NEW LOOK Developer chosen for police station makeover. A-4
NEWS: Appeals board says no to gas pumps at Westfield Wheaton Costco. A-3
The Gazette
SILVER SPRING | TAKOMA PARK | WHEATON | BURTONSVILLE DA I LY U P DAT E S AT G A Z E T T E . N E T
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
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Silver Spring man receives Gold Medal Among first black servicemen in U.S. Marine Corps
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BY
KEVIN JAMES SHAY STAFF WRITER
Three years ago, Robert F. Owens Sr. missed out on being awarded the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor. He and other Montford Point Marines were among the first black soldiers to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II. On Saturday, Owens received his medal and accolades during a special ceremony at Leisure World in Silver Spring, where he lives. Representatives from the National Montford Point Marine Association and the office of U.S. Rep. Christopher Van Hollen Jr. (D-Dist. 8) of Kensington honored him in a community room as family members and friends watched. Owens, 88, thanked his children, particularly Barbara Banks, and the Montford association for making the special day possible. “It’s overwhelming to get this,” he said. Three years ago, Owens said he was in the process of moving and didn’t get word of the special U.S. Capitol ceremony, where some 370 Montford Point Marines received the highest civilian honor bestowed by Congress. Banks said she lobbied Congressional offices, the Montford association and “whoever else she could” to get her father the award. Marines such as Owens
opened the door for other black people to enter the branch, said Master Sgt. Erica L. James, southern regional vice president of the Montford association. “African-American men had to fight for the right to fight,” James said. “I owe everything I am to these men.” Some 20,000 men went to basic training at segregated Montford Point Camp in North Carolina between 1942 and 1949. The Congressional ceremony in 2012, for many, was the first major recognition of their service. Owens said he lied about his age to get a chance to serve in the war. “I told recruiters I was 18, but I was really 16,” he said. “This is my country. I feel, like many Americans, that when there is a call to serve, that’s what I want to do.” The segregated facilities were poor, but Owens said he got through it and ended up serving on the Pacific Ocean island of Guam, among other places. After returning to Atlantic City, N.J., where he grew up, following the war, he noticed some obvious disparities. “German soldiers were prisoners of war, but they got to travel first class,” Owens said. “We had to sit in the back of buses and go in the back of restaurants. That was disappointing.” But he lived through many changes, not the least of which was seeing a black man in the
See MEDAL, Page A-10
Interim superintendent said implementation going well; others have complaints BY
LINDSAY A. POWERS STAFF WRITER
As students and schools across Montgomery County Public Schools tackle new state tests, feedback has been a mixed bag.
Executive offers $5.1B budget plan n
Montgomery property tax rate would drop; employees would get 2 percent raise BY
KATE S. ALEXANDER STAFF WRITER
Montgomery County’s property tax rate could drop in the coming fiscal year, but assessed values could mean some homeowners pay a little more, according to County Executive Isiah Leggett’s proposed budget. Leggett (D) introduced his proposed $5.1 billion budget Monday, up 1.4 percent from the current year. The tax rate would drop about 1 cent for every $100 of assessed home value. “Although the gap was smaller than some challenges we’ve had in the past, this was a very challenging budget to put together,” he said. The county faced a $238 million budget shortfall
See LEGGETT, Page A-10
PHOTO BY KEVIN JAMES SHAY
Robert F. Owens Sr. displays the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor he was awarded on Saturday for being a Montford Point Marine, a group of black soldiers during World War II. The ceremony was at Leisure World in Silver Spring.
Initial state PARCC test reactions mixed n
SPORTS: Gazette previews high school baseball, softball, track, boys lacrosse. B-1
This is the first time the school system is fully implementing Partnership for Assessment of Readiness of College and Careers tests. Schools are following a state-dictated window of March 2 to 26. The first group of tests are “performance-based assessment” that are longer and more complicated than “end-of-year assessment” students will take this spring. Students in third through
eighth grades will take math and English language arts tests. High school students studying Algebra 1, Algebra 2 and English 10 will take corresponding tests. Some have talked about problems they’ve seen in this year’s rollout. Others have seen it as a smooth transition for the tests, which replace the Maryland School Assessments and some High School Assessments. Ananya Tadikonda, an eighth-
Blake players’ shirts lead to MCPS review Some criticized boys basketball team’s social stance n
BY
LINDSAY A. POWERS STAFF WRITER
grader at Clemente Middle School in Germantown, said Friday that she had not yet taken the tests, but most of her friends who had taken them thought they were “relatively easy.” While more difficult than the Maryland School Assessments, the tests were not as hard as they expected, she said. Ananya, the president of Montgomery County Junior Councils,
The Blake High School boys varsity basketball team agreed in February to shake up their warmup routine, wearing a now-iconic phrase on their shirts — “I Can’t Breathe.” As they prepared for a home game against Paint Branch High School, players from the Silver Spring school wore shirts with the words of Eric Garner, a black man who died after being put in a chokehold by police in New York City. The players’ decision, and reactions it elicited,
See PARCC, Page A-10
See SHIRTS, Page A-7
Lawmakers pushing for changes to public information law Under proposal, Md. would impose limit on fees, enforce compliance n
BY
RYAN MARSHALL STAFF WRITER
A bill sponsored by Montgomery County lawmakers would update the state’s law on access to public information. The bill is sponsored by Sen.
INDEX Automotive Business Calendar Classified Entertainment Obituaries Opinion Sports
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Jamie B. Raskin (D-Dist. 20) of Takoma Park and Del. Bonnie L. Cullison (D-Dist. 19) of Aspen Hill. Maryland’s Public Information Act was passed four decades ago, with no serious reform since
then, Raskin said Monday. Testimony on the bill revealed “radical variations” in what people are charged and how long it takes to get a response, he said. Raskin said the bill aims to simplify and improve the process of accessing public information. “Government by the people depends on the truth being available,” Raskin said. The bill also changes how local governments can charge for
copies when the request n Page A-12 is not for a commerical purpose. A “reasonable” fee would have to closely match the actual cost of making photocopies. Also, it would allow up to five hours of search time at no cost, instead of the current two hours. The bill would set up a fivemember board to analyze com-
See editorial
A&E B-11 A-11 A-2 B-8 B-4 A-10 A-12 B-1
STILL AS SWEET Homegrown star Maggie Rose takes to the stage at Bethesda Blues and Jazz.
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Volume 28, No. 9, Two sections, 28 Pages Copyright © 2015 The Gazette Please
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plaints that a local government or state agency charged an unreasonable fee of more than $250 for access to records. The board would include members representing custodians, which is a change since the bill was first introduced. Governments wanted to be represented on the board, which was a good idea, Raskin said. Under the Maryland Open Meetings Act, the state has a simi-
lar compliance board to consider complaints. That board’s authority is limited to advisory opinions. The PIA bill also would create an ombudsman to handle other issues, such as a custodian not responding in an appropriate time. The ombudsman could helping people narrow requests that may be overly broad. Governments wanted to be
See INFORMATION, Page A-7