Kathleen Miller

MoCo police will review handling of assistant fire chief’s crash

Montgomery County police have begun an internal investigation into the department’s handling of a four-car pileup caused by an assistant fire chief who crashed a county vehicle into a police car. County officials have acknowledged allegations of a drunken driving cover-up, but police have so far stood behind the officers involved. Assistant Fire Chief Greg DeHaven was driving a county-owned sport utility vehicle when he crashed into a police car that had been parked while it’s driver was making a traffic stop on Interstate 270 around 9 p.m. Nov. 30. DeHaven, who leads the fire department’s honor guard unit, was returning from the group’s presentation of colors at...

Continued...

 

Atheists get day in court over effort to ban God from inauguration ceremony

Atheists, humanists and others seeking to keep God and religion out of President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration ceremony will get their day in court. A D.C. District Court judge announced late Monday afternoon that he will hold a hearing in a lawsuit that seeks to strip all religious elements from the Jan. 20 inaugural festivities. Last week, Michael Newdow, a California lawyer, physician and well-known atheist, led 29 other plaintiffs and 11 organizations in filing a lawsuit to remove the phrase “so help me God” from the presidential oath of office and eliminate the opening and closing prayers from the inaugural ceremony. The lawsuit contends: “By placing...

Continued...

 

Leggett wants new Rockville jail, council chief calls too pricey

Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett wants to build a new temporary holding facility for county prisoners, rather than renovating the 50-year-old one, despite $20 million to $25 million more in upfront costs. Art Wallenstein, the county’s director of corrections and rehabilitation, says the 200-bed facility on Seven Locks Road in Rockville has a host of problems: The roof leaks, the electrical wiring is shot, the plumbing, heating and air conditioning systems don’t function properly and security systems “do not meet current standards.” “The entire facility needs renovation, it is 50 years old and worn,” Wallenstein said. Plans to improve the...

Continued...

 

Opposing groups probe immigration policies in Md.

Two organizations with opposing concerns about illegal-immigration enforcement are reviewing county policies across Maryland and laying the groundwork for potential lawsuits aimed at how local jurisdictions handle immigration issues. Leaders of the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland are seeking information from all 23 Maryland counties, plus the city of Baltimore, about immigration-related issues. They want the details of every publicly enacted ordinance or internal policy that directs police, social services agencies, real estate agents, landlords and local employers to classify or treat people differently due to immigration status. “By interacting with other ACLU...

Continued...

 

Md.’s River Road reopens after water main break

Suburban Maryland water officials were opening a one-mile stretch of Bethesda’s River Road on Wednesday evening, eight days after a 5-foot-6-inch-wide water main exploded, trapped motorists in cars and left a 15 foot hole in its icy, turbulent wake. Leaders of the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission initially hoped to have the major traffic artery between Bradley Boulevard and Seven Locks Road up and running by last weekend, but engineers discovered three pipes with lateral cracks that needed to be replaced in addition to the one that ruptured. A fifth pipe had to be removed to reach another pipe for repair. Water utility spokesman John C. White told The Examiner earlier this...

Continued...

 

Plan to use speed camera funds to buy fire, rescue gear gets OK

A Maryland assistant attorney general says a Montgomery County proposal to use speed camera money to buy fire and rescue apparatus is legal, clearing the way for an alternate plan to charging ambulance fees to fund local fire department needs. Montgomery Council President Phil Andrews proposed legislation last month to use money from the county’s speed camera program to purchase new emergency apparatus for the county’s fire and rescue department and pay for pedestrian and traffic safety programs. Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett strongly objected to the measure, saying it would take money from existing programs and increase the budget shortfall, unlike his proposal to...

Continued...

 

MoCo, P.G. elected officials out-earn Md. counterparts

Elected officials in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties were the highest paid in Maryland last year, according to the Maryland Association of Counties’ first-ever salary survey. Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett’s $167,000 salary last year tops the list for county executives, but Prince George’s County Executive Jack Johnson was right behind him, bringing home $165,644 a year. Both made almost double Wicomico County Executive Rick Pollitt’s $85,000 a year. Howard County Executive Ken Ulman and Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith were neck and neck with annual salaries of $151,263 and $150,000 respectively, and Baltimore City Mayor Sheila Dixon...

Continued...

 

Officials ‘don’t know yet’ when River Road will reopen

Suburban Maryland water utility officials aren’t sure when traffic will once again roll down Bethesda’s River Road, a week after a massive water main rupture blocked off a mile of the major traffic artery, trapping nine frightened motorists and passengers. Leaders of the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission say they’re working quickly to repair five sections of pipe underneath a busy stretch of River Road between Bradley Boulevard and Seven Locks Road. But after falling short of initial goals of having repairs finished over the weekend, or by the middle of this week, water utility officials are now keeping mum. “We don’t know yet when the roads will...

Continued...

 

Atheist will attempt to boot God from inauguration

A well-known California atheist says he and 17 others, plus atheist and humanist organizations, will file suit today in D.C.’s District Court to strip all references to God and religion from President-elect Barack Obama’s January inauguration ceremony. Michael Newdow, of Sacramento, Calif., says he wants to remove the phrase “so help me God” from the oath of office, plus ax the invocation prayer from Pastor Rick Warren, already under fire from the left for his opposition to gay marriage. According to Newdow, any reference to God or religion violates the Constitution. “Equality is important to me,” Newdow told The Examiner. “We should show equal...

Continued...

 

Atheist will attempt to boot God from inauguration

A well-known California atheist says he and 17 others, plus atheist and humanist organizations, will file suit Tuesday in D.C.'s District Court to strip all references to God and religion from President-elect Barack Obama's January inauguration ceremony. Michael Newdow, of Sacramento, Calif., says he wants to remove the phrase "so help me God" from the oath of office, plus axe the invocation prayer from Pastor Rick Warren, already under fire from the left for his opposition to gay marriage. According to Newdow, any reference to God or religion violates the Constitution. "Equality is important to me," Newdow told The Examiner. "We should show equal respects for...

Continued...

 

Trail near Purple Line may cost MoCo taxpayers $14M

Montgomery County taxpayers may foot the bill for a $14 million jogging and biking trail near the Purple Line, a proposed mass transit project to link eastern and western parts of the county. The Purple Line is designed to run parallel to the northern part of the Capital Beltway, tie together four other Metro lines and extend from Bethesda in Montgomery County to New Carrollton in Prince George’s County. A major part of the debate, yet to be resolved, is whether the transit route will be light rail or a bus line. A light rail route, endorsed by Montgomery County planners last week, could have trains running close to the Georgetown Branch extension of the Capital Crescent Trail, and...

Continued...

 

Officials still at odds over how to prevent main breaks

Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley Wednesday toured the site of a enormous water main rupture that trapped motorists and closed schools, but area officials were still quarreling over how to prevent future water system catastrophes. O’Malley bore witness to the 15-foot crater left on Bethesda’s River Road after a 5-foot-6-inch water pipe exploded Tuesday morning, forcing nine motorists to ditch their cars in currents resembling white water rapids and wade through icy water to the side of the street. “This was an unprecedented incident,” O’Malley said. Water utility employees doing repair work on the roughly one-mile stretch of River Road that runs between...

Continued...

 

Motorists escape icy torrent after Md. water main explodes

Montgomery County schools closed early and the county’s only trauma center was shut down for six hours after a massive water main exploded in Bethesda, spewing muddy water, sticks and rocks onto a major roadway and trapping people in their cars. National and local television carried live footage of daring attempts by helicopter and boat to rescue the nine passengers in eight vehicles caught in the currents that took over a stretch of the now aptly named River Road. Montgomery County firefighters rescued five of the motorists, including two who were placed in a rescue boat and airlifted to safety by a state police helicopter. The other four people “self-evacuated,” county...

Continued...

 

Driver: ‘Please pray with me’

A wave of muddy water rushed down River Road at Silvia Saldana as she drove her white Subaru up the steep hill just past Seven Locks Road. Saldana’s life flashed before her eyes as the wall of water, sprung forth from a busted water main, slammed into her car. She called her husband. “Please pray with me,” she told him. “If I don’t speak to you again, you’ll know why.” Saldana’s Subaru was one of eight trapped as River Road turned into churning white water. Saldana was toward the bottom of the hill and was rescued by firefighters who ran a heavy truck against the rapid flow. Others farther upstream were saved by a Maryland State Police...

Continued...

 

Maryland House majority leader double-dipping on tax credits

Maryland’s House majority leader and his wife improperly received property tax credits worth thousands of dollars over the past several years, even after he co-sponsored a bill designed to crack down on tax cheats. Gaithersburg Del. Kumar Barve, the second-highest-ranking Democrat in the State House, and his lawyer wife, Maureen Quinn, each claimed a different home as their primary residence on tax forms, although Barve’s Web site says they both live in Gaithersburg. According to public records, the move triggered tax credits worth $5,844.88 on Quinn’s Annapolis property and $3,575.13 on Barve’s Gaithersburg home over the past three years. Maryland provides a...

Continued...

 

3 Minute Interview-Pagnucco

By day, Adam Pagnucco is assistant to the general president of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters. But at night, on weekends and during just about any other spare moment, Pagnucco works on his Maryland Politics Watch blog. Pagnucco has written about the Facebook pages of state delegates, polled readers on the most influential people in Montgomery County and worked with other bloggers to push Gov. Martin O’Malley’s administration to change how Maryland sells itself to businesses. The local site (http://maryland-politics.blogspot.com/) was the most-read blog in Maryland last month according to Sitemeter, which tracks Web visits. How did you first get into blogging? By accident....

Continued...

 

Leggett urged to consider cutbacks

County Executive Ike Leggett should consider voluntary layoffs, unpaid leave and re-evaluating automatic pay increases for county workers, the Montgomery councilwoman in charge of financial matters said in a memo last week. Councilwoman Duchy Trachtenberg urged chief administrative officer Tim Firestine to consider “emergency triage” options for Montgomery County’s estimated $500 million budget shortfall. “It’s pretty clear we can’t take a Band-Aid approach here,” Trachtenberg said. “Clearly part of what we have to do is reduce the work force. The amount of staffing we have is not sustainable. We want to save jobs as much as we can, so given...

Continued...

 

Memo warns of program, job cuts

Deep cuts to programs, services and jobs loom in Montgomery County, after the county’s chief administrative officer directed department heads to slice as much as 7 percent from next year’s budget in a memo Thursday. Department leaders were instructed to reduce or eliminate some entire programs, rather than “across-the-board weakening of all programs,” and abolish jobs entirely rather than keeping positions empty. The memo asks directors of the county’s public safety and health and human services departments to cut next year’s budget by 3.5 percent and all other department heads to slice 7 percent. “The level of reductions required will result in...

Continued...

 

Bill seeks to diversify Md. property tax rates

Montgomery County businesses could face a different property tax rate for their commercial land than residents would face for their homes, under a state legislative proposal some fear would discourage companies from operating in the area. State Del. Al Carr, D-Montgomery, is pushing a bill that would allow Montgomery County Council members to set different property tax rates for commercial and residential properties. Currently both kinds of property are taxed at the same rate. Carr says the measure would not guarantee a tax increase for either group, but rather give council members the ability to treat homeowners and business owners differently at tax time, as is the case already in the...

Continued...

 

MontCo fortune-teller loses case

It wasn’t in the cards. A fortune-teller who sued Montgomery County hoping to overturn a law that bans the business of forecasting the future has lost his case, attorneys for both sides told The Examiner. Nick Nefedro, previously of Key West, Fla., said county officials violated his First Amendment rights to free speech and discriminated against his Roma, or Gypsy, culture when they refused to give him a business license to open a foretune-telling shop in Bethesda. Montgomery code dating back to the early 1950s prohibits collecting cash for predicting the future. Both sides filed for summary judgment, asking a circuit court judge to rule in favor of one party without going to trial....

Continued...

 

MontCo keeping fire official’s blood alcohol reading secret

A Montgomery County assistant fire chief who caused a four-car pileup when he crashed a county vehicle into a police car two weeks ago was given a blood alcohol test after the incident, but officials say they can’t release the results. Assistant Fire Chief Greg DeHaven was driving a county-owned sport utility vehicle when he crashed into a police car making a traffic stop on Interstate 270 around 9 p.m. Nov. 30. DeHaven, who leads the fire department’s honor guard unit, was returning from the group’s presentation of colors at a Redskins game when the incident occurred. The Examiner reported last week that a junior police officer on the scene thought he may have smelled...

Continued...

 

MontCo hospitals duke it out for right to serve northern county

Two rival health care systems are dueling for the right to serve northern Montgomery County residents, but the county’s top elected official says he’s staying out of the battle. Adventist HealthCare officials have been planning a new 100-bed Clarksburg hospital for at least six years. They want a hospital, nursing home, medical office buildings and outpatient medical services to sit on 60 acres already zoned for hospital use west of Interstate 270. “We purchased land there in 2001, and people encouraged us to work with developers and residents,” said Tom Grant, associate vice president of communications for Adventist HealthCare. “We thought it was a chance to...

Continued...

 

Montgomery County probes fire official's collision into police vehicle

An assistant Montgomery County fire chief has been assigned to other duties after he crashed the county vehicle he was driving into a police car on Interstate 270 weeks ago, county officials said Thursday. That crash, which police at the scene suspected might have involved alcohol, is under investigation by the county’s inspector general. Assistant Fire Chief Greg DeHaven, who leads the department’s honor guard unit, was driving a 2001 Ford Expedition sport utility vehicle owned by the county home from the group’s presentation of the flag at a Redskins game around 9 p.m. on Nov. 30 when his vehicle hit a police car that was in the process of making a traffic stop, county...

Continued...

 

Montgomery County lawmaker urges axing fire/rescue panel

The members of a Montgomery County panel who are paid $12,000 a year to attend monthly meetings to shape fire and rescue policy are facing elimination weeks after voting against a controversial ambulance fee backed by some elected officials. The nearly 30-year-old Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Commission is outdated and overly expensive, Councilman George Leventhal told The Examiner. Its seven members -- two volunteer firefighters, two professional firefighters and three members of the public — receive $1,000 each month to attend a meeting on public safety issues, according to county law. “We’re paying people $1,000 to show up at meetings that sometimes last 10...

Continued...

 

Montgomery homeowners face restrictions on additions to properties

Owners of older homes in Montgomery County now face restrictions on renovating their properties, after county leaders voted Tuesday to limit the size of additions people can make to their houses. Eight of nine Montgomery County Council members approved legislation Tuesday that they said was intended to curb homeowners’ ability to build hulking homes “out of character” with the rest of a community. The new policy addresses how much of a property can be covered by the house itself, and also restricts the height of some homes. Roughly 119,000 county homes are subject to the new regulations, which apply to developments planned before 1978 with lots of less than 25,000...

Continued...

 

‘Cruise ship’ illness hits Montgomery

Montgomery County health officials activated their emergency alert system Tuesday afternoon to warn residents of an early outbreak of norovirus, a highly contagious flu-like disease that has infected between 75 and 80 residents in the past month. The county typically reports about a dozen cases of the illness, which tends to occur in January or February. The intestinal virus or “cruise ship illness” is common in places where large groups of people live closely together. Mary Anderson, a spokeswoman for the county’s health department, said outbreaks have been reported at two nursing homes. She acknowledged Gaithersburg’s Wilson Health Care Center at Asbury Methodist...

Continued...

 

3 Minute Interview-Ficker

Gadfly, rabble-rouser, perennial failed candidate, perpetual tax foe, call him what you will, but Montgomery County resident Robin Ficker has led an interesting life. The 65-year-old, lawyer, real-estate agent and former Maryland state delegate is best known for pushing anti-tax ballot referendums and as the fan who harassed visiting teams at Washington’s NBA home games, even heckling his way into a book by Charles Barkley. After 34 years of calling on Montgomery County residents to support his efforts to make it more difficult to increase property taxes, he finally won: His ballot “Question B” this year eked out a win. What motivates you? I am trying to bring about...

Continued...

 

Md. Senate head may cut school aid for pricey areas

Maryland Senate President Mike Miller told Montgomery County leaders on their home turf Monday that he may ax or alter a formula that sends tens of millions in extra funding to the Prince George’s and Montgomery school systems. Last year, state legislators agreed to provide supplemental school aid for the first time to 13 jurisdictions including Montgomery and Prince George’s counties to compensate for the higher costs of education there. Montgomery County schools expected about $18 million in extra state money from the formula this year. Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett told Montgomery County legislators and Miller himself Monday in North Bethesda that he wanted to...

Continued...

 

MontCo officials may be pushing for buses, not light rail

Montgomery County transportation officials may be encouraging County Executive Ike Leggett to endorse using buses rather than light rail for the so-called Purple Line to link eastern and western parts of the county, an internal report obtained by The Examiner indicates. The Purple Line is to run parallel to the Capital Beltway, tie together four other Metro lines and extend from Bethesda in Montgomery County to New Carrollton in Prince George’s County. A major part of the debate, yet to be resolved, is whether the transit route will be light rail or a bus line. Leggett publicly pledged to back light rail while running for office in 2006, but since being elected has been mum on the...

Continued...

 

Md. Del. wants to divert $100M in horse-racing subsidy funds

A Montgomery County legislator wants to strip the horse-racing industry of a $100 million annual subsidy promised as part of the slots deal passed by voters in November, and use it for other state needs. Montgomery County Del. Luiz Simmons, an ardent slots foe, told The Examiner the state shouldn’t prioritize aid for horse racing at a time “when tuition is going up and there are unmet needs for health care and transportation projects.” “I can’t stomach giving $100 million each year to bail out a dying business,” Simmons said. “Maryland horse racing only provides 9,000 mostly part-time jobs, .2 percent of jobs in the state.” Last month,...

Continued...

 

Illegals dig in

Experts say the Washington region’s immigrant population remains stable, even as an economic downturn and tougher enforcement have caused the first recent decreases in illegal immigration nationally. National organizations have seen the number of illegal immigrants decrease, with estimates ranging from 500,000 to 1.3 million fewer people in the United States illegally. But locally, factors from a high demand for hospitality workers for the upcoming inauguration to the difficulty of returning home seem to be keeping immigrants here. An October report from the Pew Hispanic Center said there were roughly 11.9 million illegal immigrants living in the United States in March 2008, down...

Continued...

 

County workers can now get help buying homes

Montgomery County government workers can now access a half-million-dollar fund to help them buy homes in the pricey jurisdiction, more than three months after County Council President Mike Knapp accused County Executive Ike Leggett of dropping the ball on the incentive program. A May 2007 resolution, written by Knapp and passed by the council, set aside $500,000 so county government workers could participate in the Maryland “House Keys for Employees” program. Through the program, the state will match contributions from participating employers ---including county governments -- toward down payment and closing costs for workers. At least seven other counties, including Prince...

Continued...

 

Marylanders mull Lt. Gov. options if Brown joins Obama’s Cabinet

President-elect Barack Obama is considering Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown for his Cabinet, leaving Marylanders to figure out who could fill Brown’s shoes at home. Reports surfaced last week that Brown, an Army Reserve colonel who served in Iraq, was on Obama’s short list for secretary of veterans affairs, just days after it was announced he was co-chairman of Obama’s transition team for the department. “I think that speculation is natural given his talents and given his military service,” Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley said Monday night on Maryland Public Television. Brown is the highest elected official in the country to have served in Iraq. If he...

Continued...

 

MontCo chops bus routes, police recruits, more to save $33M

There will be fewer police cadets in training, less frequent bus service and delayed maintenance of parks in Montgomery County, after council members approved $33 million in immediate budget cuts Tuesday. County Executive Ike Leggett sought nearly $50 million of cuts just two weeks ago, saying a midyear savings plan was necessary to stave off budget problems in the next fiscal year. County officials learned Monday their budget woes are twice as bad as previously thought: When Leggett recommended cuts, he mentioned a $251 million budget shortfall, but yesterday county finance officials put the gap at $500 million. The council endorsed Leggett’s suggestion to alter 12 county bus...

Continued...

 

It’s official: MontCo budget shortfall doubles to $500M

Montgomery County officials publicly acknowledged Monday that the county’s budget shortfall had doubled in size, ballooning from a previously estimated gap of $250 million to at least $500 million. The Examiner reported last week that Councilwoman Duchy Trachtenberg, who chairs the county’s Management and Fiscal Policy Committee, said the budget shortfall was in the $400 million to $500 million range. At the time, Chief Administrative Officer Tim Firestine said a $500 million budget shortfall seemed “a bit high,” but on Monday, Finance Director Jennifer Barrett told council members to prepare for an “at least doubling of the budget gap.” Barrett and...

Continued...

 

Volunteers propose putting execs on front lines

Some Montgomery County firefighters in management positions would return to the front lines and others would give up their take-home county vehicles under proposed cost-savings measures. County Executive Ike Leggett proposed slashing ambulance staffing in Glen Echo, Hyattstown and Laytonsville to 10 hours a day/5 days a week, instead of the 24 hour/7 day a week staffing currently in effect, as part of a mid-year savings plan. He also suggested taking a Silver Spring ambulance out of service entirely, to help combat a budget shortfall of at least $251 million for the coming fiscal year. The memo acknowledged that increased emergency response times are likely with the reduced ambulance...

Continued...

 

MontCo shortfall could mount to $500M, councilwoman says

Montgomery County’s budget shortfall may be $250 million greater — nearly twice as large — as initially expected, the lead council member for financial matters told The Examiner on Thursday. The county may face a budget gap of $400 million to $500 million for the fiscal year that begins in July 2009, Councilwoman Duchy Trachtenberg said, as opposed to the $251 million projected shortfall mentioned in preliminary estimates from County Executive Ike Leggett. Trachtenberg, who chairs the council’s Management and Fiscal Policy Committee, said she had received a “preview of sorts” on the latest revenue information, which she described as “quite...

Continued...

 

3-minute interview — William Thomas

William Thomas is Maryland’s 2009 Teacher of the Year. Thomas, who teaches government at Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School in Prince George’s County, has a bachelor’s degree in social studies from the State University of New York at Albany and a master’s in reading education from Bowie State University. He credits his success to his parents, who strongly encouraged him to pursue a college degree although neither of them attended college, and encouraged nightly Bible reading. What’s the most challenging thing about being a teacher? I always say this job would be a cakewalk if it weren’t for the paperwork: There is a lot of grading, a lot of lesson...

Continued...

 

Montgomery County cuts ribbon on first housing program for work force

Montgomery County officials are taking their first stab at providing affordable housing for government employees today, putting 49 partially subsidized condos on the market. County and Rockville employees can apply to purchase one of 49 condos in the Village at King Farm, part of Rockville’s King Farm community. The county will spend $9.5 million on the complex, when financing is included, plus about $26,000 per condo to upgrade them and remodel common areas. The two- and three-bedroom units are now on the market for between $205,000 and $380,000 apiece, with priority given to first responders and teachers, although other Montgomery and Rockville workers and residents can also apply....

Continued...

 

Four vow to vote no on ambulance fees

Four Montgomery County Council members vowed to vote against ambulance fees Tuesday, challenging fellow Democrat and County Executive Ike Leggett who says charging for ambulance use would generate much-needed revenue for the county fire department. The council is still one vote shy of what’s needed to kill the surcharge, but there is enough opposition that it is impossible for Leggett to get the council support necessary to put the fees in place immediately. Last spring, Leggett recommended charging fees ranging from $300 to $800 per ambulance trip, plus $7.50 per mile traveled. He maintains the bills for transporting residents would go directly to insurance companies and no person...

Continued...

 

Boil water advisory could be lifted today

Thousands of Prince George’s County residents could once again be able to drink their tap water today, if a second round of tests for bacteria after a weekend pipe break comes back negative and a boil water advisory is lifted. A break in a 12-inch water main occurred about 2:30 a.m. Saturday in the area around Central Avenue and the Capital Beltway, causing a loss of water pressure or water service for a roughly 39-square-mile area of the county. Water service was restored around 5:30 Sunday, but a boil water advisory remains in effect for the 3,100 customer accounts in the affected region. Officials with Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, the utility that serves both...

Continued...

 

County funds motels for homeless families

Montgomery is paying $5,720 a day to house a record 52 homeless families at motels, as the county struggles to accommodate a growing needy population when all county shelter beds are full and the economy is worsening. “We’re meeting the need, and not one family will sleep on the streets in Montgomery County,” County Councilman George Leventhal said. “But obviously a motel is not the most desirable option from the standpoint of both the families and the taxpayers.” Council members took $4.5 million this year from an affordable housing fund to pay for a new “Housing First” program that focuses on the construction or rental of permanent housing for...

Continued...

 

Ambulance staff, school funds, bus service on block

Montgomery’s top elected official proposed slashing everything from youth softball to ambulance service Thursday in an effort to save $50 million in current spending, while saying state budget woes make further cuts likely. County Executive Ike Leggett’s midyear savings plan must first be approved by county council members, who say they’ll begin reviewing his proposal next week and hope to vote on the savings package before Thanksgiving. The county faces a $250 million budget gap for the next fiscal year. “We have worked to identify savings that could be realized without severely impacting direct services, especially to public safety and our most vulnerable...

Continued...

 

Leggett pushes county to get tough on code enforcement

People who repeatedly violate Montgomery County’s housing code by things like crowding too many unrelated people into one home or leaving yards unkempt would face a $750 — rather than $500 — a day fine, under proposals from County Executive Ike Leggett. Leggett told The Examiner he’s backing sweeping changes to housing code policy, after hearing repeated complaints that county code enforcement is uneven, ineffective and undermining the quality of life for people in many parts of the county. “We get tons of complaints,” Leggett said. “You take a house that works for a five person family and put ten adults and lots of children in there. It’s...

Continued...

 

Montgomery property tax restraint likely to pass

Montgomery County officials will likely face a new hurdle next time they consider substantially increasing property taxes, as a ballot referendum designed to make it tougher for them to do so appears headed for passage. “Question B” would require County Council members to unanimously approve raising property taxes beyond the rate of inflation; under current law, only seven of the nine members need approve such an increase. Supporters of the referendum had a roughly 600-vote edge after Election Day ballots were counted, but that lead widened to 4,154 votes Monday after nearly 33,000 absentee ballots were officially tallied. Robin Ficker, author of the measure, has lobbied for...

Continued...

 

Leggett wants large work trucks off streets

Montgomery residents could park pickups and work vans, but not “heavy” commercial vehicles like construction trucks or recreational vehicles on residential streets overnight, under Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett’s suggested revisions to local parking laws. “They block traffic, create safety conditions and in some ways, with so many of them in a it is a blight on the community,” Leggett said of large-size commercial vehicles. Leggett’s on-street parking proposals are less stringent than those recommended over the summer by Council President Mike Knapp, who would have kept large work vans and smaller commercial trucks off most streets too. The...

Continued...

 

Metro region pins hopes on Obama

Virginia, Maryland and the District handed President-elect Barack Obama all of their 26 electoral votes last Tuesday, but experts say it could be tough to translate that political support into heightened support for regional priorities. The commonwealth’s Gov. Tim Kaine was on Obama’s short list as a vice presidential pick. A Kaine spokesman said the governor hoped that would translate into increased help on infrastructure spending. Stephen Fuller, director of George Mason University’s Center for Regional Analysis, acknowledged the close relationship between Kaine and Obama and said it was “possible” that connection could result in increased attention to...

Continued...

 

Voters in Washington area don’t break turnout records

Many things are historic about President-elect Barack Obama’s victory Tuesday, but registered voter turnout in most of the Washington region was not. Nearly all jurisdictions secured extra voting machines and volunteers to keep lines running smoothly, but while many precincts reported that residents lined up an hour or more before polls opened — and many voters endured long waits in the morning — there were few reports of lines during the evening. In Virginia, preliminary information available Friday afternoon said 3.7 million, or about 73 percent, of the 5 million registered voters cast ballots in the presidential election Tuesday. In the 1992 election, Virginia had...

Continued...

 

County to buy foreclosed homes, allow Habitat to Humanity rehab

Montgomery County will spend up to $3.5 million to buy 10 foreclosed homes, give them to Habitat for Humanity for rehabilitation and ultimately sell them to low-income local families, county officials said Thursday. Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett is expected to announce the partnership Friday morning at Habitat for Humanity’s First Annual Affordable Housing Benefit Breakfast in Bethesda. This is the first time a local government has partnered with Habitat for Humanity to revamp foreclosed properties, officials said. County leaders hope the homes will be fully renovated by the middle of 2009. Habitat for Humanity will rigorously screen low-income, local families before...

Continued...

 

MontCo property tax measure too close to call

Score one for the little guy in Montgomery County. It was 30 years ago that Robin Ficker, perennial failed candidate and perpetual tax foe, first ran a ballot referendum to make it tougher to increase Montgomery County property taxes. On Wednesday, after all the votes from Election Day were counted, his latest attempt to do so was up 591 votes. There are still as many as 64,500 absentee and provisional ballots left to be counted. Ficker, however, is feeling good about “Question B,” which would require all nine council members to approve raising property taxes beyond the rate of inflation. Under current law, only seven of the nine members need do so. “This is not an...

Continued...

 

Early tallies show Md. gambles on slots

Thousands of slot machines were headed for Maryland as voters Tuesday backed a ballot referendum supporting the expansion of legalized gambling which Gov. Martin O’Malley called critical to narrowing state budget gaps. After years of debate by state legislators, voters finally approved installing 15,000 slots machines to racetracks in Allegany, Anne Arundel, Cecil and Worcester counties and Baltimore City. The measure gained support all across the state, including Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, where opposition was believed to be strongest. Slots proponents, who outspent anti-slots groups by roughly 7 to 1, said Monday residents would back the measure as a way to...

Continued...

 

Md. slots vote too close to call heading into election, some say

Some pollsters and political analysts maintain Maryland’s ballot vote on slots may be too close to call, fewer than 24 hours before the election. Almost 48 percent of 884 voters surveyed late last week said they oppose bringing 15,000 slot machines to five racetracks around the state, compared with 45 percent who favor doing so, according to a Zogby Internet poll paid for by slots opponents. The poll was within the margin of error, however, and is the first to show slots headed for defeat. Polls by The Washington Post and slots proponents, however, have all shown the referendum headed for an easy jackpot on Election Day, with slots support hovering around 60 percent. “The...

Continued...

 

3 Minute Interview: Paul Eder

Paul Eder, a senior director with Qiagen in Gaithersburg, has spent the past five years working on an HPV test for women who live in the developing world. HPV, the human papilloma virus, is the primary cause of cervical cancer. The CareHPV project, which received funding by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and is conducted in partnership with the global nonprofit health care organization PATH, will run pilot programs in Nicaragua, India and Uganda in 2009. How do you find people capable of administering these tests in rural, developing parts of the world? The tests were made simple enough to be run by local residents with, say, only a high school education. We proved that by working...

Continued...

 

Leggett snags $2M from Korean governor for business project

A Korean governor has pledged $2 million for a Montgomery County science and technology business incubator project, shortly after Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett met with him during a 10-day Asian economic development trip. Woo-Taik Chung, governor of Korea’s Chungbuk province, agreed to provide the funding to increase his region’s presence in the United States and establish his region as a biotechnology hub in his own country, Montgomery officials said. A staff member from Chungbuk has been working at the Montgomery County Department of Economic Development on a temporary assignment to develop a more formal business partnership between the two areas. Leggett’s...

Continued...

 

Controller in medevac crash

The air traffic controller in radio contact with a doomed Maryland medevac helicopter that crashed, killing four last month, lacked the training to assist the pilot in an instrument landing, a preliminary report released Thursday found. The National Transportation Safety Board’s analysis pointed to a failed navigation system in the helicopter and the inability of ground personnel to guide them through a landing without aircraft instruments as contributing factors in the crash. The report also noted that the only rescue worker to respond to the crash in Prince George’s County had to drive more than 25 miles to get to the scene. The helicopter, which crashed 2 miles from...

Continued...

 

Officials report receiving disability pay subpoenas

Montgomery County officials acknowledged Thursday they’d received subpoenas in a widening federal probe of potential Montgomery police disability retirement abuses, while council members learned that the board that approves disabilities lacks a specialist in the largest category of injury claims. County council members were stunned to learn that no doctor who specializes in orthopedic medicine has sat on the disability review panel in the past 10 years, when 91 percent of those seeking disability retirement have had orthopedic problems like back, hip and knee injuries. A September report from county Inspector General Tom Dagley revealed that more than 60 percent of recent retirees...

Continued...

 

Feds investigate Montgomery disability retirement rolls

Federal authorities have started a preliminary investigation into allegations of abuse of Montgomery County’s disability retirement system by some former high-ranking police officers, and have subpoenaed at least one current employer of a retired assistant police chief. Gaithersburg City Manager Angel Jones told The Examiner she received a subpoena Tuesday afternoon from the office of U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein seeking access to information about Gaithersburg Police Chief John King. Jones, who has been on the job only a month, said she passed the subpoena to a city attorney and instructed staff to respond to the request. “It seems they are doing a preliminary investigation...

Continued...

 

Feds investigate Montgomery disability retirement rolls

Federal authorities have started a preliminary investigation into allegations of abuse of Montgomery County’s disability retirement system by some former high-ranking police officers, and have subpoenaed at least one current employer of a retired assistant police chief. Gaithersburg City Manager Angel Jones told The Examiner she received a subpoena Tuesday afternoon from the office of U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein seeking access to information about Gaithersburg Police Chief John King. Jones, who has been on the job only a month, said she passed the subpoena to a city attorney and instructed staff to respond to the request. “It seems they are doing a preliminary investigation...

Continued...

 

MoCo exec says he won’t let council restrict his pursuit of grants

Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett said Tuesday he won’t follow a proposed new county law that would strip him of his power to apply for certain grants. Council members are unanimously backing legislation that would require Leggett to get council approval before seeking grants worth more than $500,000, that require the council to spend more than $250,000 or add two or more positions to county government. They say the law is necessary because Leggett ignored council advice over the summer and pursued public safety projects that, if awarded, would force the county to pony up about $7.8 million in local cash to receive about $2 million in federal aid. “We are determined to...

Continued...

 

State, local, federal officials rally behind Md. immigrant group project

Maryland’s top officials stood with immigrant advocates Monday to break ground on a $33 million Langley Park multicultural center, brushing off a handful of protesters nearby who railed against spending taxpayer dollars to potentially assist illegal immigrants. Leaders of CASA of Maryland, the state’s largest immigrant advocacy group, plan to transform the historic McCormick-Goodhart Mansion located near University Boulevard into a new headquarters building where they will offer English classes, provide employment assistance and help immigrants navigate the tricky citizenship application process. A coalition of elected officials from state, federal and county governments...

Continued...

 

Deadbeat mom from most-wanted list arrested in Va.

The one “deadbeat mom” to make Virginia’s most-wanted list of child support evaders was arrested Thursday in Rockingham County for failure to pay more than $24,000 in outstanding payments for her two sons. Wendy Marie Gentry’s case was laid out in The Examiner last week as the only woman featured on Virginia’s list of the nine most egregious deadbeat parents. She is also the first individual arrested from the list of noncustodial parents who owe a combined total of $523,605 in past-due support to their children. The Examiner ran comments from her ex-husband, Kenneth Gentry, in a Monday cover story about how skipped child support payments affect the lives of...

Continued...

 

Montgomery council indefinitely delays charging for ambulance use

Montgomery County residents will not have to pay ambulance fees, for now. The three Montgomery County Council members on a public safety panel unanimously voted Thursday morning to indefinitely postpone consideration of County Executive Ike Leggett’s plan to charge for ambulance transport. Under Leggett’s proposal, the fees would range from $300 to $800 per ambulance trip, plus $7.50 per mile traveled. His staff says insurance companies, rather than Montgomery County residents, would be billed for ambulance transport. People who live outside the jurisdiction, however, would be billed. County finance officials said the fees eventually could generate $14 million a year for the...

Continued...

 

Task force pushes retrofitting homes, high-rises with sprinklers systems, among other recommendations

Montgomery County homeowners would be required to install sprinkler systems in their homes by 2030, under one of 37 recommendations Wednesday from a task force seeking to stop disproportionate deaths of county seniors in fires. Sixteen of the 19 Montgomery residents killed in fires since 2005 were 65 or older. In 2006, Fire Chief Tom Carr and former Montgomery County executive Doug Duncan convened a 25-person committee to investigate ways to improve senior citizen fire safety. The 37 recommendations run the gamut from helping homebound seniors check or install smoke alarms to requiring all high-rise buildings and single family homes be retrofitted with sprinkler systems, which would...

Continued...

 

Volunteer firefighters threaten recall vote if ambulance fees approved by council

Montgomery County volunteer firefighters said Tuesday they will pursue a ballot referendum to overturn any effort to charge ambulance transportation fees in Montgomery County, should council members approve a proposed change to local policy. Last spring, County Executive Ike Leggett recommended charging fees ranging from $300 to $800 per ambulance trip, plus $7.50 per mile traveled. Leggett’s staff maintains the bills for transporting residents would go directly to insurance companies and no person who lives in Montgomery County would ever be charged for service. People who live outside the jurisdiction, however, would be billed for ambulance use. “We believe people will...

Continued...

 

Republicans: Multiple ballots sent to same voters

The Republican Party of Virginia is urging election officials to investigate allegations of “double-balloting” in five counties in the swing state where party leaders say they’ve had reports of absentee voters being mailed multiple ballots for this year’s election. Lauren Carter Mann, 23, is one such voter. Mann told The Examiner Tuesday she received two absentee ballots from the Henrico County registrar the same day at her New York City apartment. “I was just confused, I thought it was really weird,” Mann said. “I actually had no idea what to do, I had a friend sit down with me and compare the two because I was thinking there was no way they...

Continued...

 

Number of foreclosures drop in Maryland suburbs, but officials say state law, not market, caused change

The number of foreclosures in Maryland’s D.C. suburbs declined for the first time in almost two years between April and June 2008, but housing officials say the decrease stems from new state policies rather than market changes. In Prince George’s County, the number of foreclosures dropped 13.8 percent, going from 3,310 to 2,853 from the first quarter of 2008 to the second quarter. Meanwhile, Montgomery County saw a 20 percent decline, going from 1644 to 1314 in the same time period. State and local housing officials alike attribute the drop-off to changes made to state law: Lenders now have to wait 90 days after a homeowner initially defaults on a loan before foreclosure...

Continued...

 

Deadbeat parents owe nearly $4.5 billion

Deadbeat dads — and some moms, too — owe nearly $4.5 billion in child support payments throughout the Washington region, forcing local enforcement agencies to get creative in seeking out scofflaws and state officials to look for loopholes in the system. Virginia collected $629 million last year, and Maryland collected $495.9 million in fiscal 2007, the last year for which data was available. Nonetheless, outstanding payments total $2.5 billion in Virginia and $1.57 billion in Maryland. Hundreds of state lottery winners were allowed to keep their prizes despite overdue child support payments, according to an audit released Thursday blasting the state’s child support...

Continued...

 

Missing in action: Life without support

Rockingham County, Va. residents Karen Sampson and Kenneth Gentry are proud of how they’ve gotten by since their exes split, skipping out on tens of thousands in child support. But now that both of their former partners have made the state’s most-wanted list for back child support, they’re hoping things might get a little easier. Sampson’s ex-husband, Keith Alan Raines, a 1986 West Point grad, owes her nearly $50,000 in back payments for their two boys, now teenagers. She says she and state officials have tracked him through West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky and North Carolina, but he hasn’t made a payment in years. “I work. I do not sit at...

Continued...

 

3 Minute Interview-Stolsworth

Five years ago, North Bethesda resident Della Stolsworth pioneered a Montgomery County program to link retired professionals to local nonprofits. She recently received recognition from first lady Laura Bush for her work with the Senior Corps’ Retired and Senior Volunteer Program. As the first lady pointed out, Stolsworth’s work at the Montgomery County Volunteer Center both saves nonprofits thousands of dollars in consulting fees and keeps seniors active. Were you surprised to hear the first lady praise your work? It was absolutely a complete surprise. I had spoken to someone from the White House and they had done an interview with me, asking if it would be all right if the...

Continued...

 

MontCo workers skirt SUV freeze with rentals

Montgomery County employees “across various departments” have been circumventing a freeze on purchasing sport utility vehicles for use in county jobs by renting the large, gas-guzzling vehicles through the county’s Enterprise Rent-A-Car account. Fleet Management officials told county council members this week they are now requiring employees to receive written authorization from their supervisors before renting vehicles larger than compact or intermediate size, and give the documents to Enterprise agents when they pick up the vehicle. “Now, they are trying to make it a lot harder for people to have SUVs,” Councilman Roger Berliner said. “They’re...

Continued...

 

Maryland cuts $297M from budget, slashes 830 jobs

Gov. Martin O’Malley and the Board of Public Works stripped $297 million Wednesday from Maryland’s budget, slashing 830 jobs, plus state payments to local jails, community colleges and more while his budget secretary told departments to prepare additional cuts. Last month, O’Malley directed the Maryland Department of Budget and Management to cut spending in all state agencies up to 5 percent, after he learned the state would have a revenue shortfall of $432 million this year. On Wednesday, state Budget Secretary Eloise Foster said she would need agencies to recommend an additional 3 percent in cuts beyond what O’Malley had already announced that day. Still on the...

Continued...

 

Council upholds special fees for some in Clarksburg area

Some Clarksburg-area homeowners will soon be billed up to $1,500 annually for county services after Montgomery County Council members voted Tuesday to uphold special taxes on residents of three developments. Council President Mike Knapp, who represents the Clarksburg area, urged council members to remove the development district label and accompanying fees from the Clarksburg Town Center, Arora Hills and Clarksburg Village communities saying the infrastructure the fees was intended to provide is still not available. “The people who bought into that have been living a nightmare,” Knapp said. “We have many folks living on streets that have yet to be paved, piles of dirt...

Continued...

 

Hoyer: $700 billion alone won't save economy

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer called for extending unemployment benefits and more food stamps funding Monday, saying it will take more than the recently approved $700 billion financial rescue package to turn around the economy. “I think the public is still ambivalent, still not sure, still scared,” Hoyer told The Examiner in an editorial board meeting. “Almost every economist thinks something else needs to be done.” Democratic leaders have suggested in recent days that they plan to push for a package of benefits after the election that could add $150 billion to the bailout. Hoyer said Monday it was less a question of cost, and more a question of “what can...

Continued...

 

Inaccurate census count thwarted enrollment estimate

A growing number of families sharing homes in Montgomery County could have contributed to wildly underestimated school enrollment this year, some county leaders said Monday. Roughly 1,600 more students than expected showed up for class this September, in a school year where planners estimated enrollment would grow by only 50 or so students. School board members and school system officials have said some of the growth can be attributed to difficult economic times: Some parents have pulled their kids out of costly private schools and fewer families have left the area because of a lagging housing market. But leaders also said they might not be able to accurately count how many people and...

Continued...

 

ITC investigates claims that Nintendo stole local firm’s technology to make Wii

U.S. International Trade Commission representatives are investigating claims that video game giant Nintendo stole technology from Rockville’s Hillcrest Laboratories to make the popular Wii entertainment system. Hillcrest officials allege Nintendo violated four of their patents when creating the Wii, which uses a wireless handheld pointing device instead of a traditional wired controller to play games. Three of the patent infringement claims are related to the handheld pointing device, which translates human motions into on-screen cursor movement. The fourth deals with an interface display system that graphically organizes content for display on a television. Hillcrest officials have...

Continued...

 

Montgomery union chief warns of contract cuts

The head of Montgomery County’s largest employee union said he was preparing his 8,000 members for possible cuts to contracts, which often included 8 percent raises, over the next few years. Gino Renne, president of the Municipal and County Government Employees Organization Local 1994, added, however, that he would not agree to renegotiate contracts until he was convinced that revenue problems were real. Renne plans to review financial data with county leaders next week. “I am preparing my membership for the reality of potentially having to revisit our negotiated agreements,” Renne said. “It seems like a strong possibility.” Last month, Montgomery County...

Continued...

 

Md., Va., make Business Week list of worst state budget problems

Marylanders and Virginians alike should be afraid to bring home this report card: Both states made Business Week’s list of “States with the Worst Budget Shortfalls: Twenty States that Can’t Pay for Themselves.” Maryland, with a $1.1 billion deficit, equal to about 7.2 percent of its total budget, is ranked the 10th worst state budget shortfall in the country. Virginia and it’s $1.2 billion gap, about 7.1 percent of its total budget, is right behind at 11th. Business Week editors say they used data from a Center on Budget and Policy Priorities study released at the end of September. According to the magazine, the potential cost for all 31 states facing both...

Continued...

 

Montgomery councilwoman peddles bike rental program

Montgomery County residents may be able to rent bikes near transit hubs in the coming year if a councilwoman finds support for her proposal to follow the District’s lead in adopting a SmartBike program. Councilwoman Valerie Ervin has asked county transportation officials to start a pilot program with about 500 bikes available for short-term rentals in Takoma Park, Wheaton, Silver Spring and Bethesda. Ervin says the program would be cost-neutral: The vendor running the program would charge membership fees and give customers a pre-paid card to unlock available bikes at fixed rack locations and keep them for up to two days. “It is a good way for people to do a lot of things...

Continued...

 

Leggett leaves on Asian trade mission amid criticism

Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett left Tuesday evening for a 10-day trade mission to Asia, a year after a similar trip to Israel netted a negligible number of local jobs. Leggett’s trip tab will run about $38,000 for airfare, accommodations, receptions, meals and incidentals for the county’s top elected official and four economic development staffers who will accompany him at various points. Though the cost is a fraction of the county’s $4.3 billion budget, Leggett’s travel plans have drawn some criticism from Council President Mike Knapp and some union leaders, who fault him for leaving the area while the county faces a $250 million budget gap and impending...

Continued...

 

County alters zoning policy, clears way for Live Nation venue

A controversial proposal to bring live music to Silver Spring was all but complete Tuesday after Montgomery County Council members signed off on changes to some land use policies necessary to seal the deal with a developer. Over the past year, Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett has pushed council members to approve funds and zoning changes necessary to bring a Live Nation Fillmore Music Hall to a former J.C. Penney store site on Silver Spring’s Colesville Road. A Fillmore banner is already draped over the property, but the Lee Development Group, which owns the site, sought special development considerations before donating the land to the county. Some council members balked at...

Continued...

 

Van Hollen: Bailout not cure-all

Maryland Rep. Chris Van Hollen said the $700 billion government bailout he voted for twice last week will not stabilize a wildly erratic stock market on its own. Speaking with The Examiner’s editorial board as the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down more than 700 points Monday afternoon before it bounced back to only a 370-point loss, Van Hollen said American’s need to prepare themselves for more trouble. “Call it a bailout, call it a rescue package, I don’t think anybody was arguing this was the be-all or end-all,” Van Hollen, whose district encompasses most of Montgomery County, said. “I think you’re seeing the economy is in worse shape than a...

Continued...

 

Medevac protocol changed to limit unnecessary flights

Emergency workers in Maryland will now consult with trauma center doctors before using medevac helicopters to transport patients with no obvious external injuries, state officials said Monday. The change to protocol comes in the wake of an helicopter accident nine days ago that killed four people, including a patient whose parents have publicly questioned whether her injuries were severe enough to require medevac use. “If rescue workers arrive on the scene and people are talking, breathing, with no outside bruising or anything, but there is reason to suspect that internal injuries could have occurred, then they will get a second opinion to verify the need to make the...

Continued...

 

3 Minute Interview-Cortez

D.C. resident and award-winning poet Mayamerica Cortez was honored in June by the deputy foreign minister of El Salvador for strengthening Salvadoran culture through literature. Cortez was born in El Salvador but emigrated to the U.S. in 1980 to escape her country’s civil war, leaving her three children behind for a time until she had a stable life here in the Washington area. She published her first book in El Salvador in 1976, “Lumbre de Soledad” (“Fire of Solitude”), but took 19 years off before publishing her next piece as she struggled to bring her children to the U.S. and adjust to life here. She recently read some of her work to Montgomery County...

Continued...

 

Panel takes on high number of police disability claims

A panel of Montgomery County Council members will begin contentious discussions today about how to reduce the alarming number of police retirees receiving hefty work-related disability payments, but union leaders say any changes to county policy require collective bargaining. Last month, Tom Dagley, Montgomery’s Inspector General, released a study that found 62 percent of officers who retired in the past three years are receiving extra money for work-related disabilities. Roughly 3 percent of police and fire workers in Fairfax County receive similar payments. The Examiner reported in August that one in four police officers due for a mandatory physical last year had skipped their...

Continued...

 

Maryland medevac operations cleared, resumed Tuesday night

The Maryland state police helicopter fleet was up and running again Tuesday evening, while National Transportation Safety Board officials continued to analyze the site of a weekend crash that killed four people during an emergency medical trip. Major Andrew J. McAndrew, Commander of the Aviation Command, authorized a helicopter stationed at Martin State Airport in Middle River, to resume operations around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. Officials said the rest of the fleet would be incrementally returning to service after the glide slope equipment, which provides vertical guidance to the runway, was checked in each helicopter by both an outside contractor and a state police instructor pilot. The pilot...

Continued...

 

Pilot warned feds about copters before accident

A whistle-blower warned federal authorities of potentially dire consequences from alleged mismanagement of the Maryland State Police aviation program just 17 days before Sunday’s helicopter crash in Prince George’s County killed four people. And another critic of the state aviation program claimed that the helicopter involved in Sunday’s crash had been badly damaged in a collision several years ago, but that the accident was never reported. “Your immediate attention is requested to prevent loss of life,” began the Sept. 11 message from Pete Peterson, a helicopter pilot for the Maryland State Police. The e-mail was sent to the U.S. Department of...

Continued...

 

Maintenance questions resurface after helicopter crash

Four people are dead and Maryland's state police aviation command has grounded all aircraft after a state police helicopter crashed during a medical transport trip early Sunday morning in Prince George's County. The incident comes weeks after the release of a troubling audit that found management and maintenance problems in the state aviation program. State police pilot Stephen J. Bunker, 59, of Waldorf, Md., trooper first class Mickey C. Lippy, 34, of Westminster, Md., Waldorf Rescue Squad worker Tanya Mallard, 39, of Waldorf and patient Ashley J. Younger, 17, also of Waldorf all died when the medevac helicopter crashed between 12 and 12:30 a.m. Sunday in Walker Mill Regional Park. One...

Continued...

 

O’Malley calls for deep cuts after MontCo Dems nix slots

Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley directed state agencies Thursday to trim hundreds of millions of dollars from their current budgets, the morning after Montgomery County Democrats rejected his push to use slots to help with future budget problems. O’Malley told department directors to identify cuts representing up to 5 percent of their current year budgets, saying he will bring the proposed reductions before the Board of Public Works on Oct. 15. Earlier this month, the Maryland Board of Revenue Estimates projected 2009 revenues will fall more than $400 million short of estimates. “The budget has a lot of line items, and the governor has asked the state agencies to go...

Continued...

 

Over half of Montgomery group homes still fail to meet safety code

More than a year after Montgomery County officials said 42 group homes were out of compliance with fire safety regulations, roughly half the homes still lack the sprinkler systems necessary to protect elderly, juvenile and disabled residents. In the summer of 2007, Montgomery County Council members set aside $250,000 to install sprinkler systems in the homes that lacked bedroom windows large enough to serve as emergency exits, putting the residents in danger and the homes out of compliance with safety codes, according to fire department inspectors. A year later, the money has been spent, but county officials say only 18 of the 42 group homes have had sprinkler systems completed. Another...

Continued...

 

Montgomery Council tries to rein in Leggett’s pursuit of grants

Montgomery Council members are unanimously backing legislation to strip County Executive Ike Leggett of his power to pursue certain grants without their approval, saying Leggett ignored council advice and pursued projects requiring millions in county funds. Over the summer, Leggett’s office applied for public safety grants that, if awarded, would force the county to pony up about $7.8 million in local cash to receive about $2 million in federal aid. Council Vice President Phil Andrews and Council Member Duchy Trachtenberg wrote Leggett in July, asking him to withdraw the requests for federal funds, saying they were “extremely concerned about the long-term costs to the...

Continued...

 

MontCo home sales fell 30 percent last fiscal year

Home sales in Montgomery County plunged more than 30 percent in the past fiscal year, with only 8,200 existing condos and houses changing hands between July 2007 and June 2008, compared to 11,927 the year before. County budget experts say the number of sales was the lowest since the early ’90s. The news comes as further evidence that wealthy Montgomery is not immune to the nation’s financial woes, and will face economic challenges through the remainder of 2008 and into 2009, budget experts said. “We’ll see problems with how much we’re getting from taxes connected to home sales, but if there are lots of vacant houses with nobody living in them, that means...

Continued...

 

Slots debate puts squeeze on MontCo, Pr. George’s

The pressure is on Prince George’s and Montgomery County residents to vote their wallets, not their hearts, when it comes to a November ballot referendum that could bring 15,000 slot machines to Maryland. Residents of the two Washington suburban counties are the most solidly anti-slots voters in Maryland, making up the only region in the state where more people say they will vote against slots than for them in November, according to a recent poll. Patrick Gonzales, president of Gonzales Research & Marketing Strategies, said his Aug. 29 to Sept. 5 study shows 50 percent of Prince George’s and Montgomery voters oppose slots, 42 percent favor them and 8 percent are...

Continued...

 

Leggett gambles on slots, future

Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett rolled the dice on his political future last week, when he announced his change of heart on bringing slots to Maryland. When Leggett revealed Thursday he would “reluctantly” support a November ballot vote to allow slot machines, he dropped 15 years of opposition to state-run gambling. Leggett says he reversed himself because he feared, without slots, the state would make deep cuts that would hurt Maryland’s poorest residents. He says it would have been far easier to continue opposing slots, given the anti-gambling leanings of his overwhelmingly progressive constituency. Del. Luiz Simmons disagrees, saying the day after...

Continued...

 

Montgomery executive changes course, supports slots measure

Montgomery County’s top elected official gave up 15 years of opposition to slots Thursday, announcing he will support a state ballot measure that would bring thousands of the machines to Maryland because he believes they will help budget problems. County Executive Ike Leggett said in a written statement that he would vote for the measure “due to a lack of other viable options.” He said he worries that absent slots, the state would make budget cuts that would fall disproportionately on Montgomery County residents, specifically the poorest and most vulnerable. Maryland is facing a potential $1 billion budget shortfall in the next fiscal year, and Montgomery County’s...

Continued...

 

License battle threatens some free samples

The free sample is in jeopardy. Vendors at local farmers markets are at odds with Montgomery County health inspectors, charging that some officials have been over-zealous in their efforts to ensure food safety by restricting vendors from distributing free samples without a specific license. “One of the reasons people who come to farmers markets buy is because they taste the samples,” said Janet Terry, President of the Olney Farmers and Artists’ Market. “It’s really one of the most fun things about farmers markets.” Montgomery County Councilman Marc Elrich said he learned of the new crackdown last weekend, when he saw a vendor being shut down by a...

Continued...

 

O’Malley urged to halt connector funding

Prince George’s County Executive Jack Johnson joined the county’s top council members and members of the state legislative delegation to urge Gov. Martin O’Malley to halt funding for the Intercounty Connector project, an 18-mile toll road linking Prince George’s and Montgomery counties. The project is $100 million over budget. Last week, Maryland Transportation Secretary John Porcari revealed plans to shave $1.1 billion from the state’s transportation budget, including $125 million in Prince George’s road improvements. “My past support for the ICC was to bolster economic activity in our county,” Johnson said. “I have strong concerns...

Continued...

 

Montgomery officials say state transit cuts favor Baltimore

The O’Malley administration’s decision to make deep cuts in Montgomery County’s two major transit projects while leaving Baltimore City’s Red Line largely unscathed has incensed some county officials. Montgomery officials are concerned that Gov. Martin O’Malley’s cuts to local plans will cost the area federal transit dollars. Last week, Maryland Transportation Secretary John Porcari slashed $1.1 billion from state transportation projects, citing lower-than-expected tax revenues. Those cuts included reductions to the state’s three big transit projects; the proposed Purple Line connecting Bethesda and New Carrollton; Montgomery’s Corridor...

Continued...

 

High rates for disabled police go back decades

The staggering disability rates among Montgomery County police officers stretch back more than two decades, and although county leaders are decrying a “broken” system now, policy changes may not begin until January. In 10 of the past 23 years, more Montgomery officers left the force on work-related disability claims than received normal retirement, according to data provided by the county’s police union. Last month, a task force commissioned by Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett found that 54 percent of police who retired in the past eight years receive extra pay for work-related disabilities, compared with 3 percent of similar workers in Fairfax County. This week,...

Continued...

 

Montgomery workers may switch to 4-day workweek to reduce traffic

Montgomery County government workers will be encouraged to switch to a four-day workweek under a new plan by County Executive Ike Leggett that won’t cut government costs, but will reduce traffic and save workers cash. Right now, 11 percent of the county’s roughly 10,000 employees work four 10-hour days a week. Leggett says county government will still operate five days a week, but the push is necessary to help workers save money while gas prices remain high, and take cars off the road to lessen gridlock and help the environment. His staff estimates that converting 800 employees to work four-day, 10-hour schedules will save 50,000 gallons of gas a year — and cut nearly 1...

Continued...

 

Highest state court kills transgender law referendum

Maryland’s highest court killed plans Tuesday to have Montgomery County residents vote on whether to repeal a new Montgomery County law that prohibits discrimination against transgender people. The state’s Court of Appeals reversed a lower court’s decision to uphold a November referendum on the civil rights measure, rejecting arguments from the Montgomery County Board of Elections that a gay and transgender rights group had waited too long to challenge errors in the petition certification process. Last month, Montgomery County Circuit Judge Robert Greenberg ruled that the ballot vote could legally proceed, despite problems with the number of voters who signed the...

Continued...

 

Both sides wait for verdict on transgender rights ballot measure

Montgomery residents seeking a repeal of a controversial law guaranteeing civil rights for transgender people urged Maryland’s highest court Monday to uphold a ballot initiative certified by the county board of elections. But gay and transgender rights advocates said the initiative violated state law, and urged the court to toss it. Last month, Montgomery County Circuit Judge Robert Greenberg ruled that the ballot vote could legally proceed, despite problems with the number of voters who signed the referendum petition. Greenberg said he agreed with the gay and transgender rights group Equality Maryland that the Montgomery County Board of Elections erred when it used the number of...

Continued...

 

Montgomery to spend speed camera revenue on pedestrian safety

Montgomery County will use some of the millions culled from its new speed camera ticketing program to fund pedestrian safety initiatives, County Executive Ike Leggett said Monday. “Despite the serious budget shortfalls we are experiencing, I have found a way to jump-start the significant expansion of our pedestrian safety efforts,” Leggett said. The Pedestrian Safety Initiative details seven strategies such as upgrading pedestrian signals and improving street lighting to improve the safety of walkers and bikers — but it comes with a $4.8 million price tag. Leggett cut funding for much of the program shortly after he unveiled it last year, because of budget...

Continued...

 

Montgomery fears it again will bear brunt of tax hikes

Montgomery County leaders fear that Maryland lawmakers, facing a gaping budget hole, once again will turn to the county’s wealthy residents to prop up the rest of the state with their tax dollars. Suburban Washington residents on either side of the Potomac River have grown accustomed to subsidizing the rest of Maryland and Virginia. But now, with both states facing potentially $1 billion budget shortfalls, Montgomery officials worry that the state will again raid their residents’ wallets only a year after the last tax increases targeted wealthy county residents. Fairfax County officials, however, sound far less worried that the Virginia budget will be balanced on their backs....

Continued...

 

When faced with shortfalls, Md., Va. part ways

If history is any indication, officials in Maryland and Virginia are going to attack what could be $1 billion shortfalls from the opposite direction. The notoriously tax-allergic Virginia legislature in March closed a combined $2 billion budget gap through 2010 by dramatically curbing its spending aspirations. Among the cuts, the General Assembly yanked about $300 million in capital projects, pared the state’s aid to localities by $50 million in fiscal 2009 and again the next year, and slashed funding for almost all non-state entities and $35 million from state agencies. Lawmakers pulled $350 million from the state’s “rainy day” reserve. Maryland called a special...

Continued...

 

Montgomery County Council split on slots referendum

Four Montgomery County Council members will urge residents today to vote against legalizing slot machine gambling in Maryland, but neither of the county’s top two elected officials will be standing with them. County Executive Ike Leggett, long known as a slots foe, says he will soon reveal his position on the November ballot referendum that would add 15,000 slot machines at five Maryland racetracks. He suggests he will likely become a slots supporter this fall. “The state’s $750 million, maybe $1 billion deficit is real, and I challenge people opposed to slots to tell me their solution,” Leggett said. “What is the solution to the challenge we face? Give me...

Continued...

 

My Washington: Kim Gandy

Kim Gandy President, National Organization for Women Personal stats Age: 54 Years in area: 21 Neighborhood: 16 years on Capitol Hill, five in Woodside in Silver Spring FAVORITE MODE OF TRANSPORTATION From my downtown office I take Metro, but from home I usually drive. BEST LIVE MUSIC The Birchmere (wish they were coming to Silver Spring!). BEST PLACE FOR OUT-OF-TOWNERS The Lincoln Memorial and the National Mall. FAVORITE MUSEUM The Museum of Women in the Arts at 13th and H Streets NW. FAVORITE WAY TO SPEND A LAZY SUNDAY Curled up with a good book. FAVORITE RESTAURANT As a New Orleanian, I love Acadiana — especially their shrimp and grits. And their coffee with...

Continued...

 

Cost savings plan may mean unpaid days off for employees

Thousands of Montgomery County employees would get at least two days of unpaid and unexpected time off this year under cost-savings recommendations released Thursday by County Executive Ike Leggett. The county’s top elected official said he will not implement the furloughs for another two months, however, warning that additional days of unpaid leave and other cuts may be necessary to solve the county’s budget problems. State leaders said last week that Maryland is facing as much as a $1 billion budget shortfall in the next fiscal year, and Leggett said the county itself projects a budget gap of more than $250 million. Leggett’s memo to County Council members said...

Continued...

 

Md. bill may ban charging for texts in public schools

Maryland public schools would be prohibited from charging fees for texts, workbooks and anything else linked to academic course work, under a bill Maryland House Majority Leader Kumar Barve said he would introduce this year. In Virginia’s Loudoun County, public school students will pay nothing for textbooks and classroom fees, but in Montgomery County Public Schools, they could pay more than $200, depending on the school and the classes. Last year, Montgomery’s community schools Superintendent Sherry Liebes intervened when parents of students at Potomac’s Winston Churchill High School complained that students were asked to pay for texts in certain Advanced Placement...

Continued...

 

The 3-minute Interview: Michael Weiss

Professional figure skater Michael Weiss is a three-time national champion and a two-time U.S. Olympic team member. He was the first American to land a quadruple toe loop in competition. On Saturday, the Michael Weiss Foundation will put on a show in Arlington at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex. Skating legends like Brian Boitano and Sasha Cohen will perform for free to help raise scholarship money for U.S. Olympic figure skating hopefuls. Both your parents are Olympic gymnasts. What interested you in figure skating? I come from a family of athletes — my oldest sister was a world junior champion in diving, and my other sister was an international champion in skating. I started out as a...

Continued...

 

State’s projected budget gap bodes ill for Montgomery

Montgomery County officials are bracing for another year of disappointing state funding for local school construction projects in the wake of information that the state could be facing as much as a $1 billion budget gap next year. “At this point it sure looks like we are in for a bumpy ride,” Warren Deschenaux, director of the state Office of Policy Analysis, told legislative leaders in an Aug. 27 letter, saying the budget gap is at least $500 million, and perhaps $1 billion. This spring, Montgomery County leaders learned they would receive $46 million, instead of the $55 million Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett was promised by Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley....

Continued...

 

Landowners say they are done negotiating on music hall deal

The owners of the land slated to house Silver Spring’s Fillmore Music Hall say they are done negotiating over the aspects of the deal, just as some Montgomery County Council members are saying they may want land use details fine-tuned before they approve the project. Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett signed a letter of intent with Live Nation nearly a year ago to put a music hall on Silver Spring’s Colesville Road on property long owned by the Lee Development Group. Planning Board Chairman Royce Hanson has called the proposal a “blank check” for developers and worried about the precedent it sets. The plan hinges on a zoning change that would allow the Lees to...

Continued...

 

Montgomery cracking down on underage liquor sales

One in five Montgomery County liquor stores did not comply with laws prohibiting sales to customers under 21 during checks last year, but the county still performed far better than many others in Maryland. Montgomery County inspectors had people under 21 attempt to purchase alcohol from 600 of the county’s 925 licensed establishments, and Kathie Durbin, a division chief for Montgomery County Liquor Control, said about 180 of those vendors failed to either card the youth or read the identification properly. “As these checks go, certainly 20 percent is not horrible,” Durbin said. “But of course, we’d like it at zero.” Baltimore City liquor control...

Continued...

 

Montgomery panel to scrutinize retired officers’ disability pay

The Montgomery County Councilwoman who oversees fiscal policy matters has asked her staff to determine how high numbers of retired police officers receiving work-related disability payments is damaging Montgomery’s pension fund. Two weeks ago, Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett called for reform in how the county administers payments for retirees with work-related disabilities. Leggett said a task force he created found that nearly 40 percent of recently retired Montgomery County public safety workers, including police, firefighter, emergency medical service, corrections and sheriff’s department retirees, were receiving extra pay for work-related disabilities. In...

Continued...

 

Some Rockville residents push back on affordable housing plans

Some Rockville residents are starting a campaign to keep a second affordable housing complex away from the city’s West End neighborhood, saying the project would add traffic congestion, crime and crowding to an already maxed-out area. Members of the city’s planning commission gave initial approval last month for Beall’s Grant II, a 109-unit, mixed-income building that will sit across the street from affordable housing at the 60-unit Beall’s Grant apartments. Those opposed say they had no idea the project was even being considered. “The city is choosing to concentrate all affordable housing in this area,” West End resident Melanie Zaletsky said....

Continued...

 

Montgomery faces high work-related disability payments

Last week, a report released by Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett said nearly 40 percent of the county’s public safety retirees earn extra money for work-related disabilities. Leggett's spokesman Patrick Lacefield did not respond to questions from the Examiner about whether officials believe police skipping medical exams could be linked to the high number of disability payments in that department. But in Fairfax County, where more than 75 percent of the police force takes part in a voluntary wellness program that requires annual medical exams and officials said all officers comply with their semi-annual physicals, only 3 percent of similar retirees receive disability...

Continued...

 

Area cops missing health exams as disability payments soar

A large number of police officers across the region aren't getting physical exams, a concern to some officials at a time when the rate of police disability payments is soaring. In Montgomery County last year, one in four police officers missed the mandatory county physicals intended to determine their fitness for duty. And the Prince George's police department has no requirement for mid-career health exams, police spokesman Henry Tippet said. In 2007, there were 759 officers due for exams, but Montgomery's Occupational Medical Services saw only 561, or 74 percent, of those officers, according to Patrick Lacefield, spokesman for Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett. Montgomery County...

Continued...

 

Embattled humane society leader quits

The embattled leader of the Montgomery County Humane society said Monday that he had resigned after more than three years on the job. J.C. Crist, the former CEO and President of the organization, faced growing criticism from former board members. An article in The Examiner on Monday revealed questions about Crist’s reporting of adoption and euthanasia rates, a 40 percent drop in donations and spending half of the group's $1.8 million in cash and equivalent assets since he took office in 2005. Crist says he spent the money to improve care at the facility, building an overflow shelter to house more animals, taking in animals from foreclosed homes, and roughly doubling the amount the...

Continued...

 

Shelter’s financial troubles come despite county wealth, support

The Montgomery County Humane Society sits in a wealthy area with a supportive government that’s giving nearly $19 million for a new shelter. Neither of these things has kept it out of financial trouble. Since President J.C. Crist took the reins in 2005, donations declined about 40 percent — dropping from about $235,000 in 2005 to about $140,000 in 2007. In that same period, the organization has lost half its capital, going from roughly $1.8 million to about $900,000 in cash and equivalent assets. At least three board members resigned this year after clashing with Crist, questioning his management style and fundraising efforts. “Despite its presence in one of the...

Continued...

 

Animal shelters in fight over standards for determining which animals live

A battle is brewing in local animal shelters over which animals should be tracked for adoption and which ones should be put to death. Montgomery County’s Animal Shelter claims a 96 percent adoption rate. Prince William County’s shelter has been under fire for killing 53 percent of the animals in its custody. But critics say that because there is no common standard for how shelters decide which animals live or die and which health or behavioral problems will be treated — or how to report those decisions — numbers like the ones from Montgomery and Prince William are largely meaningless. There is no regionwide standard for how to classify animals that are too sick or...

Continued...

 

The 3-minute interview: Sandra Quel

Sandra Quel, 19, has been living on her own since she was 16 years old, when she got into drugs and dropped out of school. Frustrated by the choices she'd made, she joined the YouthBuild program, where low-income young people work toward their high school diploma while building affordable housing. Now Sandra is mentoring other young people through YouthBuild and AmeriCorps while she attends Continued...

 

The 3-minute interview: Steven W. Church

Kensington resident Steven W. Church, who graduated with a 4.0 average Friday from Montgomery College’s Macklin Business Institute, turned a job as a Geico claims adjuster into a history-making achievement for community college students across the country. Church led a team of Montgomery College business students into the final rounds of an international business ethics......

Continued...

 

The 3-minute interview: Rollin Stanley

Rollin Stanley, 49, will begin work as the Montgomery County Planning Board’s new planning director on Feb. 4, filling a position that has sat empty since November 2005. He will oversee a department that is responsible for making recommendations to the board on site plans, zoning amendments and a host of other land-use issues.Stanley comes to Montgomery County after five years as the director of planning and urban design in......

Continued...

 

The 3-minute interview: Marie-Rose Sirikari

Marie-Rose Sirikari was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, came to the U.S. as a refugee and is now a U.S. citizen. While in the Democratic Republic of Congo, she was a delegate to the Pan African Christian Women Assembly, where she fought for the right of women to participate in public affairs and educated her countrymen......

Continued...

 

3-minute interview: Ben Moskowitz

Ben Moskowitz is a senior at Walter Johnson High School. His experience in student government in elementary school, junior high and high school scored him a seat on the Montgomery County Board of Education. He votes on everything from administrative appointments to student expulsion appeals, though as a student, he has no say on school......

Continued...

 

3-Minute Interview: Dana Beyer

Dana Beyer is a retired eye surgeon and a senior policy adviser to Montgomery County Council Member Duchy Trachtenberg. She's also a transgender woman. You've undergone a gender-transition process - how did you decide to do that? It was sparked by 9/11 of all things - it sounds clichŽ in a way. I went to a wedding in Continued...

 

The 3-minute interview: Peter Olson

Peter Olson is a Chevy Chase native and a graduate of Bethesda’s Landon School and Boston University’s undergraduate and MBA programs. He’s also a professional race-car driver. Olson got the gig after working in finance for years and racing as a hobby in his free time. He’s raced in......

Continued...

 

The 3-minute interview: Blanca Kling

Blanca Kling is the Montgomery County Police Department’s Hispanic media liaison, and a Spanish-language radio talk show host. She came to the United States from Bolivia at age 17, when her father, a general in the Bolivian army, was asked to represent Bolivia at the Inter-American Defense Board in D.C. He left shortly thereafter and Kling stayed to continue her education even though that meant she was here illegally. Nowa U.S. citizen, she uses her experience to encourage immigrants to work with the police to solve crimes. What were your......

Continued...

 

The 3-minute interview: Joan Deacon

Joan Deacon, senior librarian at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility, has worked in libraries since 1972 — leaving the public library system for the prison library system in 1994. Last year, the American Jail Association named her the national Civilian Employee of the Year and Montgomery County named her a "Woman of Distinction" for her work encouraging inmates to read. What prompted......

Continued...

 

The 3-minute interview: Pedro Aviles

Pedro Aviles came to the United States from El Salvador when he was 15. Since that time, he’s been a youth activist, and a member of the Mayor’s Commission on Latino issues and he now is director of the National Capital Immigration Coalition. He is coordinating regionwide opposition to various Virginia county ordinances that seek to crack down on illegal immigration.How did you get involved in community activism? What was your first cause?It was during my teenage years that I got involved in organizing. Adams Morgan was being gentrified. I......

Continued...

 

3-Minute Interview: Rachel Glass

Rachel Glass is the new executive director of the Montgomery Coalition for Adult English Literacy, starting Monday. Her resume includes stints directing the United Way’s Montgomery County campaign and managing international aid projects, many of which were in Continued...

 

The 3-minute interview: Vivian Kim

Rockville resident Vivian Kim came to the United States from Korea in 1963 to study education at the D.C. Teachers College. She worked for the federal government for 32 years, helping small businesses learn about the procurement process. In 1987, she founded the Continued...

 

Fair warning

Damascus dad Alan Wakefield has decided this year he will pass on the funnel cake, corn dogs, Vortex rides and other pleasures that for families across America have long constituted a day at the county fair. “It used to be nice; it’s no longer the family event it was, though,” Wakefield explains. “Last time I was there, I saw one guy arrested and another robbed. I’m over it.” His teenage daughter Erin chimes in: “My friend’s car was broken into. It’s just too crazy.” The county fair, the quintessential symbol of American summers, is struggling to retain its identity in modern times. Fair operators face challenges that run...

Continued...

 

Economy turns screws on fairs’ budgets

Marty Svrcek, executive director of the Montgomery County Agricultural Center Inc., which operates the county fair, told The Examiner on Tuesday that the fair is being hit with steeper prices from all sides. “We are trying to ensure the long-term future of the fair,” Svrcek said. “Water prices are going up, gas and sewer prices are going up and it all trickles back to make it tough to maintain a balanced budget.” Fair coordinators, who announced in March they are considering selling the fairgrounds, say a potential move is still five to eight years away and their hope is to keep the fair at its current Gaithersburg location, but financial pressures are...

Continued...

 

Housing funds for MontCo employees go unused

A half-million dollars intended to help Montgomery County employees buy homes in the pricey jurisdiction has sat unused for more than a year, provoking the charge that County Executive Ike Leggett has failed to act. A May 2007 resolution, authored by Council President Mike Knapp and passed by the council, set aside $500,000 for Montgomery’s participation in the Maryland “House Keys for Employees” program. The state will match contributions from employers, up to $5,000, toward down payment and closing costs. Seven other counties, including Prince George’s, Anne Arundel and Frederick, participate in the program. Montgomery has yet to sign up for it. Knapp said he...

Continued...

 

Montgomery Council urges repeal of 2 charter amendments

Montgomery County Council members are asking residents to repeal two charter amendments overwhelmingly approved by voters roughly 30 years ago that limit the county’s ability to place landfills and store sewage sludge in residential areas. County Council Attorney Mike Faden says the move is necessary "to clean up" the charter because neither mandate would hold up in court, but the man who sponsored both amendments says he’s worried the county may want to change its waste policy.Nearly 77 percent of Continued...

 

Conservative group objects to wording of referendum on transgender law

Published: Jul 24, 2008

Leaders of a group seeking to overturn a new Montgomery County law that bars discrimination against transgender people object to how local leaders worded a ballot referendum that could overturn the rule.The referendum's wording, as approved by Montgomery County Council members Tuesday, mimics the languageof the law itself, saying: "Shall the Act to prohibit discrimination in housing, employment, public accommodations, cable television service and taxicab service on the basis of gender identity become law?"Michelle Turner, spokeswoman for the social conservative group that spearheaded petition signature collection to allow the public......

Continued...

 

County helping Verizon FiOS customers get promised TVs

Published: Jul 23, 2008

Montgomery County residents are seeking help from local officials in obtaining flat-screen televisions they were promised when they signed up for a Verizon deal combining-fiber optic Internet and TV access and the company’s phone service.As part of a national promotion between December 2007 and February 2008, Verizon promised a free 19-inch, high-definition TV or a $200 gift card for customers who signed up for a two-year "bundle" package of  fiber-optic service TV, FiOS Internet and a new unlimited calling plan known as Freedom Essentials.Employees with Montgomery’s Office of Cable and......

Continued...

 

Fortuneteller suing to overturn Montgomery ban on forecasting

Published: Jul 22, 2008

A fortuneteller is suing Montgomery County after he learned he would not be allowed to open a shop in Bethesda because the county bans the business of forecasting the future.Attorneys for Nick Nefedro, previously of Key West, Fla., say county officials violated his First Amendment rights to free speech and discriminated against his "Roma," or Gypsy,......

Continued...

 

Local psychics say industry bias is common

Published: Jul 22, 2008

Virginia-based fortunetellers "Psychic Jess" and Virginia Marks don’t need a crystal ball to tell them that life is difficult for people in their profession.Both live in counties where they can easily obtain business licenses, but say other roadblocks persist that make it difficult to expand.Marks, who lives in Alexandria and has three offices in suburban Virginia, says she depends largely on word-of-mouth advertising to promote......

Continued...

 

Montgomery Council OKs contracts for domestic staff

Published: Jul 16, 2008

The Montgomery County Council voted Tuesday to require residents to provide written contracts for nannies, housekeepers and others who do household work, but excluded the elderly and those with disabilities from the landmark legislation.County leaders heralded the measure as the first of its kind in the country. Bill sponsors Councilmen Marc Elrich and George Leventhal said the move is necessary to protect some of the county’s most vulnerable workers, often including immigrants.......

Continued...

 

Consumer protection office to monitor domestic worker issues

Published: Jul 16, 2008

Montgomery County’s new domestic workers bill falls to the county’s Office of Consumer Protection, and Director Eric Friedman said his office and its 10 investigators are increasingly being asked to administer or enforce the law.On Consumer Protection’s to-do list, they’ve got to consult with Montgomery’s Commission on Women and then......

Continued...

 

State economic Web site touted low union numbers until bloggers rallied

Published: Jul 15, 2008

A Maryland state economic development Web site was touting the state’s low union membership rates in a bid to lure businesses, until pro-labor bloggers started hammering the practice.Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development chief David Edgerley axed state-sponsored online promotional material that has for many years downplayed organized labor’s strength and presence in Maryland. The "Choose Maryland" site......

Continued...

 

Polls show Montgomery may be leaning toward favoring slots in Nov. referendum

Published: Jul 14, 2008

Maryland’s November slots referendum has Montgomery County residents between a rock and a hard place.The liberal stronghold could be counted on in previous years to provide some of the strongest anti-slots sentiment in the state — in 2005, polling done by Bethesda’s Potomac Inc. said Montgomery County was the only jurisdiction where the majority of people......

Continued...

 

Slots critics appear lacking among Montgomery lawmakers

Published: Jul 14, 2008

In Montgomery’s political circles, so far mum’s the most popular word on slot machine gambling.The anti-slots movement being led by Marylanders United to Stop Slots lists more than 100 steering committee members, but only six state legislators and one council member representing Montgomery County are on the roster.Montgomery Councilman George Leventhal, the lone participant, said he’s working against slots because he doesn’t think the......

Continued...

 

Montgomery police unit files suit to block use of patrol car cameras

Published: Jul 11, 2008

Montgomery County’s police union is suing to block the installation of video cameras in patrol cars as directed by an arbitrator who, after almost nine years of bickering between union and county officials, sided with the county on camera use.Despite a 1999 agreement to install cameras in cruisers following the shooting death of an unarmed black civilian, county cop cars still aren’t equipped — and some Montgomery officials blame police union obstructionism.Continued...

 

Takoma Park City Council bans foie gras production

Published: Jul 10, 2008

Takoma Park, home of the nuclear-free zone, has found a new foe in foie gras. City Council members passed a resolution last week opposing the production and sale of the fatty delicacy made from the livers of force-fed ducks and geese. The pricey treat is made through a controversial process that involves sticking tubes down the throats of ducks and geese to feed them large quantities of grain, causing their livers to swell. Foie gras production has been banned in some......

Continued...

 

Montgomery IG report questions health consultant payments

Published: Jul 09, 2008

Montgomery County’s Department of Health and Human Services paid a contractor $137,000 for four separate projects that officials cannot prove were completed, according to an inspector general report released Tuesday.AssistantInspector General Charles Becker found multiple problems with the county’s use of Maryland Community Mental Health Grant funds to pay for contract work performed by Health Management Consultants over the past three years. The company billed for......

Continued...

 

Montgomery declines police support to federal agents on immigration raids

Published: Jul 08, 2008

Montgomery County is the only county in the Washington area that wouldn’t automatically provide local police protection for federal agents conducting a workplace immigration raid.In Anne Arundel County, local authorities sent 50 police officers for a recent raid that netted dozens of suspected illegal immigrants last week. In Loudoun County, police sent two officers,......

Continued...

 

Police volunteer dismissed for wearing ID badge at rally

Published: Jul 08, 2008

An 11-year veteran of Montgomery County’s police volunteer program was dismissed from service this month after he wore volunteer identification to an anti-illegal immigration rally.Wheaton resident Al Eisner, who says he worked more than 10,000 volunteer hours for the county police department during the past 11 years, was removed from duty after a police commander monitoring an anti-illegal immigration rally reported Eisner wore his volunteer police badge at the event.Eisner acknowledges he......

Continued...

 

Bushbreaks ground on Bethesda military hospital

Published: Jul 04, 2008

President George W. Bush broke ground Thursday on the new Bethesda medical center expected to house the future of military medical care, without mentioning past problems noted by some in attendance.Military leaders aim to move most medical services from the District’s embattled Walter Reed Army Medical Center to a new Walter Reed National Medical Center in Bethesda by September 2011. The complex will serve Army, Navy and Air Force personnel at the current site of the National Naval Hospital on Maryland Route 355."This is a big deal," Bush said in......

Continued...

 

Priest charged with sex abuse of altar boy surrenders to police

Published: Jul 03, 2008

A Catholic priest who previously worked in youth ministry and religious education at churches in Germantown and Bethesda turned himself in to police Tuesday evening in Montgomery County after being charged with abusing a former altar boy.The Rev. Aaron Joseph Cote, 56, worked part time in youth ministry at Mother Seton Parish in Germantown between......

Continued...

 

Montgomery roads need $450M in repairs, officials estimate

Published: Jul 01, 2008

Montgomery County’s rural and residential roads need about $450 million worth of repairs to bring them into good condition, public works officials say, but the county is only budgeting about $8 million a year for road maintenance and refurbishing.The cost estimates come on the heels of a public works study released this spring that said one-third of the county’s rural and residential roads are in poor or very poor condition. Only 10 percent of the 248 lane miles surveyed were in......

Continued...

 

Practicaluse of ‘Reverse 911’ attracts official attention

Published: Jul 01, 2008

Montgomery County owns a "reverse 911" system capable of quickly calling thousands of residents during emergencies, but officials can only confirm having used it once: To tell polling places to stay open an extra hour during February’s primaries.Montgomery Council President Mike Knapp criticized the county’s emergency management leaders for not using the Reverse 911 system after a recent water main break required notifying tens of thousands of residents to boil water before use. Montgomery County Homeland Security Continued...

 

Advocates want some elderly left out of domestic workers bill

Published: Jun 30, 2008

Advocates for seniors say elderly people receiving in-home care should be exempt from a Montgomery County plan that would require written contracts between domestic workers and their employers.Last Thursday, Montgomery County Council’s public safety committee endorsed the bill, which requires county residents who hire domestic help — like nannies or housekeepers — to sign written agreements specifying the terms and conditions of employment. Under the measure, employers also must give live-in domestic workers their own private bedroom with a locked door,......

Continued...

 

Officials look to bill non-Montgomery residents for ambulance use; could net $14M in first year

Published: Jun 27, 2008

People who work in Montgomery County, but don’t live there, and nonresidents visiting the area could be billed for ambulance use under an emergency transportation fee proposed by County Executive Ike Leggett.County officials project billing insurance companies $300 to $800 per ambulance trip could net the county $14 million in the first year. Bills would go directly to insurance companies, and Leggett’s staff says no resident, with or without insurance, would ever......

Continued...

 

Montgomery council members question county’s emergency notification system

Published: Jun 27, 2008

Montgomery County Council members Thursday openly questioned the ability of the county to notify residents in emergency situations, despite years of training, practice and the existence of an Emergency Operations Center with a roughly $2 million annual budget.Confusion reigned throughout a three-day period last week when thousands of residents living north of the Beltway were required to boil water for drinking, cooking and washing the dishes and about 1,000 restaurants and food vendors were closed after a four-foot water main burst the evening of Sunday, June 16.There was a three-hour......

Continued...

 

House panel may get some relief for roads facing congestion from military relocation

Published: Jun 26, 2008

Roads around Fort Belvoir and Bethesda National Naval Medical Center could receive a funding boost if a House committee can get the Pentagon to give some relief for communities about to be swamped by thousands of new military jobs.As it stands now, local transportation projects in areas where base realignment and construction projects......

Continued...

 

Montgomery may get boost from $1B biotech initiative

Published: Jun 25, 2008

Montgomery County could be the big winner under Gov. Martin O’Malley’s proposal to invest more than $1 billion in the state’s bioscience industry, depending on how funds are allocated.Last week, O’Malley proposed spending $1.1 billion over the next 10 years to attract and grow Maryland life science firms — the governor’s staff said it would be the largest per capita investment in the industry......

Continued...

 

Montgomery may ban parking of boats and oversized vehicles on most streets

Published: Jun 24, 2008

Montgomery residents who own everything from large commercial vans and trucks to boats and recreational vehicles would be prohibited from leaving them on most streets, under a new measure Council President Mike Knapp will propose today.Knapp said Monday he’s heard complaints from residents across the county who say large commercial and recreational vehicles parked on streets make it tough to drive, since they can block views of oncoming traffic. Some also feel the......

Continued...

 

Md. leaders hope to find money for new water pipes

Published: Jun 23, 2008

Suburban Maryland leaders are vowing to find funds to replace aging water pipes, after a broken four-foot water main had thousands boiling their drinking water — but some residents question whether more money will solve anything.The 48-inch water main that burst on the evening of June 15 was 38 years old — not ancient by any standard. According to Kylah Hedding, spokeswoman for American Water Works Association, the typical life span......

Continued...

 

Clarksburg residents turn on each other after years of fighting with developers

Published: Jun 20, 2008

After years of fighting developers and officials with lawsuits, closed-door negotiations and public complaints over promised amenities that have yet to materialize, residents of Clarksburg Town Center are turning on each other.Clarksburg Town Center, a planned development community in northwestern Montgomery County, veered off track years ago when residents noticed buildings far taller and closer to the street than site plans for the area allowed. Some joined together to become the......

Continued...

 

Water tests due today may OK use in northern Montgomery

Published: Jun 18, 2008

Montgomery residents who live north of the Beltway should continue to boil water before drinking, cooking and brushing their teeth today, but officials said water quality results expected late Wednesday afternoon may return life to normal.Representatives of the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission said tens of thousands of county residents living in northern Montgomery County, in areas like Gaithersburg, Continued...

 

Water main breaks close 1,200 eateries

Published: Jun 17, 2008

Montgomery officials closed an estimated 1,200 restaurants Monday to prevent outbreaks of illness that could be caused by three major water main breaks in the county as residents skipped showers and boiled their own water.Prince George’s County and Montgomery County officials were repeatedly warned over the past year by the top management of the Continued...

 

Developer cites arcane laws to build Bethesda high-rise

Published: Jun 13, 2008

So murky are the rules around a controversial 16-story office building proposed for downtown Bethesda that the arguments in favor of the plan rely in part on the long-lost trails of American Indians.The Meridian Group hopes to tear down a three-story food court building located above the entrance to the Bethesda Metro station at Wisconsin Avenue and Old Georgetown Road and build a 246,000 square-foot office building in its place. County development policy......

Continued...

 

Judge gives first round to transgender bill foes

Published: Jun 12, 2008

A Montgomery Circuit Court judge ruled Wednesday that petitions circulated by people seeking to overturn a new county law dealing with transgender rights were valid, dashing one legal argument to cancel a public vote on the policy.Circuit Court Judge Robert Greenberg said the wording of the petition was fair and copies of the measure were made available to petition signers, rejecting allegations from policy supporters that the language of the petition......

Continued...

 

Bethesda home to become parkland, won’t get renovated for homeless

Published: Jun 11, 2008

Montgomery County Council members voted 5-4 on Tuesday to raze a five-bedroom Bethesda home and add green space to Hillmead Park, rather than fund the renovations necessary to allow a homeless family or people with disabilities to live there, saying the community had not been adequately included in the process. Last fall, the county spent $2.5 million to buy 1.3 acres of space near Bethesda’s Hillmead Park, including the home on the site, but did not set aside cash to pay for......

Continued...

 

Montgomery could lose 3K jobs to Prince George’s

Published: Jun 11, 2008

Montgomery County could lose as many as 3,000 federal jobs if efforts to lure some U.S. Department of Health and Human Services offices from Rockville to Prince George’s County are successful.Montgomery Council members, Continued...

 

Montgomery eyes real estate ‘tax holiday’

Published: Jun 10, 2008

People buying a home in Montgomery County may get an unexpected break as one Montgomery leader says he is investigating the possibility of a "tax holiday"  to stimulate sales in the area’s bloated housing market.Council President Mike Knapp said Monday that he wanted to evaluate cutting taxes and fees associated with home sales for a short period of time, in the hopes of spurring......

Continued...

 

Battle between parkland and affordable housing heats up in Montgomery

Published: Jun 09, 2008

Demand for a five-bedroom Bethesda home with asbestos in the basement and more than $100,000 of repair work needed has never been so high.Most residents of Bethesda’s Hillmead neighborhood want the home torn down to increase green space in the local park where it sits. Some countyofficials, however, want it renovated for use by the homeless or people with disabilities. Montgomery Council members will vote on the matter next Tuesday.Last fall, the county......

Continued...

 

Montgomery Council could revoke free parking at urban libraries

Published: Jun 07, 2008

Montgomery County residents may be paying to park at urban libraries in Rockville and Bethesda, if council members repeal a 2006 policy that prohibits the county from charging residents for parking while they visit local libraries.County Executive Ike Leggett had budgeted $84,000 in next year's operating budget to reimburse the city of Rockville for library patrons......

Continued...

 

Church suing Montgomery over blocked expansion, accuses leaders of racial, religious discrimination

Published: Jun 06, 2008

A Silver Spring mega-church is suing Montgomery County in federal court, alleging county leaders engaged in racial and religious discrimination when they blocked the predominantly black congregation’s efforts to build in Germantown’s agricultural reserve.Attorneys representing Bethel World Outreach Ministries say the 2,000-member Christian parish has a "dire need" for a new facility: 1,500 people attend Sunday services at 8252 Georgia Ave. in Silver Spring,......

Continued...

 

CASA considers hiring security officers after threats

Published: Jun 04, 2008

Leaders of a Maryland immigrant advocacy group that operates day labor centers say they may seek security officers for their offices in response to recent death and bomb threats.Gustavo Torres, executive director of CASA de Maryland, says his organization will meet with local Jewish groups and Planned Parenthood chapters to seek advice on how to ensure the safety of employees. "We......

Continued...

 

Police probing threats aimed at immigrant advocacy activists

Published: Jun 03, 2008

Montgomery County police and fire officials are investigating alleged bomb and death threats targeting leaders of a Maryland immigrant advocacy group who operate a day labor center that was set on fire last year by a still-unknown individual.Mario Quiroz, spokesman for CASA de Maryland, says he and the organization’s vice president, Simon Bautista, received menacing......

Continued...

 

Montgomery dumps could generate electricity, cash

Published: Jun 03, 2008

Greenhouse gas emanating from two Montgomery County landfills may be turned into electricity and eventually even dollars for county coffers, if a local government proposal wins approval from the state and community.County leaders hope to harness methane and carbon dioxide from the Oaks Landfill in Laytonsville and the Gude Landfill in Rockville and use two large engines to turn the emissions into electricity that can......

Continued...

 

D.C., Montgomery public workers most likely to earn more than $100K

Published: Jun 02, 2008

All politics may be local, but all local government payrolls are not equal in the Washington metro region.Information obtained by The Examiner shows government workers are far more likely to be earning more than $100,000 a year if they are employed by the District or Montgomery County than if they work in Loudoun County, Va.Roughly 7.5 percent of people on local government payrolls in......

Continued...

 

Taxi passengers in Montgomery now paying fuel surcharge

Published: May 31, 2008

Montgomery County set a temporary $1.50 emergency fuel surcharge Friday on all taxicab rides, effective through Aug. 27.The charge will not appear on the taxicab meter, but will be added to the fare. The emergency measure is intended to help cab drivers combat high gasoline prices."The surcharge is necessary to ensure the viability of our taxi industry," said Arthur Holmes, director of the Continued...

 

Median household incomes plummet in six pockets of Montgomery County

Published: May 30, 2008

Median household incomes dropped as much as 15 percent in six pockets of Montgomery County between 1997 and 2005, according to a planning board study released Thursday, while the rest of the county grew slightly richer and rental costs skyrocketed.On the whole, Montgomery County’s median household income grew about 2.4 percent in the eight-year period studied, but average monthly costs for renters grew 17 percent and not all areas shared the economic gains. Median household income in Continued...

 

Immigrant groups push for $15M to speed up citizenship process

Published: May 29, 2008

Immigrant advocates are lobbying Washington area state and local governments, plus private organizations, for $15 million to help legal permanent residents in the region become citizens.Elected officials from Maryland and Virginia joined non-profit leaders from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and immigrant advocacy groups CASA of Maryland and Tenants and Workers United of Continued...

 

Budget troubles to curtail Montgomery planning panel’s agenda

Published: May 29, 2008

Budget woes will force Montgomery’s Planning Department to delay or abandon county environmental protection initiatives, traffic-relief studies and some of the transportation and zoning planning necessary in rapidly growing Bethesda next year, planning officials said Tuesday.Planning Department leaders said they will put off a state-required analysis of the county’s long-term water supply and quality for at least a year and scrap a study of how to reduce demand and generate more energy. They will......

Continued...

 

Intersection a hot spot of immigrant frustration

Published: May 29, 2008

The Montgomery County street corner that played host to a homicide and a carjacking Tuesday has long been on local leaders’ minds.The Silver Spring intersection of University Boulevard and Piney Branch Road is not so much a crime hot spot as it is a source of frustration: the 7-Eleven and Exxon Station lots......

Continued...

 

Holy Cross seeks private rooms for all patients

Published: May 27, 2008

Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Springs wants permission to expand in order to go to only private patient rooms.Eileen Cahill, vice president of government and community relations at Holy Cross, says giving every patient a private room will help control the spread of infection and improve the hospital’s efficiency."That's really where all health care is going — with pushing for private rooms," Cahill said. "We can't assign male and female patients......

Continued...

 

Gaithersburg considering street cameras

Published: May 27, 2008

Gaithersburg leaders may turn to surveillance cameras on city streets and license plate scanner systems that check plates regardless of suspicion of guilt.City leaders are now considering a budget that sets aside federal grant money for both the cameras and the scanner systems. District police already use surveillance cameras, and Baltimore police use both the cameras and a version of the license plate scanner systems.Gaithersburg......

Continued...

 

Maryland considers adding tolls on I-270, Beltway

Published: May 26, 2008

State transportation officials said they are studying the use of tolls on two Montgomery-area highways to combat congestion in the rapidly growing region, and hope to meet with the public about the potential projects in the fall.Doug Simmons, deputy administrator with the State Highway Administration, said the state is evaluating how tolls could ease traffic flow on parts of Interstate 270 as it runs from I-370 North into Continued...

 

Montgomery OKs tax hikes, leaves union raises intact

Published: May 23, 2008

Montgomery County Council members formally approved a $4.3 billion budget Thursday that increases property taxes for most homeowners, but leaves union contracts untouched as the county prepares for a bleak fiscal year.Throughout budget debates, union members regularly filled auditoriums to capacity to cheer council members who promised to protect raises of 8 percent for most county workers and jeer those who suggested cutting employment costs. While workers said they were grateful their raises were intact this year, they said they expected similar battles next year."We hear what they’re saying in......

Continued...

 

Council member says race still a factor in Montgomery politics

Published: May 21, 2008

Montgomery County’s only minority council member says undertones of racismhave resulted in her not getting the same opportunities "to play ball" as other elected officials.Councilwoman Valerie Ervin, the first black woman to be elected to the Montgomery County Council, voted with the seven other council members to approve a $4.3 billion compromise budget Friday. But Ervin, a former school board member and labor organizer, said she was left out of the negotiations."There......

Continued...

 

Courthouse construction could begin in August

Published: May 21, 2008

Construction work on a new Rockville District Courthouse could begin as early as August, state officials say, effectively killing the hopes of some Rockville residents who tried to prevent the state from building in a location they say will create traffic nightmares. Dave Humphrey, spokesman for the Maryland Department of General Services, said state leaders chose the controversial site, 191 E.......

Continued...

 

Montgomery County Council’s budget plan drops tax cut in favor of increases

Published: May 17, 2008

Dropping plans for a tax cut, the Montgomery County Council has approved a new budget that will have Montgomery County residents paying slightly higher property and energy taxes next year. The $4.3 billion spending package tentatively approved Friday will, however, avoid threatened public safety funding reductions .Council members who supported cutting the property tax rate 2.2 percent in earlier votes decided to keep the rate the same, while cutting a homeowner property tax credit from $613 to $579. Continued...

 

Deadlocked: Montgomery Council divided over taxes, employee concessions

Published: May 16, 2008

The Montgomery County Council was deadlocked 4-4 Thursday over the county's operating budget, with members at odds over property taxes and whether county employees should be asked to make concessions to help solve a $297 million budget gap.Three of the dissenting votes came from council members who wanted some employee concessions to ease budget difficulties.Council Vice President Phil Andrews and Councilwoman Duchy Trachtenberg, the only two members who voted Wednesday to slice $40 million in unspecified employment costs, were joined by......

Continued...

 

Union members leave Montgomery council meeting hopeful on raises

Published: May 15, 2008

Hundreds of raucous Montgomery County union members left a council meeting Wednesday hopeful that their raises wouldn’t be reduced by council members looking to solve a $297 million budget gap.During a preliminary discussion on employment costs, the council voted 6-2 against cutting $40 million in unspecified employment costs, as recommended by their Management and Fiscal Policy Committee last Friday.Council Vice President Phil Andrews and Continued...

 

Leggett says property tax cuts only help businesses, wealthy

Published: May 14, 2008

The fate of a proposed Montgomery County property tax cut will be decided at a County Council meeting today, as members are feeling the heat from County Executive Ike Leggett for a proposal he says will only benefit businesses and owners of high-end homes.Leggett blasted a plan unanimously endorsed by the council’s Management and Fiscal Policy Committee on Friday, saying the......

Continued...

 

Montgomery, state partner to help residents fight foreclosure

Published: May 14, 2008

Montgomery County officials announced agreements with the state Tuesday to fund programs to help residents fight foreclosure while the number of foreclosure sales in Montgomery had increased 1,250 percent from the first quarter of 2007 to first-quarter 2008.Raymond Skinner, secretary of Maryland’s Department of Housing and Community Development, said Tuesday......

Continued...

 

Most council members favor cut to property tax

Published: May 13, 2008

A growing number of Montgomery Council members favor reducing the property tax rate, a move that would completely reverse the central component of County Executive Ike Leggett’s budget plan, Council President Mike Knapp said MondayIn March, Leggett recommended an 8.3 percent increase in the property tax rate, the largest raise in 20 years, saying a $297 million budget deficit required the increase to......

Continued...

 

Auditor: Over 130 county vehicles sat idle up to 6 months as contractor awaited parts

Published: May 13, 2008

More than 130 new Montgomery County patrol cars and vehicles purchased by the county sat idle for up to six months because a contractor paid to prepare cars for street use failed to do so, according to the county’s chief auditor.Thomas Dagley, Montgomery County’s inspector general, sent a letter to county leaders last week saying he will review the county’s management of its contract with First Vehicle Services to inspect new county......

Continued...

 

Montgomery leaders grill Fire Chief Carr about overtime costs under new program

Published: May 12, 2008

Montgomery's top elected official asked department leaders to justify why the county spends more than $40 million a year on overtime costs, as he showed off a new Montgomery program designed to increase government spending accountability."We have a situation where overtime hours are growing 20 percent but hours worked are growing only 10 percent during the same time period," County Executive Ike Leggett said. "We have to be able to explain to the......

Continued...

 

Council committee votes to cut property tax and tax credits

Published: May 10, 2008

A key Montgomery County council committee voted unanimously Friday to cut the property tax rate while also reducing tax credits for home-owners, reversing a major component of County Executive Ike Leggett's budget plan. In March, Leggett recommended an 8.3 percent hike in the property tax rate, the largest increase in more than 20 years, saying "the state of the times" required the increase to maintain services. At the same time, Leggett proposed......

Continued...

 

County mulls short-term layoffs to help close $297M budget gap

Published: May 09, 2008

Montgomery County Council members have floated the possibility of temporary layoffs for county employees as they struggle to close a $297 million budget gap and adhere to raises promised in contracts with county workers.Council President Mike Knapp and Gino Renne, president of Montgomery County’s main government employee union, confirmed that the idea of furloughs, in which county employees are essentially instructed to take......

Continued...

 

Montgomery wary of state’s fiscal dependence on county

Published: May 09, 2008

Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett and Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley will appear side by side today to showcase a new spending-accountability tool, as some leaders say the state needs to be more accountable to Montgomery’s fiscal needs.On the heels of a state special legislative session to increase income taxes on people making more than $150,000, state legislators approved a "millionaires’ tax" in April that......

Continued...

 

Montgomery may see first signs of BRAC activity this week

Published: May 08, 2008

As early as Friday, Montgomery  County residents will see concrete signs of military reorganization that will transfer medical services from Walter Reed Medical Center to Bethesda’s naval hospital and eventually double the number of patient-related visits to the facility.Navy officials said construction trailers are expected on the grounds of Bethesda’s Continued...

 

Montgomery bid to limit home sizes gathers steam

Published: May 07, 2008

A Montgomery County proposal to limit the size of homes on smaller lots to protect neighborhood character is gaining traction among council members and could place restrictions on residents’ options to renovate and build. County Council Member Roger Berliner wants to lower the maximum building height for homes on lots smaller than 40,000 feet from 50 feet to new maximum heights of 35, 40 and 45 feet depending on lot size. Residential, single-family homes in the most crowded parts of the county would......

Continued...

 

With eye on future, Md. goes green despite tight budget

Published: May 07, 2008

Despite a tight budget year, suburban Maryland is investing big in going green in hopes of racking up future savings.The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission will begin using 14 403-foot-high turbines Monday to deliver one-third of the utility’s operating power over the next 10 years. WSSC officials expect to save $20 million over the next 10 years on energy costs through the use of wind power."Basically, one of the leading costs we......

Continued...

 

Montgomery panel approves parking fees for Rockville library

Published: May 06, 2008

Times are so tight in Montgomery County that a council panel has voted to charge residents for parking near the Rockville library, upsetting city leaders and library fans alike because no other library in the county requires residents to pay to park.Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett had budgeted $84,000 in next year’s operating budget to reimburse the city of Rockville for library patrons who......

Continued...

 

Fatal fire site lacked recent code inspection

Published: May 06, 2008

The Montgomery County apartment building where a weekend fire killed one resident and injured three firefighters had not been inspected for fire code violations in years.County fire inspectors are plowing through a new plan to evaluate all Montgomery apartment buildings, but senior fire officials say the massive number of buildings to be inspected far surpasses the number of inspectors on staff. Assistant Fire Marshal......

Continued...

 

Bill targeting day laborers has unintended consequences

Published: May 05, 2008

Firefighters and cheerleaders looking for donations might be swept off the streets of Gaithersburg under an ordinance originally aimed at keeping day laborers out of traffic as they look for work to be debated at tonight’s city council meeting. The bill seeks to preserve the least controversial part of a city anti-solicitation ordinance. The first version was rejected by Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler two months ago. Gansler said the measure, which would......

Continued...

 

Drug panel chief cites problems at Montgomery drug-treatment facilities

Published: May 03, 2008

The head of a Montgomery County drug treatment advisory committee says "significant problems" exist at some county drug-treatment facilities but that contrary to calls to cut the programs, their funding and oversight should be increased. Dr. Steve Coulter, chairman of Montgomery's Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Advisory Council's Treatment Committee, said......

Continued...

 

Holy Cross fears effects of Adventist move

Published: May 02, 2008

A senior official from Silver Spring’s Holy Cross Hospital said Thursday that if neighboring Washington Adventist Hospital is allowed to relocate, she worries about her hospital’s ability to deliver care.Holy Cross Hospital leaders say they are worried they will not be able to handle the additional patient load expected to occur if Washington Adventist Hospital is permitted to......

Continued...

 

Many Montgomery business owners ask county officers to keep trespassers at bay

Published: May 01, 2008

Growing numbers of Montgomery County business owners are asking police to boot trespassers from their property, hoping to keep day laborers from looking for work on their grounds.Gaithersburg Police Chief John King said 140 residential and commercial property owners throughout the city have signed papers giving police the authority to ban repeat trespassers. According to King, 53 of the business are located along Maryland Route 355, where many day laborers gather for......

Continued...

 

Council debates moving homeless family to county-owned home

Published: Apr 30, 2008

A homeless family may be moved into a county-owned, five-bedroom Bethesda house that was purchased as part of a park expansion project, sparking dissent at a Montgomery County Council meeting Tuesday.The county spent $2.5 million last fall to buy 1.3 acres of space near Bethesda’s Hillmead Park, ending a multiyear dispute over the future of the site: The former landowner had sought to sell the property to a developer to build a four-home subdivision on the lot, but some neighbors objected, and......

Continued...

 

Rehab program leaders rebut complaints of inefficiency

Published: Apr 30, 2008

Montgomery drug rehabilitation leaders defended themselves to council members Tuesday against allegations that residential drug programs cost too much and achieved too little.Labor leaders urged council members last week to reduce or eliminate funding for the county’s residential drug rehabilitation programs, saying in a cost-savings memo that more than $5 million a year "is spent on programs that have yet to show any significant results." County government employees are trying to protect contracts that in many cases guarantee raises of about 8......

Continued...

 

Liquor sales eyed to increase revenue in Montgomery

Published: Apr 29, 2008

Every drop counts next year in Montgomery County government, including the amount of liquor sold.Under an operating budget proposed by County Executive Ike Leggett, the Department of Liquor Control has been asked to step up sales to increase county funds.George Griffin, director of Montgomery’s Liquor Control, said his department is being counted on to transfer......

Continued...

 

Montgomery to cut recruit class, raise college funding

Published: Apr 29, 2008

Montgomery County will cut a fire and rescue worker recruit class and kick in about $1.2 million more for Montgomery College to replace state funding, under proposed budget adjustments fromCounty Executive Ike Leggett.Officials in Gov. Martin O’Malley’s office say state legislators voted to reduce aid for Continued...

 

Union questions effectiveness of drug treatment programs, costs

Published: Apr 28, 2008

A Montgomery County Council member has asked the county’s director of health and human services to respond to allegations that the county is spending millions on ineffective residential rehabilitation programs that graduate few people and are "glorified" homeless shelters.Labor leaders urged council members last week to reduce or eliminate funding for the county’s residential drug rehabilitation programs, saying in a cost-savings memo that more than $5 million a year "is spent on programs that have yet to show any significant results related to the identified outcome measures." County government employees......

Continued...

 

Chevy Chase to crack down on ‘mansionization’

Published: Apr 28, 2008

Residents of the town of Chevy Chase seeking to renovate their homes will soon have to comply with building restrictions that limit house size and height, after town council members unanimously passed new regulations aimed at curbing so-called "mansionization."The new rules take effect May 17 and limit building height to 33 feet, restrict driveway width to 10 feet and use "floor area ratio" to keep the square footage of homes in line with property size. Council members say they were attempting......

Continued...

 

Montgomery official proposes Sunday liquor sales

Published: Apr 25, 2008

Montgomery residents would be able to buy liquor on Sunday if County Executive Ike Leggett approves of a council member’s proposal to operate county-owned liquor stores on Sundays.Councilwoman Nancy Floreen asked members of the Montgomery council’s public safety committee to support allowing liquor stores to open their doors on Sundays, saying that doing so could add up to $1 million annually to the cash-strapped......

Continued...

 

Montgomery County leaders propose rationing toilet paper for inmates

Published: Apr 24, 2008

Montgomery labor leaders are recommending the county cut back on inmates’ weekly toilet paper allotments to help save costs as council members try to resolve a $297 million budget deficit.Gino Renne, president of Montgomery’s Municipal and County Government Employees Organization, gave council members last week a six-page memo of recommended budget cuts suggested by some of the 8,000 county government employees that......

Continued...

 

D.C. streets are safer for pedestrians than suburbs, nonprofit’s study says

Published: Apr 24, 2008

Washington’s suburbs — especially Fairfax and Prince George’s counties — are far more dangerous for pedestrians than the District itself, according to a study released Wednesday by the nonprofit Coalition for Smarter Growth.The group used a pedestrian danger index [PDI], which compares the rates of pedestrian deaths with the amount people walk in a community, to rank Washington-area counties in terms of safety.......

Continued...

 

Montgomery labor leaders blast county management salaries

Published: Apr 23, 2008

 Montgomery County’s 26 department directors brought home between $139,000 and $245,000 last year, ruffling the feathers of labor leaders fighting to preserve union members’ raises as lawmakers look for savings. Last week, Council President Mike Knapp, who also serves as head of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, said officials from other jurisdictions have accused Montgomery County of raising the bar......

Continued...

 

Workers defend contractual raises as deficit looms

Published: Apr 22, 2008

Montgomery County employees closed ranks Monday to protect contracts that in many cases guarantee they’ll be taking home 8 percent more next year, despite county budget problems.The head of Montgomery’s county government employee union said Monday that retention remains an issue for many county jobs, saying some departments suffer because workers use Montgomery jobs for experience before they move elsewhere to places with better pensions."We always have a deficit in the number of......

Continued...

 

Montgomery budget debate forces choice: Cops or patrol cars?

Published: Apr 22, 2008

Montgomery County police officers who live outside the county would all receive their own $50,000 patrol cars that would sit unused in county-line lots when officers are off duty, under the county executive’s proposed budget. Some council members say the $1.75 million required to fully fund the program should go toward staffing, since County Executive Ike Leggett also proposed eliminating a police recruit class and cutting all community outreach officer positions to......

Continued...

 

Montgomery Co. tries to ward off out-of-state recruitment efforts

Published: Apr 21, 2008

With recent county figures showing a loss of more than 5,000 jobs over the last year, Montgomery leaders hit the streets last week to thank businesses for operating in the county and counter increased efforts by out-of-state recruiters to entice firms away. Economic development chief Pradeep Ganguly said County Executive Ike Leggett had asked him to organize a Continued...

 

Planners fear for Germantown watershed

Published: Apr 19, 2008

Skyrocketing development in Montgomery's Germantown area has caused "serious" deterioration in local watershed quality, some of which could eventually enter the reservoirs used for drinking water, county environmental planners say. An increase in the number of surfaces such as rooftops, sidewalks and parking lots is making it more difficult for rainwater to find its way back to streams, county environmental planner Steve Findley told The......

Continued...

 

Dems to pick nominee for Wynn’s replacement

Published: Apr 18, 2008

Democrats interested in finishing the remainder of U.S. Rep. Albert Wynn’s term had better make up their minds fast — Prince George’s and Montgomery County Democratic Committee heads say they will pick their nominee for Wynn’s replacement by the end of next week.Gov. Martin O’Malley signed emergency legislation Thursday that would allow the state of Continued...

 

Montgomery officials’ raises may have set area standard, Knapp says

Published: Apr 16, 2008

Montgomery Council President Mike Knapp said Tuesday that salary increases given to county department heads and other top officials may have "raised the bar" for the Washington area.Knapp, who is also head of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, said colleagues in the regional leadership organization have mentioned to him that they believe salary increases given by Continued...

 

County eyes raising electricity taxes to reduce fuel use, help balance budget

Published: Apr 16, 2008

The Montgomery County Council is considering bumping up taxes on electricity by 10 percent, which lawmakers say would help the county balance its budget while reducing fossil fuel consumption.Councilwoman Nancy Floreen proposed the tax increase Tuesday, projecting that it would add only $10 a year to homeowners’ energy bills but net $11 million for the county.Floreen said her "carbon surtax" is based proportionally on the greenhouse gas emissions of particular fuels and would increase rates for electricity and heating oil by......

Continued...

 

Council may kill Montgomery property tax hike

Published: Apr 15, 2008

Montgomery County Council members may kill County Executive Ike Leggett’s proposal to raise the property tax rate 8.3 percent, but council members are reserving the right to change their minds.Leggett needs seven of the eight council members to back his plan to raise taxes beyond the rate of inflation. Currently, three are opposed:  Duchy Trachtenberg and Nancy Floreen, along with Council Vice President......

Continued...

 

Pope will meet D.C Catholic population vastly changed from 29 years ago

Published: Apr 14, 2008

Pope Benedict XVI will visit a far larger and more diverse diocese when he touches down in Washington this week than the one that Pope John Paul II found during his 1979 visit. Since the last papal tour, the number of Catholics in the Archdiocese of Washington......

Continued...

 

Council president floats plan to cut construction funds

Published: Apr 09, 2008

Montgomery residents would wait longer for some improvements under a proposal floated Tuesday by their council president that delays some school renovations and park construction in an effort to reconcile a ballooning capital budget with scarce funds. Council President Mike Knapp’s suggestions were nonbinding, but were intended to get the County Council and the public to realize that the commitments made by council members for capital projects are $363 million over......

Continued...

 

Under deal, cell phone insurers will give contract details upfront

Published: Apr 07, 2008

People purchasing certain cell phone insurance in Maryland will see the major details of their contract upfront, under an agreement negotiated with four major wireless carriers and a cell phone insurance company by state Attorney General Douglas Gansler. Gansler, who pursued the deal after his 13-year-old son lost his cell phone and he learned that despite monthly insurance payments, there was still a $50 charge to replace the phone, said......

Continued...

 

Under deal, cell phone buyers will see contract details upfront

Published: Apr 05, 2008

People purchasing certain cell phone insurance in Maryland will see the major details of their contract upfront, under an agreement negotiated with four major wireless carriers and a cell phone insurance company by state Attorney General Douglas Gansler. Gansler, who pursued the deal after his 13-year-old son lost his cell phone and he learned that despite monthly insurance payments, there was still a $50 charge to replace the phone, said the......

Continued...

 

Navy reverses course on seeking federal funds for Walter Reed shift

Published: Apr 04, 2008

In a major shift, Navy officials say in a report obtained by The Examiner that they will recommend the federal government pay for some projects to help relieve the congestion caused by the transfer of military medical services from Walter Reed Army Medical Center to Bethesda. Navy leaders said in a December draft report that it was not their responsibility to fund any of the potentially $200 million......

Continued...

 

Council member getting death threats

Published: Apr 03, 2008

A Montgomery County Council member who authored a bill that outlaws discrimination against transgendered people says she has been receiving death threats at her home and office and wants the county to provide additional security for her and her transgendered senior aide. Officials in Council Member Duchy Trachtenberg’s office provided copies of multiple menacing and sexually explicit letters that she said were sent to her home and office through regular mail. "Put an end to Bill 2307 or else you......

Continued...

 

O’Malley supports special election to replace Wynn

Published: Apr 03, 2008

Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley said Wednesday he backs changing state law to allow a special general election to replace outgoing U.S. Rep. Albert Wynn without first holding a special primary, a move that could save time and cash.Wynn, an eight-term congressman, lost a mid-February Democratic primary by about 22 percentage points to challenger Donna Edwards, who analysts say is expected......

Continued...

 

Montgomery Council members knock executive’s claim of fiscal conservatism

Published: Apr 02, 2008

Montgomery County Council members are taking issue with County Executive Ike Leggett’s claims of fiscal conservatism, saying his budget has required extensive revisions and cost additions since it was released.In January, Leggett recommending that spending for capital improvements increase only 1.1 percent to $3.2 billion over the next six years, leaving $2 billion in department requests unfilled. The modest increase compares with a 24.3 percent increase in the two-year budget in 2006 and a 26.2 percent increase in 2004.In the......

Continued...

 

Montgomery County mulls buying area’s foreclosed homes

Published: Apr 02, 2008

Montgomery housing officials said Tuesday they are considering purchasing some of the county’s thousands of foreclosed homes, using them to increase the county’s dwindling stock of affordable housing and counter the harm done to local housing markets.Richard Nelson, Montgomery’s director of Housing and Community Affairs, warned Country Council members Tuesday that the effects of foreclosure go far beyond one family losing its home and can be detrimental to residents of an entire neighborhood. He told The Examiner afterwards that the county was "looking into" purchasing some of the foreclosed homes......

Continued...

 

Montgomery balks at tax increase for millionaires

Published: Apr 01, 2008

Increasing taxes on the very rich is no more popular in Montgomery County than the much-maligned plan to tax the computer services industry, local leaders said Monday.Last fall, Gov. Martin O’Malley suggested raising the income tax rate for the state’s wealthiest residents from 4.75 percent to 6.5 percent to solve a roughly $1.7 billion budget deficit. After Montgomery County Executive......

Continued...

 

Montgomery County foreclosures up about 85 percent from last year

Published: Apr 01, 2008

An estimated 3,349 Montgomery County homes entered the foreclosure process in 2007, up 85 percent from the prior year, according to a report from the county’s housing and community affairs director.Nearly half of those foreclosures came from subprime loans, Richard Nelson Jr., director of Montgomery’s Department of Housing and Community Affairs, wrote in his assessment......

Continued...

 

Lawsuit over parking aims to stop construction of low-income clinic

Published: Mar 31, 2008

As a Montgomery County program for the uninsured fails to meet service goals, leaders of a Silver Spring community association are suing the county and its planning board to prevent the opening of a neighborhood clinic. Community association members are citing zoning issues such as a lack of parking space, but clinic advocates say community objections have more to do with clientele.In March 2006, Continued...

 

Shift in panel worries some growth activists

Published: Mar 31, 2008

Some Montgomery activists are worried a shift in County Council panel assignments has pro-growth leaders in the majority on a planning committee and could mean development plans will be rushed through.County Council President Mike Knapp restructured council committees last week, after the death of long-time Councilwoman Marilyn Praisner left a vacancy at the helm of the Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee. Knapp ceded his position as chairman of the......

Continued...

 

Veteran congressman Wynn announces resignation

Published: Mar 28, 2008

Eight-term Maryland Rep. Al Wynn announced Thursday that he plans to resign in June, leaving Gov. Martin O’Malley the option of leaving the seat vacant for the next seven months or holding a special election that could cost $2 million.Wynn lost a mid-February Democratic primary race by about 22 percentage points to challenger Donna Edwards, who analysts say is expected to easily win the general election in November over Republican candidate Peter James. In a statement, Wynn said he had accepted a position as a partner at Washington law firm......

Continued...

 

Health centers built in Md. schools, but some still need more classrooms

Published: Mar 27, 2008

Montgomery leaders are spending millions to construct health care centers inside schools for children from low-income families, upsetting some residents who are frustrated that space is made for the facilities while classes meet in portable trailers outside. In July, Summit Hall Elementary School in Gaithersburg will debut the county’s fifth school-based health and wellness center, which cost $1.6 million to construct and......

Continued...

 

Montgomery to hire driver for exec despite budget crunch

Published: Mar 21, 2008

Despite hiring freezes and plans to eliminate 225 jobs in Montgomery County’s government and education system, county leaders have approved adding a driver/bodyguard to the county executive’s security detail.Since the county is facing a $297 million budget shortfall, most county agencies have responded by freezing hiring. County Executive Ike Leggett himself also instituted a freeze in January on filling about 1,000 vacant county positions, citing the county’s budget difficulties.Despite the......

Continued...

 

Ambulance fees considered to reduce Montgomery’s deficit

Published: Mar 20, 2008

Charging for the use of Montgomery County’s 911 emergency medical service could net the cash-hungry county $6 million in 2009, but the head of the county council’s public safety committee said he worried the policy may deter residents from calling for help.Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett called Monday for the creation of an emergency medical services fee that would be directly billed to patients’ insurance providers, saying the item could......

Continued...

 

Montgomery considers fees for 911 services

Published: Mar 20, 2008

Charging for the use of Montgomery County’s 911 emergency medical service could net the cash-hungry county $6 million in 2009, but the head of the County Council’s public safety committee said he worried the policy may deter residents from calling for help.Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett called Monday for the creation of an emergency medical services fee that would be directly billed to patients’ insurance providers, saying the item could......

Continued...

 

Anti-tax signs disappear before increase proposed

Published: Mar 20, 2008

Some 200 anti-property tax signs disappeared over the course of several weeks from lawns lining a high-traffic stretch of Georgia Avenue just before a 8.3 percent increase to Montgomery County’s property tax rates was proposed.Anti-tax crusader Robin Ficker placed the green-and-white signs with his signature "Save Our Homes" message calling for "Property Tax Relief," which were always accompanied by another yard sign championing fellow tax-relief advocate Mark Fennel’s campaign for......

Continued...

 

Leggett increases funding for youth, slashes immigrant outreach program

Published: Mar 19, 2008

In the face of rising gang crime, attacks on immigrants and a rapidly growing foreign-born community, Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett has moved to eliminate police officer positions tasked with doing outreach to immigrant residents.The $4.3 billion budget Leggett released Tuesday eliminates the county police department’s funding for 12 community service officer positions, charged with doing outreach to minority communities and encouraging foreign-born residents to work with police. The budget also slashes funding for the Continued...

 

Tax hike, cuts in jobs, services possible in Montgomery County

Published: Mar 18, 2008

Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett recommended an 8.3 percent increase to the property tax rate in a budget proposal Monday, along with cuts to county jobs and services, saying Montgomery had been living beyond its means. The $4.3 billion county budget for the fiscal year that starts in July increases spending by 3.2 percent, which Leggett said was the lowest increase by county government in 12 years, given a projected $297......

Continued...

 

Nearly all apartments inspected found in violation of fire code

Published: Mar 17, 2008

In the wake of a District apartment building fire that displaced nearly 200 residents, Montgomery County fire chiefs said nearly all of the roughly 2,000 apartment buildings they have inspected since June have had some form of safety violation.Fire officials were asked by county leaders last year to beef up code enforcement efforts. The process has been more time-consuming and the results more disturbing then they initially assumed, fire department leaders said. Problems range from the basic, accidental issues such......

Continued...

 

Nearly decade after deal to install them, Montgomery cruisers lack cameras

Published: Mar 15, 2008

Montgomery County police cruisers don't have video cameras more than eight years after an agreement to install the devices as part of a settlement following the shooting of a civilian, and county officials say police union obstruction is to blame. In 1999, county leaders did not acknowledge liability but agreed to pay the family of Junious W. Roberts, Jr. $2 million after he was accidentally shot in a Wheaton McDonald's......

Continued...

 

Authorities: Gang crime activity increased last year over 2006

Published: Mar 13, 2008

Reported gang crime in Montgomery County shot up 29 percent in 2007, from 360 incidents in 2006 to 477 incidents this year, and was accompanied by a 20 percentincrease in the number of known, active gang members, according to gang task force officers.The spike in reported gang incidents includes nearly twice the number of assaults involving gang members, which increased from 49 in 2006 to 99 in 2007, and more than double the number of drug, rape and vandalism offenses......

Continued...

 

Montgomery Council warned on overloading budget

Published: Mar 12, 2008

A senior Montgomery official warned council members Tuesday that they could be heading for a "train wreck" if they continue to add projects to the county’s capital improvements budget, saying their actions had already lumped $268 million onto the budget recommended by the county’s top elected official.Council members are currently evaluating the capital improvements budget submitted by County Executive Ike Leggett in January, and many have expressed frustration with Leggett’s decision......

Continued...

 

D.C. child slayings spur increase in Montgomery County abuse probes

Published: Mar 11, 2008

Investigations into child mistreatment, including neglect and physical and sexual abuse, skyrocketed in Montgomery County during January, as school and child-welfare workers reacted to the discovery of four children’s corpses in the District, officials said.Montgomery Health and Human Services leaders told a council panel Monday that they believe the spike stems from the case of Banita Jacks,......

Continued...

 

Results unclear for programs in Montgomery Co.

Published: Mar 11, 2008

Montgomery County taxpayers are funding after-school programs, but county leaders have no idea how many programs are available, how many kids they are reaching or even the total amount of money provided, council members said Monday.Council President Mike Knapp said County Council members first requested basic information about after-school and positive youth development efforts three years ago. Since that time, although the Continued...

 

New Montgomery fire station delayed until spring 2009

Published: Mar 10, 2008

The first new fire and emergency rescue station to be built in Montgomery County in more than 25 years will not open its doors until spring 2009, officials say, further delaying hopes of decreasing response time in the rapidly growing northern parts of the county.County officials had hoped a new Germantown station would open this year, but construction issues are taking longer than expected to resolve. The last time the county......

Continued...

 

D.C. to install devices to cut pedestrian deaths

Published: Mar 08, 2008

People approaching some unsignaled crosswalks in the District will soon be greeted with "Hi there. To cross the road, push the red button" and, in Spanish, "Para cruzar la calle, por favor toque el boton rojo por dos segundos." The orders come from a bilingual, motion-detecting squawk box that walks pedestrians through the proper way to cross a street, reminding them to step to the curb, look both ways, cross and even thank the drivers for stopping. Pushing the red button also triggers high-intensity flashing lights that remind drivers to......

Continued...

 

Montgomery board OKs Woodmont East II project

Published: Mar 07, 2008

Bethesda-Chevy Chase residents worried about the city’s already congested downtown won a small victory on Thursday, but larger concerns about overall crowding in the area still remain. In a rare moment, community residents and developers praised each other after Montgomery County’s planning board approved a preliminary plan to put a 225-room hotel, 250 apartments or condominiums, office and retail space in downtown Bethesda. The Planning Board rejected a prior plan......

Continued...

 

Gaithersburg seeks new version of solicitation rule

Published: Mar 06, 2008

Thwarted by Maryland’s attorney general in their effort to curb loitering in their town, Gaithersburg officials are looking for new ways to keep day laborers from looking for work on public roads.Last week, Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler rejected an anti-solicitation ordinance passed by the City Council nearly a year ago that would have made looking for work or workers along city......

Continued...

 

Bethesda builder earns $641M for medical center upgrades

Published: Mar 05, 2008

Bethesda’s Clark/Balfour Beatty has won a $641.1 million design and construction contract, the first awarded in the upcoming military reorganization that will transfer some medical services from Walter Reed Army Medical Center to Bethesda’s National Naval Medical Center.While preliminary design work and permitting efforts included......

Continued...

 

Montgomery restores funds for recreation facilities

Published: Mar 05, 2008

Three recreation centers in historically black Montgomery County neighborhoods previously left out of County Executive Ike Leggett’s capital improvements budget may still receive funding for renovations though it could cost the county $30 million. Last year, members of interfaith activist group Action in Montgomery asked Leggett and members of the council to pledge to set aside funds to repair recreation centers in Olney, Silver Spring, Germantown and part of Potomac. Leggett agreed, but then, citing the county’s $300 million projected budget deficit, only listed the Germantown project in the......

Continued...

 

Montgomery to face staff cuts, possible tax hikes, officials say

Published: Mar 03, 2008

Montgomery officials said Friday that reductions in county staff positions are inevitable and property tax increase possible as the county struggles to close a $297 million projected budget gap for the fiscal year that begins in July.Last fall, County Executive Ike Leggett announced a $401 million budget gap. Budget officials announced last week that the deficit was down to $297 million, after midyear spending cuts, revised assumptions about county spending and......

Continued...

 

Decaying system will continue to hike cost of county water

Published: Mar 01, 2008

A political standoff that ended in another hefty water rate increase for Montgomery and Prince George's county residents but no long-term plan to repair the "decaying" system will cost residents much more in the years to come, the outgoing leader of the utility said. Andy Brunhart, whose last day as general manager of the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission was......

Continued...

 

Live Nation venue funds approved

Published: Feb 29, 2008

Live music in Silver Spring inched closer to reality Thursday, when a Montgomery Council committee approved $2 million for the Live Nation music venue.The panel approved the project without changes, though committee members previously had said they wanted some details clarified first.The money would help fund a deal set up by Continued...

 

Montgomery, Prince George’s still at odds over water rates

Published: Feb 28, 2008

Montgomery and Prince George’s water utility commissioners remained deadlocked Wednesday after two votes split along county lines about how much how to increase water rates for residents. The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission’s top brass says the aging pipes shared by the two counties are in desperate need of repair, pointing to a record number of breaks in 2007, and have recommended an infrastructure-renewal fee. Commissioners from both counties agreed......

Continued...

 

Police seeking duo in robbery at Gaithersburg driving school

Published: Feb 27, 2008

Police were looking for two suspects Tuesday believed to have held up an instructor and six adult students at a Gaithersburg driving school that caters to immigrants.Two men, posing as students, entered the American Driving School, at 431 North Frederick Ave. in Gaithersburg, displayed a handgun and demanded cash, according to police reports. They robbed an instructor and six students of cash and personal property before fleeing the school, said......

Continued...

 

Montgomery officials warn of the declining economy

Published: Feb 27, 2008

Montgomery county financial officials warned Tuesday of the affect of declining employment levels and home sales slumping to their lowest level in 10 years.Montgomery’s chief administrative officer, Tim Firestine, told county council members to prepare for a grim budget process this year and perhaps even further into the future.Firestine said county spending has grown far faster than inflation, population and school enrollment during the past 10 years. In recent years the county had been able to fund that spending through strong growth in income tax revenue.Now, however, the county has......

Continued...

 

Police crack down on crowds, day laborers at Md. strip mall

Published: Feb 26, 2008

Montgomery County police, responding to pleas from some business owners, have been cracking down on day laborers loitering at a Silver Spring strip mall, drastically reducing the number of people who congregate in the area.The crackdown has left some store employees cheering, while others are nervous about paying the rent.Montgomery police say the property management firm the Rappaport Companies, which represents......

Continued...

 

Homeowners face new fees under water utility plan

Published: Feb 26, 2008

Montgomery and Prince George’s water customers would be charged a new fee based on their homes’ values, under a plan to replace aging water pipes floated by Prince George’s County water representatives Monday.Officials with the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, which covers both counties, have proposed a $20 fee for customers to fund the replacement of aging pipes. Montgomery County Councilmembers supported the fee, but Prince George’s County Council members and water commissioners were opposed to even discussing it. They said the fee would disproportionately harm seniors and low-income people."We tried......

Continued...

 

Region works to increase safety for all foreign-born pedestrians

Published: Feb 25, 2008

As the Washington region sees an influx of foreign-born residents, local government leaders and police officers are struggling to curtail a wave of pedestrians being killed in traffic accidents.Recent pedestrian safety studies from Inova Health Systems and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that a disproportionate number of victims were of Hispanic or "other" ethnicity (meaning not black or white.) Many were immigrants and living in high-density,......

Continued...

 

The other side of the street

Published: Feb 25, 2008

Americans traveling abroad run into the same sort of dangers that foreign-born residents face in the United States, according to road safety organizations.More than 200 Americans die in traffic incidents in other countries each year, according to U.S. State Department statistics, which is far greater than the number of deaths from crime or terrorism."Ifyou’re not familiar with the culture, the regulations, the driving conditions, it is often easy......

Continued...

 

Setbacks seem to strengthen conservative social group

Published: Feb 22, 2008

Residents of famously liberal Montgomery County may have enabled a local conservative group with a losing track record to become the first group in recent memory to win a ballot referendum on a new county law. If 25,000 of the 32,000 signatures obtained this week by Citizens for a Responsible Government are deemed valid by local elections officials, it would be the first time in the past 10 to 15 years that anyone in Montgomery County forced a ballot referendum.......

Continued...

 

Some say ability to pay, not use should govern water surcharges

Published: Feb 21, 2008

Some Prince George’s county residents say charges for water system improvements should be based on a person’s ability to pay rather than simply their use of water.The Washington Suburban and Sanitary Commission, which covers Prince George’s and Montgomery counties, has floated the idea of an "Infrastructure Renewal Fee" that would go toward pipe replacement and is estimated to cost single-family homeowners about......

Continued...

 

Silver Spring live music project funding scrutinized

Published: Feb 21, 2008

The Montgomery County Council is holding back $2 million for a controversial deal to bring live music to Silver Spring until details on the deal are clarified.Last month, Montgomery Executive Ike Leggett announced the county had signed a lease with California-based Continued...

 

County to shuffle government agencies

Published: Feb 20, 2008

Montgomery’s top elected official announced plans Tuesday to reorganize county government in ways he said would help refocus efforts and place greater emphasis on customer service.County Executive Ike Leggett’s plans include transferring the Division of Solid Waste from the Department of Public Works and Transportation to the Department of Environmental Protection, abolishing the Department of Homeland Security, establishing......

Continued...

 

Montgomery group hopes to bar discrimination against transgenders

Published: Feb 20, 2008

Leaders of a Montgomery County social issues group said they have enough signatures to force a new law that bars discrimination against transgender people to go before voters in November.Volunteers working with the organization Citizens for a Responsible Government said they turned in more than 31,000 signatures to the County's Board of Elections Office Tuesday. If 25,000 of those signatures are legible, from registered voters and contain......

Continued...

 

Montgomery wants federal bucks to fight increasing gang crime

Published: Feb 18, 2008

Citing reports from school officials that children as young as 10 are being recruited into gangs, Montgomery County officials are seeking nearly $3 million from the federal government to double their anti-gang squad.County leaders say the money, which would also be used to increase police overtime and create a new youth center, is necessary because gang-related crime is on the rise in Montgomery and throughout the region.Gang incidents, which can include......

Continued...

 

One-third of roads in Montgomery in poor condition, study reveals

Published: Feb 15, 2008

A recent study from Montgomery County found one-third of the county's residential roads are in poor or very poor condition. The poor roads report comes on the heels of a County Council study that says Montgomery road projects are costing about 50 percent more than initially budgeted and taking almost three years longer than planned to complete.But even with a $400 million projected budget deficit looming, Montgomery County transportation officials......

Continued...

 

O’Malley seeks more federal funds for Guard, veterans

Published: Feb 15, 2008

Gov. Martin O’Malley told Maryland’s congressional delegation Thursday that the state needs help with paying for Iraq war- and military-related issues ranging from equipment for the state’s National Guard to veteran’s cemeteries.While thanking the state’s congressional leaders for securing more than $800 million in National Guard and Reserve Equipment Account dollars for units across the country, O’Malley said the state’s Continued...

 

Three Md. areas included in list of the hardest hit by foreclosures

Published: Feb 14, 2008

Several suburban Maryland areas were ranked among the hardest hit by foreclosures in the nation just a day after a state appeals court upheld Maryland’s foreclosure process.RealtyTrac, a California-based company that provides foreclosure filings by metropolitan areas, said the Bethesda, Frederick and Gaithersburg region had the 70th highest foreclosure rate among America’s largest metropolitan areas. There were 4,179 total filings forforeclosure during the past year in those cities, a 1,288 percent increase over 2006 filings, the biggest jump among the top 100 areas on the list.Meanwhile, Maryland Court of......

Continued...

 

Edwards’ win seen as model for other campaigns

Published: Feb 14, 2008

Leaders of progressive organizations that poured money and manpower into Donna Edwards’ resounding victory over eight-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Al Wynn say they hope to use the Maryland model to oust more Democrats they feel aren’t getting the job done.Analysts say labor and liberal Democrats in Congress may tend to be more "disciplined" after seeing Edwards’ drubbing of eight-term incumbent Wynn with nearly 60 percent of the vote to his 36.5 percent. While Wynn outraised Edwards over the entire course of the campaign, collecting more than $1 million to her......

Continued...

 

Montgomery activists gather support against transgender discrimination law

Published: Feb 13, 2008

A conservative group opposed to a new Montgomery County law that prohibits discrimination against transgender people used Election Day to collect signatures from voters in the hopes of overturning the measure.The group Citizens for a Responsible Government has argued that the new law, which passed the County Council in November and was approved by County Executive Ike Leggett, puts women and children at greater risk of assault in places like......

Continued...

 

Officials to court: Man initiated delays in case of child sex abuse

Published: Feb 12, 2008

Representatives from Maryland’s attorney general’s office will tell the state’s highest court Tuesday that a Liberian immigrant who had child sex abuse charges against him dismissed last summer either initiated or agreed to nearly all delays in his trial.Former Rockville resident Mahamu Kanneh was the focus of national media attention when a judge dismissed the charges against him in mid-July, ruling his right to a speedy trial had been violated while officials hunted for an interpreter. Kanneh speaks Vai, a rare West African language.Kanneh was arrested in August 2004 for......

Continued...

 

Study: State road projects suffer cost, time overruns

Published: Feb 11, 2008

Suburban road projects in Maryland are costing about 50 percent more than initially budgeted andtaking almost three years longer than planned to complete, according to a new Montgomery County study.Montgomery Councilwoman Nancy Floreen, who leads the county’s transportation committee, asked staffers to study why the county continues to cut checks for road projects that run far over budget. Analysts found that......

Continued...

 

Local congressional candidates seek to ride Sen. Obama coattails

Published: Feb 11, 2008

Dueling Democrats in a tight congressional race to represent Maryland’s Fourth District are clamoring to connect their campaigns to presidential contender Sen. Barack Obama.Experts are predicting Maryland’s large numbers of suburban black voters, many of whom live in Prince George’s County, will contribute to an Obama victory in the state. Opinions vary about whether a high turnout for Obama will bode well for the eight-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Al Wynn, who served with Obama in the Congressional Black Caucus, or whether voters driven by Obama’s "change" message will prefer challenger......

Continued...

 

Child care workers complain of delayed payments from state

Published: Feb 09, 2008

As local demand for day care services skyrockets, some Maryland child care workers say they are hesitant about accepting certain low-income families as clients, because the state has been unreliable and often late in issuing payment vouchers for their services. Payment problems last year helped the Service Employees International Union 500 galvanize some child care workers to vote to form a union after some workers went months without pay.......

Continued...

 

Clinton faces battle in Maryland primary

Published: Feb 07, 2008

Even with marquee endorsements from Gov. Martin O’Malley and Sen. Barbara Mikulski, political analysts say Hillary Clinton will need a great ground game and lots of grunt work to take a majority of Maryland’s delegates.About 30 percent of Maryland voters are black. And suburbanites,who are key supporters for Continued...

 

Economy to dominate Md. primaries

Published: Feb 06, 2008

Less than a week before Maryland’s first battleground presidential primary in recent memory, Democrats and Republicans agree on one thing: economic issues will dominate.Maryland residents, still reeling from more than $1.3 billion in tax increases passed during a special legislative session in November, are now bracing for cuts in services that are needed to close the remainder of a $1.7 billion projected budget deficit. Top state officials in both parties said registered voters are most concerned about the economy,......

Continued...

 

GOP poll judges sought for primaries

Published: Feb 05, 2008

Republicans are in demand in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties as Tuesday’s primary election approaches.Not as candidates, mind you, but as poll judges to oversee the voting. State law requires an equal number of judges from both parties at polling places. In counties where Democrats outnumber Republicans by a ratio of 5-to-1, as they do in Prince George’s, that can be a challenge."It is very difficult to recruit Republican election judges," said Continued...

 

Md. campaigns draw local, national VIPs

Published: Feb 04, 2008

In one corner, Danny Glover and Gloria Steinem, no titles needed. In the other, Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett, Montgomery Council President Mike Knapp and now state Sen. and former Prince George’s County Council Chairman David Harrington.They are......

Continued...

 

Montgomery County eyes campaign finance reform

Published: Feb 02, 2008

Candidates for Montgomery County Council and County Executive could get public matching funds for their campaigns, if a measure being pushed by the county's delegation in Annapolis is approved by rest of the state Legislature. Supporters say the bill is necessary after the 2006 election, in which former Councilman Steve Silverman spent more than $2 million in his losing bid to be county executive while winner Continued...

 

Council Member Praisner dies

Published: Feb 02, 2008

Marilyn Praisner, a Montgomery Council member and three-time former Council president, died Friday morning at Bethesda's Suburban hospital, where she was recovering from heart valve-replacement surgery. A former CIA analyst and School Board president, Praisner was in her fifth four-year term on the council, making her its longest-serving female member.......

Continued...

 

Silver Spring soccer complex plan proceeds

Published: Feb 01, 2008

A plan for a new soccer complex in Silver Spring moved ahead Thursday, despite a racially tinged, years-long battle over the facility.Montgomery Planning Board members approved about $5.5 million for a new athletic field, paths, playground and landscaping at the North Four Corners Local Park at University Boulevard and Southwood Avenue. Memos from Parks and Planning staff about the field have cited the county’s growing need for soccer fields......

Continued...

 

Montgomery inmate population down since major 2006 spike

Published: Feb 01, 2008

Montgomery County jails have seen a drop-off in inmate population after its peak 18 months ago. Officials credit a change in mind-set that puts more low-risk defendants and offenders on bail or home confinement.When Montgomery’s jail population hit its high-water mark of about 1,100 daily inmates in summer 2006, there was no corresponding jumps in arrests or significant increases in the crime rate.Instead, officials attribute the 2006 spike to new judges,......

Continued...

 

Realtors group backs Wynn in tight race

Published: Jan 31, 2008

The National Association of Realtors has gone to bat for Rep. Al Wynn, dropping literature in the mail Wednesday and airing TV ads this week that say the eight-term incumbent is "stepping up for working families," as groups backing his rival make the opposite claim. Mary Trupo, a spokeswoman for the real estate lobbying group, declined to......

Continued...

 

Montgomery County fines Comcast nearly $13,000 following service complaints against cable giant

Published: Jan 31, 2008

The Montgomery County Council stepped up its ongoing battle with cable giant Comcast Wednesday, leveling almost $13,000 in fines for customer service issues in the county.Bethesda resident Arthur Meisnere says that’s "not enough."Meisnere said in April of last year, he called Comcast to report a problem, put his phone on speaker and listened to it ring for 45 minutes before anybody......

Continued...

 

Council questions Leggett’s music deal

Published: Jan 30, 2008

Montgomery Council members Tuesday raised questions about the deal written by County Executive Ike Leggett to bring live music to Silver Spring.On Jan. 18, Leggett announced the county had a lease with California-based Live Nation, which operates the Continued...

 

Wynn accuses Edwards of election law violation

Published: Jan 30, 2008

Congressman Al Wynn accused his main rival in a fiercely contested Democratic primary of violating federal campaign laws Tuesday, saying ad campaigns by interest groups supportive of Donna Edwards are inappropriate because she has overseen grants given to the same organizations.Wynn campaign manager Lori Sherwood filed a complaint with the Continued...

 

Montgomery bill pushes for contract for home workers

Published: Jan 29, 2008

Montgomery County may become the first in the nation to require those who employ workers in their homes to provide a written contract and offer to negotiate the terms and conditions of the job. A bill sponsored by Councilmen Marc Elrich and George Leventhal would cover those who care for children, the sick and the elderly, or perform housekeeping, cleaning, laundry services. Both council members said they weren’t concerned that requiring written contracts would affect job options for undocumented workers. "What are you really saying if it’s ‘I don’t want......

Continued...

 

Plan adds fees to cover budget gap

Published: Jan 28, 2008

New fees from residents, including what could be a more than tenfold increase in the cost for claiming a towed car and an extra dime to ride the bus, will help Montgomery County plug a $401 million projected budget deficit for the fiscal year that starts in July.Under County Executive Ike Leggett’s a plan, which currently awaits final approval from the County Council, police will raise fees for towing cars......

Continued...

 

Union figures show teacher exodus

Published: Jan 24, 2008

More Montgomery County teachers are moving out of the county, according to data from teachers’ union leaders who say they are concerned about the availability of affordable housing in the county.Union officials say 60 percent of teachers live inside the county, down from 69 percent during the previous year. Montgomery County Education Association leaders say when teachers live outside the county, education suffers."If you’re commuting an hour or so each way to work, that’s less time for students and parents,......

Continued...

 

Montgomery County Council shoots down spending cuts

Published: Jan 23, 2008

Montgomery council members unanimously shot down spending cuts Tuesday that might have hurt fire and rescue response times and programs for the needy, but in doing so eliminated millions in savings proposed by County Executive Ike Leggett.In December, Leggett recommended $23.6 million in immediate cuts to help head off a $401 million projected budget gap for the fiscal year that begins in July. Council members voted to remove about $4.5 million, or nearly 20 percent, of what Leggett wanted to cut from the current budget."We understand that these sorts......

Continued...

 

Election officials: Voting problems will not reoccur

Published: Jan 22, 2008

Election officials in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties say the problems that plagued the 2006 primary elections will not reoccur during next month’s balloting.In the 2006 primary, there were problems with long lines at Prince George’s County polls, which sometimes involved voters waiting for hours to cast ballots, according to representatives from the Maryland Attorney General’s Office.Alisha Alexander, elections administrator for Prince George’s County, said there were times in 2006 when more than 4,000 registered voters were assigned to a specific polling place. Officials have since divided locations and created......

Continued...

 

No Mfume endorsement for Edwards

Published: Jan 18, 2008

Donna Edwards, locked in a tight Democratic congressional primary race with incumbent Rep. Al Wynn, D-Md., met with former NAACP President and five-term Maryland Rep. Kweisi Mfume on Thursday.But she was not able, as her staff at first indicated, to announce his endorsement. Edwards said her meeting with Mfume at Woodside Retirement Community in Fort Washington was not intended to be anything more than a chance for the two to catch up. She attributed the initial report to the media that said Mfume would endorse her as "just a little......

Continued...

 

Budget fuels immigration debate

Published: Jan 17, 2008

State and county budget problems, last week’s release of federal Real ID regulations and a hotly contested Republican congressional primary on the Eastern Shore are making illegal immigration a hot topic for Maryland lawmakers this year.Gov. Martin O’Malley announced this week that he wants transportation officials to comply with federal Real ID requirements that require immigrants to prove they are in the country legally in order to drive, prompting some immigrant......

Continued...

 

Confusion led to delay in notifying public of 911 outage in Montgomery

Published: Jan 16, 2008

Montgomery County’s 911 system was partially down for two hours last month before officials made the decision to notify the public, County Council members heard Tuesday.Verizon, police and county spokespeople said that confusion about why some calls were coming into the center while others were not, coupled with uncertainty about how much of the county was affected by the problem, resulted in the delay. "We try to err on......

Continued...

 

Council members sound off about proposed cuts

Published: Jan 16, 2008

Montgomery County Council members voiced concerns Tuesday about proposals from the countyexecutive to cut costs, which would likely increase response time for fire and rescue services in certain parts of the county.Montgomery’s top elected official, Ike Leggett, proposed $23.6 million in immediate cuts to county spending in order to head off a $401 million projected budget gap for the fiscal year that begins next July. His proposals include taking a Hillandale......

Continued...

 

Prince George’s commissioners vote out water utility manager

Published: Jan 14, 2008

The general manager of the water utility that serves Montgomery and Prince George’s counties will leave the agency at the end of next month, after Prince George’s utility commissioners voted as a bloc to end his tenure when his contract expires in February.Andy Brunhart, who served the Navy for 30 years and who some commissioners say was brought in to restore the integrity of an agency troubled by charges of contract......

Continued...

 

O'Malley to OK funding for new Montgomery courthouse

Published: Jan 12, 2008

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley will commit to providing funding for a new Montgomery County District Courthouse, his spokesman said Friday. Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett listed obtaining $65 million for the construction of a new district courthouse in Rockville among his legislative priorities for the 2008. Some local leaders were upset......

Continued...

 

Labor split on support for Wynn ahead of next month’s primary

Published: Jan 11, 2008

A beaming Rep. Al Wynn, D-Md., stood before about 100 union members Thursday and touted the endorsements of janitors, teachers, firefighters and construction workers in his Feb. 12 primary showdown."Labor supports Al Wynn and labor has always supported Al Wynn," Chuck Graham, the top official of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers local 26 shouted, kicking off the event billed as a "good old-fashioned labor rally" Thursday.......

Continued...

 

Montgomery seniors may lose cab rides through cuts

Published: Jan 11, 2008

More than 4,000 low-income seniors or disabled Montgomery County residents unable to use public transit would lose county-subsidized taxi rides this spring, according to a memo from county staff explaining possible budget cuts recommended by Montgomery’s top elected official. Montgomery County is facing a $401 million projected budget gap for the fiscal year that begins next July. Last month, County Executive......

Continued...

 

Bills in the works to ease computer services tax

Published: Jan 09, 2008

At least two Montgomery county legislators plan to sponsor measures to scrap or soften plans to apply Maryland’s 6 percent sales tax to computer services in the legislative session that begins in Annapolis today.State officials projected extending the sales tax to computer services such as Web design, software installation and computer repair would generate about $200 million a year in the effort......

Continued...

 

Leggett hopes to nix bidding fees

Published: Jan 09, 2008

Despite a $400 million projected budget gap, Montgomery Executive Ike Leggett said Tuesday he wants to eliminate the fees associated with bidding for county contracts. Leggett said the county would recover the $60,000 and $70,000 in revenue the fees provide through increased competition from small businesses. "Capitalism doesn’t work very well when you only have a few competitors," Leggett said. Between July 2006 and July 2007, the county awarded......

Continued...

 

D.C. hospital official expected to plead guilty to drug theft

Published: Jan 08, 2008

The former head of pharmacy services at Washington’s St. Elizabeths Hospital is expected to plead guilty Wednesday to stealing prescription drugs from the hospital with the intent of reselling them, according to officials.Raymond Jackson and his wife, Brenda, a pharmacist at a Temple Hills Continued...

 

Increases in local Latino population catches the attention of major banks

Published: Jan 07, 2008

Area banks seeking to cash in on the region’s fast-growing Latino population are working hard to sign up immigrant customers, including those here illegally.Local representatives from Bank of America, BB&T, Wachovia and Chevy Chase rotate monthly financial literacy sessions at day labor centers run by immigrant advocacy group......

Continued...

 

Leggett freezes county hiring

Published: Jan 05, 2008

County Executive Ike Leggett has frozen hiring for county jobs in his latest move to cut costs, but just how many positions will be frozen and how much money will be saved is up for debate. Montgomery County is facing a $401 million projected budget gap for the fiscal year that begins next July. Last month, Leggett proposed reducing current spending by $23.6 million through cuts including the elimination ofsome......

Continued...

 

Council members seek answers on Leggett cuts to budget plan

Published: Jan 04, 2008

Montgomery Council members Thursday sharply questioned County Executive Ike Leggett’s plan to cut bus routes and a county fire truck in an effort to avoid a budget shortfall. Members submitted 13 pages of detailed queries to the County’s Office of Management and Budget Thursday scrutinizing Leggett’s effort to save $23.6 million this year. Continued...

 

Plan to give homeless permanent housing will require participants to be drug free

Published: Jan 04, 2008

A Montgomery County plan to give permanent housing to the homeless will require participants to be drug-free, but some homeless advocates say a no-drug policy is a bad idea.They point to a program in Denver based on the same "Housing First" model as the Montgomery proposal, which some say is successful, in part, because it allows drug users to participate."The idea was......

Continued...

 

Report: Property values get a boost

Published: Jan 02, 2008

The value of real estate in Prince George’s County rose at a higher rate than any other Maryland county over the past three years, far outpacing Montgomery, according to new data from the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation.According to the report, Prince George’s County properties, which......

Continued...

 

Some day laborers bypass help

Published: Jan 01, 2008

Each day, about the same number of workers gather at convenience stores at University Boulevard and Piney Branch Road in Silver Spring as use a taxpayer-funded center run by immigrant advocacy group CASA of Maryland a half-block away.During the first nine months of 2007, CASA reported serving between 50 and 80 workers most days — while at least that many waited at an Exxon station and 7-Eleven store nearby.The day laborers who choose to look for work on the street say their reasons are simple.Some accused CASA employees of playing......

Continued...

 

Montgomery residents: County outreach lacking

Published: Dec 31, 2007

Montgomery elected officials are confounded by a recent survey that reported nearly 60 percent of area residents say the county does not do a good job of listening to its residents, when leaders are reaching out to constituents in town hall meetings, call-in television talk shows and chat sessions over the Internet.The survey, which was mailed to 3,000 households and completed by more than 900 residents in September, noted that while residents may have accused county leaders of not listening, the......

Continued...

 

Despite efforts, Montgomery lacks outreach

Published: Dec 29, 2007

Montgomery elected officials are confounded by a recent survey that reported nearly 60 percent of area residents say the county does not do a good job of listening to its residents, when leaders are reaching out to constituents in town hall meetings, call-in television talk shows and chat sessions over the Internet. The survey, which was mailed to 3,000 households and completed by more than 900 residents in September, noted that while residents may have accused county leaders of not listening,......

Continued...

 

County budget cuts could hit fire department, bus service

Published: Dec 24, 2007

Residents would pay more and get less under county government cost-savings recommendations suggested in a memo released Friday evening from Montgomery’s top elected official to council members.Montgomery Council President Mike Knapp said he plans a quick response to County Executive Ike Leggett’s proposal, which would reduce the size of the next class of police recruits by 25 percent and delay opening......

Continued...

 

BRAC cut may hurt Md. most

Published: Dec 22, 2007

Congress passed its 2008 budget with $1 billion less in the military Base Realignment and Closure Construction account than original estimates, and Maryland may have the most to lose. As officials in the Defense Department and other agencies figure out how to spend the $7.3 billion that was allotted for BRAC projects across the country, Maryland legislators are trying to preserve full funding for Old Line State initiatives, including the transfer of services from Walter Reed Army Medical Center to Bethesda National Naval Medical Center. Maryland's entire congressional delegation urged......

Continued...

 

Uprooted tenants bitter about losing apartments ‘for nothing’

Published: Dec 21, 2007

Jennifer Jones saw her rent double after she and her son had to leave their Gaithersburg apartment to make way for a developer’s dreams of luxury town homes expected to retail for about $700,000 each.Now that the housing market has fallen off, the developer gutted his plans for town houses and sought to upgrade and reoccupy the very same units, leaving Jones and 197 other families at 70 W. Deer Park......

Continued...

 

Group loses no-bid contract

Published: Dec 20, 2007

Montgomery County officials said Wednesday they will open a $300,000 contract to run a Silver Spring day labor center for competitive bidding next year. Immigrant advocacy group CASA of Maryland has operated the University Boulevard center since 1994.A probe of the organization’s finances published in The Examiner on Wednesday revealed that more than 80 percent of Montgomery's funding for CASA of Maryland is awarded through grants, noncompetitive contracts or direct handouts at the request of the organization.County officials say they wanted to allow contractors to compete for access to the......

Continued...

 

Public funds immigrant group

Published: Dec 19, 2007

More than 80 percent of Montgomery County funding for immigrant advocacy group CASA of Maryland is awarded through grants, noncompetitive contracts or direct handouts at the request of the organization, according to county financial documents obtained by The Examiner.CASA receives roughly $2.35 million in taxpayer money under the current county budget, a sore spot for anti-illegal-immigration group leaders who object to any taxpayer funds being used to benefit people who may be illegal immigrants. Elected officials from County Executive Ike Leggett to U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin have supported the organization,......

Continued...

 

Officials: Funding lacking to fight Bethesda traffic

Published: Dec 18, 2007

Local officials have deep concerns about a state plan to ease the local burden of expanding Bethesda National Naval Medical Center that includes more than $50 million for education but only about $5 million for alleviating traffic, despite predictions that gridlock will be the biggest problem.Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown gave Continued...

 

Montgomery Co. 911 system fails for a second time

Published: Dec 17, 2007

Montgomery County’s 911 system was down for approximately 2 1/2 hours Sunday afternoon with callers receiving either a continuous ringing or "this phone number is no longer in service."Police officials said the outage occurred between 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Sunday, but as of late afternoon there were no reports of individuals who were harmed by the problems. Officials with Verizon, which maintains the county’s 911 system, said they......

Continued...

 

Building’s collapse raises concerns

Published: Dec 17, 2007

A vacant two-story building in Northwest Washington partially collapsed early Sunday morning, leaving neighbors saying "I told you so" to D.C. regulatory officials who had cited the property for trash problems but never for structural deficiencies, according to the owner. No one was hurt during the collapse, but people who lived near 1468 Belmont St. said injuries could have been possible because the abandoned building was often inhabited by homeless people."This building has been almost like a halfway house where many homeless people come and go," neighbor Wayne Shields, who......

Continued...

 

Carr, Kensington’s vice mayor may fill Lawton’s delegate seat

Published: Dec 13, 2007

Kensington's vice mayor, who helped pass a resolution endorsing civil marriage for gay couples, is expected to fill the state legislative seat held by the late Del. Jane Lawton, who passed away in November.Al Carr, a former town council member who has been active in Sierra Club, Continued...

 

Police, fire departments aren’t sure where spending cuts will come from

Published: Dec 13, 2007

Montgomery police and fire officials were mum Wednesday about where they will make the cuts necessary to comply with County Executive Ike Leggett’s orders to reduce spending. Leggett has told department heads they must inform him by Friday of how they plan to reduce spending by at least 2 percent, as the county braces for a $401 million projected budget gap in the next fiscal year. Although Leggett included funding in......

Continued...

 

Montgomery residents enjoy lifestyle; most eye retiring elsewhere

Published: Dec 12, 2007

In a recent survey, Montgomery residents said they enjoy a high quality of life overall, but nearly 60 percent said they were unlikely to retire in the county. The 2007 Montgomery County Resident Survey suggested that population growth and a high cost of living might be behind the potential exodus of older residents.The survey was the first one of its kind conductedsince 1994. The county hired Continued...

 

Montgomery study looks at grease-powered fleet

Published: Dec 12, 2007

Montgomery County representatives will study using grease discarded by local restaurants to create biodiesel fuel that could be used to run some government vehicles. Local leaders in San Francisco announced earlier this month that city-owned diesel vehicles are now all running on biodiesel fuel. Montgomery Council Member George Leventhal said he wanted the County to follow on the city’s heels......

Continued...

 

Walter Reed transfer report leaves out funding information

Published: Dec 11, 2007

A long-awaited document projecting the impact of transferring military medical services from Walter Reed Army Medical Center to Bethesda National’s Naval Medical Center left the biggest question unanswered: Who’ll pick up the tab? As anticipated by Montgomery County leaders all along, a recent report from the......

Continued...

 

Audit: 52K receiving aid lack valid SSN's

Published: Dec 11, 2007

About 52,000 people who received public benefits like food stamps and temporary cash assistance in Maryland last year didn’t have valid Social Security numbers, a state audit has found.The state’s own Office of Legislative Audits found a "number of deficiencies" in the Department of Human Resources’ Family Investment Administration, including:» Computer programs designed to detect ineligible recipients not being used for extended periods.» Employees being able to modify recipient benefits without approval from a supervisor.» Contracts were not sufficiently monitored to ensure that services paid for by the department were......

Continued...

 

Montgomery County families, board clash over soccer field

Published: Dec 10, 2007

As Montgomery Planning Board commissioners wrestle with whether to turn a Silver Spring meadow into a soccer field, residents opposed to the project say they’ve been subjected to allegations of "not in my backyard" behavior and veiled suggestions of racism during more than four years of tense discussions.To some Silver Spring residents, North Four Corners Local Park, at University Boulevard and Southwood Avenue, has land that’s sorely needed for......

Continued...

 

Board protects New Deal-era apartments

Published: Dec 08, 2007

Montgomery affordable-housing advocates are opposing a planning board decision to stop developers from altering a Silver Spring apartment complex hailed as a icon of the New Deal era, saying the complex would better serve as a legacy to that time if it provided more places to live for working-class families. The Montgomery County Planning Board ruled late Thursday that the 450-unit......

Continued...

 

Suspicious package causes scare

Published: Dec 07, 2007

Calls from security guards about a suspicious package led to the evacuation of a major Silver Spring shopping district for hours and frustrated commuters on Thursday evening.Police said the mysterious bag ended up being nothing more than a nearly empty suitcase, which the bomb squad later exploded in a controlled detonation as a precaution.But before authorities had determined there was no bomb, hundreds of shoppers and store workers were forced to flee the area. About 5 p.m., the City Place shopping mall in Silver Spring was evacuated, as was a......

Continued...

 

Montgomery considering soccer field at Silver Spring park despite protests

Published: Dec 07, 2007

Montgomery Planning Board commissioners are considering building a new soccer field at a park in Silver Spring, despite complaints about the project’s cost and impact on the neighborhood.Planning Board members are talking about adding a large new athletic field and more parking at North Four Corners Local Park at University Boulevard and Southwood Avenue. The area is now home to a 175-year-old walnut tree and large parcel of open......

Continued...

 

County plans $5M for pedestrian safety

Published: Dec 06, 2007

Montgomery’s top elected official wants to spend nearly $5 million on pedestrian safety after the fourth such fatality in the county in the past two weeks.County Executive Ike Leggett made the proposal Wednesday, saying that despite a $401 million projected budget gap in the coming fiscal year, the money is necessary to fight a climbing death toll.The county had an average of 430 crashes involving pedestrians and 14 pedestrian fatalities a year from 2003 to 2006. So far this year, there have been 16 pedestrian deaths, according to police."This is......

Continued...

 

Redevelopment would ruin landmark, group says

Published: Dec 06, 2007

A builder’s efforts to redevelop a Silver Spring apartment complex would destroy a historic property that is a landmark from Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal era, according to Montgomery County preservation groups.Representatives of the Silver Spring Historical Society say the 450-unit Falkland Chase Apartments on Silver Spring’s 16th Street is "one of the most significant historic properties in the county."......

Continued...

 

Taxpayers warn Montgomery Council of billions in potential budget shortfalls

Published: Dec 05, 2007

The president of the Montgomery County Taxpayers League told county officials that they should be measuring the size of the county’s budget woes in billions of dollars, not hundreds of millions.League President Marvin Weinman warned county council members at their meeting Tuesday that problems go far beyond the $401 million deficit projected for fiscal 2009. Weinman said the county is facing a $4.68 billion budget gap over the......

Continued...

 

Montgomery home sellers must disclose future tax

Published: Dec 05, 2007

People selling homes in Montgomery County will soon have to estimate the future property tax payments of homebuyers, under a new law approved 8-0 Tuesday by County Council members despite heavy opposition from real estate industry lobbyists.Council Vice President Phil Andrews proposed legislation in September to mandate that property tax estimates for homebuyers be included in any written or electronic advertising for the home. Property taxes often jump after a......

Continued...

 

Md. water rate hike stalled as counties debate its worth

Published: Dec 05, 2007

Montgomery and Prince George’s County leaders are divided on whether a new water service charge of about $240 a year is necessary to improve the area’s water system, with Montgomery Council members backing the fee and Prince George’s Council opposed to it.The proposed "Ready to Serve" charge would go......

Continued...

 

Few noncitizens take advantage of vote

Published: Dec 04, 2007

U.S. citizenship plays no role in Takoma Park elections. And city officials say it shouldn’t.Since 1992,Takoma Park has registered noncitizens who are residents of the municipality to vote in mayoral and city council elections, which occur in odd-numbered years."The thought is that whether or not they are citizens, because they are residents of the city they should have a say in local government," City Clerk Jessie Carpenter said. Carpenter said......

Continued...

 

Leggett seeking higher gas tax to fund transportation projects

Published: Dec 04, 2007

Montgomery’s top elected official called for an increase in the state’s gas tax Monday, saying the funds would be needed to pay for a litany of new transportation projects he wants to see completed. Transportation was a dominant theme in County Executive Ike Leggett’s first annual State of the County speech. Leggett told residents and county leaders that expanded transportation infrastructure is "critically important to preserving our quality of life and......

Continued...

 

Health official: Program for uninsured growing too slowly in Mont. County

Published: Dec 03, 2007

As Montgomery faces a $400 million projected budget gap, some council members are questioning the effectiveness of a county health care program for the uninsured, which fell 17 percent short of its target for numbers for patients.When the Montgomery Cares program was announced in December 2004, officials hoped it would nearly quadruple the number of uninsured individuals being served by fiscal year 2010 — going from 13,000 individuals receiving services at separate, uncoordinated "safety net clinics" to 40,000. Between July 2006 and July 2007, however, Montgomery Cares served 13,300......

Continued...

 

Minorities spur health care concerns

Published: Dec 01, 2007

The growing number of minority residents in suburban Maryland is creating new health care concerns that require expanding programs and services, according to a report released Friday by Adventist HealthCare's Center on Health Disparities. The report, "Partnering Toward a Healthier Future," says Montgomery, Prince George's and Frederick County leaders should take note that increases in African-American, Latino and Asian-American residents in the tri-county area are posing new health care issues for medical providers. According to the study, challenges include language barriers between patients and the providers, lack of access to......

Continued...

 

Gas tax proposed for Montgomery commuters

Published: Nov 30, 2007

Montgomery residents and workers commuting into the county could face yet another tax increase after a County Council panel recommended Thursday that leaders consider a local gas tax or vehicle registration fee to fund infrastructure improvements.Local business and public policy leaders in October suggested five options, including the two advanced by the committee, to close a $135 million shortfall for planned transportation projects, storm drains, recreation centers, police and fire stations, libraries, etc. Recent moves by the council to adopt some of the suggestions, including raising the recordation tax rate......

Continued...

 

Businesses and homes recycling at record rate

Published: Nov 30, 2007

Montgomery County’s recycling rate reached an all-time high of 43.2 percent, with residents and businesses recycling a record total of 528,187 tons of waste in the past fiscal year.Between July 2006 and July 2007, county residents recycled 8,000 more tons of waste than in the previous 12 months. Washingtonian Magazine awarded Mo