WEATHER REPORT Snow day could extend school year. A-3
The Gazette
A&E: Comedy troupe Upright Citizens Brigade comes to BlackRock. B-4
NEWS: Churchill ice hockey has become a dynasty with another state title. B-1
ROCKVILLE | ASPEN HILL | POTOMAC | OLNEY DA I LY U P DAT E S AT G A Z E T T E . N E T
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
25 cents
An experiment in democracy
Close, but no title for Good Counsel
Rockville among first to try state’s new voting machines in November n
BY
RYAN MARSHALL STAFF WRITER
Rockville will be a guinea pig for Maryland’s new voting machines, but city officials say they’re comfortable the new machines won’t cause problems in the city’s November election. There may be other municipalities that use the new machines in their elections this year, but Rockville will be at least one of the first jurisdictions in the state to use them, said Nikki Charlson, deputy administrator of the Maryland Board of Elections. The state Board of Public Works in December awarded a $28.14 million contract to Election Systems & Software of Omaha, Neb., for more than 3,100 machines to scan ballots and count votes. The state also bought other
DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE
(From left) Cara Judkins, Madison Hardy, Ariana Phillips, Maya Riley and Nicole Enabosi of Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Olney leave the court after a 49-47 loss to Paul VI Catholic High School in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference championship game Thursday at American University in Washington. See story, Page B-1.
Sherwood Rock ’n’ Roll Revival kicks off Snow cancels rehearsals at high school, but the show will go on n
BY
TERRI HOGAN STAFF WRITER
There will be dancing in the streets of Olney this weekend, as Sherwood High School’s 44th annual Rock ’n’ Roll Re-
vival kicks off. The show is a much-anticipated tradition for the entire Olney community — including students, parents, staff, alumni and even those with no connection to the school. The popular musical event continues to span time, showcasing the school’s talented musicians, dancers and crew. The show was established in 1971. The original concept
was conceived by a group of students from the Sandy Spring high school who were inspired after seeing a concert at Madison Square Garden. This year’s show features about 300 students, more than in previous years. “We lost a lot of seniors, so this is kind of a rebuilding year for us,” said director Bill Evans. “We have a larger band than usual and more younger stu-
dents.” Evans said the weather has wreaked havoc with the rehearsal schedule. Full dress rehearsals were canceled both Sunday and Monday due to snow and ice. And with more wintry weather looming this week, getting in the last few rehearsals could be dicey. “The last couple of winters
See REVIVAL, Page A-10
ELECTION SYSTEMS & SOFTWARE
Rockville will be among the first jurisdictions to use Maryland’s new optical-scanning voting machines in November’s election.
machines to process mailed and provisional ballots and handle early voting and disabled voters, according to a news release from the company. The new technology replaces the old touch-screen system to which voters have grown accustomed. The city, with about 42,000 registered voters, will be using the new technology in its Nov. 3
See EXPERIMENT, Page A-10
Aunt Hattie’s house destroyed in blaze n
Founder of Sandy Spring group home loses her own to fire BY
TERRI HOGAN STAFF WRITER
Hattie N. Washington — aka “Aunt Hattie” — has devoted much of her life to providing homes for those in need. In a devastating twist of fate, Washington now finds herself looking for a place to live. On Friday, her home, in the
17000 block of Norwood Road in Sandy Spring, caught fire, resulting in damages estimated at $500,000. Washington, who lived in the home alone, said she awoke at about 5:15 a.m. to the sound of her smoke detector, and then opened her eyes to a bedroom full of smoke. She went to investigate and found smoke throughout the house and crackling noises coming from the roof. She called 911, grabbed a few be-
See BLAZE, Page A-10
Plan for bus depot’s next home still hazy County Council considering terms for selling current site
n
BY
LINDSAY A. POWERS STAFF WRITER
A school bus depot’s future home remains uncertain as the county considers how to sell the site of the current depot and find a spot for a new one. A Montgomery County Public Schools bus depot now on Crabbs Branch Way in Rockville is home to about 410 buses. It needs to move to make way for development around the Shady Grove Metro station.
The depot is one part of the county’s Crabbs Branch Service Park, which once held a variety of county functions. Facing a proposed deadline of January 2017, school and county staff are still scrambling to clinch short- and long-term solutions. In a years-long search, they are looking at one or more sites for a new depot. In its capital budget request, the school board asked the county for $100,000 to study the current site of the district’s Blair G. Ewing Center as a relocation option. The idea has stirred opposition from Aspen Hill and other residents. During a Feb. 10 meeting, County Council staff described other possibilities for a permanent location and a short-term solution that
SPRING FORWARD Daylight Saving Time begins at 2 a.m. Sunday. Don’t forget to turn your clocks ahead one hour.
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places the depot’s buses at multiple sites. Under the short-term solution, the school system would park about 82 buses in 10 high school lots, 100 buses at the district’s Carver Educational Services Center in Rockville and 100 buses at the county’s Equipment Maintenance and Transit Operations Center. That leaves about 130 buses without a home. Besides the Ewing center site, the list of potential long-term relocation spots includes a Montgomery Village-area site on Woodfield Road that the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission owns and the county-owned Oaks Landfill
See BUS, Page A-11
INDEX Automotive Calendar Classified Entertainment Opinion Sports
B-12 A-2 B-8 B-4 A-12 B-1
Volume 28, No. 8, Two sections, 32 Pages Copyright © 2015 The Gazette
BILL RYAN/THE GAZETTE
The future of the Shady Grove Bus Depot in Rockville remains uncertain.
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