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EMBRACING ‘CHANGE’ Rockville ﬁlmmaker stays home for ﬁrst feature effort. A-9

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DAILY UPDATES ONLINE www.gazette.net

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Like change? Transit projects expected to go places n

From its hospitals, schools and transportation infrastructure to its political leaders in Annapolis and Rockville, 2014 promises to be a year of change and growth in Montgomery County. Besides the expected opening of the county’s ﬁrst new hospital in decades in Germantown, plans are again afoot to move a Takoma Park hospital to White Oak. State and county planners and engineers will continue working on Montgomery’s increasingly strained transportation infrastructure. Projects include the Purple Line light rail system, the Corridor Cities Transitway rapid bus project and the Midcounty Highway extension.

Purple Line and upcounty’s Corridor Cities Transitway construction inch closer

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Expect change to spare in 2014

The county’s schools are struggling to accommodate growing enrollment, and county leaders plan to take their case to Annapolis, seeking state dollars to fund more classrooms. This year also marks the state’s ﬁrst gubernatorial election in 12 years in which an incumbent won’t be seeking re-election. That has sparked a lot of jockeying down the line, with state legislators and others seeking to move up the political food chain. County races, especially for county executive, promise to generate some heat, too, with the incumbent facing challenges by both his predecessor and a councilman. Expect a great deal to be decided by the parties’ June primaries.

n By November, state will have elected new governor, attorney general

n County, local ofﬁcials face budget uncertainties in 2014 www.gazette.net

BY JENN DAVIS STAFF WRITER

KATE S. ALEXANDER STAFF WRITER

Developers and managers of three major Montgomery County transit projects — the Purple Line, Corridor Cities Transitway and Midcounty Highway extension — have big plans for progress in the new year. Planners of the Purple Line, a $2.2 billion light rail line, said they are looking to move closer to construction in 2014. The 16-mile line, which would connect Bethesda and New Carrollton, would cross parts of both Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, linking up with Metro and MARC train stations. Project manager Michael D. Madden said he hopes for the Purple Line to receive its “record of decision” from the Federal Transit Administration by the end of January, which will allow his team to begin negotiating the acquisition of property for construction. “We’re ready to start purchasing right away as soon as that record of decision is issued,” he said. Coming up in two weeks, the Montgomery County Council will hold a public hearing on a draft plan that the county planning board OK’d last month to incorporate the Purple Line station in downtown Bethesda. It’s one of the two stops where the Purple Line would link up with Metro’s Red Line. The plan includes two options:

See TRANSIT, Page A-6

State, county seats up for grabs this year

In about six months, Maryland primary voters will hit the polls to narrow the fields for all state- and county-elected offices in the 2014 gubernatorial election. Maryland’s primary will fall on June 24, three months earlier than past cycles when the primary was held in September. Early voting will run June 12-19. Maryland’s general election will be Nov. 4. Candidates have until Feb. 25 to file with the Maryland Board of Elections but with the earlier primary, most races already boast crowded fields.

Governor

campus, allowing students and faculty to work with health care professionals on site. The college is preparing to accommodate a larger student body and integrate Holy Cross into its existing programs, according to Sanjay Rai, provost of the college’s Germantown campus. Holy Cross spokeswoman Yolanda

Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) approaches the end of his second term and because of term limits he cannot seek a third term. Among Democrats vying for his job are Del. Heather Mizeur (Dist. 20), Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown, Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler, Baltimore teacher Ralph Jaffe and Charles U. Smith — a newcomer to the race who ﬁled in late December. Mizeur is running with the Rev. Delman Coates of Prince George’s County. Brown’s running mate is Howard County Executive Kenneth S. Ulman. Gansler chose Del. Jolene Ivey (Dist. 47) as his running mate. Jaffe’s ticket is rounded out by his

See HOSPITALS, Page A-7

See SEATS, Page A-7

2013 FILE PHOTO

The Apex building at 7272 Wisconsin Ave. in downtown Bethesda, proposed site of a Purple Line station.

Hospitals in Montgomery expanding n

New jobs, facilities on tap BY

SYLVIA CARIGNAN STAFF WRITER

Montgomery County’s hospitals are expanding to keep help pace with the county’s growth, with new facilities and relocations scheduled and proposed for

2014 and thereafter. A new hospital is under construction upcounty. Holy Cross Hospital of Silver Spring is building a 93-bed hospital in Germantown, the county’s ﬁrst new hospital in 35 years. Construction started in July 2012, with a projected opening in October. The hospital is being built next to Montgomery College’s Germantown

Marriage equality celebrates one-year anniversary Same-sex couples reﬂect on what getting married means to them

SARAH SCULLY STAFF WRITER

As the news broke on TV that same-sex marriage would become legal in Maryland, Chris Calvert turned to his partner, Jeff Splitstoser, who was sitting next to him on the couch at their

NEWS

A MAN ON A MISSION Rockefeller Twyman tackles social issues from a prayerful perspective.

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Wheaton home, and proposed. Splitstoser replied, “of course,” and the couple was married on March 22, 2013, the day before their 20th anniversary. Calvert, 50, remembers when marriage equality was a far cry from the realities of growing up “in a culture that taught you that you were different, not normal.” He even recalled watching a futuristic movie in his 10thgrade science class that showed the seeming impossibility of two

men getting married. So when same-sex marriage appeared on the ballot on Nov. 6, 2012 as a referendum by popular vote, Calvert didn’t think it would pass. The General Assembly had already passed a bill requiring Maryland to perform and recognize same-sex civil marriages and Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) had signed it into law. But opponents gathered enough signatures to bring the law to popular vote by petition. Maryland residents upheld the

SPORTS

5-0, AND ON THE GO Gaithersburg High’s boys basketball team is off to fast start with a new coach.

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law with a 52.4 percent vote in favor of marriage equality. Now 16 states and Washington, D.C., allow same-sex marriage, with the addition of New Mexico by a Supreme Court ruling on Thursday. The ﬁrst same-sex marriage in Maryland took place in Baltimore on Jan. 1, 2013, when Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake married Jim Scales and Bill Tasker. Scales,

See MARRIAGE, Page A-7

Automotive Business Calendar Celebrations Classiﬁed Entertainment Opinion Sports Please

RECYCLE

PHOTO FROM CHRIS CALVERT

Chris Calvert (left) and Jeff Splitstoser at the top of Mount LeConte in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, a site they visit on the ﬁrst weekend of every summer.

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Wednesday, January 1, 2014 r

PEOPLE& PLACES More online at www.gazette.net

Imagination Stage wins grant for hip-hop fairy tale Imagination Stage in Bethesda received a $25,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support the creation and presentation of the world premiere of “Cinderella: the Remix” this spring. The grant was one of 895 NEA Art Works grants awarded to nonprofits nationwide. Art Works grants support the creation of art that meets three standards of excellence, according to an agency news release: public engagement with diverse and excellent art, lifelong learning in the arts, and enhancing the livability of communities through the arts. The NEA received 1,528 eligible Art Works applications requesting more than $75 million in funding. Of those, 895 were recommended for grants for a total of $23.4 million. “Imagination Stage welcomes the support of the NEA and the recognition it represents for the innovative, contemporary work we are creating for young audiences,” Janet Stanford, Imagination Stage’s artistic director, said in the release. “We are grateful for this continued support and look forward to another successful partnership.” According to the theater group, “Cinderella: the Remix” is the story of a young girl living the basement of her stepmother’s house, mixing beats and dreaming of becoming a disc jockey. But in hip-hop Hollywood, girls are not allowed to DJ and “frontin’” — using pretense to impress — is a crime. When the super-famous J-Prince announces auditions for his “Jam,” Cinderella disguises herself as a boy to get the gig. With some help from her fairy godmother Hope-rah, Cinderella DJs the jam, at least until midnight. Will she ever be allowed to spin as her true self? Or will Cinderella be convicted of frontin’ and sentenced to solitary confinement with only the music of Kenny G for company? The show’s director and writer, Psalmayene 24, performed at the first NYC Hip-Hop Theatre Festival. His solo play “Free Jujube Brown!”

GALLERY

Paint Branch’s Daisa Harris takes it to the hoop on the way to defeating Tuscarora High in the CKA tournament on Friday. Go to clicked.Gazette.net. SCOTT SUCHMAN

Paige Hernandez and Psalmayene 24 perform in “P.Nokio: A Hip-Hop Musical” at Imagination Stage in Bethesda. The theater recently won a $25,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to produce “Cinderella: the Remix,” which was written and choreographed by 24. was published in the hip-hop theater anthology “Plays from the Boo Box Galaxy: Theater from the HipHop Generation.” His ﬁrst play for young audiences was “Zomo the Rabbit: A Hip-Hop Creation Myth” in 2009. That was followed in 2012 by “P.Nokio: A Hip-Hop Musical,” for Imagination Stage also won a $25,000 NEA grant. “Cinderella: the Remix” will be presented April 9 through May 25. More information is at www.imaginationstage.org. — PEGGY MCEWAN

Twinbrook Partnership collects 400-plus coats Twinbrook Partnership, a neighborhood and business alliance, donated more than 400 coats to Rockville’s Interfaith Clothing Center after its inaugural coat drive, held Dec. 16-20. The Interfaith Clothing Center is on Twinbrook Parkway. The or-

EVENTS THURSDAY, JAN. 2

240-498-0119.

Playgroup for Ages 0-5, 10-11:30

p.m., Aspen Hill Library, 4407 Aspen Hill Road, Rockville. Free. 240-7739410. Foreign Film: English Vinglish, 1 p.m., Chevy Chase Library, 8005 Connecticut Ave., Chevy Chase. Free. 240773-9590.

FRIDAY, JAN. 3 James Bond Themed Dance Party, 8 p.m., Dance Bethesda, 8227 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda. $18. 301-9513660. Spirituality and Health Lecture, 2 p.m., Ingleside at King Farm, 701 King Farm Blvd., Rockville. Free. 240-4999019. Nicotine Anonymous Meeting, 7-8 p.m., Northwood Presbyterian Church, 1200 W. University Blvd., Silver Spring. Free. 443-812-5284.

SATURDAY, JAN. 4 RedHot and Blue of Yale Performance, 2 p.m., Kensington Baptist

Church, 10100 Connecticut Ave., Kensington. $10 suggested donation.

Junior chamber scholarship applications due soon The Maryland Junior Chamber of Commerce International Senate is accepting applications for the Maryland JCI Senate Foundation Scholarship until Jan. 11. Known as the Elaine W. Williams Scholarship, the award will be given to two Maryland high school seniors, who then will be eligible for a national scholarship from the U.S. JCI Senate. Information about the college scholarships are available through high school guidance counselors or at usjcisenatefoundation.org. — PEGGY MCEWAN

BestBet

Send items at least two weeks in advance of the paper in which you would like them to appear. Go to calendar.gazette.net and click on the submit button. Questions? Call 301-670-2070.

a.m., Redland Baptist Church, 6922 Muncaster Mill Road, Derwood. Free. 832-262-0299.

ganization will distribute the coats, free of charge, to local families in need. Twinbrook Partnership was founded by developer JBG of Chevy Chase.

Teen Writers Workshop, 3:30-5:30

Open House for Gilchrist Center for Cultural Diversity, 10 a.m.-noon,

Gaithersburg Library, 18330 Montgomery Village Ave., Gaithersburg. Free. 240-777-4940. Public Open House, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Historic Silver Spring B&O Railroad Station, 8100 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring. Free. 301-495-4915. Alexander Paley Piano Performance with Pianist Peiwen Chen, 8

p.m., Westmoreland Congregational United Church of Christ, 1 Westmoreland Circle, Bethesda. Free. 301-3202770.

SUNDAY, JAN. 5 Opening Reception for The Pâté

SAT

Resident Artists Open House, 11

a.m.-3 p.m., Sandy Spring Museum, 17901 Bentley Road, Sandy Spring. Free. 301-774-0022.

MORE INTERACTIVE CALENDAR ITEMS AT WWW.GAZETTE.NET Painters and Gettysburg the Musical Concert, 1:30-3:30 p.m., Glenview

Mansion Art Gallery at Rockville Civic Center Park, 603 Edmonston Drive, Rockville. Free. www.rockvillemd.gov/ arts. Bach to Rock Battle of The Bands

XIII, 1-7 p.m., Filmore Silver Spring,

8656 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. $5. info@b2rmusic.com.

MONDAY, JAN. 6 Adult Literacy Volunteers Interest Meeting, 10-11:30 a.m., Asbury

Methodist Village, Rosborough Hall, 201 Russell Ave., Gaithersburg. Free. 301-610-0030.

Support Group for Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders,

Adult literacy program seeks volunteers The Literacy Council of Montgomery County will hold two information sessions for volunteers interested in helping adults learn to read, write or speak English. The ﬁrst will be at 10 a.m. Monday at Asbury Methodist Village, 201 Russell Ave., Gaithersburg; the second will be at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 8 at the Rockville Library, 21 Maryland Ave. After the information session, volunteers can select a two-part training session that ﬁts their schedules. No foreign language skills are necessary. Tutors work one-on-one or with small groups, and typically meet with students in libraries or community centers at mutually convenient times. For details, call 301-610-0030, email info@ literacycouncilmcmd.org or visit www.literacycouncilmcmd.org. — PEGGY MCEWAN 7-8:15 p.m., Jewish Social Service Agency, 200 Wood Hill Road, Rockville. Free. 301-610-8361.

TUESDAY, JAN. 7

SPORTS Check online for complete high school winter sports coverage.

A&E Whet your appetite with The Gazette’s year-end restaurant roundup.

For more on your community, visit www.gazette.net

ConsumerWatch What’s the difference between Excedrin Extra Strength and Excedrin Migraine?

LIZ CRENSHAW

Liz works to ease your pain on this medical matter.

WeekendWeather FRIDAY

SATURDAY

Military History and Veterans Discussion Group, 1-2:30 p.m., Sch-

weinhaut Senior Citizens Center, 1000 Forest Glen Road, Silver Spring. Free. 202-829-4664.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 8

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Mobile Download the Gazette.Net mobile app using the QR Code reader, or go to www.gazette.net/mobile for custom options.

GAZETTE CONTACTS

DivorceCare Support Group, 5-7 p.m., Grace United Methodist Church, 119 North Frederick Ave., Gaithersburg. $15 for workbooks. graceumc@ graceumc.org.

The Gazette – 9030 Comprint Court

7:30 p.m., Chevy Chase Library, 8005 Connecticut Ave., Chevy Chase. Free. 240-773-9590.

CORRECTION

Great Books Group: “The Skeptical Environmentalist” by B. Lomberg,

LinkedIn I Workshop for Beginner Users, 1-2:30 p.m., Jewish Social

Service Agency, 200 Wood Hill Road, Rockville. Free. 301-610-8380. Open House, 10-11 a.m., Shaare Torah Nursery School, 1409 Main St., Gaithersburg. Free. 301-869-9842.

Get complete, current weather information at

Drop-In Discussion About Grief and Healing, 1-2:30 p.m., Montgomery

Hospice, 1355 Piccard Drive, Rockville. Free, registration required. 301-9214400.

SUNDAY

Gaithersburg, MD 20877 Main phone: 301-948-3120 Circulation: 301-670-7350

A Dec. 25 story about an organization that ﬁnds homes for former racehorses incorrectly stated the prices of horses listed on its website. Horses for sale through the CANTER website are listed at $500 to $3,500. Also, Southwind Farm in Damascus was misspelled.

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Wednesday, January 1, 2014 r

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Fast-acting ofﬁcer uses CPR to save baby on road n

Training made a difference in child’s life, commander says BY

ST. JOHN BARNED-SMITH STAFF WRITER

Montgomery County police say a fastacting officer saved an infant’s life after the 9-day-old baby stopped breathing early Monday morning. According to police, Officer Ben Crumlin, a six-year veteran officer working in the Third District in Silver Spring, was on patrol

about 1 a.m. Monday on Randolph Road near Hammonton Place when a car driving down Randolph Road began ﬂashing its lights and honking its horn as it neared his cruiser. According to police, Crumlin learned from the car’s occupants that they had been taking their newborn to the hospital because he had been having trouble breathing. When Crumlin checked the child, the baby wasn’t breathing, and Crumlin began performing CPR on him. Crumlin was able to revive the boy until Montgomery County Fire and Rescue personnel arrived and took him to a hospital.

The baby was hospitalized, but released earlier this morning, police said. In a written statement detailing Crumlin’s actions, Third District Cmdr. Don Johnson said, “Patrol officers never know what they face when they encounter a speeding vehicle at one o’clock in the morning. It may be nothing more than a traffic violation or it could be a robbery that just occurred. ...Officer Crumlin’s training and experience and his ability to act quickly made a difference in this child’s life.” sjbsmith@gazette.net

New year and new beginning following transplant n

Husband donates kidney to wife after attending transplant lecture at MedStar Montgomery BY

TERRI HOGAN STAFF WRITER

As one Olney couple prepares to ring in the new year, they agree that 2013 will be hard to top. In September, Bonnie Landau was given a new lease on life, thanks to a kidney donated to her by her husband, Lee. The story began when the couple, now both 62, were in 10th grade at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring. A friend, Fran Schiff Clay, set up the pair on a blind date. She said she knew then that they were a “perfect match.” Starting in January 2012, Bonnie Landau began to not feel well. She was having trouble keeping food down and was losing weight. She was diagnosed in May 2012 with Goodpasture syndrome, which she describes as a disease in which antibodies attack the kidneys. Dr. Basit Javaid, a transplant nephrologist and medical director of the Kidney Transplant Program at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C., called the disease extremely rare, affecting fewer than one in 1 million people. “She went from perfectly normal to facing devastating consequences,” Javaid said. “Her whole life was melting away, from something that could have been life-threatening.” She was treated at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and told that she would need a kidney transplant, but she could not go on the donor list until the disease was brought under control. She spent the next 15 months undergoing dialysis for 3½ hours three times a week. “It makes you very tired,” she said. “It made it really hard to live a life having dialysis three times a week, but it kept me alive.”

GREG DOHLER/THE GAZETTE

“I am just overwhelmed at the loving support we have received,” says Bonnie Landau of Olney, who in September received a transplanted kidney from her husband, Lee. In February, she was told she was ready to be a candidate for a transplant. She began looking into transplant programs at the University of Maryland Medical Center and Georgetown. Lee Landau said he knew from the beginning that he would donate a kidney to save his wife if he was a compatible donor. “I never had a second thought,” he said. In May, they saw that MedStar Montgomery Medical Center in Olney was offering a lecture on transplants. The couple attended the program and spoke afterward to Javaid, one of the presenters. In the meantime, Lee Landau had begun some preliminary testing to make sure he was in good health for a potential transplant. He learned that he was pre-diabetic and was told that if he could get his condition under control with diet and exercise, he could still be a donor. But if he required medication, he would not be suitable. “My wonderful husband started going to the gym six days a week and dieting, and lost 35 pounds,” Bonnie Landau said. She said the doctor at the University of Maryland had wanted

to wait three months to recheck her husband’s health, but when following up with Javaid after the lecture, the couple learned they might be able to get the process rolling sooner. Bonnie Landau said that even though she and her husband have different blood types, they matched in ﬁve of the six criteria necessary for a transplant. According to Javaid, people donate kidneys to their spouses about 800 to 900 times each year in the U.S., and account for about 10 percent of living donor kidney transplants and 5 percent of all kidney transplants. If Lee Landau had not been a match, the average wait for a deceased donor in this area is about four years, Javaid said. The transplant took place Sept. 5, which was the start of the Jewish New Year. “It really was the start of a new year for us,” said Bonnie Landau, who is Jewish. The day after surgery, Lee Landau was able to walk into his wife’s room, where he spent his second and ﬁnal day in the hospital; Bonnie Landau came home three days later. “This was a tremendous ben-

efit to me — I was overweight, had high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high blood sugar,” Lee Landau said. “Due to my motivation to become a successful donor, all my numbers are now in the normal range. It was a benefit for both of us.” Javaid said the transplanted kidney is functioning well, and although Bonnie Landau will have to be closely monitored, “she should have that kidney for a very long time.” “I really feel so much better, and am very thankful for feeling so healthy now,” she said. “Before I got sick I was healthy, so I think that had a lot to do with how fast I recuperated. That, and the fact that I got a terrific kidney,” she said. While the transplant took place at Georgetown, many of the pre-operative and follow-up appointments have been at MedStar Montgomery, just five minutes from the Landaus’ home. “It’s been so convenient,” she said. “MedStar Montgomery has been wonderful — that lecture was the turning point for us.” “Someone in the heavens was watching out for the couple,” Javaid said. “They had been at Hopkins, one of the best places in the country, but had the presence of mind to seek out every potential option.” Bonnie Landau also credits the love and support from her two daughters, Diana Landau and Beth Landau, neighbors, friends and their synagogue, B’nai Shalom of Olney. Her friend Pam Pisner started a care calendar, recruiting neighbors and friends to prepare meals and provide rides to dialysis appointments. The Landaus recently hosted a dessert party for their family and friends to thank all those who helped, as everyone had been so “sweet” to them over the past two years. “I am just overwhelmed at the loving support we have received,” Bonnie Landau said. “That has had so much to do with me keeping a positive attitude during this whole experience.” thogan@gazette.net

Menorah mystery: Symbol taken, then reappeared Lawn decoration discovered along with bits of a creche a few miles away n

PEGGY MCEWAN STAFF WRITER

A 5-foot-tall homemade menorah glowed on the lawn of the Robin family of Germantown every season for five years. This year, with Hanukkah celebrated earlier than usual, it was lit for a month, but then it disappeared sometime before dawn Dec. 24. “We’ve had it up for about a month already,” said Nelson Robin, the menorah’s owner. “It seems bizarre that someone would wait until Christmas Eve to take it.” The menorah’s disappearance is only part of its bizarre story. It also reappeared, in pieces, in the yard of a family a few miles from the Robins’ home, along with pieces of a large Nativity scene, Robin said. It disappeared from that yard late Christmas Eve and reappeared there Thursday, along with a note and some cash. Robin said he does not know about the Nativity scene, but is glad to have most of his menorah back. “It’s been an emotional roller coaster since Wednesday,” he said Thursday. The homeowners where the menorah ended up, he said, do not know who took it, who returned it or why it was on their lawn. Robin said they live in a different neighborhood, about 2 miles from his home. The Gazette was unable to reach the homeowners. Robin said he learned the whereabouts of his disassembled menorah through “friends of friends” who knew his menorah was missing and where it was found. Unfortunately, he said, when he went to retrieve it Christmas morning it was gone, but when he heard it was back Thursday morning, his wife went and gathered the pieces. “Along with the pieces were a note and some cash,” Robin said. He said he showed the note to police and they asked him not to share the message or the amount of cash they received. Robin filed a police report on the missing menorah Christmas Eve when he came home from work and noticed it was gone. He also posted the information on his neighborhood listserv, which is what he believes connected him with the menorah when it appeared about 2 miles away. Robin said he asked the police to investigate the theft as a hate crime. However, he said, he has never received any hate mail or disparaging remarks about his annual display. He said he felt it was a hate crime because the menorah is a Jewish religious symbol and it was stolen the day before Christmas, a Christian holiday. He also said he felt it was a hate crime because it was left in pieces next to a Nativity scene. Mansfield Kaseman, interfaith community liaison for the office of Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett, said he heard about the incident from a member of his group, got in touch with the police and was able to contact the Robins. “This is divisive and frightening,” Kaseman said. He said Monday he has called the Robin family and, along with a group from the interfaith community, planned to meet with the Robins that night. “We want to be supportive of the family, to be there to let them know that in Montgomery County we don’t tolerate any act of hate or violence,” he said. Montgomery County police spokesman Robert Ladany said Thursday that police were still investigating. Robin and his daughter Rachel, then 8, built the menorah in 2008. It is made of polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, pipe with the lights inside acrylic drinking glasses to represent the candles’ flames. The lights are lit each night by a computer program Robin and Rachel wrote. pmcewan@gazette.net

THE GAZETTE

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AROUND THE COUNTY

Wheaton teen dies in car crash Police investigating head-on collision on Old Columbia Pike; three others hurt n

ST. JOHN BARNED-SMITH STAFF WRITER

Police are still trying to ﬁgure out what caused a head-on collision of two cars on Old Columbia Pike that killed an 18-year-old Wheaton man. The crash took place at 2:40 a.m. Saturday in the 11700 block of Old Columbia Pike when

a gray 2000 Chevrolet Tahoe southbound on Old Columbia Pike collided with a northbound red 2003 Infiniti G35 that had crossed the center line into southbound traffic, county police reported. Oscar Alexander Orellana, 18, of the 2400 block of Sheraton Street in Wheaton, was in the passenger’s seat in the Infiniti. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police. The car’s driver, Cristian Omar Vargas, 19, of the 3100 block of Medway Street in Wheaton, and a passenger, Kyle Robinson, 23, of the 10700

block of Shaftsbury Street in Kensington, were taken to local hospitals with injuries that were not life-threatening. Police say the Tahoe’s driver, Edwin Alexander Rivera, 25, of New Hampshire Avenue in Silver Spring, also had injuries that were not lifethreatening and was taken to a hospital. Police are still investigating the collision and ask anyone with information about it to call the Collision Reconstruction Unit at 240-773-6620. Calls to Rivera’s home and Orellana’s family were not answered.

For Twyman, the devil is in the ... pop stars n

Rockville PR executive tackles social issues from a prayerful perspective BY SARAH TINCHER SPECIAL TO THE GAZETTE

Rockefeller Twyman has a mission. He thinks Beyonce should, too. Outside her Dec. 18 concert at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., he organized a demonstration to urge the music icon to use her inﬂuence on youth to encourage them to sign up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. “We intend to bring healthcare.gov forms with us to be distributed to the loyal youthful fans that will be present waiting in in line to see the diva,” Twyman — who goes by Rocky — wrote in a news release announcing the protest. Twyman, 64, of Rockville, has no wife or children, but he has dedicated his life to advocating for what he believes is right — no matter how outrageous his efforts might seem to others. In 2008, he launched a “Pray at the Pump” movement in which he and followers drove around the country to pray for lower gasoline prices. In October, he staged a vigil to end the partial shutdown of the federal government. In the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings in April, he held “Thank God for the FBI Day” outside the agency’s D.C. headquarters. Lately, he’s been pushing for Pope Francis to come to Washington to perform an exorcism on Capitol Hill. “We are just really of the opinion that demons have just taken over this country,” Twyman said. “We believe in the power of prayer and we believe there is a need for divine intervention.” Since 2010, his group has been urging President Barack Obama to hold a bipartisan prayer conference with a day of fasting to correct society’s ills. God, he says, can correct the “glitches” in the healthcare.gov website. “We believe that God does want everybody to

2011 FILE PHOTO

Rockefeller Twyman (right) of Rockville, along with Elton Norman (left) of Rockville and Joel Rizalino of Beltsville, pray in December 2011 outside U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, where former Prince George’s County Councilwoman Leslie Johnson was sentenced on charges of evidence tampering.

have health care,” Twyman said. “We really think God can take care of all the glitches and make [Obamacare] a viable tool.” Brenda Joseph has known him since ﬁrst grade. “For him, it doesn’t matter what backgrounds they come from. ... To anybody in need he really listens and among the people he knows he tries everything he can to help them. I really admire that,” she said. “He just has a huge heart.” College roommate Phillip Valentine said Twyman’s devotion to helping others has always been his most notable quality. “He wants to help the underdog, and he’s just done that tirelessly his whole life,” Valentine said. “He is a tremendous human being that has just dedicated his life to helping others.” Twyman targets popular culture. Besides Beyonce, he’s picketed Kanye West, Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj for years because, he says, they are all “possessed.” “We’ve been really attacking Jay-Z and Beyonce because we think they are demoniac. We really do,” Twyman said. “They’re destroying our

youth, and particularly our black youth.” The Atlanta native says he has wanted to right wrongs since he was 13, when he marched with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. “I just saw so much injustice,” Twyman said. “We felt that things have got to get better, so we were just willing to just put our lives on the line because we didn’t want our children to go through what we had been through.” Although he was raised as a Baptist, Twyman attended two Seventh-day Adventist Church colleges. He continues to associate most closely with Seventh-day Adventists, but maintains that there is good in every religion. Shortly after college, Twyman found himself working in public relations for various television and radio stations. He later became the director of volunteer services and assistant director of media relations for Washington, D.C., General Hospital and eventually founded his own public relations ﬁrm, Rocky’s PR Miracles, in 1996. In 1992, Twyman helped register residents — with a particular emphasis on minorities — of the Washington metropolitan region in the National Bone Marrow Registry as an effort to help the ﬁght against leukemia and sickle cell anemia. Twyman’s volunteer work with the registry didn’t go unnoticed, as he was recognized in 2000 as one of Maryland’s Most Beautiful People, a state program. For Twyman and other Pray at the Pump members, the need for divine intervention is urgent, as the nation’s recent turmoil is an indication that humanity’s days on Earth are coming to an end. “We believe all this demoniac spirit is really a sign of the end of time,” he said. “We don’t put a date on when it’ll happen, but the demons are just rising up. And the only way we can end this demonic spell is for the Lord to come.” This may all sound uncomfortable to some, but to Twyman, he’s only acting in the name of God. “I think God has led my life,” he said. “I think everything is providential, things happen for a reason. I’ve just followed the path he has set out before me.”

Council appointee applicants bring diversity n

Retired principal, former police ofﬁcer, law professor, contractor have applied for vacated District 5 seat BY

RYAN MARSHALL STAFF WRITER

When Jeanette Dixon retired after 12 years as principal of Paint Branch High School in July, she was ready to relax and take it easy. But after a few months off, she’s ready to serve again. Dixon, 65, of Silver Spring, is one of four people who had applied by Monday to ﬁll the District 5 council seat that will be vacated by Valerie Ervin on Friday. The deadline to submit applications is Jan. 8, and the council plans to appoint someone to serve out the last 11 months of Ervin’s term by Jan. 31. Ervin (D) of Silver Spring is stepping down to become executive director of the Working Families Coalition, a nonproﬁt advocacy organization based in New York City. Dixon joins Arthur H. Jackson Jr. of Takoma Park, Harold McDougall of Silver Spring and Daniel Wilhelm of Colesville, according to county records. Applicants are required to be residents of District 5 and registered Democrats. Dixon served 30 years as a teacher and administrator with Montgomery County Public Schools, including 12 years as principal at Paint Branch. She also served in various positions at Benjamin Banneker Middle School, Walter Johnson High School, Wheaton High School, Springbrook High School, While Oak Middle School and Park-

land Junior High School. She said she believes the chance to ﬁll a seat on the council’s Education Committee that Ervin chairs would be a good opportunity to apply her knowledge and experience. Jackson has served on Montgomery County’s Cable Compliance Commission and Taxi Cab Advisory Board, and as a councilman for Fairmount Heights in Prince George’s County, among other positions. He said his civic work and knowledge of the county would allow him to “hit the ground running” if he were appointed to the council. Although he has a Master’s of Business Administration degree from the University of Southern California, Jackson, 57, retired in 2010 as a captain after 15 years as a special police ofﬁcer, a division of the District of Columbia’s Metropolitan Police Department. His mother, father and sister have all been in police work, he said. His police background led to an opportunity to serve on the Security and Logistics Committee for both of President Barack Obama’s inaugurations. Jackson said his public service that left the biggest impact on him was the two terms on the Taxi Cab Advisory Board, dealing with issues such as discrimination among taxi passengers and transportation of disabled passengers. McDougall has been a law professor at the Howard University School of Law since 2000, and also taught at Rutgers Law School, Antioch School of Law in Washington, D.C., CUNY Law School at Queens College in Flushing, N.Y., and at Washington’s Catholic University School of Law. He could not be reached for comment Monday. In 1996-97, he worked as the national legisla-

tive director for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in the association’s Washington, D.C., office, according to a resume submitted to the county. He’s written two books, including “Black Baltimore: A New Theory of Community,” which suggests new ways to approach the revitalization of civic culture. He also founded a nonprofit organization that strives to teach “public citizenship” to middle and high school students, according to the resume. Part of the program has been taught by Howard law students at Takoma Park Middle School since 2008. Wilhelm, 68, works at the MITRE Corp. in Annapolis Junction, but said in his letter to the council he would resign that job if appointed to fill Ervin’s seat. He’s been active in the community since 1979, and is now president of the Greater Colesville Citizens Association and a former president of the Montgomery County Civic Federation. Wilhelm said he dedicates 15 to 20 hours a week to various organizations and civic work. Otherwise, he enjoys gardening and working around his Colesville home. He said he’d like to spend his time on the council dealing with issues such as transportation, growth policies in areas such as the White Oak region, infrastructure for the county’s schools and protecting the environment. Wilhelm said he sees the county’s Bus Rapid Transit plan as a way to handle road congestion in the eastern part of the county where he lives. “There’s a lot of sticky issues coming up,” he said. rmarshall@gazette.net

Wednesday, January 1, 2014 r

InBrief Hearing planned on new Metro entrance tunnel A public hearing on the proposed construction of a new entrance to the Medical Center Metro station at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda is tentatively planned for Jan. 9 at the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission headquarters, 8787 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring. The new entrance, fully funded by the federal government, will provide access via three elevators on the east side of Rockville Pike to the Metro station across the street on the grounds of the National Institutes of Health. Also planned is a pedestrian and bike underpass, accessible via stairs, escalators and elevators. Conﬁrmation of the hearing’s date is to be posted online at www.mncppc.org by Monday. For more information, call Uzair Assadulla of the Montgomery County Department of Transportation at 240 777-7242.

New Year’s Day closings Montgomery County government operations — including its libraries, recreation facilities, parks, senior centers, the transfer station and liquor stores — will be closed Wednesday in observance of New Year’s Day. Ride On buses, Metrobus and Metrorail will follow Sunday schedules. There will be no trash or recycling pickup; collections will be bumped ahead one day, through Saturday. Parking at public garages, lots and curbside meters is free. Also, county school ofﬁces, along with state ofﬁces and courts, will be closed. Banks will be closed.

POLICE BLOTTER

Complete report at www.gazette.net The following is a summary of incidents in the Bethesda, Potomac, Rockville and Silver Spring area to which Montgomery County and/or Rockville city police responded recently. The words “arrested” and “charged” do not imply guilt. This information was provided by the county and the Rockville city police media services ofﬁce.

Armed robbery • On Dec. 14 at 8:50 p.m. in the 8800 block of Piney Branch Road, Silver Spring. The subjects threatened the victims with a weapon and took property. • On Dec. 15 at midnight at Spring Street and Roeder Road, Silver Spring. The subjects threatened the victims with a weapon and took property. • On Dec. 16 at 12:45 p.m. in the 3400 block of Robey Terrace, Silver Spring. The subjects threatened the victims with a weapon and took property. • On Dec. 17 at 6:20 p.m. at Golgule Wireless, 8203 Fenton St., Silver Spring. The subjects threatened the victims with weapons and took property. Auto theft • On Dec. 17 at 1:45 a.m. in the 11900 block of Hunters Lane, Rockville. Robbery • On Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. in the 1900 block of Rosemary Hills Drive, Silver Spring. The subjects forcefully took property from the victim and fled. Sexual assault • On Dec. 12 at 6:02 p.m. near Shady Grove Metro, 15903 Somerville Drive, Rockville. The subject inappropriately touched the victim. • On Dec. 13 at 10:30 p.m. in the 8300 block of Garland Avenue, Silver Spring. Strong-arm robbery • On Dec. 9 at 3:20 a.m. at Avenel Road and Northampton Drive, Silver Spring. The subjects forcefully took property from the victim. • On Dec. 11 at 4:10 p.m. in the 13800 block of Castle Boulevard, Silver Spring. The subjects forcefully took property from the victim. • On Dec. 12 at 9:26 p.m. in the 800 block of Wayne Avenue, Silver Spring. Took property from the victim and fled. Aggravated assault • On Dec. 10 at 9:44 p.m. at Bauer Drive Community Center, 14645 Bauer Drive, Rockville. • On Dec. 12 at 11:56 a.m. in the 8700 block of Carroll Avenue, Silver Spring. The subject is known to the victim. • On Dec. 14 at 1:48 a.m. in the 14000 block of Castle Boulevard, Silver Spring. The subject is known to the victim. • On Dec. 15 at 2:30 a.m. in the 4900 block of St. Elmo Avenue, Bethesda. • On Dec. 15 at 3:38 a.m. in the 8700 block of Gilbert Place, Silver Spring. The subject is known to the victim. • On Dec. 15 at 2 p.m. at Giant, 13645 Connecticut Ave., Aspen Hill. The subject assaulted the victim and fled. Commercial burglary • Between 11 p.m. Dec. 11 and 10:11 a.m. Dec. 12 at Randolph Beer and Wine, 5401 Randolph Road, Rockville. Forced entry, took property. • On Dec. 12 at 12:45 a.m. in the 11100 block of Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring. No forced entry, took property.

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Commercial developments await planning action in 2014 BY SONNY GOLDREICH SPECIAL TO THE GAZETTE

After a sluggish 2013, the local ofﬁce market could get a boost next year, as Montgomery County planners make progress on blueprints for major development in areas that have missed the growth binge in recent decades. Lagging neighborhoods — including White Oak and Wheaton — remain the focus of efforts to bring high-quality jobs to the eastern half of the county, and zoning and funding decisions are coming that will determine whether the proposed Purple Line connecting Bethesda with New Carrollton ever gets built. But in the meantime, a lack of demand has prompted developers to abandon plans for new ofﬁce space in favor of multifamily residential development. Here are some of the top issues to watch this year.

What will happen with White Oak? Much is riding on plans to redevelop this area in the northeastern end of Silver Spring, where a lack of transportation infrastructure has blocked growth for more than 25 years. The new master plan that the Planning Board revised for the County Council in December lays the groundwork for 13 million square

feet of new office, residential and retail development clustered around a proposed life sciences center in a 300-acre public/private project. The White Oak plan would transform a sand-and-gravel pit and adjacent county-owned land, providing a multiuse office and residential complex that would piggyback on the nearby Food and Drug Administration headquarters, which is undergoing a massive expansion program as the agency relocates its headquarters and thousands of workers from Bethesda and Rockville. But the life sciences park idea is late in coming, considering that the FDA is nearing the end of a 10-year plan to build an office campus in excess of 1 million square feet on the site of the former Naval Surface Warfare Center on New Hampshire Avenue. The neighborhood provides easy access to major roads, including the Beltway, U.S. 29 and New Hampshire Avenue. The Planning Board plan proposes to relieve rush hour gridlock on those roads means with a new rapid bus transit system. But the county has made no commitments to pay for the project and the board’s original plan to peg staged development to securing funding was scrapped for fear that would only further stall construction. It remains to be seen when the county would create a transit financing plan, whether commuters would embrace the bus system and whether

would-be life science tenants would make the move to White Oak before transportation options are improved.

Will private tenants follow county planners to Wheaton? The big decisions already have been made in Wheaton, where planners are now working on details to move county workers to a proposed office building next to the Metro station. The County Council approved a new sector plan two years ago, intending to clear the way for redevelopment of the rows of 1950s-era strip malls that line Georgia Avenue and University Boulevard. But the expected office and retail development largely remains a dream. Yes, Costco opened a super store as an appendage to the Westfield Shoppingtown Wheaton regional mall, thanks, in part, to $10 million in county subsidies to Westfield. And Safeway built a new store on the site of its old one, with a 17-story apartment building on top. But rather than constructing new office buildings, developers have been converting commercial space and even a church to new high-rise apartment projects. Again, the county has tried to drive office development with a series of proposed public/private projects centered on redeveloping Montgomery’s Wheaton regional building and converting

the Wheaton triangle parking lot into a new town center. One plan called for multiple buildings, including office, residential and hotel space. Nothing worked until the county decided ﬁnally to relocate its planning ofﬁces from Silver Spring. At the moment, the biggest question in Wheaton is when developers will knock down the BB&T bank and replace it with another apartment building. The site on Georgia Avenue a few blocks north of the Metro once was slated to be the new Safeway location but now has been rezoned for mixed residential and retail use. In the meantime, you can contemplate Wheaton’s future while nursing a Starbucks coffee. There are now three locations within three blocks of the shopping center, since one opened inside the Target store there this year.

Will the Glenmont Shopping Center die before it’s reborn? The new Glenmont sector plan approved in November could transform the neighborhood, where little has changed since the last station on the Metro Red Line opened in 1998. New zoning density incentives in the 600 acres around the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Randolph Road created a transit-oriented planning framework. Surrounding apartment complexes could be redeveloped with

a mix of high-rises, retail and low-level office space. The Glenmont Privacy World garden apartment complex already has a town house developer lined up for the first stage of its approved redevelopment. But the big question mark remains the dilapidated Glenmont Shopping Center, a 1950s strip mall anchored by a Shoppers grocery, CVS pharmacy and Staples office supply store. The mall provides a few basics for local residents, including a hair salon, a nail salon and two dry cleaners. Other tenants include a state Motor Vehicle Administration office, a federal immigration application center and a Spanish-language church in the downstairs part of the arcade that once was home to a duckpin bowling center. But the most important feature of the mall is that it has it has 12 different owners who have never been able to agree on much of anything. The biggest change at the mall this year was the repaving of the massive parking lot. Actually, about one-third of the lot was resurfaced, because the parking has multiple owners as well. In the meantime, the state and county are moving forward with plans to build an interchange at Georgia and Randolph, which will commuters an excuse never to stop in Glenmont. So without drivers stuck at the stoplights, the Glenmont Shopping Center could soon wither away.

Budget plan could mean more state money for Montgomery in 2015 If state’s spending, capital borrowing increase, county could beneﬁt n

KATE S. ALEXANDER STAFF WRITER

A Maryland General Assembly committee has recommended that Maryland’s budget be allowed to grow by no more than 4 percent in ﬁscal 2015 — which could mean more money for Montgomery County. Revenue from existing taxes is expected to grow for the com-

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ing year by about 4.6 percent, giving the state room to increase spending that is backed by state revenues, said Sen. Richard S. Madaleno Jr., who sits on the legislature’s Spending Affordablity Committee. Assuming higher revenue, the committee recommended the governor — who must propose a ﬁscal 2015 budget by January — be allowed to increase state spending, as well as borrowing for capital projects. Among the revenue categories, just about every tax, except the state’s corporate income tax, is expected to take in more

money, Madaleno said. Madaleno (D-Dist. 18) of Kensington also sits on the Senate’s Budget and Taxation Committee, which will review the governor’s budget plan. Committee member Sen. David R. Brinkley (R-Dist. 4) of New Market, however, voted against the 4 percent increase, which he said is disproportionate to the increase in families’ incomes. “Since it’s being paid by [the families], the goal is to try to keep some kind of restraint,” he said. “I don’t think they kept any kind of restraint on this.”

Brinkley said that, as a form of compromise, he proposed a roughly 2 percent budget increase to mirror the rate of inﬂation. Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) is expected to budget the money on K-12 education, programs to keep tuition at state colleges and universities affordable, and health care. If he does, Madaleno said, Montgomery could be the beneﬁciary of some of the additional spending. “Clearly, we are the largest school system,” he said. “Money that continues to fund the formulas will flow back to the county.”

Because Montgomery has the most college students in the state, money to keep tuition affordable is a huge benefit to local students and families, he said. Among Montgomery County’s priorities for the upcoming legislative session, the county is seeking additional money for school construction. Along with the increase in spending, the committee recommended higher borrowing. O’Malley’s administration requested $75 million annually for the next ﬁve years of the capital budget. The committee

agreed only to $75 million for fiscal 2015, which begins next July 1. With O’Malley entering his final year as governor, the committee wanted to leave future borrowing to the discretion of the next governor. Only Democrats on the Spending Afforability Committee supported giving O’Malley $75 million in borrowing for fiscal 2015, Madaleno noted. Staff Writer Lindsay A. Powers contributed to this story. kalexander@gazette.net

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Like change?

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Expect change to spare in 2014

A full plate for Montgomery schools in 2014 n

New tests, continuing growth amid issues

LINDSAY A. POWERS STAFF WRITER

Montgomery County Public Schools is looking at a busy year in 2014. Among other issues, the school system will use current state tests for the last time as it pilots a new test; will work to increase its capacity amid signiﬁcant student population growth, and will consider changes to school start and end times. Schools Superintendent Joshua P. Starr has described the school system as “bursting

TRANSIT

Continued from Page A-1 a preferred plan if the owner of the Apex building at 7272 Wisconsin Ave., where the station is planned, agrees to redevelop the building, which houses a movie theater and ofﬁces; and a default plan if the owner does not agree to redevelop. The county prefers the former, so the building can be razed. That would allow construction of a bigger station. The state also is pursuing a public-private partnership to defray costs. Besides being

at the seams.” Following recent years of enrollment growth, the school system is looking for financial aid from the county and state this budget season to help address the need for more space. County legislators plan to convince their colleagues in the upcoming General Assembly session that Montgomery needs up to $20 million in fiscal year 2015 from the state for school construction projects that would help increase schools’ capacity. The county school board has voted for a $1.74 billion Capital Improvements Program budget for fiscal years 2015 through 2020 that includes expansion projects and new schools. That

budget awaits approval from the County Council and County Executive Isiah Leggett. At recent public hearings on the capital budget, school community members described buildings with immediate needs related to overcrowding as well as aging and disrepair.

responsible for designing, constructing, operating and maintaining the project, the private partner also will help finance a portion of the construction, according to the Purple Line website. Six private-sector teams have submitted statements of qualifications that they hope will lead to work on the project. Madden said the state this month will select a short list of teams that will be invited to submit formal proposals. At the end of the year or in early 2015, officials hope to choose a partner and recommend the final agreement to the state Board of

Public Works. Construction could begin as early as 2015, and is set to last ﬁve years. The Purple Line also is planned to link up with the Red Line at the troubled $120 million Silver Spring Transit Center. After years of setbacks, construction delays and cost overruns, ofﬁcials hope the center opens in 2014.

Testing it out The new year also will introduce a new state assessment test, though it is only being tried out. The school system is looking at its last round of the Maryland State Assessment test this spring before it makes the ofﬁcial switch to the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness of

Rapid bus in upcounty A bus rapid transit system project through parts of Gaithersburg and Rockville also is forging ahead. The ﬁrst phase of the proposed Corridor Cities

College and Careers test, which aligns with the Common Core State Standards. While it won’t be fully implemented until the 2014-15 school year, the PARCC test will be piloted in at least one class at the majority of the county’s public schools this spring, according to Randy Aleshevich, coordinator of student assessment in the school system’s Ofﬁce of Shared Accountability. “They’re not testing students’ abilities on this test,” Aleshevich said. “They’re testing the items and students’ interaction with the items so that next year they can justify giving the test for accountability purposes.” Transitway would wind from the Shady Grove Metro station to the Metropolitan Grove MARC station. A second phase of the transitway is expected to continue north to Clarksburg. As the planning process continues into 2014, advisory committees are being created by the Maryland Transit Administration to encourage community involvement in the design and construction of the transitway and the 14 proposed stations, according to the transitway’s website. Tracee Strum-Gilliam, a senior environmental planner at Parsons Brinckerhoff, an engineering and construction

The MSA is looking at some push-back in its last year of use. A school system teacher started a petition to cancel the test and State Sen. Nancy King said she will submit emergency legislation that will call for the Maryland State Department of Education to request a test waiver from the federal government.

Ringing a bell Discussion also will continue regarding Starr’s recommendation to change school bell times, which in part would have high schools start the school day 50 minutes later. In community forums — which will continue in 2014 management company in Baltimore, said the hope is to have the committees fully formed by spring. Those committees will meet every two to three months for the next few years as the project progresses. “The project goal is to have them be there as needed throughout the implementation process,” she said. Construction is slated for 2018, and the system is expected to be operational by 2021.

Midcounty Highway plans move ahead Meanwhile, the extension

Implant Placement by Our In-House Oral Surgeons Crowns and Dentures Placed by Our Restorative Dentists 1912197

along with other feedback opportunities — supporters of the proposal said the changes would allow high school students to get more sleep. Opponents said the changes would create challenges such as less time for afterschool activities, older students arriving home later to take care of younger siblings, and students driving during the afternoon rush hour. The school system also plans to expand its Interventions Network from 11 schools this year to about 30 schools next school year to continue helping schools address speciﬁc needs and close achievement gaps, according to school system spokeswoman Gboyinde Onijala. of Midcounty Highway to Ridge Road in Germantown also is inching closer to reality. Following the Montgomery County Planning Board’s vote in November to support the new highway portion, the recommendation will land on the County Council’s agenda for consideration at some point in 2014. A hearing date has not been set. According to the county’s Department of Transportation website, the agency plans to submit its “Preferred Alternative and Conceptual Mitigation” report in February. By spring, the Army Corps of Engineers, Environmental Protection Agency and Maryland Department of the Environment will work with this report. A few months later, the county transportation agency is to submit its ﬁnal environmental effects report and mitigation plan. During the fall, the Army Corps of Engineers is scheduled to complete its environmental assessment and issue a permit decision. jedavis@gazette.net

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Wednesday, January 1, 2014 r

MARRIAGE

Continued from Page A-1 who works in the mayor’s ofﬁce, said he and Tasker emerged from the ceremony to a large gathering of the gay community greeting them with roses and congratulations. “It just was great to make history and let everybody know that it can be done. I never thought it would be done in my lifetime,” Scales said. It’s unclear how many samesex couples have married in Maryland in the last year, since the state doesn’t differentiate marriages by gender in its records, according to the Clerk of the Circuit Court’s ofﬁce, which keeps marriage records. Equality Maryland Executive Director Carrie Evans said implementation of the law has gone smoothly and the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act by the U.S. Supreme Court in June makes legal issues like filing joint taxes easier. Scales and Tasker, who have been together for 37 years, said being married hasn’t changed their relationship. But Scales

SEATS

Continued from Page A-1 sister Freda Jaffe and Smith has chosen Clarence Tucker as his lieutenant governor candidate. Republican candidates include Harford County Executive David R. Craig, Del. Ronald A. George (Dist. 30), former political action committee leader Charles Lollar, Baltimore businessman Brian Vaeth and Change Maryland Chairman Larry Hogan. Vaeth and Craig are the only GOP candidates to have chosen running mates. Craig is joined on his ticket by Del. Jeannie Haddaway-Rico (Dist. 37B). Vaeth is joined by Duane Gerald Davis, a man known for using a toilet to stage a protest on the lawn of the Baltimore County Court House.

Attorney general With Gansler running for governor, at least four legislators — all Democrats — are campaigning for attorney general. From Montgomery County’s District 16 are Sen. Brian E.

HOSPITALS

Continued from Page A-1

as they said vows again before an ordained minister who was also the party’s D.J. More than 100 extended family members and friends came to the sportsthemed reception to celebrate the marriages. Jennifer and Lynn exchanged Super Bowl rings and guests wore sports jerseys. The two couples also emerged from a closet together dancing to the song “I’m Coming Out,” by Diana Ross.

Frosh and Del. C. William Frick. Frosh chairs the Senate’s Judicial Proceedings Committee, the committee that handles legislation such as the repeal of the death penalty, same-sex marriage and gun control. Frick has served two terms in the House and sits on its Ways and Means Committee. Also in the race are Del. Aisha N. Braveboy (Dist. 25), who chairs the Legislative Black Caucus, and Del. Jon S. Cardin (Dist. 11), nephew of U.S. Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D).

House seats are up for election in 2014. Other than the attorney general and governor races, only two Montgomery County incumbents have said they are seeking higher ofﬁce in 2014. Dels. Susan C. Lee (D-Dist. 16) of Bethesda and Luiz R.S. Simmons (D-Dist. 17) of Rockville are running for Senate in their districts. Of the remaining delegates and senators only one, Del. Sam Arora (D-Dist. 19) of Silver Spring, has announced he will not seek re-election. Challengers have announced plans to run in all eight Montgomery districts, but so far only two challengers are Republicans, Robin Ficker and his son Flynn Ficker. In District 15, Robin Ficker is running for the Senate and Flynn Ficker is running for the House.

Comptroller Comptroller Peter V.R. Franchot (D), a former Montgomery County delegate, is seeking a third term. Republican William H. Campbell is the only other declared candidate. Campbell is vice chairman of the NASA Advisory Council’s Audit, Finance and Analysis Committee and, according to his campaign website, a member of the American Society of Military Comptrollers.

General Assembly All 47 Senate seats and 141 ready for use in 2017 and the building will be open for patient use in fall 2019. MedStar Montgomery Medical Center in Olney announced last month that it would lose 24 employees, effective Jan. 31. Spokeswoman Gina Cook said the workers will not be laid off, but will move to CBRE Group, a real estate contractor. The affected employees handle property management and facility management for the hospital. “The reduction at MedStar Montgomery does not result in

A vow for legal rights Calvert and Splitstoser also opted for a courthouse ceremony, in Rockville. The ceremony was low-key — in fact, the couple hasn’t even told their parents about it. “There were crickets,” from both sides of the family when the law passed in Maryland, meaning no one in the family talked about it. Although both Calvert and Splitstosers’ families treat the spouses like family, they don’t treat them like spouses. Calvert’s parents still send them separate Christmas cards, to the same address. “We lived in that time when people were coming out in

droves, but people were getting beat up for it,” Splitstoser, 51, said. Once, in college, Splitstoser was headed to a gay bar with a friend, Michael, in Milwaukee when a car of drunk guys pulled up beside them and started harassing them and calling them names. They drove away, stopped and started to back up again. Splitstoser told Michael “we’d better run,” and they darted down an alley. The car followed them and Michael yelled “duck!” just before Splitstoser felt the rush of a baseball bat over his head. As same-sex couples are ﬁnally beginning to enjoy equal rights, these remain gasps of fresh air in the struggle against a legacy of exclusion and discrimination. But as an archeologist, Splitstoser knows that the idea of relationships and marriage among same-sex couples is not new. Some Native American cultures even recognized gender differently, he said, throwing off base the idea of defining marriage with gender. They believed in a physical and a spiritual gender that were not always the same. Someone who identiﬁed physically as a man but spiritually as a

woman could marry a man. Splitstoser was also an active Army ofﬁcer from 1984 to 1990, during the days of the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy. “It was a lot of hiding,” he said. He could have lost his job when, following the death of a former partner, the partner’s parents began calling him at work over legal issues. The couple had shared an apartment but no legal rights, so although Splitstoser owned most of the possessions in the apartment, legally the parents inherited half of everything in it. After that experience, Calvert and Splitstoser set up a complex series of accounts and trusts just to protect themselves ﬁnancially the same way a married couple would be protected by default. “After being together for 20 years, (getting married) was just really a formality for us. We just wanted the legal protection,” Calvert said. Before marriage equality, if a couple shared a house and one person died, the surviving partner would have to buy half of the house back, whereas nor-

mally a spouse would keep full ownership. The Defense of Marriage Act was repealed in June on a case where a woman inherited an estate from her female spouse, but was required to pay $360,000 in estate taxes on it after being denied tax exemption for surviving spouses. For Calvert and Splitstoser, the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act represented an even bigger landmark than marriage in Maryland. Now the federal government recognizes their marriage and Calvert can receive military beneﬁts as a spouse. Calvert believes that the repeal catalyzed a lot of changes that had been stiﬂed for years by taking the question of same-sex beyond emotional arguments to a legal level, where it could be evaluated on fundamental fairness. Now that people are beginning to view it in that light, Calvert thinks that progress will continue at a faster pace. Seeing equal rights slowly take hold, Calvert can afford a mindset he couldn’t imagine growing up one of “total equality and nothing else will do.”

cilman to choose from when they pick the next executive. County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) is seeking a third term; he also served on the County Council from 1986 to 2002. Leggett faces primary challenges from former County Executive Douglas M. Duncan and Councilman Philip M. Andrews (Dist. 3). Duncan served three terms as executive before making a run for governor in 2006. He withdrew from that race, citing a battle with depression. Andrews has served on the council since 1998; District 3 includes portions of Gaithersburg, and Rockville.

County Council

Gaithersburg City Councilman Ryan Spiegel said he is running. Neda Bolourian (D) has ﬁled to run in District 2 against Council President Craig L. Rice (D). In District 5, Terrill North (D) of Takoma Park, who initially planned to run at large, is running against Evan Glass (D), chairman of the Silver Spring Citizens Advisory Board. Others could jump in the race. Del. Tom Hucker (D-Dist. 20) of Silver Spring and school board member Christopher S. Barclay both conﬁrmed they are interested. In the interim, the council plans to appoint someone to Ervin’s seat.

Montgomery County voters will have the incumbent, his predecessor and a county coun-

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job loss, as these people are functioning same as before,” Cook said. The 24 employees have been offered employment through CBRE at their current salaries. In addition, the hospital is expanding its radiation oncology services with new technology, she said. Loren Nix, spokeswoman for Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Rockville, said there are no expansions planned for its facility. The hospital recently hired a new president, John Sackett of Olney, who started last spring.

Obituary

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With the exception of Andrews and Councilwoman Valerie Ervin (D-Dist. 5) of Silver Spring, who resigned effective this Friday, the incumbents — all Democrats — have said they will seek re-election. The four at-large members — George L. Leventhal, Marc B. Elrich and Hans Riemer, all of Takoma Park, and Nancy Floreen of Garrett Park — will be challenged by Central Committeewoman Vivian Malloy (D) of Olney and Beth Daly (D) of Dickerson. In the districts, Andrews’ seat is drawing attention. Gaithersburg Mayor Sidney A. Katz said he is considering a run, and

sscully@gazette.net

Montgomery County executive

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Gaskins said her organization is receiving “a lot of inquiries” about jobs at the Germantown facility. Hospital operations there are expected to create about 1,500 jobs. Thehospitalwill be six stories high and accessible through Observation Drive. Holy Cross also is expanding its Silver Spring facility to include a seven-story patient care building. “Construction on this project includes numerous changes to the existing structure, including construction of a bridge to connect the two buildings, in addition to changes to the existing hospital,” Gaskins said. A parking garage addition, with 300 spaces, has been completed, she said. The patient care building is projected to be completed in fall 2015. Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park is again considering a move to White Oak. As The Gazette previously reported, the hospital is making its second bid since 2006 to move to a larger campus. A small contingent of emergency services would remain in Takoma Park if the hospital’s plans are approved. The project would cost $373 million, including $33 million to renovate the existing Takoma Park campus. The new 200-bed White Oak facility would open in late 2018. At Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, a $230 million “campus enhancement project” is moving toward ﬁnal approval, according to hospital spokeswoman Ronna Borenstein-Levy. Over opposition from neighbors, the Maryland Court of Appeals in September gave the hospital the green light to begin construction. The expansion includes a four-story, 235,597-square-foot addition and a new parking garage with more than 1,200 spaces. “Right now we’re looking forward to breaking ground in late 2014,” Borenstein-Levy said in September. If all goes according to plan, the new parking garage will be

said there’s a sense of relief every time he writes Tasker’s name down next to “spouse.” Scales and Tasker had a holy union ceremony on their 20th anniversary, but “even though it was very nice, I didn’t feel like it was the experience I was looking for,” Tasker said. “I feel kind of freer,” he said. “I can now be the same person at work that I am home.” In March, the couple had a joint celebration with Tasker’s nieces, Jennifer and Lynn Creamer. Jennifer had previously been married to a man, whose last name she had kept. So when she and Lynn married, Jennifer dropped her exhusband’s last name to take Lynn’s. After 18 years together, the Creamers got married at the Baltimore County Courthouse on Jan. 18, 2013, but held the celebration in March for the great-nieces and -nephews who couldn’t make it to the courthouse ceremony, because “they wanted to be a part of history,” Lynn said. During the March celebration they had another ceremony, where their great-nieces and -nephews gave them away

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The Gazette OUROPINIONS

Familiar challenges confront Montgomery County and Maryland at the start of 2014. First, consider President Barack Obama’s signing of a two-year budget deal Friday. The spending plan reduces the likelihood of a federal government shutdown, which is good news, but it does nothing for the looming debate over the debt ceiling, which is not. If we learned anything from 2013 it was that the D.C. metropolitan area can be roiled by the ripple effects of Capitol Hill budget debates. The Free State faces its own impending budget ﬁght. The legislature’s Spending Affordability Committee, which advises the state’s budget writers on spending in advance of the start of the General Assembly session, voted Dec. 19 to recommend a 4 percent increase in the Maryland budget. Republicans on the committee objected, believing revenue projections won’t be as rosy. The committee’s recommendation is exactly that. Governors have ignored it completely and the legislature can cut Martin O’Malley’s budget proposal below the recommendation. But we’re entering the re-election season, and incumbents don’t want to spend the months leading up to the June primaries telling constituents they couldn’t provide services. Granted, Montgomery stands to gain if the state increases its spending. Our County Council is hoping to convince Annapolis for more money for school construction projects. Meanwhile, the economy can’t seem to decide what kind of rebound is ahead. So we start the year with a questionable economy, a state legislature wanting to spend a lot of money, the county with its hand out and elections ahead around the corner. It looks like 2014 could be like most years.

Careless pedestrians have really done it. Their reckless ways have caused Montgomery County to go loco. Exhibit A: The county’s new comic-book strategy for encouraging walkers to get across the street safely. On color fliers and online, the first panel depicts a car speeding away after it has hit a man crossing a road. In the second panel, the man acknowledges that he was to blame for not using a crosswalk. The mini-story concludes with the woman lamenting to herself and pushing a pedestriancrossing signal button. The strip, created by the county and Rockville consulting firm Sharp and Company, is cartoonish in look and in plot line. It sounds like that’s what the creators had in mind, as conveyed in the title over the comic: “Pedestrian Passion: The Forbidden Crossing.” Or, on the flip side in Spanish: “Pasion Peatonal: El Cruce Prohibido.” The exaggerated dialogue and gestures are meant to simulate a telenovela, or Spanish soap opera. Presumably, we’re supposed to be entertained by the fact that the sprawled body of Marco, the struck pedestrian, is larger than the car that hit him. And the hyperbolic angst of Maria, with the back of her hand pressed against her forehead, as she rues aloud that her “beloved” Marco didn’t follow traffic-safety laws. “If only Marco had waited for the walk signal at the crosswalk ...,” she concludes. “The tragedy!” We commend Montgomery County for — despite the satire in this case — taking pedestrian safety seriously, and trying several approaches to drive home street smarts. County Executive Isiah Leggett said the county thinks its educational efforts have worked in locations with the most problems; the number of pedestrians struck has dropped 43 percent. Although focus groups apparently vetted the idea, we think many people won’t find the humor in the campaign. Instead, they’ll find Maria’s hackneyed dialogue and overwrought gestures to be an unfair stereotype, which then will undercut the campaign’s message. We think straight talk on such a somber topic resonates. Pedestrians sometimes endanger themselves with risky behavior, such as tuning out the outside world while absorbed in music through earbuds or staring at a smartphone. But drivers are often to blame, too, and need constant reminders on safe travel. Keep hands on the wheel and eyes on the road, for one thing. What cartoonish message does Montgomery County have in mind for them?

The Gazette Karen Acton, President/Publisher

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Ten Mile Creek is our backup

The ﬁrst order of civilization is “Don’t pollute your drinking water.” The second order is “Don’t pollute your backup drinking water; you’re gonna need it one day.” And yet the corporate land speculators, Pulte & Peterson, are planning to do just that in Ten Mile Creek. As a small owner who provides tech support to fellow small businesses and home users, one of the worst things that can happen to a client is when (not if) their

system crashes and they lose their data. The very worst is when (not if) their system crashes, they lose their data, and they have no backup. One of the worst things that can happen to people who drink water is when (not if) their drinking water system crashes because they lose a source of drinking water. The worst thing is when (not if) their drinking water system crashes because they lost a source of drinking water, and they’ve al-

lowed corporate land speculators to pollute the backup drinking water source. That’s why I am urging our councilmember and County Executive Leggett to do all in their power to protect and preserve our backup drinking water source, Ten Mile Creek. I drink water and I vote for candidate who vow to protect and preserve our clean drinking water.

Joseph P. Horgan, Kensington

Clarksburg development affects our water supply Rob Shapiro’s letter on development in Clarksburg [“Development, Ten Mile Creek can coexist,” Dec. 25] is offensive when he declares environmental groups are disrespectful and distorting the facts on Stage 4 development. Quite the contrary, the county is the one which states the “development in Ten Mile Creek will adversely affect stream biology.” We are raising issues because, while we may not live in Clarksburg, it very much impacts the quality of the water we may drink. The “well documented facts” are that state and county have been completely ineffective in

protecting local water bodies. Most streams are lifeless, eroded conduits. Our “antiquated” arguments are needed because the water quality plans the county proposed are mostly subjective and unenforceable. Since Stages 1-3 are nowhere near complete, and Ten Mile Creek already shows some signs of stress, our facts a lot stronger than the hollow promises of developers. I am sorry that commerce like a major outlet mall is essential to the quality of life in Clarksburg.

the District of Columbia (like So Others Might Eat and numerous others) who were still in need of donations? If that type of sharing had occurred, many of the region’s children might have experienced less disappointment on Christmas morning. I doubt that those who provided gifts would be unhappy about them not being given speciﬁcally to Montgomery County children.

Ellen Lodwick, Silver Spring

Jolene Shapiro, Potomac

Art Slesinger, Darnestown

Contrast in meeting needs Reading the local newspapers on Christmas morning provided an interesting contrast in how social services needs are and are not being met in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. In the Metro section of the Washington Post, there was an article entitled “Homeless for the holidays,” which included a heartbreaking story of a child interested in art activities who was unable to receive even one toy related to her interests. In contrast, the Montgom-

ery County Gazette cheerily reported in “We’re going to need a bigger sleigh,” [Dec. 25, 2013] that, due to an overabundance of donations, the Toys for Tots’ Montgomery County warehouse was “open to the public” for free gifts on Monday, Dec. 23, regardless of economic need. One official indicated that they would have liked to get more gifts to the needy. So how difﬁcult is it? Even if all of the available sources in the county couldn’t take all of them, what about groups in

Going meatless, going green This New Year I’m making a resolution to help the environment, and this time it will go beyond recycling and compact ﬂuorescent light bulbs. I’m joining the “Meatless Monday” movement and skipping meat one day a week. Fact is, animal agriculture is a major catalyst to climate change, since the billions of animals in factory farms emit nearly 20 percent of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions, according to the United Nations. Meat production also plays a major role in environmental degradation, as concentrating tens of thousands of animals into a single shed leads to profuse amounts of manure, wastewater, and post-slaughter residue, much of which spills into our waterways. I hope others will join me in 2014 to eat less meat and stem the tide of climate change. It’s easy, and it’s something we can all do.

Affordable Health Care means more will be covered Despite all the recent political rhetoric around health care reform, one fact remains clear: On Jan. 1, more than 100,000 Marylanders will have access to highquality health care because of the Affordable Care Act. That is 100,000 of our neighbors, grandparents, sisters, children and others who will have good coverage they can afford, whether they have “pre-existing conditions” or not. This includes thousands of Maryland’s most vulnerable residents who can now get care through Medicaid and thousands of others who have found new private health plans that meet their budget and needs. The Affordable Care Act has brought sweeping changes to health care, and implementing such changes is not always easy. But beyond the technological and political challenges, we must do all that we can to ensure that our local community members take advantage of new

benefits — like tax credits that will help working low-income families pay health care costs and new rules that allow children to stay on their parents’ health insurance until age 26. We also must not lose sight of the 77,000 Marylanders who have successfully created accounts to sign up for a health plan through Maryland Health Connection, the state’s new health insurance marketplace. As a longtime public health advocate and former director of health policy for United Way Worldwide, I strongly believe in the importance of good, accessible health care. For me, the fight is not only professional, but also personal. Among many new benefits, the Affordable Care Act has created programs and protections for more seniors — like my 98-yearold grandmother who has Alzheimer’s disease — to receive long-term care and home-based care so they can live peace-

fully at home. The law has made it possible for hundreds of thousands of Marylanders to get health care they want at low or no cost. And residents can continue enrolling in health coverage through Maryland Health Connection all the way through March 31. This new year, let’s resolve to talk about these beneﬁts and do what we can to ensure that all families in our community can get quality health care they can afford.

Hrant Jamgochian, Bethesda The writer is a Democratic candidate for a District 16 seat in the House of Delegates. He also is an attorney who serves as the executive director for the patient advocacy organization Dialysis Patient Citizens.

Taking a broader look at AP exams The Gazette’s realistic Dec. 11 article “Percentage of college-ready scores on AP tests declines in county” should be understood in a broader perspective. In 2013, as compared with 2012, the numbers of Advanced Placement exams taken increased in 15 high schools and decreased in nine high schools, while the percentages scored 3 or higher decreased in 16 high schools and increased in nine high schools. For African-American, Asian and Hispanic students the numbers of exams taken each increased while the percentages scored 3 or higher each decreased; for whites, the number and percentage decreased. Over the 2004-2013 decade, the numbers of exams increased by 58 percent in the 11 schools with the highest poverty and by 85 percent in the 14 schools with the lowest poverty. By contrast, the percentage of exams scored 3 or higher decreased by 17 percent in the schools with

the highest poverty and increased by 4 percent in the schools with the lowest poverty. Today, very roughly, the proportion of MCPS AP exams taken by blacks and Hispanics is only half their representation among MCPS high school students; and the proportion of 3 or higher scores earned by blacks and Hispanics is only a third their representation among MCPS high school students. The proportions are worse for students in poverty: their proportion of MCPS’ exams is only a quarter of their proportion of MCPS high school students; and their proportion of tests scored 3 or higher is only a ﬁfth of their representation in MCPS high schools. In MCPS’ celebratory Dec. 6 announcement “MCPS Students Take a Record Number of AP Exams,” Dr. Joshua Starr pronounces himself “very pleased.” His “there are still signiﬁcant gaps” is merely an increasingly common, fine

print, boilerplate add-on. The superintendent’s comparison of black and Hispanic performance in MCPS to that in the state and nation is a bit like comparing Division I to Division III: It ignores the superior resources at MCPS’ disposal and MCPS’ Core Value commitment to closing the gaps among its own students. MCPS’ immediate past Board President Chris Barclay says that we must both increase access to AP classes and “make sure all students are ready to succeed.” Now, increasing access is coupled with increasing failure; this reveals that, in MCPS’ poorer clusters, students’ elementary and middle school educations are not preparing them to succeed. It’s time for less happy talk and for targeting of resources to educate all students in all schools.

9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, MD 20877 | Phone: 301-948-3120 | Fax: 301-670-7183 | Email: opinions@gazette.net More letters appear online at www.gazette.net/opinion

Douglas Tallman, Editor Krista Brick, Managing Editor/News Glen C. Cullen, Senior Editor Copy/Design Meredith Hooker, Managing Editor/Internet Robert Rand, Managing Editor/Presentation

LETTERS TOT HE EDITOR

Meet the new year, same as the old year

Loco in MoCo

Forum

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Andrew Schotz, Assistant Managing Editor Nathan Oravec, A&E Editor Ken Sain, Sports Editor Dan Gross, Photo Editor Jessica Loder, Web Editor

Dennis Wilston, Corporate Advertising Director Doug Baum, Corporate Classiﬁeds Director Mona Bass, Inside Classiﬁeds Director

Jean Casey, Director of Marketing and Circulation Anna Joyce, Creative Director, Special Pubs/Internet Ellen Pankake, Director of Creative Services

Frederick Stichnoth, Silver Spring

POST COMMUNITY MEDIA Karen Acton, Chief Executive Ofﬁcer Michael T. McIntyre, Controller Donna Johnson, Vice President of Human Resources Maxine Minar, President, Comprint Military Shane Butcher, Director of Technology/Internet

BREWS BROTHERS

STRONG SIPPIN’

Delicious strong beers kick off new year with a bang .

The Gazette’s Guide to

Arts & Entertainment

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www.gazette.net

want

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Local singer, songwriter and author Barry Louis Polisar has had his works featured in commercials and the movie “Juno.”

All you

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WILL C. FRANKLIN STAFF WRITER

Some might not know who Barry Louis Polisar is, but chances are they’ve either heard or seen his work. For going on 40 years, Polisar has written songs and books — mostly silly, happy and fun — for children. Songs such as “Don’t Put Your Finger Up Your Nose,” “I Need You Like a Donut Needs a Hole,” and “It’s My Mother and My Father and My Sister and The Dog and My Two Little Brothers and Me,” are all hits with children. The Burtonsville resident didn’t always have music in mind as a career. He did, however, know he wanted to work with children. “I went to college at the University of Maryland planning to be a teacher,” Polisar said. “I had just started playing the guitar and I only knew a few chords. I used to carry my guitar with me wherever I went back in those early days of playing music.” A teacher saw Polisar carrying his guitar and

MICHAEL G. STEWART

WRITER OF POPULAR CHILDREN’S SONGS, BOOKS REFLECTS ON CAREER

Actor Bryan Greenberg shooting a scene from “A Year and Change.”

See WANT, Page A-13

BOOKS

Oh Captain, my Captain Remarkable ancestor provides basis for reporter’s debut novel

MAKING

‘Change’ n

Rockville native shoots ﬁrst feature in Maryland

Actor T.R. Knight shoots a scene for “A Year and Change” at a cabin in Mount Airy. PHOTOS BY TANYA GIANG

CARA HEDGEPETH STAFF WRITER

Rockville native and filmmaker R. Stephen Suettinger recently wrapped shooting on his first feature-length film, “A Year and Change.” The backdrop for Suettinger’s feature debut, co-produced by Suettinger’s Pebble Hill Films and Emily Ting’s Unbound Feet Productions, is his home state, including several locations in Montgomery County. “I tailored the script a little bit to places I knew and loved,” Suettinger said. “And that I thought were cinematically dynamic and places that I kind of grew up with.” Some of those places include the White Oak duckpin bowling alley in Silver Spring — a location Suettinger said he chose because “duckpins are a Maryland thing” — and the Olney community pool and baseball fields off of Georgia Avenue. Suettinger directs the film and co-wrote the script with Jim Beggarly. Though the 18day shoot got underway right after Thanksgiving, “A Year and Change” has been in the works for nearly eight years. “I’ve had the project now for seven and a half years,” Suettinger said. “It’s always been on my mind … [but] it wasn’t ready to be shot … I thought the dialogue was really good and I fell in love with these characters but it wasn’t ready for me yet.” Considered an indie drama, “A Year and Change” is the story of Owen (Bryan

See CHANGE, Page A-13

ELLYN WEXLER

SPECIAL TO THE GAZETTE

An oil portrait of a 19th century ancestor Robin Lloyd inherited from his grandmother inspired his ﬁrst novel. “The man’s name was Elisa Ely Morgan,” said the 63-year-old Chevy Chase journalist. “I can remember as a young boy looking at this painting hanging in her living room. I’d asked who he was, and she told me he was an important ship captain who

See CAPTAIN, Page A-13

PHOTO ALISON LANGLEY

Robin Lloyd is author of “Rough Passing to London: A Sea Captain’s Tale.”

THE GAZETTE

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‘LYLE’S’ LAST HURRAH PHOTO BY STEVE WILSON

Volinist Nurit Bar-Josef will perform Mozart’s “Concerto No. 5” at the Music Center at Strathmore this weekend.

Winter ‘Serenade’ Violinist Nurit Bar-Josef will perform Mozart’s “Concerto No. 5” with the National Philharmonic, under the direction of music director and conductor Piotr Gajewski, at 8 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday at the Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda. Also slated for the program are Mozart’s “Symphony No. 29” and Dvo ák’s “Serenade for Strings.” Bar-Josef, concertmaster of the National Symphony Orchestra, previously spent three years as assistant concertmaster of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops and one year as assistant principal second violin with the Saint Louis Symphony. For more information, visit www. strathmore.org.

JEREMY RUSNOCK

David Landstrom as Joshua, Michael John Casey as Mr. Grumps, and Loretta (as herself, in Mr. Grumps’ arms) in the musical “Lyle the Crocodile” at Imagination Stage.

Cat got your tongue

Synchronizing ‘Spring’

Bestselling children’s author

Pianist Alexander Paley will join pianist Peiwen Chen for a performance of

Nick Bruel will host a reading and book signing at Barnes and Noble in Bethesda on Jan. 7 to promote

MACMILLAN CHILDRENÍS PUBLISHING GROUP

Nick Bruel is the author of “Bad Kitty Drawn to Trouble.”

his latest picture book, “Bad Kitty: Drawn to Trouble,” out the same day. Bruel is the author of 11 Bad Kitty books including seven chapter books and four picture books, each with its own valuable lesson. “Drawn to Trouble” focuses on the process of writing and illustrating children’s books. In addition to his stop at Barnes and Noble, Bruel will also make an appearance at Politics & Prose Bookstore in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 8 in addition to visiting several area schools. For more information visit badkittybooks.squarespace.com.

MICHAEL PALEY

Pianists Michael Paley (pictured) and Peiwen Chen will perform Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring” and Rachmaninoff’s “13 Preludes” on Saturday, Jan. 4 at the Westmoreland Congregational UCC Church in Bethesda.

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After a while on the Imagination Stage, Bernard Waber’s “Lyle the Crocodile” will soon end its rollicking, reptilian run at the Bethesda theater. Following the adventures of the Primm family and their adopted New York croc, the stage production was adapted by Kevin Kling and features music by Richard Gray. Directed by Kathryn Chase Bryer, the fun continues to Jan. 10. For more information, visit www. imaginationstage.com.

the one piano, four-hands version of Igor Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring” at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Westmoreland Congregational UCC Church in Bethesda. Published prior to the premiere of the orchestral version, the four-hand performance ﬁrst played by Stravinsky and composer Claude Debussy was originally intended for study and ballet rehearsal - only recently ﬁnding its way to the stage. Following intermission, Paley will perform Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “13 Preludes, Op. 32,” composed in 1910. The performers will be available for a question and answer seminar after the concert. Admission is free. Donations are accepted. For more information, visit www.washingtonconservatory.org.

THE GAZETTE

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Restaurants: The year in review Old-school ﬁne dining gives way to big franchises, trucks become truck stops, there is always room for one more restaurant in Bethesda, Silver Spring gets a butcher, and mom and pop can still open a little Ethnic eatery.

DINING REVIEW BY BRIAN PATTERSON After 18 years as the pioneer of fine dining along Rockville Pike, Addie’s closed its doors on Nov. 27; not to fear, those mussels are still being served at Blacks family owned restaurants in Garrett Park, Bethesda and Takoma Park. Even as White Flint reinvents itself and its neighborhood into a hub of social and retail activity, look for bigconcept franchises with proven success and trendy concepts such as the new Paladar Latin Kitchen and Rum Bar on Woodglen Drive, featuring appetizers of large proportions, ceviche, exotic rums and rum cocktails, good parking and a vibrant happy hour. Other Paladars are slated to open in Gaithersburg and Tyson’s Corner in 2014. On a smaller scale, Sheba’s Ethiopian is a welcome little addition to the diverse culinary landscape of Rockville. The carnivores of Silver Spring are salivating over the impending opening of Raynold Mendizabal’s Urban Butcher at 8226 Georgia Avenue. Urban Butcher will feature a butcher shop as well as nose to tail dining in their restaurant and lounge. The closing of Macaroni Grille only fans the flames at the casual steak house Copper Canyon Grill, which keeps the grill hot and the bar wet on Sunday afternoons when most other eateries in the neighborhood do not. Meanwhile, Chef Justin Bittner left 14th Street’s Bar Pilar this summer to reinvigorate the kitchen at Silver Spring’s 8407, turning that address back into a name and not just a number. Thankfully, Spiro Gioldasis finally installed a wood-fired pizza oven as well as a full bar in the Pacci’s at Forest Glen, bringing that location up to the caliber of the original Pacci’s in Silver Spring. In downtown Silver Spring next to Acorn Park, connoisseurs of beer and ale are flocking to Scion, an offshoot of their award winning P street location that also serves upscale American fare. And while Mrs. K’s Toll House may look

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COPPER CANYON

Copper Canyon Grill in Silver Spring keeps the grill hot and the bar wet on Sunday afternoons when most other eateries in the neighborhood do not. Pictured is the restaurant’s rotisserie chicken. and feel like a life sized doll house from the ground up, step down into the barrel room and you would think you’d stepped into a tasting room in Sonoma County. In the shadow of the monolithic new Safeway, Wheaton remains diverse and ethnically driven on a mom and pop scale. Seoul Food started out as a hot pink truck orbiting the area and serving ﬁery kimchee and nourishing bibimbap and quesadillas, as well as maki rolls. In a business model that puts the food truck in reverse, they have staked out the small kitchen and tiny dining space in the Exxon at the

intersection of Georgia Avenue and University Avenue, so they have a brick and mortar destination as well as their signature truck. A similar “truck stop” kinship between an Exxon and the food truck that backed into it is Corned Beef King on Georgia Avenue in Olney. Try to synchronize your hunger and your gas tank. Speaking of food trucks that have backed into buildings, Frank Linn’s popular Frankly…Pizza is taking over the ﬁckle space in Kensington at 10417 Armory Ave., nestled next to the quaint and tasty JennyCakes Bakery. In other Kensington news, Suburban Trad-

ing Company has grown in size and sprouted more tables and dining space, while Starbucks has downsized to open a drive through at the intersection of Connecticut Avenue and University Boulevard. While Dusit served its last Mai Thai at the end of 2012, directly across University Avenue, Mi La Cay is Wheaton’s newest destination for authentic Pho, Vietnamese noodle and grilled dishes. Mi La Cay is the expanded operation of what was previously Song Phat, the little noodle shop behind Huang Phat market on Fern Street. The news in Potomac is that the

old school Bezu has completely been re-imagined as the casual and affordable Mix Bar and Grille with none other than Chef Pedro Matamoros who cut his teeth opening Nicaro Restaurant as well as 8407 Kitchen Bar in Silver Spring. This should be fun. In related news, the proprietors of Food Wine and Company in Bethesda have spawned Fish Taco in Cabin John, a fast-casual taqueria serving not only first-rate fish tacos, but also burritos and quesadillas, all stuffed with quality ingredients prepared from scratch on site. Close by, Gregorios Trattoria opened on Tuckerman Lane as well as Benny’s Bar and Grill in the Cabin John Shopping Center, featuring “the best damn drinks in town!” In Bethesda, the same people who brought you Olazzo will open Gringos and Mariachis early next year in the space that was formerly Bangkok One Thai on Cordell Avenue. Adding to the pizza frenzy in Bethesda, Pizza Pass recently opened on Saint Elmo Avenue. Here, for a fixed price of admission, various fresh pizzas are baked and sent around the room for people to eat by the slice until they cry uncle. Robert Weidmaier opened Wildwood Kitchen in the shopping center of the same name at the end of last year and, after a few changes in personnel, the restaurant has established itself as a destination in that tony neighborhood. Share Wine Lounge and Small Plate Bistro is the latest incarnation of the dining space in Bethesda’s Double Tree Hotel. Ri-ra Irish pub closed, and Divino Lounge was replaced by Yuzu, the elite sushi venue of Yoshihisa Ota, the Tokyo native who helped open Kushi in Mount Vernon Square in 2010. And 2013 also saw the opening of Brickside Food and Drink on Cordell Avenue as well as 100 Montaditos, a celebration of fresh baked crispy breads stuffed 100 different ways. Vino Volo opened on Woodmont, and their menu is driven by flights of wine paired with simple yet well made dishes. In Gaithersburg, what was Stella in the Traville Gateway is now Nantucket’s Reef, an homage to the homard, oyster, and clam. In Burtonsville, the Old Hickory Grill is now Ted’s Hickory Grille. It was taken over by Ted Theodorou, the same Ted who transformed the Silver Diner in Wintergreen Plaza into Ted’s 355. Look for straight ahead pub fare here.

THE GAZETTE

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Bern and MacPhee perform traditional music of Cape Breton on Thursday at Glen Echo

Wednesday, January 1, 2014 r

Reeling in Scotland

AT THE MOVIES

VIRGINIA TERHUNE STAFF WRITER

Potomac native Adam Bern, a fiddler, and Canadian Doug MacPhee, a piano player, may differ in age and background, but both treasure the traditional Celtic music of Cape Breton Island off eastern Canada. “Its main purpose is as dance music,” said Bern, a junior majoring in engineering and physics at Cornell University. “I first liked it because of the happiness in it – it’s just fun to play.” Bern will be performing with his musical mentor MacPhee, who grew up on Cape Breton Island and still lives there, on Thursday, Jan. 2, at Glen Echo Town Hall. The informal concert is sponsored by the Folklore Society of Greater Washington based in Cabin John. The event will be a rare opportunity for Washington, D.C.area residents to see and hear MacPhee, who started playing the piano as a boy growing up on the Atlantic island. MacPhee’s grandfather won a competition in 1926 for playing the fiddle, and his mother, Margaret MacPhee, was well known for playing the piano at many of the Saturday night and Sunday afternoon gatherings at their family house. MacPhee has performed and recorded with Cape Breton masters, including fiddler Buddy McMaster. They collaborated to record the CD, “The Judique Flyer,” in 2000. That year MacPhee also released a CD called “Tunes Until Dawn” that he recorded with David Greenberg, a violinist who grew up in Bethesda, who is now living in Halifax, Nova Scotia. MacPhee has also recorded four solo albums. A retired archivist, MacPhee was recognized in 2008 by the Canadian government for helping to preserve Cape Breton music. The island was settled in the 1700s and 1800s by Scottish immigrants who were forcibly displaced during the Highland Clearances, a practice in which English landlords started fencing in land, replacing a system of commonly-owned open fields. The immigrants, most of them from the Scottish High-

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Patchi (Justin Long) explores his world in “Walking with Dinosaurs 3D”

‘Dinosaurs’: Animated tale is entertaining, educational FROM FOLKLORE SOCIETY OF GREATER WASHINGTON

Doug MacPhee, a well-known pianist and ﬁddle accompanist from Cape Breton Island in Canada, will accompany Potomac native and ﬁddler Adam Bern on Thursday, Jan. 2, at the Glen Echo Town Hall in Glen Echo.

CAPE BRETON DANCE MUSIC

instrument and he has a real knack — he plays like a Cape Bretonian,” said MacPhee.

turned to Canada for one of MacPhee’s short summer programs, and they’ve been friends ever since. “We talk and share tunes,” said Bern. “I’ve been there four times.” This year, for the first time, the Berns invited MacPhee to visit them over the holidays. Bern said he will play two fiddles during the concert, one tuned in the regular way and one tuned in the “high bass” style, with two strings sounding the same note. “It amplified the sound [at dances] when people didn’t have PAsystems[atdances],”saidBern. Following the pattern of Cape Breton gatherings, the concert will likely start with relatively slow tunes, such as “Hector the Hero,” a song-like lament about Hector MacDonald, a renowned Scottish general of the late 1800s. Then might come a faster tune, such as “Christie Campbell,” a medium speed strathspey or reel. “[Musicians] would increase the intensity and the pace,” said Bern about even faster pieces such as “Anthony Murray’s Reel,” “Sarah MacArthur” and Greig’s Pipes Reel. With such a traditional set list, the concert is likely to seem a lot like a Cape Breton cèilidh. “It’d be cold outside, and people would sit by the fire, play music and dance,” said Bern. “[The concert] is an informal way to celebrate these grand old tunes,” he said.

Folk festivals

n When: 8 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 2 n Where: Glen Echo Town Hall, 6106 Harvard Ave., Glen Echo n Admission: $15 donation requested n For information: fsgw.org; 703-981-2217

lands and the Outer Hebrides, brought the fiddle and their traditional square and step dances when they moved to the isolated Atlantic island, where the music as a result has been largely preserved. “In Scotland with the invading British and other inﬂuences, a lot was lost of the Scottish culture,” Bern said. Some young musicians today still play it, but they are sometimes inclined to add their own touches, which tend to change the music. “Some of the ‘dirt’ (stylings) in the music is starting to be lost,” said Bern, who plays it the old fashioned way, which appeals to MacPhee. “He has great control of the

Bern was introduced to traditional music by his parents, who brought him along on trips to regional folk festivals. “The first time I heard Cape Breton music was from two Smithsonian CDs,” said Bern, who studied Celtic music with Karen Ashbrook and Paul Oorts in Silver Spring, Bern also got to know Greenberg, living in Halifax, who “showed me some of the stylings,” said Bern. Traditional Cape Breton music is not played as it is written down; the fiddler adds rhythmic accents that make the sound unique. “He’s a good reader and he has a good ear,” said MacPhee about Bern. “He speaks the same language.” The two first met when Bern played the fiddle at a concert in Canada where MacPhee was accompanying on the piano. That’s a traditional pairing of instruments at a cèilidh, Gaelic for a social gathering, on the island. “I was shocked – he sounded like someone from here!” laughed MacPhee. Bern and his family re-

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few near-death experiences and into adulthood as he migrates south with his herd, tries to stick to his bigger, tougher brother Scowler (Skylar Stone) and catch the eye of the fetching Juniper (Tiya Sircar). They endure attacks by TRex-like Troodons, Gorgosauruses and flying Pterosaurs, injuries and the threat of a forest fire. Leguizamo, veteran of the “Ice Age” movies, cracks a few jokes along the trek: “If you want to know where the food is, follow the fat guys.” Alex is a wiseacre of a narrator, rolling the film backward to deflate any claims of heroism Patchi makes in this incident or that one. Of course there are dino-doo jokes and sibling rivalry zingers. But the biggest laughs are sight gags of the sort you might catch in a good nature film — simple behavior, simply observed. Co-director Barry Cook came from animation (“Mulan”), and partnered up with BBC nature film vet Neil Nightingale (he produced “Meerkats: The Movie”). And although the tale they tell (the “Happy Feet” scribe wrote it) has dull patches that may try an adult’s patience, the animation is astonishingly real and the approach is just smart enough to keep your interest. Computer-assisted animation has moved forward by leaps and bounds since “Jurassic Park” and Disney’s “Dinosaurs,” and dinosaur research is able to paint a more complete picture of how they looked, who had feathers, how they sounded and how they might have behaved. The story they package all this in might be too childish for anybody older than 12, but the research behind it and effort to pass that knowledge on to young dinosaur fans make “Walking With Dinosaurs 3D” as at home in the classroom as it is in theaters. But again, let’s keep that between us. No reason the kids need to know it might be good for them.

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The BBC series “Walking With Dinosaurs” gets a kidfriendly big-screen treatment, complete with cutesy story and dino-poop jokes, in “Walking With Dinosaurs 3D.” Aimed squarely at that dino-crazy demographic (7-12), it pumps a few IQ points into a kid film genre sorely in need of them. “Walking” takes care to ID each new dinosaur species introduced, including factoids about what they ate and any special skills they might have had. It’s downright educational. Just don’t tell your kids that. Combining striking cinematography of some of the last great remote places on Earth (Alaska) with state-of-the art dinosaur animation, “Walking” is another “Great Migration” tale — herbivores heading south at the onset of Alaskan winter, hounded by all manner of carnivores and omnivores. But thankfully, it’s not just another “Land Before Time.” A feeble modern-day framing device packs teenage Ricky (Charlie Rowe) and his tweenage sister Jade (Angourie Rice) off to visit their paleontologist uncle (Karl Urban) in Alaska. Jade’s down with digging for dinosaurs. But Ricky ﬁgures he already knows plenty about dinosaurs and would rather play with his phone. Then, a raven voiced by John Leguizamo gets the boy’s attention and tells him the tale of the bird’s ancestor, an Alexornis, a bird from the Cretaceous period. “Alex” is friends with a Pachyrhinosaurus, “Patchi,” voiced by Justin Long. We follow the baby Patchi out of the nest, through a

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Delicious strong beers kick off new year with a bang Breweries across the world are competing for the title of world’s highest alcohol beer with one reaching an astounding 65 percent alcohol by volume. Most often these special brews are one-time efforts by Scottish and German breweries to achieve the record. Usually

BREWS BROTHERS STEVEN FRANK AND ARNOLD MELTZER these record-setting beers are made by freezing and re-freezing the beer, simply removing the water and thereby increasing the ABV. Most brewers turn their noses up at this process and describe it as “not really brewing.” The world’s strongest brewed beer, which does not resort to freezing, is Samuel Adams Utopias made by the Boston Beer Company. Utopias was first brewed in 2002 with a 24 percent ABV. Successive vintages have increased the alcohol levels. The October 2013 release hits an amazing 28 percent ABV. Each vintage is a blend of different, aged beers resulting in port, sherry, or cognac-like flavors completely unlike any other brewed beer. If you didn’t know it is a beer, you wouldn’t know it is a beer. Utopias is limited to a production of about 15,000 bottles with a suggested retail price of $199 per 25.4 ounce bottle. A few Utopias bottles are available in the mid-Atlantic area. It is quite difficult to brew a beer over 10-12 percent ABV because the standard brewers yeasts perish at these high alcohol levels. To raise the alcohol content brewers often use other yeasts, including champagne yeast which can tolerate

WANT

Continued from Page A-9 asked if he would come to her school to put on a program. “I had never done that before, but she talked me into it,” Polisar said. “After that very ﬁrst show — it was literally the ﬁrst concert I’d ever done in a school for kids — I overheard a teacher yelling at her students and I wrote down everything she said and I went home and wrote a song about a mean teacher. The next thing I knew, teachers were calling me up saying, ‘Hey, we heard you wrote a song about a teacher. Could you come to our school and sing it?’” After that, Polisar’s career path changed. He would visit more and more schools and it

CHANGE

Continued from Page A-9 Greenberg, “How to Make it in America,” “One Tree Hill”), who decides it’s time to make major changes in his life after falling off a roof at a New Year’s Eve party. Over the course of the next year, he stops drinking, reunites with old friends, re-enters the life of his young son and falls in love with a bank teller named Vera (Claire van der Boom). “It wasn’t until my mom passed away in June 2011 that I realized what the script was about for me,” Suettinger said. “Basically [it’s] about surrounding yourself with family and replacing family members that you’ve lost … You know how they say when you lose a parent you take one step into the grave with them? I was lucky to be able to have some amazing

CAPTAIN

Continued from Page B-7 was good friends with Charles Dickens.” Lloyd set out to “ﬁnd out more” about what he considered “an unlikely friendship” between “a seafaring man from Connecticut with a basic schoolhouse education” and the celebrated English novelist. “A few framed letters” from Dickens to Morgan and to Morgan’s son, William, convinced Lloyd the connection existed. As such, “mostly to satisfy my own curiosity,” Lloyd said, he began researching the captain “in maritime history books and articles. I knew nothing about packet ships and I had no intention of writing a book. Even further from my mind was writing a novel.”

alcohol levels of about 17 percent. Beyond this level, surviving yeasts must be cultivated from successive brewings and fed with a varied sugar regimen. Dogfish’s World Wide Stout, currently brewed at 15-20 percent ABV, achieved a pinnacle of 23 percent in 2002. It reached this auspicious level during a friendly competition with Boston Beer to brew the strongest American beer. Subsequently World Wide Stout was dialed back to achieve a better stout profile. Dogfish also brews Fort, a 15-18 percent ABV fruit beer and the highest alcohol fruit beer being produced; the 15-20 percent ABV 120 Minute IPA, and Olde School Barleywine at 13-16 percent ABV. Another brewery known for its strong beers that are available in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area is Avery Brewing of Boulder, Co. Its lineup includes the Demons of Ale series with The Beast at 16 percent ABV, Samael’s Oak Aged Ale at 16 percent ABV and Mephistopheles at 15 percent ABV. Another locally available strong beer that once was the strongest beer in the world at 14 percent ABV is Samichlaus double bock, now brewed by the Schloss Eggenberg Brewery in Vorchdorf, Austria, but originally brewed by the Hürlimann Brewery in Zürich, Switzerland starting in 1979. This beer is brewed on one day a year, Dec. 6 — Saint Nicholas Day — and aged for ten months at the brewery prior to being bottled. 120 Minute IPA — 120 has a moderate grapefruit rind nose. The medium sugary sweet front melds into a medium sweet malt middle with notes of apricot and grapefruit-rind flavored hops. All continue in the finish. An alcoholic warmth nudges

to the front in the aftertaste. 120 is sweet throughout, giving the yeasts sugars to work with, and is admirably balanced between its malt and alcohol. Ratings: 8.5/9.5. Samael’s Ale — A two year old version, described as an English strong ale, has a complex malt, vanilla, caramel and sugar aroma. The light sweet malt and vanilla front is followed by a middle displaying mixed tropical fruits including mango, vanilla, a slight increase in caramel, and touches of roast and alcohol. The caramel increases a pinch in the finish. In the aftertaste there is a subdued alcoholic warmth as the caramel and vanilla continue. Ratings: 8/8. A fresh bottle scored only a modicum lower at: 7.5/7.5. Samichlaus Bier — Samichlaus has an alluring bouquet of sweetness, apricot, and alcohol. It yields a thick mouthfeel with a syrupy sweet brandy-like front. The middle adds nuances of apricot and alcohol with the latter increasing to medium in the finish and staying in the aftertaste as the sweetness and alcohol linger. With well-integrated alcohol, this fresh Samichlaus is deliciously not strident. Ratings: 8.5/8.5. Utopias — The young, 2013 Utopias tastes more like a cognac than a beer. It begins with a complex aroma of sugary molasses, figs and bread. The front evokes muted figs, alcohol and bread, leading into a middle displaying an increase in alcohol to medium, with the figs also growing to medium and traces of plum and toffee. An added molasses-like sweetness enters in the finish as does some vanilla. The aftertaste continues the figs, plum, toffee, vanilla, and alcohol as the molasses sweetness fades. Ratings: 8.5/8.5.

The young, 2013 Utopias tastes more like a cognac than a beer.

helped pay his way through college. Afterwards, Polisar started recording his songs because he was getting inundated with requests for his music. “I took all the money I had made after I had paid for school … and I put it right into the album,” Polisar said. “I was thinking, ‘Well, it was a fun year or two. Let me record the album in case people ever wanted to hear the music again.’ I never imagined it would start a career that’s spanned close to 40 years.” In 2007, the ﬁlm “Juno” was released to critical acclaim. It went on to win the Academy Award for Best Screenplay and the soundtrack to the ﬁlm topped the Billboard 200 chart. Director Jason Reitman, while surfing iTunes, came across Polisar’s song “All I Want is

You,” and thought it was perfect for the opening credits of the movie. Polisar, who has had songs used for commercials, said he didn’t know how his song was going to be used, but he knew it was going to be in the movie. “I remember we were all in line at the theater — my wife and my two kids — and my wife said, ‘Tell them you wrote the song. Maybe they’ll let us in for free!’” Polisar laughed. “The opening credits came on and I was like, ‘Oh my.’” Polisar said there was about a year between when they asked if they could use his song and when the movie actually came out. In that time, he became increasingly worried about how the song would be used in the ﬁlm.

“I found out the main character was sardonic, rather witty and funny character with a bittersweet sense of humor and many of my songs are like that,” Polisar said. “The song, ‘All I Want is You,’ is not that kind of song. It’s the opposite. It’s a very sweet, sort of kid-like love song. … I kept thinking, ‘How are they going to use this song? Of all my songs, why are they using this one?’ “I emailed [Reitman] and I said ‘I’m starting to have nightmares. I know how you’re going to use this song. The main character’s going to be laying in bed … and my song is going to come on the radio and she’s going to say oh, gosh, I hate that song!’ He emailed me back saying ‘No. You’ll like how we use it.’ And that’s all he said!”

The success of the ﬁlm and the soundtrack has made more people receptive to Polisar’s works. On top of his songs, he also writes children’s books. Polisar has more than 10 books available for purchase on his website — but he also provides links to the books online for free. Polisar said he makes his living singing in schools and while it’s great for teachers and parents to buy his books, he wants his books to be available for those who might not necessarily be able to afford them. “I visit a lot of Title I schools and schools in areas where kids don’t have the money to buy books or buy music or they just come from families that don’t value that as much,” Polisar said. “I go into the schools and sing my songs and talk about my

family and friends around me to help me make sure that didn’t happen when my mom died. And Owen, I realized, did not have those people … I think the movie, after that, really became about him being able to surround himself with family.” Ting came aboard the project in 2013. Originally from upstate New York, she is a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and now lives in Los Angeles. She had previously produced another one of Beggarly’s movies and recently worked with Greenberg on her latest release, “The Kitchen,” also starring “Orange is the New Black’s” Laura Prepon. “I really wanted to work with Bryan again because I knew he was such a joy to work with on my last ﬁlm,” Ting said. “I was really excited to see what he could do with this character.” A newcomer to the Mary-

land film scene, Ting said she was impressed with what the area has to offer. “I felt very welcome as a film production [crew] which you don’t feel out in L.A.,” she said. “With all of the locations out in L.A., the first thing they want to ask is how much? Here, we go in and people are welcoming us with open arms and shutting down their businesses for us and letting us take over for 12 to 18 hours without any complaints.” But unlike other locations, Ting added that Maryland has the unique balance of hospitality and professionalism, due in part to hosting some major television shows such as HBO’s “Veep” and Netflix’s “House of Cards.” “As opposed to some place like Minnesota or Kansas, you have the friendly community but you also have the crew available,” Ting said. That’s the big-

gest difference … You kind of have the benefit of both; small town hospitality but also with a first-rate film crew.”

Suettinger said the same level of professionalism is true of the area’s actors. “There’s a burgeoning ﬁlm

After two to three years of exploring both maritime and family history, Lloyd realized “that there might be a book there.” He said the “tipping point came when I stumbled on the fact that not only were there more letters from Dickens to Morgan than I realized, but [also] Dickens had written a short story about my ancestor.” In one of those letters, Dickens noted that he intended the story, “A Message from the Sea,” to be a way that others might remember Morgan as “a most remarkable man.” “My book started out as non-fiction,” said Lloyd, who added to his knowledge base by reading sea novels by Herman Melville, James Fenimore Cooper and Richard Henry Dana Jr., as well as some unknown sailors’ memoirs. He also “pored through letters between sea captains of that time

period and their families to get a sense of the ship culture and the language of sailors … read numerous journals of transatlantic passengers … studied up on the rigging nomenclature of the square-riggers,” and talked to maritime experts and historians. Having gathered “so much more material about Morgan than I ever expected,” Lloyd recognized “that the only way I could tell and capture this man’s story was as a novel.” He proceeded to “weave together a ﬁctional plot through the known facts.” His goal was “to show how the sailor’s trade and life at sea has shaped him [Morgan], strengthened him, and sharpened his wit.” Once the research process was mostly complete, Lloyd said he devoted the next two years to writing, rewriting, editing and re-editing his historical sea

novel. Sheridan House Publishers released “Rough Passage to London: A Sea Captain’s Tale” in mid-October. Lloyd was no stranger to sailing. He grew up on the island of St. Croix, where his parents owned a dairy farm and milk plant. “St. Croix was still quite agricultural then, winding dirt roads lined with tall palm trees and leafy mahoganies, vast expanses of sugar cane ﬁelds,” he recalled. Not only did Lloyd learn “how to milk cows, feed calves and hose out the cowshed,” but also he acquired passions for horseback riding and sailing on the Bounty, the family’s yacht that doubled as a milk-delivery boat. “Sailing,” he said, “was how I got around the Caribbean and how I got to know many of the other islands.” The sailing books of Arthur Ransome and

C.S. Forester were among his boyhood favorites, he added. Similarly, Lloyd was no novice when it came to history and storytelling. At Princeton University, he majored in history with a focus on Latin American studies, then followed “a long winding road” that included a freelance stint on radio in Argentina, bartending, Columbia University graduate school and “four years of reﬁning on-air reporting skills at local television news stations.” He was NBC’s Latin American correspondent, reported from Latin America and Africa, and covered the White House during the Reagan and Bush administrations. More recently, Lloyd created and produced news programs and documentaries for foreign and domestic networks, including Maryland Public Television, and received four National Capital

TANYA GIANG

Actress Jamie Chung shoots a scene from the ﬁlm “A Year and Change” at Family Salon Hair & Nails in Rockville.

BREWS BROTHERS

books. … Almost a decade ago, I started posting my songs, and then later my books, on my website just so that everybody could have free access to it.” Polisar is happiest when children are happy. There’s still a bit of the educator in him, though. Along with entertaining children, Polisar hopes they take away a few life lessons as well. “It’s much deeper than just being entertained,” Polisar said. “If I had to boil it down to one thing, it’s that the world is such a wonderful place filled with all kinds of interesting things that are out there to discover, whether it’s books or music or songs or poetry. The beauty of writing is that you can write about so many different things!” wfranklin@gazette.net

industry here,” Suettinger said. “One that we wanted to take advantage of … With Discovery and TLC … there are a lot of actors. A lot of quality actors.” “A Year and Change” casting directors put out a notice for five of the films minor roles and received 1,200 audition tapes. For the leading roles, Greenberg and von der Boom are joined by T.R. Knight (“Grey’s Anatomy”), Jamie Chung (“Once Upon a Time”) and Jamie Hector (“The Wire”). A 2015 release date for the film is expected. Ting said she feels she’s found a “new film family” in Maryland and hopes to return in the future. And Suettinger, who lived in L.A. for 10 years, said he has no intention of leaving. “I plan to make movies here for a long time,” he said. “So hopefully that will happen.” chedgepeth@gazette.net

Chesapeake Bay region Emmy awards. “Rough Passage” took up much of Lloyd’s time for about ﬁve years. “To write this novel, I stopped doing any other work,” he said. “Each day I would sit down and write for a few hours. Literally hundreds of pages were written and then thrown away.” He acknowledged having learned “a great deal about the different skill sets required to write ﬁction.” As for the possibility of writing another novel, Lloyd said, “I guess I would simply say that I am giving it some thought as I catch my breath from this marathon.” Robin Lloyd’s “Rough Passing to London: A Sea Captain’s Tale” (Sheridan House Publishers) is available at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.

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ONE OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY’S FOOTBALL COACHING LEGENDS, GAITHERSBURG’S JOHN HARVILL, DIES, B-3

International ﬂavor takes over Rockets swimming

Gaithersburg’s

five-threat offense Trojans open season 5-0 after five straight 80-point nights n

TRAVIS MEWHIRTER

STAFF WRITER

The strategy in limiting the Gaithersburg High School boys’ basketball team, explained Clarksburg coach G.J. Kissal, is actually simple. It’s the same game, played with the same basketball, on the same court, with the same regulation-sized hoops. Therefore, hardnosed, man-to-man defense will do, just as it does any other team. The implementation, however, is a challenge. “I don’t think the strategy is what’s tough,” Kissal said. “I think the implementation — staying true, not getting beat, and boxing out, closing out, challenging every shot — doing those things you have to do to stop them is what it is. The strategy is not the issue. We know that if we box out, play good defense, do what we have to do, then good things happen, but it’s the implementation of that that’s the struggle against good teams.” Because where do you find the manpower to contain 6-foot-3 Anthony Tarke, who has shown he can score on dunks through trafﬁc and pull-up three-pointers in transition, and the similarly built Geron Braithwaite, a Seneca Valley transfer who scored his average of 12 points per game in the third quarter alone in the 83-59 win over the Coyotes? Then there’s the point guard, Aaron King, to consider. He’s dishing out 10.6 assists per game. When taking into account the 9.6 he scores himself every game, he’s a part of at least 30 points each night, and that doesn’t include the free throws he helps set up or if his assists led to 3-pointers. “Aaron King does a great job,” Gaithersburg coach Tom Sheahin said. “He’s low to the ground, he’s got [Division I] quickness, he can push the ball up, make great decisions getting the ball up. There are sometimes when they haven’t even turned around and he’s going up for a layup.

See OFFENSE, Page B-2

BY JENNIFER BEEKMAN STAFF WRITER

For any Richard Montgomery High School boys’ swimming and diving team opponents who feel like the Rockets are speaking a completely different language, they are. At least when German foreign exchange student Steffen Buettner is on the starting blocks. “They asked me how to you say certain words in German,” Buettner said. “I taught them some cheers and there is one girl in our group who is also ﬂuent in German. But it’s really funny to hear them [cheer in German].” Buettner, a 6-foot-1 primarily freestyler, has helped bolster a Rocket boys’ lineup that was already poised to compete for Montgomery County Division and Class 4A/3A state titles. Though Buettner may not be around for the end of championship season — he is scheduled to go back to Germany early this year —

See SWIMMING, Page B-2

BRIAN LEWIS/THE GAZETTE

John F. Kennedy High School point guard Keif Williams (right) has become the leader of the Cavaliers this season.

TOM FEDOR/THE GAZETTE

Gaithersburg High School’s Dion Etheridge looks for a shot during a Dec. 20 boys’ basketball game against Clarksburg.

Warriors defy odds in 4-1 start

BY JENNIFER BEEKMAN STAFF WRITER

First-year Sherwood High School boys’ basketball coach Tim Gilchrist said he had faith that the Warriors could be one of the best teams in Montgomery County this season, he just admittedly wasn’t expecting everything to click so quickly. With its 2012 Class 4A North Region title tucked away, Sherwood looked to be back in the county’s upper echelon heading into last season, but took a step back during an incon-

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sistent 12-10 campaign. With just one returning starter — nine players graduated — and a new coach, Gilchrist was prepared for a few growing pains. Instead, the Warriors are off to a 4-1 start that includes a marquee season-opening win over perennial power Col. Zadok Magruder. Their lone loss came at the hands of Paint Branch, where Gilchrist spent a decade as the junior varsity coach and varsity assistant. It was only a minor setback, if one at all, Gilchrist said, and a good reminder to his team that they’re not actually unbeatable.

See SHERWOOD, Page B-2

Kennedy guard keeps a low proﬁle Keif Williams is the latest top guard for the Cavaliers

Sherwood’s perfect storm n

German, Mexican students bolster what was already one of the top teams

TRAVIS MEWHIRTER STAFF WRITER

FILE PHOTO

Ellis Dozier (right) is the only returning starter from a year ago for a Sherwood High School boys’ basketball team that has surprised its critics with a fast start this season.

John F. Kennedy High School boys’ basketball point guard Keif Williams is a “yes sir,” “no sir,” “thank you sir” guy, but he was mildly miffed that his coach, Diallo Nelson, hasn’t informed people how to pronounce his name (it rhymes with biff). Other than that, little gets under his skin. He’s been a part of the Kennedy program since he was 5, fetching balls for his older brother, Kurt Larry, a 2007 graduate. By the time he entered midseason of his sophomore year, he had established himself a starter. Despite being in his third year as a full-time starter, he has ﬂown under the radar. “People wouldn’t even know he goes to Kennedy,” Nelson said. “People say hi to him in the hallways and he just smiles and moves along. He’s quiet, and

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OFFENSE

Continued from Page B-1 “With our style — we run the court — I would love to play with Aaron. He’s going to find you. If you sprint, you’re going to get rewarded so that’s what they’re doing and they’re buying into it.” Factor in the Etheridge brothers, Dion and Tyrik, who are combining for 23.6 a night, as well as the 6-9 Zack Coalman, and it’s not so much a question whether the defense will be stretched thin or not, but to what extent. “We have five threats on the floor at all times,” Tarke said. “We just play our basketball and that’s why we’ve been successful, just looking for each other all the time, sharing the basketball.” The threats-from-everywhere style led Gaithersburg to a number of feats in its impressive, 5-0 start. Prior to the Christmas holidays, the Trojans had scored at least 80 in all five games, which

so happens to be the amount of 80-point nights the rest of the county combined for. Only Wheaton, Clarksburg, Thomas S. Wootton, Bethesda-Chevy Chase, and Winston Churchill have hit the 80s, and they did it against teams with a composite 5-25 record as of Christmas morning. In all fairness, Gaithersburg had a relatively soft schedule in its opening ﬁve, too, but it scored 85 on 3A/2A leader, Poolesville, and 83 on Clarksburg. In the meantime, possible contenders Springbrook had yet to top 66, James H. Blake 64 (which came via overtime), Richard Montgomery 62, and Montgomery Blair 66. Sherwood came the closest with 79, though that was against a still-winless Walter Johnson squad which also gave up season-highs to Richard Montgomery and Clarksburg. And here’s the scary part: “We’re just starting, kind of, to come together,” Braithwaite said. Skimming through message

boards would lead one to believe that Tarke, the leading scorer, is the motor that makes this team run. Sheahin and Tarke are both happy to explain that, while the lanky forward is an indispensable talent, he’s also just one element on a cohesive unit that relies upon one another as dominos do. “My team is just looking for me,” Tarke said. “I just try to ﬁnd my spots to see the ways they can ﬁnd me then I just have to make my shot. That’s the way things have been going.” Added Sheahin: “I’m comfortable letting six or seven guys lead this team in scoring. I don’t know how people are saying that, you know, Anthony Tarke is our leading scorer, but it could be anybody on any given night. “Big time players step up in big time games and we have not one or two guys but we have seven or eight. It’s exciting. It’s exciting to coach these guys.” tmewhirter@gazette.net

Wednesday, January 1, 2014 r

TOM FEDOR/THE GAZETTE

Gaithersburg High School’s Geron Braithwaite shoots during a Dec. 20 boys’ basketball game against Clarksburg.

SWIMMING

KENNEDY

— coach Aryn Wheeler also benefitted from the move of Juan Barrera’s family this year from Mexico. The added points these two surprise team members have brought has given Wheeler even more ﬂexibility than she said she expected. For much of the mid-2000s Richard Montgomery’s boys swam in the shadows of the Rocket girls, who won three straight Montgomery County championships from 2005-07 and 22 consecutive dual meets during that time. But they’ve been on the rise in recent years and look to win the school’s ﬁrst team state title in 20 years this winter. “I don’t have the boy that’s going to win all the events, I have the team that’s up there getting seconds and thirds and is a real force, placing numbers high in each event,” Wheeler said. “Having these two swimmers that I wasn’t expecting when the season started gives us some cushion.” Buettner, who lives near Munich, has been swimming since he was 8 but competing for a school team is something he has never done — schools in Europe do not generally have varsity sports programs, athletes just play for club teams. But the American high school experience is something his two older brothers wouldn’t let him miss out on. He is the third person in his family to spend a semester in Montgomery County. His two older brothers, more recently Tim Buettner during the 2009-10 swimming and diving season, competed for Winston

that’s the beauty of him. Having that even keeled attitude — it’s lovely. It’s not a roller coaster up and down. I know what I’m getting out of him every day. He’s not a ‘me, me, me’ guy. He doesn’t care. He’ll do whatever you need to win.” Williams has been overshadowed by former point guard Marcus Murray, who was just named the Worcester Area College Basketball Association rookie of the week at Assumption College. He said he knew Murray’s role was to score the points and earn the headlines. He stayed in the background, knowing that one day it would be his turn. “Coach Nelson used to tell me that I got a big role to ﬁll, that I would have to work on my game,” Williams said. And work he did. During the fall, his alarm was set for 5 a.m., well before the sunrise. By 5:30, 5:45 at the latest, he was at the gym, hoisting up shots and running sprints. At 6:45 he would change into school clothes and hit the books for the next six hours. After that, it was back into the basketball shoes and onto workouts with trainer Chris Paul. “All that conditioning really helped me a lot,” he said. “When I’m playing the whole game, my legs don’t give out from putting up all those shots. My legs are ready for that.” Williams plays essentially every minute of every game, only coming out when “he’s in foul trouble or he’s fatigued,” neither of which happen often. Yet few seem to notice him.

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SHERWOOD

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proﬁcient in just about any freestyle event, Wheeler said, from 50 yards to the 500, which makes him extremely useful in the relays as well. Buettner came to the right place to take his training to the next level, too. The Washington, D.C., area boasts some of the nation’s top talent and the Rockville-Montgomery Swim Club, with which he has been training, is one of the country’s biggest and most successful programs. Buettner said he doesn’t like to look too far into the future as far as a possible German National Team swimming career but has his sights set on qualifying for this year’s Senior German National Championships, which is a competition that features the country’s best without age group divisions. For everything Buettner

Churchill. Though he was hesitant at first to embark on a journey so far away from home, the long list of benefits Buettner’s brothers gave him was not one he could turn down. “My brothers talked to me and told me I had to do this,” Buettner said. “They said how good I am going to get in English. Tim told me American practice is so much harder and that I would get so much faster and it would help me to swim here. And it is a new experience to swim with yards.” Wheeler said Buettner fit right in and it’s be nice to see him cheer as loudly as anyone on the pool deck. At 15 years old Buettner recently came into his own as a swimmer and has begun to take the sport more seriously. He is and not look ahead.” So, how does a team that by all definitions should be amid what coaches like to call a “rebuilding” season get off to such a positive start? The Warriors have been led down this path by a sort of perfect storm of factors that include pure drive, a fresh approach, resentment of the county’s doubt in their capabilities and a coach who quite literally knows what it’s like to play Sherwood basketball — Gilchrist was a member of the Warriors’

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“We never go into a game expecting to lose and the team took it really hard, we were all upset, but we came together and ﬁgured out what we need to work on,” Gilchrist said. “The loss really helps to refocus the guys, making sure they keep their eyes on the small goal, which is every game. This helps us stay focused on the present

Richard Montgomery High School swimmer Steffen Buettner practices last week in Boyds.

1999 state semiﬁnal squad. Six-foot-8 power forward Ellis Dozier might be the only returning starter from last year’s squad — and Gilchrist praised the leaps and bounds he’s taken to become a true post player for Sherwood — but the Warriors’ individual games and strengths have ﬁt together like pieces of a puzzle in the more up-tempo style of play Gilchrist has implemented. It’s evident in the stats alone. Eleven players are averaging at least a bucket a game. Three

DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE

has learned from his time at an American high school, it has also been an educational experience for his Rocket teammates, Wheeler said. They learned a lot more than how to cheer in German. “I really like the high school team, we don’t have anything like this in Germany,” Buettner said. “We don’t have school events or team spirit, this was a new experience for me. ... “I hope I taught [my teammates] a few things, too. I think they can see that not only Americans can swim fast, there are also good European swimmers. I told them about my German life, they asked about how practices are in Germany. Maybe one day they will come and get to experience it.” jbeekman@gazette.net players, led by high scorer Xavier McCants (13.4 points per game) are consistently putting up double digits and an additional four are contributing at least four points per game. Certainly helps that point guard Michael Crooks (4.2 ppg) and Tyler Reeves (7.2 ppg) have been playing together since they were 6. Drew Davis (11.8 ppg) and Dozier (11.2 ppg) are also top scorers. “The way they share the ball with each other [is a real strength],” Gilchrist said. “When

they’re focused and playing together, they’re making the extra pass, they’re a really tight knit group of guys. We could have one guy who scores 30 points, that’s just not how the guys want it.” This season felt different from the start, Reeves said. None of the negativity that’s surfaced in the locker room in the past is there, everyone is positive, and the players trained this offseason with a real sense of purpose to prove their skeptics wrong. “Everyone was sleeping on

There’s just something about his game that’s a bit sneaky. “His game is vanilla,” Nelson said. “It’s not something that’s going to catch your eye. At the end of the game, he could score 27, and afterwards, you’re going to be like ‘Man, he scored 27?’ He just keeps pounding away.” Williams scored 24 in backto-back games to open the season. Each time, when Nelson took to the scorebooks afterwards, the result took him aback. “By the end of the year, people will say ‘I didn’t see this coming,’” Nelson said. “He’s not boisterous, he’s not loud. I’ve seen him smile maybe three or four times on the basketball court. He’s just a very laid back kind of guy.” Not that Williams doesn’t love the game as much as the next player, he simply goes about his business. When Nelson first took him into the Kennedy program as a ninth grader, he made him switch from a big man to a perimeter shooter. Williams did so without protest or even a “but coach” argument. “He’s very unassuming, very quiet, a great team guy,” Nelson said. At the beginning of the year, Williams scrawled out some goals for the year: make it to the Comcast Center for the state semifinals and “better myself as a person.” There were no goals for points scored or assists or rebounds — just team goals, the only kind Williams knows. “This year I have a bigger role,” he said. “I just want to fill that role as best as possible.” tmewhirter@gazette.net us, but we’ve used that as motivation,” Reeves said. Gilchrist said he was impressed with the passion his team brought on Day 1 and, as a former Sherwood basketball player himself, truly appreciated their desire to bring the program back to the top. Reeves said the Warriors, in turn, feed off Gilchrist’s Sherwood pride. There’s a lot more of this season to go but the Warriors are certainly off to a good start. jbeekman@gazette.net

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Gaithersburg coach remembered as father-ﬁgure, innovator John Harvill led Trojans’ football program for 43 seasons n

ERIC GOLDWEIN STAFF WRITER

A longtime football coach at Gaithersburg High School who died Friday is being remembered as a father-ﬁgure and an innovator by his former players, assistants and competitors. John Harvill, 88, died from complications of a bacterial infection. “We didn’t just lose a football coach,” said Gaithersburg Athletic Director Jason Woodward, who played for Harvill. “We lost a great man.” Harvill led Gaithersburg for 43 seasons, winning two state titles, going undefeated four times and compiling 312 victories before retiring in 2000. “He coached every kid the same. No matter if you were a superstar or you were the 55th player on the team,” Woodward said. Coaches described Harvill as an innovator who was ahead of the curve. Harvill played an integral role in the implementation of Maryland’s stateplayoff system in 1974. “He did a lot not only for Gaithersburg, but for football in general,” said Gaithersburg coach Kreg Kephart, who replaced Harvill. Our Lady of Good Counsel coach

2005 GAZETTE FILE PHOTO

Former Gaithersburg High School football coach John Harvill died on Friday. He coached for 43 years at the school, winning two state titles. Bob Milloy, who competed against Harvill for three decades, said the Gaithersburg coach had offensive schemes

— such as the veer, an option running play — that he had never seen before. “We’d watch his game ﬁlm all win-

ter and say ‘what the heck is this?’” Milloy said. Several of Harvill’s players and

assistants went on to coach football in Montgomery County, including Kephart, Northwest coach Mike Neubeiser and former Sherwood coach Al Thomas. “I always looked at him as a father-figure type,” said Neubeiser, who played and coached under Harvill. Neubeiser remembered one practice when Harvill, for no apparent reason, started yelling and kicked the players off the field. The team would later learn that the outburst was part of a setup for a surprise pizza party. “Little things like that just told you that he cared,” Neubeiser said. Kephart played for Harvill in the 1970s and was his assistant in the 1980s and 1990s. He recalled the celebration following the 1986 state championship, when players put Harvill on their shoulders and carried the coach off the field. “He was a tremendous coach. Very demanding, but also caring,” Kephart said. “He’d chew you out on one play, then show you what you did wrong, put your arm around you and console you on the next play.” Harvill is survived by his wife, Betty, two daughters and several grandchildren. “I don’t think we’ll every have another person like that again,” Woodward said. egoldwein@gazette.net

Good Counsel girls top Bullis, again n

Falcons beat Bulldogs for second time this season

BY JENNIFER BEEKMAN STAFF WRITER

GEORGE P. SMITH/FOR THE GAZETTE

Montgomery Blair High School’s Michael Thomas is a key swimmer on a team with state title hopes.

Blair senior aims for history Thomas could lead Blazers to their ﬁrst-ever state title

BY JENNIFER BEEKMAN STAFF WRITER

Butterfly is arguably one of, if not the most, difficult strokes in swimming to master. It requires tremendous strength, especially in the upper body, and impeccable timing. Naturally, it’s also one of the hardest to get young swimmers to try. Fortunately for the Montgomery Blair High School boys’ swimming and diving team, senior Michael Thomas never had to be coaxed. “I’ve always been a butterflier, I don’t know how it started, it just felt natural to me,” Thomas said. “Other kids were definitely always like, ‘[You’re crazy].’” Thomas is by no means onedimensional, though, and his versatility has been integral to the Blazers’ rise from good Division II team three years ago to true Montgomery County Division I and Class 4A/3A state title contender the past two years. Blair finished runner-up behind twotime defending state champion Walter Johnson at the seasonending state meet a year ago and though the Blazers graduated Jack Foster, who finished in a three-way tie for the championship’s highest individual scorer, they look to be one of the favorites to shine this postseason. “When we got second at states last year, that was an honor in itself but to win my senior year would just be incredible and I think this team is capable of that,” said Thomas, a University of North Carolina-Wilmington recruit. “We lost some big swimmers last year like Jack Foster but me and another swimmer, Brian Tsau, have had to step up and win more events and we got a good freshman who is going to be a big scorer. I think this could be one of the best years Blair swimming has ever had.” With almost an entire sea-

GEORGE P. SMITH/FOR THE GAZETTE

Montgomery Blair HIgh School senior swimmer Michael Thomas. son still ahead of him, Thomas already holds five Blair program records: 100-yard butterfly, 100yard freestyle, 200-yard freestyle, 200-yard medley relay and 400yard freestyle relay. First-year Blair coach Emily Rawson said the ability to put Thomas in just about any event with confidence that he will score provides her great flexibility with her lineups. Behind a runner-up finish to Georgetown Prep junior Grant Goddard in the 100-yard butterfly and sixth place in the 200-yard freestyle — the highest Montgomery County Public Schools finisher — Thomas tied for 12th place in individual scoring at last year’s Washington Metropolitan Interscholastic Swimming and Diving Championships. His 38 points were just one less than Foster’s 39 and only 10 points off the leader and maximum number of points one person can win. “He is very good to have for lineups,” Rawson said. “He trains very hard and is very efficient with his strokes. He is really dedicated and very driven.” Thomas said he is still deciding on which events he will focus on at Metros and states and only hopes to build on last year’s results, not only for the personal

goals he has set but to help Blair achieve the type of historical season he believes this year’s Blazers can accomplish. Thomas said he knows, though, that his points alone will not win championships. He, Tsau — who had two top three performances at states last winter — and freshman Thomas Brown de Colstoun provide a strong core for the rather deep team to rally around. Thomas also added that the Blair girls’ team’s vast improvements in recent years make the Blazers a threat to win the combined division title, which would be a rarity for a team from outside the Bethesda, Potomac and Rockville areas. “It’s been an honor to be a part of bringing Blair ... helping put Blair on the map as part of the division,” Thomas said. “I think this could be a big year for showing that [there are good teams all over the county] because of how good this Blair team is compared to other Blair teams. It’s not only the guys, the girls are the best they’ve been. That helps us combine as a team, helps us compete with the top teams.” jbeekman@gazette.net

Most high school basketball tournaments are just that, teams play basketball games and then go home. The Fifth Annual National Title IX Holiday Invitational Conference and Classic at Trinity Washington University and Wilson High School is more about celebrating the participants, the reasons they have the opportunity to compete at all and guiding them toward future endeavors. Sixteen of the Washington D.C. area and nation’s top high programs were divided into two brackets and after Monday’s finals, which will feature Prince George’s County’s Riverdale Baptist and Capitol

Christian Academy, 24 games will have been played. In the mornings, teams spent time together off the court in various seminars and workshops on topics that included “Digital Do’s and Don’ts for Players with a Purpose” and “Title IX Protections Against Bullying and Harrassment,” according to the tournament’s website. “Of all the tournaments we play, this one is the most unique because of all the added stuff the kids get to participate in,” Riverdale Baptist coach Sam Caldwell said. Our Lady of Good Counsel defeated Bullis, 58-30. It was a slow start that cost Good Counsel in Friday’s loss to South Shore. But Falcons coach Tom Splaine couldn’t have asked for a better start to Saturday’s win over Bullis than a 23-3, ﬁrst quarter run. The quick start set the tone for Good Counsel’s commanding performance, one Splaine

said he hopes will catapult them into the upcoming league schedule. “I liked the intensity level in the ﬁrst quarter, we hope to build some momentum off of that,” Splaine said. “We’ve had a number of slow starts already this season so it was good to see that intensity early. Good Counsel’s dominant performance featured balanced scoring with seven players at ﬁve points or more. Stacey Koutris led the way with 13. The Falcons jumped out to a 37-12 halftime lead before Bullis found its way a bit in the third quarter. But the Bulldogs, led by Kirby Porter with 15 points, were in too deep a hole and Good Counsel was not easing up. Only four Bullis players managed any points Saturday. These two perennial powers in their respective leagues do not get to play very often but Good Counsel defeated Bullis, 61-28, in its season opener.

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Wednesday, January 1, 2014 r

Magruder shines, Rockville grinds at Wootton Paint Branch girls win

their own tournament

Boys’ basketball: Patriots annual holiday tournament attracts team from North Carolina

TRAVIS MEWHIRTER STAFF WRITER

Chris Bohlen and the Thomas S. Wootton High School boys’ basketball team put on its annual Wootton Holiday Jam this weekend, hauling in teams hailing from three local counties and one, Durham Academy, from a much warmer climate in North Carolina. There was no tournament-style or clear cut winner, just two days of basketball with teams seeing largely unfamiliar opponents. Highlights from day two of the Holiday Jam:

First-half turnovers doom Watkins Mill As halftime neared in the opening game pitting Watkins Mill against Durham Academy, the student charged with filming the game realized the tape was full and that nothing was actually being recorded. “That,” sighed a Watkins Mill assistant, “is probably a good thing.” The Wolverines’ first half was not pretty. At the break, they trailed by more points (16) than they had scored (14) and kindly gift-wrapped a number of Durham’s points with careless turnovers. It would get better, as 6-foot-4 junior Rob Montgomery aided in reducing the deficit to single digits throughout the majority of the second half, but the comeback bid was ultimately doused, losing 52-38. “Too many turnovers in the first half,” coach Jay Tringone said. “Those turnovers have an effect offensively, defensively — easy buckets going the other way for them. Giving up 30 points in a half is unacceptable for us. Just a couple really bad possessions there in a row for us in the first half. The game started to get away from us.” Tringone lauded the defensive effort his team showed in the second half, citing the four points — one field goal, two free throws — his Wolverines held the Cavaliers to in the third quarter. His goal each game is to hold the opposing team to 50 or below, which it nearly accomplished despite the survival-mode necessity to send Durham to the free throw line late in the game to stop the clock. The offense, which struggled, picked up as well. Montgomery, who finished with a team-high 14 points, and Obi Patrick helped cut the lead to seven several times throughout the third and fourth quarters, but that was as close as the Wolverines would come in a game they trailed from start to finish. “When you’re down that much you pretty much have to play perfect the rest of the way,” Tringone said. “We got it to seven or eight but we just couldn’t hit that next bucket, the next free throw, to kind of get it under a possession or two.” Top Wolverine scorers: Rob Montgomery 14, Obi Patrick 11, Stephen Levya 8.

Rockville slips past Avalon Another quadruple overtime slugfest was not something Steve Watson and his Rockville team wanted during the 3 p.m. tip with Avalon. One of those — a 79-71 slugfest with Wheaton on Dec. 20 in which nine players fouled out — is more than enough for the year. The memory — and sting — of his Rams

KYLE RUSSELL

SPECIAL TO THE GAZETTE

TOM FEDOR/THE GAZETTE

Col. Zadok Magruder’s Joe Hugley is fouled by Bladensburg’s Xavier Milam during Saturday’s boys’ basketball holiday tournament at Thomas S. Wootton High School in Rockville. going 29-of-55 from the free throw line in that marathon was still fresh in his mind, so it was a major relief for the coach to see his Rams hit 14-of-18 in the fourth quarter in lifting Rockville to a 51-43 victory. “Today, we make foul shots, we shot 77 percent from the line, we were able to close it out,” Watson said. “Those are the things that we emphasize. It’s not always the superhero play that wins games, it’s the details. It’s that make on the one-and-one, not the miss, that could be the difference.” Watson had preached all weekend the importance of not overlooking the small private school squad. Nevertheless, the Rams came out flat, trailing by one at the start of the fourth quarter. And, in flipping the script from the Wheaton game, Rockville found the spark it needed at the very place that nearly sunk it against the Knights: Free throws. Nehemiah Jackson and Brian Ball combined for all 14 made free throws in the final eight minutes, which accounted for all but four of Rockville’s 18 fourth quarter points, while Avalon shot just 16 all game. It wasn’t exactly how Watson drew up the win, but he said it’s comforting to know his team can grind one out when his team is off. “I think today was a good step in learning how to win when you’re not playing very well,” Watson said. “We were not playing very well but we were able to pull it out.” Top Rockville scorers: Nehemiah Jackson 17, Brian Ball 9, Ben Wiebush 9. Top Avalon scorers: Kory Foland 16, James Davern 9, Zamir Courtney 6.

Magruder beats Bladensburg, shows improvement Col. Zadok Magruder may no longer be the Nick Griffin, J.J. Epps, and Justin Witmer show, but the Colonels are far from the dreaded “rebuilding year” many could have expected after coach Dan Harwood graduated the vast majority of last year’s state finalist team. With Joe Hugley banging around with Bladensburg’s big men on the inside and Ronald Hammond stretching the defense with 3-pointers and pull-up jumpers on the outside, Magruder raced out to a 27-15 first quarter lead that would become a 7664 victory.

“We’re a good team, a different team,” Hugley said. “We’re a defensive team. Our offense last year — we played defense — but we relied on our offense.” Hammond’s impact was concentrated in the first half before foul trouble kept him on the bench for most of the third quarter and a fifth and final foul benched him the rest of the way early in the fourth. He scored all 11 of his points in a 45-point first half, playing inside-out with Hugley, who added 13 in the first half, nine of which came from the free throw line. And when the foul trouble limited Hammond, Josiah Jones stepped in, racking up 17 to match Hugley. “Oh, man, he helps a lot,” Hugley said of Hammond. “When I get it, I can kick it out, he’ll be there. He helps out with shooting the 3-pointers and when he shoots, I’ll be in there to get it.” Top Magruder scorers: Joe Hugley 17, Josiah Jones 17, Ronald Hammond 11, Marquaine Wilkerson 9. Top Bladensburg scorers: Dajon Lowe 14, Jaquan Sterling 14, Andrew Lindsay 8, Prince Obike 7.

Wootton routed in ﬁnal game Up 10 at halftime against host Wootton in the nightcap event, Urbana coach John Cooper lamented that his team had a little trouble sustaining success, that it could never really “put the foot down” on teams. Eight minutes later, his Hawks were up 50-28, and by the game’s end the scoreboard showed 71-45 in Urbana’s favor. Consider the foot put down. It wasn’t exactly the Hollywood ending Wootton had in mind when hosting the two-day tournament, but the Patriots are still a markedly improved team from the squad that went until Jan. 18 before earning a win last season. Wootton dug itself a deep hole from the start, going down 16-3 just six minutes into the contest, and couldn’t chip away enough to draw within serious striking distance. Diontae Wilson led the scoring for the Patriots with nine and was followed by eight from Alex Sandler and ﬁve apiece from Richard Hum and Kwame Frimpong. Top Wootton scorers: Diontae Wilson 9, Alex Sandler 8, Richard Hum 5, Kwame Frimpong 5. tmewhirter@gazette.net

A decisive third quarter was the difference for the Paint Branch High School’s 63-53 girls’ basketball victory against Tuscarora in Friday’s championship game of the CKA/ Panther Holiday Invitational Basketball Tournament at the Burtonsville school. Junior guard Daisa Harris scored 11 of her team-high 18 points during that third-quarter outburst, including 9 consecutive points. Harris’ run turned a 32-30 halftime advantage into a 41-30 lead. “Daisa does that,” Panthers coach Rochelle Coleman said. “She is a self-starter. She works hard. Usually when she is playing well on defense, it feeds into her offense. She had a good game.” Paint Branch outscored the Titans 19-7 in the third frame which led to the largest lead in the contest, 51-37, heading into the fourth quarter. Harris also finished with 10 rebounds, five assists and three steals. Senior guard Ki-

ara Colston scored 16 points and added eight rebounds for the Panthers (7-0), while Tyra Sinclair contributed a doubledouble with 11 points and 11 boards. Sofilia Ngwafang (10 rebounds, eight points) and Autumn Ashe (seven points) also played significant roles at both ends of the floor. Shania Johnson led all scorers with 27 points for Tuscarora. The Titans (2-4) also received 12 rebounds and nine points from Katherine Moore, and nine points from Lyric Forney. Coleman said she knows that Johnson is a special talent, the likes of which she isn’t likely to see on many other teams as the season progresses. “[Johnson] is good,” she said, “and she doesn’t really exist on a lot of teams. I told them ‘If she goes off and beats us by herself, then there isn’t anything we can do.’ I probably won’t run into anyone like that — she’s a special player.” The Panthers next scheduled game is Jan. 3 against Damascus — a 3A State Semifinalist last season. “The biggest thing we need to work on is rebounding, that’s my biggest concern,” Coleman said. “Our team defense needs to improve, but it’s only December so we have time to work on that.”

Long Reach slips past B-CC for the boys title Barons fall in the title game of Paint Branch’s CKA/Panther tournament n

KYLE RUSSELL

SPECIAL TO THE GAZETTE

The Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School boys’ basketball team came up short in a bid to claim the CKA/Panther Holiday Invitational Basketball Tournament title, falling 49-48 to Long Reach in Friday’s championship game at Paint Branch High School. The Barons (2-5) battled to a 24-24 tie at halftime, paced by 12 points from Kaleb Stewart and stalwart defense. B-CC led for a majority of the ﬁrst two quarters, and picked up a pair of 3-pointers from Kevin Holston in the second quarter to keep pace. After the break, the Lightning matched Stewart with defender Shane Barr. The plan worked, holding Stewart to just one point after halftime. “They deﬁnitely took some things away, but when we are shooting one-and-one midway through the third we have to be

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Girls’ basketball: Junior guard helps Panthers take control in the third quarter n

more aggressive and attack the rim,” B-CC coach Sean Tracy said. “We didn’t do that. We didn’t shoot a free throw in the entire fourth quarter. We settled for the jump shots and they weren’t falling.” Andrew Witts did his part to draw some fouls, connecting on 7-of-9 from the line in the second half while adding a couple layups and a 3-pointer to finish with a team-high 14 points. The senior guard was a bright spot for the Barons in the second half. “[Andrew] is a high-energy guy, and on any given night he could score 20 or 25 points — it’s just about being consistent with him.” Tracy said. “Even he had some nice strong takes, but some of the shots weren’t falling.” By the midpoint of the final frame, Long Reach had begun to pull away a bit, led by the trio of Barr (13 points), Ron Carter (11 points, 10 rebounds) and Terrell Lamar (10 points). Three missed free throws kept B-CC in it in the final minutes, and a last-second put back by Justin Carter cut the winning margin to just one.

Wednesday, January 1, 2014 r

THE GAZETTE

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THE GAZETTE

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Wednesday, January 1, 2014 r

BUSINESS

Chamber, council member lobby for ICC toll reduction

Have a new business in Montgomery County? Let us know about it at www.gazette.net/newbusinessform

Study: Cutting tolls in half would increase use, but reduce revenue by one-third

Gaithersburg company rents photo booths for events

KEVIN JAMES SHAY STAFF WRITER

Sometimes when Montgomery County Councilman Philip M. Andrews drives on the Intercounty Connector, he feels like he is on a private highway. “There are times when I don’t see any cars,” he said. “It’s almost like a private road or airport runway.” Andrews (D-Dist. 3) of Gaithersburg and some others want to see ICC tolls substantially reduced to help increase use and thus provide more traffic relief for commuters who don’t use the tollway. The 18-mile ICC opened from Interstate 370 in Montgomery County to Interstate 95 in Prince George’s County roughly two years ago. The cost for a two-axle vehicle, including most cars and light trucks, between I-370 and I-95 is $8 for a round trip during the peak period, which is from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays. The off-peak round-trip price is $6.40. The round-trip cost between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. goes down to $3.20. For tractor-trailers that have five axles, the round-trip peak cost escalates to $48, or $38.40 for non-peak times. If a vehicle has six or more axles, the roundtrip peak cost goes up to $60. The Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce is among those lobbying to see tolls reduced. “The road was not built to raise revenue,” said Marilyn Balcombe, president and CEO of the chamber. “The road was built to alleviate traffic and help mobility. If we can increase the number of people using the ICC, the better mobility we can have.” Regular commuters on the Bay Bridge now can get a discount to use that bridge, but there are no similar discounts in place for the ICC, Andrews noted. He said he has asked the state transportation authority to cut toll rates in about half.

BizBriefs

Your Moment Photo Booth of Gaithersburg is a new business that offers rentals for weddings, birthday parties, corporate events and other gatherings. For information, call Jamie Wanis at 240-223-2424, email info@yourmomentphotobooth.com, or visit YourMomentPhotoBooth.com or facebook.com/yourmomentphotobooth.

Towmen receive awards G. Wayne Reese of Custom Towing in Silver Spring and Mario Tito from Airpark Towing in Gaithersburg have received the American Towman ACE Award for service performance. Recipients were nominated by major motor clubs and dispatch centers.

New health club coming to Rockville Pike

FILE PHOTO

Traffic moves through the evening rush hour on the newest part of the Intercounty Connector near the new interchange with Interstate 95. “We’re losing folks who could be commuting on the ICC every day,” said Andrews, who is running for county executive next year. A study by Cambridge, Mass., engineering firm CDM Smith released by the Maryland Transportation Authority, the state agency that manages the ICC, concluded that reducing toll rates across-the-board by 50 percent would increase expected traffic volume by 21 percent in 2015. But anticipated revenue would decline by 33 percent in 2015, to $43.7 million, from the expected $65.1 million in 2015. The ICC is designed to provide

“relatively congestion-free travel” for years and not designed to reach capacity until 2030, said James T. Smith Jr., MTA chairman. The tollway is in a “ramping up” period, but average weekday traffic volumes have still grown about 75 percent since the ICC opened all the way to I-95, he said. Between July 2012 and June 2013, about 17.2 million trips were made on the tollway, up almost 50 percent from the 11.6 million trips made during ﬁscal 2012, according to the MTA. Total revenue reached $39.59 million in ﬁscal 2013, slightly more than the revised projection of $39.56 million, according to the MDTA. In

ﬁscal 2012, some $19.7 million was collected, better than the projected $18.7 million. The projections are signiﬁcantly below the ones given to state legislators in 2005, when they agreed to increase debt to build the ICC, Andrews said. “They set the bar so low, they can step over it,” he said. Construction on the ICC began in 2007 and the leg to Route 28 opened in February 2011. The portion to I-95 opened in November 2011. An extension to U.S. 1 is slated to be completed by next spring. kshay@gazette.net

Sport & Health Clubs plans to open a state-of-the-art ﬁtness club this fall in the Pike & Rose Center in Rockville. Working with developer Federal Realty Investment Trust, Sport & Health’s new 32,000-square-foot facility will be at the intersection of Montrose Parkway, Rockville Pike and Old Georgetown Road. A mind-body studio, with spalike surroundings, will offer inversion yoga and other programming. A group cycle studio will feature the virtual MyRide Forward Motion Video, which simulates riding in real locations. Members also can exercise outside in an elevated social and training space. The club also will feature Sport & Health’s Kidz Klub with “exergames,” which involve interactive video games.

THE GAZETTE

Wednesday, January 1, 2014 r

Page B-7

CELEBRATIONS HEALTH CALENDAR WEDNESDAY, JAN. 8 A Suburban Lecture featuring Dr. Daniel Valiki, orthopedic joint surgeon, is sched-

uled for 1 p.m. at the Friendship Heights Village Center, 4433 S. Park Ave., Chevy Chase. Valiki will help guests understand knee and hip replacement treatment options, including knowing when it’s the right time and how to select the best treatment choice. Free. Registration requested. www. friendshipheightsmd.gov. Diabetes Support Group, from 6:30-8 p.m. at Suburban Hospital CR 6/7 (lower level), 8600 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda. Join other individuals living with diabetes — spouses, partners, siblings, adult children and parents — to share concerns, stories, resources and self-management strategies. New members are always welcome. Registration required. Free. www. suburbanhospital.org.

TUESDAY, JAN. 14 AARP Driver Safety Class at MedStar Montgomery, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at

Tsaur, Keller Kerming and Jenny Tsaur of Rockville announce the engagement of their daughter, Nancy Joy Tsaur, to Christopher Aaron Keller, son of Robert and Donna Keller of Hollywood, Md. The couple met at their alma mater, the University of Maryland in College Park. The bride-to-be received her bachelor’s degree in chemistry and works for the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The prospective groom received his master’s degree in biochemistry and is currently working for the United States Patent and Trademark Ofﬁce. An April 2014 wedding is planned on the Chesapeake Bay in Rose Haven. The couple will reside in Derwood.

MedStar Montgomery Medical Center, 18101 Prince Philip Drive, Olney. The AARP Driver Safety Program, the nation’s first and largest refresher course for drivers age 50 and older, has helped millions of drivers remain safe on today’s roads. The course is designed to help tune up driving skills, explain safe driving strategies, and update knowledge of the rules of the road. Learn about normal age-related physical changes, and how to adjust driving to allow for these changes. Reduce traffic violations, the likelihood of crashes, and chances for injuries. Some insurance companies operating in Maryland consider drivers who take the course qualified for an auto insurance premium reduction or discount. $15 for AARP members; $20 for non-members. Checks should be made payable to AARP to secure registration. Mail to: MedStar Montgomery Medical Center, Planning & Marketing, 18101 Prince Philip Dr. Olney, MD 20832. www. montgomerygeneral.org.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 15 A Mothers and Daughters Night out:

“Let’s Talk about HPV,” from 6-7:30 p.m.

at MedStar Montgomery Medical Center, 18101 Prince Philip Drive, Olney. The best way to ﬁght cervical cancer is to learn what can be done to prevent it. During Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, MedStar Montgomery is bringing together a group of experts who will help both mothers and daughters understand the importance of being proactive about cervical cancer screenings and vaccines. Learn about the human papillomavirus (HPV) and Gardasil, the vaccine that has been proven effective in preventing HPV. www.montgomerygeneral.org.

UPCOMING Senior Shape: Stability Ball, from 10:30

a.m. to 11:15 a.m. Thursdays, Jan. 2 to March 27 at the Gaithersburg Senior Center (Bohrer Park), 506 Frederick Ave., Gaithersburg. Taught by a certiﬁed instructor, program will tone and deﬁne core muscles and help build better balance. Dress comfortably. Bring an exercise ball, hand held weights or speak with the instructor to determine the right kind of ball to use. $15. (Also 9-9:45 a.m. Mondays, Jan. 6 to March 31 at the Holiday Park Community Center, 3950 Ferrara Drive, Wheaton, $30; 11-11:45 a.m. Tuesdays, Jan. 7 to March 25, at the Margaret Schweinhaut Center, 1000 Forest Glen Road, Silver Spring, $30), www.suburbanhospital.org. Senior Shape: Advanced Weight Training, from 10-10:45 a.m. Fridays, Jan. 3 to

March 28, at Holiday Park Community Center, 3950 Ferrara Drive, Wheaton. Taught by a certiﬁed instructor, this exercise program instructs participants to perform a variety of weight training exercises at a faster pace to increase muscular strength and endurance while getting the heart rate up. Form is emphasized to ensure maximum results while keeping the joints safe. Dress comfortably. Bring a mat. $30. www.suburbanhospital.org. Yoga for Women Cancer Survivors, from 7-8:15 p.m. Mondays, Jan. 6 to March 31, at Sibley Medical Building Conference Room 2, 5215 Loughboro Road NW, Washington, D.C. Weekly meditative gentle and restorative yoga using mindful movement, balance, and breathing techniques to help

women with a history of cancer to reduce anxiety, improve quality of life, and regain sense of self. $10 per class, $30 per month, scholarships available. Walk-ins welcome with cash/check if space permits. 202-2432320. www.suburbanhospital.org. Nutrition Counseling, from 4-7 p.m., Jan. 7-29, at Suburban Hospital Lambert Building (First Floor), 8710 Old Georgetown Road, Betehsda. A registered and licensed dietitian will conduct a thorough health evaluation and create personalized nutrition and exercise strategy to meet speciﬁc health concerns. Individual dates/times are not available online. To register, call 301896-3939. $70. www.suburbanhospital.org. Meditation and Mindfulness: Tools for Alleviating Stress Post Cancer Diagnosis,

from 7-8 p.m. Thursdays, Jan. 9 to March 27 at Sibley Memorial Hospital, Private Dining Room 3 (next to Cafeteria), 5255 Loughboro Road NW, Washington, D.C. Join facilitator Ashley Nunn, MA and others with a history of cancer to learn about and practice a relaxation technique that uses focus on breathing. This practice has been shown to be effective in reducing stress, anxiety and loneliness; improving sleep; and boosting immune system. No prior experience required. Walk-ins welcome. Register at Sibley.org or call 202-243-2320. Free. www. suburbanhospital.org. Mommy & Me Club, from 10 a.m. to noon Wednesdays, Jan. 8-29, at MedStar Montgomery Medical Center, 18101 Prince Philip Drive, Olney. Program offers education and support for new mothers and their babies. Discuss with a Registered Nurse the practical changes that occur after a new baby arrives. Topics include breastfeeding/ feeding issues, infant development, how to calm a fussy baby and get more sleep to name a few. $60. www.montgomerygeneral.org.

Babysitting Plus CPR at MedStar Montgomery, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Jan. 11 and

Jan. 18, at MedStar Montgomery Medical Center, 18101 Prince Philip Drive, Olney. Babysitting Plus CPR prepares youth with the training every parent wants, including safety, childcare, safe play, ﬁrst aid and CPR certiﬁcation. $65. www.montgomerygeneral.org.

RELIGION CALENDAR ONGOING

Cusick, O’Neill Gail and Ken Cusick of Olney announce the engagement of their daughter, Corinne Eileen Cusick, to Robert Daniel O’Neill, son of Steve and Traci O’Neill of Brookeville. The bride-to-be, a 2008 Sherwood High School alumna, graduated from York College of Pennsylvania in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in biology. She is currently a Research Specialist at Advanced BioScience Laboratories in Rockville. The prospective groom, a 2010 Sherwood High School alum, is currently a senior at Auburn University in Alabama. In May he will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in political science (international relations) and will be commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. An August 2014 wedding is planned.

Damascus United Methodist Church, 9700 New Church St., Damascus, offers traditional Sunday morning worship services at 8:15 a.m., a youth contemporary worship service at 9:30 a.m. and a service of liturgy and the word at 11 a.m. with Sunday school at 9:30 a.m. for all ages during the school year. www.damascusumc.org. Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 7730 Bradley Boulevard, Bethesda, offers services at 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. each Sunday, with Sunday School for all ages scheduled at 10 a.m. Child care is offered from 8:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. A fellowship and coffee hour follows the 8:30 a.m. service. 301-365-5733, www.elcbethesda.org. Liberty Grove United Methodist Church, 15225 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville, conducts Sunday morning worship services at 8:30, 9:30 and 11 a.m. Sunday school, nursery through adult, is at 9:30 a.m. 301-4219166. For a schedule of events, visit www. libertygrovechurch.org. “MOPS,” a faith-based support group for mothers of children, birth through

kindergarten, meets from 9-11:30 a.m. the ﬁrst and third Wednesdays of the month at the Frederick Church of the Brethren, 201 Fairview Drive, Frederick. Childcare is provided. This year’s theme, “A Beautiful Mess: Embracing Your Story,” focuses on remembering that beauty can come out of chaos and that your past, present and future can be used for good with God’s love. For more information call 301-662-1819. Email mops@fcob.net. Neelsville Presbyterian Church, 20701 Frederick Road, Germantown, has returned to its Fall worship schedule, with services at 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sundays. Sunday School for all ages at 9:40 a.m. www.Neelsville.org. Providence United Methodist Church, 3716 Kemptown Church Road, Monrovia, conducts a contemporary service at 8 a.m. followed by a traditional service at 9:30 a.m. Sunday mornings, with children’s Sunday school at 9:30 a.m. and adult Sunday school at 11 a.m. For more information, call 301253-1768. Visit www.kemptownumc.org. Trinity Lutheran Church, 11200 Old Georgetown Road, North Bethesda, conducts

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Chancel choir auditions and rehearsals, 7:30 p.m. Thursdays at Liberty Grove

Methodist Church, 15225 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville. Call 301-421-9166 or visit www.libertygrovechurch.org. “Healing for the Nations,” 7 p.m. every ﬁrst and third Saturday of the month at South Lake Elementary School, 18201 Contour Road, Gaithersburg. Sponsored by King of the Nations Christian Fellowship, the outreach church service is open to all who are looking for hope in this uncertain world. Prayer for healing available. Translation into Spanish and French. Call 301-251-3719. Visit www. kncf.org. Geneva Presbyterian Church, potluck lunches at 11:30 a.m. the second Sunday of each month at 11931 Seven Locks Road, Potomac. There is no fee to attend. All are welcome to bring a dish to share; those not bringing dishes are also welcome. Call 301424-4346.

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THE GAZETTE

Wednesday, January 1, 2014 r

Classifieds

Page B-9

Call 301-670-7100 or email class@gazette.net

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Advertise Your apartment community here!

remodeled 3/4 bed, 2 full bath, great location, nr metro $1995 Call: 301-467-0586

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FREDERICK:

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Lux 3lvl EU/TH, Gar 2MBR, 2.5BA, LR DR, FR, FP,EIK, Deck $1800. 301-792-9538

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1/2 ba TWH freshly painted $1550 central heat/AC , all appliances, wood floors assigned parking fenced patio HOC ok call Nick 301-412-4522

BOWIE: SFH, 3Br, 1 Ba, 1.5 acre, pets ok, detached grg, $1750 rkdenton@live.com

3BR, 1.5BA, NS/NP. Walk to Metro, W/D, $1700/mo + utils. Indra 301-325-2467

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BETHESDA/GROV ESNER: 3BD 1.5BA BROOKEVILLE:

Beautiful Sunny Studio Apt w/BA W/D all utils incl off street parking Avail 01/01 $850 301906-1350

Condo in Parkside. $1900 util incl. Avail Jan 1st. 301-233-5721

GAITHER:

GAITH:M BRs $435+ 440+475+555+ Maid Ns/Np, nr 270/370/Bus shops, quiet, conv.Sec Dep 301-983-3210

SILVER SPRING: 1

GE RMA NT OWN :

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POTOMAC: 1Br, + Den, 1Ba, W/D, modernized LR & kit, priv entr, $1590 inc util, Call: 240-793-2565

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(301) 460-1647

GE RMA NT OWN :

S.SPRING: Downtown, furn/unfur shrd apt, priv Ba, nr metro $775 utils incl + SD NS/NP 240-604-5815

rm for rent in condo, nr bus/shops, utils, cable, incld $500 301-9724535 Available 01/01

GERM: Bsmt w/pvt WHEATON: 1Br in SFH

***OLD ROLEX & PATEK PHILIPPE WATCHES WANTED!** Daytona, Sub Mariner, etc. TOP CASH PAID! 1800-401-0440

Entr, Ba, Br, nr schls, $650 incl util D/W,W/D bus, util incl N/S N/P Smoker Ok, CATV Avl Jan 1st Please Nr Bus, Avail Now. Call 301-503-1753 Call 301-461-2636

G E R M : TH LG 1 room w/pvt BA $650/mo w/utils & int. Nr Walmart & 270/355 CALL: 240-744-2421

WHEATON:

OLNEY: 1BD in TH.

GERM: 1 large room,

On Georgia Ave. 1 MBR w/prvt ba. $650 util incl Nr Metro & Shops. Npets 240-441-1638 shared bath $500 util incl near transit, NS/NP call 301-7177696

OL N E Y : Furnished

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furnished BD in basement in SFH. Priv ent. $495 incl util. MALE ONLY. 240-676-0621 Room for rent, prvt BA & Den. $700/mo incl utils. Non smoker. Call Arthur 301-587-6922

Bsmt Apt for 1 tenant, priv ent, full Kitch & Ba, $1200 util incld except WIFI & Cable, N/P N/S 301-503-6167

GERM: 2Br, 2Ba new

kSmall Pets Welcome

ment apt w/priv BA & kitchen. Separate Entrance. $1,200 util incl. 301-758-5079

LG Furn BR in uppr lvl $500 util & laundry included. Sec. Dep Req. Call: 301-605-5199

LRG CONDO 1bd/1ba GAITH:FIRESIDE wood floor, 24hr se- CONDOS 3Br, 2full curity, all util incl HOC ba, balc. $1775/mo util incl. HOC Welc. Avail OK 240-383-1000 Jan 1st. 301-535-3017

LAKESIDE APTS GAITHERSBURG

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Page B-10

Wednesday, January 1, 2014 r

2nd Call for Annual Meeting

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Pursuant to the procedure authorized by Title 5, Subtitle 2, of the Corporations and Associations Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland. The council of Unit Owners for the Bethesda Overlook Townhouses Condominiums shall hold an annual meeting on Monday, January 6, 2014, at 7:00PM at the Bethesda Library, located at ONE CALL, DOES 7400 Arlington Rd., Bethesda, MD 20814. IT ALL! FAST AND At this meeting the members present in RELIABLE person or by proxy constitute a quorum. A PLUMBING REmajority of the members present in person PAIRS & INSTALLATIONS. Call 1or by proxy may approve or authorize the 800-796-9218 proposed action at the additional meeting and may take any other action which could ONE CALL, DOES have been taken at the original meeting if a IT ALL! FAST AND RELIABLE ELECsufficient number of members had been TRICAL REPAIRS present. & INSTALLATIONS. Call 1-800908-8502

ADOPTION- A Lov-

ing alternative to unplanned pregnancy. You choose the family for your child. Receive pictures/info of waiting/approved couples. Living expense assistance. 1-866236-7638

ALL THINGS BASEMENTY!

AIRLINE CAREERS

Basement Systems Inc. Call us for all of your basement needs! Waterproofing? Finishing? Structural Repairs? Humidity and Mold Control FREE ESTIMATES! Call 1888-698-8150

begin here - Get FAA approved Aviation Maintenance training. Housing and Financial Aid for qualified students. Job placement assistance. CALL Aviation Institute of Maintenance 800-4818974.

MOST HOLY APOS- MEDICAL OFFICE GUARANTEED I AM A GNA LOOKCASH FOR TLE, St. Jude, faithful TRAINING INCOME FOR ING FOR WORK: UNEXPIRED DIAservant and friend of PROGRAM! Train to 10 yrs exp, live-in/out, YOUR RETIREJesus, the church hon- become a Medical Ofexc ref, own trans, reliMENT. Avoid market BETIC TEST STRIPS! Free Ship- able 240-247-7511 ors and in-vokes you fice Assistant. No Exrisk & get guaranteed ping, Friendly Service, universally as the pa- perience Needed! Caincome in retirement! BEST prices and 24hr tron of hope-less cas- reer Training & Job CALL for FREE copy payment! Call today es, of things al- Placement Assistance of our SAFE MONEY 877-588-8500 or visit most despared of. at CTI! HS GUIDE. Plus Annuity. www.TestStripSearch. Pray for me I am so Diploma/GED & ComQuotes from A-Rated com Espanol 888-440helpless and alone. puter needed. 1-877compaines! 800-6694001 Make use, I impolre 649-2671 5471 you, of that particular NANNY/HOUSEKE privilege given to you EPER required to to bring visible and care for 2 children & speedy help where house. Refs req. Pls help is almost Call 301-640-0018. despared of. Come to MEDICAL ALERT PT NANNY/HSKPR my assistance in this GET FREE OF FOR SENIORS 2pm-6pm, M-F for 2 great need that I may CREDIT CARD 24/7 monitoring. kids 11yro & 5yro, own receive the help of DEBT NOW! Cut FREE Equipment. transportation, ref’s ROCKVILLE heaven in all my ne- payments by up to FREE Shippng. NaCall 240-498-3948 ESTATE BEAUTIcessities, tribulations, half. Stop creditors tionwide Service. FUL APT + SALand sufferings. I prom- from calling 877-858$29.95/Month CALL ARY LIVE-IN drivise, O blessed St. 1386 Medical Guardian Toing & light house Jude, to be ever mindday 866-992-7236 duties pastor’s wife. ful of this great favor, 301-871-6565 lv msg to always honor you speak loud & clear. as my special and powerful patron, and gratefully to encourHOUSEKEEPER age devotion to you. Experienced Person for Cleaning, Amen. This prayer is to be said in time of Laundry, Light Cooking, Potomac, great need for nine Must have Own Car, 16-20 Hours days. Publication must Per Week, Salary $15/hr, be promised. It has never been known to Excellent References Needed. fail. RF CALL: 301-674-1028

To Advertise Realtors & Agents Call 301.670.2641 Rentals & For Sale by Owner Call 301.670.7100 or email class@gazette.net

Careers 301-670-2500 APPOINTMENT SETTERS Earn $750 to $1000 a week.

Come generate appointments for a Top Inc 500 remodeling Co. Ê Daytime & Evening Hours Available Ê Gaithersburg location

Call John at 301-987-9828

class@gazette.net Foster Parents

Treatment Foster Parents Needed Work from home!

û Free training begins soon û Generous monthly tax-free stipend û 24/7 support

WE’RE HIRING WEEKEND CNAS, GNAS, AND HHAS!

Gazette Careers

Is Interior Decorating your Passion? Dental/ Medical Assistant Trainees Needed Now

Is your home overflowing with Decorating Magazines? If you answered YES to even one of these questions, then you own it to yourself to find out how North American’s largest home decorating companyDecorating Den Interiors, can change YOUR world.

Join us for a decorating business information session on Saturday, January 11th- 10am-Noon

Dental/Medical Offices now hiring. No experience? Job Training & Placement Assistance Available 1-877-234-7706 CTO SCHEV

DESIGN CENTER

Real Estate

10426 Fawcett Street Kensington, MD 20895

RSVP to jimkirlin@decoratingden.com or call 301-933-7900

Pharmacies/ hospitals now hiring. No experience? Job Training & Placement Assistance Available 1-877-240-4524 CTO SCHEV

Get Connected! Local Companies Local Candidates

CDL DRIVERS

Silver Spring

Work with the BEST! Must R.S.V.P.

local coverage, updated regularly

Call Bill Hennessy

GC3043

Gazette.net

Recruiting is now Simple!

Pharmacy/ Phlebotomy Tech Trainees Needed Now

Excellent career opportunity! GAC is a residential company serving Montgomery/Frederick County with a great reputation built over 40 yrs. FT positions for installers and helpers. Excellent benefits - health, 401K, paid leave, training & more. Call 301926-3253 or send resumes to Careers@gaithersburgair.com

Aggregate Industries, a leading supplier of aggregate-based building materials in the United States, has immediate openings at our Ready Mix Concrete plant in Rockville, Maryland for Concrete Mixer Drivers. Qualified candidates must have a Class B commercial driver’s license, a clean driving record and experience operating a concrete mixer, roll off, tractor trailer or dump truck. For immediate consideration, please fax your resume to 301-513-0126, email your resume to terri.coomaraswamy@aggregateus.com, or apply in person at 6401 Golden Triangle Drive, Suite 400, Greenbelt, Maryland 20770. EEO/AA/Drug-Free Workplace. Women are encouraged to apply.

Be trained individually by one of the area’s top offices & one of the area’s best salesman with over 34 years. New & experienced salespeople welcomed.

GC3176

HVAC Installers

Provide non-medical care and companionship for seniors in their homes. Personal care, light housework, transportation, meal preparation. Must be 21+. Must have car and one year professional, volunteer, or personal experience www.homeinsteads.com/197 Home Instead Senior Care To us it’s personal 301/588-9023 Call between 10am-4pm Mon-Fri

Call 301-355-7205

Do you find yourself rearranging your friend’s furniture and accesories?

Skilled Trades

HEALTHCARE

301-388-2626 301-388-2626

bill.hennessy@longfoster.com • Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc. EOE

Part-Time

Work From Home

National Children’s Center Making calls. Please call Weekdays between 9-4 No selling! Sal + bonus + benes. Call 301-333-1900

Wednesday, January 1, 2014 r

THE GAZETTE

Page B-11

Page B-12

Wednesday, January 1, 2014 r

Automotive Call 301-670-7100 or email class@gazette.net DONATE YOUR CAR TO VETERANS TODAY! Your

DONATE AUTOS, TRUCKS, RV’S. $$$$$ PAID! Running LUTHERAN MISor Not, All Makes! SION SOCIETY.

CARS/TRUCKS WANTED! Top

Free Towing! We’re Local! 7 Days/Week. Call 1-800-959-8518

DONATE YOUR CAR - Give hope to

breast cancer families. Tax Deductible. Free Next-Day Towing. $1000 Grocery/Restaurant Coupons. Call 7 days/week United Breast Cancer Foundation 800-728-0801

vehical donation will help US Troops and Your donation helps support our Veterans! local families with 100% tax deductible food, clothing, shelter. Fast Free pickup! Tax deductible. CALL 1-800-709MVA licensed. LutheranMissionSociet 0542. y.org 410-636-0123 or DONATE AUTOS, toll-free 1-877-737TRUCKS, RV’S. 8567.

CASH FOR CARS!

Any Make, Model or Year. We Pay MORE! Running or Not. Sell Your Car or Truck TODAY. Free Towing! Instant Offer: 1-888-545-8647

LUTHERAN MISSION SOCIETY.

Your donation helps local families with food, clothing, shelter. Tax deductible. MVA licensed. LutheranMissionSociet y.org 410-636-0123 or toll-free 1-877-7378567.

CA H

FOR CAR ! ANY CAR ANY CONDITION

WE PAY TOP DOLLAR-FAST FREE PICKUP! SELL YOUR CAR TODAY! CALL NOW FOR AN

INSTANT CASH OFFER

(301) 288-6009

G558459

H HAPPY APPY2014 NEW N E W YEAR Y E A R 2014 04 Honda Element EX #362045B, 4 Speed $ $ Auto, 1-Owner, 4WD

09 Toyota Corolla S #364582A, $$ 5 Speed Manual,

04 Toyota Corolla LE #R1737A, $$ 4 Speed Auto, 4DR,

07 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS #364333A, $$ 5 Speed Manual, 1

09 Chevrolet Malibu #470281A, $$ Auto,

#472145A, 4 Speed Auto, Silver Metallic

6,800

Owner, 44k Miles

9,800

4-Door, 1-Owner

Dark Grey Metallic

8,800

9,800

09HyundaiVeracruzLTD $$

11 Ford Focus SE #364474A, Auto, 1- $ $ Owner, 23.9 Miles

12 Nissan Sentra $$

13 Hyundai Velostar #467009A, $ 6 Speed Auto,1 Owner,$

#364523A, 6 Speed Auto, 1-Owner, Sport

#472173A, CVT Trans, 1-Owner, 11.6k Miles

11,800

14,800

11,800

Hatchback Coupe

17,800

Desert Sand Mica

8,800

08MercuryGrandMarquisLS $$

10,800

12 Nissan Altima S #470192A, CVT Trans,$ $ 2.5. Low Miles

14,800

13 Toyota Camry LE #R1739, $ 6 Speed Auto, 12.7k$

miles, 4 Door, 1 Owner

17,900

2006Toyota Camry LE............ $8,800 $8,800 2011 Mazda Mazda3 Touring. . $14,800 $14,800 #462007A, 5 Speed, 4-Door, Indigo Ink Pearl #472137A, 5 SpeedAuto, 19k Miles, 1-Owner, Graphite Mica

$8,800 2009 Toyota Venza.............. $16,800 $16,800 2001 Lexus RX300............... $8,800 #470267A, 4 SpeedAuto, 4WD, Sport Utility, Black Onyx #378091A, 6 SpeedAuto, 1-Owner, Blue Green

$12,800 2012 GMC Terrain SLE-1...... $19,800 $19,800 2010 Scion XB................... $12,800 #P8786, 5 Speedf Manual, Series 7, 1-Owner #460033A, 2WD, 6 SpeedAuto, 1-Owner, 45k Miles

2011 Hyundai Sonata GLS. . .. $12,800 $12,800 2011 Toyota Avalon............. $19,800 $19,800 #472077A, PZEV, 1-Owner, 44k Miles, Silver Metallic #478001A, 6 SpeedAuto, 4-Door, Silver Metallic, 1-Owner 2011 Toyota Camry LE......... $13,800 $13,800 2009 Nissan Murano SL....... $20,800 $20,800 #P8867, 6 SpeedAuto, 1-Owner, Gray Metallic #P8851A, CVT Trans, 4WD, Sport Utility 2011 Honda Civic LX........... $13,800 $13,800 2014 Toyota Camry LE.......... $21,800 $21,800 #472123A, CVT Trans, 36K Miles, 1-Owner #378075A, 6 SpeedAuto, 1-Owner, 307 Miles, Clearwater Blue Metallic

PRE-OWNED 3355 5 5 TTOYOTA OYOTA P R E - OW N E D G558451

DARCARS

See what it’s like to love car buying

1-888-831-9671 1-888-831-9671 15625 Frederick Rd (Rte 355) • Rockville, MD | OPEN SUNDAY

V VISIT ISIT U US S O ON N T THE HE W WEB EB A AT T w www.355.com ww.355.com

Selling that convertible...be sure to share a picture!

Log on to

Gazette.Net/Autos to upload photos of your car for sale

Wednesday, January 1, 2014 r

Page B-13

2014 NEW COROLLA LE

36 $

NEW2 AVAILABLE: 2014#470232, COROLLA LE 470156

2 AVAILABLE: #470229, 470170

129/mo.**

4 DR., 4 CYL., AUTO

NEW 2014 SCION XD 2 AVAILABLE: #453002, 453012

NEW 2014 VENZA 4X2 2 AVAILABLE: #474506, 474510

GREAT END OF 2013 SALE!!

24,590

4 CYL., AUTO

AFTER $500 REBATE

15,690

4 DR., AUTO, 4 CYL., INCL.

169/mo.**

4 CYL., 4 DR., AUTO

NEW 2013 RAV4 LE 4X2 BASE 2 AVAILABLE: #364589, 364591

NEW 2014 CAMRY LE 2 AVAILABLE: #472144, 472191

36 Month Lease $

149/mo.**

4 DR., 4 CYL., AUTO

NEW 2014 CAMRY LE

2 AVAILABLE: #377729, 377730

16,990

AFTER $750 REBATE

2 AVAILABLE: #472091, 472090

0% FOR 4 DR., AUTO, 4 CYL.,

4 CYL., AUTOMATIC

AFTER $500 REBATE

NEW 2013 PRIUS C II

20,690

DARCARS

MONTHS+

On 10 Toyota Models

See what it’s like to love car buying

18,890

AUTO, 4 CYL., 4 DR

AFTER TOYOTA $1,750 REBATE

G557425

1-888-831-9671

15625 Frederick Rd (Rte 355) • Rockville, MD n OPEN SUNDAY n VISIT US ON THE WEB AT www.355Toyota.com

G558452

PRICES AND PAYMENTS INCLUDE ANY APPLICABLE MANUFACTURE’S REBATES AND EXCLUDE MILITARY ($500) AND COLLEGE GRAD ($500) REBATES, TAX, TAGS, DEALER PROCESSING CHARGE ($200) AND FREIGHT: CARS $795 OR $810, TRUCKS, SPORT UTILITY AND SIENNAS $810, $845 AND $995. *0.9% APR & 0% APR FINANCING UP TO 60 MONTHS TO QUALIFIED BUYERS THRU TOYOTA FINANCIAL SERVICES. TOTAL FINANCED CANNOT EXCEED MSRP PLUS OPTIONS, TAX, AND LICENSE FEES. 0% APR 60 MONTHLY PAYMENTS OF $16.67 FOR EACH $1000 BORROWED. 0.9% APR 60 MONTHLY PAYMENTS OF $17.05 FOR EACH $1000 BORROWED. APR OFFERS ARE NOT VALID WITH ANY OTHER CASH BACK OR LEASE OFFER. NOT ALL BUYERS WILL QUALIFY.**LEASE PAYMENTS BASED ON 36 MONTHS, 12,000 MILES PER YEAR WITH $995 DOWN PLUS $650 ACQUISITION FEE, NO SECURITY DEPOSIT REQUIRED. SEE DEALER FOR COMPLETE DETAILS. OFFERS EXPIRES 1-5-14.

Page B-14

Wednesday, January 1, 2014 r

03 Suzuki Aerio SX

07 Buick Rendezvous CXL $6,988

#DP05262A, GAS SAVER! EASY TERMS!

#KP74228, LEATHER, $488 OFF KBB

$9,890

05 Jeep Grand Cherokee $11,988

10 Chrylser Twn & Cnty $22,988

#KP62499, MNRF, LEATHER, $914 OFF KBB

#KP88776, LTD, MNRF/LTHR, $1058 OFF KBB

#KP51814, ALL THE TOYS, 0% FINANCING

06 Chevy Equinox LT

UNDER $10,995

MORE VEHICLES

98 Chevy Prizm................................$1,595

08 Mitsubishi Lancer ES.................$7,988

06 Dodge Charger.............................$13,470

12 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport.....$16,935

01 Toyota Corolla LE........................$4,450

04 Dodge Ram 1500 SLT.................$9,588

11 Dodge Grand Caravan..............$15,830

13 Dodge Journey SXT..................$17,988

05 Toyota Tundra SR5.....................$5,950

02 BMW 330Ci...............................$10,488

#KP12428, AIR BAGS, TOYOTA ENGINEERED, “HANDYMAN”

#KP01845B, PW/PLC/PMR, AUTO, MD INSP’D

#KP68989, ACC CAB 4WD, AT, PW, BD LNR, “HANDYMAN”

03 Chrylser PT Cruiser LTD.............$6,988

#KP21651, PAMPERED, 59K! AT, MNRF, LTHR

G558450

$4,945

#KX05031, LTHR, PW/PLC, CC, CD, BEST BUY!!

#KP40271, SLT, “HEMI” TRUCK LOVERS! LTHR, 20”S CHROME

#92501KP, AT, LTHR/HTD SEATS, P/OPTS, GREAT X-MAS GIFT!

05 Toyota Avalon XL......................$10,988

#KP15848, ONE OF A KIND! LTHR, MNRF, P/OPTS

#KP61691, R/T, LOTS OF FUN, NAV, LTHR, CD-6

#FR77985, MAINSTREET, PWR DOORS, P/OPTS, RC, QUADS

10 Hyundai Sonata LTD.................$15,988

#KP07213, SHOWROOM COND, 12K!! P/OPTS #KA21489, 3RD SEAT, ALLOYS, P/OPTIONS

11 Ford Econoline..........................$18,470

#KP24824, BEAUTY! MNRF, LTHR, INFINITY CD-6

#KN03615, 12 PASS WGN, RAC, PW/PLC, GREAT TERMS AVAILABLE!

#KP05434, 4WD, CLEAN! MNRF, RNG BDS, PSEAT, P/OPTS

#FP50592, AWD, PRINSTINE, 71K!! MNRF, LTHR/HTD SEATS, P/OPTS

07 Toyota 4Runner SR5................$16,470

07 Infinity M35 X...........................$18,988