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Run Fun Walk Raider Boys Run For Hospice Past Braves Story pg. A-10

On Saturday April 19 hundreds of people participated for the annual Run Fun Walk for Hospice in Leonardtown

“

They’re a good team, you can’t make mistakes against them.”

– Chopticon coach Mike Boyle.

Co-Owner Of Tiki Bar Indicted For Firing On Hunters

Expanded Services For Veterans Unveiled Andrea Shiell Staff Writer

By Guy Leonard Staff Writer

During Lt. Governor Anthony Brown’s visit to the veteran’s home in Charlotte Hall on Friday, several issues arose about the state of veteran’s services in Maryland.

“Unfortunately the US Department of veterans affairs, the way they are deployed, cannot meet the needs of the veterans,” noted Delegate John Wood, one of the dignitaries present.

“The state of Maryland hasn’t traditionally provided mental health See Veterans page A-10

Photo by Andrea Shiell

Lt. Governor Anthony Brown presents a check to CSM Board Chair James Raley and Trustee Dr. Janice Walthour for the new wellness center at the Leonardtown campus.

$11.7 Million Presented To CSM For New Wellness Center

Metcom Asking U.S. Navy To Donate Forrest Center Seniors Showcase Land Projects At Annual Gala Story pg. A-2 Andrea Shiell Staff Writer

The scene at the Leonardtown Campus of the College of Southern Maryland was bright, warm, and a little silly, with dignitaries and school officials participating in a group stretching exercise on the grounds of what is soon to become the college’s new wellness center.

As each participant flexed and bent, the mood seemed light and relaxed as everyone crowded outside after having toured the much smaller existing gym facilities.

Among the dignitaries present, which included Del. John Wood, County Commissioner Thomas Mattingly, and Leonardtown Mayor “Chip” Norris, was Maryland See Wellness Center page A-

By Guy Leonard Staff Writer

The St. Mary’s County Metropolitan Commission wants 18 acres of land owned by the U.S. Navy at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station for the possibility of building an entirely new waste water treatment plant to serve the Lexington Park area.

In a letter to the NAS commander Capt. Glen Ives, MetCom director Steven King made formal request for the U.S. Navy to donate the property to the commission.

In his letter, King said that the planned upgrades to the existing Marlay-Taylor facility would likely prove “extremely expensive” to bring the plant up to the latest nutrient removal standards.

The aim of the plant upgrades is to reduce the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus that is discharged into the Chesapeake Bay. See Metcom page A-

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See Clarke page A-

Man Pleads Guilty To Sex Offenses Against Children

By Guy Leonard Staff Writer

Photo by Andrea Shiell

Board of Education member Praveen Ramaswamy watches as one student plays his homemade guitar, which he constructed for his engineering technology class.

A man who was serving a oneyear jail sentence for a third-degree sex offense and was out on work release pleaded guilty April 18 to two other charges of committing sex offenses against children.

Vernon J. Gifford, 62, of California faces 12 years in prison for admitting to sexually abusing a 6See Guilty page A-

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

Obituaries.....

Community...

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

Classifieds.....

Terry Clarke, one of the owners of the famous Tiki Bar on Solomons Island, has been indicted in St. Mary’s County Circuit Court on 41 criminal counts stemming from an incident that took place last December.

The charges include first and second degree assault, reckless endangerment, illegal possession of firearms, being a felon in possession of firearms and using an illegal “straw purchase” to obtain a firearm.

The Dec. 29 incident occurred when Clarke allegedly used a Bushmaster AR-15 rifle, similar to the kind used by the military, to fire on three men who were hunting by a pond near Clarke’s residence on St. Andrews Church Road.

According to information from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office, Clarke said the hunters were making too much noise.

Once responding deputies realized that Clarke was in possession of a regulated firearm as well as being a convicted felon, detectives with the St. Mary’s County Bureau of Criminal Investigations arrived to serve a search warrant of his home.

Investigators, according to sher-

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The County Times

Forrest Center Seniors Showcase Projects At Annual Gala Andrea Shiell Staff Writer

the home.

Bernard said the project had taken them three months to complete. As for his plans, Bernard seemed open to suggestion.

“I don’t know if I’ll necessarily go into homes, but I like working with structures,” he said, moving his hand to cast a shadow over one side of the building causing that side of the house to light up.

“It’s one thing to design something on a printer, but it’s another thing to be able to see a three-dimensional rendering,” said Kevin Elliot, explaining his prototype gear, which he designed using SolidWorks, a three-dimensional design tool. Elliot said he planned to study mechanical engineering and perhaps work on jet engines as a career.

Across the room, Brittany Shadwell proudly displayed an insulin pump at her

tory for those applying for parking permits at the school.

Amanda Pratschner, an avid CSI fan, displayed a video of herself taking a polygraph test, over which hung a sign naming her project the “Moment of Truth.” When someone mentioned the reality show by the same name, she burst into laughter.

“I didn’t know that was the name of the show until after I had made my poster,” she said, defensively. “It was very nervewracking for some reason.”

Pratschner discussed her experience taking the test for her criminal justice class, adding that she must have felt that way because the test is typically associated with criminal behavior. She said she was planning to go into the Navy and continue her study of criminal justice.

“I don’t really want to do anything

Upon first entering the James A. Forrest Career and Tech Center in Leonardtown on Thursday, people’s eyes were instantly drawn to several cars and trucks parked in the front lobby of the building, gleaming with fresh wax and looking brand new.

These vehicles were not for sale, but rather were on display as final projects, these particular cars having been repaired by students studying automobile repair.

Steven Baily stood by his green 1984 Dodge Dakota, the vehicle that Board of Education member Mary Washington had praised as proof that “these kids can do anything,” and explained that his body and paint work had taken him close to a week and a half to complete.

“I don’t really think I could make this a career,” he said, adding that his love for automotive work would lose a lot of its appeal if he were forced to do it for a living.

Still, there were plenty of students at the Forrest Center’s Fourth Annual Senior Gala who considered their projects examples of their career ambitions.

Senior David DeBoe stood in front of an elegant three-tiered birthday cake made with elaborate black, white, and pink fondant icing, and explained that the cake had taken him close to 20 hours to bake and decorate. He said he would be studying culinary arts at Johnson & Wales University in the fall.

“I want to go to France and train over there,” DeBoe said. “And my ultimate goal is to work in the White House as a pastry chef.”

Tyler Pegg and Joseph Savage Photo by Andrea Shiell showed off a homemade acoustic guitar Senior David DeBoe shows off his elaborate birthday cake at the Fourth Annual Forrest Center Senior they had made for their engineering tech- Gala on Thursday. nology class, moving their hands over the body as they strummed it casually in turn, booth, along with information on type one with polygraphs though,” she added. “It’s directing parents and board of education diabetes and insulin dependence. “I want pretty boring.”

Nigel Whigan proudly displayed one members to a video they had made of the to be a pump educator,” she said, explainentire building process. Savage said they ing that her interest in the subject began of his shooting targets, as well as informawould be opening up their own guitar shop with her boyfriend, who happened to be tion on several firearms he had demoed diabetic and wearing an insulin pump him- with Corporal Mike Sims of the Prince in the near future.

“It’s really terrific that they’re able to self. “It just started out with me wanting to George’s County Police Department, who do so many projects like this,” exclaimed educate myself,” she said, adding that she mentored him for his project. Whigan Student Board of Education member would take that interest with her to nursing plans to study criminal justice and eventually join the FBI. Praveen Ramaswamy as he stood and school at CSM after graduation.

Further down the row was Chris Kal“This is one of the most fun things I’ve strummed the guitar.

A few feet away, John Bernard and nasy, who had done a teen driving PSA for ever done in my life!” he exclaimed.

Moving by each one of the displays, it Sarah Zeone showed off a large model of his video production course. He said he the “smart home,” a structure employing a was not sure if the PSA would be aired on was hard not to notice other students sayphoto resister that would detect light levels television, but it was now required viewing ing similar things about their own projects, and adjust lighting as needed throughout for a new class that had been made manda- which included everything from psychology to botany, from criminal justice to engineering, from culinary arts to auto repair.

“It seems like it gets bigger and better every year,” said Forrest Center Principal Robert Taylor, who proudly surveyed his students. “The key is all the students talking to visitors about their projects. They’re all so enthusiastic about it, and that’s wonderful to see.”

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Man Shot By Deputy In Assault Case Gets Prison Time

By Guy Leonard Staff Writer Circuit Court Judge Michael J. Stamm sentenced a man who was shot by a St. Mary’s sheriff’s deputy because he was wielding a knife during a traffic stop to two-and-a-half total years in the county detention center.

Steven T. Coryell, 41, of Leonardtown pleaded guilty last October to two counts of reckless endangerment in the case.

The state chose not to prosecute on multiple assault charges.

On March 24, 2007, Coryell, who police said was under the influence of alcohol at the time while riding his motorcycle, was pulled over.

During a field sobriety test, Coryell pulled out a knife and cut both sides of his neck. The officer who stopped Coryell, Deputy Mark Porter, used a Taser in an attempt to stop Coryell from hurting himself further but failed.

Coryell then moved towards Porter and another Maryland Department of Natural Resources policeman who had stopped to assist while still brandishing the knife.

Porter shot Coryell in the stomach, and he was later taken to Washington Hospital Center and treated for his wounds.

After the shooting occurred, Porter was put on administrative leave pending an investigation, which determined he acted properly in shooting Coryell.

He returned to active duty.

Coryell’s attorney, John Ray, said his client during his convalescence had sought treatment for his problems with alcohol and what he termed as his client’s “major depressive state.”

He asked Judge Stamm to sentence Coryell to just home detention, since Coryell had only had a record prior to the March 24 incident of problems with alcohol and depression and not violence to others.

Since the incident, Coryell had married and began to work again. Ray described Coryell as a talented machinist.

“This has been the worst year of his life,” Ray said of his client. “But in many ways it’s been his best.”

But State’s Attorney Richard Fritz, who handled the sentencing hearing April 18, said the latest incident represented not only an assault case, but Coryell’s fifth charge of driving under the influence of alcohol.

“When he starts moving towards an officer with a knife he’s the aggressor,” Fritz argued before Judge Stamm. “This is not quite an ‘Oh-I’m-depressed-and-I-think-I’ll-cut-my-throat’ kind of case.”

Coryell told Judge Stamm that he had no recollection of what happened that night, only that he wanted to be close to his new family.

“I just really want to keep going forward,” Coryell said.

But Judge Stamm did not feel home detention was appropriate.

“You’ve been given many opportunities to do what’s right and you have not,” Judge Stamm said. “This is your chance.

You could’ve killed yourself, an officer or anyone on our public highways.”

Stamm sentenced Coryell to 18 months for the reckless endangerment charge and an additional year for driving under the influence.

As part of Coryell’s three years of probation once finished with his sentence, he was ordered to abstain totally from alcohol.

Disbarred Lawyer Gets Community Service For Misappropriating Funds

By Guy Leonard Staff Writer Julian J. Izydore, a former well-known attorney who practiced law in St. Mary’s County, may have admitted to stealing money from a client’s estate but he won’t see any jail time for it.

Visiting Judge Arthur M. Ahalt instead sentenced Izydore, who was disbarred last year at his own request for misappropriating funds from the estate of Gail Wood, to 1,000 hours of community service and suspended a five-year sentence in the Maryland Department of Corrections.

Izydore avoided a sentence for theft charges by repaying more than $194,000 back to the estate from which he illegally took the money.

Izydore wrote a check for $66,697 April 21, the day of his sentencing, to complete the restitution required by his plea deal.

“This is a very sad day … for the legal community of Southern Maryland,” said Robert Harvey, Izydore’s attorney. “He’s helped hundreds if not thousands of people through his legal career.”

Izydore, who had been friends with the members of the Wood family said he was sorry for not only stealing the money from the family estate but for violating their trust as well.

He said he made several decisions, including building a house he called a “white elephant” that got him into financial trouble, causing him to take out money from the estate’s coffers illegally.

He said he lacked the “moral courage” to make the right decisions to clean up his financial problems at the time.

He also lamented the fact that he sullied the reputation of lawyers in general.

“It’s disturbing I’ve contributed to that,” Izydore said.

Assistant State’s Attorney Daniel J. White, who prosecuted the case, said courthouse staff and the representative of the Wood estate who brought a civil case against Izydore back in 2005 seeking a return of the money were responsible for uncovering the wrongdoings.

Izydore removed the funds illegally in 2001, according to court documents.

“This case may have gone unnoticed,” White said, adding that Izydore had been very cooperative during the investigation.

“From the minute he’s been here he admitted that he did it,” White said.

Paul Colonna, the Wood estate representative, said he was still waiting on $25,000 in punitive damages as well as for court costs from Izydore.

“We’re glad to get back the largest portion of the money,” Colonna said. “I never really wanted to see Julian go to jail… I just wanted to make sure we had restitution.”

Judge Ahalt said that under other circumstances, a five-year prison sentence would not be enough of a punishment for Izydore, given the damage he had done to confidence in the legal system through his actions.

But his actions of contrition, notably returning the money, helped save him from a prison sentence.

“I’ve never seen a greater amount of action towards remorse,” Judge Ahalt said.

“This is an individual who is extremely remorseful.”

Izydore was allowed to carry out the community service in Anne Arundel County, where he resides. Judge Ahalt ordered that the service be completed within one year.

The County Times

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Section A -

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The County Times

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Thursday, April 24, 2008

Editorial & Opinion Leonardtown’s Mayor Norris Deserves Re-Election As with most small towns across the country, Leonardtown has met with its share of challenges over the last several decades. Threats come in many shapes and sizes as do the pressures of development demands. In the late 1980’s a bypass was constructed around Leonardtown’s business district and downtown businesses began to close their doors. Much of the County’s development was occurring in the Lexington Park area due to its proximity to the Patuxent River Naval Air Station.

Everywhere around the downtown were boarded up buildings, cardboard boxes being used as shelters by homeless people in the middle of the town square and a generally declining downtown. There

was even a move to disincorporate the nearly 300 year old town.

In May of 1995 long time resident J. Harry (Chip) Norris decided to run for Mayor of Leonardtown. Chip had served on the Town Council previously for ten years, from 1971-1981, four of those years as President. As the newly elected Mayor, Chip immediately began to work with key businesses to assure they stayed downtown. He began a beautification of the downtown square; adding landscaping, street lighting and brick pavers.

In the late 1980’s the Mayor led a major fight to keep the Circuit Court downtown. The Court, a major economic stimulus downtown, had been in

that location since the 1700’s.

Losing the court traffic downtown would have been the final straw in the demise of the downtown. Succeeding in keeping the court and the post office downtown was a major turning point for the future of Leonardtown.

Today many shining examples of Leonardtown’s success under Chip Norris’s leadership can be seen as you stroll down the streets of Leonardtown. A number of new restaurants line the streets. A variety of art galleries and specialty shops have opened in recent years. Visitors come downtown just to mill thru the shops or enjoy a leisurely chat with a neighbor on one of the park benches. Young and old alike flock to the many family

oriented events on the square.

These popular festivals are enjoyed by thousands of people each year.

On May 16th the residents of St. Mary’s County will enjoy the opening of one of the most shining examples of the work that Mayor Norris has accomplished during his time as Mayor. For years the Leonardtown Wharf lay deserted and in disrepair. Once a hub of commercial activity, this former steamship port was the foundation of Leonardtown’s long history and because of the hard work under Chip’s leadership will once again become a force of economic vitality for the area. Mayor Norris, the Town Council and their staff have worked tirelessly for the last 8 years designing, pursu-

ing funding and overseeing construction of this amazing 5.5 million dollar public park.

In partnership with then Commissioner President Thomas McKay, the Town and County Commissioners forged a partnership to reopen this important waterfront asset for the entire St. Mary’s County population. The County pledged 2.5 million dollars and the Town secured an additional 2.5 million dollars in State grants. The vision and dedication to this project alone is admirable.

As the County’s sole municipality and St. Mary’s County seat, Leonardtown plays an important role in growth and economic diversity. The Town has been awarded a number of Smart Growth and Planning

awards over the last several years for its efforts to plan for the inevitable growth in its jurisdiction. Mayor Norris has supported the efforts to initiate numerous studies that are today being implemented in accommodating the planned growth.

While competitive elections are welcome and are the backbone of our democratic society, complacency sometimes sets in when things are going well. We encourage the residents of Leonardtown to vote in this important election on Tuesday, May 6, 2008. Reelecting Mayor J. Harry (Chip) Norris as leader of this vital community is the right thing to do.

To the Editor: out volunteers, the American Red Cross could not complete its mission to provide relief to victims of disasters and help people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies.

It is National Volunteer Week—a Volunteers do work for free, but volunteers time to recognize volunteers and cel- will tell you that they are well-paid. They conebrate the spirit of volunteerism. tend that the reward for their work is not mon The theme of National Volunteer Week is In- ey, but is, instead, the satisfaction of helping spire by Example, and that is just what South- others, active involvement in the community ern Maryland Red Cross volunteers do. With- and the friendships that form through volun-

National Volunteer Week April 27 – May 3

teer work.

At the Southern Maryland Chapter of the American Red Cross, our volunteers help people affected by domestic disasters, support blood drives, teach lifesaving skills and serve members of the military and their families.

This past year we have been gifted with nearly 8,000 volunteer service hours which equates to approximately $160,000 if we would have had to pay for this labor. Thank you volunteers!!

“Bigger Deal” by Anthony Holden c.2007, Simon & Schuster Trade Paperbacks

By Terri Schlichenmeyer Football, theoretically speaking, lasts for four 15minute periods, not including time-outs. Overall, fans can expect about 3 hours in (and out of) their seats.

Baseball can be over in a few quick three-up-threedown innings, but you can generally plan a leisurely summer afternoon between start and finish.

Even watching basketball, with fast pivots and lightningspeed grabs, takes up the better part of an evening.

Now imagine a game that could last 15 hours or more.

A sport in which thousands of people can play in the same arena simultaneously.

A contest where the players put up the prize money, and amateurs regularly compete against pros.

Read about the sport,

those players, and that big prize money in “Bigger Deal”

by Anthony Holden, now out in paperback.

In 1990, Holden wrote a book about his experiences in the world of poker. Once “Big Deals” was published, he settled down with a new wife, family, and his work. As often as he could, he caught a few Tuesday night hands with friends.

In 2006, following the break-up of his marriage and a job he was merely lukewarm about, Holden heard the call of the card and knew the oncea-week game wasn’t enough.

He set his sights on the World Series of Poker, and he started practicing again.

But the years had dealt poker a few big changes.

Back in 1990, internet poker didn’t exist. When Hold-

en went pok(er)ing around, he learned that website wagering was now a $72 million per day business. Television saw big money in the cards, bringing poker games right into people’s living rooms, complete with under-table cameras that allowed viewers to see hole cards. Big-name players competed for endorsement deals.

College students embraced poker. The game was – gasp!

– becoming respectable.

From Monte Carlo (the country) to Monte Carlo (the casino), high-stakes deals to high-flying hands, poker camp to poker cruises, from small London pubs to the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, Anthony Holden played Texas Hold ‘em.

And he was reminded of the brutal truth: you win some, you lose some.

$15.00

The Southern Maryland Chapter of the American Red Cross welcome volunteers of all ages and skills. To volunteer, contact, Bob “Bunky” Gretton, Volunteer Coordinator, Southern Maryland American Red Cross Chapter, 888276-2767 or BobG@SOMDRedCross.org Bob “Bunky” Gretton, Volunteer Coordinator Serving all of Southern Maryland

304 pages

“Bigger Deal” is a bit of a literary conundrum. On one (winning) hand, author Anthony Holden has a way of making even years-old poker games exciting. He writes about the Holocaust survivor who holds the patent for the camera that revolutionized

poker. He recounts the early years of the WSOP. Holden seems to know everybody in the poker world - other writers, big-name players, casino owners - and he introduces you to them all.

On the other (losing) hand, this book will be some-

what difficult for non-players to follow, since there’s no way to write a book on poker without talking the lingo. To the good, Holden offers a tutorial at the end as well as a glossary that will help.

If you’re a sit-on-thesidelines kind of person, read this book for the personality stories and skip over the playby-play. If you’re a poker fan, though, “Bigger Deal” is no flop.

I’m betting, in fact, you’re going to like it.

Do you have something to say?

Would like your voice to be heard?

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

Send to:

The County Times

P.O. Box 250 • Hollywood, MD 20636 Make sure you include your name, phone # and the city you live in.

We will not publish your phone #, only your name and city

E-mail letters to: opinion@countytimes.net

Letters to the Editor If you wish to send a letter to the editor, please include your name, address and phone number for confirmation purposes. We will only publish your name and city of residence. We can withhold your name by request if circumstances merit it. We must receive all letters by Monday morning for publication in the next issue. Any letter received later than Monday will be held for the following issue.

The County Times

James Manning McKay - Publisher Tobie Pulliam - Office Manager............................tobiepulliam@countytimes.net Andrea Shiell - Government Correspondent......andreashiell@countytimes.net Chris Stevens - Sports Correspondent............... ........chrisstevens@countytimes.net

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The County Times

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Ramblings of a Country Girl

John Wayne

Terri Bartz Bowles I felt like vegging out the other night and there were no good movies on television (a gazillion channels and still nothing worth watching) so I browsed through my personal movie library. I have a variety, of course, one could say a rather eclectic collection. I

have the Austin Powers series and other comedies. I have some classics like Rear Window and some awesome Cary Grant movies. Ah, Cary Grant, the definition of debonair. Sigh. I also have a few light romantic comedies, what some would call “chick flicks”. I like British movies and old Doris Day movies. I

have some dramas and some animation. Some of the great classics have been turned into rather good movies or miniseries and I have quite a few of those. Pride and Prejudice (the greatest novel ever written), Jane Eyre, Persuasion, Vanity Fair. So many good things to choose from!

I ended up choosing

an oldie but goodie starring the greatest of them all, John Wayne. If I could keep the movies of only one actor, it would be John Wayne, hands-down, no contest, no hesitation. Who doesn’t love the Duke? A captivating actor, a charismatic man, a man who knew his own mind and wasn’t afraid of sharing his opinion whether it would be popular or not. Charlton Heston was like that, too. You just have to admire that. So an old John Wayne western was a perfect pick for a relaxing hour and a half of holding the couch down and eating some chocolate ice cream. It’s good for the soul. John Wayne movies are kind of like comfort food.

I like his westerns, my favorites include She Wore A Yellow Ribbon and Fort Apache. Not great movies, not politically correct movies, but I just love the characters he plays and the way he plays them. True Grit and Rooster Cogburn are fantastic. He won his first Oscar for True Grit. I could go on and on, Chisum, Big Jake, The Undefeated.

He and Maureen O’Hara were great friends and made some

Leonardtown Mayor J. Harry “Chip” Norris seems to have a lot of friends. Walking down the street, he is often approached by dignitaries and citizens alike, all of whom want to discuss everything with him, from weather to the upcoming commissioners meeting.

In his 13 consecutive years as the mayor of Leonardtown (he also served in the same position for several years preceding that distinction, fulfilling the same duties as town president), he has only had two challengers for his seat. This year he will face his third challenger, Mr. Harry S. Lancaster, Jr., who is stepping up to campaign for the mayoral seat in the wake of Norris’s expiring term.

What concerns Norris is not his challenger though, but the kids. He explained that around the time of his yearly meeting with the town council, he enjoys talking with elementary school kids in a kind of mock town council meeting, wherein children act as council members and mayor, while their classmates ask them questions and raise concerns.

On Thursday, Norris met with four classes of fourth graders from Leonardtown Elementary to pose all of them as either citizens or politicians, and to explain the budget meeting process to them.

He handed out monopoly money and explained core expenditures like police protection, water and sewer, and recreation and parks.

Five children were pulled from the audience to play council members. The sixth was se-

fine films together. They were wonderful on-screen together, actors who respected each other and liked each other. They enjoyed working together and their movies show it, the greatest of them being The Quiet Man. It was a departure for the Duke but it’s always been a well-received, critically-acclaimed picture.

Then there are movies like Hellfighters, based on the life of Red Adair, famous for fighting unimaginable oil well fires. John Wayne also played detectives and the like but to me, he was at his finest when sitting on a horse amidst the grandeur of the west. I think the bigness of the western country suited the bigness of him. He was a large man, physically, but also a large personality. He had little feet though! I found his footprints at the famed Graummans Chinese Theatre when I visited Hollywood a little over a year ago. I put my foot next to his print and he had small feet for such a big man. But I was thrilled to find his square and have a photo of me sitting there grinning like a fool.

He’s such an icon, such an American original.

provide public access points to parks from Breton Bay to Macintosh Run. “The town is in a position to provide these parks,” he said.

“We want to make all these areas accessible.”

Another big item on the agenda is one that has been in the works for some time; the revitalization of downtown Leonardtown, which he described as a

Fourth Graders Serve As Policy Makers For A Day Andrea Shiell Staff Writer

Section A - He seemed to play characters who had attributes one could admire. He was always the good guy and was rarely the one who got killed. In fact, at the peak of his career, John Wayne never died in a film until his last film. The Shootist was very poignant. He played a gunman who was terminally ill with cancer. John Wayne himself was sick with cancer when he made the movie and it must have been incredibly hard to shoot. You just knew he was going to die at the end of this one and you didn’t want to believe it. You didn’t want to believe he could die in real life, either, but he did. What a sad day that was. There will never be another like him.

But the magic of Hollywood allows us to revisit this old friend whenever we want to.

Thank goodness. Sometimes, you just need a John Wayne fix to get you through, and I think a favorite Duke movie and a bowl of chocolate ice cream can cure what ails you.

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

from the Burchmart at Washington Street through the square, and from Fenwick Street to St. Mary’s Ryken High School. He explained that a bid for the project, which would include sidewalks, bike lanes, and connections for subdivisions in the area, was already awarded, and that he expects work on the project to begin within the next few weeks.

Talking with Norris about

lected to play the part of mayor. about the dog fighting comment, All seemed excited about their he frowned and explained that he distinction. did not think that young children Norris explained the idea of would mention such an activity the yearly budget, and then told the children that there would be $250,000 left over from core expenses. He then asked the children what should be done with that money.

“More hospitals!” shouted Leslie, one of the children on the floor.

“Homes for the poor people,” said a young girl named Mary, from the other side of the room.

“Donate it all to the American Heart Association,” suggested Ericka, while another one of her classmates countered with a loud request for “lower prices on Italian shoes!”

One child recommended using the money to clean up pond pollution, while another was convinced that the money should go for more deputies, more cameras, and lower speed limits.

“Give it to us!” yelled a boy named Scotty, as Norris and the others laughed.

Overall, the exercise proved productive for the students, who were guided through a typical day in local government, the process of making and seconding Photo by Andrea Shiell motions, and voting. Incidental- Mayor Norris guides fourth graders Travon Courtney, Latres Cokerham, Jackie Nadeau, Shannon Quade, Austin Patterson, and Taylor ly, the children voted to split the Williams through a mock town council meeting. money between pollution control, without having witnessed evi- kind of ghost town several years his town and his projects, it was education, police protection, and dence of it. “I’ll have to look into ago. hard not to invoke the image of parks and recreation. that one,” he said.

“There used to be very few the mock mayor at his fourth “Every year I’m surprised at All of this activity is merely a businesses and [mostly] boarded grade town council meeting, a some of the safety issues they prelude to what Norris is attempt- up buildings,” he said, explaining young girl named Jackie who he bring up,” said Norris, citing one ing to do in Leonardtown, citing that over the years, under his di- described as “hilarious,” quite child who had mentioned dog parks and recreation and business rection, the town has added pav- enthusiastically saying to her fighting, another who had menrevitalization as his most impor- ers and streetlights, and attracted classmates, “now that sounds like tioned drunk driving, and yet antant projects. businesses to the area. a really great idea!” other student who had raised conHe explained that his main He described his next project cerns about drugs. When asked goal in the upcoming years is to as a streetscape program starting

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The County Times

Section A -

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Wellness Center Continued from page A- nities to earn.”

“Providing opportunities for students and community members to participate in fitness programs helps improve upon their quality of life,” said Brown.

The one-story building will be home to two swimming pools, a variety of classroom spaces for aerobics, yoga, and other fitness activities, and the building will have specialized fitness assessment rooms for individualized consultations and fitness analysis.

“Lt. Governor Anthony Brown has been a tireless advocate of community colleges and has played a pivotal role in securing the funding for our new wellness center on the Leonardtown campus,” said College of Southern Maryland President Brad Gottfried, who added that funding concerns for the year had left college officials apprehensive about the future of the project. “We really did wonder if we didn’t get the funding this year…would it ever have been funded?” said Gottfried.

“While I would like to take credit for moving the ball upward,” said Brown, “I re-

Lt. Governor Anthony Brown, who came to present a ceremonial capital check for $11.7 million to fund the college’s new wellness center.

“It’s been a very long day,” exclaimed Wood after the stretching session. “Now we’re down here for a project that is very dear to us all.”

The 32,000 square foot project is scheduled to break ground by the fall, will be the fourth building on the campus and is the largest project to receive funds in the state’s 2009 capital budget.

“A lot of people say that dreams don’t come true,” said Mattingly, “but that’s absolutely false…I had a dream that this campus would be complete by the time I got out of office.” Mattingly said this new funding would make that dream a reality.

“Expanding fitness and wellness opportunities for members of our community is a high priority,” said Brown, who cited his work with Governor Martin O’Malley as proof of their commitment to strengthening America’s middle class by providing “opportunities to learn, and opportu-

Photo by Andrea Shiell

Front from left, Mary Lohnes, CSM media relations specialist; Lt. Gov. Brown; CSM Board Chair James Raley. Rear from left, Theresa Johnson, CSM marketing director; Professor Charles Walsh; Tim Johnson; St. Mary’s County Commissioner Thomas A. Mattingly Sr.

ally have to thank Governor O’Malley.”

Brown mentioned that his efforts to increase the budget for higher education would have only been partially

achieved if not for the Governor’s tenacity, resulting in $81 million having been allotted from the 2009 budget for higher education programs.

“There is no better place

to reflect how opportunities are met than here at the College of Southern Maryland,” said Brown, commenting that praise for the higher education system would be of little val-

Rwandan Genocide Survivor, Now SMC Student, Documents Refugee Life

By Guy Leonard Staff Writer

Like many seniors at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, Nesia Munezero, 22, is look-

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ing forward to graduating in May and going on to graduate school.

But unlike many of her classmates, her journey to the college’s campus has been fraught with peril.

In 1994, when she was only about 8 years old, her parents, six brothers and one sister fled the African nation of escape the genocide of Tutsi and Hutu people by Hutu extremists.

Fleeing the breakout of the horrible ethnic war is not the most pleasant memory, she said, but what she remembers most is the traveling in tough conditions, carrying only a few things and then dropping them when you had to run from danger.

“It’s not something I like to talk about… especially for someone so young you don’t know what’s going on,” Munezero, a Burundi native said. “When things get worse you drop things and you run.”

By the time she and her family made it to Congo to take up residence at a refugee camp, they felt entirely out of place she said.

But after about two years they had made a place for themselves in the camp, with her father working as a teacher and her mother teaching people to crochet to sell their creations for money.

“You make friends there and you find ways to manage,” Munezero said.

But in 1996 she and her family were on the run again, because warring factions be-

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gan fighting in Congo, including an attack on the refugee camp itself where she stayed.

“Bullets were flying everywhere,” she remembered.

Mary’s Project, she chose to return to Tanzania and document the lives and experiences of other refugees, some of whom she had known and

ue without support from the state. “You’ve got to put your money where your mouth is,” he said.

cation other than secondary school.

“Today I feel like I have no more problems.”

Her experience gives her a tougher outlook on minor inconveniences that other people may view as larger problems when they travel abroad.

When students from America go to The Gambia, a small African nation, and complain on their

Nesia Munezero

Photo by Guy Leonard

“You were going through villages and towns and there was still shooting.

A couple of years in a Tanzanian refugee camp and her family were able to immigrate to the United States.

Things are completely different now.

“I love it here,” Munezero said of life at the college as she sat in the sun outside on a patio. “I’m graduating but I really don’t want to leave the campus.”

When she came to the United States in 2002 she could not speak a word of English, she said, and had to take ESOL classes at the Baltimore City high school to which she matriculated.

“From being here six years I can speak it now,” she said. “It’s been really hard…

I’ve gotten help from professors and students [at the college]; it’s like a big family.”

For her final graduation requirement, known as the St.

remembered.

Life is still difficult there, she said.

“Everyone there gets a plot, you’re right next to the other family,” she said. “It’s just whatever you can put together for your family.”

Her documentary, called “Faces of Hope,” will debut at the college April 28, but she tried to keep her voice as minimal as possible in the film, she said.

“I have some narrative,” Munezero said. “But I wanted the documentary to be about everyone else.

“It’s not about me.”

After living through lifethreatening circumstances and the squalor of a refugee camp with no real home to call her own, Munezero views coming to America and to the college a blessing.

“I always prayed for us to come,” she said. “I just wanted to go somewhere were we could get the minimum edu-

return about the heat and the insects she is surprised.

“Didn’t you know it was in Africa?” she said. “Why are you complaining?”

Munezero will graduate with a double major in political science and French and hopes to attend the American University in Cairo for her master’s degree.

She hopes to work for an international aid group like the ones that brought food and medicine to her in the refugee camps in Congo and Tanzania.

While America is her home now, she still has fond memories of the camps despite the hardships.

“It was very relieving to come to America,” she said.

“But I miss being there [in the camps], too.”

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The County Times

Thursday, April 24, 2008

SMECO Project Aims To Improve Reliability Of Service

By Guy Leonard Staff Writer Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative CEO Joe Slater says that a proposed electricity transmission line upgrade is critical to providing for the increasing demands for power in Southern Maryland and to increase reliability against power outages.

“With all the growth… it’s time to upgrade to 230,000 volts,” Slater told the St. Mary’s County Board of County Commissioners April 22.

Currently the capacity for Calvert and St. Mary’s County is just 69,000 volts or 69 kilovolts, Slater said.

Slater said that the increase in population, with the concurrent increase in electricity demand has risen sharply in the past 30 years.

In St. Mary’s the number of customers has increased from 17,000 to 41,000; in Calvert County the number has risen since 1976 from 9,100 to 30,000.

The amount of energy those customers use, 683,000 megawatt hours, Slater said, represents a five-fold increase.

There are currently two 230-kilowatt lines running from Prince George’s County through Charles County and portions of northern St. Mary’s County. One of those is a PEPCO line that SMECO

taps into to get electricity.

The third 230-kilowatt loop would run from Holland Cliff switching station in northern Calvert County to the Hewitt Road switching station in Lexington Park going across the Patuxent River, according to SMECO proposals.

Currently a submarine cable runs from Calvert to St. Mary’s to provide power.

“The real benefit to St. Mary’s will be the looping nature of the line,” Slater told the commissioners. “[In the event of a service problem] we’d be able to serve from Calvert to St. Mary’s” Currently the main line that serves St. Mary’s runs from the Ryceville switching station in Charles down to the Hewitt Road station.

Slater said that a disturbance in that line can cause all the service area south of the problem to be disrupted.

Commissioner Daniel H. Raley (D-Great Mills) said that the new project would be of great benefit to the southern reaches of the county. As a former businessman operating a grocery store in Ridge he could attest to electricity service being pushed to its limits on hot summer days.

“You’re running eight or nine compressors and all of a sudden things get brown and lights start to flicker and then your heart starts to flutter,” Raley said.

But he had questions about the projects cost, which, according to Slater, would add and additional $20 million per year on top of SMECO’s $50 million annual capital improvement budget.

“There is no free lunch,” Slater said adding that SMECO was looking at ways to keep the increase in customer service rates down as much as possible.

Slater predicted rate increases “on the high side” could go as high as 4.5 percent to 4.8 percent over the next 10 years.

The project could be finished by 2015 according to SMECO projections at cost of $110 million. Slater said that about $17 million worth of construction would take place in St. Mary’s.

First, SMECO must apply for a state-mandated certificate of need from the Maryland Public Service Commission to get permission to begin the project.

Slater said the cooperative would go before the commission this October after public forums were held on the project to solicit opinions and concerns. The permitting process from the state could take as long as 18 months to two years.

SMECO hopes to get project approval by 2010 and begin construction the following year.

Maryland Bank & Trust Sponsors First Community Shred Day Andrea Shiell Staff Writer The parking lot at the Hickory Hills shopping center seemed to be scattered with cars that had no particular place to go on Saturday. After some careful observation, however, one was bound to notice a booth set up on the street-side of the parking lot, a Cintas Document Management truck, which was whirring loudly, and several people floating to and from cars with boxes or shopping bags full of papers.

This was the scene at Maryland Bank & Trust’s first Community Shred Day, where volunteers set up shop outside their California branch to collect and shred tons of documents from anyone who brought them by. This was the third straight weekend of shredding, with similar collection points having been set up at branches in Prince Frederick, Calvert, and Charles counties.

The bank has named April as

a shredding month, taking its public information campaign about identity theft and the benefits of regular document shredding to branches across southern Maryland.

“We’ve been greeting the customers, handing out cold bottled water, and handing out identity theft information,” said Pat Blanton, one of several volunteers braving the hot afternoon sun that day.

“None of us are getting paid,” said Donna Pulliam, who works at the California branch. “All of us are volunteering today.”

Blanton explained that they were shredding up to three boxes of documents for each visitor, including medical records, personal documents, bank statements, and tax records, among other things.

Many people were sticking around to watch their documents being shredded.

“The senior citizens in particular, people with medical records, tax records or accounting records, they’ve

Guilty Continued from page A- year-old girl in December of last year while he was out on work release.

When Gifford was arrested for the 2007 offense, investigators with the St. Mary’s County Bureau of Criminal Investigations soon found evidence to charge him with a third-degree sex offense against another child from an incident that occurred in 2005.

Gifford’s plea agreement also stipulates that he faces a possible 10-year in prison for the third-degree sex offense in 2005.

In the 2007 case, Gifford was accused of committing the sex offense with the girl while in the home of his employer, which doubled as his employer’s office.

In the 2005 case, Gifford was accused of committing the sex offense with another young girl who he was said to have coaxed into a van.

According to statements of evidence in court by Assistant State’s Attorney Joseph Stanalonis, Gifford exposed his genitalia to the daughter of the man who was employing him at the time.

Gifford did it, Stanalonis said, because of an addiction he had that caused him to lust after the victim. Gifford hoped that by exposing himself to the victim that she would begin to lust after him, Stanalonis stated.

Odd News People with Too Much Free Time They say a man in prison has to keep himself busy, and that may be the reason Jonathan Lee Riches has filed more than 1,000 lawsuits in the last two years, from behind bars. His cases include claims totaling several trillion dollars for “injuries” inflicted on him by such people as President Bush, Martha Stewart, Steve Jobs, Brittany Spears, Tiger Woods (for luggage theft), Barry Bonds (for illegal moonshine production), and he is also suing football player Michael Vick for allegedly stealing his pit bulls to sell them on eBay, then using the proceeds to buy missiles from Iran. Riches has eight years left to go on a federal sentence for fraud.

81 year-old Leo Hill of Lakewood, Colorado was convinced he was being shorted on sheets of toilet paper, citing that rolls in the 12-pack yielded fewer sheets than similar rolls in the fourpack. He meticulously counted 60 rolls, sheet by sheet, and concluded that the shortage amounted to one sit-down session per roll. He took his complaint to the Better Business Bureau and the Denver Post, but the reporter could not replicate Hill’s findings on his brand or eight others.

Worker’s Compensation Fraud…In Drag 41 year-old Garrett A. Dalton of Naugatuck, Connecticut, put in a worker’s compensation claim after allegedly hurting his back at the prison where he worked. He collected over $5,000 in benefits and took five months off of work to recuperate, but suspicions arose when he was photographed doing a stunt for a local radio contest during his time off, running a 40-yard dash in a woman’s dress and high heels while balancing an egg on a spoon. Dalton was competing for tickets to a Hannah Montana concert, and though he did not win, his photograph appeared in a local newspaper, where he was recognized by prison officials. Dalton was arrested and charged with worker’s compensation fraud, and faces up to 20 years in prison.

Least Competent Criminal of the Week Typically, drug dealers like to limit their involvement with the police, which is why police in Nassau County, N.Y., were somewhat baffled when they received a call from 23 year-old Christopher Canonico, who said he had been robbed of $340, his cell phone, and his wallet while trying to sell heroin to two women at a local gas station. The women had apparently set up the meeting and arranged for a third person, a man with a gun, to rob him during the transaction. The two women and the man with a gun were charged with robbery, and Canonico was charged with sale and possession of a controlled dangerous substance.

Blood Sausage?

Two German Air Force sergeants were suspended in December after being caught in an odd side venture selling sausages, using an old family recipe requiring human blood. Their first batches were made with their own fluids, but they began asking colleagues to contribute once they started mass producing their product. According to one of the men’s grandmothers, all blood had to be fresh. “Do not use too many breadcrumbs,” she had written, “but if the blood starts to curdle, stir in a teaspoon of wine vinegar.”

Buy a Home For $100 In what may be a stroke of genius in the slowing housing market, a couple from Santa Fe, New Mexico is giving away their three bedroom, one bathroom home to the winner of an essay contest. There is a catch: It costs $100 to enter the contest, and the home will only go if at least 2,500 people sign up. The state Gaming Control Board is examining whether Tiffany and Todd Lovell’s contest qualifies as a raffle, which would be illegal in the state of New Mexico, or a “game of skill,” which is allowed. The couple hopes to get at least 2,500 participants, which would net them $250,000 for their 1,200 square foot home. If they do not receive the requisite number of entries, the couple says they will cancel the contest and return the entry fees.

really liked to see this done,” said Larry Wright, Senior Vice President of Maryland Bank & Trust. “The whole idea is to get people aware of the importance of shredding,” he added, explaining that Cintas Document Management had helped them shred over nine tons of paper in the last week alone, with a grand total of over 15 tons expected by the end of the weekend.

“After shredding, the paper is bailed up and shipped to market,” explained Terry Murphy from Cintas Document Management while he worked to load paper into the shredder. He added that all the paper would be recycled.

“We’ve had such great feedback,” said Pulliam, noting that their visitors that day had been asking when their next shredding day would be. This is the first year that the bank has sponsored such an activity.

“So we’re considering doing it a lot more often.”

In the 2005 case Gifford fondled the victim’s genitalia, according to court statements.

The father of the young girl in the 2007 case asked Circuit Court Judge Michael J. Stamm to allow Gifford the chance to “seek the opportunity to find the help he needs.”

“This man was my friend. He showed me the way to find God and somewhere along the line he got lost.”

Gifford’s arrest last year was the second arrest of a felon serving a term in jail for a sex offense against a child while they were out on work release.

Shortly after Gifford’s arrest, after questions began to arise about giving work release privileges to sex offenders, the county sheriff’s office began issuing public notices of sex offenders who were put on work release and where they were employed.

Gifford, a retired chief petty officer with the U.S. Navy, had little to say to Judge Stamm, “other than say I’m sorry.”

But Judge Stamm seemed to show little sympathy for Gifford.

“Sometimes sorry is not enough,” Judge Stamm told Gifford. “Crimes against children are among the most horrific we have in our society.”

Judge Stamm said after Gifford’s sentencing, he would have an opportunity to get a reconsideration of his prison time.

“Don’t hold your breath that that is going to happen,” Judge Stamm added.

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The County Times

Section A -

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Lackey Selected As New AIR 1.0 Deputy Commander Naval Air Station Command Press Release Mr. James B. Lackey has been selected as the new Deputy Assistant Commander for Acquisition in AIR 1.0.

“I am really looking forward to join the 1.0 organization and work with other competencies and programs to align our standards, policies and processes,” said Lackey. “I see the AIR-1.0 organization as a key focal point, in coordination with all competencies and various external organizations, to help foster and continually promote successful program execution across NAVAIR.” Since 2007, Lackey served here as the PMA-234 Principal Deputy

Program Manager for the EA-6B and Airborne Electronic Attack, under the Program Executive Office for Tactical Aircraft Programs.

In 2004, he was promoted to serve as the Deputy Department Head (Deputy Program Manager) for the P-8A Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft in PMA-290 Maritime Surveillance Aircraft Program Office under the Program Executive Office for Air Anti-Submarine Warfare, Assault and Special Missions Programs.

In 2003, he was promoted as Level II IPT Air Vehicle Lead for the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye program in the PMA-

231 E-2/C-2 Program Office.

In 2002, he served as an Air Warfare Action Officer for the Office of the Under Secretary Of Defense (Acquisition, Technology Logistics) in the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. Lackey supported OSD oversight for systems developmental test and design maturity across multiple Services for aircraft platforms, air launched weapons, and electronic warfare systems.

In 1999, he served as the Level II Weapon Systems Integration Product Team (IPT) Lead in the PMA-265 F/A-18 Program Office. Lackey managed key weapon systems integration ef-

forts in support of F/A-18C/D fleet operations and in preparation for the F/A-18E/F Initial Operational Capability milestone.

Lackey began his civil servant career here in 1987 as a flight test engineer at the Naval Air Test Center, Patuxent River, Md. In this position, he was responsible for verification and validation of F/A-18C/D design requirements and follow-on test and evaluation projects. He also served as the F/A-18E/F Flight Test Team Lead for the program’s first three developmental aircraft.

Lackey received his Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineer-

ing in 1986 from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va. In 1994, he earned a Master of Science in Engineering Management from Florida Tech in Melbourne, Fla. In 1990 he graduated from the United States Naval Test Pilot School (Fixed Wing - Class 95). He is also a graduate of both the Defense Systems Management College and Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Senior Executive Management Development program.

Lackey was awarded the Meritorious Civilian Service Award in 2007 for his work on the P-8A Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft program.

First EMALS Generator Assembled, Completes First Round Of Testing Naval Air Station Command Press Release The first full size test motor generator for the Navy’s Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) has been assembled and finished factory acceptance testing April 11.

The testing, which lasted approximately 30 days, was done at the manufacturer, Kato Engineering in Mankato, Minn.

“The successful completion of the First Article Testing on the EMALS motor generator is a sig-

nificant step in getting EMALS to the Fleet,” said Capt. Randy Mahr, program manager of PMA251, Aircraft Launch and Recovery Equipment Programs. “The General Atomics and Navy teams have worked closely together in reaching this milestone.”

The motor generator is a huge piece of equipment: 13 ½ feet long, almost 11 feet wide and almost seven feet tall. Weighing in at more than 80,000 pounds, the

Metcom Continued from page A- The upgrades could not only be expensive to install to meet federal and state standards, the letter stated, but could also damage the operations of the Marlay-Taylor facility if not done properly.

“Because the existing site has very little unoccupied space, extra caution will be required by the contractor to avoid damaging existing facilities and to keep the existing treatment process in operation …” King wrote in his letter dated April 11.

“This will, in turn, result in significant additional cost.”

motor generator is capable of delivering up to 60 megajoules of electricity and 60 megawatts at its peak. That much electricity could power more than 12,000 homes for three seconds -- the time it takes to launch an aircraft off a carrier.

This motor generator is one part of the electromagnetic aircraft launch system for the Navy’s new class of aircraft carriers, the Gerald R. Ford-class. The Navy is building the next generation of

electromagnetic launch technology to replace the existing steam catapults used on current generation Nimitz-class aircraft carriers.

The motor generator is part of a suite of equipment called the Energy Storage Subsystem. Included in this equipment suite is the motor generator, the generator control tower and the stored energy exciter power supply.

Twelve of each are required for the new Gerald R. Ford-class air-

Building a new site on the 18-acre plot, which is directly adjacent to the Marlay-Taylor plant, could prove to be more cost-effective, King wrote, because the extra expense of working around the existing plant would be avoided.

Ives told The County Times that he had only recently received the proposal from MetCom and had not had enough time to approve or deny the request.

“It’s a proposal with some credence that we need to look at,” Ives said. “It certainly lays out some advantages for the base.

“We’ll give it a good hard look.”

The County Times reported in January that the projected costs to upgrade and expand the facility to not only meet nutrient removal standards but increase capacity for development

craft carrier. Five of each are currently being manufactured under the Systems Development Demonstration contract with General Atomics, one for component level testing and four will be installed and used for system level testing at the Lakehurst, N.J., EMALS catapult site.

growth could have reached about $125 million.

At that time King told The County Times that new engineering analyses were in the works to find ways to greatly reduce those costs.

The high figure was unacceptable, King said.

The current estimates for the waste water treatment expansion, divided between $48 million for construction and additional money for administration, have been pared down to $60 million, King wrote in his letter.

But that drastically lowered estimate depends upon the possibility of getting the government-owned land, his letter stated.

“This most recent estimate is based on the assumption that it may be possible for the commission to acquire the from the Navy approximately 18 acres of vacant property… King wrote. “I am hopeful that this cost can be reduced even further.”

If the Navy agreed to the land donation, King wrote, then both the county and the navy could reduce their share of the cost.

Currently the Navy has contracted to use 1.2 million gallons per day of the Marlay-Taylor plant’s 6 million gallon per day capacity, meaning that the Navy would be responsible for one-fifth of the cost of the upgrades, King wrote.

Clarke Continued from page A-

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iff’s office information, found numerous rifles, shotguns, handguns and about 3,000 rounds of ammunition.

Clarke was convicted of trafficking cocaine back in 1986.

The indictment against Clarke was issued April 16 and a warrant issued April 17.

According to charging documents against Clarke filed last year, he was alleged to have fired on Cody Philip Burch, Nicholas Ryan Hancock, and Kevin Michael Gragan, all aged 17, when they went hunting waterfowl at a pond on Johnson Pond Lane in Leonardtown at about 7:30 a.m.

Charging documents state that after shooting several waterfowl, they went into the water to retrieve the birds.

It was then that Clarke appeared on the shoreline and allegedly began shooting at them.

The victims allege that Clarke fired between 25 and 30 rounds at them from what they believed to be an AR15-type rifle, and that the rounds impacted some 30 to 40 yards away from where they were.

Two other witnesses at the pond corroborated the story of the three victims, charging documents state.

When Clarke was contacted by Deputy Shawn Moses at his home, charging documents state, the defendant admitted he was in possession of an AR-15 rifle and had fired “several rounds” into the ground trying to “scare the ducks.”

After his arrest, several more guns, 10 in all, were seized from Clarke’s home, the indictment states. Those weapons included an Uzi 9mm rifle, a Desert Eagle .44 magnum auto-pistol, a Kel-Tec CNC Industries Sub-2000 9mm rifle, a Spanish Felix Sarasketa shotgun, a Winchester Repeating Arms Model 120 shotgun and a Model 94 long gun of the same manufacturer.

Assistant State’s Attorney Daniel J. White, who is prosecuting the case, said much work remains to be done on the case and it is still an open investigation, particularly how Clarke was able to obtain so many weapons though he was a convicted felon.

“This is a continuing investigation as to where those weapons came from,” White told The County Times.

Clarke’s attorney Shane Mattingly, declined to comment on the case against his client.

The County Times

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Section A -

Obituaries Theresa Ruth “Sissy Girl” Combs, 81

Theresa Ruth “Sissy Girl” Combs, 81, of Great Mills died April 19 in St. Mary’s Nursing Center.

Born Oct. 21, 1926 in Great Mills, she was the daughter of the late Thomas Leonard and Martha Mary Combs, Sr. She is survived by one sister, Veronica M. Johnson of Great Mills, MD and a host of nieces and nephews. She was also preceded in death by her siblings: Noemi Evans, Agatha Wildoner, Thomas L. Combs, Jr. and John A. Combs.

Ms. Combs loved cats, making jewelry, doing puzzles and painting, drinking Coke, eating Little Debbie snacks, listening to Elvis and hoola dancing.

The family received friends Tuesday, April 22 from 8:30 – 9:30 a.m. in the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial being celebrated at 10 a.m. in Holy Face Catholic Church, Great Mills, with Fr. Joseph Sileo officiating.

Interment will take place in the Church Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Anthony L. Hall, Wayne Johnson, Anthony L. Hall, Jr. and Gregory Hall. Honorary Pallbearers will be Benjamin Johnson, Jr., Shawn Cronan, Russell Middleton, Danieal, James and Austin Smelcer.

Contributions may be made to Bay District Volunteer Fire Department, P.O. Box 1440, California, MD 20619, Leonardtown Volunteer Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 299, Leonardtown, MD 20650 and/or Special Olympics, 25926 Whiskey Creek Road, Hollywood, MD 20636.

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

Raymond Lee Ferrell, 74 Raymond Lee Ferrell, 74, of California died April

21 in St. Mary’s Hospital, Leonardtown.

Born March 30, 1934 in Chicago, Ill., he was the son of the late Duane and Gladis Bashaw Ferrell.

He served his country in the U.S. Air Force from Oct. 24, 1955 to Oct. 31, 1975. He was a member of the Thomas J. Shryock Lodge #223 AF & AM in Hollywood, Scottish Rite of Freemasonry 32nd degree and Shriners of North America, Boumi Shrine Temple, Baltimore, Md. Mr. Ferrell was a 1983 graduate of St. Mary’s College with a bachelor of history degree.

He is survived by his wife Helen Wilker Ferrell of California, a daughter, Lisa Neal of Dover, Del., a son, Michael Halterman of Lusby, Md., three grandchildren, Tara Neal, Jacob Halterman and Abigail Halterman.

In addition to his parents he was preceded in death by a son, Scott Ferrell.

Relatives and friends are invited to Mr. Ferrell’s Life Celebration Thursday, April 24 from 5 – 8 p.m. in the Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A. in Leonardtown. A Masonic Memorial Service will be conducted at 7 p.m. Interment will take place in Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.

Memorial contributions may be made to Shriners Hospital for Children, 3551 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19140.

company of family and friends and joking with them. He was a carpenter by trade and took pride in his work. He spent much of his time hunting, fishing, cutting grass and working in his garden.

“Butch” is survived by his dear mother, Mary Catherine Guy of California, children, Paul A. Guy (Gwen) of St. Inigoes, Gina M. Biscoe (Tim) of Lusby, Jessica R. Guy and fiancée Jake of Lexington Park, grandchildren, Brandon and Ashley Biscoe, sister, Mary Catherine “Kay” Dean of Callaway, nieces, Missy, Cindy, and Jeanie and nephew Topper, as well as aunts, uncles, cousins and many other close family members and friends.

He was preceded in death by his father, Raymond A. Guy, Sr. The family received friends Wednesday, April 23 from 5 – 8 p.m. in St. Michael’s Catholic Church, 16555 Three Notch Road, Ridge, MD. Prayers were recited at 7 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated by the Reverend Monsignor Maurice O’Connell Thursday, April 24 at 10 a.m. Interment will be private.

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association, P.O. Box 11454, Alexandria, VA 22312.

Condolences to the family may be made at www. brinsfieldfuneral.com.

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

Raymond Aloysius “Butch” Guy, Jr., 60 Beatrice Ellis Kregloh, 88

Raymond Aloysius “Butch” Guy, Jr., 60, of Scotland, Md. died April 20 in Washington Hospital Center, Washington, D.C. with his family by his side.

Born May 9, 1947 in Leonardtown, he was the son of Mary Catherine Kraus Guy, and the late Raymond Aloysius Guy, Sr. He lived each day to the fullest and enjoyed the

Beatrice Ellis Kregloh, 88, of California, Md. died April 14 in St. Mary’s Nursing Center, Leonardtown.

Beatrice was born Oct. 29, 1919 in Interlaken, New York. She resided at the Wildewood Retirement Center, in California, Md.. She is survived by her children, Peter Z. Kregloh of Olney, Md., Daniel J. Kregloh of Lusby, Md., and Constance Durocher of San Antonio, Texas, four grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, U.S.A.F. Colonel Edwin Robert Kregloh.

A private inurnment will be in the Maryland Veterans Cemetery, Cheltenham, Md. Condolences to the family may be made at www. brinsfieldfuneral.com.

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

Marilyn Cecilia Ridgell, 82

Marilyn Cecilia Ridgell, 82, of Mechanicsville died April 19 in her residence.

Born Jan. 1, 1926 in San Francisco, Calif., she was the daughter of the late Joseph H. and Margaret Smith Davis.

Marilyn is survived by her husband Gregory T. “Brother” Ridgell of Mechanicsville and daughter, Diane Ridgell of Leonardtown.

The family received friends for Marilyn’s Life Celebration Tuesday, April 22 from 5:00 – 8 p.m. with prayers recited at 7 p.m. in St. Michael’s Catholic Church, 16555 Three Notch Road, Ridge, MD. A Mass of Christian Burial was concelebrated by Father Joseph Bayne, OFM of Buffalo, N.Y. and the Reverend Monsignor Maurice O’Connell Wednesday, April 23 at 10 a.m. in the church.

Memorial contributions may be made to The Hospice House, c/o Hospice of St. Mary’s, P.O. Box 625, Leonardtown, MD 20650, or the Alzheimer’s Association, Southern Maryland Office, P.O. Box 1889, LaPlata, MD 20646.

Condolences to the family may be made at w w w.b r i n sf ield f u n e r a l. com.

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

Dortha Mae Spratt, 82 Dortha Mae Spratt, 82, of Tall Timbers died peacefully April 16 in St. Mary’s Nursing Center, Leonardtown.

Born Oct. 23, 1925 in Calvin, Okla., she was the daughter of the late Ruby G. Gaddy Lowe and Loranzy Jennings Lowe.

She was preceded in death by her beloved hus-

band Edgar H. “Buddy” Spratt. They enjoyed boating for many years on the “Jandolin” in Southern Maryland. She was a retiree of the Central Intelligence Agency.

She is survived by two daughters, Linda S. Green of Herndon, Va., Janis L. Adams of Valley Lee, two grandsons, Matthew T. Green of Chicago, Ill and Adam R. Green of Reston, Va., sons-in-law, Thomas M. Green and Johnny Adams, one sister, Lillian M. Doyle of Tampa, Fla, three nieces, Patricia Goode of Savannah, Ga., Karen Doyle of Tampa, Fla. and Carol Lee Barefoot of Raleigh, NC.. and countless friends.

The family received friends Saturday, April 19 from 4 – 7 p.m. in the Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A. in Leonardtown. Prayers were recited at 6 p.m. A private graveside service was held Sunday, April 20 in Fairfax Memorial Park, Fairfax, Va. Memorial contributions may be made to the Second District Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 1, Valley Lee, MD 20692.

James William “Jimmy” Tippett, 78

James William “Jimmy” Tippett, 78, died April 16 in his residence in Hollywood.

Born Dec. 6, 1929 in Washington, D.C., he was the son of the late Tabor and Rosalee Tippett of Washington, D.C. and Hollywood.

He attended St. Peter’s and Gonzaga schools in Washington, D.C. He was married to Janet (Head) Tippett Nov. 10, 1951 at St. Peter’s Church in Southeast Washington.

He is survived by his wife Janet Tippett; his children – Janet Absher, Margaret (Peggy) Tippett, Jeanne Young, James Tippett, Jr., Patrick Tippett and Karen Dillon. He is also survived by eleven grandchildren

– Jeanine Hoffman, Jason Absher, Jaime Winlack, Meaghan Winlack Shwallenberg, John Young, Justin Winlack, Adam Tippett, Julie Tippett, Ryan Tippett, Faith Dillon and Caroline Tippett and five great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his brother Francis and is survived by Joseph, John, Michael and Thomas Tippett and sisters Jean Terry and Joan Dalton.

He was 20 years the Fleet Manager of the U.S. Postal Service in Riverdale, Md. where he retired in January 1986. In his youth, he was a superb athlete, playing football, basketball and softball. He joined the Submarine reserves at the age of 19 and belonged for several years. He was the top bowler for more than 20 years in the Mt. Calvary Mixed League in Forestville, Md. His real passion was fishing, especially following his retirement. He loved music, especially showtunes and county music; loved the theater and loved to travel; he visited Hawaii twice, Ireland, Russia, Scandanavia, Germany, the Carribean, Alaska and Bermuda. He was known for his mechanical diagnostic abilities- if it ran, Jimmy could fix it. He was known in the family for his easy going disposition and his sense of humor. Lilacs were his favorite flower and “The Quiet Man” with John Wayne was his favorite movie. He was a “Jeopardy” fan and enjoyed the History and Discovery channels.

The family received friends April 20 at the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated April 21, 2008 at St. John’s Catholic Church, Hollywood, with Fr. Raymond Schmidt as the celebrant. Interment followed in the church cemetery.

Contributions may be made to Hospice of St. Mary’s, P.O. Box 625, Leonardtown, MD 20650 and/or St. John’s Church Building Fund, 43950 St. John’s Road, Hollywood, MD 20636 and/or the Alzheimer’s Association, P.O. Box 1889, La Plata, MD 20646.

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

To Place a Memorial Ad Please Call The County Times at 301-373-4125

The County Times

Section A - 10

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Families Get Together For Annual Run Fun Walk Andrea Shiell Staff Writer

ward for Jamie and Drew Eckman was their exposure, raising awareness of their cause to the community. The Eckmans were there Saturday saw hundreds of people tak- to draw support for the Menkes Foundation, ing to the streets for the “Lucky” 13th Annual which they formed after suffering the tragic Run Fun Walk for Hospice in Leonardtown. loss of their son, Wesley, who died two weeks Throngs of families trailed along Route 4 from before his first birthday of Menkes syndrome, the Governmental Center in Leonardtown, a disease affecting one in 100,000 infants, some with strollers or pets in tow, to complete characterized by a defect in how victims meeither the 10K or the 5K course. tabolize copper. Though their work spreading Several companies sponsored the event, awareness of the disease is a full-time project, including BAE Systems, Booz Allen Hamil- Saturday highlighted their commitment to the ton, Sabre Systems, Smartronix, and Camber hospice, which they credit with helping their Corporation, which all included teams that family survive their ordeal. participated in the event. Others provided “We had 52 team members for the run food and water at the end of the race, as well including children,” said Drew Eckman after as awards for the winners of the race. the event, “and $1275 was raised in support of The female winner for the 10K run was Hospice and $200 went towards our awareness Mary Kate Baily from Arlington, Virginia, campaign…this event was more about raising who completed the run after having given awareness by getting our shirts out there, as birth to her baby a mere seven weeks before. well as our brochures.”

The male winner was Lee Howarth from Whereas for many it was about the cause, Great Mills. including the hundreds of participants who Taking home prizes for the 5K run were walked or ran in honor of loved ones, for othAlexander Gardullo from Lutherville, Mary- ers it was also a chance to have some fun. land, and Julia Smith from Tappahannock, Dale Sakahara stood with his smooth-coated Virginia. collie named Sheena outside after the race and Though some took home trophies, the re- laughed about his dog’s enthusiasm. “She was

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Oswyn relaxes in the shade while his owner, Laura Webb, gives him a drink of water after the Run Fun Walk for Hospice on Saturday.

Veterans Continued from page A-

GOOD FOOD, GOOD FRIENDS, GREAT TIMES

Seabreeze

services to veterans,” said Brian Hepburn, the Executive Director for the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. “But the government felt there was a gap in services,” he added.

But recent gains made by the General Assembly may change that. “We had a very successful year in Annapolis,” said Brigadier James A. Adkins, Maryland Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Adkins was also recently appointed by Governor Martin O’Malley to be in the next Adjutant General for the State of Maryland, noting his distinction with proud smiles as he said “I’ll be manning two fronts now.”

Lt. Governor Anthony Brown and others praised the recent passage of House Bill 372 and Senate Bill 210 in the Maryland General Assembly, establishing health service coordination among the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and both the state and federal departments of Veterans Affairs. “We’re partnering with the public mental health system and the federal system,” said Hepburn. “It’s not that we’re trying to replace the federal

services.”

“The screening that they’re doing shows about a third suffering from post traumatic stress disorder,” said Hepburn while explaining recent screenings of veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. “So the goal is early screening evaluations and getting them into services…the only problem is there aren’t services for rural areas, so people have to drive all the way to Baltimore.”

Brown, a veteran himself who spent 24 years in the service, five years on active duty, and ten months in Iraq, toured the veterans home, stopping to talk with many of the residents. He attended the finale of their yearly talent show to crown the year’s winners.

Brown also spoke about the passage of the house and senate bills, praising those present for their commitment to service. “It’s because of that service that we’re going to do everything possible for you,” he said, adding that the new veterans packet would go a long way to transitioning soldiers from combat to civilian life, with increased money for scholarships, and more offices around the state providing services.

“This is probably one of the best years we’ve had in a number of years, paying tribute to the veterans,” said Wood, “but we’ve still got a long way to go.”

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Lt. Governor Anthony Brown visits with a veteran at the Charlotte Hall Veterans home on Friday