Thursday, December 21, 2006 • St. Mary’s County

By Adam RossStaff Writer

The St. Mary’s Board of Appeals (BOA) tabled discussion until Feb. 8, 2007, on construction of a waste transfer station at the St. Andrews Landfill, put-ting the project on hold indefinitely.

The transfer station was slated to be running in July, but strong opposition

from adjacent businesses prevailed dur-ing the Dec. 14 BOA meeting, making it unlikely the original timeline will be met.

Behind a team of engineers, the De-partment of Public Works and Transpor-tation gave an organized and calculated two-hour presentation on the site plans of the almost $5 million dollar project. The purpose of the presentation was to

acquire conditional use of the Compre-hensive Zoning Ordinance, and vari-ance from the ordinance, to reduce the required setback from the nearest home, building, water supply or wellhead.

Director of DPWT, George Erich-sen, said the business’ request to move the site back farther into St. Andrews

Thursday, December 21, 2006 • St. Mary’s County, Maryland Established 2006 • Volume I • Issue 8 • FREE

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Eighty-five off-duty police officers took 133 needy children from St. Mary’s County on a Christmas Shopping spree Saturday morning in Wal-Mart. Their arrival was marked by blaring sirens and flashing lights, as the police transported the children from Wildewood to Wal-Mart, giving them an experience they will never forget.


The Southern Maryland legislative delegation and the St. Mary’s Board of Education met Dec. 14 at the Dr. James A. Forrest Career and Technology Cen-

ter, and school safety dominated the discussion.

The day before this meeting, Police responded to a call in which a 14-year-old student reportedly stabbed a class-mate in Great Mills High School the day before, leaving the County in horror and questions lingering.

Superintendent Dr. Michael J. Mar-tirano bumped school safety to the top of the agenda. He then shared with the delegation his Dec. 13, which began with news of the death of an old friend and ended with the stabbing.

Martirano said Lisa L. Brown, 22, a student he watched grow up through Scotchtown Elementary School and Laurel High School in Prince George’s County, and her 9-month-old daughter, had been shot and killed inside a room-ing house in Laurel.

This news came just hours before the reported stabbing at Great Mills. Ac-cording to Police reports, a 16-year-old victim received injuries to the abdomen, back and wrist from a classmate who used a pairing knife as a weapon during art class.

Martirano said the boy who was stabbed is “ok.” Meanwhile, a 14-year-old student has been detained on assault and weapons charges.

The victim was treated at the school’s health room before his mother came and decided to take him to the hos-pital, according to Martirano, who add-ed that he has worked in four different school systems, and not one was exempt from “the issues of this topic.”

“Dr. [Martirano], with all due re-spect to you, a stabbing is a stabbing is a stabbing,” said Senator Roy Dyson (D- St. Mary’s, Calvert, Charles). “It doesn’t matter where it happens. I hope it’s at the top of your agenda.”

By Bryan JaffeManaging Editor

The still air was pierced by blaring police sirens 8 a.m. Saturday morning, as 85 police responded to the same call at Wal-Mart in California.

But this army of police was not heading to the scene of a crime or an accident, rather they had one goal in mind. To give underprivileged Chil-dren the same chance for Christmas as everyone else.

This marked the fourth annual Christmastime “Shop with a Cop” event, put on every year through a cooperative effort involving many groups.

The children and Police are the main attraction, but St. Mary’s County Public Schools, the Department of So-cial Services, Church Ministries and local Optimist Clubs are all part of making the event a success year in and out. And this does not begin to scratch the surface of all the people who con-tribute each year.

“It started with an Optimist Club in the Baltimore area,” said Toni Long, secretary of the Shop with a Cop com-mittee and member of the 3rd District Optimist Club. “[Baltimore] did it, and Maryland Optimists has a bulletin for the whole state. Joe Stanalonis, who works with the State’s Attorney and is a member of the Optimists, saw it and went to Bill [Raddatz] who was Presi-dent of the Fraternal Order of Police at the time, and asked if they would work with the Optimist Clubs in St. Mary’s County to do a program like that.”

Long said once started, the pro-gram served 38 children the first year,

and has “exploded since then.” While she has been part of the program since the beginning, last year was the first time she was at Wal-mart in person. Usually, Long is found at the breakfast station at the County Fair-grounds, where the children go to eat their fill following a tough morning of shopping.

This year, 133 children were served by the program, with each re-ceiving a budget of $200 to buy items for themselves and their families.

Detective William E. Raddatz heads the police end of the effort up, and serves as Shop with a Cop Com-mittee Co-Chair. He said one of the most beneficial aspects of the program is the bond it allows these children to form with police.

“This is wonderful work done by wonderful volunteers,” Raddatz said. “It helps leave a lasting impression of law enforcement with kids who some-times don’t see us in a positive way.”

“I think [Shop with a Cop] ad-dresses some issues we sometimes have. I think it speaks specifically to the young people, the children,” St. Mary’s County Sheriff Timothy K. Cameron (R) said. “In some cases, it gives them a Christmas they would not otherwise have. And not just them, but their families too.”

Cameron said that $28,700 was spent on shopping this year, and all the money goes towards the kids, as there

is no overhead for the program.The 85 police volunteers were off

duty, and gave their own time to make this program a success.

“Obviously, they feel very strong-ly about their commitment to the com-munity,” Cameron said. “Some of the most vulnerable in the community are our children, and this is a great oppor-tunity to get families, police and kids together and make their lives better.”

Raddatz echoed Cameron’s senti-ments, and thanked all the police vol-unteers involved from the many local departments.

In addition to the Sheriff’s of-fice, the Maryland State Police from the Leonardtown Barracks, local De-partment of Natural Resources Police, Naval Criminal Investigative Services police and one U.S. Capitol Policeman chipped in to play Santa.

Wal-Mart itself was pandemo-nium, but in a good way as children screeched with delight in every aisle. For many, this represented the first time they could look longingly at a toy or game, and actually walk out of the store with it. Many used their money for gifts for family, and some purchased necessary items for the household, such as food and cleaning supplies.

The easiest thing to find was smiles, as they were spread across not just the children and the police, but also across the faces of many shoppers

“Wonderful Work”

Santa Cops Bring Christmas

Board of Appeals puts Garbage on TablePlans for Transfer Station Delayed Indefinitely

Photo by Adam Ross

From left, Sen. Roy Dyson (D – St. Mary’s, Calvert, Charles), SMCPS Chief Operating Of-ficer Brad Clements and Delegate Tony O’Donnell (R – 29C) discuss the issues facing St. Mary’s Public Schools during a legislative breakfast held Dec. 14. Chief among topics was school safety in the wake of a reported stabbing in Great Mills High School the day just prior to this meeting.

Photo by Adam Ross

The St. Mary Board of Appeals listen intently to the Department of Public Works and Transporation’s two-hour presentation for a new waste transfer station at St. Andrews landfill.

School Stabbing Sparks Discussions

See Santa Cops page A - 3

See Board page A - 3 See Breakfast page A - 3

Vaccine Limited in County ReserveFlu Season PeaksBy Adam RossStaff Writer

The St. Mary’s County Health De-partment ordered 15,000 doses of flu vaccine from three different distributors this year to combat potential shortfalls.

Director of Community Health Services Nancy Luginbill said “It all started when we had one major manu-facturer who had a large batch of their supply unapproved by the [Food and Drug Administration].”

As a result, last year around Decem-ber, Luginbill said she over ordered the vaccine from multiple places so that by October or November of 2006 it would “hopefully have arrived.” But as Octo-ber rolled around, Luginbill and her de-partment were caught in all-to-familiar dilemma with no vaccine, and a county

See Vacine page A - 3

who just happened to be at Wal-Mart while this went on.

Following their two plus hour spree in Wal-Mart, the 133 children and their 85 Police chaperones headed over towards the Fairgrounds for that breakfast prepared by the Optimists. While there, the police volunteers took

SectionA-� The County Times ThursdayDecember�1,�006

AvenueBoyScouts

Troop 7 meets at the 7thDistrict ball field every Thurs-day at 7pm. We are looking for boys ages 11 to 18 to join as well as adult leaders. If you en-joy camping, hiking and other outdoor activities, please call for more information or join us Thursdays.

Contact Mike Hearth, Scoutmaster 301-769-4890 in the evening, or Bob Bowles, Committee President 301-769-2269 in the evening.

ChristmasCaroling

The last day for Christ-mas caroling at Loffler will

take place tomorrow at 11 a.m. Please join us for singing and holiday cheer! Apple cider will also be available for enjoyment during the caroling. For more information call 301-737-5670 ext. 1655.

StarGazing

Come gaze at the win-ter skies with members of the Southern Maryland Astronomi-cal Society and be one of the first to use Great Mills High School’s new telescope donat-ed by the Wilkin family. The star party takes place Saturday 6:45-8:45 p.m., on the Great Mills High School athletic field (weather permitting). Star gaz-

ers of all ages are welcome. Bring the entire family. For more information, contact Mr. Allen Skinner by email at [email protected].

ChristmasEveService

Grace and Peace Presbyte-rian Church (OPC) invites the public to a special Christmas Eve Candlelight Service Dec. 24 at 8 p.m., held in the Trinity Church in Historic St. Mary’s City (Trinity Church Road off of Route 5). For more infor-

mation, call Rev. Edd Cathey at 301-866-4009 or visit www.gppopc.org.

If you require additional information, please contact Rev. Cathey at 301-866-4009. Thank you very much for your assistance.

ChristmasDinner

The St. Vincent de Paul So-ciety of St. Aloysius Church is sponsoring a FREE Christmas dinner Christmas Day from 2 – 6 p.m. at Father Andrew White School in Leonardtown, Md. This dinner is for anyone desir-ing a good meal and/or wanting to share the spirit of Christmas with others within our commu-nity. All are welcome to attend. Anyone requesting transpor-tation to and from dinner will need to contact us by Friday, Dec. 15.

For more information, call St. Vincent de Paul Society at 301-481-2942.

BuncoandPizzaParty

The Garvey Senior Center will host a Bunco Pizza party Dec. 27 at 10:30 a.m. Bunco is a fast paced but easy to learn dice game. Prizes are awarded for high scores. Call Brandy at 301-475-4200 ext. 1062 for more information and to re-serve your pizza lunch.

AdultComputerClass:IntroductiontotheInternet

New web users will be in-troduced to this popular form of communication by setting up their own accounts and sending and receiving messages. The session is free and will be held Dec. 27 at 2 p.m. in the Lexing-ton Park Library.

There is limited space and registration is required. Call 301-863-8188 or email [email protected] for more information.

LibraryClosing

The library floor at St. Mary’s College of Maryland will be refinished during winter break. From January 2-5, the li-brary will be closed. From Jan. 8-12, the first floor will re-open as soon as work is completed. The book-return drop box in the lobby will remain available for returning materials.

SoupCookOff

The Dr. James A. Forrest Career & Technology Center is hosting its second annual Soup Cook-off Jan. 9, 2007 from 3 – 7:30 p.m. in the school’s state-of-the-art kitchen. Cooking be-gins at 3 p.m.; doors open to the public at 5:30 p.m. with tasting and judging starting at 6 p.m.

The contest is open to the public. Soups will be grouped in six categories including cream based, seafood, red meat, poul-try, vegetarian, and other. The contest will be judged by expert chefs and community leaders. A people’s choice award will also be chosen by the public.

Costs for the tickets are $5 per adult, $3 per student, and free for children under four.

RiversideDinnerTheatreTrip

Are you wondering what gift to give yourself or a friend for the holidays? Well, the Department of Aging has the perfect gift idea for you. On Jan. 10, 2007, the Department of Aging will be taking a trip to Riverside Dinner Theatre in Fredericksburg, Va. to see “Nunsense.” “Nunsense” is a clean, high-spirited musical comedy about a nun who has accidentally poisoned 52 of her fellow sisters and the surviving nuns who stage a benefit con-cert to raise money for proper burials before the health in-spector shows up. You will de-

InYourCommunity

Picture this…

Route 245Hollywood, MD 20636

301-475-2531

Route 246 & Great Mills Rd.Lexington Park, MD 20653301-862-7702

Route 5 & Mohawk DriveCharlotte Hall, MD 20622301-884-5636

Wildewood Shopping CenterCalifornia, MD 20619

301-866-5702

On your Holiday Table

$5.00Prices Starting at 2 for

SeeCommunity page A - 4

Thursday December 21, 2006 The County Times Section A - �

Ages 0-3 Eat Free • Ages 4-12 $9.95 each • Ages 13-up $19.95 each

Buffet Items to Include:n Fried Oysters n Stuffed Hamn Roast Beef n Fried Chicken

And All The Trimmings

New Years Eve Buffet

4 pm - 8 pm

Uncle Don’s Karaoke starting at 8 pm

St. Mary’s Landing

301-884-3287 • Rt. 5 Across From Farmers Market • Charlotte Hall, MD

the time to help the children wrap the many gifts they just purchased.

Long said the event was only possible because of a num-ber of people, and specifically mentioned thanks for the major contributors of the event. She said ADF Bingo, Wal-mart, Liberty Home Builders and the Mechanicsville Moose Lodge

have made large donations helping fund Christmas for these children.

Long said that while they helped a number of children this year, she is aware of many others that still need help.

“One hundred and thirty-three kids may not have been one-half of those who need it, and I would like to reach the

rest of them,” Long said. “A couple of the kids there this year were homeless, and that’s hard to think about. Every kid deserves to have a home and to take up Christmas morning with presents and a smile on their face. And we are trying to make that happen.”

Dyson urged Martirano to sit down with teachers and parents and have a countywide meeting.

Minutes after the incident, GMHS used a telephone system to get the word to parents. The rest of the students were isolated from the incident and continued their normal class schedules, Martirano said.

Martirano outlined the “second step violence preven-tion program” used throughout County middle and high schools as a pivotal function in teaching social and emotional skills for violence prevention.

The program utilizes coun-selors to mediate arguments, and a collection of the school nurse, psychologists, and administra-tors to analyze data from re-source officers to determine if there are any clear issues.

According to Martirano, every school in the County is drilled regularly on its emer-gency plan and evacuation pro-cedure, for a variety of emergen-cies the school may encounter.

St. Mary’s County Public Schools have dealt with addition-al violent behavior this school year. Just over two weeks ago,

a bomb threat was called into Spring Ridge Middle School, according to SMCPS Executive Director of Student Services Kathleen Lyons.

Lyons said two additional bomb threats were made ear-lier this year at Leonardtown Middle and Leonardtown High Schools. One bomb case was re-solved according to Lyons, and it was found the perpetrator was a student.

“Each one of these inci-dents we learn from,” Lyons added. “And as a result we take a look at our procedures and adjust them for each individual circumstance.”

Martirano said the violence was not just a school issue, but also a “community issue,” and urged the parents and people of St. Mary’s to take a vested inter-est in making County schools safer.

Delegate John F. Wood (D- 29A) shared his perspective from a parent’s point of view. He raised nine of his own children and while he lacked the answers, sending unruly students home or expelling them from school premises was not the resolu-tion, he said. “That’s what [kids] want,” Wood added.

As part of the agenda, the two sides discussed Thornton Funding, which increases school

spending at the State level. Delegate John L. Boha-

non (D -29B) said the County has gone from 44 percent to 21 percent budget allocation to its schools.

Bohanon called out to the Board of County Commissioners to follow the role of the State and revisit the Bridge to Excellence agreement.

“[The State] is doing three times the increase the increase of the County,” Bohanon said. “The County needs to do what we did at the State level to bring up funding and get us where we need to go.”

The issue of stocking County elementary and middle schools with automated external defibrillators came up briefly. The County received state fund-ing last year to install three de-fibrillators in each high school, but now for the cost of roughly $23,000 they can extend the de-vices through the entire district.

Delegate Anthony J. O’Donnell (R- 29C) scoffed at the Board of Education members for including a $23,000 bud-get initiative into the morning’s meeting.

“The school has $150 mil-lion something budget and this is one fifth of the agenda?” O’Donnell said to member Cathy Allen. “This is my point.”

Landfill would impose on more properties and create typological issues because of steep slopes and wetlands.

Former County Attorney, John B. Norris III, representing himself, said he opposed the site because of inaccurate premises, including the expiration of a 1966 conditional use permit, which la-beled the landfill rural preserva-tion district; although the landfill is on RPD property it is within the development district. Norris’ law office is within visual site of the proposed location.

Norris, along with his father John B. Norris, Jr., told the board a better location exists.

“I would offer to work with the County to come up with a better solution,” said Norris, Jr., a former County employee who helped initiate the concept of con-venience centers years ago. “And [we] implore you to come up with something along the lines of do-

ing it better.” Norris Jr., said it was incon-

ceivable to him that the County would approach the board for con-ditional use and variance from the ordinance when they could have found a better site.

In a post-meeting interview, Erichsen said the reason people come to the Board of Appeals is to seek variance and conditional use, and the proposed site was the best for the transfer station.

Another chief concern the Norrises brought up was a traffic study.

Norris III included a letter from Leonardtown Mayor Harry J. Norris, stating his opposition to the transfer station because of the traffic implications it would have for the town.

According to Erichsen, a Leonardtown resident, the waste trucks cannot pass through the town center by law.

“If it pleases the board to complete a traffic study, that is not an issue,” Erichsen added. “We expected that.”

Norris III asked the board to consider the water and liquid

run off from the facility, although solid waste and recycling director Richard Tarr said a slight slope would exist inside the station to collect and properly store liquid run off. However, there is no such system designed in the out-door area designated for washing trucks, which is potentially haz-ardous to surrounding wells.

“Those separations are not adopted arbitrarily, but cautiously and conservatively,” Norris III said.

Lindsley Dudley, a member of the solid waste advisory com-mittee, said the committee was in “full support of both applications at St. Andrews.” When asked by board member George Allen Hayden what the committee does, Dudley laughed, could not answer and turned to Tarr for help.

Engineering staff member of DPWT Gary Whipple said the roof of the station is flat to dimin-ish mass, the doors to the station face the County’s operations and not adjacent businesses for noise reduction, and all the waste will be confined within the station to reduce odor.

Whipple even calculated the wind patterns of the area as Northwest, as to offset the site and to minimize the impact odors will have on neighbors.

But Norris III called the odor “horrid” on some days and indi-cated the trucks would back up into the station too, escalating the noise issue.

“All the trucks backing up have horns and sirens,” Norris III said. “Those will be heard in my office.”

Hayden expressed interest in visiting the site with the board be-fore a decision was made.

Board member Wayne Medzinski said he did not know if this is the best possible site on the property for the transfer sta-tion and would not feel comfort-able voting until the search had been exhausted.

DPWT told the BOA the is-sue is time sensitive because Cal-vert County will no longer accept County trailers that are 38-feet or longer. But Erichsen confirmed later in the meeting the County has a new contract with King George County in Virginia to long haul its waste in the interim.

Because of the temporary

agreement with the Virginia County, Hayden felt comfortable taking additional time to exhaust the search for the right area to build the transfer station, whether that is the proposed site or not.

The rest of the board agreed and voted unanimously to table the discussion until they have re-viewed all the testimony and vis-ited the landfill.

“I think it would be ap-propriate [to visit the landfill],” Hayden said. “We’ve done that in some other cases thought of as controversial.”

AppealsContinued from page A - 1

The St. Mary’s Board of County Commissioners wish St. Mary’s County residents a happy holiday while filming a commercial after Tuesday’s business meeting.

Photo by Adam Ross

Following their shopping bonanza at Wal-Mart, the 133 children served by Shop with a Cop were taken to the County Fair Grounds where the police volunteers helped wrap their gifts. St. Mary’s County Optimists Clubs cooked a hearty breakfast for the children and the volunteers.

Santa CopContinued from page A - 1

BreakfastContinued from page A - 1

Photo by Bryan Jaffe

wide Health Fair coordinated each year by County’s Depart-ment of Aging to supply.

Luginbill said the Depart-ment of Aging was forced to purchase the vaccine privately and the Department of Health administered 500 doses, the most they had ever done.

By the end of November, Luginbill said the County finally received 5,000 doses of the vac-cine and was able to cancel the other 10,000 orders.

If a flu pandemic were to hit tomorrow, Luginbill said the County would have to wait for additional vaccinations, but has

the proper plans in place to ad-minister the shots once they have arrived.

“The production of vac-cine has run into snags and road blocks,” said County Health Officer William B. Icenhower M.D. “ And there are still some departments that don’t have vac-cine yet.”

Icenhower summarized the preparation of obtaining the flu vaccination as a “feast or famine kind of business.”

Although the County has had no official breakout of the flu this season, the health depart-ment is still out vaccinating any-one and everyone it can, includ-ing 46 percent of children in the County’s elementary schools.

“It has been shown that el-ementary school aged children

bring [the flu] home to their par-ents and siblings,” Luginbill said. “Give a lot of credit to those in the school system, school nurses worked very well with our staff and we had an outstanding suc-cess with that program.’

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention donated doses of the new nasal spray flu vaccine available to persons age 5 to 49, which was administered to roughly 3,780 out of 4,200 el-ementary students, according to Luginbill. The remaining vac-cine was then administered to first responders and health care workers throughout the County.

Luginbill said the nasal spray is the simplest method to vaccinating the public because it can be self-administered.

Commissioner Kenny De-

ment asked Health Department officers if the spray was avail-able to his age group of over 50, because of his dislike of needles. Luginbill smiled and with a laugh assured Dement those ad-ministering the shots were prop-erly trained and experienced.

“But it’s still a needle, though,” Dement added.

Commissioner Daniel Raley said he has heard worrisome talk from County residents that re-ceiving a flu vaccination meant contracting the flu.

The flu vaccine contains live, weakened flu viruses, but will “absolutely not give you the flu,” said Icenhower.

But that’s not the only rea-son just 3,500 vaccinations were administered throughout the

County.Icenhower said people tend

to stay away from the vaccine unless they hear in the media that a pandemic is among us.

“We do everything we can to encourage people to come in,” Incenhower said. “But until there are reports in the paper of flu sweeping the nation we won’t have long lines.”

The flu season can begin as early as October and end as late as May. The peak of the flu sea-son is usually in December or in January when it gets most cold outside and people congregate inside more.

The Board of County Com-missioners acts as the St. Mary’s County Board of Health. Raley said to Icenhower that while he

appreciates the Department of Health’s presentations, he would like the Board to have a more active role in hearing initiatives before they are started.

Raley used the appropria-tion of two percent of funds from Marcy House and Walden Outpatient Center to acquire a new Addictions Coordinator as a prime example.

“I’m not sure how you de-rived that percentage,” Raley added. “But all I knew about it was when Marcy House came to us needing additional funds.”

Once the meeting was done, the commissioners recorded a holiday commercial in the hall-way of the governmental center.

VaccineContinued from page A - 1

Photo by Adam Ross

SectionA-� The County Times ThursdayDecember21,2006

P.O.Box250•Hollywood,Maryland20636

News, advertising, circulation, classifieds: 301-373-4125

JamesManningMcKay-Publisher

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Editorial&Opinion

To the Editor:TheSt.Mary’sCountyFarm

Bureauheld its annualmember-shipmeetingOct.24,where thegroupvotedtorejectmyproposaltogoontherecordandadoptinexact form the stated MarylandFarm Bureau policy as local St.Mary’s County Farm Bureaupolicy.

My policy proposal con-cernedzoningissuesandmysup-portofMarylandFarmBureau’sStatepolicyinoppositiontoman-datoryagriculturalzoningandop-positiontotheinvoluntaryforceddownzoningofagriculturalland.Thegroupvoted,ineffect,tosup-portmandatoryagriculturalzon-ing and the involuntary forceddownzoningofagriculturallandinSt.Mary’sCountyastheirlo-calpolicy.Next,thegroupvotedto support at the state level thesame Maryland Farm Bureaustatepolicy they rejected locallyinordertosimplifyandpreservetheir charter affiliation with the Maryland Farm Bureau, as wasstated by the Maryland FarmBureau field-man present at the meeting.

AsaFarmBureaumember,I have asked myself what effectthesevoteswouldhaveonmeandother landowners in St. Mary’sCounty.Ibelievethatthereluctantsupport of Maryland Farm Bu-reaustatepolicybytheSt.Mary’sCountyFarmBureauandtheab-senceof awrittenpolicymeansthatwehavenoestablished,con-sistentpolicylocally.Thepolicycanvarywiththelocalleadershipspokesperson commenting, andnot be in conformity with thestate Farm Bureau organization.This hurts members relying onastateFarmBureaupolicystan-

dardforaccountabilityonan is-suelikezoning.

No discussion took place athemeetingregardingthoseequi-tyandpropertyrightsissuesthatcausedtheMarylandfarmBureaupolicyIsupportedtobewhatitis.Basedonthegroup’svotes,whichto me seemed hostile and indif-ferenttomanyfarmersandland-owners, it comes as no surprisethatcountyfarmbureaupresidentJosephWoodwouldtellmembersin the Farm Bureau newsletterthatparticipationintheproposedSt.Mary’sCountyTDRprogramwould be optional, but failed toexplain that the enabling TDRzoningordinancedownzonesallpropertyintheRPDzonesinSt.Mary’sCountybyincreasingthedensityfootprinttotenacresforafive acre lot. That down zoning isnotoptional,butitisforcedoneveryoneinaRPDzonewhetheryouwishtosellTDR’sornot.Aproperty drafted TDR programwouldnotmakethisdownzoningnecessary.

Maryland Farm Bureaustate policy supports voluntaryagricultural preservation efforts.Clearly, the votes of this grouphave rejected that concept andreasonableness.

The following individuals,amongothers,werepresentatthemeetingandvotedbyimplicationto support mandatory agricul-turalzoningandthe involuntaryforced down zoning of agricul-tural land inSt.Mary’sCounty:Joseph Wood, James B. Norris,Jr.,RobertJarboe,LindaValland-ingham,BarryRoache,andJohnR. Butterfield.

Kenneth F. BootheGreat Mills

Saturdaymorningwasonetoberemembered.Itmarkedasitewedonotseeoftenenoughinourcommunity,oranycom-munityforthatmatter.

Wesaw85off-dutypolicevolunteerswhohadtheirsirenson file into the Wal-Mart park-inglotinCalifornia.Butunlikemany times in the past, theseofficers were not responding to thelatestbarbrawlatoneofthecounty’srowdyestablishments,norweretheyonhandtoappre-henddeviouscriminalsbentonbreakingthelaw.

No,onthisday, thepolicewerepartofalargescaleeffortfromthecommunitytoprovideaChristmas for those children

who would otherwise havenone.

It was holiday spirit at itsfinest.

There was no mistakingtheexcitementand thebuzz inthe air. The 133 children se-lectedtotakepartinthisyear’sShopwithaCopwerepositive-lygiddy.

For many of these chil-dren, the foremost thing ontheirmindiswhethertheywillhavearoofovertheirheadandameal on their plate.Theydonot have the newest sneakers,snazzy threads and extensivewardrobes. So for many, themere thought of Christmas isa dream; something that otherpeoplehave,butnotthem.

When thesechildren learnthattheytoowillhavetheben-efit of a Christmas, it warms theirhearts.Andwhenthepo-licevolunteersaretheretopro-videthemwiththatexperience,itformsabondthatistoooftenmissingbetweenpoliceandouryouth.

It is easy forpolice tobe-comejaded,andbegintoviewyoungstersastroublemakers.Itisequallyeasyforchildren,es-peciallyinthesecircumstances,to form hostile views towardspolice.Bringingthesechildrentogetherwithpoliceatthisagehelpsformalastingimpressionthat the police truly are theirfriends, and reinforces the no-tionthatpolicecanbetrusted.

Each child selected forShop with a Cop is allotted a$200 budget to work with astheygoonaspreeatWal-Mart.They can use their budget asthey see fit, from toys to clothes tocleaningandhomesupplies.

When the program wasyoung, the budget was less,only$100perchild.AccordingtoToniLong,amemberoftheThird District Optimist Clubandsecretaryof theShopwithaCopCommittee,onechildinthe first year, spent his entire budget on household items forhis family. That drove hometheneedforalargerbudget,butalso to encourage these chil-dren to get some gifts so theycanshareChristmaswiththeir

families.WhileShopwithaCopisa

wonderfulprogram,itisnottheonlygameintown.

Mike Schwartz, owner ofMike’s Bikes on Great MillsRd.inGreatMills,hasprovid-edChristmasdinnersforneedyfamiliesintheCountyforyears.He distributes 1,000 turkey’sannually, along with stuffing, potatoes and other goodies forthe holiday feast. He calls hisprojectMike’sFoodFund,andrelies on donations from thecommunity.

TheMarinesare inon theholiday action as well, withtheirannualToysforTotsdrive.This programhas theMarinesand volunteers collecting un-

wrappednew toys anddistrib-utingthemtoneedyfamiliesinthearea.ToysforTotsreceivestheirlistofnamesfromtheSt.Mary’s County Department ofSocialServices.

Therearealsomanysimi-lar programs put on by localchurchesandvolunteerorgani-zationsinthecounty.

Togetinvolvedandlendahelping hand to those in need,an excellent resource is theChristmasguideatSOMD.com.visit http://somd.com/holidays/christmas/ to learnmoreabouttheopportunitiesinthearea.

Andwhateverholidayyoucelebrate,haveahappyone.

TheMostWonderfulTimeoftheYear

That time of the year isuponus.No,notChristmas,butbudgettime.SinceI’maschoolbus contractor, it’s a very im-portanttimeoftheyearformeandotherbusdrivers.Ihadtheprivilegetositinonacoupleofcommitteemeetingswithsomefellow school bus contractorsandDepartmentofTransporta-tion representatives where thesubjectofthebudgetfortheup-comingschoolyearhascomeup.Oneofthemostimportantpartsof that discussion was reason-ably increasing the fundingof the contracts. Sincewe areindependent contractors, thiswouldallowustopayourdriv-ers a fair and equitable salaryforthejobtheyperform.

Because our contracts arenot independently negotiatedand the cost of each contractis determined by the Trans-portationDepartmentusinganoutdated formula that is reallycontrary to independent con-tractinglawsandrules,weareat themercyof thatantiquatedsystem in terms of how mucheachcontractisworth.

The most important as-set toourentire school systemis our drivers. Without bustransportation there would benoschoolsysteminSt.Mary’sCounty,oratbest, itwouldbetotalchaos.Howmanyparentscould and would opt to trans-

port theirchildrentoandfromschool?Thinkaboutit.Unlesswe take a very serious look atthecontractsandcomeupwitha way of increasing the fund-ingforthesebuscontracts,ourschooltransportationsystemisgoingtobeinseriousjeopardy.

Iknowtomostparentsit’snot perceived that way but, Ithink ifmostparents fullyun-derstoodthespecializationandprofessionalism of the job thatthese drivers perform day inanddayout,theywouldproba-blysay,nowaywouldItakeonthat responsibility for thatpay.Withoutgoingintototaldetail,itisexpectedthatthesedriversperformalitanyofothertasks,without being compensated,that has little or nothing to dowithdriving.Fromtheparentsperspective all we observe isthe bus transporting studentsfromhometoschoolandschoolto home. Most, if not all ofus,don’thaveaclueastohowmuch is involved during theseruns and after the run is overfor the day. These drivers areunder federallymandated lawsevery time theygetbehind thewheelandoperateanyvehicle,private or commercial, in anystate. Theyare subject to ran-dom drug and alcohol testingand if either is found in theirsystem,heorsheisoutofajob.ThepointsystemaCommercial

DriverLicense(CDL)holderisunderisalotmorestringentthana regular license holder. Withthatbeingsaid,I’mhopingthatour elected officials, the Board ofEducationandCountyCom-missioners,willtakethetimetoengageinsomeseriousconver-sationwiththebuscontractors,especially those who advocatefairandequitablepayforthosedrivers that transport our pre-ciousstudents.Ithinkitwouldbesafe tosay thatvery fewofus are aware of the constantpressures that our school busdriversarefacedwitheachandeveryday.

Realizingintoday’ssocietythat practically everything isbudgetdriven,Ifeelthatweasa county should drive towardsproviding more immediatefunding to the bus contractorssotheycanaffordtooffertheseprofessional drivers a respect-able salary. Iknow thismightnotseemimportantorveryhighonthelistofprioritiesbut,trustme,inafewshortyearsyouwillseethatthisshouldhavebeenattheverytopofthatlist.

Due to the high cost ofmaintenance and the verytemperamental nature of thebuses today, we take a finan-cialbeatingjust tryingtokeepthem in a safe andoperationalcondition. That ispartofwhymostcontractorsareatadisad-

vantage when it comes to try-ing to compete with the localeconomy.Wecan’tofferapaidhealthplan,vacation,sickleaveoradecentsalarylikesomanyof the government contractorsreceive.

We need these drivers onthe routes for the 180 days oftheschoolyearandsodoesthecounty, parents and teachers,thisiswhyweneedfundingin-creasesinthecontractstopro-videthetypeofpayandincen-tives for these driving profes-sionalstostayontheirjobsandcontinuetoprovidetheservicethatissocriticaltothesurvivalof our schools, communities,andfuture.

It’stimethatweputthisinthe proper context and realizethatinthiscounty,ourbusdriv-ersarethemostimportantcoginthiseducationmachine.Teach-ersandothereducationprofes-sionals will come from acrossthecountryforajobbut,Idon’tthink you will find people do-ing that to drive a bus for thesalaries that these profession-als get. Without them therewouldbeveryfew,ifany,jobsfortheteachersorotherprofes-sionals in our school system.

William BarnesLexington Park

St.Mary’sBusDriversAreTheCounty’sForgottenAssets

FarmBureauSupportsConflicting Policies

What’syour gripe?Wouldyoulikeyourvoicetobeheard?

Send us a letter telling us what’s on your mind!

Send to:

The County TimesP.O.Box250•Hollywood,MD20636

Makesureyouincludeyourname,phone#andthecityyoulivein.

Wewillnotpublishyourphone#,onlyyournameandcity

E-mail letters to: [email protected]

lightinthiszanymusicalcom-edywhichtodatehasspawnedthree award-winning sequels.Thecostof the trip is$67andincludestheshow,scrumptiousmeal,coachbustravelandgra-tuities.Call301-475-4200ext.1072toreserveyourspace.

WellnessandFitnessNight

Join Green Holly Elemen-tary School for their WellnessandFitnessNightJan.11,2007,

6–8p.m.,attheschoolsite.The evening will include

activities for the entire family.Get informed and get activewith community organizationssuch asHealth Connections,Good Earth Natural Food,Jazzercise, “The Body Shak-ers,” Pro-Fitness, and localscoutingtroops.Studentactivi-ties will include physical fitness testing,a cup stacking relay,rock climbing, juggling, andjumpingrope.Activefootwearisrequiredforthiseventandallstudents must be accompaniedbyanadult.

For more details, contactthe main office of Green Holly Elementaryat301-863-4064.

IncomeTaxPreparationServices

St. Mary’s County resi-dents age 60 and over mayhavesimpleincometaxreturnsprepared free of charge. Ap-pointmentswillbeavailableonTuesdaysandThursdaysat theGarvey Center beginning Feb.13 from1 - 4p.m. Individu-alswhohavebusiness,farm,orrental incometoreportarenoteligiblefor thisservice.Foranappointmentcall301-475-4200,ext.1064.

CommunityContinued from page A- 2


There’s Less Than 5 DaysLeft Til Christmas and.....

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Fax: 301-863-7528

22894 Three Notch Rd. • California, MD 20619


Where do all the pens in the world go? Is there some deal out there I’m not aware of that for every pen you throw into a pile someone pays you a dollar?

I’m asking because it seems no matter how hard I try to hold onto these commodities, I never succeed. I could go through a box of pens in a day, just give me a chance, I swear I can do it.

Over the course of a year I probably lose more pens than

Paris Hilton downs cosmo-politans! I’m a business’ worst nightmare. And of course, I prefer those expensive ballpoint pens, so every time I lose one it’s like losing a friend.

Maybe that’s an exaggera-tion; “like losing a friend,” but these days, friends are another tough commodity to come by.

In college it was easy. Go out, have a few drinks and strike up a conversation about how hot Brittney Spears is. Whether you found her attractive or not, you had an instant friend. I think part of the reason it was

so easy to make friends back then was because you had nor-mal conversations.

The key to a normal con-versation is not talking about yourself. The world has so much to talk about, yet the first question you always get these days is what do you do or where are you from?

The last normal conversa-tion I had was actually in col-lege, and it probably consisted of something along the lines of “I’m so drunk, what is the air ve-locity of an African swallow?”

Drinking is a prerequisite

in college. I don’t even like drinking to tell you the truth, but I did it. Everyone does it. If your kid tells you they don’t drink in college, they are lying. But, you shouldn’t worry about if they are drinking, but how they are drinking.

There are a number of ways to drink in college. I saw some pretty ridiculous things. Take this for an example: I was at a fraternity house one night, sitting on an old beer soaked couch downstairs. (Let me add a minor caveat here: I was never a member of a fraternity myself, as this story will prove, because they’re way too crazy for me.)

So, as I’m sitting on this couch, I hear obnoxious bang-ing and kids yelling like they are auditioning for the rodeo. I go to check out the scene.

At the top of about a 15-foot stairwell there are roughly three frat bros rolling empty aluminum kegs down the stairs, as their cohorts attempt to climb to the top.

“Keg Bowling” they called it.

It was that moment I real-ized parenting really does make a difference.

My parents made some mistakes raising me, but thank God for them and me, they didn’t raise no “keg bowler.”

I was a pretty good kid who stayed out of trouble. And when I went away to college I did a pretty good job adjusting.

I would get myself out of bed for class, even though most days that meant around 1 p.m. I cooked myself dinner at least three or four times a week, even though that usually meant boxed macaroni and cheese or that chicken helper four-cheese pasta. And, I always prepared for exams, even if that meant cramming six weeks of notes into a 12-hour, coffee-infused study session.

I’m not trying to make my-self look bad here, but this is what college is all about. I was an honor roll student and held

a full-time job waiting tables at a formal restaurant 25 minutes away from my 8 x 10 room with a 13- inch television. I even graduated in four years.

College is a crazy time in life, and for all the great things you accomplish, you also make some of the dumbest decisions of your life. College is not just about learning the different the-ories behind early child devel-opment or the philosophy of free markets, it’s about life skills. It’s about learning to fend for yourself, making mistakes, and prospering in an environment filled with temptation. Anyone who gets a degree ought to be commended, and anyone who does it in four years should be given an expensive medal with that commendation.

Then again, anyone who can hold onto a pen for longer than ten minutes deserves the real praise, and a nice job if only because of the money the employer will save.

Big City Boy, Small Town Heart

Bowling for Frat Boys

By Terri Bartz BowlesContributing Writer

Holiday traditions. Every family has them. They involve a variety of ways to celebrate, the time to celebrate and the food involved in celebrating.

Some families make a big adventure of choosing and cut-ting their Christmas tree. Some put it up on Thanksgiving Day, others wait until Christmas Eve. There are special ornaments to be hung or maybe a new orna-ment is added each year. Some families take down the tree and put all the decorations away on New Year’s Day. Some leave everything until Jan. 6, Epipha-ny which is Twelfth Night. Yes,

the 12 days of Christmas are not a countdown to Christmas, they start on Christmas and end on Epiphany, which is when the Three Kings arrived in Beth-lehem. Advent is the ‘count-down’ to Christmas, the time of preparation.

And, of course, food plays a major role in holiday traditions. Cookies are perennially linked to Christmas. Somehow, you have to have Christmas cook-ies. You take them to work, share them with your neighbors and give some to the nice folks at your local post office. You go to cookie exchanges and cookie sales and clip new recipes out of newspapers and magazines. You ask friends and co-workers for their recipes. And then you

bake and bake and bake. Be-cause everybody likes cookies. They’re fun to make, a pleasure to share and a joy to eat.

There are other foods that are required. This is St. Mary’s County, so stuffed ham is a must. Nuts – you have to have a bowl of mixed nuts in the shell. Candy. Fudge and coconut bon-bons and chocolate-covered cherries and thin mints. A big dish of candy and a big dish of cookies. Yummy. Dips and cheeses and summer sausage; so many good things. Go ahead and indulge a little. It’s Christ-mas and it only comes once a year. Because Lent will be here before you know it, the time of fasting.

Ramblings From A Country Girl

Holiday Traditions

SectionA-� The County Times ThursdayDecember21,200�

JessieSmithBeck,9�

Jessie Smith Beck, 9�, ofHollywood,Md.diedDec.14inSt.Mary’sNursingCenter.BornJan. 19, 1910 in Scotland, shewasthedaughterofthelateRob-ertandElizaH.AdamSmith.

She was preceded in deathby her husband, Albert LeeBeck,whomshemarried in In-

dianain1925.Sheissurvivedbyherdaughter:PeggyLouRussellofHollywood,Md.;4grandchil-dren:JohnM.Russell,LindaL.Reddinger,DonnaS.RussellandMarshaAnnRedmanand3greatgrandchildren:JennyReddinger,Brian Reddinger and BeccaRedman.Shewasalsoprecededin death by her 2 sons: AlbertE.BeckandJosephA.Beck;1brotherand8sisters.

Mrs. Beck moved to St.Mary’s County in January of1941 fromCharlesCounty.She

was a member of: HollywoodUnited Methodist Church, Hol-lywood Volunteer Fire Depart-ment Auxiliary, Red Cross,Homemakers, United Method-ist Women & Day Group andCrocheted forNavyRelief. Sheenjoyed crocheting, playing ca-nastaandhelpingothers.

ThefamilyreceivedfriendsSunday,1:30–4p.m.intheMat-tingley-GardinerFuneralHome,where Prayers were said at 2p.m.AFuneralServicewasheldMonday,at10a.m.intheHolly-woodUnitedMethodistChurchwith Rev. Sheldon Reese offici-ating.IntermentfollowedinJoyChapelCemetery.

Pallbearers were: RichardWilliams, Wayne Dean, J.C.Tubbs,HarleyCook,GaryCallisandAlanDean.HonoraryPall-bearers were: Johnny Dawson,Charlie Wible, Garner Hayden,TootieRedman,FrankDeanandBillyHuseman.

Contributionsmaybemadeto:HollywoodVolunteerRescueSquad,P.O.Box79,Hollywood,MD 20636 and/or HollywoodUnited Methodist Church, P.O.Box100,Hollywood,MD20636.

Arrangements provided bytheMattingley-GardinerFuneralHome,P.A.

DariusScottBolden,infant

Darius Scott Bolden, in-fant, of Lexington Park, Md.diedDec.11inSt.Mary’sHos-pital,Leonardtown,Md.

Darius is survived by hisparents,KristinaAmberSeidnerand Christopher Darius BoldenandhissisterKeiraReneaBold-en,allofLexingtonPark,Md.

Serviceswereprivate.Arrangements were made

by Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A.,Leonardtown,Md.

CharlesRichardHand,78

Charles Richard Hand,78,ofGreatMills,Md.diedDec.16inSt.Mary’sNursingCenterinLeonardtown,Md.

HewasbornFeb.1,1928inSarasota,Fla.tothelateCharlesPreston and Elizabeth BrownHand.

He joined the U.S. MarineCorps in 1946 and served onactivedutyuntil transferring totheFleetMarineCorpsReservein1968with the rankofMSgt.During his 22-year career heserved with Marine Corps fight-er, attack, transport, helicop-ter and support squadrons. Heserved tours of duty in China,Korea, Japan, and deploymentson aircraft carriers in the Pacific, Atlantic, Caribbean, and Medi-terraneanSeaareas.

In1968hewasemployedbycivilserviceattheNavalAirRe-work Facility at MCAS CherryPoint,NC as an aircraft enginemechanictestandlaterasShop

Foreman.In1970hetransferredtothe

NavalAirTestCenter,PatuxentRiver,Md.asaMechanicalEn-gineeringTechnician.Heservedas a Project Engineer with thePropullsion Support EquipmentSection. Mr. Hand retired inJune,1988,with42yearsofFed-eralService.

HewasamemberoftheMa-rineCorpsAssociation,FleetRe-serveAssociation,NationalAs-sociationofUniformedService,and theNationalAssociationofRetiredFederalEmployees.

In addition to his parents,hewaspredeceasedbyadaugh-ter, Mary Elizabeth Hand. Heis survived by his wife, MaryJoanClarkHand,ofGreatMills,Md.whomhemarriedin1950inSarasota,Fla.andtwochildren;Charles R. Hand, Jr. of CostaRica,andKimberleyHandRob-ertson of Great Mills, Md. andtwograndchildren.

Interment will be in Sara-sota,Fla.

Memorialgiftsmaybemadeto St. Mary’s Nursing Center,21585PeabodyStreet,Leonard-town,MD20650ortheBayDis-trictVolunteerFireDepartment,P.O. Box 1440, California, MD20619 or The Lexington ParkRescue Squad, P.O. Box 339,LexingtonPark,MD20653.

Arrangementswerehandledby the Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A., 22955 Hollywood Road,Leonardtown,MD20650.Con-dolences to the family may bemade at www.brinsfieldfuneral.com.

GladysLouiseJohnson,78

Gladys Louise Johnson,78,ofHollywood,Md.diedDec.17 inSt.Mary’sHospital.BornOct. 8, 1928 in Dynard, Md.,shewasthedaughterofthelateWilliamDudleyandMaryElsieKnottLacey.ShewasprecededindeathbyherhusbandJosephNorman Johnson whom shemarriedSept. 17, 1947, inHolyAngelsCatholicChurch.

She is survived by herdaughters: Yvonne Bennett andLindaGreer,bothofHollywood,Md.; siblings:MildredValland-ingham of Helen, Md., BettyJean Cusic of Mechanicsville,Md.andJosephLaceyofHolly-wood,Md.;7grandchildrenand12greatgrandchildren.Shewasalso preceded in death by hersiblings:JamesLacey,MargaretLacey, Lucille MaGill, TeresaLacey, Francis Lacey, AloysiusLacey,GraceSmythersandPaulLacey.

Mrs.JohnsonwasalifelongSt.Mary’sCountyresidentwheresheattendedMargaretBrentHighSchool.Sheworkedasacashierfor McKay’s Foodland for 22years. She enjoyed crocheting,birdwatchingfromherwindow,visits from her grandchildrenandgreatgrandchildren.

Thefamilyreceivedfriendsyesterdayfrom5–8p.m.intheMattingley-Gardiner FuneralHome,wherePrayersweresaidat 6 p.m. A Mass of ChristianBurial will be celebrated today

at 10 a.m. in St. John’s Catho-lic Church with Fr. RaymondSchmidt officiating. Interment will followin theChurchCem-etery.Pallbearerswillbe:TerryHoward, David Wathen, BrianWoodburn, John Miedzinski,KevinMiedzinski,DarrellGreenandNelsonL.Butler.

Contributionsmaybemadeto: St. John’s Building Fund,43927 St. John’s Road, Holly-wood,MD20636and/orHolly-wood Volunteer Rescue Squad,P.O. Box 79, Hollywood, MD20636.


ShirleyAnnMatthews,�3

Shirley Ann Matthews,�3, of Ridge, Md. formerly ofGreat Mills, Md. died Dec. 15,in Ridge, Md. Born Jan. 26,1943inKeyser,W.Va.Shewasthe daughter of the late LelonandNellieShawenKeister.ShewasthebelovedwifeofPaulG.Matthewswhomshemarriedin

Leonardtown,Md.in1963.Sheissurvivedbyherchil-

dren: Tony Matthews of Wal-dorf,Md.andMichaelMatthewsof Smithfield, Va.; sister: Donna Pietens of Irving, Texas and 4grandchildren.Shewasalsopre-ceded in death by her siblings:Larry Keister, Ronny Keister,LelonKeister,Jr.,BobbyKeisterandJimmyKeister.

Mrs. Matthews was a lifelongresidentofSt.Mary’sCoun-ty where she graduated fromGreat Mills High School Classof1961.Sheworkedasalibrar-ianforSt.Mary’sCountySchoolSystem for 12 years until herretirement in1982.Sheenjoyedsewingandcomputers.

ServiceswillbePrivate.Contributionsmaybemade

to Hospice of St. Mary’s, P.O.Box 625, Leonardtown, MD20650. Arrangements providedby theMattingley-GardinerFu-neralHome,P.A.

Patricia“Pat”ClaraSuperior,�3

Patricia “Pat” Clara Su-perior, �3, of California, Md.formerlyofFords,N.J.diedDec.13, in Georgetown UniversityHospital.

BornJuly11,1943inPerthAmboy,N.J.shewasthedaugh-terof the late IrwinWalterandElizabeth Hansen Jones. Shewas the lovingwifeofAndrewSuperior,Jr.,whomshemarriedApril12,1962inPerthAmboy,

N.J. and the devoted mother ofAndrewI.Superior,Sr.ofLongIsland,N.Y.,DennisK.Superiorof Leonardtown, Md., Scott R.SuperiorofMechanicsville,Md.andAimeeE. Superior ofLex-ingtonPark,Md.

SheisalsosurvivedbyhersistersBarbaraHachofEdison,N.J. and Virginia Martoken ofMonroe,N.J.aswellas7grand-children,MarkStarnes,AndrewI. Superior, Jr, Taylor Superior,ShaylaSuperior,TylerSuperior,Kelleen Superior and JordynWilhoit.

Mrs. Superior graduatedin1961 fromWoodbridgeHighSchool.ShemovedtoSt.Mary’sCounty in 1973 from VirginiaBeach,Va.,wheresheworkedattheNavyExchangefor21yearsasanaccountingtechnicianuntilher retirement in May of 1995.She also belonged to the FleetReserveAssociation.

ThefamilyreceivedfriendsFriday, 5– 8 p.m. in the Mat-tingley-GardinerFuneralHome,where Prayers were said at 6p.m.

AFuneralServicewasheldSaturdayat10a.m. in theMat-tingley-Gardiner Funeral HomeChapel with Rev. MeredithWilkins officiating. Interment followed in Evergreen Memo-rial Gardens. Pallbearers wereMathew Ross, Robert Hach,Thomas Hach, William Hall,GaryPomponioandMartinPaulMartoken.

ContributionsmaybemadetotheNationalKidneyFounda-tionoftheNationalCapitalArea,Inc. Maryland Division, 5335Wisconsin Avenue, N.W. Suite830,Washington,DC20015and/ortheAmericanDiabetesAsso-ciation, P.O. Box 1131, Fairfax,VA 22038-1131. ArrangementsprovidedbytheMattingley-Gar-dinerFuneralHome,P.A.

AnneMaeThomas,88

Anne Mae Thomas, 88,of Mechanicsville, Md. diedDec.16inBaysideCareCenter.Born March 15, 1918 she wasthedaughterofthelateThomasHill.

Thefamilyreceivedfriendsyesterdayfrom5–8p.m.intheMattingley-Gardiner FuneralHome,wherePrayersweresaidat7p.m.

AMassofChristianBurialwill be celebrated today at 10a.m. in Sacred Heart CatholicChurch with Fr. Francis Earlyofficiating. Interment will follow intheChurchCemetery.


Psychic StudioReader and Advisor By Carol

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Bring in this ad and receive $5 off Tarot card readings and $10 off spiritual readings

Private And Confidential ReadingsWalkins Welcome Sunday by appointment

Hours 9am to 9pmCall 301-373-5840

Obituaries

The end of the year is filled with many traditions. Maybe it’s giving thanks and counting your blessings or spending time with the special people in your life. Maybe it’s observing specific religious rituals or decorating your home with items that are meaningful to you. Maybe it’s simplythe smell of favoritefoods or setting aside some quiet moments for reflection.Memories of holidays shared with those you love should last forever.

Remembering momentsshared in life...

HolidayMemories...Reminders of whatmakes life worthwhile.

The happiness of this Holy Season brings the joy of lights, gifts, and

memories, Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa is the time for rememberingthe special moments with family and

friends.

The staff at the Brinsfield and Brinsfield-Echols Funeral Homes wish

you and your family a special season and may the coming year be a blessed

one.


The list is so long that we wouldn’t want to come up short, So we thank one and all for your kindly support.We know you’vee been good, especially to us.

Season’s Greetings to you and Merry Christmas!The County Times

ABC Liquors

Airtime Wireless

Amerinet

Amish Heirloom Furnature

Back Porch Antiques

Bell Motor Company

Besche Oil

Blairs Jewery &Gifts

Bookeeping By Blanche

Brinsfield Funeral Home

Cedar LaneAppartments

Center for Life

Centre Liquors

Clarks Flooring

Clarks Flooring

Dean Lumber

Decorators TradingCo.

Dianna RaleyCentury 21

DJ’s One Stop

Early Bird

Education SystemsFCU

Flooring Max

G & H Jewelers

Gattons Barber-shop

Grace Peace Church

The Greenery

Hayden’s Auto

Hyperspace

Hyundai of Southern MD

K. HovnanianHomes

Lenny’s Restaurant

LexingtonparkUnitied Methodist

Church

Martins Auto Tech

MattinglyGardiner

Funeral Home

Mattress Corner

McKays Food & Drug

Mercantile ofSouthern MD

Midas

Long & FosterCharlottle Hall

Marilyns

Olde Town Insurance

Partys R Us

Patrick DuganObrien

Petruzzi’s

Printing Press

Psychic Studio

Ricks Jewelers

St. Mary’s CountyChamber of Commerce

St. John’s Pharmacy

St. Mary’s Landing

Stanley MartinWildewood

ThompsonsFurniture

Toyota ofSouthern MD

Watkins MeeganDrury

Winters HVAC

Woman’s Club ofSouthern MD

WoodburnsFood Market

SectionA-� The County Times ThursdayDecember21,2006

Marilyn’sMcKay’s Plaza

Charlotte Hall, MD

Storewide Holiday Sale

Free Gift Wrapw/ Purchase

Gift CertificatesAvailable

We Also RentTuxedos!

Mon. - Fri. ~ 10AM - 7PM Sat. ~ 10AM - 6PMSun. ~ 11AM - 4PM

301 - 884 - 8682301 - 274 - 0615

Christmas Accessories ~ 50% OffHoliday And Special Occation ~ 40% Off

Selected Sportswear ~ 30 - 50% OffFragrance ~ 20% Off

Documents

Thursday, December 21, 2006 • St. Mary’s County