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The Gazette
PICKUP ‘LINE’ Olney Theatre Center energized by massive musical production. A-11
OLNEY
DAILY UPDATES ONLINE www.gazette.net
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
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Brookeville Bypass clears another hurdle
Seeking ‘Fame’
State Board of Public Works grants exemption to access state funds n
At right, Kyshaun Drakes, 13, (center) who plays Tyrone and goes to Kennedy High School, practices a scene with Charline (Suethia) Weeks, 13, (right) from Loiederman Middle School, who plays Miss Sherman, and other area middle-school-age youths making up the ensemble cast at Olney Theatre Center’s Team of Stars summer camp as they rehearse for their upcoming performance of “Fame Jr.” The performance is the culmination of the multiweek program for the children enrolled in the Olney theatrical camp. At top, Dashyad Moten, 12, from Lakelands Park Middle School, plays Nick.
BY
TERRI HOGAN STAFF WRITER
When the concept of the Brookeville Bypass was first discussed, longtime residents and former town commissioners Les and Clyde Unglesbee were young men, raising their young families in the town. The pair of brothers lobbied for the bypass for nearly 50 years, although neither would live to see it become a reality. Clyde died at age 89 in 2009,
and Les died July 21 at age 86, just three days short of the project clearing another major hurdle. On Wednesday, the state’s Board of Public Works determined that although the project is not in a Priority Funding, or Smart Growth, Area, extraordinary circumstances exist, making it eligible for state funds. The 0.7-mile bypass is intended to reduce Md. 97 traffic passing through Brookeville and help preserve the town’s historic character. “Without approving the Smart Growth Exemption for Md. 97 Relocated in Brookeville,
See BYPASS, Page A-10
Olney couple Montgomery merging maps with food survives terrifying Bay Bridge crash PHOTOS BY TOM FEDOR/THE GAZETTE
Project seen as way to detect where resources are available and where they’re needed
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BY
KATE S. ALEXANDER STAFF WRITER
A new online mapping system could help pinpoint Montgomery County’s grocery stores, food trucks, community gardens, farmers’ markets and food banks. The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission is creating a website that will use data to create a variety of one-stop maps, the first of which is for food. The project was recom-
mended by Montgomery County’s Interagency Technology Policy and Coordination Committee — which includes representatives of each county agency, the executive and the legislative branch — to complement the county’s initiative of posting raw data in a variety of areas online. The project will use a geographical information system, or GIS, and information from sources such as Data Montgomery. Using the data, the planning staff will create maps that will be housed in one central location online, project manager and planning GIS manager Christopher McGovern said. Data Montgomery is the county’s public portal that has
raw county data on salaries, restaurant inspections and permits, making it easy for the public to get. The Montgomery County Council provided park and planning with $70,000 to start the system. Many maps are expected; the first will feature food. The innovative program looks to use mapping tools to give better insight on food resources and demand, Dan Hoffman, the county’s chief innovation officer and member of the Montgomery County Food Council, said. McGovern said a map could show a number of food sources, including community gardens and farmers’ markets. Places where people can find or
open food trucks will be plotted on the map. Hoffman said the county needs to continuously improve its GIS mapping skills. “This GIS portal is a great opportunity for us to develop our skills in this area,” he said. “It’s a really important skill these days. It makes a lot more information user-friendly.” The Food Council hopes to have handy features like the ability to enter a ZIP code and find the closest food source. Even in wealthy Montgomery County, there are pockets where people don’t get all of the food they need. Those who connect the hungry with available food see the project’s pilot
See MAPS, Page A-7
Neither injured in collision that sent another vehicle into the water n
BY
TERRI HOGAN STAFF WRITER
What began as a typical Friday night drive to their Delaware beach house turned into a harrowing ordeal that Lisa and Herb Sutcliffe likely will never forget. The couple, who have lived in Olney’s Briars Acres community for 27 years, were looking forward to spending the weekend at the beach with their
grandchildren. As they approached the eastbound span of the William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bay Bridge at about 8:30 p.m. July 19, they both commented that, unlike the previous Friday, traffic had been flowing well through Annapolis, the tollgate, and as they entered the bridge. Lisa Sutcliffe, who was in the passenger seat, said they were in the right lane just as the bridge starts to curve, about 40 feet above the water. They had been traveling about 40 mph, but traffic began to slow almost to a stop.
See CRASH, Page A-10
Police lab puts crime under microscope n
Scientists, analysts break down cases in Gaithersburg facility BY
ST. JOHN BARNED-SMITH STAFF WRITER
With tweezers, Leah King takes a pinch out of a small, leafy bud. She drops it in a vial and adds a few drops of chemicals. “It’s going to turn a nice, dark purple,” she predicts, giving the vial a couple of swirls. Sure enough, in just a few seconds, the solution fizzes deep purple, showing that the sample is likely strong, high-quality marijuana.
“If you were looking to smoke, this would be the stuff,” joked King, the technical leader of the Forensic Chemistry Unit in Montgomery County Police’s Crime Laboratory. The lab processes evidence connected to the thousands of arrests police officers make and the hundreds of cases they investigate every year. The nationally certified lab takes up a swath of the fifth floor of Montgomery County’s new public safety headquarters, tucked away next to a bucolic lake on Edison Park Drive in Gaithersburg. The lab — which moved, along with the rest of the department, earlier this year from the department’s old home in Rockville — looks like a cross between a suburban office
and a high school lab on steroids. Five units — Firearms Examinations, Latent Prints, Forensic Biology, Forensic Chemistry, and Crimes Scenes — operate in the lab, which takes up about 20,000 square feet, according to lab director Ray Wickenheiser. A sixth unit, Electronic Crimes, also falls under the lab’s authority, but operates under Montgomery County Police’s Financial Crimes section, said Jackie Raskin-Burns, the lab’s quality manager. Thirty scientists work in the lab. An additional eight, all sworn police officers, make up the Electronic Crimes unit.
See LAB, Page A-10
NEWS
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Police and fire personnel, businesses, community join for National Night Out.
Screaming Eagles adjust after second star player transfers out in consecutive seasons.
KEEPING AN EYE ON OLNEY
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GREG DOHLER/THE GAZETTE
Leah King, technical leader of the Forensic Chemistry Unit, works in the Montgomery County Crime Lab in Gaithersburg.
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