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Established 2006 • Volume 2 • Issue 25 • FREE

Public Schools Improve Test Scores

Remembering One Of St. Mary’s City’s Most Entrepreneurial Citizens

By Guy LeonardStaff Writer

One of the top supervisors in the St. Mary’s Sheriff’s Office’s Bu-reau of Criminal Investigation says his staff of nine detectives is really too small to do what it does with a county increasing in size towards 100,000 residents and crime rising to match.

But with a 95 percent closure rate when it comes to investigating all major crimes in St. Mary’s, Sgt. William Rosado, a state trooper, said that BCI detectives are getting excellent results despite long hours, stressful schedules and little time with their families.

The national average for closing major cases according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation was just 45 percent, less than half of the success rate of the BCI detectives, Rosado said.

“Could we use more detectives? Sure,” Rosado said. “But we manage our time the best we can; the closure rate says it all.”

Lt. Rick Burris, commander of BCI, said funding made it difficult to hire more investigators.

Rosado used to have 10 detec-tives, but that has since dropped by one staff member.

“We try and try to get more money but it’s just budgetary issues” Burris said.

BCI Overcomes Heavy Load with Small Staff

Sheriff’s Office Gets New Mobile Command CenterBy Guy LeonardStaff Writer

The days of sheriff’s deputies handling difficult and dangerous situations, such as barricades, from their

patrol cars is over thanks to a partnership between the sheriff’s office and the U.S. Navy.

The sheriff’s office took possession of a new mo-bile command center last week that was custom made for them by technicians and specialists from the Special

See St. Mary’s Citizen page A-�

See Heavy Load page A-�

See MSA Testing page A-5See Command Center page A-5

By Adam RossStaff Writer

The St. Mary’s County Health Department is expe-riencing an unprecedented shock trauma as its budget deficit widens and its expenditures spiral deeper into a refractory state.

While the health department did receive a slight in-crease of one to two percent for fiscal 2008, its expendi-tures rose nearly six percent in the face of employee cost of living adjustments (COLAs).

“The 2008 projected budget deficit is no longer pro-jected,” said St. Mary’s County Deputy Health Officer Tracy L. Kubinec.

According to Kubinec, the COLA and retirement increases mandated by the state are not backed by ad-equate funding, prompting health officials to cut a num-ber of public health activities. The department also plans to raise its environmental health fees by six percent, the first time a fee increase has been proposed in 10 years.

“Welcome to the world of health departments,” Ku-binec said, “it’s great to give COLAs except we have to pay for it.”

The cuts included emergency preparedness and poi-son prevention for children, transportation initiatives and nursing services to public and private schools.

“Fewer people are getting transportation to their medical appointments,” Kubinec added, “and if they are, they have to spend longer in transit.”

Additionally, Kubinec confirmed that all the coun-ty’s public and private schools lost their nursing support services. The board of education has since transferred the cost of 24 nurses onto its payroll.

“This is unfortunate,” said board member Daniel H. Raley. “I mean, one nurse took care of 16 [private] schools.”

The health department will continue to do vision and hearing screening mandated by the state.

Hospital Shock: Health Officials Slash Services

See Hospital Shock page A-4

Henry Miller, director of research at Historic St. Mary’s City survey’s the reconstruction of Garrett Van Sweringen’s meeting house and lodge that catered to the colony’s elite back in the 17th century. Van Sweringen was one of St. Mary’s City’s most prominent citizens.

Sgt. Ted Belleavoine, of the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Department talks with Del. John Wood (D-Dist.29A) on board the sheriff’s depart-ment’s new mobile command center, built by the Special Communications Requirements Division of NAVAIR.

Photo by Guy Leonard


By Adam RossStaff Writer

St. Mary’s County Public Schools’ students are in large part more proficient in math and reading than they were last year, outpacing state averages in grades � through 7 on the Maryland State Assessment, but ongoing deficiencies continue to stick out.

Spring Ridge Middle School has failed to make the state’s adequate yearly progress benchmarks for four straight years and is on corrective ac-tion, but the school’s 2007 testing re-sults only rose significantly in grade 6 reading while decreasing in grade 7 and � math and grade 7 reading.

The MSA test is used to track individual student achievement and ensure that school systems are on pace with federal and state achieve-ment standards. Under No Child Left Behind requirements, all stu-dents must score at the proficient lev-el or higher in reading and math by 2014 or the school system could face consequences that include replacing school staff or serious reorganization from an independent contractor.

Four out of five elementary and middle schools had at least one grade score lower on this year’s test, but with other gains the drops were offset, according to results released Wednesday by the Maryland State Department of Education.

“We are doing some very excit-ing and focused work in St. Mary’s County Public Schools and this has translated into very positive results for our students,” Superintendent Michael J. Martirano in a written release. “We are addressing our challenges and we are implementing programs to address our concerns and to enhance our learning envi-ronment for all children.”

While certain deficiencies re-main, namely in grade 7 where scores in the county fell by approxi-mately 1 percent, Grades 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8 all saw increases in reading over last year.

The county has addressed the middle school math deficiency by adding an additional period of math for all students, a new math supervi-sor, two additional math teachers at each school and new textbooks. The changes came as recommendations from a Middle School Task Force.

Grades 4, 5, 6 and 8 experienced math increases over last year as well, while grades � and 7 dropped.


Officials with the State Fire Marshal’s office say that a early Mon-day morning blaze that destroyed a house in Golden Beach was set on purpose.

“It was an incendiary fire,” said Faron Taylor, spokesman for the Fire Marshal’s office Tuesday. “That means they set it deliberately.”

Suspicious House Fire In Golden Beach Under Investigation

See Arson page A-4

SectionA-� The County Times Thursday,June�1,�007

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ByAdamRossStaffWriter

TheSt.Mary’sBoardofCountyCommissionersunan-imously approved a measureJune12totakenearly$52,000of unspent money from lastyear’sbudgetand invest it innewtrackingsoftwareforpo-licecruisercomputers.

The automatic vehiclelocation (AVL) software is acomputerbasedtrackingsys-temthatwillgreatlyenhancethe mapping capabilities ofpolicecruisercomputers, ac-cordingtoBobKelly,directorof Information TechnologyandPublicSafety.

InMay,publicsafetysuc-cessfully installed 80 mobiledata terminals, and followedwith a training day, Kellysaid.

“About 12 days after werolled out the first mobile data

terminal,adeputypulledoveravehicle,gotahitandwasabletomakeanarrestforsomeonewho was wanted in CalvertCounty,”Kellysaid.“Twelvedaysprior,wewouldn’thavebeenabletodothat.”

In addition to the in-creased communication ben-efits of mobile data terminals, theAVLsoftwarecanactasavehiclelocationdevice,great-ly enhancing the dispatchingcapabilitiesofemergencyser-vicepersonnel.AVLtechnol-ogycantracktheactualreal-timepositionofavehicle.

“It’s a small amount ofmoney to invest for a goodpiece of technology,” saidCommissioner Thomas A.Mattingly Sr. (D- Leonard-town) a seasoned volunteerfirefighter and proponent of thesystem.

Thecostofupgradingall80policecruisercomputersis

$57,600,or$720pervehicle,according to George Erich-sen,directorofPublicWorksandTransportation.

“We should try and getthis done,” Mattingly said,“so we can get it to the fire and rescueservicesnext.”

Commissioner DanielH.Raleyexpressedconcernsabout the future budgetaryimpactthesystemcouldhave.Thecommissionersareinthemiddleofacountywidevehi-cle replacement strategy,andRaley wanted to know theramifications of installing the systemintovehiclesthatwilllikelybereplaced.

However, because thesoftware is downloaded di-rectlyintothecruiser’smobiledataunit, itcanbetakenoutandreinstalledintoanewve-hicleatnoaddedexpense.

“The only fiscal cost is the expansion and maintenance

of the software,” Kelly said.“TheAVLsoftwaretransferswiththecomputer.”

OnJune12,thecommis-sionersapprovedthetransfer-ring $23,077 of unused ex-empt financing proceeds from othercountygovernmentde-partstothesheriff’s2007ve-hicles project, increasing thefundtonearly$52,000.

However, because theproject is part of exempt fi-nancing, the commissionerscould have used the excessfundstopaydowndebt.

Mattingly made the mo-tion to approve the transferandpurchaseofasmanyAVLsystems the $52,000 wouldbuy.

CountyFundsEnhancementforPoliceCruisers


Twenty three versions ofcontrolledchaoslater,theSt.Mary’s Board of EducationapproveditsoperatingbudgetJune11witharecordincreaseinfunding.

The moment appearedbittersweetforboardmembersand Superintendent MichaelJ. Martirano, who basked inthe accomplishment of fund-ing several new programs,butwrestledwithwhatcouldhave been after the commis-sionersrefusedanadditional$193,000 increase just a fewweeks before the finish line.

“I’m pleased with whatthe county commissionershavedoneoverall,andlookingatwhat theyhavecommittedand funded for us, they sup-port education in St. Mary’sCounty,”saidboardofeduca-tion vice-chairWilliamMat-tingly.“ButIwouldstillliketo have that $193,000 back.That’s another argument foranotherday.”

Thecommissionerscriti-cizedtheschoolboardandsu-perintendentduringabudgetwork session in May for notsupplying adequate informa-tionabout$200,000budgetedfor employee hires and payraises for full-time teachersand substitutes while simul-taneouslyslashingmoneyforeducationalmaterials.

“Wearenottheboardofeducation,butwehearallthetime that studentsdon’t haveinstructional materials,” saidCommissioner Thomas A.Mattingly Sr. (D- Leonard-town) at the May 22 budgetworksession.“Ilookatthosethings and wonder why theyaredoingthat.”

No representative fromtheschoolboardorSt.Mary’sCounty Public Schools’ cen-tral administrationwas pres-entthatdaytoexplain.Con-sequently, thecommissionersrefused the $193,000 alloca-tion.Thiswasontopof$2.5million in additional fundsthecommissionersrefusedtogrant earlier in the budget

cycle.Martirano absorbed the

blowlargelybypullingapayincrease to paraeducators,something he hopes to re-visitinnextyear’sbudget,butpromised their incrementalstepinsalary.

Chief Financial Officer DanCarneyalsomaneuveredmoniesinalastditchattemptto comply with the commis-sioners’refusaltogranttheseadditional funds, even financ-ingamilliondollarsof tech-nology equipment the boardpreviouslyplannedonpayingforupfront.

But overall, the schoolboardheldoffthetemptationtodecimateaprogramorsuc-cumb to political wranglingjusttomakeapoint.

“Wedidnotcompromisethe overall integrity of thebudget… there is a tendencyinothercountiesto[dothat],”Martiranosaid.

But not all was gloomyforcountyschools’,whosawthe largest annual budgetaryincrease in countyhistoryof$8.3millionfromthecountyanda$10.1millionboostfromthe state, bringing the totalbudgetto$169.9million.

“Totellourstoryandtootour own horn,” Carney saidof the funding victory, “itfullyfunds[ourshareof]thecharter school, enables [sci-ence,technology,engineeringand mathematics academies]to go forward, fully fundsnegotiated agreements, ad-dresses the achievement gapand increases the daily ratesfor substitutes and textbookexpenditures.”

County substitute teach-ershaveendured10yearsofsubstandard pay without araise,andwillstillmakelessthan substitutes in Calvertand Charles, according toMartirano.

That fact, and others, isallapartofthe“livingbreath-ingprocess,”characterizedbyMartiranoasthebudget.

“Wehaveandwillcontin-ue tobebrutallyhonestwithour facts, data and informa-tion,”headded.

SchoolBoardApprovesRecordIncreaseButWishesForMore

“We can’t just treadwa-ter,” board member CathyAllen said. “We reallyhave

to move forward if we ex-pectourchildrentobeabletocompete in the 21st century

marketplace.”The board of education

unanimously approved the

operatingbudget,whichnowawaits approval from thecountycommissionersJune26.


While it may seem tosomelikeapenny in the jar,theSt.Mary’sBoardofCoun-ty Commissioners supporteda grant application during

their June 12 meeting thatcallsfor$360,000inreliefforthesoon-to-bedisplacedresi-dentsofWhiteOakandNa-tionalMobileHomeParks.

However, because thestatecontrolsthemoney,itisrecommending the lion’s

sharegotowardsmovingthedisabledandelderlyresidents,according to Dennis Nichol-son,executivedirectorofthecounty’sHousingAuthority.

The cost of moving amobilehomehasbeenatop-

StateFundsWon’tCoverAllDisplacedMobileHomeResidents

SeeMobile HomespageA-�

Photo by Lindsay Notter

Deputy David Cowan tinkers with his new Mobile Data Terminal, which will soon feature new mapping and vehicle location software.

Thursday, June 21, 2007 The County Times Section A - �


Conference centers and hotels like the J.T. Daugherty Center and Fairfield Inn may be among the most recogniz-able in St. Mary’s County, but the honor of building the first one goes all the way back to 1678, to Garrett Van Swerin-gen, a Dutch immigrant who was one of the original mov-ers and shakers in Maryland’s first capital.

A group of his descen-dents from across the country is coming to celebrate his life, and the historical reconstruc-tion of some of his businesses, in St. Mary’s City June 23.

Henry Miller, head of re-search at St. Mary’s City, said despite personal hardships and material disasters, Van Sweringen kept coming back to prominence in early colo-nial life.

“He’s just an incredible guy in so many ways,” Miller said of Van Sweringen, who comes to St. Mary’s City in 1667. “He’s on the ground floor of really getting St. Mary’s City going as an urban place; he becomes one of the city’s most prominent devel-opers until [the capital] moves to Annapolis in 1695.”

Carpenters at St. Mary’s City are currently recon-structing perhaps the most prominent of Van Swerin-gen’s enterprises, his meeting house and private lodging es-tablishment that catered to the colony’s elite and earned him much fame and fortune.

The site should be open by October, Miller said.

“It was the place [to be in St. Mary’s City],” Miller said. “He was a very forward think-ing guy and very innovative. “[The reconstruction] will allow us to tell his story in a way we’ve never been able to before.”

The meeting house is a simulation of the original, Miller said, built using histor-ical records and archeological evidence, but the two support-ing buildings, the kitchen and cold storage cellar adjacent to it, all have portions of their remaining brick foundations left.

Carpenters are busy now, finishing ceilings and the ex-pansive fire place that Miller believes would have been a key part in entertaining and feeding the elite that lodged there.

Van Sweringen got his start in the New World by originally navigating a ship across the Atlantic to Fire Is-land in what would eventually become New York in 1657. He’s shipwrecked there, loses most of his possessions, and makes his way to the Dutch colony of New Amstel in Delaware. He serves there as a representative of the City of Amsterdam, but is eventually thrown out by invading Brit-ish along with his other coun-trymen and again loses every-thing he owned.

After a brief and unsuc-cessful stint at farming in Talbot County, he makes his way to St. Mary’s to begin a new life in business in 1667, and he is also appointed as an alderman of the city council by Cecil Calvert, the second Lord Baltimore.

Miller said Van Swer-ingen found success an inn-keeper, working in the tobac-co trade and importing wines and cheeses.

He eventually adds a beer brewery and private lodging establishment — like a high-er-class hotel — to his busi-ness holdings and continues to prosper. He even started a coffee house that also sold wine and other beverages.

But he suffers a personal loss when his first wife, Bar-bara, dies. He remarries a 17-year-old English woman named Mary Smith and more children.

Van Sweringen fathered 10 children between the two women according to histori-cal documents.

By 1677 Van Sweringen was able to acquire the build-ing that the Governor’s Coun-

cil had been using to hold their meetings and turns it into what could be termed as a small conference hall that ca-tered to the colony’s elite with the finest food and drink.

But while under construc-tion, Van Sweringen suffered another setback when the inn that he still owned, but had leased to another colonist, burned down.

Despite the heavy finan-cial loss, Van Sweringen came back.

According to accounts from his descendants regard-ing family history, Van Swer-ingen was the root of what has become an estimated tens of thousands of other Swerin-gens’ across the nation. No other immigrant is primarily responsible for the spreading of that name, they said.

His descendants say he was as resilient as he was suc-cessful in business and family life.

“He just kept coming back,” said Mark Swearingen, a state auditor from Washing-

ton, Penn. who has made studying his ancestor a serious interest.

“How could you not be interested in this stuff?” Swearin-gen said.

He counts Van Sweringens’ arrival in the New World in 1657 as the begin-ning of his family’s long and distin-guished history. “By my count that makes this the 350th anniversary of the family,” he said of this year’s celebration.”

By 1695 the capital was moved to Annapolis and Van Sweringen fol-lowed with his busi-ness trying to make a profit, but died just three years later in 1698.

Miller said that Van Sweringen, of whom no accurate portraits or like-nesses exist, said his story typified the spirit of en-trepreneurship and hard work

that helped found Maryland.“He’s just so success-

ful after having all these set-

backs,” Miller said. “How many people suffer like that and still succeed?”

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St. Mary’s CitizenContinued from page A-�

Henry Miller, research director at St. Mary’s City, looks over the construction process of Van Sweringen’s meeting house with carpenter Peter Rivers.


SectionA-� The County Times Thursday,June21,2007

Editorial&Opinion

LetterstotheEditorIf you wish to send a letter to the editor, please include your name, address and phone number for confirmation purposes. We will only publish your name and city of residence. We can withhold your name by request if circumstances merit it. We must receive all letters by Monday morning for publication in the next issue. Any letter received later than Monday will be held for the following issue.

P.O.Box250•Hollywood,Maryland20636

News, advertising, circulation, classifieds: 301-373-4125

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While services have been scaled back, board memberswere left wondering why a bio-terrorism program - some-thing that may never come to fruition - was funded beforethe county schools nursing program.

“Theopportunitytopro-vide these [school] services are a higher priority than a bio-terrorism effort that mayor may not ever happen,” board member Thomas A. Mattingly Sr. said.

County Health Officer William B. Icenhower agreed with Mattingly’s premise, and acknowledged the bureaucrat-ic nature of funding, some-thing the health board has un-knowingly contributed to.

By pouring more money intoadministrationandcom-peting agencies, including the hiring of an addictions coordinatorat$74,000ayearto oversee Walden Sierra and

Marcey House, the county has taken away funds from keyservices; something Matting-ly and Raley are fed up with.

“I’m not complaining about the health department,” Raley said. “We voted on something and didn’t under-stand the ramifications.”

Icenhower said having an addictionscoordinatorwas“asound way of doing business monitoring the person deliv-ering the services.”

“I disagree with what you’re doing here,” Mattingly said in response to Icenhow-er’s justification for the coor-dinator’s hiring. “They were getting all their funds before we changed, and they never had an accountability issue.

Now we have done a bu-reaucratic change and we did it unknowingly.”

It was the St. Mary’s Board of County Commis-sioners acting in their role as

the St. Mary’s County Board of Health who approved the coordinator’s hiring.

The health departmentbalanced its budget without firing any employees, but did reducethenumberoffulltimeemployees through attrition and vacancies.

The county increasedfunding to the health depart-ment by $13,000 this year,and the state followed suitwith an increase of $50,000. The health department’s total budget is approximately $10 million,withanallocationof10percentcounty,15percentstate, 62 percent grants and 12 percent billing.

“Somehow we don’t have a good handle on this,” Raley said. “The adminis-trative costs on all this stuff are affecting the delivery of services.

County Administrator John Savich called for more discussion and oversight to funding mechanisms so that moneyisappropriateddirect-ly to services.

HospitalShockContinued from page A-�

ic of debate in past months,but depending on the size of the trailer it can range from $5,000 to $12,000. One resi-dent even said she received an estimate of $18,000 to move a doublewide trailer.

If the county receives the grant, Nicholson estimates 74 ofthe160householdscanbehelped.

“As each month goes by that number will change,” Nicholson said. “One mobile home park is having more success in finding housing for those renting and going on to another renting situation, but those who own, that invest-ment is more difficult.”

RichardEshelman,prop-erty manager of the White Oak Mobile Home Park in Lexington Park offered $3,100 inassistancetoresidentswhoagree to remove their homes and vacate the lot.

Residents have argued that Eshelman’s assistance is not enough, and finding a

suitableandsafereplacementcommunity in St. Mary’s County is nearly impossible.

Now, some trailer own-ers might not even get finan-cial support from the state,which has classified the focus of the money’s allocation into four categories: elderly and disabled first; economically disabled,$50,000orless,sec-ond; elderly disabled renters third and other renters fourth.

According to Nicholson, it willbeatleast60daysbeforethe grant agreement can be fi-nalized and funds tapped.

“Iwouldpublicly like tothank Dennis and the housing authority in their efforts andwith doing a fantastic job,” said Commissioner ThomasA. Mattingly Sr. (D- Leonar-dtown). “You’re the experts, and members of the Housing Authority are truly commit-ted to helping these folks and making sure their transition to new neighborhoods is as pain-less and easy as possible.”

Even if the state grant is approved and the park’s resi-dents have their moves fully funded, relocation itself isproblematic. Trailer parks are no longer allowed to be built in St. Mary’s and individual trailersareonlyallowedwithfive acres of land in the rural preservation district.

Such relocation would cost an owner hundreds ofthousands of dollars in landacquisition costs.

Meanwhile, many White Oak and National residentsconsider St. Clement’s Cross-ing, a trailer park on Great Mills Road, as crime ridden and dirty.

The commissioners have discussed proposing new leg-islation to the state in aiding the addition of new trailerpark homes in the future.

Residents of White Oak must vacate their land by April of 2008. Thomas Builders in Leonard-town purchased the White Oak property for $3.9 million.

MobileHomesContinued from page A-�

Taylor said the fire is still under investigation and that his office is not revealing any suspects or making any specu-lationastowhythehousewasset alight.

“At this point it would bepremature to speculateonwhat the motive is,” Taylor said.

What is known is that the fire was set around 2:30 a.m. Monday and took about 50 firefighters to extinguish.

Taylor said estimates thedamage to the house, which is nowonly a charred skeleton,to be $300,000.

Theownersofthehome,brothers Charles and JamesShirley, Jr. were on the site of the gutted cottage on Holmes Road the day after the fire and had been trying to salvage anything of value.

“We’ve been down here all day trying to gather what we could gather,” said James Shirley, Jr. “We saved a couple of paintings and that’s all.”

Both men, who are also 30-year residents of Golden Beach, say they had renovated thehousesothattheirfather,James Shirley, Sr. could live close by to them.

He lived there for about a year-and-a-half, CharlesShirley said, before he died in May.

“I was afraid this wouldhappen, it being vacant,” Charles Shirley said, add-ing that he and his brother watched Monday morning as the small house they made ex-tensive renovations to go up in flames.

“It broke my heart… tosee everything my brother andIdidtobedestroyedin20or 30 minutes,” he said. “My brother and I renovated it so [their father] could live with us.

“Everything in there was new I mean everything; the whole nine yards.”

Many of the possessions that the Shirley brother’s fa-therandunclehadfromtheirWorld War II service were de-stroyed save some medals and a bible that belonged to their uncle, killed while serving in France.

They were able to sal-vage a uniform cap from their grandfather’s World War I uniform as well.

They were grateful for what they could retrieve from the ashes but were more de-pressedattheapparentcrimethan angry.

“We were more sick than upset,” Charles Shirley said.

Anyone with information regarding the house fire can call the Deputy State Fire Mar-shal for Southern Maryland Jeff Frye at 443-550-6832.

ArsonContinued from page A-�

Photo by Andrew Knowlton

St. Mary’s County enjoys the service of 1,000’s of vol-unteers throughout our com-munity. Volunteers provide thousands of service hours tohelpmeettheneedsofourgrowing community. It is impossible to recognize all the groups and individuals who provide service to our community without inadver-tently missing someone.

All volunteer work is criticaltoourcounty,nottheleast of which is the service performed by the 1000’s of menandwomenwhowerelyupon as first responders in times of emergency.

OnJune30ththeHolly-wood Volunteer Fire Depart-ment and Ladies Auxiliary will be celebrating their 50th

anniversary. While Holly-woodisnottheoldestdepart-ment operating in St. Mary’s, 50 years is a milestone theentire county should pauseto celebrate.

With the growth in Southern Maryland over the past 50 years, the volunteer emergency services have seen the demand for ser-vice increase dramatically. Currently seven fire depart-ments, seven rescue squads, and one advanced life sup-port unit serve St. Mary’s County. Many of our vol-unteer fire departments re-spond to over 500 calls for emergency service per year. Many of our volunteer rescue squads respond to over 1,500 calls for service each year,

with the volunteers from the Advanced Life Support Unit responding to over 3,000 calls per year for emergency life support service.

Providing emergency service at this level, 24 hours a day, seven days a week by professionally trained volun-teers is a benefit we all enjoy at a cost substantially lessthan if the service were pro-vided by paid professionals.

Counties just to the north of St. Mary’s, includ-ing Prince Georges County and Anne Arundel Coun-ty use paid service, while Charles County has begun to transform it’s Advanced Life Support Unit to a paid ser-vice. While those counties are spending more taxpayer

dollars to provide these must have services, there is no evidence that their service level is any better than that provided by our dedicated volunteers.

As a community it is im-portant that we constantlyshow our gratitude and sup-port of these volunteers and their various departments. Therearemany timeswhenthese men and women an-swerthecommunitiesneedsat 2 o’clock in the morning even while knowing they will need to be at work earning a living for their own family at 6 o’clock that morning. They needtoknowhowmuchweappreciate what they do.

The Hollywood Volun-teer Fire Department and

Ladies Auxiliary’s 50th an-niversary celebration is one of many opportunities toshow our appreciation. It also provides a great oppor-tunity for families to enjoy a great day together right here in our community.

The activities for the day are planned to start with agrand parade beginning at 3:30 Saturday afternoon. The parade will be on Mervell Dean Road in Hollywood,starting at Joy Chapel Road and proceeding north. There is plenty of room along the paraderouteforyouandyourfamily to enjoy the show.

After the parade the fes-tivities will continue at the Hollywood Fire House withfood,refreshments,andmu-

sic. Come out and enjoy the sounds of “Great Train Rob-bery”. Then at dusk the skies around the firehouse will be sparkling with a grand dis-play of fireworks for all to enjoy.

We encourage the com-munitytobethereifyoucan,ifnotmaybeyoucantakeamoment out of your day tothank a volunteer.

Celebrating50YearsProtectingOurCommunity

The home owned by Charles and James Shirley, Jr. located in Golden Beach, was destroyed by a fire that investi-gators say was set deliberately. The damage is estimated to be about $300,000 according to fire investigators.

Thursday, June 21, 2007 The County Times Section A - �

Terri Bartz Bowles

Previously in Ramblings, I wrote about terrapin activity in my yard, specifically ter-rapins in the front flower bed and the compost pile. Well, I’m pleased to report that ter-rapin activity has increased in my little corner of the world. As a matter of fact, the hard-

shelled critters caused me to be a bit late for work this past Friday.

My hubby did a little re-search about terrapins and found lots of interesting things. Apparently, ‘terrapin’ is a North American Indian word for turtle. Turtles gener-ally do water and tortoises are strictly land-based. Our local

terrapins are actually East-ern Box Turtles, but terrapin is what we locals like to call them. Their general life span is 20-50 years, but there have been reports of senior citizens up to 100 years old. They spend their lives in the same general area; depending on what you read it’s anywhere from the size of a football

field to about a square mile. They don’t wander, migrate or retire to Florida. As long as their habitat stays intact, so do they. They’re disrupted, of course, by development (grrrr) destroying their habi-tat. The main problem in the terrapin world is loss of habi-tat and being plucked from the wild for pets. They sort

of have little GPS systems built in – they have a hom-ing instinct and endeavor to get back to their home place if they’ve been moved. So if your kids see a terrapin when you’re away from home, don’t let them bring him back with them. He’ll spend the rest of his life trying to get back to his home and the process will more than likely kill him.

They like a water source, open space mixed with a wooded area and they par-ticularly enjoy slugs and wild strawberries. Well, let me tell you, our place is ideal for ter-rapins! It’s terrapin utopia! We’re happy because it’s neat to watch them and my hostas are happy because the more terrapins we have, the fewer slugs there will be chewing on their leaves. Note for the terrapins - invite your friends, expand the family, start a ter-rapin commune; all are wel-come. As a bonus, we have a really neat compost pile that’s a veritable terrapin buffet.

So, last Friday my hus-band sees a terrapin right at the bottom of the back door steps. We’re watching him and here comes a second ter-rapin trundling out. Magic! They were wandering through the mint and eventually, all we could see was the movement of the leaves and stems as they ambled along. Then, the same leaves and stems kept shaking for quite a while, no forward movement. They were either

mating or making a nest for the eggs. Either way, how cool is that? Then one pops out (probably him) and proceeds to suck up a slug. Then she pops out and promptly clams her shell shut. Terrapins have the unique ability to not only withdraw their appendages, but to completely shut their shell. So now we wait and see if we have babies. Only we probably won’t know for three to five years. They’re smaller than a quarter when hatched and they stay hidden for sev-eral years for protection.

Watching these fellas mo-tivate is endlessly fascinating. They are strong and sturdy; my analogy would be they are the Sherman tanks of the animal world. Their legs are a lot longer than you think and so they are able to go over, instead of around, a lot of obstacles. We had a small pile of bricks, maybe twenty just tossed into a pile, and we watched a terrapin march right over top of it. It was amazing and he wasn’t as slow as the old jokes go – but maybe tor-toises are slower than terra-pins. At any rate, if you have one around, you’re blessed for sure. Enjoy nature’s wonder and one of Maryland’s espe-cially dear critters.

Photo by Adam Ross

Ramblings of a Country Girl

Look Ma, A Terrapin

MSA TestingContinued from page A-�

Communications Require-ments Division of NAVAIR, which is housed at the Patux-ent River’s Webster Field an-nex in St. Inigoes.

Sheriff Tim Cameron said the new command center would allow sheriff’s deputies to take charge of dangerous and protracted situations like barricades or hostage situa-tions quickly.

“We’ve been working these problems out of the trunks of police cars,” Cam-eron said. “It’s a long awaited piece of equipment.”

The mobile command center resembles a truck-drawn trailer without win-dows and has a Spartan inte-rior with its own heating and cooling system.

The inner bay of the com-mand center has workstations that are compatible with com-puters, including the office’s new Sony Toughbooks, which have reinforced bodies built to military specifications.

Sheriff’s deputies on-duty in the command center will also have a fax machine to send and receive information as well a radio and recharging system. There is also equip-ment on board that can en-able radios used by police in other jurisdictions to function on the same frequencies as those of St. Mary’s deputies if needed, providing what is known as communications interoperability.

Plasma screen televisions on board the command center hooked to exterior cameras

also allow deputies to view the tactical situation right out-side their door.

Amenities on board the mobile command center are few; there’s only a microwave and coffeemaker with no rest-room available.

The entire command center was purchased with a homeland security grant the office received in 2004.

Cameron said having no restroom was important to avoid deputies or other per-sonnel from continually com-ing and going and disrupting command operations.

Lt. Rick Burris, com-mander of St. Mary’s Bureau of Criminal Investigations, said the command center was designed with a strictly busi-ness mentality in mind.

Too much equipment on board the command center could actually make the depu-ties’ job more difficult.

“We wanted it bare-bones so it would do just what we wanted it to do,” Burris said.

Adm. Steve Eastburg, commander of the Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Di-vision (NAWCAD), at Patux-ent River Naval Air Station, said that the command center was a symbol of the grow-ing partnership between the county and the U.S. Navy.

“This is the first time in our memory that NAVAIR was able to deliver to the county something of this sort,” Eastburg said.

Local police have said the kinds of situations in which

the new mobile command center could be used are on the rise.

A recent example oc-curred June 10, when mem-bers of the sheriff’s Emergen-cy Services Team became in-volved in a barricade situation in Mechanicsville in which the suspect George Robert Farrell, 33, killed himself to end a six-hour standoff start-ed by a domestic dispute with his wife.

A high- ranking mem-ber of the sheriff’s office said there was another brief barri-cade situation that same day, but that the suspect surren-dered before tactical officers had to be called.

Last month, deputies had a standoff with another Me-chanicsville man who had al-legedly assaulted a woman he brought to his home on Bap-tist Church Road. According to police reports, the woman jumped out of a first story window after being badly beaten.

Cameron praised the NAVAIR team for giving the sheriff’s office another edge in quelling dangerous situations.

“This mobile command center will give us succinct, concise and clear command and control,” Cameron said. “It’s [a symbol of a] real partnership between us and NAVAIR.

“We have tomorrow’s technology in that vehicle today.”

Command CenterContinued from page A-�

By Guy Leonard Staff Writer

Jay Warnick of Drayden and Tommy Keating of Me-chanicsville, both just 10 years old, will compete with hundreds of other youth from around the country at the All American Soap Box Derby in Akron Ohio after winning first place in their respective divisions at the local competi-tion in Leonardtown.

Both boys said they were excited and nervous to go, but that they wanted to pursue their love of Soap Box speed and the wind in their face on a national stage.

Both boys will journey to Akron July 16 to compete for scholarships and other prizes.

For Warnick it was his second time racing, but his victory this year at the Leon-ardown event held June 9 was a complete turnaround from his first run.

“Last year I came in eighth place, which is last place,” Warnick said. But with this year’s first place trophy he was confidant in saying “I’m a very good driver.”

Warnick took top honors in the stock division, which requires lighter cars that must be kept relatively nondescript. But Keating won the top slot in the super stock division, which is a heavier car and can be painted to the contestant’s desires.

Keating started his racing career in the Soap Box Derby last year where he came in fourth place. He, too had a quick rise to victory this year and credits his victory with covering the basics of rac-ing in his gravity powered vehicle.

“I was able to get lower this year,” Keating said. “I like going fast and you have to get down lower so you can go faster.”

Keating was ready to give up that steamy weekend day

when he lost his first race and had to wait for the next one in the losers bracket instead of gearing up immediately.

“I got bored,” Keating said, who said he was glad later that he stuck with it.

“It’s a good lesson in teaching kids never to give up,” said his mother Roxanne Keating. “You never know what might happen.”

Keating got his start in racing by watching others the past several years, including his older sister, Taylor Keat-ing, 16, who had raced for about three years until she was 14 years old.

Warnick got his start in Soap Box Derby racing from being in the Cub Scouts where one of his activities was to de-sign a small car out of block of wood and race it down a ramp in competition.

Even as a baby he re-ceived a motorized, drivable toy car from a relative and from thereon he was hooked on all kinds of driving.

“He did that before he could walk,” his mother Co-lette Warnick said. “He drove really young.”

Her son’s enthusiasm for racing sometimes overflows into his home life, she said.

When her son has to change his wheels out at the races and swap them with

those of a competitor to race to ensure everyone’s wheels are the same, his mother said, the retaining pins always seems to wind up in the strangest places.

“I find them in the wash whenever they come home from racing,” Colette War-nick said.

Warnick said he loved to drive and since he got his mo-torized toy he’s “been driving ever since.”

He credits his most recent victory June 9 to getting help from God.

“I prayed between ev-ery race,” Warnick, an active member at Patuxent Baptist Church, said.

He plans to forge ahead at Akron despite his nerves. “I don’t know how good any of the stock racers are,” War-nick said.

When asked if he has high hopes of winning, a quiet Ke-ating says “yes,” but that an-swer quickly changes to “no” when he thinks of his actual chances facing all those other competitors next month.

But he still plans to push ahead like Warnick and do his best.

“I’m nervous,” Keating said. “But [racing] is exciting and fun.”

County Boys Will Take Their Passion For Racing To National Competition

Tommy Keating, 10, of Mechanicsville will travel to Akron, Ohio to race in the All American Soap Box Derby after winning first place in the super stock division at the Soap Box Derby Race in Leonardtown June 9.


Overall, the county out-paced the state averages, which also experienced gains over last year.

Linda Dudderar, schools’ chief academic officer, told The County Times that SMCPS is achieving steady increases from year-to-year and expects to be completely proficient by 2014.

“These test scores are testimony to the hard work on the part of our students,” said Martirano, “the support of our parents and the outstand-ing work of our entire staff.”

But the success is also helped in large part by the state, which hands SMCPS a curriculum completely aligned with the assessment. That way, SMCPS doesn’t

have to teach to the test, as is often the complaint in other states around the country.

Meanwhile, the county added its own seven to ten “incremental assessments,” which boasts a similar for-mat and question type to the MSA.

“There whole body re-laxes,” Dudderar said of the students testing comfort level towards the end of the year, “because it’s like what they do normally.”

Lexington Park Elemen-tary School and Green Holly Elementary School, the two other schools that have failed in recent years to meet the AYP benchmarks achieved substantial gains in math and reading in nearly every grade

level. Lexington Park Elemen-

tary School’s has not met AYP in two years, and Green Holly in one year.

Dudderar said those schools should meet AYP benchmarks this year, but that information will be released by the state after July 4.

“Student improvement on the MSA can be attributed to many efforts in the school system,” Dudderar said. “None of this would be pos-sible without focus, top notch leaders, and the outstanding highly qualified workforce in our school system.”

Among its overall posi-tive testing results, SMCPS continued to close the achieve-ment gap between African American, special education and economically disadvan-taged student groups in both reading and math.

The Maryland State De-

partment of Education also reported upgrades in perfor-mance across racial categories and special services.

Overall state wide, ele-mentary MSA reading scores have risen 19 points since 2003, while elementary math-ematics scores have jumped 21 points. Middle school reading

proficiency has increased 12 points since 2003, while mid-dle school math proficiency has risen 23.5 points.

“Maryland schools have had great success working under the principle that with proper and focused instruction, all children can learn,” State Superintendent of Schools

Nancy S. Grasmick said in a written statement. “Clear goals articulated through the Voluntary State Curriculum have helped schools design strong instructional programs. Everyone can take pride in these scores.”


CarnivalTimeThe Mechanicsville Vol-

unteer Fire Department willbeholdingour annual carni-valJune14-17andJune21-24.RideswillbeprovidedbyM& M Amusements and willrun from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.,Thursday through Saturdaynights. On Sundays June 17andJune24,thecarnivalwillbeopen6p.m.until10p.m.

Bracelets will be availablenightly and you can ride allnight.Singleticketswillalsobeavailable.Comejoinusforanexcitingeveningofgames,bingo, pizza, hamburgers,hotdogs, frenchfries,sodas,popcorn, cotton candy, can-dy apples, and funnel cakes.Raffle tickets for nightly and lastnightprizeswillbeavail-able at $1.00 each or six for$5.00.Needtobepresentto

win nightly and/or last nightprizes.Lastnightofcarnivalwill be a cash raffle for $1,000, $500,$300and$200.DonothavetobepresenttowincashmoneyONLY. Formore in-formationcall301-884-8602.

NewDowntownTunesConcert

Leonardtown will rockand roll Saturday, June 23,

when The Blue Crabs head-lineanearlyeveningshowintheTownSquareinLeonard-town.Admissionisfreetotheshow,whichbeginsat4p.m.and will end around 8 p.m.TheBlueCrabsarelocalvet-eranmusicians,JimDaulton,GaryRue,FredMusengoandRickHumprhies.Theyplayamixofmostly original tunesfeaturingblues and rockandroll. The concert will open

withguitarwizardChrisEv-erett,playinganeclecticmixofJordan,CharlieHugg,ChrisEverett and Robin Guyther,whocoversongs frombandslikeJohnPrine,LynardSky-nard, theRollingStones andthe Eagles. Those planningto attend shouldbringchairsorblanketsforseating.Localrestaurants will be open forbusinessduringtheshows.

HVFDParadeTheHollywoodVolunteer

FireDepartmentishostingits50thAnniversaryParadeJune30at3:30p.m.Parade,music

and fireworks are all apart of the vent, which can be reg-istered for at Dean LumberCompanyWarehouse“C”onMervellDeanRoad. Paradeline-up will be on MervellDean Road starting at JoyChapel Road. Parade routewill be Mervell Dean Road(northbound). Therewill beaNOISEZONEforuseofsi-rensandairhorns. Musicatthe firehouse after the parade byTheKingsofClassicRock.FireworksatduskontheFireDepartment grounds. Foodandrefreshmentswillbeavail-ablethroughoutactivities.

GolfTournamentThe Bay District Vol-

unteer Fire Department ishosting its 11th annual golftournament Monday July 9attheWicomicoShoresGolfCourse. Shotgun starts at 9a.m., in scramble – captain’schoiceformat.Costis$65.00per player, which includesfees, cart, lunch, beveragesandprizes.Open to thegen-eral public. For more infor-mation call Joe Cooper at301-863-5362.

C&LCalendarofEvents

TheColorandLightSo-ciety,SouthernMarylandart-istswillbeexhibitingoriginalart works for show and saleat the Solomon’s Island Riv-erWalkPavilionon June23from11:00a.m.to7:00p.m.

DogRescueGoldenRetrieverRescue

of Southern Maryland willmeetonSaturday,June30at10a.m.attheLexingtonParkLibrary. The newly formedrescue group serves Charles,CalvertandSt.Mary‚scoun-ties.Dogloverswhocanpro-videtemporary,lovinghomesto golden retrievers in needand talented fundraisers areespecially invited to join thegroup. For more informationgo to www.goldenretriever-rescueofsouthernmaryland.orgorcall301.994.0132.

SecondAnnualCommunityFunDay

Second Annual Com-munityFunDaybeginswitha three-on-three basketballtournament hosted by theBoys&GirlsClubofSouth-ern Maryland at 11:00 a.m.Evening program starts at 5p.m.withMr.Magic,Moon-bounce, face painting, ponyrides,dunkingbooth,puppetshowsandamovieunderthestarsatdusk.Bringyourownblanketandchairs.Hostedbythe Lexington Park H.E.A.T.Team. Rain date June 25th.For tournament info contact410.326.2200 for eveningac-tivitiescontact301.880.2867.

ColorandLightSocietySolomon’sBoardwalkGazeboArtShowandSale

TheColorandLightSo-cietywillexhibitoriginalartworksattheSolomon’sboard-walkgazeboon23JUNfrom11:00 AM to 7:00 PM. Thelocal artists will be on handtoansweryourquestions,pro-vide art related informationandalsodemonstrateoilpaintand watercolor techniques.Call 301-872-5438 for addi-tionalinformation.

SinglesWineandComedyNight

SouthernMDSinglesSo-cial (www.smdsinglessocial.com)ishostingasinglesWineandComedynightatbin1700Wine Bar June 23, around6:00p.m.Addsomeeleganceto your weekend by headingto the hippest spot in townfor the best food, finest wine, andnow,thefreshestandfun-niest comedy here, there, oranywhere. We will meet fordrinks at 6:00 p.m. and theComedy Nonsense will startaround7:30p.m.Stoponby,letloose,enjoyadrinkandalaughortwo.Thecostisjusta$1fora1-ouncesample.Or,beboldandgoforthe12tick-etsfor$10special.

InYourCommunity

Route 5 & Mohawk DriveCharlotte Hall, MD 20622301-884-5636

Wildewood Shopping CenterCalifornia, MD 20619

301-866-5702

Route 245Hollywood, MD 20636

301-475-2531

Route 246 & Great Mills Rd.Lexington Park, MD 20653301-862-7702

The Shops at Breton BayLeonardtown, MD 20650301-997-1828

Hatfield Sausage Links & Bratwurst18oz, Asst. Varieties $2.99

Fresh Boneless & Skinless ChickenBreasts 4-5lb Bag $1.87 per lb

USDA Select T-Bone or Porterhouse Steaks $5.77 per lb

USDA Inspected Raw Gulf Shrimp10-15 Count $6.99 per lb

Prices Effective Friday, June 22nd - Thursday, July 5, 2007

Thursday, June 21, 2007 The County Times Section A - 7

ObituariesWillard Jay “Boomer”

Beach, 63

W i l -lard Jay ”Boomer” Beach, 63, of Colton’s Point, Md., and former-ly of Charles C o u n t y , Md., died June 14, 2007 in St. Mary’s Hospital.

Born Nov. 9, 1943 in Le-nior, N.C. he was the son of the late Thomas Jefferson and Zenobie O. Williams Beach. He was the loving husband of Hilda Fay Beach whom he married in Charles County, Md. on Dec. 6, 1965. He is survived by his children Lin-da L. Pope of Hendersonville, N.C., Thomas Jeff Beach and Debbie S. Keenan both of Colton’s Point, Md. He is also survived by his siblings Thomas Alvin Beach, Sr of Hollywood, Md., DeeDee Dickerson and Bruce Woods both of Calvert County, Md., Herbie Beach of Fla., Brenda Baker of Shelby, N.E., Allen Beach, Darlene and Jean-nie, and two granddaughters Emma Lynn Pope and Alyssa Dawn Keenan as well as many nieces and nephews. He was also preceded in death by his sister Naomie Pingleton and his brother Clarence Beach.

Mr. Beach attended LaPlata High School and moved to St. Mary’s County in 1980 from Charles County. He was employed for 20 years as a heavy equipment operator for the Driggs Corporation, retiring in 1995. He loved camping and spoiling his two granddaughters.

The family received friends on Tuesday, June 19, 2007 from 5 – 8 p.m. in the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home where prayers were said at 7 p.m. A funeral Ser-vice was held on Wednesday, June 20, 2007 at 10 a.m. in All Faith Episcopal Church, Mechanicsville, Md., with Rev. Harry Harper officiat-ing. Interment followed in the church cemetery. Pallbearers were David Raley, Sr., Mi-chael Bowles, David Mace, Kenny Jenkins, Roger Nor-ris and Earl Byers. Honor-ary Pallbearers will be Fran-cis Raley, Sr., Frankie Raley, Jay Beach, Joey Bowles and Kenny Staley. Arrangements provided by the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home, P.A.

George Robert “Georgie” Farrell, 33

George R o b e r t “Georgie” Farrell, 33, of Mechan-i c s v i l l e , MD and f o r m e r l y of Char-lotte Hall, Md., died June 10, 2007 at his residence.

Born July 8, 1973 in Leon-ardtown, Md., he was the son of George Archie and Janice Gail Farrell of Charlotte Hall, Md. He was the loving hus-band of Mishelle Lea Farrell whom he married on Janu-ary 13, 1999 in Leonardtown, Md.

He is survived by his chil-dren; James Martin Farrell and Christine Marie Farrell Man-gel, both of Mechanicville, Md. He is also survived by his siblings; Brenda Lee Lacey and her husband Dale Michael Lacey Sr. of Charlotte Hall, Md., his niece Brittney Marie Lacey and nephew Dale Mi-chael Lacey Jr., both of Char-lotte Hall, Md. and one future grandchild. A lifelong resident of St. Mary’s County, Georgie enjoyed Drag Racing and was employed as a concrete former with Love Concrete as well as a carpenter with Cameron Construction.

The family received friends on Thursday, June 14, 2007 at the Mattingley-Gar-diner Funeral Home from 5-8 p.m. with prayers being said at

7 p.m. A funeral service was held on Friday, June 15, 2007 at 10 a.m. in All Faith Episco-pal Church, Mechanicsville, Md. with Rev. Jim Hunter of-ficiating. Interment followed in Charles Memorial Gardens, Leonardtown, Md. Pallbearers were Michael Rodney Buck-ler, David Wayne Shotwell Jr., Dan Albertson, Dale Michael Lacey, Sr., Joseph Leo Bean, Sr. and Phillip Allen Buckler. Honorary pallbearers were David Lee Gates, Jr., David Dean Jr., and James Carroll Lumpkins, Jr. Arrangements provided by Mattingley-Gar-diner Funeral Home, Pa.

Mary Louise June, 95

Mary L o u i s e June, 95, of Wal-dorf, Md. died June 13, 2007 at her residence.

Bor n September 7, 1911 in Man-ning, S.C., she was the daugh-ter of the late James Thomas and Mary (McBride) Thomas. She enjoyed cooking and gardening.

Mary is survived by five daughters, Thelma Holt of Mechanicsville, Md., Rose-mary McNeal of Riverview, FL, Edyth June of Chester, Md., Shirley Curtis of Me-chanicsville, Md. and Elaine Young of Waldorf, Md., four sons, James June of Severn, Md., Sylvester June of Me-chanicsville Md., Gary June of Mechanicsville Md. and Joseph June of Waldorf, Md., two sisters, Gladys Chapman of Richmond, Va. and Lilly Wilson of Wilmington, N.C., 54 grandchildren, 50 great-grandchildren and hosts of relatives and friends.

In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her daughter, Ruth K. Weath-ers and two sons, Robert Lee June and David Leroy June.

The family received friends on Monday, June 18, 2007, from 9:30-11 a.m. in First Missionary Baptist Church, Lexington Park, Md. with a Funeral Service con-ducted at 11 a.m. Reverend Roderick McClanahan con-ducted the service. Interment followed in Charles Memorial Gardens, Leonardtown, Md.

Serving as pallbearers were her grandsons.

Arrangements by the Brinsfield Funeral Home, Pa. in Leonardtown, Md.

Condolences to the fam-ily may be left at www.brins-fieldfuneral.com.

Ruth Evangeline “Dick-ie” Lewis, 94

Ruth Evangeline “Dick-ie” Lewis, 94 of Martinsburg, W.Va., and formerly of Cum-berland, Md., died June 16, 2007 at Solomons Nursing Center.

Born August 2, 1912 in Berkeley Springs, W.Va., she was the daughter of the late Blaine A. and Mary E. Mc-Cullough. She was the loving wife of Robert K. Lewis, a railroader, whom she married on March 17, 1934 in Cumber-land, Md., sharing 32 years of marriage together.

She is survived by her children; Juanita Lewis Kel-ly of Austin, Tex. and Mary Anne Leddy of Lusby, Md., eight grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her daughter Helen Diane Beck-ner as well as her siblings; Blaine McCullough, Sylvester McCullough, Beatrice Jen-kins and Madeline Unger.

A graduate of Berkeley Springs High School, Class of 1929, she attended Potomac State College for three years, majoring in Elementary Edu-cation. She moved to Mar-tinsburg, W.Va. in 1968 from Cumberland, Md., and was a homemaker. Ruth traveled to California frequently. Her travels also took her to Hawaii,

Nova Scotia and to the Holy Land. She was very proud of her Irish heritage, although she did not get to visit Ireland. Ruth belonged to the Fidelity Class at Otterbein UMC and the Homemakers Organiza-tion. She loved children and enjoyed traveling, reading, gardening and watching game shows.

The family will receive friends on Thursday, June 21, 2007 at the Mattingley-Gar-diner Funeral Home, Leon-ardtown, Md. from 5-8 p.m. where a Funeral Service is being held at 7 p.m. with Rev. Sheldon Reese officiating. A graveside service will be held on Friday, June 22, 2007 at 1 p.m. at Queen’s Meadow Point Cemetery, Keyser, W.Va. with Rev. Ken Fizer officiat-ing. Pallbearers will be Chris Schaefer, Adam Schaefer, Mike Black and John Phelps. Contributions may be made to King’s Daughters Court, 116 E. King Street, Martinsburg, W.Va., 25401. Arrangements provided by Mattingley-Gar-diner Funeral Home, P.A.

Charles Leroy Neill, Sr., 69

Charles Leroy Neill, Sr., 69, of Hollywood, Md., died June 18, 2007 at his residence.

B o r n Feb. 10, 1938 in Baltimore, Md., he was the son of the late Joseph Howard Neill, Sr. and Lily Margaret (Weeks) Neill.

He is survived by his wife, Margaret Agnes Neill of Hollywood, Md., six chil-dren, Lotti Bell and her hus-band, Mark of Leonardtown, Md., Charles Neill, Jr. of Washington, DC, Lily Neill and Margaret Neill, both of Hollywood, Md., Joanne Hall and her husband, Jeff of Ches-ter, Md., and Barbara Jones of Hollywood, Md., siblings, Howard Neill, Jr. of Holly-wood, Md,, Edward “Eddie” Neill and Dorothy Spencer, both of Mechanicsville, Md., Laverne Huggins and Mickey Neill, both of Hollywood, Md., three grandchildren, Stephen Abell and Hope Jones, both of Hollywood, Md., and Bradley Bell of Leonardtown, Md.

In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by his brother, William Irving Neill and sister, Patricia Elizabeth Neill.

The family will receive friends on Wednesday, June 20, 2007 from 5-8 p.m. in the Brinsfield Funeral Home Chapel, Leonardtown, Md. Prayers will be recited at 7 p.m. A Funeral Service will be conducted on Thursday, June 21, 2007 at 10 a.m. Inter-ment will follow in Joy Chapel Cemetery, Hollywood, Md.

Serving as pallbearers will be his sons-in-law, Mark Bell and Jeff Hall, grandson, Stephen Abell, family friends, James Abell, David Abell, and David Ack. Serving as honor-ary pallbearers will be his best friend for over 60 years, Bobby Lloyd, brothers, How-ard Neill, Eddie Neill, and Mickey Neill, brother-in-law, Phil Spencer, nephew, Mark Fulton.

In lieu of flowers, me-morial contributions may be made to HOSPICE of St. Mary’s, Inc., P.O. Box 625, Leonardtown, Md. 20650.

Arrangements by the Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A. in Leonardtown, Md.

Joseph Aloysius Nelson, 73

J o -s e p h Aloysius Nelson, 73, of M e -chanic-s v i l l e , M d . , d i e d June 17, 2007 in Bayside Care Center, Lexington Park, Md.

Born May 19, 1934 in Morganza, Md., he was the son of the late Benjamin and Rosalie (Short) Nelson.

He was raised in Morgan-za and attended St. Joseph’s Old School. He married his sweetheart, Sara Regina in 1953. From their blessed union eight children were born. Joe worked wonders with his hands. He worked for Head Construction for 12 years, Bechtel Construction for 20 years and George Her-man Construction for 8 years. He was a member of the Local Union 456.

Joe will be missed and re-membered for his dancing. He could dance like no other man could.

He also enjoyed play-ing cards, watching the ball games and spending time with his family.

He is survived by his chil-dren, Joseph Leroy Nelson of Lexington Park, Md., Mary Cecelia “Sissy” Nelson of Callaway, Md., James Lanelle (Judy) Nelson of Mechanic-sville, Md., Agnes Regina (Alan) Courtney of Mechan-icsville, Md., William Irvin (Linda) Nelson of Lexington Park, Md. and Paul Igna-tius Nelson of Oakville, Md., brothers, Ernest Armstrong of Bushwood, Md., Charles (Tom) Nelson of Lexington Park, Md., Francis (Moe) Nel-son of Oakville, Md., Bernard Nelson of Mechanicsville, Md., and James Nelson of Clinton, Md., sisters, Cathe-rine Somerville of Lexington Park, Md., and Martha Nelson of Baltimore, Md., 13 grand-children, John Briscoe, Rob-ert Short, Jr., James Nelson, Jr., Sandra Briscoe, Cheryl Nelson, Linda Short, Sonnia Courtney, Alan Courtney, Mi-chael Nelson, Jennifer (Nelson) Swann, LaTosha Nelson, Kita Nelson, and Bernard Nelson, Jr., 29 great-grandchildren, Jonesse, Shaun, Giani, John, Jr., Kyla, Amaya, Jawon, Jas-mine, Brian, Gianni, Jaylen, Tracy, Jr., Keishauna, Carlisa, Litiona, Iyonna, Marketta, Ni-kia, Davonna, Deja, Tyshana, Tyresha, Tyreke, Dashawn, Marquess, Michael, Jr., Milia, Christopher, and Jakiyah.

In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by his wife, Sara Regina, daughter, Joyce Marie Nelson, son, Ber-nard Edward Nelson, brothers, Paul Thomas, and Clarence Nelson, sister, Theresa Holt, grandson, Christopher Nel-son, and great-granddaughter, Joneaka Briscoe.

The family will receive friends on Saturday, June 23, 2007 from 9-10 a.m. in St. Jo-seph’s Catholic Church, Mor-ganza, Md.; with a Mass of Christian Burial celebrated at 10:00 a.m. Father Keith Woods will be the celebrant. Inter-ment will follow in Queen of Peace Cemetery, Helen, Md.

Serving as pallbearers will be John Briscoe, Walter Mason, Jr., Clifton Greene, Robert Short, Sr., Alan Court-ney, Sr., and Dwayne Young. Serving as honorary pallbear-ers will be Jack Alvey, Jimmy Gray, Jackie Murphy, Shine Dickerson, Walter Mason, Sr., and Wayne Gray.


Stacey Michelle Reintzell, 32

Stacey Michelle Reintzell Lynch, 32, of Lexington Park, Md. died June 4, 2007 at St. Mary’s Hospital, Leonard-town, Md.

Born July 19, 1974 in Leonardtown, Md., she was the daughter of the late Wil-liam Bernard Reintzell, Sr. and Mary Yvonne Reintzell of Lexington Park, MD. She was the loving mother of Jes-sica M. Reintzell and Danielle S. Lynch, both of Lexington Park, Md.

She was the granddaugh-ter of Charles H. and Agnes L. Clements, both of California, Md. and the sister of William B. Reintzell, Jr. of Arlington, Va., and Jason M. Reintzell and his wife Angie Porter Re-intzell of Lexington Park, Md. Stacey is also survived by her nieces Alyssa and Katlyn and nephew Jason, Jr.

A Memorial Service was held on Saturday, June 9, 2007 at 3 p.m. in The Living Com-munity Church of God, Chan-cellors Run Road, Lexington Park, Md. with Rev. Curtis

Shields officiating. Contri-butions may be to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, Tenn. 38105.

Arrangements provided by Mattingley-Gardiner Fu-neral Home, Pa.

Jerold Clair Parish, 65

Jerold Clair Par-ish, 65, of Leon-a rd tow n , Md. died June 11, 2007 at his residence.

B o r n March 5, 1942 in Toledo, OH, he was the son of the late Clair Allen Parish and Helen (Kroetz) Parish.

He is survived by his daughters, Kimberly (Steven) Black of Semmes, AL and Elizabeth (Eric) Dorr of Leon-ardtown, Md., son, Derrick Harris, sister, Judith (Robert) Debo of Swanton, OH, grand-daughters, Naomi Parish, Ra-chel and Emily Dorr, Stevie and Leah Black, grandson-in-law, Robert Osborne, great-grandson, Tyler Osborne.

In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by his infant daughter, Kristin Jo Parish.

Funeral services were held in Maumee, OH on Sat-urday, June 16, 2007. A Me-morial Service will be held locally at a later date.

Memorial contributions may be made to HOSPICE of St. Mary’s, P.O. Box 625, Leonardtown, Md. 20650.


Alfred Murvin Purdy, Jr., 76

A l -f r e d M u r v i n Purdy, Jr., 76, of St. M a r y ’ s City, Md. died June 11, 2007 at his residence.

Born July 17, 1930 in Washington, DC, he was the son of the late Alfred Murvin Purdy, Sr. and Carrie Alice (Pumphrey) Purdy.

Mr. Purdy was a retired Carpenter Contractor, avid fisherman and waterman. He was also a member of The Whiskey Drinkers of Wash-ington, DC Fishing Club.

He is survived by his daughter, Lynda L. Purdy, son, Bernard A. Purdy and his wife, Patricia, all of St. Mary’s City, Md., granddaughters, Amanda, Teresa and Cara, great-granddaughter, Mer-cedes “Mert” Forrest, broth-er, Robert H. Purdy of St Mary’s City, Md. and sister, Sandra Ordile of Shallotte, N.C., a host of nieces and nephews and a beloved pet named Willie T. Nelson.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Betty T. Purdy and brother, George Dow Purdy.

The family received friends for a Memorial Ser-vice on Friday, June 15, 2007 at 11 a.m. in Trinity Episcopal Church, St. Mary’s City, Md. Internment was private.

Serving as honorary pallbearers were Les Good-ing, Bob Johnson, Eric Cook, Melvin Cook, Marvin Ranta, Robert D. Purdy, and John Alekna.

Memorial contributions may be made to HOSPICE of St. Mary’s, P.O. Box 625, Leonardtown, Md. 20650 and/or Trinity Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 207, St. Mary’s City, Md. 20686.

Arrangements by Brins-field Funeral Home, P.A. in Leonardtown, Md.

Robert Newton Ray, 88

Robert Newton Ray, 88, of Hollywood, Md. died June 13, 2007 in St. Mary’s Hospi-tal, Leonardtown, Md.

Born March 3, 1919 in Chevy Chase, Md., he was the son of the late John Henry Ray and Laura (Collison) Ray. He worked as a field engineer

for AT&T for over 40 years. Mr. Ray is survived by

his wife, Betty Dayton Ray of Hollywood, Md. and numer-ous nieces and nephews.

All services are private.Arrangements by the

Brinsfield Funeral Home, Pa. in Leonardtown, Md.

Condolences to the fam-ily may be left at www.brins-fieldfuneral.com.

Nancy Olive Wagener, 81

Nan-cy Olive Wagen-er, 81, of Great M i l l s , Md., died June 17, 2007 in S o l o -mon’s Nursing Center, Solo-mons, Md.

Born Nov. 25, 1925 in Kingsville, Tex., she was the daughter of the late Herbert L. Caldwell and Margaret (Mc-Manus) Caldwell.

Nancy came to St. Mary’s County in 1959 when her hus-band, Hub, was transferred to Patuxent River Naval Air Sta-tion. Nancy was very passion-ate about people and helping others whether it was cooking a homemade meal or baking her famous devil’s food cake or just being a compassion-ate listener. She was patient, gentle and understanding and would always find time to be there when she was needed. She loved to sew, watch and feed the birds, play games and share a good laugh. Be-fore joining the wonderful Solomon’s Nursing Center Family, she lived very happily at Cedar Lane Senior Apart-ments. Nancy made friends wherever she went and never met a stranger. She enjoyed spending time with her loving grandchildren. She will be missed by all.

She is survived by her four daughters and sons-in-law, Karon & Ronald Strick-land of Great Mills, Md., Barbara & Johnny Rowell of Hollywood, Md., Jo-Ann & Steve Gelrud of Lexington Park, Md., and Jan Hayden of Hollywood, Md., sister, Pau-line Meyers of San Antonio, Tex., 11 grandchildren, Tam-my Whipple, Kathy Cendana, Ronald Strickland Jr., Jennifer Strickland-Biddinger, Nikki Wilson, Jason and Justin Gel-rud, Donna Thompson, Cristy Johnson, Christine Conroy and Annette Rowell and 18 great- grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 25 years, Hubert Charles “Hub” Wagener and her son, Skipper Wagener.

The family will receive friends on Friday, June 22, 2007 from 10- 11 a.m. at Lex-ington Park United Methodist Church, Lexington Park, Md., with a Funeral Service con-ducted at 11 a.m. Reverend Ken Walker will conduct the service. Interment will fol-low at Ebenezer Cemetery, in Great Mills, Md.

Serving as pallbearers will be Ronald Strickland, Ronald Strickland, Jr., Steve, Jason and Justin Gelrud and Kim Davidson. Serving as honorary pallbearers will be Johnny Rowell and George Owens.

Memorial contributions may be made to HOSPICE House c/o HOSPICE of St. Mary’s, P.O. Box 625, Leon-ardtown, Md. 20650 or HOS-PICE of Calvert County, P.O. Box 838, Prince Frederick, Md. 20678.


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TIRED OF:

Last year Rosado’s ninedetectives, amix of sheriff’sdeputies and state troopers,handled762cases,completed127 search warrants and areontheirwayforarepeatper-formance this year with 383cases assigned to detectivesasofJune15.

BCIhandlescrimessuchas homicides, rapes, armedrobberies, burglaries and ar-sons, Rosado said and hisdetectivesarekeptbusywithlittletimetorest.

RosadohascomeintotheBCIworkareaonseveraloc-casions and found detectivessleepingwhiletakingabreakfrom tracking down leads,even though they could gohomefortheday.

“With the work they’redoing,mostunitswouldhavetwice as many detectives,”

Rosado said. “I’ve actuallyhadtotellsomeofthemtogohome;theydon’twanttostopworkingtheircases.”

Detective Steven “Chip”Koch, also a state trooper,saidthejobneverhadaslowday. Even if there were nonew big cases to investigate,therewerealwaysleadstofol-lowup.

Andtheworkhasexpand-ed even more for detectivessince Sheriff Tim Cameroninstitutedasummertaskforceto gauge the level of threatgangsposetoresidents.

“It’s extremely demand-ing,butontheotherhandit’sextremely rewarding,” Kochsaid.

When a big case comesdown,suchasahomicide,ofwhichKochhashelpedcloseseveral,thecallgoesoutand

all theinvestigatorsdropjustabouteverything.

“You might be out there30hoursatatimeandyou’reworking for those30hours,”Kochsaid.

He recounted the homi-cidebackin2005ofamanagerat theLoneStarSteakhouse,JanetReginatoonRoute235,who suffered a fatal gunshot wound from one Rich-ard Russell Moore with theaidofGaryDeanHostermanandthecourttrialsthatfoundthemguiltyofherdeath.

“It’sallworthitwhenyouhear the judgesay thewords‘guilty,’ Koch said. “Every-bodybackhereisateamplay-er;whensomethingcomesup,they treat it like it was theirowncase.”

JulieYingling,asheriff’sdeputyanddetectiveinBCI,pullsstandardeightandninehour days as well, and eventhoughthatsoundslikeanav-eragedayonthejob,shealsohas to deal with being two

months from delivering herbaby.

Her husband was alsoa BCI detective as well as adeputysoshesaidshehadnoillusions about the workloadthere.

She specializes in do-mesticviolencecasesandof-tenworksweekends becausethat’s thebest time,shesaid,to find victims and talk to themabouttheircase.

“Everyone’s over-whelmed with cases,” Yin-glingsaid,stillsmiling.“AndIknowallthenicenesswillbegone [once she’s given birth]andI’llhavetopullthesameweightaseveryoneelse.”

Each detective, Rosadosaid,will likelyhave to con-tinue to make sacrifices that often put their family in theback seat to ensure thatBCIcontinuesitshighclosurerateofcases.

“You really have to likewhatyou’redoingtodothis,”Rosado said. “I see a lot of

these guys more than theirfamiliesdo.”

The Bureau of CriminalInvestigation was created in2003asajointeffortbetweenMarylandStatePoliceandtheSt. Mary’s County Sheriff’sOffice to combat crime in the county.

While their respective

associations may wear dif-ferentuniforms,Rosado saiddistinctions between the twodisappear once they come toworkforBCI.

“There’s no [different]badge,” Rosado said. “We’reallBCIbackhere.”

HeavyLoadContinued from page A-�

ByGuyLeonardStaffWriter

Local realtors say thatSt. Mary’s County’s housingmarket remains strong withfewforeclosurescomparedtothetrendsinSouthernMary-land,thestateandacrossthenation.

Thehomeforeclosureis-sue grabbed national atten-tion lastweekwhena reportfrom nationally known realestate informationgroupRe-alty Trac showed that homeforeclosures had jumped 90percentfromMayof2006tothesametimethisyearacrossthenation.

ChrisGuldi,arealtorwithKeller Williams of SouthernMaryland,saidthattheecon-omyofSt.Mary’s,drivenbytheU.S.Navyandhighpay-ing jobs, ensured that mostpeoplewhoboughthomesonthemarketcouldkeepthem.

“[Foreclosures in St.Mary’s] are well below the

nationalaverageandwellbe-lowtheaverageinMaryland,”Guldisaid.

Realty Trac’s latest sta-tistics show that home fore-closureshereare indeedcur-rently lower than in CharlesandCalvertcounties.

According to their figures thereare179suchpropertiesforsaleinSt.Mary’sbutthereare470inCalvertand544inCharles.

Therearecurrentlyabout6,000 homes up for foreclo-sureinthestate,accordingtoRealy Trac findings.

Realty Trac’s reportshowed that therewere a to-tal of 176,137 foreclosure fil-ingsnationwidewithNevada,ColoradoandCaliforniapost-ing the highest numbers offoreclosures.

Realty Trac’s chief ex-ecutive officer, James J. Sac-caciosaidthatthe90percentincrease in a 12-month timespancouldbeaharbingerofevenmoreforeclosuresinthe

nearfuture.“Such strong activity in

themidstofthetypicalspringbuying season could fore-shadow even higher foreclo-sure levels later in the year,”Saccacio said in a statement.“Certainly not every com-munity nationwide is seeingan increase in foreclosures,but foreclosed properties arebecoming commonplace andaddingtothedownwardpres-sureonhomepricesinmanyareas.”

Guldi said that home-ownerswhohavetoputtheirhouseupforsalecouldexpecttogetamuchlowersalepricethanwhattheypaidoriginallybecauseofthehousingboomthatisnowslowingdown.

“You’re getting into abuyer’s market,” Guldi said.“Nowifyou’reahomeownernotmakingpayments you’vegot to sell your house witheight-and-a-half months ofinventory.”

Guldi explained that it

would take eight-and-a-halfmonths to sell all the homesinthecounty,usinghisreck-oning, if no other homescameonthemarket;avirtualimpossibility.

Those who are most atriskofforeclosure,Guldisaid,arethosewhorecentlyboughthomesusingsub-primeinter-estrateloanswithoutthereq-uisite financial means to cover theloan.

JanBarnes,acountyreal-torwithCentury21-NewMil-lennium,agreedandsaidthatpeoplewhohadlittlemoneyor

werenoteducatedontherealestate market suffered, buteducated people with moneytospendalsofellintotroublebecause they borrowedmoremoneythantheycouldcover.

“People got into housingthatwas over their head andthatwasapersonaldecision,”Barnes said. “But it hit bothsetsofpeople.”

But those who can holdon to their homes here inthe county can expect to seestrong gains in the value oftheir homes since housingprices here have grown 10

percentfromMayof2006toMayof2007.

“The housing mar-ket is still doing well [in St.Mary’s},” Guldi said. “Peo-ple are getting theirmoney’sworth.”

Barnes said that all theforeclosuresmeant thatsomehomescouldbesoldformorereasonable prices after threeto four years of exorbitantrates.

“They [housing prices]were inflated before and now they’regettingbackontrack,”Barnessaid.

St.Mary’sBeatingNationalHomeForeclosureTrend

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Det. Steven “Chip” Koch, a state trooper attached to the county’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation, works leads in a recent case over the phone. Koch is just one of nine detectives that have achieved a 95 percent case closure rate for BCI.


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