Southern Calvert Gazette -- April 01, 2010

April 2010

Priceless

Photo by Frank Marquart

Southern MarylandGangs on the Rise?

Story Page 6

Mike’s Place Offers Personal Touch

PAGE 12

Southern CalvertSouthern CalvertSouthern CalvertSouthern CalvertSouthern CalvertSouthern CalvertSouthern CalvertSouthern CalvertSouthern CalvertSouthern CalvertSouthern CalvertSouthern CalvertSouthern CalvertSouthern CalvertSouthern CalvertSouthern CalvertSouthern CalvertSouthern CalvertSouthern CalvertSouthern CalvertSouthern CalvertSouthern CalvertSouthern CalvertSouthern CalvertSouthern CalvertSouthern CalvertSouthern CalvertSouthern CalvertSouthern CalvertSouthern CalvertSouthern CalvertSouthern CalvertSouthern CalvertSouthern CalvertSouthern CalvertSouthern CalvertSouthern CalvertGazette

Story Page 14

Habitat Gearing Up for Calvert Build

Story Page 9

New Our Lady Church Almost Finished

GazetteEverything Solomons, Lusby, Dowell, and St. Leonard

Thursday, April-20102

Your Paper... Your Thoughts

Have You Filed Your Tax Returns Yet, Or Are You a

Procrastinator?

“I’m just waiting on my CPA, she’s had everything for about a month,” said Richard Blitch, owner of S.O.B. Blitch refrigeration of Lusby. “She’s got a lot of clients,

and I’m just a little guy.”

Blitch said he typically gets his taxes done early.

“I’m in to just getting things done, and that goes for my jobs and every-thing. I like to get on them and get to the next one.”

“No I have not. Is it April 15, is that the day? I have to do them this weekend,”

said Jackie An-thony, of Lusby.

“Well I was going to do it earlier,

but then I forgot. I keep putting it

off,” said she, add-ing that she typi-cally waits until the last minute.

“Yeah. That’s how I do things. I like

the pressure.”

“Not yet. I don’t have to, because I don’t have a job. I still live with my parents,” said Ashley Adams, of Lusby, holding her 11-month-old nephew George Gerlach.

When asked if she is looking forward to joining the tax-paying com-munity, she said: “Oh yes. It’s what I’m look-ing forward to in life, fil-ing taxes.

Thursday, April-2010 3

This photo illustration by Frank Marquart show activites conducted by gang members and criminal factions.

Solomons Island

Tide ReportSolomons Island

Tide ReportSolomons Island

Tide Report

Day High Tide Height Sunrise Moon Time % Moon /Low Time Feet Sunset Visibl

F 9 Low 5:24 AM 0.3 6:39 AM Rise 4:04 AM 27 9 High 11:41 AM 1.3 7:36 PM Set 3:14 PM 9 Low 5:59 PM 0.4 9 High 11:49 PM 1.4

Sa 10 Low 6:20 AM 0.3 6:37 AM Rise 4:29 AM 19 10 High 12:23 PM 1.3 7:37 PM Set 4:12 PM 10 Low 6:32 PM 0.4

Su 11 High 12:37 AM 1.5 6:36 AM Rise 4:53 AM 12 11 Low 7:11 AM 0.3 7:38 PM Set 5:10 PM 11 High 1:02 PM 1.3 11 Low 7:03 PM 0.3

Day High Tide Height Sunrise Moon Time % Moon /Low Time Feet Sunset Visibl

F 2 High 5:08 AM 1.8 6:49 AM Set 8:39 AM 89 2 Low 12:17 PM 0.2 7:30 PM Rise 12:00 PM 2 High 5:24 PM 1.1 2 Low 11:07 PM 0.1

Sa 3 High 5:58 AM 1.7 6:48 AM Set 9:28 AM 82 3 Low 1:12 PM 0.3 7:31 PM 3 High 6:14 PM 1.1 3 Low 11:57 PM 0.1

Su 4 High 6:50 AM 1.6 6:46 AM Rise 12:58 AM 73 4 Low 2:06 PM 0.4 7:32 PM Set 10:21 AM 4 High 7:07 PM 1.1

April 2-4 2010

April 9-11 2010

Also Inside

On The Cover

4 Local News

7 Delegate

8 Community

10 Education

11 Letters

12 Cover Story

14 Locals

15 History

16 Obituaries

18 Business Directory

19 Sports

20 Out & About

22 Entertainment

23 Pet Page

local newslocal newslocal newslocal newslocal newsout & about

FOR EVENTS HAPPENING IN YOUR AREA, CHECK PAGE 20 IN OUT AND ABOUT

local news

Patuxent Habitat for Humanity is getting ready for their next build in Calvert County, where they will be building a home for residents Chris and Crystal Jones and their two children. SEE PAGE 14

Partiers at the 2009 Tiki Bar opening take a break from sipping Mai Tais to pose for pictures. Solomons Island is preparing for the 30 annual opening of the nightclub on April 16. SEE PAGE 4

Chan Claggett, left, owner of the new Laughing Buddha Restaurant in Solomons, with her father and sister, Thai and Christina Tran. The new eatery brings West Coast style to Southern Maryland. SEE PAGE 5

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Partiers at the annual Tiki Bar opening in 2009 night take a break from dancing and sipping Mai Tais to pose for pictures.

Photo By Sean Rice

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Tiki Bar Opening To Kick Off Tourism Season

As many as 30,000 people are expected to descend on Solomons Island on Friday, April 16, for the 30th annual opening of the Tiki Bar. Last year, the nightclub’s owners estimated 25,000 people came to the bar on opening weekend.

While most of the visitors on opening day come to party, many also eat, sleep and buy supplies nearby, which means a rush for local businesses.

With each year the Tiki Bar opening phe-nomenon gets more popular, and supporters

say it’s a nationally known event, and possibly even beyond.

Catamaran’s owner Jim Seymour said Solomon’s Island and the Tiki Bar are known worldwide, which is a boon for the local economy.

“I’ve been all over the place and I’ve ran into people that know, ‘Oh Solomon’s, the Tiki Bar opening’,” Seymour said. “And a lot of the military guys they travel and talk about it with their friends.”

Seymour, who started Catamaran’s res-

The United Way of Calvert County cel-ebrated a record-breaking year at the 10th annual Mardi Gras on March 13 at the Show Place Arena, with record high attendance and money raised. More than 550 revelers turned out to “let the good times roll,” raising over $200,000 to support those in need in Calvert County, the United Way of Calvert reports.

During the crowning ceremony for this year’s King & Queen, United Way President and CEO, Kelly Chambers credited the six candidates for raising a total of $135,000, which helped the organization surpass this year’s goal by a landslide.

Taking home the crown jewels as king and queen were Mark Frazer of North Beach and Maria Welch of Huntingtown.

“I was privileged to be a part of the process that will benefit the less fortunate in Calvert,” said Frazer in a press release. “The record sum of our collections speaks to the generosity of the residents of Calvert County and our neighbors- even in tough economic times, their caring nature was evident. It should also be mentioned that the employees of United Way demonstrated a level of com-mitment and energy to this campaign that was essential to its success.”

Welch said that securing business spon-sorships from local business owners was a key strategy in her fundraising efforts. She also commented on the overwhelming support she received from employees of her husband’s workplace, Welch & Rushe.

Following the crowning ceremony, the

winner was drawn for the Mercedes Benz SLK Convertible by Family Auto Owners, Dwayne & Wendy Crawford. The winning ticket went to Toni Hoover of Huntingtown.

One thousand raffle tickets were sold for $20 each, raising $20,000 for the United Way of Calvert County. The vehicle was donated by Family Auto Mercedes BMW in Owings. Since the car was donated in full, 100% of the raffle proceeds benefited the United Way.

“The community rose to the occasion for our 10th Anniversary celebration breaking records for attendance and money raised. But most remarkable was raising over 1 million dollars in ten years,” said Chanbers.

Co-Owner/Manager of Family Auto Care, Wendy Crawford hands over keys to raffle winner Toni Hoover Mrs. Also pictured from left is Family Auto technicians Robert Gill and Charlie Shaffer, Family Auto Co-Own-er/Master Technician Dwayne Crawford and Kelly Chambers, CEO of Calvert County United Way.

taurant and bar in 1995, said the Tiki open-ing saves the island from the stagnant winter season.

“The wintertime is pretty much slow for us and we fall behind a little bit and then the opening gets us caught up and ready for sum-mer. It’s a good thing for us,” Seymour said.

Pat Donovan, co-owner of the Tiki Bar said the opening, “symbolizes spring and sum-

mertime. The start of the tourism season.”“It kicks the island off, all the businesses

kind of wait for us to open, because we’re the primary draw for the island,” co-owner Terry Clarke said.

“People have fun, and I think the island likes it,” Seymour said. “It’s getting bigger ev-ery year, so somebody likes it.” By Sean Rice

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LOCAL NEWS

Police Forced To Pursue Driver And Passenger

Laughing Buddha Opens in Solomons

County to Conduct Full-

Cycle Siren Test

The newest restaurant in Solomons, Laughing Buddha Restaurant and Bar, opened March 1 with a menu inspired by authentic West Coast Chinese cuisine.

“Our things are fresh made to order, we don’t fry things ahead of time. The only things that are made ahead of time are a couple of our appetizers,” said Chan Claggett, who owns the restaurant with husband Brad. “Our menu is very basic and our style is a little more West Coast, and it’s more authentic.”

Claggett said her first month of busi-ness has been pretty well, thanks to word-of-mouth advertising and her new sign. The business is located at the site of the former Jethro’s Barbeque on Solomons Island Road.

“After me and my husband finished

serving in the military, we decided to homestead in Calvert because he was born and raised here,” Claggett said, add-ing that her husband grew up in Prince Frederick.

Both Chan and Brad served in the U.S. Air Force, as security police officers.

“My family just moved here from California in December, the economy was really bad down there,” Chan said. “This is our third restaurant, but this is my first time owning one.”

No restaurant nearby has egg rolls like Laughing Buddha, Chan said. These special recipe egg rolls re-quire no additional duck sauce to en-joy. They also feature unique dishes like honey walnut shrimp and honey

tangerine beef.“Our style is just a little bit different,

but a lot of our menu items will look fa-miliar to customers,” she said. By Sean

Rice (ScG) [email protected]

Chan Claggett, left, with her sister and father, Christina and Thai Tran, at Laughing Buddha.Photo By Sean Rice

The Calvert County Department of Public Safety, Emergency Manage-ment Division, will conduct a full-cycle test of the alert and notification sirens throughout southern Calvert and St. Mary’s counties on Monday, April 5, at 12 p.m. The siren test will consist of a three-minute activation. All citizens are asked to remember the scheduled test-ing and relay the information to friends, family and neighbors.

The testing is conducted to en-hance siren operation and increase pub-lic awareness of the alert and notifica-tion siren system.

If the sirens sound at any other time, residents should tune to one of the local radio stations listed below for in-formation and instructions. Contact the Calvert County Division of Emergency Management at 410-535-1600, ext. 2638 for additional emergency or disaster preparedness information.

Some of the Emergency Alert System stations include: WPTX 920 AM Lexington Park, WKIK 102.9 FM Mechanicsville, WAAI 100.9 FM Cam-bridge, WMDM 97.7 FM Lexington Park, WCEM 1240 AM Cambridge, WCMD 1560 AM La Plata and WSMD 98.3 FM Mechanicsville.

Calvert County Sheriff’s Dep. Christopher Waldron conducted a traf-fic stop on Skinners Turn Road in Ow-ings at 6:23 p.m. March 21. The driver pulled into a driveway and jumped out of the drivers’ seat, running across Md. Rt. 2 toward the wooded area of Mt. Harmony Lane.

A female passenger in the vehicle jumped into the driver’s seat and then exited the vehicle. Dep. Waldron ad-vised the female to remain there and then gave chase on foot after the driver.

Dep. Aundrea Lawton arrived to assist and the officers observed the sus-pect lying in the dirt in the woods and approached him. The subject advised

that he was not driving the vehicle.Identified as Corey Cornell Con-

tee, 39 of Lusby, he was arrested and charged with making a false statement to a law enforcement officer, fleeing and eluding and various traffic citations.

A lookout was given for the female and vehicle, which was later seen on Md. Rt. 4 and Md. Rt. 231 in Prince Frederick by DFC David Denton who stopped it. The female, identified as Cheryl M. Harmon, 21 of Port Repub-lic, was arrested and charged with mak-ing a false statement to a law enforce-ment officer and obstruction of justice as well as fleeing and eluding.


LOCALNEWS

Calvert Officials Decry Proposal To Shift Teacher

Pensions

County Sets Strategic Planning Meeting

Mike’s Place Offer’s a Personal Touch

Over 250,000 Southern Marylanders can’t be wrong!

Like most jurisdictions in the state, Calvert County elected officials are worried that the state might actually move the burden of funding teacher pensions down to the county government in order to balance the state’s budget and eliminate a $2 bil-lion deficit.

While the proposal has approval in the Senate a House Committee has rejected the idea and rel-egated it to study, effectively stalling the plan for now.

Local officials said that if the proposal gets fi-nal legislative approval, though, it could be another big bite out of their bottom line.

“Ultimately it’s a bad idea,” said Commission-er President Jerry Clark (R-Lusby) “We’d be look-ing at every possible option.”

That option included potentially adjusting how much teachers receive for their pensions to make it burden more affordable for Calvert, Clark said.

“If they make us fund teacher pensions then the county should be able… to make the [pension] plans more efficient,” Clark said, adding that the state has taken much of the funding Calvert de-pends on to maintain its streets and roads.

“They state has already cut us on highway user fees. They just keep trying to put the burden down on us,” Clark said.

William Phalen, chair of the Calvert County Board of Education, said that the board could not even afford to increase teacher salaries in fiscal 2009 to the levels teachers and staff had asked.

They would be even more hard pressed now to take on teacher pension costs.

In fiscal 2009, Phalen said, teachers and staff wanted a 4.5 percent cost of living increase plus step increases.

Phalen said the school board could only man-age a one-half of one percent increase with steps.

If they had agreed to the larger percentage in-crease, he said, they would have had to let dozens of teachers and staff go.

“We would’ve had to fire 80 people,” Phalen said. “That’s the situation we’re in.”

According to state figures the costs to Calvert or any other county for funding teacher pensions would not take affect until fiscal 2012 and then would cost the county close to $1.3 million.

In fiscal 2013 the cost would jump to $3.8 million and in fiscal 2014 and 2015 the costs are estimated to rise to $6.5 million and $6.8 million respectively.

Phalen said that the increase in fiscal 2012 alone would cause problems.

“Your talking about a big fluctuation, $1 mil-lion to us is big money,” Phalen said. “It would defi-nitely hurt.”

Clark said that a state plan to shift the plan, if passed through the legislature, would backfire eventually.

“This money all comes from tax payers. It’s not like there’s a different source of revenue at the state level and the county level,” Clark said. “Just shedding the responsibility down to the counties isn’t going to work.” By Guy Leonard (CT) guyleon-

[email protected]

The Calvert County Economic Development Com-mission (EDC) through the Department of Economic De-velopment invites community and business leaders to the next strategic planning meeting on Wednesday, April 14, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The event will be held in the Banquet Hall at the Cal-vert County Fairgrounds in Barstow on Rt. 231.

Economist Anirban Basu will be the guest speaker and provide an overview and analysis of local and na-tional economic trends. Basu is chairman and CEO of Sage Policy Group, Inc., an economic and policy consult-ing firm in Baltimore, and he is one of the mid-Atlantic region’s most recognizable economists.

The EDC’s last Five-Year Strategic Plan (FY08 – FY12) was completed in 2007. The Five-Year Plan is the blueprint to achieve a balanced and sustainable commu-nity and represents the combined efforts of the EDC, the Tourism Advisory Commission, the Economic Devel-opment Authority, the Agriculture Commission, county businesses, citizens and public officials who help define approaches to improve the county’s economic climate. To measure success, the Plan is reviewed and revised on a yearly basis by the EDC. To review the current Five-Year Plan, visit www.ecalvert.com/content/aboutcced.

The meeting is free and open to the public. Space and seating are limited so contact the Calvert County Department of Economic Development for registration information at 410.535.4583, or email [email protected].

Patuxent Wine and Spirits in Lusby isn’t the only liquor store in town, but owner Mike Hart said his shop is going to continue being the brightest, most wel-coming liquor store in town.

After opening on Dec. 12, Hart, of Cove Point, says he’s been lucky to have already developed a steady clientele that he’s getting to know by name.

“I understand, I think, the mindset of most consumers. We say hello. We help them walk them out to their cars,” Hart told the Southern Calvert Gazette. “The object is, it’s a clean store that you feel comfortable in, that your wife, your daughter or your sister can feel comfort-able in at 9 o’clock at night just the same as 9 o’clock in the morning.”

Hart spent 10 years in the beer busi-ness, working at three distributors at dif-ferent times, but this is his first attempt at owning his own shop.

His father was stationed at Andrews Air Force Base, and the family arrived in Lusby 33 years ago when Mike was 8 years old.

“So I’m still a foreigner by Calvert standards … but I’m about as Lusby as it gets,” he said.

He chose to open his shop in the Lusby Commons Shopping center near Starbucks and Giant supermarket because he wants the store be the “perfect neigh-borhood store.”

“And that’s the goal. You want some-one to know this not as Patuxent Wine and Spirits. This is Mike’s place,” he said.

He’s expanding his stock upon cus-tomer requests and so far his first few months have been going well.

“We’re trying to get there. I’d say 80 percent of the inventory here is from cus-

tomers coming in and asking for stuff,” Hart said. “The past month has been a step in the right direction. But you’re nev-er out of the woods, until you’re out of the woods.”

You won’t find 99-cent cans of beer or a lottery stand at Mike’s place, because it doesn’t fit with the kind of store he‘s try-ing to run.

“The liquor industry got the bad rap from the owners. The owners are who makes a liquor store the eyesore of a com-munity, and it didn’t used to be that way,” Hart said, adding that

he doesn’t mess around with people with-out identification, criminals or any other questionable activities near the store.

“Every dollar that we have is tied up against this. Every single penny is in here,” he said. “I don’t care if you come in here to buy $10,000 worth of stock, it’s not worth losing it all.” By Sean riCe (SCG)

[email protected]

Mike Hart, owner of Patuxent Wine and Spirits, stands in front of his shop in Lusby.Photo By Sean Rice


In the Legislature It Can Be the Little Things That Matter

As of this date, the Maryland General As-sembly is in the last two weeks of its annual legislative session. In these last two weeks of session the legislative tempo increases to a furious pace. Many pieces of legislation are facing uncertainty as they either become stalled by forces that are hard to pinpoint or they move forward by an inertial force over the desperate voices of their opponents. Lobbyists and citizen activists alike are working for and against issues before the legislature with un-fettered abandon. Seemingly little things slip by in the glare of high profile issues.

Some of these legislative initiatives are profound in their impact and breadth of ap-plicability. To date over 2700 bills have been introduced for formal consideration. Some are proposals to actually amend the Maryland state constitution. They are literally statewide matters of life and death, law and order, and freedom and responsibility. Others are of little consequence and are tailored to only apply to very narrow situations or even have an impact isolated to a minor local issue or individual situation. Most fall somewhere in between.

Most of the action on controversial leg-islation is predictable, not for whether it will pass or fail because that is often hard to divine until the last moment, but because most con-troversial items receive a fair amount of public scrutiny and vetting. Even for those high pro-file or controversial matters which face an un-certain future, they are usually well exposed in public discourse and in the press. Every once in a while a little bill comes along which defies the above convention. When it does, it usually takes me by complete surprise and is shocking in its ramifications.

This year one such “sleeper” bill came to the floor of the House of Delegates from the House Ways and Means committee on Satur-day, March 27. The bill is HB-217 (2010) and it will allow children who attain the age of 16 years old the authorization to register to vote. Although it does not change the voting age, the ramifications of such a bill are immense. The bill did not receive any attention in the press that I am aware of and even caught me by com-plete surprise at the moment it was moving fa-vorably forward in the legislative process.

The bill allows for 16 year old minors to register to vote. There are no provisions to al-low for parental consent. There are no provi-sions as to who may actually register these mi-nors to vote. There are no provisions to protect

the voter registration data of these minors from public access, including their age and their address and possibly other iden-tifying information from being added to publicly available voter registration data-bases. I believe this is a terrible exposure of our young people to pressures from partisan influences to register to vote in a certain way or with a certain political party, or subsequently change their voter registration. Our young people are very smart but they are very impressionable and sometimes easily influenced by peer pressure and other pressures beyond the family and the family values.

Many believe our young people are susceptible to political indoctrination in today’s highly accessible computer age and even in our public schools. With the advent of Tweeter, Face Book, MySpace, and other so-cial networks and technology, our youngsters are exposed to all types of influence and some-times harmful popular culture. Some leaders in our public schools nationwide have crossed the line of parental rights to influence their students on political matters.

We all saw shocking examples of this in the last presidential election right down to the elementary school level. This bill would expose high school sophomores, juniors and even seniors who are legally minors to be exposed to these political campaigns without even the notice of their parents or guardians. Such pressures to register as members of polit-ical parties could have lifetime consequences. Current law says 17 year olds who will be eli-gible to vote by their 18th birthday may regis-ter to vote. Fair enough, but this bill goes way beyond that, and in a disturbing manor in my opinion.

When I saw this bill appear on the House floor with a unanimous favorable recommen-dation, I was shocked. I slowed the move-ment of the bill so I could craft and offer two amendments to at least protect parental rights and protect the personal data of our minors. The first amendment to the bill I offered was to require parental consent, so at least parents would have a notice and input into the process of registering their 16 year old children to vote. The second amendment was to require the voter registration data of minors under the bill be held from public access so that information such as age, address, and party affiliation of these minors not be publicly available.

Unfortunately, both amendments I of-fered to protect our minors and to protect pa-rental rights were defeated, mostly along party lines. This makes me shake my head in won-der and in fear of where our state and country are heading. Sometimes it is the little, seem-ingly innocuous things that have the potential to cause the most harm in the future.

As always, feel free to contact my local legislative office at (410) 326-0081 or email at [email protected] with questions, comments or concerns regarding these items or other matters.

Incumbents Beware: Term Limits Resurrected by Disaffected

WASHINGTON – Politicians are staying in Congress longer and longer, but in an election year with a noticeably anti-incumbent mood, some Washing-ton outsiders are challenging the idea of making a career out of public service.

“We need folks coming in from the outside who have paid taxes and created jobs and lived under the regulations that these career politicians have created,” said Jim Rutledge, a Republican attor-ney running to unseat Maryland Demo-cratic Sen. Barbara Mikulski, who has 33 years in Congress between the House and Senate.

Rutledge is typical of the outsiders running this year, who know statistics are not in their favor.

Between 1789 and 2002, 13.9 per-cent of House members and 21.9 percent of senators served 12 years or more, ac-cording to the Congressional Research Service.

In today’s Congress, 42.9 percent of House members and 45 percent of sena-tors have been in office for 12 years or more, according to data compiled by the authors of the textbook “Congress and Its Members.”

Term limits supporters, who think 12 years in Congress is plenty, say those numbers have an easy explanation.

“The powers of incumbency in this country are so great that it is nearly impossible to unseat an incumbent, bar-ring death, indictment, scandal or re-tirement,” said Philip Blumel, a Florida financial planner and president of the advocacy group U.S. Term Limits.

In 2008, 94 percent of incumbents were re-elected to the House and 83 percent were re-elected to the Senate, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Term-limits advocates argue that limiting lawmakers’ time in office would help clean up some of Washing-ton’s worst practices and rejuvenate a democratic process gone stagnant with incumbency. The basic argument is this: Open seats draw the most attention, resources and debate, so why not build them into the system by forcing people to leave office after they’ve done their time?

Republican state Sen. Andy Harris is perhaps the most high-profile Mary-land candidate speaking out on the term-limits issue.

“I believe that the American public should have a say on this issue through a constitutional amendment,” Harris said in an e-mail. “Congress has evolved into an insulated institution where power is wielded by a few to benefit themselves and their special interest friends. A dis-cussion of congressional term limits is timely and would benefit the entire country.”

Harris is running against Rep. Frank Kratovil, D-Stevensville, the

only one of Maryland’s nine incum-bents running for re-election this year with serious competition. The other in-cumbents, while never completely safe, face unknown novices and underfunded challengers.

However, longtime Maryland in-cumbents have lost their seats not so long ago.

Kratovil and Harris are battling in a district that just ousted an incum-bent. Former Rep. Wayne Gilchrest was beaten by Harris in the 2008 GOP pri-mary after holding the seat for almost 18 years.

Reps. Donna Edwards, D-Fort Washington, and Chris Van Hollen, D-Kensington, got into their respective of-fices by defeating longtime incumbents Albert Wynn, a Democrat, and Connie Morella, a Republican.

In Maryland, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Mechanicsville, and Mikulski draw most of the criticism from term-limits supporters. Like Mi-kulski, Hoyer has been in Congress for three decades.

Two of Hoyer’s Republican oppo-nents, Charles Lollar and Collins Bai-ley, in southern Maryland’s 5th District, join Rutledge in their strong support for term-limits.

U.S. Term Limits’ Blumel said that some Republicans are embracing term limits simply because their party isn’t currently in control or they’re newcom-ers running for office for the first time, but popular support for the issue doesn’t fall along party lines.

“It’s really not so much a left-right issue as it is a people versus power is-sue,” said Blumel.

The Tea Party movement, made up of protest groups rooted in anti-Washing-ton sentiment, has been quick to take up the term limits banner. At a recent rally outside Kratovil’s Bel Air office, signs calling for term limits mixed among the health care reform complaints.

“Once they get in there, they get in the system and all they think about is getting re-elected,” said Mike Trott, a Tea Party activist from Harford County.

While the emergence of the Tea Party movement has breathed new life into the issue, calls for term limits from the campaign trail aren’t new.

They were promised as part of Newt Gingrich’s Contract with America in 1994, but a law requiring them never gained traction and the issue eventually faded from national prominence. But in an election year already drawing paral-lels to 1994, Blumel is hoping that term limits might be coming back around.

“There’s a big interest in it right now. There’s a big anti-incumbent mood,” said Blumel. “If the Congress was truly representative, we’d already have this done.” By Graham Moomaw (Cap-

tial News Service)


By Sherrod SturrockR e c e n t

events have me musing about the museum’s mis-sion. Of course we, like all good nonprofits, have a mission state-ment. It’s one of those rather stuffy and very long sentences

full of words that don’t really convey what we’re about. But I’m talking about the real mission – our raison d’être. Another way of putting it is, if the Cal-vert Marine Museum were to vanish overnight, what would it matter? Would it affect your quality of life at all? If it is fulfilling its true mission, your answer would be: “Absolutely!”

So what is its true mission? I believe a museum should hold a unique place in its community. It should be a conservative place that values and preserves the past and makes it accessible to the present; an engag-ing place where the free exchange of ideas can take place; a vibrant place where people of all ages can ex-plore, learn and grow; a dynamic place that actively encourages creative thought, research, and investiga-tion; a safe place where you can stretch the limits and not be sanctioned for going out of bounds, but rather applauded for thinking out of the box.

How does our museum fulfill this mission? In hundreds of ways large and small. Many people visit,

walk through the exhibits, think it’s all very nice and leave with-out even scratching the surface of what’s happening here every day. Others get interested, get in-vested, and get involved, becom-ing part of the excitement and discovery that is at our core. For example, right now in our paleo prep lab trained volunteers are painstakingly preparing fossils found nowhere else in the world. These fossils help to show how and when ancient lineages of whales and dolphins evolved into the diverse cetacean com-munity that exists today. In the library, staff sifts through origi-nal documents, photographs, pa-pers ensuring that these “bread crumbs” to our past are properly

catalogued for future research. Behind-the-scenes, aquarists make calculated adjustments to the jellyfish tank, trying to mimic nature in a controlled environ-ment to cause the asexual reproduction process called strobilation, enabling us to keep jellyfish year round. Visitors may not see this work, but it is core to our mission.

The programs we offer pull visitors deeper into the experience by learning to “see” what’s around them in new and different ways. A lighthouse tour that illuminates what it was like to live in a light-house, dependent on rain for water and boats for con-tact with the outside world, will alter your perception about your own life. A chat with the “guys” in the boat shop on a Saturday morning reveals a different world where passion smells like varnish and weath-ered wood. Learning about the horseshoe crab is a revelation of survival, perseverance, and adaptation. There are so many worlds here, and all are infused with deeply held passions and beliefs, all reflecting one thing: Mission.

Mission is in our PEM Talks – lectures on Pale-ontology, the environ-ment, or maritime history – that are designed to bring o u t s t a n d i n g speakers to lo-cal audiences on a wide range of top-ics. They are consis t ent ly s t i m u l a t i n g and thought-p r o v o k i n g , sparking lively question and answer responses between a highly educated and informed audience and the speaker. Mission is in our events: hosting a Tom Wisner Tribute concert, o r the Annapolis Bluegrass Coalition free to our wildly enthusiastic First Free Friday crowd, creates a place where the community can come together to celebrate its heritage.

A museum’s mission is so much more than arti-facts in a case. Its real mission is to be the thinking heart of its community. So, to paraphrase our former Governor William Donald Schaefer, “How’re we doing?”

Sherrod Sturrock is the Deputy Director of the Calvert Marine Museum. Send comments to: [email protected].

What’s In a Mission?


Adopt-A-Beach at Breezy Point

7320 Benedict Avenue • Benedict, Maryland 20612 • 301-274-2828

Wednesday thru Saturday 11am-9pmSunday 11:30am-7pm

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Happy Hour Daily

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Wed-Thurs 12-8pm

Central Square Spring Block PartyApril 10th • Prince Frederick 9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Craft ShowSelect Vendors

Art Demos

Calvert Kettle CornSniffer Dog Demo

Cardinal Creek Plant Sale

Lost Dog WorkshopsInterlude Pet Adoption

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The famous explorer Capt. John Smith kept over forty journals relating to his observa-tions of the beauty, the abundance and pristine waters of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributar-ies. A whole new world was based on not the finding of gold but the natural treasures - the flora, the fauna, the bounty and beauty of “the great shellfish Bay.”

Her natural magic drew people to her shores over three hundred and fifty years ago and unto this very day.

Calvert County inherits that great legacy as it boasts over thirty miles of shoreline that stretches the eastern length of the county’s coast. Thousands upon thousands of visitors each year journey to our shores for relaxation, entertainment and communion with the sea. But most importantly, thousands reside here for the sheer delight of spending each day of their life “in the land of pleasant living.”

Do we not owe it to our ancestors, our children’s future and to ourselves to care for this delicate space?

We at Breezy Pt. Beach invite you to be-come a part of our Adopt-A-Beach program. It is the intention of park staff, park management and those living in the Breezy Point Beach

community to help preserve our shoreline with a campaigned effort of cleaning up the beach and keeping it clean. Each day the Bay drags in natural debris but also delivers to us human generated trash. Though park staff works con-tinually to keep our half mile of coastline free of litter, we need your help. It is a daily ritual to maintain a clean beach for the health, safety and enjoyment of people and wildlife alike.

Dozens of community service workers are already scheduled to join park staff in April 2010 to begin the clean up effort. Will you join us in that effort? By keeping the shoreline free of trash we also help to reduce the amount of pollution that congests the Bay.

By volunteering an hour a week, a month or even a year, you will be joining the ranks of citizens who are making a declaration to their community that they care about the Bay. For more in-formation call Jack-ie at the park office (410)535-0259.

New ‘Our Lady’ Church Almost Finished

Due to winter snowstorms and other minor setbacks, the opening of the new Our Lady Star of the Sea church in Solomons has been delayed slightly from the original target opening date of Easter weekend. Fr. Gardiner reports the church is expected to be occupied by the third or fourth week in April. The parish has collected more that $4.4 million in donations to help build the new church.

Photo By Sean Rice

The Most Rev’d Katharine Jefferts Schori, the Presiding Bishop of the 2.5 million member Episcopal Church, will be visiting St. George’s Episcopal Church in Valley Lee on Friday evening, April 23, re-ports Rector Greg Syler.

Jefferts Schori’s intent is to experience, firsthand, an historic place of worship that also has some new life to it. The church will introduce her to Southern Maryland with a fitting wor-ship service and fes-tive reception.

It is Jefferts Schori’s desire, along with our dioc-esan bishop, the Rt. Rev’d John Bryson Chane, that she ex-perience the life and culture of the Epis-copal Church in lo-cal places – thus the reason she is coming to spend an evening

with the good folks of Southern Maryland.The event on the Feast of St. George

will include an Evensong at 5:30 p.m., fol-lowed by a festive reception in the church-yard, weather permitting.

Anyone interested in attending the event is asked to seek a reservation prior to April 13. The church’s email is [email protected] By Sean Rice (ScG)

[email protected]

Episcopal Presiding Bishop Coming to Southern Maryland

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STARBASE-Atlantis Announces Open Enrollment

STARBASE-Atlantis is a Department of Defense community outreach pro-gram designed to increase student knowledge and in-terest in science, technol-ogy, engineering and math (STEM).

The curriculum in-cludes chemistry, model rocketry, properties of fluids, Newton’s laws of motion, engineering and design, and the physics of flight. Students build and launch model rockets, “fly” airplanes on flight simulator programs, perform science experiments, use CAD to engineer a lab module for a space station, and work in teams to save Eggbert from disaster.

Come join in the fun during one of the four summer sessions offered June 28-July 1, July 6-9, July 12-15, and July 19-22, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. All ses-sions are held at NAS Patuxent River in building 588, Room 102. Space is limited and slots fill quickly.

Dependents of Active Duty Military have priority placement until May 14,

2010. After May 14, all applications will be processed in the order in which they were received with priority extended to dependents of Retired Military and DoD employees.

Applicants who have previously at-tended STARBASE-Atlantis are not eligi-ble to attend a summer session. Parents or guardians will be responsible for provid-ing prompt transportation and a bagged lunch (with drink) each day. If base access

is required for the four days, parent or guardian transporting child must be a US citizen, have a valid driver’s license, current vehicle registration, and car insurance.

For additional information and/or to receive a Pre-Registration Form con-tact Julie Guy, Academy Director at (301) 342-2789 or (301) 342-2786 or [email protected].

For additional information, you can visit the DoD STARBASE Web site at www.dodstarbase.org.

Negotiation sessions in Calvert County to produce a new public schools teacher em-ployment contract are now open to the public. In the past, these negotiations were held be-hind closed doors.

The first open teacher contract nego-tiation session was held March 26, from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. at the Board of Education building in Prince Frederick. Members of the public are free to attend and observe future sessions.

The current teacher contract will expire on June 30. The negotiation teams will discuss and try to reach agreement on the terms of the next contract, including salaries, benefits, and other working conditions.

The school system has dedicated a section on its website to provide informa-tion about the negotiation proceedings. As a regular feature of the negotiations update,

the school system will provide each team’s

proposals and counterproposals. The teams exchanged initial proposals on February 23. These updated proposals are now posted on the Web site. Initial proposals are merely open-ing offers and do not represent final offers.

The negotiation teams will now work to-ward solving the difference between the initial proposals by presenting counter proposals. The goal is that the negotiation teams work collab-oratively to come to agreement on a proposal that addresses the needs of the teachers and the school system.

Negotiations will proceed through the next few months as the teams find solutions to the differences in the proposals so that the interests of both groups are met.

More information is available on the school system website at www.calvertnet.k12.md.us/departments/hr/contracts/cea/ceaopen-negotiations.asp

By Shonda SheppardWe are all in the same boat. Everyone

agrees. These ARE hard times! Which makes one wary and weary of any public appeal for support - both I the petitioner and you the audience. Yet, I feel obligated to make such an appeal because not having the distinctive services of the local Boys Girls Clubs is too far-reaching and detrimental.

Last year, over 2,000 Southern Mary-land youth were served in our out-of-school programs in Calvert and St. Mary’s Coun-ties. Every school day, youth attend our after school program, are provided a snack, receive academic instruction by certified teachers, en-gage in at least one physical activity every day, and participate in an assortment of youth pro-grams intended to develop character and lead-ership skills, explore career options, develop health and life skills and participate in various artistic endeavors.

Our programs promote the development of young people by instilling a sense of com-petence, usefulness, belonging, and power or influence in dedicated youth facilities that are staffed by youth development professionals.

We keep our services available and af-fordable to ALL youth, because so many of our these children are turning to streets, gangs, crimes and other irresponsible behaviors dur-ing the critical hours we provide out-of-school services; the same hours when many children would otherwise be unsupervised.

Though we consider ourselves a “youth development organization”, many families utilize us as childcare. With our flexible ser-vices, affordable rates, and successful, posi-tive impact on youth, hundreds of families are able to find employment or continue to work. Maybe this is you, or your neighbor, or your employee, coworker or family member. Either way, the fact remains, it is someone within your immediate community thus benefiting us all.

Businesses everywhere are experienc-ing critical shortages. We are no exception. As a non-profit organization, we rely heavily on donations and grants, most of which are designated for specific costs like equipment, supplies, transportation and incentive costs. Necessary expenses such as utilities, salaries,

and trainings often go un- or under-funded re-sulting in our operating at a deficit.

Two thousand youth! Hundreds of fami-lies! And, guess what? We would have served more. . .but two clubs closed earlier in the year due to insufficient community support. Com-munity support has always been the key to Club success. If you once believed that Clubs were financially supported by grants and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, it usually takes a Club closing for the community to realize this is not accurate. And, to compound the issue, Government funding is reduced. Grants are more difficult to obtain. Foundation funds are limited. And many grants are dependent upon a level of community support.

Friends, we are in jeopardy of turning off the lights and closing more doors if we do not raise critical operating dollars and soon. By supporting your youth, you are investing in the future of Southern Maryland. You are helping us prepare the rising generation to be civically and socially responsible leaders of tomorrow and ensuring the continued success of future generations by preserving a local institution dedicated to serving young people.

Here are ways you can help us keep the lights on and doors open:

• Make a tax-deductible donation of any size. No amount is too small - give what is comfortable.

• Does your employer have a donation program for community organizations? If so, let us know how we can help.

• Organize a community yard sale to ben-efit BGCSM.

• Ask your pastor to take up a special of-fering at your congregation.

• For the person who has it all, designate BGCSM as the recipient of any gift giving for your next birthday, anniversary or significant life event.

• Go through your address book and identify acquaintances who have always been passionate about youth and ask them to help.

We thank you in advance for your sup-port. For information on how to donate, visit www.bgcsm.net or call (410) 257-0007.

Shonda Sheppard is the Interim Presi-dent and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maryland, she can be reached at [email protected]

Boys & Girls Club in Jeopardy Without Local Support

Public Negotiations with Teachers Begin

Board of Ed Sets Last Day of School

The Board of Education voted to waive three student school days as a result of inclem-ent weather this past winter. The last day of school for students will now be Friday, June 18, 2010. The last work day for 10-month em-ployees will be Tuesday, June 22, 2010.

Photo Courtesy of Calvert Count Public Schools


Do you have something to say?Would like your voice to be heard?

Send us a letter telling us what’s on your mind!E-mail letters to: [email protected]

Send to: P.O. Box 250 • Hollywood, MD 20636Make sure you include your name, phone # and the city you live in.

We will not publish your phone #, only your name and city

Publisher Thomas McKayAssociate Publisher Eric McKayEditor Sean RiceOffice Manager Tobie PulliamGraphic Artist Angie StalcupAdvertising Preston PrattEmail [email protected] 301-373-4125

Staff WritersGuy Leonard Government CorrespondentAndrea Shiell Community CorrespondentChris Stevens Sports Correspondent

Contributing WritersTony O’Donnell Joyce Baki Gerald Clark J. Brown

Southern Calvert Gazette is a bi-weekly newspaper providing news and information for the residents of Southern Calvert County. The Southern Calvert Gazette will be available on newsstands every other Thursday of the month. The paper is published by Southern Maryland Publishing Company, which is responsible for the form, content, and policies of the newspaper. Southern 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. Southern Calvert Gazette is not responsible for any claims made by its advertisers.

Southern Calvert GazetteP. O. Box 250 . Hollywood, MD 20636

CMH Foundation Grateful for Community Support

To The Officers of Drum Point

Access to Health Care is a Basic Human Right

I must say thank you for your recent let-ter entitled Bad Rhetoric. I found it quite en-lightening although it once again supports the opposition view. You continually state that only you can take care of our roads and turn-ing them over would never pay for itself.

Let’s look at the facts.1. It is no secret that DPPOA wants to

overturn the community covenants and in-stitute mandatory fees by going to the legis-lature in Annapolis. Why, because you don’t have the support of the community.

2. You continue to misstate cost, for example, cost for road maintenance are not fixed and will increase with time because of increased repairs and inflation, but you imply they won’t go up if the community supports you.

3. You imply that that DPPOA set the STD fee at $50.00 per year when it was ac-tually the commissioners. You wanted more even though there was still $600000.00 left in the kitty.

4. The statement that the county com-missioners didn’t follow procedures by not giving you what you wanted just means that they were looking out for the property own-er’s interest not the associations. You have the nerve to complain that the commissioners want the STD money spent on infrastructure! It was meant to be spent on infrastructure.

5. Alleging that DPPOA misinterpreted the bylaws and misrepresents issues. That is not accurate, you usually ignore the bylaws and yes you do misrepresent the issues.

6. Road turn over cost, again I will use

your numbers, you claim 1,300 lots and a to-tal cost for all roads would be $3,986,400 that equals $3066.46 per lot, not the $3,075 you said, which can be financed by a bond issued by Calvert county in accordance with the same law that lets them establish a STD. The bond could be 10 or 20 years in length, 10 year payment would be $306.65 that is .84 cents a day, 20 year 153.32 that is .42 cents a day plus a little for interest. This is the per-fect time to do this, long term rates are very low. This would free us from any need of any STD or mandatory community fees. The cost would be fixed and have an end versus DP-POA’s plan, which is fees that will do nothing but have never ending increases with no end.

The community could save money by dissolving DPPOA selling its property, as-sets and applying any and all cash towards the turnover. This should be supported by the hard working volunteers if they really want to be free from their workload.

This would be good for all property owners and property values and .84 cents a day shouldn’t scare anybody.

All we need to know is will the coun-ty commit to the number DPPOA used and where can I send my check?

Arthur W. DawsonDrum Point

We would like to thank everyone who helped make our first Casino Night fundraiser such a success. Altogether, we raised over $11,000. The proceeds will be used to help upgrade equipment at Calvert Memorial Hospital for the early detection of colorectal cancer.

Early detection is especially im-portant for colorectal cancer because often there are no warning symptoms until the disease is more advanced. The new technology is state-of-the-art and will aid in better diagnoses.

We would like to especially thank our top sponsor- the Harvest Ball Com-mittee. In addition, The Curtis Group, J.W. Grainer, Southern Maryland Com-munity Network and TSI Exterior Wall Systems. Also, Crothall Services Group, Fantasy World Entertainment, Metro Test & Balance, Inc. and the CMH Lab sponsored by Dr. Nancy Ula-nowicz. Bank of America, Chesapeake Anesthesia Associates, PA, Emergency Medicine Associates, PA and Wilson and Parlett, Attorneys at Law.

We’re also grateful to our table sponsors Atkinson Heating, Air Con-ditioning & Refrigeration, Calvert In-ternal Medicine Group, Dickinson Jew-elers, Fantasy World Entertainment, First Republic Mortgage, Gentle Family Dentistry, Prince Frederick Ford and Rejuvenation. We would also like to ex-press our appreciation to St. John Vian-ney Church for letting us host our event at the Family Life Center.

We would also like to recognize

the many local businesses that contrib-uted to the event. Schrader Grady of Fantasy World Entertainment and Dave Benson of Maryland Country Caterers went above and beyond to make sure the event was a success. Sweet Sue’s Bake Shop’s cupcakes were a definite hit. Sign Central graciously donated the signs and Dunkirk Wine & Spirits, always extremely supportive of every-thing we do, sponsored the bar.

And a special thank you goes to the 185 attendees who turned out to support this very worthwhile cause. We believe this effort is so important we are com-mitting the proceeds from our golf ben-efit on May 18 and our black-tie gala on Nov. 13 to ensure that our physicians have the tools they need to identify, treat and reduce the prevalence of this deadly disease in our community.

The cost to upgrade the equipment is estimated at $500,000 and will great-ly improve the quality of care for our community for many years to come. If you believe in the importance of main-taining quality access to cancer preven-tion and treatment, we encourage you to support these upcoming fundraisers. For more information, call Diane Tar-han at the Foundation office at 410-535-8178 or 301-855-1012 or visit the hospi-tal website at www.calverthospital.org.

Kathy Dickinson, President, Karen O’Brien, Vice President, Julie Cornellier, Secretary and Cindy Parlett, Board Mem-

ber Calvert Memorial Hospital Foundation

As a resident of Congressional Dis-trict 5, and as a volunteer with the Amer-ican Cancer Society Cancer Action Net-work, I’m thrilled that the Health Care Reform bill has finally become law! This law brings good news to cancer patients and their families.

First, there is a new emphasis on disease prevention, such as reducing or eliminating out-of-pocket costs for life-saving cancer screenings.

Second, the law will ultimately en-sure that all Americans have access to quality, affordable health care, regard-less of any pre-existing health condition.

And third, a patient’s quality of life is enhanced – the law will ensure such things as access to treatment for pain. Our thanks go out to Senator Barbara Mikulski, Senator Ben Cardin, and Con-gressman Steny Hoyer for their support and hard work on this issue.

Cancer strikes equally on both sides of the political aisle. Health care reform should be about patients, not about big

industries or political theory. This new law represents a huge im-provement over the previous status quo for people fighting life-threat-ening diseases.

Access to health care is a ba-sic human right – it should not be driven solely by shareholders and profit.

Senator Mikulski, Senator Cardin, and Congressman Hoyer did what is right, not what is nec-essarily popular. Is it a perfect law? No. But the law represents our first steps toward taking care of those in need. Fighting cancer is hard. Finding help shouldn’t be.

Sue Lyddon-Hayes, Volunteer and District Media Chair,

American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network

Leonardtown, MD

Thursday, April-201012 Thursday, April-2010 13

The recent shooting was a wake up call, too, he said.

“This is the first case of violence to that level,” Parsons said. “At this point we don’t have a gang problem but the potential is there.”

Law enforcement officers say that the creation of SMIC back in 2008 has helped keep them well informed of gang and crimi-nal faction activity in the region.

Intelligence from SMIC was responsible for the quick arrest of suspects in the recent shooting at the Chesapeake Ranch Estates, Jones said.

“We’d be way behind if it weren’t for the intelligence we gathered,” Jones said, which includes residences, hangouts, alliances and conflicts of gang members.

“We knew where they slept if not where they lived,” Jones said of the latest suspect ar-rests. “They’re going to go where they think they can hide.”

But even gang members turn on each other once they’re in jail, Jones said, and that is often law enforcement’s best source of intelligence.

In St. Mary’s County, officers work in the local jail to extract the same information, and often it is not a difficult procedure.

“Everybody wants to talk,” O’Neill said. “It’s a two-way street, it’s a conversation. We want to know about them and they want to know about us.

“They feel important at that point.”That intelligence gathering, Cameron

said, is what can keep law enforcement ahead of gang activity.

“When you know the players, you un-derstand the criminality,” Cameron said.

Currently, O’Neill says there are 45 vali-dated gang members in St. Mary’s County that have an affiliation with either a local criminal faction, as police prefer to think of them, or a national gang, O’Neill said.

“We’re in the process of validating 25

more,” O’Neill said.The key to nabbing suspected gang

members, St. Mary’s County Sheriff Timothy K. Cameron said, and getting them enhanced penalties for their crimes, is to prove that they are committing crimes in furtherance of their organization.

So far there is little evidence of that, Cameron said.

“They’re members [of gangs] but the question is, is their criminality supporting the gang,” Cameron said.

The biggest concern, he said, was that gangs might organize and seek new mem-bers locally, either for membership in home-grown groups or national gangs.

“It’s alarming that we have a gang presence,” Cameron said. “And that’s our concern. Are they going to try and create a franchise?”

St. Mary’s criminal faction members can be found in groups like The Boom Squad and The Outsiders, Cameron said, but they cannot be labeled as gangs since the crimes allegedly committed by their members are not done to strengthen the overall group.

But that did not diminish their danger to the public.

Members of both groups were involved in a dispute that led to a trailer park shooting back in 2007 and individual members contin-ue to be involved in low-level drug dealing,

Cameron said.The two local factions have also taken

part in numerous mutual assaults at local convenience stores and restaurants, Cameron said.

A suspect in a recent robbery of a fast food restaurant in Lexington Park is also a validated Bloods gang member, Cameron said, and other nationally recognized gang members in St. Mary’s include members of

the Crips gang as well as the Latin Kings.MS-13 gang members often come to

Point Lookout State Park for purported recre-ation, Cameron said, but they are not engaged in organized activity.

Members of two outlaw motorcycle gangs, the Phantoms and the Iron Horsemen, also reside here in the county, Cameron said. By Guy Leonard (CT) [email protected]

On The

Cover On The CoverGang, Criminal Faction Recruiting A Big Concern For Local Law Enforcement

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In the wake of a shooting in Calvert County that police say was between two local criminal gangs, the issue of either small local criminal fac-tions or even members of national gangs operating in the region could become a pressing problem.

Right now the situation is contained, local county sheriffs and detectives say, but that could change if smaller bands of local criminals and members of national gangs already here decide to

expand their operation.But defining whether the region has an

actual gang problem is difficult, according to investigators.

Currently, the strict definition of a gang under Maryland law is narrow, says Dep. Jim O’Neill, who gathers intelligence on gang and other crimi-nal activity in St. Mary’s County.

It must be a group of three people or more with a common name or signs that commit crimes in furtherance of the group, O’Neill said.

In Calvert County, police say a head on collision between two vehicles led to a shooting between two rival criminal factions. Inves-tigators here say there are more gang members than in St. Mary’s County.

According to Lt. Steve Jones, commander of the Calvert sheriff’s Criminal Investigation Team, there are 73 validated gang members there of one kind or another spread across nine different groups.

“We’ve verified that there are some well known gangs and some local ones,” Jones said. “We take it very seriously, one gang is too much.”

So far the criminal activ-ity from these groups has focused mostly on each other and not on citizens.

“We have some violence be-tween them,” Jones said, who did want to release the names of gangs to deny giving them prestige. “But most of it is gang on gang.”

Chris Parsons, O’Neill’s Cal-vert County counterpart in the Southern Maryland Information Center (SMIC) which works to track gangs and cross-border crim-inal enterprises, said that for now gang violence is under control but time could change that.

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Three Lusby residents, Marquis Angelo Glover, 16, Aris Xavier Curtis, 19, and Trevon Nakeem Benjamin, 17, were arrested on charges of attempted first-degree murder, first degree assault and other weapons violations, after police say a gang-related shooting occurred in Chesapeake Ranch Estates.

Photo Illustration by Frank Marquart


L Women at WorkPatuxent Habitat for Humanity Kicks Off First Women Build

Patuxent Habitat for Humanity is getting ready for their next build in Calvert County, where they will be building a home for resi-dents Chris and Crystal Jones and their two children. Part of this building effort though will be the heavy recruitment of females to volunteer on building crews, as the organiza-tion prepares to participate in the area’s first Women Build, which is to begin on May 8.

At a kick-off meeting held last Wednes-day at Patuxent Presbyterian Church in Cali-fornia for area business people and prospec-tive volunteers, Dan Doherty, President of Patuxent Habitat for Humanity, explained the details of the Women Build, a national effort during the week leading up to Mother’s Day that seeks out a majority of female volun-teers for all aspects of the building effort, the

main point of which is to get more women involved with Habitat’s overall mission.

“I view us as a catalyst … we help bring the community together to help those families and those children who might not otherwise be able to be homeowners,” said Doherty, adding that the group has built 11 homes in the area since 2003, and bringing volunteers of all stripes together for the ef-fort was essential.

“As I tell a lot of folks, you wouldn’t want to live in a house that I laid out for you, or did more than the walls for,” said Doherty, “so we need professional carpen-ters, professional electricians, professional plumbers, professional dry wallers, and vol-unteers from those areas.”

In 2009, 25,000 women built 253 homes for Habitat for Humanity, said Bar-bara Zeiller, Secretary for Patuxent Habitat, adding that, to date, the organization has built more than 1,400 houses worldwide.

“Our families and the people we serve are what makes this worthwhile. The women are the head of the household in the majority of the families that we serve here. They’re single moms with children who are now able to live in a home where they can raise their families in a safe environment.”

Families applying for Habitat housing must reside in either Calvert or St. Mary’s County, they must have regular income and they must reside in inadequate housing, which can be classified in a number of dif-ferent ways.

“Most of our families live in substan-dard conditions. They’re overcrowded, they’re poorly heated or cooled, they’re un-safe, they’re in disrepair, or they’re spending a disproportionate amount on their rent from their income,” said Zeiller, adding that good credit was another condition for eligibility, but that credit counseling and improvement programs were available for prospective families in the area.

“We’re here to describe to you a way to make a difference … women can help Habitat increase its capacity and serve more

families,” said Zeiller, adding that a lack of construction experience shouldn’t discour-age women from volunteering.

“When I first joined Habitat I didn’t have any skills in construction,” she said. “But at each job site there are people there helping us … I never thought I could do that before and it was a fabulous experience. Just because you’ve never done it before, don’t be discouraged. You’ll find a way you can make a contribution and you’ll really have a good time.”

Though this build would focus on re-cruiting women, men shouldn’t feel left out, said Doherty.

“May 8 is a big day for us, and I want to mention that this is not about excluding men, but including women,” said Doherty.

Basic training classes for volunteers will be held at the Lowe’s in California, Md. on April 17 and May 1 at 9 a.m. The first day of building would begin on May 8, and the house would take 16-18 weeks to complete. For more information on how to volunteer, or to register for the Women Build, call 301-863-6227 or email [email protected]. By AndreA Shiell (CT) info@somdpublishing.

net

Photo Courtesy of Patuxent Habitat for Humanity


PagesPast Older Than Many Nations - All Saints Episcopal Church

By Joyce BakiAll Saints Episcopal Church is a beau-

tiful, historic church in northern Calvert County. The church was built on an acre of ground donated by Thomas Hillary, known as “Kemp’s Desire.” The original log structure, built in 1693 just north of where the present church sits, was poorly constructed and the building required much repair.It was replaced with the present brick church that was com-pleted in 1777.

The church is a Georgian structure of Flemish bond brick with random glazed headers. Sixty feet by fifty feet and twenty-six feet high, the side walls hold two tiers of windows that retain their original clear glass and a gently sloping gable roof. The interior was remodeled in 1857 and restored in 1950. As you walk through one of two entry doors on the east wall you see the pew boxes on the first level made of simple paneling. The north and south wall galleries are supported by five square piers which are accessed through small staircases.

The history of All Saint’s Parish was well documented. It was part of the established

church of the Province of Maryland. In 1692, through an Act of the General Assembly, the Church of England (also known as the Angli-can Church) became the established church of the Province of Maryland. At that time, there were ten counties in the colony and those counties were divided into thirty parishes. Calvert County parishes included All Saints, Christ Church and All Faiths. All Faiths, lo-cated in Mechanicsville, was part of Calvert County until 1695.

The Archives of Maryland contain docu-mented material on the building and its con-struction between 1774 and 1777. The builders were Cleland and Heathman and it was built with county taxes while Thomas Claggett was the Rector. Claggett (1743-1816) would later become the first Bishop of the Protestant Epis-copal faith to be consecrated in America. The Act of Assembly for the building was overseen by Thomas Claggett, Edward Gantt, Charles Graham and William Ireland, commissioners appointed for this duty.

Father Claggett remained at All Saints until the outbreak of the Revolutionary War in 1776. During the war, the parish was min-istered to very irregularly. Father Claggett re-turned in 1786 after conditions settled where

he continued until he was consecrated the first Bishop of Maryland in 1792. The sundial near the front door was given to the church by Claggett upon his consecration as bishop. Accord-ing to history on the Church’s Web site, Claggett “wished to make sure his successor would begin services punctually.

The mortal remains of two former rectors, Thomas John Chew and Matthew Johnson, are buried under the old chan-cel. The chancel is the place where priests officiated and in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries it was considered an honor to be buried inside a church.

The stone baptismal font is said to have been brought from England in 1735 and was used in the parish church that preceded the present one.

Listed on the National Register of His-toric Places, All Saints Church is still an active parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland. The current rector is Rev. Ken Phelps, Jr.

All Saints Church will hold the 3rd An-nual Calvert Wine & Arts Fest on Saturday, May 8, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The fest will be on the Church grounds and feature some of the best artisans in Calvert, St. Mary’s and Charles counties, as well as Calvert County’s five wineries. Musicians, dancers, children’s activities, baked goods and other great food will add to the festivities. Tours of the Church and its labyrinth will also be available. (http://www.allsaints1692.org)

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Moving has been ranked among some of the most stressful events in a person’s life. Despite the high levels of anxiety it can cre-ate, about 15 percent of Americans move each year. Younger people, aged 18 to 34, tend to do the most moving and go the longest distances, according to statistics.

If you’re considering moving this year, it pays to do your research and be aware of a few tips before beginning the process.

• Narrow down your target area. Choose your desired area before you begin looking for houses. Things to consider in the area are the school system if you have children, proximity to transportation or employment, recreational activities, distance from friends and family, and municipal taxes. You also want to con-sider safety, whether there is a lot of industry in the area, congestion, and any other factors that are important to you.

• Get a pre-approval from a lender. A pre-approval will give you an estimate of what you can afford in a home and what a bank will lend you for a mort-gage. This can help you narrow down your search for a home and figure out a buying budget.

• Figure out your price range. Once you have your pre-approval you can set your price range. It pays to be conservative when

setting this range to ensure you’ll have enough money after mortgage payments and utilities for the other necessities. Remember, the cur-rent market is favoring buyers, so buyers can probably negotiate the asking price down by a few thousand dollars. Therefore, if you’re in-terested in a home for $300,000, set your limit at $325,000 when looking at properties.

• Decide on a house style. Some buyers prefer townhouses or condos because of their all-inclusive nature. Others want semi- de-tached or completely detached homes. You may prefer the all-on-one-level nature of a ranch-style house or the cozy dormers of a cape. See what houses you’re attracted to and select those styles as your preferences.

• Consult with a real estate agent. You can certainly do your home searching by yourself. However, real estate agents have access to up-to-the-minute listings of prop-erties from all different real estate agencies. Although they will receive a commission

when you buy the house, it is paid by the seller, so using an agent is a wise investment. The same can be said if you need to sell your house in order to buy a new one. An agent can mar-ket your house more effectively than if you do it by yourself. It could be well worth the com-mission you pay for the exposure your home will receive.

• Visit potential properties. You can save time by having an agent place you on an e-mail list that will automatically send you list-ings in your price range and area. This way you can narrow down properties based on fea-tures and even do drive-by visits before view-ing the property if it seems promising. If you

like a particular house, make an appointment with your agent to visit it. Don’t wait until the weekend. Weekends are busy days for house appointments and your agent may be able to spend more time with you on a weekday. Plus, you can beat the crowds to view the property.

• Don’t get discouraged. Buying and sell-ing homes is a process. You may fall in love with a house only to lose the house to a higher bidder. Or you may find that the houses you desire are just above your price level. With time you will get a home that has much of what you want, even if it takes months to get there.

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Herbert “Bugs” Johnson, 74

H e r b e r t Edward John-son, 74, of Dowell, MD passed away on March 7, 2010 at his residence in Dowell, MD.

H e r b e r t Edward John-son was born on October 20, 1935, at home with the assis-tance of a “Maid Mother,” to his parents Herbert “Pa” Verna Lavenia Foote-John-son in Lusby, Maryland.

Affectionately known to many as “Bugs Bunny,” a nickname given at a very early age by his grandmother from what he remembers.

Bugs attended grade school in Lusby and his 12th grade class was the first to graduate from William Sampson High School in Prince Frederick, Mary-land in 1953. Some of his favorite class-es included Industrial Arts, French and

Geometry, under Mr. Warrick Hill.Growing up, Bugs helped with

farming alongside his father while go-ing to school. After graduating from high school, he started in the construc-tion field in the Laborers’ International Union Local 657, as a laborer.

Bugs enlisted into the U.S. Air Force which gave him the opportunity to travel to Europe and Africa. While stationed at Wheelers Air Force Base, in North Africa he traveled to Paris, France; Pisa, Italy; Athens, Greece; and Amster-dam, Holland. At that time, one dollar would take him to each location. While in the Air Force, he also attended Air-craft Mechanic School for Jet Mechanic and successfully completed “Air Train-ing Command” specializing in “Aircraft Mechanic Jet One Engine Course” at Amarillo Airforce Base in Amarillo, Texas. After serving his country, Bugs returned home to construction work and helping “Pa” with the farming.

Bugs was baptized by Rev. R. L. Ball on May 5, 1935 at St. John M.E. Church, known today as St. John Unit-ed Methodist Church. Bugs was a part of the United Methodist Men, where he helped at the Parsonage, East-John

Youth Center, the Soup Kitchen, Out-reach, Witness, and Noonday Prayer.

In 1995, Herbert and Amanda were married and from this union, Bugs ac-quired eight children: Dinah, Pamela, John, Jeffery, Dennis, Faith, Stefon and Patricia. He had fifteen grandchildren, Tinita, Latrese, Terrell, John III, Vasho-na, Nicole, LaToya, LaKeshia, Brenna, Megan, Grace, Joy, Jacob, Kenneth and Victoria. He also had fifteen great grandchildren.

Bugs was preceded in death by both parents, daughters: Faith and Pamela, brothers: Amos, Thomas, and Archie; sister, Susie Porch; two uncles, Oliver and Archie Foote.

He leaves to cherish fond memories for his loving wife, Amanda and four sons and two daughters and their spous-es, two uncles, Glen (Eliza) and Phillip (Ruth); aunt, Thelma Foote; brother in-laws: Rev. Bernis Dorsey, James Heard and Edward Porch; sister in-laws: Elnora Gethers, Catherine Dorsey, Betty Dors-ey, Coreatha Broome, Juanetta Johnson, Shelia Johnson, and Regina Johnson. Bugs had a host of nieces and nephews (41), great-nieces and nephews (48), and great-great nieces and nephews (10); one

godson, Gary; one goddaughter, Aysia and two special friends, Peter and Jer-emiah; special aunt, Collette; very spe-cial niece, Pinky and a host of family & friends far too many to name, but he loved them just the same.

Funeral service was held on Sat-urday, March 13, 2010 at 11:00 AM at St. John UM Church, Lusby, MD with Rev. Dr. Samson Y. Nortey officiat-ing. The interment was at St. John UM Church Cemetery, Lusby.

The pallbearers were Robert Gray, Jr., Archie Johnson, Jr., Everette John-son, Gregory Johnson, Louis Johnson, and Barry Porch. The honorary pall-bearers were Asia Broome, Alexander Broome, Earl Dorsey, Glenn Foote, Phillip Foote, James Heard, Jeremiah Hutchins, Gerald Johnson, Vincent Johnson, Sr., and Peter Thompson.

Funeral arrangements provided by Sewell Funeral Home, Prince Freder-ick, MD.

Charles Randall, 87

C h a r l e s Randall, 87, of Owings, MD passed away on the morn-ing of March 11, 2010 at his residence.

G o d called one of his faith-ful servants

Charles Edward Randall, Sr. to his place of rest. Charles Edward Randall, Sr. was born on July 24, 1922 to the late Susie Randall and the late Charles Linsley Harvey in Paris, Maryland. Charles was the only child of Susie Randall.

He was educated in the public schools of Calvert County, Maryland. He lived in Calvert County most of his life, except for the years he spent in the military. He served his country dur-ing World War II in Europe and in the South Pacific Operations.

In 1949, Charles was united in Holy Matrimony to the late Laura Zen-etta Long by the late Rev. Frank Cham-bers, who was the pastor of Ward’s Me-morial Church. From this union they were blessed with three sons, Robert, Charles and Michael.

Charles became a member of Ward’s Methodist Church in 1953. He served in many ministries of the church. He was a person who tried to make things better for those who came after him. Whatever was needed to be done, he was committed to doing any-thing he could to help the church move forward. Charles wanted others to see and feel the love of God and the many blessings God have for those who ac-cept his son Jesus Christ as their per-sonal Savior.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Laura, stepmother, Marion Har-vey; sisters Josephine and Edith and brothers Ernest and Howard.

He leaves to cherish his memories, his children Robert, Charles Jr. (Cath-erine), and Michael (Pamela); many loving grandchildren and great grand-children; one sister Shirley Gaither; sisters-in-law Sarah Contee and Mil-dred Harvey; devoted friends Brookie Reynolds, Spencer Stepney, Eugene Wilson and John Henry Gray; and a host of nieces nephew’s relatives and friends.

Funeral service was held on Friday, March 19, 2010 at 11:00 AM at Ward’s Memorial UM Church with Rev. Elo-ise Newman officiating. The interment was at Ward’s Memorial UM Church Cemetery, Owings, MD.

The pallbearers were Careem Randall, Allen Posey, Russell Stew-art, Stanley Stewart, Enoch Harvey, and Warren Harvey. The honorary pallbearers were Leroy Evans, Daniel Coates, Darrell Contee, Levi Evans, Marquis Baynes, and James Randall.

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Ruth G. Reed, 86

Ruth G. Reed, 86, of P r i n c e F r e d e r -ick, MD received her crown in glory on March 6, 2010 with her f a m i l y at home. Ruth Genieve (Rice) Reed was born on March 9, 1923 to the late Joseph Rice, Jr. and Josie Contee Rice in Calvert County, Maryland. She attended Calvert County Public Schools up un-til Grade 10 and was a fulltime housewife and a woman of many hats. Ruth was a mother, a wife, a sharecropper, a grandmother and opened her home to raised children who were not her own.

Ruth, also known as Grand-ma Alice by her great-grand-children, joined and attended Mt. Hope United Methodist Church before transferring to St. Edmonds United Method-ist Church where she attended faithfully. She actively partici-pated on different committees in the church: The Flower Cir-cle, United Methodist Women. She took pride in raising her children and grandchildren and enjoyed hosting and attend-ing family gatherings, church functions, outings, York and Frederick Fair trips and visit-ing other family members. She loved decorating for Christmas, caning fruits and vegetables, gardening, preparing the meat after the livestock was slaugh-tered to provide food for the family for the winter. This was one of the many opportunities for the whole family to gather and bond as we’ve done on so many occasions.

In 1942, Ruth and Aaron were united in Holy Matrimo-ny and out of this union they were blessed with four chil-dren. Leaving to cherish her loving memories are: Aaron “Winfield” Reed Jr., Prince Frederick, MD and Josephine H. Reed, Lusby, MD. One ad-opted daughter: Phyllis Harrod, Chesapeake Beach, MD; one son-in-law, George W. Jones, Chesapeake Beach, MD. Pre-ceding her in death: her hus-band, Aaron W. Reed and her daughters: Carolyn Reed Jones and Andrea R. Reed. She also leaves nine grandchildren: Me-lissa Reed Johnson (James) and Ray Harris Sr. of Lusby, MD,

Lionel Jones (Maryanne) of Lexington Park, MD; LaShawn Reed and Stephanie Reed Savoy of Lusby, MD, George A. Jones (Tiffany) of Lanham, MD Co-rey Reed, Casey Reed and Ali-cia Coates of Lusby, MD, and one grandchild preceded her in death, Monica Creek Wil-son. Three adopted grandchil-dren: Lavina and April Harrod, North and Chesapeake Beach, MD and Crystal Alston (Jeff), Fort Washington, MD. Eighteen great-grandchildren: Nakeya West, Kalone Jones, RaShon Harris, Ray Harris Jr., Raekwon Savoy, Khaleel Thompson, Lin-nelra Jones, Amaya Wilson, Kayla Jones, Anthony Wilson Jr., Brandlynn Jones, Monique Savoy, Tymeesha Johnson, Ca-rina Reed, Joshua Johnson, Dayonna Jones, Aaron Jones and Yolonda Evans. Adopted great-grandchildren: Jasmine Hawkins, Espree Cradle, Jay-lin Hawkins, Quincy Alston, Jacaree Joseph and one adopted great-grandchild preceded her in death: Tashear Alston. Very close extended family: Mr. & Mrs. Curtis Gross, Lothian, MD and Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Pratt, Lusby, MD. Great neph-ew and nieces: Ellis (Alishia) Pratt, Clovette (Eric) Jones and Tiarra (Raphael) Proctor. She also leaves her sister Inez Holland, Huntingtown, MD and one brother-in-law, Gen-est Reed, Chesapeake Beach, MD; six sister-in-laws: Eileen Rice, Shirley Rice, Lillian Reed Moore, Vernell Reed Hartwell (Aaron), Clarice Reed Hall and Corina Reid. She had three close friends: Arnella Stepney, Marthalene Holland and Helen Parran, and a host of other rela-tives, cousins and friends. Ruth has gone home to be with her five brothers and two sisters who preceded her in death: Savoy, Herbert, Bowen, John, Ralph, Dorothy Contee Rich-ardson and Mary Rice Reed.

Funeral service was held on Saturday, March 13, 2010 at 11:00 AM at St. Edmonds UM Church, Chesapeake Beach, MD with Pastor Joan Jones officiating.

The interment was at Mt. Hope UM Church Cemetery, Sunderland, MD.

The pallbearers were Ray Harris, Sr., George Jones, Lio-nel Jones, Ellis Pratt, Casey Reed, and Corey Reid. The honorary pallbearer was James Johnson.

Funeral arrangements pro-vided by Sewell Funeral Home, Prince Frederick, MD.

Richard Walter Smith, 81

Rich-ard Wal-ter Smith, 81, of Dunkirk, M D p a s s e d away on February 27, 2010 at South R i v e r Health & Rehabilitation Center, Edgewa-ter, MD.

Richard Walter Smith was born on May 16, 1928 to the late Eliza and Richard Smith.

Walter was happy when we would frequently get together for family cookouts, because he knew he would get to see all of us. To him, we were like his own children as he never mar-ried nor had any children of his own. “Walter” as we lovingly called him, was a kind and gen-tle person. Even if you looked high and low we doubt that you could ever find one person who did not like him.

He attended school in Dunkirk, MD on the site of his childhood church, Cooper’s United Methodist Church. Dur-ing his earlier years, Walter was a farm worker. He later was employed by Southern States Association, a feed and supply company in Lothian, MD un-til he retired. After retirement, Walter worked with Howlin Construction Company until his illness began.

Even though he clearly suf-fered from arthritis and was sometimes in extreme pain, he never complained. He would al-ways do his best to do whatever he could do to help anyone. He leaves to cherish his memory, one sister, Marie Proctor, 6 nephews, 8 nieces and a host of close family members and friends. He will be truly missed by all who knew him well.

Funeral service was held on Saturday, March 6, 2010 at 10:00 AM at Sewell Funeral Home, Prince Frederick, MD with Elder Herbert Singletary officiating. The interment was held at Moses 3 Cemetery in Lothian, MD.

The pallbearers were Wayne Freeland, Darren Jones, Leon Jones, Oscar Jones, Au-gustus Prather, and George Stepney.

Becki Louise Whitney, 30

B e c k i L o u i s e W h i t n e y , 30, of Lus-by, MD passed away s u d d e n l y on March 23, 2010 at Calvert M e m o r i a l Hospital, Prince Frederick, MD. Becki was born on December 20th, 1979 in Prince George’s Hospital Center, Cheverly, MD to Pamela C. Lanham Belcher and Kevin L. Belcher.

Becki grew up in Calvert County; she graduated in 1998 from Calvert High School. Becki is survived by her husband James A. Whitney, her beloved son Dillon James Whitney, her mother Pamela C. LaRue and her

husband Charles J. of Manteo, NC, her father Kevin L. Belcher, Sr. and his companion Barbara A. Holmberg of Mechanics-ville, MD, her brother Kevin L. Belcher, Jr. and his companion Christine Whitehouse of Prince Frederick, MD, her sister Jenni-fer Lynn Lanham, nieces Kayla, Brooke and Lauren Whitney, Kyra Storm Belcher and Bri-ana Riggleman, nephews Ryan, Brice, Colby, Drew, Austin and Riley Whitney, her mother and father-in-law Ruth and Fred Whitney of Atlantic Beach, NC and her brother-in-laws Fred-die and his wife Catie, Billy and John Whitney.

The family received friends at Rausch Funeral Home, Lusby, on Saturday, March 27, 2010 at 11:00 AM until the time of the funeral service at 12. Interment followed at Solomons United Methodist Church Cemetery, Solomons, MD.

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CLASSIFIEDS

The Southern Calvert Gazette will not be held responsible for any ads omitted for any

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Patuxent High School

Sports Schedule Adams Keys Panthers’ Winning Burst in Season Opener

MORGANZA – After Chopticon had played the Patuxent boys’ lacrosse team even for just about three quarters, senior midfielder Michael Adams led an eight-goal blitz to help the Panthers overtake the Braves 13-5 Thursday afternoon.

“Mike has really working his butt off in the weight room and it showed today on the field,” said Panthers head coach Cliff Hunsicker. “He’s going to carry a lot of the weight this year and I’m expecting a lot from him.”

Adams scored five goals and handed out two assists as Patuxent scored the last eight goals of the game after Chopticon tied it at 5 midway through the third quarter.

“We knew we had to turn it on the second half,” Ad-ams said. “We couldn’t get anything going in the begin-ning, but we started to run our plays well and that got us back in the game.”

Adams assisted on Eric Spindler’s goal with 25 sec-onds remaining in the third for what turned out to be the game winner and scored four goals of his own in the fourth quarter to put the game away.

Chuckie Ragan added three goals and Zach Kane (two goals) Jacob Hayden and Eric Brauner and also scored goals for Patuxent, now 1-0 on the season and in Southern Maryland Athletic Conference play.

Hunsicker, in his fourth season as a coach, believes that senior leadership (there are 12 on the team) will be key if Patuxent (6-6 overall, 5-4 in SMAC last year) will make a move to the next level in the conference.

“It’s going to take hard work,” he said. “As long as they can keep the magic going, I think we can contend with any team in SMAC.”

Adams agreed, noting that the team would need to be clicking on all cylinders if they hope to contend with conference powers – and county rivals – Huntingtown and Northern.

“We don’t see them until the end of the season, so we have time to put in the work,” he said. “We’re going to have to play close to perfect when we see them.” BY CHRIS STEVENS (CT) [email protected]

Thurs., Apr. 1

BaseballPatuxent at Chesapeake

(Anne Arundel), 3:30 p.m.

Sat., Apr. 3

BaseballSt. Mary’s Ryken

at Patuxent, noon

SoftballPatuxent at

Leonardtown tournament

Tues., Apr. 6

Boys’ LacrossePatuxent at Great

Mills, 6:30 p.m.

Girls’ LacrosseGreat Mills at

Patuxent, 6:30 p.m.

Wed., Apr. 7

BaseballPatuxent at

Huntingtown, 4:30 p.m.

TennisHuntingtown at Patuxent, 4 p.m.

SoftballPatuxent at

Huntingtown, 4:30 p.m.

Fri., Apr. 9

BaseballWestlake at Patuxent, 4:30 p.m.

Girls’ LacrossePatuxent at

Northern, 6:30 p.m.

TennisWestlake at

Patuxent, 4 p.m.

Mon., Apr. 12

BaseballPatuxent at

Leonardtown, 4:30 p.m.

SoftballPatuxent at


TennisLackey at

Patuxent, 4 p.m.

Tues., Apr. 13

Boys’ LacrossePatuxent at


Girls’ LacrosseLeonardtown at Patuxent, 6:30

p.m.

Track and FieldPatuxent at

Leonardtown, 4 p.m.

Wed., Apr. 14

BaseballMcDonough at Patuxent, 4:30

p.m.

SoftballMcDonough at Patuxent,

4:30 p.m.

TennisPatuxent at

McDonough, 4 p.m.

Tues., Mar. 23

BaseballHuntingtown 6, Patux-

ent 4

SoftballHuntingtown 11,

Patuxent 6

Wed., Mar. 24

SoftballChopticon 8, Patuxent 2

BaseballPatuxent 3, Chopticon 2

TennisPatuxent 6,

Chopticon 3

Thurs., Mar. 25

Boys’ LacrossePatuxent 13, Chopticon

5

Girls’ LacrossePatuxent 21, Chopticon 4

High School Scoreboard

Kieran Kelly of Patuxent scoops up the ball during the Panthers 13-5 win over Chopticon Thursday afternoon.

Photo By Chris Stevens

Photo By Chris Stevens

The Panthers’ Eric Brauner keeps the ball away from Chopticon’s Robert Reinhold in Thursday’s SMAC boys’ lacrosse match.


Out About

By Joyce Baki

Happy Easter! Spring has sprung and it is time break away from the couch and enjoy the many things Calvert County has to offer.

The Calvert Marine Museum features its First FREE Friday program on Friday, April 2. The museum is open free to the public from 5 – 8 p.m. with special entertainment and activities. The Ocean Trio: Celtic Music for Ancient Mod-erns will perform at 5:30 p.m. in the auditorium. Please visit the Web site for complete details. (www.calvertmarinemuseum.com)

Discover hidden fossil eggs at the Calvert Marine Museum on Saturday, April 3. The Fossil Egg Hunt is designed for children ages 3-7. Eggs will be hidden throughout the museum so bring your own basket for collecting them. Participants will be awarded prizes and may keep the fossils they find! Admission fee is required. Be at the museum no later than 10 a.m. to participate.

Saturday, April 3 is Kite Day. Wings Over Washington returns to the Calvert Marine Muse-um to fly kites in Glascock Field, directly across the street from the museum from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Bring your own kite or purchase a kit for $5 (cash only). The event is cosponsored by the Autism-Asperger Association of Calvert County. Visit www.calvertmarinemuseum.com for addi-tional things to do during spring break.

Isaac’s Restaurant at the Holiday Inn Solo-mons dishes up their famous Easter Buffet Sun-day, April 4. Entrée items include chilled jumbo steamed shrimp, chicken Cordon Bleu, carved leg of lamb, ham, roast beef, rockfish topped with lobster sauce, breakfast items and all the fixings – including their amazing crab macaroni & cheese. The buffet is served from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., $24.95 per person, $12.50 for children 5-12, children under 5 are free. Call for reserva-tions at 410-326-6311, ext. 2181. (www.isaacsres-taurant.com)

I love Basket Bingos! The Mutual Elemen-tary PTA will sponsor a Family Basket Bingo Night at Mutual Elementary School Friday, April 9 from 5:30 – 9 p.m. There will be lots of great prizes, filled theme baskets, raffles and door priz-es. The admission for twenty games is $20 for adults and $5 for students. For more information call 410-586-9445.

Saturday, April 10, North Beach residents hold their annual Town-Wide Yard Sale. Join town residents from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. as they spring clean and turn out trash that could become your treasure. Literally the entire town will be one gi-ant yard sale! (www.ci.north-beach.md.us)

“All About the Benjamins” yard sales occur on Saturday, April 17 and May 15, at the South-ern Community Center from 8 a.m. – Noon. De-

signed for children 2-17 years of age, kids can learn money skills and entrepreneurship while making a few extra dollars. Have them clean out the garage, toy boxes and closets and join the staff at the Community Center for a morning of wheeling and dealing. Tables are $8, or purchase a space (bring your own table) for $5. Pre-regis-tration is required – 410-586-1101. (www.co.cal.md.us)

Enjoy an adult evening of art, wine and live music on Saturday, April 10, from 6 – 9 p.m. at Annmarie After Hours: AAH! Explore the richness and subtleties of the pastel medium with their new exhibit, The Nature of Pastel, featuring artwork by the signature members of the Mary-land Pastel Society. Annmarie After Hours will feature the rich, warm piano blues jazz of Fred Musengo, complimentary appetizers and tastings and special sales in the gift shop. This is a perfect stop before or after dinner. Check their Web site for more information - www.annmariegarden.org.

Get anchored to the Tiki Bar on its 30th Year Anniversary opening party, Friday, April 16. The seasonal opening is always the biggest party of the year, but this year they will be celebrating 30 years of tiki goodness. The Tiki Gods are plan-ning it now and it will be a must-attend event. The Tiki Gods also remind you to drink respon-sibly and have a designated driver! (www.tiki-barsolomons.com)

Ever wonder what archaeologists do? Join the staff at Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum Saturday, April 17, for their 2010 season open-ing, Discovering Archaeology Day. Discover the where, what and how of archaeology. The park will be open from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. with demon-strations, tours, displays and hands-on activities for all ages. (www.jefpat.org)

On Monday, April 19, don your spiffy pirate duds and hit Breezy Point Beach to join Captain Jack for a real-life treasure hunt. There’s a pirate chest buried in the sand and it’s full of treasure. What sort of treasure you say? Aye, that’s for you to find out, Mate! The admission is free, but you must register by April 16. It’s easy to register – walk into any Calvert County Parks and Rec-reation office, phone 410-535-1600, ext. 2225, fax 410-535-2233 or go online, https://webtrac.co.cal.md.us. The program number is 460400A.

Looking for a fun way to stay fit? Breezy Point Beach has the sand, the ball and the net – all they need is you for beach volleyball. They are creating a summer league and if you are inter-ested in keeping fit and having fun in the sun, call 410-535-0259 or e-mail the staff at [email protected].

Friday- Saturday, April 2 and 3

• Passion PlayThe 2nd annual Passion

Play directed by Andy Rog-ers will take place at 7 p.m. on the lawn across from St. Paul United Methodist in Lusby. All are welcome.

Saturday April 3• Go Fly a Kite

Celebrate spring at the Calvert Marine Museum’s annual Solomons Island Kite Day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the field across from the museum. Visitors can hone their flying skills and learn fancy maneuvers from the expertise of the Wings Over Washington Kite Club. Expert kiters will give demonstrations on super kites, and offer flying lessons. Bring your own kite, or make one at the museum. Kite kits will be on sale for $5 each, cash only.

• Fossil Egg Hunt Discover hidden fossil

eggs throughout the Cal-vert Marine Museum at 10 a.m. For children age 3 – 7. Please bring your own basket for collect-ing eggs. Participants are awarded a prize, and may keep the fossils! Admis-sion required. See www.calvertmarinemuseum.com for more information.

Monday, April 5• Otter Breakfast

Learn about otter en-richment, habitat, and the mischief these mammals get into with their play-ful curiosity at the Calvert Marine Museum beginning at 9 a.m.. Go behind the scenes to talk with a keeper and observe a feeding. A continental breakfast will be provided. Children must be 8 years old and accom-panied by an adult to par-

ticipate. Space is limited, pre-registration required. Fee is $15 per person, $10 for members, and includes museum admission. Call 410-326-2042 ext. 41 to register.

Tuesday, April 13• Farm Mediation Workshop

The Southern Mary-land Agricultural De-velopment Commission (SMADC) will host a workshop on mediation for farms in Maryland. The workshop will be presented by the Maryland Depart-ment of Agriculture Con-flict Resolution Service. The goal of the workshop will be to help farmers and producers explore and un-derstand various mediation options, with emphasis on MDA’s Agricultural Con-flict Resolution Program (ACReS). The workshop will be held from 5-7 p.m. in the SMECO auditorium, Hughesville, MD. Please R.S.V.P. by April 6 to: Shelly Lancaster, SMADC, 301-274-1922 ext. 1 or [email protected]

Saturday, April 18• 25th Annual Opening Day Celebration, Discov-ering Archaeology

Jefferson Patterson Park, St. Leonard, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Join us as we celebrate our 25th season of activi-ties and education at JPPM. Discover the where, what, and how of archaeology, as we highlight our new exhib-it “The FAQ’s of Archaeol-ogy”. Tour the Maryland Archaeological Conser-vation Laboratory. Learn about archaeology through educational walks, activi-ties, and demonstrations.

For additional infor-mation call 410-586-8501, or email [email protected]. Free admission.

Spring Has Sprung!



Why Being Ernest is So Important

� theWater

By Capt. Dale Weems

There are a few sure signs that spring is in the air.

The ospreys have come back and are rebuilding their nests. The willow trees have leaves, the spring flowers and forsythias are blooming.

For the saltwater angler in Maryland it means opening day for the striped bass (Morone saxatilis, also called Atlantic striped bass, stripers, linesiders, rock, pimpfish or rockfish), and our home, Calvert County, sits right in the middle of one of the largest breeding areas the Chesapeake Bay, where popu-lations from Chesapeake and Dela-ware Bays have intermingled.

As these fish start their mi-gratory trip into the Bay to spawn, the fishing will begin. It is the best

time for someone to catch the fish of a lifetime. A 40 inch-plus fish is not uncommon during this sea-son, which starts April 17 and runs through May 15.

Watching someone catch their first really big Rockfish from the Captain’s seat is as rewarding to me as doing it myself. I have watched it many times -- it starts with the look of disbelief, and then the smiles and the high fives and the cheers start. You know at that point this will be a repeat customer. They are instant members of the “Time Off Citation Club”, where members receive dis-counts on future trips.

At Time Off, we always fill out the paperwork for the Maryland Sport Fishing Tournament, where the angler receives an award cer-tificate and is automatically entered into the end of year tournament held at Sandy Point State Park.

The kids are the best – they not only get the certificate but they get the choice of keeping or releasing, and when they choose to release that fish you know the conservation speech worked, and they and may-be that same fish will be there again for the cheers and high fives.

It’s a great feeling from my position knowing that I am help-ing to create a generation that will hopefully treat this great natural resource with respect so it will be here for years to come. So pull those kids away from the computer games for a while and take them fishing. Capt. Dale Weems is owner Time Off Charters (www.Timeoffcharters.com)

The Time is Near to

Catch a Monster Rockfish

What is it about the name Ernest? A name lit-erally meaning “serious” doesn’t seem all that en-chanting – at least not by today’s standards – but perhaps the Victorian ladies in Oscar Wilde’s most famous play saw things differently back in the day. After all, in a society obsessed with class and out-ward appearances, a serious name may have been required for serious relationships.

Such is one of the core conundrums of “The Importance of Being Ernest,” which is currently showing at Three Notch Theater in Lexington Park. The question of what’s in a name, just as the ques-

tion of what’s in a person’s social standing, begs serious consideration, though as far as Victorian theater in concerned, there are few scripts that can answer the issue with as many laughs as this one.

The play follows the exploits of two gentle-men, Algernon Moncrieff and Ernest Worthing, as Algernon discovers that Ernest’s real name is John (or Jack), and his friend has been masquerading as Ernest whilst in the city, and keeping the name Jack while in the country to visit his ward, a young lady named Cecily.

Cecily has heard of Ernest, however, and knows him as Jack’s wild and estranged brother, a man she’s conveniently never met.

Meanwhile, Algernon is maintaining his own deception, using a fictional invalid friend named Bunbury to escape boring or dreadful social engage-ments (a practice he calls “going Bunburying”).

The hoax has been successful for these two, but things begin to unravel when Jack falls in love with a socialite named Gwendolyn, and her mother, Lady Bracknell, begins interrogating him to see if he’s of sufficient social standing to marry her daughter. Jack already has one strike against him, the fact that he was adopted after being discovered in a cloakroom near an unfashionable stop at Vic-toria Station. Also, Gwendolyn knows him only as Ernest, and she swears that his is the perfect name, and she could never love him if he were called any-thing else.

So Jack must find a way to become Ernest without arousing any suspicion from the people who know him by his real name. This is made even harder when Algernon decides to drop in unex-pectedly on Jack’s ward, Cecily, masquerading as “uncle Ernest” in the flesh.

Wilde’s most enduring masterpiece is, of course, a serious statement on class division and Victorian hypocrisy, but director Valarie Green said she saw other issues at work in the play.

“People keep asking me if class issues can work today,” she said, commenting on which issues she thought were most relevant to modern audi-ences, “but there are other issues that pop up, like gender roles, and I think that that definitely is some-thing we should work on today.”

Green said the thought of tackling one of her favorite scripts had caused concern when she first got involved with the production, since the script is so well known and the jokes are so decidedly British.

But the humor translates well with this cast. Dawn Weber plays a hilarious Lady Bracknell, owning the role like a true Tory. And Richard Milla and Aaron Meisinger work well together as Jack and Algernon, each commanding their characters without the smarmy slapstick you might expect from Americans who are trying to act British.

And as for that age-old question of what’s in a name, it may just be easiest to say that any name, if properly invoked, can cause comedy, and there’s always music in the moniker.

“The Importance of Being Ernest” is show-ing at Three Notch Theater in Lexington Park until April 11. For show schedules and reservations, call 301-737-5447 or go to www.newtowneplayers.org. BY ANDREA SHIELL (CT) [email protected]

Newtowne Players Present a Trivial Comedy for Serious People

Richard Milla (John Worthing) and Jennifer Meisinger (Gwendolyn Fairfax).

Capt. Dale with Josh, the youngest mem-ber of the “Time Off Citation Club”

Angler Greg Hockman with Capt. Dale after five citation fish releases.


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SNIFFERDOG Instinct Test “The cookie game”. Lets see if your dog likes to use his nose to find a prize! Is your dog more visually or olfactory oriented?

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Southern Calvert Gazette -- April 01, 2010

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