thursday, august 7, 2008 • st. mary’s county

By Guy LeonardStaff Writer

The family of Sgt. Ryan Patrick Baumann, a soldier with the 101st Airborne Division in Afghanistan, is mourning his loss after learning of his death on Aug. 1 but they say that they are beaming with pride at the work their son believed in wholeheartedly.

Thursday, August 7, 2008 • St. Mary’s County, Maryland

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County TimesThe


Det. Julie Yingling remembers when she was a patrol officer responding to domestic vio-lence complaints, all the officer could do if the victim did not want to cooperate with the inves-tigation was give them a few phone numbers to call and hand them some pamphlets on how to get help.

Now, things have changed for the better, Yingling said, with the advent of a set of ques-tions officers now ask victims of domestic vio-lence to see just how much danger they really are in.

The new lethality screen for first respond-ers, Yingling said, has become standard proce-dure for patrol officers to use when they roll up to what are often volatile situations.

“They’re typically using them every single time now,” Yingling told The County Times. “It’s not foolproof, but it’s a lot more than was happening before.”

The officer now asks if the suspect in the case threatened to use a weapon or kill the vic-tim when they first arrive, when the victim is most likely to be cooperative, Yingling said.

If the answer to those questions is yes, ac-cording to the assessment, then the officer im-mediately calls a counselor at Walden Sierra, Inc. who specializes in domestic violence situa-tions, even if the victim does not want to talk to a counselor or cooperate.

“If we get them talking they see someone really does care,” Yingling said. “And even if they don’t seek help, they know it’s there.”

More people have been seeking help once they know that someone is there to give it, ac-cording to Yingling.

The key, she said, is to get the victim seek-ing help immediately in the domestic violence process, because if they do not, victims often make quick amends with their abuser and enter into a dangerous situation again.

Kathy O’Brien, director of Walden Sierra, said, according to state statistics, only a very small percentage – about four percent – of fatal domestic violence cases are connected with the victim seeking outside help.

In 2004, there were three homicides in St. Mary’s that authorities linked to domestic issues between quarreling couples. In all three, the

Law Enforcement Hopes New Tool Will Save Lives From Domestic Violence

Study Reveals Nothing New According To Local Delegates


Two delegates within St. Mary’s and Calvert counties say the findings of a recent transporta-tion study naming the top priorities for Southern Maryland have long been known to officials here and the money used to fund the study could have been better spent.

The study, from the Commission to Study Southern Maryland Transportation Needs, stated that an extra span for the Gov. Thomas Johnson Memorial Bridge, a western bypass for Waldorf and an upgrade for Route 301 and more public transit options for Southern Maryland were the top three most-needed projects.

Del. Tony O’Donnell (R-Dist. 29C) said he first voted on the bill in the 2005 legislative ses-sion when Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich was in office. Ehrlich vetoed the bill but his veto was over-turned in a special legislative session.

Tony O’Donnell (R-Dist. 29C)

John F. Wood (D-Dist.29B)

“The study told us no more than

what we knew five years ago. The money for

the study could have been applied

to needed road repairs instead.”

“If we start doing transportation

studies in the legislature

instead of through the Maryland

Department of Transportation, we’ll have our lunch eaten.”

Parents: Local

Soldier Killed In

Afghanistan Committed

To His Mission

Andrea ShiellStaff Writer

“People pine for small town America as though it’s gone, but it’s right here,” said Ger-ald Goodwin as he sat near the entrance of the

Church of the Ascension on Great Mills Road in Lexington Park, a picturesque memory gar-den blooming behind him. Nearby, a thin line of cars whizzed by, traveling to or from any num-ber of shops and centers along the stretch.

Lexington Park Named Third Best American “Dream Town”


On August 4, deputies responded to the Lexington Park Library for a report of a fight, but what was first reported as a fight ended up being an attempted rob-bery. Deputies learned that the alleged victim was walking to his car, which was parked in the library parking lot, when a black male grabbed him in a choke hold from behind and demanded the keys to the victim’s 1994 Dodge pick up truck.

The suspect reached into the vic-tim’s pockets and began searching for the keys while still demanding them from the victim, and as a result of the suspect yelling, attention was drawn to the scene.

Arresting Deputy J. Kirkner re-ported that he spoke to two witnesses who claimed that the suspect was chok-ing his victim while demanding his car keys. Bystanders then began yelling for the suspect to let the man go, at which point the suspect fled in the direction of Missouri Avenue in Lexington Park.

A short time later, a man matching the suspect’s description was detained in the area of Roger’s Drive, which is approximately 300 yards from Missouri Avenue and the site of the attempted robbery.

The suspect, 18 year-old Joseph Lee Woolfolk of Lexington Park, was arrested and charged with attempted car jacking, which could result in 30 years in prison, second degree assault, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, and attempted robbery, which could result in a 15 year sentence. Wool-folk was also charged with the attempted unlawful taking of a motor vehicle.

Lexington Park Man Charged in Attempted

Car Jacking

See Transportation page A-5

See Baumann page A-�

See Dream Town page A-�

Photo by Andrea Shiell

“It was great to go up there and play lacrosse for a great cause and to have fun.” – Bryant Schmidt

Ryken Grads Fight Cancer On Lacrosse Field

Sgt. Ryan Patrick Baumann

Bizjournals.com ranked 140 small towns across America for their quality of life, to include economic opportunities, housing markets and access to big cities, and Lexington Park ranked third in this year’s list of the best small towns in which to live.

See Violence page A-5

Governor’s Cup Yacht Race Final Results

Weather forcasts proved to be wrong for this year’s Governor’s Cup Yacht Race, which kicked off at 6 p.m. on Friday with � to 8-knot winds and calm seas. Sailors in this year’s 35th annual overnight race had light winds and calm waters for most of the course. Returning to compete this year was an all-high-school crew from Southern Maryland. On board Age of Reason, sailors from Leonardtown and Patuxent High Schools won in their class (C-D). Their boat is a centerboard model 19�8 Bristol 355 captained by their coach, Stovy Brown, of St. Leonard, Maryland. Gor-don Latrobe on Still a Gorilla (PHRF B) took home the Waldschmitt Award for the best in fleet. Jeremy Hutchinson and crew on Merid-ian (PHRF AO) won the Alumni Tro-phy. Andrew Eyring and crew on Finn from Balti-more (PHRF C/D) was honored with the Bickell Award, named for a racer who lost his life in a tragic accident sailing in the 1994 Governor’s Cup, and the Patuxent Partnership (TPP) trophy was awarded to Clarke McKinney and crew of The Riddler from Solomons, Maryland (PHRF A3).

At midnight on August 4, deputies responded to a report of shots fired on Cecil Avenue in Leon-ardtown. Charles Eugene Castle II, 38 of Leonar-dtown, and Joshua Ezekiel Shafer, 30 of Compton, forced their way into a residence located on Cedar Street in Leonardtown, assaulting the homeowner and a second victim as all occupants of the resi-dence fled the scene. Castle and Shafer then left the residence, but were met by another occupant, Matthew Fletcher Bernd, 20 of Leonardtown, who fired a .38 caliber revolver at them. Castle and Shafer have been charged with 1st, 3rd, and 4th de-gree burglary and numerous counts of assault, and Bernd has been charged with one count of reckless endangerment.

Burglary, Assault, and Reckless Endangerment Charges

Photo Courtesy of David Noss

SectionA-� The County Times Thursday,August7,�008

DEL. JOHNNY WOODWANTS YOU TO ATTEND HIS

BULL ROASTTUESDAY, AUGUST 19th, 2008

6-9 P.M.Olde Breton Inn, Compton

Casual Dress

$30 per person • $20 for seniorsCome out and enjoy a fun evening of great food and terrific company with

Delegate Wood and his familyBY AUTHORITY JOHN F. WOOD • JULIA LEE FORBES TREASURER

AndreaShiellStaffWriter

Recently several St. Mary’s County citizenshave received checks in the mail along with a letternotifyingthecitizentheyareawinnerofa lotteryorreceiverofsomesortoffunds.

DeputyCindyAllen,publicinformationofficerfor the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office, says thatthe first cases of these types of letters originated inthenorthernendofthecounty,withtwoorthreemorein the southern end. “This is a very common fraudscheme,”shesaid.

ThelettershaveoriginatedfromoutsidetheUnitedStates. The citizen is typically asked to deposit thefraudulentcheckintotheiraccount,andtosendcashinorder topayprocessing fees, taxes, services charges,or to receive theirgift. Themoney,usuallyequalingtwo or three hundred dollars, is then picked up by areceiverinaforeigncountry.

“The check comes back as being fraudulent andthenthey’reoutthemoneytheysentback,”saidAllen,whowarnsthatoncemoneyissentoutofthecountry,it isnearlyimpossibletorecover. “Ifthey’resendingmoney out of the country then there’s no way to re-coupit.Thefedscan’tevenrecoupit.It’soutoftheirjurisdiction.”

TheFederalTradeCommissionreportscounterfeitorfakechecksarebeingusedinavarietyofdeceptiveschemestoincludetheforeignlotteryscam,whichhasrecentlybeenreportedinSt.Mary’sCounty.

Othermoneyschemes includecheckoverpaymentscams,which targetconsumerssellingcarsandvalu-ablesthroughclassifiedadsoronlineauctionsitessuchasEbayorCraig’sList.Unsuspectingsellersbecomevictimswhenthethiefpassesaboguscashier’scheck,corporate checks, or personal checks to pay for theitemwhenpurchased. Theywill reply toaclassifiedador auction,offer topay for the itemwitha check,andthencomeupwithanexcusetowritethecheckformorethanthepurchaseprice.Thepurchaserthenaskstheseller towirebackdifferenceafterdepositing the

check,andwithinafewdays,thecheckbounces,leav-ingthesellerresponsiblefortheentireamount.

Insecret shopperscams, thevictim ishired tobea“secretshopper,”andisaskedtoevaluatetheeffec-tivenessofamoneytransferservice.Theyaregivenacheck,toldtodepositintheirbankaccount,andwith-drawtheamountincash.Theyarethentoldtotakethecashtoaspecifiedmoneytransferserviceandsendthetransfertoapersoninanothercountry.Thevictimissupposedtoevaluatetheexperience,buttheevaluationisnevercollected,andthevictimisoutofthecash.

Allen said that thieves who use these methodstypically target the elderly. She cited one instancewherea fraudulentcheckwas sent toawoman inSt.Mary’sCountywhohadpassedaway.Thecheckwasintercepted by a family member and reported to theauthorities.

Those who use these methods can easily avoiddetection, becausewhen funds are sent throughwiretransferservices, recipientscanpickup themoneyatotherlocationswithinthesamecountry,anditisnear-ly impossible for the victim to identify or locate therecipient.

Allen said that warnings have been issued aboutthese scams from the Sheriff’s Office, but there areseveralthingsthatpeoplecandotoavoidfallingvic-tim. Citizens are encouraged to know who they aredealing with, and to never wire money to strangers,toneverpayforafeefora“freegiftorprize,”sinceitstandstoreasonthatafreegiftshouldbefree.Neverenter a foreign lottery, since the majority of foreignlotteries are fraudulent. Sellers using classified adsor online selling services should also use recognizedescroworonlinepaymentservicessuchasPayPal.

Formore informationon theseandother typesofscams, residents should visit http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre40.shtm.

Allensaidthatthenumberonetip-offshouldbeifsomeoneasksyoutowiremoneytoaforeigncountry,butthereareothersignsthatacheckorofferthatsome-onegetsinthemailcouldbefraudulent.“Basically,ifitlookstogoodtobetrue,itprobablyis,”shesaid.

MoneyScamsHitSouthernMarylandRecent Cases Prompting Warnings

ByGuyLeonardStaffWriter

For the past two years, the Southern Maryland chapterof theNationalAllianceonMental Illness (NAMISouthernMaryland)hasbeenrunmostlyoutdirectorConnieA.Walk-er’sresidenceinLeonardtown.

That has created numerous difficulties in directing those dealingwithamentalillness,ortryingtohelpsomeonewhohasone,tothetreatmentandresourcestheyneed.

Thenthereistheproblemofrecruitingenoughvolunteerstohelpseekersgettheassistanceandsupporttheyneedfortheirillnesses.

Now,NAMISouthernMarylandhastakenupresidenceina new office in Lexington Park; the first time it has had an of-fice since Walker took over directing the group.

The office on Shangri-La Drive was donated to NAMI by theCommunityandEconomicDevelopmentCorporationandthegrouponlyhastopayutilitiesontheplace,Walkersaid.

“It’s a lot of work to run mental health advocacygroups in rural areas,” Walker told The County Times.“They tend to operate out of the trunk of someone’s car.”Theneedsofpeople lookingforhelp indealingwithmentalillnessescontinuedtogrow,regardlessofNAMI’shousingsitu-ation,andthatmeantthegroupcouldnolongeroperateasithasbeen,accordingtoWalker.

“We reached a tipping point; we had to have an office,” She said.

NAMISouthernMarylanddoesnotprovidetreatmentforthosesufferingamentalillness,butdoespointthemintherightdirection.Volunteersfortheorganizationalsohelprunclassesthatbringfamilymembersofthementallyilltogetherforsup-portaswellas to learnhowtocopewith the impactsof thediseaseandhowtogettreatmentfortheirlovedones.

“Having the new office will help me and other volunteers,” saidSarahAshworth,whorunsoneofthesupportclassesforNAMI.“Andit’llprovideconsumersaplacetolearn,gainsup-portandgetresourcestheywouldn’tgetanywhereelse.”

Best of all, the resources people have access to throughNAMIarefree,Ashworthsaid.

With the new office, one member of the NAMI Southern Marylandboardofdirectorssaid,willalsocomemorepeoplewhohaveneeds.

“With an office they’d be more likely to seek help,” said Pat

Hemler.“It’saphysicalpresenceandit’saplaceforpeopletogoseekingsupport.”

WalkersaidthelocalNAMIchapterisinlockstepwiththeconcerns of the newly formed county Office of Human Ser-vices,whichstatesthatmentalhealthisagrowingissueinSt.Mary’sCounty.

Butthecounty’slocationcanmakehelpingthesufferingofothersmorechallenging.

“Ourissuesarethesameasruralareasallacrossthecoun-try,”Walkersaid.“Providerswouldratherpracticeinurbanar-eas; they don’t like to work in rural areas.”

The new office is funded entirely with donations to NAMI

SouthernMaryland,Walkersaid,butNAMI tries tokeepasmanyavenuesopenforthoseseekinghelpaspossible.

“Wepartnerherewithalltheprovidersonewayoranoth-er,”Walkersaid.“We’reprettyaggressiveadvocates.”

OneofthemainthingsNAMIisheretoaccomplish,Walk-ersaid,isnotonlytohelpprovideaccesstotreatmentandre-sourcesbuttoshowpeoplethatmentalillnessandshameneednotgotogether.

“We want to provide better education and more under-standingaboutmentalillness,”Walkersaid.“Andthestigmathatcomesalongwiththatandshouldn’t.”

MentalHealthAdvocatesGetNewHome

ByGuyLeonardStaffWriter

State’s Attorney RichardFritzdecidedtonotprosecuteaMontgomeryCountymanwhohad been accused of takingpartintherobberyoftheBankof America in Mechanicsvillelastyear.

David Concepcion, ofRockville, was accused ofhelpinganotherRockvilleman,ValeriyKouznetsovduringtheAugust 2007 robbery but hadallchargesagainsthim,whichincluded armed robbery, rob-bery, first-and-second-degree assaultand theuseofahand-gun in the commission of acrime dropped, according tohis attorney Public DefenderJohnGetz.

Concepcion has alreadypleaded guilty to one chargeconnected to an attemptedbankrobberythattookplaceinRockvilleaboutoneweekafterthe Mechanicsville robbery.Kousnetsov still faces chargesherebutinMontgomeryCoun-tyhehasalreadypleadedguilty

tochargesinthelaterattempt-edbank robbery,according toon-linecourtrecords.

Getzsaidtherewereques-tions about whether Concep-cionwasevenwithKouznetsovwhenheallegedlyuseda rep-licahandguntorobtheBankofAmerica.

“Obviouslywe’repleased,”Getzsaidofthestate’sdecisiontonotprosecutethecaseagainstConcepcion. “It appeared thestated had no evidence to putmy client at the scene; there werenowitnessestoidentifyasecondperson.”

Originally investigatorshere believed that both Con-cepcion, 34, and Kouznetsov,24, had carjacked a vehiclein Montgomery County Au-gust 17 and used it in thebankrobbery thesameday inMechanicsville.

The car allegedly used tocommit the crime was foundlater, abandoned in PrinceGeorge’sCounty.

Fritzdidnotreturnphonecalls for comment as of presstime.

ProsecutorDropsChargesAgainstBankRobberySuspect

Photo by Guy Leonard

Connie Walker, left, NAMI Southern Maryland director, and Jackie Harris and Sarah Ashworth, both recovery support group volunteers, at the group’s new office in Lexington Park on Shangri-La Drive.

Thursday, August 7, 2008 The County Times Section A - �

Route 245Hollywood, MD 20636

301-475-2531

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

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

Wildewood Shopping CenterCalifornia, MD 20619

301-866-5702The Shops at Breton BayLeonardtown, MD 20650301-997-1828

Price Effective Friday, August 8 - Sunday, August 1011a.m. - 7p.m.

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• 1 lb. Mashed Potatoes • 1 lb. Green Beans • ½ doz. Fresh Dinner Rolls • 2 ltr. Coke or Pepsi

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SectionA-� The County Times Thursday,August7,2008

Editorial&Opinion

LetterstotheEditorIf you wish to send a letter to the editor, please include your name, address and phone number for confirmation purposes. We will only publish your name and city of residence. We

can withhold your name by request if circumstances merit it. We must receive all letters by Monday morning for publication in the next issue. Any letter received later than Monday will be held for the following issue.

P.O.Box250•Hollywood,Maryland20636

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

JamesManningMcKay-Publisher

Tobie Pulliam - Office [email protected]

AndreaShiell-GovernmentCorrespondent......andreashiell@countytimes.net

ChrisStevens-SportsCorrespondent.............. [email protected]

GuyLeonard-CommunityCorrespondent................guyleonard@countytimes.net

The County Times

I wished to extend my gratitude to Sher-iffCameron&CommissionerRaleyfortheirquick response in taking the first of many stepsinthecleanupofthe“infamouspathtothe Patuxent Park Project” through the woods from Spring Valley in Lexington Park. I wish I had taken some “before” pictures because of thetremendouseffectonedayofcleanupef-forthashadontheappearanceofthepath&surrounding woods. Many thanks as well to everyone from the

Department of Corrections that workedthe cleanup effort. This path has long been a

way of legitimate travel between these two neighborhoods and, I’m sure, will continue to be. Unfortunately, the path harbor’s a great deal of illegitimate activity & travel. I’m sure this first cleanup effort has sent a signal to all that the path is changing for the better.

I look forward to the next steps in the cleanup of illegitimate & illicit traffic, for the safety of those in both neighborhoods. On be-half of my neighbors, thank you again.

Pete GreivellLexington Park

An article appearing in your publication on page B7 of the July 24 issue concerned the linkage of ADHD with Food Additives. This is certainly nothing new, but it is wonderful that you are bringing it to the attention of the people of Southern Maryland! In fact, children afflicted with ADHD and ADD have been helped for years by following the “Feingold Diet” and by becoming in some cases Gluten (most grains) and Casein (most dairy) free.

But there is a lot more to the treatment of these diseases which have reached epidemic proportions than just watching what the chil-dren eat. There are simple non-invasive tests which can be done that show exactly where a child’s body is not functioning well and then indicate how to intervene naturally in a way to helpthechildtofunctionasnormallyaspos-

sible in life. These tests have become known as “Functional Tests” and, while not generally acceptedby thewidemedical establishment,they have helped millions of children to make great progress in life.

I would encourage parents of these chil-dren to see out a physician who believes in natural solutions to their child’s problems, or to seek out a qualified Nutritionist to help them.

In the meantime, thanks to The County Times for giving parents this valuable infor-mation,whichhasbeenheldbackfromthemfor too many years.

Dr. Thomas E. BaldwinMaster of Science in Holistic NutritionTall Timbers, Md

May I take this opportunity to thank the Hollywood ambulance team that let me ride in the ambulance on July 21stwhenmyhusbandof 46 years, Bill got sick. We made our virgin visit inside of St. Mary’s Hospital in nearby Leonardtown, Md. We arrived at the hospital between 9 and 9:30 a.m. Since we got there relatively early we were able to get an emer-gency room cubicle. We found the entire staff to be helpful and professional. They answered our questions and did their jobs. I saw several employees on their computers there. We got a room on the third floor mid afternoon on Mon-day. He had a CAT scan, and MRI, a Doppler scanofhiscorrodedarteryinhisneckandofcourse several checks of his vitals.

So if you have to acquire the patience of Job and the Wisdom of Solomon, please be prepared to wait. On Monday, July 21stintheafternoon the emergency room was filled to

capacity. My husband only had to stay one night and two full days.

As senior citizens we choose to live in Wildewood Retirement Village, for two years now. We’ve attended social activities, used the neighborhood pool, attended bible study groups, exercise classes regularly and played cards at the near by clubhouse.

Some of the medical personnel at St. Mary’s Hospital include Nicole, Christine, Bob, Dr. Harvey, Kitty from the gift shop and the ambulance crew including C.J.

We are very blessed to have concerned neighbors friends and family members to help in our good times and bad times of our day by day living

Margie and Bill MyersCalifornia, Md

Our housing industry is once again in trou-ble. Many of our politicians in Congress will tell you that they have done something about it, by overwhelmingly passing (272 to 152) the Housing Bill on July 23rd.

But what exactly, in plain English, did they do? Well, for one thing, they are continuing to buy Housing and Mortgage Securities using Treasury Bills. For those of us who are normal people,thatmeansthattheassetsorcurrencyis guaranteed by are these Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae loans, i.e., the very money that’s in trouble (read: not there). Great.

Okay, the bill is reportedly 600+ pages long. What else is in it? Try, the increased spending associated with the housing bailout will move our National Debt up by about 800 billion dollars. Not a typo. $800 billion.

Don’t get involved with all the financial stuff? Ok, how about this: Buried in the bill is another provision: Every Credit Card transac-tion in the U.S. will be reported to the IRS. So now, (and this has to be violating the Health-care Privacy Act), everything you do will be

known to Big Government. Who needs to Pa-triot Act, or Real ID, to have their rights, their privacy, invaded now? Do you really want the IRS to know that you stopped at Arby’s on your way home from picking up your prescrip-tion for AmbienCR at CVS? And what about the burden placed on businesses having to re-portallthis?

If we don’t realize by now that WE, the ordinary citizens of the United States, are the ones who are going to take it in the shorts, and start using the power we have left, it is all over but the shouting.

I intend to do the one thing I as an indi-vidual can do: I am voting for Collins Bailey for Congress in the 5th District this November. Collins has a clear understanding of economic issues. We need to throw our dysfunctional Congress out on their ears and send respon-sible, moral leaders to Washington.

Beth Fitch Clements, Md

Your mother is the dear lady who graciously al-lowed the giver of all life (God Almighty of the Holy Bible) to fulfill his plan of brining you forth at his pre-determined time. At least that’s the manner is which nature has performed since the creation of mankind. Today, however, there’s much in the news contrary to historical precedence, as another entity, who’s not new at all, is vociferously lauded as responsible for your very existence. The entity to be revered is none other than Mother Earth. And man, is she hot about the way you’ve been plodding all over her with your big feet, to the point of demanding your fearful repentance from oil as placed underground by none other than her Creator!

What once amounted to applying common sense to preserve, not pollute and properly tend to the environment on some semblance of order like unto that, which you’d provide for your family and pets etc., is no longer adequate. Rational though has been supplanted by the religion of Mother Earth worship aspreachedby theselfanointed leaderof thisculthimself, the Rev. Algore. He, along with Apostles Greenpeace and Sierra, Hollywood Disciples airhead

and loony, others compromise a very powerful and well-financed sect highly esteemed by liberal media. Didyouknow,recently,betweenchurchbuffets,herright reverend gloomily prophesied mankinds soon demise if we don’t heed his commandment to get off of the Devil’s milk (oil) immediately. We, unbeliev-ers, have been warned!

Perhaps you are not counted among Mother Earth church’s increasing membership. Good for you. Strangely enough, with this religion, however, separation of church and state doesn’t apply and you can’t escape her influence. Proudly deluded, the overwhelming majority of the newly evolving Demo-crat Party is among Mother Earth’s most ardent and prostrated believers and their false religion affects all Americans. If you think that Democrat Party cares about you, think about this. These church prophets are so concerned about the cost of gas and its ad-verse effects on your dwindling finances (along with its causing increased unemployment and businesses succumbing to bankruptcy) that they brazenly closed up shop and sent the members home for a five-week vacation at your expense. They will not tolerate ques-

tioning the veracity of their new religion. Meanwhile, Republicansstayedbehindtotryandaffectsubstan-tive and positive business on behalf of the best inter-est of all Americans- energy independence.

Mother Earth’s ministers proclaim a false gos-pelwhereastheGospeloftruthwasandistheGoodNews of the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He has not, nor will He ever be replaced or relegated to a place of nominal obscu-rity. His power made this world, among others and His power will sustain this world till such time as He says otherwise. It’s a safe bet it’ll still be here after you and I are long gone.

What can you do? Well, as God intended, you are a free moral agent and are responsible for your own decisions and actions. May I respectfully sug-gest you weigh your options and consequences, and

conclude with the following – trust Jesus Christ, alone for your soul’s eternity and trust American ingenuity to safely extract oil within America’s parameters for the here and now. The Earth is not your mother and using our own oil is not sinful, but, rather, wise and in thebestinterestsofthewelfareandeconomyofthisfree nations. Support efforts to drill here, drill now, save money and enjoy life while simultaneously sup-porting interests in fast tracking alternative sources and energy as developed by good ol’ Marican inge-nuity. Remember, viable alternatives will be years in developing along the pipelines of success, so be patient.

Now go hug your mother.

Chester M. Seaborn, Jr.Mechanicsville, Md

Congress Is Dysfunctional: ThrowThemOut

BlessedToLiveInACommunitywithGoodNeighbors

NaturalSolutionstoChildren’sHealth

ThankYouForThePathCleanup

AmericaShouldDrillForOilWhileDevelopingAlternativeEnergySources

The Republican Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, John Boeh-ner of Ohio, is leading the Re-publicans on the U.S. House floor in protest of the fact that the Democratic Majority last Friday quickly decided to ad-journ for a 5 week summer vacation without allowing a yes or no vote on legislation that would provide for com-prehensive energy reform, in-cluding offshore drilling.

Boehner’s coun-terpart in the U.S. House of Representatives, Steny Hoyer, our Congressman from Mary-land’s 5th Congressional Dis-trict and the House Majority Leader has called the Repub-lican’s effort “stunts on the House floor in a transparent

politicalefforttomanufactureheadlines”.

The American En-ergy Act introduced by House Republicans is called an “allof the above” energy strategy. Meaning it takes into account a strategy for energy inde-pendence from a variety of fronts.

The American Energy Act would increase the supply of American-made energy in environmentally sound ways, improve energy conservation and efficiency, and promote renewable and alternative en-ergy technologies.

Last Friday morning, ratherthandebatetheissueofthe American Energy Act and take a vote on the proposal, Steny Hoyer and Nancy Pe-

losi, the House Speaker and Hoyer’s boss elected instead to recess for 5 weeks. Pelosi haspubliclystatedshewillnotallow a vote on the proposed legislation to take place.

When Pelosi and Hoyer decide to adjourn rather than takeuptheissuethatiscrip-pling their constituents back home, the House Republicans objected and decided to stay inhopestheDemocratswouldchange their minds and come back into session to vote on the proposed legislation.

Pelosiinsteadorderedthemicrophones and lights in the U.S. House be turned off.

The House Republicans remain in session on theHouse floor this week protest-ing the Democrats vacation

without first voting on this important issue.

Hoyer has not only called the Republican efforts a“stunt” but went on to say “it’s ashameRepublicansaremoreinterested in playing games than enacting real solutions”.

Pelosi and Hoyer can of-fer a lot of political jargon to explain their decision. Both parties are filled with profes-sional politicians capable ofthrowing blame elsewhere enough to confuse the Ameri-can public. These guys, on both sides of the aisle can go back and forth all day aboutwho has failed the American people the most. This is why Congress’s approval rating among Americans is at an all time low. It is hard to find any

other American institution with a lower approval rating.

This is not how Ameri-can’s expect their government to work. We are tired of poli-ticians blaming everyone else while America’s problems go unresolved. You can give ex-cuses all day Steny, and some might be valid, but you cannot refute the fact that American’s should be able to expect that you would at least be willing to vote on a piece of legisla-tion that arguably seeks to ad-dressthenumberoneproblemeffecting most American’s today.

No political jargon, no matter the substance, can ex-plainwhyyoucannotsimplydebate the legislation over a reasonableperiodoftimeandthen have the members elect-ed by the people do their job, vote.

If the Democrats don’t liketheRepublicansponsoredlegislation, they could intro-duce their own version of the American Energy Act. Bring twoideastothetable,letthemboth be debated and both vot-ed on, let the best idea win,isn’t that what American’s ex-pect their government to do?

Regardless of who is to blame for the American en-ergy crisis we face today, the American Energy Act is legit-imate legislation, which offers possible solutions. The voters should expect Hoyer and his colleagues to return to Wash-ington now to debate and vote on this critical piece of legis-lation, even if it means Hoyer and Pelosi must end their va-cation “stunt”.

HighEnergyCostIsNoStunt

Thursday, August 7, 2008 The County Times Section A - �

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Did you make a list of summer reading you wanted

to accomplish? Did you buy a new book or two to take on vacation? The problem, of course, is that there are way

too many books to read and not enough time to read them all. I know, it’s like that with a lot of stuff. I have more

recipes than I’ll ever have time to try. And more scrap-booking than I’ll have ever time to do. The great thing about reading, though, is you can read a book ten minutes at a time. You can’t try a new recipe in ten minutes. And there’s no point in even sit-ting down at my scrapping table for ten minutes. For one thing, I’d start and an hour later, I’d think about 15 min-utes had passed! But read-ing, you can squeeze some in anytime, anywhere.

I did make a list of books I want to read. It includes some new ones and some classics. It also includes a variety of fiction and non-fiction. And don’t forget the magazines; magazines are great for sum-mer reading. Sitting by the pool, lazing on the beach – magazines are made for that. Sometimes, summer reading is about light, easy and en-tertaining books and short stories. When it’s hot and

you’re feeling lazy, you just can’t concentrate too much and reading something chal-lenging doesn’t fit the bill. Vacation and poolside read-ing call for fluff. I strongly believe you should read a va-riety of things – some fluff, some non-fiction, some fic-tion, some magazines. And of course, you should read a newspaper at least some of the time. Some more good reading you can indulge in between now and time for the St. Mary’s County Fair is the Fair Guide. It just came out this week. Peruse it now and plan your entries!

I also like to spend some time revisiting old favorites. Once in a while, you want to read something beloved and familiar, you want to touch base with an old friend again. Anything by Jane Austen is a great favorite of mine. Pride and Prejudice is my particular favorite, but I love Jane. I enjoy Brit lit, I

have to say, both classics and modern. Another favorite is I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith, who also wrote The 101 Dalmatians. I enjoy Agatha Christie novels, the Hercule Poirot stories are wonderful. And Ken Follett is a wonderful author, each of his books is quite differ-ent. He explores an amaz-ing variety of topics and his books are all captivating. If you’re looking for witty stories, do read some of the Jeeves and Wooster stories by P.G. Wodehouse.

Check out the Book Sec-tion of the newspaper, visit the library and talk to the librarians, ask your friends what they’re reading. Then grab something and spend ten minutes or a lazy after-noon indulging yourself. I did and it was great.

You can email the Coun-try Girl at [email protected]

O’Donnell said he voted to uphold Eh-rlich’s veto, which eventually failed.

“They overrode his veto for political rea-sons,” O’Donnell told The County Times. “If we start doing transportation studies in the legislature instead of through the Maryland Department of Transportation, we’ll have our lunch eaten.”

O’Donnell said if transportation studies were continually brought up for votes in An-napolis, then the counties with the most politi-cal clout – Baltimore, Montgomery and Prince George’s – will always get the lion’s share of transportation money from the state.

That could leave Southern Maryland con-tinually waiting for its share, he said.

The study was conducted by a company called Cambridge Systematics, Inc., based in Bethesda, in cooperation with A.G. Samuel Group, Inc and Sabra, Wang and Associates, Inc.

The study also included the assistance of the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland and The Maryland Department of Transportation.

Estimates of the study’s cost, dated back to 2005 from state legislature records, reached about $200,000.

The fiscal note for the bill that authorized the study, SB 281, stated back in 2005 that the study could be redundant.

“MDOT advises that some of the tasks required by the bill duplicate or overlap with existing or future studies,” the note states. “Presumably the cost of the analyses would be lower as a result.

“However, it is unclear how much previ-ous or current analyses conducted by the state or [Tri-County Council] could be used to re-duce the cost of the bill. MDOT advises that it can be as expensive to update earlier data as it is to collect it.”

The executive summary of the report states that the 21-member commission that compiled the report did so to update the 1998 Southern

Maryland Regional Strategy-An Action Plan for Transportation.

“Substantial growth in the region and changing commuting patterns have cre-ated the need to update the 1998 effort,” the study’s executive summary states.

Del. John Bohanan (D-Dist.29A) argued that the needs study was necessary because it showed what could be accomplished when the three counties, St. Mary’s, Charles and Cal-vert, as well as portions of Anne Arundel and Prince George’s, could do when they focused their efforts.

“When you have all three counties speak-ing in unison it’s a much more powerful force,” Bohanan said. “It [the study] helps prioritize transportation needs for the region… no one else in the state has done that.”

Del. John F. Wood (D-Dist.29B) said he, too, voted to pass SB 281 in 2005 and override the Ehrlich veto, though he said he had person-nel reservations about the bill and the need for the study.

“When you talk about $200,000, I think it was a lot of money,” Wood told The County Times. “And we already knew where the prob-lems were.

“The study told us no more than what we knew five years ago.”

Wood said the money for the study could have been applied to needed road repairs instead.

“We could’ve fixed a lot of potholes with it,” Wood said of the $200,000. “It was like giving a donation to these people [the contrac-tors who conducted the study.]”

But why did Wood vote for the study even though he said he believed it was not needed?

“Because it was a Southern Maryland is-sue,” Wood said. “It made some people in the delegation feel good and look good.

“Sometimes you just close your eyes, grit your teeth and push the button.”

The assessment showed there were between $6 billion and $7.3 billion-worth of transporta-tion system needs in Southern Maryland with $2.1 billion to $2.4 billion as the top priorities. The rest were projects in counties that had re-gional significance, according to the report.

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TransportationContinued from page A-�

women were shot.It was this level of lethality

in St. Mary’s County, where homicides are so rare, that made law enforcement take notice.

“We had a very deadly year,” said Sheriff Timothy K. Cameron. “You should do ev-erything you can do… to not have any more casualties.

“And we’ve had a lot of casualties.”

Yevonnie Lowe, cri-sis program coordinator for Walden Sierra, Inc., said the new assessment helps not

only the officers determine the threat level in a domestic violence case, but also gives victims the feeling that they are not alone.

“I do know there’s been a greater number of victims calling Walden for servic-es,” Lowe told The County Times. “We’re trying to em-power the victim, even in the midst of the chaos.”

Domestic violence vic-tims often fear cooperating with the police or counsel-ors because their abuser is often their sole provider for income, food, housing and other necessities.

By going through the assessment immediately, and getting in touch with a

counselor, they find out that they can receive emergency housing and food for them-selves and their children if needed as well as counseling services.

The assessment has only been in use since April 15, Yingling said, but has already made inroads into the Asian community, where, she said, women have always been re-luctant to even call the police for domestic violence much less cooperate in an investi-gation into their abuser.

“That’s was a population we never could reach before,” Yingling said. “They’re actu-ally reaching out for help.”

Since the inception of the assessment, 34 victims

have contacted Walden Si-erra for help after answering the questions, four of whom, along with their children, have received emergency assistance.

The remaining 30 have received counseling sessions and follow-up appointments to include trauma counsel-ing, according to information from Walden Sierra, Inc.

Sometimes just getting victims to take part in the counseling is a victory, Yin-gling said.

“Even if they don’t get services, they know what’s there,” Yingling said of the assessment. “It helps them appreciate how dangerous their situation is.”

ViolenceContinued from page A-�


The prospect of allow-ing home owners in St. Mary’s County to generate their own electrical power using a private wind turbine could be one step closer to reality after the Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously to send the autho-rizing zoning text amendment to public hearing.

The text amendment, if ap-proved, would allow homeown-ers to use a system that amounts

to a type of windmill that could generate up to 100 kilowatts of electricity on a piece of property at least half-an-acre in size.

The ordinance would al-low for a tower to be built that was 150 feet or less to support the blade of the turbine, accord-ing to information from county government.

The prospect of opening up new alternative energy sources to cut down power costs for ho-meowners was especially attrac-tive to Commissioner Lawrence D. Jarboe (R-Golden Beach).

“It’s a great idea,” Jarboe told The County Times. “It’s free energy and you can’t beat the price.”

St. Mary’s County’s prox-imity to the water also opened up the possibility of harnessing the sea as well as wind to provide electricity, Jarboe said.

“We could become a center for alternative energy,” he said. “Its time [alternative energy] has come.”

One local man who has been pushing for authorization to be-gin his own wind power project

is hoping for the best with the text amendment’s approval.

Rich Johnson, of Valley Lee, said he started his project back in April and is just waiting for the text amendment to pass to have his turbine shipped in.

The power used by his resi-dence racks up a big bill every year, he said.

“We’ve been drawing about 35,000 kilowatts a year,” Johnson said. “And that translates into about $5,000 a year.

“I’m just trying to save my pocket book.”

Johnson said he had investi-gated the solar power option for his home but said he had to wait too long for the payback benefits to have any effect, but wind pow-er seemed to be the right choice.

“The more I looked into it the better it looked,” Johnson said.

The company that provides the operating system he has cho-sen, Wind Turbine Industries Corporation, states that at about 10 miles-per-hour of operation the system can produce 19,700 kilowatt hours, Johnson said.

At 12 miles-per-hour the system can push upwards of 33,000 kilowatt hours of electri-cal power, he said.

“Conservatively, I’ll save about 60 percent on my bill easy, quite possibly up to 96 percent,”

Johnson said.In other business the com-

missioners also passed a tax credit for homeowners who voluntarily install a sprinkler system in their homes to suppress fires.

The tax credit allows for either a $1,500 credit for volun-tarily installing a new system in new home or a $2,000 payment to retrofit an existing home.

The ordinance applies to one-or-two-family dwellings and the tax credit is good from Febru-ary of 2008 to February of 2011.

The ordinance intent is to encourage owners of homes built in rural parts of the county, that are not required to have a sprin-kler system installed because they were on private wells, to do so.

Commissioners Vote To Send Wind Turbine Ordinance To Public Hearing

SectionA-� The County Times Thursday,August7,2008

Sergeant Ryan Patrick Baumann, 24

Sergeant Ryan Patrick Baumann, 24, of Jefferson-ville, Ind., died Aug. 1 during active military duty with the U.S. Army in Afghanistan.

Born Sept. 17, 1983 in Loveland, Ohio, he was the son of Cindy Lohman of Lexington Park, and Robert T. Baumann of Jeffersonville, Ind.

In addition to his par-ents, Ryan is survived by his sister, Christina Baumann of Mesa, Ariz., stepfather, Gary Lohman of Lexington Park, grandparents, John Boggs of Dayton, Ohio and Edward Baumann of Loveland, Ohio and fiancée Lauren Smith of Lexington Park.

Family will receive friends Sunday, Aug. 10 from 2 – 5 p.m. in the Brinsfield Funeral Home, Leonardtown. Prayers will be recited at 4 p.m. A funeral service will be conducted Monday, Aug. 11 at 10 a.m. in the funeral home chapel. Interment will follow in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va. at 2 p.m.

Condolences to the fam-ily may be made at www.brinsfieldfuneral.com.

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

Ellie Marie Cantrell, 48

Ellie Marie Cantrell, 48, of Lexington Park died July 28 in her residence.

Born March 9, 1960 in LaPlata, Md. she was the daughter of the late Sterling Lee Few, Sr. and Ina Mae (Patrick) Few.

Ellie enjoyed camping, fishing, riding motorcycles, and shooting pool. Most of all, she loved spending time with her family and grandchildren. In addition to her parents, she was pre-ceded in death by her fiancé Robin Leon Thompson who made her life complete with the strength of his love and devotion.

Ellie is survived by her children, Douglas I. Cantrell of Lexington Park, Christo-pher R. Dutton, Jr. and his wife Christine of Oswego, N.Y., Jeremy D. Parady of Waldorf, Md., and Jamie L. Parady of Baltimore, Md.; grandchildren, Cameron R. Dutton of Oswego, N.Y. and Andrew Watson of King George, Va.; brothers, Jason Few of Waldorf, Md., Charles Few of Alaska, and Sterling L. Few, Jr. of New Mexico.

Family received friends for Ellie’s Life Celebration Saturday, Aug. 2 from noon – 2 p.m. in the Brinsfield Fu-neral Home, Leonardtown. A funeral service was conduct-ed at 2 p.m. in the funeral home chapel. Interment was private.

Memorial contributions may be made to Children’s Hospital, 111 Michigan Av-enue, NW, Washington, DC 20009.



Joseph Albert Green, 79

Joseph Albert Green, 79, of Lexington Park died July 30 in his residence.

Born March 30, 1929 in Maryland, he was the son of the late James Albert Green and Julia Ann (Dorsey) Green.

Joseph, “Big Joe”, re-ceived his education at St. Peter Claver School in Ridge. He received his Christian ex-perience at an early age in St. James Catholic Church and St. Cecilia’s Catholic Church.

At age 21, Big Joe joined the U.S. Army to serve his country. He was a member of the 45th AAA Gun Battal-ion. He received an Honorable Discharge from the military in 1953.

After returning home, Joe continued to serve his country in the U.S. Army Reserves for five years. He later pursued his love for cooking. He served as head chef at Harry Lunden-burg School of Seamanship in Piney Point. He also held many positions as foreman for numerous asphalt com-panies. He retired from F.O. Day Asphalt Company. Big Joe loved to have a good time. Among his hobbies were fish-ing and playing cards with his friends.

“Big Joe” is survived by his wife Cheryl Green, chil-dren, Joseph Darrell Green (Dalerie) of Upper Marlboro, Md., Ricardo Barnes of St. Ini-goes, Vickie Medley (Mark) of Mechanicsville and Joseph Aloysius Green of Lexing-ton Park; five grandchildren, Yolanda, Shaleta, Jawanza, Terrance and Shaquan and three beloved young men, Dontavious, Delante and De’Angelo as well as a host of relatives and friends.

Family received friends for “Big Joe’s” Life Celebra-tion Wednesday, Aug. 6 from 5:00 –8 p.m. in St. Cecilia’s Catholic Church, St. Mary’s City. Prayers were recited at 7 p.m. A Mass of Chris-tian Burial will be celebrated Thursday, Aug. 7 in St. Ce-cilia’s Church at 10 a.m. Fa-ther Scott Woods will be the celebrant Interment will be Monday, Aug. 11, at 11 a.m. in Maryland Veterans Cem-etery, 11301 Crain Highway, Cheltenham, MD 20623.



Mary Willene Hall, 65

Mary Willene Hall (for-merly Davis), 65, of Lexing-ton Park passed away Tues-day, July 29 in Georgetown University Hospital after an extended illness.

She was preceded in death by her parents Mary Ruth Adams (Davis) and Ebb Willis Davis and a son David

Lee Hall. She is survived by her

husband of 45 years, Richard Lee Hall. She is also survived by her son Bryon Lee Hall and daughter Mary Shannon (Hall) Evans. In addition, she has several grandchildren; Joshua and Jeremy Hall, Ra-chael Sierra Evans and Tif-fanie Lee Hall (Daughter of David) and a brother Bill D. Davis of California state.

Willene was active in her church before her illness. She was Grandma to many of the kids where she taught Sunday school. She had many friends who enjoyed her kind words and loving heart. She always had a hug for anyone that needed or wanted one. Willene was wonderful with crafts, and would spend hours mak-ing beautiful ceramic pieces and quilts to give as gifts to people she cared about.

She loved to make people smile. She also took in and gave shelter to many young people who needed love and some stability. She tried to fos-ter until her ill health stopped her. Her favorite things in life were family, especially her children and grandchildren. She loved to take spur of the moment day-trips, packing the family in the car, destination unknown with a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter. She also loved her many pets.

She was born and raised in California State. She met her husband in San Diego, Calif. where he was stationed at the Naval base in Imperial Beach. Her husband Richard retired from the Navy and they settled in St. Mary’s County.

The family will receive friends Thursday, Aug. 7 from 5 – 8 p.m. in the Matting-ley-Gardiner Funeral Home, Leonardtown. A funeral ser-vice will be held Friday, Aug. 8, at 11 a.m. in Patuxent Bap-tist Church, Chancellors Run Road, Great Mills, with Pas-tor Richard Young officiating. Interment will follow at 3 p.m. in Maryland Veteran’s Ceme-tery, Cheltenham, Md.

Arrangements provided by the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home, P.A.

Roland Wayne McCready, 59

Roland Wayne McCready, 59, of Hollywood died Aug. 1 in his residence.

Born May 11, 1949 in Prince Frederick, Md., he was the son of Dorothy May Mc-Cready of Lusby, Md.

Roland was an avid mo-torcycle rider. He enjoyed car-ing for his truck and spending time with his family, friends and dogs.

He is survived by his wife Elizabeth L. (Scott) McCready of Hollywood; a daughter, Sheila Kay Squires of North Carolina; and his brothers Dennis Bayliss of Lusby, Md. and David Knight of Texas.

Family received friends Tuesday, Aug. 5 from 4 – 8 p.m. in the Brinsfield Funeral Home, Leonardtown. A fu-neral service was conducted Wednesday, Aug. 6 at 11 a.m. in the funeral home chapel. Pastor Kenneth Parker, Jr. conducted the service. Inter-ment will be private.



Wanda Michelle “Shelly” Oliver, 33

Wanda Michelle “Shelly” Oliver, 33, of Mechanicsville died July 29 in St. Mary’s Hospital.

Born Nov. 21, 1974 in Leonardtown she was the daughter of Wanda Jackie Oliver Lathroum of Mechan-icsville and the late Dennis Edwin Oliver and stepfa-ther Ricky W. Lathroum of Mechanicsville.

She is also survived by her sisters Cassie Lath-roum and Krystle Lathroum, both of Mechanicsville and her brother-in-law Jona-than Howsare, grandmoth-ers Virginia “Jenny” Oliver and Ann Louise Shotwell Blankenship.

She was preceded in death by her sister Ann Ma-rie Lathroum and her grand-fathers Edward Oliver and Frank Shotwell.

A lifelong resident of St. Mary’s County, Shelly attended Chopticon High School. She enjoyed listen-ing to country and bluegrass music. Her favorite artist was Allison Krause. She enjoyed shopping with family and friends spoiling her nephews Shawn and Jackson. She al-ways gave to people in need.

The family received friends Tuesday, Aug. 5 from 5 – 8 p.m. in the Matting-ley-Gardiner Funeral Home, Leonardtown, where prayers were said at 7 p.m. A funeral service was held Wednesday, Aug. 6 at 10 a.m. in Christ Episcopal Church, Chaptico, with Rev. William “Jesse” Neat officiating. Interment followed in the church cem-etery. Pallbearers were her Godfather Glenn Shotwell, Sr., Jonathan Howsare, Bret Reed, John Taylor, Jr., Ralph Ernst and Tommy Copsey, Jr. Honorary pallbearers were Franklin Shotwell and Joshua Maggio. Arrangements pro-vided by the Mattingley-Gar-diner Funeral Home, P.A.

Robert Loys Sminkey, 76

Robert Loys Sminkey, 76, of Leonardtown died Friday, July 25 in St. Mary’s Hospital in Leonardtown.

Cmdr. Sminkey was born Sept. 3, 1931 in Philadelphia, Pa. He was the son of the late Loys Albert and his wife Dorothy.

He is survived by his wife Jacqueline; his mother Dorothy of Rochester, N.Y. who will shortly be the glo-rious age of 96; his children Robert of Summerville, S.C. and Sue Drew of Beverly, Mass.; his brothers Bill of Rochester, N.Y. and Don of Bowie, Md. and his grand-children Jonathan Drew of Austin, Texas and Kimberly Drew Chicago, Ill.

The 31-year Navy veter-an retired from active duty in 1979, ending a distinguished Navy career. Cmdr. Sminkey enlisted in the Navy in Sep-tember 1948. His enlisted service as a Quartermaster included sea duty on board USS Sea Leopard (SS-483), USS Burrfish (SSR-312), USS Sennet (SS-408), USS Guavina (AOSS-362) and a shore duty tour as an instruc-tor at the Submarine School in New London, Conn..

In April 1958, Cmdr. Sminkey was ordered to Of-ficer Candidate School in Newport, R.I. and upon grad-uation was commissioned as an Ensign. He subsequently served aboard USS Becuna (SS-319) and then on USS Sea Robin (SS-407). He reported to the Fleet Intelligence Cen-ter at Port Lyautey, Morocco for duty as Underseas War-fare Officer in March 1963, and the following year trans-ferred with that command to Jacksonville, Fla.

After completing navi-gator training at Dam Neck, Va. in 1965, Cmdr. Sminkey made four deterrent patrols as navigator on USS Fran-

cis Scott Key (SSBN-657) and then served as executive officer on USS Threadfin (SS-410).

From 1971 through 1976, Cmdr. Sminkey directed the operations of the Mediterra-nean Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarine Force for Com-mander Submarine Flotilla Eight and Commander Sub-marine Group Eight at their headquarters in Naples, Italy. Cmdr. Sminkey was fur-ther assigned as Assistant Operations Officer, Force Navigator and Trident Pro-gram Manager on the staff of the Commander Submarine Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet in Norfolk, Va. Cmdr. Sminkey completed his career as the First Commanding Officer of the Naval Submarine Support Base, Kings Bay, Ga. June 6, 1979.

Cmdr. Sminkey’s awards include three Navy Com-mendation Medals, two Navy Good Conduct Medals, two National Defense Service Medals, the Navy Achieve-ment Medal and the Navy Occupation Service Medal with European clasp.

Bob Sminkey kept him-self very busy upon retire-ment and relocation to St. Mary’s County. He was an active member of The Mary-land Society Sons of the American Revolution, Thom-as Stone Chapter; St. Mary’s County Genealogical Society and the United States Subma-rine Veterans of WWII.

He enjoyed researching and writing countless ship’s histories for the organiza-tion’s website. A Memorial Service will be held Dec. 4, at 11 a.m. in Ft. Myer’s Cha-pel at Arlington National Cemetery with Interment to follow.

Contributions may be made to Hospice House of St. Mary’s, P.O. Box 625, Leon-ardtown, MD 20650.

Arrangements provided by the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home, P.A.

Louis Marshall Thompson, Jr., 84

Louis Marshall Thomp-son, Jr., 84, of Avenue died Aug. 4 in his residence.

He was born July 20, 1924 in Dynard, to the late Louis Marshall and Catherine Eleanor Harris Thompson Sr. He was the loving husband of Rose Lee Thompson of Avenue. The family will re-ceive friends in the Matting-ley- Gardiner Funeral Home on Thursday, August 7, 2008 from 5 – 8 p.m. with prayers being said at 7 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday August 8, 2008 at 9:30 a.m. in Holy Angels Catholic Church, Av-enue, Md with Fr. William Gurnee officiating. Interment will follow in Sacred Heart Cemetary, Bushwoood, Md Arrangements provided by the Mattingley-Gardiner Fu-neral Home, P.A.

Catherine Marie Williams, 61

Catherine Marie Wil-liams, 61, of California died July 31 in her residence.

Born Sept. 26, 1946 in Washington, D.C. she was the daughter of Catherine M. Wood of California and the

late Charles Maddox. She was the loving wife of Milton “Warren” Williams.

She is survived by her daughters Jamie Dawn Wil-liams of California and Kelly Marie Williams-Corigan of Port Deposit, Md., her sisters Monica and Pam Smith, both of California, Maurice Roach of Benedict and Bobby Roach as well as one grandchild.

She was a service adviser for Alban Tractor Company for 27 years. The family re-ceived friends Monday, Aug. 4 in the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home, Leonardtown from 10 – 11 a.m. A funeral service was held at 11 a.m. with Rev. Keith Schukraft of-ficiating. Interment followed in Mt. Zion Cemetery of Lau-rel Grove, Mechanicsville. Contributions may be made to Hospice of St. Mary’s, P.O. Box 625, Leonardtown, MD 20650. Arrangements pro-vided by the Mattingley-Gar-diner Funeral Home, P.A.

Benton “Bud” Carl Zander, 70

Benton “Bud” Carl Zan-der, 70, of Leonardtown died Aug. 1 at Civista Hospital in La Plata, Md.

Born April 22, 1938 in Ohio, He was the son of the late William and Helen Zander.

Bud was a long time and respected employee at the NSWC Dahlgren, Electro-magnetic and Sensor System Department and President of the AFGE, Local 2096. Out-side of work he enjoyed play-ing darts, billiards, working on cars, fishing and hunting, but most of all he loved spend-ing time with his family.

He is survived by his wife Sylvia L. (Hanson) Zander of Leonardtown; three children Amanda, William and Vir-ginia Zander all of Leonar-dtown; and one grandchild, Sunny Hawes. Bud is also survived by his sister Caro-lyn Fitzgerald of Georgia.

He was preceded in death by his brother William Zander.

Family will receive friends Saturday, Aug. 9 at 11 a.m. in the Trinity Episcopal Church, St. Mary’s City, for a Memorial Service. Rever-end John A. Ball will offici-ate. Interment will be in the church cemetery. A reception will follow in the parish hall.

Memorial Contributions may be made to the St. Mary’s Parish Building Fund, P.O. Box 207, St. Mary’s City, MD 20686 or the Christian Edu-cation Fund, P.O. Box 207, St. Mary’s City, MD 20686.



Obituaries

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Thursday, August 7, 2008 The County Times Section A - 7

Baumann, 24, from Great Mills, died of wounds he sustained from an improvised ex-plosive device (IED) that detonated near his vehicle while he was on a mission to aid Af-ghan villagers, according to information from both his family and the U.S. Army.

He was assigned to operations with the 4th Brigade Combat Team.

“He was doing what he believed in,” said Baumann’s stepfather Gary Lohman. “He was making a difference over there, you know he was.”

Baumann’s stepfather said his son was part of a group of soldiers who would help provide assistance to Afghan villages near his outpost; this included anything from medical supplies to items that allowed children to at-tend school.

“Sometimes it was simple things like

pens and notebooks for school children,” Gary Lohman told The County Times. “Things that are inconsequential to us but that mean the world to them.”

Just two weeks prior to his death Aug. 1, Baumann’s truck had been struck by another IED while he was on a mission, destroying the front portion of his vehicle, Gary Lohman said, but his son survived with a concussion.

Gary Lohman said his stepson’s devo-tion to duty and to the mission of winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people was so strong that just a few days of guard duty to al-low him to recover made him long to get back into action.

“He said he was frustrated that he wanted to get back out there,” Gary Lohman said.

Baumann’s mother, Cindy Lohman, said that her son had served a tour in Iraq before de-ploying to Afghanistan and had seen combat.

But she said that fighting was not so much her son’s main goal as it was being a part of missions that helped the Afghan people form a new life that helped them turn away from and resist the extremist elements of the Taliban that

BaumannContinued from page A-�

Gerald, a Lexington Park resident who recently moved from Leonar-dtown, has pointed out what some websites have concocted complex formulas to uncover.

With sprawling metropolises taking over larger and larger chunks of the United States, it may be hard to recognize where our small towns have gone. But Americans are cer-tainly warmer to the idea of living in small towns than anywhere else in this country. Recent surveys reveal that less than 10 percent of people want to spend their retirement in urban centers, and more than 90 percent plan to move to rural towns or suburbs. Two thirds of people surveyed in 1998 by Professional Builder magazine said they would prefer to build homes far away from major cities, and a large majority of people surveyed by Adweek in 2002 said that small towns were the best places to live.

The ideal setting even has a name, according to Bizjournals.com. Those small towns that manage to stay far enough away from cities or major metropolitan areas to block in-sane traffic patterns, congestion, and crime or poverty problems that have blighted larger, more cosmopolitan areas for years, while still staying close enough to these areas to make commuting to work or commerce easy, are called “dream towns.”

A recent article on Bizjournals.com has designated Lexington Park as the third best American “dream town,” a small town or micropolitan area that manages to avoid the bustle and chaos of the more heavily popu-lated metropolitan areas while hold-ing on to a well educated, well paid population of close knit residents.

According to Bizjournals meth-odology, a study of 140 “micropoli-tan” areas divided into four clusters, including New England, Midwest, Montana, and Seaside, done using information from the U.S. Census Bureau, ranked towns by their size, population, percentage of educated adults, housing costs, traffic, and proximity to big-city attractions. Micropolitan areas, by definition, have between 10,000 and 50,000 residents including their surround-ing countrysides.

Torrington, Connecticut topped this year’s list of the top ten small towns to live in, with nearly a third of residents holding college degrees, the second highest income level in the metropolitan area, and New York and Boston being close by.

Bozeman, Montana ranked sec-ond with nearly half of its adults holding bachelor’s degrees, the sec-ond lowest unemployment rate of any U.S. micropolis, and the second lowest poverty rate of any compa-rable area.

Third place went to Lexington Park, Maryland, boasting the high-est median household income in mi-cropolitan America ($71,158), an im-pressive housing market (the median house value is listed as $322,000), and a highly educated adult popula-tion that has nearly a fourth of adults over the age of 25 holding bachelor’s degrees.

What this means for St. Mary’s County residents, particularly for those in Lexington Park, is that they are fitting into the limelight of a re-

cent national trend, which is moving people away from bigger cities and more to areas like Southern Mary-land. Many cite quieter neighbor-hoods and closer-knit communities as major advantages to living in smaller towns.

Economic and Community De-velopment Director Bob Schaller said that this recent attention for Lexington Park was remarkable. “It’s the only town east of the Mis-sissippi, below New England, that was in that group,” he said, adding

that revitalization efforts, includ-ing a streetscaping project expected to add medians and landscaping to the stretch of Great Mills Road from Shagri-La Drive to St. Mary’s Square, multiple building projects, and preservation of historic commu-nities like Patuxent Park, could use the traction of extra media coverage for the benefit of the town and others like it. “I think if nothing else it’s caused a great deal of discussion…we need to do everything we can to really take advantage of it.”

Dream TownContinued from page A-�


Brenda Burch enjoys the cur-rent tranquility of the office after her lunch break at the Board of Elections in Leonardtown, but between now and the Presidential General Elec-tion Nov. 4, when a large voter turn-out is expected, she will have fewer and fewer moments to herself.

“We’re expecting that we’re going to have a very good turnout this year,” she said, adding that the state of Maryland is projecting that between 80 and 85 percent of regis-tered voters will make their way to the polls on Election Day.

In St. Mary’s County, there are over 58,000 registered voters, includ-ing 24,845 Democrats and 23,152 Republicans. In addition to a handful of Green Party members and Liber-tarians, more than 10,000 are unaf-filiated. But all told, this will equal between 46,000 and 50,000 people heading to polling places that Tues-day to participate in the election.

Not only will this year’s race be a landmark decision for the White House, but the much-discussed slots referendum will be on the ballots as well, and Burch said that will draw even more people out to vote.

The St. Mary’s County Board of Elections is working with the Mary-

land Association of Elected Officials to create a positive voter experience. Preparations include developing a strategy to minimize lines for voters, and continuing to employ trained, skilled and knowledgeable Election Judges at the polls to assist voters on Election Day.

Burch said the Board of Elec-tions will have more people work-ing at the polls this year, and offer more extensive training to new poll workers as they come in. Though the department is still looking for more poll workers and Election Judges, Burch said she does not anticipate a significant shortage.

Burch added that the most im-

portant thing voters can do to mini-mize their wait time is to call the Board of Elections to verify that their information is correct.

“We want to get the word out that we want voters to call in or come by,” she said, adding that the deadline for voter registrations or a change of information on voter re-cords is Oct. 14.

As for the anticipation of long lines on Election Day, Burch said that early in the morning and later in the afternoon are peak times for vot-ers to come in and cast their ballots. She recommends that people come in during the off-hours to avoid wait-ing in line.

In the meantime, St. Mary’s County voters are reminded to reg-ister or update their information by Oct. 14.

Practice ballots will be sent out after the ballot is certified Sept. 11, between Oct. 28 and 30, and the deadline for absentee ballots is Oct. 28. Forms for absentee ballots can be downloaded from the Board of Elec-tions website.

Enjoying her few moments of free time, Burch sighed and smiled.

“I really do think this will be a historic election,” she said. “I’m re-ally hoping we can accommodate all those people.”

County Officials Prepare for Record Voter Turnout

On August 7, 2008 at 7:00 pm the Board of County Commissioners for St. Mary’s County and the Department of Public Safety will be conducting an annual test of the County’s Code Red Emergency Notification System. CodeRED is a high speed telephone call-ing system capable of delivering customized pre-recorded emergency messages directly to homes and businesses, individuals and an-swering machines, at the rate of up to 60,000 calls per hour.

Do not be alarmed. This will be a test used to better prepare emergency responders prior to emergency response efforts. During an ac-tual emergency, the system will be deployed to warn and advise you of emergencies by calling phone numbers registered with 9-1-1, emer-gency services. If you would like to register an additional phone number (mobile or work) to

be called during emergencies at or near your home address, please visit our emergency noti-fication website at: http://www.co.saint-marys.md.us/emergencycodered.asp.

You can also sign up for the Weather Warning System and receive telephone notifi-cation for Tornadoes, Flash Floods, and Thun-derstorm Warnings. The system sends these notifications 24 hours a day, 365 days a year providing the needed time to prepare for se-vere weather events. This becomes even more critical if a tornado comes through your area during the night, when television, radio broad-casts and sirens are less effective.

For further information please contact Ms. Michelle Lilly, Manager, Emergency Manage-ment Division at the Department of Public Safety 301-475-4200 ext 2124.

Annual Test Planned For County’s Code Red Emergency Notification System(St. Mary’s County Government press release)

St. Mary’s County Public Schools has re-cently posted another year of consistently high scores across all grade levels on the Alternate Maryland School Assessment (Alt-MSA). The Alt-MSA is a state administered assessment required under the federal No Child Left Be-hind (NCLB) Act of 2001. In Maryland, stu-dents with disabilities participate in either the Maryland School Assessment (MSA) in read-ing, math and science (with or without accom-modations, as appropriate) or in the Alternate Maryland School Assessment (Alt-MSA) in reading, mathematics, and science as deter-mined by the student’s Individualized Edu-cation Program (IEP) Team. The Alt-MSA is a portfolio-based assessment that assesses students with significant cognitive disabilities on their attainment of individually selected ex-tended reading, math and science objectives in grades 3-8 and grade 10.

SMCPS students demonstrated outstand-ing achievement on Alt-MSA as demonstrated by the following:

• SMCPS students exceeded state aver-ages in students achieving proficient/advanced in all grades assessed in both reading and math;

• 93-100% of the students assessed in Grades 3-8 were proficient/advanced in Reading

• 93-100% of the students assessed in Grades 3-8 were proficient/advanced in Math

• All 10th Grade students enrolled and assessed in St. Mary’s County Public Schools scored proficient/advanced in math and reading.

The following schools posted 100% pro-ficient/advanced scores for their assessed stu-dents in both reading and math:

• Benjamin Banneker Elementary• Green Holly Elementary• Park Hall Elementary• Piney Point Elementary• Ridge Elementary• Esperanza Middle School• Spring Ridge Middle School• Great Mills High School

“These results demonstrate our high ex-pectation for all students,” said Dr. Michael J. Martirano, superintendent of schools. “These results are also a testimony to the hard work of our students, the support of our parents, and the outstanding work of our entire staff.”

Teachers and Administrators are extreme-ly pleased with the resulting scores. This level of achievement demonstrates that the contin-ued focused efforts in staff development, cur-riculum alignment, collaboration, and data collection are resulting in substantial student achievement for all students in St. Mary’s County Public Schools.

SMCPS Releases MSA Results(SMCPS Press Release)

had ruled the country with iron fist.“He was very proud of the work he was do-

ing,” Cindy Lohman said. “He loved the army.“He told me that if he wasn’t participating

in the operations that the army was involved in it would be like sitting on the sidelines.”

Baumann’s mother said that her son had grown up living around military bases in Ger-many when she was working as a civilian nurse in the army.

It was his exposure to the military at an early age, she said, that influenced her son to seek a career as a soldier.

Ryan Baumann grew particularly attached to troops from the 82nd Airborne Division sta-tioned in Europe, his mother said.

“That was his life, those were his heroes,” Cindy Baumann said.

Ryan Baumann moved with his family to Great Mills in 1996 and entered Esperanza Middle School as a 6th grader and later gradu-ated from Great Mills High School in 2003.

He loved soccer, cars and photography, his mother said, and was prone to joke around.

But when it came to the military and work “he was all business,” his mother said.

Baumann is survived by his parents as well as his father Robert Baumann. He also leaves behind a sister, Christina Baumann, and his fiancée Lauren Smith.

Though her son is gone, Cindy Lohman said she and her husband will continue to sup-port the soldiers in her son’s unit with care packages or any other way they can.

“We believe in what they’re doing,” she said. “We know it’s the right thing.”

Photo by Andrea ShiellThis view of the garden by the Church of the Ascension on Great Mills Road is one of the highlights of Lexington Park, which was named the third best American “dream town” by Bizjournals.com.

SectionA-� The County Times Thursday,August7,200�

GOOD FOOD, GOOD FRIENDS, GREAT TIMES

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“BEACH PARTY on the Square” is sponsored by the Commissioners of Leonardtown and The Leonardtown Business Association.

Event funded in part by a grant from the St Mary’s County Art Council’s Community Arts Development Grant Program and the Maryland State Arts Council

FUN FOR ALL AGES!!Boardwalk, Carnival Games, Sand Volleyball, Water Slide,

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Balloons, Classic Cars & Corvettes, Photo Exhibit,

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Dancing, Jazzercise, Magic Show, Clown,

Games, Prizes, Crafts, Displays, Food & More!

Traffic into the downtown area will be de-toured to free parking areas around the Town – OR – Park at the College of Southern Mary-land and take advantage of the free shuttle ser-vice provided by the St. Mary’s Transit System (STS) into town. downtown Leonardtown.

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Not responsible for typographical errors. All items may not be available at all stores. Photos are for representation only and may not be actual product.

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thursday, august 7, 2008 • st. mary’s county

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