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DANCE CARD
Comedian Engvall takes break from competition to stop by Strathmore. B-5
The Gazette SILVER SPRING | TAKOMA PARK | BURTONSVILLE
DAILY UPDATES ONLINE www.gazette.net
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
25 cents
Federal agencies in county closed
Music, food and fun
Hundreds likely furloughed in Montgomery in wake of government shutdown n
BY
KATE S. ALEXANDER AND KEVIN SHAY STAFF WRITERS
Thousands of federal jobs and employees call Montgomery County home, but many were not working Wednesday after Congress’ inability to compromise on the federal budget, shutting down most government operations. Exactly how many Montgomery County residents were forced to stay home was unclear, but most agencies in the county were slashing operations and mandating that most employees stay home. Employees who are furloughed are required to not work and will not receive pay. Montgomery is also home to many companies that contract with the government. Those companies could see employ-
TOM FEDOR/THE GAZETTE
Neighbors object to ‘fake house’ plan for substation Evanswood Citizens’ Association wants substation buried BY
ALINE BARROS STAFF WRITER
A proposal to disguise a power-converting substation for the Purple Line as a house isn’t fooling residents of the Seven Oaks Evanswood community. Maryland Transit Administration plans
to build a power-converting substation for the Purple Line rail system on the corner of Wayne Avenue and Cloverfield Road. The facility would be 50 feet by 14 feet, but transit officials said surrounding it by trees, and a wooden fence would blend the substation into the neighborhood, making it look like just another home. But residents of the area are concerned about the constant noise, and the potential lack of maintenance on such large unoccupied stand-alone structure called by many
See CLOSED, Page A-13
Starr recommends later high school start time
Brianne Rodriguez, 12, of Burtonsville participates in an activity set up by the Marilyn J. Praisner Community Recreation Center, where she attempts to remove all but the last card from a full deck from the top of a can by only blowing, during the Burtonsville Day festival on Saturday afternoon.
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ees furloughed and delays in contract bids and awards. Eighteen federal agencies and installations are in the county, including the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Energy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the National Institutes of Health. When Congress failed to pass legislation to fund the government Monday night in an impasse over the health care reform law, it triggered plans for agencies to halt all but essential operations. For the Silver Spring-based Food and Drug Administration, 45 percent of its 13,000-member work force was scheduled for furlough, spokesman Steven Immergut said. Most of those reporting to work Tuesday are paid with user fees, money outside the budget, he said. The last time the government shut down in 1996, employees were eventually repaid
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First bell would ring at 8:15 a.m.
BY
LINDSAY A. POWERS STAFF WRITER
a “fake house.” “That’s like the simple and least complicated way to hide [it],” said Anne Edwards, who lives a few doors down from the proposed Wayne Avenue substation. She said the area is saturated with singlefamily houses, a middle school and a senior living community. The Evanswood Citizens’ Association sent a letter to Montgomery County
See SUBSTATION, Page A-8
High school students in Montgomery County Public Schools may be one step closer to getting more time to sleep before they wake up for school. Superintendent Joshua P. Starr announced Tuesday his recommendation to move the start time for the school system’s high schools back 50 minutes, from 7:25 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. Starr is also recommending adding 30 minutes to the
elementary school day to match the length of the high school and middle school days, and moving middle schools’ start time 10 minutes earlier to 7:45 a.m. Start and end times would not change until the 2015-16 school year at the earliest, Starr said. Starr said at a press conference Tuesday that the school system will study the feasibility and practicality of his recommendation, partially through engaging students, families, staff and the community and partially through estimating costs. “We’ve heard from some
See START, Page A-13
New chapter looms in fight over required government ads in newspapers Sides disagree on most efficient ways Digital to get information to the public overnment n
The first in a two-part series
INSIDE n High-speed Internet access is available to more than nine of every 10 households in the county, making it one of the nation’s most connected communities. A-15
NEWS
SIDEWALK SOLUTIONS
BY
ANDREW SCHOTZ STAFF WRITER
Lawmakers and government groups are resuming a fight with media representatives over a requirement to buy newspaper advertisements. Known as “legal notices,” the ads are mandatory an-
nouncements of certain government proceedings, such as public hearings and zoning requests. They are a revenue source for newspapers and a longstanding way to inform the public. The main questions: Are these ads the best way to publicize government workings?
Should government bodies be forced to buy the ads? The Maryland Municipal League and the Maryland Association of Counties argue that the current legal-ad system is inefficient and wasteful; government bodies have better, cheaper ways to reach constituents. But the Maryland-DelawareD.C. Press Association, a media
SPORTS
SIZE DOESN’T MATTER
Raised bricks on Georgia Avenue sidewalks called a possible hazard.
Rockville High quarterback lacks traditional size, but is putting up impressive numbers.
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See ADS, Page A-15
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RECYCLE
DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE
Garrett Park’s official town bulletin board inside the Garrett Park post office.
FALL HOME SERVICES INSIDE
FOCUS ON LAWN & TREE SERVICES LOCAL JOBS INSIDE ADVERTISING INSIDE B SECTION
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