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
Email this story to a friend

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.

####

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

Copyright 1998-2007 MyWebPal.com. All rights reserved.
Contact us at webmaster@mywebpal.com
All other trademarks and Registered trademarks are property
of their respective owners.

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

####

[1] Each Article contained on this website is COPYRIGHTED by The Octopussm LLC. All rights reserved. No Part of this website and/or its contents may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means - graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or information storage and retrieval systems, without the expressed written permission of The Tentaclesm, and the individual authors. Pages may be printed for personal use, but may not be reproduced in any publication - electronic or printed - without the express written permission of The Tentaclesm; and the individual authors.

20070308 Winchester Report: “A Sordid Saga.”

Winchester Report: “A Sordid Saga.”

“Union Mills reservoir and the pumpkin patch”

As appeared in my “Winchester Report” blog on the Westminster Eagle web site:

A sordid saga of communists, reservoirs, congressman, and pumpkins

Note: see also, “20070307 A sordid saga of communists, reservoirs, congressman, and pumpkins ” on “Soundtrack.”

By Kevin Dayhoff March 8th, 2007

Contrary to what is being circulated; the Union Mills reservoir project in Carroll County will add another layer of protection to the site of the “pumpkin papers,” and this national treasure is not threatened.

Recently the old Whittaker Chambers “pumpkin patch&...[Read full story]

_____

A sordid saga of communists, reservoirs, congressman, and pumpkins

03/08/07

By Kevin Dayhoff

Respond to this story

Email this story to a friend

Contrary to what is being circulated; the Union Mills reservoir project in Carroll County will add another layer of protection to the site of the “pumpkin papers,” and this national treasure is not threatened.

Recently the old Whittaker Chambers “pumpkin patch” farm just north of Westminster, in Carroll County Maryland has resurfaced in the news.

The Chambers’ Pipe Creek Farm was the scene of the “pumpkin papers” incident in which a former communist spy; Whittaker Chambers, defected to become a champion of the anti-communist cause at the beginnings of the cold war in 1948.

Mr. Chambers hid U.S. State Department documents in hollowed-out pumpkins on his Carroll County farm. Once he gave the documents to then- Congressman Richard Nixon, the entire issue of communists and communism in the United States gripped the nation for many years in what has become known as the “McCarthy era.”

The “pumpkin papers” named a local Baltimorean and Baltimore City High School and Johns Hopkins University graduate, Alger Hiss, as a communist spy.

The national, if not international story of intrigue, spies, and the beginnings of the cold war all took place in Carroll County with roles played by Carroll County and Baltimore citizens.

It is now almost 60 years later and intrigue and conspiracy continue to abound.

Since January, Carroll County officials have been plagued with persistent rumors and conspiracy theories, some of which have been published in local newspapers, that Carroll County wants to “seize” the old Chambers “pumpkin patch” farm. Good folks, good journalists and conspiratorialists alike have been “had” by this misinformation.

The misinformation seems to continue to grow legs and is about as far from the position of Carroll County officials as one could get. Carroll County is not trying to take the farm.

I attended what appears to be the genesis of the misinformation; the December 14th, 2006 “Public Hearing ~ Carroll County Water & Sewerage Master Plan.”

The public hearing was poorly attended except for a couple of gentleman who politely and eloquently expressed concern for their property which seemed to be involved in the proposed reservoir. Anyone can understand that. However, assurances were made by county officials that they were sensitive to the concerns of the citizens.

Somehow, from there, the alarm was quickly spread that the county was about to begin “seizing” land for the project even though that has not been the practice and policy of past commissioners and there seems to be no indication by the present Carroll County Board of Commissioners to go in that direction.

But, the casual reader and any person seriously interested in this aspect of our national history could read certain news accounts and walk away with the impression that the pumpkin patch will cease to exist as a result of the reservoir project. This is not true.

In the Internet age, where news is 24/seven, there is an epidemic of misinformation getting legs and if it is repeated often enough “it becomes true.”

Folks who have been “had” by the great “seizing” conspiracy are in good company - with ah, count them, 12 members of Congress who wrote to the Carroll County Board of Commissioners on January 12th, 2007.

They wrote, in part;

“We are writing to express our support for continued preservation of an important National Historic Landmark located within Carroll County, known as Pipe Creek Farm. All steps must be taken to preserve the integrity of this property, having served as the home of a great patriot and noted author, Whittaker Chambers.”

So far – so good. From what I am aware of the attitude of Carroll County officials, they are also interested in “preserve(ing) the integrity of this property.”

So what is the problem?

It’s in the next paragraph:

“We understand that the Carroll County Commissioners are considering a water plan that includes the creation of a Union Mills reservoir which, if completed, would destroy a significant portion of this national treasure…”

The letter is signed by Members of Congress, Ros-Lehtine, Bartlett, Gilchrest, Mario Diaz-Balart, Wolf, Wilson, King, Bordallo (from Guam,) Feeney, Boozman, McCotter and Lincoln Diaz-Balart.

Well, it is true that the Commissioners are considering the creation of a Union Mills Reservoir. As has been considered since the mid 1970s when the City of Westminster first proposed the reservoir.

As I wrote on February 28th, 2007 in my Westminster Eagle column titled, “Recalling when B's Coffee Shoppe was all abuzz:”

In line with expanding the city's water supplies, in the mid-1970s, plans were made for Westminster to build another reservoir, this one to be located on Big Pipe Creek in Union Mills.

When the $5 million dollar reservoir was presented to the public, the public rose up in arms saying the city did not need the water and that the project was a waste of ratepayer money.

By September 1976, the project was shelved.

History, of course, has proven that the council was correct in pursuing the project and we would be in a lot different position today if it had been allowed to go forward.

However, fast forwarding to today, the waters of the proposed reservoir will hardly come within a mile of the present day unmarked location of the “pumpkin patch” which now rests in an otherwise nondescript field.

The Carroll County officials who are in a decision making role in this matter are keenly, and personally, interested in preserving the integrity of the site of the “pumpkin papers” – so it is simply baffling as to how this matter got all wound around the axles of misinformation.

Why didn’t the gang of 12 Congressmen contact Carroll County officials before they sent the letter? Every member of Congress who did contact Carroll County officials did NOT send a letter.

Unfortunately another one of the Congressman who has been “had” in this saga was Congressman Roscoe Bartlett who wrote to the Carroll County Board of Commissioners on January 3rd, 2007.

Congressman Bartlett wrote in part:

“It is my hope that the Commissioners of Carroll County will value, even treasure, this very special farm, that you will do all in your power to keep it whole, and protect its integrity for this and future generations to study and know.”

And here lies the really bizarre part of the story. Contrary to what is being circulated, the Union Mills reservoir project will add another layer of historic protection to the site of the “pumpkin papers,” which is already in agricultural preservation -- and preserve the site in perpetuity.

This is a good thing. The county wants a watershed protection easement which will concurrently give the site addition historic protection.

Click Here to See a PDF of a County Map Depicting the Historic Chambers Farm in Relation to the Proposed Union Mills Reservoir

The “lake” area of the Union Mills reservoir will only encompass approximately 325 acres. The balance of the 2,200 acres needed by the County that surround the “lake” are for the purposes of watershed protection. The county commissioners have reported that the county already owns 1500 acres of the needed watershed protection area – to be preserved in perpetuity.

Nevertheless, in situations like the Chambers Pipe Creek Farm, where the county can get a watershed protection easement on the property, rather than purchasing it, this is a good thing.

This watershed protection will add an additional layer of protection for the historic “pumpkin papers” site, which again, is almost a mile from the waterline.

In a response to Congressman Bartlett’s January 3rd, 2007 letter, which he penned in addition to the gang of twelve Congressmen’s January 12, 2007 letter, the Carroll County Board of Commissioners wrote on January 18th, 2007:

“With regard to the Pipe Creek Farm specifically, Carroll County has no intention of negatively impacting the field identified as the location of the famed “pumpkin patch” and has designed the reservoir in a way that minimizes impacts on the balance of the farm. Indeed, the impact anticipated by the planned reservoir… is limited to the northeastern edge of the farm where the Pipe Creek stream crosses the property.

The Pipe Creek farm is already protected from future residential development by easement sold to the Maryland Agricultural land Preservation Foundation (MALPF) in 2001. Carroll County has no interest in acquiring Pipe Creek Farm land for the purpose of constructing the reservoir beyond… the ‘normal pool level.’ We estimate this direct impact on the Pipe Creek farm to equal roughly 15.5 acres. The balance of the farm, approximately 346.5 acres, remains undisturbed and under the full control and ownership of its present owner…”

On a final note, the Union Mills reservoir was needed and should have been built in the 1970s. The need for water in Carroll County has been a basic health, safety, and welfare concern for public officials in Carroll County since the terrible drought of 2002.

To not go forward with the Union Mills reservoir would be an abrogation of one of the basic responsibilities of elected officials to Carroll County’s citizens. NIMBYism and misinformation cannot prevail.

In their January 18th, 2007 letter, the Carroll County Board of commissioners wrote:

“The need for a surface water supply for communities in northern Carroll County is real. We also believe that protecting and preserving nationally recognized sites of historic significance and irreplaceable farmland is equally important to our local, state and national well being.

Our reservoir concept, with minimal impact to the Pipe Creek Farm, satisfies both of these fundamental principles of government: protecting our past while planning for our future.”

####

20070305 “Better options than burning our trash” Carroll County Times letter to the editor by Sally Sorbello

“Better options than burning our trash” Carroll County Times letter to the editor by Sally Sorbello

Letters to the Editor for Monday, March 5, 2007

Better options than burning our trash

Editor:

In response to the Feb. 14 letter by Brenda M. Afzal titled, "Waste-to-energy is a waste of time," I would like to say thank you.

This letter was a factual counterpoint to the propaganda written by the executive director of the Northeast Md. Waste Disposal Authority, whose job it is to persuade people to believe that waste to energy is somehow not incineration - even though trash is burned and reduced to ash in this process.

Not only are waste to electricity schemes polluting, they are also inherently uneconomic. At a recent tour of the Covanta plant in Montgomery County, I was told that $40 million a year is budgeted for their trash burner. And the sale of electricity does not sufficiently offset the costs.

Many communities, including nearby Harrisburg, Pa., are struggling with huge financial debt as a result of their incinerator contract. Even if Montgomery County recycles more than other counties in Maryland, think of how much more it could be recycling with an annual budget of $40 million. It would take a fraction of that amount to have the best recycling program in the country.

Not only are waste incinerators expensive, they do not eliminate the need for a landfill. For every ton of trash that is burned, one third of a ton remains in the form of toxic ash. And this toxic ash must be handled very carefully. Any leaks of ash from the landfill could contaminate soil and water with heavy metals, dioxins and furans.

Doesn't it make more sense to invest taxpayer dollars in a comprehensive recycling and education program before any talk of burning trash? It would cost much less, it would pollute much less, it would stimulate the economy by creating jobs and it would show that Carroll and Frederick counties are too smart to let resources go up in flames. Waste incinerators burn useful recyclable materials along with trash.

For all interested in learning more, please attend a meeting of the Environmental Advisory Council on Tuesday, March 13, at 3 p.m. in room 003/004 of the Carroll County Office Building, 225 North Center Street.

Neil Seldman, a recycling expert, will be speaking at this meeting. For over 30 years, Seldman has helped communities worldwide to expand economic opportunities through greater recycling.

Sally Sorbello

Frederick

20070308 The Cooking Class

The Cooking Class

(c) Kevin Dayhoff

March 8th, 2007

20070307 This week in the Westminster Eagle

20070307 This week in the Westminster Eagle

March 8th, 2007

Education Notes
03/07/07By Heidi Schroeder

Local News

Turtle soup for Meals on Wheels



Deborah Goff works with "turtles in training" in the McDaniel College Pool. Meals on Wheels is hoping residents adopt the turtles, at $5 each, with proceeds providing hot meals for program recipients
Feed the turtle.
No, that's not a campaign promoting University of Maryland basketball, but rather an effort to boost coffers for Carroll County Meals for Wheels.
On April 28, the pool at McDaniel College will go green as hundreds of rubber turtles "race" to the finish as part of Meals on Wheels' campaign. Between now and then, the organization is hoping residents grab onto the effort to "adopt" the turtles.
"I'm almost 100 percent positive there has never been a turtle race in Carroll County," said Deborah Goff, the volunteer event coordinator. "This is something everybody...[Read full story]

A sordid saga of communists, reservoirs, congressman, and pumpkins

By Kevin Dayhoff March 8th, 2007

Contrary to what is being circulated; the Union Mills reservoir project in Carroll County will add another layer of protection to the site of the “pumpkin papers,” and this national treasure is not threatened.
Recently the old Whittaker Chambers “pumpkin patch&...[Read full story]

Local News

Should city weigh in on smoking? Walk into a downtown Westminster bar on any night and you can be enveloped in a veil of smoke.
Yet a recent study by the U.S. Surgeon General states second-hand smoke is a dangerous health factor, and the Partnership for a Healthier Carroll County last week requested that the Westminster M...[Read full story]

Teens and seniors have a ball Dance party for all ages at Westminster Ridge
Lorrie West came prepared to last Tuesday's Winter Ball at Westminster Ridge Retirement Community. Waiting for the event to start, she sat in a downstairs hallway clutching a small plastic bag.
Inside the bag? Her "dancing socks."
"It'll be nice fo...[Read full story]

Spring forward; change batteries We're one step closer to spring as Daylight Saving Time returns this Sunday when clocks "spring" forward one hour this Sunday, March 11, at 2 a.m.
Meanwhile, the Volunteer Emergency Services Association is reminding residents that the switch is also a good time to change the batteries in home smok...[Read full story]

Recreation

North Carroll, South Carroll teams finish fifth in states High school wrestling
COLLEGE PARK -- The ultimate athletic success finally came to two Carroll County wrestlers on Saturday night at Cole Field House.
Liberty's Eddie Digman and Alex Grassi of Century were the only Carroll wrestlers to win state championships at the 38th annual Maryland State W...[Read full story]

Opinion

Trooper Workman's return to duty is cause for celebration Editorial
It's hard to fool a State Police trooper (and we don't recommend that you try), so it wasn't shocking that Maryland State Police Trooper First Class Eric Workman apparently sensed he was going to get a special greeting when he showed up for work on Monday.
Maybe it was the banner stret...[Read full story]

Doug... A Little Deeper

Time for 'Extreme Makeover, Presidential Edition'
It's hard to believe we're already talking about the presidential election of 2008, but with each passing election, the next one seems to start even earlier.
We barely had the Ehrlich and Steele signs down and people were already talking about McCain, Guiliani, Romney and others.
On the Democrat...[Read full story]

Kevin E. Dayhoff

History of slavery leaves many rivers yet to cross
A good portion of the present day quality of life in Carroll County was built through history on the backs of African-Americans in bondage.
It's about time we talked about that and recognize their work.
On March 12, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Board of Education Office Building, 125 N. Court St., We...[Read full story]

Wolf at the Door

Reading the hand signals, and the signs of party politics At the recent Person of the Year dinner hosted by our sister publication, The Eldersburg Eagle, honoree Patricia Greenwald hadn't gotten more than two or three sentences into her well-deserved acceptance speech when my wife leaned over and whispered, "She's been a teacher."
As Greenwald continued,...[Read full story]

[Local news archives]


####

20070308 Fog

Fog

March 8^th, 2007

Westminster’s early morning “rush hour” was greeted by a dense fog that fortunately burned off quickly.

Which of course, reminds me of:

Foghat

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1DT3Jo5psw

####

20070307 The dreaded winter four letter “S” word is back

WBAL Snow Advisory for Carroll County

March 7^th, 2007

Good morning - before you venture outside, be aware that the dreaded winter four letter “S” word is back. Hopefully for its last hoorah of the winter.

The Westminster City Street Department is already at work… true to form. No surprise here. I can only imagine they are getting a little tired of this.

I’m tired of winter. Spring can come anytime now.

_____

Issued at: 4:07 AM EST 3/7/07, expires at: 12:30 PM EST 3/7/07

Snow advisory remains in effect until 7 pm est this evening for northern central and western maryland, the district of columbia northern and northwestern virginia, and much of the eastern west virginia panhandle, A strong clipper weather system moving into the appalachian mountains early this morning will cross the mid atlantic today. Light snow will begin during the early morning hours and will begin to affect the morning commute.

1 to 3 inches of snow is expected today in the advisory area. Snow will end around nightfall.

A snow advisory means that periods of snow will cause primarily travel difficulties. Be prepared for snow covered roads and limited visibilities, and use caution while driving.

NEW FROM WBALTV.COM:

Get Breaking News And Email On Your Desktop. Download Desktop Alert.

http://www.wbaltv.com/tu/5n9SfOLoW.html

Track Approaching Storms To See If Your Personal Locations May Be In Their Path! Sign Up Today!

http://www.wbaltv.com/tu/5n9SfOPin.html

*********************

More weather at http://www.wbaltv.com/tu/5n9SfOPJw.html

+...........................................................+

You are receiving this message because you requested it from wbaltv.com. This message contains advertisements from our sponsors.

####

Nunzio Como and Mr Moose at Classico Pizzeria

Nunzio Como and Mr Moose Classico Pizzeria

March 4, 2007

Classico Pizzeria, (410 751-7600 College Square Shopping Center, 444 W.M.C. Drive, Unit 102, Westminster, MD 21158

20070304 Nunzio Como and Mr Moose

Dayhoff Daily Photoblog

Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/

Kevin Dayhoff Art: www.kevindayhoff.com (http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/)

Classico Pizzeria

Classico Pizzeria

March 4, 2007

Classico Pizzeria, (410 751-7600 College Square Shopping Center, 444 W.M.C. Drive, Unit 102, Westminster, MD 21158

20070304 SDOSM Classico Pizzeria

Dayhoff Daily Photo

Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/

Kevin Dayhoff Art: www.kevindayhoff.com (http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/)

20070305 Bowling Brook student death ruled a homicide

Former Bowling Brook Preparatory Academy student death ruled a homicide

March 5th, 2007

Isaiah Simmons, 17, died on Jan. 23, 2007 at Bowling Brook Preparatory Academy[1] in Keymar, Carroll County Maryland.

Today, the Maryland State Medical Examiner’s Office has ruled that Mr. Simmons’ death was the result of “Sudden Death during Restraint.”

Just last Friday, March 2nd, 2007 Bowling Brook announced that it was closing.

In a story by Baltimore Sun reporters Greg Garland and Laura McCandlish on March 2nd, 2007, they wrote:

"Bowling Brook Preparatory School announced today that it intends to cease operations on March 9, 2007, while the investigation into Isaiah Simmons' tragic death continues," the school said in a statement.

"Bowling Brook again expresses its sympathy to the family of Isaiah Simmons. Since the death of Isaiah Simmons, Bowling Brook has cooperated fully with the Department of Juvenile Service and other investigators, and Bowling Brook will continue its cooperation."

The statement said the school, located in Keymar in Carroll County, "remains committed to serving its mission of helping young men make positive changes in their lives and becoming productive citizens" and that it is "proud of its 50-year history of fulfilling that mission."

Many in Carroll County have been both shocked and saddened by the death of the young man and shocked that the 50 year-old academy has closed.

Anecdotally, the reaction of the average person in the street who was even aware of the academy sang praises for the institution that has worked so hard to turn around the lives of so many young men.

Many of us have attended the Union Bridge Town Hall funding breakfasts and witnessed first hand the work of the young men who served food, were so polite and nice to have a conversation.

Upon further inquiry, the reaction was consistent, “What you see is what you get.” That behind the scenes, the teachers and administrators of the school did great work and were committed to maintaining a sterling reputation in a juvenile services program that was essentially considered to be broken throughout the rest of the state.

After the death, many were bewildered that Bowling Brook suffered from a negative political climate in Annapolis so anxious to condemn the facility – while winking and uttering meaningless politically pious platitudes and latitudes about state-run facilities that are broken and are run amok with violence and codified institutional neglect.

Folks who were not even aware of the facility and its good work, much less, to even know where the facility was – were so quick to shake their heads and opportunistically grandstand. All in a misplaced political agenda to capitalize on the death of the young man and paint the facility as an example of everything that was wrong with the juvenile services program in Maryland.

If anything the facility was everything about what is right. About how a juvenile services program can be run well and makes a difference and that bad things happen to good programs.

In an air atmosphere and environment where it is perceived by the elected leadership in Annapolis that big government is the answer to all of our problems, the privately run Bowling Brook Academy is a victim of folks who are still attempting to justify their recent political victory by suggesting a crisis in order to make themselves and their agenda relevant.

To be certain, all signs point in the direction that the state juvenile services program is in crisis – but Bowling Brook was not a part of the crisis.

The death of the young man is tragic and hearts and prayers go out to the young man’s family.

Throwing Bowling Brook under a bus helps relegate so many more young men to a system that is otherwise broken and condemns that many more young men to a lifetime of recidivism – when they could otherwise be lead to a lifetime as a productive citizen.

In an environment like this, one wonders why anyone would want to stick their neck out to attempt to make a difference… _____

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT
Lieutenant Phil Kasten,
Carroll County Sheriff’s Office
100 North Court Street Westminster, MD 21157

Medical Examiner releases final report”
Mon 3/5/2007 2:56 PM

Westminster, Carroll County, Maryland, March 5, 2006 ----

The Maryland State Medical Examiner’s Office has informed Sheriff’s investigators that an examination into the cause and manner of 17-year-old Isaiah Simmons III death has concluded. While their were no obvious external injuries observed during an initial examination,” the autopsy has concluded that Simmons died from, “Sudden Death during Restraint,” and have ruled his death a homicide. The medical examiners office has shared this information with Isaiah Simmons family.

During the past several weeks, Sheriff’s Investigators have collected more than one hundred pieces of evidence, and in coordination with the Department of Juvenile Services interviewed more than one hundred people, including staff and students. At this stage, the Sheriff’s Office has forwarded the investigative results to the Carroll County States Attorney’s Office for review.
_____

The Carroll County Times has a breaking news alert on their web site written by Justin Palk. Mr. Palk writes:

“A grand jury will determine whether charges should be filed in the January death of Isaiah Simmons at Bowling Brook Preparatory School in Middleburg.”

[…]

“At the press conference where that announcement was made, Kevin Lewis, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI’s Baltimore division, also announced the bureau would be investigating whether Simmons’ civil rights had been violated.

To hear portions of the 911 tape from the night of Simmons' death, click here.”

You can read the rest of Mr. Palk’s article here.

Footnotes
####

[1] Bowling Brook Preparatory Academy Mission Statement:

To provide quality residential and education services to male adolescent offenders while helping these same young men make positive changes in their lives. We are committed to providing an environment that is conducive to learning. Our results oriented program focuses on education and providing students with the means of creating and sustaining real life changes through behavior modification and life learning skills. This personal achievement will lead students to successful re-integration into the community.

About Bowling Brook

Bowling Brook Prep School is a private, group oriented residential school for court committed young men. Services provided are designed to change behaviors and attitudes, teach life skills and help these young men sustain these changes as he returns to the community.

Bowling Brook Prep School provides a community based alternative to institutional living for troubling young men. Located just outside of Taneytown, Maryland, the campus is a safe, staff secure environment situated on 120 acres in rural Carroll County.

The program is licensed by the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services. Bowling Brook offers a pre-GED or GED curriculum that is certified by the Maryland State Department of Education. The school is accredited by the Association of Independent Maryland Schools.

The Bowling Brook Facility

Bowling Brook Preparatory School is located approximately 40 miles northwest of Baltimore, Maryland and 18 miles southeast of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on a 120 acre site in the rural Carroll County community of Keymar, Maryland. We are currently licensed for 173 students.

The campus consists of three 13 bed cottages, one 24 bed cottage and two 48 bed dormitories. A 28,300 square foot physical education/recreation facility complete with gymnasium, weight room, wrestling room, locker rooms and a health suite was completed in 2000. An education building which houses 8 classrooms, one computer lab and administrative offices on the upper level and a dining hall with food services spaces on the lower level was completed in 2001-2002. The campus also includes a student union area with a television/training room. The administrative/multi-service building houses the library/media center and administrative offices. The campus also boasts an outdoor sports field, track and basketball court and a large garage with a multi-use workshop. Construction is currently underway for a new workforce learning center which will house a barber shop, culinary arts, building trades, masonry, welding, digital print shop and a modern multi-media auditorium and several classrooms.

_____

_____