11202014_MCEdition - The Sentinel Newspapers
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11202014_MCEdition - The Sentinel Newspapers
2012 MDDC Newspaper of the year NEWSPAPER Celebrating 159 years of service! SINCE 1855 Vol. 160, No. 19 • 50¢ TODAY’S GAS PRICE $2.87 per gallon Last Week $2.91 per gallon A month ago $3.09 per gallon A year ago $3.30 per gallon AVERAGE PRICE PER GALLON OF UNLEADED REGULAR GAS IN MARYLAND/D.C. METRO AREA ACCORDING TO AAA INSIDE OF THE YEAR November 20, 2014 - November 26, 2014 Prosecutor Drops Case Family members charged in underage drinking party go free By Rebecca Guterman Special to The Sentinel ROCKVILLE – Monday state prosecutors dismissed all charges against a Damascus family accused of assaulting police officers and hosting an underage drinking party after a circuit court judge tossed out most of the evidence from police, saying they violated the family’s fourth amendment rights. Members of the Holiday Season Task Force arrested four members of the Magas family in January after a pizza delivery man tipped officers there were “young-looking people with beer” at a private party in Damascus. After arriving at the Magas home police say they observed underage drinking and then proceeded to shut down the party. That’s when they tased George Magas and his son Eric Magas, both of whom went to the hospital for their injuries. Last week, Judge Steven Salant ruled most of the state’s evidence – including multiple confiscated cell phones, packs of beer, a beer keg and observations of underage drinking – was gathered in violation of the Fourth Amendment. “We’re very pleased with Judge Salant’s ruling in finding that the ac- tions of the police on Jan. 4 and Jan. 5 were unlawful,” said defense attorney Rene Sandler, who represented the family along with Terrell Roberts and Chris Griffiths. “It’s the hope of the Magas family that the police and the State’s Attorney’s Office use this case to change their policies and procedures and to educate the police about the rights of individuals in their homes and elsewhere so that no other family will experience what the Magas family did in this case.” Montgomery County Police Department Chief Tom Manger said the department is looking at the policies. “I directed (Captain Tom Didone) to review the case in light of the judge's ruling and recent Supreme Court cases to determine what, if any, training, policy and legal issues need to be addressed,” Manger said. “I have great confidence in the work these men and women do. Reviewing training and policy is always valuable.” State’s Attorney’s office spokesperson Ramon Korionoff did not comment on specific actions the office will take based on the ruling but defended the judgments police have to make. See “State drops” page 8 Public schools find themselves the butt of national jokes following decision Q.O Wins Quince Orchard is headed for a showdown with Northwest after clipping Clarksburg. Page 21 Good Counsel rolls Falcons crush McNamara to head to WCAC finals. Page 21 ByDonna Broadway Staff Writer ROCKVILLE – In the wake of its controversial Nov. 11 vote to remove the names of religious holidays from its 2015-2016 calendar, the Montgomery County Board of Education has received nationwide criticism for its decision – with one editorial nicknaming MCPS “the public school system that stole Christmas.” The board members voted in an effort to provide equality to the Muslim community that’s asking MCPS to close schools on Muslim holy days Eid AlFitr and Eid Al-Adha. Joshua Civin, lawyer for MCPS, said under the First Amendment the school system is not allowed to close for religious reasons. In order to close, the school system must show a significant absentee rate. In Maryland, schools must close for Christmas and Thanksgiving but local jurisdictions decide whether to close on other religious holidays. According to MCPS, the absentee rate of 5.6 percent on the Eid holidays is similar to absenteeism any other day – but Muslim leaders said many families attend religious services in the morning so their students won’t miss school. According to statistics from the Maryland Chapter for the Council of American-Islamic Relations, Montgomery County may have a Muslim population of as high as 10 percent, although the Census does not keep track of religious affiliations. Rob Boston, director of communications for Americans United for Separation of Church and State and father of two MCPS students, said the board handled the decision poorly. “I understand what the county is trying to do – they want to make it clear that they aren’t promoting any particular religion, I’m afraid the school board handled this in a very poor way,” Boston said. “The move is being portrayed as Islamophobic and I don’t think that’s what the board intended. Montgomery County is a progressive jurisdiction, tolerant, and it welcomes people of all faiths and I don’t think there was any enmity toward Islam but the timing is unfortunate in this case.” Boston said while the school system cannot close for every holiday, administrators and teachers should work with students to make sure major tests and projects are not scheduled on the Eid holidays – something MCPS officials say the school system already does. BOE president Phil Kauffman and BOE vice president Patricia O’Neill defended the board’s decision, saying at least eight school major systems across the state, including Baltimore City, have religiously neutral school calendars. The blog published on MCPS’s website cites a ruling by the Maryland See “MCPS” page 8 PHOTO BY JACQUI SOUTH Workers on a scaffold on the newest Rockville Town Square site. Rockville reconsiders parking waiver By Rebecca Guterman Special to the Sentinel ROCKVILLE – The mayor and Council hesitated to approve a parking waiver for the second phase of the Duball, LLC development near Rockville Town Square on Monday. The request comes on the tails of parking complaints from Town Square customers and businesses. Duball asked the council for approval to share 25 percent of the parking spaces between retail and residential use in the second phase of the project. The first phase of the mixed-use residential and retail project, located at 198 East Montgomery Ave., will See “Rockville ” page 8 2 NOVEMBER 20, 2014 THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY SENTINEL R EFLECTIONS October 14, 1961 Wheaton club plugs driver safety belts Each week The Sentinel visits a memorable story from its archives. A safety demonstration and a talk on the international affairs will be the combined program when the Woman’s blub of Wheaton meets on October 18. Members will gather first at Tom’s C h e v r o l e t for an 8 o’ clock demonstration on the use of seat belts in automobiles. At 8:15 the women will meet at the Equitable Building to hear Mrs. Roger L. Black, international affairs chariman for the Montgomery County Federation of Women’s Clubs, describe CARE installations she visited in Rome on a recent tour of Europe. The program, which will in- clude slides, is being arranged by Mrs. Yates Sladen, International affairs chariman for the local club. The seat belt demonstration is another effort of the Wheaton Club to further the “Crusade for Seat Belts,” campaign co-sponsored by the General Federation of Women’s Clubs and the Auto Industries Highway Safety Committee. Mrs. Andrew Carrico, safety chariman, has written letters to the director of driver education and the acting director of secondary e d u c a t i o n in Montgomery County, urging that only automobiles equipped with seat belts be used in the school drive training program. Letters have also been sent four privately owned driver training schools in the area. The Montgomery County Sentinel, published weekly by Montgomery Sentinel Publishing, Inc., is a community newspaper covering Montgomery County, Maryland. Our offices are located at 22 W. Jefferson Street, Suite 309, Rockville, MD 20850. Founded in 1855 by Matthew Fields. All mail to: P.O. Box 1272, Rockville, MD 20849-1272. Subscription Rates for The Montgomery County Sentinel – Weekly by mail: $40.00 per year & $26.50 for Senior Citizens. (USPS) 361-100. Bernard Kapiloff EMERITUS PUBLISHER Mark Kapiloff A S S O C I AT E P U B L I S H E R [email protected] Lynn G. Kapiloff CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER / PUBLISHER [email protected] NEWS E Metro sees fewer commuters and benefits By Rebecca Guterman Special to the Sentinel Metro is trying to restore transit subsidies for employees after seeing a drop in commuter ridership this past year. According to the Metro’s November report, from May 2013 to May 2014 the rail system saw a 1.2 percent decrease in weekday full fare ridership and a 37 percent drop in student trips. The report also showed ridership decreased from the suburbs in the morning, with a 1.6 percent decrease in ridership from Montgomery County and 2.4 percent decrease from Prince George’s during peak morning times. The report also looked specifically at people using SmartBenefits, which include the transit benefits available to federal employees and provided by private employers, in contrast to stored value riders, who pay for the fare themselves. In 2014, the maximum an employee could receive per month in transit benefits went from $245 to $130. “In percentage terms, SmartBenefits trips were down by 7 percent, pass use down by 8.6 percent but regular stored value ridership is up 3 percent. This evidence illustrates that indeed the reduction in the federal transit benefit cap negatively impacts ridership,” the authors wrote in the report. Meanwhile, the parking benefits rose from $245 to $250 per month. Mark Schofield, director of financial planning for WMATA, said employee transit benefits typically increase or decrease along with the parking benefits. This year, the transit increase fell through the cracks of Congressional negotiations. “For the riders we have who are taking the longer trips (particularly from outer stations), that’s a big increase in out of pocket for them, but with the parking at the higher level for those folks who are sort of on the margin...it’s sort of a double whammy,” Schofield said. Schofield said there are other ways to see the benefit reduction’s impact: by looking at when people are running out of their benefits. “We can definitely tell people who used to get through the entire month or almost the entire month are now having to dip into their own case at the second or third week of the month,” he said. Although WMATA only does large-scale surveys every three to four years, Schofield said he has also heard anecdotally that the benefits were affecting customers. The next survey is scheduled for fall 2015, when the Silver Line will have been operating for a year. As WMATA prepares its fiscal 2016 budget, WMATA officials predict rail ridership and revenue will be lower than expected for the end of this fiscal year and will stay there for the next fiscal year, due to the decrease in benefits as well as other factors. Schofield could not comment on budget specifics except to say that more details will emerge in the next few weeks. Schofield said the board of directors does not plan to increase fares, as they only do that every other year. Fares cover about half of the budget and then the other half has to come from local jurisdictions, he said. “That’s usually the sort of big balancing act...how much do we want riders to pay versus how much do we want local taxpayers to pay? So we’ll make that same sort of judgment again going into this year.” By Peter Rouleau Special to The Sentinel The winter holidays are often a time of stress and disappointment for low-income families who cannot afford a large Thanksgiving dinner or presents. Bethesda-based charitable organization A Wider Circle will brighten several families’ holidays by delivering baskets of donated food and grocery store gift cards to use for Thanksgiving dinner. The organization will also collect donated toys for the remainder of the year. I T O R I A L Brian J. Karem EXECUTIVE EDITOR [email protected] Write us ALLISON BRICKELL [email protected] COPY EDITOR The Montgomery County Sentinel DONNA BROADWAY [email protected] STAFF WRITER welcomes letters. Brandy L. Simms All letters must be original, signed by SPORTS WRITER [email protected] the author and must include the Jacqui South & David Wolfe author’s daytime telephone number REBECCA GUTERMAN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS CALENDAR EDITOR [email protected] for verification. YOUTH SERVICES Send letters to: [email protected] 301- 838 - 0788 CALL The Montgomery County Sentinel 22 W. Jefferson St. Suite 309 FAX 301- 838 - 3458 NEWSROOM AND LEGAL ADVERTISING A D V E R T I S I N G Lonnie Johnson Rockville, MD 20850 Fax: 301-838-3458 ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE CALL 301-306-9500 / FAX 301- 306-0134 Sherry Sanderson LEGAL ADVERTISING MANAGER 301- 838 - 0788 301- 838 - 3458 [email protected] CALL Email: [email protected] FAX P R O D U C T I O N Wider Circle brings cheer to low-income “We’ve received more requests for help this year than ever before,” said Dr. Mark Bergel, founder and executive director of A Wider Circle. “On the good side, we’ve had a lot of people calling with creative and energized ways to help. We expect this to be a fairly high-energy season, and we’re hoping to bring peace and happiness to as many local families as we can.” Bergel said grocery store gift cards are the most valuable item to be donated during the season. Recipients may use such cards at their leisure to purchase perishable food D items, including turkeys and hams for holiday dinners. Gift cards and financial contributions may be mailed to A Wider Circle at 4808 Moorland Lane in Bethesda, Suite 802. Any toys or furniture may be dropped off at the organization’s Center for Community Service at 9159 Brookville Road in Silver Spring from 9:00 am.-6:00 pm. Monday through Saturday or 12:00-6:00 pm on Sunday. For more information on the Holiday program or A Wider Circle’s other efforts, visit www.awidercircle.org. Lonnie Johnson THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY SENTINEL (USPS 361-100) is published every Thursday by Montgomery Sentinel Publishing, Inc., 22 W. Jefferson St., Suite 309, Rockville, MD 20850. Subscriptions by mail are $40.00 per year; by mail (out of MD, VA, & D.C.) additional $ 5.25; on newsstands 50 cents. Periodicals postage paid at Rockville, MD 20849-1272. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY SENTINEL, P.O. BOX 1272 Rockville, MD 20849-1272 PRODUCTION MANAGER [email protected] Peter Lui GRAPHIC PRODUCTION STAFF C I R C U L A T I O N [email protected] CALL 301-306-9500 FAX 301-306-0134 A C C O U N T I N G Jill Wingo CREDIT / COLLECTIONS THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY SENTINEL IS A MINORITY BUSINESS ENTERPRISE IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY AND IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND. ©2012 Montgomery Sentinel Publishing, Inc. NOVEMBER 20, 2014 THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY SENTINEL 3 NEWS Rockville again approves storage facility By Rebecca Guterman Special to The Sentinel ROCKVILLE – The Planning Commission re-approved a selfstorage facility application in East Rockville with a 4-2 vote on Nov. 12, against the wishes of residents and the parents of students at a local elementary school. “I don’t think there’s anybody up here that would say, ‘oh yeah this is really what we’ve been waiting for on this site,’ but we have to act within the law and our hands are somewhat tied,” Commissioner Jack Leiderman said at the meeting. The Planning Commission met to reconsider two aspects of the ezStorage application for 1175 Taft Street after approving it at their Sept. 10 meeting in a 4-3 vote. The commission then learned the developer had not notified the residents of David Scull Courts, a public housing development, of the Sept. 10 meeting – though they notified the landlord, Rockville Housing Enterprises. The commission also had to figure out if the on-site residence for a manager of the storage facility was in conflict with the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO), which makes sure public buildings like schools have enough space to accommodate new residents. Commission Chair Don Hadley and Commissioner Charles Littlefield were the two dissenting votes and also voted against the project in September. Commissioner Dion Trahan, the third nay vote in September, was not present at the Nov. 12 meeting. The commission also approved adding conditions to the application that the developer must widen the sidewalks and build a fence around the front of the property. The commission decided to allow the facility to operate without a resident manager until there was school capacity to allow another housing unit. According to the public school Capital Improvement Program, the school system will expand the current Maryvale Elementary School site by 2019. Representatives from Siena Corporation, which operates ezStorage, offered to mitigate the effects by ensuring the manager does not have children and said it would not violate anti-discrimination laws, but the majority of the commission said they did not feel comfortable putting that condition on the application. Although many residents from throughout the neighborhood vocally opposed the project, the commissioners could not weigh their testimony heavily at this meeting because it was outside the scope of the two aspects they were reconsidering. The commissioners said they would soon revisit the master plan and encouraged residents to stay involved. “I’m sorry you didn’t get the result you were aiming for, but I hope you remain involved and continue that passion forward,” said Commissioner David Hill. The commission went through each of seven findings about the application to discuss the concerns at play. While their positions on most of the findings did not change in light of new testimony, they discussed pedestrian safety and the onsite resident manager. Multiple residents of David Scull Courts talked about walking to and from bus stops or walking their children to school. Sade’le, a mother who preferred only to give her first name, said she is worried about traffic and crime that could happen around the facility. “There are fifth graders, fourth graders walking little kids because parents have to work to provide. We’re not as rich as the public storage unit people that have many locations and are gaining money for it,” she said. “We have one crossing guard that manages people coming from many directions.” Littlefield said the testimony from David Scull Courts residents elevated his concerns about parents taking their children to Maryvale, which sits about two blocks from the storage site. Although he said overall traffic numbers would increase no matter what the site became, Littlefield voiced concern about people without experience driving trucks and vans dropping belongings at the storage unit. “I don’t know that it would be a heavy flow of people, but it would exist and to me that just adds to the potential that, God forbid, a little child could get in an accident just because of the situation,” he said. “When we first considered this, I didn’t quite appreciate the people walking their kids to school from the direction of David Scull.” Although the facility was approved, many commissioners agreed they would need to look at the traffic at that corner in the future. Despite residents’ concerns about dangerous materials that could stored inside the storage unit and crimes that could take place around it, Hadley said he could not incorporate the concerns into his decision. “As a matter of evidence, I just don’t feel I have anything I can put my teeth into other than supposition,” Hadley said. Littlefield and Hadley also said the proximity to the school rendered the use incompatible with surrounding uses, although the area is zoned light industrial. Residents have been fighting Siena Corporation’s proposal for months, arguing that it is unsafe and unsightly for the community, and against the neighborhood master plan recommendations. The selfstorage facility would be four stories tall. Those who opposed the site also raised questions of Siena’s dedication to the community. Alison Moser, whose children attended Maryvale, said Siena was changing their story with regard to the onsite manager; she said Siena first pointed to an onsite manager as a security measure but now say an onsite manager is not necessary for a safe storage facility. “I think this issue of notice (of David Scull Courts) and this whole APFO issue gets to the trustworthiness of the applicant,” she said at the commission meeting. “This doesn’t seem to be an applicant that will really be responsive to the community.” Peter Witzler, one of the resident organizers who also gathered petition signatures from David Scull residents, said although Siena representatives met with the community, they did not try to resolve concerns. “If they were really serious about partnering with the community and addressing concerns, they would be saying, ‘okay, let’s actually limit the structure here. Let’s actually respect the neighborhood plan’s call for a transition zone and build a smaller facility.’ That would be listening and responding to the community,” Witzler said earlier this month. But Robert Dalrymple, an attorney representing Siena, said the company did not feel they had gotten any specific requests for modifications. “We have tried to have an open dialogue with the community since (we) purchased this property,” he said. “We requested meetings for the very reason of trying to determine if there were items that could be addressed and frankly we haven’t received any requests for adjustments other than to go away.” Rockville Mayor Bridget Newton and city Councilmember Beryl Feinberg both attended the commission meeting. Feinberg recently proposed a zoning text amendment that would not allow self-storage warehouses within 250 feet of a school. The city will hold a public hearing for that amendment on Dec. 15. On Oct. 27, the mayor and council also approved a feasibility study to look at establishing a transition/mixed-use zone in East Rockville so that there would not be residential zones right next to industrial zones. That same night, Feinberg also proposed a motion for a moratorium on building that would apply to the ezStorage facility, but withdrew it after a closed session for legal advice with the city attorney. Siena representatives threatened legal action if the council put forward a similar motion again. 4 THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY SENTINEL OPINIONS &VIEWS A wild and wacky world The middle-aged football fan smiled as he approached the group of revelers gathered outside of FedEx Field for the latest Washington Redskins home game. “This is my first tailgating party in my life,” he told a welcoming group of partiers who handed him a beer, some barbecue and greeted him with great rhythm and blues and a humorous disc jockey. “You going to make any more home games?” A cute young lady asked him. “Sure, I want to try and make it Editorʼs Notebook by Brian J. Karem around Christmas time,” the newbie said enthusiastically. “Ooooh. I work for the Montgomery County Public Schools. We don’t say ‘Christmas time,’” the smiling woman informed him. “It’s just a winter break.” “Oh okay. Well, I can’t wait to see the Redskins play again. This is great fun,” he continued to smile. “Ooooooh. We don’t say ‘Redskins’ because it offends too many people she informed the man. He frowned and said, “Well is it okay to mention that this is a really great party with lots of diverse people of many races, creeds, religions and colors enjoying the game?” She nodded. “As long as we don’t mention races, creeds, religions or colors,” she explained knowingly. “Just smile and drink your beer.” He did as he was told and then walked into the stadium with his friend who had supplied the tickets and made himself ready to enjoy the football game. The Star Spangled Banner gave him gooseflesh and when a soldier appeared on the big screen talking about football and warfare, the middle-aged man nodded knowingly. Football is the closest many will ever come to warfare and it builds character, discipline and a sense of belonging to something greater than yourself, the man said to himself. But apparently, according to a local radio editorial broadcaster, the middleaged man was wrong. Football is bad. But as he looked across the stands, the middle-aged man could see none of that. He saw people having fun, getting along, enjoying the crisp Fall weather and praying for a Redskin victory. That, of course, ended on the first series when RGIII threw an in- terception on first down. After that the game was effectively over – except for the shouting. People began screaming for Colt McCoy while others screamed for someone to bring them the head of Dan Snyder. One of them wanted Snyder’s head as a Christmas present – or maybe a Winter break offering to the druid Gods. After the game the coach fired a shot over RGIII’s bow while the quarterback short-armed his criticism of his teammates much in the same way he short-armed some of his passes on Sunday. Meanwhile, back at the dude ranch Larry “Puff She Puff” Hogan was accessing the state of the state after outgoing Maryland Governor Martin “Rocket Man” O’Malley announced a nice, smelly present for Hogan. According to published reports, last Wednesday, the legislature's budget analysts told lawmakers there was already a $300 million deficit in the current budget and another $600 million shortfall in fiscal 2016. "The problem seems even greater than we expected it to be," Hogan told reporters. But all is okay, because Hogan said by removing the words “Christmas, Ramadan, Eid, Passover, Easter and Easter Bunny,” from state literature the state could save millions on printing cost. By moving the Washington Redskins out of Prince Georges County into Rural Pennsylvania and renaming them the Pennsylvania Potato Peelers the state looks to make millions more by putting toll booths on 270 and narrowing the road to a mere two-lanes between Rockville and the state line. Further money will be made by selling the I.C.C. to the highest bidder. Early favorites in the bidding war include a Kentucky distiller who wants to create a bourbon walking tour from the east coast to the west coast with bars strategically placed every 10 feet that will sell Kentucky Bourbon exclusively. Others rumored to be in the bidding for the I.C.C. also include a fashion designer who wants to turn the desolate road into the world’s longest runway for lingerie models and an Italian developer who wants to flood the entire waterway and make it habitable for Blue crabs and mock naval battles. The middle-age man sighed upon hearing this and wondered what he would do for the XXXXX break and after the XXXXXXXX finish their losing season. Oh well, he sighed, at least the weather is nice and warm and there’s no snow in the forecast. NOVEMBER 20, 2014 NOVEMBER 20, 2014 THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY SENTINEL 5 LEGAL MATTERS LETTERS Trying to get internal affairs records Police and the Fourth Amendment Internal affairs divisions of law enforcement agencies are well known as important checks on police conduct. They are, however, subject to an officer’s privacy rights To the editor; When all the facts finally came out about the Magas family in Damascus it was shocking to hear that a judge didn’t believe a police officer. What must have occurred for this to happen? Judges always believe police even when they know they are lying. The police in this case must have told such a bad lie that even a judge couldn’t believe it. That’s scary. T. Worthington Damascus THE COURT REPORT by Tom Ryan And more police action To the editor; Leave it to the liberal media to take the side of a drinking, drugging family in Damascus who only got off of very serious charges of holding an underage drinking party because of their so-called Fourth Amendment Rights. What they did was wrong and hiding behind the Constitution doesn’t make it right. B. Shephard Gaithersburg And finally . . . what? To the editor; After reading the last year of Montgomery Marty’s predictions, I beg the Sentinel to come clean about his identity. He knows too much and has been too accurate with his picks this year. He finally gave himself up. He lives in Poolesville, loves Damascus and apparently went to Catholic school. We’re taking bets on Pope Francis. G. Darnell Rockville not only by State Law but by through such agreements negotiated by police unions with State agencies. How far such protections extend, when members of the public seek to get records from Internal Affairs was explored in a case last month from Maryland’s intermediate appellate court called Dashiell v. Maryland State Police Department. The opinion indicates that a lawsuit was filed by Ms. Dashiell against a Maryland State Police The recent stumble of the housing market recovery has been a head scratcher for many. Surely low interest rates and an abundant number of homes for sale should have been incentive for any home buyer. But alas, many have been disappointed by the 2014 housing trends; even REAL ESTATE SOLUTIONS The Montgomery County Sentinel welcomes letters. We reserve the right to edit all submissionsfor content, grammar and style. Anonymous letters may or may not be published at our discretion. All letters, submissions and or comments are considered on the record and the property of The Montgomery County Sentinel. We reserve the right to refuse publication of a letter for any reason. All letters must be original, signed by the author and must include the author’s daytime telephone number and email address for publication. Please send letters to: The Montgomery County Sentinel 22 W. Jefferson St. Suite 309 Rockville MD, 20850 Fax: 301-838-3458 [email protected] Or add your comments to our website at www.thesentinel.com records, the trial Court held that the documents were personnel records not subject to disclosure The appellate Court remanded the case for further proceedings. It held the Officer’s Bill of Rights was not the correct focus, as there is a presumption in favor or disclosure so that the focus is on the rights of the citizen seeking public documents. It indicated that the State Police should have been required to provide an index and detailed description of the documents, so the Court could see if they are truly personnel records or otherwise meet the exemptions from public disclosure. This illustrates how courts balance the public’s rights to public records from the privacy interest to which Internal Affairs investigations should be entitled. Thomas Patrick Ryan is a partner in the Rockville law firm of McCarthy Wilson, which specializes in civil litigation. Low interest rates likely to 2015 Editor’s note: And I thank you for the laugh! Write us Sergeant, for making a racially derogatory remark while leaving a message on her voice mail. The facts indicated that the Sergeant called a potential witness and after leaving a voice mail did not realize he had not yet hung up, when he used a racial slur in describing the individual he had called. After she filed a Complaint with the Maryland State Police, Dashiell got a letter that her complaint had been “confirmed” and that appropriate disciplinary action had been taken against the Sergeant. She then sought to obtain the records of the MSP Internal Affairs investigation, undoubtedly to be used in her lawsuit, by making a Maryland Public Information Act request. The State Police denied her request, asserting that the requested records were “personnel” records exempt from disclosure by State Law, were subject to privacy protection under the Law Enforcement Officer’s Bill of Rights, or were interagency memoranda of investigatory records. When she sued to get the By Dan Krell with sparse anecdotes of quick sales and bidding wars. However, many are optimistic about the housing market for 2015 because of the combination of low mortgage interest rates, increased access to credit, and moderating home prices – which could transform reluctant “looky loos” into eager home buyers. Don’t count on low mortgage interest rates, per se, to incentivize home buyers. Although interest rates have been historically low since shortly after the financial crisis, it seems to not have been an incentive on its own to purchase homes. Industry experts have tried to pinpoint the timing of rate increases since rates first dipped below 5 percent in 2010. And even though rates were anticipated to have jumped when the Fed tapered its asset purchasing program this year, rates continue to be relative to historical lows. The average mortgage interest rate according to Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (freddiemac.com) is 4.01 percent(as of November 13th); yet home sale volume continues to lag behind 2013 figures. Very low interest rates may continue into 2015. Back in 2012, the Federal Reserve Open Market Committee indicated that interest rates would remain “exceptionally” low through 2014. Fast forward to September’s Federal Reserve Open Market Committee meeting; the October Fed press release (federalreserve.gov) reported the FOMC maintaining the 0 to a quarter of a percent target rate, even for a “considerable time following the end of its asset purchase program…” On the other hand, loosening mortgage credit underwriting could help some would-be home buyers; but it is unclear who would take advantage of such programs, and how it will help them. Tightened credit and underwriting standards that resulted from the financial crisis, along with government intervention in the form of the Dodd – Frank legislation, created regulation and stringent lending standards (such as comprehensive validation of financial standing and strict adherence to debt to income ratios); which critics point to as having hampered lenders from making loans. However, some lenders are beginning to introduce less restrictive mortgage programs, which may accommodate the self employed and those with high student loan debt. Of course, home prices have been a point of contention between home buyers and sellers for a number of years. Home sellers seeking higher prices are sometimes thwarted by home buyers looking for affordability and value. The seeming home price tug-of-war that favored home sellers in 2013, appeared to turn back in favor of home buyers during late summer of 2014. The October 28th release of the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices (housingviews.com) reported further deceleration of home price appreciation. The National Index showed a 5.1 percent annual gain, which is lower than the 5.6 percent annual gain reported in July. The Washington DC region saw a 3.1 percent annual increase; but a 0 percent change in August, compared to the 0.1 percent change in July. Additionally, the 15 percent increase in national foreclosure activity, as reported by RealtyTrac (realtytrac.com), could be a wildcard for home prices. It remains to be seen if the 26 percent increase in foreclosure activity in the D.C. metropolitan area from the previous year is a trend, or just a result of lenders clearing “shadow” inventory. Dan Krell is a Realtor® with RE/MAX All Pro in Rockville, MD. You can access more information at www.DanKrell.com. Check out our web site www.thesentinel.com 6 THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY SENTINEL NOVEMBER 20, 2014 FEDERATION CORNER When Illinois leaks By Paula Bienenfeld President, Montgomery County Civic Federation Ok, for this, my second column I had a lot to choose from. The mess that got international attention, including a piece in the fabled Onion, erupted from the Montgomery County Public School (MCPS) Board of Education’s 7-1 vote stripping the academic calendar of religious holidays. In that case, the Muslim community had been, they thought, reaching out to the Board for many months at least. Their plea: please put Eid on the existing proposed calendar. Don’t make any changes in school closure days for the 2015-16 calendar year, just please add the holiday, as it coincides with the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. But the Board would have none of it. With the lone exception of Board Member Mike Durso, the board instead went with this absurd option: strip out the names of the Jewish and Christian holidays, but (per state law) leave the Christian holidays as vacation days, and, from year to year, assure that the Jewish holidays would be a day of school closure. Unfortunately, their ‘assurance’ was hollow, given that the proposed 2016-2017 calendar did not have Yom Kippur, which falls on October 12, as a holiday. Instead, the Board decided that Jews could celebrate their holiday the day before, on October 11. Or at least, I think that was the intent. The Jewish holidays had been on the MCPS academic calendar since the 1970s, according to Superintendent Starr’s memo. And, according to one activist the Muslim community had been trying to meet with Dr. Starr for quite awhile about their concern, but had never received a response. We understand other members of the interfaith community had been working on the calendar, and they too, were somewhat shocked as the events unfolded. The entire debacle is online at the MCPS website. Please take a look. We should also look at the rollout of the Chrome laptop computers and Google Apps for Education in schools across Montgomery County. MCPS purchased 40,000 laptops to give to students. The parents had this question: what privacy protection is in place? Answer: not so much. One parent, Ellen Zavian, reported when she visited her child’s classroom and reviewed their Google Apps for Education account, she saw ads from Google and the Kahn Academy in her child’s Gmail account; links to Google Shopping and Google Wallet, with her child’s name pre-filled in the app; and more. This list doesn’t even cover the massive data mining and subsequent granular profiling that appears to be Google’s main purpose for selling this app to schools, including colleges and uni- versities. This past year the vast extent of Google’s data mining activities and ambitions came to light, in part because of a class action lawsuit filed by two lawyers in Texarkana, Texas. As you likely know by now, Google reads your Gmail and collects information on your online navigation choices. According to a comprehensive article by Jeff Gould, these attorneys decided the ‘data mining’ was in fact illegal wiretapping. The case was settled, however numerous internal Google documents came to light, describing the extent of Google’s data mining – including from your child’s school Gmail accounts. While Google then stated it no longer mined children’s Gmail or its product in use at MCPS, Apps for Education, for advertising purposes, ADVERTISE it did not go as far as saying it would turn off the data mining capabilities, according to an article by Bryan Cunningham, at safegov.com. What the parents here in Montgomery County would like is a law similar to the one enacted in California, that prohibits data mining absolutely, and protects our children’s privacy. But the story that really caught my eye, given what goes on in our County, was one reported out of Clark County, Illinois. There, the citizens actually had the chutzpah to stand up to their elected officials. Yes, they actually asserted their legal rights, and as a result, the entire Clark County Park District Board was placed under a citizen’s arrest. Why? Because under the Illinois Open Meetings Act, the public has the right to address their elected officials at public meetings. The citizens were savvy enough to videotape the meeting and post it on YouTube. They called the police, calmly explained the situation, and the police arrived – and arrested the entire Board. The hero of the hour was John Clark, a member of the ‘watchdog’ group Illinois Leaks. Illinois Leaks, formerly known as ‘Edgar County Watchdogs’ has a wonderful website with posts from around Illinois. According to the story on NBCChicago, which ran a few months ago, Mr. Clark and his colleagues sat through 2-1/2 hours of closed meeting. Then, when the Board reconvened publicly, Mr. Clark and his colleagues were told that they could not speak to the Board members, a clear violation of Illinois’ Open Meetings Act. They acted immediately. Our Montgomery County Board of Education has violated the Maryland Open Meetings Act on multiple occasions. None of us so far have had the nerve to call the police. But soon maybe one of us will. The views expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect formal positions adopted by the Federation. To submit an 800-1000 word column for consideration, send as an email in Check Us Out Online www.thesentinel.com Call Lonnie Johnson at 301-306-9500 or e-mail [email protected] NOVEMBER 20, 2014 THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY SENTINEL NEWS 7 Feldman heads back to state senate By Donna Broadway Staff Writer POTOMAC – Brian Feldman said he is honored to be going back to Annapolis for the fourth time. The former three-term state delegate is newly elected to his first official term as senator. Feldman has been serving in the Senate since 2013 when he was appointed by Governor Martin O’Malley to serve the rest of Senator Rob Garagiola’s term. “It’s an honor and I never take anything for granted. Hopefully people are happy enough with what I’ve done to send me back and that’s how I treat each of the new terms and I think you appreciate what an honor that is. There are only 188 people who serve in the state legislature to represent 6 million people. It is a privilege and an honor and I treat it like that,” Feldman said. Feldman, who was elected to his first term in the House of Delegates in 2002, said he has a lifelong love for politics. “I’ve always loved politics as a little child. From a young age, I thought about wanting to run for political office to improve my community and make a difference in my state and community and I think political office is the best way to accomplish that,” Feldman said. “When the opportunity presented itself to me in 2002, I was in a position to take a shot. I had not run for office before but there was an open seat and I decided to take the risk and take the shot. Part of it was always something that I wanted to do and I took advantage of the opportunity when it presented itself and that was 12 years ago .It’s been a thoroughly enjoyable 12 years and I don’t regret any part of it.” Feldman said he doesn’t see any controversial social policies being addressed during the 2015 General Assembly session; instead the focus will be on growing the economy. “We want to focus on the economy, jobs. We don’t want to focus on hot button social issues, those we dealt with the prior four years. Now let’s focus on building our economy and creating jobs for our state and that’s basically what the voters were saying,” Feldman said. Feldman said his priority for Montgomery County during the 2015 legislative session is transportation, school construction and growing the economy. He said he is also focused on growing the county’s biotechnology and cybersecurity sector. “One of my focuses in the legislature is how do we make Montgomery County a national and international leader when it comes to biotechnology and cybersecurity, and I’m going to continue to try to COURTESY PHOTO Brian Feldman take the lead and be a leading voice in the Senate on policy to really take Montgomery County to the next level,” Feldman said. Feldman, along with District 1 Councilmember Roger Berliner, has fought against Pepco to make them accountable for power outages. In an October letter to the Maryland Public Service Commission, Feldman and Berliner said tree trimming activities in Potomac go far beyond reasonable measures for keeping trees away from power lines. The PSC later ruled in favor of Pepco and said tree trimming procedures in Rockville and Potomac fall in line with its rules. County Council prepares for new year agenda By Rebecca Guterman Special to The Sentinel Your spot for local sports After a sweeping victory for Democrats in all County Council districts, the two new members are eager to bring their experience to the table. Former Gaithersburg Mayor Sidney Katz ran unopposed for Phil Andrew’s District 3 seat. Andrews, who has been on the council since 1998, could not run again this year because he ran in the primary against County Executive Ike Leggett. Katz emphasized that he will not just focus on Gaithersburg, but on the entire District 3 region. District 3 includes Rockville, Gaithersburg and Washington Grove, among others. Katz said about two-thirds of the district is municipal areas, so he will bring his municipal government experience to bear on that relationship. “I want to make sure that we’re coordinating with the municipalities as best we can,” Katz said. “My office will be an office where constituent service remains important to everyone.” From the other direction, State Delegate Tom Hucker will be coming to the county level in the District 5 seat, which represents Takoma Park, Silver Spring, Burtonsville and White Oak. District 5 candidate Cherri Branson was only in the post for about a year to fill in for Valerie Ervin, who left last December to head up the Center for Working Families. “Eight years in Annapolis certainly teaches you how to bring people together, build coalitions,” Hucker said. “I’m looking forward to working with the state delegation to get all the resources for Montgomery County that we can for school construction, environment projects and pre-K.” But securing state funding for the county is a new challenge now that Republican Larry Hogan won the governor’s election over Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown. “It remains to be seen how supportive the governor-elect will be of Montgomery County’s priorities, but I’m hopeful we’ll be able to work closely with him. I’ve had a lot of success working with Republicans in Annapolis in environmental issues, on expanding pre-K and good government issues as well, so I’m hopeful we’ll find a good partner in the governor’s office,” Hucker said. “At the same time, because he campaigned on tax cuts, I think we’re going to have to prepare ourselves to meet our needs for potentially getting less funding from the state.” At the local level, Council President Craig Rice said he was particularly proud of the work the council has done in recent years to look at master plans for different areas of the county. Most recently, the council approved an updated White Oak Science Gateway master plan. “I think us doing more of that gives our residents as well as our businesses a more stable outlook in terms of what direction we’re headed,” Rice said, explaining the master plans as essentially business plans for a particular area. Rice is also looking ahead to two bills he said he hopes will get passed by the end of the year: a bill encouraging county procurement from minority-owned businesses and a bill giving preference to local businesses. While Hucker looks toward pre-K, Rice also wants to focus on job development for students and providing internships in many business arenas. Rice, currently the chair of the council’s education committee, said he plans to work with Montgomery College and the Universities at Shady Grove to brainstorm new programs. Rice will be council president until Dec. 1, when Vice President George Leventhal is expected to become president. 8 THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY SENTINEL NOVEMBER 20, 2014 COVER STORY State drops case against family charged in party “Prosecutor” from page 1 “Enforcing the law and keeping the streets safe from underage drinkers is an important public safety goal. Balancing that goal with respecting and upholding the citizen's constitutional rights can sometimes be difficult for those men and women on the front lines of this effort,” Korionoff said. The Magas family members said they are just glad the case is resolved. “It’s been a long 10 months,” George Magas said. “We were very scared that night because I think it could have been handled a lot differently. They put a lot of people in a frightened state.” Moving forward, the family signed a release saying they did not hold the particular officers liable, which is required to get the family’s arrest records expunged, according to defense attorney Rene Sandler. Both parents said they hope something positive comes from this case. “It comes from the top down. You have to train, you have to teach your players how to play. There’s somebody out there who’s the leader of this taskforce that needs to train these guys better,” George said. “Here comes the holiday season up again – what are they going do now? Maybe they will read their manuals.” The manual brought up at the hearing was a Department of Justice guide on preventing and dispersing underage parties, co-authored by Didone. When defense attorneys brought up the manual at the hearing, one officer testified he had not read it. Police spokesperson Captain Paul Starks said the manual is not required reading for the officers, but the ideas in it are part of officer training. “Portions of the content are part of our strategy in enforcing alcohol laws,” Starks said. He also said members of the task force go through recertification training each year. According to a police press release from Jan. 6, the officers and deputies from the MCPD Holiday MCPS center of nationwide attention “Public Schools” from page 1 State Board of Education that it would be illegal for school systems to close in order to recognize a religious holiday of one faith. According to the blog post, the school system lists the names of more than 100 religious and cultural holidays so teachers are aware of holy days and may accommodate students as they wish. Absences on Eid holidays are excused and students are allowed to make up any work they’ve missed. The 2004 decision came after the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee Baltimore Chapter filed a complaint against Baltimore County Public Schools challenging its 2005-2006 calendar because it failed to recognize Muslim holidays as official school holidays. In its decision, the MSBE said the school system must have high absentee rates in order to close on a holiday. MCPS officials said the school system does not keep statistics on the religious affiliations of its students and teachers but that high absentee rates in the early 1970s led to the school system’s decision to close on Jewish holidays. Saqib Ali, co-chair of the Equality for Eid Coalition, said the numbers only apply to Rosh Hashanah and the school board has failed to provide any absentee data for other religious holidays including Christmas, Good Friday and Yom Kippur. “There is no threshold because if they create a threshold the Muslim community will hit it and they will have to close the schools all those days or they will find existing school closings for other religions don’t meet those thresholds and then they will have to open schools on those days. They want to maintain the status quo and they think the best way to maintain the status quo is to be purposely vague because if there is no threshold, the Muslim community cannot meet the threshold,” Ali said. Ali said the coalition has not decided if it will take legal action on the issue but said it wants to continue to national dialogue the decision has created. The school system will not reconsider the issue until 2017 since the Eid holidays in 2015 and 2016 fall on a day when schools are already closed. On the web. All the time. sports • news • opinion • arts • community www.thesentinel.com Season Task Force “were assaulted early Sunday morning,” after arriving at the home on the 9400 block of Damascus Road. In charging documents police claim homeowner George Magas was visibly drunk and belligerent and had to be tased once to effect a “change of behavior”. Police also tased his son Eric twice and arrested four members of the Magas family. Police charged George Magas with resisting arrest, second-degree assault, obstructing police and attempting to disarm a police officer. Police charged Cathy Magas with one count of assault and one count of obstructing police. Police charged their son Nicholas with one count of obstructing police and charged Eric with one count of assaulting law enforcement, one of obstructing police, one of seconddegree assault, two of resisting arrest and three of possessing a fictitious license. Police also charged each of them with 21 counts of knowingly allowing underage possession of alcohol, although Sandler said in June some attendees tested negative for alcohol consumption. In his ruling, Salant called the officers’ justification for approaching the rear door of the house “doubtful” and some of the police testimony “not true.” Salant brought up a number of inconsistencies in police testimony, including two different versions of how welllit the front of the house was, both of which a defense witness and 26year veteran of the force disputed; why police approached the rear stairwell when they did; whether or not the officers had night vision goggles; and who carried a keg up the rear stairwell as evidence. Salant also ruled out evidence collected via the warrant police got later the following morning, which they used to confiscate a number of items, including cell phones. Salant said the warrant was “extensive” given that police mentioned only evidence of underage drinking and marijuana to justify the warrant and did not mention the alleged assaults. Salant went through each stage of the officers’ approach to the rear stairwell where the party appeared to be, and concluded that they encroached too much on the curtilage, or area immediately surrounding the house, without cause. The prosecution had argued that the case Alvarez v. Montgomery County applied, in which officers approached the rear door to break up an underage drinking party. But Salant differentiated that case because there had been a sign on the front door announcing the party entrance was around the back. “In that case, the owners had created a path to where they could be reached, to be where they could be contacted if need be, to where people could walk to get into the house. Here no such path was created,” Salant said. “Whether or not the officers knew that the police officer in front had denied access really doesn’t matter because they were already on the property, they were already making their observations, they had already entered into the property without a warrant and essentially violated that expectation of privacy.” Rockville looks to solve parking problems in Town Square “Rockville” from page 1 open by spring 2015 and will house the Upton Apartments and Cambria Suites hotel. For the second phase, if the council approved 400 residential units, the required parking would be 775 spaces, and Duball is asking to build 658 spaces. Phase I of the project also has about 600 spaces built for it, according to Duball President Marc Dubick. The council split on the parking request. While data from the parking study seemed accurate to city staff, Councilmember Beryl Feinberg proposed cutting the shared parking percentage down to 15 percent rather than 25 to be safe. “I’m not sure the assumption is correct (that) just because it’s in the city that everybody is going to be taking transit. I think there are certainly those who would love to be living in town center and everything that it affords both in shopping and a more vibrant neighborhood and activities in the evening and cultural and entertainment things, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that people are working on a transit-oriented line and that they will be able to take transit,” Feinberg said. Mayor Bridget Newton shared her concerns and pointed to other developments where people now say there is not enough parking, like Victory Housing. She also said there are parking garages in the area that people are not using enough or do not know about. “As a rule we under-park. We’re not there yet in terms of this multi-modal, transit-oriented city. We’re trying. I mean everybody’s hoping that (Bus Rapid Transit) does come, who knows if it’s going to come. I think we’ve got to be very careful that we provide adequate parking,” Newton said. Nancy Regelin, an attorney representing Duball, said the parking study did not assume everyone would be taking public transit and left some wiggle room. “The whole process of doing the parking demand study was not on the hypothesis that it was a transit-oriented area. In fact, we wanted to know who had cars and when they had the cars in the garage in their spaces and not because we know that D.C. and other metro locations are probably more transitoriented than the city of Rockville is yet,” she said. “Our studies showed that we could take a 40 percent reduction in parking but that would have been exactly to the numbers that the study showed and so the 25 percent parking waiver was to give that shoulder a little bit more of...a relief valve.” Duball also said valet parking could be put in place if the parking turned out not to be enough, which would add room for about 30 percent more cars. Although valet parking was originally brought up as a potential mitigation plan, Councilmember Virginia Onley wanted it incorporated into the approved plan. The valet parking would first apply to employees’ cars and put them in the lowest level of the garage, fol- lowed by any restaurants where it would make sense to use a valet and then for residents who live in the buildings. The county did not officially vote on the amendment, but gave instruction to staff on how to move forward. Feinberg and Newton voiced support for the 15 percent waiver, Onley supported Duball’s request plus a valet plan and Councilmembers Tom Moore and Julie Palakovich Carr supported Duball’s original request for 25 percent. In recent months, a number of businesses in the Town Square have closed down and some owners have said customers complain about lack of parking. To address the shortages during the holiday season, Federal Realty Investment Trust, which owns the Town Square buildings, is offering free parking after 6 p.m. and each weekend from Nov. 26-Jan. 4. Duball also asked for 178 additional residential units for Phase II to bring the total up to 400 units. Newton did not state her position on the additional residential units, but the four councilmembers supported it. Dubick said the additional units came in part because the hotel was built with 33 fewer rooms than originally planned. He said since Duball formed the initial plans, the target room size has also become smaller, focusing more on young professionals and empty nesters. Newton said she was worried about cutting out certain demographics by cutting the room size down and asked city staff to look into the unit sizes of recent developments across the city. NOVEMBER 20, 2014 THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY SENTINEL 9 NEWS Korman finds realization of dream in latest election By Donna Broadway Staff Writer BETHESDA – For state delegate-elect Marc Korman, his election to the state house of delegates is the result of years of hard work and the realization of a lifelong dream. Korman, a Montgomery County native, has been serving on government and civic boards and has held elected office since 2007. Since his election to the state house of delegates, Korman said he has been speaking to former delegates and senators and is looking into hiring one legislative aide. Korman said the most pressing thing the General Assembly will deal with is the projected $600 million budget crisis. When he takes office in January he will be replacing Delegate Susan Lee, who was voted to the Senate to replace Brian Frosh, who was elected attorney general of the state. “When I knocked on doors people wanted to talk about schools, jobs, transits, and environment. They didn’t ask about a budget but we have 90 days to deal with it,” Korman said. Korman, who has served in the community as the chair of the Western Montgomery Citizens Advisory Board and an elected member of the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee, said the most pressing issue for Marylanders is the projected budget gap. The biggest problem facing Montgomery County, he said, is school construction and transportation. The delegate-elect said the budget gap is caused by a decrease in tax revenue due to sequestration and cutbacks from the federal government. According to statistics from the state of Maryland, more than 200,000 state residents employed by the government receive $70 billion in wages, retirement and disability payments, grants and contracts. “Our residents are well-educated so they understand these issues were not created overnight and they will not be solved overnight,” Korman said. Korman is a graduate of Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville and has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California, a master’s degree in government from Johns Hopkins University and a law degree from the University of Maryland. Korman said he became involved in politics at USC. Korman said it was the fall of 2000 and George Bush was just declared the 43rd president by the Supreme Court and one student was not happy about it. Korman, an angry young student, walked into the offices of the USC Young Democrats Club demanding to know how its members let Bush win. A member looked at him and said “We didn’t allow anything to happen; you didn’t help at all.” That student would later become president of that club. Korman called it the “a-ha” moment that pushed him into politics. Korman said he is not concerned about Republican Governor Larry Hogan and the majority Democratic General Assembly working together, although he is worried Republicans may try to unsuccessfully reverse several social policy COURTESY PHOTO Marc Korman sets priorities as newly elected delegated. changes in the state – including the death penalty repeal and the legalization of same sex marriage in the state. “This is different from what we (Democrats) were expecting but I’m hoping there will be plenty of things for us to find common ground,” Korman said. There are no Republicans elected to the Maryland General Assembly from Montgomery County and there no Republicans elected to the Montgomery County Council. The highest-ranking Republican elected to office in Montgomery County is Gaithersburg Councilman Henry Marraffa Jr. County may ban use of cosmetic pesticides By Lejla Sarcevic Capital News Service COLLEGE PARK - To combat sexual violence on Maryland college campuses, the state’s public and private higher educational institutions should change campus culture and encourage reporting of sexual assault cases, state Attorney General Doug Gansler recommended Thursday. A report Gansler presented at the University of Maryland, College Park contains a half-dozen key recommendations, among them: encouraging bystanders to intervene when possible; addressing the relationship between alcohol and consent; and training campus employees about sexual trauma. Statistics show that one in five women and one in 16 men are sexually assaulted while in college, according to the report, which comes as a response to the Obama administration’s “It’s On Us” campaign to combat sexual crime on campus. “It occurred to me that the issue of bystander intervention is probably one of the most effective ways of dealing with this issue,” said Gansler, who advocated training students, at campus orientation and while enrolled, to safely intervene and monitor when their friends appear to be in vulnerable situations. Alcohol is also often a factor in campus sexual assaults, and students should be aware of each other’s vulnerabilities while under the influence, he said. The 52-year-old Gansler likened campus culture surrounding sexual assault to the social ignorance around drunken driving about 30 years ago when he was in high school and college, before designated-driver campaigns significantly reduced alcohol-related vehicle deaths among young people. One of the most important goals is ensuring victims feel comfortable reporting sexual assault cases by educating students about where they can go to report incidents, he said. Between 2009 and 2013, there were a total of 340 reported forcible sex offenses at more than 90 educational institutions in Maryland, according to the report. However, nationally, it is estimated that only 13 percent of rape survivors report the assault, according to the report. Katherine Swanson, director of student groups with the University of Maryland College Park’s Student Government Association, said that the number of reported sexual assault cases at that campus has increased, saying it’s an indicator that the college’s new Title IX office and new policies are doing the job that they’re supposed to do. Title IX is a federal civil rights law that prohibits sexual discrimination on campuses, including sexual violence. “As a student here, as a young woman, as a young person, I feel like this is, like I said, a step in the right direction and I’m really excited to keep moving on this,” Swanson said. In Maryland, Frostburg State University, Morgan State University and Johns Hopkins University are among 80 institutions nationally under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights for possible violations of federal law over the handling of sexual violence and harassment complaints. SUBSCRIBE TO The Sentinel! 10 NOVEMBER 20, 2014 THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY SENTINEL NEWS Board of Education approves $223 million in plans By Donna Broadway Staff Writer ANNAPOLIS – The Montgomery County Board of Education approved an additional $223.3 million in amendments to Dr. Joshua Starr’s six-year Capital Improvements Program (CIP). Starr said the funds will help Montgomery County Public Schools address its growing enrollment, which is estimated to increase to 165,000 students by the 2020-2021 school year. “Our space shortage is an urgent matter for our students, staff, parents and community members. We need to add space as quickly as possible not only to serve our current students, but to serve those we know are coming in the near fu- ture,” said BOE president Phil Kauffman. “Montgomery County Public Schools is Maryland’s largest, fastest-growing district and we simply need more help from the state to meet our district’s construction needs.” During the 2014 legislative session, representatives from Montgomery County, Baltimore County and Prince Georges County went to Annapolis to ask the General Assembly to approve additional funds to help with school construction, but the General Assembly did not approve the funds. The school system’s CIP budget for fiscal 2015-2020 was approved at $214 million less than requested. The board’s requested amendments would increase the six-year CIP to $1.75 billion. Maryland is currently facing a projected $600 million budget shortfall in fiscal 2015 and while county government spokesperson Patrick Lacefield said the county is taking the projections into account while creating the upcoming budget, there is no word on how budget cuts will affect the school system’s construction plans. Senator Brian Feldman (D-17) said school construction remains a priority for him and the other members of the Montgomery County Delegation. “In Montgomery County, we have the largest, fastest-growing school population in the state of Maryland and we can get sufficient construction money from Annapolis to keep up with the growth within our county. That’s going to be a very high priority for Montgomery County,” Feldman said. Some of the projects MCPS is considering include school expansion for Seneca Valley High School, relocation of the Alternative Education Programs from the Blair Ewing Center on Avery Road to another site in Rockville, the building of two new schools, 14 classroom additions, 20 school expansion/ revitalization projects and the building of a new bus depot near the Shady Grove Metro Station in Rockville. Governor-elect Larry Hogan’s spokeswoman, Erin Montgomery, said the governor-elect will not address any policy decisions, including Montgomery County’s call for more school construction funds, until he takes office in January. Hogan has publicly said his first priority as governor will be to close the projected $600 million budget deficit and to begin paying the $233 million in tax bonds the state will owe beginning in fiscal 2015. Hogan hired former state delegate, Senator and Anne Arundel County Executive Robert Neall to serve on his transition team as budget and finance director. “We want to make the government more efficient, more effective. We think the government spends too much, borrows too much, taxes too much,” Hogan said. Hogan will be sworn in on Jan. 21, 2015 and is expected to submit his budget to the Maryland General Assembly a few days later. The assembly is allowed to remove items but is not allowed to add anything Police offer shopping tips for Christmas and Holiday season Second Health Insurance enrollment approaches By Jim Davis GERMANTOWN - The Rev. Peter Sum, a senior pastor at the Gospel Baptist Church of the World in Frederick, said he used to have health insurance through his wife’s employer. But when Grace Sum left her job, the coverage went away. Sum said that since his church cannot afford to provide health insurance, the family turned to the Affordable Care Act. So, during the first enrollment period last year, Sum, a Burmese immigrant, attended a health fair sponsored by the Asian American Center of Frederick. There, he was assisted by the staff of Healthy Howard Inc., who enrolled him, his wife and two of their children into a plan through Maryland Health Connection, the state’s version of the Affordable Care Act insurance marketplace. “For our part it was very, very easy just giving them information only,” Sum said. “They helped us out with everything, from start to finish.” The second enrollment period begins Saturday, but in multicultural Maryland, effectively disseminating information to residents on how to go about signing up for coverage is a task much easier said than done. This is where partnerships between health agencies and communitybased organizations have played a Special to The Sentinel With the holidays right around the corner, Montgomery County residents will be out in droves shopping throughout the county. Montgomery County Police warn residents not to become distracted while shopping. “Stay alert and be aware of your surroundings at all times,” said MCPD spokesperson Officer Nicole Gamard. "When residents are going to shopping centers, they should park in well-lit parking lots and park as close to the mall or store as possible. They should lock their car doors and keep packages hidden in the trunk or under the seats of their vehicle.” Gamard said after parking, shoppers should walk with confidence and trust their instincts. “If something or someone makes you uneasy, avoid the person or leave the area,” she said. Gamard said women should carry their purses as close to their bodies as possible and should place their wallets in an inside coat or front pants pocket. “Shoppers should not flash large amounts of cash or other tempting targets like expensive jewelry or clothing,” Gamard said. “Have your car or house key in hand before you reach the door. If you think that someone is following you, switch directions or cross the street and walk toward an open store, restaurant, or lighted house.” According to the FBI, national crime rates have declined in recent years. An FBI study revealed more than 400,000 robberies occur in the United States during the months of November and December each year. By Ashley S. Westerman Special to The Sentinel key role in reaching out to different ethnic groups, such as Asian Americans like Rev. Sum. Nearly 78,700 Marylanders signed up for private health insurance through Maryland Health Connection last year. But there is no data for how many of them were Asian American, who make up about 6 percent of Maryland residents, according to the latest Census data. At the national level, the data is also sparse. A report released in September by the Action for Health Justice says nearly 600,000 Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders were reached through education and enrollment assistance during the first enrollment period. But that was just what was reported by the group’s 70 community-based partners in 22 states. Because many Asian Americans are low-income and uninsured, experts say they stand to benefit from signing up for insurance or Medicaid through the Affordable Care Act. This makes collaborations like the one between the Asian American Center of Frederick and Healthy Howard Inc., critical to making sure they don’t fall through the cracks. “Obviously language and different cultural backgrounds can always pose a barrier to gaining health insurance, using health insurance, purchasing the right health insurance,” said Sophie McCormick, who as a “Navigator” for Healthy Howard Inc. helps consumers sign up for insurance. She said they have worked hard to provide health information to Frederick County’s Asian-American community, which is about 10,000 strong, or 4 percent of the population. The center’s Executive Director Elizabeth Chung said her diverse staff has allowed them to help translate information and do direct outreach about Obamacare in various languages. “Given the Chinese communities we have three or four different dialects. South Asians about eight different dialects,” Chung said. “So we have the capacity to reach out and do education.” But linguistic competence is not the only factor - there is also a cultural component. In Montgomery County, where about 42 percent of the state’s AsianAmerican population resides, the county health department has worked through one of its own offices to bridge that divide. The Asian American Health Initiative Program Director Perry Chan said they have specifically tried to send people out into the community who speak the same language and understand the culture to deliver Obamacare information. He said this helps in reaching those who don’t get out to the health fairs. “A lot of people work in small business, they are blue collar, their employer may not be able to provide them health insurance,” Chan said. “So these people have been uninsured and keeping silent.” Phuong Ngo is one of the more than two dozen navigators Montgomery County has hired. She said, among them, they speak no fewer than 10 languages. Ngo has helped Chan with outreach to the Vietnamese community, and said she sometimes has to get creative when explaining complex insurance terms like “premium” or “deductible.” “Some people don’t even know what it is in English, so you kind of have to go use examples, you know, real life scenarios,” Ngo said. “I mean, pretty much everyone has car insurance, so I would use that. If you were paying a deductible on that, it’s kind of the same thing with health care.” Ngo said she’s been able to dispel a lot of mistrust and misinformation about the new health care law within the Vietnamese community by just being able to communicate with them. Sum said what these community organizations are managing to get done is good work that’s benefiting the most needy in the Asian American community. “And they are doing, I would say, the job nearest to the heart of Jesus Christ. To help the unhelped,” he said w w w. t h e s e n t i n e l . c o m on the web, all the time. NOVEMBER 20, 2014 THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY SENTINEL 11 NEWS Montgomery Parks seek to build museum By Peter Rouleau Special to The Sentinel NORTH BETHESDA – Josiah Henson was born a slave near Port Tobacco in Charles County, Maryland in 1789. After his family’s master’s death, Henson was separated from his family. His mother, who had been sold to Montgomery County plantation owner Isaac Riley, pleaded with her new master to purchase Josiah so she could at least have her youngest child with her. Riley agreed and Henson worked for several years on the Riley farm, rising to the position of overseer before escaping to freedom in Canada in 1830. After his escape, Henson became a Methodist preacher and a vocal abolitionist, helping to found a Canadian settlement for other fugitive slaves. Henson’s autobiography, first published in 1849, inspired the American abolitionist author Harriet Beecher Stowe to write her novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” first published in 1852. “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” became the most widely-read book of its day and inspired widespread anti-slavery sentiment in the United States and Great Britain. When Stowe met President Abraham Lincoln in November of 1862, shortly before the issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation during the Civil War, he is reported to have remarked “So, you’re the little woman who wrote the book that made this great war.” Throughout the Civil War, the British government entertained the notion of intervening on the side of the Confederacy, whose cotton-producing states did a great deal of business with English mills. But despite the economic hardships imposed on them by the blockade of the southern states, English workers opposed such an intervention in large part because of Stowe’s exposure of the horrors of slavery. Henson continued to speak about slavery and his experiences for the rest of his life, and at one point had an audience with President Rutherford Hayes. He died in Canada in 1883 at age 93. Today, the remnant of the Isaac Riley farm in North Bethesda is managed by the Montgomery Parks division of the Maryland NationalCapital Park and Planning Commission, which acquired it in 2006. The M-NCPPC regularly hosts guided tours of the facility, which consists of a replica of the farmhouse and an adjoining log cabin. The M-NCPPC hopes to convert the property into a larger museum with permanent exhibits dedicated to Henson’s life and legacy. The Montgomery County Planning Board approved a master plan for the conversion in 2010. Montgomery Parks hopes to raise $2 million to support the project through its Capital Campaign in addition to $5 million pledged by the county. The museum is expected to be completed and open to the public by 2021. “The museum is one of the few places in the country that will tell the story of slavery from the actual words and memories of Reverend Henson,” a Montgomery Parks spokesperson said. “Visitors will also learn about Henson’s emancipation and his return to Maryland to rescue other enslaved people via the Underground Railroad.” “We’re 100 percent in support of the museum project,” said Sarah L. Rogers, executive director of the historical society Heritage Montgomery, which has hosted several historical re-enactments on the Riley farm property. “It’s a very important piece of cultural history, and it will bring national and international attention to Montgomery County when it is completed.” Anyone wishing to contribute to the museum’s fundraising project may do so by visiting: http://www.montgomeryparksfoundation.org/support/josiah-hensonpark/. Maryland man remains in Cuban prison for five years We’ll bring you a Brand New Audience! To Place Your Ad Call Lonnie at 301-306-9500 By Idrees Ali Capital News Service WASHINGTON -- As the fifth anniversary of Maryland resident Alan Gross’s imprisonment in Cuba approaches, the state’s congressional delegation remains frustrated with the efforts being made to secure his release. “I have a message for Mr. Castro down in Cuba, let Alan Gross go! Let him go today, let him go now,” said Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., in an email. Maryland’s delegation has highlighted the issue over the past five years, from bringing congressional resolutions to the floor to directly speaking with Cuban President Raul Castro. But despite these efforts Gross is still in prison as his health deteriorates, and his case becomes more entangled in the larger U.S-Cuba debate. The difficult nature of the Gross case was highlighted this month when Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., visited Cuba and met with Gross. They were unable to secure his release. Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Kensington, who also visited Cuba last year and met with Castro, said he was putting pressure on the Obama administration to secure his release. “Every day that he sits in prison in Havana is another day of injustice for Alan Gross and another day that Cuba is missing an important opportunity to begin to reshape its relations with the United States,” said Van Hollen in an emailed statement. Gross, 65, has been in prison in Cuba since December 2009 after he went to the island nation as a subcontractor for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). He was sentenced to 15 years in prison for bringing com- puter equipment to Cuba illegally, part of a program to bring Internet connectivity to the country’s Jewish population. In those five years, Gross has lost his mother, the vision in his right eye and 100 lbs., according to a letter to President Barack Obama signed by 300 rabbis earlier this year. In November 2012, Gross and his wife Judy Gross, filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government and the contractor, Development Alternatives, based out of Bethesda. On Friday, a federal appeals court in Washington upheld the decision of the district court that the U.S. government was not liable since the incident took place outside the country, Reuters reported. The case has brought attention to the debate over relations with Cuba, a country that is officially on the list of state sponsors of terrorism, and the strategies used to deal with it. “The Alan Gross case is still the principle obstacle to any dramatic improvement,” in U.S.-Cuba relations, said William LeoGrande, a professor at American University and coauthor of “Back Channel to Cuba: The Hidden History of Negotiations between Washington and Havana.” There was a gradual improvement in relations prior to the arrest of Gross, but soon after the incident in 2009 that improvement was brought to a standstill, LeoGrande said. Since 2012 however, there have been lower level areas of mutual cooperation, such as an agreement in March among five countries on procedures to deal with oil spills. Last week, the Associated Press reported that USAID is reviewing some of its work that is considered illegal in some countries, af- ter a report exposed a “Cuban Twitter,” ZunZuneo, which was created to foster dissent in Cuba.An important piece of U.S.- Cuba relations has been the half-century long embargo on Cuba. “The embargo has accomplished nothing,” said Wayne Smith, director of the Cuba Project at the Center for International Policy, a Washington-based think tank. Smith said when the embargo was first enforced there was a sense that Cuba’s economy would be destroyed in a few years. But five decades later, “Cuba is not only surviving, but doing relatively well,” said Smith, who once served as chief of mission at the U.S. Interests Section in Havana. Last month, in a symbolic vote, the United Nations General Assembly voted against the U.S. embargo for the 23rd time, by a margin of 188 to 2. While the vote was largely symbolic, it does show the limited support the embargo has internationally. “(The embargo’s) true purpose is to increase the persecution of our international financial transactions in the whole world and justify the blockade policy,” said Bruno Rodriguez, Cuba’s foreign minister, during the U.N. General Assembly this year. There is some hope that the tide in U.S.-Cuba relations could be improving. LeoGrande, from American University, said political circumstances are favorable for a debate on lifting of the five-decade long embargo. With the Senate in the hands of Republicans, Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., would lose his place as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The son of Cuban immigrants, Menendez has been a vocal advocate for continuing the embargo. He is expected to be replaced as chairman by Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., who may take a different position on Cuba, LeoGrande said. There have also been suggestions that the United States should consider a prisoner swap for Gross, similar to the one it carried out with the Taliban for U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl earlier this year. Smith, from the Center for International Policy, said Gross is a part of the larger U.S-Cuba relationship, as are three remaining Cuban spies in federal prison, much to the chagrin of the Cuban government. “I would really like to see Gross released…but I don’t expect the Cubans to release him without action on our part,” said Smith, giving voice to a common theory that a prisoner swap is an option for Gross’s release. What needs to be done is to take a different approach to Cuba to help secure the release of Gross, Smith said. There needs to be a “move towards a policy of engaging with Cuba,” not an agreement on every issue, but a dialogue, he said. That engagement could come next year with the seventh Summit of the Americas taking place in Panama, “ a decision forming event,” which could give Obama a chance to clear his position on Cuba, LeoGrande said. Despite the debate surrounding the initiatives taken by USAID, Maryland’s delegation continues to work for Gross’s release. “Senator Cardin is disappointed that all efforts to release Mr. Gross, particularly on humanitarian grounds, have been rejected by the Cuban government,” said Sue Walitsky, Cardin’s national communications director, in an emai 12 THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY SENTINEL NOVEMBER 20, 2014 ENTERTAINMENT Montgomery College professor lauded By Donna Broadway Staff Writer ROCKVILLE – Montgomery College professor of theater KenYatta Rogers is the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Maryland professor of the year. Rogers, a professor at the college since 2000, teaches classes in voice and diction, movement for the performer and fundamentals of acting. He is also the advisor for the Black Box Players, a student theater group, and mentors more than 30 students each year. Rogers has served as a director and coach for more than 15 productions at Montgomery College. In addition to teaching and di- recting, Rogers co-produces WILLPOWER! Founded in 2003, more than 10,000 people have participated in this annual Shakespeare festival. He also co-produces an annual poetry festival called MCSLAM! Rogers is also a professional actor with more than 50 film, television, radio and voiceover credits, including the National Endowment for the Arts, The Big Read series and PBS’ Standard Deviants. He has been nominated for three Helen Hayes Awards, awards given for theater excellence in the D.C. area. This is the eighth time in 11 years—and the sixth year in a row— that a Montgomery College professor has been named Maryland Professor of the Year. Nationwide award winners include Laurie Grobman, professor of English and women’s studies at Pennsylvania State University, who won CASE’s Outstanding Baccalaureate Colleges Professor of the Year; John Wadach, professor of engineering science and physics at Monroe Community College in Rochester, N.Y. who won CASE’s Outstanding Community Colleges Professor of the Year; Sheri Sheppard, professor of mechanical engineering at Stanford University, who won the Outstanding Doctoral and Research Universities Professor of the Year award; and Patricia H. Kelley, professor of geology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, who won CASE’s Outstanding Master’s Universities and Colleges Professor of COURTESY PHOTO Ken Yatta Rogers the Year. Anthony S. Bryk, president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Ad- vancement of Teaching, congratulated the award winners on what he called their “extraordinary leadership.” “Each of our awardees, state and national, brings extraordinary leadership not just to their classrooms, but to their departments, colleges and universities and their respective professional fields,” Bryk said. “We honor them for upholding and guiding the aspirations of their students, advancing knowledge and elevating and dignifying the profession of teaching. In recognizing their commitment and excellence, their contributions and their demonstrated passion, we support the centrality of teaching on campus and recognize its importance to the future of our country.” Maryland’s senators vote against Keystone XL pipeline proposal By Yevgeniy Trapeznikov Capital News Service WASHINGTON - Maryland’s two Democratic U.S. senators voted against the Keystone XL pipeline Tuesday, joining a majority of Democrats who continued to oppose the controversial project despite Republican gains in this month’s midterm elections. Senators Barbara Mikulski and Ben Cardin joined 37 other Democrats and two independents in opposition to a bill authorizing construction of the 1,700-mile Keystone pipeline, meant to carry Canadian tar sands to Texas. “Quality American jobs are being created in the oil industry and clean energy sectors without the ‘Northern Leg’ of the Keystone XL, which would transport oil for export and not for U.S. consumption,” said Cardin, in a statement before Tuesday’s vote. Senators debated for six hours before the roll call. The bill failed 59-41, one vote short of the needed 60. All 45 Republicans were joined by 14 Democrats in support of the bill. One of those Democrats was Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, who sponsored the bill. Some observers saw the vote largely as symbolic, since President Barack Obama was likely to veto the bill pending a government review. Jeremy Alford, an editor and publisher of LaPolitics, a leading Pl blog about Louisiana politics, said the Senate holding the pipeline vote was a sign that Democrats had not abandoned Landrieu, who was pushing the bill. Landrieu, the current chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, faces a runoff election against Rep. Bill Cassidy, RLouisiana, in December. For her, it was “the way to demonstrate her bona-fide credentials as a supporter of energy in the region,” said Robert Hogan, a political scientist at Louisiana State University. For national Democrats, it was also, perhaps, an important symbolic chance - at least, until next year to cool down Republicans eager to capitalize on their recent success in the midterms. However, on the Senate floor Landrieu was compelled to field arguments from her fellow Democrats, a majority of whom remained adamantly against Keystone. “This debate is about giving competitive advantage for the shipping of the dirtiest oil located in Canada over the United States for export,” Cardin said, during the Senate floor debate. Later in his speech, Cardin said the pipeline poses significant environmental risks. He said the bill would eliminate appropriate executive review, interfere with judicial review and create very few permanent jobs, concerns voiced by other Democrats. He called on senators to a d r u a o t y w e ww c a demonstrate U.S. leadership in reducing the country’s carbon footprint by rejecting the pipeline. To counter Cardin, Landrieu pointed to the Keystone environmental study by the State Department. The study found the increase in greenhouse gases would be extremely low and equivalent to approximately 300,000 passenger vehicles, 0.12 percent of the total number of cars in the U.S., Landrieu said. The Senate vote came after the House approved the pipeline Friday. Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, the incoming majority leader, said Republicans will bring the bill up again next year in the 114th Congress and expect to pass it. o .these c . nti nel ! m Easy, convenient, and it gets results! Classified Ads View and search classified ads On-Line! Place your classified ad through our website! Print Ads on The Web Sentinel print advertisers can now place their display ads online for only $20.95! Everyone can view Sentinel advertisements from our website! Call today! Exclusive Website Advertising Advertisers can place banner advertising in 3 different sizes on www.thesentinel.com! Call for details! For more information call 301.306 .9500 NOVEMBER 20, 2014 THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY SENTINEL Whatʼs happening this week in Montgomery County C 13 ALENDAR NOV. 20 HERE COMES THE NIGHT: OPEN MIC Nov. 20. 7p.m.-8:30p.m. Calling all teens: Join us for a night of creative expression! Read a favorite poem or original work. Sing or play an instrument. For more information, contact: (240) 773-9545 or visit www.montgomerycountymd.gov/library. Olney Library, 3500 Olney-Laytonsville Rd., Olney, MD 20832. “I WANT TO BE EVIL (WITH LOVE TO EARTHA KITT)” Nov. 20. 7:30p.m., seating at 5:30p.m. I Wanna Be Evil (With Love to Eartha Kitt) is René Marie’s third recording for the label and her 10th career album. This brilliant entertaining album burnishes René’s reputation as the most provocative risk-taker among today’s jazz divas. We welcome back Rene Marie for this unforgettable & fiery performance. You will not want to miss it! Tickets are $25 and there is reserved table seating. For more information or tickets, call (240) 330-4500 or visit bethesdabluesjazz.com. Bethesda Blues & Jazz, 7719 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda, MD 20814. REEL ROCK 9 PRESENTS “VALLEY UPRISING: YOSEMITE’S ROCK CLIMBING REVOLUTION” Nov. 20. 8p.m. This independent film by rock climbing, daredevil, adrenaline junkies, is centered on the outlaws who participated in the Yosemite's Rock Climbing Revolution. Earth Treks, a local business, will be giving away goodies and a rock climbing adventurer will be live on stage sharing tales of adventure. Tickets are $10 and available at the box office and Earth Treks. Visit reelrocktour.com for more information. F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre, Rockville Civic Center Park, 603 Edmonston Dr., Rockville, MD 20851. NOV. 21 SUGARLOAF CRAFT FESTIVAL Nov. 21. 10a.m.-6p.m. More than 250 of the nation’s finest artisans will display and sell their handcrafted work at the Sugarloaf Crafts Festival. Juryselected artists from around the country will present their stunning array of contemporary crafts in sculpture, glass, jewelry, fashion, wood, leather, metal, furniture, home accessories, photography and fine art. Holiday shoppers can enjoy browsing and buying fine crafts and unique gifts for everyone on their holiday list. Visitors can watch the creative process of master artisans during ongoing craft demonstrations. Live music, children’s entertainment and delicious gourmet goodies available to sample and buy from dozens of specialty food vendors make the fall Festival a great destination for the entire family. For more information or to purchase tickets visit www.sugarloafcrafts.com. Montgomery County Fairgrounds, 16 Chestnut St., Gaithersburg, MD 20877. CAMPFIRE AND NATURE WALK Nov. 21. 6:30p.m.-7:30p.m. Join us for a picnic by the fire and then enjoy a nature walk under the night sky with one of our naturalists. Please bring your own hotdogs and rolls, and we'll bring the makings for s'mores. Please register and pay for adults and children. Cost is $6. Email [email protected], call (301) 765-8660 or visit LocustGroveNature.org for more information. Locust Grove Nature Center, 7777 Democracy Blvd., Bethesda, MD 20817. PIKE & ROSE HOLIDAY TREE LIGHTING Nov. 21. 6:30p.m.-8:30p.m. Pike & Rose invites the community to celebrate the grand opening of the November 20, 2014 – November 26, 2014 development with its first-ever holiday tree lighting festival. The evening’s festivities will be emceed by beloved DC radio personality, Tommy McFly of The Tommy Show. Additionally, this free to attend event will include a kids crafting station, stilt walkers and live “reindeer” ponies available for photo ops. Live entertainment will be provided by acapella groups. Visit pikeandrose.com for more information. Pike & Rose, 11580 Old Georgetown Rd., North Bethesda, MD 20854. tion’s finest artisans will display and sell their handcrafted work at the Sugarloaf Crafts Festival. Juryselected artists from around the country will present their stunning array of contemporary crafts in sculpture, glass, jewelry, fashion, wood, leather, metal, furniture, home accessories, photography and fine art. Holiday shoppers can enjoy browsing and buying fine crafts and unique gifts for everyone on their holiday list. Visitors can watch the creative process of master artisans during ongoing craft demonstrations. Live music, children’s entertainment and delicious gourmet goodies available to sample and buy from dozens of specialty food vendors make the fall Festival a great destination for the entire family. For more information or to purchase tickets visit www.sugarloafcrafts.com. Montgomery County Fairgrounds, 16 Chestnut St., Gaithersburg, MD 20877. GO GAME BEGINNERS MEETING Nov. 21. 7:15p.m.-10:00p.m. Go is an ancient Asian strategy board game. Beginners are cordially invited to participate in this first ever meeting. Small to standard sized sets are available for all to use. The Rockville Go & Chess Group offers a diversity of games such as Bridge, Rummikub, and many of the newest Euro Games. The group has been meeting weekly since 2001 and continues to actively serve the community. Contact [email protected] or visit www.meetup.com/DC-Area-Go/events/dktfrkyspbcc/ for more information. Rockville United Church, 355 Linthicum Dr., Rockville, MD 20851. Watch the tree lighting at Pike & Rose for the holidays. SOUND CONNECTION AND RHYTHM6 Nov. 21. 8p.m., seating begins at 6p.m. Dance night! Each group was carefully chosen based on individual accomplishments and, when brought together as a single unit, their power to move audiences is undeniable. Tickets are $15. For more information or tickets, call (240) 330-4500 or visit bethesdabluesjazz.com. Bethesda Blues & Jazz, 7719 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda, MD 20814. tion with all kinds of items for sale. The profits from the bazaar help support medical care in Africa, food for the homeless in Bethesda, teachers in Nepal, dentistry in Nicaragua and many other missions of the church. For more information, call (301) 6528700. Chevy Chase United Methodist Church, 7001 Connecticut Ave., Chevy Chase, MD 20815. NOV. 22 SUGARLOAF CRAFT FESTIVAL Nov. 22. 10a.m.-6p.m. More than 250 of the nation’s finest artisans will display and sell their handcrafted work at the Sugarloaf Crafts Festival. Juryselected artists from around the country will present their stunning array of contemporary crafts in sculpture, glass, jewelry, fashion, wood, leather, metal, furniture, home accessories, photography and fine art. Holiday shoppers can enjoy browsing and buying fine crafts and unique gifts for everyone on their holiday list. Visitors can watch the creative process of master artisans during ongoing craft demonstrations. Live music, children’s entertainment and delicious gourmet goodies available to sample and buy from dozens of specialty food vendors make the fall Festival a great destination for the entire family. For more information or to purchase tickets visit www.sugarloafcrafts.com. Montgomery County Fairgrounds, 16 Chestnut St., Gaithersburg, MD 20877. CAMPUS LIFE 5K WALK/RUN Nov. 22. 10:30a.m.-12p.m. The 3rd annual 5k trail race will start at 10:30 a.m. followed by a free family fun run (about a quarter mile). Join us for a great walk / run through the orchard as we help raise money for Campus Life! This is a unique opportunity to run a safe, family-friendly trail race through Butler's Orchard's amazing property. All 5k participants will receive a long sleeve shirt and race packet. Sign up today and get more information at www.campuslife5korchardrun.org. Cost is $30-40. Butler's Orchard, 22200 Davis Mill Rd., Germantown, MD 20876. HOLIDAY BAZAAR Nov. 22. 10a.m.-3p.m. Get in the holiday mood and run to our Bazaar! You can do your Christmas shopping from a number of vendors -- etched glass, hair accessories; gourmet oils, herbs & dips; jams, jellies, sauces; jewelry, children’s books, leather handbags, knitted hats, gloves & throws. One of the most popular sections of the bazaar is the silent auc- COURTESY PHOTO HEART OF MARYLAND CONCERT Nov. 22. 1p.m.-3p.m. We’ve done Rockville…….We’re Goin’ to Broadway!! A musical celebration of Broadway favorites by Rockville's Sweet Adelaide chapter. Also guest appearances by several quartets and the Gaithersburg High School A Capella Singers. Sponsored by Heart of Maryland. Tickets are $15. Available advance or at the door. Call (240) 314-8690 or order online at Rokville.ticketleap.com. F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre, 603 Edmonston Dr., Rockville, MD 20851. JOHN GORKA Nov. 22. 8p.m. Over the course of his career, John Gorka has toured the US and Europe and recorded 12 albums, each of which garnished critical acclaim. His rich, multi-faceted songs full of depth, beauty and emotion gained increasing attention from critics and audiences across the country, and have been recorded and/or performed by musical greats such as Mary Chapin Carpenter, Nanci Griffith, Mary Black and Maura O’Connell. Tickets to see John Gorka at BlackRock are $15 - $28 and can be purchased in person, over the phone by calling (240) 912-1058, or online at blackrockcenter.org. BlackRock Center for the Arts, 12901 Town Commons Dr., Germantown, MD 20874. THE SECRET SUBJECT OF EVERY STORY Nov. 22. 8p.m. Robin Weigert, best known for her Emmy nominated portrayal of Calamity Jane on HBO’s award-winning series “Deadwood,” will join her mother, pianist Dionne Laufman, for a special evening of poetry and music presented by the Washington Conservatory of Music. Free, donations welcomed. Westmoreland Congregational Church, 1 Westmoreland Circle, Bethesda, MD 20816. NOV. 23 SUGARLOAF CRAFT FESTIVAL Nov. 23. 10a.m.-5p.m. More than 250 of the na- PHOTO SLAM: THE HANGOVER BRUNCH Nov. 23. 10a.m.-12p.m. Come to Photoworks and bask in the afterglow of another successful Photo Slam! Participants from the Photo Slam 2014 are invited to Photoworks Photography School & Gallery to help us "crowd source" a one day exhibition -- flash mob style! Bring your flash drive with 5-7 images to Photoworks Gallery at historic Glen Echo Park. We'll project your images and offer up free critiques. Meet fellow photographers, Photo Slammers, and Photoworks faculty and show us what you've got! For more info, visit http://glenechophotoworks.org/2014/10/08/photo-slam-hangover-brunch/ or contact Photoworks' John Borstel at [email protected]. 7300 MacArthur Blvd, Glen Echo Park, MD 20812. MID-COUNTY HUNGER MARCH Nov. 23. 3p.m. Walk with volunteers from MidCounty United Ministries (MUM) and join those fighting hunger in our community. We will gather in the parking lot of the Presbyterian Church of the Atonement, and will walk three-quarters of a mile along Georgia Avenue to the Mid-County Regional Services Center, 2424 Reedie Dr. in Wheaton, where MUM's Joseph A. Mattingly Food Pantry and offices are located. A reception immediately follows the march. We invite local pantries, community groups and congregations to bring marchers, signs, banners and bags of groceries. Grocery collections will go to participating pantries. Visit mumhelp.org or call (301) 929-8675 for more information Presbyterian Church of the Atonement, 10613 Georgia Ave., Wheaton, MD 20902. POTOMAC RIVER STRING ENSEMBLE Nov. 23. 7p.m.-8p.m. This amazing group of violin, viola and cello student-musicians range in age from 4 to 17 years old. They will share some of our most beloved Christmas carols along with an audience sing-a-long. Free admission. For more information, email [email protected], call (301) 587-0144 or visit Facebook.com/WashingtonDCVC. Washington D.C. Temple Visitors' Center, 9900 Stoneybrook Dr., Kensington, MD 20895. JEFFERSON STARSHIP Nov. 23. 8p.m., seating begins at 6p.m. JEFFERSON STARSHIP features a stellar cast of old and new players, including songwriter/guitarist/vocalist Paul Kantner, who founded JEFFERSON AIRPLANE and was crucial in developing the renowned "San Francisco Sound" that changed the course of pop music forever. Since reforming in 1992, JEFFERSON STARSHIP has performed almost 800 concerts in 18 countries. They not only perform all the timeless hits of JEFFERSON STARSHIP , but also perform the entire repertoire of JEFFERSON AIRPLANE. Tickets are $35. For more information or tickets, call (240) 330-4500 or visit bethesdabluesjazz.com. Bethesda Blues & Jazz, 7719 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda, MD 20814. NOV. 24 WHIPLASH: THE MUSIC OF FRANK LEVY Nov. 24. 7:30p.m., seating begins at 5:30p.m., film premiere at 7p.m. Hank Levy Jazz, LLC was created by Hank’s airs and estate representatives to protect Hank’s Legacy through the continued promotion of his music. The Hank Levy Legacy Band continues to meet on a regular basis under the direction of Bernie Robier, Band Manager and periodically performs at public venues. In 2014, Richard Roeder of Roeder Studios recently produced and recorded single versions of the tune Whiplash as it is heard in the feature film promoted by Sony Classic Films and directed by Damien Chazelle, also titled by the same name, Whiplash. Tickets are $10. For more information or tickets, call (240) 330-4500 or visit bethesdabluesjazz.com. Bethesda Blues & Jazz, 7719 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda, MD 20814. NOV. 25 NARFE LUNCHEON Nov. 25. 11:30a.m.-1:30p.m. The Rockville chapter of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees has their monthly luncheon for $25. Speakers will be Gary Roundtree on FEHBP and Jennifer Malave on new federal health plans. Call Linda Silversmith for reservations ASAP at (301) 294-0566. Village at Rockville, 9701 Veirs Drive, Rockville, MD 20850. LEGAL PLANNING FOR ALZHEIMER’S Nov. 25. 2:30p.m.-5p.m. This free workshop is for individuals and families who would like to know more about what legal issues to consider and how to put plans in place when they or a loved one have received a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease or dementia. Topics covered will include: making legal plans that fit your needs; legal documents you’ll need and what they mean for all of you; decision making; how to find legal assistance; and practical strategies for making a long-term plan of care. To register, call the Alzheimer's Association 24/7 Helpline at (800) 272-3900. The Oaks at Olde Towne, 9 Chestnut St., Gaithersburg, MD 20877. KENSINGTON THANKSGIVING INTERFAITH SERVICE Nov. 25. 7:30p.m. Join with local congregations and their choirs as we praise God’s generous care of humanity and find common ground with our neighbors. An offering to benefit Doctors Without Borders and Shepherd’s Table will be collected. A reception will follow the service. The church parking lots are at Connecticut Ave. For more information, email [email protected], call (301) 9492900 or visit http://www.warnermemorial.org/calendar. Warner Memorial Presbyterian Church, 10123 Connecticut Ave., Kensington, MD 20895. OLNEY THANKSGIVING INTERFAITH SERVICE Nov. 25. 7:30p.m. "Giving Thanks For Our Neighbors", and Interfaith Service of Thanksgiving which will honor our local first responders. ALL are welcome - in lieu of an offering, donations of nonperishable food items will be collected in support of Olney Help. For more information, email [email protected] or call (301) 570-0475. B'nai Shalom of Olney, 18401 Burtfield Dr., Olney, MD 20832. Continued on page 14 14 THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY SENTINEL Whatʼs happening this week in Montgomery County C NOVEMBER 20, 2014 ALENDAR Continued from page 13 NOV. 26 BRIAN SETZER ORCHESTRA CHRISTMAS ROCKS EXTRAVAGANZA Nov. 26. 7p.m. The Brian Setzer Orchestra, fronted by three-time Grammy Award-winner Brian Setzer, returns with their Christmas Rocks Extravaganza! tour. With a career spanning more than 30 years, Setzer has smash hits as founder/leader of The Stray Cats, his 18-piece Brian Setzer Orchestra and as a solo artist. His November concert will include Setzer’s legendary guitar magic on hits such as “Rock This Town,” “(She’s) Sexy +17,” “Stray Cat Strut,” and “Jump, Jive and Wail” and lots more, as well as his re-imagined and acclaimed Holiday classics. The Record Company will open the concert. For more information or to purchase tickets visit www.strathmore.org. Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Ln., North Bethesda, MD 20852. UPCOMING HOPE GARDEN CHILDREN’S BALLET THEATRE’S “A CHRISTMAS CAROL” Nov. 29. 1:30p.m. and 7p.m. Experience the story of the world's favorite humbug through movement and emotion in this original ballet interpretation of Charles Dickens' timeless classic. Danced to the compelling music of Claude Debussy, this production will renew your love and wonder of the holidays. Tickets are $22 for adults; $19 for seniors (60+) and youth (17 and younger) and can be purchased at www.hgcbtstore.org. F. Scott Fitzgerald www.WaltzTimeDances.org or e-mail [email protected]. Glen Echo National Park, 7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo, MD 20812. LANDON SCHOOL ANNUAL GREENS SALE AND HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE Dec. 5-6. 9a.m.-5p.m. The 42nd annual Greens Sale features specialty wreaths, topiaries, and boxwood roping -- Christmas trees are also available. More than 40 vendors will sell unique holiday presents for all the people on your list, including jewelry, toys, clothing, monogrammed specialty items and hostess gifts! You can enjoy delightful treats from our cafe. You can also explore Landon’s beautifully decorated Farmhouse and Barns, which are listed on Montgomery County’s Historic Registry. Proceeds from the Greens Sale & Holiday Boutique benefit student financial assistance and faculty enrichment programs. Admission and parking is free. More information about the event is available at landon.net/greens. Landon School, 6101 Wilson Ln., Bethesda, MD 20817. AFTERNOON WITH ELLEN OH Dec. 6. 2:30p.m.-4p.m. Join us for an afternoon with Ellen Oh, author of the "Prophecy" series for young adults! Come meet Ellen, ask her some questions, and see her present! No registration required. Program sponsored by the Friends of Library, Quince Orchard Chapter. Call (240) 777-0200 for more information. Quince Orchard Library, 15831 Quince Orchard Rd., Gaithersburg, MD 20878. HOLIDAY CRAFT SHOW Dec. 7. 1p.m.-5p.m. Plan to come, admire, and shop! There will be all kinds of crafts for sale— jewelry, glass, fiber arts, pottery, ornaments, wood crafts, hand knit sweaters, baby items, prints, paint- November 20, 2014 – November 26, 2014 shock or denial. This doesn’t happen to someone so young…does it? What does the diagnosis mean? What kinds of plans need to be made for everyone? What about work? What resources are available to help? Join us for this free workshop and learn what you need to know, what you need to plan, and what you can do to ease the impact throughout the course of the disease. For more information and to register, call the Alzheimer's Association 24/7 Helpline at (800) 272-3900. Holy Cross Senior Source, 8580 2nd Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910. ONGOING GAITHERSBURG ARTS BARN: TOUCH Nov. 7-23. Produced by Montgomery Playhouse. When tragedy upends the well-ordered existence of astronomer Kyle Kalke, he looks for answers in the cosmos he has devoted his life to studying. With the help of his oldest friend, the poetry of Keats, a pragmatic prostitute and a small celestial miracle, he finds the connection he seeks here on earth inTouch, an eloquent and unflinching exploration of love and loss. Intended for mature audiences. Tickets are $20. Call (301) 258-6394 or visit gaithersburgmd.gov for more information. Arts Barn, 311 Kent Square Rd., Gaithersburg, MD 20878. THE LITTLE MERMAID Nov. 12-Dec. 28. In a magical underwater kingdom, the beautiful young mermaid Ariel longs to leave her ocean home – and her fins – behind and live in the world above. But first she’ll have to defy her father King Triton, make a deal with the evil sea witch Ursula, and convince the handsome Prince Eric that she’s the girl whose enchanting voice he’s been seeking. (Recommended for ages 5 and up). For more information visit www.olneytheatre.org or call (301) 924-3400. Olney Theatre, 2001 OlneySandy Spring Road, Olney, MD 20832. ROCKVILLE HOLIDAY DRIVE Through Nov. 20. The drive collects and distributes Thanksgiving meals in November and toys and gifts in December to hundreds of Rockville children and families. Donations of whole grain pasta, lowsodium canned vegetables and sugar-free canned fruit are encouraged. Food donations will be collected at City Hall and City recreation facilities until Nov. 20 for the Thanksgiving holiday. See a list of food requested and other ways you can help at www.rockvillemd.gov/holidaydrive. Drive organizers are asking for donations of new books for children age 10 and under. If you would like to volunteer, please email Kate Bouwkamp at [email protected] or call (240) 3148310. COURTESY PHOTO Wooden utensils by Neil Claypoole and other items will be available at the Sugarloaf Craft Festival. Theatre, Rockville Civic Center Park, 603 Edmonston Dr., Rockville, MD 20851. WALTZ DANCE Nov. 30. 2:45p.m.-6p.m. Join us for a Waltz Dance featuring the ensemble Cabaret Sauvignon playing a lively mix of folk waltzes with a few other couple dances, including Hambo, Schottische, Swing, Tango, and Polka. The 45-minute dance lesson begins at 2:45 p.m. with a half-hour introductory Waltz workshop and a more advanced move presented the last 15 minutes. Social dancing follows until 6 pm. Admission is $10. No partner required. For more information, call Joan Koury at (202) 2380230 or Glen Echo Park at (301) 634-2222, go to ings, photography, books, soaps and lotions, cookies, local honey, and more. So stop in and enjoy meeting many of the most creative people in our community. Free admission and parking. For more information, consult the website: www.friendsofclarabartoncommunitycenter.org or contact Leslie Barden at (301) 365-1311 or [email protected]. 7425 MacArthur Blvd. (at 75th Street), Cabin John, MD 20818. WORKSHOP ON YOUNGER ONSET ALZHEIMER’S Dec. 9. 12p.m.-1:30p.m. When someone under 65 is diagnosed with Younger-Onset Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia, the first reaction is often SEED SALE FOR OUTDOOR FEEDERS Through Dec. 1. Why feed wildlife? Helping Mother Nature and relieving stress in our own lives are some of the many benefits. Feeders give wildlife the extra strength they need for migration or energy for the cold winter months. Taking care of the environment and teaching our children to do the same is one of the greatest benefits of this activity. Support Croydon Creek Nature Center while supporting the environment. Visit rockvillemd.gov for more information. Seed pick up is on Dec. 13. GINGERBREAD HOUSE WORKSHOPS Multiple dates. VisArts has workshops for those over 21 and some for families. The workshops for adults are Nov. 7, Nov. 14, Dec. 12 and Dec. 19 from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Each registration gets one house to decorate but up to two people may decorate one house. Ticket includes one glass of red or white wine. We will have additional wine and beer for sale COURTESY PHOTO Hear the woman's chorus Heart of Maryland sing their Broadway favorites. to contribute to your creative juices. The workshops for families are Nov. 9, Dec. 13 and Dec. 28 from 12p.m. to 2:30p.m. We provide juice and cider to keep the holiday mood going. For children 6 & up. Two people can share one house but all children must be accompanied by an adult. Tickets are $45 for all workshops. Visit visartscenter.org for more information. VisArts, 155 Gibbs St., Suite 300, Rockville, MD 20850. OUTSIDE THE BOX Oct. 26-Nov. 23. Joan Schiller is a local working artist who loves using acrylic paints with other "out of the box" materials. Some art in this show is touchable, colorful, and kid friendly! Visit the gallery and enjoy! There will be a reception with the artist on Nov. 23 from 2p.m.-4p.m. For more information please contact Phyllis Altman at [email protected] or (301) 348-3770. Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington, 6125 Montrose Rd., Rockville, MD 20852. FRIDAY NIGHT DANCE Fridays, through Dec. 26. 7:30p.m. The dances consist of a full evening of contra dances with live music (as well as some waltzes and occasional square and other dances). Contra dance is a traditional American social dance suitable for all ages, most closely related to square dancing and English country dance. The dance is from 8:30-11:30pm (with one exception on noted below) every Friday. Admission includes a lesson for beginners at 7:30. Each dance will take place in the historic Glen Echo Park Spanish Ballroom unless specified otherwise. Admission (including lesson) is $10 and $5 for those 17 and under. Free for those 17 and younger on the second Friday of each month. Call (301) 6342222 or visit fridaynightdance.org for more information. Glen Echo Park, 7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo, MD 20812. ROCKVILLE FARMERS MARKET Saturdays, through Nov. 22. This fall, shoppers can expect to see a bounty of the following freshpicked items, including potatoes, honey, assorted baked goods, coffee and herbs, as well as seasonal items like apple cider and pumpkins. The Rockville Farmers Market participates in the Maryland Money Market Program. Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards are accepted, as well as payments from the SFMNP, WIC, and FMNP. These groups are eligible for a $5 match. Visitors to the farmers market can help neighbors in need by donating to Manna Food. The market is located in the Jury Lot at the corner of Route 28 and Monroe Street in downtown Rockville. PARENTING PRESCHOOLERS Thursdays, Oct. 2-Nov. 20. 7:30p.m.-9:30p.m. Saturdays, Oct. 11-Oct. 25. 9a.m.-2p.m. Understand your child's development and what it means to be an effective parent in today's world. Learn to set limits and solve behavior problems calmly and consistently; use positive discipline methods to address tantrums, power struggles and other misbehavior; foster cooperation and responsibility; and rediscover the joys of parenting. $225 per person, $202.50 for members, $18 text. Call (301) 929-8824 or visit PEPparent.org to register. Parent Encouragement Program, 10100 Connecticut Ave., Kensington, MD 20895. DOWNLOADING E-PUBLICATIONS ON YOUR MOBILE DEVICE Tuesdays, Sep. 23-Dec. 9. 9a.m.-11a.m. Learn how to download e-books, e-audio books, and emagazines on your mobile devices, like the Kindle, iPad, iPhone, Nook, or Android devices. Volunteers or staff will meet with you one-on-one and walk you through the process. This is great time to get any questions answered on a personal basis. Quince Orchard Library, 15831 Quince Orchard Rd., Gaithersburg, MD 20878. Phone: 240-777-0200. THE NUTCRACKER: A NEW HOLIDAY MUSICAL Nov 26-Dec. 28. This captivating musical reinvents E.T.A. Hoffmann’s original tale, turning it into a brand new seasonal classic all ages can enjoy. After the loss of her Marine brother, young Clara’s crusade to save her grieving family (with the help of a remarkable nutcracker) comes alive with dazzling theatricality. It weaves together a delightful original score, riveting dialogue, and astonishing puppetry. For tickets, call the box office at (240) 644-1100 or go to roundhousetheatre.org. Round House Theatre, 4545 East-West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814. BACKGAMMON TOURNAMENT Tuesdays. 6:30p.m.-10p.m. Local backgammon tournament on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month starting March 11. More information at MeetUp.com-DC Metro Backgammon Club. Ruby Tuesday Westfield Wheaton Mall 11160 Veirs Mill Rd, Wheaton-Glenmont, MD 20902 [email protected] CHAMPAGNE BRUNCH Continued on page 15 NOVEMBER 20, 2014 Continued from page 14 Sundays 11am-3pm. $33 $12 for unlimited champagne cocktails Executive Chef Todd Wiss has cooked up a seasonal brunch menu complete with a brunch time standard – Champagne! Guests are welcome every Sunday to indulge on Black’s favorites like Smoked Salmon, Chesapeake Bay Blue Fish Rillette, Herb Crusted Pineland Farms Prime Rib or breakfast treats like House Made Brioche French Toast, Quiche and a selection of Chef Wiss’ homemade jams. Visit http://www.blacksbarandkitchen.com or call (301) 652-5525. Black’s Bar and Kitchen, 7750 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda, MD 20814. LAUGH RIOT AT THE HYATT Saturdays 8pm-10pm. Check out a live standup comedy show by local stand up comics every weekend at the Hyatt Regency Bethesda. There's a $25 cash prize joke contest for non-comedian audience members after the show. Check it out every Saturday night! Comedians can sign up to perform by emailing [email protected]. $10 at the door. Visit http://www.StandupComedyToGo.com or call (301) 657-1234. Hyatt Regency Bethesda, 1 Bethesda Metro Center, Bethesda, MD. CORPORATE BARTENDING FOR CHARITY Wednesdays 4pm-7pm. Send your CEO or VP to Tommy Joe's to bartend for charity! Can't bartend? No problem, the on-staff bartenders are there to help for a good cause (no experience necessary). Represent your company during happy hour, and a portion of the proceeds will go to the charity of your choice. Maybe you can even pull off some flair behind the bar and make Tom Cruise proud. Visit tommyjoes.com or call (301) 654-3801 for more information. 4714 Montgomery Ln., Bethesda, MD 20814. LIVE MUSIC FRIDAYS Friday 9:30pm-12:30pm, Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery features different music styles by various live bands who perform both original and cover songs. So come relax and enjoy live music and Rock Bottom's award-winning handcrafted beer. Visit http://www.rockbottom.com or call (301) 652-1311 for more information. 7900 Norfolk Ave., Bethesda, MD 20814. SALSA NIGHT Tuesdays 7:30 pm-12:30am. Come to the Barking Dog every Tuesday night for their sizzling Salsa Night. Take lessons with salsa instructor Michelle Reyes from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. for only $10. Learn to shake those hips, and then show off your new skills to the music of a live salsa band during the open dance after class. Visit salsawild.com or call (301) 654-0022 for more information. 4723 Elm St., Bethesda, MD 20814. HEY MR. DJ Fridays 9 pm-2 am. It’s time to dance! Grab your friends and come to The Barking Dog for a good time on the dance floor. Every Friday and Saturday night the Dog brings in a DJ to play the Top 40 and your favorite songs. Make sure you check out their great drink specials before you show us what you got! The Barking Dog, Elm Street Bethesda, MD 20814. Free admission. SPAGNVOLA CHOCOLOATE FACTORY TOUR Saturdays and Sundays : 2 p.m. - 6 p.m. Meet the owners, learn about the origin of chocolate, and see how it is grown and processed. Experience how chocolate is made from the actual cacao seed to the final chocolate during this "sweet" educational tour, from chocolate bars to truffles to bonbons. Each tour also includes a FREE chocolate tasting! 360 Main Street Suite 101 Gaithersburg, Maryland 20878. Visit http://www.spagnvola.com or call (240) 6546972. COUNTRY THURSDAYS Thursdays, 9pm. Union Jack's traditionally British pub in Bethesda heads to the South for their all new Country Night every Thursday. Live coun- THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY SENTINEL try/rock bands, free cowboy hats for the cowgirls, bandanas for the cowboys, drink specials, including $2 PBR cans, $2 Budweiser bottles, $4 Jack Daniels drinks, food specials including 50 cent hot wings. Best of all, there's no cover to get in! And be sure to get there early for Union Jack's famous Beat. 4915 Saint Elmo Ave., Bethesda, MD 20814. WORLD SERIES OF POKER Every Tuesday and Sunday night Flanagan's hosts Poker in the rear from 8-10 p.m. It's Bethesda's own version of The World Series of poker. Call (301) 951-0115 for more. Flanagan's Harp and Fiddle, 4844 Cordell Ave., Bethesda, MD 20814. TAKOMA MOVES! COMMUNITY DANCE CLASS AT DANCE EXCHANGE Thursdays, 6:30 - 8 p.m., $10 per class. First Thursday of each month from 6:30 - 7 p.m., free! This open-level, community modern class brings together movers of all ages and abilities to move and make at Dance Exchange. Led by teachers from the DC region, Takoma Park Moves creates a space to explore improvisation, technique, and choreography in an intergenerational class. This drop-in class will kick off on the first Thursday of each month with a free, 30 minute get to know you class. New to dance? Join us. Returning to dance? Join us. Just want to dance with your family and neighbors? Join us. Presented by Dance Exchange, 7117 Maple Avenue, Takoma Park, MD. For more information, please visit: http://danceexchange.org/ or call: 301270-6700. NEED A SITTER? IT’S LEGO TIME AT VISARTS! Saturdays, 12 – 5 p.m. at VisArts in Rockville. Go on a date, get some shopping done, or just relax for a few hours while your kids get to play with more than 15 pounds of LEGO bricks! Children can play on our LEGO race track, build a car, a tall tower, a city or free build. They can even take part in a LEGO craft project! Our top-notch staff are LEGO enthusiasts and ready to entertain your kids while you get some "me" time. Register at [email protected]. GAITHERSBURG ROTARY CLUB WEEKLY MEETING Every Tuesday, 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. Hilton Hotel, 620 Perry Parkway, Gaithersburg. For more information, please visit www.gaithersburgrotary.org. – Compiled by Rebecca Guterman The Montgomery County Sentinel regrets to inform organizations that only Montgomery County groups or events located within the county will be published on a space-available basis. Send news of your group’s event AT LEAST two weeks in advance to: The Montgomery County Sentinel 22 W Jefferson St. Suite 309 Rockville, MD. 20850 or email [email protected] or call 301.838.0788 Some Fun 15 16 THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY SENTINEL NOVEMBER 20, 2014 NOVEMBER 20, 2014 17 THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY SENTINEL C LASSIFIEDS Automotive 1035 - Antiques & Classics 1039 - Domestics 1040 - Imports 1041 - Sports Utility Vehicle 1043 - Pickups, Trucks & Vans 1045 - Motorcycles/Mopeds 1046 - Auto Services 1047 - Parts/Accessories 1051 - Vehicles Wanted RVʼs 1059 - Airplanes 1065 - Boats 1067 - RVs Announcements 2001 - Adoptions 2003 - Carpools 2004 - Happy Ads 2005 - Camp Directory 2006 - Classes/Seminars 2008 - Found 2031 - Lost 2033 - General Announcements 2037 - Personal Ads 2039 - In Memoriam Services 3000 - Accounting Services 3017 - Business services 3021 - Carpet services 3030 - Ceramic Tile 3031 - Child care services 3033 - Chimney cleaning 3035 - Cleaning services 3039 - Computer Services 3041 - Concrete 3045 - Decorating/Home Interior 3052 - Editing/Writing 3053 - Elder Care 3055 - Electrical Services 3057 - Entertainment/Parties 3062 - Financial 3066 - General Services 3071 - Gutters 3072 - Hauling 3073 - Health & Fitness 3075 - Home Improvement 3085 - Instruction/Tutoring 3086 - Insurance Services 3089 3093 3095 3101 3102 3103 3104 3105 3107 3109 3115 3118 3123 3125 3129 3130 3133 3135 3137 3141 3143 3145 - Landscaping Lawn & Garden Legal Services Masonry Medical/Health Moving & Storage Painting Paving/Seal Coating Pet Services Photography Plumbing Pressure Cleaning Roofing Sewing/Alterations Snow Removal Tax Preparation Tree Services Upholstering Wallpapering Wedding/Parties Window Cleaning Windows Employment 4107 - Resumes/Word Processing Professional Services 4109 4121 4122 4123 4134 4135 4139 4140 4141 4142 4155 4163 - Positions Wanted Child Care Wanted Domestic Help Wanted Volunteers Wanted Career Training Help Wanted, General Medical Dental Allied Health Part-time Positions Seasonal Help Business Opportunities Merchandise 5000 - Give Aways 5002 - Antiques 5003 - Appliances 5004 - Arts, Crafts & Hobbies 5005 - Auction & Estate Sales 5008 - Building Materials 5012 - Cemetery Lots & Crypts 5014 - Computers & Software 5015 - Consignment 5016 - Events/Tickets 5018 - Flea Market 5020 - Furniture 5022 - Garage/Yard Sales 5024 - Health & Fitness 5026 - Horses, Livestock & Supplies 5030 - Lawn & Garden Equipment 5032 - Merchandise For Sale 5034 - Miscellaneous 5036 - Musical Instruments 5040 - Pets & Supplies 5045 - Trips, Tours & Travel 5048 - Wanted to Buy Rentals 6035 - Apartments/Condos 6037 - Apartment Complexes 6039 - Commercial Space 6043 - Homes/Townhomes 6047 - Industrial/Warehouse 6049 - Office Space 6051 - Roommates 6053 - Room for Rent 6057 - Storage Space 6059 - Vacation Rental 6061 - Want to Rent Real Estate 6101 - Commercial property 6117 - Lots & Acreage 6119 - Mobile Homes 6121 - Owners Sale 6123 - Real Estate 6127 - Real Estate Services 6131 - Real Estate Wanted 6133 - Vacation Property To Advertise in The Sentinel: Phone: 1-800-884-8797 (301) 317-1946 DEADLINES: Prince Georgeʼs Sentinel Monday 12:30 pm Montgomery County Sentinel Monday 12:30 pm To Place Your Ad Call 410-884-4600 Today! 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Call Andrea at 1-866-236-7638 (24/7) for adoption information/profiles, or view our loving couples at WWW.ANAAdoptions.com. Financial Assistance Provided ADOPT: LOVING 1ST TIME MOM & DAD promise your baby a happy secure life. Expenses paid. Holly & George, 1-800-943-7780 ACCOUNTING SERVICES FREE MEDICARE QUOTES! Get Covered and Save! Explore Top Medicare Supplement Insurance Plans For Free! It’s Open Enrollment, So Call Now! 877-243-4705 GET CASH NOW for your Annuity or Structured Settlement. Top Dollars Paid. Fast, No Hassle Service! 877693-0934 (M-F 9:35am-7pm ET) GUARANTEED INCOME FOR YOUR RETIREMENT Avoid market risk & get guaranteed income in retirement! CALL for FREE copy of our SAFE MONEY GUIDE Plus Annuity Quotes from A-Rated companies! 800-669-5471 PROBLEMS WITH THE IRS OR STATE TAXES? Settle for a fraction of what you owe! Free face to face consultations with offices in your area. Call 855-970-2032 FREE ESTIMATES • Driveways • Roofing • Decks • Kitchens • Room Additions • Basement Remodels Senior Discounts MHIC#88812 ACCOUNTING SERVICES SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY BENEFITS. Unable to work? Denied benefits? We Can Help! WIN or Pay Nothing! Contact Bill Gordon & Associates at 1-800-706-8742 to start your application today! BUSINESS SERVICES DRIVE TRAFFIC TO YOUR BUSINESS AND REACH 4.1 MILLION READERS WITH JUST ONE PHONE CALL & ONE BILL. See your business ad in 104 newspapers in Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia for just $495.00 per ad placement. The value of newspapers advertising HAS NEVER BEEN STRONGER....call 1-855-721-6332 x 6 or 301-8528933 today to place your ad before 4.1 million readers. Email Wanda Smith @ [email protected] or visit our website at www.mddcpress.com. PLACE YOUR 2X4 AD IN THIS NETWORK IN 82 NEWSPAPERS IN MARYLAND, DELAWARE AND DC for just $2900.00. Reach 3.6 million readers every week with just one call, one bill and one ad. Call 1-855-721-6336 x 6 to place your ad or email wsmith@ mddcpress.com. Get the reach, the results...maximize your advertising dollars TODAY! GENERAL SERVICES WANT A LARGER FOOTPRINT in the marketplace consider advertising in the MDDC Display 2x2 or 2x4 Advertising Network. Reach 3.6 million readers every week by placing your ad in 82 newspapers in Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia. With just one phone call, your business and/or product will be seen by 3.6 million readers HURRY....space is limited, CALL TODAY!! Call 1-855-7216332 x 6 or 301 852-8933 email [email protected] or visit our website at www.mddcpress.com GUTTERS BOB’S GUTTER SERVICE Expert cleaning & gutter repairs/replaced! Gutter guards installed! Save $$! Handyman. Ins. 410-750-1605 HAULING 1AAA ABC Attics, Bsmt, Garage, Yards. 25 yrs of honest hauling. Same Day. Call Mike: 410-446-1163. 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Ask about classified zone buys 301-317-1946 INDUSTRIAL/ WAREHOUSE NOVEMBER 20, 2014 THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY SENTINEL 19 STATE NEWS Democrats say they get the message with Hogan win By Len Lazarick [email protected] New Democratic legislators from Howard County said they “got the message” on spending and taxes from the election of Republican Larry Hogan Jr. as governor. “I think we got the message,” Del.-elect Clarence Lam told a Howard County Chamber of Commerce breakfast Tuesday. “We understand folks want to move in a different direction.” Lam is one of two physicians elected to the House of Delegates from District 12 in a Democratleaning county that not only went with Hogan but also elected Republican Sen. Allan Kittleman as county executive. “Maryland sent a message with the election of this governor,” said Democratic Del.-elect Vanessa Atterbeary, a lawyer elected in District 13. “Both sides have to be committed to working together.” The message wasn’t lost on veteran Democratic leaders either. Senate Budget and Taxation Committee Chairman Ed Kasemeyer said: “My perspective, along with many of my colleagues, we view this as a positive thing that the people have made a statement about the things we have been doing.” “We look forward to a very positive relationship” with Hogan, Kasemeyer said, with more compromise and less of the confrontation that happened with the last Republican governor, Bob Ehrlich, for whom Hogan was appointments secretary. Kasemeyer pointed out that Maryland’s looming budget deficits were not unique, with Pennsylvania and Virginia both experiencing shortfalls in their budgets. Legislative analysts said last week there is a $300 million deficit projected in Maryland’s budget this year and a $600 million shortfall next year, “This is a new reality,” Kasemeyer said. “Certainly the federal government has really screwed the deal for Maryland,” with cutbacks in federal spending. Del. Warren Miller, Del.-elect Vanessa Atterbeary, Del. Frank Turner, Sen.-elect Gail Bates, moderator Dick Story “We need to hold down spending,” conceded Del. Frank Turner, District 13, vice-chair of the House Ways & Means Committee that handles tax legislation. “We need to keep within spending affordability guidelines.” While Turner saw the need for keeping a lid on spending, he was dubious about Hogan’s push for tax cuts. “You’ve got to have revenues from somewhere,” Turner said. “I don’t see any major reductions” in taxes this year. Republicans were more optimistic. “We have a governor who is committed to controlling spending,” said Sen.-elect Gail Bates, a delegate elected to fill Kittleman’s seat. The structural deficits in years ahead represent “things that we would like to do. That assumes we continue to do what we have done before.” Republican Del. Warren Miller said the state budget was “a target-rich environment.” In door knocking in his western Howard County district he found many people ready to move out of the state, and he said there were too many “Maryland license plates in front of all those big office parks” in northern Virginia. “We have a lot of work to do … to be a competitive state again,” Miller said. Lam suggested that tax credits given to targeted businesses, such as the coal mine credit, would be a good place to look for tax changes. - See more at: http://marylandreporter.com/2014/11/19/some-democrats-say-they-got-the-messagef r o m - h o g a n s election/#sthash.xSIW6vM6.dpuf Hogan says state in worse fix than he first thought By Len Lazarick [email protected] Confronted with projections of state deficits far into the future, incoming Gov.-Elect Larry Hogan admitted Monday “quite frankly even I am surprised at the magnitude of the problem, and the task ahead of us is vast.” Last Wednesday, the legislature’s budget analysts told lawmakers that there was already a $300 million deficit in the current budget, and another $600 million shortfall in fiscal 2016. “The problem seems even greater than we expected it to be,” Hogan told reporters. “I’ve been talking about some of these things for years,” Hogan said. “Much of the time I was the lone voice in the wilderness.” Hogan promised to plunge ahead with his long promised plans to cut spending and taxes raised during the O’Malley years. “We’re going to try to roll back taxes as quick as we can,” Hogan said. Hogan was speaking at a news conference where he announced six more members of his transition team, including several Democrats Five times over the course of a 10-minute news conference he mentioned bipartisanship, with Democrats and Republicans working together to solve problems. “I’m looking for the smartest most capable people” to serve in the new administration “whether they’re Democrats or Republican,” Hogan said. He had already appointed Bobby Neall, a former Republican senator turned Democrat, to be his chief fiscal adviser in the transition. James Brady, Hogan’s transition co-chair, had performed a similar function for incoming Democratic Gov. Parris Glendening in 1994 and then served as Glendening’s economic development secretary. Brady chaired Hogan’s campaign committee. Hogan was just back from Colorado where he attended a “pretty intense” weekend training session for new governors sponsored by the National Governors Association, that included past and current governors. “I was really impressed that unless you had a score card, you had no idea who the Democrats were and who the Republicans were,” Hogan said. “It really was an open and bipartisan group that was openly and honestly sharing their advice and input” “Some of the people in Washington could learn a lot” from the governors, the governor-elect observed. “Governors actually have to govern for everybody in their state; they’re not legislators in Washington arguing all the time.” “We just can’t have Democrats and Republicans fighting with one another and you actually have to come up with real bipartisan common senses solutions,” Hogan said Blair Lee IV: One of the most unusual appointments to the transition team was Blair Lee IV, a longtime columnist for the Gazette newspapers in Montgomery County and regular commentator on WBAL radio. “Blair is the only one of this group that has actually lived in the governor’s mansion,” Hogan noted. Lee is the son of former Lt. Gov. Blair Lee III, who served as acting governor from 1977 to 1979 during Gov. Marvin Mandel’s trial and incarceration. Blair Lee III was the first of the four lieutenant governors since the office was recreated to run unsuccessfully for governor. Lee has been a longtime critic of Gov. Martin O’Malley and is chairman of Lee Development Group, a commercial real estate firm in Silver Spring. Marty Madden is a former state senator from Howard County who was Senate Republican leader. He then served as part of Gov. Bob Ehrlich’s transition team and then as chair of the Critical Area Commission for the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays. He is a Nationwide Insurance broker. Sen. Joe Getty, an attorney, was just reelected to a second term from Carroll County. A lawyer, Getty served two terms in the House of Delegates before becoming legislative and policy director for Gov. Bob Ehrlich. He’s “very well respected by people on both sides of the aisle,” said Hogan, and a good friend he got to know in the Ehrlich years when Hogan served as appointments secretary. Anirban Basu is one of the best known economists in Maryland and a regular speaker to business groups. His Sage Policy Group has been a paid consultant to the state. Hogan said, “He’s the smartest guy in the state when it comes to economic policy and ideas about how we can get our economy moving and turned around.” “I can’t think of anybody smarter to get us advice about how we can put Maryland on a better foot and turn our economy around,” Hogan said. Last year, Basu was the keynote speaker for a major event for Change Maryland, Hogan’s group that turned into a campaign organization. At that breakfast for 400 business executives, Basu said, “We don’t have to have the lowest taxes. We just have to be competitive.” “You have to be competitive with at least your neighboring states,” especially Virginia, said Basu. “We’re not desperate enough yet.” At that time, Basu said he favored totally eliminating the corporate income tax as a way to show that Maryland is really open for business. In other venues, Basu has also urged that Maryland try to attract manufacturing to Maryland’s rural counties that are struggling economically. Nancy Grasmick served as state schools superintendent for 20 years under four governors until her retirement in 2011. Now on the faculty at Towson University, Grasmick engineered major changes in Maryland schools including mandatory standardized testing and the introduction of Common Core curriculum standards, though she has been critical of their implementation. In his first term, O’Malley sought ways to remove her because of her attempt under the Ehrlich administration to have the state take over some of Baltimore City’s schools while O’Malley was mayor and running against Ehrlich. But Grasmick proved to be too popular among legislators. “I appreciate having her advice,” Hogan said. Alex Williams recently retired as federal district court judge, and will serve as Hogan’s liaison to the judiciary. Williams had been elected as the first African American state’s attorney in Prince George’s County, where Hogan grew up and worked. “He’s been a good friend of mine for many years,” said Hogan. - See more at: http://marylandreporter.com/2014/11/18/budgetproblems-even-bigger-than-expected-hogan-says-more-of-transitionteam-announced/#sthash.SEQHR9n R.dpuf SPACE FOR RENT Advertise Here. Call Lonnie Johnson at 301-306-9500 or e-mail [email protected] 20 The Montgomery County Sentinel November 20, 2014 PHOTO BY DAVID WOLFE Jalen Christian and LaʼKye Alston celebrate a touchdown, the first of many for Damascus as Urbanaʼs Zach Cummings looks on. Urbana did a lot of looking as Damascus rolled 46-3. Damascus Crushes Urbana 46-3 By Brandy L. Simms Senior Sports Writer DAMASCUS – In a highlyanticipated matchup between 3A West region rivals, Damascus junior running back Jake Funk outshined Urbana senior Ray Gray Friday night to lead the Swarmin’ Hornets’ to a 46-3 win over the visiting Hawks. Funk rushed for a game-high 213 yards on 22 carries and set a new school record with six touchdowns to help Damascus avenge postseason losses to Urbana in each of the past two seasons. “I feel great,” Funk said afterward. “I give a big thanks to my offensive line and my two fullbacks Ari Cacopardo [and] Da’quan Grimes. They created the holes for me to run through.” Damascus (11-0) scored touchdowns on each of their six possessions in the first half including five scores by Funk as the Swarmin’ Hornets’ built a 39-3 advantage at the intermission. “The only team that can beat us is ourselves,” said Damascus senior Jalen Christian, who scored on a 21-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Derek Gibson late in the second quarter. Funk scored on runs of 3, 1, 4, 59 and 6 yards in the first half and added a 33-yard touchdown jaunt in the fourth quarter. “He had a heck of a game,” said Damascus head coach Eric Wallich. “Everybody always talks about Ray Gray and Ray Gray is an awesome player but he’s had twice the carries that Funk has had so he showed tonight he’s every bit as good.” Meanwhile, Gray, a Temple commit who last month set a Frederick County single-game rushing record with 412 yards against Middletown, was held to 45 yards rushing on 21 carries and failed to score a touchdown. “I truly believe we have one of if not the best defense in the whole state and we just swarm to the ball,” said Funk. “Eleven hats run to the ball at all times. That’s our big thing we started this year was swarm and swarm means just eleven hats to the ball.” The win also spoiled Dave Mencarini’s return to Mont- gomery County; the longtime Quince Orchard head coach accepted the Urbana job earlier this year after building the Cougars’ program into one of the state’s finest. Mencarini guided Urbana to an 8-3 record in his first season at the helm of the program. Damascus players were constantly reminded of the outcome of their recent postseason matches with Urbana. “They got us last two years by one point,” said Funk. “Our big thing was just finish this game and obviously we did.” NOVEMBER 20, 2014 21 THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY SENTINEL SPORTS Q.O. hangs on against stubborn Clarksburg 21-14 By Julian Sadur Sentinel Sports GAITHERSBURG – In a tough, hard fought week one rematch Quince Orchard Cougars again prevailed as they beat Clarksburg Coyotes 21-14 to advance in the regional playoffs. The Clarksburg Coyotes found themselves in a position to tie the game three times within the last five minutes of the game but were unable to find a way to score. The sideline was completely quiet during those last three Coyote possessions said Cougar senior running back Kyle Green. Despite being a little worried Green said they knew the defense had it. “I’m just really, really, really proud of our kids,” said Cougar coach John Kelly, “we asked a lot of them tonight, especially our defense.” On offense the Cougars looked towards their two-headed running attack for offense as they rode Green and Marvin Beander for 200 yards and three touchdowns. Green did the damage in yards with 140 and one touchdown and Beander put the points up with 60 yards and two touchdowns. “Either he (Beander) goes and I finish or I go and he finishes, but yeah we just tag team it,” said Green of him and Beander. Green said he is more of a “power back” while Bean- der is more of a “juker” but together he says they are “unstoppable”. The game started with two quick possessions by both teams before the Coyotes struck first blood with a 75-yard touchdown pass to Tavis Holland with 3:27 to go in the first. The Cougars would eventually warm up though as they put together a 84-yard touchdown drive together capped off by a 3-yard Green touchdown run with 6:40 left in the first. The rest of the half saw both teams’ defenses display why they were in playoffs as Cougars and Coyotes would trade possessions without scoring until Bender ended the scoring stalemate with a 15-yard touchdown run with less than a minute to go in the half. The Cougars came out hot in the second half scoring on their first possession courtesy of a 2-yard Beander touchdown run. However the Cougars offense quickly cooled down, either a result of the below freezing temperature, the stout Coyote defense or a combination of both, and would not score again. The Coyotes would lose starting running back Tyler Fenslau in the third to an ankle injury, forcing Holland to assume running back duties. Before leaving the game Fenslau had been plagued by ball security issues losing the ball twice. Holland would bring the Coyotes within a touchdown of tying the PHOTO BY JACQUI SOUTH With under a minute to play and in a desperate third down situation Clarksburgʼs Joe Nacci is sacked by Q.O. linebacker Raymond Butler. game near the end of the third quarter with his second touchdown catch of the game, a 13-yard pass from quarterback Joe Nacci, but that would be the last time the Coyotes would score for the game. Clarksburg coach Larry Hurd pointed out that his team lost lineman Zach Fiscus in the first and de- fensive lineman Brett Martin in the second to a concussion in addition to losing Fenslau, but ultimately said, “it just didn’t happen for us” giving credit to the Cougars for making the plays. The Cougars will again have another rematch on their hands next week as they will host the Northwest Jaguars in the regional championship game. The Cougars were able to put a screeching halt to the Jaguars undefeated season in week nine 52-28. Looking forward to next week Green said, “it’s just going to be a brawl” and that the whoever the best man or team in this case is, will come out with the win. Falcons score quick and often 58-18 By Julian Sadur Sentinel Sports ANNAPOLIS- Good Counsel Falcon’s coach Bob Milloy said that if you had told him on the bus ride home after their week four 20-0 loss to Gilman that his team would be in the championship game at the end of the season he would have laughed in your face. Now after a 58-18 blowout of the Bishop McNamara Mustangs Sunday that is exactly where Milloy’s team will be. Against the Mustangs the Falcon’s scored quick and often scoring on six of their first seven possessions of the game. The Mustangs would try and keep things close staying within two scores of the Falcons by the end of the first quarter 17-6. However by the end the half the game was virtually over as the Falcons led the Mustangs 38-6. Offensively the Falcon’s could no wrong running for over 400 yards and seven scores by five dif- ferent players. “We thought that if they could stop the run we could pass on them but obviously they couldn’t so we just kept smashing them in the mouth,” said junior quarterback Andres Castillo. The ground attack was lead by sophomore tailback Mohamed Ibrahim who tallied three scores for the Falcons on his way to 121 yards rushing. Ibrahim said that during the game he saw the same looks they had practiced for during the week and that the holes were open for him to run through. Defensively the Falcons were able to limit the damage done by Mustang quarterback Ramar Williams forcing him to complete less than half of his passes. Williams still did flash signs of greatness using his elusiveness to extend plays and find receivers downfield on his way to 247 passing yards and three touchdowns. Falcon’s linebacker Keandre Jones, who was able to sack PHOTO BY JACQUI SOUTH Good Counsel linebacker Keandre Jones sacks McNamara QB Ramar Williams. Williams three times, likened the quarterback’s skills to that of Michael Vick. Milloy, who has coached for almost half of a centu- ry, went as far to say that he did not believe he had ever seen a player like Jones before. The Falcons will play next week at University of Maryland for the WCAC championship against rival Dematha who they beat on a last second score earlier this season. 22 THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY SENTINEL NOVEMBER 20, 2014 SPORTS Northwest ends Blair’s title dreams in a 38-3 drubbing By Tim Curtis Sentinel Sports NORTHWEST - Running back E.J. Lee and the Northwest Jaguars dominated the Montgomery Blair Blazers 38-3 to set up a playoff rematch with the only team to blemish their record in 2014, the Quince Orchard Cougars. Lee led the Jaguar offense with 100 yards rushing and three touchdowns and Brendan Thompson blocked a punt in game that saw Northwest push Blair around on both sides of the ball. Northwest started the game with the ball and marched right down the field to score their first touchdown. It only took eight plays and just over two minutes for Lee and quarterback Mark Pierce to lead the Jaguars 71 yards before Lee punched the ball in from two yards out. On the Blazers first possession, Thompson blocked the Blair punt, which went out the back of the end zone to give the Jaguars a 9-0 lead. Thanks to a 41 yard return by Troy Lefeged on the ensuing kickoff, the Jaguars only took two plays and 30 seconds to score again, when Khalil Owens ran the ball in from four yards out. Four minutes and 49 seconds into the game, Northwest was up 15-0. The next Blazer drive was the only time they showed any signs of thawing out all game. They drove the ball down to the Jaguar 10, but were forced to kick a 28-yard field Kennedy coach is first to throw in the towel By Brandy L. Simms Senior Sports Writer The Kennedy High football program will have a new head coach next season. Kennedy Athletic Director Ken Cudd confirmed that Carlos Smith has resigned after four seasons at the Silver Spring public school. Smith, a Good Counsel graduate, guided the Cavaliers to a 1-8 record this year. He told the team about his plans to step down following Kennedy’s 33-0 loss to Sherwood in the season finale. The school will begin to search for the program’s sixth head coach since 2000. Joe Johnson was 6-34 in four seasons at the helm and his successor Tim McNeill was 9-39 in five seasons. Gunnard Twyner was the most successful head coach in school history, guiding the football program to an 18-5 record during a two-year stint from 2006-2007. During Twyner’s tenure, the Cavaliers snapped a 25-game losing streak and made the playoffs both years. However, the program struggled to regain its winning ways during Randolph Warren’s tenure, compiling a 4-26 record including back-to-back 2-8 seasons in 2008 and 2009 before a winless campaign in 2010. Meanwhile, Blake head coach Tony Nazzaro has resigned after 13 seasons at the helm of the Bengals’ program. “I just think it was time,” said Nazzaro, who compiled a 36-84 record during his tenure. “I will always cherish the time I spent at Blake. I loved being the head coach here.” Nazzaro, a Sherwood graduate, guided the Bengals to their first and only playoff appearance two years ago when the Silver Spring public school finished the 2012 campaign at 6-4. He led Blake to a 7-3 record in 2011 but despite posting the best record in program history the Bengals still failed to make the postseason. “I feel privileged and blessed to have had the opportunity to work with and get to know so many amazing young men and their families,” said Nazzaro. “I will truly miss coaching at Blake but like I said it just feels like the right time for me to step away.” Like having the world at hand www.thesentinel.com goal on fourth down. They wouldn’t score again. The Jaguar offense kept up the pressure. They didn’t turn the ball over or punt in the first half. Lee scored touchdowns of one and five yards and Pierce found Lefeged for a 12-yard touchdown pass. A two-point conversion on Lee’s last touchdown gave Northwest a 38-3 lead at halftime and ensured the clock would be running in the second half. Northwest coach Mike Neubeiser knows the team still has to get better as they advance in the playoffs, “Offensive line played well. They took care of the front four and we had mostly positive plays. We had some penalties that we need to work on, some holding. Defen- sively we need to tighten up a little bit, we gave up too much in the run game but we can build off of it.” The Blazers just couldn’t string anything together on offense and their defense was dominated in the team’s first ever playoff appearance. But they’re building something and Neubeiser said they’ll be a good team next year. Northwest will play at Quince Orchard next week and look to get redemption against a team that physically dominated them two weeks ago. “Last time we played they shoved it down our throats,” Neubeiser said about Quince Orchard. “It’s going to be a tough game. They’re very physical up front.” Stats: Rushing: Northwest: Lee 13-100, 3 TDs; Owens 9-37, TD; Foray 4-7; Wilson 1-7; Pierce 1-4 Blair: Blanco 12-39; Massinga 1-1; Clingman 1-3; Parks 4-14; Seals 1-0; Colby 3-9; Brooks 5-11 Passing: Northwest: Pierce: 8-11 129 yards, 1 TD Blair: Colby 4-11 37 yards Receiving: Northwest: Beidleman 3-63; Lee 2-32; Lefeged 1-12; Gandy 1-7; Williams 1-16 Receiving: Popper 1-12; Blanco 1-2; Burke 1-12; Anderson 1-11 Montrose Christian students sign letters By Brandy L. Simms Senior Sports Writer ROCKVILLE – Montrose Christian seniors Taron Oliver and Jermaine Ukaegbu signed National Letters of Intent to college during a ceremony in the school library on Monday. Flanked by their parents and surrounded by a group of people that included coaches, teammates and teachers, the two student-athletes signed to play Division I college basketball at four-year universities. Montrose Christian School, the alma mater of NBA superstar Kevin Durant, has become known nationally for producing talented student-athletes on the hardwood. “We are a Christian school that happens to have a very successful basketball program,” said Dr. Ken Fentress, Senior Pastor of Montrose Baptist Church. Ukaegbu, who transferred to Montrose Christian from Springbrook, signed with Sacred Heart University in Connecticut, while Oliver, who spent last season at Riverdale Baptist, signed with Tulane University in New Orleans. Oliver played at Montrose Christian during his sophomore campaign but transferred to Riverdale Baptist after Stu Vetter stepped down at the end of the 2012-2013 season. “I know how excited he is to be back here,” said Montrose Christian Athletic Director William Vernon. During his speech, Oliver thanked his parents and coaches for helping him realize his dream of accepting a scholarship to play Division I college basketball. “I just never thought I’d be here,” said Oliver, tears streaming down his face. “I’ve always been told I wasn’t good enough for anything.” Meanwhile, Ukaegbu said he was thankful for his parents and Montrose Christian assistant Steven DePollar, who once coached Ukaegbu with the Force One AAU program. “He worked extremely hard,” DePollar said. “He’s the kind of kid if he didn’t have a ride to the gym he was on the bus.” Ukaegbu said he looks forward to playing at Sacred Heart University after he graduates from Montrose Christian. “This is a very big moment for me,” Ukaegbu said. “It’s just the beginning for me. I still have a long way to go, I still have a lot of work to do but I just thank God just for everything he’s done for me.” Northwest volleyball falls in state finals By Ted Black Sentinel Sports In the postgame press conference following Monday evening’s Maryland Class 4A state volleyball championship at the University of Maryland’s Ritchie Coliseum, the Northwest squad coach and players all addressed the media with content smiles. Their positive demeanor was hardly reflective of the game’s score, as Severna Park (20-0) upended the Jaguars 25-14, 25-19, 22-25 and 2513 in their first trip to the state title match. Nevertheless, Northwest (15-4) coach Stephanie Blake and her youthful gathering of players – all returning next season – remained optimistic that the end of their current season was only the beginning of a more promising future. “I want to say how proud that I am of these girls,” said Blake, a 2008 Quince Orchard graduate. “They could not have played any better or any harder. Even after they lost the first two games, they never got down on themselves. They kept playing and they came back to win the third set. The best thing about this team is all of these girls are back next year. They’re awesome.” Northwest emerged from the 4A West bracket as the Cinderella team, but they had little trouble with 4A South region champion Bowie in the state semifinals last week. Still, many observers had already crowned Severna Park state champs after they swept Sherwood in the other semifinal thanks to a talented front line that consisted of outside hitters Sophie Hoekstra and Tara Register, middle hitter Mary Smith and setter Morgan Kline. Through the first two sets of Monday’s state final Northwest appeared to be no match for the Fal- cons’ tall, talented trio up front and their versatile setter. Severna Park gained the upper hand early in the opener and never trailed, extending the lead to 20-14 late until junior middle Shannon Fletcher ended the set with four straight winners capped by an ace that caromed off Chaya Riggs and Jolee Childs. Northwest gained the advantage early in the second set on three straight winners from freshman setter Janiece Jefferies and the Jaguars led 12-7 until Kline set Register for a kill. Fletcher then followed with another prolonged service run to give the Falcons a 13-12 lead. Later a service run from libero Ashley Poling extended the Falcons’ lead to 23-15 and eventually Fletcher ended the set with a kill. “I think we all gained a lot of confidence from this match,” Liller said. “This was our first time at the state tournament.” NOVEMBER 20, 2014 THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY SENTINEL 23 SPORTS Marty wonders if he can dig up Sammy Baugh WEEKLY PICKS By Montgomery Marty The High and mighty wants to know if he can revive Slingin’ Sam the Passin’ Man and bring him back to life. God knows The Hawgs could use a quarterback. After watching the latest debacle live in the flesh at FedEx this last week Marty thought the highlight of the game was the flyover by two Air Force jets. It was downhill after that. RGIII is still broke. You can tell by the way he throws he’s tentative, slow and as bad as the Terps look in the quarterback department, and they look pretty bad, the “Hawgs look worse. Marty needs an antacid. The best thing to do is to play RGIII for the remainder of the year and see if he can improve and be the quarterback of the future, or maybe we can convince Dan Snyder to trade away his children for a first round draft pick next year. Of course if the ‘Skins keep playing at the level they’re playing at, we might find ourselves in contention with the lowly Raiders for a first round draft pick any way. Meanwhile Marty’s still kicking butt on the local level and looking good. This week the playoffs promise some barn burners and bare knuckled brawls. Paint Branch 35 Howard 14 Marty is convinced he broke his bad luck streak picking Paint Branch because he got it right last week – picking against his intuition and recent history. The truth is this Paint Branch team looked last week like they know how to close out a game and know how to win. Watch them prove me wrong this week. Northwest 21 Q.O. 20 This could go down to an overtime field goal or touchdown. Last time around Q.O. had some fun with Veii gets first start in College Park By Brandy L. Simms Senior Sports Writer COLLEGE PARK – In Maryland’s 37-15 loss to Michigan State on Saturday night at Byrd Stadium, sophomore Jacquille Veii started his first game at wide receiver in place of suspended junior Stefon Diggs. “I felt comfortable in the beginning,” said Veii, who finished with four receptions for 45 yards. “I played a little bit tense. It was my first start so I expected that. I just had to get in there and settle down.” Veii, a former All-Sentinel player from Avalon, was among three Maryland student-athletes who amassed four catches on the night; wide receiver Juwann Winfree posted career highs in catches and receiving yards with 80 while running back Wes Brown, a Good Counsel product, also finished with a career-high four receptions. The Michigan State defense made it difficult for Maryland’s offense to get uncorked. The Spartans held the Terrapins to 252 yards of total offense, including just six yards on the ground. “At the end of the day, it comes down to who’s going to execute the best,” Veii said. “The defense was battling all day and the offense just couldn’t execute to the best of our ability. Coach [Mike] Locksley drew up a game plan, but we just couldn’t execute.” Maryland defensive back and former Good Counsel standout Zach Dancel finished with a career-best four tackles against Michigan State. Maryland cut the deficit to 9-7 on C.J. Brown’s 20-yard touchdown pass to Daniel Adams with 8:46 left in the second quarter before Michigan State running back Jeremy Langford scored from eight yards out to help put the Spartans up 16-7 at halftime. Maryland held Michigan State without a touchdown in the first Northwest, but don’t look for it to be that easy this time around. This is Thor versus the Hulk. It’s Iron Man versus Captain America. It’s freaking Northwest at Q.O. And while the Cougars hold the home field advantage you can throw that out and consider this: Northwest still looks hungry and some beefy cougars look to be a mighty big Happy Meal. Damascus 35 Linganore 28 There is no way Marty is picking against Damascus. Not now. He learned his lesson a few years back when the Damascus faithful paraded a sign in the endzone reminding everyone how the high and mighty Catholic Boy and broken the faith. Well faith renewed. The Swarmin’ Hornets are hotter than Senior Sports Writer FILE PHOTO quarter, marking the first time in two months the Spartans had been held without a first quarter touchdown. “I’m happy for the defense,” Veii said. “When they play like that, it excites me and makes me want to work even harder because I know that they’re busting their butts to get the offense the ball.” Good Counsel 24 DeMatha 21 This was a nail-biter earlier this year and Marty can’t wait to watch these two juggernauts collide again this week. The Archbishop Milloy swears he didn’t think his team would get this far this year, but Marty thinks he may have to go to confession on this one. There’s just no way the WCAC could boil down to anything but a Good Counsel/DeMatha showdown and lately Good Counsel has owned the Stags. Longtime Whitman coach dies By Brandy L. Simms Jacquille Veii fire, burning on all cylinders and moving closer to the coveted state finals. Linganore is tough, hard and big. The bigger they are, the harder they fall one and all. Marty Dickerson, a former longtime basketball and football coach at Whitman High, has passed away. He was 65. The Arkansas native spent more than three decades teaching and coaching at the Bethesda public school where he guided both the Vikings’ football and boys basketball teams. During his tenure as the school’s head football coach, Dickerson guided the Vikings to an overall 19-41 record from 1993-98. Whitman finished 5-5 in both of Dickerson’s final two seasons. He also coached his son Beau for three seasons before Beau went on to play college football at the University of Virginia. Beau Dickerson recorded 18 receptions for 240 yards and four touchdowns during his senior campaign in 1998. He also amassed 61 tackles including 15 for losses that year. Kevin Sheehan, a 1982 Whitman graduate, played on Dickerson’s first basketball team at the school. “Every player on his first Whitman team in 1982 shared an unforgettable experience,” said Sheehan, now a local radio sports talk show host. “Coach Dickerson’s creativity and competitive will turned us from an 0-5 team that was clearly outmanned into nearly a playoff team. It was a life lesson that no matter the odds, you can find a way to win with heart and brains. He had a lot of both.” In addition to Beau, Dickerson leaves behind a wife, Susan, and son, Brian, in addition to grandson David and granddaughter Caitlin Rose. He is also survived by various relatives including a sister, Katy, brother, Jim, and several brothers and sisters-inlaw and friends. Staff picks Last week totals: Montgomery Marty:5-1 Brandy Simms Sports Writer Season: 150-28 Unknown editor Last week: 5-1 4-2 134-44 Donna Broadway News Reporter Holden Wilen P.G Editor Last week Season 4-2 146-32 Jacqui South Photos Season:151-27 Last week Season This week: This week: This week: This week: This week: Paint Branch @ Howard Paint Branch Paint Branch Howard Paint Branch Northwest @ Q.O. Northwest Northwest Northwest Quince Orchard Linganore @ Damascus Damascus Damascus Damascus Damascus Good Counsel @ DeMatha Good Counsel Good Counsel Good Counsel Good Counsel Last week Season 4-2 130-48 Last week Season 5-1 130-48 24 THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY SENTINEL SPORTS dsc4053 PHOTO ABOVE BY JACQUI SOUTH, BELOW BY DAVID WOLFE Pictures of the Week . . . Good Counselʼs defensive back Andrew Ashley makes a great play to prevent a touchdown by Bishop McNamaraʼs Alfonso Banks, above. At right, Ari Cacopardo gets maximum protection from his Damascus teammates as he storms upfield unscathed. High School Football Scoreboard Last week’s scores: #1 Good Counsel McNamara 58 18 #5 Quince Orchard #6 Clarksburg 21 14 #2 Damascus Urbana 46 3 #8 Paint Branch Mergenthaler 42 8 #4 Northwest #10 Blair 38 3 Liberty Poolesville 37 7 NOVEMBER 20, 2014