November 27: This Week in Potomac
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November 27: This Week in Potomac

Court proceedings continue for the three Walt Whitman students charged with a first-degree sexual assault that allegedly took place on Friday, Nov. 8.

Ryan Howard Baird, 14, of Rockville, was indicted last Thursday, Nov. 21 by a Montgomery County grand jury on one count of first-degree sex offense, one count of armed robbery and one count of first-degree assault.

Baird is charged as an adult, and, if convicted, faces a maximum possible sentence of life imprisonment. His preliminary hearing, originally scheduled for last Friday, was canceled due to the indictment.

Andrew Geoffrey Klepper, 15, of Potomac, and Young Jiun Song, 19, of Cabin John, are also charged as adults. Each has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Friday, Dec. 13, 2002.

According to police reports, the victim, a 25-year-old woman from Gaithersburg, reported to police that she was contacted by a male on Nov. 8 who offered her employment as a model for adult video productions. The victim arrived at a residence in the 7900 block of Quarry Ridge Way in Potomac at 11:30 a.m. on Nov. 8.

As the woman entered the Potomac home, she was attacked by three males, who struck her with a bat, police said. With a knife beside her face, she was robbed of her cell phone and car keys, threatened with the bat and was forced to remove her clothing before she was sexually assaulted, according to police documents. The woman also reported to police that $2,000 in currency was missing from her tote bag when she returned to her vehicle.

<sh>Deer Hunt on in December

<bt>The managed deer hunt at Blockhouse Point Park in Potomac will be conducted as scheduled. Deer hunts were postponed in the county during sniper attacks last month when the governor issued a ban on the discharge of firearms.

Now the hunt intended to curb environmental damage from deer in the conservation park near Violettes Lock is on again.

The deer hunt is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 9 through Friday, Dec. 13. The 600-acre park, spanning both sides of River Road, will be closed during those days.

The county received 318 applications from hunters; 60 were selected — 12 for each day — to hunt at Blockhouse Point. Nearby homeowners have been notified.

For information, see www.mc-mncppc.org/environment/deer or call 301-949-4149.

<sh>Two More Weekends

<cl>The Potomac Theatre Company's production of Damon Runyon's “Guys and Dolls” continues this weekend and next weekend at The Blair Family Center for the Arts at the Bullis School, 10601 Falls Rd., Potomac. Twenty-three actors will sing and dance their way through this popular musical, which is directed by Ron Sarro and produced by Marilyn and John Shockey, of Potomac. Performances this weekend will be given on Saturday, Nov. 30 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 1 at 2 p.m. There will be additional performances on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 6-7, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 8 at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $15 for adults, $13 for seniors and $10 for students. Call 301-299-8571 or see www.srbnet.com/ptc.

<sh>Bone Marrow Drive

<bt>Would-be bone marrow donors will have another chance to sign up locally. An additional bone marrow drive for Dani Shotel, a 26-year-old special education teacher, is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 5 at the Washington Hebrew Congregation, 3935 Macomb St., N.W., Washington, D.C., from 6-9:30 p.m.

Shotel is a past graduate of Wootton High School who is diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia.

More than 300 people attended a drive at Temple Beth Ami, in Rockville.

See www.nurgents.com/dani/

<sh>Potomac Burglary

<bt>Burglars pried open the door of a residence in the 10800 block of South Glen Road in Potomac, between 9 a.m. on Nov. 15 and 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 17. Nothing was taken.

<sh>Compassionate Friends

<bt>Four years after their daughter Pamela died of a brain tumor, Potomac residents Sandra and Lionel Chaiken formed the Potomac chapter of The Compassionate Friends in November of 1999.

The Compassionate Friends is a support group of mothers and fathers who have experienced the loss of a child.

"The first time my wife wanted us to go to a meeting I was very reluctant," according to Geraldo Orozco, a charter member of the Potomac chapter. "Since we had lost a baby boy to SIDS, I though the group was geared towards parents who had lost older children. Once I came to the group, I realized that the age of the child is not important. The grief we feel is equal, regardless of the age, sex or cause of death."

The Potomac chapter meets on the first Tuesday of the month at the Potomac Presbyterian Church on River Road. On Tuesday, Dec. 3, they will hold the third annual candle lighting, a special program in remembrance of their loved ones.

For information, contact Sandra Chaiken at lionelchaiken@adelphia.net or Susan Johnson at 301-517-4818.

There are more than 600 chapters of The Compassionate Friends in the United States. Visit the Website at www.tcfdcmetro.com.

<sh>Cell Phones for Seniors

<bt>Montgomery County Police are issuing free emergency cell phones to county senior citizens. The phones will allow someone to call 911 only.

A federal law says that every cell phone, even those that have been deactivated or not maintained on a service plan, must still be able to make 911 calls. To donate cell phones to the program, citizens can donate old or unused cell phones with chargers to the front desk of any Montgomery County Police station.

Senior citizens in need of a 911 cell phone can call Steve Steinberg, volunteer at the 2nd District in Bethesda, at 301-657-0622 to make an appointment to receive the phone and learn how to use it.

<sh>Spinning New Web

<bt>Montgomery County government's new web site is www.montgomerycountymd.gov. The site combines the County's online interactive services web site with the informational site. The new site was launched on Nov. 18 and combines features from the county's first site (www.co.mo.md.us) with a site that offered interactive services (www.emontgomery.org).

County residents can use the site to pay property taxes, reserve ball fields, pay parking tickets and library fines, purchase bus and rail fares, register bicycles and renew library materials.

<sh>Inauguration Ceremony

<bt>The public is invited to attend the Inauguration Ceremony for the county executive and members of the Montgomery County Council on Monday, Dec. 2 at 11:15 a.m. The ceremony will be held at Richard Montgomery High School, 250 Richard Montgomery Drive, Rockville. Admission is free of charge, but tickets are required for admission.

Call 240-777-2529 or e-mail Inauguration@co.mo.md.us

<sh>Horse News

<bt>The first-ever statewide census of horses has been completed, revealing that there are more than 87,000 horses, ponies, mules, donkeys and burros in over 20,000 locations around the state.

Approximately 38,000 people are involved in Maryland’s horse industry, which is valued at $5.2 billion with expenditures of $766 million a year.

Census forms were mailed in the summer to 23,000 potential horse owners and stable operators in all segments of the industry. The survey asked for information on the sale of horses, land area allocated to equine uses, number of horses owned, expenditures and value of assets.

County-by-county data will be available by late December. The Maryland Horse Industry Board commissioned the Maryland Agricultural Statistics Service to conduct the census.

See www.marylandhorseindustry.org to learn about the Maryland Horse Industry Board.

<sh>Facing Fear

<bt>All Montgomery County schools have been given a copy of the video, "Facing Fear: Helping Young People Cope with Terrorism and Other Tragic Events."

The video, part of a Red Cross curriculum for teachers on the same subject, was developed in response to the events of 9-11 in order to help young people deal with emotions brought on by such events.

Comcast of Montgomery recently provided the American Red Cross of the National Capital Area with a $30,000 in-kind donation to produce the video to serve as a visual component for the curriculum. The video will be available to all Red Cross chapters nationwide to distribute to schools throughout the country.

Following recent sniper attacks, the Red Cross supplied school systems as far as Richmond, Va. with the video and curriculum. For information on “Facing Fear,” call Katharine Vincent of the Red Cross at 202-728-6412 or by e-mail at vincentk@usa.redcross.org.

<sh>Krahnke's Legacy Rings Again

<bt>Verizon Wireless donated 20 voicemail boxes to the Betty Ann Krahnke Center for Domestic Violence. The Betty Ann Krahnke Center provides residential services for an estimated 200 abused women and nearly 350 children annually.

The voicemail boxes will enable the Center to offer clients the ability to receive and retrieve confidential messages from counselors, legal advocates, prospective employers and landlords.

Krahnke, who died on Oct. 6, served as Councilmember from District 1, representing the Potomac area from 1990 until 2000.

<sh>Children’s (and Teens’) Almanac

<bt>Every year between Christmas and New Years, the Potomac Almanac turns its pages over to the contributions of local students.

Artwork, photography, poetry, opinions, short stories and reflections have been featured in previous issues.

We welcome contributions from public schools, private schools and students who are home schooled. Past contributions have come from children from nursery school through high school. Sometimes an art or English teacher will assign a project and submit the work of an entire class. Often, the thoughtful and emotional contribution of a teenager will reach readers on many levels.

Mail or deliver contributions by Dec. 7, The Potomac Almanac, 10220 River Road, Suite 303, Potomac, MD 20854. E-mail to PotomacAlmanac@hotmail.com. Please be sure to include the student’s name, age, grade, school and town of residence along with each submission.

For information, call 301-983-2600.

<sh>Reflections

<bt>The Potomac Almanac’s first issue of 2003 will include a look at the year 2002, plus a look at the top issues for the coming year.

We invite short contributions from the community on any topic appropriate to reflections on a year past and a new year on its way — that is to say almost anything.

Please keep contributions under 300 words. We also welcome photographs.

Mail or delivery contributions by Dec. 7 to The Potomac Almanac, 10220 River Road, Suite 303, Potomac, MD 20854. E-mail to PotomacAlmanac@hotmail.com.

Please be sure to include name, a phone number for verification and town of residence with each submission.

For information, call 301-983-2600.

<sh>Access General Plan

<bt>Versions of Montgomery County's General Plan as well as current master plans and sector plans are available to be downloaded at http://www.mc-mncppc.org, the Montgomery County Park and Planning web site.

Montgomery County's General Plan, "On Wedges and Corridors," was recognized as a national model in land use planning when it was adopted in 1964.

The General Plan lays broad goals and objectives for planning in Montgomery County, which are implemented through area-specific master plans and sector plans.

The 2001 Potomac Master Plan was approved by the County Council and Park and Planning Commission. This fall, Council is expected to approve the sector plan that accompanies the Master Plan.

Call 301-495-4600.

<sh>Civic Associations

<bt>The Planning Board's Community Relations Office is updating its civic and homeowners associations database. Call 301-495-4600 any time of the day or night with the current president's name, address and phone number.

<sh>More Horse News

<bt>The Maryland Horse Industry Board is accepting grant applications for projects that promote the state's equine industry.

Projects will be considered in the area of education, research and marketing. Projects have ranged from educational materials, displays and seminars, horse care education for new horse owners, materials for new horse facilities and a museum exhibit on the history of thoroughbred racing in Maryland.

Proposals are due by Feb. 1, 2003. Grant recipients will be notified of their award within 90 days of submission.

See www.marylandhorseindustry.org or call 410-841-5861.