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Thursday, November 21, 20133 The County Times

4 Local News

10 Crime12 Business

14 Letters

16 Education

18 Feature Story

23 Newsmaker

24 Obituaries

26 Community

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32 Community Calendar

34 Entertainment

35 Entertainment Calendar

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ThursdayNovember 21, 2013

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If not having someone tohelp with homework is the only thing

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LocalNEWS

Commissioners

Approve Zoning ChangesIn Town Centers

Economic DevelopmentCommissionApplication

Deadline Extended

By Guy LeonardStaff Writer

The Board of County Commission-ers approved two zoning text amendmentsTuesday that land use planners say willhelp break a virtual deadlock on develop-ment in town centers where levels of trafccongestion have prevented permits beingissued for certain projects.

One text amendment exempts non-residential site plans of less than 5,000

square feet from adequate public facilitiesrequirements, while the second allows de-velopers to mitigate trafc impacts in towncenters like Mechanicsville, Charlotte Halland New Market to the same standards asin large development districts like Lexing-ton Park and Leonardtown.

Four out of the ve commissionersvoted to approve both measures whileCommissioner Larry Jarboe (R-GoldenBeach) voted against them, saying hewanted to see a master plan for develop-ment in Charlotte Hall in place to guidegrowth before making any changes to thezoning ordinance.

The text amendments got the supportof developers and business owners alikein Charlotte Hall especially who want toeither build new projects or expand their

existing operations.

However, more than 100 residentfrom both Mechanicsville and CharlottHall signed a petition asking that commissioners reject the amendment that allowefor trafc improvements while acceptingthe rst with strict oversight of trafc impacts from smaller projects.

They warned of already congestedroadways and intersections and that furtheprojects would only generate more trafcthey argued that the current trafc situation at certain intersections does not meewith the countys own level of service requirements to allow further development.

Commissioner Dan Morris (R-Mechanicsville) who has publicly expressedwariness over development without a master plan in areas like Charlotte Hall votedfor the two measures after he received assurances that cur rent economic conditionessentially limited the amount of projectthat were in the development pipeline.

Department of Land Use and GrowthManagement Director Phil Shire said thathe text amendments would not solely benet developers with larger projects plannedbut smaller businesses who wanted to expand their operations.

These people arent inuenced bydevelopers, theyre businesses that provideservices, Shire said.

[email protected]

The original Nov. 15 deadline for individuals to apply forthe newly formed Economic Development Commission, has beenextended to Dec. 2 at 5 p.m.

The Board of County Commissioners authorized the estab-lishment of the St. Marys County Economic Development Com-mission (SMCEDC). The commission will guide the developmentand implementation of a comprehensive economic developmentstrategy intended to broaden the local economy. Individuals withrelevant experience are sought to serve on the SMCEDC.

The SMCEDC will be an appointed body, whose memberswill meet in public on a routine basis and will serve terms of threeyears. The Commission will be staffed by Countys Departmentof Economic and Community Development. Ideal candidates willhave private industry experience in technology transfer, defense,retail and service, workforce, tourism and agriculture develop-ment or related businesses. Individuals with extensive knowledgeabout growing and supporting entrepreneurship, who are willingto lend their expertise to the goal of transforming the Countyseconomy to support a wider income spectrum and greater di-versity of workforce skills and attributes, would be especiallywelcome.

Individuals interested in applying for appointment to theboard can download an application from the St. Marys CountyGovernment website at http://www.co.saint-marys.md.us/volun-tr/. All applications must include a resume.

For more information, contact Robin Finnacom, Acting Di-rector, St. Marys County Department of Economic and Commu-nity Development at 301-475-4200, ext. 1407.


The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA)has announced that it has withdrawn plans to institute whatthey termed the phosphorus management tool (PMT), aframework of regulations designed to further stem runoffof the element into the watershed due to the objections offarmers across the state.

While the state and its environmental analysts haveidentied phosphorous as one of the three major pollutantsin the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed, it is also a keyingredient in many fertilizers, natural and synthetic, usedby farmers.

It is also a critical nutrient for plant growth.The proposed rules would have pushed farmers to

further restrict the use of phosphorus rich fertilizers andmake a stricter accounting for the amounts they laid out ontheir farmsteads.

Local Soil Conservation District ofcials and farmcommunity leaders said that it boiled down to a questionof economics, which would have put farmers on the losing

side of the equation.Bruce Young the director for the local soil conserva-

tion agency said much of the opposition came from theEastern Shore where the poultry industry had its own heftysupply of chicken manure to act as a natural fertilizer.

Those fertilizers helped farmers with a less expen-sive way to boost crops but they were also not as measuredwhen it came to phosphorus amounts: synthetic fertilizerswere more expensive but farmers knew how much phos-phorus they were laying down.

Farmers must already submit a nutrient managementplan to the state for approval of when and how much fertil-izer they can use.

It [PMT] was going to be even more restrictive,Young told The County Times. There was enough outcrfrom around the state to pull it.

Jamie Raley, president of the St. Marys County FarmBureau, said farmers were not satised at the states contention that phosphorus was leaching into the waterwayafter decades of established scientic research showed became bonded to the soil at the molecular level.

That bonding meant that a eld rich in phosphorumight still not transfer the needed nutrient to plants, whicmeant that phosphorus-rich fertilizers were required.

Farmers havent been shown any scientic evidencfrom university researchers that supports the University oMarylands position, Raley said.

Had the PMT become required, the poultry industron the Eastern Shore might be endangered due to increasecosts, Raley said, and local farmers who produce corn ansoy beans for sale as chicken feed could have been imperiled as well.

The [Maryland Department of Agriculture] did thright thing by withdrawing it and taking it back to the studcommittee, Raley said. Its been forestalled but this wi

be back.State Secretary of Agriculture Earl Buddy Hanc

said the state would continue to pursue the measure.The OMalley-Brown administration remains com

mitted to adopting the PMT through rule making andeveloping an approach that further considers commentraised by policymakers and citizens alike, Hance said in

prepared statement. MDA is condent that the PMT scence is sound, based on 20 years of evolving federal anstate research to better understand soil phosphorous anmanaging risk of loss to our rivers and streams.

[email protected]

State WithdrawsPhosphorus Control Plans

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LocalNEWS


The Board of County Commis-sioners laid out their wish lists for capi-tal construction projects they wanted togive top priority to for the coming s-cal year, which include enhanced streetlighting for the Great Mills Road corri-dor and a rapid push to complete com-munication towers for the next genera-tion emergency responder radio system.

Commissioner Todd Morgan (R-Lexington Park) wanted to move a proj-

ect set in for scal 2016 back to upcom-ing scal 2015 that would put improvedlighting all along Great Mills Road fromnear St. Marys Shopping Center downto Great Mills High School.

He said the project could mirrorthe success of similar street lights putin place in the Colony Square commu-nity off Missouri Drive that had long

been plagued with criminal activity andblight.

The community is pleased and thepolice feel much better about going backthere, Morgan said.

The amount currently budgeted forthe project is $60,000.

Both Morgan and CommissionerDan Morris (R-Mechanicsville) wantedthe county to push ahead with complet-

ing the communications towers for theemergency radio system that countytechnology specialists have been busyclearing of operational glitches.

We need to get the towers in now,Morris said.

Morgan said the county could trya public/private partnership to get thetowers built at private industrys own ex-

pense and give them the ability to chargerents on using them.

That would go a long way to help-ing the community and getting tax re-lief, Morgan said.

Commissioner Larry Jarboe (R-Golden Beach) deviated from talk ofconstruction projects when he said hewould like to see if commissioners could

change the age of eligibility for the se-nior property tax cap from 70 to 65 andperhaps even abolish the energy tax.

One of two of those things Id liketo accomplish before leaving ofce, Jar-

boe said, who is term limited in 2014.Commissioner Cindy Jones said

the county needed to see if projectionsfor tax revenues could support such acut because such a change might not besustainable.

We may nd that 15 years downthe road we may not be able to afford it,Jones, of Valley Lee said. We need to becareful about tinkering with somethingwhen its not broken.

Morris disagreed saying seniorsneeded more tax relief.

It is broken, Morris said. We

need to attract seniors to come and livein St. Marys County.

[email protected]

Commissioners Start

Construction Budget Process

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Tuesday nights public hearing on a proposednew ordinance that would give the county legalgrounds to ght blighted properties showed no op-

position to the measure but one resident raised thequestion about how it would be enforced.

Under the proposed ordinance the new regu-lations that would make it easier for the county tocite property owners who let their structures orland become dilapidated, overgrown or trash in-fested would only apply to the Lexington Park andLeonardtown development districts.

Why is it only for two areas of the county?Sherry Daniels, treasurer of the Longview BeachClub Estates in Bushwood asked.

She said her community was dealing withblighted properties as well and the new rules couldbe just as useful there.

County Commissioner President FrancisJack Russell said that since the ordinance was indraft form the commissioners would still have theopportunity to change it.

Bill Scaraa, director of the St. MaryCounty Chamber of Commerce and member othe task force that came up with the recommendations for the ordinance said their original idea wato have the rules apply county-wide but the drafordinance prepared by the countys legal staff restricted its purview to the development districts.

That was not our doing, Scaraa said. Imight have been something to do with them noknowing whether the commissioners would havsupported it county-wide.

Scaraa said the task force did recommenthat the blight provisions not apply to propertiein the countys rural preservation district (RPD) oon farmland, the reason being that properties thawere not maintained were so far apart that they didnot effect adjacent property values.

You cant expect RPD properties or farmland to be held to the same standards as those inneighborhoods because they arent neighborhoods, Scaraa said.

[email protected]

MedStar St. Marys Hospitals Marketing and Public Relations Department earned nationally recognized Aster Awards and Healthcare Marketing Report awards for hospital publications and events.

The Pulse, the hospitals monthly internal newsletter for associates, earned the department an AsteGold Award in the publication series category. Winning a gold award in the single publication categorywas theHeart of Hospicerecipe book.A Century of Caring, the hospitals celebration of its 100 year anniversary, also earned a Gold Aster Award within the special events category.

In addition,Healthy Living, the hospitals quarterly community newsletter received a Bronze AsteAward. Approximately 100,000 Southern Maryland residents receive the publication that is intended toinform and educate the community about health and health services. The hospitals 2011 Nursing Annua

Report also captured a Bronze Aster Award.The Aster Award program is an elite competition recogniz

ing the nations most talented healthcare marketing professionalfor outstanding excellence in advertising. The 2013 contest wafor entries designed, printed and/or distributed the previous yeato be scored, judged and recognized for excellence in healthcarmarketing and advertising.

In addition to the Aster Award program, the hospital earnedawards from Healthcare Marketing Reports annual competitionwhich had more than 4,000 entries nationwide. The hospitals internal newsletter, The Pulse, and the 2011 Nursing Annual reporwere recognized with a received a Merit Award.

I am very proud of the work produced by the marketing team, said Holly Meyer, director of marketing, public relations and philanthropy. Our team consistently produces highlycreative, quality materials that share our hospitals mission andcommitment to excellence in our programs and services for thecommunity.

The Marketing, Public Relations and Philanthropy Department includes six associates in addition to Meyer Amanda Bowie, writer; Andrew Dziuban; philanthropy ofcer; Ruby Hawksgraphic designer; Jeni Irwin, project coordinator; Linda Laglewriter; and Nicki Strickland, graphic designer; plus longtimvolunteer, Lorena Goeller.

About MedStar St. Marys HospitalMedStar St. Marys Hospital is a full-service community hospital, delivering state-of-the-art emergency, acute inpatient and outpatient carin Leonardtown, Md. Nestled in a waterside community, MedStar St

Marys provides advanced technology with a dedication to excellence iall services provided. The hospital was recently named among the nations Top 100 Hospitals and is a seven time recipient of the prestigiou

Delmarva Medicare Excellence Award. Our staff is committed to providing quality and compassionate medical care for all patients by coupling

innovation with our outstanding team of Medical Staff members, associates and volunteers. Visit MedStarStMarys.org to learn more.

MedStar St. Marys HospitalWins National Marketing Honor

No Public Opposition ToBlight Ordinance

But Questions Remain

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LocalNEWS

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County Commissioner Dan Morris called on thecountys legal counsel to come up with options for dis-cussion among elected leaders that could change the waythe Metropolitan Commission (MetCom) does business,including whether the water and sewer agency should bebrought under the cont rol of the cou nty.

During the commissioner comment period at theboards regular Tuesday meeti ng, Morr is (R-Mechanic-sville) aired publicly his displeasure with how MetComoperates after attending that agencys board meetingNov. 14.

In a later interview Morris even said he wanted tond out if it was legally possible for the county to makeMetCom a department of county government.

If thats an option I think the board should look atit, Morris said.

At the meeting he said he witnessed wildly uctu-ating prices for critical water and sewer infrastructure

projects and voiced worries over MetComs burgeoningcapital construction debt, for which the county govern-ment lends its full faith and credit despite MetComs po-sition as an independent service provider set up by statelaw back in 1964.

Morris even wanted County Attorney George Spar-ling to investigate whether the county can audit Met-Coms nancial and business practices.

I was thoroughly disappointed, Morris said ofwhat he saw at MetComs board of directors meetinglast week.

The County Times recently publicized worries

from some of MetComs own board members who havebecome concerned that the utilitys costs of replaci ng

aging infrastructure are outpacing its ability to pay offthe debt.

MetComs own projections show that their capitalconstruction debt for scal 2014 will total up to $95.6million by the end of the year but by 2018 that gure w illmore than double to $192.3 million.

MetCom is currently saddled with an annual debtservice of $8.3 million to pay down the debt but thosepayments will also more than double in the next fouryears to $17.1 million if the projections hold.

By 2020 the annual debt service is projected toreach nearly $20 million, according to MetComs owngures.

Residential and commercial water and sewer ratesare also expected to increase incrementally over the nextseveral years.

Both Morris and some MetCom board membershave said they are worr ied that the agencys projectionson how much infrastructure will actually cost year to

year is virtually meaningless, with price tags rapidlyinating.

According to the scal 2014 draft capital construc -tion project plan the cost to replace a portion of theTown Creek water supply system was $2.4 million, near-ly doubling the last projection from the scal 2013 plan.

A project for Esperanza Farms, now slated to cost$2.65 million in scal 2014, was originally estimated at$1 million according to scal 2013 gures.

In St. Clements Shores a line replacement projectedto cost just $1 million in scal 2013 has ballooned to $5million this year.

Morris noted this particular projection as one tharaised an alarm.

David De Mauro, one of the MetCom board members concerned over the direction of the agency, said thedebt increases were a major problem.

He has said that debt projections show that the MetComs capital debt will outstrip the entire countys inseveral years.

I am very concerned about the debt, DeMaurosaid. Sooner or later the debt comes due, and then whahappens?

Commissioner Todd Morgan (R-Lexington Parksaid he had no interest in bringing MetCom under thecountys control.

[That] Im not going to agree with, Morgan saidThey have a board over there that we appointed to over-see their activities.

I dont think its the commissioners responsibility to take over MetComs day-to-day re sponsibilities. dont see why its a good idea.

Still, Morgan was also worried about the growing

MetCom debt situation, which he believed was exac-erbated by state requirements to upgrade the nutrientremoval systems of the countys main water and sewerplant with a $36 mill ion investment a s well as the needto repair crumbling infrastructure.

But Morgan questioned why MetComs estimatesfor completing other construction projects was off by asmuch as 500 percent in some cases.

I do have concerns about their budgets and theirdebts, Morgan said.

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LocalNEWS

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Ring in the holiday season on Friday, Nov. 29 from 5 to9 p.m. with Leonardtowns annual Christmas on the Squareand Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony held on WashingtonStreet in the Leonardtown Square.

Live entertainment starts at 5 p.m.. and includes holidaymusic, sleigh rides, horse & carriage rides, train rides, hayrides, re truck rides, a petting zoo, live nativity, face paint-ing, make-and-take crafts, festive decorations, food and muchmore! Stop by Mrs. Claus tent for stories and crafts, but makesure you are in the Square promptly at 7 p.m. for Santas arrivaland the lighting of the Town Christmas Tree!

Stage performances include Bella School of Music, Pin-ey Point Elementary School, Gracies Guys and Gals DanceTroupe, the Leonardtown Baptist Church Choir, and theBootscooters! Let the music put you in the holiday mood asyou browse the downtown merchants and art galleries that willremain open for your Christmas shopping needs.

Want to give back this holiday season? Bring a new, un-wrapped toy to donate to Toys for Tots through WinegardnerAutomotive, or support local charity fundraisers and rafes.Dont miss the drawing for the Cedar Lane $10,000 RafeWinner live on stage after Santas arrival. Tickets are $100each, with a maximum of 500 tickets being sold. You can

buy your ticket the night of the event, or beat the rush and call301-475-8966 or e-mail Beverly Stickles at [email protected] with your request and she will reserve a ticketfor you.

Youll also want to stop by the Winegardner Auto Show-room Christmas Festival sponsored by the Leonardtown Vol-unteer Rescue Squad Auxiliary. See the decorated trees and

wreaths, admire the electric train display, sign up for the silentauction, or buy a chance to win a wagon full of toys worth over$500! There will also be face-painting and grab bags for thekids.

This year many of the rides will board in front of Win-egardner Automotive and travel around the Historical Part ofTown, including Tudor Hall, The Old Jail Museum and the His-toric Courthouse Building. Enjoy time away from the crowdsand travel into the past with beautifully decorated buildings,luminaries and Christmas carolers. Groups interested in carol-ing should contact Maria Fleming at [email protected].

Several streets in the downtown Leonardtown Squarearea will be closed to thru trafc from 3 to 10 p.m. Specta-tors are encouraged to park at the College of Southern Mary -land and take the free shuttle bus service to the LeonardtownSquare, or park at Leonardtown Elementary School, St. MarysRyken High School, or other designated lots around Town andenjoy the beautifully decorated walk into Town Square!

Christmas on the Square is sponsored by the LeonardtownVolunteer Fire Department, the Leonardtown Business Asso-ciation and the Commissioners of Leonardtown, with gratitudeto their community nancial partners: Two Guys Auto Body,Winegardner Automotive, Quality Built Homes, MedStar St.Marys Hospital, PNC Bank, Burris Olde Towne Insurance,and the College of Southern Maryland. For further informa-tion, visit www.leonardtown.somd.com or call 301-475-9791.

Rain date: The rain date will consist of the Annual TreeLighting only on Saturday, Nov. 30 at 7 p.m.

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on theSquareChristmasNovember 29, 2013

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LocalNEWS

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County elected leaders have acted overthe past three years on two separate occasionsto exempt newly built homes from havingmandatory re sprinkler systems installed but

by 2015 the states mandate will override thecountys exemptions.

In 2010 the Board of County Commis-sioners specically exempted homes in theAmish and Mennonite communities from thesprinkler requirement as posited in the Interna-

tional Building Code which the state adheresto.

In 2012 the commissioners exemptednew homes with wells from having to havethem installed over the recommendations ofreghters who advocated the systems effec-tiveness in dousing blazes rapidly.

County director of Land Use and GrowthManagement Phil Shire conrmed Monday

that the new measure will affect all newlybuilt single family homes; even the Amishand Mennonite communities may be affected,he said.

So far there appear to be no exemp-tions, Shire said.

County Attorney George Sparling con-rmed the broad-reaching scope of the pend-ing state mandates.

That certainly is my understanding,Sparling said, adding the county will haveto comply with the new mandate on Jan. 1 of2015.

The county will no longer have any au-thority to change the laws on re sprinklers;itll be out of the countys hands at that point.

Sparling said that there also appears to beno state aid for homebuilders to offset the add-ed costs of installing the sprinkler systems.

[email protected]

Southern Maryland Electric Coopera-tive (SMECO) is warning its customer-mem-

bers about a scam involving prepaid GreenDot Visa and MasterCard debit cards. Call-ers claiming to represent SMECO have beencontacting customers and threatening to dis-connect their electric service. The caller tellsSMECO customers to make a payment by

purchasing a Green Dot debit card. They mayeven tell customers to purchase the card at alocal CVS store. Customers are then told tocall another phone number; when the custom-er gives the card information over the phone,the scam artist cashes in the monetary valueof the Green Dot card.

Customers who have received a phonecall from an unauthorized source may calltheir local law enforcement agency or the Fed-eral Trade Commission at 1-877-FTC-HELP.According to Tom Dennison, SMECOs gov-ernment and public affairs director, SMECO

has received a number of phone calls fromcustomers who have been targeted by thisscam. They said that SMECO appeared ontheir phones caller ID, so they thought thecall was legitimate.

SMECO has a set routine for collectingpayments from customers.

SMECO only calls customers who owea past due balance.

SMECO usually uses an automatedphone system with a recorded message; rarelywill SMECO employees make personal col-lection phone calls.

Collection calls are made about 10 daysbefore service is to be terminated.

SMECO does not require payment atthe time of the call.

SMECO does not make collection calls

or terminate service on weekends or holidays.

If service is going to be terminated, aSMECO collector will knock on the custom-

ers door before turning off service. SMECO collectors will accept credit

card payments, checks, or money orders, butthey do not accept cash.

Dennison added, We dont want ourcustomers to lose their hard-earned moneyto a scam artist. If customers receive a phonecall, and they are unsure about whether or notit is legitimate, they should hang up and callSMECO at 1-888-440-3311, any time, anyday. Customers should never provide nan-cial or account information to unauthorizedcallers.

SMECO is a customer-owned electriccooperative providing electricity to morethan 154,000 services in Charles County, St.

Marys County, southern Prince Georges

County, and all but the northeast portion ofCalvert County. Co-ops are distinctly dif-

ferent from investor-owned utilities becauseco-ops are owned by their customers, andcustomer-members elect the men and womenwho serve on the Board of Directors.

Co-ops also issue capital credits to theircustomer-members. What are capital cred-its? They are the members share of the co-ops margins, based on how much electricitythe member purchased and the rate at whichthe account was billed. SMECOs marginsrevenue less expensesare used as work-ing capital for new construction and systemimprovements. When SMECOs Board of

Directors determines that a percentage of thecapital credits can be distributed to membersthrough a general refund, capital credits willbe issued by check or credited to members

electric bills.

SMECO Warns Customers

about Green Dot Payment Scam

Fire SprinklerExemption To Expire

8/13/2019 2013-11-21 The County Times

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Fatal Pedestrian Accident

CSM Investigates Nov. 18Emergency Incident

St. Inigoes Murder TrialGoes Into Second Day

Cops &COURTS

Philip H. Dorsey III

Attorney at Law

- SERIOUS ACCIDENT, INJURY -

LEONARDTOWN: 301-475-5000

TOLL FREE: 1-800-660-3493

EMAIL: [email protected]

www.dorseylaw.net

Personal Injury

Wrongful Death

Auto/Truck Crashes

Pharmacy & Drug Injuries

Workers Compensation

Medical Malpractice


Jurors hearing the case of Joseph Wil-liam Medley III, the third defendant chargedwith the murder of Robert McDowney at hisSt. Inigoes home back in February, were setto hear closing arguments Wednesday afterhearing about a day-and-a-half of testimony.

Prosecutors allege that Medley, wholives in Great Mills, was the one who helpedplan the home invasion of McDowneysBeachville Road home in search of drugsand money.

Medleys two co-defendants, JamesKenneth Clay and Andre Bowman, both ofLaurel, have been convicted of rst-degreemurder and other charges in separate jurytrials already.

Prosecutors argued successfully thatClay was the trigger man in the armed rob-bery that turned into a shooting as Bow-man was busy searching the back of McD-owneys trailer for narcotics and cash.

Medley faced the same rst-degreemurder charge in court.

Prosecutors say that Clay and Bowman

met up with Medley in St. Marys Countyat a gas station where video surveillanceshowed the three of them together before theFeb. 7 break in.

In two previous trials Oshia Lewis, awitness for the prosecution, who drove Bow-man and Clay down to St. Marys Countyto meet with Medley that night, testiedshe did not know the men were planningon committing a robbery but continued totransport them because she was fr ightened.

Lewis also identied Bowman andClay as the men who entered McDowneyshome.

Prosecutors believe that Medley helpedthe other two men identify McDowney andhis home as their target though he did notaccompany them to the robbery.

Clay is currently serving a life sentencewhile Bowman is asking for a new trial.

A judge recently agreed to have po-lice to test other for other DNA on swabsin evidence that had not been previouslyexamined.

[email protected]

On Nov. 18 at approximately 7:55 p.m. deputies responded to the area of Three Notch Roadand New Market Turner Road for the report of a motor vehicle collision involving a pedestrianUpon arriving on the scene, deputies found a Ford F-150 on the shoulder of the roadway and pedestrian lying in the roadway being treated by Emergency Medical Personnel. The pedestriasuccumbed to his injuries while on scene and the request for reconstruction was made. Sheriffs Ofce Collision Reconstruction Team Members responded to the scene and assumed thinvestigation.

Preliminary investigation revealed Roland Philip Tucker, 52 of Mechanicsville, was attempting to cross the southbound lanes of Three Notch Road just south of New Market Turner RoadTucker failed to yield the right of way and entered the path of a 2011 Ford F-150 operated by PauDowns, of California. Tucker sustained life threatening injuries and succumbed to his injuries othe scene. No other injuries were reported. At this time alcohol, drugs, and speed are not considered to be factors in the collision.

Anyone who may have witnessed the collision and has not already provided a statement iasked to contact Corporal Brian Connelly # 151 of the St. Marys County Sheriffs Ofce at 301475-4200 Ext. 9010. This crash remains under investigation.

The College of Southern Maryland isinvestigating and cooperating with policewith regard to an incident Nov. 18 at the LaPlata Campus which resulted in a lockdownof the campus for approximately 35 min-utes. The Charles County Sheriffs Ofceand the Maryland State Police responded tothe campus for a report of an individual whomay have had a hand gun being observed inthe Campus Center. Upon their arrival, po-lice detained an individual and determinedthere was no further threat and lifted thelockdown. In their investigation, ofcers didestablish that another person who was withthe group may have had a pellet gun whichwas consistent with what the campus ofcerhad observed on surveillance cameras. Iden-tities of those involved are being established,and the college will seek appropriate action.

"We are serious about the safety of ourcampuses and will not tolerate inappropriatebehaviors that could put anyone on our cam-puses at risk. This includes zero tolerancewith regard to weapons or anything thatwould resemble such a weapon," College

of Southern Maryland President Dr. BradGottfried said. "I am grateful for the quickresponse by our faculty and staff on campusto our emergency messaging and our lawenforcement ofcers within the Sheriff'sOfce and State Police who immediatelyresponded to this incident. College person-nel have been training for such emergencies,and as a result our public safety team, andour faculty and staff were able to respondappropriately."

"The highest priority of CSM is to en-sure that our students, faculty, staff and visi-tors are safe, said Gottfried. We live in asociety where no one can predict where andwhen an emergency situation will occur.While we have an outstanding Public Safetyand Preparedness Department, they cannotdo the job alone. We must all be prepared to

act appropriately during emergency situa-tions. Our goal is to constantly work with allmembers of our community to improve ourpreparedness and readiness for any and allincidents and emergencies.

In its ongoing efforts for emergencypreparedness, CSM has launched a mobile-ready emergency page of CSM Ready athttp://ready.csmd.edu as a one-stop locationfor emergency information and includes amessage by Gottfried which can be viewedat http://youtu.be/gfIJd3zaTtw. The web siteincludes comprehensive information aboutthe colleges operating plans for managingemergencies as well as plans for specic re-sponses to emergencies by members of thecollege community. The CSM Ready website also includes the ability to register foremergency notications as well as to report

behavioral incidents and requests for ac-commodations during emergencies.

"We have been implementing variousmeasures in the past several years so as tohave a safe environment for our personnel,students, community members and visitors.With funding provided through our stateand county governments we have been ableto add security measures and public safetyofcers at all of our campuses. Training hasbeen implemented for staff and faculty, andwill continue on an ongoing basis to keepsafety and security always in the forefront.This also includes training and exercisingour procedures. We consider every incidentan exercise of our procedures and an oppor-tunity to improve, Gottfried said.

It is critical with recent events acrossour nation that we all become partners toensure safety in our communities. On ourcampuses we urge students, employees andvisitors to report immediately anything sus-picious or activities they consider as a threat.This can be reported directly to any publicsafety ofcer or by calling emergency 911,"

said Executive Director of Public Safety andPreparedness Donald Frick. The collegeencourages anyone involved in an incidentto complete an after action report, which isavailable at CSM Ready. This After ActionReport is an opportunity to enhance the col-leges emergency operations plans based onthe thorough information provided.

"We take all reports seriously, and wehave a team in place to respond to all con-cerns, and to implement disciplinary actionsas warranted, from suspension and expul-sion, to police investigation and possiblearrest, said Vice President of Student andInstructional Services Dr. Bill Comey.

Emergency notications are availableby text message or email, as well as postedto the CSM Ready site, the college's homepage, and to social media networks of Twit-

ter and Facebook. To subscribe, free regis-tration is available at http://ready.csmd.eduor by typing Ready on a mobile phone to79516.

In addition, security measures such asbag checks at graduations and large-scaleevents will begin in January at the college.

"All emergencies, whether by natureor manmade, are what we all have a respon-sibility to prepare for; to expect the unex-pected. Recent incidents around the nationat shopping centers, movie theaters, schools,and college campuses are what force peopleto realize all of us are vulnerable in today'ssociety. It really is up to each one of us tobe watching, reporting anything suspiciousor out of the ordinary, and learning how toprepare ourselves for the unexpected," Gott-fried said.

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Deputies Break Up

Altercation On School Bus

Cops &COURTS

SHERIFFS BLOTTERThe following information is compiled directly from publicly released police reports.

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On Nov. 15 Deputy First Class Boyer re-sponded to the Walmart in California fortwo shoplifters in custody. Loss Preventionpersonnel observed Jazmyn Maya PurieChoice, 19, of Callaway, Md., and Chris-tian Alexander Montanez, 18, of Califor-nia, Md., load items of merchandise into ashopping cart and leave without paying. Theapproximate value of the stolen items wasover $550.00. Choice and Montanez wereplaced under arrest by DFC Boyer. WhenMontanez was searched two prescriptionpills were located in his pants pockets. Bothwere transported to the St. Marys CountyDetention Center. Choice was charged with

Theft Less $1,000.00 and Montanez wascharged with Theft Less $1,000.00 and Pre-scription/Remove Label.

Possession Controlled Dangerous Sub-stance: On Nov. 14, Deputy Cole observeda suspicious vehicle parked in the parkinglot of Millison Shopping Center in Lexing-ton Park. Deputy Cole made contact withthe driver, identied as Alfred WilliamGardiner Jr., 63, of Leonardtown, anddetected an odor of marijuana coming f rominside the vehicle. A probable cause searchof the vehicle was conducted and an amountof suspected marijuana was located underthe drivers seat. Gardiner was placed un-der arrest and t ransported to the St. MarysCounty Detention Center by Deputy Cole.He was charged with Possession Controlled

Dangerous Substance Marijuana and Pos-session Paraphernalia.

Theft:On Nov. 16, Deputy Wesner respond-ed to a residence located on Winding Way inLexington Park for a burglary just occurred.The victim alleged two suspects stole anall-terrain vehicle from his shed on his prop-erty. A witness observed two suspects push-ing the victims ATV down the street andinformed him he then called 9 1 1. Thesuspects had placed the ATV in a nearby

wood line and left it. A short time later, thewitness observed one of the suspects, identi-ed as Tyreak Otis Braswell, 20, of GreatMills. Braswell was placed under arrest andtransported to the St. Marys County De-tention Center by Deputy Wenser. He wascharged with 2ndDegree Burglary and Theft$1,000 to $10,000.

Assault: On Nov. 17, Deputy Schultz re-sponded to a residence in Great Mills fora disturbance. Contact was made with thevictim who alleged being assaulted duringan argument by suspect Kenneth TerrilGreene, 41, of Great Mills. Deputy Schultz

observed evidence of fresh injury on the vic-tim. He contacted Greene who refused all ofDeputy Schultz commands and displayedan aggressive hostile attitude. After a briefstruggle, Greene was placed under arrestand transported to the St. Marys CountyDetention Center. He was charged with 2ndDegree Assault, Obstruction/Hindering,and Resisting Arrest.

Violation Protective Order/Assault: OnNov. 17, Deputy First Class Boyer respondedto a residence in Lexington Park for a report-ed violation of a protective order. The victimalleged Laurie Elle Snell, 29, of LexingtonPark, contacted the victim in person in vio-lation of an active protective order. Duringthe contact, an argument ensued. Snell bitthe victim leaving fresh evidence of injury.

Snell was placed under arrest by DeputyBoyer and transported to the St. MarysCounty Detention Center. She was chargedwith Violation Protective Order.

Theft/Conspiracy/Possession ControlledDangerous Substance: On Nov. 17, Cor-poral Moritz responded to the Arbys Res-taurant in Charlotte Hall for a reportedtheft. The investigation revealed restau-rant manager Tiffany Michelle Lang, 26,of Mechanicsville, removed cash, over

$550.00, from the safe. Lang along withthree other suspects was subsequently lo-cated in a hotel room in Charlotte Hall.When Corporal Moritz approached the ho-tel room door suspects in the room attempt-ed to dispose of suspected cocaine. SuspectRaisha Tenett Gates, 24, of Hughesville,was in possession of a large sum of cash.All four suspects were placed under arrest.In addition to Lang and Gates, Marvinnmn Robinson, 26, of Cincinnati, Ohioand Brian Russell Hosier, 25, of Me-chanicsville, were arrested. All four weretransported to the St. Marys County De-tention Center and charged with Theft Less

$1,000.00, Conspiracy to Commit TheftLess $1,000.00, Possession ControlledDangerous Substance Not Marijuana,and Possession Paraphernalia.Burglary/Theft: On Nov. 18, Deputy ShaneCameron responded to a residence on TinTop School Road in Mechanicsville, for areported burglary and theft. The victim al-

leged she found a television missing fromthe residence when she returned home. Thvictim provided Deputy Cameron with possible suspect information. The investigatiorevealed, Adam Joseph Downs, 29, of Mechanicsville, entered the victims residencand stole the television. Downs was placeunder arrest and transported to the StMarys County Detention Center. He wacharged with 1stDegree Burglary, 4thDegreBurglary, and Theft Less $1,000.00.

Sex Offender Registration Violation: OnOct. 31, Detective Corporal Raddatz of thCriminal Investigation Division chargeDevonte Arnez Shubrooks, 20, of Lexington Park, with Failure to Register as Tier III Sex Offender after he was orderedto do so by the Circuit Court for St. MaryCounty. Shubrooks was placed under arresand transported to the St. Marys CountyDetention Center and charged with Failurto Register as required.


A confrontation between two Leonardtown Middle School students Wednesdayafternoon got so out of hand that the bus driver called in county sheriffs deputies topull the two students apart, school ofcials told The County Times.

An eyewitness on Hollywood Road said they saw two sheriffs deputies and aschool system ofcial come to the bus that had pulled over on the side of the road andlead one student away in handcuffs.

The other student was released to their parents, school ofcials said.Sgt. Cara Grumbles, sheriffs ofce spokesperson, said the male juvenile who

was arrested was charged with disruption of school activities.School ofcials said they will continue to investigate the nature of the conict

between the two students.

[email protected]

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Business News

Immediate Solution

Collaborative Work and Art Space in Leonardtown

Italian Meats& Four-Cheese pizza

any large*or

YOUR CHOICE

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FreeRefreshments

Brown, Red, Black,Harwood, Pine Mulch

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By Kay PoiroStaff Writer

Located in the heart of Leonardtown, ImmediateSolution serves as a collaborative and creative work-space for those in need of an ofce for a day, week ormonth. In addition to individual workspaces, Immedi-ate Solution also offers a conference room and housesa burgeoning art gallery.

Owner and Leonardtown native Helen Dorseysays the idea for Immediate Solution was born out ofnecessity.

I was working from home and outgrew my kitch-en, she says. I gured there were others l ike me whoneeded access to a convenient place to work withoutthe expense or commitment of a long-term lease.

Conveniently located on Courthouse Drive acrossthe street from Circuit Courthouse and LeonardtownArts Center, its grand opening is scheduled for Fri-day, Nov. 29. Inside, Immediate Solutions front half isworkspace congured to comfortably accommodatesix. The back half is a fully equipped conference roomthat accommodates 10 to 20 people.

The multifaceted space will feature standards likewireless Internet, phone and fax capability, as well as24-hour, 7 day a week access. Clients who sign up forregular service will have 24-hour access for around$100 a month. A less expensive virtual ofce optionwill also be available, but Dorsey says walk-ins will

benet f rom their pr ime spot in Leonardtown SquareWe are located across the street from the court

house, so people can step out into the quiet andgreen space, she says. The space lends itself to

product ivity.Although the primary function for Immediate

Solution is workspace, it also maintains strong ties tothe local arts community through its in-house WalterArt Gallery. The gallery currently has two artists inresidence: Michael Guy Tommassoni and local photographer Bernadette Garner.

Supporting local artists is an ongoing mission oHelen Dorsey. Later this month, she is taking a smalgroup of St. Marys County graphic arts students toBaltimore to participate in an artist-to-gallery exchange. In the future, she hopes to re-establish an artsscholarship for St. Marys County high school seniors

Dorsey credits the Leonardtown Business Association and area artists with creating an atmosphereconducive to a specialized business like ImmediateSolution.

Great minds are doing great things for Leonardtown, she says. And all in a seless way.

Immediate Solution is located at 41630 Courthouse Drive, Leonardtown, Md. To inquire about ofce or gallery space, email Helen Dorsey at [email protected].

[email protected] by Kay Poiro

Immediate Solution owner Helen Dorsey is a proud contributor to the

Leonardtown business landscape.

8/13/2019 2013-11-21 The County Times

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BusinessProfile

Cruising SouthernMaryland, Others DedicatePavilion at Charlotte Hall

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41170 Oakville RoadMechanicsville 20659

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On Nov. 16, the Charlotte Hall Vet-erans Home dedicated their new outdoorpavilion. Funded and built enti rely by do-nations of time and material from localbusinesses, the pavilion will serve as anoutdoor recreation area for its 400-plusresidents and their visitors. CharlotteHall Veterans Home Director, Sharon

Mattia, gives credit where credit is due.Mattia says the project would have

been impossible without the help ofCruising Southern Maryland, other areacar clubs and donations from severalother businesses- all organized by JackParlett, Jr. Parlett is a member of Cruis-ing Southern Maryland car club, as wellas the president of Charlotte Hall-basedCMI General Contractors.

Cruising Southern Maryland saidwere going to get it done by VeteransDay, Mattia says. And with John Par-letts leadership and commitment, theydid.

The over $9,000 raised at last MaysCruising Southern Maryland for Veter-ans annual fundraiser was originally ear-

marked for construction of the pavilion.

We were thinking some kind ofwooden structu re, Mattia says. Maybea roof over the existing concrete pad, butthis is more than we couldve imagined.

The 24 x 44 foot structure has ceil-ing fans and electrical outlets. Parlettestimates that, without generous dona-tions from the community, the pavilionwould have cost nearly $50,000 andyears to complete. Instead, it cost noth-ing and was fully realized in less than

six months.You couldnt get the government to

work that fast, notes Mattia.The $9,000 initially raised for the

build ing of the pavilion will be g iven tothe Charlotte Hall Veterans Home foruse on existing projects.

Nothing is too good for our veter-ans, Parlett said in his remarks at thededication.

Veterans Home Director SharonMattia went on to say that during thistime of economic uncertainty and bud-get cuts, the Veterans Home is doingmore with less, so its nice to have afriends like John and Cruising SouthernMaryland in the community.

[email protected]

Dedicating the new pavilion are Lawrencia C. Pierce, left, Deputy Secretar y MD Department of VeteransAffairs; John K. Parlett, Jr., President, CMI Afliated Companies; Robert Johnson, Chair, MarylandVeterans Home Commission; Delegate John Wood; Sharon Mattia, Director Charlotte Hall Veterans Home;

Jack Russell, President St. Marys County Board of County Commissioners.

Photo by Kay Poiro

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Letters to the

EDITOR

Thanks to All Who Helped WithThis Years Oyster Scald

6th Annual Friends of the Poor WalkThanks All Sponsors and Support

P.O. Box 250

Hollywood, Maryland 20636

News, Advertising, Circulation,Classifeds: 301-373-4125

James Manning McKay - Founder

Eric McKay -Associate Publisher......................... [email protected]

Angie Stalcup - Editorial Production [email protected]

Tobie Pulliam - Ofce Manager................ [email protected]

Guy Leonard - Reporter - Government, [email protected]

Kay Poiro - Reporter - Business, Education, [email protected]

Sarah Miller- Reporter - Community..............................sarahmiller @countytimes.net

Kasey Russell - Graphic Designer.......................................kaseyrussell@countytimes.net

Sales Representatives............................................... [email protected]

Contributing

Writers:

Kimberly Alston

Ron Guy

Laura Joyce

Debra Meszaros

Shelby Oppermann

Linda Reno

Terri Schlichenmeyer

Doug Watson

www.countytimes.net

On behalf of the Camp Maria Retreat Center I thank allwho contributed to the success of our Annual Oyster Scaldevent. First, thank you to Alice Moreland, Board memberand the Chair of the Oyster Scald event along with DenisePietsch, Board member and Chair of the DevelopmentCommittee and Dr. Kathleen O'Brien, Chair of the CampMaria Retreat Center Board of Directors. We are gratefulto our Oyster Scald Sponsors, Pearl Level ($1000+) :TheFleury, Hartley & Kerns Families; Oyster Level ($500 +):Eddie and Patsy Bailey, Bailey's Party Rentals, Leonard-town; Reef Level ($250 +): Dyson Lumber and BuildingCenter, Great Mills; Captain Jack Russell; Barney andSarah Kane; Mark and Laura McCaffrey; Jon Meyer; Rob-ert H. Moreland Attorney at Law, Charlotte Hall; Murphy'sTown and Countr y Inc, Avenue; and Bob Taylor Engineer-ing, Lexington Park. A special thanks to our event Bene-factor: Bailey's Catering.

Thanks also goes out to Guy Distributing Inc, Leon-ardtown and Metro-Restaurant and Janitorial Supplies,

Mechanicsville. St. Mary's County Department of PublicWorks and the Port of Leonardtown Winery for supportof this event. We are grateful to our hard working volun-teer oyster scalders, Jack Russell and Paul O'Brien. Weare thankful to Our Lady's Church in Medley's Neck, theKnights of Columbus, Leonardtown, Larry Stauffer andJack Russell for the use of equipment and tents. Thanks toour hard working volunteers: Terry Ater; Audrey Dorrans;Carol Edick; Tom, Theresa, Natalie and Meredith Emmar t;George Fleury; Al and Kathy Guy; Clarke Guy; LouiseGough; Mark Kovalcik; Maura Kovalcik; Laura Moreland;Hazel Ptack; Heidi Ptack; Dakota Price; Kim Simpson;Larry Stauffer; Rachel Stauffer ; Robin Willis; Derek Wil-lis and Georgio.

Thanks also to other members of the Board of Direc-tors who worked nonstop for the success of this event: Sar-ah Kane, Dan Kerns, Rose Mary Klein, John Re, Bill Rus-sell and Rick Wood. Special thanks to Bob Schaller and hisband for the great music and to all the venders and crafters

who challenged the weather and came out for this event. Myheartfelt thanks to the staff of Camp Maria for attention todetail and smooth running of the facilities. Thanks to allwho came out and part icipated.

As a year round retreat center, it is truly importantthat Camp Maria offer a place to gather, reect, experiencepeace and return refreshed to the daily challenges of life.Camp Maria Retreat Center, a ministry of the Sisters ofCharity of Nazareth, Kentucky strives to provide an at-mosphere of prayer, hospitality and simplicity in a peace-ful environment for retreats and various types of renewalprograms.

Ann KovalcikDirector

Camp Maria Retreat CenterLeonardtown, Md.

The 6th Annual Friends of the Poor Walk was heldon Saturday, Sept. 14. Thanks to your help and support,the walk raised more than 10,000 dollars for the St. Vin-cent de Paul Societies in St. Mary's County. All the mon-ey raised stays in the St. Vincent de Paul Conferences to

be used for direct and immediate aid to help those in need.We would like to thank the following individuals and

businesses for their support:GOLD SPONSORS: St. Mary's Nursing & Reha-

bilitation Center, ASEC, Chick-l-A, BP Fueling Compa-nies, Cafe des Artistes, SMECO, Leonardtown Knightsof Columbus, Town Cleaners, Printing Press, QueentreeManagement, College of Southern Maryland, William J.Fitzgerald, CSC Applied Technology Group, Fredo, Inc.,Wathen's Electric, Inc., Imagine One Technology & Man-agement, Ltd., CMI Afliated Companies and ChaneyPhysical Therapy, Inc.

SILVER SPONSORS: Southern Maryland Women,Anne & Ernie Bell, Barefoot Graphics, Burch Oil, J.F.Taylor, Inc., Bruster's Real Ice Cream, Grifn's Floor-ing America, Joyce Neal, M.D.P.C. and JP Wathen'sPlumbing.

BRONZE SPONSORS: Hollywood Lions Club,Brinseld Echols Funeral Home, J. Walt Neal, Michael& Florence Michalski, International Beverages & Deli,

Norris Lawn Service, Martin's Auto Tech, Wyle, Knights

of Columbus Immaculate Conception Council 8159, Ver-ghese & Ling, M.D.P.A., Eagle Systems, Wells Fargo Fi-nancial Advisors - Steve Richardson and Buddy's Heatingand Air Conditioning - Buddy Wathen.

Donations: Jen Soroka, John & Vicki Wenke, Mi-chael McCauley, Chick-l-A, Cathy Greer, DebbyBrookins, Panera Bread and Allstate Insurance - DukeMay.

Door Prizes were donated by: Tequila Grill, TwistWine and Spirits, Sue and Walter Johnson, Ella Neal,Hong Kong Buffett, John and Vicki Wenke, Traditionsof Loveville, Gloria Ramos, Peggy Gray, Debbie and BobBrookins, Good Earth Natural Foods, Barbara Brown,Sandgates, Frances Dicus, OGA's Asian Cuisine, VickiLydon - Longaberger Consultant, Rose Miller, Port ofLeonardtown Winery, Healing Hearts, Trish Lea - Centu-ry 21 New Millennium, Cheeseburger in Paradise, McK-ay's Food and Drug, Dyson's Building Center, Guenther'sBistro, St. John's Pharmacy, Chaney Physical Therapy,Inc., Fiesta Cafe, Kevin's Corner Kafe, Salsa's MexicanCafe, Cathy Greer and Leonardtown Old Towne Pub.

We would like to acknowledge and thank the follow-ing individuals: Jimmy Dicus, Jamie Thomas and KevinCain for their help and support. Thank you to Rev. DavidBeaubien and Father Andrew White S.J. School. Thankyou to Debbie Brookins for organizing a fabulous brunch

and to the Ladies of Charity at St. Aloysius Church forserving. Thank you to Mickey Ramos, Rob Young, LarryJarboe and Freddie Long for providing the music and toDavid Kalil for providing the sound system - you guysROCKED. Thanks to Megan Petrie and Kayla Goldringfor taking walk day photos. Thanks to the LeonardtownRescue Squad for being there in an event of an emergen-cy and to Health Connections from Med Star St. Mary'sHospital. Thanks to Jen Soroka, Sue and Walter John-son, Gloria Ramos, John Wenke, Peggy and Matt Men-ard, Rose Miller, Sarah Norris, Mike McCauley and BoyScout Troop #1634 for all their help.

Thanks to Ernie Bell who arranged to have the OldJail Museum on Courthouse Drive open for walkers tovisit.

Thank you to Scott Belanger and Gloria Ramos forassisting with Master of Ceremonies. To my children Em-ily and Kyle Belanger, thank you for your love and sup-

port. Lastly, Thank You to all the volunteers who helpedout on walk day and to the hundreds of walkers who makethis walk a success. Thank You for making a difference inthe lives of so many.

Patty BelangerVickie Wenke

Co-Chairs Friends of the Poor Walk inLeonardtown

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Letters to the

EDITOR

Thanks to All for Helping Raise$29,181.68 for the Hospice House of

St. Marys at This Years Bluegrass for Hospice

Honoring Veterans at ChristmasCharles County Right to Life

(CCRTL) is working with WreathsAcross America again this year to

place wreaths at the graves of vet-erans buried at the CheltenhamVeterans Cemetery, Cheltenham,Maryland. The ceremony at Arling-ton National Cemetery is often wellpublicized, but similar ceremoniestakes place at cemeteries throughoutthe world. Log onto www.wreath-sacrossamerica.org formore information.

Placing a wreath on a veteransgrave is a positive way to honor andremember a relative or friend whohas passed away. It can also honorsomeone you dont know, but who hashad a positive impact on your life orthe lives of your family or ancestors.

For example, many veterans helped

to defend England and to liberateFrance, Italy, the Philippines, etc.during World War II. Some fought in

other wars or helped our country orother countries during natural disas-ters, such as hurricanes, earthquakes,oods, etc.

It can also be a way to teachchildren about their familys part inhistory.

The wreath laying ceremonystarts at noon on Saturday 14 De-cember at the main building near theentrance. It includes a color guard,prayers, and the laying of sevenwreaths to honor the A rmy, Navy, AirForce, Marines, Coast Guard, Mer-chant Marine and POW/MIA. Theremaining wreaths are then handedout for the purchasers to place on thegraves. If you order a wreath but cant

attend the ceremony, CCRTL will

place the wreath on the designatedgrave for you. If you do not have adesignated grave, it will be placed by

one of the participating organizationsat a grave of their choosing.

If you know of anyone whohas a relative or friend buried at theCheltenham Veterans Cemetery butdoesnt know of this program or isntliving in the area, we would appreci-ate it if you would tell them about thisprogram. Thank you in advance.

The wreaths are $15, with $5going to the organization that soldthem. All orders should be in by 27November 2013, but we may have ex-tras available after that date. ContactRobert Boudreaux at (301) 638-7042or [email protected] to order awreath.

Robert Boudreaux

Waldorf, Md.

On Saturday October 26, 2013 was the 5th year forthe Bluegrass for Hospice. Its a one day Bluegrass mu-sic event where all proceeds went toward the HospiceHouse. The event took in $29,181.68 this year. In 5years, Bluegrass for Hospice has raised $97,315for theHospice House. This nally makes this event one of thebiggest fundraisers for the Hospice of St. Mar ys.

I would like to say thanks for all the kind words thatI have received about the festival. I appreciate all thewords of encouragement given in person and through

social media. As always, we all had a blast putting thistogether and we had a representation from 4 states thatwe know of.

I need to thank my wife, Michelle, for keeping ev-erything organized all day and for her dedication in thenal stressful hours of planning. Behind every strongman is a strong woman and I could not have done itwithout her. I also want to thank my friend and col-league, Sarah Chick for her help keeping notes and lis-tening to me think out loud about all that I needed todo for 2 weeks prior to the event!! We can all get backto a normal life now.

Thanks to all of the performers: Bluegrass Gos-pel Express and thanks for your generous donation ofyour CD sales, Bubby Abell & Spoon Creek, CharlieThompson & Bottom County Bluegrass, 15 Strings,Gracies Guys & Gals Dancers, Shelby Thompson, andmy band, Eastern Tradition. Every band on stage was

fantastic and Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice was icingon the cake. We helped Larry Sparks celebrate his 50years in Bluegrass music. He was surpr ised with thepresentations.

If I miss someone in my thank yous Im very sorry,but please know from the bottom of my heart that yourhelp and your time were very much appreciated.

THANK YOU: to all our Hospice volunteers andKaty Crowell for providing them; my Dad, Johnny Arm-

sworthy, Barbara Robinson, and Tina Williams for get-ting so many nice door pr izes and silent auction items; tothe business who donated them and to the Amish/Men-nonite Communities; my Mom, Lorraine Armsworthy& Nina Campbell for keeping track of the door prizes;Debbie Johnson, Linda Davis, Pam Ferris, and DeniseBragg for selling rafes; also to Denise for making thestage curtain-it was a great addition; Woody & Jill Nor-ris; Troy Jones for doing a great job with the sound andfor his dedication to me for all of the shows that I put

on; Sydna Buckmaster; Waynes Signs; Anitas CakeShop; County Times (Kay Poiro & Kit Carson); VoniCraig and Chick Fil A; Michelle Carter and Texas Road-house; Joe Bragg; Tiffany Withrow; Jonathon Skrabacz;Mickey at the Flat Iron Farm for having everything thatwas needed with no problem; Bubby Knott for provid-ing the arena; Frannie Woodburn; Marsha at the Hos-pice House for keeping a good t rack on the numbers; toeverybody who sold tickets; Toni Long and the ThirdDistrict Optimist Club-great food; Jim & Martha Baileyfor donating the Little Martin guitar; Country Inns &Suites; Jody at Sheetz in Great Mills; McCormick SpiceCompany; Old Line Bank; and David Vert for makingthe plaque for Larry Sparks. Congratulations to Jo AnnAbell of Leonardtown for winning the $500 rafe.

Your food donations were much appreciated by theHelping Hands Food Pantry in Hollywood.

And now Id like to thank all of the sponsors for

supporting the Bluegrass For Hospice-2013: Jan Barnes-Century 21-New Millennium; Christine Wray & JohnFelicites; Hearing Professionals; Patuxent Pump & Well;Walmart; Synergy Aerospace, Inc.; Danny Miedzinski& Son; Abc Liquors; Gtmr, Inc; Vidsec Systems; FirstCommand Financial Services; First Home Mortgage;Technology Security Associates; St. Marys CountyArts Council; W. M. Davis, Inc; Technology SecurityAssociates, Inc; Red-Inc; Pnc Bank; St. Mary's Nursing

And Rehabilitation Center, Inc; Simmons Heating & AiConditioning, Inc; Simms Insurance Agency, Inc; JohnR. Bean-Construction & Home Improvements N' StuffQuality Built Homes, Inc; The Law Ofce Of Joann MWood, Llc; Pioneering Decisive Solutions, Inc; Wildewood Medical Care-Dr. John Scott Tidball; Stanley &Joanie Williams; State Farm Insurance-Philip C. RiehlC & C Plumbing & Septic, Inc; Guy Financial ServicesMichael Guy, Cpa; O'brien Realty; Law Ofces Of Kevin J. Mcdevitt; Joseph Ernest Bell Ii; Guy Distributing

Co. Inc; Old Line Bank; Lexington Park Ford-LincolnMercury; Linda & Mike Davis; Ziner Tax ServicesCounty First Bank; Cedar Point Federal Credit UnionTaylor Gas Company, Inc.; Erin Ross-State Farm Agency; Judi Sterling-Sterling Insurance; R. G. MattinglyExcavating, Inc.; Addie Mcbride-Franzen Realtors; RitaB. Catering; Senator Roy Dyson-Linda VallandinghamTreasurer; Chesapeake Potomac Regional Cancer Center; Thomas & Son Transport, Llc; Franzen RealtorsInc.; Marv Franzen Rentals; Langford & Veitch-ThreeNotch Veterinary Hospital; J. F. Taylor, Inc.; CompasSystems, Inc.; Three Mules Welding Supply, Inc.; HalInsurance Agency; Stephen D. Mattingly InsuranceInc.; Combs Drury-Reeves Insurance Agency; PamelaO Mckay, Cap; Southern Maryland Womens Healthcare; Cullins Trucking, Inc.; The Dorsey Law FirmCharles C. Reel, Md; Dcs Corporation; And PlatinumSalon & Spa.

Last, but most important...I thank YOU, for attending this special event, supporting live bluegrass mu-sic, and making this event such a huge success!

Jay ArmsworthyBluegrass For Hospice

Event Coordinator/Promote

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with concerns related to drugs or alcohol. Free activities & peer support for

guests located at 44871 St. Andrews Church Rd. in California.

Beacon of Hope: a free center offering social & learning options and

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St. Marys County Libraries

Offer Live HomeworkHelp, Downloadable

Resources for Students

Information

Session to Discuss

Common CoreState Standards


On Nov. 25, the Maryland StateDepartment of Education and the Mary-land PTA are sponsoring a CommonCore State Standards Information Ses-sion for the Southern Maryland Region.

The session begins at 7 p.m. andwill be held at Huntingtown HighSchool in Calvert County. The session is

open to the public with the agenda in-cluding remarks from Dr. Lillian Low-ery, State Superintendent of Schools andRay Leone, Maryland PTA President. Aquestion and answer period will follow.

According to the Maryland State

Department of Education, Marylandnew Common Core State Standards ara set of high-quality academic expectations in English/Language Arts (ELAand mathematics that dene both thknowledge and skills all students shoulmaster by the end of each grade level tobe on track for success in college and careers. School year 2013-2014 is the rsyear of full implementation for the newcurriculum.

More information about Marylands Common Core State Standardcan be found at http://msde.state.md.uscc/.

[email protected]

The Southern Maryland Agricultural Develop-ment Commission (SMADC) is offering matchingscholarships of $100 to Southern Maryland farmers

who attend and successfully complete the Universityof Marylands acidied foods training program Un-derstanding Acidied Foods Workshop for Small FoodProcessors, to be held at the Maryland Department ofAgriculture headquarters in Annapolis on November22, 2013. The full cost of the tr aining is $200.

The acidied foods train ing scholarship is offeredto farmers/producers resident in the ve county area ofSouthern Maryland (Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles,St. Marys and Prince Georges counties); the award isintegral to SMADCs on-going initiatives to identifynew and emerging agricultural enterprises that offer

potent ial for prot and increased sustainabilit y for theregions farms. To be eligible for the scholarship pro-ducers must provide proof of agricultural assessmentfor the land they are farming and/or IRS Schedule F

Form (Prot or Loss From Farming). The Understanding Acidied Foods Work-

shop provides the mandatory training required by the

Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene(DHMH) for the production of acidied foods (pick-les, chutneys, salsas) for retail sale at farmers markets,stores, and other retail venues in Maryland. Addition-ally, farms and producers who want to manufactureacidied foods in their on-farm kitchens must submitfor the DHMH on-farm processor license. SMADCworks closely with state DHMH and other federal andlocal regulatory agencies to help farms navigate suc-cessfully through acidied foods processing require-ments, and offers a step by step guide to on-farmacidied foods cert ication available on the Resourcesfor Farms page under training and tutorials at www.smadc.com.

To view or download the SMADC Acidied FoodsTraining Scholarship Application Form and criteria

visit the Whats New page at www.smadc.com, ocall Susan McQuil kin at 301-274-1922, or email: [email protected]. To register for the AcidieTraining Workshop contact Mary Pandian at 301-4054521, or email: [email protected].

The Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC) is committed to: a) a market-driven and sustainable farming future as Marylandtransitions away from tobacco. b) a Maryland where

farmland preservation , and environmental stewardship positively impact the quality of our air and wateand c) cultivating awareness among consumers andleaders of the vital role our farms play in a balancedcommunity, safe, nutritious food and a cleaner andhealthier environment. To learn more about additiona

programs and resources, contact SMADC, P. O. Box745, Hughesville, MD 20637; phone: 301-274-1922, Ex1, fax: 301-274-1924; email [email protected] visit www.smadc.com.

SMADC Offers Scholarship forAcidifed Foods Training Workshop


At the beginning of the second markingperiod for St. Marys County Public Schools,St. Marys County libraries remind studentsand parents of online study and research re-sources available.

Help Now! offers live, online home-work help daily from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. Ac-cessible through the St. Marys County Li-brary website www.stmalib.org, Help Now!offers live tutoring in most subjects, as wellas with PSAT/SAT standardized tests and

adult education courses. A valid St. MarysCounty library card is required for access.

Maryland Ask Us Now! is an additionalhomework and information site that puts stu-dents in direct online contact with Marylandstate librarians who answer their questions.An email address is required for access tothis site.

St. Marys County Library DirectorKathleen Reif stresses the role libraries playin education saying, Public libraries shouldbe a leader in the education movement.

[email protected]

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By Kay Poiro and Sarah MillerStaff Writers

Families from St. Marys and Calvertcounties will have a chance to hear whatthe state has to say about the CommonCore State Standards (CCSS). The Mary-land State Board of Education is hostingan information session on Monday, Nov.25. from 7 to 8:30 p.m., where parents andteachers alike will have the opportunity toask the State Superintendent questions con-cerning CCSS. Questions must be submit-ted beforehand in writing.

The forum is the sixth and nal in thestate, according to Maryland State Depart-ment of Education (MSDE) Spokesman BillReinhard. There were originally four sched-uled forums, he said. Two more, includingthe Southern Maryland forum, were addedby popular demand.

Calvert County Interim Superinten-dent Nancy Highsmith will introduce theevening and State Superintendent LillianLowery. Calvert County educator StevenVan Rees will provide a teachers perspec-tive, Reinhard said.

To date, 45 states, the District of Co-lumbia and Department of Defense schoolshave all adopted CCSS. The standards havemet with vocal opposition across the coun-try, including a Howard County parent whowas arrested during a heated CCSS infor-

mation session. On Monday, Nov. 18, oppo-nents of the Common Core State Standardsstaged a march in Baltimore.

To ensure parents are kept involvedin the process, St. Marys County is tak-ing steps above and beyond what is man-dated by the state, according to St. MarysCounty Public Schools Executive Directorof Teaching, Learning and ProfessionalDevelopment for Jeffrey A. Maher. TheSt. Marys County Public School systemis committed to educating its parents andproviding professional development for itsteachers. Maher stresses the importance ofparents being able to see the scope and se-quence of instruction.

One of our main goals is to de-mysti-fy this for the parents, he said.

The school system is in the processof uploading Common Core State Stan-

dard documents to its own www.smcps.org website. Most St. Marys County Pub-lic elementary schools have hard copies ofthe CCSS available. Hard copies will soonbe available at the middle and high schoollevel, Maher said.

There are a number of misconcep-tions regarding CCSS, according to CalvertCounty Public Schools Acting Director ofInstruction Scott McComb. One of the big-gest is a misnomer he hears people callCCSS the common core curriculum.CCSS is not a curriculum; it is a set of

standards.Standards guide the way a curriculum

is formed. It is up to local school districtsto create a curriculum around the standards,Highsmith said. Local school districts andteachers will continue to write their owncurriculums.

Other misconceptions McComb hasheard involve the rigor of CCSS. Someparents have expressed concern that thestandards are less rigorous than previousmethods while others have worried thatschools were simply pushing lessons toearlier grades without making them ageappropriate.

Some topics will be taught in gradesearlier than they have traditionally been, butthat will be tempered by the fact that teach-ers will take more time to explore lessons indepth and allow students to nd answers inways that make sense to them. Students canexpect to be writing a lot more, McCombsaid. Types of writing students should beprocient in will include argument or opin-ion papers, information reports and narra-tives. Most of the changes in the curriculumwill be to math and reading/language arts,though all aspects of education will be morerigorous, McComb said.

CCSS has been implemented during

the past two years, McComb said. Schoolswill continue taking the Maryland StateAssessments while piloting the Partnershipfor Assessment of Readiness of College andCareers (PARCC) assessment. The new as-sessment is scheduled for full implementa-tion during the next school year, McCombsaid. The state is working on a tight dead-line the money for developing new cur-riculums and the new assessment camethrough a three-year grant through the Raceto the Top initiative.

The forum is designed to address mis-conceptions and answer questions, Mc-Comb said.

Ongoing professional development ofthe educators is paramount to the successof CCSS. St. Marys County Public Schools

supported its teachers by sending ve teamper school and central ofce supervisors teach of the state-led Educator EffectivenesAcademy (EEA) conferences. Those teamhave also participated in follow-up webinars over the past three years leading up tfull implementation. Each school then collaboratively developed transition plans addressing specic professional developmenareas related to the transition. These planare continually reviewed, ensuring consistent support for systemic professional development across the St. Marys County PubliSchool system. Moreover, multiple professional days built into the school calendaprovide additional time for EEA participanand administrator led sessions for information

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2013-11-21 The County Times