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DA I LY U P DAT E S AT G A Z E T T E . N E T
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
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Environmentalists sue to stop Purple Line work Plaintiffs cite damage to habitat of amphipods near Rock Creek
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ELIZABETH WAIBEL STAFF WRITER
Environmentalists have sued several federal agencies,
claiming the proposed Purple Line light-rail project will damage the natural habitat of small, shrimp-like animals in Montgomery County and Washington, D.C. The Friends of the Capital Crescent Trail of Bethesda and Chevy Chase residents John MacKnight Fitzgerald and Christine Real de Azura filed the
lawsuit Tuesday in U.S. District Court for D.C. The suit claims that federal agencies violated the Endangered Species and National Environmental Policy acts by failing to seriously scrutinize how the Purple Line may harm two species of rare amphipods. Amphipods are tiny crustaceans that live in water. One species,
the Hay’s spring amphipod, is considered endangered; the other, the Kenk’s amphipod, is a candidate for such designation. The amphipods — about a quarter-inch long — may eat bacteria and fungi found on dead and decaying leaves, but much of the life history of these species remains a mystery, as they live underground in small
Officer, students forge bonds BY
Montgomery gets mine-resistant truck; agencies acquire rifles n
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STAFF WRITER
PHOTOS BY RAPHAEL TALISMAN/FOR THE GAZETTE
Lilly Gibson (left) 2, and Carson Hebb, 3, both of Kensington, watch the Kensington Labor Day parade Monday morning.
Labor Day in Kensington n
Parade, fire department fundraiser among the activities in town BY
ELIZABETH WAIBEL STAFF WRITER
The town of Kensington celebrated Labor Day on Monday with a parade and festival for residents and visitors. One of the more unusual events this year was a fundraiser for the Kensington Volunteer Fire Department. Rock Creek CrossFit
coach Tristan Churm pulled an approximately 16,000-pound ambulance by a harness about 45 feet, and people donated $1,458 for the department through an online fundraising page. Ian Nigh, head coach and owner of Rock Creek CrossFit, said the group also collected cash donations the day of the event, including about $400 to $500 from people who pledged a dollar or so per pushup done by some of the other coaches. All told, $2,242 was raised. ewaibel@gazette.net
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HEAT OF THE DESERT
Round House brings Sam Shepard’s “Fool for Love” to life.
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Use of this military equipment — often surplus gear acquired from the Pentagon — has drawn criticism from police leaders, civil-rights activists and late-night talk show hosts, but police in Montgomery County say there’s a time and a place for it, as well as a right and a wrong way to employ it. Montgomery County police have three armored vehicles including a large, mine-resistant truck, or MRAP — valued at $733,000 — that the department obtained from the federal government in July. “We use them when they’re supposed to be used, and we don’t use them when they shouldn’t be used,” Manger said. “You’d never see them in a crowd-control situation. You’d never see them at a protest.” This surplus military equipment — from armored vehicles
See POLICE, Page A-9
All aboard for model train show in Kensington Event raises money for library, historical society
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ELIZABETH WAIBEL
Model train enthusiasts are rolling into Kensington this weekend to share their hobby and raise money for two local organizations. The Kensington Model Train Show is a two-day event featuring displays of working miniature electric trains. Members of the National Capital Trackers model train club are bringing O gauge electric trains to chug around tracks. This is the fourth year for the family-friendly show, which is raising money for the Noyes Children’s Library Foundation and Kensington Historical Society.
Rock Creek CrossFit coach Tristan Churm of Silver Spring pulls an approximately 16,000-pound ambulance using a harness and rope.
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Montgomery County Police Chief J. Thomas Manger said he was “horrified” when he saw images of Ferguson, Mo., police on top of an armored vehicle, pointing weapons at protesters. By now, the pictures have come to define the conflict in Ferguson: police dressed for battle in camouflage riot gear and pointing rifles at crowds, some perched on top of tanklike armored vehicles, the line between small-town America and war zone suddenly hazy. Protests sprang up after the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teen by a white police officer.
STAFF WRITER
See SECURE, Page A-9
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DANIEL LEADERMAN STAFF WRITER
PEGGY MCEWAN
Many schools have a Green Team to turn off lights, collect recyclables and help reduce waste, but Tilden Middle School in North Bethesda has a Greene Team — and it does way more than that. The team works to turn on the lights of learning, make the school a safer place and ensure that no student feels as if he is just marking time at school. The team is the work of Keith Greene, the school’s security officer, who believes that every child is to be cherished and can be successful when given adequate support, according to Principal Irina LaGrange. Eighth-grader Isaiah Baker just transferred to Tilden from Prince George’s County and is one of the few new members of this year’s Greene Team. When school begins, the team is usually small — just seventh- and eighth-graders who were members the year before ask to be included — and gradually the group grows. By the end of the 2013-14 school year, more than 200 students were on the team, Greene said. He writes their name in a notebook and gives them a pencil for joining. “I say, ‘Don’t use it until you take the SATs,’” he said. This year, Greene noticed Isaiah was new and a little lost, so he took him under his wing. It’s something Isaiah is grateful for. He is learning that being on Greene’s team includes a responsibility to himself and his school. “It’s important to me because the future me wants to do this kind of thing, take myself seriously,” Isaiah said. Greene said he enlists the help of students, because he
Line will impair aesthetic and recreational aspects of the popular Capital Crescent Trail and the biodiversity of the area. The plaintiffs are suing the Federal Transit Administration, the Department of Transportation, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Department of the
County police: We rarely use our military equipment
Tilden Middle School official makes a difference for kids
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numbers and are difficult to find and study, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The main area of contention is near where the Purple Line would cross Rock Creek. Amphipods have been found elsewhere in the Rock Creek watershed, especially near the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. The suit also says the Purple
IF YOU GO n What: Kensington Model Train Show n When: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday n Where: Kensington Armory/ Town Hall, 3710 Mitchell St. n Cost: $5 for adults, $2 for children or $10 per family n Information: explorekensington.com/ events.php
In addition to the trains, the show will host musical performers. The Dixie Land Express Band is scheduled to perform from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Matthew Dodd is expected to share railroad songs and stories from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday. ewaibel@gazette.net