SILVER SPRING MURDER Man gets life in prison for killing best friend. A-3
SPORTS: Transfer student takes over at quarterback for the new-look Northwood. B-1
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, June 3, 2015
Senior facilities are still for sale
Police say affair fueled Takoma Park homicide
So long, Springbrook High
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Most residents have moved, according to spokesman
BY
See FOR SALE, Page A-10
A Takoma Park widow and her alleged lover were arraigned Monday and charged with murder in the Aug. 4, 2014, death of the woman’s husband, Cecil Brown. Co-defendants Larlane Pannell-Brown, 68, and Hussain Ali Zadeh, 49, both of Takoma Park, were arrested at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport on Thursday, according to a Takoma Park police department
news release. Zadeh was returning from Jamaica, and Brown was at the airport to pick him up, according to the release. A District Court judge on Monday set bail at $5 million for Pannell-Brown and set full-cash bail at $3 million for Zadeh, according to county State’s Attorney John McCarthy at a press conference after the hearing. Pannell-Brown and Zadeh each face charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, McCarthy said. Online court records did not list attorneys for the defendants as of Monday.
See HOMICIDE, Page A-10
Berliner seeks AG help on pesticides BY
KATE S. ALEXANDER STAFF WRITER
Following a Maryland attorney general’s office opinion that a proposed pesticide ban in Montgomery County could be preempted by state law if challenged in court, a councilman is seeking additional advice from the state. Councilman Roger Berliner, chairman of the Transportation Infrastructure Energy and Environment Committee, wrote Thursday to Attorney General Brian E. Frosh (D) asking for further guidance on the issue
(Above) Shaakira K. Pollard wipes a tear as her row of classmates gets ready to receive diplomas during the Springbrook High School commencement at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington on Monday. Adrianna Fotso was the student speaker and retired teacher Gary Frace gave a commencement address. There were 371 graduates. (Right) Myles K. Falden uses Snapchat as he walks to get his diploma. PHOTOS BY TOM FEDOR/THE GAZETTE
Children find a safe haven with Autism Ambassadors Mom hosts events exclusively for those with autism, family members n
BY
SAMANTHA SCHMIEDER STAFF WRITER
On Saturday evening, the Waterpark at Bohrer Park was buzzing with excitement and, most importantly, not an ounce of judgment as the Autism Ambassadors took over in Gaithersburg. “I started the events about eight years ago. At the time, I only knew about 15 families of children with autism,” said Whitney Ellenby,
— specifically if the county has the authority to take alternative actions. Council President George L. Leventhal proposed the ban, which would prohibit the use of “non-essential” pesticides on lawns, with some exceptions, such as for golf courses and farms. The ban has broad support among many environmental groups, but the county Farm Bureau is vehemently opposed and sought the attorney general’s office opinion through Del.
See PESTICIDES, Page A-10 Pape Gueye, 15, of Burtonsville splashed in the pool with his brother Cheikh, 11 (not shown) during an Autism Ambassadors event at Bohrer Park on Saturday in Gaithersburg.
of Bethesda, the organizer of Autism Ambassadors. She and her husband Keith Rueben have a 14-year-old son, Zack Reuben, who has autism, and a 9-year-old daughter, Cassie Reuben, who is “typically developing,” according to Ellenby. Ellenby explained that she wanted to put together activities solely for those with autism and their family members in order to provide stressfree, embarrassment-free events closed to the general public. She hosts events such as movie outings, inflatable parties and is always expanding. “It’s important for parents to have a safe place where they don’t have to apologize, they can be themselves,” Ellenby said. She explained
TOM FEDOR/ THE GAZETTE
See AUTISM, Page A-10
A&E
INDEX A&E Automotive Business Calendar Classified Obituaries Opinion Sports
VIRGINIA TERHUNE STAFF WRITER
KEVIN JAMES SHAY
Two Montgomery County assisted and independent living facilities are still being marketed for sale, while most residents have moved, according to an HCR ManorCare spokesman. In February, residents and family members were informed in letters that Springhouse of Silver Spring and Springhouse of Bethesda were closing and being shopped around by the centers’ property owner, HCP Inc., an Irvine, Calif.-based health care real estate investment trust. Toledo, Ohio-based HCR ManorCare manages and operates the Silver Spring and Bethesda facilities, among others. The letters gave June 1 as a closure date, though that was meant only as a target, according to HCR spokesman Rick Rump. “We do not yet have a buyer for the Bethesda and Silver Spring Springhouses, and there’s no way to have a closing date until that happens,” Rump wrote in an email on Friday. Michael Greenberg, a Silver Spring resident who helped his mother, Edith Greenberg, move into Springhouse last October from Rockville, said she moved to Aspenwood Senior Living Community in the Aspen Hill area in early April. Aspenwood, operated by Newton, Mass.-based Five Star Senior Living, is farther from Greenberg than Springhouse. But the costs and services are roughly the same, he said. “It seems OK so far,” Greenberg said. “A number of my mom’s friends from Springhouse moved [to Aspenwood], so that was a big reason why we chose that facility.” Numerous communities offered incentives to displaced Springhouse residents, creating a bit of a bidder’s market, he said. Aspenwood paid moving expenses and waived its standard move-in fee, Greenberg said. County officials also lobbied HCR to help displaced residents, which Greenberg figured was a key reason the company refunded his mom’s move-in fees of several thousand dollars to Springhouse from last October. The Silver Spring facility had 42 residents as of February,
Woman believed to have conspired with lover to kill husband BY
STAFF WRITER
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ONE LOVE Area actors perform in premiere of new Bob Marley musical in Baltimore.
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