LIQUOR SALES County officials try to justify monopoly. A-5
A&E: Tell me more! For Rockville Musical Theatre, “Grease” is still the word. B-4
The Gazette BETHESDA | CHEVY CHASE | KENSINGTON
SPORTS: Whitman sophomore golfer grew up on the greens that he’s now winning on. B-1
DA I LY U P DAT E S AT G A Z E T T E . N E T
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Big operation is underway at Suburban Despite opposition from neighbors, $225M project begins at Bethesda hospital n
BY
ELIZABETH WAIBEL STAFF WRITER
PHOTOS BY TOM FEDOR/THE GAZETTE
Montgomery County Public School students are entertained and educated by JazzReach in the Music Center at Strathmore on Thursday
Five years from now, Suburban Hospital in Bethesda will probably look very different from the way it looks today. On Tuesday, the hospital held a ceremonial groundbreaking for its long-planned $225 million construction project that will create a new building
and new main entrance to the hospital. The new building will have new patient and operating rooms, gardens and office space, according to a hospital news release. The existing building and entrance to the emergency center will remain. The first phase of construction, expected to begin in 2017 after site work is completed, will include new garage and surface parking. This is the first major clinical addition at the hospital in
See SUBURBAN, Page A-11
Getting a feel for the blues Fifth-graders take in concert series at Strathmore n
BY
LINDSAY A. POWERS STAFF WRITER
Saxophonist Roxy Coss of JazzReach performs the blues.
The cheering of more than 1,600 Montgomery County fifth-graders was nearly deafening one day last week at the Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda. It wasn’t One Direction driving their enthusiasm, or Taylor Swift. Rather, the kids clapped and danced to a band consisting of two saxophones, a trumpet, trombone, piano, drums, guitar and bass. The students were watching one of seven concerts performed from Oct. 21 to Friday, created to teach Montgomery County Public Schools’ roughly 11,000
fifth-graders about the blues. The blues program — “YES INDEED!” — marks a different beat for the Strathmore Student Concerts, a program that has provided opportunities for students to take in classical music performances. Second-graders in county schools will watch classical concerts in November. The new program stems from a partnership involving Strathmore, the school system and JazzReach, a nonprofit in New York City that produces music education performances. In these blues concerts, the aim was to teach the fifth-graders about the history, musicians, lyrics and structure of the genre, as well as its emotional messages, said Katherine Murphy, content special-
See BLUES, Page A-11
Brainstorming Purple Line plans begins n
Silver Spring meeting attracts residents, groups affected by proposed light rail BY
RAISA CAMARGO STAFF WRITER
Residents and groups have started brainstorming ideas for how to shape plans for the Purple Line light rail through Mont-
gomery and Prince George’s counties. More than 130 people attended a meeting in Silver Spring Saturday to brainstorm initiatives for construction of the 16-mile project, which now is expected to cost more than $2.45 billion, according to the Maryland Transit Administration. Advocates and stakeholders are at odds on the direction the project should take. Several groups have expressed an interest in improving economic sustainability,
while helping local residents maintain their neighborhood identity. The forum, held at the Silver Spring Civic Center, is the first of two workshops to help address concerns through a draft of shared priorities for a “community compact” agreement. The second meeting will be Nov. 17 in Prince George’s County. The compact intends to address how to preserve housing choices, support small
See LINE, Page A-11
Cabin John park plans eerie train, ice skating n
‘Not-so-spooky’ events in Bethesda also cater to younger kids for Halloween weekend BY
ELIZABETH WAIBEL STAFF WRITER
Cabin John Regional Park is doing up
Halloween in a big way this week. The Bethesda park’s miniature train has been converted to the “Eye Spy Halloween Train” on Wednesday through Saturday. Children can spy items in the woods as they take a train ride through the park, and family-friendly Halloween movies are shown every evening, according to a news release. The train rides are geared for children
8 and younger and cost $5. Hours of operation, weather permitting, are 3 to 8 p.m. weekdays and 1 to 8 p.m. weekends. The train is at 7410 Tuckerman Lane. More information is at cabinjohntrain.com or call 301-765-8670. The park’s ice rink also is open for skating sessions with varying levels of spooki-
See PARK, Page A-12
INDEX Automotive Calendar Celebrations Classified Entertainment Obituaries Opinion Sports
1932793
B-11 A-2 A-13 B-8 B-4 A-12 A-14 B-1
Volume 3, No. 37, Two sections, 28 Pages Copyright © 2014 The Gazette Please
RECYCLE
RENDERING FROM SUBURBAN HOSPITAL
An artist’s rendering shows a what a patient’s room is expected to look like after Suburban Hospital’s expansion.
Westbrook school is 75 and going strong Bethesda elementary school county’s 6th oldest n
BY
PEGGY MCEWAN STAFF WRITER
For 75 years Westbrook Elementary School in Bethesda has been educating neighborhood children and standing as a beacon of unity for the community. On Sunday, the Friends of Westbrook School Foundation hosted an afternoon tea to celebrate the community and the people who worked through the years to keep the school going. “Without them we would not be here to celebrate,” said Dana Rice, president of the foundation. “It’s time to say thank you.” Westbrook was is danger of closing in the late 1970s when enrollment declined in both it and nearby Brookmont Elementary School. The county school board had each school form a local evaluation committee to make a case for saving its school. “It was an important en-
BILL RYAN/THE GAZETTE
John Russell (left) of Bethesda and Philip Scott, both of whom attended Westbrook Elementary School in the 1950s, look at old class photos during the Bethesda school’s 75th anniversary celebration tea Sunday.
deavor. We put together a book, we did research and we met night after night after night,”
See WESTBROOK, Page A-12