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The Gazette
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SILVER SPRING | TAKOMA PARK | BURTONSVILLE
DAILY UPDATES ONLINE www.gazette.net
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
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Incumbents keep seats About 119 16- and 17-year-olds registered to vote in Takoma Park n
BY
SARAH SCULLY STAFF WRITER
TOM FEDOR/THE GAZETTE
As expected, every incumbent from Wards 1 through 6 and the mayor was re-elected in the Takoma Park city elections Tuesday, according to preliminary results announced by city election judges Tuesday night. Mayor Bruce Williams will keep his office, as will Councilmembers Seth Grimes of Ward 1, Tim Male of Ward 2, Kay Daniels-Cohen of Ward 3, Terry Seamens of Ward 4, Jarrett Smith of Ward 5, and Fred Schultz of Ward 6. Election judges estimated that about 1,130 residents voted in the election out of more than 11,300 registered voters as of Tuesday afternoon. The final voter turn-out rate was 11 percent after votes were counted Tuesday night. Sixty-three residents registered on election day, including 28 16- and 17-year-olds. Overall at least 119 16- and 17-year-olds registered, including day-of registrants and those who registered before Oct. 23. This was the first election under the new law allowing the younger teens to vote, making Takoma Park the first city in the country to allow residents younger than 18 to vote. Write-in candidate for mayor Elizabeth Wallace received a portion of the 123 write-in votes for mayor, but judges did not say how many. “I’m really proud of myself,” said Wallace,
Losing $11 in monthly food stamp benefits represents “three days’ worth of food,” says Byron Kelly, who lost his job in February and cares for his mother in their apartment in the Aspen Hill area of Silver Spring.
Food stamp cuts hit the needy n
Federal stimulus program ended Friday BY
SYLVIA CARIGNAN STAFF WRITER
As federal stimulus money dries up, thousands of hungry Montgomery County residents are scrambling to make ends meet. An expansion of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program meant to cover individuals and families during the Great Recession expired Friday. In 2009, President Barack Obama’s stimulus package included a temporary increase in funding for food stamps. All households that receive federal food stamps will now see about a 5 percent cut this month.
The maximum amount of SNAP funding an individual could receive per month was $200. But as of Nov. 1, that maximum is $189. For a household of two people, the maximum funding level, $367, fell by $20. And for a family of eight, $65 is cut, leaving them with a maximum allowance of $1,137, according to Brian Schleter, spokesman for the state’s Department of Human Resources. Jenna Umbriac, a nutrition educator at Manna Food Center, said the cuts in SNAP funding mean participants will have to make difficult decisions about their food budget. Since protein is often the most expensive food item on a shopping list, meats like chicken and beef are going to be the first items a cash-strapped resident will cut out of their diet. “It just means a bigger pot of rice and beans
on the stove, or something else that lasts longer,” Umbriac said. Individuals and families tend to show up at Manna for food assistance toward the end of the month as their SNAP funding and other resources begin to run dry. About 70,500 people are participating in the SNAP program in Montgomery County as of September, Schleter said. In 2007, that number was less than 25,000. SNAP participants must meet income and deduction requirements to be eligible for the program. Across the state, 795,795 Maryland residents have enrolled in the food stamp program as of September, said Kate Sam, Maryland Food Bank spokeswoman.
Plan would apply to new contracts and renewals in Montgomery BY
RYAN MARSHALL STAFF WRITER
After talking with workers during recent strikes at two garbage-collection companies, Montgomery County Council President Nancy Navarro is preparing a bill
NEWS
RECIPE FOR CHANGE Forum focuses on healthful food in Montgomery County Public Schools.
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requiring many county contractors to provide affordable health insurance to their employees. Navarro (D-Dist. 4) of Silver Spring sent a memorandum to other council members on Oct. 30 asking them to consider signing on as co-sponsors. The bill would amend the county’s living wage law that requires companies that have contracts with the county to pay at least $13.95 an hour.
The change would require county contractors to provide affordable health insurance for employees who work on county contracts for more than 30 hours per week and who make less than twice the living wage. Navarro is also looking at possible legislation to grant preferences to companies bidding on a county contract if they already provide affordable benefits to their employees. Both bills would apply to new
SPORTS
THIS YEAR, IT’S ABOUT THE RUNNERS Saturday’s state crosscountry meet focuses on runners, not hills.
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Lessons learned in Piney Branch apartment fire n
Four tenants robbed after blaze destroyed multifamily complex BY
ALINE BARROS STAFF WRITER
contracts, as well as existing contracts that are renewed, according to the letter. Workers at Potomac Disposal in Gaithersburg reached an agreement with the company on Oct. 28 after a 10-day strike. The agreement provides a pay increase, one holiday, and paid sick and vacation days for workers. The two sides weren’t able to agree on a
After a fire at their apartment complex displaced them from their homes, four victims were also robbed of some of the only possessions they could salvage. According to police reports, three residents of the Park Forest Apartments in the 9300 block of Piney Branch Road in Silver Spring had their burned-out apartments burglarized after the Aug. 27 fire while another was a victim of theft. The fire, ignited by an electric socket near a bed that sparked a mattress, displaced 100 residents on Aug. 27. Officials said damage was estimated at $1 million for the building and $500,000 to the contents. Montgomery County officials, nonprofit organizations representatives, and faith-based community organizations attended a meeting Oct. 30 to examine the effectiveness of responders during and after the fire at the Forest Park apartment complex. All victims have found housing, but some had been victimized a second time. According to a police report, Kenita Sullivan used to live in apartment T13. She stated that she went back to her apartment on Aug. 31 and
See INSURANCE, Page A-12
See FIRE, Page A-12
See CUTS, Page A-12
Bill would require affordable health insurance n
See INCUMBENTS, Page A-12
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