20070317 Shades of Britney

Shades of Britney

March 17, 2007

I picked up new glasses the other day. I did not choose a Britney Spears eyewear frame. I did not have time to get a tattoo and my head shaved on the way home.

Already go that t-shirt in July 1972 in USMC Reserve boot camp…

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20070317 an unusual addition to the Supplemental Appropriations bill

... an unusual addition to the Supplemental Appropriations bill

March 17, 2007

H/t: The Baltimore Reporter

by Kathy at misterpolitics.com

Lifesite.com highlights an unusual addition to the Supplemental Appropriations bill to fund the war in Iraq. Democrats have included funding for “emergency contraception” for Planned Parenthood.

What does Planned Parenthood and emergency contraception have to do with the war in Iraq?

Just asking.

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20070317 Presidential limo okay after motorcade mishap in snow

Presidential limo okay after motorcade mishap in snow

Fortunately the mishap did not involve the presidential limo – pictured above.

Spring can some anytime now

March 17^th, 2007

True to form for Maryland weather, after a couple of mild days in which I actually saw some folks gallivanting-about in their short sleeves; Friday’s weather sure was a wake up call that winter is not quite over and we live in Maryland.

In Maryland, if you don’t happen to like the weather one day – just wait 24 hours, it is sure to change.

I really did not have to go out in the frozen mess on Friday. I was just a happy to enjoy a snow day and do some much needed and overdue research for some upcoming columns.

Pictured above are some images I captured late Friday evening of the snow monsters that dutifully prowl the Westminster streets during a snow event.

It looks like one of the vehicles in the presidential motorcade heading up to Camp David had a bit of a mishap: “President OK after vehicle in motorcade crashes.”

Fortunately the mishap did not involve the presidential limo – pictured at the top of this story.

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20070316 3 New Jersey Divers Die Off Florida Keys

3 New Jersey Divers Die Off Florida Keys While Exploring Sunken Ship

March 16, 2007

I have friends who do a good bit of diving... Stories such as this always give one pause for thought...

KEY LARGO, Fla. —

Three friends from New Jersey, all experienced divers, died Friday while exploring the wreckage of a sunken ship off the Florida Keys, police said.

The men were taking part in a penetration dive into the wreckage, a type of dive which is "more dangerous than routine diving," Monroe County Sheriff's spokesperson Becky Herrin told FOXNews.com.

"These wrecks can be very confusing inside," Herrin said. "There's a lot of places to go wrong."

Causes of death for the men have not yet been determined.

The four men were friends traveling together to explore the wreckage of the USS Speigel Grove, according to a press release from the Sheriff's Department.

Herrin estimated that a total of eight to ten divers die yearly throughout the Keys, from a variety of different causes.

http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,259210,00.html

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20070315 State News

State News

March 15, 2007

H/t: GOPCharlie

House moves budget toward a final vote

http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20070314-104821-7700r.htm

House lawmakers gave tentative approval yesterday to the fiscal 2008 budget that includes no tuition increases for state colleges but more than half a billion in increases for K-12 public schools.

The $30.3 billion budget, which starts in July, includes $567 million extra for public schools in the final year of an education-reform plan known as the Thornton Act.

Still, state Republicans said the plan will result in fiscal disaster and suggested a spending freeze.

Such a plan would result in a delay in Thornton money to school districts and likely tuition increases at state colleges. Republicans who backed the plan said the state doesn't have much choice. Projections show the state could be $1.5 billion short next year.

"We have large, looming fiscal problems," said Anthony J. O'Donnell, Southern Maryland Republican who brushed aside arguments Democrats already cut Mr. O'Malley's proposal.

"If you have a dollar and you add 12 pennies to it, that's not a reduction," he said.

House GOP effort to cut budget falls short

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.cuts15mar15,0,7531993.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

House Republicans failed in an effort to force deep cuts in Gov. Martin O'Malley's proposed budget yesterday, a move they said was necessary to prevent tax increases next year but one that Democrats said would diminish public safety and hinder education.

With annual gaps of more than $1 billion between spending and revenue expected in the next few years, Republicans proposed cutting all new spending from O'Malley's $30 billion budget, a reduction of $800 million.

"If we begin to deal with the deficit issue this year, it's manageable," said Del. Gail H. Bates, a Howard County Republican who serves on the House Appropriations Committee. "If we wait and do nothing this year and that additional spending is in place, next year we're talking serious cuts."

House debates $30 billion budget

GOP amendment to freeze 2008 spending at 2007 level voted down Wednesday

http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=57923

Three Frederick County delegates defied their party Wednesday by voting against a GOP amendment to essentially freeze the state's 2008 budget at the 2007 level.

Delegates Don Elliott, Rick Weldon and Paul Stull were among seven Republicans who joined Democrats to vote down the GOP amendment to a $30.3 billion budget proposal debated in the House.

"Next year local governments will get clobbered," said Minority Leader Tony O'Donnell, R-Southern Maryland.

Delegate Joe Bartlett is a Frederick Republican who found himself in the minority of those of the eight-member Frederick County delegation who opposed the amendment. He agreed with O'Donnell.

"We are asking that our government live within its means, just like every family in my district," Bartlett said. "The problem is that government spends too much, and taxes are already too high. By rejecting this responsible and sensible amendment, we have condemned Maryland's residents to higher taxes in the future. Period."

Preliminary budget OK'd

http://www.herald-mail.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=160961&format=html

A Democratically ruled Maryland House preliminarily approved a $30 billion state budget Wednesday, squelching a Republican attempt to limit spending and delay additional school funding.

On the current course, Marylanders should "brace themselves for a massive tax increase next year," Del. Christopher B. Shank, R-Washington, said on the House floor, citing a projected $1.5 billion deficit.

Democrats argued that the Republican proposal would critically hurt funding in several crucial areas.

A Republican chart showed their proposed 2008 spending increase at 1.5 percent vs. 6.5 percent for the version on which the House voted.

Bid to Cut Md. Budget Fails

GOP Targeted Education Spending

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/14/AR2007031402777.html

The Maryland House of Delegates yesterday gave preliminary approval to a $30 billion state budget plan, turning back a Republican effort to slash education spending, and moved toward passage of an ambitious proposal to reduce the number of Marylanders without health insurance.

House Minority Leader Anthony J. O'Donnell (R-Calvert) called the GOP proposal "a simple solution" designed to avoid even more difficult choices in the coming year. "Massive tax increases," O'Donnell said. "That's what facing us unless we act now."

Indictment of Md. power

Prosecutors confront twists and challenges in Bromwell corruption case

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-te.md.bromwell15mar15,0,5271929.story

Five years ago, Thomas L. Bromwell Sr. learned how deeply FBI agents had penetrated his inner circle.

James Eick, a Bromwell friend, had agreed to wear a recording device for federal agents. He was to capture any potentially incriminating conversations with the former Maryland state senator suspected of accepting illegal kickbacks while in office, according to prosecutors.

Tougher Md. public information laws sought

http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/03_14-01/TOP

On the surface, Maryland has a tough public information law.

Unlike in 28 other states, its a crime to deny access to a public document. Violators can be convicted of a misdemeanor and fined up to $1,000.

But courts rarely impose such penalties, and advocates for open government believe thats partly because its difficult to pursue a case against someone suspected of violating the law.

While we have laws with very nice-sounding titles, theres no teeth to the enforcement, said Del. Michael Smigiel, an attorney who has represented newspapers in freedom of information cases.

Mooney gets call from cardinal

Keeler urges state senator to vote today for repeal of the death penalty

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.mooney15mar15,0,6281429.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

Sen. Alex X. Mooney fielded a surprise call this week from Cardinal William H. Keeler, who urged the Frederick Republican to vote today for a repeal of the death penalty.

Their five-minute chat, though notable because of the caller's position as archbishop of Baltimore, is one of many conversations Mooney has had as he considers his position on a bill to get rid of the state's capital punishment law.

Jessamy mourns death of intimidation bill

http://www.examiner.com/a-619945~Jessamy_mourns_death_of_intimidation_bill.html

Baltimore City States Attorney Patricia Jessamy said Wednesday shes upset the Maryland House Judiciary Committee killed a bill that would have strengthened Maryland law against witness intimidation.

Even though we failed this year, witness intimidation continues to be a very serious problem, Jessamy said.

Jessamy testified in February in favor of a House of Delegates bill, sponsored by Keith Haynes, D-District 44, that would toughen Marylands law against witness intimidation to include sentences of up to 20 years, instead of five years, for many crimes against children, domestic violence and sexual assault.

"Green" bills could affect local businesses

http://www.wcbcradio.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6899&Itemid=35

With a newly elected Democratic governor many observers believe the state of Maryland is demonstrating a large shift to the left in its public policy. One area of concern for western Marylanders is the push for environmental legislation, or green bills. State senator George Edwards said businesses such as AES and New Page could be at risk because they use coal.

Should all of Maryland Ban Smoking?

http://www.wcbcradio.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6898&Itemid=35

Should the state of Maryland follow the lead of Baltimore City and ban smoking in bars and restaurants? State senator George Edwards answered with a resounding no on Wednesday mornings Dave Norman show. Edwards said the reach of government in peoples lives is getting out of hand.

Decision to halt horse park brings relief, disappointment

http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/03_14-38/TOP

The state's decision to withdraw plans for an equestrian center at the former Naval Academy Dairy Farm in Gambrills has disappointed horse lovers but relieved the dairy's neighbors who are opposed to the plan.

Jim Steele, the chairman of Maryland Horse Industry Board, announced at yesterday's board meeting that plans to build the center on the 857-acre site have been dropped.

Hearing pushed on city raises

Councilman Mitchell says public should have a chance to testify on bill

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/bal-md.ci.raises15mar15,0,4369401.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

Baltimore City Councilman and mayoral candidate Keiffer J. Mitchell Jr. called yesterday for a hearing and a vote on proposed pay raises for the city's elected officials, igniting what could become the first political showdown of this election year.

Responding to a proposal pending in the City Council that would give double-digit salary increases to the mayor, City Council president and other officials, Mitchell said the public should have a chance to testify on the bill. He said he does not support the raises.

Capital Notebook

O'Malley to name Brenner to PSC

Few senators at sex bill hearing

Wiretapping on school buses?

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.notebook15mar15,0,7224271.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

National News

Rep. Roscoe Bartlett presented with NAM Award

http://www.herald-mail.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=160957&format=html

Recognizing his strong voting record in support of American manufacturing and a pro-growth, pro-jobs agenda during the 109th Congress, the National Association of Manufacturers honored U.S. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md., with its Award for Manufacturing Legislative Excellence during a presentation hosted by Volvo Powertrain North America.

The NAM Award is presented to members of Congress who vote in the best interest of the manufacturing economy at least 70 percent of the time on "key manufacturing votes" as designated by a special committee of NAM member companies, large and small. Bartlett's voting record was 75 percent.

Taking the battle to Congress

A shipbuilding association is pushing to boost the size of the U.S. Navy, and some legislators are now on board with the idea.

http://www.dailypress.com/business/local/dp-80867sy0mar15,0,2090152.story?coll=dp-business-localheads

With the size of the Navy's battle force fleet having fallen to 275 ships - the lowest level since before World War I - the American Shipbuilding Association has called on Congress to significantly increase the money the nation devotes to ships.

And now there's a move afoot to make that increase happen.

The fleet size issue is bound to come up during a hearing today on national defense sealift funding, said Lisa Wright, a spokesman for Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md., the ranking member of the Seapower & Expeditionary Subcommittee.

"He wants to build more ships," Wright said of Bartlett. "The oceans are the same size they've always been and the indispensable role of the U.S. as a world leader has not changed ... If you reduce the number of ships too much, you can't maintain the forward presence you need."

O'Malley travels to D.C. with funding requests

Governor gives wide-ranging list to Md. congressional delegation

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-te.md.delegation15mar15,0,4335957.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

On his visit to Capitol Hill yesterday to meet with Maryland's congressional delegation, Gov. Martin O'Malley brought with him a red binder fat with requests: 148 priorities worth more than $200 million.

Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin asked him to consider adding one more: global warming.

"Maryland the state is particularly vulnerable," the Democratic senator said. "Sea level change is clearly a matter that is of direct interest."

Signs Of Progress Seen In Baghdad Security Push. "Bomb deaths have gone down 30 percent in Baghdad since the U.S.-led security crackdown began a month ago. Execution-style slayings are down by nearly half. The once frequent sound of weapons has been reduced to episodic, and downtown shoppers have returned to outdoor markets favored targets of car bombers. There are signs of progress in the campaign to restore order in Iraq, starting with its capital city. ... 'I would caution everybody about patience, about diligence,' U.S. spokesman Maj. Gen. William C. Caldwell said Wednesday. 'This is going to take many months, not weeks, but the indicators are all very positive right now.'" (Robert H. Reid, "Some Progress May Mean Hope For Baghdad," The Associated Press, 3/15/07)

The New York Times' David Brooks Says The Democrats' Iraq Policy Is "Divorced From Realities On The Ground." "But does anybody think that Iraqi leaders, many of whom have seen their brothers and children gunned down, need a cold dose of reality delivered from the U.S. Congress? ... The intelligence agencies see chaos if the U.S. withdraws. Carl Levin, based on phantom intelligence, sees newly incentivized Iraqis returning to reason and moderation. ... What [Democrats] want to do is be against Bush without accepting responsibility for any real policy, so they have concocted a vaporous policy of distant withdrawal that is divorced from realities on the ground." (David Brooks, Op-Ed, "The Long Exit," The New York Times, 3/15/07)

The White House Says Senate Democrats' Iraq Resolution "Infringes Upon The Constitutional Authority Of The President." "The resolution 'infringes upon the constitutional authority of the President as Commander in Chief by imposing an artificial timeline to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq, regardless of the conditions on the ground or the consequences of defeat,' the White House statement said. 'The legislation would hobble American commanders in the field and substantially endanger America's strategic objective of a unified federal democratic Iraq that can govern, defend, and sustain itself and be an ally in the war on terror.' ... Administration officials said, if adopted, the Senate resolution would essentially make Congress a 'co-commander in chief,' a competing source of judgments on how to conduct the war. 'The Constitution commits the exclusive power to the president as commander in chief to make the decisions necessary to conduct the war,' said White House spokesman Tony Fratto." (Shailagh Murray and Michael Abramowitz, "Democrats' Resolution On Iraq Reaches Senate Floor," The Washington Post, 3/15/07)

U.S. And Iraq Launch Aggressive Campaign To Curb Oil Smuggling. "U.S. and Iraqi forces have launched an aggressive campaign to curb the oil smuggling that is helping to destabilize the fragile Baghdad government and finance insurgents, adding another facet to the Bush administration's latest pacification plan for Iraq. In concert with stepped-up military and reconstruction initiatives, U.S. troops for the first time are maintaining a round-the-clock presence at the sprawling oil refinery here, Iraq's largest. Soldiers from the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division also are cracking down on illegal gasoline stations, arresting refinery workers suspected of corruption and using sophisticated data-sifting methods to identify which senior Iraqi officials might have ties to black-market oil rings. The Iraqi government, meanwhile, has begun what it calls Operation Honest Hands, which put the entire refinery under Iraqi military control." (Yochi J. Dreazen, "U.S., Iraq Launch Campaign To Cut Oil Smuggling," The Wall Street Journal, 3/15/07)

Captured Al-Qaida Operative Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Confesses To Masterminding 9/11 Terror Attacks. "Khalid Sheikh Mohammed cemented his position as al-Qaida's most ambitious operational planner when he confessed in a U.S. military tribunal to planning and supporting 31 terrorist attacks, topped by 9/11, that killed thousands of innocent victims since the early 1990s. The gruesome attacks range from the suicide hijackings of Sept. 11, 2001 which killed nearly 3,000 to a 2002 shooting on an island off Kuwait that killed a U.S. Marine. ... President Bush announced that Mohammed and 13 other alleged terror operatives had been moved from secret CIA prisons to the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay last year. They are considered the 14 most significant captures since 9/11." (Katherine Shrader, "Al-Qaida No. 3 Says He Planned 9/11," The Associated Press, 3/15/07)

OMB Director Rob Portman Says The Democrats' Path To Balancing The Budget Is "Paved With Higher Taxes, Higher Spending." "The Democratic blueprint fails to tackle the long-term fiscal debacle facing Social Security and Medicare, the federal retirement programs that will be swamped by the upcoming retirement of the Baby Boom generation. ... 'It's a missed opportunity because this is a nonelection year,' countered White House budget director Rob Portman in an interview. Traditionally, Congress is most aggressive on politically sensitive budget issues in such odd-numbered years. 'Their path to balance is paved with higher taxes, higher spending and what can only be characterized as budgetary slights of hand,' Portman said in a subsequent statement." (Andrew Taylor, "Few Tough Choices In Senate Dems' Budget," The Associated Press, 3/15/07)

20070314 This week in the Westminster Eagle

This week in the Westminster Eagle
March 14th, 2007
Westminster Eagle

The high cost of twin tragedies at Bowling Brook
Last Thursday must have been another long and difficult day for Bowling Brook Preparatory Academy.
It was on that day that the academy's last remaining eight students boarded a van and left. Then the prep school's license was turned over to an official from the Maryland Department of Juvenile Serv...[Read full story]

Education Notes County opens enrollment for prekindergarten
The Carroll County Pubic Schools prekindergarten program is accepting applications for the 2007-08 school year. Children must be age 4 by Sept. 1, 2007. Students will attend classes five days a week for two-and-a-half hours at no cost to parents.
Appli...[Read full story]

Competition is sweet at Mid-Atlantic cake show
The sweet smell of butter cream frosting and cake filled the Carroll County Agriculture Center over the weekend as the Mid-Atlantic Cake Show and Wedding Cake Competition brought cakes of all sizes and shapes from states as far as Texas, Ohio and New Jersey together.
"It has been a very good show,...[Read full story]

Pillows for soldiers are one mom's mission
There's nothing like resting your head on a comfortable pillow at the end of a long day.
But that luxury isn't always available to many American soldiers currently serving overseas.
Staffers and families at TriStar Martial Arts in both Eldersburg and Westminster recently held a collection to try...[Read full story]

News Briefs Mudgett's Finksburg center faces review
The proposal for a new shopping center at Dede Road and Route 140 in Finksburg will face the county's Planning and Zoning Commission next week.
The Mudgett family, which owns and operates the existing Mudgett Auto Body on Dede Road, is seeking approval for...[Read full story]

Local Scout traveled globally, acted locally on path to Eagle
All work and no play may make Jack a dull boy, but it helped make Westminster's Ian Ellett an Eagle Scout
At a Scouting "Court of Honor" this past Sunday, Ellett, 17, was recognized for more than 12 years of hard work as a Scout with Troop 2040, and most notably for the past two years, when he com...[Read full story]

A little kick in the Irish
At a glance, it looks like a game of soccer. When you watch a little longer, though, one starts to notice elements of football, too. And volleyball.
And even basketball?
Gaelic football, the national sport of Ireland, has found a following here in Carroll County, and Westminster resident J...[Read full story]

A foundation for Habitat, Westminster
The details are still being ironed out and the contracts haven't been signed, but the city of Westminster and the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity are already hoping their deal to build a home on a vacant tract on Union Street will set an example for providing housing for low- to moderate...[Read full story]

Recreation
Balanced effort helps North Carroll girls win 3A-2A title
Track and Field
The North Carroll girls' team got a big lift from a newcomer to the indoor circuit, while the Liberty boys relied on a wildly successful veteran at the indoor track and field state championship meet.
North Carroll utilized title performances from senior Katie Hursey and junior Je...[Read full story]

Focus on People
Group efforts Legion Riders' efforts benefit Carroll Hospice
The Legion Riders of Westminster, based at Carroll American Legion Post 31, recently donated $500 to Carroll Hospice. The riders had decided to make Carroll Hospice the group's primary charity.
Gina Stanley, legion rider charity liaison officer, is ...[Read full story]

Business Briefs
Main Street Minute Smiling faces remind us: Don't worry, be happy
Last week we had another cold, snowy day -- another of those days when the children go from being happy about no homework to being crabby about being bored.
With the cloudy days overshadowing the sunny ones lately, it's easy to share their bad moods...[Read full story]

Opinion
No matter who counts it, traffic will remain a point of dispute Editorial
Who's better at counting cars? The county or developers?
Speakers at a hearing last week said it doesn't matter, because both parties have to work with the same rules and standards when conducting traffic studies.
County officials are considering a change in the way Carroll considers...[Read full story]

The Passing Parade
Worth the price of a ticket
Wouldn't you know it, after all the meetings I attended over the years open to the public, I missed the one recently -- a county "roundtable" meeting where the proposed bond bill was discussed -- that had a true element of excitement to it.
Fortunately, I saw a video of it, confirming what I'd hea...[Read full story]

For Better or Worse
If it can't take the heat, it's not likely under warranty
"What's wrong?" Doug asked, walking into the kitchen to see me standing over a cold oven holding a tray of seasoned Cornish hens stuffed with wild rice.
Sitting on the countertop were four porcelain ramekins filled with creme bržlŽe mixture. ...
OK, who am I kidding?
I was trying to heat up th...[Read full story]

Community Calendar
Community Calendar ARTS
> The Carroll Community College Campus Activities Board Spring Film Series continues this week. Films begin at 7 p.m. and are shown at the theater in the Scott Center, 1601 Washington Road. The movies are free and open to the community, but children must be accompanied by a parent or guardia...[Read full story]

The Winchester Report

Community Rallies behind Bowling Brook On March 2, Bowling Brook Preparatory Academy in Keymar announced that after 50 years in operation, it would close on March 9.
The closing comes in the wake of the death of one of the students on January 23.
Since the closing was announced, many Carroll Countians have rallied in sup...[Read full story]
[Local news archives]

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20070314 The Journalist

The journalist – on deadline. Daily Photoblog

March 14^th, 2007

20070314 Grocery Store check out line literature

Grocery Store check out line literature

March 14, 2007 Daily Photoblog

I was minding my own business in the grocery store check out when I noticed a couple of folks ahead of me getting all animated and gesturing towards the grocery store check out line literature.

Amused and curious; when I got to that place in line I looked to the shelf and just cracked-up.

Hey, whatever floats your boat?

Who knows – maybe the articles are true?

It was first time I have ever seen folks actually purchase these papers. Except when I was younger I would purchase them from time to time for collage materials.

I could go on – but I guess I’ll stop while I’m behind.

What a hoot.

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20070313 Community Rallies behind Bowling Brook

Community Rallies behind Bowling Brook

March 13th, 2007

Cross-posted from the Winchester Report

www.thewestminstereagle.com

http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?pnpID=978&NewsID=789755&CategoryID=18298&show=localnews&om=1

03/13/07
by Kevin Dayhoff
Respond to the Westminster Eagle about this story
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On March 2, Bowling Brook Preparatory Academy in Keymar announced that after 50 years in operation, it would close on March 9.

The closing comes in the wake of the death of one of the students on January 23.

Since the closing was announced, many Carroll Countians have rallied in support of the academy suggesting that it would be better to meaningfully address and correct what precipitated the tragedy than close the academy.

Delegate Donald Elliott said the day Bowling Brook closed “was a sad day and it is my hope that it will again be restored to a place in the juvenile services system.

“Over the years we have all had contact with the young men from Bowling Brook, it was always a very positive experience,” he said. “In fact, where other places have difficulty hosting a juvenile services facility, Bowling Brook has enjoyed the affection of the community.”

Delegate Nancy Stocksdale recounted many experiences in which the young men of Bowling Brook had left a positive impression upon her and the community. (She has circulating a letter about Bowling Brook. Please find it below.)

She said that she has been “grieving just as if it was my school.”

Delegate Stocksdale added that if this terrible incident had happened in another facility… she doubted that the state would’ve closed down the whole place. “You take care of the problem. You fix it. Instead of isolating a tragic instant from the rest of the good work of the institution (the state) choose to convict the entire school.”

Tom Welliver said, “I have worked closely with these young men on numerous occasions. They were well mannered, respectful - and assisted with tremendously positive attitudes.”

For many years, the Bowling Brook students helped with the Union Bridge town hall funding breakfasts. Perry Jones, former County Commissioner and former Union Bridge mayor said, “Union Bridge had a very positive experience with Bowling Brook and I share everyone’s hope that it is able to re-open in the future and its good work continues.”

Larry Collins, Carroll County Agriculture Center General Manager said, “The young men from Bowling Brook have been to the Ag Center many times and served in many different capacities… They have been excellent across the board. It would be a shame to lose such an important resource in our community.”

The Junior Woman’s Club of Westminster is circulating a letter which cites that Bowling Brook had “an 86 percent success rate. (Please find a copy of the letter below.)

Only 14 percent of the youth were arrested or referred back to the state agency within a year of their release. … The state average for group homes is 50 percent, but we have heard as low as 10 percent success rates. … We hate to see the success of the program overrun by this one failure.”

It is rare that a community rallies to have a juvenile facility in their own back yard. But all of us have a stake in saving young men for a productive future and in those efforts; Bowling Brook is part of the answer.

What is now necessary is for Maryland Juvenile Services Secretary Donald W. DeVore and Gov. Martin O’Malley to hear from Carroll County citizens who care about Bowling Brook and the future of the young men this facility worked so hard to help. Encourage them to take fresh look at re-opening Bowling Brook.

Please review the letters from the Delegate Nancy Stocksdale and the Junior Woman’s Club of Westminster and then find a moment of your time to write to: Governor Martin O’Malley, Office of the Governor, 100 State Circle, Annapolis, MD 21401-1925, and Maryland Juvenile Services Secretary Donald W. DeVore, One Center Plaza, 120 W. Fayette Street, Baltimore, MD 21201.

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From: Delegate Nancy Stocksdale

Sent: Tuesday, March 06, 2007 3:30 PM

Subject: Bowling Brook Preparatory School

Dear Friends:

I am writing concerning the Bowling Brook Preparatory School which is located in Keymar, a rural area of Carroll County.

I am saddened by the loss of a student there, and I offer my sincerest sympathy to his mother. I do not know all the circumstances, but I have always believed in the school and its program. Unfortunately, the Public Defender, Nancy Forster, made a statement on the day of this tragic event that she was “closing this school down because it is not safe.” She then proceeded to remove all the Maryland students.

I have attended awards luncheons at Bowling Brook where I witnessed the tears of the mothers who were so proud of the positive changes they saw as they watched their sons receive awards for their accomplishments in the program. I have seen the many trophy cases displaying the trophies earned from the achievements of the sports teams, and I have seen the pride in the faces of the students as they moved up through the ranks and accepted greater responsibility as “thoroughbreds,” a designation for seniors.

I have had an interest in that school since I first went there in 1993 on a tour with Congressman Bartlett. As a retired teacher, I have a special interest in the educational program at Bowling Brook, and I learned that approximately 80% of the students there pass the GED test. I think this is a great accomplishment considering the fact that some students come there with a 3rd grade reading level. Professors from Carroll Community College teach on the Bowling Brook campus, and students have earned as many as 21 college credits. Other students take vocational classes at Frederick Community College learning trades such as bricklaying and landscaping.

You may have seen the students competing in sports at our local schools or working for one of the many non-profit organizations in our communities. I know they have helped the Elmer Wolfe Elementary School, Westminster Fallfest, Union Bridge town breakfasts, Carroll Lutheran School consignment sale, and I am sure there are others. The students are always polite, well groomed, well mannered, and hard working.

They have been there for us and now I am asking that you help troubled youth who may benefit from Bowling Brook’s program by writing letters of support for the Bowling Brook Preparatory School to Governor Martin O’Malley at http://www.governor.maryland.gov/mail (telephone: 410-974-3901), and Donald DeVore, the Secretary of Juvenile Services at devored@djs.state.md.us (telephone: 410-230-3101).

I would appreciate it if you would ask as many people as you know, who are familiar with the school or who have attended functions where the Bowling Brook boys helped, to write letters or make phone calls. Although it may already be too late, Governor O’Malley will realize how we feel about the successful program. While many communities fight to keep juvenile facilities out of their neighborhoods, we need to fight to keep these good neighbors.

Thank you. I am grateful for your support.

Sincerely,

/s/

Nancy R. Stocksdale

####

Governor Martin O’Malley

Office of the Governor

100 State Circle

Annapolis, MD 21401-1925

March 8, 2007

Dear Governor,

The purpose of this letter is to inform you of the importance of the Bowling Brook Preparatory School in our county. I am a resident of Carroll County and a member of the GFWC Junior Woman’s Club of Westminster. We are a part of an international non-profit volunteer organization called the General Federation of Women’s Clubs that serves the needs of our community.

Through our group’s events, we have had the experience to work on volunteer projects with the Bowling Brook students. It has always been a very positive experience working with these students. Every single one of them seemed eager to help, was extremely polite and greatly added to the efficiency of our event. Without their help – our work and time would be doubled. In our interactions with the students, they have shared their thoughts on the Bowling Brook program and how it has improved their lives.

In light of the serious issue that has occurred over the past few weeks at the school, our organization still strongly supports keeping this program open. There have been so many successes that have kept hundreds of young adults from returning to the penal system or a life of criminal behavior. On Oct 5, 2005, the Baltimore Sun quoted an 86 percent success rate. Only 14 percent of the youth were arrested or referred back to the state agency within a year of their release. They also said that the state average for group homes is 50 percent, but we have heard as low as 10 percent success rates. 80 percent of these boys are graduating from High School. We hate to see the success of the program overrun by this one failure.

Our hope is that you will see the positive impact Bowling Brook School has had on our community and reopen it with appropriate guidelines to protect the students in the program

Sincerely,

A member of GFWC Junior Woman’s Club of Westminster

Westminster, MD 21158

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20070314 Bowling Brook, a sad tale of several tragedies

Bowling Brook, a sad tale of several tragedies

“Bowling Brook: A Sad Tale”

http://www.thetentacle.com/author.cfm?MyAuthor=41

The Tentacle[1] - March 14, 2007 by Kevin Dayhoff (1335 words)

Last January 23 one of the very young men that Bowling Brook Preparatory Academy had tried so hard to mold into a lifetime of hope and future, Isaiah Simmons III, 17, died at the academy.

The death of the young man is tragic and our hearts and prayers go out to the young man’s family. The tragedy is exacerbated in that the young man who had expressed anger over an absent father now leaves behind a daughter who was 22 months old at the time of his death.

In published accounts, the mother of his child, a 10th grade student, “was having a hard time accepting Simmons' death.”

Mr. Simmons, who had only arrived at the academy two weeks earlier, ran afoul of the law after committing an armed robbery. Published accounts report that he had “used a box cutter to rob another juvenile of a cell phone.”

He died while being physically restrained after it is alleged that he threatened to shoot another student. In a January 27 Bowling Brook press release it was revealed, “When Isaiah became threatening, our staff responded for his safety and the safety of others. Isaiah's aggressive behavior continued over a period of time during which he was restrained humanely consistent with state-approved discipline policies and counseled throughout to de-escalate the crisis.”

A transcript of the 911 tape reveals a Bowling Brook employee saying, “It was the same thing we do all the time when we have an aggressive kid. I don't know what happened. He was in a restraint, and then he stopped responding.”

For many years Bowling Brook, which was founded in 1957, has accepted juvenile offenders into the academy. On January 23 there were 170 young men at the academy. 74 were guests of the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services.

Bowling Brook had developed a reputation, not as much as a juvenile services facility but more like an elite private school that became a nationwide model for everything that could be done right in an effort to truly give young men a second chance and mold them into productive futures from an uncertain past.

In recent years, as the state has poured $737,000 into capital improvements for the facility, Bowling Brook Academy had come to be considered “a highly touted private residential treatment facility for aggressively adjudicated young men” according to the 2004 – 2005 annual report of the Office of the Independent Juvenile Justice Monitor.

As other state-run juvenile facilities were being closed, Bowling Brook, with the encouragement, aid, and support of the state, had grown to fill a needed gap as to where to treat juvenile offenders as their numbers exploded.

The numbers are mind-numbingly. Governor Martin O’Malley’s “Transition Committee for Juvenile Services Report,” issued on February 21, 2007 cites: “In 2005, the agency served 4,888 youth on probation, 1,681 in community-based aftercare, and over 2,400 in committed placements. The Department received over 53,000 intake referrals in 2005, but many youth were referred multiple times. The Committee strongly recommends that the new administration proceed quickly with making strategic, evidence-based reforms and that it avoid repeating the mistakes of past administrations by addressing problems proactively.”

These numbers have been increasing for many years. The Maryland General Assembly’s response, even after legislation was enacted in 2004 mandating regional facilities of no more than 48 juvenile offenders, was to overwhelmingly pass House Bill 1148 and Senate Bill 503 in 2005 exempting Bowling Brook from the 48 juvenile capacity limit.

The state’s reliance on Bowling Brook had become increasingly desperate after Maryland closed the Charles H. Hickey Jr. School on June 30, 2005 after a federal lawsuit accused the state of failing to protect juvenile offenders from physical violence. Over and over again, Bowling Brook stepped up to the plate to fill in the gaps.

After investigating the Hickey School and the Cheltenham Youth Facility in Prince George's County for two years, the U. S. Justice Department had issued a scathing report in 2004. The report revealed that there was a “deeply disturbing degree of physical abuse" by staff and examples “in which staff members did not intervene in fights…” according to the Washington Post.

For many years and several administrations, Maryland has grappled with how to respond to what some consider an epidemic of youthful offenders. There has been legislation, reports, outside independent committees, joint legislative committees, public outcry, lawsuits, and an enormous amount of money spent.

However the governor’s transition committee which had examined the Department of Juvenile Services said in the second sentence of their report, “We discovered an agency that is dangerously dysfunctional, trapped in a cycle of reacting to scandals and deferring proactive reforms.”

But throughout all the years of hand wringing and the gnashing of teeth over what to do about an adequate and appropriate approach to saving youthful offenders and restoring them to productive lives; one institution was being heaped with praise – Bowling Brook.

In an October 5, 2005 Baltimore Sun article, “Susan B. Leviton, who heads the juvenile law clinic at the University of Maryland,” was quoted to say, “It's a fantastic program.”

The article noted that Stacey Gurian-Sherman, who heads an advocacy group for families of delinquents, calls Bowling Brook “a model residential facility, and it's right in our own backyard… The one drawback to Bowling Brook is there is only one of them… We need to be building more Bowling Brooks.”

At a time when Maryland continues to face a structural deficit, the article recited, “The cost of the nonprofit school is $41,000 a year per student – less than the $65,000 a year the state spends to keep a youth at Hickey.”

Yet, on March 2 another tragedy occurred when it was announced that the Bowling Brook would close. For many the decision to close the school is illogical at best. Why not meaningfully address and correct the factors that precipitated the tragedy but otherwise support the one very juvenile services facility in the state that is making a positive difference. The tragic death of this young man is situational problem – not systemic. Fix the problem.

This tragedy shocks everyone, but the reaction to a problem must never exacerbate the problem or exceed prudence. Ironically, the closure of Bowling Brook is now part of the problem. Closing Bowling Brook is certainly not “addressing problems proactively” with “strategic, evidence-based reforms.”

Within days of the announcement to close the academy, the governor announced the need to spend $6.8 million dollars to re-open the Victor Cullen juvenile facility – for 48 students. Spending $6.8M on Victor Cullen is not the answer. The answer is Bowling Brook.

Since the announcement that Bowling Brook was closing, public officials and private citizens alike have publicly touted Bowling Brook for the good work they have accomplished with hundreds – if not thousands - of young men over the last fifty years and how the academy has positively interwoven itself into the Carroll County community fabric.

A letter being circulated by the Junior Woman’s Club of Westminster says, “On Oct 5, 2005, the Baltimore Sun quoted an 86% success rate. Only 14% of the youth were arrested or referred back to the state agency within a year of their release… The state average for group homes is 50%, but we have heard as low as 10% success rates. 80% of these boys are graduating from High School. We hate to see the success of the program overrun by this one failure.”

It is rare that a community rallies to have a juvenile facility in our own back yard. But Bowling Brook is one of the rare examples of leadership and excellence in our world today.

This is the third Maryland administration in a row to get handed this mess. The solution is to not duplicate past mistakes, but build upon what has been done well. Bowling Brook has done it well and is part of the solution.

In a clearer light and with a fresh look, many hope that Governor O’Malley will reassess the decision to close the facility.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA.
E-mail him at: kdayhoff AT carr AT org

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20070313 Maryland’s Taney stained nation with Dred Scott ruling

“Frank Keegan: Maryland’s Taney stained nation with Dred Scott ruling”

March 13, 2007

In case you missed it - - I had until the other day, Baltimore Examiner editor Frank Keegan penned an informative opinion in the March 5^th, 2007 edition of the paper on Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney that is a great companion piece for the article that Kelsey Volkmann wrote the same day.

The two pieces can be found here:

“Frank Keegan: Maryland’s Taney stained nation with Dred Scott ruling”

Remembering the Dred Scott decision on its 150th anniversary

For other posts about Chief Justice Roger Taney and the Dred Scott decision – go here: Taney - Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney

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20070312 They paved paradise and put up a parking lot

They paved paradise and put up a parking lot

March 12th, 2007

This post out of the clear blue sky will make more sense when ya read: “20070309 My 2nd Grade Class picture.”

At times you might think that this is the theme song for Carroll County.

This a good post for those younger folks who are only aware of the “Counting Crows” version of the song…

Except for the story it tells, it was never my favorite Joni Mitchell song… I always liked her album “Blue” which is probably more a childhood dynamic than an affection for the songs on the album…

Speaking of childhood dynamics – this video is from January 1970:

Joni Mitchell Big Yellow Taxi

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1Qgsn0U340

The YouTube post has the following information about Joni Mitchell:

(Which I just noticed is from Wikipedia.)

Joni Mitchell, CC (born Roberta Joan Anderson on November 7, 1943) is a Canadian musician and painter.

Initially working and busking in Western Canada and Toronto, she became associated with the burgeoning folk music scene of the mid-1960s in New York City. She achieved her greatest fame in the early 1970s and was considered a key part of the Southern California folk rock scene.

Throughout the 1970s she expanded her musical horizons to include pop and jazz and became one of the most highly respected singer-songwriters of the late 20th century. Retrospective appraisals of Mitchell's work have often commented that her quality and influence render her the "female Bob Dylan", [1] [2] although Mitchell herself rejects that label.

Mitchell is also an accomplished artist. She has through photography or painting created the artwork for each of her albums and has described herself as a "painter derailed by circumstance." A blunt critic of the music industry, Mitchell has stopped recording and now focuses mainly on her visual art.

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