution Hall too
many times, ghting through the trafc, forc-
ing our residents go through the trafc. We
have to change that. Hopefully, that we can
get it done. Its just question of timing at this
point.
Even if Metro approves plans for the
arena, the county still could require a master-
plan or zoning amendment for the project.
If the master plan must be amended, minor
master-plan amendments are the countys
quickest process and those can take about a
year to complete.
kalexander@gazette.net
Another year passes, and still
no public arena in the county
1931210
NOTICE
Notice is hereby given that application
has been made by:
Frank Gao
Xiaozhuo Wang
on behalf of MG Bethesda Enterprises,
LLC, for the transfer & Reclassification of
a Beer & Light Wine License, Class H, H/
R, On Sale Only, to a Beer, Wine &
Liquor License, Class B, H/R, On Sale
Only, for the premises known asMatuba
Restaurant, which premises are located
at:
4918 Cordell Avenue
Bethesda, Maryland 20817
A hearing on the application will be
held in the Montgomery County
Government Rockville Library,
First Floor Meeting Room
21 Maryland Avenue,
Rockville, Maryland 20850, on:
Thursday: June 4, 2015
At: 9:30 a.m.
Any person desiring to be heard on said
application should appear at the time and
place fixed for said hearing.
BY: Kathie Durbin
Board of License Commissioners
Division Chief
for Montgomery County, Maryland
1931642
County: Loan program
generated 380 jobs
A Montgomery County
business development pro-
gram that launched in 2012
with a $50 million county in-
vestment yielded $103 million
in new small-business loans
and 380 new jobs in 2014, the
county reported last week.
Small Business Plus! is a col-
laboration between the county
and community banks with
headquarters in the county.
County funds are deposited in
the banks, which agree to at
least match each dollar with
an equal amount in new small-
business loans.
In addition to helping cre-
ate the jobs, the program re-
turned to the county more
than $117,000 in interest on its
deposits.
Eligible county banks must
have assets of $200 million to
$5 billion and meet the pro-
grams safety and soundness
criteria. Among the participat-
ing banks are Capital Bank of
Rockville, and Congressional
Bank and EagleBank, both of
Bethesda.
Arxan names
chief tech ofcer
Arxan Technologies of
Bethesda named Sam Rehman
chief technology ofcer.
Previously, Rehman was
chief technology officer for
Epam Systems and also worked
for Oracle.
EYA starts selling new
townhouses in Bethesda
Bethesda developer EYA
plans to start selling townhouses
in its new Montgomery Row de-
velopmentnextmonth.
The 168-residence complex
is on 10 acres on FernwoodRoad
between Rock Spring and Rock-
ledgedrives inBethesda.
Starting June 6, EYA will be-
gin sales of the three- and four-
level, 1,700- to 2,600-square-foot
units. Prices will range from
about $750,000 to $1.12 million,
according to a company news
release.
The development will also
include 21 moderately priced
dwelling units, per county regu-
lations.
The first move-ins are ex-
pectednext spring.
Pebblebrook pays $186M
for Florida resort
Pebblebrook Hotel Trust of
Bethesda purchased LaPlaya
Beach Resort and LaPlaya Beach
Club for $185.5million.
The 189-room, waterfront,
luxury resort and private mem-
bers club are on 6 acres on the
Gulf of Mexico in Naples, Fla.
Last year, guests paid an average
of $337per night to stay at the re-
sort.
PTA group honors Schoen
Mike Schoen, founder and
president of AtoZ Directories in
Rockville, recently received the
Partners for Education Award
from the Montgomery County
Council of PTAs.
The award recognizes in-
dividuals or organizations that
have formed an organization
or alliance to support educa-
tion. Schoen was honored for
launching AtoZ in 2009 to help
PTAs produce school directo-
ries, according to a news re-
lease.
The directories also work as
fundraisers and have a mobile
app with information such as
school calendars, lunch menus
and contacts.
Ruppert Landscape
names IT director
Ruppert Landscape of Lay-
t o n s v i l l e
named Dan
Spruill of
Finksburg
director of
information
t e c h n o l -
ogy. Spruill
holds a
bachelors
in engineer-
ing science fromLoyolaUniver-
sityMaryland.
THE GAZETTE
Page A-6 Wednesday, May 27, 2015 b
BizBriefs
Have a new business in
Montgomery County? Let us know
about it at www.gazette.net/
newbusinessform
Spruill
n Leggett also appoints
Goldstein re chief,
Green to lead corrections
BY KATE S. ALEXANDER
STAFFWRITER
Former County Council-
woman Cherri Branson has
been named to lead Mont-
gomery Countys newOfce of
Procurement.
County Executive Isiah
Leggett announced his choice
on May 14, along with other
appointments.
Leggett (D) also named
acting Fire Chief Scott E. Gold-
stein re chief and Rob Green,
the interim correctional and
rehabilitation director, direc-
tor of the Department of Cor-
rection and Rehabilitation.
All three appointments are
subject toCountyCouncil con-
rmation.
The county separated
procurement from the De-
partment of General Services
this year. In 2008, the county
created the Department of
General Services and moved
procurement under its um-
brella, according to county
documents.
Legislation passed in
March re-establishes theOfce
of Procurement as a principal
ofce in the executive branch.
Branson served on the
County Council just shy of one
year, takingover the remainder
of former Councilwoman Val-
erie Ervins term in 2014. Ervin
(D-Dist. 5) of Silver Spring left
the council to lead the Center
for Working Families. Branson
was appointed to the remain-
derof the term in January2014,
agreeing to not run for the seat
in the 2014 election.
Bransons resume includes
nearly a quarter-century on
Capitol Hill including her
most recent job as chief coun-
sel for oversight to the House
Homeland Security Commit-
tee before coming to the
council.
Duringher timeasacounty
lawmaker, she helped pass
legislation aimed at removing
employment barriers for for-
mer convicts and worked to
improve small, minority- and
women-owned business con-
tracting something she will
oversee if conrmed to head
the procurement department.
Green has been acting di-
rector of Correction and Reha-
bilitation sinceMarch.
He joined the county gov-
ernment in 2000 as a division
chief and as warden at the
Montgomery County Cor-
rectional Facility in Clarks-
burg and the Detention
Center in Rockville, according
to a county news release.
He took over the depart-
ment on an interim basis
following the retirement of for-
merDirectorArtWallenstein in
March. Prior to coming to the
county, Green spent 15 years
with the Frederick County
SheriffsOfceand isanational
leader in the eld of correc-
tions, the release said.
Goldstein has spent nearly
25 years with the county. He
has beenacting chief since Jan.
1, when he took over from re-
tired Chief Steve Lohr.
Before taking over lead-
ership of the re and rescue
service, Goldstein was division
chiefofoperations, thesecond-
highest position in the depart-
ment.
kalexander@gazette.net
Ex-councilwoman
to head countys
procurement ofce
As part of the countys
16th annual Recycling Aware-
ness Week, the Montgomery
County Department of Envi-
ronmental Protections Divi-
sion of Solid Waste Services
recently recognized outstand-
ing achievements in recycling,
waste reduction, reuse, buying
recycled-content products,
backyard composting and
grass-cycling and educational
efforts.
Local businesses, orga-
nizations, multifamily apart-
ment and condominium
properties, residents and indi-
viduals were honored May 20
at the county conference cen-
ter in North Bethesda for their
efforts to help the county meet
its goal to recycle 70 percent of
all waste by 2020.
Those honored included
the following:
Outstanding Leadership
Efforts to Increase Recycling
Awareness: Bebe McMeekin,
Bethesda.
Multi-Family Property
Excellence in Recycling: Ava-
lon at Grosvenor Station and
The Sterling, North Bethesda;
Berkshires at Rock Spring,
Bethesda; and The Waterford
Condominium, Kensington.
Multi-Family Property
Outstanding Effort in Recy-
cling: Decoverly IV Condo-
minium and The Promenade,
Bethesda; Jefferson at Inigos
Crossing, North Bethesda; and
The Riviera of Chevy Chase.
Multi-Family Property
Staff Outstanding Individual
Achievement in Recycling:
Thomas Doody, Brookside
Apartments, Kensington;
and Elieth Montiel, The Wil-
loughby of Chevy Chase Con-
dominium.
Excellence in Recy-
cling, Business: Fitzgerald
Auto Malls, Kensington; and
Landon School, Bethesda.
Outstanding Achieve-
ment in Recycling, Business:
6905 Rockledge Drive, 9200,
9211, 9221 Corporate Boule-
vard and Primary Day School,
Bethesda; and Chevy Chase
Metro Building.
Outstanding Achieve-
ment in Business Recycling,
Individual: Deine Avila and
Joe Fitzgibbon of Red Coats,
Brittany Hilliker of Brookeld
Office Properties, National
Institutes of Health, Stacee
Longenecker of Piedmont
Office Realty Trust, William
Ortega-Ortiz of Walter Reed
National Military Medical
Center Naval Support Activity
and Mary Riegert of Finmarc
Management, all of Bethesda;
and Jeanne A. Nabavi, Geico,
Chevy Chase.
GAZETTE STAFF
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THE GAZETTE
Wednesday, May 27, 2015 b Page A-7
n Legislation would give
local governments power
to regulate companies
BY KATE S. ALEXANDER
STAFFWRITER
Nothing irks Montgomery
County residents quite like nding
theirvehicle towedwithout theircon-
sent. Two federal lawmakers want to
be clear who has the authority to ad-
dress theproblem.
Montgomery receives roughly
200 complaints every year about
towing done without the owners
consent. About one third to one half
of the time, ofcials say, the towing
companies have not complied with
county law.
Towing might seem a local issue
it is the top complaint to Mont-
gomeryCountysOfceofConsumer
Protection. But a 1990s authorization
bill for the Federal Aviation Adminis-
tration dened towing companies as
interstate carriers, and put authority
for regulating in the industry, gener-
ally, in federal hands.
Now, federal lawmakers want
to give the power to regulate tow-
ing back to state and local govern-
ments.
U.S. Reps. Christopher Van Hol-
len Jr. (D-Dist. 8) of Kensington and
Don Beyer (D), who represents Vir-
ginias 8th District, have introduced
theStateandLocalPredatoryTowing
EnforcementAct. Thebill,whichalso
was introduced in 2014, would pro-
vide state and local governments the
clear authority to regulate towing.
Its unclear who in Congress has
blocked the bill in the past and why,
Van Hollen said, but he assumes its
someone with a nancial interest in
keeping the status quo.
CountiessuchasMontgomeryal-
readyhave someauthority tooversee
towingpractices as it relates to safety,
saidEricFriedman,directorof theOf-
ce ofConsumerProtection.
In 2013, Maryland passed a new
towing law and allowed towing rms
to recoup the actual costs of meet-
ing the new laws mandate. The law
added roughlya$61charge to towing
bills.
But current federal law creates a
loophole that allows predatory tow-
ing practices to go, for themost part,
unchecked, VanHollen said.
Predatory towing is where spot-
ters are paid to watch private lots or
tow truckdriverswait for someone to
park inaprivate lotandviolateposted
restrictions.Often,vehiclesare towed
quickly,within a fewminutes.
Theres no reason the federal
government shouldbedictating tow-
ingpolicy to local governments,Van
Hollen said.
Montgomery County Council-
man Roger Berliner (D-Dist. 1) of
Bethesda has proposed legislation
to crack down on abusive towing
practices. His legislation updates the
countys 20-year-old law that ad-
dresses towing.
County Council attorney Josh
Hamlin said nothing in current fed-
eral law should prevent the county
from passing Berliners bill, but Van
Hollens legislation would remove
any uncertainty about authority on
regulating towing.
Freidman said the only challenge
to state or local law that he can re-
member never mentioned a federal
preemptionof that authority.
We dont think there is a pre-
emption prohibition, but want to
make sure that there isnt any po-
tential confusion or grounds for any
arguments, he said.
Van Hollen said his bill could
pass in twopossibleways: as separate
legislation or part of the larger trans-
portation authorization bill before
Congress.
kalexander@gazette.net
VanHollen bill shifts towing authority
2012 FILE PHOTOS
Legislation introduced by Rep. Christopher Van Hollen would provide local governments the authority to regulate towing practices.
n Neighbor of slain couple to be
returned to county this week
BY VIRGINIA TERHUNE
STAFFWRITER
The Rockville-area man still being held
Tuesdayas a fugitive from justice inAlaska is ex-
pected back inMaryland this week to face mur-
der charges in theMothersDay stabbingdeaths
of his next-door neighbors on RidgeDrive.
Scott Tomaszewski is due back in Mont-
gomery County this week and will be arraigned
Monday in Montgomery County District Court
in Rockville, Ramon V. Korionoff, a spokesman
for the county states attorneys ofce, wrote in
an email Tuesday.
Montgomery police ofcers will bring To-
maszewski, 31, back from Juneau, where he is
in custody after being arrested on a cruise ship,
said James T. Scott, district attorney for the Ju-
neau judicial district covering southeast Alaska.
We never disclose exactly when prisoners
will be transported for security reasons, Scott
wrote in an email onMay 20.
The fugitive-from-justice charge authorizes
Alaska ofcials to hold Tomaszewski on the
pendingmurder and burglary charges inMont-
gomery County, Scott said.
Timothy Ayer, Tomaszewskis court-ap-
pointed attorney in Alaska, who represented
him at his extradition hearing, declined to com-
ment Tuesday.
Tomaszewski, who livedwith his parents on
Ridge Drive, is accused of killing Richard and
Julianne Vilardo and stealing threewatches and
other items from their house early in themorn-
ingofMay10, according tochargingdocuments.
Montgomery County and Alaska ofcers
arrested Tomaszewski in Juneau after Mont-
gomery County investigators linked him to a
burglary on Ridge Drive in early April during
which Tomaszewski stole a class ring that he
later pawned in Rockville on April 20, according
to the documents.
After arrestingTomaszewski on theburglary
warrant onMay 16 on the cruise ship, investiga-
tors found cash in his wallet soaked with what
appears to be blood, according to charging
documents.
Police searched his stateroom and found
possible evidence. The next day, he was served
papers in the LemonCreek Correctional Center
in Juneau charging himwith two counts each of
rst-degreemurder andarmed robbery, accord-
ing to charging documents.
The Vilardo family thanked the Montgom-
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Police spokesman Capt. Paul Starks also
credited a range of agencies for their help in the
arrest, includingMaryland and Alaska State Po-
lice, the Juneau Police Department, FBI agents
in Juneau, theCoastGuard Investigative Section
in Juneau andU.S. Immigration and Customs.
vterhune@gazette.net
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158219G
THE GAZETTE
Page A-8 Wednesday, May 27, 2015 b
n Pilot program
will equip 100 ofcers
BY VIRGINIA TERHUNE
STAFFWRITER
Starting in late June, about
100 of Montgomery Countys
1,200 police ofcers will begin
wearing body cameras on their
chests or on eyeglasses as a way
to record their contacts with the
public.
The goal of the six-month
pilot program is to test and
evaluate different types of cam-
eras and technology, which
are intended to improve police
accountability, particularly in
incidents involving the use of
force, while balancing that with
privacy concerns.
There will be times when
[someone] asks not to be re-
corded, and the ofcer has the
discretion to turn [the camera]
off, but he or shemust say aloud
why theyre turning it off, said
county Police Chief J. Thomas
Manger during a May 11 bud-
get discussion with the County
Council.
The cities of Rockville,
Gaithersburg and Takoma Park
also are testing and evaluating
police body cameras.
Body cameras have become
part of a national discussion
about ofcers use of force fol-
lowing the fatal shooting death
of an unarmed teenager in Fer-
guson,Mo., in August and,most
recently, the death of Freddie
Gray in Baltimore city in April
after suffering neck and spinal
injuries while in police custody.
County ofcerswill wear the
cameras during trafc stops, ar-
rests, transports and incidents
involving people with mental
problems,Manger said.
The cameras will not be
used to record conversations
between officers or in places
such as locker rooms and dress-
ing rooms unless the rooms are
part of a criminal investigation,
he said.
When theres a complaint,
[the cameras] will eliminate that
speculation about what actually
happened, said Councilman
Craig Rice (D-Dist. 2) of Ger-
mantown.
During the pilot, the police
department will handle public
requests for video in about the
same way that it currently han-
dles requests for videos taken
frompolice cars, Manger said.
In the meantime, the states
PoliceTrainingCommissionhas
beenchargedwith formulating a
policy for the Maryland General
Assemblys consideration by
January. A study commission is
expected to issue policy recom-
mendations by Oct. 1.
Probably the thorniest is-
suebefore theGeneralAssembly
will be [deciding] whats public
information and what isnt,
Manger said.
The fiscal 2016 police de-
partment budget includes
about $622,000 for the body
camera program, which in-
cludes $422,400 for data storage,
$103,000 to buy equipment and
$97,000 for twonew information
technology employees, accord-
ing to a council staff memo.
vterhune@gazette.net
County
police
adopt body
cameras
The following is a summary of inci-
dents in the Bethesda area to which
Montgomery County police responded
recently. The words arrested and
charged do not imply guilt. This infor-
mation was provided by the county.
Residential burglary
6000 block of Namakagan
Road, between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30
p.m. onMay 7. Forced entry, took
property.
Vehicle larceny
Three thefts from vehicles oc-
curred in the earlymorning hours
ofMay 4. Affected streets included
Oakmont Ave., SwansongWay and
Mohawk Lane. No forced entry, took
property.
Three thefts from vehicles oc-
curred during the overnight hours
betweenMay 5 andMay 8. Affected
streets included BrookviewDrive,
Hillandale Road andWestbard Ave.
No forced entry, took property.
7600 block ofWisconsin Ave.,
between 9:58 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on
May 5. No forced entry, took prop-
erty.
POLICE BLOTTER
THE GAZETTE
Wednesday, May 27, 2015 b Page A-9
n Bombardier shares
importance of faith
at Olney school
BY TERRIHOGAN
STAFFWRITER
One of the five Xaverian
values stressed at Our Lady of
Good Counsel High School in
Olney is humility, which can be
denedasthequalityor stateof
not thinking you are better than
other people.
Good Counsel students re-
cently got an opportunity to
experience humility through
meeting retired 2nd Lt. John
R. Pedevillano, who fought in
World War II with the Army Air
Corps.
For an assignment, his
granddaughter Angela Vucci
of Brookeville, a junior, was re-
quiredtovisit theU.S.Holocaust
MemorialMuseum inWashing-
ton and took him along for his
perspective.
In a paper reecting on the
visit, shewrote about theexperi-
ence she sharedwith her grand-
father that day.
Religion teacher Natasha
Fredericks was so moved by
Vuccis reections that she in-
vited Pedevillano, 93, to talk to
the class.
Pedevillano, of College Park,
originally spoke to the religion
class inApril.
One of the reasons this was
so important tome is tohear the
history, just as he experienced
it, Fredericks said. In his case,
he had such a strong faith, and
told us how, from his perspec-
tive, he saw Gods hand in all of
his experiences. It shows that
even through evil and suffering,
God iswith us.
Fredericks arranged to have
Pedevillano return to Good
Counsel onMay 19, this time to
speak in the chapel to a larger
audience.Thetalkwasrecorded,
so it could be shown to future
classes.
Ive had a blessed life, said
Pedevillano, thoughtfully and
softly. I came from a family of
religious and patriotic people. I
believe the events in my life did
not happen by chance, in my
opinion.
Pedevillano grew up in Bay-
onne, N.J. Soon after the attack
on Pearl Harbor, he joined the
Army Air Corps. He was only 19
when he earned his ight wings
in 1943.
Pedevillano was the young-
est B-17 bombardier in his unit,
ying a plane named Miss Car-
riage after a showgirl.
Heewsix combatmissions
over Germany before he was
shot downonApril 24, 1944.
Vucci introduced him to her
classmates by saying, The mis-
sions you are about to hear
near misses of fate by ak and
enemy aircraft ghters shoot-
ing through his nose window,
air-battle wounds, precision
targeting of weapon factories,
his patriotic poemabout Ameri-
cans, keeping his buddies alive,
being captured by the Nazis,
survivingprisonerofwarcamps,
being forced tomarch300 freez-
ing miles and prison escapes
from his enemy Nazi captors
is what makes legends, because
his faith inGod iswhat kept him
alive through all this anguish.
Pedevillano said his main
message was the importance of
faith.
Without faith, I could not
have survived, he said. I had a
littleBiblewithme.There areno
atheists in combat.
Pedevillano believes he was
part of what has been described
as theGreatestGeneration.
Everyone took part in the
wareffort; itwasa timeforevery-
one to come together, he said.
Youwill never see that again.
Vucci said thatwhile shehas
always been interested in what
her grandfather had to say, it
was special that her friends got
to hear his stories.
Its a different experience
than reading from a textbook,
she said.
She said her grandfathers
talk broughtmanyof her friends
to tears. The students hugged
Pedevillano and he was visibly
touched.
C.J.Costigan, a junior, called
Pedevillanos talk completely
amazing.
To hear his rsthand ac-
count of what it was like to be a
P.O.W. was really cool, he said.
Healso talkedabouthowhefell
in loveandhis family. Ididntex-
pect it tohitmeashardas itdid.
Paris Clark, also a junior,
said she was impressed with
howhumble hewas.
He saved a lot of peoples
lives and did so much for our
country, but he didnt boast
about it, she said. He was so
kind, and spoke to us about
what life was like when he was
younger, and America was so
united.
Pedevillano resigned his
commission in 1945 and re-
mained with the reserves until
1955.
Taking advantage of the GI
bill, he landed at the University
of Maryland, where he met a
beautiful young woman named
Gloria.
I told the students that it
was love at rst sight, he said.
I proposed after six weeks and
four months later we were mar-
ried.
Pedevillano tears up when
talking about Gloria, who died
last year after 64 years of mar-
riage. Together, they had three
daughters, including Anne, who
is Vuccis mother and a teacher
at St. Peters School inOlney.
Pedevillano is the last surviv-
ingmember of his ight crew of
10.
According to data from the
Veterans Administration, World
War II vets are dying at an aver-
age daily rate of 492. Thismeans
thereareonlyabout855,070vet-
erans remaining of the 16 mil-
lionwho served in thewar.
This was the first time
Pedevillano shared his story
publicly.
Iwas just oneof 10,000, he
said. The heroes are the ones
whopassed away.
He is scheduled to receive
his remaining military honors
in July.
Bill Vucci, his son-in-law,
said Sen. JohnMcCain (R-Ariz.),
himself a prisoner of war during
the VietnamWar, is expected to
present Pedevillano with two
Distinguished Unit Citations
and the Presidential Unit Cita-
tion at a ceremony at the Capi-
tol.
thogan@gazette.net
WWII vet offers a personal history lesson
OUR LADY OF GOOD COUNSEL HIGH SCHOOL
Retired Army Air Corps 2nd Lt. John R. Pedevillano talks with Natasha
Fredericks, a religion teacher at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in
Olney, about his experiences in World War II.
TOM FEDOR/THE GAZETTE
People play in the spray provided by the Rockville Volunteer Fire Department
during the citys annual Hometown Holidays celebration Sunday in the Town
Center. The weekend festival included live music, the Taste of Rockville,
games and even a beach.
Holiday cool-down
n Group celebrates
milestone anniversary
BY PEGGYMCEWAN
STAFFWRITER
For 40 years, members of the
Clarksburg Neighborhood Senior
Program have met each week
to share their talents, learn new
things and just be there for each
other.
OnMay 20, they met to cele-
brate their milestone anniversary
andrecall thehistoryof thegroup.
Our motto is Life is great
when you participate, said
Joanne Woodson, who has been
the groups leader for 29 years.
Wemeet everyWednesday from
11a.m. to3p.m.Wedocrafts, arts
andplay games.ButnotBINGO!
And they talk,Woodson said.
We have discussions about
everyday things, shesaid. It gets
everyone talking, it takes some-
thing to getpeople to connect.
During the celebration, Mar-
garet Williams, a longtimemem-
ber, gave a history of the group,
who call themselves Super Se-
niors.
Among the highlights Wil-
liams mentioned were many
community involvement activi-
ties, including cooking and serv-
ing Thanksgiving dinner for the
community their rst year.
That was Project Turkey,
Williams said.
Williamsmother, Ethel Fore-
man,organized thegroup in1975
alongwithher friend JeanMarks.
Seniors wanted to do some-
thing to keep their time occupied
and rewarding,Williams said.
Weve done projects and
activities, fundraisers and bake
sales, Williams said. And weve
taken trips.
Many of the craft projects the
group undertook were for others.
They have knit and crocheted
blankets for those in need, made
dolls for children in Head Start
and even worked together on a
quiltcalledTheHouse thatnow
hangs inthemainofceofClarks-
burgHighSchool.
Woodson said she is espe-
cially proud of all the ribbons
members have won at theMont-
gomery County Fair over the
years. She said she encouraged
members to enter theirwork, just
to try something new, an impor-
tantpartofLife isgreatwhenyou
participate.
We won 26 ribbons the rst
year we entered things in the
CountyFair, she said.
Along the walls of the Clarks-
burg Park Building where the
group meets, were tables with
displays of projects from the
groups 40 years of crafting along
with some of those County Fair
ribbons and a photo collage of
members and activities from
throughout the years.
The groupwas originally part
of Montgomery County Recre-
ations Neighborhood Senior
Programs, now called 55+ Active
Adults Programs. The Neigh-
borhood Senior Programs were
eliminated in 2011 because of
budget cuts, according to Judy
Stiles, a media and public rela-
tions spokeswoman for Mont-
gomery County Recreation, and
reinstated thenext year.
When the program was
abolished, Woodson said, the
Clarksburg group could no lon-
germeet in the recreation center.
The Clarksburg group, which did
not want to disband, moved to
the nearby Community of Faith
UnitedMethodistChurch.
Now they are back in recre-
ation department space, meet-
ing at Clarksburg ParkRecreation
Center.
This is a special program,
Gabriel Albornoz, director of
Montgomery County Recreation
told the group. Its the people.
You guys are more than friends,
this is family.
pmcewan@gazette.net
Senior program turns
40, but hold the bingo
PEGGY MCEWAN/THE GAZETTE
Members and guests celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Clarksburg Super
Seniors with a luncheon and ceremony at Clarksburg Park Recreation Center
on May 20.
159048G
1951733
THE GAZETTE
Page A-10 Wednesday, May 27, 2015 b
andBethesda.
ACT and Ross, the groups
former president, led a lawsuit
Jan. 30 seeking waivers of hun-
dreds of dollars in fees that town
ofcials said they would charge
them for copies of agreements,
contracts, invoices, bills, corre-
spondence andmeetingminutes
requested under the Maryland
Public InformationAct.
Plaintiffs sought the fee
waiver not in the public interest
but infurtheranceof itsattackson
the town for its opposition to the
proposed Purple Line project,
lawyers for Chevy Chase stated
in the towns motion to dismiss
the suit.
In response, lawyers for ACT
and Ross said denying waivers
because the plaintiffs criticized
the townsactionsisunconstitu-
tional viewpoint discrimination.
The lawsuit is not for or
against thePurpleLine,butrather
its about the right of citizens to
know where their money is go-
ing, said Peter C. Whiteld, a
lawyer with Baker & Hostetler
whos representing ACT and
Ross.
The Washington, D.C., law
rmis representing themfor free,
but hopes to recover its costs as
well as persuade the court to or-
der thetowntogrant theplaintiffs
free access to the information.
They contend the town vio-
lated the Maryland Public Infor-
mation Act by denying ACT and
Ross fee waivers, denying two
hours of free research for some
separate information requests
anddenying access tominutes of
closed meetings. The group has
claimed that the town wants to
charge $170 an hour to meet its
requests.
The lawsuitarose fromaNov.
26, 2013, meeting of the Chevy
Chase Town Council during
which the council met in closed
session to talk with a representa-
tive of a law rm it later hired to
help stop thePurple Line.
The town council did violate
theMarylandOpenMeetings Act
by closing that session without
rst citing the exemption that al-
lowed it to close themeeting and
taking a vote todo so,Marylands
Open Meetings Compliance
Board ruled inMarch2014.
But town council members
have said those violations were
technical, and noted that the
compliance board agreed that
the topics discussed were valid
reasons for a closed session.
The towns attorneys said
state lawrequiredofcials todeny
requests toviewminutes fromthe
closedsession.Theyalsocontend
thatACTdoesnotqualify fora fee
waiver under the states public
information law simply because
it is anonprotandsays it cannot
afford topay.
State law, they note, says
the ofcial custodian of a public
record may waive a fee upon re-
quest, basedon the ability of the
applicant topay the feeandother
relevant factors, if the custo-
dian determines that the waiver
would be in the public interest.
But, they add, the law does not
dene other relevant factors nor
does it statewhat ismeantby the
public interest.
Noting the long, vigorous
public debate over the Purple
Line, lawyers for ACT and Ross
said the town failed to sufciently
consider strong public interest in
the information that theplaintiffs
sought.
And they said that the towns
response to the lawsuit failed to
provethat itsdenialswereproper.
The [Maryland Public Infor-
mation Act] directs that it shall
be construed in favor of allow-
ing inspection of a public record
with the least cost and delay ...,
they wrote. And, they added, the
states highest court hasheld that
the law is explicit that Maryland
citizensbeaccordedwide-rang-
ing access to public information
concerning the operation of their
government.
However, thestatutepermits
any town to obtain reasonable
fees for a document, said lawyer
Victoria M. Shearer of Karpinski,
Colaresi & Karp, a Baltimore rm
representingChevyChase.
The towns attorneys note
that the town identified Ross
earlier requests for information
on behalf of ACT and Ross afli-
ation with ACT as reasons for re-
jectinghisclaimthatheshouldbe
granteda feewaiver as amember
of thenewsmedia.
Further, they argue, the town
was permitted to consider the
history, identity and purposes
of the plaintiffs, including Ross
afliation with ACT, because the
public information act states that
it does not preclude such con-
sideration.
They also say that the town
was within its rights not to grant
two hours of free research for
someseparatelyledrequestsbe-
cause multiple requests for the
same category of documents by
ACT and/or its various represen-
tativeswereanobviousploytore-
peatedly obtain two free hours of
research andavoidpaying fees.
Lawyers for ACT and Ross
argue that requirement not to
charge for the rst two hours of
research applies to all requests
and all requestors. No provision
of the statute or case law permits
those free twohours to bedenied
based on claims that requests are
similar, they said.
Shearer said the townwill le
a motion opposing the plaintiffs
arguments.
A motions hearing is sched-
uled for July 10.
This year, lawmakers made
revisions to the Public Informa-
tion Act that take effect Oct. 1.
Theyrequire thestate toestablish
ave-memberStatePublic Infor-
mation Act Compliance Board to
review complaints and appoint a
lawyer as an ombudsman to try
to resolve disputes in an effort to
avoid the delays and expense of
taking suchmatters to court.
Under the revisions, appli-
cants charged a fee of more than
$350 for providing access to pub-
lic information may le a com-
plaint with the board contending
that the fee is unreasonable. Re-
cord custodians and applicants
retain the right to appeal the
boards decision in court.
PURPLE
Continued from Page A-1
roles inhis life: theU.K.,wherehewasborn;
theU.S.; andMontgomeryCollege.
Guraya, a Board of Trustees Scholar
representing the Germantown campus,
said he did not focus on academics as a
younger student and was rejected by mul-
tiple universities in 2013. He instead found
his academic drive at the college, where he
joined theMacklinBusiness Institute.Now,
hesaid,heisheadedtoGeorgetownUniver-
sity to continue studyingbusiness.
In his speech, LeRoy John Friend Jr. of
Germantown said he sought stability in a
career as anHVAC technician after years as
a coal miner in West Virginia. In that dan-
gerouspost,hesaid,hewitnessedaccidents
and injuries.
Friend, who works for Shapiro & Dun-
can Mechanical Contractors, participated
in a four-year apprenticeship program and
received the 2015 Apprenticeship Trustee
Scholar Award. He said he is the rst in his
family to continue education beyond high
school.
The graduates and other attendees
heard from two commencement speakers,
wifeandhusbandCokieandStevenRoberts
ofBethesda, both journalists andauthors.
Steven pointed to Montgomery Col-
leges diversity, particularly the immigrants
among its studentpopulation.
Anyone who doubts the enormous
contribution that immigrants make in this
country every single day, you only have to
be here this morning, and they would un-
derstand that, he said.
Cokie encouraged the graduates to se-
riously consider taking on a public service
role, where they can make waves and af-
fect lives.
The college, with its diversity, dem-
onstrates that people in the country dont
shareacommonethnicity, religion,heritage
or language, Cokie said. They are brought
togetherby something else, she said.
What we have is our government and
its institutions, she said.
Steven told the graduates to become
mentors and teachers.
He said Pollard, whom he has inter-
viewed, foundsupportwhenshewasyoung
from a group of women at her church. She
called them sister mothers. Steven said
he had a brother father while working for
James Reston at TheNew York Times. Res-
ton took time forhimeveryday.
Be a sistermother, be a brother father,
be a pebble in a pond, he said. And if you
do that, those ripples in your life will reach
shores you will never, ever see and touch
lives youwill never know.
lpowers@gazette.net
GRADUATION
Continued from Page A-1
GeorgesCountyExecutiveRushernL.
Baker III (D) to talk about the Purple
Line, specically the economic rea-
sons forbuilding it.
Proposed to connect Bethesda to
New Carrollton, the 16-mile light-rail
line has been projected to bringmore
than 27,000 jobs to the region andbil-
lions in economicdevelopment.
But Hogan, a strong supporter of
road transportation, has questioned
theprojects$2.45billionpricetagand
asked state transportation ofcials to
take a closer look.
Asked if the meeting affected the
governors thinking on the project,
HoganspokeswomanErinMontgom-
ery wrote in an email: The governor
will make a decision on the Purple
Line once he receives nal recom-
mendations fromTransportationSec-
retaryPeteRahn.
Rahn said earlier this month that
the project could be built for 10 per-
cent less, The Washington Post re-
ported.
RahntoldThePostthePurpleLine
constructionsavingshisagency found
wouldresult fromchanges in theproj-
ectsscopeandcommercial terms.
Hoganwasexpectedtomakeade-
cision on the Purple Line this month,
but Leggett said he left the meeting
Thursday with the impression that
Hogan would not decide until after a
scheduled trip to Asia, likely in early
June.
My effort today was to get him
to accept the project is worth having
andwe should do it, Leggett said late
Thursdayafternoon.
Unwilling to say whether he ex-
pects Hogan to keep the project on
track, Leggett characterized themeet-
ing asproductive.
Leggett andBaker sought to show
thegovernorhowtheproject isconsis-
tentwithHogansdesire foreconomic
development growth inMaryland.
My point was: This is consistent
with his mandate to create jobs and
expand our tax base, Leggett said,
adding that he approached the con-
versation by presenting realistic g-
ures toHogan.
Hoganhasquestionedguresthat
show the pro
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