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Thursday, November 29, 2007 St. Mary’s County, Maryland

St. Mary’s Largest And Only Locally Owned Newspaper

Ready For Holiday Sales Local Businesses like Cecils Mill and Cacils Country Store are ready for holiday business. For many, holiday sales can make or break the year!

US EY POINT LIGHTHO

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Established 2006 • Volume 2 • Issue 48

Thank You!

16,524 Readers

Great Mills Basketball Preview

Knights Of Columbus Celebrate Anniversary See B-4

“

We have the players who know what it takes to win a title”

SMAC Champs Last Season

-Frank Peck GMHS Coach

Black Friday Brisk For Customers, Retailers

Cigs Tax Yes, Loosies Tax No During the special session of the Maryland Legislature that ended last week in Annapolis, state law makers approved a $1 per pack tax increase on cigarettes but abondoned a proposal to tax low-priced cigars known as “loosies”.

Tax Yes

Tax No

Education Funding Cut Despite approving the largest tax increase in Maryland history, state lawmakers decided they would no longer fully fund education as prescribed by the Thornton Legislation adopted in 2002. St. Mary’s County will lose $4,185,400 in state funds next year.

Fair Deer Harvest Expected

“

You don’t want to dress in brown and white and go running through the woods”.

-Brian Eyler Md. Department of Natural Resources

Deer hunting season with firearms continues through December 8th. The Department of Natural Resources reccomends that people going into the forest this busy hunting season wear bright orange clothing. With bright fall leaves still hanging onto the trees, it is harder to see and hunt the game.

Inside Op.-Ed ..........

Obituaries.....

Community...

Police ............

Classifieds.....

Thursday Partly Cloudy 57°

Page A - 4 Page A - 9 Page B - 4 Page B - 7 Page B - 9

Photo By Guy Leonard

Customers line up quickly at GameStop in the First Colony shopping center on November 23 for highly prized games and game systems.

See Story on page A-3

Housing Project Stalls

“

It’s bouncing to the left and to the right. It’s frustrating.”

-Steve Reeves Chairman, Planning Comission

Fire Leads to Evacuation of Hollywood School

By Guy Leonard Staff Writer

By Guy Leonard Staff Writer The St. Mary’s County Planning Commission left off making a decision about recommending approval of the large planned unit development project (PUD) St. Mary’s Crossing, designed to provide both mid-ranged priced homes and work force housing.

The project, located on St. Andrews Church Road, has

About 650 students evacuated Hollywood Elementary School Monday morning after a custodial worker caught sight of a fire in the boiler room that required an immediate shut down of the fuel system.

Firefighters from Holly-

wood Volunteer Fire Department responded shortly after 10 a.m. to inspect the school, but found that the fire had already been contained by a school staffer’s quick action.

Principal Jennifer Gilman praised the school’s head custodian William “Bunny” Butler for shutting down the fuel See Evacuation page A-

See St. Mary’s Crossing page A-

Holiday Weekend Raids Net Drugs And Cash

By Guy Leonard Staff Writer Vice narcotics detectives, tactical team members and K-9 handlers had their hands full over the Thanksgiving weekend conducting raids and arresting numerous suspects in a holiday

narcotics enforcement initiative.

Law enforcement officers arrested 14 people over the three day operation and See Narcotics Raids page A- Jeb Jay McWade

For Continual News Updates Visit:

Friday Partly Cloudy 46°

somd.com Saturday Partly Cloudy 46°

Weekly Specials Inside!

Photo Courtesy of BCI

The County Times

Section A -

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Southern Maryland Trails, Part 3 Emily Finch 22 November 2007 The holiday season is finally among us and there is no better time to celebrate the land and family ties we give thanks for today than to explore them. So after the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and that third slice of pumpkin pie, go ahead and take your family and friends on a tour around St. Mary’s County.

While traveling the Barnwood and Beach Glass Trail from the Southern Maryland Trails guidebook, we have already seen two farms, nine art galleries, two parks, five places to eat, one place to stay and seven other special attractions around the county. Only halfway through the loop, though, there is much more to see.

This portion of the trail will start on Route 5 in Park Hall, just before Willows Road. Allen’s Articles is home to two special attractions: tours of the farm and garden on the weekends and an art gallery during the week. Tours of this working homestead include the spinning room, large organic garden and a plethora of

Historic St. Mary’s City recreates the life of the first settlers in Maryland. The fourth permanent British settlement, St. Mary’s City was Maryland’s first capital. It was home to many farmers and fisherman who made their living from the earth. Now, visitors can tour the grounds and learn from costumed tour guides just how 17th century settlers lived. For more information on Historic St. Mary’s City or for coming events, visit www. stmaryscity.org or call 1-800-762-1634.

farm animals. Christina Allen, owner, can show you how she creates garments from sheep’s wool and organically-grown cotton.

During the week, however, Allen’s Articles is the Corn Crib Studio, an art gallery that was once an 1880’s cedar corn crib. Visitors can purchase one-of-a-kind watercolors or simply view Allen’s art in progress.

Down the road a little, past St. Mary’s College campus, you’ll reach Maryland’s first capital, the site of the fourth permanent British settlement and our second stop for the day.

Historic St. Mary’s City recreates the life of 17th century settlers on this 800-acre museum.

Here you can board one of the first ships to America, tour settlers’ homes and learn about their aged way of living.

More history is at the Brome-Howard Inn in St. Mary’s City. This 19th century hometurned-inn, with its original carriage house, smoke house, dairy house and slave quarters is surrounded by St. Mary’s River. Innkeepers Lisa and Michael Kelley will also serve you up an upscale meal using fresh farm products from the 30 acres of farmland while you enjoy the view of the river.

Our next stop is Jeanne Norton Hammet’s Serigraph Gallery in St. Indigoes. Her beautiful paintings will awe and inspire you not only because of her use of color and lighting to show mood, but because of how they are created. Hammet is a printmaker who uses stretch silk screens and hand-made stencils. Her work is displayed in the newly remodeled studio designed unique to the area.

Farther down Route 5, into Ridge, is Woodlawn, one of Lord Calvert’s retreats.

The 200-year old restored manor house, now a Bed and Breakfast, has amazing historical details and hidden secrets. During your stay in one of Woodlawn’s suites be sure to stroll the English-style gardens and search for hidden talismans.

An older manor house in Ridge was also transformed into a Bed and Breakfast. Bard’s

g!

Heron’s Way Gallery is expandin

We now have 2 locations!

Come visit our new gallery at 22760 Washington St. in Leonardtown Starting December 1st

Open Wed – Sun, 10 – 6 pm

Lots of Stuff Happening this Month! st

Dec. 1 – The Christmas Show at The ArtSpace at the Maryland Antiques Center (MAC) reception 12 – 4 pm.

Dec. 7th – Celebrate First Fridays at both locations 5 – 8 pm Dec. 8th -- The Jewelry Art of Tricia Darrow. Free demos and mini jewelry making classes Reception 12 – 4 at the ArtSpace at MAC Dec. 15 -Downtown Christmas Party at the New Heron’s Way Gallery Washington Street Location. Reception 1 – 5 pm.

Photo Courtesy of www.oysterracnching.com

Using state of the art surface culture techniques specially designed for the Chesapeake Bay, Circle C Oyster Ranchers Association helps to preserve the ever-declining population of oysters in the Chesapeake Bay. With a little over 3 acres, Circle C is able to produce 1000 oysters in just 30 square feet. Harvest your own oysters at Circle C off Airelele Road in Ridge, check out their website at www.oysterranching.com for oyster recipes or give them a call at 301-872-5126 for more information.

Field Bed and Breakfast is an 18th century manor house never owned by government officials or British royalty, but still boasts incredible history, which Audrey and James Pratt will be happy to tell you all about. The gardens here are all kept by Audrey, who serves up a homecooked breakfast before James shows visitors around the downstairs summer kitchen, filed with antiques and vintage tools.

Out next stop in Ridge is for the more “active” visitor. Circle C Oyster Ranchers Association on the docks of St. Jerome’s Bay lets visitors pick their own oysters to take home with them. Unless the crik is frozen or the weather is rough, this aquaculture farm operates year round to help preserve the declining oyster population in the Chesapeake Bay area.

Serving up local food for over 75 years is Raley’s Town and Country Market in Ridge.

At this family-owned deli and grocery enjoy a hearty breakfast biscuit, stock up on wine and produce or get some local eats like homemade sausage or stuffed ham to give those out-oftown relatives something to talk about.

Some of the best wine on Southern Maryland comes from St. Michael’s Manor Bed and Breakfast, though. This 1805 manor house sits on a 10-acre estate, three of which are full of grapes. The vineyards contain 12 different varieties of grapes that make up owners Joe and Nancy Dick’s award-winning wine.

No trip down Route 5 is complete without stopping at the point or the peninsula. Point Lookout State Park, complete with a museum to show off its rich history, is bordered by both The Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River. Here visitors can fish, boat, camp, or just lounge around. Smith Island Cruises are also available on site.

Whether you’re looking for a good fish tale or someone to listen to yours, the place to go is Kellam’s Seafood off Route 235 in northern

Ridge. Owner Paul Kellam will serve you his fresh catch of the day or some other local seafood and entertain you as well. Kellam offers a variety of fresh, locally-caught seafood including hard and soft-shell crabs, oysters, shrimp, rockfish and perch.

T & A Pumpkin Patch in Dameron is open during the month of October for all visitors to pick their own pumpkin, pet the farm animals, walk through the corn field, and chat with the Trossbach family.

Enjoy your pumpkin pie at the water’s edge at Elm’s Beach Park off Back Door Road in Lexington Park. The park provides picnic tables for visitors to enjoy the marshland on one side and the Chesapeake Bay on the other. There are also hiking trails and places to fish. Elm’s Beach is open through the month of November.

Sivak’s Produce Stand is open until Christmas, though, for all of your needed seasonal produce and flowers. This family-run produce stand is located at the corner of Jackson’s Run Road and Route 235 and is open during weekdays. Be sure to stop by and get all your Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner needs.

Next week we will finish the Barnwood and Beach Glass trail in the Southern Maryland Trails guidebook with the last thirteen attractions, as if the first forty weren’t enough to entertain everyone! Remember throughout your journey to wear comfortable shoes and bring plenty of film for your camera, money for gifts and family and friends to enjoy the journey with you.

For more information on the Barnwood and Beach Glass trail, to see the whole trail, or experience other trails in the Southern Maryland region, visit www.somdtrails.com or pick up your own copy of the Southern Maryland Trails guidebook at most parks or government buildings in the region.

th

ArtSpace at MAC is located within the MD Antiques Center 26005 Point Lookout Rd., Leonardtown, MD 20650 (301) 475-0088 www.Heronswaygallery.com Receptions at MAC Catered by Chef John Urquidez of the Tea Room

MD 5 (Leonardtown) Project Planning Study

CSM Promoting Emergency Message System

Informational Public Meeting The Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) invites interested persons to attend an Informational Public Meeting regarding the MD 5 (Leonardtown) Project Planning Study. The project involves a study of transportation improvements along MD 5 (Point Lookout Road) from MD 243 (Newtowne Neck Road) to MD 245 (Hollywood Road) in St. Mary’s County.

WHAT: The Informational Meeting will acquaint the public with the need for the project and the progress of the study to date. Display areas will be set up explaining the Purpose and Need for the project, environmental resources in the project area, and related projects. SHA welcomes your thoughts about potential improvements to MD 5. Project representatives will be available to discuss project issues, answer questions, and record your comments. No formal presentation will be given. You may arrive at any time between 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. and walk through at your own pace.

WHEN:

Tuesday, December 11, 2007 – 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Snow Date: Tuesday, December 18, 2007 (same time & location)

WHERE: Leonardtown Middle School – Cafeteria 24015 Point Lookout Road, Leonardtown, MD 20650 CONTACT: Mr. Russell Walto, Project Manager RWalto@sha.state.md.us 410-545-8547 or toll-free 1-800-548-5026 Maryland Relay Service for Impaired Hearing or Speech can be reached at 1-800-735-2258.

Persons needing special assistance to participate should contact the Project Manager by December 4, 2007.

Please mark your calendars and plan to attend!

November 25, 2007 A-0499

Neil J. Pedersen State Highway Administrator

By Guy Leonard Staff Writer For about a month students attending the College of Southern Maryland have been able to sign up and receive instant text messages from the college administration about emergencies, school closings and campus events.

So far, it has been a tough sell according to one campus dean.

“I think people like it,” said Federico Talley, dean of the Leonardtown campus. “But as for the number of people who’ve signed up for it, it’s less than we’d like to see.”

CSM leadership invested in the text messaging system in response to local and national security threats that have occurred on college campuses, Talley said.

Priscilla Stevens, director of public safety for CSM, said that only about 800 students have signed on for the service out of the 4,000 or so they expected to participate.

“It’s not bad, it just takes time to get the word out,” Stevens said.

The tragedy earlier this year at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va. where a lone, mentally distraught student shot and killed 33 classmates and staff, was a key motivator, Talley said, as was a bomb scare that same day at the Leonardtown campus that resulted in frayed nerves.

“All those events aligned at the same time,” Talley said. “It was all those things that got us to find this great system.”

In the aftermath of the bomb scare on the Leonardtown campus back in April, students criticized the college administration for choosing not to inform the students of the threat for days after the fact.

At the time administrators said they did not believe the bomb threat to be credible, but students lashed out against them, claiming they should have been the ones to decide whether there was a threat to their personal safety.

The lack of information could have put their lives in danger, some faculty and students said back in April.

Talley said the new text messaging system would address those concerns of students.

“Going to this system will be efficient,” Talley said. “We thought this was perfect and this addresses student concerns about information flow.”

Michel Tristani, a student at the Prince Frederick campus who attended the Leonardtown site at the time of the bomb scare, said the text messaging system could be a step in the right direction.

She said she plans to sign up for the voluntary service.

“I don’t fell threatened now,” Tristani said.

“But my problem was that nobody was informed about the bomb threat. “[The text messaging system] would at least let people know what’s going on.”

The program, called CSM.TXT is available free to college students by going on-line to www.csmd.edu.txt or to CSM.TXT registration stations at one of the college’s three main campuses.

Students could still be billed for the text messages however, depending on their service provider.

Getting the service was quick and easy, Talley said.

“My phones are now on that system,” Talley told The County Times. “It takes about five minutes or less to sign up for it.”

The text messages can be received on mobile phones, BlackBerries, wireless PDAs, pagers and over E-mail, according to information from CSM. “CSM.TXT is just one of the steps the college is undertaking to improve security on our campuses,” Stevens said. “CSM.TXT will allow the college to provide information directly, so our students and the community will be able to receive accurate and timely information.”

The County Times

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Section A -

Black Friday Was Brisk For Customers, Retailers

By Guy Leonard Staff Writer Neither darkness nor cold stopped hordes of shoppers from camping out to get their hands on Christmas gifts on the biggest shopping day of the year, Nov. 23, commonly known as Black Friday.

At the First Colony shopping center in California, shoppers had camped out all night outside GameStop just to get a crack at buying the Wii gaming system from Nintendo.

They bundled themselves up in sleeping bags or sat in chairs covered up with blankets to stay warm.

For hardcore gamers the chill and the wait were worth the elusive prize, of which local retailers have not been able to get a steady supply.

“I just got my sleeping bag and blankets and my chair and just sat here,” said Kelsey Gieseler of Lexington Park.

“I got people to get me hot chocolate.”

Gieseler said she might have gotten about 20 or 30 minutes of sleep waiting to get her Wii, and she still had to go to work at Michael’s craft store right after.

Kelley Mai, also of Lexington Park, had gotten her ticket guaranteeing her a Wii at Game Stop after she had been to K-Mart the day before and had no luck.

“I went to K-Mart at 3 a.m. Thanksgiving morning and I was 12th in line,” Mai said, determined to get her gaming system. “If you’re not there [at the right time] you don’t get it.”

It was that kind of determination retailers had hoped would bring customers out.

“We had our first 200 customers in about five minutes at 5 a.m. this morning,” said Ryan Shepherd, customer assistance supervisor at the Best Buy store in California. “We had about 600 people in about 15 minutes.

“It’s been busy.”

Kyle Williams, store manager at Best Buy, called the sales of merchandise, mostly electronics that morning “awesome.”

He said computers and electronic notebooks and desktops were particularly popular.

Shoppers inside the store were bustling and quickly grabbing items they had staked out for stowing under their Christmas tree.

Parking lots were crammed full of cars not only at First Colony but also at the Wal-Mart Super Center as well as K-Mart where shoppers were looking for the best deals.

Bob Schaller, director of the county’s Department of Economic and Community Development, said all reports he had heard pointed to a successful Black Friday for local retailers.

“We see that [shopping] activity staying here instead of driving to Waldorf,” Schaller said of the increased retail store now available to local shoppers. “There was lots of hustle and bustle.”

Schaller said reports of the national trends for Black Friday pointed to more individual sales but less actual money being spent.

Some retailers were concerned that this year’s Black Friday might not be as successful as in past years because of increased costs for fuel and other necessities couple with uncertainty about the economy.

But Schaller was optimistic about the economic benefits this year’s Black Friday had for retailers here.

“I think locally… we probably did better in both categories,” Schaller said.

At the Wildewood Shopping Center just north of First Colony, shoppers continued through the late morning nabbing Christmas goodies.

“Sales have been great,” said Vickie O’Neil, manager of the hair salon at JC Penny’s department store. “There was a line outside the front entrance going all the way back around to the salon entrance at 4 a.m.

“It’s been rockin’ and rollin’ ever since.”

But not everyone was having fun Nov. 23. David Wood of Hollywood was sitting down resting his bones inside JC Penny’s holding a bundle of clothes his wife had picked out earlier that morning.

“I’d rather be fishing, even if it’s ice fishing,” Wood said with a little laugh. “I told her I’m a Cyber Monday kind of guy.”

Photo By Guy Leonard Photo By Guy Leonard

Kelley Mai of Lexington Park waits outside GameStop in California with her ticket to get a Wii game system from Nintendo.

Kelsey Gieseler of Lexington Park packs up her sleeping gear outside GameStop to nab a scare Wii game system after waiting outside all night.

6” Poinsettia Plants 2 for 8 $

The County Times

Section A -

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Editorial & Opinion Parents, Not Legislators Can Save Teen Drivers Ryan Purvis, Alyson Purvis, Dionnte Swinson, Jonathan Chapman, Tavonne Alston, Donte Segar and Christian Cruz; a tragic list of young Maryland drivers whose lives came to an untimely end all within the first two weeks of November. Speeding, not wearing seat belts, lack of experience and distracted drivers are all causes of an escalating problem all over the state.

In 2005, following a month of crashes which ended in the loss of 15 young lives, Maryland legislators enacted new legislation to help prevent such losses. The legislation expanded the “graduated driver’s license”. Teen drivers could not carry passengers who were under the age of 15, unless they were fam-

ily members, during the first five months of getting their license. A midnight to five a.m. curfew was maintained and a ban from using their cellphone while driving in their first two years of having a license was instituted. Of course mandatory seatbelt laws have been in effect for many years. But two years later the carnage continues. The November 6th tragedy in LaPlata that killed four of the teenagers was attributed to inexperience and speed. But the 2005 legislation prohibited the 16 year old driver to have the underage passengers in the vehicle period. Less than a week later a Montgomery County crash involving Cruz and three 15 year old friends could have been prevented if the law was abided by. What does it take

to stop this senseless loss of young lives?

Certainly this is not a new phenomenon, many of us lost friends or loved ones during our high school years. But today’s fast paced, activity packed, distraction filled lifestyles combined with more traffic on the roadways are a recipe for disaster. Statistics show that 43% of teens will be involved in a crash within the first year of driving. As parents we cannot be with our children twenty four hours a day, seven days a week once they become young adults.

However there is a sense of responsibility we must instill in them before they are given certain privileges that can endanger their own lives as well as others they will be sharing the road with.

To The Editor:

This awareness should begin much earlier than when they receive their learners permit. Good habits form early; you can help your teenager enjoy a lifetime of safe driving by taking an active role in his or her driver’s education. Good or bad, parents are always a role model for their children.

Watch your own driving habits, especially when your child is in the car. As your child is nearing driving age point out risky situations while in the car and explain to your child the repercussions of bad decisions behind the wheel. Be patient with your child but make sure they understand that there are serious consequences for not obeying the rules. Make sure your child is prepared for situations that require greater skill before

they are put in the situation.

We all make mistakes, some can be corrected, but many behind the wheel cannot. If your teen is not ready to take on the responsibility behind the wheel, it is your duty to take more time and phase driving privileges in more slowly than required by the law. There is no rule that says as soon as a teen is 15 years and 9 months old they have to get a learners permit or that in 6 months from that date it is mandatory to get their provisional driver’s license. Know when your child is ready and don’t let anything pressure that decision. Your child’s life depends on it.

Most importantly, know the law and enforce it with your child. If your child is nearing driving age learn the

restrictions and make sure your child knows them too.

To learn the details of current teen driving laws you can visit the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration office nearest you or go online at www.marylandmva. com/driverserv/rookiedriver.

There is already discussion among lawmakers about expanding the teen driving laws and increasing the age for becoming licensed to drive.

Parents know their children better than the legislators in Annapolis do. Prepare your child before they get behind the wheel, know their limitations, understand the law and enforce it. These are our children and we have to take responsibility now before another young life is lost.

Thank You

Despite days on ongoing rain, the 2nd Annual Fall Festival and A Taste of St. Mary’s, sponsored by the Greenwell Foundation and the St. Mary’s Chamber of Commerce, took place at Greenwell State Park on October 27. Many people came to the event and enjoyed the numerous activities and tasty food. We are thankful for their attendance. We would also like to thank the crafters, artists, commercial vendors, restaurants, and caterers who participated in less than ideal conditions. This event is one of Greenwell’s biggest fundraising events of the year and all of As the bumper sticker says, “Welcome to O’Malleyland! What’s in your pocket?!” Now, the proceeds directly support the inclusive and accessible programs offered at Greenwell State we know…moths! So, the big question of this political season is, “Where is David?” Some 3000 Park.

Such an event is only possible with the gracious support of many people and businesses in years ago there was a young gent who said, “Enough!” He was just a young fella that tended sheep, fought and killed animal intruders with a simple weapon—a slingshot. He, like the cur- our community. We would like to recognize and thank our major sponsors: Cherry Cove, W.M. rent political numbers in Maryland, even closer than that, St. Mary’s County, lived in a commu- Davis, Inc., PNC Bank, ServPro of St. Mary’s & Calvert County, SMECO, and Tidewater Dennity that was fairly equally divided—Israelite versus Philistine—and in our county, Democrat tal. Additionally, we would like to thank our in-kind donors: Southwest Airlines, Heritage Printversus Republican. And his countrymen, like the folks in St. Mary’s County, tended to go along ing & Mailing, Hilltop Graphics, Grand Rental Station, J & J Portables, Wyle Labs, Guenther’s to get along. We have seen the results of that lethargy…another set of Tax-and-Spend Demo- Wine Shop, Charles St. Bakery, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, Snellman’s, and The Vintage crat Socialist-like pair of administrations—Paris Glendenning and now Martin O’Malley. The Source. The following people and businesses sponsored the many activities held at the event: Washington Post’s front page photo of the Governor’s fist-shaking “success”, success, that is, in CSC Range & Engineering Services, Keith Fairfax, Liberty Homes, Tri-County Abstract, Inc., picking the pocket of every Maryland citizen! How wonderful for the poorer and richer alike! Gary Blakely, Dean Lumber & Supply, Greenwell Foundation Board of Trustees, Imagine One, Thievery plays no favorites. Where is David? Where is the lad (or lass) who has the plumbing to Law Offices of Slade and Slade, LLC, O’Brien Realty of Waldorf, Talmidge and Elizabeth Petty, stand up and say, “Enough!” We are “represented” by a pair of perennially elected lapdogs to the Shah Associates, Askey, Askey & Associates, CPA, LLC, Dr. and Mrs. William Boyd II, MD, Glendennings-O’Malleys. Both Senator Roy Dyson and Delegate (Steny junior) John Bohannan, Carroll’s Equipment, CMI Inc., County First Bank, Tom Daugherty, Dyson Lumber, Michael junior, have fed at the liberal teat throughout, and their constituents have suffered their meals. Meade, Dr. Garner Morgan, DDS, Personalized Therapies Inc., Robert I. Randall Consulting, The only “David” representing southern Maryland is Delegate Tony O’Donnell. But, where is Taylor Gas, Patrick Dugan & Associates, and Mehaffey & Associates, P.C. Again, we extend a sincere thank you to the participants and attendees - thank you for comthe David from Leonardtown, or Lexington Park, or St. Mary’s City, or Chaptico, to fight and ing out on such a soggy day! Finally, we’d like to thank the staff and volunteers at both the Greenbring some sense to electing a true resource conservation representative to office? We are well well Foundation and the St. Mary’s Chamber of Commerce for their hard work and dedication. past time to gather the talent, cooperation (of competing Republican groups), independent thinkers who are being tapped again by Democrat masters, and re-establish the drive that helped put The money raised from the Fall Festival and A Taste of St. Mary’s will help Greenwell continue to offer its many accessible and inclusive programs, including horseback riding, summer camp, the only people-oriented administration of Governor Bob Erlich into office. Where IS David? and kayaking, and allow us to open more paths to more possibilities for all.

Larry Lutz Thank you, Lexington Park, Md Kendall Sorenson-Clark, Executive Director Greenwell Foundation Bill Scarafia, President St. Mary’s Chamber of Commerce Lynn Fitrell Chairwoman, Greenwell Foundation Fall Festival Committee Member, Greenwell Foundation Board of Trustees

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The County Times

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Ramblings of a Country Girl

What A Great Weekend Terri Bartz Bowles Did you have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend?

I sure hope so. I hope you ate too much, visited with your family, and just generally enjoyed yourself. I had a great weekend. We had Thanksgiv-

ing twice, which is something to be thankful for in itself. I love turkey and all the trimmings. Thursday and Friday were both Thanksgiving for us and although I was tired of cooking, I didn’t get tired of eating turkey. I love turkey; it’s almost worth cooking a turkey to have leftovers for

sandwiches. But that wasn’t the only thing that made the weekend wonderful. Friday night we went to Christmas on the Square in Leonardtown.

It was cold but not so cold you wished you weren’t outside. It was a clear night with a full moon that was just beautiful.

We immediately fell in line

St. Mary’s Crossing Continued from page A- been in the development pipeline for several years and started out as a development for homes that were much more expensive but plans were changed to provide less expensive homes to adapt to the changing housing market.

Since the development project does not come under the standard county zoning

ordinance the county and the developer have to come to an agreement on exactly how the nearly 250-acre site will be developed.

Chairman Steve Reeves lamented the fact that the planning commission could not come to a decision whether to recommend approval of the project; the commission also

did not discuss the developer’s rights and responsibilities agreement that Reeves called “the heart of the issue.”

That development agreement regulates impact fees for traffic mitigation and school capacity (among other issues).

Planning commission members listened to details about the project from archi-

Family Could Be Allowed To Build Homes In Critical Area

By Guy Leonard Staff Writer The St. Mary’s County Planning Commission unanimously recommended the approval of rezoning two lots on a parcel of land located in one of the county’s critical areas Monday night taking up a few more acres of the county’s finite growth allocation from the state.

The request was made by members of the Hodges family so that two members could eventually be allowed to build homes on the family farm parcel that they have owned since the 1940s, on Burch Rd in Avenue.

The will of a family member gave those two lots to the family members, according to staff testimony at the planning commission hearing, before the state enacted its critical area laws that reined in development along the Chesapeake Bay (back in 1985).

Sue Veith, county environmental planner, said that the request made in the will was one reason the staff gave a favorable recommendation to the proposal.

The applicants still have to get approval from the Board of County Commissioners and the Critical Areas Commission, first Veith said.

A public benefit also usually has to accompany a growth allocation request in the critical area, Veith said, and in this case it was that a large group of herons nearby would not be

LOCATION Breton Bay Bushwood Wharf Colton’s Point Point Lookout Piney Point Wicomico Beach Solomons Island

for a carriage ride. First off, we went with the Clydesdales, magnificent beasts that they are. Then we got in line right away again because I wanted to ride with my cousin who was there with his carriage. I rode up front with him (hey, we’re family!) and he offered to let me drive but I declined since I don’t know a thing about horses. Can you see the headline? “Country Girl Mows Down Spectators at Community Event.” Maybe not. So I worked the brake which takes some of the load off the horse, interestingly enough. After that, we went to the Hospice Festival of Trees.

There were some great trees there including one filled with pink flamingos! I thought it was absolutely the coolest tree there since pink flamingos are a personal favorite of mine.

Yes, I have yard flamingos but they’re hibernating in the garage for the winter. That’s okay, though, because I have a house flamingo, too. Anyway, it’s neat to see the creative ways different groups, organizations and citizens decorate theses trees as a fundraiser for hospice. After that, we watched the fire truck

parade and Santa’s arrival and the lighting of the tree. Then we ran back to the fire truck line to get our ride. Ah, my day was complete! Saturday, we went to a local Christmas tree farm and tagged our tree.

It was a beautiful, sunny, cold day – a perfect tree hunting day. We traipsed through a bunch o’ trees and narrowed it down to two. One was a lush, dark green beauty but the other one was a spruce with a bunch of baby cones on the top branches. The cones won out and we tagged our treasure before returning for some hot chocolate and to buy a balsam spray for the front door. Then we did a little bit of Christmas shopping since we were out and about anyway. We headed home and had leftovers for lunch. My husband cut up some wood for an evening fire while I put away the crystal, etc. from Thanksgiving Dinner Number Two. We enjoyed a nice fire in the fireplace and reflected on our fun day. I don’t normally do my Christmas decorating on Thanksgiving weekend; it seems a little early to me.

But the luxury of four days off convinced me that now is

the time. So, we (and when I say ‘we’, I mean my husband, of course) hauled boxes out of the attic and set to a little decorating. We won’t cut our live tree until the week before Christmas but we decided to go ahead and decorate inside the house. We’ll also hold off for about a week before we put up our piece de resistance, the vintage silver tinsel tree that we decorate only with vintage balls. We fixed the mantle and put the candoliers in the front window and hung the stockings with care. It was great fun pulling out all our vintage Christmas decorations. Our living room is mid-century modern and we use only vintage Christmas items there. It is so cool! I made turkey soup and we listened to Christmas music while we decorated.

Oh, it was a great weekend.

And I realize how very much I have more to be thankful for - that’s a good way to end the weekend.

You can email the Country Girl at countrygirlramblings@gmail.com

tects and attorneys for the developer until about 10:30 p.m.

Nov. 26 at their regular meeting but decided to table the issue until Jan. 14 and keep the public record open.

“Everything we did tonight either blew up in our face or got bogged down,” Reeves said.

“It’s bouncing to the left and to the right. It’s frustrating.”

The developer wants to increase the number of housing units in the subdivision to 868 from 717 as previously planned and has also agreed to donate nearly 30 acres of land for a new school on the site.

John Norris III, attorney for the Suitland-based developer, also said that 150 housing units at a minimum would be slated for workforce hous-

ing, one of the most critical issues identified by county government.

While they’ve offered to have a traffic signal installed at St. Andrews Lane residents near the development site have complained that the large subdivision would only exacerbate already difficult driving situations.

“We absolutely cannot get out now,” said Mary Ruth Horton who lives on St. Andrews Lane in St. Andrews Estates. “And you don’t have to ask anyone about the traffic involved in a school site.”

The project has been up before the planning commission at least three times this year and each time it has been tabled and left to gather more public comment.

Bob Schaller, director of the Department of Economic

and Community Development, said that the project, if successfully developed, could significantly aid the county’s workforce housing dilemma.

“We don’t have inclusive zoning, which other jurisdictions have to require certain percentages of workforce housing in projects,” Schaller said. “So we have to ask developers to help out.

“It’s potentially a good thing for the county.”

The PUD style of development allows the project to be built in an area where St. Mary’s Crossing would normally not be allowed because of the number of homes and has to receive a positive recommendation from the planning commission to go to the Board of County Commissioners for final approval.

disturbed.

“The benefit we see is the easement to protect the heron rookery,” Veith said. “It’s a pretty important issue for the Department of Natural Resources.”

A 300-foot buffer zone will also be enacted as part of the growth allocation of the two lots, which together equal only 6.24 acres of the 36.8 acres of the overall farm parcel, on a creek near St. Clements Bay. In that buffer zone sewage disposal will be allowed because no other places on the site could provide enough water, according to testimony that night.

Margaret Hodges Bailey, one of the two children who had the land willed to her by her father Edwin Hodges, said that keeping the land available for family use was close to her heart.

“He said whenever you all can build there please do it,” Bailey testified before the commission. “It’s all family back there and that’s all we want.”

The approval of the growth allocation, if it goes through successfully with the county commissioners and critical areas commission, would only use up a fraction of the acres allocated under the state law.

“We have about 1,500 acres left in the critical areas [for growth],” Veith said. “We haven’t even used 10 percent of what we were allotted by the state.”

St. Mary’s City DATE LOW Fri. Nov. 30 12:15 a.m.

Sat. Dec. 1 1:06 a.m.

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Thu. Dec. 6 5:02 a.m.

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LOW “+29 min.” “+45 min.” “+24 min.” “+12 min.”

“-8 min.” “+63 min.” “+56 min.”

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The County Times

Section A -

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Narcotics Raids Future of Historic Dameron House Uncertain Continued from page A-

By Guy Leonard Staff Writer An historic home in Dameron, that some in county preservation circles hoped would be sold to a buyer to be restored, it is close to being sold; but neither the identity of the buyer nor their intentions for the property are known.

Valerie Gaghan, the realtor who is selling the property near the intersection of St. Jerome’s Neck Road and Camp Winslow Road said that she could not reveal the name of the buyer because they have gone to a contract on the property and has not gone to a final closure.

Gaghan said that there were two other prospective buyers who had intentions of restoring the house, which is believed to have been built around 1785, but they eventually decided not to make any deals for a sale.

The prohibitive cost of the project discouraged them, Gaghan said. “The house is pretty much gone,� Gaghan said. “Renovation is just too much money.�

The house, alternately known as Dameron House and St. Jerome’s Crossroads House, is next to a housing development being built out on nearly 190 acres but is up for sale on its own on a three-acre parcel.

Members of the county’s Historic Preservation Commission and their staff expressed concern earlier this year that the old house might be demolished to make way for the development but the owner of the property Daniel Capper was later reported to have no plans to demolish the house on his own.

But according to Teresa Wilson, preservation planner with the Department of Land Use and Growth Management, anyone who purchases the house could choose to demolish it in favor of a new building. “In the event they want to demolish it there’s nothing we can do to stop it,� Wilson

said.

The preservation commission can ask for 90 days to go to the house and catalog and record the historically significant aspects of the house but that was the only option they had to forestall a demolition. “It’s significant because of its architectural history,� Wilson said of Dameron House, but said that the housing loan market “is not helping people get loans from banks to do things.�

Dameron House is still standing but has not been used as a residence for years, Wilson said. It has been used as a part of a green house business in the past, she said, and the land surrounding it has been farmed extensively. “The older portion of the house has significant problems,� Wilson said. “A lot of replacement work would have to be done to make that portion habitable and safe.�

Gaghan said that the roof has large holes in it and that the floor beams are missing and is caving in.

Dameron House is on the inventory of historic places with the Maryland Historical Trust, which has already been there twice to document the structure.

seized about $37, 300 in illegal narcotics and cash; they also seized firearms, vehicles, drug paraphernalia and even surveillance equipment used to watch the driveway of a home where detectives say where prescription medication and painkillers were kept.

One raid shut down an alleged marijuana growing operation as well, detectives said.

The suspects in the series of arrests ranged in age from 20 to 63 years old.

Sheriff Timothy K. Cameron said that the weekend raids, in which he took part, showed that county law enforcement could now go after higher-level drug dealers now that the Vice/Narcotics unit had branched out to more independence. “They’ve been able to move up the food chain,�

Cameron said of the narcotics operations. “They’re getting

Photo By Guy Leonard

Dameron House is close to being sold to an unknown buyer, but no one knows if it will be restored or demolished.

Photo Courtesy of Bureau of Criminal Investigations

Walter Francis Duke

someone who is a more substantial dealer. “It’s more drugs, more money and more guns.�

The raids took place all over the county from Lexington Park to Avenue, according to police information, and helped put a dent in the overall supply of narcotics available at the street level. “I think the supply is being affected,� Cameron told The County Times. “We know from reports that nationally the price of drugs is going up and locally we know it is.�

What was also important, Cameron said, was that the drug raids would fuel mistrust among dealers and users, who were still being targeted by law enforcement, and make it more dangerous to sell and buy drugs. “They don’t know who to trust, because it’s only a matter of time before someone informs on them,� Cameron said.

The capture of alleged mid-level dealers over the weekend may lead to more information that could lead to arrest and prosecution of larger dealers later on, Cameron said, which is the ultimate aim of enforcement. “There’s no honor among thieves,â€? Cameron said, adding that even if a suspect made deal for a reduced sentence in exchange for information they wouldn’t have their sentence eliminated. “I’m reluctant ‌ to let

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them walk,� Cameron said. “They’re not getting off scot free.�

Officers arrested James Deshaun Bowman, 27, of

Photo Courtesy of Bureau of Criminal Investigations

James Deshaun Bowman

Lexington Park after they raided his home and allegedly found approximately $1,300 worth of crack and powdered cocaine as was a quantity of marijuana and methadone pill. Detectives also seized about $1,600 in cash from the raid.

Another raid in Lexington Park led to the arrest of Robert Damian McCarson, 20, of Lexington Park on an open sheriff’s warrant in Calvert County. Detectives also arrested Jermaine T. Hollingsworth, 20, also of Lexington Park for alleged possession of marijuana and a smoking device. Detectives also recovered a handgun during the warrant search, according to police.

Raids that took place in Leonardtown claimed the highest dollar amounts of cash and narcotics seized, according to police press releases.

When officers executed a search warrant in Medley’s Neck they found in excess of four pounds of marijuana worth about $6,000, two firearms and more than $13,000 in cash.

Detectives arrested Jeb Jay McWade, 25, of Leonardtown as a result of the warrant search as well as Francis Walter Duke, 60, of Leonardtown after detectives allegedly found that he had crack cocaine and a smoking device.

Police say they also seized more than $5,000 worth of marijuana plants in a warrant search of a resident where Charles Michael Pauley, 35, was allegedly growing the plants.

Detectives seized more than $4,000 worth of drugs and property in an Avenue raid where they confiscated a flat screen television set hooked up to a surveillance system used to watch the driveway of her home as well as prescription medication, mostly in the form of painkillers, according to police information.

Detectives arrested Shirley Morris, 63, of Avenue was during the warrant search.

John Edward Colleary, 53, of Leonardtown was arrested on an open narcotics warrant and detectives allegedly found him in possession of two pounds of marijuana and a one ounce of cocaine in powder form. Both drugs had a street value of about $6,000.

Loretta Jane Sweeney, 27, and Rayfield Charles Blackistone, 51, both of Leonardtown were arrested at a Leonardtown address officers raided and charged with cocaine possession and related drug paraphernalia.

Melvin Arthur Jeffrey, 39, of Bushwood was arrested after he allegedly threw away an amount of crack cocaine in the front yard of a home being searched by detectives.

Other suspects arrested during the holiday warrant and arrest sweep where charged with other drug offenses including possession and distribution as well as for DWI violations.

THURSDAY 12PM -12AM FRIDAY 10AM - 8PM SATURDAY 10AM - 9PM SUNDAY 12PM - 6 PM

Photo Courtesy of Bureau of Criminal Investigations

Shirley Morris

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Capital News Service

By KENNETH R. FLETCHER Charles County farmer Chip Bowling harvested his corn crop back in September and immediately planted the same fields with wheat and rye.

But instead of harvesting those crops in spring, he will spray them with herbicide and plant the fields over with corn or soybeans. Bowling is part of the state’s cover crop cost-share program, where farmers are paid to plant fields in the fall to keep them growing during the winter months, an effort that curbs farm pollution. “We are planting as much cover crop as we possibly can,” Bowling said, who planted about 450 of his 1,400 acres through the state’s program this year. “It helps with soil erosion and absorbs the nutrients the crops don’t use.”

The program is in such demand that the Maryland Department of Agriculture has more farmers than funds: Of the 1,782 farmers who applied this year, 1,529 were approved for funding of as much as $50 per acre, up from the 965 who applied in fiscal 2006. Those farmers are expected to plant about a third of the state’s cropland in cover crops, said Louise Lawrence of the department. Cover crops soak up nutrients left over in the soil from the summer’s crop and keep rain from washing soil off of bare fields. Though some, like winter wheat, can be harvested and sold, many are killed or plowed under in the spring when next year’s crop is planted. Experts say controlling farm pollution is the cheapest and most effective way to reduce bay pollution. Agriculture contributes about 62 percent of sediment, 45 percent of phosphorus and 44 percent of nitrogen that ends up in the bay, according to federal data. By 2005, agriculture had met close to half of its pollution reduction goals for 2010 spelled out in the Chesapeake 2000 Agreement, a pledge between federal and state governments. That far surpasses controls on more costly urban and suburban runoff that, with a growing population, are actually contributing more pollution than before. A proposal that could have increased funding for cover crops was included in a proposed $50 million Chesapeake Bay 2010 Trust Fund considered in this month’s special legislative session.

The bill passed, but the final

version mentions only general bay cleanup goals and not cover crops specifically. It dedicates the money to the Department of Natural Resources, instead of splitting it with the Agriculture Department and other agencies. Supporters of the original bill have said they expect to come back in January to try to specify how the trust fund money will be allocated.

If the money does end up going to cover crops, that could attract more farmers to voluntarily plant those crops, said Lawrence, chair of the Agriculture Department’s nutrient management committee.

Money from the Chesapeake fund could also aid other farm programs that control pollution. Some farmers are already planting buffers of greenery along waterways, storing manure in holding containers to prevent it from contaminating the bay and more. But Gerald Winegrad, a former state senator and longtime Chesapeake advocate, said that voluntary programs are not enough. He instead supports making cover crops mandatory and imposing regulations to cap farm nutrient pollution.

“When you only use carrots and you don’t use sticks you have a failing effort,” he said.

“The bay is not improving and agriculture is nowhere near meeting their requirements.”

But Lawrence said that just because programs are mandated does not mean farmers could afford it. In a year like this with a severe drought, the extra expense and time required “could be the straw that broke the camel’s back,” she said. Lawrence said the Agriculture Department is instead planning on targeting funding to areas that have the most impact on the bay using the state’s new BayStat program. Bowling said that for decades his family has been planting cover crops on their former tobacco farm in Newburg near the Potomac River, which was common practice on Southern Maryland tobacco farms. “I think anybody that deals with farmland or agriculture is concerned about what happens with the Chesapeake,” Bowling said.

But he added that planting cover crops can be costly and take up time during the busy fall harvest season, with little economic benefit to the farmer. That’s why state support is crucial, he said. “If we could get more funding from the state, you would see a lot more cover crops planted,” he said.

County Receives Favorable Forecast on Audit Report

By Adam Ross Staff Writer St. Mary’s County has $11.5 million in funds to use towards the fiscal 2009 budget, leaving it fiscally sound, according to an independent audit.

The audit uncovered favorable results, including the commissioners resolve to fund projects up front instead of borrowing from banks. The commissioners authorized $14.8 million for projects in fiscal 2007, saving it roughly $1 million a year in debt repayment because they didn’t borrow funds.

The audit itself cost just over $15,000, and was done by Timothy Murphy, of Murphy and Murphy on fiscal year 2007, which concluded on June 30, 2006.

Still, the county has considerable debt to pay off. The audit showed $118 million of debt to be paid over the next 24 years, but this is not abnormal of a county’s finances.

The commissioners have held steadfast to funding post-retirement benefits like healthcare and life insurance, something other counties in the state are still grappling over. In all, $13.5 million of the state required benefits have been funded by local government. And while the St. Mary’s Board of Education was not included in the audit, it too will likely commit significant funds to the post-retirement benefits this year.

In other spending accounts, the county used $4 million in land preservation in fiscal 2007, and $8 million on roads.

The County Times

Section A -

Capital News Service

By DAN LAMOTHE The Maryland-based “Hagers-Town Town & Country Almanack” sees snow ahead for the state, bucking forecasts from foreign sources calling for a mild winter. Bill O’Toole, prognosticator for the 211-year-old Almanack, said he anticipates the snowiest and coldest winter in Maryland in three years. “I’m predicting some pretty large snowstorms, especially in January,” said O’Toole, who has forecast weather in the Almanack since 1969.

“We’ll probably get one in the first week and one in the last week of January.”

That contrasts with predictions made by sources as varied as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and “The Old Farmer’s Almanac,” the one continuously-published almanac in the U.S. older than Hagerstown’s. NOAA’s long-range winter forecast calls for mild temperatures across Maryland and much of the United States thanks in part to La Nina, an ocean atmospheric phenomenon where the equatorial eastern central Pacific Ocean’s temperature drops substan-

Eastern Shore and mountainous regions like Garrett County. Temperatures can also fluctuate wildly between regions of the state, with central and western Maryland the coldest. Maryland climatologists said history shows a mild winter in years where La Nina is present is the most likely, although there are deviations from that rule. “What exactly happens in specific parts of the country depends on the position of the jet stream,” said Eugenia E. Kalnay, a meteorologist at the University of Maryland, College Park. “Odds are, though, they (NOAA) will be right.”

O’Toole said he isn’t concerned about his predictions being different than the rest - especially since he has been right before with surprise weather events, like a snowstorm in February 2000 that caught many meteorologists by surprise. “They’ll admit that anything farther out than a week or so is just an educated guess,” O’Toole said of science-based meteorologists.

“Very often, what they predict for nine days out will change, so the technology really doesn’t give you a great advantage with long-term forecasts.”

tially for at least five months. Historically, it has meant warmer temperatures across the country, including in Maryland. “Really, a good portion of the U.S. can expect above-average temperatures this year,” said Mike Halpert, deputy director of the NOAA Climate Prediction Center Camp Springs. “There’s also a trend for warmer winters across the country in the last 10 years, especially in the Midwest.”

“The Old Farmer’s Almanac,” meanwhile, mirrors NOAA’s science-based forecast. It calls for a drier, milder winter in Maryland, with temperatures about a degree warmer than normal and snowfall slightly below average, said Heidi Stonehill, a senior associate editor. All three sources said it is difficult to predict long-term forecasts by any methodology.

“Sometimes, we are different,” Stonehill said. “I’m not sure what organizations like the National Weather Service use, but we place lots of emphasis on the solar science, climatology and meteorology.”

Historically, Maryland averages about 20 inches of snow per year, although that varies wildly between urban areas, the

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The County Times

Section A -

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Obituaries Henry Francis Boothe, 89 H e n r y Francis Boothe, 89, of Drayden, Md. died Nov. 22, 2007 in his residence.

Born October 4, 1918 in Drayden, he was the son of the late Joseph and Elizabeth Hammett Boothe. He was preceded in death by his wife Catherine Regina Boothe on June 6, 2003 and whom he married Dec. 26, 1940 in St. George Catholic Church. He is survived by his children: Billy Boothe and Cathy Koegel both of Valley Lee, Henry R. Boothe, Stanley Boothe and Frank Boothe all of Drayden; his sister: Sister Mary Rose of Sisters of St. Joseph, Hartford, Conn.; 17 grandchildren, 18 great grandchildren and one great-great grandchild. He was also preceded in death by his son Tommy Boothe; his siblings: Mary Agnes Grover, Margaret Hodges, Rose Cecil, Henrietta Adams, David Boothe, Joseph Boothe, John Boothe and Gregory Boothe.

Mr. Boothe was a lifelong St. Mary’s County resident where he attended Little Flower School. He worked as a farmer for Harry Lundeberg School, in Piney Point, for 16 years until his retirement in 1983. He was a member of the St. Mary’s Farm Bureau. The family received friends Monday, Nov. 26, 2007 from 5 – 8 p.m. in the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home, where Prayers will be said at 6 p.m.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2007 at 11 a.m. in St. George Catholic Church with Msgr. Karl Chimiak officiating. Interment followed in the Church Cemetery. Pallbearers were: T.J. Boothe, Wayne Boothe, Kevin Boothe, Brian Boothe, Ricky Boothe and Kenny Boothe. Honorary Pallbearers were Patrick Boothe and Johnny Adams.

Contributions may be made to Hospice of St. Mary’s, P.O. Box 625, Leonardtown, MD 20650 and/or 2nd District Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 1, Valley Lee, MD 20692.

Arrangements provided by the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home, P.A.

James Walter “Snubbs” Butler, Sr., 61 James Walter “Snubbs” Butler, Sr., 61, of Bushwood, Md. died Nov. 18, 2007 at Clinton Nursing Center.

Born Aug. 28, 1946 in Bushwood, he was the son of the late Arthur Aloysius and Grace Helen Bowman Butler. He was the loving husband of the late Alice Ann Miles Butler whom he married June 21, 1969 in Sacred Heart Church. He is survived by his children; Cynthia Butler of Capitol Heights, Md., James Butler Jr. of Lusby, Md., Alecia Butler of Rocky Mount, N.C., Barbara Riegle of Frederick, Md. and Charles Carter of Lexington Park as well as his grandchildren Windell and Juvan Withers of Capitol Heights, Md. He is also survived by his siblings: Francis A. Butler and Grace H. Butler, both of Lexington Park, Arthur J. Butler of Oxon Hill, Md., Clearance J. Butler of Mechanicsville, Md., Ann E. Butler of Washington, D.C. and Constance D. Willis of Woodbridge, Va. A lifelong resident of St. Mary’s County, he attended Banneker High School and after serving in the U.S. Army for 11 years, he was employed as a Security Guard at various locations.

He enjoyed telling stories and always had a joke to tell.

The family received friends Saturday, Nov. 24, 2007 from 9 - 10:30 a.m. in the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home, Leonardtown, Md. A Mass of Christian

Burial will follow at 11 a.m. in Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Bushwood, Md., with Fr. Francis Early officiating. Interment will follow in the church cemetery. Pallbearers will be Mark Miles, Vincent Riegle, Charles Butler, Edmond Armstrong, Dennis Butler and Ricky Herbert.

Honorary pallbearers will be Sam Butler, James Thomas, Aaron Butler, Timothy Butler, Delgado Butler, Delonte Butler, Marcus Jones and Francis Jones, Jr. Arrangements provided

by Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home, P.A.

John Melvin Cheseldine, 80 John Melvin Cheseldine, 80, of Leonardtown, died October 31, 2007 at St. Mary’s Nursing Center.

Born July 15, 1927 in Leonardtown, he was the son of the late Richard Benjamin and Agnes G. Bowles Cheseldine. He is survived by his wife Nora Ann Lacey Cheseldine and his daughter Regina Ann Foote, both of Leonardtown, Md. A Memorial Mass will be celebrated Saturday, Dec. 1, 2007 at 12 p.m. in Holy Angels Catholic Church, Avenue, MD with Fr. William Gurnee officiating. Interment is private.

Arrangements provided by the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home, P.A

Herbert Millard Collins, 85 Herbert Millard Collins, 85, of Hollywood, Md. died Nov. 25, 2007 in his residence.

Born July 27, 1922 in Buffalo, N.Y., he was the son of the late Paul and Lillian Millard Collins.

Mr. Collins was a loving husband and his wife’s greatest happiness. He made every day a special day in the lives of his four daughters. A spiritual man has now joined his lord in the next journey of eternal life. He was a laboratory technician for the Rohm & Haas Oil Company and the Gulf Reserve Oil Company.

He is survived by his wife, Mabel Irene Wright Collins, whom he married March 6, 1948 in Philadelphia, Pa., three daughters, Jacklyn Collins of Upper Darby, Pa.., Nancy Vetter of Hollywood, Lillian Hausmann of Parks, Ark., six grandchildren and three great grandchildren. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a daughter, Linda Miller, one sister, Ella Mae McCreary and two brothers, Donald Collins and Harold Collins.

All services are private.

Arrangements by the Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A.

Rae Lynn Smith Dennis, 49 Rae Lynn Smith Dennis, 49, of California, Md., died Nov. 11, 2007 in her residence.

Born Feb. 2, 1958 in Shawnee, Okla., she was the daughter of the late Gordon and Antonia Shirah Smith.

Ms. Dennis was a strong and loving mother. She was a Veterinarian Technician.

She is survived by two daughters, Jennifer Renea Dennis and Kimberly Rose Dennis, both of California and two sisters, Gloria Jones of Lawton, Okla., Rose Mary Sturk of Fayetteville, N.C. and one brother, Vic Nielsen of Sumter, S.C.. and numerous aunts, uncles , cousins, nieces and nephews of Sumter, S.C. A Memorial Service will be conducted Thursday, Nov. 29, 2007 at 2 p.m. in the Leonardtown Baptist Church, Leonardtown, Md. Pastor Bobby Jones will conduct the service.

Arrangements by the Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A. in Leonardtown, Md.

mendation-HSAS, Saigon Medal: National Defense Service Medal; United Nations Katie S. Gehman, 73, of Medal; China Service Medal; Mechanicsville, and formerly Antarctic Service Medal; of Ephrata, Pa., died Nov. 25, Korean Service Medal; Vietnam Service Medal; Vietnam 2007 at her residence.

Born Sept. 5, 1934 in Campaign Medal (2) Stars. He East Cocalico Township, Pa. retired in 1983 with the rank she was the daughter of the of Captain.

A resident of St. Mary’s late Aaron A. and Rebecca W. Sensenig Brubacker of County since 1980 ,Captain Ephrata, Pa. She was the lov- Kispert was active in Trining wife of the late Harvey ity Episcopal Church in St. M. Gehman whom she mar- Mary’s City, American Canried Dec. 25, 1955 in the Pike cer Society and BPOE Elks Mennonite Church and who Lodge #2092.

The family will receive preceded her in death at the Ephrata Community Hospital friends at Trinity Episcoin Lancaster, Pa. She is sur- pal Church, St Mary’s City vived by her children; Irvin Thursday, Nov.29, 2007 from B Gehman., married to Ida 10:00 to 10:45 a.m. Services S. (Brubacher) with whom will follow at 11 a.m. with the she resided, of Mechanics- Reverend John A. Ball, officiville, Miriam B. Martin wife ating. Interment will follow of Clair A. Martin, John B. in the church cemetery with Gehman, married to Lizzie S. military honors. Pall bearers (Martin), Barbara B. Auker, will be Forrest Kispert, Briwife of Weaver W. Auker , an Kispert, Steven Kispert, all of Ephrata, Pa., Harvey B. Wayne Dean, Ed Forsman Gehman married to Marion and Nick Parker.

Memorial contributions S. (Martin) of Port Trevorton, Pa., Naomi B. Stauffer, wife may be made to St Mary’s of Paul B. Stauffer of Homer Minority Scholarship Fund or City, Pa., Leroy B. Gehman, Trinity Episcopal Church Renmarried to Joanne W. (Mar- ovation Fund, Trinity Episcotin) of Mt. Pleasant Mills, Pa., pal Church, P.O. Box 207, St Luke B. Gehman, married to Mary’s City, MD 20686 Arrangements by the Linda W. (Martin), Martha B. Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A. Martin, wife of Earl W. Martin, both of New Holland, Pa., Leonardtown, MD. Elvin B. Gehman, married to Brenda Z. (Horst) of Shobon- Mildred Marie “Penny” ier, IL, Katie B. Wenger, wife Leeland, 82 of Lamar Wenger, Warren B. Gehman, married to Eleanor Mildred Marie “Penny” A. (Martin) and Daniel B. Leeland, 82, of MechanicsGehman, married to Sheryl S. ville, died Nov. 23, 2007 at her (Weaver) , all of Bainbridge, residence.

Ohio.

Born Oct. 15, 1925 in She is also survived Baltimore, Md., she was the by 89 grandchildren, seven daughter of the late Joseph G. great-grandchildren and her Smith and Caroline Schultz siblings are as follows; Har- Smith. Mrs. Leeland had vey S. Brubacker (Deceased) worked as a bus driver for the married to Elsie B. (Sensenig) Fairfax County, Va. Board of of Myerstown, Pa., Ammon Education. She was a gaming S. Brubacker, married to enthusiast who loved to play Nora (Burkholder) of Eph- Bridge and Texas Hold ‘em. rata, Pa., Leroy S. Brubacker She is survived by her (Deceased) and Luke S. Bru- husband, Clinton Howard backer, married to Ida-Ann W. Leeland of Mechanicsville, (Martin), Titus S. Brubacker, two sons, Dennis Chafin of all of Ephrata, Pa, Amos S. northern Va., Michael ChaBrubacker (died in infancy), fin, two step-daughters, DiPhares S. Brubacker, married ane Marie Leeland of Falls to Eva M. (Stauffer) (first wife Church, Va., Carol Ann MarRuth (Martin) is deceased) tin of Arlington, VA and three and Aaron S. Brubacker, mar- grandchildren. ried to Lena (Stauffer), all of The family received Port Trevorton, Pa., Martha friends Thursday, Nov. 29, S. Martin (Deceased) wife of 2007 from 1 – 2 p.m. in the Willis S. Martin (Deceased) Brinsfield Life Celebration and Anna S. Martin, wife of Home, Leonardtown, A MeClarence W. Martin of New morial Service will be conHolland, PA. ducted at 2 p.m. in the BrinsMrs. Gehman moved to field Life Celebration Chapel.

St. Mary’s County from Eph- The Reverend Ray Schmidt rata, Pa. on May 11, 2006 and will conduct the service. Inwas a homemaker who was urnment will be private. a loving and caring Mother.

Memorial contributions The family received friends at may be made to the American their home Tuesday, Novem- Heart Society, P.O. Box 5216, ber 27, 2007. Interment will Glenn Allen, VA 23058-5216 take place Friday, November or the American Cancer Soci30, 2007 in the Stauffer Men- ety, St. Mary’s County – Unit nonite Cemetery, Earltown- 350, P.O. Box 1032, Lexington ship, Pa. Park, MD 20653.

Arrangements provided Arrangements by the

by Mattingley-Gardiner Fu- Brinsfield Funeral Home, neral Home, P.A. P.A., Leonardtown.

in Leonardtown, Md.

Katie S. Gehman, 73

Lane Arthur Kispert, 76 Lane Arthur Kispert, 76, Captain US Navy (SC), (Retired) of St. Inigoes, died Nov. 26, 2007 in St. Mary’s Hospital, Leonardtown.

He is survived by his wife Gayle McLean Kispert of St. Inigoes, whom he married April 24, 1955 at the US Naval Shipyard Chapel in San Francisco, Calif., three brothers, Forrest (Lois) Kispert of Dodge Center, MN, Brain Kispert of Richfield, MN, and Steven (Patti) Kispert of Merrill’s Inlet, SC. He is predeceased by a sister Iris Kispert.

He was born September 18, 1931 in Nerstrand, Minn., son of the late Ervin and Ruth (Hildebrandt) Kispert. He attended the University of Minnesota with an NROTC scholarship. Upon graduation he was commissioned an Ensign, US Navy (SC). He received the Navy Unit Com-

Patricia Louise Lippincott, 75 Patricia Louise Lippincott, 75, of Great Mills, died Nov. 20, 2007 in her residence.

Born Jan. 16, 1932 in Atlantic City, N.J., she was the daughter of the late Pete and Patricia Previti. Mrs. Lippincott was a casino supervisor.

She is survived by three daughters, Loretta White of Auburn, Calif., Patricia Ann Lippincott of Great Mills, Donna Marie Kracinovich of Great Mills; a son, David Joseph Lippincott of Diamond Bar, Calif., a granddaughter, Christine Lippincott and a grandson, Chuck Lippincott and a brother, Joseph Previti.

She was preceded in death by her brother, George Maderia.

A Memorial Service was held Friday, Nov. 23, 2007 at the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge, Chancellors Run Road, Great Mills, Md. at 2 p.m.

Arrangements by the Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A.

Hazel Lorraine Pilkerton, 69 Hazel Lorraine Pilkerton, 69, of Mechanicsville, died Nov. 19, 2007 in Capital Hospice, Arlington, Va. Born Feb. 7, 1938 in Upper Marlboro, Md., she was the daughter of the late Charles and Mary Elizabeth Garner. She was preceded in death by her husband Bernard “Pic” Pilkerton in 2005. She is survived by her daughter Brenda LaRoche and son-in-law Pete LaRoche of Mechanicsville, stepdaughters, Karen Buchanan of Morgantown, W.V., Tracy Pilkerton of Chantilly, Va., Lee Pilkerton of Norfolk, Va. and Kathy Knox of Beauford, S.C. She is also survived by her grandchildren Christie Werner and her husband Patrick, Jason Greer and his wife Doris, and M.T. Bowling as well as her great-grandchildren; Hannah, Erin and Lucas Werner and Dawn Greer. Hazel is also survived by her sisters Betty Settle and Margaret Richards, both of Lothian, Md., Rose McCallum of Silver Spring, Md. and Hazel Leonard of Lusby, Md., as well as many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her brothers Joseph, Clarence and James “Dutch” Gardner and her sisters Mary Rawlings and Eva Keys.

Hazel was a good grandmother, mother, daughter, sister, aunt and friend to all that knew her.

The family received friends Sunday, Nov. 25, 2007 from 2 – 5 p.m. in the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home, where Prayers were said at 3 p.m.. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Monday, Nov. 26, 2007 at 10 a.m. in St. Cecelia’s Catholic Church, St. Mary’s City, Md. with Fr. Damian Shadwell officiating. Interment will follow in St. James Catholic Cemetery, Dameron, Md. Contributions may be made to The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, 14 Pennsylvania Plaza, Suite 1400, New York, NY 10122.

Arrangements provided by the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home, P.A.

Margaret Minnie “Bumpy” Russell, 86 Margaret Minnie “Bumpy” Russell, 86, of Hollywood, Md. died Nov. 25, 2007 in St. Mary’s Nursing Center, Leonardtown, Md. Born Feb. 6, 1921 in Baltimore, Md., she was the daughter of the late John Henry Lohrmann and Laura Mary Singleton Lohrmann.

Mrs. Russell was a vendor at the Charlotte Hall Farmers Market for 40 years until retiring in 2002. She also sold at flea markets in North Point Flea Market in Baltimore, Md. on Saturday and Sundays and Warsaw, Va. on Tuesdays.

She is survived by a daughter, Mary L. Bowles of Hollywood., three sons, John H. Horkey of Hollywood, Frank J. Horkey of Baltimore, Charlie E. Russell of Fairfield, Pa., 16 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren. In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by two brothers, Jack Lohrmann and Henry Lohrmann.

The family received friends Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2007 from 5 – 8 p.m. in the Brinsfield Life Celebration Home, Leonardtown. A Funeral Service was conducted at 700 p.m. in the Brinsfield Life Celebration Chapel. The Reverend Ray Schmidt conducted the service. Inurnment will be private.

Arrangements by the Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A. in Leonardtown.

Martha Annie Mae Reeder Sanders, 95 Martha Annie Mae Reeder Sanders, 95, of Hollywood, Md. died Nov. 22, 2007 on Thanksgiving Day in St. Mary’s Nursing Center.

Born Aug. 2, 1912 in Morganza, she was the daughter of the late John Andrew and Mary Castiala Mattingly Johnson. She was the wife of the late Allen Adolf Sanders whom she married in Santa Barbara, Calif. in 1968. She is survived by her children; George J. Reeder, Linda M. Clarke and John W. Reeder, all of Hollywood, Md., Richard O. Reeder of S.C., Francis S. Reeder of Mo., and Stephen D. Reeder of Dixon, Mo., as well as 33 grandchildren, 53 great-grandchildren and 19 great-great grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her sons William J. and James E. Reeder and her siblings; Bernard, Norman and Wilmer Johnson and Genivieve Guy. Martha worked as a waitress, seamstress and homemaker. Her places of employment included Patuxent River Naval Air Station., The Hub, Spinning Wheel Restaurant and the NAVAir Grill. The family received friends Tuesday, Nov. 27 from 5 – 8 p.m. in the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home, where prayers were said at 6 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Wednesday, Nov. 28, at 10 a.m. in St. John’s Catholic Church, Hollywood, Md., with Fr. Raymond Schmidt officiating. Interment will follow in St. Joseph’s Cemetery, Morganza, Md. Arrangements provided by the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home, P.A.

Isabell Saunders, 74 Isabell Saunders, 74, of Lexington Park died Nov. 21, 2007 in her residence.

Born Aug. 4, 1933 in St. Inigoes, she was the daughter of the late William and Sadie Saunders. She is survived by her children: Lawrence Leroy Carter of Upper Marlboro, Md., Quinton Levester Spence of Norfolk, Va., and Karen Evette Bryant and Aaron Emanuel Spence, both of Atlanta, Ga., as well as four grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and four great-great grandchildren. She is also survived by her siblings; Helen Wiley and Susie Price of Baltimore, Md., Lillie Mae Saunders of N.Y., Moses and Benjamin Saunders of N.J. and Christine Saunders of Lexington Park.

She was employed as a certified home care provider and enjoyed going to yard sales.

The family will receive friends Thursday, Nov. 29, 2007 from 10 – 11 a.m. in the Mt. Zion United Methodist Church, St. Inigoes, Md., where a funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. with Rev. Alfred Statesman officiating. Interment will follow in the church cemetery.

Arrangements provided by the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home, P.A.

Norma Harms Strickland, 83 N o r m a Harms Strickland, 83, of California, died from cancer Nov. 17, 2007 in her home.

She was born Feb. 21, 1924 in Cole Camp, Mo. Her parents were of the late Arthur and Emma (Kaiser) Harms. She attended St. See Obituaries page A-

The County Times

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Navy News

Obituaries Continued from page A- John’s Lutheran Day School in Cole Camp, Mo., and graduated from Cole Camp High School. She received a B.S. in Education from the University of Missouri, and a B.A. and M.F.A.from the Kansas City Art Institute.

During summer breaks, Norma did additional coursework at Temple University, Columbia University, and Parsons School of Design. From 1950 through 1981, Norma taught courses in the art department at St. Mary’s College of Maryland following the development of the institution from a high-school/junior college to a 4-year liberal arts college. Norma worked many jobs during her college career: in 1942 she was a maid for the Kansas City political Pendergast family; from 1944 to the end of World War II, she worked as a machine operator for Pratt and Whitney; in 1947 Norma worked for Hallmark Greeting Card Co. designing greeting cards and prior to assuming the teaching position at St. Mary’s she worked for an innovative entrepreneur designing flocking for sportswear – the forerunner of today’s logo branding. Norma was preceded in death by her husband Gardner Strickland, whom she married in 1955.

She is survived by a step-sister, Louella Schlesselman of Cole Camp; a half-sister, Wilma Bahrenburg of Cole Camp and a half-brother, Olem Harms of Oak Grove, Mo.;

Section A -

her children, Susan Thompson (Sam) of California, Md., Dianna Clemens (Jeff) of Chase City, Va., Scott Strickland (Susan) of St. Inigoes, Md. and six grandchildren.

A Memorial Service was held Nov. 21, 2007 in the Trinity Lutheran Church in Lexington Park, Md. Pastor Stephen Updegrave conducted the service. Memorial contributions may be made to the HOSPICE House of St. Mary’s c/o HOSPICE of St. Mary’s, Inc., P.O. Box 625, Leonardtown, MD 20650 or Trinity Lutheran Church, 46707 Shangri-la Drive, Lexington Park, MD 20653.

Inurnment will be private.

Arrangements by the Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A. in Leonardtown, Md.

To Place A Memorial Anniversary Notice Call 301-373-4125.

Naval Academy Students Glimpse Future at Pax River Amy Kaper Staff Writer “I want to be back there with them,” lamented retired Rear Admiral Gus Eggert, U.S. Naval Academy Class of ‘52 as he watched the last of the Class of ’08 board the bus back to Annapolis.

Eggert, president of the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum Association, had just taken two aeronautical engineering classes of Naval Academy Firstclassmen on a tour of the museum at NAS Patuxent River.

“It brings back memories,” he said. “Every one I talked to said, ‘I want to be an aviator’.”

The museum tour was the culmination of a day-long visit to Pax sponsored by the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Propulsion and Power Division, Air 4.4, and Captain Robert Niewoehner, director of the Academy’s Aeronautics Department.

“The visit is an annual event for his senior students“, Niewoehner explained, “They’re aeronautical engineers who are going to flight school when they graduate.”

According to Niewoehner, the trip gives the students an idea of the types of engineering work they can look forward to later in their careers with the degrees they’ve earned and their experience as Naval aviators.

The 50 students started the day off with a tour of the V22 Osprey hangar, the VX-23 “Strike” flight Test Squadron and the US Naval Test Pilot School (TPS).

“I really enjoyed TPS,” said Firstclassman Flannery Woodward. “Listening to them talk about what they do really appealed to a lot of us.”

Woodward said she hopes to fly the E/A-18G Growler, the new electronic warfare aircraft based on the F/A-18 Super Hornet platform. Woodward’s home town is Beaufort, S.C., also home to a Marine Corps Air Station.

“I got to see a lot of Hornets when I was growing up,” she said.

In the afternoon the students went on a tour of the jet engine test equipment at the Propulsion Systems Evaluation Facility. There they got a chance to help tear down the T700 engine, which powers the MH-60 helicopter, and engi-

neer Andrew Pinaire explained how it worked.

One aspect of his talk that especially caught the students’ attention was a discussion of engine failure modes. Pinaire described an engine that had experienced an internal shaft rub severe enough to cause a compressor tie rod failure. He emphasized the importance of investigating failures and resolving deficiencies so Fleet safety is maintained “It was pretty impressive,” said Firstclassman John Leone.

“A lot of what we get in class is very technical, text books and equations. We don’t hear much about failures.”

Electronics engineer Justin Doyle took the students through laboratories including an oil test lab, where lubricants critical to jet engines are analyzed; a rotor burst chamber, where compressor and turbine rotors are deliberately damaged and spun until they fly apart; and an environmental test chamber

Photo Provided by U.S. Navy

Naval Academy students learn engineering details of turboshaft engine test and operation.

where engines can be run hard in 125° F air with a salt water mist blown in.

Later, at the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum, the students got to see 21 past and future Naval aircraft – from a Korean War-era F9 Cougar to the winning and losing prototypes for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Admiral Eggert beamed as he discussed an M61 Vulcan “Gatling gun” like the one he fired as an A-7 pilot in Vietnam.

The students also saw turbojet and turboprop engines that had been cut away to display the internal components, as well as the Navy’s first aircraft radar unit built with vacuum tubes, a video of sonobuoy deployment from a P-3, and the Pioneer and X-47B unmanned aerial vehicles.

St. Mary’s Yachting Center 46555 Dennis Point Way Drayden, MD 20630

301-994-2404 Fax:301-994-2405 www.stmyc.com

Evacuation Continued from page A- that stoked the fire coming from the malfunctioning boiler.

“Because of his quick response, he stopped the fuel that would’ve burned longer,” Gilman said. “He knew exactly what to do.”

Gilman said the staff started to notice something was wrong at the school by looking at the lights.

“We saw some lights flicker and 15 seconds later the fire alarm went off,” she said.

It was Butler who activated the alarm after seeing a frightening sight inside the school’s boiler room, which provides heat for the entire building. “[A fireball] was coming out of the motor going ‘boom, boom’ and smoke was everywhere,” Butler said of the flames. “I hit the panic button and then I tripped the fire alarm.”

As the alarm went off, teachers and staff quickly evacuated all of the students, Gilman said, without incident.

Following a rapid response from the Hollywood firefighters and a full building inspection, the children and staff returned to their building, she added.

Students were outside only about 15 minutes, Gilman said.

Back inside just 30 minutes after cutting off the fire, Butler began to feel the affects of his actions. He began to sip on some cold water to ease the tension.

“I got to calm down still!” he said with a laugh.

County public schools have had several incidents that required the evacuation of students this calendar year.

Back in August, students at Oakville Elementary School evacuated their school when the smell of smoke

Sunday Brunch

Winter Hours: Photo By Guy Leonard

William “Bunny” Butler, building services manager at Hollywood Elementary School acted quickly to shut down the fuel that stoked a fire in the schools boiler room.

began to waft through the halls as a result of a malfunctioning air conditioning component.

In April, students at Esperanza Middle School left class when continual power outages caused fans in the school to malfunction and emit a smoking, burning odor.

Students at that time were sent home for the day.

Brad Clements, chief operating officer for St. Mary’s County Public Schools, said the fuel control apparatus failed on the boiler and caused the fire hazard.

He said Butler’s shutting down both boilers was a good precaution.

“When in doubt shut it down and evacuate,” Clements said.

Clements added that equipment malfunctions are rare, but unavoidable.

“We don’t want them to be normal, but they do happen,” Clements said, adding that custodians were receiving more training to deal with equipment emergencies in schools.

The exact cause of why the fuel controller on the boiler failed had yet to be determined, Clements said.

Photo By Guy Leonard

Hollywood Volunteer Fire Department volunteers pack up after receiving a call for a fire in the boiler room at Hollywood Elementary School. The fire was quickly extinguished by the head custodian who shut down the fuel flow.

10am - 2pm Kitchen closes at 6pm Call For Reservations 301-994-2404

The County Times

Section A - 10

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