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HE’S A MAGIC MAN Illusionist returns to BlackRock with entertaining bag of tricks. B-5
The Gazette BETHESDA | CHEVY CHASE | KENSINGTON
DAILY UPDATES ONLINE www.gazette.net
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
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Chevy Chase gives rescue squad $60,000
Storybook characters come to life
n Organization had sought $230,000 for new ambulance BY AGNES BLUM STAFF WRITER
The night John Fleder of Chevy Chase had chest pains and called 911, he wasn’t thinking of how the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad paid for its fleet of seven ambulances. He just knew he needed the squad to take him to the hospital, where he found out that he was having a massive heart attack. “They were professional and calm and calming. They almost certainly saved my life,” Fleder said.“If it had taken much longer, I probably would have been dead.” So for Fleder and Chevy Chase Town Council Members Al Lang and John Bickerman, dipping into the town’s surplus of $8 million to fulfill the squad’s request for $230,000 to pay for a new ambulance is a no-brainer. Others in the town and the council have disagreed. At the end of a contentious discussion on the subject Oct. 9, the council came to what Mayor Patricia Burda called a compromise by agreeing, 4-1, with Bickerman opposed, to give the rescue squad $60,000. The squad was told it could come back in January to seek more money. Brooke Davies, president of the squad, which has its headquarters on Old Georgetown
GREG DOHLER/THE GAZETTE
Suna Seo of Chevy Chase and her daughters Lydia, 5, and Abby, 3, participate in an interactive sing-along during the celebration of the 120th anniversary of Kensington’s Noyes Library for Young Children on Saturday at Kensington Town Hall. Lydia and Abby dressed as their favorite book characters, “Madeline” and “Olivia,” respectively, in honor of the event.
See SQUAD, Page A-13
Fancy Nancy, Thing 1 and Thing 2 and Clifford the Big Red Dog all came out to help celebrate the Noyes Library 120th birthday Saturday at the Kensington Town Hall. Children dressed up as their favorite literary characters and enjoyed a magic show. Readers who completed their summer reading logs of 120 books received medals commemorating their achievement from Parker Hamilton, director of public libraries for Montgomery County. Children read 120 books in honor of the 120 years that the library has been open.
County to reopen Glen Echo Park
– AGNES BLUM
Businesses split on minimum wage increase Chamber: Many focused for now on effects of shutdown n
BY
RYAN MARSHALL STAFF WRITER
Proposals to increase the minimum wage at the county or state levels have some Montgomery County businesses worried about the effect the bill would have on their bottom line, while others support a raise in the wage. County Councilman Mark Elrich (D-At large) of Takoma Park has proposed a bill that would raise the county’s minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $11.50 an hour over three years. Similar bills have been proposed in Prince George’s County and Washington, D.C. A bill also is expected in the Maryland General Assembly during the 2014 session to raise the
NEWS
A CELEBRATION AND A CAMPAIGN The Equality for Eid campaign asked Muslim community members to skip school.
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state’s minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. Many businesses in Montgomery that depend heavily on government workers and federal contracts are more focused on the immediate damage caused by the government shutdown, said Gigi Godwin, president and CEO of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce. Godwin said she respects the county bill’s sponsors for trying to help people, but the uncertainty caused by the shutdown makes it a bad time to look at a county measure. “I know their intentions are good, their timing is terrible,” Godwin said. She said she believes the issue would be better addressed at the state or federal level. Lori Rodman, an owner of Century Distributors in Rockville,
See INCREASE, Page A-13
Leggett says county will operate facility if there’s no deal with National Park Service n
BY
RYAN MARSHALL AND JENN DAVIS STAFF WRITERS
DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE
Forklift operator Filipe Contreras moves pallets of merchandise Tuesday in the warehouse at Century Distributors in Rockville.
SPORTS
ALL RUN, NO DANCE
Bullis running back has the right moves on the field, but not so much on the dance floor.
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RECYCLE
Montgomery County will reopen Glen Echo Park itself on Friday if the county can’t reach a deal with the National Park Service to operate the facility that is currently closed because of the federal government shutdown. The county may perpetrate an “act of civil disobedience” and begin operating the park on Friday if an agreement can’t be reached with the park service by Thursday night, County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) told the Gazette on Tuesday. Although it sits on National Park Service land, Glen Echo is run by the county and the nonprofit Glen Echo Partnership for Arts and Culture. “They operate it,” Leggett said. “The park service does not operate this.” On Monday, Councilman Roger Berliner (DDist. 1) of Gaithersburg sent a letter to Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell asking that the park
See PARK, Page A-13
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