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‘DESERT’ STORM Family drama stirs up a battle of emotions. B-4
The Gazette OLNEY
DAILY UPDATES ONLINE www.gazette.net
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
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State passes law for pre-K grants
Hail, victory!
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New program to direct funds to public, private providers
BY
LINDSAY A. POWERS STAFF WRITER
PHOTOS BY BILL RYAN/THE GAZETTE
The final auditions for Redskins cheerleaders were held at the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club on Sunday. Below, Brooke Early, 2, of Northern Virginia, tagged along with her mother, former Redskin cheerleader Megs Early, to watch the auditions.
Women balance careers, other commitments with passion for dance BY
ELIZABETH WAIBEL STAFF WRITER
After months of preparation and three rounds of auditions, a new team of cheerleaders danced to “Hail to the Redskins” 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 showcase 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 — federal employees, personal trainers, an eighth-grade science teacher, an auditor and CPA, and a bartender. Some are former pageant winners. Some listed shoe collecting or walking their dogs as hobbies; some had master’s degrees or were planning to go to law school.
Museum, fire station, theater, communty center, Odd Fellows Lodge get funding bump n
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Madison House among sites offered as part of town’s Bicentennial Celebration
District 14 legislators brought home $450,000 in state money for several Olney-area organizations, as part of the state’s $1.5 billion capital budget approved Saturday. The Sandy Spring Volun-
See FOOTBALL, Page A-10
BY
TERRI HOGAN STAFF WRITER
The Town of Brookeville opens its doors on May 3, for a rare opportunity to explore a dozen private homes built through the centuries, along with its other historic sites. The Historic Brookeville House Tour takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The selfguided tour begins at the Brookeville Academy, 5 High St., where participants may pick up their maps. From there, they may walk at their own pace to the other sites, including the
authentically furnished, award-winning Madison House where President James Madison retreated on August 26, 1814 as the British burned the White House during the War of 1812; the Brookeville one-room schoolhouse; Salem Church and Cemetery, and several beautiful homes, all within a few blocks. Brookeville Bicentennial Commission Chairwoman Sandra Heiler said that while Brookeville homes have been part of house tours, she doesn’t know of an all-Brookeville tour being held before. “This will a rare opportunity to see inside six original buildings that President Madison saw when he rode down Market Street in 1814, including the house that he stayed in,” she said. “We tried to capture a lot of what things were like in Brookeville during 1814,
and also show the real variety of the homes that have been built here over the past 200 years,” said Heiler. Although Brookeville is on the National Register of Historic Places and is designated as a Montgomery County Historic District, Heiler said that people have been able to build comfortable homes within those protections. In addition to the Madison House, there will be other homes from the period of the War of 1812, as well as early to mid19th century houses, an award-winning house modeled on an early mill, a SearsRoebuck “catalog” house, and others. Local historian Bob Hines, who has led archeological digs in the town, agrees that the tour offers a great opportunity.
See TOUR, Page A-10
SPORTS
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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TERRI HOGAN STAFF WRITER
Tour offers glimpse into Brookeville’s past n
Automotive Business Calendar Classified Entertainment Opinion School News Sports Please
See PRE-K, Page A-10
Dist. 14 legislators secure state funds for local projects
‘First ladies of football’ make the cut
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Maryland school systems and private providers will soon have access to a new grant program aimed at expanding prekindergarten 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 29,000 low-income children in the state who use the services. Janine Bacquie — director of Montgomery County Public Schools’ Division of Early Childhood Programs and Services and co-chair of the Montgomery County Early Childhood Advisory Council — said she thinks it will benefit the state that many
teer Fire Department will get $150,000; the Sandy Spring Museum will get $75,000; the Olney Theatre Center will get $100,000; the Muslim Community Center will get $75,000; and the Odd Fellows Lodge will get $50,000. “This speaks to the strength of the community, the value of the projects, and the influence and relationships District 14 has in Annapolis,” said Del. Craig J. Zucker of Brookeville, speaking on behalf of the all-Democratic District 14 legislative team —
See DISTRICT 14, Page A-10
2013 FILE PHOTO
The Sandy Spring Volunteer Fire Department is slated to receive $150,000 in state money to fund a second-floor expansion. Here, workers build the firstfloor expansion in November.
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