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BETHESDA | CHEVY CHASE | KENSINGTON
DAILY UPDATES ONLINE www.gazette.net
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
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Teacher honored for saving life n
Our Lady of Lourdes fifth-grade teacher described as modest and courageous BY AGNES BLUM STAFF WRITER
Hiking on the Billy Goat Trail at Great Falls this summer, Alexandra Corbutt and her friend heard someone yelling “Help!” After realizing a man was drowning in the Potomac River, Corbutt suggested that she, and two men who had come along, form a human chain and drag the man to safety. Meanwhile, her friend called 911.
“I would have dove right in for any of you guys.”
TOM FEDOR/THE GAZETTE
Losing $11 in monthly food stamp benefits represents “three days’ worth of food,” says Byron Kelly, who lost his job in February and cares for his mother in their apartment in the Aspen Hill area of Silver Spring.
Food stamp cuts hit needy hard n
Federal stimulus program ended Friday BY
SYLVIA CARIGNAN STAFF WRITER
As federal stimulus money dries up, thousands of hungry Montgomery County residents are scrambling to make ends meet. An expansion of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program meant to cover individuals and families during the recession expired Friday. In 2009, President Barack Obama’s stimulus package included a temporary increase in funding for food stamps. All households that receive federal food stamps will now see about a 5 percent cut this month.
The maximum amount of SNAP funding an individual could receive per month was $200. But as of Nov. 1, that maximum is $189. For a household of two people, the maximum funding level, $367, fell by $20. And for a family of eight, $65 is cut, leaving them with a maximum allowance of $1,137, according to Brian Schleter, spokesman for the state’s Department of Human Resources. Jenna Umbriac, a nutrition educator at Manna Food Center, said the cuts in SNAP funding mean participants will have to make difficult decisions about their food budget. Since protein is often the most expensive food item on a shopping list, meats like chicken and beef are going to be the first items a cash-strapped resident will cut out of their diet.
“It just means a bigger pot of rice and beans on the stove, or something else that lasts longer,” Umbriac said. Individuals and families tend to show up at Manna for food assistance toward the end of the month as their SNAP funding and other resources begin to run dry. About 70,500 people are participating in the SNAP program in Montgomery County as of September, Schleter said. In 2007, that number was less than 25,000. SNAP participants must meet income and deduction requirements to be eligible for the program. Across the state, 795,795 Maryland residents have enrolled in the food stamp program as
See CUTS, Page A-12
Bill would require affordable health insurance n
Plan would apply to new contracts and renewals in Montgomery BY
RYAN MARSHALL STAFF WRITER
After talking with workers during recent strikes at two garbage-collection companies, Montgomery County Council President Nancy Navarro is preparing a bill requiring many county contractors to provide affordable health insur-
NEWS
RECIPE FOR CHANGE Forum focuses on healthful food in Montgomery County Public Schools.
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ance to their employees. Navarro (D-Dist. 4) of Silver Spring sent a memorandum to other council members on Oct. 30 asking them to consider signing on as co-sponsors. The bill would amend the county’s living wage law that requires companies that have contracts with the county to pay at least $13.95 an hour. The change would require county contractors to provide affordable health insurance for employees who work on county contracts for more than 30 hours
per week and who make less than twice the living wage. Navarro is also looking at possible legislation to grant preferences to companies bidding on a county contract if they already provide affordable benefits to their employees. Both bills would apply to new contracts, as well as existing contracts that are renewed, according to the letter. Workers at Potomac Disposal in Gaithersburg reached an agreement with the company on Oct. 28 after a 10-day strike.
SPORTS
THIS YEAR, IT’S ABOUT THE RUNNERS Saturday’s state crosscountry meet focuses on runners, not hills.
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Corbutt told her story Monday in the Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School library, which was packed with students awestruck and proud to learn their own fifth-grade teacher had saved a life. “The adrenaline was going,” Corbutt said of the rescue, which took place just after noon on June 24. “I was thinking about all the students. I would have dove right in for any of you guys.” The students — in grades three through eight — burst into applause. “I’m not surprised,” said one of Corbutt’s
See TEACHER, Page A-12
Residents will help ‘tune up’ Bethesda plan n Planners seek community’s input on downtown’s strengths and weaknesses BY AGNES BLUM STAFF WRITER
The agreement provides a pay increase, one holiday, and paid sick and vacation days for workers. The two sides weren’t able to agree on a plan for affordable health insurance. Workers at Unity Disposal in Laurel also returned to work after an 11-day strike that began after about 70 workers were terminated. The employees had refused to go to work to protest the firing of a co-worker who criticized manage-
What they love about downtown Bethesda: the Circulator, local businesses and the Capital Crescent Trail. What they don’t love: lack of diversity, not enough green spaces and expensive parking. About 100 people met and spoke their minds about downtown Bethesda at a meeting organized by the Montgomery County Planning Department on Monday at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center. It’s all part of what county planners are calling the 20-year checkup on downtown Bethesda — a rewrite of the 1994 Bethesda Central Business District Sector Plan. The plan lays out guidelines for land use, density, urban design and character, including building height, open spaces, environmental quality
See INSURANCE, Page A-12
See PLAN, Page A-12
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