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‘DESERT’ STORM Family drama stirs up a battle of emotions. B-5

The Gazette GERMANTOWN | POOLESVILLE | BOYDS

DAILY UPDATES ONLINE www.gazette.net

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

25 cents

After fire, family finding support ‘Everything was burnt to a crust’

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BY

TIFFANY ARNOLD STAFF WRITER

Eighty-year-old Lorraine Bell escaped her burning home with nothing but the clothes on her back. Her medications, her belongings, her childhood memories, the farmhouse she owns in Dickerson that once belonged to her parents — all were lost. “Everything was burnt to a crust,” said Bell’s sister Elsie Thomas. “If there’s something salvageable, I’m not sure what it could be. The flames were so intense.” At about 3:15 p.m. Friday, tankers from Montgomery,

See FIRE, Page A-10

HOW TO HELP n Western Upper Montgomery County Help is seeking donations for the two women who were displaced by a fire in Dickerson on Friday. In addition to food and gift cards to CVS and clothing retailers, the organization is also seeking clothing donations in the following sizes: n Tops: Extra-large and extraextra-large n Pants/skirts: Extra-large sizes 18 to 20 and extraextra-large 22W n Dresses: Sizes 18 to 20, 20 to 22 n Shoes: 8 1/2 and 10 n Nightgowns/pajamas: Extraextra-large (2X and 3X) n Socks: Size 9-11

BILL RYAN/THE GAZETTE

The final auditions for Redskins cheerleaders at the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club were on Sunday.

Newest ‘first ladies of football’

MAKE THE CUT Women balance careers, other commitments with passion for dance

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ELIZABETH WAIBEL

BY

STAFF WRITER

After months of preparation and three rounds of auditions, a new team of cheerleaders danced to “Hail to the Red-

skins” together for the first time Sunday in Bethesda. The final stop in the audition process to pick the 2014 Redskins cheerleaders was a ticketed event at the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club. For a full house of friends and fans, 60 women showed off their dance, cheer and modeling skills in a bid to join the “first ladies of football.” From a pool of about 200 who came to the first audition, 60 were selected to audition Sunday in a final that was part show-

TOM FEDOR/THE GAZETTE

Firefighters add foam to the charred remains of Lorraine Bell’s rural house in Dickerson on Friday.

case of athletic dance skills, part beauty pageant. While the women walked across the stage in bikinis and posed with footballs, audience members cheered for their favorite candidates. An announcer said what each contestant does when she is not cheering. They came from different states and hold different jobs — personal trainers, an

Maryland passes law for pre-kindergarten grants New program to direct funds to public, private providers

See CUT, Page A-10

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Town’s draft budget keeps property tax rate Budget talks begin; seniors seek town’s blessing BY

SARAH SCULLY STAFF WRITER

Poolesville property owners won’t pay higher property taxes next year under a proposed town budget. Town commissioners started crafting the fiscal 2015 budget during a work session Saturday at the Town Hall. The draft projects $2.73 million in revenue in 2015, down slightly from $2.86 million projected for 2014. The property-tax

rate is projected to remain at 16.72 cents per $100 of assessed value. County grants and higher-than-expected highway funding from the state increased revenues from initial projections in 2014. The town spent more than four times its $8,000 salt treatment budget in 2014, clearing snow and ice after this winter’s heavy snowstorms and spending $35,000 on salt alone, Town Manager Wade Yost said. Labor costs did not exceed what was budgeted, however. The 2015 salt budget is proposed to remain at $8,000. The town expects to have $820,000 in reserve funding at the close of 2014, and

See TAX, Page A-10

NEWS

Georgetown Prep freshman golfer views life differently after facing down brain cancer.

Volunteers help remove invasive plants around the county.

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WEED WARRIORS WAGE WAR A-13

Automotive Business Calendar Classified Entertainment Opinion School News Sports Please

LINDSAY A. POWERS STAFF WRITER

$822,000 in 2015, according to Yost. The commissioners also debated whether the summer film festival is a good use of town funds, as it has low attendance. The town spends $7,000 each summer to show five movies and Commissioner Valaree Dickerson estimated that the crowd averages about 10 people per show. They discussed whether hosting films on a different day of the week — films are typically shown on Fridays and Saturdays — would draw more moviegoers. No decisions were made and the film festival remains in the draft budget.

SPORTS

FINDING A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

BY

Maryland school systems and private providers will soon have access to a new grant program aimed at expanding pre-kindergarten services in the state. Gov. Martin O’Malley signed on Tuesday the Pre-Kindergarten Expansion Act of 2014, which sets aside grant money to help programs take in more children, jump from half-day to fullday services or open their doors for the first time. The O’Malley administration labeled the act one of its priorities in the state’s 2014 legislative

session, which ended Monday. The program will start in fiscal 2015 with about $4.3 million. Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown (D) said the legislation marks another step toward the larger goal to provide universal, halfday pre-kindergarten by 2018. The state will seek out the best, most innovative public and private programs to channel grant funds to, he said. “Our intent is to see an equitable distribution around the state,” Brown said. “We would like to see, if not every county, every region of the state have a program that is funded [through the grant program].” He said the new grant funds will allow about 1,600 more children to attend pre-kindergarten programs than the current

See GRANTS, Page A-9

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