March 15, 2012

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Benton Goes From Dodging Repo Man to Life Change Coache 8 g
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The Calvert Gazette

Thursday, March 15, 2012

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I was losing everything. My house was in foreclosure. I was hiding my car from repo. I sold a refrigerator to buy food. I hit rock bottom for me. Now hes the owner of Mike Benton Enterprises and is a successful life change coach. The efforts of thousands of locals who voted online paid off this week as End Hunger Chairman Rev. Robert Hahn was recognized as a Compassionate Marylander winner.

local news

QBH St M County TImes Half Ad:Layout A year and a half of planning is coming to fruition with the Girl Scouts of Calvert County 1 3/1/11 3:28 PM Page 1 celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts, which culminates with performances at Calvert High School on March 31.

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Thursday, March 15, 2012

The Calvert Gazette

Speed Cameras Now Issuing Tickets

By Guy Leonard Staff Writer About a month after first being installed next to Beach Elementary School in Chesapeake Beach, speed cameras on Route 261 went fully operational, ready to record fines for motorists who traveled at least 12 miles over the speed limit. James Parent, town administrator, said any pictures taken by the cameras would have to first be sent to police to ascertain just who gets a ticket and who will not. But the cameras have already had a positive affect, Parent said. Before their installation the town had a problem with speeders coming off the hill just before the school at a high rate of speed and pushed to get the cameras in place after community concerns. People have slowed down, Parent said. The people who live there agreed, it really slowed things down Were happy with that. For the past month, the cameras werent even active, he said, but they made motorists worry about getting a fine just the same. The cameras have been effective enough that Parent predicted that there would not be many tickets, at least for now I suspect we wont have too many tickets, not until the tourist season, Parent said. guyleonard@countytimes.net

COUNTY NEWS

Commissioners Mark 100th Anniversary of Girl Scouts

Infant Corpse Found, Detectives Investigating

By Guy Leonard Staff Writer Members of the Calvert Investigative Team (CIT) say they are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of an infant found in the trunk of a car on Hallowing Point Road on March 8. But CIT commander, Lt. Steve Jones, said the body was in such a condition that they will not get a cause of death report from the Chief Medical Examiners office until mid-April. Investigators know who the mother of the child is, Jones said, but are not releasing any names. We dont even know if we have a crime yet, Jones said, adding that investigators are still trying to ascertain whether the infant was stillborn or was alive when the mother gave birth. The condition of the body was not the best, it had been there for an undetermined amount of time, Jones said. It was either a fetus or a newborn, thats what were trying to determine. Jones said that if the baby was stillborn, then there would not be any felony charges involved. The baby was found near the home of the mother, Jones said, but the mother had not lived there for about 30 days. The mothers boyfriend also lived near the area where the baby was found but police are not sure if he is the infants father. Jones said the mothers boyfriend is not a person of interest in the case. Jones said the mothers parents found the deceased infant when they were cleaning out the car. Jones said investigators have found that the mother did not call for any type of medical assistance during or after the birth. States Attorney Laura Martin said her office is working closely with police to investigate the case. She said to find a infant in the trunk of a car, regardless of the circumstances of its death, is appalling. Its horrific, Martin told The Calvert Gazette. guyleonard@countytimes.net
Photo by Sarah Miller From Brownies to Ambassadors, Girl Scouts of all ages showed up to the Calvert County Board of County Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, where Commissioner Susan Shaw read a proclamation recognizing the Girl Scouts and the benefits young women in the group get. She mentioned her own time in the Girl Scouts, and the leadership skills she got out of it. In addition to being recognized, the girls brought each commissioner a box of their famous cookies.

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By Sarah Miller Staff Writer Drivers going up and down Route 4 may have noticed signs up announcing bridgework to start March 18. The work is expected to last through the year, and includes cleaning and repainting the steel, working on the concrete under the deck and rehabilitating other areas. State Highway Administration (SHA) spokesperson David Buck said the first project, costing $3.2 million, will begin next week with containment being set up to keep contaminants out of the beach and the river. He said containment is the most crucial part of any cleaning and painting job. Once containment is set up, workers will be cleaning and painting steel on the ends of the bridge, where the span is over land. Buck said it will be methodical

The Calvert Gazette

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Bridge Getting a Facelift

work that could take until Spring 2013, though the contractor will be trying to finish by the end of the year. In addition to the cleaning and painting, work will be done to the concrete and drainage system. This is proactive maintenance that we do on all our bridge structures, Buck said. The work means one lane of the bridge will be closed Sunday through Thursday from 9 p.m. through 5 a.m. No work is done Friday and Saturday nights because of safety concerns due to the increased traffic on the bridge, in addition to the higher possibility of drivers under the influence. The second project, costing $2.3 million, will begin in a month, and will mostly take place out of view from drivers. Workers will be repairing concrete under the deck of the bridge, as well as the columns in the water. Buck said the preventative maintenance will prevent potholes from forming, which would be a bad sign on a bridge. The second project should be completed in the fall, Buck said, though it is largely dependent on weather. The concrete can only be worked on if the temperature is above 50 degrees and humidity levels less than 75 percent. Buck said 90 percent of SHAs work is done at night to decrease the impact to motorists, and in a project like the one on the bridge, the two contractors have to coordinate so only one lane is shut down at any given time. Buck said at no point will the bridge be completely closed to through traffic. Workers will also be working around local events, like PRAD and the Tiki Bar opening weekend, to lessen the impact. sarahmiller@countytimes.net

Permitting Process to Become Simpler

By Sarah Miller Staff Writer In an effort to make a complex process simpler, the Department of Planning and Zoning is working to streamline the course from submittal of a project to the final signing off on the site plan. Planning Commission Administrator and Zoning Officer Yolanda Hipski said the department worked on the project in two parts primary submittal to planning commission, and planning commission to final site plan approval. After some final fine-tuning, Hipski said the new processes will be adopted fully in April. Hipski said the streamlining will be for everybody consultants, owners and us [the planning and zoning department]. She said the process was sparked when different groups, such as consultants and developers, identified the process as being an area to be worked on. The department agreed, Hip-

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ski said. Looking at the process, I felt the same, she said. Currently, Hipski said she is working to make minor changes to take comments into account. A major change is in the submittal of the final site plan. The Final Mylar, a master planning document that has to be physically signed by different groups involved in the approval process in order to gain final site plan approval, was submitted in the past when the planning commission indicated they were willing to sign off on it. Now, owners and consultants must get everyone to the point where they are willing to sign off on the project and indicate their willingness to the department of planning and zoning. Different departments are connected through a computer system where they can indicate a ready for signature status, and owners and consultants are responsible for making sure agencies make the change in the computer status. Hipski said the new process will keep Mylar copies from getting lost as they go from agency from agency for signature because all the signatures will be done at once. With the streamlining split into two parts the first document dealing with the process from submittal to the planning commission was sent out Dec. 30 for comment. The second, dealing with the planning commission to the final site plan approval, was submitted for comment Jan. 23. sarahmiller@countytimes.net

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The efforts of thousands of locals who voted online paid off this week as End Hunger Chairman Rev. Robert Hahn, pastor of Chesapeake Church, was recognized as a Compassionate Marylander winner on Monday. Hahn was presented with a Governors Citation and $5000 check from CareFirst to End Hunger In Calvert County.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

The Calvert Gazette

Power Project On Hold

By Sarah Miller Staff Writer PEPCOs Mid-Atlantic Power Pathway (MAPP) project has been pushed back to a 2019-2021 timeframe. MAPP Project Manager Bob Jubic said PJM Interconnection LLC, a major power transmitter in the area, is in charge of scheduling for the project. Early on, projections showed there would be a need for additional transmission reliability in the 2012-2014 time frame to handle the additional load demands. Its really PJM that sets the date for the project, Jubic said. When the economy hit a downturn, so did the projected demands for power, and the MAPP project got pushed back, he said. MAPP is a planned 152 mile transmission line that will stretch from the Possum Point Power Station in Virginia to Indian River, Md. Completing the project requires line be laid under the Chesapeake Bay. Once PJM green lights the project, Jubic said it will take a minimum of three years to start. There are still permits PEPCO has to obtain, and the studies that have already been completed will need updating. In addition, to get the line that needs to go under the bay, an order has to be placed two years out from the start date. PEPCO also has to make a reservation for the specialized equipment that will lay the underwater line. Jubic said a rig like that goes from place to place working on similar projects, and cant be brought in on a whim. It wouldnt happen over night, Jubic said. He said an update on the project, whether it will be postponed another couple of years or moved up, will be released by PJM in the August to September timeframe. He said some older generators will be retired due to the Clean Air Act, but it is unknown right now how many generators will be shut down. Jubic said that number could directly affect the timeframe for the MAPP project. sarahmiller@countytimes.net

Commissioners Corner
By Susan Shaw Calvert County Commissioner, District 2
Spring is coming after the mildest winter I can remember. I know that I will be relieved if we dont get a late snow or two that wipes out some of the savings on heating bills, especially at this time of rising gasoline prices. I am hearing rumors that the MD General Assembly (Legislature) in Annapolis may be backing away from their ill-advised plan to raise gasoline taxes. Perhaps they did not think we would notice when our budgets became impossible to balance due to their unwise plans. Perhaps they do not realize that those of us who live in the real world know that with rising gasoline prices, the price of all commodities goes up, and the overall cost of living and doing business becomes untenable. If I sound annoyed, it is because I am. Who on earth do they think they are fooling? Either seven or nine (depending on whos counting and how they are counting) counties in MD were not able to make Maintenance of Effort (MOE), which is to say that they were unable to fund their schools at the same level as the previous year. Of course not!! Counties get their income primarily from real estate taxes, and secondarily, from the piggy back tax (a portion of the income tax). The Legislature must not have noticed that we have been in a deep recession and that house prices have fallen (nationwide) more than they did in the Great Depression, greatly reducing the real estate taxes to Counties. So what kinds of help is the Legislature proposing to provide? Their proposal is to penalize the Counties who couldnt make MOE and make ALL the Counties pay more with the threat of siphoning off the income tax revenues if the Counties fail to magically conjure this extra

More Shell Games in Annapolis

COUNTY NEWS

money out of thin air. (This proposal was authored by Del. John Bohanan of St. Marys County.) Better yet, why not reduce the exemption on interest paid on real estate for those individuals and businesses still getting by? I did not make this up! Or even better yet, in addition to making the Counties commit to additional education spending that they do not have, why not also make them pay for Teachers Pensions? Especially since the Legislature has refused to move to a modern pension plan, and instead, has gouged the teachers, who must pay an additional 2% of their income toward a decreased pension benefit. Oh, but you havent heard the best part yet. The 2% extra went into the General Fund, not the Teachers Pension fund, which is short by $19 Billion dollars! Thats the beauty of shifting the Teachers Pensions to the Counties: the Counties will also get the underfunding on their books, which they will then get to explain to Wall Street when they go for bond ratings. AND, in case your head is not spinning yet, this brilliant plan will force the Counties to pay more in interest on all their borrowing, making the Counties even more desperate for income. The final blow is that the Counties wont be able to fix these cooked books from the state, because the pension liability is rising so fast, at just under 8% per year, that they will never be able to catch up. Just as the state wasnt, which is why the Legislature wanted to shift the Teachers Pensions in the first place. (More info. is available at www.StopTheShiftMD.com) Oh, dear, I dont have enough space to share the good news about tax increases on internet purchases, internet downloads, automobile repairs, tobacco products, boat registrations, hunting licenses, death certificates, and more! Stay tuned for next time for all the amazing details

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The Calvert Gazette

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Library Marks Seuss Birthday

North Beach Mayor Mark Frazer kicked off Calvert Library, Twin Beaches Branchs Dr. Seuss Birthday Celebration on March 1 with his entertaining reading of The Cat in the Hat. Over 60 attendees celebrated this annual event with readings, skits, and activities based on Dr. Seusss much-loved books. Regan Cashman, Twin Beach Players Youth Troupe Committee Chairperson, brought young actors in costume who contributed to the Seussical fun. The Cat in the Hat himself even showed up to enjoy a rousing rendition of the Happy Birthday song, and of course, birthday cake!

Maintaining Business Relationships One Card at a Time

By Corrin M. Howe Staff Writer The largest first class mailing company in the United States, Send Out Cards, has a two-fold mission: To help millions of people act on their promptings and provide a vehicle for financial success. Send Out Cards allows a person to go online and pick out a card from over 17,000 stock cards or create one of their own. The card is printed, stuffed, addressed, stamped and delivered out of the companys headquarters in Salt Lake City. Other than the time to select the card, the entire process takes about 60 seconds and costs one third the price of a store bought greeting card, which still needs to be addressed and sent, according to local Distributor Raleigh Weckbaugh. Weckbaugh gets teary-eyed as she retells the story which prompted Send Out Cards CEO Kody Bateman to start the company. He had graduated from college and was loading up his family to move to his first marketing job in New York City from Utah. He saw his brother in a distant field and felt a prompting to go give him a hug and say goodbye however, he was in a hurry. Three weeks later his mother called at three oclock in the morning to tell that his brother died in a freak accident. At that moment, Bateman made a vow to God and his brother that he would never fail to act on a prompting again. He spent almost 14 years developing a business plan, waiting on technology, and gathering all the right people to launch Send Out Card on the Internet in 2005. Weckbaughs brother turned her on to Send Out Cards in December 2008. When I had a chance to get onto a computer and send a card, I needed no further convincing. Its one of those things everyone loves. No one has ever said, Please dont send me another card or gift. Sure there are other companies out there which help clients keep in con-

Raleigh Weckbaugh is an active distributor of Send Out Cards

tact with customers, but do you see an email hanging on the refrigerator? Being able to create her own cards, take her business anywhere in the United States as well as the values embraced by the company are reasons Weckbaugh loves working with Send Out Cards. The conventional wisdom in the business world is that it costs five times as much to gain a new client than to keep an old one, according to Weckbaugh. Sending out cards to clients to remember birthdays, anniversaries, thanking them for their patronage, etc. are all ways to develop and keep a relationship going with loyal customers. She talks about one of the top Send Out Card distributors who said that he recently needed a plumber. If he had a plumber who sent him two cards during the year, he wouldve called that plumber. Instead, he used the phonebook to find one. Weckbaugh said she has insurance agents as clients. She recommends they use Send Out Cards prior to the insurance policy renewal as a unique way to building relationships. Send Out Cards provides a mechanism to enter addresses, important dates, notes about clients, and send a reminder to choose and send cards. The company has partnered with several online gifts and service companies so that customers can attach baked goods, a gift card or inspirational book with the card. For more information contact Weckbaugh at (410) 6102953, or visit www.sendoutcards.com/simply/ corrin@somdpublishing.net

Cat of the Week

Maria came to us with much energy. She was happy and playful and very athletic. She was adopted in late 2009 with one of our male cats, Bugsy. Everything seemed so perfect but both cats were returned because the adoptive family had to move. Maria resides in our main cat condo room and we consider her the class clown. When other cats are just existing, Maria is amusing herself. She loves to open the cabinet door and we will come in and find each and every towel on the counter or floor. Her other favorite game is to get hold of a roll of paper towels. She will unravel the roll and sometimes will wrap some of it around her. We think she is looking for a new ball gown. She never ceases to amaze us with her antics. She is very affectionate but sometimes in her play will reach out with her foot to bat you. She has never really scratched anyone but we do not think it would be a good idea to put her in a home with small children. You can see Maria at the Calvert Animal Welfare League Center Prince Frederick Md. Fri - Sunday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. or call 410-535-9300.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

The Calvert Gazette

Local Inducted into Maryland Womans Hall of Fame

By Corrin M. Howe Staff Writer Local resident Margaret Dunkle received high honors from the state when she became one of six Maryland women inducted into the Womens Hall of Fame for 2012. She is being recognized for her work on the federal law that made it illegal to discriminate on the basis of sex in government assisted educational programs. Dunkle said she is excited about being included in the Hall of Fame, meaning Title IX will once again receive some spotlight. Forty years ago, on June 23, 1972, U.S. Congress passed legislation commonly known as Title IX without much hoopla, according to Margaret Dunkle. No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance reads Title 20 United States Code Section 1681-1688. Two days after the law passed, Dunkle started her job at the Association of American Colleges. One of her first tasks was to study What would equality in college athletic programs look like? We didnt have Google, Internet or computers back then. I had an electronic typewriter and a mimeograph machine which sometimes worked, Dunkle said. Her team collected any pieces of paper from college newsletters and other sources they could find or others would send to them. They also brainstormed any inequities between boys and girls sports that they could think of or heard about. For example they discovered there was a prohibition against giving athletic scholarships to girls. A girl from a lower income family with some athletic ability couldnt get a scholarship, but her brother could, said Dunkle. The analysis found at the time the University of Michigan had $1 million in the budget for mens sports, but zero for women. The University of Texas had $1.5 million in the budget for men and $43,000 for women. Mens programs received full or significant funding while in womens college athletics the women coaches were volunteer and not paid, the girls had bake sales to raise money for uniforms, equipment and travel expenses, according to Dunkle. It was the normal and legal prior to Title IX. Now it is illegal, she said. Further discrepancies came out. While womens participation in sports at the high school and college level has improved tenfold over the last 40 years, their numbers are still lower than mens participation levels in 1972. Over the years, Dunkle has found that some of the biggest Title IX supporters are fathers of girls. Although she didnt specifically reference the opponents of the implementation and court decisions regarding the law, she did say. The law doesnt say what you have to do, just that you cant discrimi-

Newsmakers

nate in how you do it. She used the example of how when she was in high school, boys could not sign up for home economics classes. After her work in the 1970s, she later did a study on how high schools were discriminating against pregnant students, making them take classes at different times or in different rooms while not requiring the same of the males who fathered the child. In todays environment, discrimination against males could look like schools setting up daycare for children of moms trying to finish school, but not allowing children of fathers in the same situation. The Maryland Commission for Women and the Women Legislators of Maryland established the Womans Hall of Fame in 1985. Since that time more than 138 women have been inducted. Names of previous honorees include: Harriet Ross Tubman, Clara Barton, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, and Nancy Grasmick, Ph.D. (former Superintendent of Maryland State Department of Education). The only other Calvert County resident in the hall is Harriet Elizabeth Brown, a school teacher who took the county Board

of Education to court over inequitable pay. Thurgood Marshall represented Brown in the 1937 case. Fifteen years later he would stand before the U.S. Supreme Court for the landmark Brown vs. the Board of Education of Topeka. Im honored to be in the company of the previous Hall of Fame members, said Dunkle. Calvert County Board of Commissioner Susan Shaw rode up on the chartered bus to Annapolis. It is a very big deal. Only five or six women from all over the state are inducted each year. And usually there are very spirited discussions when going through the selection process, said Shaw.

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The Calvert Gazette

STORY

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Life Change Coach Practices What He Preaches

By Corrin M. Howe Staff Writer Mike Benton figures he couldnt get much lower than the day he sold his refrigerator for money to buy groceries. During the lean times, he had the support of friends. One let him live in a 10-foot by 10-foot extra room. Male ego kept him from getting any other help. I was losing everything. My house was in foreclosure. I was hiding my car from repo. I sold a refrigerator to buy food. I hit rock bottom for me. The only thing I had left was the six inches between my ears. On the Mike Benton Enterprises website he writes how he realized that the same thing that made him a successful entrepreneur in the past would help him out of his situation. Thinking. He began to read every book he could about changing the way he thought. Then he made the decision to change. I know it is clich. But it was a life changing decision. The experience not only changed his life, it changed his career. In September 2008 he started Mike Benton Enterprises which provides life change coaching and motivational speaking. However you define success, you know that it has little to do with luck, and practically everything to do with learning a set of principles and following them. This is something he learned from Bob Burg, author and speaker behind the international bestsellers The Go-Giver, Go-Givers Sell More, Endless Referrals and It's Not About You. Now Benton is a certified Bob Burg and Bob Proctor consultant. He loves helping people go from where they are to where they want to go especially in the current economy and current state of mind. Its needed more than ever. One of the things he really enjoys is to give back to people like him individuals who never saw it coming with all their training, degrees and experience, they never imagined they would wind up unemployed at this stage of their life. Its devastating and its my job to help them realize we are not in Kansas anymore. He works with a community outreach program in Southern Maryland called the Job Match Re-Employment Program. Benton has been a change coach with the program since June 2010 and hosts a two-hour discussion called Mondays with Mike. In these types of sessions it is important for him to help people understand that what you know and what you do doesnt define who you are. Benton is accessible. You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, at Panera Bread, Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts and hell return emails within hours. Practicing what he coaches, he credits the

a Redskins game. Ive had a number of people quit me based on using this model, said Benton, who said everyone should be able to find an extra 20-30 hours a week to spend on meeting their goals doing simple things like listening to an educational CD rather than watching TV. A plan helps ordinary people achieve extraordinary results, he said. In his coaching business he works with attorneys, doctors, clerks, stay-at-home moms and more. Im a blessing or a curse to those who come to me for coaching. It is a process. It takes time to germinate. It doesnt matter the steps you have to take are different but still have short, mid and long term [goals]. Everything has a start and a finish. Start getting What some of Mike Bentons clients excited. and acquaintances say about him: He cautions people that believe falsely they I know Mike through posts on Facebook really. He can do everything they had always been inspiring when our school went through its need to reach their goals struggle. He gave me a pep talk online and motivated me to keep and to just stop. Just like doing what I was doing as the co chair of the Marketing Task dieting, it doesnt work, Force, to move forward and to keep up the positive energy. I'll he said. Coaching is bet he has many followers and friends! Suzanne Pucciarella, daily. with Our Lady Star of the Sea school. Benton is a gradu He did run for Mardi Gras King and he has been a ate of Northern High good friend to us. He is also my life coach. I think very highly of School and University of Mike. Kelly Chambers, CEO of United Way of Calvert County. Ive known Mike for almost 10 years. We both joined Maryland College Park. the Economical Development Commission at the same time. He is current member of Ive done some things with him through his real estate. He sold the North Beach Town my sister her home. And hes an avid Dunkin Donuts customer, Council. said Nance Pretto Simmons, owner of Dunkin Donuts in Lusby, He and his wife, and president of the Lusby Business Association. Tina Patriarca Benton, When you hire a coach you want a game changer. are agents with Home Someone who will tell you the truth and make you want to Towne Real Estate. He change Mike is that game changer to anyone willing to listen is a father of four with a and take the needed steps, Brian Mayer, owner of Online 4 A daughter in college down Dime. to a one-year-old son. He Mike Benton is one of the career counselors I met bought and renovated the through the Job Match Re-Employment Program. He's one of North Beach home he the most inspirational figures I've had the pleasure of meeting, grew up in. and I'm proud to call him my friend. He is an example what's This is my life. I possible when one combines the power of positive thinking with didnt learn it in college decisive goal setting and dedication. We can all take charge of our lives and move in a new, positive direction. Mike Benton or last week. It is a very shows us how it's done. Preston Ford, writer. simple process but not easy.

growth of his business Home Towne Real Estate to what he learned and practices from Bob Burgs Endless Referrals. He puts up visuals to make his visions concrete. For example, he said he cut out a picture of himself and taped it on a flyer for motivational speaker Zig Ziglar announcing a conference and speakers. He spends one hour per day learning something new about his profession. Everyone has 168 hours in a week. The key is managing the time, according to Benton. He said he often has people who say they dont have the time. He counters their argument with proof that they will make time for something they see as valuable by offering them Redskin tickets. Most of the time, people suddenly find time to see

Thursday, March 15, 2012

The Calvert Gazette

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The Calvert Gazette

Thursday, March 15, 2012

10

Jack Brazell, 76
Francis John Jack Brazell, 76 , formerly of Huntingtown, MD passed away March 6, 2012 at the Annapolitan Assisted Living in Annapolis, MD. He was born Sept. 10, 1935 in Syracuse, NY to William F. and Anna (Lanty) Brazell. Jack was raised and educated in Syracuse, NY. He served in the United States Army from 1955 to 1957, serving in Korea. After his service Jack relocated to the Washington, D.C. area where he met and married Monica E. Burgoyne. He was employed as a cable splicer for C & P Telephone Company retiring in 1986. He was preceded in death by his wife and two brothers and two sisters. He is survived by four daughters Kathleen Morrone and her husband Pat of Chesapeake Beach, MD, Ann Myers and her husband Jim of Nashville, TN, Maggie Webb and her husband Ed of Dunkirk, MD and Cindy Warren and her husband Mike of Fredericksburg, VA; three sons Joseph LaPlaca and his wife Tina of Fredericksburg, VA, Mark LaPlaca and his wife Billie of Frederick, MD and John Brazell and his wife Debbie of Stevensville, MD; 18 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren. Friends were received March 10 at St. Anthonys Catholic Church, North Beach, MD, where a Mass and celebration of his life was held at 11:00 A.M. Interment followed at Resurrection Cemetery, Clinton, MD Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of the Chesapeake, 445 Defense Highway, Annapolis, MD 21401.

for 21 years until his retirement in 1996. He received the Navy Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, Joint Meritorious Service Ribbon, Meritorious Unit Citation, (2) Battle E Ribbons, (5) Navy Good Conduct Medals, (2) Sea Service Deployment Ribbons and the National Defense Service Medal. After serving his country Robert worked for the Department of Defense in Computer Logistics. He is survived by his beloved wife, Theresa Bruette of Lusby, MD; loving daughters, Kimberly Watson and Kristie Frost both of Jacksonville, FL; his mother Marian Bruette of St. Petersburg, FL and a grandson. All services will be private. Should friends desire contributions may be made in his memory to Calvert Hospice, P. O. Box 838, Prince Frederick, MD 20678 "Donations are encourage online at www.calverthospice.org" or to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, 2141 Rosecrans Ave., Suite 7000, El Segundo, CA 90245 www.pancan.org. Arrangements provided by Rausch Funeral Home, P.A., Lusby, MD rauschfuneralhomes.com.

Rosalee Freeland, 87
Rosalee Freeland, 87, of Forestville, MD passed away on Feb. 19, 2012 at her residence. She was the youngest child of 12 children of the late Rev. Charlie H. Range and Hattie M. Range, was born on April 30, 1924 in Macon, Ga. After the death of her parents, Detroit, Michigan became her home which was also the residence of many of her relatives. Rosalee was a first lieutenant in the United States Army. She was inducted into the Army Nurse Corps on July 30, 1953. During her career in the U.S. Army, she met the love of her life, Carl E. Freeland, her late husband of 36 years, who was also in the United States Army. This union was blessed with four children: two sons, Carl (Chuckie) who preceded his mom in death and Andre, and twin daughters, Carlene

and Charlene. Rosalee was an active and faithful member of the Third Street Church of God located in Washington, D.C. until her health declined. Her love for God and her faith in Him was always prevalent in her life including her last moments when she called for Jesus and said; "Jesus, help me please." (Faith is to believe what we do not see, and the reward of faith is to see what we believe.) Spending time with her family and friends along with singing and playing the organ brought Rosalee much joy and fulfillment. She was an avid writer (whiz with the pen) and enjoyed writing poems. She also had a wonderful sense of humor. Siblings preceding her in death were brothers, Charlie, Dennis, Phillip, Thomas, Harris, William, Johnny and Edward and sisters, Cora Range, Fannie Range Smith and Mary Range Boyd Clinkscales. She leaves to cherish fond memories her daughters, Carlene L. Hernandez (Danny) and Charlene F. Coello (Tony); her son, Andre Freeland; one granddaughter, Maritza C. Barbot (Henry); four grandsons, Demetrius Hernandez, Christopher Hernandez, Carl Hernandez and Dalton Freeland; one great-granddaughter, Jadyn M. Barbot: and a host of other relatives and friends. Funeral service was held on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012 at Third Street Church of God, Washington, DC with Rev. Dr. Cheryl Sanders officiating. The interment was at Plum Point United Methodist Church Cemetery, Huntingtown, MD. Funeral arrangements provided by Sewell Funeral Home, Prince Frederick, MD.

Ethel Mauck, 90
Ethel Virginia (Simpson) Mauck, 90, passed away March 5, 2012 at the Country Home assisted living in Harwood, MD where she had resided since 2008. Ethel was born Oct. 21, 1921 in Dayton, MD to Roland L. and Emma E. (Hill) Simpson. She was raised in Dayton and attended Howard County public schools. She married Herman E. Mauck December 5, 1941 and they lived and raised their family in Mt. Rainier, MD until moving to Deale Beach, MD in 1961. Ethel was a homemaker and enjoyed various needlecrafts including quilting, crocheting, and tatting. When living in Deale she had attended Cedar Grove U.M. Church in Deale where she participated in the Homemakers group. She was an avid reader and also loved spending time with family, especially her grandchildren. Ethel was preceded in death by her husband Herman and by a son Paul E. Mauck. She is survived by three children, John W. Mauck and wife Joanna of Churchton, MD, Patricia M. Riley and husband Joseph of Deale Beach, MD and Michael H. Mauck and wife Donna of Tracys Landing, MD. She is also survived by seven grandchildren, thirteen great-grandchildren, and by a brother, Willard Simpson of Dayton. Friends and family were received on March 8 at Rausch Funeral Home, Owings, MD, where funeral services and a celebration of Ethels life was held March 9. Interment followed at Southern Memorial Gardens in Dunkirk, MD. Memorial contributions in Ethels name may be made to Hospice of the Chesapeake, 445 Defense Highway, Annapolis, MD 21401.

Celie King, 87
Mary Lucille Celie King, 87, of Ft. White, Fla., and a longtime resident of Chesapeake Beach, MD passed away Feb. 15, 2012 at the Haven Hospice E.T. York Care Center in Gainesville, Fla. Celie was a homemaker and wife of the late Zane Kennard King, Sr. She was born Nov. 9, 2012 in Friendship, MD to Frank and Ethel Rebecca (Sears) Wells. She is survived by her son Zane Kennard Kenny King, Jr. and daughter-inlaw Lyne of Ft. White, FL. She is also survived by six grandchildren, five greatgrandchildren and a sister Lynette Burger of Baltimore, MD. Celie was preceded in death by her son Franklin M. Humphries, and is survived by his wife Nancy. Services for Celie are being held in Florida. She was buried privately beside her husband at Mt. Harmony United Methodist Church Cemetery in Owings, MD. Arrangements were handled by Rausch Funeral Home, P.A., Owings, MD. Memorial Contributions in Celies name may be made to the Haven Hospice E.T. York Care Center, 4200 NW 90th Blvd., Gainesville, FL 32606-3809.

Robert Bruette, 55
Robert Henry Bruette, 55, of Lusby, MD passed away on Feb. 25, 2012 at his residence. He was born on October 8, 1956 in St. Petersburg, Fla., to Marian Knox Bruette and the late Duane M. Bruette. Mr. Bruette enlisted in the United States Navy in 1975 and served his country

Carla Patricia Sipe, 38

Carla Patricia Sipe, 38, of Lothian, MD passed away suddenly March 7, 2012 at her home. She was born Dec. 19, 1973 in Silver Spring, MD to Benjamin Andrew and Carla Patricia (Chite) Ort. Carla was raised in Churchton, MD and graduated from Southern High School in 1991. She later attended Anne Arundel Community College. Carla married Glenn A. Sipe, II on April 11, 1998 in Deale, MD. The couple made their home in Lothian. She was involved with the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and dance, as well as other activities that her children participated in. Carla was preceded in death by her parents, a daughter Destiny Sipe and her husband Glenn A. Sipe, II. She is survived by her four chil-

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Thursday, March 15, 2012

The Calvert Gazette

dren: Angel, Glenn III, Dakota and Skylar Sipe; sisters Marianne Stiles and her husband Jeff of Churchton, MD and Pam Walker and her husband Robert of Goldsboro, MD; and a brother Andy Ort of Ruckersville, VA. Carla is also survived by her mother and father in law DarlaRay and Glenn A. Sipe, I of Lothian and brothers in law Frank Sipe and his wife Christie of Lothian and Brian Sipe, Jr. of New Jersey and a nephew William Sipe of Lothian. Friends were received March 11 at Rausch Funeral Home, Owings, MD where services were held March 12. Interment followed at Southern Memorial Gardens. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Judes Childrens Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105.

Edith Joyce Vermillion, 85

Edith Joyce Vermillion, 85 of Fairfax, VA and formerly of Prince Frederick, MD passed away March 10, 2012 at Capital Hospice in Arlington, VA.. She was born on Jan. 4, 1927 in Washington, DC to Julian Winfield and Ruby Virginia (Clatterbuck) Duty. She received her education in Washington, DC public schools. Edith moved to Mt. Rainer as a young woman where she met and later married Arthur E. Vermillion. She was employed as resident manager for JGB Properties in apartments in Suitland and Beltsville. Upon her retirement she moved to Calvert Pines in Prince Frederick and to Fairfax, VA in 2005. Edith was preceded in death by a sister Juliette Hangliter, a brother Robert Edwards and her husband Arthur E. Vermillion on July 6, 1984. Surviving are one daughter Lana Lee Corrado of Broomes Island, MD; five sons Arthur H. Vermillion of Aquia, VA, David M. Vermillion of Waldorf, MD, Christopher E. Vermillion and his wife Maureen of Chesapeake Beach, MD, John W. Vermillion and his wife Marlene of Dunkirk, MD and Gerald Vermillion and his wife Amy of Fairfax, VA; eight grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. Friends may call on Friday, March 16, from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. at Rausch Funeral Home, Owings, MD. A Memorial Service will be held 11 a.m. Saturday, March 17, at First Lutheran Church of Bowie, 12710 Duckettown Road, Laurel, MD 20708. Memorial contributions may be made to Capital Hospice, 4715 15th Street, Arlington, VA 22205 or the ASPCA, P.O. Box 96929, Washington, DC 20090-6929

Twanna Wilkerson, 55
Twanna Meliss Wilkerson, 55, of Huntingtown, MD passed away on Feb. 24, 2012 at her residence. She was the daughter of the late William Robert Wilkerson, Sr. and Gladys Eleanor Hicks Wilkerson and was born on June 23, 1956 in Washington, D.C. She attended Calvert County Public Schools. Twanna had a strong love for her family and friends. She enjoyed the time she spent with her family at cookouts and holiday gatherings. She adored and cherished her grandchildren Kaylon and Allana. Twanna also known as T had a way of making everyone laugh that came in contact with her. If you were ever feeling down or just needed a good laugh, you could be sure that T had the remedy. T would make you laugh until you nearly cried. T just loved to have a good time and was often the life of the party. T knew how to dance and would often say if I dont dance another day, Ive danced and clicked my fingers enough in my time. T liked to go to baseball games, watch her favorite football team the Dallas Cowboys. She also had a love for flowers and always had a beautiful flower garden blooming outside of her residence. She loved to crochet and made many beautiful scarves, hats, ponchos and blankets for family and friends. Twanna was employed by Hechinger in Glenarden, MD, Oxford Knolls, in Suitland, MD, the former Capital Center, in Landover, MD, and prior to her illness, she was employed at Calvert Memorial Hospital. Twanna accepted the Lord as her personal Savior and was baptized and attended a Baptist Church located in

Kathryn Sorrels, 60
Kathryn Diane Sorrels, 60, of Prince Frederick, MD passed away on March 7, 2012 in Washington D.C. She was born on April 13, 1951 in Virginia to Jesse D. Harmon and Elsie G. Pruitt Harmon. Kathryn had large passion for lighthouses which she loved to collect and visit. She also loved to spend all her time with family and friends. She is survived by her husband Richard B. Cameron, her son Richard Sorrels and his wife Pamela. She is also survived by her granddaughters Crystal and Jessi McLaughlin, and Victoria Sorrels. She also leaves behind a brother Donald Harmon. The family will receive friends on a later date at the Rausch Funeral Home, Port Republic, MD.

Landover, MD and later joined Plum Point United Methodist Church, in Huntingtown, MD, where she attended until her illness. Twanna leaves to cherish her memory, daughter Shaiwian Mackall (Clinton) of Prince Frederick, MD, and Alan Guthrie II (Kenya) of Oxon Hill, MD; sisters Vashti Burch (Frank) of Sunderland, MD, Carolyn Green (Carlon) of Huntingtown, MD; and Francien Morsell (Craig Sr.) of Sunderland, MD; two brothers: William Wilkerson, Jr. (Barbara) of Annapolis, MD and Sheerod Wilkerson, Sr. of Sunderland, MD; and five step-sisters: Sylvia Furr (Harlon) of Baltimore, MD, Tiffany Wilkerson of Chesapeake Beach, MD and LaKeshia Wilkerson Thomas (James) of Chesapeake Beach, MD, Patricia Chew of Raleigh, NC, Jackie Neal (Dennis) of Temple Hills, MD, and Christine Barnes of Temple Hills, MD and one step-brother: Anthony Barnes of Sunderland, MD; three aunts Marion Howell of Annapolis, MD; Eveline Hicks of Annapolis, MD, and Elnore Hicks of St. Leonard, MD; two uncles: John Irving Harris of Deale, MD and William Young of Sunderland, MD; two grandchildren: Kaylon Guthrie and Allana Guthrie and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. Special and devoted friend Russell Jones, of Huntingtown, MD. Preceding her in death her parents: William Robert Wilkerson, Sr. and Gladys Eleanor Hicks Wilkerson, and son Harim Wilkerson. Funeral service was held on Friday, March 2, 2012 at Mt. Olive UM Church, Prince Frederick, MD with Rev. Tunde E.O. Davies officiating. The interment was at Young's Church Cemetery, Huntingtown, MD. The pallbearers were Benjamin Cheyenne Harris, Thomas HIcks, Jr., Ronnie Jones, Tyrone Riggs, Carlos Young and Eric Young, Sr. The honorary pallbearers were Daryll "Duke" Creek and Carl Hicks. Funeral arrangements provided by Sewell Funeral Home, Prince Frederick, MD.

Louis Edward Pulliam, Sr.

who passed away on Feb. 8, 2012
We want to thank the many people who stood by the family during these most difficult 5 years. If you visited, sent a card or e-mail, made a phone call, brought food, attended his service or made a donation in his honor we want to thank you. A special thanks to; A Community That Cares (ACTS), Hospice, Brinsfield Funeral Home, R H Design (Ruby) for Prayer cards, C &C Photography (Cheron & Sam) for the video, American Legion Post 255 in Ridge, Senator Roy Dyson, Larry Hills, Charlies Deli who prepared and served the food at his service. Also to the ladies that brought him comfort and support through this time, Cindy Wolf and Lynda Purdy. Many thanks to the people who came to his bedside during his last week, to spend time, he knew you cared and loved him and he felt the same about you, as we cried together and laughed together. He knew then that his time was getting closer but he still did not want to leave us. Although we know his journey is over on this earth, we know he is looking down upon all of us at amazement of how many lives he had touched in his 72 years. Each and every one who had the pleasure of meeting him will never forget his great humor and quick wit. He will live on forever through each and every one of you. So as days and weeks pass remember the laughter that he brought to all and as Spring and Summer approach us, take time to visit his most favorite place The Creek Shore and enjoy the monument that was built and placed there in his honor. Many thanks to all that had a part in making this happen, what a beautiful job. Thanks again for all your thoughts and prayers during this most difficult time in our lives. - Eleanor Pulliam and Family

From The Family of

March 16th, 1939 Feb. 8th, 2012

Spotlight On

The Calvert Gazette

Thursday, March 15, 2012

12

Local Girls Scouts Modeling Founder By Leading The Way

By Corrin M. Howe Staff Writer Juliette Low, founder of the United States Girl Scouts, was progressive for her time, according to Linda Buckley, member of the Girl Scouts of Calvert County 100th Anniversary Committee. Back then sports werent something they could do. She set up a basketball hoop in her backyard and put up curtains so no one could see the girls playing in their bloomers, said Buckley. The Girl Scouts were the first to integrate AfricanAmerican girls and girls with disabilities. Low wanted all girls to participate. The Calvert Committee started planning the 100th Anniversary Celebration activities in December 2010. We called around to see what other Girl Scouts were doing and discovered we were among the first to start planning. In fact, we started receiving calls to find out what we were doing, said Buckley. The committee, representing each of the four service units in the county and the Girl Scout field representative, had a mission in mind during the entire planning phase. The goal was making sure the Calvert County Girl Scouts remembered the 100th Anniversary as one of their experiences in Girl Scouts. Buckley, a librarian at the Prince Frederick branch, created a display case at the front of the library with items from local Girl Scouts. She said she had enough material to fill five display cases. The items include old books, photos, letters from the U.S. presidents congratulating girls for earning the top Girl Scouting award now called the Gold Award. The actually anniversary, March 12, the committee encouraged all Girl Scouts past and present to wear their pin with pride. Buckley wore a green sweater, green earrings and her pin that day. At the end of the month, on March 31, at Calvert High School they will have two performances with three parts to celebrate a century of Girl Scouts. The first part will be a songfest

Making Sure Children are in School

By Sarah Miller Staff Writer In a county wide alliance, the public schools and the States Attorneys Office have joined forces to form the Calvert County Truancy Court. States Attorney Laura Martin said they held the first of the truancy court meetings in January, and have held them monthly ever since. She called the court a last ditch effort to get kids in school aimed at middle and high school students who have missed a large amount of school. She said the parents of the students are asked to come in and discuss why their student has missed so much school, some in excess of 60 days. Martin said truancy court is the final step, if parents have not been responsive to school communications trying to find out why students have not been in school. Kim Roof, Executive Director of Administration for county schools, said truancy court has been in the making for a couple of years, and during last summer they finally got it in place and identified and brought in the first families that need it. Normally, between two and five cases are taken every month. The goal is not to incarcerate parents, Martin said, but to work with them to find the reason kids have been missing school and get the students in the classroom. In some cases, the issue is health related and all a parent has to do is submit a doctors note. Martin said such cases used to go through district court, but they needed the personal touch the circuit court and Martins office can offer. During a hearing, parents sit down with either Martin or a junior attorney and Pupil Personnel Worker Walter Williams to talk about the childs absence from school. Martin said there has been a complete turnaround in the attendance for the students. Williams agreed with Martin, saying truancy court has definitely made a difference on a majority of the families that have come through. In the original 13 families that were identified for truancy court, students missed a combined 339 days during a 10 month school year. So far this year, the 13 students have missed a combined 96 days, averaging one day per student per month. Some students have gone months without missing a day, while others have only missed one or two. Williams said he expects the final number to be a combined 120 days missed, which he said is a huge improvement during a single calendar year. sarahmiller@countytimes.net

of the songs the girls sang throughout the years. Next will be a drama called Pearls in reference to Juliette Lows necklace that she received on her wedding and later sold to raise funds. The final section will be a fashion show to show all the various styles of uniforms. The performances are at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tickets are $5 and call be purchased at www.calvertgs100.org. This spring all the service units will have a round up where the girls will be making, doing and taking home different things from each decade in Girl Scouts. In June, Girl Scouts from nationwide will gather on the Mall of Washington, D.C. for a singa-long. They are estimating 200,000. Calvert Girl Scouts are hoping to help host some of the other service units which traveled great distances. Its still in the planning stages, but we are hoping to work with churches and having sister troop sleep-overs and provide meals. Grace Mary Brady of Bayside History Museum in North Beach will also have a Girl Scout display during her 2012 season. The county committee members Linda Buckley, Carol Harrison, Dayna Jacobs, Kathy Sears and Nadine Happell planned to get together and celebrate after spending the nearly a year and a half working together. Buckley said the celebration wouldnt be possible without all the other volunteers who have put in so many hours on each of the activities they headed up.

Plum Point PTA Needs People

By Sarah Miller Staff Writer The Plum Point Elementary PTA is putting out a plea for all the families in the school to get involved in the organization. Plum Point PTA President Kim Kotess said PTAs big fundraiser for the year is a Family Fun Night, which brings in approximately $18,000. The October event has been held for the past 10 years, and is always a success. The money is raised through a silent auction, carnival and other activities during the night. The money is the biggest chunk of the yearly operating budget for the PTA. A chunk of it goes to each grade level to support programming and activities that enhance classroom learning but may not possible with the constraints of the schools normal budget. She said the PTA also supports extracurricular activities that are fun but teachers couldnt afford, as well as academic nights and school dances. Kotess said the school community has seen an upswing in the number of families with two parents holding full time jobs, but if each family in the school donated just four hours of time to the PTA, she said there would be more than enough volunteers to organize and run the PTA, as well as the yearly fall fundraiser without needing smaller ones through the year, such as the Christmas gift wrapping that other PTAs do. She said the planning for the fundraiser begins in the spring, with meetings during the summer and the beginning of the school year. She said it is the perfect time to join up and get involved with the planning of the Family Fun Night. She said the PTA needs everyone they can get, and there are jobs for any abilities. For more information, call Kotess at 410-414-2185. sarahmiller@countytimes.net

13

Thursday, March 15, 2012

The Calvert Gazette

Dont Buy Teacher Pension Shell Game

What the public doesnt know about the shell game that our legislators are playing by turning over the Maryland State Teachers Retirement/Pension Fund to counties. The assumption would be that the State would be turning over a healthy fund for counties to manage. That is not the case. PEW Center on the States and Boston Colleges Center for Retirement Research, two non-profit and independent research organizations are recognized as having expertise in analyzing all 50 states liabilities compared to actual state funding. Both organizations have some interesting history and projections on the Maryland Retirement/Pension Fund for Teachers. In 2010, The Pew Center had serious concerns over the declining assets to liability ratio for the retirement fund. In 2000, the Retirement/Pension Fund for Teachers was funded at 101%. That means for every dollar of money promised in payment, $1.01 was actually funded. That makes for a very healthy fund to meet the promises made to employees. The Federal General Accounting Office (GAO) has a guideline that any retirement fund, either private or public, at 80% is a healthy retirement fund. This is standard. In 2008, the Maryland Retirement/Pension for Teachers fund was rated at 78%. No alarm bells were going off at that time since it was just below the 80% mark. The drop was attributed to the collapse of the financial markets. But something else was going on that wasnt being reported. The State of Maryland, before 2003, had been making only partial or no payments to the fund. These payments are an obligated expense that lawmakers chose to overlook and this trend has continued. If that were not bad enough, the State of Maryland has been using the Retirement/ Pension Fund for Teachers as its own personal piggy bank. The latest withdraw was $120 million made last spring and transferred to the transportation budget. No state payment to the fund was made. Instead, they increased the percentage of contributions an individual teacher makes to their retirement fund. By March of 2011, the funding was at 64%. Funding at 60% is considered a serious concern or in need of improvement by the Pew and Boston College Research Centers. In a recent article in the Washington Post, the projection is that the fund will fall to 59% funding by the end of 2012. Still the state is on track to remove another $60 million and another missed fund payment in 2013. Some of this drop can be attributed to continued fluctuations in the financial markets and the overall economy. Most of it can be attributed to our State leadership, regardless of party affiliation and the shell game being played for years. So, what exactly are the individual counties inheriting from the state? They will be inheriting a fund that is under funded (using the 80% GAO standard) and may be approaching an unsustainable future. They will be inheriting a fund that may impact county credit ratings and ability to borrow money. There are no laws on the books that prevented the state from raiding the Retirement Fund. Nor are there any laws that prevent counties from doing the same. If this had happened in the private sector, with a private company raiding employees retirement fund, somebody would be jailed. Since the king can do no wrong (no laws broken), the state is not accountable to the public sector. The counties need to find a way to delay this transfer of the Retirement / Pension for Teachers until the State restores the funds to the 80% funding standard. Without that happening, each county will be on the hook for restoring this fund. Restoring the fund can happen two ways: Raising county taxes in the event of the fund being transferred from the state or a penalizing reform for teachers. I am betting on the latter option or a combination. Teachers did not create the problem; the state bears the greater responsibility. The state reneged on payments, withdrew money to fund unrelated projects and balanced the budget, all on the backs of teachers. Teachers continue to uphold their end with their increased contributions to the fund. Neither future reform nor higher county taxes would be necessary if the state had kept its promised contribution and left the fund alone, allowing it to do what its original structure to accomplish. A lesson learned too late. Joan Ritchie Leonardtown, MD

Tribute to Pat Carpenter

I feel like Ive known Pat all my life and thats not so. The day I met Bob and Pat Carpenter, I instantly fell in love with them they are like a ray of sunshine. They made my day every time I saw them. Pat was always so very positive in every endeavor she did, always thinking ahead for whats good for Chesapeake Beach and North Beach. As the topic for MML last year was: Working Together for a Successful Tomorrow, that was Pat, and I loved working with her because we are on the same page. From the beginning of Chesapeake Beach to the end of North Beach there is no better place to be in America. We are the best and Pat helped make it that way.

TTER E to the
Editor

The best way to honor Pat, I think, would be to remember every day the greatness she had in her heart and apply it to our daily routine. Say a prayer, give someone a big hug, tell someone you love them, smile and make them laugh. Pat would love this because that is who she was. We all miss her everyday, but just remember, she has her clipboard and is already planning a big parade with the angels. Theme title: Pats Parade. God Bless you all! Sally Donaldson, president North Beach House and Garden Club

Giving a Reason to SMILE

It is hard to imagine a community more supportive than Calvert County. Thank you to everyone who supports SMILE either by volunteering their time, donating goods or shopping in our Thrift Shop. Without this continuing support, SMILE could not exist. SMILE has been enriching lives in southern Calvert County for just over 20 years. The Food Pantry and Thrift Shop are run by a staff of over 175 dedicated volunteers; there is no paid staff. Community donations of clothing, household items, toys and other marketable goods stock the Thrift Shop shelves. Proceeds from Thrift Shop sales are used to purchase food for the Pantry and to provide emergency financial assistance throughout the year. In 2011, SMILE handed out over 12,000 bags of food serving over 36,000 people, distributed 225 Easter dinner food baskets and 441 bags of groceries for Thanksgiving dinners. We served over 200 dinners on Christmas Day and helped to serve over 200 Thanksgiving dinners at Catamarans in Solomons. SMILE is also a distribution point for the Federal Commodities Program with several distributions per year. SMILEs Thrift Shop provided clothing in four seasonal allotments for 1,440 children. We also helped with clothing for people reentering the workforce, with furniture and household items for burnt-out families, and clothing and necessities for people in transition. We distributed Christmas gifts to 66 families for 191 children. SMILE offered emergency financial assistance to 350 guests for utilities, medical needs, rent, and other one-time emergency needs. We offer monthly blood pressure tests. SMILE provided 10 camp scholarships for youngsters to attend the 6-week summer session at East St. John Youth Center and made start-of-year school supplies available for those in need. In addition to Food Pantry and Thrift Shop activities, SMILE organizes and participates in a number of community activities. SMILE is an Energy Assistance site for Calvert County. In cooperation with our nine member churches, SMILE hosts ecumenical worship services for the full community at Thanksgiving and on Good Friday. We also assist in the preparation of the Baccalaureate Service for the Patuxent High School Graduates. Enrich your life by supporting SMILE (Service Makes Individual Lives Exciting).We are always in need of volunteers. We encourage all members of our community to shop in our Thrift Shop to discover Lusbys best-kept secret. As a 501c(3) non-profit, we also accept tax-deductible monetary donations. We welcome any help you can give SMILE so we can continue to assist those who need our help. SMILE serves southern Calvert County from Broomes Island Road to Solomons and is located at 10290 H.G. Trueman Road, Lusby, MD. Hours of operation: Food Pantry Wednesday and Thursday 10 a.m. 2 p.m. and Saturday 9a.m. to noon. Thrift Shop Wednesday-Friday 10 a.m. 2 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to noon. Debi Jagodzinski, president SMILE Ecumenical Ministries, Inc.

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Calvert Gazette

The Calvert Gazette is a weekly newspaper providing news and information for the residents of Calvert County. The Calvert Gazette will be available on newsstands every Thursday. The paper is published by Southern Maryland Publishing Company, which is responsible for the form, content, and policies of the newspaper. The Calvert Gazette does not espouse any political belief or endorse any product or service in its news coverage. Articles and letters submitted for publication must be signed and may be edited for length or content. The Calvert Gazette is not responsible for any claims made by its advertisers.

The Calvert Gazette

Michael Bell, performing as The Singer, co-wrote an original score for the production and built the set.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

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The Calvert Gazette is always looking for more local talent to feature! To submit art or band information for our entertainment section, e-mail sarahmiller@countytimes.net.

Adding Bells to Brecht; The Caucasian Chalk Circle Opens Friday

By Carrie Munn Staff Writer Looming in the pages of theater and literature anthologies is German-born Bertolt Brecht, with his post WWII-era epic theatre, brimming with political and social commentary. His work is challenging to read and to perform, but The Newtowne Players offering of his play, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, will treat theatergoers to a thoroughly entertaining show. Missy Bell directs an 18 member cast who play almost 70 different roles, as well as sing and play instruments. Bells husband, Michael, plays The Singer, and along with fellow actor and musician Krys Baker, wrote an all original score. He also served as the lighting designer and constructed an elaborate, transitional stage which functions to transport the audience into the world of a war-torn village and the minstrels story of the chalk circle. The music is one of the driving forces in the piece, Bell said. Through a barrage of guitars, mandolins, banjos, accordions, drums, whistles and one comical trumpet, the tones are set for the scenes and the audience is continually entertained as the actors, in plain sight, move swiftly through costume changes and from one scene to the next. With the characters ever-present on the stage, the musical delivery and a tale that dives into social class and justice, war and love, its a lot of theatre to take in. Its epic theatre, in every sense of the word. It has everything, Bell said. Every character is critical in the telling of this story and Bell explained the cast consists of both veteran actors and judge with a skewed sense of justice, with The cast has certainly pushed themwit and conviction. Hes uncanny, really, selves and worked hard to provide a palatBell told the Calvert Gazette. able interpretation of The Caucasian Chalk Jeffrey Robbins plays several char- Circle. acters, but makes the stomach turn a bit When asked about her experiences as the lewd Corporal, and young actress in working with Three Notch Theater and Alyssa Fox also plays multiple characters The Newtowne Players, Bell had nothing but displays impeccable comic timing and but positive things to say. emotional outpouring on stage. Live, local theatre is so necessary. Bell said there is an abundance of raw Art is so necessary. You shouldnt have to talent in the cast, which has been working travel to the big city to see something that on the intricate play since December. The will move you, Bell said. entire cast move from scene to scene, role The intimate set-up lends itself well to to role, giving it their convincing all. the play, pulling the viewer in and keeping While some of the subject matter is them engaged in the entangled web The a bit high-brow, the delivery makes it di- Singer spins. gestable. However, due to some more sugBell said she submitted the work to gestive situations and a couple of severed the play selection committee and applied heads, some sections of the play arent ap- with her vision proposal to direct it after propriate for young children, Bell said. reading the Brecht masterpiece last sumIts an exciting piece that moves mer. Once I started reading, I couldnt quickly, the director explained. There are put it down, she said. She and the cast and a lot of pieces to the story, but once youre crew of the play are hoping the audience in it, youll be hooked. has a similarly engaging experience. As an actor as well, Bell said shes I think if you love theatre, youll love able to better underthis show, Bell said. stand whats being The Caucasian asked of an actor, how Chalk Circle at Three far people are truly able Notch Theater opens Frito go. She said she day, March 16 at 8 p.m., likes to dive deep and with shows on Friday get to the meat of the and Saturdays nights scene. and matinees on Sunday I like to tell the throughout March. For story- thats what its ticket information, visit all about anyway, www.newtowne players. she said, adding its org or call 301-737-5447. exciting to see the actors reach a new level carriemunn@countyin their performance. Ryan Krause, Alison Dodges and Kaite- times.net Thats what keeps me lyn Bauer, as Grusha, struggle with the injustices bestowed upon them. going.

Photos by Carrie Munn Leni Weisl, as the Governors wife holding the newborn child which becomes central in the play, is joined on stage by Mike Snider, left, and John Giusti as overbearing, bickering doctors.

new ones, making their debuts in this production. The director explained there have been some challenges in working with a novice cast, but at the same time it allows her an opportunity to teach, her first love, she said. Its been a log and intense process. Its the hardest show Ive ever done, bar none and by far, she said. The actors, as well as stage manager Sara Meador, who Bell called outstanding, have had to really stretch themselves for this piece. Leni Weisl as the Governors selfcentered, self-righteous wife and Kaitlyn Bauer in the role of Grusha, the young servant girl with a big heart showcase the dichotomy of the human and maternal condition with rousing performances. Bob Ellwood, thanks to what Bell says is an intense understanding of the work, pulls off the role of Azdak, the drunken

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Thursday, March 15, 2012

The Calvert Gazette

Sp rts

Anxiety Season
The Ordinary

Angler

By Keith McGuire Contributing Writer March is a teasing month. Some days are still bitter cold, while others will have you heading to the water on a moments notice. What Im noticing this year is that more is rising than the temperature most notably the price of gas! Corners need to be cut and deals need to be found to offset these high prices. The last thing you need is to waste a lot of time and energy running from place to place or fishing with the wrong equipment. Networking with fellow anglers is the answer. The local Southern Maryland Chapter of the Maryland Saltwater Sportfishing Association will meet today (3/15) at the Solomons Fire Hall at 7:00 PM. The topic at this meeting will be a discussion of the best methods for catching pre-season and early season rockfish. The local Patuxent River Chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association Maryland will meet next Monday evening (3/19) at 7:00 PM at Stoneys Kingfisher Restaurant in Solomons. The guest speaker at the meeting will be Shawn Kimbro, author of a new book Chesapeake Light Tackle An Introduction to Light Tackle Fishing on the Chesapeake Bay. Shawn Kimbro gives a great presentation, and his book is a great read. He is also the lead coordinator for the Careful Catch program, which targets the best strategies for catching and releasing stripers unharmed. These are the opportunities we need to get some of the best how to/where to local knowl-

edge available. These will tell as the meetings are free and early spring aropen to the public. You rivals make their can bet that I will attend way up the Bay. both! I dont If you didnt fish know about you, for the yellow perch but I want to be during their spawning ready when the run, you missed out on fish get here. If a great opportunity. It you have a boat, was one of the better check out all of yellow perch seasons your safety gear in recent memory. The when you upsecond great fishing grade your fishopportunity so far this ing tackle. Now season was the white would be a great perch spawning run. time to explore That too, is pretty much a Vessel Safety over. Now we are dabCheck through bling in freshwater for the Coast Guard crappie and bass, or Auxiliary to be dousing chicken livers sure that all the and stink baits for catsafety features of fish while we wait for your boat are up the spring striper and Too valuable to catch only once! to date. Check croaker runs. this website: I ran into a fellow angler today who told http://www.safetyseal.net/GetVSC/. me that he had heard that the croakers werent If you go fishing and catch something expected to be here in such great numbers this slightly more worthwhile than a cold, be sure year because of the return of the sea trout. I to take a picture and send it to me at riverwas surprised by the comment so I asked for dancekeith@gmail.com. clarification. He went on to explain the abunKeith has been a recreational angler dance of trout at Eastern Shore locations last fall and the prediction that this would keep the on the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries big croakers away. Actually, I had not drawn for over 50 years; he fishes weekly from his the correlation between trout and croakers and small boat during the season, and spends found the discussion interesting. If croakers his free time supporting local conservation truly are held off by an abundance of sea trout, organizations. Ill be happy with the sea trout any day! Time

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The Calvert Gazette

Thursday, March 15, 2012

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