GREAT SCOT!
&
Singer will sew Gaelic thread into BlackRock show. A-5
The Gazette OLNEY
DAILY UPDATES ONLINE www.gazette.net
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
25 cents
County will continue to pay water bills in Laytonsville
ICC volume soaring Studies show road saves time for travel between counties n
BY SAMANTHA SCHMIEDER SPECIAL TO THE GAZETTE
The traffic volume on the Intercounty Connector has increased by 75 percent since opening to Interstate 95 almost two years ago, according to new data from the Maryland Transportation Authority. Kelly Melhem, a spokesperson for the transportation authority, explained that this fairly new addition to the state’s highway system is still in its “ramp-up period” as its popularity increases and more motorists “identify the benefits of using the ICC.” The transportation authority’s annual financial statement reports that more than 17.2 million trips were made on the ICC between July 2012 and June 2013 and the total revenue reached $39.59 million, which was slightly higher than the projected amount of $39.56 million. MDTA Acting Executive Secretary Bruce Gartner said in a press release that traffic on the road approached 40,000 vehicles daily during the month of September adding that drivers are making longer trips on the ICC than the authority had originally estimated. Though the speed limit was originally set at 55 mph, studies and crash analysis confirmed that the speed limit could be safely raised to 60 mph and with that increase in March, the transportation authority believes that drivers could potentially further decrease their travel time from end to end by a minute and a half. A traffic study released this year by the transportation authority and Maryland State Highway Administration found that drivers on the ICC have cut their travel time in half when compared to travelers on local east-west routes. It also found that drivers on other local routes during peak hours have experienced a travel-time reduction of 5 to 11 percent compared to before the ICC. “The study had very positive conclusions,” Melhem said. “It is not just helping ICC motorists, but also helping traffic on local roads.” Melhem said that the next step towards helping congestion on Maryland roads is to continue the construction that will extend the ICC from Interstate 370 and its current ending at I-95 to U.S. 1. The segment is projected to open next spring. sschmieder@gazette.net
n
Agreement extended until individual properties are sold BY
TERRI HOGAN STAFF WRITER
TOM FEDOR/THE GAZETTE
Graciela Saraiva has been trying to change the status of her discharge from the Navy. She received an “other than honorable” discharge due to a drug analysis revealing doctor-prescribed medication when a wisdom tooth was removed.
Olney woman fights to clear name with Navy Failed drug test came from Tylenol prescribed for wisdom tooth surgery n
BY ST. JOHN BARNED-SMITH STAFF WRITER
For three years, Graciela Saraiva has been trying to clear her name after she was discharged from the U.S. Navy under “other than honorable” conditions for failing a drug urinalysis. Saraiva, 23, of Olney, tested positive for codeine, which was in Tylenol-3 pills she was taking after getting her wisdom teeth removed, she said. During her orientation for
the Navy Reserve, she took a urinalysis, she said. There was paperwork asking what medication she was on. She left it blank. It was a simple mistake, she said; she didn’t list her birth control either. “It didn’t even occur to me,” she said of the Tylenol. When contacted by The Gazette, Hunjin Kim, a Silver Spring-based dental surgeon, confirmed Saraiva’s account. The Navy found codeine and morphine in Saraiva’s system, and sent her a letter in May 2010, telling her she had tested positive for the drugs. A Navy spokeswoman said the Navy has a zero tolerance for drug use, but would not publicly comment on details of Saraiva’s dismissal.
Saraiva contends that she didn’t receive the letter right away because it had been improperly addressed to her and because she was in California completing her annual reserve training, she said. When she returned from her annual training, supervisors pulled her aside. “They give me a letter which said I had popped for codeine,” she said of the positive drug test. They escorted her off the base, and told her that if she didn’t provide paperwork that explained the codeine in her system, she would be kicked out of the Navy. It was a shock for Saraiva,
See NAVY, Page A-12
Montgomery County will continue to pay the water bills of approximately 100 Laytonsville homeowners whose wells were contaminated by the Oaks Landfill, as long as they own their homes. Robert G. Hoyt, director of the county’s Department of Environmental Protection, said that a letter was expected to go out this week to affected homeowners, announcing the county’s decision. “As you know, the county installed public water to properties near the now-closed Oaks landfill in the late 1990s and agreed to pay the potable water bills for fifteen (15) years,” stated Hoyt in the letter. “Upon further review, I have decided that the county should continue to pay these water bills in accordance with the terms of existing contracts for as long as each property is owned by the person (or persons) who executed the applicable contract.” In March, County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) sent a memorandum to the County Council, stating that he believed the obligation for the county to pay the water bills should be extended. The council did not have any objections and therefore was not required to take action on the issue. It was forwarded on to the Department of Environmental Protection. “As the county execu-
“Everyone just felt this was the right thing to do.” Robert G. Hoyt, director, county Department of Environmental Protection tive said, no conditions have changed,” said Hoyt. “Everyone just felt this was the right thing to do.” Miller Poppleton, president of the Stanbrook Lane Homeowners Association, represents 19 homes, 10 of which are affected. “We are very pleased and appreciate the county’s largesse,” he said. “While it was the appropriate action, I am not sure that all counties would have done it. The county has again shown itself to be concerned regarding the welfare of its citizens.” Poppleton said that residents incurred additional expenses associated with the well infrastructure. When they purchased their homes with wells, most homeowners installed filtration systems to remove impurities, such as iron which would discolor laundry. These systems, which cost up to $6,000, were shut off once public water was connected, and the tanks remain empty in their basements. “The filtration systems became obsolete, but the investment did not go away,” he said.
See WATER, Page A-12
Middle school progress to be measured by MAP System using test until academic targets developed n
BY
LINDSAY A. POWERS STAFF WRITER
Middle school students’ performance will be tracked by the Measures of Academic Progress test as the county’s schools await data from new state assessments. Kimberly Statham — deputy superintendent of teaching, learning and programs for the school system — said in a presentation to the school board Monday that the school system eventually
SPORTS
TALENT RUNS IN THE FAMILY Good Counsel lineman earns invite to national bowl; appears destined for the NFL.
B-1
will develop academic targets based on the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness of College and Careers. PARCC will be fully implemented in the school system next school year. “In the meantime, however, we need a high-quality instrument to assess the health of the school system,” she said. “We believe that that instrument is MAP.” The computer-based progress test that assesses math and reading performance already is in use in the school system. This year, however, will mark the first time the test is used to assess student progress systemwide, Statham said. Superintendent Joshua P. Starr said
Around the County Automotive Calendar Celebrations Classified Entertainment Local Opinion School News Sports Please
A-4 B-15 A-2 A-15 B-11 B-5 A-3 A-16 A-14 B-1
RECYCLE
these measures are not the same as the “milestone” targets described in the strategic planning framework he announced in June. Starr said that Monday evening’s conversation marked the first of four the school board will have regarding the school system’s milestones. According to the strategic plan, students will be tracked through five milestones at grades three, five, eight and nine and graduation. The data from the progress test, Starr said, will rather serve as a placeholder of sorts. “Until we have PARCC, we don’t have targets,” he said.
Using the test to create temporary progress measures will help schools understand how to improve their instruction, Starr said. “It makes sense for measuring our progress without imposing a whole new test or using tests that are going away,” he said. Students will continue to take the Maryland School Assessments. Because the MAP test recently underwent significant change, the 20132014 school year will mark the school system’s baseline year for data, Starr said.
See MAP, Page A-12
SPECIAL SECTION
GAZETTE SENIORS
Sixteen questions you need to ask your aging parents; exploring the wonders of wine; what happens to your digital accounts when you die; reaping the benefits of tai chi.
See Our Ad Inside!
INSIDE TODAY
1906637