Forbes just released its list of "America's Top Towns to Live Well," and Montgomery County did very well!
Silver Spring itself is ranked 20th, with Columbia 7th, Rockville 8th, North Potomac 13th, Germantown 17th and Potomac 23rd. On the other side of the river, only Fairfax is represented, at 3rd.
http://www.forbes.com/2009/05/04/towns-cities-real-estate-lifestyle-real-estate-top-towns.html
Friday, May 8, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
2 Students Charged With Explosion, Slaying Plot - Washington Post
Montgomery High School, Principal Were Allegedly Targeted
By Dan Morse and Aaron C. Davis
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Two Montgomery County teenagers have been charged with arson and conspiracy to commit murder in an alleged plot to kill the principal at their White Oak high school with a nail-filled bomb and then trigger a major explosion inside the school, authorities said yesterday.
The Springbrook High School students -- juniors ages 18 and 17 -- are suspected of having set three fires at the school, including one Tuesday before the discovery of the plot that led to their arrests, police said.
According to police, the students planned "in the near future" to throw the bomb into the principal's office, and then puncture a gas pipe in the school's auditorium and use an incendiary device to set off an explosion.
Montgomery Police Chief J. Thomas Manger said investigators think the students "really had an intention of doing this."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/06/AR2009050603150.html?nav=hcmoduletmv
By Dan Morse and Aaron C. Davis
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Two Montgomery County teenagers have been charged with arson and conspiracy to commit murder in an alleged plot to kill the principal at their White Oak high school with a nail-filled bomb and then trigger a major explosion inside the school, authorities said yesterday.
The Springbrook High School students -- juniors ages 18 and 17 -- are suspected of having set three fires at the school, including one Tuesday before the discovery of the plot that led to their arrests, police said.
According to police, the students planned "in the near future" to throw the bomb into the principal's office, and then puncture a gas pipe in the school's auditorium and use an incendiary device to set off an explosion.
Montgomery Police Chief J. Thomas Manger said investigators think the students "really had an intention of doing this."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/06/AR2009050603150.html?nav=hcmoduletmv
Options Add Costs On Md. Purple Line - Washington Post
Studies Find Issues With Two Proposals
By Katherine Shaver
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Trains slated to run on a proposed Purple Line between Montgomery and Prince George's counties would be too slow and unreliable if restricted to a single track along part of the Georgetown Branch trail and would disrupt residents east of downtown Silver Spring if sent through a tunnel there, updated studies of the project released yesterday show.
Maryland transit planners said they considered both options for the proposed 16-mile transit line, in response to requests from the Montgomery County Council and citizen groups. Some council members had hoped a single track would limit destruction of trees on the wooded trail between Bethesda and Silver Spring. Some Silver Spring residents say trains running along narrow downtown streets would add to traffic congestion in the revived entertainment district.
State planners said building a 1.5-mile tunnel between the Silver Spring Metro station and Mansfield Road, beneath homes on Wayne Avenue, would make trains more reliable and save riders enough time -- about four minutes in each direction -- to meet federal funding requirements.
But, they said, building the portal where trains would enter and leave the tunnel would require demolishing three houses on Wayne, limit access to three driveways and place a retaining wall just beyond front yards.
Running trains under downtown Silver Spring also would cut out two stations -- at Dale Drive and near a future library at Wayne and Fenton Street -- leaving people in those areas with longer walks to a train, the study found.
The tunnel would add $173 million to the estimated $1.3 billion cost of the plan endorsed by both counties' councils and executives. The larger price tag would hurt the project's chances of receiving scarce state money, planners said.
Jonathan Jay, vice president for one of the Silver Spring civic groups that requested the tunnel study, questioned why it didn't mention the amount of land that would be taken from homes and schools to widen Wayne for above-ground trains.
"This looks not so much like a study but a polishing of questionable arguments which [the Maryland Transit Administration] has previously made for not wanting to build a tunnel," Jay said.
Michael D. Madden, the state's manager on the study, defended the analysis, saying, "We want to make it clear to the community so they understand all the impacts and advantages of the tunnel."
The Montgomery council had asked the state to examine the possibility of running a single track along 3,500 feet of the trail between Pearl Street near downtown Bethesda and an area just west of Columbia Country Club's golf course. Because the publicly owned right of way narrows there, almost every tree along the wooded trail would have to be cut down to accommodate two tracks, state planners have said.
A single track would require 10 to 12 fewer feet of land along that portion of the hiking and biking path, planners wrote, but it still would require clearing most of the trees in that area.
A single track also would make a Purple Line less attractive because trains would be slower, run less frequently and encounter a choke point if delayed in either direction, planners wrote.
Four cities that have used single tracks, including Baltimore, eventually added second tracks because of those problems, the report found.
Montgomery County Council member Roger Berliner (D-Potomac-Bethesda), who had asked for the single-track study, said he hadn't seen the conclusions but was surprised construction of one track would require cutting down nearly as many trees as building two.
"I thought anything that we could do to mitigate the impacts on the environment should be explored fully," said Berliner, who supports the route along the trail, which is in his district. "While I'm disappointed in the conclusions, I'm sure they did their work in good faith."
Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) is expected to decide by early summer on a Purple Line plan to submit for federal funding, which is essential to building it.
The Maryland Transit Administration's study analyzed the Purple Line as both a light rail and a rapid bus system, but O'Malley is widely expected to endorse a light rail plan favored by both counties' councils and executives.
Light rail cars, which are akin to long trolleys, would run primarily in their own lanes along streets and use overhead electrical lines.
A Purple Line would be the first east-west transit line built in the Washington area to provide suburb-to-suburb travel.
The latest studies are available at http://www.purplelinemd.com under "Additional Studies."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/06/AR2009050603150.html?nav=hcmoduletmv
By Katherine Shaver
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Trains slated to run on a proposed Purple Line between Montgomery and Prince George's counties would be too slow and unreliable if restricted to a single track along part of the Georgetown Branch trail and would disrupt residents east of downtown Silver Spring if sent through a tunnel there, updated studies of the project released yesterday show.
Maryland transit planners said they considered both options for the proposed 16-mile transit line, in response to requests from the Montgomery County Council and citizen groups. Some council members had hoped a single track would limit destruction of trees on the wooded trail between Bethesda and Silver Spring. Some Silver Spring residents say trains running along narrow downtown streets would add to traffic congestion in the revived entertainment district.
State planners said building a 1.5-mile tunnel between the Silver Spring Metro station and Mansfield Road, beneath homes on Wayne Avenue, would make trains more reliable and save riders enough time -- about four minutes in each direction -- to meet federal funding requirements.
But, they said, building the portal where trains would enter and leave the tunnel would require demolishing three houses on Wayne, limit access to three driveways and place a retaining wall just beyond front yards.
Running trains under downtown Silver Spring also would cut out two stations -- at Dale Drive and near a future library at Wayne and Fenton Street -- leaving people in those areas with longer walks to a train, the study found.
The tunnel would add $173 million to the estimated $1.3 billion cost of the plan endorsed by both counties' councils and executives. The larger price tag would hurt the project's chances of receiving scarce state money, planners said.
Jonathan Jay, vice president for one of the Silver Spring civic groups that requested the tunnel study, questioned why it didn't mention the amount of land that would be taken from homes and schools to widen Wayne for above-ground trains.
"This looks not so much like a study but a polishing of questionable arguments which [the Maryland Transit Administration] has previously made for not wanting to build a tunnel," Jay said.
Michael D. Madden, the state's manager on the study, defended the analysis, saying, "We want to make it clear to the community so they understand all the impacts and advantages of the tunnel."
The Montgomery council had asked the state to examine the possibility of running a single track along 3,500 feet of the trail between Pearl Street near downtown Bethesda and an area just west of Columbia Country Club's golf course. Because the publicly owned right of way narrows there, almost every tree along the wooded trail would have to be cut down to accommodate two tracks, state planners have said.
A single track would require 10 to 12 fewer feet of land along that portion of the hiking and biking path, planners wrote, but it still would require clearing most of the trees in that area.
A single track also would make a Purple Line less attractive because trains would be slower, run less frequently and encounter a choke point if delayed in either direction, planners wrote.
Four cities that have used single tracks, including Baltimore, eventually added second tracks because of those problems, the report found.
Montgomery County Council member Roger Berliner (D-Potomac-Bethesda), who had asked for the single-track study, said he hadn't seen the conclusions but was surprised construction of one track would require cutting down nearly as many trees as building two.
"I thought anything that we could do to mitigate the impacts on the environment should be explored fully," said Berliner, who supports the route along the trail, which is in his district. "While I'm disappointed in the conclusions, I'm sure they did their work in good faith."
Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) is expected to decide by early summer on a Purple Line plan to submit for federal funding, which is essential to building it.
The Maryland Transit Administration's study analyzed the Purple Line as both a light rail and a rapid bus system, but O'Malley is widely expected to endorse a light rail plan favored by both counties' councils and executives.
Light rail cars, which are akin to long trolleys, would run primarily in their own lanes along streets and use overhead electrical lines.
A Purple Line would be the first east-west transit line built in the Washington area to provide suburb-to-suburb travel.
The latest studies are available at http://www.purplelinemd.com under "Additional Studies."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/06/AR2009050603150.html?nav=hcmoduletmv
Many County Latino Teens In Crisis, Say Leaders, Survey - Washington Post
Graduation Rates Lower Than in Other Groups
By Donna St. George
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, May 7, 2009
When Adolfo Avalos looks back at his teen years in Gaithersburg, he can see how much went wrong. There were physical fights, school problems, gang involvement, anger at himself and the world: so much trouble that he finally dropped out.
"I got kind of like in a box, and I didn't know how to get out of it," said Avalos, 21.
His experiences reflect what community leaders describe as a crisis for many Latino teenagers in Montgomery County.
High school graduation rates for Latino youths in Montgomery are lower than for any other racial or ethnic group in the county. Last year, 78.13 percent of Latinos in Montgomery received diplomas, compared with 94.5 percent for non-Hispanic whites, 83.94 percent for African Americans and 95.45 percent of Asians and Pacific Islanders. At the same time, the birth rate for Latinas 15 to 17 was nearly three times higher than for African Americans and nearly four times higher than for non-Hispanic whites, according to state health statistics.
Community leaders say such numbers go hand in hand with the results of a 2006 survey of more than 1,000 Latino teens that the leaders have brought to the attention of school and county officials in recent weeks.
The survey reports that 94 percent of Latino teens like Avalos spend no time with an adult mentor, and 50 percent have friends who were or are involved in a gang. More than 40 percent reported being involved in physical fights the previous year, and 30 percent said they did not feel confident that they would graduate from high school.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/06/AR2009050601912.html
By Donna St. George
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, May 7, 2009
When Adolfo Avalos looks back at his teen years in Gaithersburg, he can see how much went wrong. There were physical fights, school problems, gang involvement, anger at himself and the world: so much trouble that he finally dropped out.
"I got kind of like in a box, and I didn't know how to get out of it," said Avalos, 21.
His experiences reflect what community leaders describe as a crisis for many Latino teenagers in Montgomery County.
High school graduation rates for Latino youths in Montgomery are lower than for any other racial or ethnic group in the county. Last year, 78.13 percent of Latinos in Montgomery received diplomas, compared with 94.5 percent for non-Hispanic whites, 83.94 percent for African Americans and 95.45 percent of Asians and Pacific Islanders. At the same time, the birth rate for Latinas 15 to 17 was nearly three times higher than for African Americans and nearly four times higher than for non-Hispanic whites, according to state health statistics.
Community leaders say such numbers go hand in hand with the results of a 2006 survey of more than 1,000 Latino teens that the leaders have brought to the attention of school and county officials in recent weeks.
The survey reports that 94 percent of Latino teens like Avalos spend no time with an adult mentor, and 50 percent have friends who were or are involved in a gang. More than 40 percent reported being involved in physical fights the previous year, and 30 percent said they did not feel confident that they would graduate from high school.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/06/AR2009050601912.html
Suburban Md. Lawmakers Approve 9% Water Rate Hike - Washington Post
By Katherine Shaver
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, May 7, 2009; 5:36 PM
Residents in Prince George's and Montgomery counties will pay an additional 9 percent for water and sewer services beginning July 1, and more of the utility's decaying underground pipes will be repaired under a new budget approved today by local lawmakers.
Under the plan, Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission customers will pay $13.50 more on their quarterly bills, which now average about $155 for residential customers.
Montgomery and Prince George's council members approved the $961.7 million total budget for fiscal 2010. They added $1 million to the utility's initial request for repairs to its largest, high-pressure water mains, which officials say pose the greatest risk to the public because they can break catastrophically and without warning.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/07/AR2009050703397.html?hpid=topnews
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, May 7, 2009; 5:36 PM
Residents in Prince George's and Montgomery counties will pay an additional 9 percent for water and sewer services beginning July 1, and more of the utility's decaying underground pipes will be repaired under a new budget approved today by local lawmakers.
Under the plan, Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission customers will pay $13.50 more on their quarterly bills, which now average about $155 for residential customers.
Montgomery and Prince George's council members approved the $961.7 million total budget for fiscal 2010. They added $1 million to the utility's initial request for repairs to its largest, high-pressure water mains, which officials say pose the greatest risk to the public because they can break catastrophically and without warning.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/07/AR2009050703397.html?hpid=topnews
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Hometown guitar slinger to play at Silver Spring Blues Festival - Gazette
by Jason Tomassini | Staff Writer | Wednesday, May 6, 2009
On the surface, Jon Musgrave was never supposed to be a blues musician.
Despite the ever-present cowboy hat, guitar strapped to his back and his stage name "Jonny Grave," the 21-year-old lifelong Silver Spring resident's day job as a guitar repairman at Dale Music store on Georgia Avenue and anthropology studies at Montgomery College don't exactly conjure up images of legends like B.B. King and Buddy Guy. Neither does fighting for the attention of beer-drinkers and diners during his regular sets at Quarry House Tavern and McGinty's Pub in downtown Silver Spring.
Naomi Brookner/The Gazette
Blues musician and lifelong Silver Spring resident Jon Musgrave, 21, who works at Dale Music in Silver Spring, will perform Saturday in the first Silver Spring Blues Festival under the name Jonny Grave.
But Musgrave, a slender guy with a neat beard, says a deeper look will prove he has every right to play music steeped in African-American tradition that originated hundreds of miles away from Silver Spring.
"There's a lot folks that will say, ‘Wow, you're good … for a white kid from the suburbs,'" Musgrave said Thursday night at the Quarry House, where two nights later he would play a set for his 21st birthday.
"… It's kind of awkward being white and from the suburbs, it's just weird, but I think if people give me a chance and let me play and let the music speak for itself, it doesn't matter."
That music will be on display 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at the first Silver Spring Blues Festival on Ellsworth Drive in Silver Spring. Musgrave will take the stage at 2:25 p.m. and play a set of acoustic blues for his hometown audience.
Most of the songs Musgrave performs are covers of traditional blues songs. Even at age 21, Musgrave is an encyclopedia of blues history, rattling off classic songs and anecdotes about his idols such as R.L. Burnside, Robert Johnson and Howlin' Wolf.
He had a childhood spent mostly in the company of musicians and artists: His mother, Julie, is a painter and photographer and his father, Reuben, is a longtime folk musician. Both would hold parties with their artist friends. With his father's extensive record collection, a wealth of global music knowledge was available at Grave's Silver Spring home.
"He was around a lot of adult friends of the family and a lot them were musicians," said Reuben Musgrave, who for years has performed with his son at the annual Washington Folk Festival to be held this year May 30 and 31 in Glen Echo. "A normal activity was to sit around and play music."
While Musgrave's childhood was full of musical enlightenment, an education, a supportive family and a budding music career, he described himself as a "bad kid" who was affected by various school changes and alcohol abuse within his family.
Much of Musgrave's love for blues comes from relating to the musicians from the traditional blues era, not because of the severe racism or poverty they went through, but simply because they used blues as he does: as a diversion.
"Music was a lifesaver, it was an escape, a drug, a hallucinogen," Musgrave said. "You become a rock star for a half hour or more and you go back to normal life."
It was music and a Gateway to College program at Montgomery College that "saved his life" from poor grades and problems he would only describe as "not drugs or anything." He eventually enrolled at the University of Maryland for a year but struggled before returning to Montgomery College.
Now earning money as a musician – he only plays on the weekends so gigs won't interfere with his job or studies – Musgrave has found a way to support himself and stay grounded. He hopes to re-enroll at the University of Maryland and become a teacher.
He stays practical but dedicated to his passion, aided by the acceptance he received at recent gigs in Alabama, which he said helped break down the perceived outsider status. He opened for and played with Kenny Brown, a longtime blues musician who played with R.L. Burnside, one of Musgrave's idols.
"That was the real thing," he said, noting that being flown to Alabama by the concert promoter added to the trip's authenticity.
The headliner of the Silver Spring Blues Festival, Tennessee-born Chester Chandler, aka Memphis Gold, even touted Musgrave as a throwback to past eras.
"[Musgrave] does a lot of old traditional stuff. … He is keeping some of the old blues alive," said Chandler, 54, who lived in Silver Spring from 1995 to 2000 and is known for saving a group of kids in a train derailment off Lyttonsville Road in 1996.
But some aren't ready to hand over traditional blues music to a new wave of performers.
"Everybody wants to be B.B. King and Buddy Guy, real blues artists, the originators," said Barbara Chandler, Memphis Gold's wife and a longtime blues and soul music industry veteran raised in Silver Spring. "There will never be any more of them."
Regardless of how he's viewed by those within blues, Musgrave expects Saturday's festival to be another high. After all, he'll be on stage again in Silver Spring, the place that unexpectedly inspired an unlikely blues talent.
"Look around, isn't this a great atmosphere for writing a song?" said Musgrave, referring to the diversity of Silver Spring and the many quirks of Bonifant Street and Fenton Village. "This place shaped a lot of how I grew up."
http://gazette.net/stories/05062009/silvnew184048_32525.shtml
On the surface, Jon Musgrave was never supposed to be a blues musician.
Despite the ever-present cowboy hat, guitar strapped to his back and his stage name "Jonny Grave," the 21-year-old lifelong Silver Spring resident's day job as a guitar repairman at Dale Music store on Georgia Avenue and anthropology studies at Montgomery College don't exactly conjure up images of legends like B.B. King and Buddy Guy. Neither does fighting for the attention of beer-drinkers and diners during his regular sets at Quarry House Tavern and McGinty's Pub in downtown Silver Spring.
Naomi Brookner/The GazetteBlues musician and lifelong Silver Spring resident Jon Musgrave, 21, who works at Dale Music in Silver Spring, will perform Saturday in the first Silver Spring Blues Festival under the name Jonny Grave.
But Musgrave, a slender guy with a neat beard, says a deeper look will prove he has every right to play music steeped in African-American tradition that originated hundreds of miles away from Silver Spring.
"There's a lot folks that will say, ‘Wow, you're good … for a white kid from the suburbs,'" Musgrave said Thursday night at the Quarry House, where two nights later he would play a set for his 21st birthday.
"… It's kind of awkward being white and from the suburbs, it's just weird, but I think if people give me a chance and let me play and let the music speak for itself, it doesn't matter."
That music will be on display 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at the first Silver Spring Blues Festival on Ellsworth Drive in Silver Spring. Musgrave will take the stage at 2:25 p.m. and play a set of acoustic blues for his hometown audience.
Most of the songs Musgrave performs are covers of traditional blues songs. Even at age 21, Musgrave is an encyclopedia of blues history, rattling off classic songs and anecdotes about his idols such as R.L. Burnside, Robert Johnson and Howlin' Wolf.
He had a childhood spent mostly in the company of musicians and artists: His mother, Julie, is a painter and photographer and his father, Reuben, is a longtime folk musician. Both would hold parties with their artist friends. With his father's extensive record collection, a wealth of global music knowledge was available at Grave's Silver Spring home.
"He was around a lot of adult friends of the family and a lot them were musicians," said Reuben Musgrave, who for years has performed with his son at the annual Washington Folk Festival to be held this year May 30 and 31 in Glen Echo. "A normal activity was to sit around and play music."
While Musgrave's childhood was full of musical enlightenment, an education, a supportive family and a budding music career, he described himself as a "bad kid" who was affected by various school changes and alcohol abuse within his family.
Much of Musgrave's love for blues comes from relating to the musicians from the traditional blues era, not because of the severe racism or poverty they went through, but simply because they used blues as he does: as a diversion.
"Music was a lifesaver, it was an escape, a drug, a hallucinogen," Musgrave said. "You become a rock star for a half hour or more and you go back to normal life."
It was music and a Gateway to College program at Montgomery College that "saved his life" from poor grades and problems he would only describe as "not drugs or anything." He eventually enrolled at the University of Maryland for a year but struggled before returning to Montgomery College.
Now earning money as a musician – he only plays on the weekends so gigs won't interfere with his job or studies – Musgrave has found a way to support himself and stay grounded. He hopes to re-enroll at the University of Maryland and become a teacher.
He stays practical but dedicated to his passion, aided by the acceptance he received at recent gigs in Alabama, which he said helped break down the perceived outsider status. He opened for and played with Kenny Brown, a longtime blues musician who played with R.L. Burnside, one of Musgrave's idols.
"That was the real thing," he said, noting that being flown to Alabama by the concert promoter added to the trip's authenticity.
The headliner of the Silver Spring Blues Festival, Tennessee-born Chester Chandler, aka Memphis Gold, even touted Musgrave as a throwback to past eras.
"[Musgrave] does a lot of old traditional stuff. … He is keeping some of the old blues alive," said Chandler, 54, who lived in Silver Spring from 1995 to 2000 and is known for saving a group of kids in a train derailment off Lyttonsville Road in 1996.
But some aren't ready to hand over traditional blues music to a new wave of performers.
"Everybody wants to be B.B. King and Buddy Guy, real blues artists, the originators," said Barbara Chandler, Memphis Gold's wife and a longtime blues and soul music industry veteran raised in Silver Spring. "There will never be any more of them."
Regardless of how he's viewed by those within blues, Musgrave expects Saturday's festival to be another high. After all, he'll be on stage again in Silver Spring, the place that unexpectedly inspired an unlikely blues talent.
"Look around, isn't this a great atmosphere for writing a song?" said Musgrave, referring to the diversity of Silver Spring and the many quirks of Bonifant Street and Fenton Village. "This place shaped a lot of how I grew up."
http://gazette.net/stories/05062009/silvnew184048_32525.shtml
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Octogenarian Charlie Koiner Leads the Way in City Farming - Real People Eat Local
By Kristi Bahrenburg Janzen, Real People Eat Local
Only one block from a typical urban strip in downtown Silver Spring, MD, that includes an old parking garage, a beauty parlor and an Ethiopian restaurant, Charlie Koiner, who’ll be 88 in November, still has a farm. It’s hard to believe, but turning east onto Easley Street off Fenton, in the course of one block, you shift from urban grime to fertile rural splendor, from the cramped seat of your hot car to a comfy lawn chair under a mature shade tree, from the usual “rodent issue” to a farm cat named Hank.
Like the proverbial turtle, slow and steady, Charlie Koiner seems to have won the race, as his lifetime of farming and gardening has propelled him from “regular guy” to local pace-setter, an icon of the “new” urban agriculture. You first realize you’re at his place when, right there on the corner, you get a glimpse of his current offerings on a handmade sign – for example, “figs,” “raspberries” and “tomatoes” right now in September. Then you see the whole thing: his acre -- which appears much larger amid the neighborhood of modest World War II era homes with neat little yards – is brimming with a stunning variety of vegetables, berry bushes and fruit trees. Multicolored zinnias and gladioli, and magenta cockscomb celosia in the central plot give the whole place a festive atmosphere.
“It’s great!,” says Koiner’s neighbor Karla Saunders. “No one believes me when I tell them I have a farm in my block,” she says. “There’s something quite comforting about the sign that tells you what’s available. It just feels out of place and out of time.”
Experienced, talented and friendly, Koiner inspires a loyal following. If he doesn’t have what you want on his display table, Koiner is well-known to wander back into his yard and pick it for you. Steve Simko, a patron who biked by recently to pick up some produce, explains, “This is the best stuff. It’s fresh stuff. It’s close by. And Charlie is the best farmer in the state of Maryland.”
Perhaps Simko is not exaggerating. The lines of vegetables and seedlings are beautifully straight; the leafy greens are lush; there’s nary a weed in sight; the produce is unblemished. If anyone needs official confirmation of Koiner’s aptitude, here it is: This year, Koiner and his daughter Lynn -- who helps him out at the farmers market, manages his email traffic, and tends her own plots of culinary herbs – brought home a jaw-dropping 130 ribbons from the Montgomery County Fair, as well as four Grand Champion awards. Lynn also received the coveted “Best of Show” for her market basket.
More from this article at http://realpeopleeatlocal.com/koinercharlie.html
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Man charged in teen's shooting death pleads guilty - Gazette
Hector Hernandez to be sentenced on second-degree murder change in slaying of Blair High freshman Tai Lam
by Fred Lewis | Staff Writer Friday, May 1, 2009
A Takoma Park man charged in the shooting death of a Silver Spring teenager on a county Ride On bus in November pleaded guilty Friday to second-degree murder, according to a news release from the State's Attorney's Office for Montgomery County.
Other charges against Hector Mauricio Hernandez, 20, of the 8600 block of Flower Ave. include use of a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence, and two counts of first-degree assault.
Hernandez was the gunman who shot three rounds into a crowd of teenagers on the bus Nov. 1, fatally wounding Montgomery Blair High School freshman Tai Lam and injuring two other boys, ages 14 and 15.
http://www.gazette.net/stories/05012009/montnew180714_32549.shtml
by Fred Lewis | Staff Writer Friday, May 1, 2009
A Takoma Park man charged in the shooting death of a Silver Spring teenager on a county Ride On bus in November pleaded guilty Friday to second-degree murder, according to a news release from the State's Attorney's Office for Montgomery County.
Other charges against Hector Mauricio Hernandez, 20, of the 8600 block of Flower Ave. include use of a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence, and two counts of first-degree assault.
Hernandez was the gunman who shot three rounds into a crowd of teenagers on the bus Nov. 1, fatally wounding Montgomery Blair High School freshman Tai Lam and injuring two other boys, ages 14 and 15.
http://www.gazette.net/stories/05012009/montnew180714_32549.shtml
Fenton Village Forum - Pictures from the Neighborhood
Neighborhood residents seek to define community as they consider ways to garner commercial attention
by Jason Tomassini | Staff Writer | Wednesday, April 23, 2009
What is Fenton Village?
That was the simple question asked of residents from the Silver Spring neighborhood last week at a forum to discuss the future of the area bordered by Fenton Street to the east, Georgia Avenue to the west, Wayne Avenue to the north and Philadelphia Avenue to the south.
Some felt Fenton Village should remain as is: home to residents of diverse backgrounds, long-established service-oriented shops and locally-owned restaurants that don't constitute "destination shopping." Others wanted to capitalize on what they called the neighborhood's "funkiness" to carve a more prominent niche for Fenton Village within a redeveloped downtown Silver Spring.
After an overview of the neighborhood was presented April 22, the roughly 50 people in attendance broke into five work groups to discuss Fenton Village. One group of community members spoke thoughtfully of how Fenton Village has evolved and how to preserve the neighborhood's character while still bringing in visitors and viable businesses.
http://gazette.net/stories/04292009/silvnew183703_32529.shtml
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Navarro Wins Democratic Primary by 62 Votes - Washington Post
By Ann E. Marimow
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Board of Education member Nancy Navarro held her slim lead over Del. Benjamin F. Kramer yesterday, winning the Democratic nomination by 62 votes in Montgomery County's special election for an open seat on the County Council.
Election officials declared all votes counted yesterday after completing a final review of absentee ballots.
Navarro attributed her victory to a "message of inclusion" that she said resonated with voters who want to "enhance the quality of life in the district." Kramer did not immediately concede the contest and has until Monday to request a recount.
Navarro and Kramer were among six Democrats and three Republicans competing in last week's election to succeed Don Praisner, who died in January after surgery for colon cancer. Navarro will face Republican tax activist Robin Ficker and Green Party candidate George Gluck in the general election May 19.
The Democratic primary was closely watched in the eastern county's District 4, where the party holds a wide advantage over the GOP in voter registration. If Navarro prevails in the general election, her presence on the council could have broader implications for the balance of power on the often fractured nine-member council.
Navarro could provide a narrow majority to the four council members who backed her. Valerie Ervin (Silver Spring), Nancy Floreen (At Large), Michael Knapp (Upcounty) and George L. Leventhal (At Large) are an increasingly outspoken team on the all-Democratic council in taking on County Executive Isiah Leggett's professorial approach to governing.
Kramer had Leggett's endorsement and pledged to be an ally of the county executive, with whom he has long personal ties.
The competitive Democratic primary upended conventional wisdom about party politics in Maryland's largest jurisdiction. When Leggett (D) and Praisner's daughter formally endorsed Kramer, the campaign held the event at the politically active retirement community of Leisure World, which the county executive called the "center of the political universe."
Kramer swept Navarro on Election Day in the two Leisure World precincts with 70 percent and 64 percent of the vote. Navarro's victory, Ervin said, "shattered the mythology that you only have to win at Leisure World. Leisure World is always going to be part of the equation, but the district is large and diverse."
Navarro prevailed with 44.5 percent of the vote by assembling a broad coalition of supporters with her message of unifying the district, which has a more diverse and older population and a lower household income than the county as a whole. She capitalized on name recognition boosted by her unsuccessful bid against Praisner in last year's special election and her tenure on the school board. An existing campaign infrastructure helped her cultivate supporters among untapped new immigrant communities. Navarro reached out to African and Indian leaders, for instance, who in turn called and sent personal letters to their networks.
Navarro tried to make inroads in Leisure World, said her campaign manager, David Moon, but in an effort to highlight Kramer's General Assembly record, she might have turned off voters with hard-hitting mailers.
"Leisure World was a big weakness last time and even bigger this time," Moon said. "That was Kramer country."
Kramer's family has a long tradition in county politics. His father, Sidney Kramer, was a county executive and state senator. But Benjamin Kramer is less well known, having won his first election in 2006.
Kramer's campaign trained its attention on "the small universe of people who could come out to vote," campaign manager Eric Hensal said.
The campaign's literature stressed Kramer's record in Annapolis, primarily legislation aimed at protecting seniors and women. Kramer, who self-financed most of his campaign, portrayed himself as an independent voice in contrast with Navarro, who received thousands of dollars from labor unions and political action committees.
Kramer was also at a disadvantage because the campaign conflicted with his work in Annapolis, where the General Assembly session ended a week before Election Day.
"Was it difficult? Yes, especially at the end," Hensal said.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/01/AR2009050103781_pf.html
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Board of Education member Nancy Navarro held her slim lead over Del. Benjamin F. Kramer yesterday, winning the Democratic nomination by 62 votes in Montgomery County's special election for an open seat on the County Council.
Election officials declared all votes counted yesterday after completing a final review of absentee ballots.
Navarro attributed her victory to a "message of inclusion" that she said resonated with voters who want to "enhance the quality of life in the district." Kramer did not immediately concede the contest and has until Monday to request a recount.
Navarro and Kramer were among six Democrats and three Republicans competing in last week's election to succeed Don Praisner, who died in January after surgery for colon cancer. Navarro will face Republican tax activist Robin Ficker and Green Party candidate George Gluck in the general election May 19.
The Democratic primary was closely watched in the eastern county's District 4, where the party holds a wide advantage over the GOP in voter registration. If Navarro prevails in the general election, her presence on the council could have broader implications for the balance of power on the often fractured nine-member council.
Navarro could provide a narrow majority to the four council members who backed her. Valerie Ervin (Silver Spring), Nancy Floreen (At Large), Michael Knapp (Upcounty) and George L. Leventhal (At Large) are an increasingly outspoken team on the all-Democratic council in taking on County Executive Isiah Leggett's professorial approach to governing.
Kramer had Leggett's endorsement and pledged to be an ally of the county executive, with whom he has long personal ties.
The competitive Democratic primary upended conventional wisdom about party politics in Maryland's largest jurisdiction. When Leggett (D) and Praisner's daughter formally endorsed Kramer, the campaign held the event at the politically active retirement community of Leisure World, which the county executive called the "center of the political universe."
Kramer swept Navarro on Election Day in the two Leisure World precincts with 70 percent and 64 percent of the vote. Navarro's victory, Ervin said, "shattered the mythology that you only have to win at Leisure World. Leisure World is always going to be part of the equation, but the district is large and diverse."
Navarro prevailed with 44.5 percent of the vote by assembling a broad coalition of supporters with her message of unifying the district, which has a more diverse and older population and a lower household income than the county as a whole. She capitalized on name recognition boosted by her unsuccessful bid against Praisner in last year's special election and her tenure on the school board. An existing campaign infrastructure helped her cultivate supporters among untapped new immigrant communities. Navarro reached out to African and Indian leaders, for instance, who in turn called and sent personal letters to their networks.
Navarro tried to make inroads in Leisure World, said her campaign manager, David Moon, but in an effort to highlight Kramer's General Assembly record, she might have turned off voters with hard-hitting mailers.
"Leisure World was a big weakness last time and even bigger this time," Moon said. "That was Kramer country."
Kramer's family has a long tradition in county politics. His father, Sidney Kramer, was a county executive and state senator. But Benjamin Kramer is less well known, having won his first election in 2006.
Kramer's campaign trained its attention on "the small universe of people who could come out to vote," campaign manager Eric Hensal said.
The campaign's literature stressed Kramer's record in Annapolis, primarily legislation aimed at protecting seniors and women. Kramer, who self-financed most of his campaign, portrayed himself as an independent voice in contrast with Navarro, who received thousands of dollars from labor unions and political action committees.
Kramer was also at a disadvantage because the campaign conflicted with his work in Annapolis, where the General Assembly session ended a week before Election Day.
"Was it difficult? Yes, especially at the end," Hensal said.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/01/AR2009050103781_pf.html
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