Rockvillegaz 122513 by The Gazette

VIENNA, VIA STRATHMORE

Annual salute serves up a taste of Austrian culture. B-5

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DAILY UPDATES ONLINE www.gazette.net

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

25 cents

We’re going to need a bigger sleigh n

Toys for Tots hosts giveaway after landing thousands of surplus gifts BY

SYLVIA CARIGNAN STAFF WRITER

Parents and kids of all ages ﬂooded the Toys for Tots warehouse in Gaithersburg at a free-for-all event Monday after the organization collected almost three times as many toys this year as last year. Paul Gunther, who manages Toys for Tots’ Montgomery County efforts, said the organization received 36,000 items last year, but got an overwhelming response this year: almost 100,000 toys. The Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots’ 2-year-old Montgomery County program has been donating toys,

See TOYS, Page A-11 PHOTOS BY DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE

Sheri Sankey of Montgomery Village, here with her dog Oreo, keeps a $50 bill from Geneva Presbyterian Church in Potomac on her refrigerator as a daily reminder that she can do something to help others.

Jubilee with generosity n

n Headquarters reduces 30,000 square feet from 10-year lease

‘I want you to use this money to the glory of God,’ says Anne Beneﬁeld, pastor of Geneva Presbyterian Church BY

PEGGY MCEWAN STAFF WRITER

It was like a collection basket in reverse. Instead of collecting money to help the church’s outreach programs, Pastor Anne Beneﬁeld of Geneva Presbyterian Church in Potomac put money and a challenge in the hands of her parishioners. At the end of her Sept. 8 sermon, each adult parishioner was handed $50 in honor of the church’s 50th anniversary. Each

child received $5. In all she gave out $6,600. The money came with a charge: use it within 90 days to help the community and report back. “I want you to use this money to the glory of God. I want you to make our next 50 years about mission. And I want you to use this money in a way that you have a personal attachment,” Beneﬁeld said in her sermon. Time’s up, and parishioners

See GENEROSITY, Page A-11

Consumer safety agency pares its Bethesda home BY SONNY GOLDREICH SPECIAL TO THE GAZETTE

Anne Beneﬁeld, pastor of Geneva Presbyterian Church in Potomac, with her notebook of stories from parishioners describing how they each used $50 for “the Lord’s work.”

The Consumer Products Safety Commission has expanded its workforce since it moved its headquarters to Bethesda in 1993 but it is shrinking its real estate footprint under a new lease. The agency signed a 10-year lease renewal at the Bethesda Towers, where it is reducing its space to 124,000 rentable square feet from the current 154,000 square feet, according to Moore & Associates, an ownership partner. At 213 square feet of usable space per worker approved by Congress last year, that’s enough room for about 485 employees. The agency had about 400 workers when it ﬁrst moved to Bethesda from a former Washington, D.C.,

See CONSUMER, Page A-11

Colleges help centralize veteran services New county initiative seeks to consolidate support, expand access n

LINDSAY A. POWERS STAFF WRITER

Montgomery County is looking to its public colleges to link to military veteran services, on and off their campuses. The schools already have veterans in mind: Montgomery College serves student veterans in its Combat to College Progam and the Universities at Shady Grove campus has made several changes to its veteran services this fall. A new initiative aims to centralize

NEWS

THE YEAR IN REVIEW The Gazette recaps the top news stories in Montgomery County of 2013.

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services available throughout the county under one umbrella and use schools as access points for veterans looking for mental-health counseling, help obtaining beneﬁts or academic advice. County Executive Isiah Leggett rolled out the initiative in November — about a year after meeting with the heads of the college campuses, as well as U.S. Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin and Rep. Christopher Van Hollen Jr., to talk about the issue, said Michael Subin, executive director of the Montgomery County Criminal Justice Coordination Commission and the initiative’s coordinator. Leggett initiated the meeting because “he saw gaps in the services and wanted

them closed,” Subin said. Another important aspect, he said, is not duplicating efforts in the county. Montgomery College, the Universities at Shady Grove and Johns Hopkins University’s Montgomery County campus all play roles in the initiative. The Silver Spring Vet Center and the Mental Health Association of Montgomery County are the ﬁrst among a growing group of county organizations sharing and providing services on campus, Subin said. Colleges were a logical place because many veterans take advantage of the GI Bill beneﬁts that cover education costs

See SERVICES, Page A-11

SPORTS

TOP TEN STORIES OF 2013 Montgomery County was full of memorable sports moments in 2013. Find out which was No. 1.

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DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE

Veterans Vince Lopez (left center) of Gaithersburg and Brian Forristal of Greenbelt (right center) talk with Jason Franklin (far right) and Joanna Starling, managers of Combat to College, a program set up to assist former military at Montgomery College in Rockville.

Automotive Business Calendar Celebrations Classiﬁed Entertainment Opinion Sports Please

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Wednesday, December 25, 2013 r

PEOPLE& PLACES More online at www.gazette.net

Takoma Park art sale draws residents for holiday shopping Forty-three local artists showed off their work at the sixth annual Takoma Park holiday art sale on Dec. 14 at the community center. In a city known for its density of artists and support of the arts, the sale was in high demand from artists and their customers. This was the third year in which a jury selected vendors from 65 applicants. Vendors displayed pottery, jewelry, painting, photography, wood pens, clothes and accessories to name some. Rob Rudick, a local photographer who helped organize the sale called it “our best year.” “We had a constant ﬂow of people for the ﬁrst time and everybody reported good sales,” he said. Karin Abromaitis sold pottery and jewelry, and her earrings were a top seller this year. It was Abromaitis’ second year in the sale. She makes mostly copper jewelry: “I use a technique called fold-forming” for some earrings, she said, with others are made of tangles of wire. Abromaitis also works in theater, directing plays locally and teaching theater and opera at George Washington University and the University of Maryland. Sara Daines and Emily Cohen of the Takoma Park Housing Department also assisted in coordinating the sale, and the Arts and Humanities Commission sponsored it, provided funding, refreshments and volunteers. Cohen estimated that several hundred people showed up for holiday shopping.

Bethesda painting awards call for artists

The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District is currently accepting applications for the 10th annual Bethesda Painting Awards, a juried competition honoring four selected painters with $14,000 in prize money. The competition, established by local business owner Carol Trawick in 2005 will be juried by Carrie Patterson, associate professor of art at St. Mary’s College of Maryland; Paul Ryan, professor of art at Mary Baldwin College; and Judy Southerland, artist and adjunct faculty at the Corcoran College of Art & Design. The first-place winner will be awarded $10,000; second prize is $2,000; and third prize is $1,000. A “young” artist born after Feb. 21, 1984 may also be awarded $1,000. Artists must be 18 or older and residents of Maryland, Virginia or Washington, D.C. All original twodimensional painting including oil, acrylic, watercolor, gouache, encaustic and mixed media will be accepted. The dimensions should not exceed 60 inches in width or 84 inches in height. No reproductions will be allowed. Artwork must have been completed within the last two years and must be available for the duration of the exhibition. Each artist must submit five images, application and a nonrefundable entry fee of $25. Deadline for slide submission is Feb. 21. Up to eight finalists will be invited to display their work in June 2014 at Gallery B in downtown Bethesda. For more information, or to apply online, visit www.bethesda. org or call 301-215-6660. Applicants also may also send a self-addressed stamped envelope to the Bethesda Painting Awards, in care of Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District, 7700 Old Georgetown Road,

EVENTS SATURDAY, DEC. 28

Chinese Food Night, 5:30-9 p.m.,

Kehilat Shalom, 9915 Apple Ridge Road, Montgomery Village. $15 per adult, $8 for ages 12 and younger. 301869-7699.

THURSDAY, DEC. 26 Reptiles Alive!, 2 p.m., Wheaton

Library, 11701 Georgia Ave., Wheaton. Free. 240-777-0678.

SPORTS Holiday basketball tourneys begin this week. Check online for coverage.

Mr. Jon and Friends Music Celebration, 11 a.m., Damascus Library, 9701

Main St., Damascus. Free. 240-773-9444. Wild Hunters, 3:30-4:30 p.m., Brookside Nature Center, 1400 Glenallan Ave., Wheaton. $5. Register at www.parkpass.org. Living Christmas Tree, 4 p.m., Damascus United Methodist Church, 9700 New Church St., Damascus. $10 per person, $40 max per family. 301802-4775.

Welcome the new year 2014 at That’s Amore Enjoy a Romantic dinner and celebrate the midnight drop ball with a free glass of champagne and ...DJ music all night... Four course meal...$59.95 per Person Starting at 9:00 pm

A&E Enrich your holidays with a visit to “The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess.”

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

ConsumerWatch Why does natural peanut butter have to be refrigerated while regular Skip or Jif do not?

RAPHAEL TALISMAN/FOR THE GAZETTE

Cathy Pharr of Takoma Park and her service dog Rinnie, a Chihuahua, take a look at some crafts at the holiday art fair Dec. 14 in the Takoma Park Community Center.

Making history

Bethesda, MD 20814.

Campus congrats Two Montgomery County residents were recently inducted into the Alpha Epsilon Honor Society at La Salle University in Philadelphia. They are Madeline Haaga of Rockville, a senior communication major, and Nichole Isola of Kensington, a senior elementary and special education and American studies major.

MON

Are you a local history buff? The Bethesda Chevy Chase Regional Services Center and White Flint Downtown Advisory Committee are looking for a few good volunteers interested in researching and documenting the history of Bethesda and White Flint. The work would include light research and interviews of local authorities. Contact Ken Hartman at ken.hartman@montgomerycountymd.gov. Masterpieces of Classical Ballet,

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.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 25

GALLERY

Whitman’s Kevin Baker (top) controls Churchill’s Zach Raizon in a 170-pound match on Thursday. Go to clicked.Gazette.net.

Mice Are Nice... and Other Rodents, Too!, 1-:30-11:30

a.m., Locust Grove Nature Center, 7777 Democracy Blvd., Bethesda. $6. Register at www. parkpass.org.

MORE INTERACTIVE CALENDAR ITEMS AT WWW.GAZETTE.NET

MONDAY, DEC. 30 Winter Break at the Medical Museum: Faber Hour, noon-1 p.m.,

National Museum of Health and Medicine, 2500 Linden Lane, Silver Spring. Free. 301-319-3303.

7-9 p.m., Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center, 7995 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring. Free; $15 donation appreciated. 301-593-6262.

TUESDAY, DEC. 31 Otus the Owl Rockin’ New Year,

11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m., Meadowside Nature Center, 5100 Meadowside Lane, Rockville. $5. 301-258-4030. Labyrinth Walk, 6-9 p.m., Cedar Lane Unitarian Church, 9601 Cedar Lane, Bethesda. Donations accepted. 240-476-2219.

Annual New Year’s Eve Dinner Dance for D.C. Blues Society, 7 p.m.-

12:30 a.m., American Legion Post 268, 11225 Fern St., Wheaton. $35 for members, $40 for nonmembers. 301322-4808.

Liz digs in on this popular product.

LIZ CRENSHAW

WeekendWeather FRIDAY

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GAZETTE CONTACTS The Gazette – 9030 Comprint Court Gaithersburg, MD 20877 Main phone: 301-948-3120 Circulation: 301-670-7350

CORRECTION In a Dec. 18 article, Capital Health Connection lead navigator Susan Mathews was the source for estimates of the percentage of people choosing to wait out a grace period before deciding to buy insurance and for the percentage who qualiﬁed for Medicaid but hesitated to sign up. The information was incorrectly attributed to a Montgomery County health department spokeswoman.

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THE GAZETTE

Wednesday, December 25, 2013 r

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LOCAL

Labor Secretary Perez visits high school in Takoma Park Highlights school’s unusual corporate work-study program n

SARAH SCULLY STAFF WRITER

High school students at Don Bosco Cristo Rey in Takoma Park are working their way through school, one day a week, at law ﬁrms, government ofﬁces, universities, hospitals and construction companies. Most students couldn’t afford the privateeducationotherwise—moneyearned working these jobs goes toward tuition. And they learn job skills along the way. U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez highlighted his hometown school’s program in a visit on Dec. 18 and spoke to students about continuing to pursue

their education. The coed Catholic prep school opened in 2007 and teaches 338 students who spend one day each week, plus one Monday a month, working for a local company or organization. Students Mauricio Castro and Nyideh Richardson gave Perez a tour of the school, showing him the new science department and library. In his speech, Perez urged students to work hard and get outside their comfort zone. “Education is the greatest source of upward mobility in this nation,” he said. “Our futures are not determined by the ZIP codes of where we’re born.” Perez encouraged students to ask as many questions as they can in their jobs and use the opportunities available to further their education. He recalled the

importance of Pell grants in earning his undergraduate and master’s degrees. “They, for me, were the ticket to upward mobility,” he said. Partnerships such as the ones Don Bosco Cristo Rey is forging are a priority for Perez as a way for people to build job skills, said Xochitl Hinojosa, a Labor Department spokeswoman. Each employer typically hires four students, who work one day a week for the school year, according to the school’s website. Among the school’s 75 partner employers are NASA, Sibley Memorial Hospital, the Washington, D.C., Chamber of Commerce and Ernst & Young. Companies pay the same rate for students’ work for the year, which covers 60 to 70 percent of the $12,000 tuition. With scholarships and work, students don’t pay the full amount; how much they pay

is based on income. Eligibility for the school also is based in part on income. Students must also be at least 14 so that they can legally work. Administrators arrange academic schedules so students don’t miss anything in their classes. In the 2012-13 school year, students earned more than $1.9 million through the program, contributing to 53 percent of the school’s revenue. Other funding comes from contributions and grants, and just 8 percent is from tuition and fees. “This model was born out of necessity,” said Kathleen McGuan, business development manager at the school. It was a way to fund students’ private education, but school officials also discovered benefits in building skills and confidence among students. For students who may be struggling

A tactical Santa

Haunted Garden remains in purgatory

Montgomery County Police collect donations, gifts for The Children’s Inn

Judge delays ruling on large Halloween display until after Christmas

BY KRISTA BRICK STAFF WRITER

Santa traded his sleigh for an armored police tactical vehicle Dec. 18 when he traveled throughout the county with police escort collecting toys and donations for The Children’s Inn in Bethesda. The motorcade started at the 5th District station in Germantown at 10 a.m. ending as Santa rolled into The Children’s Inn campus in Bethesda at about 5:30 p.m. Those who couldn’t catch Santa along his travels were able to go on a virtual ride-along via Twitter (@mcpnews – #MCPSantaRide). Stops included Wegmans, located at 20600 Seneca Meadows Parkway in Germantown; Sheehy Ford, located at 901 Frederick Road in Gaithersburg; and the Rockville and Olney town centers. After Chief J. Thomas Manger greeted Santa at the Public Safety Headquarters in Gaithersburg and the entourage stopped for lunch at Vince & Dominics located at 10474 Auto Park Ave. in Bethesda, Santa made his way to see the children. The ride was part of Montgomery County Police motor ofﬁcers’ efforts to collect donations from all six police districts, area businesses, and residents to purchase gift cards from area stores to assist families staying at The Children’s Inn. The Santa Police Ride netted $1,500 in donations for The Inn. These gift cards will help families purchase food and supplies during their stay at The Inn. The funds also provide gifts for the children staying at The Inn while receiving treatment at National Institutes of Health. Additional donations are being accepted and can be made by visiting the Children’s Inn at NIH and select ‘Santa Police Ride’.

in school, this is another place where they can achieve and learn in a different type of environment. “For some of these students, maybe it’s the ﬁrst time someone has told them how great they are,” McGuan said. Plus “they’re exposed to role models who are successful.” Most of the jobs are in downtown Washington. Parents drive some students to their jobs, the school drives others and some take Metro, stopping at the Gallery Place station for a member of the school’s staff to check their uniform and send them off. The high school is part of a larger network of 26 Cristo Rey schools that employ the model throughout the country. The Takoma Park school is still in the process of growing to a student body of 500.

ALINE BARROS STAFF WRITER

TOM FEDOR/THE GAZETTE

A Montgomery County Police motor squad escorts Santa Claus in an armored police tactical vehicle during the annual ‘Santa Ride’ to beneﬁt the Children’s Inn at National Institutes of Health on Dec. 18. The motorcade stopped at the Rockville Town Center.

Holiday spirit is in the air, but for Donna Kerr, who goes all-out decorating her yard for Halloween, the saga of an injunction against her Haunted Garden hasn’t ended. On Dec. 17, Montgomery County District Court Judge Patricia Mitchell decided to delay her decision until after the holidays on whether to shut down the Haunted Garden in Silver Spring. A speciﬁc date has not yet been set. “Shewantedtocarefullyconsider everything and give a written verdict so as to be specific and not open to interpretation as much,” Kerr wrote inanemailtoTheGazette. The Haunted Garden is a free, large Halloween display at Kerr’s Silver Spring residence on 9215 Worth Ave. It made some neighbors from the Seven Oaks Evanswood community worried about parking on narrow roads, children’s safety and whether the community could handle the thousands of visitors Kerr expected to come and see the free display. Kerr opened her ﬁrst Haunted Garden in 2010 after decorating her yard for a humane society fundraiser. To get the word out about the garden the next year, Kerr used the website of her company, Pure Energy Real Estate, and a mass email list. In 2011, she was cited by Montgomery County Department of Permits for having her company sign and logo as part of the display in a residential zone. Nineteen of Kerr’s neigh-

bors signed a petition asking the county to shut down the display. Mitchell signed a temporary restraining order on Oct. 4, saying the display violated the county’s residential zoning code and caused a public safety hazard. Mitchell ruled on Oct. 15 that Kerr could open her backyard for visitors only on Oct. 25 and 26, from 6 to 10 p.m., instead of the ﬁve days Kerr had planned. During the two nights the display was open for visitors, nearly 2,000 people visited Kerr’s backyard. Kerr’s immediate neighbors are in favor of the display. Some have said the festivity hasn’t been a problem, and did not see anything wrong with Kerr’s Halloween extravaganza. “We had a tremendous amount of attendees due to all the media ... so we had more people through than we normally would have and it was still a very organized [event] and we provided a safe, fun and family event,” Kerr said. County officials said Kerr sent fliers to an estimated of 12,000 households promoting the Haunted Garden. After Mitchell’s Oct. 15 decision, the county asked the court for a permanent injunction against the Haunted Garden due to the growth of the event, noise, and zoning complaints. “I hope the judge will do the right thing for the neighborhood,” said Diane Schwartz Jones, director of the Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services. Schwartz Jones said the display is a “very clearly business activity,” adding that during the last display, Kerr had a sign-in sheet asking for names and emails both days her backyard was open for visitors. “This is for her clients,” Schwartz Jones said. abarros@gazette.net

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THE GAZETTE

Page A-4

AROUND THE COUNTY

Labor College agrees to sell campus to D.C. ﬁrm Land estimated to be worth $45 million n

KEVIN JAMES SHAY STAFF WRITER

After a deal for a church to buy the National Labor College’s 47acre campus near the Capital Beltway in Silver Spring fell through, its board of trustees has agreed to sell the property to Washington, D.C.,

real estate development ﬁrm Monument Realty, ofﬁcials said. College leaders expect the deal to close after the Montgomery County Council approves a master plan for the eastern section of the county. Reid Temple African Methodist Episcopal Church, which has more than 13,000 members in Silver Spring and Glenn Dale, thought it had a fairly solid deal to buy the campus in partnership with the

Housing Opportunities Commission of Montgomery County a few months ago. But after the housing commission pulled out, that stalled. The board of the college — founded by the AFL-CIO about four decades ago — also agreed to close operations after the spring semester ends in April. Ofﬁcials are exploring options to allow students who will not graduate by then to transfer to other institutions. The Gazette

reported the planned closure last month. Terms of the sale were not disclosed. Monument Realty’s commercial and residential projects include Executive Plaza in Rockville and Monument Corporate Center in Gaithersburg. The college land, which includes dorms, classrooms, ofﬁces and a conference center, was valued by the state this year at about $45 million.

At the ﬁnish line

Retired racehorses ﬁnd new homes through CANTER n

BY SAMANTHA SCHMIEDER SPECIAL TO THE GAZETTE

It was Christmas Eve exactly one year ago when Groovy Music entered his last race. The 6-year-old bay gelding pulled a ligament in a race that sidelined his racing career. But, with the help of a nonprofit organization Groovy Music and many thoroughbreds like him are getting a second chance. CANTER, the Communication Alliance to Network Thoroughbred Ex-Racehorses, works with trainers at Laurel Park and racetracks across the country to help their horses find new suitable homes when they finish their racing careers. CANTER Mid-Atlantic caters to racehorse owners and buyers on the East Coast with their horses housed at different farms located in Maryland, Delaware and North Carolina. Finding a suitable home for these retired racehorses isn’t an easy job, according to Wendy Komlo, Groovy Music’s owner. Komlo owns Tantarra Stables and breeds her own racehorses that she races at tracks along the Mid-Atlantic. She also owns Komlo & Associates property and casualty insurance agency and a 12-acre farm in Derwood where she has two of her retired racehorses, two brood mares and one rescue pony to keep them company. CANTER helps owners like Komlo weed through prospective buyers and adoptive homes to make sure horses find their perfect fit for their second career. A retired racehorse doesn’t have to hang up his horseshoes. These horses can be used for pleasure riding, police work, as show horse, or for cattle work, according to Deidra Darsa, a volunteer who also deals with the public relations for CANTER Mid-Atlantic. “We call it owner responsibility to find out where those animals are going and it is a long hard process,” Komlo said. “I can sleep very well at night knowing where my horses are.” The CANTER program is 100 percent volunteer-run and launched in 1999. In its 14 years, the Mid-Atlantic group has placed 375 horses, according to Darsa. “All my life I’ve loved horses,” said Darsa, who owns a CANTER horse of her own. CANTER maintains a website that lists horses

BILL RYAN/THE GAZETTE

Deidra Darsa of Rockville with her retired race horse, Vinnie, at a stable in Glenwood on Dec. 9.

for the owners and facilitates a match with a prospective buyer. There are many factors that come into play on how long a horse can race. In some cases they have the “slows” and just aren’t competitive on the track. Some horses get injuries that end their racing careers but not their ability to go onto second careers. Some horses race up until they are about 9 years old, Darsa said. Horses fresh off the track are priced under $1,000 and horses in retraining are priced above that, typically in the $3-5,000 range, Darsa said. Groovy Music is listed for $1,000. Oftentimes racehorse owners will donate retired horses to CANTER and when that happens all the money made from selling them is used by the organization to take care of other horses before they are adopted out. CANTER rehabilitates and retrain the horses that are donated to them because they are often weak and fragile after years of racing. The rehab typically costs $3,000,

Darsa said. “They come off the track a little body sore,” she said. “We turn them out to relax and just be horses for three months.” After that they are retrained and when a buyer comes along CANTER makes sure they’re a good match in order to foster a successful relationship. “Through CANTER I get the chance to really see where I want my horse to go. CANTER does a heck of a job,” Komlo said. Former Montgomery County resident Allie Conrad founded CANTER Mid-Atlantic because there she said there was no place to market these horses so that they could find a good home, she said. She wanted to help connect sellers with buyers. Although she now lives in North Carolina, Darsa and Conrad met some years back at stables in Damascus. “I ran out of friends to sell horses to so I had to find new friends,” Conrad said with a laugh about her move to North Carolina. Jennifer Martin of Falls Church, Va. starting as a volunteer with CANTER but later became the adoptive owner of Cally in 2007. She and her 12-year-old thoroughbred recently finished third in the beginner/novice category at the Maryland Horse Trials in Adamstown on Nov. 10. Cally lives on South Winds Farm in Damascus, where Martin pays $800 a month for boarding. “I think the horse appreciates where she is. She lights up a little when I am there,” Martin said of the horse. Through donations and grants from the ASPCA, as well as a ton of time, effort and energy, Conrad said they work with horse specialists, like chiropractors and dentists, to bring the horses back to their full, healthy potential. The amount of donated horses they can take in each year entirely depends on funding for that year and the amount of volunteers on hand. Conrad said that she enjoys her work with CANTER simply because of the horses themselves, as well as having happy owners call her and say that their CANTER horses are the best things in their lives. “Daily therapy from the horses, there is nothing better in the world, they are such great insight into your mood and soul, they are the biggest reward,” Conrad said. Staff Writer Krista Brick contributed to this story.

Court case has ofﬁcials calling for change to gun law n

Western Maryland delegate pledges to submit bill in next legislative session BY

ST. JOHN BARNED-SMITH STAFF WRITER

The recent arrest and subsequent court hearing of a private school employee who took a gun to school have county and state officials pondering a change to one of Maryland’s gun laws. They want to change the law to close a loophole that prohibits people from taking guns to public schools, but not private schools. In November, police arrested Stephen P. Lafferty, of Frederick, after he took a revolver he used to hunt deer to the school where he worked, Georgetown Preparatory School in North Bethesda. Lafferty, a building maintenance supervisor for the private school, told police he had the gun there because he was going to have some repair work done on it, according to his lawyer, Dino Flores. Officials at the school learned about the firearm after one of his co-workers took a photo of the gun and texted the image to an administrator, Flores said. Police charged Lafferty with possessing a deadly weapon on school property. After search-

ing him and finding a metal pipe, they also charged him with possessing drug paraphernalia. The drug charge is pending in court. School students were never in any danger, Flores said. Lafferty’s office was 300 to 400 yards away from places where students congregated and Lafferty’s Smith and Wesson revolver had been unloaded and holstered, Flores said. Georgetown Prep officials have since fired Lafferty, but prosecutors dropped the gun charge at Lafferty’s trial last week. Technically, he hadn’t broken the law. Under Maryland law, it is only illegal to take guns onto public school property. State law forbids people from carrying or possessing a firearm, knife, or deadly weapon on public school property, unless they are law enforcement officers or guards on duty, engaged in educational shooting activities sanctioned by the school, or have been invited by the school, and they “display or engage in a historical demonstration using a weapon or a replica of a weapon for educational purposes.” “What my client did was not a violation of criminal law,” Flores said. Lafferty made an agreement with prosecutors on the drug charged, he said. The charge would be put on the court’s “stet,” or inactive,

docket, until he completed a drug education course, at which point Lafferty could seek to have the charge expunged, Flores said. He added: “Whether the legislature wants to be in the position to tell private institutions what they should or shouldn’t do, that’s up to them. But they clearly didn’t do it in this case.” Prosecutors said the law should be changed. Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy told The Washington Post that state legislators should close the loophole in the law. “Why any schools would be excluded is mystifying to me,” he told the Post. In a statement to The Gazette, Montgomery County Police called the gap in the law a “grave concern.” After learning about the case this week from The Gazette, one state delegate called for a change in the law. Del. Kevin Kelly (D-Dist 1B) said he would submit a bill to close the law’s loophole in the next legislative session in January. “If this [law] doesn’t cover private schools, I think that’s got to be examined,” he said in a phone interview. “I don’t want anyone not authorized bringing a gun on school property,” he said. sjbsmith@gazette.net

Wednesday, December 25, 2013 r

InBrief Many Hands seeks more hands Many Hands is inviting new members to became part of this group of donors who are helping the community. Ten years ago, former Bethesda resident Susie Berenson started the local chapter of Many Hands, a women’s giving circle that benefits local women and children. After making a minimum $1,000 contribution, Many Hands donors break up into committees to research needs and nonprofits in the Washington, D.C., area. Many Hands gives one $100,000 grant every other year, according to board member Jill Rosenbaum Meyer. The recipient nonprofit is chosen by vote of the donors at a spring meeting, where finalists organizations explain how the grant would be used. Prior recipients include College Bound, which used the money to start a mentoring program to help its graduates adjust to college; A Wider Circle, which provides furniture and household items to families moving out of shelters; and Our Place DC, to support women transitioning back to the community after being incarcerated. Many Hands gives away nearly all of the money it raises, including smaller gifts to runner up organizations. It its first 10 years, members have given over $600,000 in grants to 15 nonprofits. It’s not too late to give, or to participate in grant making for 2014. Contact Many Hands at: manyhandsdc@gmail.com or Many Hands Inc. P.O. Box 15048, Chevy Chase, MD 20825. More information is at: www.manyhandsdc.org.

Corporate Volunteer Council names new executive director The Corporate Volunteer Council of Montgomery County in Rockville has promoted Sarah Burnett from administrator to executive director. Burnett, of Chevy Chase, took the new post in October after 2½ years as the part-time administrator-oordinator with the organization. The Corporate Volunteer Council , educates businesses on how to partner with and support nonproﬁts.

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, Takoma Park and/or Rockville city police responded recently. The words “arrested” and “charged” do not imply guilt. This information was provided by the county, Takoma Park and Rockville city police media services ofﬁces.

Armed robbery • On Dec. 5 at 11:20 p.m. in the parking lot of LA Mart, 632 University Blvd. East, Silver Spring. Subject threatened victim with weapon and unsuccessfully attempted to take property. • On Dec. 8 at 5:10 a.m. in the 15100 block of McKnew Road, Silver Spring. Subjects threatened victim with weapon and took property. • On Dec. 8 at 4 p.m. in the 7800 block of Scotland Drive, Rockville. Subjects assaulted victim and took property. Auto theft • On Dec. 16 at 7:33 p.m. in the 700 block of Auburn Ave., Takoma Park. Subject(s) stole blue 2013 Hyundai Elantra. Bank robbery • On Dec. 4 at 9:50 a.m. at PNC Bank, 10211 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda. • On Dec. 7 at 1 p.m. at M&T Bank, 10420 Montgomery Ave., Kensington. Subject threatened victim with a weapon and took property. Robbery • On Dec. 14 at 7:45 p.m. in the 1000 block of University Boulevard, Takoma Park. Two men entered a business armed with handguns and demanded money from an employee. The victim told the subjects that panic alarm was activated. Subjects ﬂed. No injuries occurred. Sexual assault • On Dec. 5 at 2 p.m. on Georgia Avenue south of Sligo Avenue, Silver Spring. Subject inappropriately touched victim. Strong-arm robbery • On Dec. 5 at 7:20 p.m. in the 3200 block of Hewitt Avenue, Silver Spring. Subject forcefully took property from victim and ﬂed. • On Dec. 9 at 3:30 a.m. at Avenel Road and Northampton Drive, Silver Spring. Subjects forcefully took property from victim. Aggravated assault • On Dec. 4 at 7:31 p.m. in the 21900 block of Whites Ferry Road, Dickerson. Subject is known to victim. • On Dec. 5 at 2:57 p.m. at Mangos Grill, 11218 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring. • On Dec. 8 at 11 p.m. in the 10700 block of Alloway Drive, Rockville. Subject is known to victim.

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2013: The Year in Review The following are some of the prominent stories and topics The Gazette covered this year and where they stand now.

Vodka a big seller in county in 2013 Montgomery County imbibers sure do like their vodka. Of the 10 best-selling liquor brands in 2013, half specialize in vodka. The top-selling alcohol brands in Montgomery County in 2013 were provided by the Montgomery County Department of Liquor Control. Top 10 liquor brands: 1. Smirnoff 2. Bacardi 3. Jack Daniel’s 4. Grey Goose 5. Absolut 6. Aristocrat 7. Captain Morgan’s 8. Johnnie Walker 9. Gilbey’s 10. Burnett’s Top 10 wine brands: 1. Barefoot 2. Sutter Home 3. Yellow Tail 4. Woodbridge 5. Beringer 6. Franzia 7. Concho y Toro 8. Carlo Rossi 9. Lindeman’s 10. Kendall Jackson Top 10 beer brands: 1. Corona 2. Heineken 3. Miller Lite 4. Bud Light 5. Modelo Especial 6. Coors Light 7. Budweiser 8. Milwaukee’s Best 9. Yuengling 10. Samuel Adams -SARAH SCULLY

County adds park for deer kill Cabin John Regional Park is the newest park added to the county’s deer population management program, starting in January. This site was selected because deer populations there have reached levels at which deer-related incidents — such as motor vehicle collisions, damage to agricultural crops and private landscapes, and the potential of spreading diseases — need to be reduced, the county parks department website says. The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission has done deer density estimates in Cabin John Regional Park from 2011 through 2013. An estimated 100 to 125 deer live in this parkland area of 514 acres. That’s almost three times as high as the density recommended for the park. Cabin John Regional Park is among 27 parks in the county’s system chosen for managed hunts. “Montgomery County has proven to be a very conducive environment for deer population growth,” said Bill Hamilton, a wildlife ecologist with the county’s parks department. “An expansive patchwork of public and private green space provides excellent edge habitat, rich

of food and cover.” Ryan Butler, senior natural resource specialist with the parks agency, said the county is removing about 1,000 deer a year from its parks. The North Germantown Greenway had more than 250 deer per square mile at one time. Through management efforts, that’s down to about 75 deer per square mile. Venison harvested by police sharpshooters is donated to the Capital Area Food Bank. Last year, the parks department donated 16,000 pounds to those in need. Butler said the number of deer-vehicle collisions has remained fairly steady, despite increased trafﬁc and roadways. “We believe the efforts are successful, at least on a localized scale,” Butler said. “We see the number of deer harvested year after year decreasing, which is a strong indicator. As far as countywide, we only manage on parkland. There is a lot of private and federal land that is not being managed yet.” -TERRI HOGAN

Brickyard school site fallow for now Those involved in the controversy over the Brickyard school site in Potomac — which ended in February after an outcry by residents that included lawsuits and accusations of closed-door deals — are, like the land itself, waiting for Montgomery County Public Schools to make the next move. The 20-acre parcel was the subject of a tug-of-war between Potomac residents and Montgomery County, which took over ownership of the property and planned to lease it to a private club for use as soccer fields. Residents learned of the transfer of the school site in early 2011 when Nick Maravell, who leased the land to operate an organic farm, received notice that his lease would not be renewed. At about the same time, county representatives announced at a West Montgomery County Citizens Association meeting that they were planning to use the land for soccer fields, said Ginny Barnes, president of the association. “We are monitoring the situation,” said Keith Williams, president of the Civic Association at River Falls, a community bordering Brickyard Road. Williams also is a member of the Brickyard Coalition, an organization of community associations and neighbors opposed to soccer fields on the site. “We have two issues,” Williams said. “The board of education has had on its agenda the introduction of a formal policy regarding how best to utilize vacant land. It’s been languishing in committee and we are monitoring that. “The second is one we think has gone away completely, but [there is] the issue of Potomac Elementary School moving to the Brickyard site. We understand the [school system’s] task force recommended to the superintendent that it be rebuilt on its existing site, but that has been moved back, so you do not know what the superintendent will do.”

access to important works of contemporary art that can be found nowhere else. The museum was designed by Thomas Phifer and Partners of New York. Glenstone opened its first museum in 2006, a 23,000-square-foot structure with 9,000 square feet of gallery space designed to house changing exhibits of Glenstone Foundation’s collection of postWorld War II art and outdoor sculpture. The museum will remain open Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and every other Saturday. Admission is free; reservations are required. Rales, a Bethesda native and co-founder of Danaher Corp. manufacturing company, is worth $3.9 billion, according to Forbes’ 2013 list of billionaires. His wife is an art historian and curator. -PEGGY MCEWAN

2013 FILE PHOTO

Janet Yu takes a phone order while she rings up a carry-out order packed in plastic and paper bags at Hollywood East Cafe in Wheaton. Montgomery County is slated to take in about $2 million from its 5-cent plastic bag fee this year. School system spokesman Dana Toﬁg said Friday both issues are on hold with the school board. “That site is on hold for a possible school site,” Toﬁg said. “I do not know the status of the policy committee reviewing the policy” on change of land use. Maravell vacated the land after harvesting his crops in fall 2012. His daughter Sophia, who started Brickyard Educational Farm, now operating on family land next to the Brickyard site, is “working in collaboration with several organizations in the area to develop a scalable and sustainable outdoor educational program which she hopes to pilot through a partnership with [the school system] on the Brickyard Site,” Executive Director Carissa Lovelace of Chesapeake Institute for Local Sustainable Food and Agriculture, wrote in an email. -PEGGY MCEWAN

Bag tax generates millions for county

plastic bag used by virtually all retailers in the county, should generate close to $2 million in 2013, according to numbers provided by the county. The tax generated $1,755,208 from January through October, the last month for which ﬁgures are available. It has generated $4,261,724 since taking effect in January 2012. In November, Councilman Roger Berliner (D-Dist. 1) of Bethesda proposed limiting the tax to stores that make at least 2 percent of gross sales from food. The proposal drew objections from the staff of County Executive Isiah Leggett (D), who expressed his desire to give the tax at least two years to evaluate its effectiveness in limiting the number of bags found in the county’s rivers and streams. Berliner agreed to table the legislation after talking to Leggett; Berliner said Leggett told him that he was open to

changing the scope of the tax if the data support it. -RYAN MARSHALL

Glenstone museum construction on schedule Construction of the second art museum at Glenstone, the 200-acre private Potomac estate of Mitchell Rales and his wife, Emily Wei Rales, is on schedule, according to Laura Linton, the museum’s director of administrative affairs. “Groundbreaking was June 24, 2013. [We are] scheduled to open [the] new facility in 2016,” Linton wrote in an email. The new 170,000-square-foot museum building on Glen Road will provide about 45,000 square feet of gallery space. It also will incorporate a central water garden, a library, ofﬁces and open art storage facilities, according to a news release, and provide public

County getting ambulance reimbursements Montgomery County has been collecting ambulance reimbursements from insurance companies and the federal government since early this year, county spokesman Patrick Lacefield said. The county reinstituted its ambulance fees in 2012, but was unable to collect for more than three months because of paperwork issues between the county and the federal government. The county received more than $3.4 million from the program in fiscal 2013, according to a county staff memorandum. The fee is projected to bring in $17.6 million in revenues for fiscal 2014. Under an agreement forged by County Executive Isiah Leggett, 15 percent goes to county volunteer fire companies after they expressed concern that residents may be less likely to donate if companies were already reimbursed for services. The volunteer companies are projected to get $2.4 million in fiscal 2014, the memo says. -RYAN MARSHALL

Now in its second year — marked by a brief ﬂurry of controversy this fall about whether its scope should be scaled back — Montgomery County’s bag tax has generated millions in revenue for the county. The tax, a 5-cent fee on each

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Popkin trying for another term as Montgomery’s sheriff Says department has become more engaged with, visible in the community n

ST. JOHN BARNED-SMITH STAFF WRITER

Darren M. Popkin thought about becoming a lawyer. It was one reason he took a job as a sheriff’s deputy, to work in courts and law enforcement. He never made it to law school, but 30 years later, Popkin is Montgomery County’s sheriff and is running for reelection next year. Popkin is in charge of the agency responsible for serving warrants and protective orders, apprehending fugitives, transporting prisoners, guarding the county’s courts, and carrying out other functions of the state’s judicial branch.

The sheriff’s office has about 180 employees — 147 sheriff’s deputies and 33 civilian employees. Popkin, a Democrat, was the only person who had filed for the office as of Tuesday. The primary will be on June 24, 2014. The general election will be on Nov. 4, 2014. During an interview last month, Popkin said he has raised about $10,000 so far, and expects to raise between $30,000 and $35,000 over the course of his campaign. He plans to have a fundraiser in mid-to-late January, he said. A father of three, Popkin, 51, lives in Olney with his wife, Suzanne. One of his daughters has graduated from college and a second is a senior who plans to attend medical school. His son attends a public high school in the county.

Before he was elected sheriff in 2010, Popkin spent 12 years as chief deputy sheriff. One of his goals since taking over as sheriff has been to increase the office’s profile in the community, he said. “We’re much more engaged with the community than we used to Popkin be,” he said, touting the sheriff office’s work fighting domestic violence, use of social media to connect with Montgomery County residents and new partnerships with local high schools. When the Montgomery County Police Department received funding to add more resource officers in several new schools around the county, Popkin

assigned one of his deputies at the Colonel Zadok A. Magruder High School in Rockville, he said. That deputy mediated 15 disputes in her first month on the job, Popkin said. Popkin said his office has cut down on the number of domestic violence incidents in Montgomery County, especially through the county’s Family Justice Center, a resource for victims of domestic violence. In 2010, the year after the center was created, Montgomery County did not have any domestic-violence related homicides, he said. Previously, domestic violence victims had to find services at dozens of locations around the county, he said. Now, victims of domestic violence can ask judges for protective orders via a video conferencing system. In the future, Popkin would like

see the center work with medical personnel so domestic violence victims could receive care from forensic nurses or medical professionals immediately after they have been assaulted, he said. Sheriff’s office is another priority for him. In budgets in past years, the sheriff’s office couldn’t hire new deputies and was not fully staffed, he said. He has six cadets in training, but staffing issues will become more important in the next five years, when a quarter of his deputies will become eligible to retire, he said. “It’s a challenging job,” Popkin said. “It’s just something rewarding, with all the people we can help. ... We’re saving lives with the FJC, and making a difference in the community.” sjbsmith@gazette.net

Brown seeks to continue life of service as Md. governor Lieutenant governor says state has achieved much, but work is not done

KATE S. ALEXANDER STAFF WRITER

When Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) approached Anthony G. Brown about being his running mate in 2006, the recently returned Iraq war veteran was admittedly hesitant. “I didn’t know what the lieutenant governor really did,”

Brown (D) said. “And I believed, at that time, that I was in a position to make a meaningful contribution in the legislature.” But a look through O’Malley’s record and some discussions about redefining the role of lieutenant governor convinced Brown that even from the State House, he could continue living a life of service. Now he seeks to continue serving Maryland as the state’s next governor. Born in New York, the son of a Jamaican doctor and a Swiss

nurse, Brown, 52, was one of ﬁve children, including his twin brother Andrew. There he grew up watching his immigrantturned-naturalized-U.S.-citizen parents serve their community. From a young age, Brown said, he felt within him a growing desire to commit his life to service, much as his father Roy did by serving poor neighborhoods in New York. So after graduating Harvard College in 1984, Brown commissioned into the U.S. Army as a 2nd lieutenant, ﬂying he-

licopters with the 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division. He spent ﬁve years on active duty before he returned to Harvard to attend law school, and joinedtheArmyReserves,through which he eventually was called to serve in Iraq in 2004 as part of the 353rd Civil Affairs Command. But it was in August 1992, fresh out of law school, when Brown moved to Maryland, the state he now seeks to represent as governor. The same desire to serve that

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led Brown to active and reserve military service, to eight years as a delegate from District 25 in Prince George’s County, and to eight years as lieutenant governor has him in the heated 2014 race for the Democratic nomination, he said. “We’ve achieved a lot, but I think our work is far from complete,” he said. “We need to continue building on these successes and that is why I’m running for governor.” If he wins, Brown would be Maryland’s ﬁrst black governor,

and he would be the first lieutenant governor elected to become governor. As lieutenant governor, Brown boasts a record that he said includes expanding access to affordable health care and strengthening the state’s economy as well as progress on education and the environment. Yet as Brown campaigns for governor, he said, he listens to Marylanders’ critiques of the current administration — what’s working, what’s not, what the state can build upon and what it should discard. “Maryland’s making a lot of progress and there’s some things that we’re doing well, but no one ought to be complacent,” he said. While many voters question where Brown differs from O’Malley, Brown said the question is not what is different, but what will be next. Maryland leads the nation in education, but a significant achievement gap still exists for many Maryland students, he said. Brown’s campaign has proposed a program that would provide all children with access to pre-kindergarten education, and will soon propose a plan on providing career and technology education for Maryland students who do not want to pursue a college degree. Brown said Maryland has one of the highest-skilled work forces in the country and has been ranked by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as the top state in innovation and entrepreneurship. But the chamber also ranks Maryland 46th for overall business climate, he said. Marylanders want to see the business climate improved, and Brown said his campaign has a framework to make it stronger. He also has proposed policies to cut taxes for veterans and to strengthendomesticviolencelaws. “This is the time, this is the opportunity to be very critical of what we’re doing well and what we can do better,” he said. Brown is running in a Democratic primary for governor against Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler, Del. Heather R. Mizeur (D-Dist. 20) of Takoma Park and Ralph Jaffe. The primary is June 24, 2014. The general election is Nov. 4, 2014. The Republican field so far includes Charles Lollar, Larry Hogan, Harford County Executive David R. Craig, Del. Ronald A. George and Brian Vaeth. Brown’s running mate is Howard County Executive Kenneth S. Ulman. “Ken is an exceedingly effective county executive,” Brown said. “He’s got a reputation for achieving results.” Brown and Ulman also have behind them a growing list of endorsements that includes many of the state’s unions and elected officials. To Brown, those endorsements reflect the strong relationships he has built with his peers in public service and their shared values. Together Brown and Ulman form a ticket that, if elected, would bring an inclusive and transparent administration to Annapolis that values practical approaches to the state’s challenges, Brown said. Brown lives in Mitchellville with his wife, Karmen Walker Brown, and has three children — daughter Rebecca, son Jonathan, and stepson Anthony Walker. kalexander@gazette.net

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Potomac getting a new 25-acre park Rockville woman n

Construction to start in 2014

BY KRISTA BRICK STAFF WRITER

Work is expected to begin soon on a large new park in Potomac expected to cost about $4.4 million. The 25-acre Greenbriar Local Park at the intersection of Glen and Travilah roads will sport a regulation soccer/football ﬁeld with spectator seating, a multiuse court, a grass volleyball court, a playground and picnicking areas, according to a Montgomery County Planning Department description of the project. Costs for the project that had its early planning in 2005 have

increased recently. Construction bids came in 10 percent higher than budgeted. “The general trend has been projects ﬁnishing were at a time when construction costs were less. It was a byproduct of a souring economy,” said Carl Morgan, capital improvements plan manager for the Park Development Division of the Montgomery County Department of Parks. “As now we are in a situation with a strengthening economy; and that creates an increased cost on construction.” On Sept. 20, the MarylandNational Capital Park and Planning Commission received bids from five contractors to construct the park, with the apparent low bidder being HMF Paving Contractors of Frederick,

Morgan said. To cover the extra costs, planners are pulling unused funds from both the Darnestown Square Heritage Park and Takoma-Piney Branch Local Park projects that recently finished and came in under budget, according to planning documents. The project funding was increased with the recent transfer of $401,000 from just over $4 million to $4.4 million. This total project cost includes $388,000 spent in the last fiscal year for design, about $674,000 set aside for additional construction management and contingencies in fiscal years 2014 and 2015, leaving $3.3 million available for construction in fiscal years 2014 and 2015, Morgan said.

The park now is just undeveloped land. “It is kind of on the large side for a local park.” Morgan said. This new park was proposed in the 2002 Potomac Subregion Master Plan. The 1998 Park Recreation and Open Space Master Plan and the updated 2005 Land Preservation, Parks and Recreation Plan identified the Travilah planning area as having some of the highest unmet recreational needs in the county, specifically identifying the need for ballfields, basketball courts and playgrounds in this planning area. The parkland was acquired in 1992, with 15 acres purchased for $498,753 and ten acres received as a donation. kbrick@gazette.net

Man gets 35 years for carjackings, armed robbery Mother, asking for leniency, says son ‘very remorseful’ n

BY ST. JOHN BARNED-SMITH STAFF WRITER

A White Plains man who pleaded guilty in September to two carjackings that took place in Montgomery County, as well as armed robbery, was sentenced Thursday to 35 years in prison. Police arrested Byron Govan, 28, of White Plains, in November 2012, pegging him to a series of crimes that took place in Montgomery and Anne Arundel counties in the fall of 2012. Govan pleadedguilty to an armed robbery in Govan Anne Arundel County in November and is awaiting trial on armed robbery charges for a crime that took place in Alexandria, Va., in October 2012. Montgomery County State Attorney’s Office spokesman Ramon Korionoff hailed the sentence, saying Govan was a person who “exempliﬁes criminality of the lowest order.” But in a letter to Montgomery County Circuit Judge Richard E. Jordan, Govan’s mother

pleaded for leniency for her son, who she described as “loving, kind hearted, giving, outgoing, hard working, honest, and [a] very people-friendly person.” Govan enlisted in the U.S. Navy and ran a ship’s store before being honorably discharged, Lavern B. Timmons, his mother, wrote. “Byron has made some horrible choices in life,” she wrote, adding that Govan, a father of two young children, was “very remorseful” and had been working diligently to rehabilitate himself since his arrest. For at least one victim, Govan’s sentencing was a relief. “I think he got what he de-

served. He was very dangerous during the times he was doing all these things. He needed to be locked up,” said Molly Hauck, a Kensington psychologist whose Toyota Prius Govan stole in late September 2012. The crime occurred as she had been depositing some money at a Wells Fargo ATM in Rockville, she told The Gazette after his guilty plea. On Oct. 31, 2012, police discovered the charred shell of her Prius; Govan had abandoned it in Rockville and burned it. That same day, he used a handgun to steal a Lincoln Aviator from two people who were sitting in it in a parking lot on

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Sheila Poms knew her trouble walking wasn’t just because she was getting older. “I kept falling all the time,” she said. “I would get out of the car and fall down, and I would be walking and I would fall.” Poms, 78, of Rockville, started having trouble walking a few years ago. She went to her doctor, who referred her to a neurologist. At first, the neurologist thought Poms’ symptoms might be caused by Parkinson’s disease. When her condition didn’t respond to treatment, he sent her to Sinai Hospital in Baltimore to get tested for normal pressure hydrocephalus, or NPH, a buildup of ﬂuid in the brain that affects seniors. Amanda Garzón, communications and marketing manager for the Bethesda-based Hydrocephalus Association, said trouble walking is one of the biggest telltale signs of NPH. “Individuals describe it as feeling that their feet have magnets that are stuck to the ground,” said Poms, who is retired after managing a medical practice. Patients have trouble picking up their feet and taking steps to turn around, so they often fall, she said. The other typical symptoms are mild dementia and impairment in bladder control. Garzón said the association estimates that about

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375,000 senior citizens in the United States are living with NPH, although more may be undiagnosed. Some researchers believe that up to 5 percent of dementia patients actually have NPH. Dr. Michael A. Williams, medical director of The Sandra and Malcolm Berman Brain & Spine Institute at LifeBridge Health, treated Poms at Sinai Hospital. He said NPH is often misdiagnosed or overlooked because people think the symptoms are due to aging. Williams said that trouble thinking, problems with balance and bladder control problems are the three most common problems in elderly patients, and each symptom on its own has a long list of potential explanations. “People and their families sometimes say, ‘Well, Mom’s 70. That’s the way it’s supposed to be,’” Williams said. Put together, however, the symptoms may indicate NPH, he said. For Poms, Williams recommended shunt surgery. Doctors placed a shunt, a small tube-like device, in her brain. The shunt allowed excess cerebrospinal ﬂuid to drain from her brain and be absorbed into her body. Poms said the surgery and an exercise regimen to strengthen her legs have helped her considerably. “I do work out three days a week, and that has made my legs so much stronger,” Poms said. “... But I think that the shunt has made a big difference. At least, it has with my children. They keep saying to me, ‘Oh, you’re doing so much better than you were before.’”

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Byron Govan stole a 2012 Prius from a woman who was withdrawing money from an ATM on Congressional Lane in Rockville. Police later found the incinerated shell of her car near I-495.

Rockville Pike. Police spotted the car on I-495 and chased Govan, but he escaped and deserted the car behind a library in Silver Spring, court records show. His lawyer, Adam Harris, said at his guilty plea that the gun was a BB gun. Govan, who was on probation for assault charges from an incident in Anne Arundel County, used credit cards taken in the second carjacking to buy himself hundreds of dollars of goods and services, according to court records. That included prepaid credit cards and two pairs of Nike sneakers worth almost $400. In an interview after Govan’s sentencing, Hauck described how her life had been affected by his actions. “He made me feel afraid he wouldcomebackandhurtmeand do something again,” she said. She has since changed the locks on her house and at her work, and installed burglar alarms. Her car now has a GPS device police can track if it is ever stolen.

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Comic book-style graphic to tell pedestrian safety storyline County executive launches English and Spanish educational campaign n

ALINE BARROS STAFF WRITER

Montgomery County officials are hoping a comic strip in English and Spanish will draw attention to the issue of pedestrian safety. The public information campaign launched Dec. 18 includes a Spanish comic vignette about pedestrian safety that will appear on Ride On buses and bus shelters among areas in Montgomery County with a high number of accidents involving pedestrians. The initiative is part of the Montgomery County Pedestrian Safety Campaign unveiled by County Executive Isiah Leggett at the parking lot of Carroll Apartments between Piney Branch Road and Carroll Avenue in Silver Spring. At the launching ceremony, Leggett said the county has been committed to pedestrian safety over the last few years with a comprehensive effort led by the Department of Transportation along with public safety ofﬁcers working together to get the message across and let people know the county is serious about pedestrian safety. “We have been particularly concerned in the high incident areas where we’ve had an ongo-

ing campaign that [has already] reduced pedestrian collisions by 43 percent, and I am convinced that we can do even more,” said Leggett. The public education campaign aims to bring awareness to both pedestrians and drivers through a series of comic book graphic novels, both in English and Spanish, about a couple named Maria and Marco in a scene in which Marco fails to use the crosswalk and gets hit by a car. The first installment of the storyline begins with Maria witnessing her “beloved” Marco being hit by a car and saying “If only Marco had waited for the walk signal at the crosswalk.” The second part of the ongoing storyline will be introduced in February 2014. County officials said the cartoon idea was the result of brainstorming meetings between the county, a communication consultant company based in Rockville called Sharp and Company, and two focus groups. Esther Bowring, a spokeswoman for the Montgomery County Office of Public Information, said the focus groups were a combination of American bilingual citizens and Spanish speaker volunteers who said the storyline was great, and they liked the cultural aspects of it. “When I look at Maria, and I look at other characters ... they could be anybody,” said Bowring adding that the groups helped officials make sure the story was not stereotypical and

people felt comfortable with the plot. “We love the idea, and we came up with the idea. We are focused in the education aspect,” said Mary Arzt, CEO of Sharp and Company. Arzt explained they wanted to create an unique campaign targeting the Latino population in the community. “Our inspiration was the telenovelas,” Arzt said. Telenovelas are Spanish soap operas. According to a news release, the graphic novel has two messages: Maryland law requires drivers to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks and those who don’t use the crosswalks are putting themselves at risk. Casa de Maryland, a local Latino and immigrant advocacy organization, said they have been pushing strongly for more attention to pedestrian crosswalks. “I’ve grown up here in the Flower Branch Apartments and I’ve just seen so many kids get hit by a car. ... If we can mitigate this situation, we are very glad especially because a lot of the tenants in this area don’t speak English. ... We want to make sure we keep everyone safe,” said Robert Asprilla, ﬁeld director at Casa de Maryland. Children from the New Hampshire Estates Elementary School participated in the Dec. 18 campaign launch. Eduardo Ramos and Katherine Hernandez, both second-graders, and first-grader Ailaney Mendoza

held signs that said both in English and Spanish “Avoid a fine,” and “Show your love. Stop for pedestrians.” Charles Sanchez, a Long Branch resident, said it is a “catchy” campaign to educate residents. “A lot of people have gotten hit by a car around here and I think it’s good and it’s in Spanish. ... It’s projecting to the Hispanic people,” Sanchez said. County officials said they picked the Piney Branch site for the campaign launch because of the number of pedestrians who have been hit there. “This location at Piney Branch was one of the most dangerous locations for pedestrians in all of the county... while looking at the crash reports we found that most of those collisions were the result of pedestrians crossing where they shouldn’t be crossing,” said Jeff Dunckel, pedestrian safety coordinator from the Montgomery County department of transportation. Montgomery County Police Captain Thomas Didone said that in 2012, there were four pedestrians struck in the intersection of University Boulevard and Carroll Avenue, and after road improvements were made in the area, this number went down to one pedestrian struck in 2013. The fine for drivers who fail to stop for pedestrians is $80, and the fine for pedestrians who fail to use the crosswalk is $50. The Pedestrian Safety Montgomery County blog described the engineering improvements

installed along Piney Branch Road, which include enhanced signs; modified signal timing; restriped or modified crosswalks; new turn restrictions; upgraded sidewalks with wheelchair accessible ramps between Flower and Greenwood avenues; installation of 12 new and 22 upgraded streetlights between University Boulevard and New Hampshire Avenue. Also, the installation of pedestrian countdown signals at Piney Branch Road, Carroll Avenue and Arliss Street; upgraded sidewalks and wheelchair accessible ramps between Greenwood Avenue and Arliss Street; and installation of two pedestrian refuge islands with hazard identification beacons. Future improvements will include upgraded traffic signals at Greenwood, Arliss and Barron streets. The county has spent $480,000 in the engineering improvements plus some investment from the state. The education portion of the campaign is costing $100,000. Areas with a high incidence of pedestrian accidents in Silver Spring are Piney Branch Road between Flower Avenue and the Prince George’s County line; Four Corners, Randolph Road between Selfridge Road and Colie Drive; Colesville Road between Fenton Street and North Noyes Street, and Fenton Street between Wayne Avenue and Cameron Street. Other high-incidence areas in the county include: Wiscon-

sin Avenue between Montgomery Avenue and Leland Street; Old Georgetown Road between Arlington Road and Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda; Md. 355 between Hubbard Drive and Halpine Road in Rockville; Reedie Drive in downtown Wheaton and Connecticut Avenue between Georgia Avenue and Independence Street in Aspen Hill. “What’s really important is with this campaign is that we broke out the education aspect way before we started to do any enforcement, and we brought in community members to help out educate the community. We wanted to work with the community helping us solve the problem,” Didone said. But in a May 2013 county statistic analyses, preliminary data indicated an increase in the number of pedestrian accidents and fatalities in the ﬁrst quarter of 2013. Seven pedestrians were killed in 2013, compared with a total of six in 2012. Didone said law enforcement have been putting together a comprehensive approach to make sure that they get the message out to reinforce pedestrian and driver safety. “It is not about giving tickets to get tickets... I have the misfortune to going out to every fatal crash and I look and see what causes this crashes and we know when a pedestrian and a car get to a contact the pedestrian loses every time.” abarros@gazette.net

Man sent to prison for helping Iran launch a satellite n Modanlo convicted of violating trade embargo, money laundering BY KRISTA BRICK STAFF WRITER

A Potomac man will serve an eight-year prison sentence for helping launch Iran’s first-ever Earth observation satellite into space. In addition to the prison sentence announced Friday, U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte also ordered Nader Modanlo, 53, to forfeit $10 million made in the deal. Modanlo was found guilty in June of conspiring to illegally provide satellite-related services to Iran in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, for violating the Iran Trade Embargo, for money laundering and obstruction of bankruptcy proceedings. According to a press release from the office of the United States Attorney for the District of Maryland, as a result of the conspiracy, an Iranian earth observation satellite equipped with a camera was launched into space from Russia on Oct. 27, 2005. The launch was the first-ever Iranian satellite put into orbit. The Iran Trade Embargo prohibits Americans from supplying goods, technology and services to Iran directly or indirectly. According to evidence presented at the six-week trial, Modanlo was a mechanical engineer who received science and engineering degrees from George Washington University. He also was the principal owner, chairman and president of Final Analysis, Inc. in Maryland, the company said to have helped launch the satellite. Modanlo’s attorney, Lucius Outlaw, said his client is “exploring all of his options, including an appeal.” “While disappointed, we respect the jury’s verdict. It is one step in a prosecution that Nader Modanlo has been fighting for years and will continue to do so with the support of his family and friends,” Outlaw wrote in an email to The Gazette. 134002G

kbrick@gazette.net

THE GAZETTE

Wednesday, December 25, 2013 r

Page A-9

Waterman goes from apolitical voter to party chief Her goal now is to elect Republicans n

DIANA WATERMAN n Position: Chairwoman, Maryland Republican Party. Waterman also serves as chief ﬁnancial ofﬁcer for her family’s business, Coldwell Banker Waterman Realty

KATE S. ALEXANDER STAFF WRITER

If, eight years ago, someone told Diana Waterman she would one day head Maryland’s Republican Party, she would have told them they were absolutely crazy. Yet Waterman, 52, of Centreville in Queen Anne’s County, was elected in April as state party chairwoman, filling the remainder of former chairman Alex X. Mooney’s term. “Who is this person? Where did they come from?” Waterman said, reﬂecting on her progression. “The things I talk about now, the things I know about now are completely different.” How Waterman, raised in Virginia, went from an apolitical voter to head of the party boils down to being dependable and eager to help. “I tend to jump in with both feet,” she said. “If someone asks you to do a job and you do it well and are dependable, they keep asking you to do more jobs.” Waterman joined her county’s new Republican women’s club in 2005 to be involved in her community. Encouraged to run for the Queen Anne’s County Republican Central Committee in 2006, Waterman obliged, joining a heated race for the county party leadership. “My first question was, ‘What’s the central committee?’” Waterman recalled. That year, 19 candidates battled for seven open seats on the

n Residence: 500-acre farm in Queen Anne’s County n Family: Husband, Barry, and children Kevin, 26, and Caty, 24 n Education: Bachelor’s degree in mathematical physics from Sweet Briar College in Virginia n Best political advice: If you don’t try, you deﬁnitely fail. If you continue to try, sometimes you succeed, sometimes you start over again, but as long as you keep ﬁghting, there is a chance. If you don’t ask, the answer is always going to be no. If you ask, sometimes the answer is yes.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY

2014

“I tend to jump in with both feet,” says Diana Waterman, who in April was elected chairwoman of the Maryland Republican Party. Republican Central Committee. Waterman said she came in seventh, nabbing the final spot. In 2010, she was re-elected. Since her election to the central committee, Waterman became involved in more and more Republican activities, from being elected first vice president of the Maryland Federation of Republican Women in 2009 to becoming first vice chair of the state party. She also worked locally for the presidential campaigns of Mitt Romney and John McCain. Today, as state party chairwoman, an unpaid position, Waterman said her job is to raise money and be the “walking, talking face of the party.” The party’s job? Get Republicans elected. And Waterman

leads by example, taking part in all efforts to elect Republicans. “Single-party rule is not healthy for anybody,” she said. Her term as chairwoman ends in 2014. Waterman inherited a divided state party when she took over in April. “We are very, very individualistic,” she said of Republicans.

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“It’s not that we don’t play well as a group, but we see and stand up for what we believe and we believe it is our responsibility to take care of ourselves. That does not always funnel well into a group mentality.” Her message to members: Agree to disagree on the few issues that divide, and recognize that they agree more often then not.

DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE

As one of only a handful of female state party chairs in the United States, she is also active in ﬁghting the notion that the Grand Old Party is anti-woman. Despite her rise in the state party, Waterman does not see herself among the Republicans running for public office any time soon. “I have no intentions of run-

ning,” she said. “But never is a very long time. So, I wouldn’t say I would never do it.” Waterman turned down two opportunities to apply for an open General Assembly seat this summer to honor her commitment as party chairwoman. Both openings were created when Sen. E.J. Pipkin (R-Dist. 36) resigned this summer to move to Texas and his Senate seat was ﬁlled by then-Del. Stephen S. Hershey Jr. (R-Dist. 36) of Queenstown.

THE GAZETTE

Page A-10

Wednesday, December 25, 2013 r

Mini-McMansion for the masses? n

192-square-foot structure blends small living with large societal view BY JENN DAVIS STAFF WRITER

GREG DOHLER/THE GAZETTE

The 192-square-foot house that Darline Bell-Zuccarelli helped build in her backyard for her daughter even has a small deck.

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When her daughter was discharged from the Navy at the end of 2010 and returned home after serving 2½ years, Darline Bell-Zuccarelli discovered that the young veteran could not afford her own place to live, and she was determined to do something about it. So, Bell-Zuccarelli built a small home for her daughter — in her own backyard. “My daughter was a little depressed because she was having a hard time ﬁnding a job in the ﬁrst place, and then when she found the job, and then taxes and everything, she realized she could not afford to live on her own,” she said. From June 2012 to June 2013, Bell-Zuccarelli and her husband spent nights and weekends working on the 192-square-foot house situated behind the couple’s home on Woodland Road in Gaithersburg. Complete with a living room, kitchenette, sleeping loft, bathroom, vaulted ceiling, skylight and porch, the home is

GREG DOHLER/THE GAZETTE

Darline Bell-Zuccarelli sits in the living room of the small house she designed and helped build in her Gaithersburg backyard to provide a home for her daughter Adrienne Baker. small but functional, Bell-Zuccarelli said. It also has electricity, air conditioning and heat, and it is set up for plumbing. An accountant by day, BellZuccarelli said she had limited experience in construction, and relied mostly on the Internet and her local Home Depot to

learn how to build the structure. “Home Depot university is what I call it,” she said. “I just spent half my time there.” Bell-Zuccarelli estimated that the entire project, from lumber to furniture, cost $15,000. She and her husband paid for the project by working

on a “pay as you go” plan, meaning that they completed tasks as money became available to them from paychecks. She has electrical and building permits for a shed of up to 216 square feet under city code. The house also passed foundation, framing and electrical inspections, Bell-Zuccarelli said. No one has been able to live in the house yet because there is no running water, Bell-Zuccarelli said. Once she can afford the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission charge to connect the house’s plumbing pipes to those located on the street, which is expected to cost around $10,000, Bell-Zuccarelli can apply for an occupancy permit to have her daughter, Adrienne Baker, ofﬁcially live in the structure. Aside from giving her own daughter a place to live, BellZuccarelli believes the little house could serve as a prototype to bring in people off the streets. Her idea is for Montgomery County to buy a parcel, and build small, inexpensive houses on the property to serve the homeless population. “Build 10 of these and people won’t have to go on vouchers, people won’t have to go on welfare,” she said. “People will have somewhere to live other than the streets.” With the goal of ending homelessness, the Montgomery County Council approved an appropriation Dec. 3 that gives $649,325 to the county’s Department of Housing and Community Affairs to provide permanent housing for 15 homeless people classified as medically vulnerable. Bell-Zuccarelli said she thought the county’s plan was costly and narrow-reaching. On Dec. 17, officials from the county’s Department of Housing and Community Affairs came out to tour the home. The department’s director, Richard Y. Nelson Jr., said if the county were to consider Bell-Zuccarelli’s suggestion, an investigation would have to be conducted to see if homeless people would want to live in the homes and if the houses could be equipped to help those people back on their feet. “One big question is whether or not people would prefer to live in a small house like that,” he said. “I’m not sure if there is a market for that. Also, the homeless need services in the home, like counseling and therapy.” Baker, 25, said she enjoys spending time in the tiny house. “The house is great and my mom worked really, really hard on it,” she said. “If she had the water hooked up, I would be more than happy to live in it.” Now working in Silver Spring with Chimes, an organization that helps people with disabilities learn life skills, Baker said she thinks the tiny house represents more than just a house for herself. “She’s saying it’s for me, but I think she really hopes it will serve as her mission for helping homeless and low-income families.” Ultimately, Bell-Zuccarelli said she wants to help those in her community and increase their quality of life. “I don’t want anyone else to go through what my daughter’s going through,” she said. “She works every single day and she can’t afford to live on her own. This tiny house works for her.” jedavis@gazette.net

THE GAZETTE

Wednesday, December 25, 2013 r

SERVICES

Continued from Page A-1 and campuses are where veterans experience the transition from military to civilian life, Subin said. “By working with the schools, we’ve been able to identify what is out there and find the means to share that effort,” he said. For Jason Franklin — who served five years in the Marine Corps in California — the return to civilian life at Montgomery College campus was difficult. “I personally felt very isolated as a student returning back,” he said, describing a transition from “military discipline” to independence and free thinking. Now, Franklin and his wife,

Joanna Starling, are coordinators of the school’s Combat to College Program, which connects veterans to services. “A lot of it is raising awareness of what’s already available to them,” Starling said. A new veterans benefits officer recently started on the college’s campus following the formation of a partnership between the college and the state Department of Veterans Affairs, Starling said. The officer helps students take advantage of benefits such as forms of compensation for service connected to injuries or illnesses. Starling and Franklin estimated that they interact with about 40 percent of the more than 800 students who are veterans or service members.

TOYS

Continued from Page A-1 collected at its Gaithersburg warehouse, to nonprofits around the county, such as A Wider Circle and Interfaith Works. But after their needs were fulfilled, thousands of toys were left over this year. Bill Grein, spokesman for the nationwide Toys for Tots program, said it’s “not normal” to have a surplus of toys. “In 22 years, this is the first time I’ve ever heard of it,” he said. The Toys for Tots Montgomery County chapter works out of a donated warehouse at 8633 Grovemont Circle. The group must have all toys out of the warehouse by Jan. 1, Gunther said. To move them out quickly, Gunther decided to open the warehouse to the general public. Visitors who wanted to pick up toys had to show photo identification, proof of county residence and a birth certificate for each child. By 2:15 p.m. Mon-

GENEROSITY

Continued from Page A-1 recently reported their deeds, fulfilling the quest both locally and internationally. Church members have given money to county neighbors and humanitarian organizations and sent donations around the world, truly becoming “the answer to someone’s prayers,” as Benefield charged them in her sermon. Close by, some of the churchgoers donated cash to panhandlers and newspaper peddlers, Manna Food Center, Gaithersburg Help and The Lord’s Table at St. Martin’s Catholic Church in Gaithersburg. “Our 2nd $50 went to ten $5 gift cards from Safeway,” Jane Campbell, who with her husband, got two $50 bills, wrote in an email to Benefield. We

CONSUMER

Continued from Page A-1 apartment building 20 years ago. “They gave up a full ﬂoor at 22,000 square feet and bits and pieces throughout,” said Vince Coviello, Moore’s executive vice president and director of leasing. That still leaves about a 90 percent occupancy rate in the 560,000-square-foot complex of three 11-story buildings. The agency continues to rent space in the two connected buildings at 4330 and 4340 East West Highway. “We expect to lease it up quickly,” Coviello said. “The market’s not quite going gangbusters, but there is demand” in downtown Bethesda. The property, which includes 4350 East-West Highway, sits half a mile west of the Bethesda Metro station. The 1970s-era complex has undergone extensive renovations under new ownership. It was about 70 percent full when Moore bought it in 2005 for $143 million, according to the Greater Washington Commercial Association of Realtors. The property previously traded for $78.6 million in 1999. Moore plans renovations for the newly vacant space, which it expects to put on the rental market by the end of the ﬁrst quarter next year. Henry Chapman and Richard Downey of CBRE represented CPSC in the lease renewal. Coviello and Ed Baca-Asher of Moore, and Joe Brennan and Lucy Kitchin of Jones Lang LaSalle, represented the landlord.

Developer adds properties to Bethesda plans Equity One Inc., based in Miami Beach, announced that it is closing next month on the acquisition of the last two parcels

Wayne Miller, chief of the Silver Spring Vet Center, said college campuses became an obvious location to ﬁnd veterans using the GI Bill. Miller said the vet center — which provides services including individual, family, substance abuse and other forms of counseling — currently has representatives visit Montgomery College and the Universities at Shady Grove campus about once a month to help both students and other veterans in the community. The representatives gather veterans’ information and sometimes work with them on the campus or set up an appointment. The new county initiative, Miller said, doesn’t change much for the center, but he thinks it improves veterans’ ac-

Page A-11

cess to services. “With us having more places to go with our presence, it makes them more aware and it makes the families more aware,” he said. The Universities at Shady Grove campus in Rockville has worked this fall to consolidate and expand services for veterans. With about 75 percent of its students coming from Montgomery College, one main goal is to provide continuity for veterans transferring to the Shady Grove institution, said Robyn Dinicola-Wagle, chief student affairs ofﬁcer. The campus opened a new veteran services office at the beginning of the fall semester to centralize support services and let veterans gather and meet

each other, Dinicola-Wagle said. Veterans have had access to general services on the campus in the past, but the campus is increasing services geared speciﬁcally toward them, such as career workshops, a peer mentorship program and internship opportunities. The majority of the recent changes at Shady Grove do not directly stem from the county executive’s initiative, DinicolaWagle said, but the campus’ services are now better linked to county services. The initiative also has reached the Johns Hopkins University Montgomery County campus. Leslie Ford Weber — interim executive director at the Rockville campus — said that in the past, the school directed

day, the warehouse was empty, with about 508 kids picking up about 2,500 toys. Grein said the organization would have preferred for the surplus toys to be donated to families in another county or a nonproﬁt struggling to meet demand for toys. Gunther and a small contingent of volunteer staff opened up the warehouse to the public Monday morning, allowing kids to take home as many toys as they could carry. Boxes and makeshift tables held Play-Doh sets, puzzles, books, dolls, toy trucks and crafting kits. Gunther had planned to close the doors at noon, but with a line still winding out the door, he decided to continue letting families in. Kids ran around the boxes, picking up toys and browsing books while volunteers helped parents pick out gifts. “It puts a smile on my face,” Gunther said. John Jordan came to volunteer at the warehouse with his son and grandson, who live in Montgomery County. As a volunteer, he was tasked with help-

ing parents pick toys. Legos always are popular, he said, but parents wanted memory games for their children, too. “Something to challenge their minds a little,” he said. Two parents from Rockville waited

nearby as their two kids picked out their favorite toys. Trains are on their Christmas list this year, they said. Germantown resident Gerri Wright had been volunteering for several days by the time the warehouse was opened

give these out to panhandlers, since we can be fairly sure it will go to food. Feeling less helpless in the face of panhandlers is an answered prayer.” Sheri Sankey, a math teacher at Watkins Mill High school in Montgomery Village, gave her $50 away more than once and still has it, she said. “I took $20 of it and added $20 of my own and gave it to the Fashion Club at school for their coat drive,” she said. “Then I took $15 and added $15 and bought $30 of canned food for the Key Club canned food drive.” The last $15, she said, she uses for students who need snacks or bus fare. “We have a lot of kids on FARMS [Free and Reduced Meals] and a fair amount of homeless kids,” she said. Being a math teacher, that should have used up all of Sankey’s money plus, so how does she still have it?

“I taped the $50 bill on my refrigerator and it is still there,” she said. “It’s to remind me of my blessings and to pay it forward.” Robin Kough and two others pooled their money, planning to donate it to one cause, and hoping the $150 would have a bigger impact than $50. It took a while for them to decide what to do, Kough wrote in her email to Benefield, but they finally decided to donate to St. Paul’s by The Sea Episcopal Church in Ocean City. The church was the site of a tragedy Nov. 28 when a homeless man, John Raymond Sterner, lit himself on fire, went into the church and caught the structure on fire, she wrote. The pastor of the church, Rev. David Dingwall, and Sterner both died as a result of the blaze and a volunteer opening the church’s food pantry was badly burned. The food pantry, which fed close to 50 people

three days each week, was destroyed. “I sent them a $150 donation from the three of us ... along with our prayers. ... I have hope and faith that the support of the community will pull them through this tragic event,” Kough wrote. The money also helped some church members see others differently. One woman said she spoke with a man selling papers at a Metro station, wondering about his situation. She decided to give him her $50. Now, she said they say hello each morning as she begins her commute to work. Stephanie Balian, mother of triplet boys in ﬁrst grade, said the money started a wonderful dialogue about people in need. “It’s really been a good conversation for our family,” Balian said. “The boys go back and forth about what to do.” Sankey’s daughter Sara, like her

of the Bethesda Westwood complex, which it plans to redevelop. The firm, which completed a $140 million multiproperty deal in May, has scheduled two community meetings next month to discuss its plans for the Giant grocery-anchored strip mall and surrounding properties. Equity already owns five properties, including Westwood Towers, Springhouse by Manor Care, Bowlmor Lanes and two Citgo gas stations. The firm will finalize the acquisition of Westwood Shopping Center and Westwood Center II in January. The 22-acre mixed-use complex includes 214,767 square feet of retail space, a 211,020-squarefoot apartment building and a 62-unit assisted living facility. The property is wedged between Westbard Avenue and River Road, in an area southeast of downtown Bethesda, which has seen only limited recent growth in commercial space. “Our redevelopment team has been meeting with elected officials and other municipal agencies to better understand the concerns the community and elected officials may have with potential plans to improve the site which may include additional square footage,” Equity president Tom Caputo said during an earnings call in October, according to a seekingalpha. com transcript. “We are very excited about the potential redevelopment opportunities into Bethesda.” The firm has not disclosed specific plans but it sees huge potential in redeveloping the retail portion, where rents are well below surrounding market rates. The company said Giant’s rent is currently $2 per square foot, based on a 60-year lease that runs until 2019. “Our going in yield will be approximately 4 percent, but we expect that it will be signifi-

DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE

Shanee Neal of Gaithersburg picks out puzzles for her six children at the Toys for Tots giveaway of surplus toys Monday in Gaithersburg.

cantly higher as below market leases roll and the site is redeveloped,” Equity chief executive ofﬁcer Jeff Olson said during an August earnings call, according to a seekingalpha. com transcript. The ﬁrm has set up a website to provide information about meetings and other plans at westbardvision.com.

Montgomery planners send White Oak plan back to council The Montgomery County Planning Board approved a revised White Oak science gateway master and will urge the County Council to restrict the use of impact fees and taxes for a rapid bus transit system to serve

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the trafﬁc-choked area. The board largely adopted a plan by the Leggett administration that would allow intense commercial, residential and retail development construction in the east county area to take place under existing transportation planning tools. But the board’s transmittal letter to the council will underscore the need for setting aside funds for a bus transit system rather than be diverted into more interchanges that will speed commuters past White Oak to other employment centers. The plan does not include the original transit staging requirements written by the board, which the Leggett administration said would kill efforts to redevelop the Percontee sand and gravel operation into a

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mother, got a double whammy from her donation. She gave it to Community Ministries of Rockville, an interfaith community services organization, for that group’s Christmas party for children, and she went to the party to help with the festivities. Beneﬁeld said she was able to surprise her members with the charity challenge using money that was donated for her to use at her discretion. She gave the money to everyone who was at the service that morning, even visitors, and also to regular members who were not there. In all she said, she gave out 130 $50 bills and 20 $5 bills. “The purpose was to get everyone directly motivated in mission,” she said. “It isn’t just the person receiving the gift that beneﬁts, it’s the one giving it too.”

U.S. 29, New Hampshire Avenue and other roads that serve residents from the region on their way to jobs in Washington, D.C., and the county’s western biotech corridor. The plan was revised slightly at the urging of Saul Centers, to ease redevelopment of its Searsanchored White Oak Shopping Center. The board decided that any traffic generated by residential development should be subject to a requirement that 30 percent of commuters use alternative means than private autos to get to work. But that would not apply to shoppers attracted by new retail. “It would be very difﬁcult to pick the day and say to customers, how did you get here?” said county planning director Gwen Wright.

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to the public. The group ﬁlled and emptied the warehouse at least four times the past few days, collecting and distributing toys to nonproﬁt organizations. The shelf labeled “Barbies” was empty by the end of the morning. Puzzles, books and board games were less popular. Toys for Tots is seeking more drivers and a permanent warehouse for its Montgomery County operations, Gunther said. Its current location was donated as a temporary home, where the group only pays a gas bill. Next year, it hopes to get more volunteers involved. “There are a lot of families in need in the county,” he said. Grein and Gunther weren’t sure what might be behind the surplus of donations in the county. Law enforcement officials helped Toys for Tots collect donations along Route 200 in December. Grein said the organization will not have a tally of donations received nationally until after Jan. 1.

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student veterans to general services available for all students at its Baltimore campus. The campus now aims to help direct students toward closer services in the county, such as the Silver Spring Vet Center and the Mental Health Association. Sgt. Walter A. Ramirez — president of the Shady Grove campus’ veterans organization and a Marine veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — said student veterans have helped spread the word about available services. New efforts at Shady Grove make it easier to know what’s available, so the “stress and effort” of word of mouth is lifted off their shoulders, he said.

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THE GAZETTE

Page A-12

BUSINESS Snowy trailer roofs can cause hazards n

Some states — but not Maryland — have snow-removal laws BY

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

Takoma Bicycle of Takoma Park has been named one of America’s Best Bike Shops for 2013 by the National Bicycle Dealers Association. Nationwide, 170 bike shops were given this honor in the first year of a program called America’s Best Bike Shops, according to a news release from the association. There are about 4,000 bike shops in the U.S. The shops were asked to fill out a detailed application describing what sets them apart from the average store. Mystery shoppers then evaluated the businesses in more detail by visiting the stores, reviewing their websites and contacting the shops by phone to assess the performance from a consumer’s perspective. Owner Bruce Sawtelle opened the business in April 2010, but his family has been in the bike business all his life. His father started a bike store in Laurel that is still family operated, he said. He employs four people at the Takoma Park shop at 7030 Carroll Ave. “We had a phenomenal year,” he said of his store’s fourth summer. “More people are finding out about us.” For more information about the association, contact Karen Townsend at karen@nbda.com or its office at info@nbda.com.

STAFF WRITER

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BizBriefs

Takoma bike store pedaling new award

KEVIN JAMES SHAY

Snow can be a pretty sight in many places, but the roof or hood of a vehicle is not one of them — especially if the driver ahead of you is sending icy projectiles your way. While states such as Pennsylvania, Connecticut and New Jersey have laws requiring drivers to remove snow and ice from their vehicles’ hoods and roofs as well as windshields, Maryland only requires that vehicles be clear of snow from windshields and lights, said John B. Townsend, public and government affairs manager for AAA Mid-Atlantic. When snow freezes into ice and then thaws, it can be particularly dangerous to drivers behind a vehicle that has not been cleaned off, he said. That is especially so for the large tractor trailers that can hurl ice at frighteningly high speeds when traveling down a highway, Townsend said. “Snow and ice can add as much as two tons of extra weight to a semi-trailer rig,” Townsend said. Maryland does not attract as much snow as states to the north, but a problem for truckers is that getting to the top of their trailers to clear the snow can be dangerous in itself, especially in bad weather, said Louis Campion, president of the Maryland Motor Truck Association. “It poses a signiﬁcant challenge,” he said. Some companies, such as Wisconsinbased A Better Snow Rake, sell special rakes that can bend enough to scrape snow off the top of high trailers. They come apart for storage in relatively small areas. But even those rakes don’t really help when there is ice on top of trailers, Campion noted. Truck washes can loosen ice and snow, but the lines for those in an average truck stop where there can be more than 100 trucks would be enormously long, he said. A potential long-term solution that some in the trucking industry are reviewing is to redesign rooftops to impede the formation of ice or make it more difﬁcult for ice to fall off, Campion said. The Maryland State Highway Administration recommends that all drivers clear off their entire vehicles before setting out, said Charles Gischlar, a spokesman for the

Wednesday, December 25, 2013 r

Chamber honors Soldierfit of Gaithersburg The Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce presented Dave Posin, owner of Soldierfit of Gaithersburg, with its seventh annual Small Business of the Year Award during its annual dinner Dec. 5. Soldierfit offers a fully functional gym, adult and children group fitness programs, personal training, athlete training, martial arts and a pro shop with clothing and supplements. A veteran-owned company, it opened in 2010 with 30 members and two staffers. It now has almost 3,000 members and more than 25 employees, according to a chamber news release. Besides Gaithersburg, it has locations in Frederick, Owings Mills and Chantilly, Va. Soldierfit holds regular fundraisers for nonprofits and their members and community members. It created and sold pink Soldierfit shirts and gave all proceeds to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. It has sponsored and donated to Pit Pride, Wounded Warrior and Autism Speaks, and works with Cornerstone to help employ those with disabilities. The award recognizes small businesses that demonstrate success, community involvement and excellent customer relations. More information is at soldierfit.com.

Snow-covered vehicles travel north on Interstate 270 outside Rockville. agency. “Since you have to clear off your windshield and lights, it doesn’t take that much longer to clear the entire vehicle,” he said. “Leaving a block of ice on top of your car is a recipe for disaster.” There have been instances in which people have died because of ﬂying ice. On Christmas Day 2005, Christine Lambert, 51, of Palmer Township, Pa., was killed when an 8-inch-thick piece of ice from a tractor trailer pierced through her ve-

TOM FEDOR/THE GAZETTE

hicle’s windshield. The next year, Pennsylvania lawmakers passed a snow removal law in which drivers can be fined up to $1,000 if snow or ice from their vehicles causes injury. Washington, D.C., allows police officers to pull over drivers for traveling with accumulated snow or ice on their vehicles, but the offense does not carry a fine, Townsend said. kshay@gazette.net

Capital Digestive Care adds gastroenterologist Dr. Faisal Bhinder recently joined Capital Digestive Care as the group’s newest gastroenterologist. With experience in general gastroenterology and geriatric medicine, Bhinder is an advanced interventional therapeutic endoscopist. Bhinder’s experience will allow many of the group’s patients to stay within the same network — and keep their physician — throughout their treatment, according to Dr. Mark Birns, a Capital Digestive Care gastroenterologist and managing partner of the Birns, Gloger & Witten division. Bhinder will see patients at Capital Digestive Care’s Birns, Gloger & Witten ofﬁces in Rockville and Urbana. For more information on Birns, Gloger & Witten locations and physicians, visit www.capitaldigestivecare.com/BGW.

THE GAZETTE

Wednesday, December 25, 2013 zr

Page A-13

CELEBRATIONS

Smith, Conversano Patton, Grundy Steve and Lynn Patton of Damascus announce the engagement of their daughter, Stephanie Maura Patton, to Daniel James Grundy, son of Rob and Patty Grundy of Olney. The bride-to-be is a 2005 graduate of Damascus High School. She graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park, in 2009 with a degree in psychology. She is currently employed by Choice Hotels International in Rockville. The prospective groom is a 2004 graduate of Sherwood High School in Olney. He graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park, in 2008 with a degree in economics and philosophy. He is currently employed by FINRA in Rockville. A May 2014 wedding is planned at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Rydzewski Joe and Nicole Rydzewski of Germantown will celebrate their ﬁrst anniversary on Dec. 28, 2013. The parents of the bride, formerly Nicole Marmo, are Victor and Gina Marmo of Gaithersburg. The groom’s parents are Lewis and Beth Rydzewski of Gaithersburg. Nicole graduated from Quince Orchard High School and works as a kindergarten teacher for Montgomery County Public Schools. Joe graduated from Gaithersburg High School and works for MCPS as a middle school teacher. The wedding took place at St. John Neumann Catholic Church followed by a reception at North Bethesda Marriott Conference Center.

Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Smith Jr. of North Potomac announce the engagement of their daughter, Jennifer Ann Smith, to Andrew Bryant Conversano Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew B. Conversano Sr. of Damascus. The bride-to-be is a 1998 graduate of Our Lady of Good Counsel High School and a 2002 graduate of Bridgewater College. She is employed as an executive assistant and ofﬁce manager at Toone & Associates LLP in Gaithersburg. The prospective groom is a 2001 graduate of Watkins Mill High School, after which he served in the United States Marine Corps. He received an associate’s degree from Montgomery College in May of 2013 and is currently pursuing his bachelor’s degree in computer networking and security at the University of Maryland. He is employed as an information technology systems specialist by the Montgomery County Board of Education. A May 2014 wedding is planned, after which the couple will reside in Germantown.

RELIGION CALENDAR CHRISTMAS SERVICES Damascus United Methodist Church, 9700 New Church St., Damascus, will offer Living Christmas Tree Concerts at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Dec. 28. For more information, visit www. damascusumc.org. Emmanual Lutheran Church, 7730 Bradley Boulevard, Bethesda, offers the upcoming Christmas services: Christ Mass at 10 a.m. Dec. 25. For more information, visit www.elcbethesda.org. Trinity Lutheran Church, 11200 Old Georgetown Road, North Bethesda, will offer the upcoming Christmas services: Lessons and Carols with Holy Communion at 10:45 a.m. Dec. 25. For more information, visit www.trinityelca.org

ONGOING 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

PLACING AN ANNOUNCEMENT

HEALTH CALENDAR

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. 301421-9166. 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 services every Sunday, with child care from 8 a.m. to noon and fellowship and a coffee hour following each service. 301-8817275. For a schedule of events, visit www. TrinityELCA.org.

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.

FRIDAY, DEC. 27 Safe Sitter, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Suburban Hospital Lambert Building (second ﬂoor), 8710 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda. A comprehensive training course teaching 11- to 13-yearolds the essentials of babysitting. Course includes tactics in handling emergencies basic ﬁrst aid and child care skills. Registration required. If you are interested in becoming a Safe Sitter instructor, please call 301-896-2999 for more information. www.suburbanhospital.org.

MONDAY, DEC. 30 Tai Chi for Health at MedStar Montgomery, from 9:30-10:30 a.m. at Long-

wood Recreation Center, 19300 Georgia Ave., Brookeville. Learn the relaxing and health-building benefits of T’ai Chi, an ancient Chinese exercise form practiced by millions. This meditative exercise program will help improve balance and coordination, flexibility and range of motion, and it will increase strength by making your movement more efficient. Tai Chi is a graceful exercise that exerts no strenuous action. Students must be able to stand for 30 minutes at a time. Wear comfortable, loose fitting clothing

and ﬂat shoes. www.montgomerygeneral.org.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 8 A Suburban Lecture featuring Dr. Daniel Valiki, orthopedic joint surgeon,

is scheduled 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.

UPCOMING 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.

The Gazette prints engagement and wedding announcements, with color photographs, at no charge, as a community service. Copy should be limited to 150 words and submitted in paragraph form. Announcements are subject to editing for space. Please include contact information, including a daytime telephone number. Photos should be professional quality. If emailing photos, ﬁle size should be a minimum of 500 KB. Wedding announcements should be submitted no later than 12 months after the wedding. Send to: The Gazette, 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, MD 20877, or email kgroff@gazette.net. Montgomery County celebrations are inserted into all Montgomery County editions.

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The Gazette

WISE CRACKS

Forum

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Page A-14

Gazette cartoonist Chris Curtis looks back at 2013’s top stories.

The Gazette Karen Acton, President/Publisher

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

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

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

Wednesday, December 25, 2013 r

Stocking stuffers

Thanks to a news source who must remain anonymous in order to speak candidly, I have come into possession of the Christmas wish lists of several prominent Marylanders. Here’s what these folks want to ﬁnd under their Christmas trees on Christmas morning: • Gov. Martin O’Malley: A job starting January, 2015. Job must include free car and driver, free mansion and free overseas travel. • Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown: An Obamacare website that actually works. • Attorney General Doug Gansler: An Instagram of Anthony Brown twerking and smoking pot at a Miley Cyrus concert. • Heather Mizeur: A miracle. • The Washington Redskins: A new owner. • The Washington Wizards: A new team. MY MARYLAND • The BLAIR LEE Black Guerilla Family: Their own private jail where they can smuggle in contraband, operate a crime syndicate and have sex with the female guards. Oops, never mind, they already have that. • Western Maryland: Statehood. • P.G. County Executive Rushern Baker: The new FBI headquarters. • Comptroller Peter Franchot: Uncontested primary and general elections. • D.C. Mayor Vince Gray: A hung jury. • The Eastern Shore chicken industry: A scientific discovery that chicken manure erases face wrinkles and cures cancer. • Maryland’s casino industry: A minimum wager law. • Maryland taxpayers: Repeal of the rain tax. • Baltimore city: A Fortune 500 corporate headquarters. • Attorney General candidate Brian Frosh: Voter recognition that his opponent, Jon Cardin, is not U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin. • Terps football coach Randy Edsall: A Military Bowl victory.

• Terps basketball coach Mark Turgeon: A point guard. • The Baltimore Ravens: A repeat. • The Baltimore Orioles: A weaker division. • Candidate Phil Andrews: The Washington Post endorsement. • Doug Duncan: Structural collapse of the Silver Spring Transit Center. • The tea party: A balanced budget. • The Mainstream Media: Balanced reporting. • Federal employees: A government shutdown with back pay. • Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake: 10,000 new families moving into Baltimore. • Congressman John Delaney: A home inside his congressional district. • Councilman Marc Elrich: A council leadership position. • The National Security Agency: (Does not exist) • Maryland motorists: $2 a gallon gas. • Senator Barbara Mikulski: Stilts • 2014 Maryland elections: Paper ballots. • Defeated Annapolis mayor Josh Cohen (D): A big job with the O’Malley administration. Never mind, he just got one. • The Chesapeake Bay: A ﬂush moratorium. • The Sierra Club: Global cooling. • Maryland gun dealers: Additional harsh gun control laws. • Maryland budget’s structural deﬁcit: The winning Mega Millions lottery ticket. • Montgomery County: Some common sense. • Senate President Mike Miller: Internet gambling. • Ron George, Charles Lollar and Larry Hogan: Running mates. • The Maryland General Assembly: Voter amnesia. • Loyal Gazette readers: A joyful Christmas and prosperous New Year.

Blair Lee is chairman of the board of Lee Development Group in Silver Spring and a regular commentator for WBAL radio. His column appears Fridays in the Business Gazette. His past columns are available at www.gazette. net/blairlee. His email address is blairleeiv@gmail.com.

THE GAZETTE

Page A-15

LETTERS TOT HE EDITOR

Development, Ten Mile Creek can coexist I am a homeowner in Clarksburg since 2004, vice president of the newly formed Clarksburg Chamber of Commerce, board member of my community’s homeowners association and past president. I have become, along with thousands of Clarksburg’s residents, extremely disappointed with the continued “ideological tendencies” that continues to oppose critical and essential development plans in the face of well-documented scientiﬁc fact. Current state and local laws will ensure the environment will be protected. Protecting the overall environment and the Ten Mile Creek watershed can be accomplished without

reneging on the promises made to those of us who live in Clarksburg. The infrastructure and development is vital and a necessary component to the complete master-planned development of Clarksburg. It is entirely unfair and overwhelmingly disrespectful for “environmental groups” to spread their agenda and “self-serving facts” onto an entire community when they do not even live here. The current scientiﬁc data is completely clear to counter any of the antiquated arguments coming from these environmental groups. They are on a crusade to disrupt, delay and interfere with any development. Their blind opposition is contrary to all of the relevant scientiﬁc

data. Current scientiﬁc and environmental impact information clearly state the surrounding environment will be protected and even improved if homes are built in the Ten Mile Creek development. I speak for thousands of neighbors that would just like what we were promised (the approved master plan from 1994) when we purchased homes in Clarksburg. The continued lack of progress has caused devastating economic harm to our entire community. We are anxiously awaiting the implementation on the previously approved master plan from 1994.

Rob Shapiro, Clarksburg

The dangers of artificial turf on playing fields After spending hours sweeping pine needles from our Christmas tree last January, I swore to buy artificial this year — but that tree smell brought me back to the local tree farm. Call me nostalgic. There is another real vs. artificial debate going on in Montgomery County: real grass vs. artificial turf. The artificial, or synthetic, turf that Montgomery County is installing at high school athletic fields is made of plastic and pulverized tires. While eye pleasing to some, turf fields have serious safety and health concerns that are too often ignored or glossed-over. Carcinogens, heavy metals (including lead and zinc) — and toxic organics (such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) leach from the vulcanized rubber into the air our young players breathe. Rains wash the crumb rubber into our watersheds and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay, making each of the fields a pollution point-source. Because tire manufacturing processes are proprietary, the exact contents of the crumb rubber (made by pulverizing tires) are unknown, underscoring the need for transparency and reason for concern. And there is the risk of injury, infection and overheating. My son broke his ankle playing on synthetic turf. The ER doctor explained that this often happens on synthetic turf because turf gives less and tends to lock athletes’ feet into

the woven plastic “grass.” “Turf toe” is so common that it is now part of our vernacular. The physician also stressed the need after each practice or game to shower and disinfect cuts and scrapes because MRSA — a resistant staph bacteria — can be contracted from blood, spit and sweat caught in the artificial turf. While this can happen from grass, it seldom does because natural soil consumes dangerous bacteria and other harmful organisms. Overheating is another synthetic turf health concern. On sunny days when temperatures are in the 80s, the surface temperature of a synthetic field can reach 145 degrees. So, why does Montgomery County spend millions of dollars on synthetic turf fields instead of upgrading its existing grass fields? It is not to save money. The fiction of turf is that it is maintenance-free but the manufacturers’ recommend weekly raking and regular decontamination, a cost seldom budgeted or expended. And the lack of artificial turf maintenance accelerates their decline. Under the best circumstances, synthetic fields have limited lives (one recent $1 million artificial turf field came with an eightyear warranty). When their useful life is over, the pulverized tire material contains haz-

WRITE TO US The Gazette welcomes letters on subjects of local interest. Please limit them to 200 words. All articles are subject to editing. Letters are printed as space permits and are limited to one per person per month. Send submissions to: The Gazette, attention Commentary Editor, 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, MD 20877; fax to 301-670-7183; or email to opinions@gazette.net.

ardous compounds making recycling and disposal expensive. Natural grass ﬁelds done well and maintained properly do not have to be replaced. Plus, installation work and patch work for grass ﬁelds can be done by Montgomery County companies. In fact, sod is grown in Montgomery County’s Ag Reserve. Sitting in our family room, admiring our Christmas tree and taking in that tree smell, I am pleased with my decision to go local and natural. Given the truth about artificial turf, I suspect Montgomery County citizens similarly would choose local natural grass instead of spending tax dollars on toxic alternatives.

Beth Daly, Dickerson The writer is an at-large candidate for the Montgomery County Council.

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THE GAZETTE

Advertorial

Wednesday, December 25, 2013 r

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SHERWOOD GRADUATE SETS SWIMMING RECORDS AT SHIPPENSBURG, B-4.

FILE PHOTO

2013 YEAR IN REVIEW

TOP TEN 10. Churchill on ice

9. Lucky number 13

FROM NORTHWEST FOOTBALL TO KATIE LEDECKY THE YEAR WAS FILLED WITH MEMORABLE STORIES

8. New Bethesda team reigns

7. Piercing Northwest

Past local players help Tigers to one of the best seasons ever FCS championship berth has made life hectic for Frazier, Oboh, but they say it’s all worth it

Around this time of year, the majority of college students have one thing on their mind: final exams. But for the better part of the month, Damascus High School graduate Connor Frazier and the Towson University football team had another type of final on their mind — a Division I-Football Championship Subdivision national final. On Dec. 14, they had to visit an Eastern Illinois team with one loss — a 43-39 setback to a Division I-Football Bowl Subdivision Northern Illinois team that finished one win shy of a Bowl Championship Series bowl berth — that came armed with a quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, who has been compared to the Dallas Cowboys’ Tony Romo. Suddenly, an economics exam didn’t seem so bad after all. “I’m just hoping they don’t have a hangover,” Towson coach Rob Ambrose said on Dec. 17. Could the hang

See TOWSON, Page B-3

10. Churchill on ice If the Winston Churchill High School ice hockey team’s 2011 state championship run seemed dominant, check out this year’s campaign: The Bulldogs allowed a state-record one goal in four playoff games and scored 27 of their own en route to winning their second 2A Maryland Student Hockey League trophy in three years.

Towson’s resurgence: BY TRAVIS MEWHIRTER STAFF WRITER

BY JENNIFER BEEKMAN STAFF WRITER

The ﬁnal days of 2013 might not signify the end of the school year, but the start of 2014 does represent the closing of another chapter in Montgomery County sports. It was a successful year for county individual athletes and teams alike. Here is a look at The Gazette’s top 10 storylines:

Former Damascus High School quarterback Connor Frazier is a key member of Towson University’s football team.

6. There’s a ﬁrst time for everything

5. Flanagan leaves on high note

Stars combine to form sport-speciﬁc training center n

9. Lucky number 13 Thirteen teams won Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association championships and that does not include the vast collection of athletes’ individual titles. The county’s private school programs also cleaned up in 2013, including the Bullis School’s sweep of boys’ and girls’ basketball league titles. Thomas S. Wootton recently wrapped up its second straight golf championship. This fall also featured Northwest football and Walt Whitman girls’ soccer’s first state championships since 2004, Walter Johnson girls’ cross country’s first state crown since 1999 and Damascus girls’ volleyball’s first-ever state final win. Sherwood softball won its second state championship in May while the Northwest boys won their first outdoor track title. Allcounty Region II won the state tennis championship for the 13th straight year with titles in three of five brackets. County teams swept the state swimming championships last February with wins from the Wootton girls and Walter Johnson boys in the 4A/3A meet and Poolesville’s boys and girls in the 3A/2A/1A championship. Clarksburg’s boys also won their first state indoor track team title. Our Lady of Good Counsel girls’ soccer won its third Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title in four years, Bullis football clinched

Damascus graduate hires former local players to work at Beltway Trainer BY

NICK CAMMAROTA STAFF WRITER

4. A Metros for the ages

3. Montrose bids farewell to legend

When John LaRocca was a senior at Damascus High School, he broke his ankle playing soccer. And while any snapped bone is a big deal, LaRocca had aspirations of playing college soccer, so it was even more of a setback. After the injury, LaRocca’s speed and agility lagged far behind where they once were. But instead of sulking, he did something about it. He tirelessly worked on agility ladders and cone drills and regained his quickness. The following fall, he played at McDaniel College

See TRAINING, Page B-3

New identity, new success for Rockville/Magruder 2. County wrestling Snyderless

1. Another race, another record

Despite losing Richard Montgomery players from co-op team, hockey team off to hot start n

NICK CAMMAROTA STAFF WRITER

The end of last season could not have gone worse for what was then called the Richard Montgomery High School co-op ice hockey team. At ﬁrst, it went remarkably well, with a trip to the 1A postseason and high hopes for success beyond that. Then, it all came crashing to a halt when the team was disqualiﬁed from the playoffs for having too many players from Richard Montgomery on the roster that also included players from Rockville and Col. Zadok

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Georgetown Prep sophomore creates defensive attention Pratapas’ hot start has attracted an inordinate amount attention n

TRAVIS MEWHIRTER STAFF WRITER

The book on how to defend Georgetown Prep boys’ basketball player Trystan Pratapas is already being written. It’s previously blank pages are filling with scouting reports and defensive schemes concocted in hopes of slowing the sophomore shooting guard. As of Dec. 18, Pratapas was only nine games into his tenure at Georgetown Prep, yet teams were already zeroing in on No. 4. Just 30 seconds into a Dec. 18 matchup with The Heights, Cavaliers coach Sunny Hemphill was barking out additional instructions to Leo Zhukov, who had been charged with guarding Pratapas in spells throughout the night. “Trail him on everything,” Hemphill emphasized. This would, theoretically, keep Pratapas from popping out for an open 3-pointer and force him to curl into the lane. But with the lane open, the sophomore went up for a floater and drew a foul. Two possessions later, Pratapas rolled around a pick on the baseline and hit another floater. Zhukov was then momentarily relieved of his duties. At least four others would take up his assignment. “He’s a catch and shooter,” Hemphill said. “He doesn’t bring the ball low, he keeps it nice and high. We really wanted to get inside of him, make him do something else other than shoot it. Inevitably, he gets open on some of their half court stuff and a guy like that, he shoots so well, he’ll get you at some point.” By game’s end, Hemphill’s Cavs limited Pratapas to 13 points on an overall rough shooting performance, and Prep lost its second in three games, 66-60. The days of hitting six 3-pointers on back-to-back nights, as he did against Gilman and Boy’s Latin to open the season, are far from over for the sophomore being recruited by Illinois, George Washington and many

GREG DOHLER/THE GAZETTE

Georgetown Prep’s Trystan Pratapas dribbles during Friday’s practice. others, they’re just becoming harder to come by. “It’s been a huge change since the beginning of the season already,” said Pratapas, who is averaging 16.9 points per game but has eclipsed that just once in the past ﬁve contests. “I feel like every game it’s a lot harder for me to get open. It feels great, though, it’s what I want. I’ve had some games where I’ve been

GREG DOHLER/THE GAZETTE

double-teamed every time I touch it and I’ve had other games where they just don’t leave me alone the whole entire game.” This role, the man-to-man defenses cater to, is unfamiliar territory for Pratapas. He has always been talented, but he has also always been surrounded by talent. After growing up in Raleigh, N.C. for the ﬁrst 11 years of his life,

Trystan Pratapas of Georgetown Prep shoots during practice Friday.

Pratapas’ father, Chris, took a job in Toronto, home to the well-known Amateur Athletic Union program, CIA Bounce. The Bounce has produced alumni such as Anthony Bennett, the top overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, another projected top overall pick, Andrew Wiggins (Kansas), Tristan Thompson (Texas), and Tyler Ennis (Syracuse), among a host of others.

This is where Pratapas says he first began to realize his talent, and the family soon trekked back down south into the basketball-centric Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia region where he joined the D.C. Blue Devils and enrolled at John Carroll. After his freshman season, he considered the possibility of transferring, and was soon lured to Georgetown Prep. “I had done my homework,” coach Herb Krusen said. “I hadn’t seen him play or anything, but I talked to some people and got to coach him this summer. “After this summer, I knew he was a special shooter. And now our challenge as a team and for the rest of my coaches is to help get him open and get shots and score points and also to become an all-around player.” As both Pratapas and Krusen would point out, the overzealous efforts in shutting down the shooting guard has subsequently resulted in his teammates getting more open looks. Sophomore point guard Kevin McDonald led Prep on the scoring end with 21 in an 80-60 win over Chapelgate Christian, Travis Valmon did the same with 15 against The Heights and Brian Dempsey, Brandon Green and Anesu Nyawata all finished with higher totals than Pratapas in a 62-42 victory over Walt Whitman. “That’s the good part about this team,” Krusen said. “We have a deep team and we have a lot of quick athletes.” Krusen has countered the defensive concentration on Pratapas with a number of set plays designed specifically to get him open. Pratapas routinely runs through mazes of screens to pop up on a wing or the corner, where he will, at the very least, get a brief look at an open shot. That’s typically all he needs. “It’s all by trial and error right now,” he said. “I know, as a player, to overcome it I have to do different moves, give them head fakes, give them pump fakes, give them a jab step so I can get them off of me and open up my jump shot.” tmewhirter@gazette.net

Poolesville’s senior point guard sees a new ﬂoor perspective Senior has helped Falcons to strong start n

ERIC GOLDWEIN STAFF WRITER

TOM FEDOR/THE GAZETTE

Poolesville High School’s Whitney Carmack practices with teammates on Thursday. feated through ﬁve games (as of Thursday). Carmack, a 5-foot-6 senior, said switching positions

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A lifelong point guard, Poolesville High School girls’ basketball player Whitney Carmack is used to running the offense and controlling the tempo of the game. But last winter, in her junior season, she took a break from playing her natural position and moved over to shooting guard. The switch worked in the short term; with Carmack at shooting guard, the Falcons finished 19-6 and advanced to the Class 2A West Region ﬁnals. It’s working in the long term, too; back playing point guard, she is averaging 20 points per game this winter and is a major reason why the red-hot Falcons are unde-

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last season helped her look at the point guard position from a new perspective. “It just changed my view

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point,” she said. She said it also helped her gain trust in her jump shot. “Being a shooting guard where I had to shoot, it got my confidence up and it made my shooting better,” she said. That is a big deal for Carmack, who said she used to be a hesitant shooter. “I’d get the ball and it’d be a wide open shot, and I wouldn’t take it. I’d pass it instead,” she recalled. She has filled up the scoreboard multiple times this season, scoring 22 points against Gaithersburg, 20 points against Watkins Mill and 25 points against Rockville. “I just think she’s taking the responsibility really well,” senior Rosie Barry said. Carmack scored 16 points in a Dec. 18 48-34 victory over Seneca Valley, handing the Screaming Eagles their first loss of the season. Through five games, she has converted

11 3-pointers and made 27 of 35 foul shots. “She’s just more conﬁdent this year. Sometimes, things click as a senior,” Poolesville coach Fred Swick said. Carmack has been effective taking care of the basketball and leading the offense, Swick said. “She’s letting the game come to her and not forcing things. She’s really playing well right now,” Swick said. Carmack played on Poolesville’s junior varsity team as a freshman and slowly moved up in the program, from varsity call-up, to role player, to full-time starter. She started playing big minutes as a sophomore and scored a team-high 11 points in the 2012 Class 2A West Region championship game — a 46-35 loss to Century. “It was very nerve-racking, to say the least,” she said. Since then, she has come

a long way. Just ask her older brother, Kirby Carmack. “Consistency wise she’s on fire right now, which is fun to watch,” said Kirby, a former Poolesville varsity basketball player now playing lacrosse at Georgia Tech. The Falcons are a young team, with sophomores accounting for half of the roster. As a senior, Carmack is taking on a leadership role. “We have the experience, we’re just trying to pass that on to the rest of the team,” she said. Despite the strong start, she said the young team still has room for improvement. She is optimistic that the Falcons can duplicate last year’s success. “I definitely see us going to [regional finals] again, and hopefully this time winning,” she said. egoldwein@gazette.net

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TOP

Continued from Page B-1 its second Interstate Athletic Conference win in three years, the Academy of the Holy Cross defended last year’s WCAC volleyball championship and Holton-Arms tennis won its ninth Independent School League title in 10 years.

8. New Bethesda-area team reigns If individual talent was all it took to win girls’ soccer state championships, this fall’s title run might have been Whitman’s third straight instead of the first in nine years. The state’s most talented roster produced some incredible soccer but was also rewarded for its remarkable composure, something that wavered in the past. The Vikings’ region title also ended Bethesda-Chevy Chase’s streak of five consecutive state tournament appearances. But it was Winston Churchill’s 2-0 win over the Barons, their first postseason defeat to a county team in 11 years, in the second round of playoffs that sealed B-CC’s fate.

7. Piercing Northwest It’s not that Northwest football won

TRAINING

Continued from Page B-1 and went on to have a successful career upon graduating in 2013 with a degree in exercise science. It was during his freshman year at McDaniel, however, when he joined True Athlete Performance — a training center that focuses on speed and agility — that the spark for his new venture wasignited.There,hewastheonly soccer player on a coaching staff of football players and he noticed that not all of the drills translated well from sport to sport. Fast forward four years and LaRocca is the Chief Executive Ofﬁcer of Beltway Trainer,

TOWSON

Continued from Page B-1 over’s source have been the wild, nationally-televised, 49-39, upset victory over the Panthers in the Football Championship subdivision quarterfinals? No, he elaborated, “from [academic] finals.” Players had to alternate between studying the books that would be their lifeline for exams and the film that would be their lifeline for four hours over the past two Saturday. When you throw in practice, weight room sessions and other team obligations, there were few hours left in the day for some of life’s most mundane routines, such as eating and sleeping. “I think it’s been pretty tough, but we are a tough team and we are mentally tough and coach always says when we step in between the white lines, we can’t be thinking about school or family or, this week, even Christmas,” Frazier said. “We dial in and then

IDENTITY

Continued from Page B-1 Magruder. No co-op team in the Maryland Student Hockey League is allowed to have more than 13 players from one school on the roster, but it was discovered that Paul Lofgren’s team had 21 from Richard Montgomery. So, coming into the 2013-14 campaign, the newly-formed Rockville/Magruder co-op knew it’d be competing without the services of Richard Montgomery’s players, who branched out to form their own team under Lofgren. How good Rockville/ Magruder would be, under the direction of first-year coach Michael Gifford, who served as an assistant on the old team, was anyone’s guess. “It’s one of those things that has been kind of amazing because it does seem like you never know how they’re going to interact,” said Gifford, whose team also includes players from five area private schools. “But as soon as you throw out a puck and tell them they’re on the same team, everyone kind of gets along.” The instant bond has helped Rockville/Magruder to a 2-1-1 start and a second-place standing in the Montgomery 1A League prior to Friday night’s games. The club has five points

its second-ever state championship this fall that really made headlines, it’s how. For example, with a sophomore quarterback who hadn’t started a varsity football game before September. Mark Pierce thrived in a scheme predicated on screen passes and sheer athleticism — the ﬁrst-year starter could also throw the long ball whenever necessary. He and his supporting cast of playmakers that included receivers Josh Gills and Matt Watson, beat favorite Quince Orchard not once, but twice, before breaking down the previously seemingly impenetrable Suitland defense in the 4A state ﬁnal earlier this month.

6. There’s a first time for everything James H. Blake boys’ soccer team made its state final debut, winning a program-record 15 games along the way. The Wootton girls’ tennis team took sole possession of first place at the county championship in more than 30 years. Northwest softball won its first region title. Sherwood girls’ lacrosse team had a state tournament breakthrough. Damascus girls’ volleyball team won a state crown. Sherwood volleyball had its first regular season or playoff loss — at the hands of Damascus in five sets Oct. 17 — since 2009. Good Counsel

football was not dominant for the ﬁrst time in recent history.

5. Flanagan leaves on high note The Sherwood softball team has not lost a game since 2011, but following its second consecutive state championship last May, former 17th-year Warriors coach Pat Flanagan conﬁrmed her resignation after 37 years of coaching in Montgomery County. Right-handed hurler Meggie Dejter has kept the Warriors’ tradition of strong pitchers in tact and is scheduled to go for her third straight unbeaten season in 2014.

4. A Metros for the ages One Olympic gold medalist plus one likely future Olympian plus a plethora of other Olympic Trial qualifiers equals one absurdly exciting high school championship swim meet. Ten total meet records were broken at last winter’s Washington Metropolitan Interscholastic Swimming and Diving Championships, which also featured the Wootton girls first win in a decade. Former Good Counsel star Jack Conger, who as a freshman at the University of Texas has already qualified for next spring’s NCAA championships in two individual events, took part in five

Page B-3 of them. Conger won all four events he contested in record-setting fashion and set a 30-year national high school record in the 500-yard freestyle. Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart junior Katie Ledecky also set a national high school record in the 500-yard freestyle and bested Missy Franklin’s independent high school record in the 200-yard freestyle.

3. Montrose bids farewell to legend After 14 years, 321 victories and the 2011 National High School Invitational title, Montrose Christian School boys’ basketball coach Stu Vetter announced his resignation over the summer. One of the winningest high school coaches in the region, if not the country, Vetter’s list of alumni includes Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder), Greivis Vasquez (Toronto Raptors) and Linas Kleiza (formerly Toronto Raptors).

2. County wrestling Snyderless Three-time WCAC 220-pound wrestling champion Kyle Snyder announced in April that he would not go for a fourth league championship this year and forego his senior year at Good

Counsel to train at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., with the hopes of competing in the 2016 summer Olympics. Snyder finished 179-0 in three years of high school grappling. With the restoration of wrestling to the Olympic games earlier this year, Snyder could have a long and bright Olympic future ahead of him.

1. Another race, another record Don’t worry, Katie Ledecky doesn’t drop nine seconds off her times as easily as it seems. Grueling daily training sessions come in between those big races she’s made American and world history in. The Stone Ridge junior followed up her 2012 Olympic gold medal with four wins at the 2013 FINA World Championships in Spain this summer, setting world records in the 800-meter freestyle and 1,500-meter freestyle and an American mark in the 400-meter freestyle. The highest female scorer at worlds then broke another American record in the 1,650-yard freestyle event at the 2013 AT&T Nationals earlier this month in addition to wins in the 500yard freestyle and a runner-up ﬁnish to Franklin in the 200. jbeekman@gazette.net

an organization he founded to provide sport-speciﬁc training to aspiring athletes, taught by current and former local professionals. “They were having soccer guys do up-downs from football,” said LaRocca, who also serves as an assistant soccer coach at Frederick Community College. “In my head, football players are doing the football training absolutely correct, but these soccer players aren’t getting endurance or other things they need.” The staff now has 10 members since the June 1 launch who teach soccer, basketball, football, track and ﬁeld and weight training. LaRocca’s goal is to bring industry professionals on

board so that clients can learn from those still in the business. The first such trainer was LaRocca’s longtime friend, Peabo Doue, a Clarksburg High and West Virginia University graduate who played professional soccer last season for Phoenix FC in the USL PRO. “I’ve always had thoughts of coaching,” Doue said. “I was coaching part-time at Damascus Soccer Club and it’s always something I’ve loved to do. I think this is a great opportunity for people to come and get better as an athlete.” After Doue was on board, the chips started to fall into place for LaRocca, who took a shot in the dark by Facebook messaging one of his favorite

basketball players at the University of Maryland, College Park, Chris McCray. “I said, ‘If you’re interested, whenever you can, we’d love to have you be a basketball specialist,’” LaRocca said. “He wrote back and said that he’d love that and we should get together to meet. That’s when we really got going.” McCray, who graduated from Fairmont Heights in 2002, played professionally for the National Basketball Association’s Milwaukee Bucks and currently plays for Hod Hasharon in Israel. He then suggested that LaRocca solicit the services of one of his former Maryland teammates, Travis Garrison. Garrison agreed and suddenly LaRocca had a wealth of experience among his

basketball trainers. “Giving back to the kids who were in your shoes, that’s what it’s all about,” said Garrison, who currently plays for the Dallas Mavericks’ D-League team and graduated from DeMatha Catholic. “We have guys who experienced a lot, who played on the college level, played professionally, and it’s a great way to help kids in their journey through sports.” Drew Gloster (Our Lady of Good Counsel/Maryland) and Hassan Dixon (Northwest/Temple) are two of Beltway Trainer’s football specialists as LaRocca continues to build as diverse and experienced a staff as possible. One of the more impressive aspects of the organization isn’t

simply the commitment to sportspeciﬁc agility training, but the fact that every trainer played high school sports in the area. In addition, Beltway Trainer is a “convenience company,” meaning the trainers meet the clients at a location of their choosing, though LaRocca is hoping to establish a centralized facility sooner rather than later. “I think it’s great that all our trainers have been there and played the sports,” LaRocca said. “A lot of our clients aren’t where they need to be technically or skills-wise and some of them are coming to us after getting cut. We want to help them improve so that they can make the team.”

after practice we can worry about those things.” Frazier, a 2011 graduate from Damascus, played a minor yet critical role in the playoff win over the Panthers, which propelled the Tigers to a semifinal victory over Eastern Washington on Saturday. His 4-yard plunge for a touchdown midway through the second quarter against Eastern Illinois tied the game at 14-14, and Towson would never trail again. Four Terrance West touchdowns later — the stud running back placed third for the Walter Payton award, FCS’ version of the Heisman Trophy — and the Tigers had earned themselves a berth into the semifinals. “That’s just Terrance, man,” Frazier said. “He’s ridiculous. He’s a big part of this team and our offensive line is the best in the country, I think. They just open up holes and Terrance just does Terrance.” While West’s FCS playoff record 354-yard, five-touchdown performance justifiably stole the headlines, Frazier’s touchdown

was no less important, and it was no less improvised. His score, which began on the Panthers’ 4, wasn’t designed for the quarterback to bounce it outside. But the middle was clogged and the line was folding, and he and his fullbacks were on the same page from there. “I kind of just bounced it and luckily my fullbacks sealed the edge for me,” Frazier said. “That was a great feeling, going down 14-0 and then, you know, coming back — T-West scoring on that ﬁrst drive, tying it up and then ultimately going into the half up 21-14. That was just a huge momentum shift. It was awesome.” At the time, it seemed a paramount moment in Frazier’s future. What followed on Saturday made that 4-yard touchdown seem rather routine. Starter Peter Athens, a senior whom Frazier will more than likely replace next fall, went down with a shoulder injury at the end of the ﬁrst half and wouldn’t return. Frazier took over with the Tigers clinging to a 21-14 lead that would dissolve

into a 31-21 deﬁcit. Then, with 95 seconds remaining, Frazier and the offense took over at their own 29 needing a touchdown to punch their ticket to Frisco, Texas, site of the national championship game on Jan. 4. Down the ﬁeld they marched before the Gaithersburg native logged the most momentous touchdown of his career, a 1-yard plunge to win 35-31 and earn a date with two-time defending champion North Dakota

State. “I just take it day by day and try to do what the coaches ask of me,” Frazier said. “I haven’t really thought about next year at all. ... We want to make a run at this national title and we deﬁnitely can so I haven’t really thought about that at all. I’m just in this moment now.” For fellow Montgomeryraised teammate, James Oboh, a Sherwood graduate, this moment is the only moment left in the

waning days of a decorated football career. Throughout the years, the tight end has closed each phase of his football life with a championship — Pop-Warner in eighth grade, states in 12th grade — and this is will be his only shot at pulling off a rare perfect sweep. “Over the past two years, the only team that has beaten us is ourselves,” Oboh said.

and has scored 25 goals while allowing 16. Leading the way is a pair of Rockville students in senior captains Lucas Flavell and Steven Nagiel. “I wasn’t really expecting things to go like this,” said Flavell, who has scored three goals and assisted two more this season. “Based on what we have, I think we’ve definitely done a lot better than, personally, I thought we would.” Because Gifford’s squad lost so many players when Richard Montgomery branched out on its own, there were concerns over the defensive and goaltending depth. And while Rockville/ Magruder certainly is still a more offensive-minded team — it has scored six or more goals in all but one game — the defense has improved dramatically since the start of the season. “I thought we would have lost a lot more talent,” Nagiel said. “We did lose a couple of key players, but our goalie [Gregory Walzer] stepped up and everyone’s playing as hard as they can. We’re deﬁnitely a different team.” In forming that new identity — a chance not every team has from offseason to offseason — Rockville/Magruder has received massive contributions from Flavell’s younger brother, Justin. The talented defender has six goals and one assist to lead the team with seven points

while five other players have scored three or more times. “I knew we’d do well and we’d be playing in high scoring games,” Gifford said. “We’re not so much a high-flying team, but we’ve been playing a lot of puck control. We’re getting to a lot of loose pucks and not allowing the other team to play in our defensive zone.” Gifford said he has also been pleasantly surprised with how the roster, which includes 11 Rockville players, five private school skaters and four athletes from Magruder, has come together despite losing so much from last season’s 9-4 team. Gifford said the junior varsity team, however, does still include players from Richard Montgomery to maintain the bond between the schools. “It’s definitely been a learning experience, but it’s really been a lot of fun,” Gifford said. As the season progresses Nagiel believes the team can become stronger. His ultimate hope for his final high school season is not only to make the playoffs, but to stay there this time. “I think everyone has the same goal,” he said. “Making the playoffs is the first goal, but also going deep in the playoffs. Everyone wants to win and the biggest thing for our team is to just keep believing in ourselves.” ncammarota@gazette.net

ncammarota@gazette.net

tmewhirter@gazette.nettme

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Einstein brings in familiar face Recruiters notice BY ERIC GOLDWEIN STAFF WRITER

Neal Owens had trouble staying away from football after stepping down as Richard Montgomery High School’s coach in 2012. He was so eager to remain connected to the sport that, in an unofﬁcial role while working at Albert Einstein, he would break down ﬁlm for the Titans football team. So when Einstein coach Jermaine Howell resigned in November, Owens could not resist the opportunity to get back in the game. Friday,theschoolannounced thatOwenswilltakeoverascoach of the football program. “When I resigned, I thought I was going to be done for a while,” Owens said. “... I’m really excited for the opportunity.” Owens, 42, grew up in Rockville and resides in Kensington, less than a mile away from the school. The father of four is in his second year with Einstein as a paraeducator and will maintain that position while coaching the team. “He really has a good vision for what he wants to do with the

program,” Einstein athletic director Patrick Belott said. “... He’s an Einstein guy.” Owens wants to continue the progress that the program has made over the past half-decade. Howell, his predecessor, resigned after a 4-5 season andfinished 1415 in his three-year tenure. “Our number one goal is to consistently be the top team in the Downcounty Consortium,” Owens said. The last time Einstein made the postseason was 1998, when Owens was an offensive line coach under the late Ed Ashwell. “I’ve seen winning can happen at Einstein,” Owens said. The school will benefit from having a coach that works at the school, Belott said. “Our kids, they really need a coach who is going to not just be with them during practice time and during game time, but who can reach out to them during the day. To be kind of a father-figure in some ways,” Belott said. Owens said he is looking forward to being around the student-athletes during and after the school day. “Being at the building is going to be such an advantage,” Owens said. Owens coached at Richard Montgomery for three seasons, raising the team’s record from 0-10 to 5-5 to 6-4. He stepped down from the position after the

2012 season, then telling The Gazette “It was made clear to me that [the] school wanted to go in a different direction. So, I just took the cue and resigned.” Varsity football coaches receive a $5,712 stipend and the four assistants receive a total of $4,942, according to the Montgomery County Education Association. Einstein has not made any ﬁnal decisions regarding the four assistant coaching positions, Belott said.

Congress pays tribute to Northwest’s football state championship team On Dec. 6, the Northwest HighSchoolfootballteamcapped off an outstanding season with a victory in the Maryland Class 4A state championship game. Now, it’s on the record. On Thursday, Rep. John Delaney (D-Dist. 6) of Potomac submitted a statement to the Congressional Record honoring coach Mike Neubeiser and the Jaguars for giving Montgomery County its ﬁrst state football title since 2008. Northwest (12-2) started the season 6-2 and won its ﬁnal six games, defeating Suitland 33-16 in the championship at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. “This improbable turn-

G’burg lineman at annual Crab Bowl

FILE PHOTO

Neal Owens is Albert Einstein High School’s new football coach. He previously coached at Richard Montgomery.

around proves that even when faced with adversity, coach Neubeiser and his staff can inspire these young adults to accomplish great things,” Delaney’s statement said. “Thanks to his leadership, Northwest student-athletes have excelled both on the field and in the classroom. I wish the Northwest Jaguars the best of luck next season as they defend their title.” The Congressional Record is an official record of the U.S. Congress’ proceedings and debates. A certificate and copy of the record will be sent to Neubeiser and the team. “I’m very grateful that Congressman Delaney took the time to mention our team and our accomplishments this year. It’s a great honor,” Neubeiser said. egoldwein@gazette.net

Sherwood grad shines at Shippensburg Sargent has broken three women’s swimming records in just over one season

BY JENNIFER BEEKMAN STAFF WRITER

Former Sherwood High School swimmer Rikki Sargent might define racing differently than some of her peers. When the Shippensburg (Pa.) University sophomore gets up onto the starting blocks, her initial thought is not necessarily to destroy the athletes next to her, she said. It’s more of an internal, personal drive thing. “I don’t know, I think sometimesmaybemycoachwouldlike me to have more of that [beat the person next to you] attitude, but I told him, I just don’t,” Sargent said. “Some people go out there and they’re like, ‘I’m going to win this race and I have to beat the people next to me. I more do it for myself. I am a competitor and I want to do well but I don’t look at the person next to me and think, ‘I want to beat them.’ I want to do something I’ve trained to do.” It makes sense; Sargent is incredibly driven, not just in the wa-

ter but as a psychology student in Shippensburg’s honors program. Her way of thinking has proven to work just fine. As the butterflier turned breaststroker and now individual medley swimmer awaited the start of the 200-yard individual medley on the first day of the Patriot Invitational, hosted by George Mason University on Nov. 21, Sargent’s mind reflected on the hours of work she had put in to improve her backstroke and become more proficient in the event. The taxing dry land workouts improved her strength and conditioning and she did whatever it took to notch as many points as she could for her beloved Raiders teammates. The result was a six-second drop from her previous personal best time and a new Shippensburg program all-time record. Sargent had never previously broken the 2 minute, 12 second barrier. She finished in 2:06.69, besting the school’s record by nearly two seconds. It was Sargent’s third overall Raiders record; she initially broke the 100and 200-yard breastroke marks as a freshman, but continues to lower her school-record times. The most recent drop in the lat-

ter came in a first-place finish at Ithaca College’s Bomber Invitational Dec. 8. “Rikki has done some tremendous things, especially early this year,” 15th-year Shippensburg coach Tim Verge said. “I’m not surprised, she works harder than anyone. That 200 IM at George Mason is one that really turned my head. It was just really a tremendous swim. That’s another thing to put in the repertoire, so to speak. She can just really do a lot of great things and we’re lucky to have her.” Sargent arrived at Shippensburg a year ago with about as good a foundation as a college coach could ask for having shared a coach with University of Texas freshman Jack Conger, among other nationally-ranked swimmers. Training alongside athletes of that caliber, Sargent said, helped her feel like she was ready for just about anything. While Sargent certainly held her own in one of the nation’s strongest areas for high school swimming — she scored 27 points with top 10 finishes in both 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard breaststroke at the 2012 Washington Metropolitan Interscholastic Swimming and Diving Champi-

onships — it was also easy to get lost in a sea of more recognizable names. “When I was looking at colleges, I wanted to be somewhere where I could make a difference,” Sargent said. “I ﬁnaled at Metros, but I was never up there like, ‘Rikki got this many points for her team.’ I wanted to be able to do that in college. But I also wanted to be able to push myself and really compete.” The times Sargent is posting these days are marks she’d initially set as college goals. She’s since altered that list of aspirations to include bigger achievements like qualifying for NCAAs and has her sights set on Shipppensburg’s 400-yard individual medley record, both feats Verge said she is completely capable of meeting. Those are the types of things that motivate Sargent in the water, not the person next to her. “I think racing is just kind of going out there and I’m going to leave it all in the water,” Sargent said. “I’m just going to put everything I have into this swim. It’s two minutes, leave it all in the water.” jbeekman@gazette.net

Taylor gave up week of basketball to prepare for Maryland Crab Bowl

BY JENNIFER BEEKMAN STAFF WRITER

Gaithersburg High School senior defensive lineman Avery Taylor thought he had played his final high school football game in the Trojans’ Class 4A West Region semifinal loss to Northwest on Nov. 15. He traded in his football pads for basketball shorts and began his work on the court for what promises to be Gaithersburg’s best season in recent years — the Trojans have scored 80 points or more in each of its games in a 5-0 start (as of Monday). Then Taylor, who said he has long had his sights set on playing Division I college basketball, got the call, that there was one more chance for him to suit up and represent Gaithersburg on the football field. Saturday’s appearance in the sixth annual Maryland Crab Bowl held at McDaniel College in WestminstergaveTayloronemoremajor opportunity to showcase his talent in front of college recruiters. “I just love football, I just love the game and couldn’t live without it,” Taylor said. “I feel like [the Crab Bowl had] a lot of college coaches and have me more exposed to them, they could see what I can do against real good players, see what I can do to fix my mistakes.” Making the transition back to football was easy, Taylor said; he uses a lot of his speed and strength on the hardwood. But convincing Trojans coach Tom Sheahin to allow him to miss a week of practice and games was another story. It didn’t take too much convincing, Taylor said. “It was harder to get my coach to sway around but his nephew played quarterback in the Crab Bowl so it was pretty easy,” Taylor said. “He understood that it was a good opportunity for me.” Saturday’s senior all-star game pitted some of Maryland’s best student-athletes as chosen by coaches in a draft format, against one another in a game in which Washington, D.C. area teams competed against players from Baltimore and Baltimore City. The Washington team, for which Taylor played defensive tackle, won 30-21, avenging just its second loss in the game’s six-year history, and claiming its fourth victory. It’s hard to stand out in a group of all stars but Taylor did just that. Midway through the second

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Former Richard Montgomery football coach Neal Owens hired by Titans n

BILL RYAN/THE GAZETTE

Gaithersburg High School senior defensive lineman Avery Taylor during Saturday’s Crab Bowl.

quarter, just after Washington had regained the lead, 21-14, Taylor came up with a key sack on Westminster quarterback Duke Etchison for an eight-yard loss, stifling what was shaping up to be a dangerous Baltimore series. “You always think you can do better, but I’m happy with my performance [Saturday],” Taylor said. “Not everyone gets the chance to get a sack in an all-star game.” Taylor and the Washington defense came up big in the second half as well, keeping Baltimore’s offense fairly quiet in a game that typically features high scoring numbers. “On the defensive side, everyone was really aggressive and made plays,” Bishop McNamara’s Jordan Crockett said, also commending Taylor’s play in particular. For all the strength Taylor has in his 6-foot-1, 230-pound frame, he is also quite quick-footed. He is aggressive in breaking through to opposing backfields but is also quite adept at disrupting the pass game. He led a defense that only surrendered an average of two touchdowns per game and Gaithersburg made its first postseason appearance this fall since 2010. Saturday was a major step forward, holding his own against many future Division I athletes in a college type game, Taylor said. The atmosphere, he added, is one he could get used to. “I want to go somewhere down south, a good football area, I want a lot of fan base and stuff like that,” Taylor said. “I look forward to having a lot of good people around me. [Saturday] was a huge stone. ... I feel real confident that I held my own in a game like that.” jbeekman@gazette.net

MOVIE REVIEW

RON RETURNS

‘Anchorman’ sequel expands on the humor, running time and crassness of the ﬁrst ﬁlm.

The Gazette’s Guide to

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Arts & Entertainment

www.gazette.net

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

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Ballroom dancers and dancers from Austria’s Ballet St. Pölten will perform at the annual Salute to Vienna concert on Sunday at the Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda. BARRY RODEN

Treasured tradition

Music from Vienna returns to Strathmore on Sunday BY

VIRGINIA TERHUNE STAFF WRITER

IMAGINATION STAGE FAVORITE RETURNS n

AQUARIUM n When: To Jan. 26, see website for speciﬁc show dates and times

As a boy growing up in Michigan, Brian Cheney learned to play several different instruments before he discovered singing in the high school chorus. Fascinated with the idea of using his own voice as an instrument, Cheney is today a tenor who performs in operas, operettas and concerts all over the country. This year he will be singing two arias from Viennese operettas during the annual Salute to Vienna New Year’s Concert at the Music Center at Strathmore on Sunday afternoon. “It’s a real tribute to the Viennese operetta art form — the music is just glorious,”

See TRADITION, Page B-9

n Where: Imagination Stage, 4908 Auburn Ave., Bethesda n Tickets: $10-$12, with a $5 lap seat for children under 12 months

Ring in the New Year!

n For information: 301-2801660, imaginationstage.org

Food, drink, music and fun all in store for end-of-the-year frivolity n

WILL C. FRANKLIN STAFF WRITER

“A

CARA HEDGEPETH STAFF WRITER

quarium,” the interactive live performance, has returned to Imagination Stage for a fourth time. The show, which is a part of “My First Imagination Stage,” a program aimed at children aged 1 to 5, is playing now through Jan. 26. Originally developed with Lyngo Theatre Company based in the U.K., “Aquarium” ﬁrst debuted at Imagi-

nation Stage in 2011 and was remounted later that same year before returning again in 2012. Actor Phillip Reid reprises his role of Jack, a man living on an island after being shipwrecked. He shares the part with actor Adi Stein, A Washington, D.C., native, Reid graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2009 with a degree in theater. He auditioned for Imagination Stage in 2010 and has done about seven shows with them since.

See AQUARIUM, Page B-9

“Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! …” Every year, the countdown starts like clockwork. Ten seconds until midnight, people around the world prepare to ring in the new year — whether it be with champagne and kisses or sitting at home watching the big ball drop in Times Square. Just after screaming “one!” is when the magic happens. It’s a new year. Thoughts of a better 365 days are mufﬂed by refrains of “Auld Lang Syne” and noisemakers. Just in case folks in the area decide they’d like to celebrate outside of their homes this year, there are plenty of ways to enjoy the last moments of 2013. In Montgomery County, music and dancing await New Year’s Eve revelers.

See NEW YEAR, Page B-9

THE GAZETTE

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Wednesday, December 25, 2013 r

Shall we? PHOTO HODGES USRY

Singer-songwriter Corey Smith will bring his Movin’ On Up tour to the Fillmore Silver Spring on Thursday, Dec. 26.

Movin’ on up

Paolo Montalban (as The King) and Eileen Ward (as Anna) in Olney Theatre Center’s production of “The King and I.”

STAN BAROUH

Extended by popular demand, audiences can continue to get to know Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The King and I,” now running to Jan. 12 at the Olney Theatre Center. The Tony Award-winning musical, known for its immortal contributions to the show tune songbook such as “Shall We Dance?” and “Hello, Young Lovers,” follows the relationship between the King of Siam and the British school teacher he hires to modernize his country. For more information, visit www.olneytheatre.org.

Ghost of a chance

‘Reindeer’ games The ﬁlm “White Reindeer” will screen at 9:20 p.m. Thursday at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring. The solitary presentation

“A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas,” starring Paul

PAUL MORELLA

Paul Morella plays 45 characters in his one-man show “A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas” at the Olney Theatre Center through Dec. 29. The script is based almost entirely on Dickens’ classic 1843 novella.

Morella in a one-man revisiting of Charles Dickens’ classic, closes its run this weekend at the Olney Theatre Center. Adapted from Dickens’ original novella and reading tour, Morella’s solo version transports audiences back to Victorian England and into the heart of the redemptive tale. For more information, visit www.olneytheatre.org.

Country music singer Corey Smith will stop by the Fillmore Silver Spring on his Movin’ On Up Tour at 8 p.m Thursday. Hailed as one of country music’s hottest new artists by both Country Weekly and Music Row Magazine, Smith has sold more than 1 million tickets and performed more than 1,000 shows with openers such as Zac Brown Band and Florida Georgia Line. The Georgia native released his latest album, “Ain’t Going Out Tonight,” in October. Country duo and brothers The Railers will open for Smith. Tickets are $20. For more information call 301-960-9999 or visit www.ﬁllmoresilverspring.com.

Suzanne (Anna Margaret Hollyman) looks at Christmas trees in “White Reindeer.”

IFC

will also feature special guests director Zach Clark and cinematographer Daryl Pittman. Christmas time is looking swell for pretty, unassuming realestate-agent Suzanne Barrington (Anna Margaret Hollyman): she just sold a house to a nice swinger couple; her weatherman husband Jeff scored a sweet new job; and her favorite holiday is quickly approaching. After a sudden tragedy takes Jeff away, Suzanne is left lost and lonely. Even worse, a friend of his confesses a secret: there’s another woman. Her name’s Fantasia and she works at the “girl club.” In their grief, the two women form an awkward but meaningful friendship. Pushing away the ghosts of Christmas present, Suzanne falls into Fantasia’s world of dance parties, shoplifting and substances. But maybe that’s not what Suzanne’s looking for either. For more information, visit www.aﬁ.com/silver.

T H E G AZ ET T E

Wednesday, December 25, 2013 r

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AT THE MOVIES

‘Anchorman’ sequel expands on humor, running time and crassness BY

MICHAEL PHILLIPS

CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Maybe if I liked the first “Anchorman” a little less, I’d like “Anchorman 2” a little more. Still, I laughed. Louder and crasser than the 2004 original, though God knows the first one had its share of jokes ending with phrases like “massive erection” or “smelly pirate hooker,” director and co-writer Adam McKay’s sequel nonetheless offers a fair number of idiotic rewards. Some wander in from far-left field: Ron Burgundy bottle-feeding a shark, for example. Other bits come wrapped, smartly, inside the rich, mahoganyscented complexities and contradictions of the world’s most narcissistic news reader. In “Anchorman 2,” Will Ferrell seems to be playing around with variations on the unctuous, clueless, preening Burgundy persona. Though the character’s more of an abrasive boor this time — nearly everyone on screen is — you appreciate the effort to experiment, if that’s the word for a big-budget comedy saddled with high financial expectations and the world’s most omnivorous marketing campaign. Ferrell’s deadpan (and unprintable) response to Greg Kinnear’s line, “Ron, do you even know what ‘psychology’ is?” is a thing of unexpected beauty. In an entirely different key, Burgundy’s hostile, thundering incompetence after losing his sight suggests both King Lear and Gloucester. Or it would if Shakespeare had written a tragedy about an anchorman whose hubris costs him his ability to read a teleprompter. Loose and blithely inventive, “Anchorman” the first had a lot going for it, beginning with medium-low expectations and an ensemble of almost su-

ANCHORMAN 2: THE LEGEND CONTINUES n 2 1/2 stars n PG-13; 119 minutes n Cast: Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, David Koechner, Paul Rudd, Kristin Wiig, Christina Applegate, Meagan Good, Judah Nelson n Directed by Adam McKay

pernatural comic breadth and ability. Everyone was on the verge of stardom, it seemed. Now, a lot of them are stars for real. Steve Carell’s back as the brickthick weathercaster, here very wisely matched up with a new character of similar IQ, emotional intelligence and straight-faced invention. She’s played by Kristen Wiig, first seen staring, uncomprehendingly, at a push-button phone in the bustling offices of GNN, a newfangled 24-hour news network in Manhattan. The time is 1980 or thereabouts. A lot of the jokes riffing on “Ghostbusters” and the like push “Anchorman 2” further into the ’80s, but this isn’t The History Channel. For the record, in the sequel’s epic followup to the anchorman melee of the first film, The History Channel is well represented by a famous actor, one of many recruited for this sequence. That scene works, though it does come late in a nearly two-hour picture, 20 or so minutes longer than the first. The old gang’s back, including sports analyst Champ Kind (David Koechner) and investigative horndog Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd). Meagan Good plays Burgundy’s GNN overseer and new love interest, and here we come to an interesting question of

PHOTO BY GEMMA LAMANA

(From left) Will Ferrell is Ron Burgundy and Christina Applegate is Veronica Corningstone in “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.” tone-deafness. When does a comedy cross the line separating the depiction of boorish/sexist/racist/homophobic/ whatever behavior and the tacit endorsement thereof? In “Anchorman 2” there’s a weirdly unfunny sequence when Good’s character takes Burgundy home for dinner and Burgundy can’t stop with the jive talk, and the longer it goes on — and the more McKay clunks it up with reaction shots — the less it clicks. The script sets up a challenge for itself: What if Burgundy is thrown into a ﬁt of pique almost immediately? Right

off, Burgundy is ﬁred while his nowwife and co-anchor, Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate), ascends to national news. Burgundy takes the development poorly, leaving the family, moving back to San Diego to work, unsuccessfully, at Sea World. The movie’s about two things: how Burgundy sparks a trash-TV revolution in televised news, and how he makes his family — including a preteen son (Judah Nelson) — whole again. Now and then, “Anchorman 2” takes a stab at satiric commentary about the current state of cable news.

Burgundy scores a success in his graveyard 2 a.m. shift when he transforms, essentially, into Sean Hannity, signing off his reports with: “Don’t just have a great night. … Have an American night.” The movie goes only so far in this direction, but McKay and Ferrell have always believed in a rangy sort of comedy, high, medium and low, all smooshed together. “Anchorman 2” isn’t much, compared with the more compact and nimble “Anchorman 1.” All the same, I’ll take it over such tidy soul-suckers as “We’re the Millers” or “Identity Thief.”

‘Hustle’ populated with unforgettable characters MICHAEL PHILLIPS CHICAGO TRIBUNE

My favorite minute of movie this year comes early in David O. Russell’s “American Hustle.” Christian Bale’s character, the con man Irving Rosenfeld, based on the real-life Abscam linchpin Mel Weinberg, is riding high: His small-time investment scams, conducted with his wily mistress (played by Amy Adams), keep growing more profitable, and they’re falling in love. Backed by the great Broadway finger-snapper “I’ve Got Your Number,” Bale and Adams dance their way across a Manhattan intersection and, after a perfect cut, into a hotel ballroom where vocalist Jack Jones and a jazz combo are swinging. So few directors today know how to move a camera around; Russell is one of them. The whole movie, a feast of ensemble wiles and stunning hair, is juicy, funny and alive. It sets its tone of blithe truthiness at the beginning, as the words flash on screen: “Some of this actually happened.” Coming off “The Fighter” and “Silver Linings Playbook,” director and co-writer Russell treats the 1970s Abscam sting operation, and the schlump at its center as a pivot point for a spacious ensemble comedy — tonefunny and atmosphere-funny, not punch line-funny. Abscam was the FBI’s post-Watergate feel-good project, resulting in convictions of a U.S. senator, members of the U.S. House of Representatives and a slew of influence peddlers. “American Hustle” cares little for sorting out the particulars of Abscam. No model of narrative form, the film zigs and zags, chasing after many different characters. And that sprawl, the rogue’s gallery of strays, cheaters and deceivers, activates the film rather than deflates it. The Abscam morass, which I could barely track (I’m an idiot) even on a second viewing, takes a back seat to the machinations of the characters played by Bale and Adams, and by Bradley Cooper, who co-stars as an egotistical FBI agent who nabs Rosenfeld and then goes into the entrapment business with him, while falling for his colleague. The triangle is really a quadrangle; Jennifer Lawrence is formidably, unpredictably volatile as Rosenfeld’s wife, an unreliable mess with a preteen son. “I thought you were mysterious, like my mother!” Rosenfeld complains, breathlessly, in their first scene together. “Until it turned it out mysterious meant depressed, hard to reach!” Nobody’s satisfied for long in “American Hustle,” which car-

AMERICAN HUSTLE n 4 stars n R; 138 minutes n Cast: Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Jeremy Renner, Robert De Niro, Michael Pena n Directed by David O. Russell

ried a more direct and familyunfriendly word in its title back when screenwriter Eric Warren Singer’s script was making the rounds in Hollywood. (He retains primary screen credit.) As Rosenfeld juggles his two lives and two women, he and Richie DiMaso (Cooper) bait the hook to nab, among other midlevel politicians, the backslapping, casino-backing mayor of Camden, N.J., portrayed as a sympathetic scapegoat by Jeremy Renner. Abscam was an entrapment dilly, though many — including Russell — question the lengths to which the FBI went in order to catch a few governmental payroll hands in a few cookie jars. These are not especially glamorous figures, though they’re all stars in their own minds, and by their own careful presentation. Bale is introduced at the mirror, in a room at the Plaza, in 1978, fastidiously applying a toupee to one of the 20th century’s epic comb overs. At one point, Rosenfeld and DiMaso (who’s constantly arguing budgets with his hapless overseer, played by Louis C.K.) set up a meeting between an aging Sam Giancana type, interested in

Atlantic City gaming prospects, and a fake Arab sheik, the alleged backer. A near-mute Michael Pena plays the sheik, who’s really a Mexican-American FBI agent posing as an Arab. Robert De Niro plays the mobster, and when the miniscam threatens to fall apart and turn violent, “American Hustle” in turn threatens, with sly effectiveness, to turn into a very different movie. It’s a testament to Russell’s way with actors: Just when you think you never want to see De Niro play another mobster, he comes through, with understated impact. Some, I suspect, will be frustrated by the movie’s disinterest in jacking up the suspense artiﬁcially throughout. “American Hustle” takes it easy. The coda feels soft, and the picture, probably to a fault, is forgiving toward Rosenfeld, who remains somewhat opaque. Bale’s characterization is impressive in its externals — the gained weight,

the hunchy posture — but sometimes lacking in interpretive ease. Then again, this is a guy who lies and steals for his supper. He lives in a state of justiﬁable paranoia. So much has been made already of “American Hustle’s” surface resemblance to Martin Scorsese’s “GoodFellas,” but Russell absorbs certain visual and musical influences from Scorsese while going his own merry way. The soundtrack covers everything from Duke Ellington to “A Horse With No Name”; cinematographer Linus Sandgren displays an unerring knack for slightly rancid ’70s chic. The actors strut through it all with supreme conﬁdence. But as the lyric from “I’ve Got Your Number” indicates, it’s the false fronts and neuroses and insecurities that keep these peacocks interesting, and make “American Hustle” one of the year’s slyest entertainments.

1912480

w No ing! w Sho F.

Scott Fitzgerald Theater

603 Edmonston Dr. Rockville, MD 20851

240-314-8690

www.rockvillemd.gov/theatre Rockville Little Theatre Presents

An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestly

The family is celebrating when a mysterious inspector comes to call. It becomes clear that they are implicated in a young women’s death. Join us for an exciting whodunnit that will keep you guessing to the very end.

Jan. 24 and 25 at 8 p.m. Jan. 26 at 2 p.m.

$18 to $16

1912161

134540G

1912168

THE GAZETTE

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Wednesday, December 25, 2013 s

See you in the ‘Summertime’ at the National Theatre n

‘Porgy and Bess’ adaptation begins four-day run at the National Theatre BY

CARA HEDGEPETH STAFF WRITER

In 1936, as “Porgy and Bess” prepared to end its first tour at Washington, D.C.’s National Theatre, the original Porgy, actor Todd Duncan, and Anne Brown, the original Bess, led their cast in a strike. They refused to perform until theater management lifted its segregation policy. “Porgy and Bess” eventually became the ﬁrst show to play for an integrated audience at the National Theatre. Starting Christmas Day, “The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess,” an adaptation of the original production, returns to the National Theatre for a four-day run as a part of its national tour. “It’s a really exciting stop because of the signiﬁcance of the theater in relation to our production,” said actress Cicily Daniels. “ … Being in the theater where such an important moment happened is very exciting and historic … That’ll be really special.” The National Theatre stop will also be special for Daniels for another reason. The D.C. run is a homecoming for the Wootton High School graduate.

“I’m so excited,” Daniels said. “People have started to contact me already to let me know when they’re coming … I’m very proud to be in such a wonderful production and have family and friends from my whole lifetime — from all the schools I went — to [come] … I’m so proud they’ll be able to come see this production at the National Theatre.” In addition to acting in Wootton’s mainstage productions, Daniels also sang in the school’s choir and the choir at her church growing up. Dancing since she was 3 years old, Daniels said she really fell in love with theater when she started doing musicals. “I also love straight theater but I think there’s something really special about musicals and allowing song to be part of your interpretive expression of your character,” she said. After high school, Daniels earned a degree in theater from Yale University and moved to New York City where she’s appeared in several shows on Broadway including Disney’s “The Little Mermaid.” She’s also made appearances in television shows such as “Ugly Betty” and “Boardwalk Empire.” Daniels was chosen to join the touring cast of “Porgy and Bess” as one of the women of Catfish Row, the fictional community in South Carolina where the show takes place. “Porgy and Bess” first premiered as

an opera in 1935. It is based on DuBose Heyward’s novel “Porgy” and play by the same name. Though adapted several times before, this latest incarnation was first presented by the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Mass. It was adapted specifically for Broadway and directed by Tony Award-winner Diane Paulus, with book adapted by Suzan-Lori Parks, and music adapted by Diedre Murray. Paulus is directing the touring production, as well. The musical, which features wellknown songs such as “Summertime” and “It Ain’t Necessarily So,” tells the story of Bess, a woman trying to escape her painful past and the only man who can help her do so: the brave Porgy. While in the operatic version of the show the men and women of Catfish Row typically included a chorus of upwards of 30 people, the musical adaptation features just five women and seven men. “When you’re dealing with [fewer people,] you have a big job,” Daniels said. “The community of Catfish Row is a very tight-knit community in part because they’re representing the world of South Carolina at a time when it was segregated. The only interaction [between blacks and whites] you see on stage is with the Caucasian police officers and detectives. Because of the segregation, they’ve kind of had to form their own community.”

THE GERSHWINS’ PORGY AND BESS n When: Dec. 25-29, see website for speciﬁc dates and times n Where: The National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington, D.C. n Tickets: $48-$93 n For information: 202-628-6161, thenationaldc.com

Due to the show’s historical context, Daniels said she feels a responsibility to bring as much authenticity to her role as possible. To help her and the other actors do so, a dialect coach was brought in to help them master a South Carolina accent. But Daniels said some of the role’s genuineness comes from connection she feels with her character while on stage. “You have an emotional kind of reaction on stage as an actor in the moment,” she said. “The way the African-American community would have interacted with Caucasians … was very scary at the time because of how the laws were.” Beyond its historical signiﬁcance, Daniels said she’s honored to be a part of the “Porgy and Bess” production because of its importance in American culture.

CICILY DANIELS

Wootton High School graduate and actor Cicily Daniels is a member of “The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess” national tour. The show has a four-day run at the National Theater starting on Christmas Day.

“It’s such an iconic American experience,” Daniels said. “ … There are so many standards from the American musical repertoire that are also from this show, like ‘It Ain’t Necessarily So,’ and the list goes on … It’s such a wonderful opportunity to be able to sing music of this caliber.” chedgepeth@gazette.net

IN THE ARTS DANCES Hollywood Ballroom, Dec. 25, Christmas Night Dance, 7-11 p.m. ($16); Dec. 26, Jan. 2, Tea Dance from 12:30-3:30 p.m. ($6), Dec. 27, drop in-lessons from 7:30-9 p.m., West Coast Swing Dancing with Dance Jam Productions at 9 p.m. ($15); Dec. 28, Latin NIght with Mr. Mambo, workshops from 8-10 p.m., dance from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. ($18 for workshop and dance, $15 for dance only); Dec. 29, free Cha Cha lesson at 7 p.m., Social Ballroom Dance at 8 p.m. ($16); Dec. 31, New Year’s Dinner and Dance, 7:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. (midnight champagne toast, entertainment, $100 to Dec. 30; $125 on Dec. 31), 2126 Industrial Highway, Silver Spring, 301-326-1181, www.hollywoodballroomdc.com

Glen Echo Park is at 7300 MacArthur Blvd. Blues, Capital Blues: Thurs-

days, 8:15 p.m. beginner lesson, 9-11:30 p.m. dancing to DJs, Glen Echo Park’s Spanish Ballroom Annex, $8, www.capitalblues.org. Contra, Dec. 27, Bob Isaacs with Perpetual e-Motion, 7:30 p.m. lesson, 8:30 p.m. dance, Glen Echo Park Spanish Ballroom, $10, www. fridaynightdance.org. Contra & Square, Dec. 29, Anna Rain with Perpetual eMotion, 7:30 p.m., Glen Echo Park Spanish Ballroom, $12 for general, $9 for members, $5 for students, www.fsgw.org. English Country, Jan. 1, Caller: Michael Barraclough, 8 p.m., Glen Echo Town Hall (upstairs), www. fsgw.org. Now and Then Dance Studio,

Saturday ballroom dances, second and fourth Saturdays, beginner group lesson at 8 p.m., open dancing at 9 p.m., $10 cash at door (all men admitted at halfprice throughout October), 10111 Darnestown Road, Rockville. 301424-0007, www.nowandthendancestudios.com. Scottish Country Dancing, 8-10 p.m. Mondays, steps and formations taught. No experience, partner necessary, T-39 Building on NIH campus, Wisconsin Avenue and South Drive, Bethesda, 240505-0339. Swing, TBA, lesson at 8 p.m., dancing at 9 p.m., Glen Echo Park, $15, www.ﬂyingfeet.org. Waltz, Dec. 29, Terpsichore, 2:453:30 p.m. lesson, 3:30-6 p.m., dance, $10, www.waltztimedances.org.

MUSIC & DANCE Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club, Jamison & Double O Soul, 8

p.m. Dec. 27; Freddy Cole’s Christmas Show, 8 p.m. Dec. 28; Christmas Jazz Brunch w/Freddy Cole, 11 a.m. Dec. 29; The Nighthawks: Back to Bethesda/Psychedelly, 8 p.m. Dec. 29; New Year’s Eve Party w/Harold Melvin’s Blue Notes, call for prices, 7719 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda. 240-330-4500, www. bethesdabluesjazz.com. BlackRock Center for the Arts, The 9 Songwriters Series, 8 p.m. Jan. 18, call for tickets, 12901 Town Commons Drive, Germantown. 301-528-2260, www.blackrockcenter.org.

Institute of Musical Traditions — Takoma Park, Genticorum, 7:30

p.m. Jan. 8, Takoma Park Commu-

nity Center, call for prices, times, Takoma Park Community Center, 7500 Maple Ave., Takoma Park, 301-960-3655, www.imtfolk.org.

Institute of Musical Traditions — Rockville, TBA, Saint Mark

Presbyterian Church, 10701 Old Georgetown Road, Rockville, call for prices, www.imtfolk.org. Strathmore, Afternoon/Specialty Teas, 1 p.m. Dec. 28; Salute to Vienna, 3 p.m. Dec. 29, call for venue, Locations: Mansion, 10701 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda; Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, 301-581-5100, www.strathmore. org.

ON STAGE Adventure Theatre, “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” to Dec.

30, call for prices, times, Adventure Theatre MTC, 7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo, 301-634-2270, www.adventuretheatre-mtc.org. Do or Die Mysteries, TBA, 6:30 p.m. buffet, 7:30 p.m. show, $47.50 buffet and show, Flanagan’s Harp and Fiddle, 4844 Cordell Ave., Bethesda, 443-422-3810, www. doordiemystery.com Imagination Stage, “Lyle the Crocodile,” to Jan. 10, call for prices, times, Imagination Stage, 4908 Auburn Ave., Bethesda, www. imaginationstage.org Olney Theatre Center, “The King and I,” to Jan. 12; “A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas,” to Dec. 29, call for prices, times, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, 301-924-3400, www.

See IN THE ARTS, Page B-9

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TRADITION

SALUTE TO VIENNA

Continued from Page B-5

PRESS JUNKIE PR

Popular reggae band Passaﬁre will ring in the new year with Slightly Stoopid at Fillmore Silver Spring.

NEW YEAR

Continued from Page B-5 The party starts off at 10 p.m. at the Fillmore Silver Spring. Reggae and fusion bands Slightly Stoopid and Passafire are set to perform in the standing-room-only event. A ticket, which costs $49.50, will get you in for a killer concert, as well as New Year’s Eve party favors. The show is suitable for all ages, but for those 21 and older, a complimentary champagne toast will help you ring in 2014. For more information, visit fillmoresilverspring.com or call 301-960-9999. Over in the Spanish Ballroom at Glen Echo Park, dancers can quite literally swing in the new year. The New Year’s Eve Swing Dance starts at 8 p.m. and goes on until 12:30 a.m. Tickets are $25 and the evening is suitable for the whole family. Swing bands Lady Luck and the Suicide Kings will perform throughout the night. Light refreshments will be served, but guests are encouraged to eat dinner beforehand. Of course, party favors will also be distributed. For more information, visit americanswing.org or dc.gottaswing.com. If a little jazz is something you’re craving, look no further than the Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club. The New Year’s Eve Party with Harold Melvin’s Blue Notes is an all-inclusive evening filled with good music, good food and good spirits.

For $150, patrons will receive, along with the night of music, a four-course dinner with dessert, two complimentary glasses of wine, beer or mixed drinks, a champagne toast at midnight and several party favors. As for attire, black tie is optional. For more information, visit bethesdabluesjazz.com or call 240-330-4500. In Prince George’s County, if you can’t find something to do, you’re not looking hard enough! The folks at the Gaylord National Resort are putting on a show. The Big Night DC New Year’s Eve Extravaganza will take place starting at 9 p.m. There are 15 themed areas — including Mardi Gras, Vegas casino and hip-hop, as well as open bars, food, dancing and music. The Redskin cheerleaders will also be in attendance. Tickets vary in price from $129.99 to $299.99, but the prices will go up the closer it gets to New Year’s Eve. For more information, visit bignightdc.com. One of many “official” New Year’s Eve balls will take place at La Fontaine Bleue in Lanham. The party kicks off at 8 p.m., featuring music by The X-Factor Band and a guest DJ. The event is being hosted by Courtney Hicks with Majic 102.3 Radio. Tickets are $50 plus tax per person, which includes a buffet dinner and champagne at midnight. There is also an open bar. For more information, call 301-731-4333. The Cocktail & Cufflinks New Year’s Eve Ball is set to start at 8 p.m. at the

Hampton Conference Center in Capitol Heights. Presented by All African Promotion, the night promises elegance, glitz, glamour and style. Light refreshments, hor d’oeuvres and more are followed by a champagne toast at midnight. Tickets for the event vary from $30 to $60. For more information, call 240-424-8800. Those venturing to Fairfax County will be able to listen to some great music leading into 2014. The folks at Jammin Java in Vienna are bringing Rocknoceros back for the seventh-annual New Year’s celebration. The award-winning group, popular with the youngsters in the area, will put on two shows at the venue — at 2 p.m. and again at 11 p.m. — so the whole family can enjoy the ﬁnal day of the year. Tickets for either show are $10 and the lobby bar will remain open after the show. For more information, visit jamminjava.com or call 703-2551566. The Seldom Scene — a popular jam band out of Bethesda — will be performing with The Stray Birds and Donna Ulisse at the Birchmere in Alexandria. Tickets for the show, which starts at 8 p.m., are $39.50. For more information, visit birchmere.com or call 703-549-7500. Whether you choose to celebrate with friends or stay at home, here’s hoping 2014 brings us all health and happiness. wfranklin@gazette.net

AQUARIUM

n When: 3 p.m. Sunday

said Cheney, who released his debut solo album, “Brian Cheney Tenor” in October. Returning to Strathmore for its 15th visit, Salute to Vienna this year features members of the Ballet St. Pölten from Austria, ballroom dancers in colorful costumes and an orchestra conducted by Christian Schulz from Vienna, who will also present Strauss waltzes and polkas. “Every number is a toe tapper,” said Cheney, adding that audiences can’t help but get swept up in the rhythms of the famous music that emerged from Vienna in the 1800s. Presented by Attila Glatz Concert Productions of Toronto, the Salute to Vienna shows are inspired by the annual Vienna Philharmonic concert on New Year’s Day. Glatz ﬁrst heard the concert over the radio growing up in Hungary when it was still under Soviet control. Today the concert is still broadcast around the world on radio, and now also on television. “They have a very long heritage,” said Cheney, about the tradition which started in 1939. After emigrating to Canada, Glatz started his Salute to Vienna productions in 1995 and today presents them in 22 cities in Canada and the United States. Every year there are different conductors and different casts with new soloists, ballet dancers and ballroom dancers, said Cheney. “Last year I sang in Calgary and Edmonton and it was standing room only,” he said. This year will be Cheney’s ﬁrst visit to Strathmore. He will be singing “Grüss mir mein Wien” (“Meet me in Vienna”) from the operetta “Countess Maritza” by Emmerich Kálmán, which premiered in Vienna in 1924. “It’s like an ode to the city of Vienna,” he said. He will also be singing “Dein ist mein ganzes Herz” (“You Are My Heart’s Delight”) from the romantic operetta “Land of Smiles” by Franz Lehár, which premiered in Vienna in 1923. “It’s all music that has you swaying back and forth in your

n Where: Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda n Tickets: $49-$95 n For information: 301581-5100, strathmore. org, salutetovienna.com, briancheneytenor.com

LESLIE HASSLER

Tenor Brian Cheney will perform two arias from the Viennese operettas “Countess Maritza” and “Land of Smiles” at the annual Salute to Vienna concert on Sunday at the Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda. He will also be performing duets with Bavarian-born soprano Monika Rebholz.

seat,” said Cheney. “Even if you don’t know the music, you’ve probably heard [pieces] of it.” In addition, Cheney will perform two duets with Bavarianborn soprano Monika Rebholz. One is “Mein lieber Schatz” (“My little treasure”) from “Countess Maritza.” The other is “Lippen schweigen” (“Lips are silent”) from Lehár’s operetta, “The Merry Widow,” which opened in Vienna in 1905. Also on the program are overtures, ballets, polkas and Strauss waltzes, including Johann Strauss Jr.’s “Wiener Bonbons” (“Vienna Sweets”). “It’s a wonderful way to bring in the New Year,” said Cheney. vterhune@gazette.net

Continued from Page B-5 “I fell in love with [Imagination Stage’s] mission and what they’re all about,” Reid said. “Aquarium” is interactive and requires the participation of the audience. Instead of a traditional stage setup, young audiences sit around the actors on a blue tarp. Throughout the course of the show, audiences are encouraged to use their imaginations to garden, build a sun in the sky and even take a nap, all leading up to the big finale; the reveal of an aquarium “They are right there in front of you,” Reid said. “When I first did [the show] it was definitely a little bit of a shock.” If Reid learned one thing from his previous appearance in “Aquarium,” and his work in children’s theater in general, it’s to expect the unexpected. “Whatever I think is going to happen probably won’t happen, and whatever I think won’t happen probably will happen,” Reid said. But it’s the interactive elements and unpredictable nature of the show that director Nick Vargas said help make “Aquarium” so visually appealing. “There’s a barrel of plastic lemons and each kid can help the actors hang it on the archway of the circle,” Vargas said. “It creates the sun to make the earth grow … it’s a really beautiful image of the sun.” Unlike Reid, this is Vargas’ first time working on “Aquarium.” “I haven’t been involved in productions in the past,” Vargas said. “That’s why it’s kind of exciting.” Part of the excitement is to

LAURA DICURCIO/ IMAGINATION STAGE

Actor Phillip Reid and director Nick Vargas in a rehearsal for the Imagination Stage production of “Aquarium.” working to reinvent the show, especially when it comes to the role of Jack. “Part of the fun is working with different actors to adapt it,” Vargas said. “The show is really interesting because it has clowning aspects to it. Each of the actors who plays Jack can bring their own thing to it.” Technically, there’s just one other character in “Aquarium,” a female named Calypso, played by Maggie Erwin. But Reid said the children in the audience serve as almost a third role. “[I] play off of them,” Reid said. “Students and kids enjoy it more when you pay off their reactions.” But the reactions of an au-

IN THE ARTS

Continued from Page B-8 olneytheatre.org.

The Puppet Co., “The Nutcracker,” to

Dec. 29; Tiny Tots @ 10, select Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, call for shows and show times, Puppet Co. Playhouse, Glen Echo Park’s North Arcade Building, 7300 MacArthur Blvd., $5, 301634-5380, www.thepuppetco.org. Round House Theatre, Bethesda, “Seminar,” Feb. 5 to March 4, 4545 East-

dience who range in age from 1 to 5 are never predictable; which can make staging a production a bit of a challenge. Luckily, though the show is supposed to run 35 minutes, Vargas is not too concerned about the timing of scenes or actors hitting their marks at precisely the right moment. “We don’t have a set time limit,” Vargas said. “We kind of tailor it to the speciﬁc audience.” “There will be times when I get lost in the kids’ faces because they’re in such wonderment that I have to be like, ‘Oh yeah, I’m doing a show,’” Reid added. “There’s a lot of improv that goes along with the show. Every show is pretty different.”

West Highway, Bethesda. 240-644-1100, www.roundhousetheatre.org. Round House Theatre, Silver Spring, “Meena’s Dream,” Jan. 8-14, call for show times, 8641 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, $15 for general admission, $10 for subscribers, patrons 30 and younger and seniors, 244-644-1100, www.roundhousetheatre.org. Silver Spring Stage, “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged),” to Jan. 10 to Feb. 1, Woodmoor Shopping Center, 10145 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, see website for show times, www.ssstage.org.

Despite the ﬂexibility, Vargas and his cast do have a strategy for when things start to get away from them. “We think about what are some key phrases we can use or tactful ways of getting them back to their seats,” Vargas said. Though “Aquarium” is returning to Imagination Stage, Vargas stressed that even audiences who have seen it before can expect something new. “We’re really excited for it to come back,” he said. “We’re hoping audiences are really excited to come see this new version.” chedgepeth@gazette.net

The Writer’s Center, TBA, 4508 Walsh Street, Bethesda, 301-654-8664, www.writer. org.

VISUAL ART Adah Rose Gallery, John James Anderson and Mei Mei Chang, to Dec. 28, 3766 Howard Ave., Kensington, 301-922-0162, www.adahrosegallery.com The Dennis and Phillip Ratner Museum, TBA, hours are 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Sundays, noon to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10001 Old Georgetown Road,

BARRY RODEN

Ballroom dancers and dancers from Austria’s Ballet St. Pölten will perform at the annual Salute to Vienna concert on Sunday at the Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda.

Bethesda. 301-897-1518. Gallery B, December Exhibition: Eric Garner, to Dec. 28, gallery hours are noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, 7700 Wisconsin Ave., Suite E. www.bethesda.org. Glenview Mansion, Rockville Art League Juried Members’ Show Varied Media, to Dec. 30, Rockville Civic Center Park, 503 Edmonston Drive, Rockville. www.rockvillemd.gov. Marin-Price Galleries, Small Treasures, to Jan. 3; March Avery, Jan. 4-28, 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday,

noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, 7022 Wisconsin Ave., 301-718-0622. VisArts, Michael Sellmeyer: “Paintings, Drawings, Prints, That Mostly Go Together,” to Jan. 12, Common Ground Gallery; Lauren Boilini: Rabid Habits, to Jan. 12, Gibbs Street Gallery,155 Gibbs St., Rockville, 301-315-8200, www.visartsatrockville.org. Washington Printmakers Gallery, “Land Lines,” Clare Winslow, to Dec. 29, Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, second ﬂoor, 8230 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, www. washingtonprintmakers.com.

Page B-10

THE GAZETTE

Wednesday, December 25, 2013 r

Page B-11

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Page B-12

Wednesday, December 25, 2013 r

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Careers 301-670-2500

class@gazette.net

Editorial Staff Supervisor/Reporter Comprint Military Publications has an immediate opening for a full-time, Editorial Staff Supervisor/Reporter in its Joint Base MyerHenderson Hall Virginia office. News writing background, InDesign knowledge, & digital camera familiarity, and experience supervising an editorial team a must. Familiarity with military a plus.

NURSING ASSISTANT

TRAINING IN JUST 4 WEEKS Now Enrolling for January 6th & February 3rd Classes

We offer a competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, pension, 401(k) and tuition reimbursement.

GAITHERSBURG CAMPUS MORNING STAR ACADEMY 101 Lakeforest Blvd, Suite 402 Gaithersburg, MD 20877 Call: 301-977-7393 www.mstarna.com

E-mail resume, writing samples and requirements to: jrives@dcmilitary.com

SILVER SPRING CAMPUS

GC3173

Office Personnel Admin

FT, landscape company, cust. service, phn coverage, office admin, sales support, database mng. Support routing, scheduling, and billing. Full Benefits. Req’d: HS Diploma, Proficient with EXCEL/MS Office Preferred: Community College, Spanish, Familiar with CLIPxe or any similar database. Fax resumes to: 301-229-5111 or email jobs@hugheslandscaping.com

Administrative Assistant Dental office is looking for Admin Asssitant. Part time, 20 hours a week. Must be English proficient. Call 301-916-8570

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

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

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

Geotechnical Engineer Perform preconstruction geotechnical engineering studies, analysis & planning under licensed engineer. Provide QC oversight of projects & prepare reports. Req. Master in Civil Engineering w/6mo exp. 40hr/wk. Resume EMC2, Inc 10110 Molecular Dr Ste 314, Rockville MD 20850

Follow your heart and your mind. Discover a rewarding career as a State Farm® agent. Help others in your community while building a business that will last. Imagine what you can build if you put your mind to it.

HEALTHCARE

BECOME A STATE FARM AGENT.

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

Position Location: Pentagram Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall 204 Lee Avenue Building 59, Room 116 Fort Myer VA 22211-1199 EOE

Ethar Darwish Agency Recruiter (301)620-6170 ethar.darwish.ngwn@statefarm.com

STATE FARM, BLOOMINGTON, IL, AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

DAY CARE ASST

FT position to assist a care giver at a small home child day care center in Kensington, Md. Must love children!! Pay is $13/hr, 8am-5pm. Will pay for CPR, first aid, SIDS training and a security check. Paid vacation and off all major holidays and MC School closings. See my website for details: Ondercare.com Contact Adrienne at: (301) 530-7980

Need to re-start your career?

HVAC SERVICE TECHS

Large commercial construction company is looking for experienced Bricklayers for the DC, MD, VA areas. Please call 301.937.0580, ext 266 & 280.

to advertise call 301.670.7100 or email class@gazette.net

Is Interior Decorating your Passion? Do you find yourself rearranging your friend’s furniture and accesories?

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.

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

Call 301-355-7205

Maintenance Technician

DESIGN CENTER

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

GC3175

Experience Required. Fax resume to 301-540-3447 or email kqueencovevillage@yahoo.com For more info call 301-540-1162

Must be friendly, have good computer skills, excellent phone skills, be a team player, flexible and willing to do a variety of tasks. Your job is to support our present patients and encourage new ones to join us. We will train. Salary, benefits and incentives. Email resume and salary requirements to: jobs@hearme. biz

Silver Spring

Work with the BEST!

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.

Treatment Foster Parents Needed Work from home!

Germantown, MD

10426 Fawcett Street Kensington, MD 20895

Real Estate

Foster Parents

Skilled Trades

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

FRONT OFFICE ASSISTANT

Career Training

Reputable company 44 yrs. servicing Mont./Fred. County. Excellent customer relations required. Year-round work, health coverage, 401K, paid leave. Exp preferred. Call 301-926-3253 or send resume to Careers@gaithersburgair.com

Construction/Bricklayers

PO97046.1

GC3226

Must R.S.V.P.

Call Bill Hennessy

GC3043

CARE XPERT ACADEMY 13321 New Hampshire Ave, Suite 205 MORNING & EVENING CLASSES Silver Spring, MD 20904 Call: 301-384-6011 www.cxana.com

salary

Pharmacy/ Phlebotomy Tech Trainees Needed Now

3 01-388-2626 301-388-2626

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

REGISTERED DIETITIAN

Seeking full performance Registered Dietitian to provide clinical nutritional care services to adolescent clients in Residential Treatment Center located in Rockville, Maryland, a State Agency under DHMH with full benefits. Duties to include performing nutritional assessments & education in accordance with individual treatment plans developed by health care professionals by health care facility standards and policies. Involves supervision of personnel engaged in food production and meal service. Full and/or Part-time; Salary negotiable based on experience. Must possess current license and registration from State of Maryland. Mail Resumes to: John L. Gildner RICA, Office of Human Resources, 15000 Broschart Road, Rockville, MD 20850; fax to: (301) 251-6815 or e-mail: demetra.swarr@maryland.gov Fair Practice Employer

Wednesday, December 25, 2013 r

Page B-13

Careers 301-670-2500

class@gazette.net

Retail

Merchandising Specialist ActionLink

To install and troubleshoot television, computer, digital camera, appliance, and other consumer electronics displays on retail sales floors.

Visit our website at www.actionlink.com/careers to complete an application! EOE/Drug-Free Workplace

Veterinary Assistant (PT) Relaxed working atmosphere. Experience not necessary, we will train you. If you have an aptitude to work with dogs & cats, email your resume to BonifantVeterinaryClinic @gmail.com or call us at 301-384-4101.

Page B-14

Wednesday, December 25, 2013 r

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

DARCARS VOLVO OF ROCKVILLE 2003 Volvo S60

#325103A, 2.4L, 76K miles, Automatic

7,480

2007 Jeep Wrangler

#325118A, 4WD, Manual, 111k Miles

14,480

15,980

#429003A,60.5kMiles, 1-Owner

2008 Ford Mustang GT

#326024A, Premium, M/T Car Coupe, 46K miles, 5 Speed

2013 VW Passat SE

11,480

14,480

2009 Ford EscapeHybrid

16,980

2010 Volvo XC60 3.2L

98 Toyota Camry LE #472117A, $$ 4 Speed Auto,

13,980

#438356A, 96K Miles, 4WD

2010 Chevrolet Malibu LTZ

#426021A, 6 Speed Auto, 37,6K Miles, Taupe Gray Metallic

2008 Land Rover LR2

2012 Nissan Versa S

#E0263, 32K Miles, 4 Speed Auto, 4 Door Coupe

WE’RE DECKING THE HALLS WITH GREAT DEAL SALES EVENT!

4-Door, Green Pearl

2009 Nissan Xterra X

#N110008, 62k Miles, 4WD, Sport Utility

15,480

Owner, 44k Miles

2008 Cadillac STS

18,480

26,980

#P8750, AWD, Electric Silver, Metallic, Certified

1995 Volvo 850

$5,980

#426026A, 62k Miles, 4 Speed Auto, Dark Green, 1-Owner......................

2012 Toyota Yaris

$11,480

2012 Hyundai Sonata LTD 2013 Honda Civic E-XL

#326082A, Navigation, 3K Mile, Crystal Black Pearl...............................

2006 Volvo V70

2012 Toyota Highlander

2012 Volkswagen Jetta

$12,480

$12,980

#E0278, 32K Mile, 6 Speed Auto, Gray Metallic.....................................

2008 Volvo S80

#P8842, 68k Miles, 3.2L, Blue Metallic....................................................

2009 Volvo XC90

$17,980

#P8834, 103k Miles, 1 Owner, Shadow Blue Metallic..............................

DARCARS

$34,980

VOLVO

DARCARS

1.888.824.9165 YOUR GOOD CREDIT RESTORED HERE

G558444

www.darcarsvolvo.com

G558446

14,800

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

miles, 4 Door, 1 Owner

18,800

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

15401 Frederick Rd, Rockville, MD

DARCARS

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

2011 Honda Civic LX........... $13,800 $13,800 2008 Toyota Tacoma............ $22,800 $22,800 #472123A, CVT Trans, 36K Miles, 1-Owner #465002A, 5 SpeedAuto, 49k Miles, 1-Owner

#327208A, 6 Speed Auto, Caspian Blue, Certified.................................

See what it’s like to love car buying.

10,800

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

$31,980

#P8825, 6 Speed Auto, Ice White, 4WD, 1-Owner, Certified...................

2012 Volvo XC60

18,800

08MercuryGrandMarquisLS $$

#472145A, 4 Speed Auto, Silver Metallic

2011 Hyundai Sonata GLS. . .. $13,800 $13,800 2011 Toyota Avalon............. $19,800 $19,800 #472077A, PZEV, 1-Owner, 44k Miles, Silver Metallic #478001A, 6 SpeedAuto, 4-Door, Silver Metallic, 1-Owner

$26,980

2011 Volvo XC60 T6

Hatchback Coupe

8,800

$12,500 2012 GMC Terrain SLE-1...... $19,800 $19,800 2012 Toyota Corolla LE........ $12,500 #470236A, 5 SpeedAuto, Nautical Blue, 1-Owner #460033A, 2WD, 6 SpeedAuto, 1-Owner, 45k Miles

$23,980

#429002B, 11,421K Miles........................................................................

2009 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ 4x4

16,800

12,800

Desert Sand Mica

$11,800 2009 Toyota Venza.............. $16,800 $16,800 2010 Scion XB................... $11,800 #P8786, 5 Speedf Manual, Series 7, 1-Owner #378091A, 6 SpeedAuto, 1-Owner, Blue Green

$20,480

#327217C, 63K Miles..............................................................................

11,800

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

2001 Lexus RX300............... $8,800 $8,800 2011 Honda Accord LX-P....... $16,800 $16,800 #470267A, 4 SpeedAuto, 4WD, Sport Utility, Black Onyx #472112A, 5 SpeedAuto, 39K miles, 1-Owner, Metallic Metal

$19,980

#N0276, 6 Speed Auto, 22.5K Miles, 1-Owner, Gray Metallic.................

#E0277, 42K Mile, 4 Speed Auto, Polar White........................................

#E0211a, 72k Miles, 2.5L, Black, Turbo w/ Park Assist...........................

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

47,980

9,800

10 Toyota Prius II $$

#P8874, CVT Trans, 1-Owner, 25k Miles

2013 Lincoln Navigator

#N0279, 17k Miles, 6 Speed Automatic, 1-Owner

Vintage Gold

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

17,480

9,800

09HyundaiVeracruzLTD $$

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

CERTIFIED #N0271, 8k Miles, Sunroof, 6-Speed Auto

7,800

07 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS 02 Toyota Highlander #462007V, #364333A, $$ $$ 4 Speed Auto, 4WD, 5 Speed Manual, 1

#N0270, 58K Miles, Navigation 6 Speed Auto

6,800

04 Honda Element EX #362045B, 4 Speed $ $ Auto, 1-Owner, 4WD

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 Your Car just got easier! Log on to

Gazette.Net/Autos to place your auto ad!

As low as 29.95! $

See what it’s like to love car buying

Wednesday, December 25, 2013 r

Page B-15

DARCARS NISSAN

CASH FOR CARS!

2006 CHEVY UPLANDER: 84K miles,

very good cond., MD Inspected, DVD/MP3, $4499 301-674-5011

Any Make, Model or Year. We Pay MORE! DONATE AUTOS, Running or Not. Sell TRUCKS, RV’S. Your Car or Truck TO- LUTHERAN MISDAY. Free Towing! SION SOCIETY. Instant Offer: Your donation helps 1-888-545-8647 local families with food, clothing, shelter. DONATE AUTOS, Tax deductible. TRUCKS, RV’S. MVA licensed. LUTHERAN MISLutheranMissionSociet SION SOCIETY. y.org 410-636-0123 or Your donation helps toll-free 1-877-737local families with 8567. food, clothing, shelter.

CARS/TRUCKS WANTED! Top

$$$$$ PAID! Running or Not, All Makes! Free Towing! We’re Local! 7 Days/Week. Call 1-800-959-8518

CA H

DARCARS

See what it’s like to love car buying. Sale Price: Nissan Rebate: NMAC Bonus Cash:

FOR CAR !

13,995

$14,995 -$500 -$500

SV Hatchback #11614 2 At This Price: VINS:370976, 370059

2013 NISSAN SENTRA S MSRP: $17,560

INSTANT CASH OFFER

Sale Price: NMAC Bonus Cash:

(301) 288-6009

2014 NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5 S MSRP: $23,640

30 Days

2007 VW Jetta #P8751A, Wolfsburg Edition, Leather, Sunroof, Manual

7,977

16,995

14,495

2012 Nissan Versa SV

10,977

2008 Nissan Altima 2.5S Coupe #346486A, Auto Transmission, Alloy Wheels, Sunroof

10,977

With Bluetooth, Rear View Monitor #13114 2 At This Price: VINS: 154860, 155602

2013MSRP: NISSAN ROGUE S$22,990 AWD $

W/ Bluetooth, #22213 2 At This Price: VINS: 142237, 141453

2014 NISSAN PATHFINDER S AWD MSRP: $31,495

$19,495 -$500 -$500

18,495

2008 Nissan Sentra #470005A, Automatic, 1-Owner

$26,995 -$1,000 -$1,000

24,995

$ G558447

10,977

#E0269, CVT Trans, Silver, 1-Owner

Sale Price: Nissan Rebate: NMAC Bonus Cash:

9,977

2009 Nissan Versa #341206A, 1.8L SL, 1-Owner, CVT Trans

$14,995 -$500

Sale Price: $19,495 Nissan Rebate: -$1,000 NMAC Bonus Cash: -$1,000 Nissan Holiday Bonus Cash: -$500

24/7 at Gazette.net

#12013 2 At This Price: VINS: 794572, 797330

Place Your Vehicle for Sale online

7,977

2003 Toyota Corolla CE #341252A, Automatic, Impulse Red, 4-Door

2014 NISSAN VERSA$17,115 NOTE MSRP:

Tax deductible. MVA licensed. LutheranMissionSociet y.org 410-636-0123 or DONATE YOUR toll-free 1-877-737CAR - Give hope to 8567. breast cancer families. ANY CAR ANY CONDITION DONATE YOUR Tax Deductible. Free Next-Day Towing. WE PAY TOP DOLLAR-FAST FREE PICKUP! CAR TO VETERSELL YOUR CAR TODAY! CALL NOW FOR AN ANS TODAY! Your $1000 Grocery/Restaurant vehical donation will Coupons. Call 7 help US Troops and days/week United support our Veterans! Breast Cancer Foun100% tax deductible dation 800-728-0801 Fast Free pickup! G558420 CALL 1-800-7090542.

2003 Nissan Altima S

#446030A, Auto, 4 Door, 1-Owner

10,977

2011 Kia Forte SX #447501A, Black Leather, Low Miles, 5-Door, 1-0wner

#25014 2 At This Price: VINS: 607679, 602755

DARCARS NISSAN of of ROCKVILLE ROCKVILLE 15911 Drive • • Rockville, Rockville, MD MD (at (at Rt. Rt. 355 355 across across from fromKing KingFarm) Farm) 15911 Indianola Indianola Drive www.DARCARSNISSAN.com 888.824.9166 •• www.DARCARSNISSAN.com

Prices include all rebates and incentives. NMAC Bonus Cash requires financing through NMAC with approved credit. Prices Pricestax, include rebates incentives. NMAC Bonusand Cash requires financing through NMAC with approved credit.with exclude tags, all freight (carsand $780, trucks $725-$995), $200 processing charge. *Lease payments are calculated Prices exclude tax,$200 tags,processing freight (cars $810,and trucks $200 processing charge. valid only onthrough listed tax, tags, freight, charge first$845-$995), payment dueand at signing, and are valid withPrices tier one approval VINS. See dealer for details. Offer expires 01/02/2014. NMAC. Prices valid only on listed VINS. See dealer for details. Offer expires 10/22/2012.

13,977

2012 Nissan Sentra #342035A, Navigation, Sunroof, 1-Owner

13,977

2013 Nissan Cargo Van #E0283, Auto, Low Miles, 1-Owner

19,577

www.DARCARSnissan.com DARCARS NISSAN of ROCKVILLE 15911 Indianola Drive • Rockville, MD (at Rt. 355 across from King Farm)

888.805.8235 • www.DARCARSNISSAN.com

BAD CREDIT - NO CREDIT - CALL TODAY!

in print and online

2014 NEW COROLLA LE

36 $

NEW2 AVAILABLE: 2014#470170, COROLLA LE 470229

2 AVAILABLE: #470255, 470006

129/mo.**

4 DR., 4 CYL., AUTO

15,690

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

NEW 2014 SCION XD 2 AVAILABLE: #453005, 453010

NEW 2014 VENZA 4X2 2 AVAILABLE: #474500, 474501

CHRISTMAS SALE!

24,590

4 CYL., AUTO

AFTER $500 REBATE

169/mo.**

4 CYL., 4 DR., AUTO

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

NEW 2014 CAMRY LE 2 AVAILABLE: #472075, 472063

36 Month Lease $

149/mo.**

4 DR., 4 CYL., AUTO

NEW 2014 CAMRY LE

2 AVAILABLE: #377728, 377730

16,990

AFTER $750 REBATE

2 AVAILABLE: #472122, 472190

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

4 CYL., AUTOMATIC

AFTER $500 REBATE

NEW 2013 PRIUS C II

20,790

DARCARS

MONTHS+

On 10 Toyota Models

See what it’s like to love car buying

18,990

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

G558445

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 12-31-13.

Page B-16

Wednesday, December 25, 2013 r

04 Dodge Intrepid SXT $5,450

06 Scion XB

#KP02860, AUTO, 3.5 V6, SUNROOF

03 Acura RSX

$8,988

#KP15597, AUTO, LEATHER, SUNROOF, LOW MILES

05 Cadillac STS

95 Toyota Camry..............................$2,295

05 Dodge Caravan...........................$6,990

97 Toyota Celica...............................$3,350

07 Buick Rendezvous CXL..............$6,988

#KP79784, 4 CYL, AUTO, AIR, PWR WINDOW/LOCKS “HANDYMAN” #KP34539A, AUTO, 4 CYL, AIR, SUNROOF, “HANDYMAN”

$12,995

12 Dodge Journey

#KP12424, V-6, QUAD SEATS, PWR SEATS, WINDOWS

#KP74228, V6, AUTO, PWR WINDOWS/LOCKS, LEATHER

MORE VEHICLES

06 Hyundai Azera..............................$11,588 #KP32254, AUTO, SUNROOF, LEATHER

13 Dodge Dart................................$18,470 11 Buick Regal CXL.......................$20,488

07 Honda Accord...........................$12,989

05 Suzuki Aerio...............................$4,945

04 Dodge RAM1500.........................$9,588

11 Honda Civic...............................$14,588

#DP05262A, AUTO, AIR, PWR WINDOWS/LOCKS

#KP40271, 20” CHROME WHEELS, HEMI ENGINE, LEATHER

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

#KP07213, LIKE NEW ONLY 12,000 MILES

10 Ford Fusion...............................$12,989

#KP32745, AUTO, SUNROOF, PWR WINDOWS/LOCKS

07 Dodge Magnum..........................$9,445 #KR95510, V6, CUSTOM WHEELS, PWR WINDOWS/LOCKS

$17,988

#KA21489, AUTO, V6, PWR WINDOWS/LOCKS

01 Saturn LW300.............................$3,988 #KP78808, AUTO, MD INSP, E-Z TERMS, LOWER THAN KBB PRICE

G558443

#KP57824, AIR, PWR WINDOWS/LOCKS

#KP48243, LOW MILES, SUNROOF, LEATHER SEATS

UNDER $10,995

$7,988

#KP32745, V6, LEATHER, MOONROOF

#KP16976, 4 CYL, AUTO, PWR WINDOWS/LOCKS

#KR73090, ONLY 3K MILES, LEATHER, SUNROOF, NAV #KP11537, TURBO, LEATHER, NAV

12 Hyundai Genesis.......................$22,997 #AR75862, LOADED, LEATHER AND MORE!