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JINGLE BELL CLOCKED Adventure Theatre-MTC recounts classic Christmas tune. A-11
The Gazette ROCKVILLE | ASPEN HILL | WHEATON
DAILY UPDATES ONLINE www.gazette.net
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
25 cents
In Wheaton, Montgomery Royal Theatre closes its doors C O U N T Y
Westfield mall official says new operator could step in
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T R U A N C Y
COURT-STYLE PREVENTION PROGRAM LOOKS BEYOND ATTENDANCE
BY
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DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE
University of Baltimore School of Law student Andrea Bento (left) and assistant state’s attorney George Simms (right) listen to a student during Truancy Court at A. Mario Loiederman Middle School in Silver Spring.
students
seats
GETTING BACK IN
LINDSAY A. POWERS AND ST. JOHN BARNED-SMITH
BY
M
STAFF WRITERS
ontgomery County students who repeatedly miss class are getting guidance from unlikely allies: local prosecutors and judges. In a program that spread to the county from Baltimore in 2010, Montgomery County prosecutors and a local judge meet with students facing a range of attendance issues, from persistent lateness to chronic absence. According to a report by Montgomery County’s Office of Legislative Oversight, “habitual truancy” is defined as missing 18 days in a semester or 36 days of school in a school year. About 984 county public school students were habitually truant in 2009, including about 627 in high school, the report
HABITUAL TRUANCY
Montgomery County Public Schools’ habitual truancy rate has increased slightly in recent years as Maryland’s rate has decreased. “Habitual truancy” is defined as missing 18 days in a semester or 36 days of school in a school year, according to a report by Montgomery County’s Office of Legislative Oversight.
2.5 2.0
STATE
2.32%
2.25%
1.93%
1.89%
1.80%
0.63%
1.13%
1.08%
2011-12
2012-13
1.5 1.0 0.5 0.0
MONTGOMERY
0.72% 2008-09
0.40% 2009-10
SARAH SCULLY STAFF WRITER
2010-11
When the marquee light dimmed at the Wheaton Montgomery Royal Theatre in September, there was more behind the closing than slow business. Owner Sunil Maximus Martinus said that erroneous $123,000 electric bills from Pepco played a major role. On April 12, 2011, Montgomery Royal Theatres Inc. filed a complaint with the Maryland Public Service Commission, writing that Pepco had sent them an incorrect bill and had admitted to using the wrong location and meter number in issuing the theater’s bill. Pepco had sent the company a bill for $123,342.56 on June 7, 2010, according to the formal complaint. Lawyers representing the theater wrote they believed the errors were “either an outright mistake, or that my client is actually being charged for the power service for the previous customer, namely Draft House Cinemas,” which formerly ran the theater. Pepco determined during the settlement process that the correct amount was $87,323.72 for the period from Jan. 5, 2009, to Oct. 30, 2012, which the theater disputed, according to the settlement between the companies. The final agreed upon amount was $48,000, to be paid in installments of $1,000 per month for 48 months. In response to requests for comment, Pepco representatives said that privacy regulations prohibit the company from discussing customer accounts. Although the bill was significantly reduced, Martinus said that two-and-a-half years fighting Pepco on the bill had racked up lawyer fees. He said could no longer afford to run the business between the cost of the lawyer, the payments agreed upon in the settlement and the ongoing costs of operation. Martinus also attributed a heart attack to the
See THEATER, Page A-9
SOURCE: MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, MARYLAND STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
says. The same year, more than 8,600 students were chronically absent, missing 20 or more days of school.
Montgomery County ranks in the middle of the pack among Maryland counties’ habitual truancy rates.
The Truancy Court Program is in five Montgomery County
See TRUANCY, Page A-10
Bus rapid transit meeting presents six alternatives n
Project still in early planning stages BY
SARAH SCULLY STAFF WRITER
Nearly 100 people turned out Thursday at Richard Montgomery High School to review six potential plans for developing a bus rapid transit system in the Veirs Mill Road corridor between Wheaton
and Rockville. The plans are part of a larger bus rapid transit program the county has been considering, which includes 10 such corridors. Transportation staff from the state and county sought public feedback on the first round of plans. The alternatives included options like building dedicated bus lanes, making lanes reversible during morning and evening peak hours, adding bike lanes, and mak-
ing upgrades to the current bus service. “The idea is people will get out of their cars and use transit,” said Jamaica Arnold, lead project manager with the State Highway Administration. The Montgomery County Department of Transportation, Maryland State Highway Administration, and Maryland Transit Administration conducted the study, assessing the impacts of different
NEWS
SPORTS
Democrats Kagan, Simmons join race.
Magruder High School grad recovers from serious blood clot, pursues dream of playing professional soccer.
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DISTRICT 17 SENATE RACE ATTRACTS CHALLENGERS
A PATH WITH MANY DETOURS
options on residents, traffic congestion, pedestrians, and transit riders. The studies, analysis and hearings for the corridor will cost about $6 million. Construction and any acquisition of land has not yet been funded, Gary Erenrich, a project manager, said. He noted, “we have designed this project so that it’s eligible for federal funds,” which
See TRANSIT, Page A-9
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RECYCLE
BILL RYAN/THE GAZETTE
Sunil Maximus Martinus in front of the theater that he used to own at the Westfield Wheaton mall on Oct. 17.
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