HARMAN WOODS NEWS

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2010-10-03T11:10:00.000-04:00

Roger's Neighborhood Watch Report 10/3/10 Candidate Positions on Slots

2010-10-03T11:03:00.003-04:00

The tempo is picking up as we approach the November elections. I have added 3 electricians and 1 real estate agent to the bottom of the "Services" section at the end of the report. Upcoming Dates: 1) 7:30pm, Wed, Oct 13th-PCRC (Police-Community Relations Council) Meeting at the (Anne Arundel County Police) Western District police station in Odenton (across from Greenway Bowl. I am attaching Dave Daughter Oct PCRC (Western View) Newsletter at the end of this report. "A representative of the Police Department’s Special Enforcement Team will provide a briefing on their operations. SET is a specialized team of officers, based in Crownsville, that provides support to all the districts when additional manpower and skills are needed for an investigation and search for suspects. They were instrumental in helping resolve some major cases in Western District." 2) 7:00pm, Thurs, Oct 28th-The Harman Civic Association (HCA) will hold their monthly meeting. At this time, I believe it will be held in the Harmans Community Room at Arundel Mills Mall. If you have any community concerns, this is the meeting to attend! 3) Tuesday, Nov 2nd-Election Day. This will be your opportunity to vote your conscience! Many of our elected officials are on the ballot (including the governor's race). This will be your opportunity to have your voice heard on whether there will be a slots casino at Arundel Mills. If you don't want the slots casino at Arundel Mills, on your ballot you need to VOTE AGAINST Bill 82-09 on Question A! The paragraph below is exactly how it will appear on the ballot on November 2nd. I have bolded the text where you need to put put your mark when you vote on November 2nd. Please note: no where is there any mention of the slots casino at Arundel Mills Mall! You need to know exactly what this general statement means. [Harman Civic Assoc Officer Rusty Bristow passed this information to me. Thank you, Rusty, as always, for all your hard work!] QUESTION A Local Referendum by Petition Zoning, Video Lottery Facilities Video Lottery Facilities are not permitted anywhere in Anne Arundel County under current zoning law. Bill No. 82-09 is a zoning bill and was enacted for the purpose of allowing a Video Lottery Facility as a conditional use in a W-i Industrial Park zoning district or at a Regional Commercial Complex. Vote "For Bill 82-09" if you want Bill 82-09 to take effect. Vote "Against Bill 82-09" if you do not want bill 82-09 to take effect. ____For Bill 82-09 ____Against Bill 82-09 Items: 1) Elected officials stance on the slots casino at Arundel Mills Mall (provided by Rob Annicelli of Stop Slots at the Mall. Thank you, Rob!): "With less than 3 weeks to go until early voting and less than a month to go until the general election I wanted to let you all know where the local candidates stand on slots. It is a bit strange, but it does not go along party lines:" "County Executive: John Leopold (Rep) - FOR slots at Arundel Mills Joanna Conti (Dem) - AGAINST slots at Arundel Mills Mike Shay (Green) - Against slots in communities where they do not want them County Council District 1 Daryl Jones (Dem) - Voted AGAINST slots at Arundel Mills John Moran (Rep)- FOR slots at Arundel Mills State Delegation (Senate and Delegates) All Republicans are AGAINST slots at Arundel Mills All Democrats have not taken a position on slots at Arundel Mills" 2) Senator Ed DeGrange letter to constituents titled, "LONG OVERDUE RESTRICTIONS PUT ON DEBT SETTLEMENT COMPANIES," is a very important letter for all to read and understand. Particularly if you are facing hard, financial times like so many of our fellow Americans. I have bolded key text in Senator DeGrange's letter and pasted here ......"using debt settlement companies should be the last step before bankruptcy. It is much better to contact creditors at the first hint of trouble to ask if they can work out a repayment plan or settlement." Please read the entire letter posted at the end of this report. Services: 1) Construction-Bill Brown, Harmans Woods homeowner, is the owner of Three Brothers Construction Co., Inc., phone 443-324-4810/fax 410-551-2655. He does all types of home repairs - from large to small - including roof repairs/replacements, siding, kitchen remodels, window replacement and fences/decks. 2) Landscaping Services: a) John Bridges-(community resident) 410-519-9602 or 443-794-8138 (in the past, he has employed at least 1 of our neighborhood kids) b) Miguel Sanchez-(MAS Landscaping)-410-562-4007 3) Mike's Auto Repair-(410-850-0999) at 7466 New Ridge Road, Suite 7, Hanover, MD 21076 (next group of buildings on the left after the Hanover Post Office buildings, going north toward the airport rental car facility. 4) Tree Cutting Service-Wayne Dixon (410-859-0932) 5) Plumbing Services: a) http://www.alphaplumbing.biz/ [July 09-Ray & Debbie sent this blurb to me about Alpa Plumbing, ".....(We) were very pleased with their work – Alpha Plumbing, Glen Burnie. Came within 48 hrs.,worked steadily for 2 ½ hrs."] b) Rob McCauley 410-693-5280 c) Frank Hildebrand is a resident of our community with over 25 years experience. He is a master plumber licensed in Maryland and several other surrounding states. His company name is ABC Maintenance and Repair. Phone #: 301-674-2786 6) Handyman-Mike 410-557-0555-He replaces sliding doors and windows. He also does roofs and other home maintenance and services. 7) Tom's Painting, Pressure Washing, and Cleaning Service 410-519-6062 8) The Goddard School, 7538 Teague Road, Hanover, MD 21076 (owner Dipti Singh). Please visit Hanovermd@goddardschools.com or call 410-684-2601 9) Air Conditioning/Heating References: a) Jim & Peggie-We have all of our heating and air condition done by Sines & Son's. They also take care of emergency heating and cooling. They also offer annual service maintenance agreements. The number is 410 360-3219. They have been handling our home and father-in-law's for over 10 years. Excellent reputation. b) Dan-We have a contract with Blue Dot to maintain our heat exchange unit. They also do "on-call" work. Phone is 1-800-blue dot. They are really experts at most air conditioning/ heating systems. My son tried them and was very satisfied also. 10) Insurance Provider-John Robertson (Nationwide Insurance Agent)-John and Carol Robertson have a Nationwide Insurance agency at 1350 K Dorsey Road in the little shopping strip across from the fire station on Dorsey Road. They have been Nationwide Agents for 43 years and handle most types of insurance including Auto, Home and Business. Their phone number, 410 859 5200 is on the web at robertsoninsurance.us. 11) Tutoring-All Subjects including Algebra, Geometry, SAT prep and ESOL. Liz Greene 443-854-1390 12) Piano teacher on Elberta Dr in the Peach Orchard seeks new students of all ages. Teacher has 35+ years of experience and openings for afternoon, evening, and Saturday lessons. All types of music (e.g., hymns, classical, pop) taught. References and sample lesson available. Call Myra at (410) 519-6682 for more details. 13) Electricians: a) Tony Braun, Master Electrician, Bayside Electric Company, 101 Bodan Road, Millersville, Maryland 21108 410-421-5491 [Aug 2010-Lois highly recommended] b) Kroeger Electric Co., 1007 Crain hwy., S.E. Glen Burnie, MD 21061, 410-766-1416. [Aug 2010-Dan recommended with additional information-"......I went to the Better Business Bureau site and they came up with 3 or 4 names as recommended businesses. I called because they had a top rating and NO complaints over a substantial period of time." "They practically dropped everything to come over, isolate the problem, and corrected it at at least 10% less than the lowest offer I had from a couple of other companies and the others were not, just not able to respond the same day or the next to my problem. I would highly recommend them in addition to the BBB giving them a great rating." c) George Gilde, Brightview Electrical Co., 1205 Delmont Road, Severn, 410-551-1457 [Aug 2010-Dave recommended this firm.] 14) Real Estate Agent-The Garcia Team of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage - Melodie and Greg Garcia - home grown local Realtors who know your area. For all real estate needs, buying, selling, investing renting- give us a call. Melodie 410-375-1513 and Greg 240-240-535-3317 or office 410-740-7100. Thank you for your support and keep the info coming! Roger [PCRC President Dave Daughters newsletter starts here.] Western District View Western District Police-Community Relations Council October 2010 8273 Telegraph Road, Odenton, Maryland 21113 Next Meeting – SET The next meeting of the Western District Police-Community Relations Council will be on Wednesday, October 13, 2010, in the meeting room at the Western District Station, starting at 7:30 p.m. A representative of the Police Department’s Special Enforcement Team will provide a briefing on their operations. SET is a specialized team of officers, based in Crownsville, that provides support to all the districts when additional manpower and skills are needed for an investigation and search for suspects. They were instrumental in helping resolve some major cases in Western District. Knowing how these officers function, and where they fit in the scheme of things, should be both interesting and useful. Traffic Safety On September 23rd, I attended the quarterly meeting of the Anne Arundel County Community Traffic Safety Task Force. The task force meets to discuss and coordinate programs involving Anne Arundel County, Maryland State Police, Annapolis Police, Transportation Authority Police, State Highway Administration and civilian representatives. The meetings are mandated by the various grant programs that provide money to Anne Arundel County. At this meeting, several awards were presented for traffic enforcement and safety during 2009: Corporal Gary Kazor, Southern District, for the highest impaired driver arrests – 75 in 2009. Corporal Scott Pederson, Northern District, for most productive seat belt enforcement during the 2010 Click It Or Ticket campaign. Corporal Nicholas DiPetro, Northern District, for the most productive enforcement in all areas of grant funded campaigns. Officer Richard Mioduszewski, Annapolis Police Department, for his overall performance in traffic safety programs in the city. Officer Eric Davis, Annapolis Police department, for his performance in impaired driving arrests in Annapolis. Leslie Thomas, Mother Against Drunk Drivers, for her dedication to impaired driving enforcement. Some statistics were also provided for program operations funded by grant money: In the Smooth Operator Program, targeting aggressive driving, during the period from July to September 2010, 799 vehicles were stopped, resulting in 18 arrests for driving on suspended or revoked license, 7 other arrests, 301 citations and 473 warnings. In Driving Under the Influence enforcement, during the same period, 676 stops were made, resulting in 26 arrests for DWI/DUI, 16 arrests for driving on suspended or revoked licenses, 10 arrests for illegal drugs, and the issuance of 380 traffic citations and 505 warnings. Odenton Traffic Circle At the Traffic Safety Task Force meeting, the State Highway Administration traffic engineer explained the reason for all the traffic cones at the Odenton traffic circle. They were put in place due to frequent accidents and problems with speeding in the two-lane circle, reducing it to a single lane circle. SHA is evaluating the effect and at some point will decide whether to make the changed configuration permanent or not. The engineer did not know how long the evaluation phase will take. Western District Traffic Coordinator Due to Corporal Brian Smith’s absence for medical problems, Corporal David Stallings has been assigned as the Western District Traffic Coordinator on an interim basis. He can be reached at 410-222-6155 or P91445@aacounty.org. He has been invited to stop by at a meeting to be introduced and we’ll probably schedule a longer session with him once he gets settled in. Minutes of September 8, 2010 Meeting The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. and the Pledge of Allegiance was recited. Treasurer Linda Reece provided her report. We currently have $896.34 in the treasury. The treasurer’s report and the minutes from the June meeting, as published in the newsletter, were approved. President Dave Daughters previewed some upcoming program events in the PCRC schedule: In October, our guest speaker will be a member of the police Special Enforcement Team. One of the team’s primary duties is to locate people – either victims or suspects. The speaker will also discuss other duties of the team. Dave addressed a problem about when to schedule the annual Holiday Buffet for Western District officers and personnel. For 18 years, the PCRC has scheduled this event on the 2nd Wednesday of December, the same day as its normal December meeting. This date has always proven to be convenient for all concerned. In recent years, however, the banquet for the Reserve Officers has been scheduled on the same day, causing a conflict for those who desire to attend both events. Dave will contact the Reserve Officer Coordinator to see what can be done. Dave noted that more volunteers are needed to serve in the Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) Program, because officer manning in Western District is currently critically low and unless volunteers are located, the district’s reception window may go unmanned, if a booking officer is not present. By policy, no officers can be spared for that duty. Dave requested that this need for more VIPS volunteers be disseminated to all community organizations in Western District. Interested parties can obtain additional information by calling Dave or Lt Ziwoliak, or through the County Police website. Lieutenant Ziowoliak, filling in to Captain Flemings, who was not available, delivered the Captain’s Report. In general, crime in Western District has – with a few exceptions – has been under control during the summer months. There was a mugging in the Provinces, with no further information yet available, and several incidents in the same community of people getting shot at with BB guns from moving vehicles. There was one resolved homicide and some repeated acts of people stealing motorcycles and transporting them away in U-Haul trucks. One vehicle – a dark green Dodge Caravan – has been tentatively linked to the BB shootings and Lt. Ziwoliak requested that all citizens be on the alert and report any sightings of such a vehicle in their area. Several members reminded everyone that a number of events of possible interest will take place in the near future. On September 18th, the First Annual Preparedness Fair will be held in downtown Glen Burnie on Post 40 Road, at the Glen Burnie Improvement Association building. On Saturday, September 25th, the Jessup Family Day Parade and vendor’s sale is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Jessup Community Hall. Also on September 25th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., a drug turn-in, sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Agency, will take place at the Western District Station. Citizens are encouraged to turn in prescription or other drugs for safe disposal. The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m. United States Deputy Sheriff’s Association This organization conducts both mail and telephone solicitations for donations, most recently sending out a desktop calculator that doesn’t work. According to the Better Business Bureau, the same organization also operates under the names of the American Foundation of Disabled Children, the Breast Cancer Relief Organization and the Reserve Police Officer’s Association. In turn, the American Foundation of Disabled Children also does business as The Association of Firefighters & Paramedics, while the Breast Cancer Relief Foundation also does business as the Firefighters Charitable Foundation and the Firefighter Support Foundation. None of these organizations have provided BBB with information for evaluation, despite written requests. One complaint sent to BBB was forwarded to the organization and received no response. Charity Navigator (charitynavigator.org) has information on only two of the organizations – United States Deputy Sheriff’s Association and Firefighters Charitable Foundation. Both have zero stars (out of a possible four), largely because of their high fundraising expenses and low program expenses. Out of an annual revenue of $6,763,124, the United States Deputy Sheriff’s Association spents 73.7% on fundraising and only 17.8% on programs. The Firefighters Charitable Foundation, with an annual income of $6,192,400, spends 86.7% on fundraising and only 8.3% on actual programs. In October, 2003, the Kansas Sheriff’s Association and the Douglas County (Kansas) Sheriff’s Office denied any association or benefits from the organization after citizens there received repeated solicitation calls, and in December 2008, Chief Matthew Tobia, of the Anne Arundel County Fire Department said that his department received no benefits from the Firefighters Charitable Foundation and the Firefighter Support Foundation, after residents in this area received calls implying that their donations would help local firefighters. Use your charitable donations wisely. Some Final Words Some thoughts on the slots referendum: •Any time a developer touts the benefit to a community, it really means that the real winner will be the developer. In this instance, David Cordish has millions of dollars in corporate and personal wealth at stake. He’ll talk about what the community might get, but has yet to make public what he would get. •The pro-slots campaign has promised millions for Anne Arundel County, in one ad, they’ll say it will go to the police; in another, that it will go for teachers. The fact is that Cordish cannot guarantee any of that. Money will go to the county government, where politicians and bureaucrats will decide where to spend it. •State law requires that impact fees be spent on infrastructure in the “immediate vicinity” of the development. Thus, not a dollar will go to benefit Glen Burnie, Crofton, Millersville, Lothian, etc. •A counter-argument is that it will free up money for other works. But the money will go to infrastructure changes made necessary by the casino. Money that would not have to be spent otherwise. •The county Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) is backing the referendum, with absolutely no assurance that the police will be any benefit. I think that I have demonstrated over the past 30 years that I strongly support the police efforts on our behalf, but on this issue, I believe that the FOP has made a deal with the devil. •In one Cordish TV ad, support is expressed by a woman identified as Shannon Chatlos of Annapolis. It is true that Chatlos lives is Annapolis, but she is also the Regional Director of Political Sales, for Aristotle, a “political technology” corporation based in Atlanta, Georgia, that sells its services to political campaigns. I don’t know for sure, but it’s highly possible that they produced those ads. •Many Cordish mailers have the name of Todd Lamb. Todd Lamb lives in Sykesville, not in Anne Arundel County. Dave Daughters President 410-672-5703 dldaugh@aol.com [Senator Ed DeGrange's letter starts here.] September 8, 2010 TO: THE CITIZENS OF LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT 32 LONG OVERDUE RESTRICTIONS PUT ON DEBT SETTLEMENT COMPANIES The decline of the economy, unemployment, maxed out credit cards and health care bills are just some of the causes that have driven Americans into debt. In order to obtain debt relief and get back on their feet, many individuals have reached out to debt settlement companies. These companies usually require large upfront fees that equal about 15%-20% of the consumer’s outstanding debt balance and in exchange, they promise to negotiate with the consumer’s creditors in order to reduce their unsecured debt by 50%. Often, however, the consumer is unable to actually obtain debt relief and is forced into bankruptcy. The Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) acknowledged that debt settlement complaints have doubled from 2007 to 2009. The Maryland Better Business Bureau (“BBB”) has logged 3,500 complaints about debt settlement firms involving high fees and debts that were never settled. The 2010 Maryland General Assembly passed Senate Bill 701 Commercial Law - Debt Settlement Services – Study. This legislation requires the Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation in consultation with the Consumer Protection Division of the Office of the Attorney General to conduct a study of the debt settlement services industry and to determine how to best regulate the industry in the State. The report, which will outline the study’s findings, is to be completed by December 2010. In the meantime, the FTC announced restrictions on debt settlement companies. The regulations will prohibit debt settlement companies from charging an upfront fee and will only allow them to charge a fee once a customer’s debt has been reduced, settled or renegotiated. The new regulation will also require debt settlement companies to disclose to customers how long it will take to get results, how much it will cost, and any negative consequences that could arise from the process. These regulations will go into effect on October 27, 2010. The problem with the new FTC regulations is that they only apply to agreements made as a result of telephone calls by debt relief companies to consumers or consumers’ calls to a company in response to advertisements. While nearly all the fraudulent activity in the debt relief industry involves telephone traffic, perhaps the 2011 General Assembly session will seek to expand the application of the restrictions. The Maryland Consumer Rights Commission wants a State law banning upfront fees and making the same FTC requirements. The Commission also wants the State law to include debt settlement done strictly over the Internet. I have no doubt that regulation of the Debt Settlement Companies will be an important issue during the 2011 Maryland General Assembly. In the meantime though, the Better Business Bureau advises individuals that are in debt, that using debt settlement companies should be the last step before bankruptcy. It is much better to contact creditors at the first hint of trouble to ask if they can work out a repayment plan or settlement. Please do not hesitate to contact me regarding this or any other legislative issue of concern to you. I continue to encourage and welcome your input. Sincerely, James "Ed" DeGrange, Sr. State Senator, District 32 James Senate Office Building 11 Bladen Street, Room 101 Annapolis, Maryland 21401 (410)-841-3593 (410)-841-3589 (fax) James.DeGrange@senate.state.md.us

Kidnapping on Pinyon

2010-07-26T22:17:00.000-04:00

From the police blotter on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/notes/anne-arundel-county-police-department/7-26-10-kidnapping-update-victim-recovered-and-one-suspect-arrested/408651127114

June 16 2010 newsletter from Roger Fox

2010-07-04T09:36:00.001-04:00

Guys, 1) The Harman Civic Association is again sponsoring "Meet The Firefighters Day at the Harmans/Dorsey Firehouse (Company 21)" 10:00am-3:00pm, Saturday, June 26, 2010. I have attached the flyer here. Remember when you were a kid the first time you got to go on a field trip to your local fire station? This is a wonderful opportunity for you to take your kids or grandkids (and you!) to meet the firefighters at our local fire station. You can enjoy hot dogs, hamburgers, drinks and fantastic desserts. The station Captain is very enthused about opening the firehouse to the local communities. Many of us have seen our local firefighters in action. They, along with our police officers and other public servants, work to keep our communities safe and a great place to live. Come out and enjoy the event and see the latest equipment our fightfighers are using. 2) President Wayne Dixon and the Harman Civic Association (HCA) continue to work hard for our communities. The Harman Civic Association Exec Board has several new, active members. Vice President Earl Wright, Recording Secretary Darlene Wright, and Corresponding Secretary Diana Ma have joined the team. Or course, HCA Officer Rusty Bristow continues to give so much of his time to the association and a myriad of other activities in our communities. The HCA breaks during the summer. They will convene again at 7:00pm, Thurs, Sept 23, 2010, in the Harmans Community Room at Arundel Mills Mall. Have a great summer! Roger

June 7 2010 newsletter from Roger Fox

2010-07-04T09:28:00.002-04:00

Guys, 1) 7:30pm, Wed, 9 June 2010-The last PCRC (Police-Community Relations Council) meeting before the summer break. I am posting PCRC President Dave Daughters' June newsletter (at the end of this report) on the specifics. This is a great opportunity to meet the police commander to discuss your concerns, whether they are in our communities or elsewhere in the county. 2) On 18 May, Senator Ed DeGrange sent a letter out on "2010 SAFE SCHOOLS ACT - HELPING SCHOOLS DETER GANG PARTICIPATION" His e-mail letter is posted below the PCRC newsletter. 3) Delegate Pam Beidle sent her session closing letter back in April. It is listed below after Senator DeGrange's letter. 4) I forgot to mention another major pet concern by many homeowners. I get e-mails from some of our folks were are beside themselves angered over pet owners who walk their dogs and don't pick after their pets. Many of our homeowners do take all the right actions, but there are always a few folks who walk their pets and let them leave their jobs behind in other residents' yards. We need to make sure we get the word out to pet owners to take responsibility for their pets' actions. Dog urine is a little more difficult to take care of, but again, residents get very angry when their plants are effected by this problem. Here's what one of our watch folks sent me: "Those who don't garden may not realize that dog urine is toxic to plants and flowers. Even a small amount is enough to burn or kill a plant or flower. Please be a good neighbor and don't allow your dogs to stop and urinate in neighbors' flower beds while on walks. Thank you." Have a safe and enjoyable summer! Roger Western District View Western District Police-Community Relations Council June 2010 8273 Telegraph Road, Odenton, Maryland 21113 Next Meeting – Talk to District Commander The next meeting of the Western District Police-Community Relations Council will be on Wednesday, June 9, 2010, in the meeting room at the Western District Station, starting at 7:30 p.m. This will be an open forum, with no guest speaker, to provide extended time to talk to the District Commander. If you have had problems in your community or neighborhood, or if you foresee the need for extra police attention on problem areas over the summer, this will be an ideal time to raise your concerns. The District Commander will also have additional time to discuss ongoing police programs and respond to questions. Summer Break Following the June 9th meeting, we will take a break for the summer, with no meeting in July and August. Our next meeting will be on Wednesday, September 8, 2010. Minutes of May 12th meeting PCRC President Dave Daughters called the meeting to order at 7:30 PM. He and Vice-President Anna Brus then led members and guests in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Our guest speaker for this meeting - Cpl. Brian Smith - was then introduced and invited to deliver his presentation on traffic problems, noise complaints and other miscellaneous law enforcement issues. Western District officers, he pointed out, have been very busy.. They currently lead all other districts in traffic stops and response to calls for service. Cpl. Smith also touched on many other topics - including traffic circles, traffic speed studies, water hydrant usage and users, problems and issues involving ATVs (all terrain vehicles), plus noise and noise abatement techniques, equipments and targets. PCRC Treasurer Linda Reece then read her report. The PCRC Secretary followed with his reading of the minutes for the April 14th meeting. Dave then noted that this was that time of the year when the PCRC usually reduced its bank balance by purchasing something that Western District personnel urgently needed, but for which they usually had no funds or any prospects of acquiring funds. In the absence of both Capt. Flemings and Lt. Zywiolek, Cpl. Smith relayed their request that the PCRC buy some leg shackles for Western District. Shackles, he explained, were important in certain arrest situations, but currently there were no funds to purchase them. Leg shackles cost some $50 per set. After discussion a motion was made and passed to allocate $600 for purchase of shackles. At some time in the future an evaluation will be made to determine whether or not more funds might be made available. Dave adjourned the meeting at approximately 9 PM. Membership Renewals There are several who have not yet initiated or renewed their membership for 2010. We want to make sure that our records are accurate. A copy of the membership form is provided with this newsletter. If you have not yet done so, please complete the form and return it at your earliest convenience. For mail recipients, the form is included for those who have not yet renewed. If at all possible, check the box to receive the newsletter by email. This will save a lot in copying and postage costs. If You Are a Victim of Identity Theft There are several steps to take. Notify your financial institution to contact you if there is any unusual activity on your account and to change your PINs. Contact police in the jurisdiction where the tehft took place. Files a report and keep a copy. Call your postmaster if you think the mail was used. Call the fraud division of one of the credit reporting agencies and request that a “fraud alert” be placed on your name and Social Security number. Reporting fraud will require any company or creditor to contact you to authorize any new credit. Ask for copies of all your reports. As a victim of identity theft, you’ll get them free. Follow up your call with a letter and enclose a copy of the police report. By doing this, you are protected legally should the agencies fail to remove the crime from your record. It is only necessary to call one credit reporting agency. Within 24 hours, each agency will attach a fraud alert to your record. The single call also opts you out of all preapproved offers of credit or insurance for two years and will get you a mailed copy of your credit file. Call the creditors who opened accounts in your name. Inform them of the identity theft and close the accounts. Get copies of all transactions and applications on the accounts. Contact the Federal Trade Commission at 877-IDTheft. Request and file the ID Theft Affidavit that alerts companies and organizations that may have fraudulent accounts opened in your name. Important Numbers: To report identity theft, contact one of these credit reporting agencies: TransUnion 800-916-8800 www.transunion.com Experian 888-397-3742 www.experian.com Equifax 800-685-1111 www.equifax.com Frederal Trade Commission Identity Theft Hotline: 877-IDTheft (877-438-4338) For online identity theft: www.consumer.gov/idtheft/ To receive your free credit report by phone, mail or online: annualcreditreport.com or call 877-322-8228 Social Security statement request: 800-772-1213, or www.ssa.gov Identity Theft Resoruce Center (non-profit) 858-693-7935, or www.idtheftcenter.org Some Final Words Have an enjoyable summer. Dave Daughters President 410-672-5703 dldaugh@aol.com [Senator DeGrange's Letter] May 18, 2010 TO: THE CITIZNES OF LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT 32 2010 SAFE SCHOOLS ACT - HELPING SCHOOLS DETER GANG PARTICIPATION Unfortunately, schools have become a breeding ground for gang recruitment. In order to enable schools to effectively thwart gang activity, the Maryland General Assembly passed and the Governor signed into law the Safe Schools Act of 2010. While a prior law did require a law enforcement agency to inform a certain school official of a student, between the ages of 5 and 22, who was arrested for a reportable offense or an offense that is related to the student’s membership in a criminal gang, this Act strengthens the already existing law. Specifically, this Act expands the list of reportable offenses to include malicious destruction of property, second degree assault, witness intimidation, retaliation against a witness, intimidating or corrupting a juror, and auto theft. In addition the Act requires the law enforcement agency to report a student’s arrest and their charges to the local superintendent, school principal and if the school has a security officer, the schools security officer within 24 hours of the arrest or as soon as practicable. This law also allows a court to notify specified school administrators if the court places a child enrolled in a public elementary or secondary school under the supervision or custody of a local department of social services or the Department of Juvenile Services. Additionally, the law requires the State Board of Education, to develop a model policy to address gangs, gang activity and similar destructive or illegal group behavior in schools by March 31, 2011. Along with prohibiting gang activity in schools, the policy must include the consequences and remedial actions for engaging in gang activity. This law will help close the existing communication gap between law enforcement agencies and schools and will provide the schools with another tool to address gangs in the school system. Research shows that two thirds of all serious and violent chronic juvenile offenders are gang members and that youth who are active in gangs continue a pattern of violence, drug use, and trafficking well after they leave the gang. Active participation in a gang negatively impacts a student’s ability to do well in school, get a job, and develop positive social contacts with their family and community. The sharing of information permitted by this law alerts a school that a student may be at risk of succumbing to gang activity and allows the school time to provide intervention. Please do not hesitate to contact me on this or any other legislative issue of concern to you. As always, I encourage and welcome your input. Sincerely, James "Ed" DeGrange, Sr. State Senator, District 32 James Senate Office Building 11 Bladen Street, Room 101 Annapolis, Maryland 21401 (410)-841-3593 (410)-841-3589 (fax) James.DeGrange@senate.state.md.us [Delegate Pam Beidle's April Newsletter] My four years in the legislature have gone by quickly. I have learned a great deal about State Government and I am proud to represent the citizens of District 32. If I am honored to be re-elected, I will no longer be a "freshman delegate." It is difficult to be effective in Annapolis in your first term. I have been the primary sponsor on six bills that have passed and become law and have co-sponsored many more. I look forward to working on your issues in the future term. This is a long newsletter with information on most of the issues that we acted on this year and for others a historic review of their progress during the past four years. The entire delegation supported six bond bills, all of which passed. Funds will be provided for the Reece Road Community Health Center in District 32, the William Paca House, the Coordinating Center for Home and Community Care Building Facilities, the Annapolis High School Concession Stand, Arundel High School lights and Southern and Broadneck High Schools lights. The entire delegation also sponsored five bills that passed. The Delegates from District 31 and 32 made a bi-partisan effort to pass gang legislation. Most of this legislation was rolled into one Gang Bill, SB 517 that was passed. BUDGET & CAPITAL BUDGET This session, the legislature made balancing the budget, public safety and job creation the top priorities. Working with the Administration and the Senate, we passed a number of bills to crack down on sex offenders, create tax credits and streamline government to give the private sector more confidence to invest in the economy. Balancing the State's Operating Budget Recognizing these tough economic times, the legislature balanced the State's operating budget for next fiscal year, while protecting our priorities of education, higher education and public safety. This budget continues to constrain spending to offset significant declines in revenues due to the global economic recession. Maryland balances its budget every year. We do not deficit spend or put future bills on the State credit card. Over the last four years, the State's General Fund budget decreased 3% while continuing to increase education funding and healthcare funding for Marylanders. Even if the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding, commonly referred to as stimulus money, is included, the Governor and legislature have limited increases in funding to less than a third of spending increases from the four years prior. The FY11 budget: · Cuts spending by $525M in spending for next fiscal year, bringing the State's General Fund budget down to $13.19B. State General Fund spending - the funding source that we fund most core programs out of - is below 2007 levels. Overall spending also decreases almost 2% from last year. (FY10= $32.2B compared to FY11= $31.9B) · Makes government smaller and more efficient, with 4,000 fewer State government positions over the past four years, including eliminating 600 positions in this year's budget. · Maintains our commitment to K-12 education, one of the only areas in the budget to increase. Next year, the State will provide $5.7B in education aid for teachers, textbooks, and other important education needs. This budget supports 849,000 public school children in Maryland. · Continues our commitment to higher education, as well, providing $1.2B in funding to our colleges, universities and community colleges. This budget supports 121,235 students who want to attend a Maryland school next year and the 140,000 community college students. · Takes prudent steps to curtail outyear increases by cutting over $1 billion from the projected 2012 structural gap. The legislature leaves nearly $830M in cash reserves, including the State's Rainy Day Fund. Maryland is again one of only seven states in the country to retain the coveted triple-A bond rating, even through this global recession. The independent Fitch Ratings Agency has done a comprehensive review of the State's finances and highlighted that Maryland's "financial operations are conservative". Studying Teacher Pension Funding One of the biggest cost drivers in the growth of the State's budget is the cost of teacher pensions. This year, the cost increased nearly $130 million dollars and next year, projections are that the cost of teacher pensions for the State will increase another $100 million. The Senate proposed to phase-in a cost sharing of teacher pensions with local governments, beginning in Fiscal Year 2012. The House of Delegates rejected the cost shift plan. Instead, the legislature has agreed to create a Sustainability Commission of private sector experts to take a comprehensive look at the State's retirement system - which supports State employees, current retirees and teachers - and make recommendations to the legislature by December. Investing in the State's Capital Assets The State will continue to have a robust capital budget in order to generate jobs in the construction sector. The construction industry in Maryland has suffered significant job losses as a result of the crisis in the housing market that began in 2007. Prior to the crisis, construction employment in Maryland was strong, exceeding 190,000 for all of 2006 and most of 2007. Since June 2007, however, employment has fallen by 24%, to 145,400 in October 2009, the latest period for which figures are available. Over this fiscal year and next (FY10 and FY11), capital budget spending will provide 44,913 direct jobs. The capital budget includes: · $250M in school construction funding, bringing the full funding to $1.25 billion for this term. · $350M in funding for higher education facilities, including $73M for historically black institutions and over $80 million for community colleges. · $330M for environmental programs, including $20M for the Chesapeake Bay 2010 Trust Fund, which provides funding for cover crops and other environmental programs to help restore the health of the Bay and Atlantic Coastal Bays. We funded $65M in Program Open Space Funding and Rural Legacy programs. Maryland's agricultural economy supports 350,000 jobs and $17B in revenue, according to the Maryland Manual. · $26M for new public safety facilities. This funding will help the men and women of law enforcement continue to fight crime across the State - an investment that has lead to the lowest levels of violent crime since 1986. No Raise for Legislators The legislature rejected a recommendation from the General Assembly Compensation Commission, a five member constitutionally mandated, citizen commission, to increase legislative pay in 2013 and 2014. In rejecting the pay raise, we tightened rules that prohibit future legislators that are convicted of a felony or misdemeanor related to their public office from collecting any pension at all. By 2014, legislative salaries will not have increased in 8 years and over 80% of legislators have participated in the voluntary furlough program over the past two years. PUBLIC SAFETY Keeping Our Students Safe from Gangs Speaker Busch introduced legislation this year to improve communication between schools and law enforcement, in order to prevent gang recruitment and expansion in schools across the State. The Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center reports that there is gang activity in every county in the State of Maryland. The State Department of Juvenile Services reports that children as young as 10 years old are being recruited to participate in gangs in Maryland. The Safe Schools Act of 2010 expands the types of crimes that law enforcement must report to school personnel if a child is arrested; requires the creation of a statewide model gang policy for school systems; and requires the assessment of intervention and prevention programs that schools can access. Cracking Down on Criminal Gangs The legislature also passed legislation to tighten up the existing State Gang Statute, supported by the Attorney General and State's Attorney's Association. The General Assembly passed the first Gang Prosecution Act in 2007 to crack down on criminal gang activity, including stiff penalties for crimes committed in support of a criminal gang. A gang member convicted under this statute is subject to up to 20 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $100,000. Maryland is one of 31 states that have enacted similar laws to combat the spread of gang violence. This year's law takes a step further by specifically prohibiting someone from being a gang "kingpin", makes a person eligible to receive an additional sentence if convicted of other underlying crimes, and creates stiffer penalties for gang members convicted of a second offense under this law or if death results in the commission of a gang crime. Tightening Sex Offender Laws Over the past four years, the legislature has provided several new tools to help law enforcement prosecute violent sex offenders. During the 2006 special session, the legislature passed Jessica's Law, which requires a 25 year mandatory minimum sentence for first degree rape and sex offenses. In 2007, the legislature eliminated the possibility of parole for Jessica's Law offenders. That same year, the legislature passed a law requiring court-ordered mental health assessments of sex offenders convicted of sexual abuse against a minor. In 2008, Governor Martin O'Malley and the legislature followed implementation of Jessica's Law with a bill requiring the collection of DNA on arrest for any crime of violence or felony burglary. Over 24,000 DNA samples have been eliminated from the State's backlog and, as a result, over 100 sex offenders have been arrested. Hailed as one of the most comprehensive package of sexual predator legislation in Maryland, we passed bills to: · Bring Maryland into compliance with the federal Adam Walsh Act. The bill was amended to require homeless sex offenders, sex offenders convicted of indecent exposure and possessors of child pornography and offenders who repeatedly abuse children under the age of 14 to register on the Maryland Sex Offender Registry. The bill expands information posted on the Maryland Sex Offender registry to include places of employment, other residences and a plain language description of the crime. · Require lifetime supervision of serious and repeat sex offenders including GPS monitoring. · Require a judge, instead of a district court commissioner, to determine whether a registered sex offender arrested for any crime is entitled to pretrial release. · Eliminate diminution credits for the most serious sex offenders and repeat third degree offenders. · Further strengthen the State's prohibition against possessing or promoting child pornography. · Increase mandatory minimum sentences for second degree sex offenders and rapists from 5 to 15 years. · Reconstitute the Sex Offender Advisory Board to make policy recommendations to the executive and legislative branches. Making Maryland Roads Safer As more research comes to the forefront about the dangers of using a handheld cell phone while driving, the legislature this year passed a law that prohibits a driver from holding a cell phone while driving. SB321, which will take effect October 1st, makes driving while using a handheld cell phone a secondary offense (meaning the cell phone use cannot be the only reason a driver is pulled over) with a fine of $40 for the first time and $100 for any subsequent time. Six states and our neighbor, Washington D.C., prohibit cell phone use while driving. Supporting the State's Trauma System Continuing our focus on the State's renowned trauma system, the House of Delegates pushed for a $20M pre-authorization in funding to continue the purchase program for Medevac helicopters, to replace the State's aging fleet. Last year, the House increased funding to $52.5M in order to purchase the first three helicopters. This additional funding for FY12 will help keep the replacement program on track, to help volunteer firefighters and medical personnel save lives. The House pushed to fully fund the Charles E. Reilly scholarship program, a scholarship program that provides funding for fire and EMS rescue personnel to attend any higher education institution in Maryland. Passing a Correctional Officers Bill of Rights Supported by Correctional Officers around the State, the Maryland General Assembly passed legislation to provide Correctional Officers with more protections while they serve. It means they will be afforded the same rights as the prisoners they are guarding and be presumed innocent until proven guilty. The legislation allows an employee to remain in a paid leave status pending a final decision on their case. It formalizes procedures for the interrogation of Correctional Officers and provides the department with better tools and more time to clear officers who are wrongly accused. These changes should help protect and clear innocent officers quickly and allow investigations to focus on officers who have broken the law. STIMULATING THE ECONOMY Creating a Job Tax Credit The Jobs Creation Recovery Tax Credit, signed into law in March, offers a $5,000 tax credit to any Maryland business that hires an unemployed Marylander. The bill is a one-year program: capped at $20 million, and $250,000 per employer. The worker must be employed for at least one year, and must fill a position that is new or that has been vacant for the prior six months. This legislation directly creates 4,000 jobs and will also help the private sector begin to reinvest in the State's economy. Increasing the Biotech Tax Credit The Maryland House of Delegates confirmed their continued commitment to the biotech tax credit again this year, by increasing the available funding to $8 million in the budget for a program that creates high paying jobs across Maryland. This credit is a proven job creator that has put Maryland at the forefront of the growing biotech industry. This funding is an essential tool in supporting early stage biotech companies. Creating a Small Business Loan Guaranty program In another effort to support businesses during these tough economic times, Governor O'Malley called for streamlining the loan approval process for small businesses and expanding access to credit by creating the Maryland Small Business Credit Recovery Program, offering a loan guaranty on small business deals through the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development's current loan guaranty program - the Maryland Industrial Development Financing Authority Program (MIDFA). The FY11 budget allots $5M for the Maryland Small Business Credit Recovery Program that will streamline the loan approval process and allow the State to guarantee a small percentage of loans, helping banks provide much-needed capital for our small businesses. Providing Property Tax Relief for Small Businesses The General Assembly unanimously passed HB484, legislationwhich gives small businesses the ability to pay their property taxes in two installments instead one lump sum payment, if the property tax assessment is under $50,000. This bill provides over 93,000 small business properties with added flexibility to avoid making difficult cuts to their businesses or employees to pay their property taxes in one lump sum. Creating the Sustainable Communities Tax Credit to Promote Construction Investment & Jobs Legislation sponsored by Governor O'Malley, HB 475, replaces the Heritage Tax Credit with a new program designed to create and sustain construction and design jobs in redeveloping historic structures, and support environmentally-friendly building standards. The Sustainable Communities Tax Credit is funded at $10M for existing commercial and residential structures, as well as qualified rehabilitated structures in Main Street communities. The program maintains the commercial project cap at $3 million and residential project cap at $50,000, but also provides a bonus credit of 5% for LEED certified construction on a commercial project. Retooling the State Unemployment Insurance System The product of months of negotiations, a new law has taken effect to reduce the burdens of high unemployment insurance rates on Maryland businesses by: · Creating payment plans to spread payments out over the entire calendar year · Guaranteeing payment plans and lower interest rates in future times of high unemployment · Reducing interest rate for late payments from 1.5% to .5%, a 200% reduction · Shoring up the UI system with an immediate influx of $126.8 million through cost-neutral modernization by covering more unemployed workers but eliminating sick claims, increasing penalties for misconduct and making adjustments to benefit calculations. Having bipartisan support, this bill was signed by Governor O'Malley in March. These changes to the unemployment insurance system in Maryland are critical to continue to give businesses the relief and certainty needed to begin to dig out of this recession and put people back to work. Protecting Homeowners from Foreclosure Foreclosures continue to drag on our economy and rip apart Maryland communities. Many of these foreclosures happen without the homeowners ever talking to a live person over the phone much less have a face to face meeting to discuss options to keep them in their homes. Maryland continues to have a high mortgage default rate with one in every 446 households in foreclosure, as of February 2010. The national average is one in every 409 households. HB472 is the product of more than six months of deliberations with consumer advocates, housing counselors, lenders, loan servicers, foreclosure attorneys and regulators. The bill is designed to: (1) ensure that lenders and loan servicers comply with federal law that requires them to consider whether the terms of a loan can be modified in ways that avoid a foreclosure, and (2) guarantee that a lender whose loan has not been modified and who thinks it should be is given an opportunity to meet with their lender in front of a neutral third party familiar with foreclosure issues to try to work out a solution that avoids foreclosure or reduces its impact on the homeowner. The bill goes into effect July 1st. Implementing a new Fast Track Process for State permits Legislators held a series of meetings throughout the session with staff from the Governor's office in order to streamline the State's permitting process to stimulate development across the State. Many different agencies are involved in issuing permits for new developments. As a result of our work, the State will soon have an expedited permitting process for major developments that create jobs across the State of Maryland. The legislature also unanimously passed legislation to streamline the minority business certification process. INVESTING IN EDUCATION Crafting the Third Wave of Education Reform Maryland has historically been on the cutting edge of education reform, as evidenced by significant improvements in student test scores over the past decade. This, plus the 82% increase in education funding since 2002, has lead to Maryland schools being ranked first in the country for two consecutive years. Maryland is eligible for up to $250M in education funding from the federal government, under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. If Maryland receives the maximum funding, every county in the State could receive additional education funding from the federal government. Governor O'Malley introduced the Education Reform Act of 2010 that will not only make Maryland more effective in competing for the Race to the Top funds, but also begin the third wave of education reform, in order to continue the success of Maryland schools. The legislation: · Increases the length of time for a new teacher to achieve tenure from two years to three years. Currently, a teacher is eligible for tenure after two years in Maryland, with an additional year possible for teachers that do not meet the evaluation requirements. At two years, Maryland has one of the lowest teacher tenure durations in the country: 33 states require 3 years for teacher tenure and 8 states have more than 4 years. The legislation also requires student growth data to be used in teacher and principal evaluations. · Provides for local jurisdictions to implement differentiated pay programs to attract high-performing teachers to low-performing schools. The bill would provide stipends to teachers and principals in the lowest achieving 5% of Title I schools. Incentive pay programs have been piloted in Prince George's County, and parts of Baltimore City and Queen Anne's counties. Currently, 90% of Maryland teachers are "highly qualified", yet Maryland ranks last in the country for distribution of highly qualified teachers to the State's lowest performing schools. Capping Tuition Costs Next Year After a record 40% tuition increase last term, the legislature and the O'Malley Administration froze tuition for four straight years at Maryland public colleges and universities. After this record investment to make college more accessible and affordable, we again took prudent action to pass the Tuition Stabilization Act that caps in-state tuition growth at 3% for the 2010-2011 school year. This means that tuition for Maryland universities rose only 3% in five years, at a time when many states are seeing double-digit increases over the same period of time. Funding School Construction This year's capital budget funds $250M in school construction, totaling $1.25 billion over the last four years. While we are making record investments in funding for teachers, textbooks and programs, it is also important that we continue to modernize school facilities and provide the best learning environment possible to our students. PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT Protecting the Chesapeake Bay Over the past several years, the Governor and the legislature has worked to clean up the Bay including passing legislation to create the Chesapeake Bay 2010 Trust Fund; enhancing the Bay's natural oyster population; strengthening the Critical Areas law and establishing aquaculture enterprise zones to restore the Bay. The Chesapeake Bay is Maryland's crown jewel. We all agree that maintaining the health of the Bay is important to our State. To that end, the legislature has funded the Trust Fund at $20 million for the coming fiscal year, as well as retained a fund balance in the Fund for existing projects. Accelerating Maryland Solar Energy Use In order to spur investment in Maryland's burgeoning industrial and residential solar industry, the General Assembly passed Governor O'Malley's legislation to require electricity suppliers to accelerate the amount solar energy in the electricity they supply to Marylanders. This legislation will supplement the State's clean energy supply and help stimulate new green jobs for Marylanders. This legislation will accelerate Maryland's Solar Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) requirements in 2011 through 2017, resulting in more residential and commercial solar installations in those years. It will make the phase-in of the Solar RPS more evenly distributed over the next decade and provide long-term support for Maryland's growing solar industry. This change will put the State's solar goals in line with New Jersey and Delaware. Additional solar energy in Maryland will decrease peak load electricity prices in the summertime, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by displacing fossil-fueled powered generation, create new green jobs, and help Maryland meet its renewable energy goals. OPEN GOVERNMENT REFORMS We are elected by the people and serve the people so it is important that we make the legislative proceedings easily accessible to the public. With the advent of the Internet, we have many more tools available to promote transparency. This year, a number of Democratic and Republican members introduced legislation to bring legislative proceedings into the 21st century. Thanks to their hard work, we have implemented a number of recommendations this session. Final votes from each of the House and Senate standing committees are placed online before the bill comes to the floor for consideration. The House of Delegates completed a test run of a new system to live stream committee hearings this session, with the intent of making this available to the general public in the 2011 legislative session. Legislation passed with unanimous bipartisan support to require local elected officials to meet or exceed the State ethics laws relating to financial disclosures and conflicts of interest. Prior to enactment of this bill, each county and municipality enacted their own standards which may or may not have been as stringent as State laws. PUBLIC HEALTH Banning Dangerous Chemicals Affecting Children On January 1, 2012, child care articles, including bottles and sippy cups, can no longer be manufactured or sold in Maryland with the chemical Bisphenol-A (BPA). According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), BPA can leach from the linings of canned foods and polycarbonate water and baby bottles, resulting in possible health risks to the brain, behavior, and prostate gland in fetuses, infants, and young children. Prohibiting Fraud in the Medicaid System The Maryland False Claims Act (SB 279) will protect Maryland against theft and fraud in the State's Medicaid budget. Under current law, the state can do little to recover dollars paid out through false claims against the Medicaid program. The State's only recourse is to bring administrative actions against suspected perpetrators, but this painstaking process limits any recovery to only actual losses, with no penalties or damages to deter repeat offenders. The federal program, started in 1986, has recovered $24 billion to the government. Additional studies have shown that for every $1 spent on fraud enforcement, the government has recovered $15. However, the reach of the Federal FCA is limited and now States are enacting False Claims Acts to increase recoveries. Virginia, for example, recovered $100 million in the two years after it enacted an FCA. Prior to enacting an FCA, the Commonwealth recovered approximately $20 million. Creating a new Commission to Implement Federal Healthcare Reforms During the legislative session, Governor O'Malley signed an Executive Order creating the Maryland Health Care Reform Coordinating Council. Maryland is already a national model for controlling health care costs under Maryland's unique "all-payer" hospital rate setting system. This term, Maryland has extended health care coverage to 161,000 Marylanders, 78,500 of which are children, under the Working Families and Small Business Health Coverage Act. The Maryland Health Care Reform Coordinating Council will consist of private sector, government and legislative members and assist the executive and legislative branches of state government with the delivery of health care reforms from the federal level to the homes and businesses of Main Street Maryland. Assignment of Benefits The legislature also passed Senate Bill 314 that streamlines and improves the process for reimbursement of out-of-network physicians and protects consumers from unexpected and costly medical bills. The initial version of the legislation allowed for a patient to be "balanced-billed", meaning that a hospital-based physician, such as an anesthesiologist or emergency room doctor, could charge a patient for any services related to a hospital visit when the physician is not in the patient's insurance network. House leaders removed that provision before final passage. Now, patients will be protected from the surprise of additional charges during hospital visits. I appreciate hearing from my constituents about issues that are important to you. Please continue to stay in touch. My contact information is: Pamela.beidle@house.state.md.us, (410)841-3370 or fax: (410)841-3347. Also, please visit my fan page on Facebook, just search Delegate Pam Beidle. Best regards, Pam Beidle State Delegate

TREE SERVICE

2010-07-04T09:20:00.003-04:00

After the storms in June, many homeowners had to have trees removed. I had two estimates to cut and remove an oak tree. National Tree Service will be removing it for $400. The other quote was $1000.00.

Post from Roger Fox April 29

2009-05-04T23:06:00.000-04:00

Guys, I appreciate the quick response on the paint ball vandalism query in last night's watch report. Sure sounds like some juveniles had nothing better to do on Monday night than drive around and cause problems for folks: 1) Our watch folks reported a number of cars were paint-balled in the Leaside area on Monday night also (27 April). 2) Moose and Cindy reported a house in the Stone Castle Drive area over in the Provinces was also paint-balled on Monday night. 3) One of our watch folks, John Robertson, is a Nationwide Insurance Agent. He sent me the falling regarding your home insurance and what to do when these kind of incidents occur. John is always quite helpful providing very timely insurance information. "Paintball damage is a double edged sword. Here is why: if the damage requires more than soap and water to clean the siding then the homeowner would need to make a claim against their Homeowners policy. Before this claim is reported: the homeowner should consult with their insurance agent." "Here is why: a Homeowners policy has a deductible and may also have a surcharge added for having a claim. So, some idea of the amount to be paid by the insurer after the deductible and any claims surcharge should be understood so that the homeowner can make an informed decision." 4) I was pleased to hear more of you are willing to go down to Annapolis to the County Council meeting (7:00p.m., Monday, 4 May) and intend to wear RED SHIRTS. The slots casino bill to change the zoning to permit its construction is Bill 10-09, Zoning Video Lottery Facilities. We need to be prepared for a number of these sessions. We HAVE TO SHOW where we stand on this issue. Most likely the Council will make their final decision by June, but even as early as Monday night, a vote could be taken on the zoning issue. Commercial Services: 1) I always like to give special advertising to one of our own. Many of you may know Bill Brown. I have known his wife, Hope, for many years. She provided dedicated service to the school PTA a number of years ago. Here is what Hope had to say: "My husband owns his own contractor/construction company. He's seeing a lot of roofs being replaced in the neighborhood and is concerned that homeowners may not be getting the best price or having unlicensed people doing the work." "As a fellow Harmans Woods homeowner, he is willing to beat any written estimate from a licensed contractor for Harmans home owners. His name is Bill Brown. His company name is The Three Brothers Construction Co., Inc., phone 443-324-4810/fax 410-551-2655. He does all types of home repairs - from large to small - including roof repairs/replacements, siding, kitchen remodels, window replacement and fences/decks." Thank you for your support and keep the info coming! Roger

April 28 Post from Roger Fox

2009-05-04T23:05:00.000-04:00

Guys, A short report to let you know a house and cars were paint-balled around 11:00p.m, last night (Mon, 27 April) in the Aragorn Court area. If anyone else was hit, please let me know. Please call the police at 911 or 410-222-8610 to report any vandalism, to include this kind of mischief. Kids are getting ansy with the school year coming to a close and having a sudden blast of warm weather. That still isn't any excuse to vandalism other folks property. If left unchecked, this behavior can morph into more violent acts. Please do not hesitate to call police for any suspicious vehicles or persons. Upcoming Dates: 7:00p.m., Monday, 4 May 09-Amendments to the proposed Slots Casino at Arundel Mills Mall are expected to be voted on at this County Council meeting in Annapolis. The Mills Task Force headed up by Chuck Levay (also Peach Orchard Association President) and the surrounding associations (including the Harman Civic Association/Villages of Dorchester Association) continue to attend every County Council meeting where any vote may occur. We need to keep the pressure on the County Council with our opposition to the slots casino at the mall. So far we have had good attendance, but we need your support! We are all wearing bright red T-shirts or shirts to these meetings to clearly identify ourselves in this "grass roots" effort. 7:30p.m., Wed, 13 May 09-PCRC (Police-Community Relations Council) meeting at the Western District Police Station in Odenton. This meeting is open to everyone and is your chance to meet the commander and hear the latest police news. It is also an excellent forum for residents to bring their concerns. 9:00a.m.-1:00p.m., Sat, 16 May 09-Shred-A-Rama III (3rd year) will be held at the Cancun Cantina parking lot. This is your chance to get rid of all those old personal papers that smoked your own shredder and took hours to do by yourself! PCRC President Dave Daughters has taken charge of this event for the Western District PCRC. Joe Cifala, the PCRC Chairman for all the Districts has worked hard with Dave to organize this event. There will be 3 other locations in the county where you can take your papers for shredding (besides Cancun Cantina). They are: Anne Arundel County Police Headquarters in Millersville Brooklyn Park Middle School (200 Hammonds Lane) South River High School (200 Central Avenue East in Edgewater) 7:00p.m., Thursday, 28 May 09-The Harman Civic Association will hold its last regularly scheduled meeting until September. That is assuming we don't have any special meetings called (for the fight against slots casino, etc.). Please note: We will be meeting at the Harmans Community Room at Arundel Mills Mall. The school has its annual concert, so we weren't able to secure the school cafeteria. New Services: Aaron's Lawn Care-Dan D. passed this information to me a while back. I understand this a a young man who lives in our area. Please go to http://alclawns.com/ or call 443-995-7528 for more information. Thank you for your support and keep the info coming! Roger

April 7 Post from Roger

2009-05-04T23:04:00.000-04:00

Guys, 1) I would like to commend all the residents who went down to Annapolis last night to testify against the slots casino proposed for Arundel Mills Mall. They didn't start the testimony [Bill 10-09, Zoning Video Lottery Facilities] until around 8:15-8:30p.m. The Council wanted to knock out all the quicker bills first. Council Chairman Ed Reilly stated that 49 people testified last night. It was about midnight when the council proceedings ended. I am sure our group's presence really helped our cause. You all waited patiently and at the appointed time stood as a group to show our solidarity as a community. I must say I am quite proud of all the Harman Civic Association folks, residents, and members of neighboring associations who rode down on the bus or drove down in their cars. I am sure President Wayne Dixon and HCA Officers Rusty Bristow and Chip Woods, were also quite pleased, along with Senior Advisor Harry Matthews. Due to the absence of Councilman Edward Middlebrooks, the vote on the slots was postponed until the County Council meeting in 2 weeks on Monday, 20 April 09. Councilman Middlebrooks was recovering from surgery. FOX45 TV reporter Joy Lepola was at the County Council proceedings last night and interviewed a number of people prior to the Council meeting. You may see that reporting at 10:00p.m. tonight. We'll see. 2) One additional note today from Councilman Daryl Jone aide, Linda Harris: Holiday Schedule - Good Friday and Easter Sunday CURBSIDE COLLECTION PROVIDED RECYCLING AND TRASH FACILITIES CLOSED Annapolis (April 7, 2009) - The Department of Public Works, Waste Management Services, will provide curbside collection of recycling, yard waste, and trash on Friday, April 10, 2009. However, in observance of Good Friday and Easter Sunday, the Millersville Landfill and Resource Recovery Facility, the Glen Burnie Convenience Center and the Sudley Convenience Center will be closed on Friday, April 10, 2009. All facilities will be open on Saturday, April 11, 2009. Please visit the Department’s web page at www.aacounty.org/DPW/WasteManagement or the County’s web site at www.aacounty.org. Thank you to all of you who came out and exercised your rights as American citizens. We often take for granted our liberties, but we truly live in a great democracy. So many people around the world live their entire lives in lands of tyranny and political turmoil. We are indeed fortunate to be Americans! Roger

April 5 post from Roger Fox

2009-05-04T23:03:00.000-04:00

Guys, We are on a roll! The only bad note for tomorrow is the possibility of rain storms. Come rain or shine, the bus will be at Frank Hebron-Harman Elementary School tomorrow. The bus will leave at 5:30p.m., so please try to arrive beforehand (by 5:15p.m.). Bring your umbrellas (Hopefully, the longest walk will be from the bus into the County Council building in Annapolis. We have close to 40 people signed up for the bus right now. If you already signed up for the bus, please make every effort to ride with us! We need to fill the bus (57 is capacity)! At this point, if you want to go, just come up to the school tomorrow night. We will get everybody to Annapolis that we need to, whether it is by bus or car. Please remember the slots casino developer, Cordish, will be well organized and bring a lot of their people. We have to show we can get the troops out when we need to! I apologize for not doing a full report, but this event tomorrow night has consumed all of our free time. I will try to get a full report out soon. One other item: The Western District PCRC (Police-Community Relations Council) meeting will be at the Western District Police Station on MD 170 at 7:30p.m., Wed, 8 April 09. All residents are welcome to attend. See Dave's newsletter below for details. Thank you for your support! Roger Fox Dave Daughters' April PCRC Newsletter (see below):

Western District View

Western District Police-Community Relations Council April 2009

8273 Telegraph Road, Odenton, Maryland 21113

Open Forum, April 8, 2009

At the next meeting of the Western District Police-Community Relations Council, we will have an open forum, with no guest speaker, to give Council members and community residents an opportunity to talk to the District Commander and address community concerns and problems.

The meeting will be on Wednesday, April 8^th, in the meeting room at the Western District Station, starting at 7:30 p.m.

If you are encountering problems in your community or neighborhood, this will be your opportunity to address these directly with the district commander. It will also provide the department time to bring us up to date on events and programs.

Shred-A-Rama III – May 16, 2009

On Saturday, May 16, 2009, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., all four district Police-Community Relations Councils will sponsor Shred-A-Rama III. On that day, four commercial shredding trucks will be positioned around the county so that county residents can bring up to four boxes of personal papers and have them safely shredded.

There is no charge for this service, but donations will be accepted.

This is an ideal and safe way to dispose of old bank statements, tax records and other documents that could otherwise be used for identity theft and fraud.

The Western District location will be in the parking lot at Cancun Cantina, 7501 Old Telegraph Road, Hanover, just south of Dorsey Road. Other locations will be at Brooklyn Park Middle School, the rear parking lot at Police Headquarters, Millersville, and South River High School.

A flyer on the event is being provided with this newsletter. If you have a community newsletter, or places that you can have the information posted on bulletin boards, please do so. At the April meeting, we will be looking for volunteers to assist on the day of the shredding. If you are available, we can use your help.

Is That Email Rumor or Threat True?

At our last meeting, there was a discussion about email rumors or threat reports, and whether some are valid or fall into the category of urban legends. There are three websites that you can use to check on the validity of any story you hear, ranging from threats of criminal activity to the latest rumor about your favorite politician or celebrity. These are: www.snopes.com, www.urbanlegends.about.com, and www.truthorfiction.com.

Membership Renewal

If you have not yet done so, please renew your PCRC membership so that we can keep our mailing list accurate. A renewal form is being distributed to email recipients with this newsletter. For those receiving it by mail, a form is being included for those who have not yet renewed.

Help Save Us Some Money

With postage going up again in May, we would like to switch distribution as much as possible to email. Each newsletter costs about 70 cents in copying, envelopes and postage. It costs nothing to send it by email. It’s faster and means we can use that money to benefit the community and the officers at Western District.

If you are now receiving this newsletter by mail, but have email access, please contact me with your email address and we’ll make the switch.

An added benefit is that you will be on the list for email information coming from the Western District’s Community Response Network and receive alerts on potential

Some Final Words

Please spread the word about Shred-A-Rama III, on May 16^th, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the parking lot at Cancun Cantina.

Dave Daughters

President

410-672-5703

dldaugh@aol.com

April 4 News From Roger

2009-05-04T23:01:00.000-04:00

Guys, I wanted to get another report out to you prior to Monday night's bus trip (April 6th) to Annapolis to show our opposition to the slots casino at Arundel Mills Mall. The bus continues to fill up, but we still have seats available. The bus holds 57 people. If we fill the bus, don't worry, we will arrange for folks to either ride in groups by car, or caravan to Annapolis. [Of course, you can also drive down to Annapolis. The key is for us to sit or be together as a group. That will be much more effective when we are sitting at the County Council meeting in Annapolis. Particularly, if you haven't been to a Harman Civic Association meeting, we may not recognize each other.] Please be advised that the slots casino developer, Cordish Company, is organizing bus rides for the slots casino supporters. They aren't rolling over and are very well organized. I understand not everyone is against slots--that's fine. However, if you are against slots YOU NEED TO HELP US FILL UP THE BUS. Tell your neighbors or friends. Bus riders don't have to be Harman Civic Association (HCA) members. As long as you live in the communities surrounding Arundel Mills Mall area, you are welcome to ride the bus to Annapolis on Monday night. The Villages of Dorchester Home Owners' Association (HOA) has contacted the HCA to let us know some of their folks may wish to ride our bus. At the April 6th meeting, the County Council is expected to vote on whether to change the zoning to permit a Slots Casino at Arundel Mills Mall. Since new people are continually joining the neighborhood watch reports, I will continue to repeat the information below with the specific information on this Monday night's meeting. Thank you to all of you who are getting the word out about the bus and the County Council meeting! Roger Fox Items: 1) 5:30p.m., Monday, April 6th-A Gunthers bus will leave from the Frank Hebron-Harman Elementary School parking lot to take folks to the County Council meeting in Annapolis. Please be there prior to departure time, so we can depart at precisely 5:30! We need to get to Annapolis in time for folks who wish to speak to sign in prior to the meeting start time (6:30p.m.). One of our residents (Ray) has kindly offered to schedule and pay for the bus. Ray has refused to accept any reimbursement, but rather, requests folks make donations to the Harman Civic Association. Donations can be mailed to: Harman Civic Association P.O. Box 711 Hanover, MD 21076 Please remember you don't have to speak at this County Council meeting! When HCA President Wayne Dixon speaks (or one of our other speakers), we want to have the group stand up to show the community supports our testimony. WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT AT THIS MEETING!!!! 3) If you wish to speak at the hearing, you need to sign up to speak. They will start letting speakers sign in at 6:30p.m. on Monday, April 6th. Each speaker is allowed to speak for 2 minutes. Those of us who wish to speak will have to wait until it comes up on the agenda. This item is called "Bill 10-09, Zoning Video Lottery Facilities." I am hoping it will be early on the agenda because of its importance. If you have never been to a County Council meeting, the Council members sit at the front of the room facing the audience. There is a table for speakers set up at the front and middle of the room facing the Council members (with the audience to the speakers' backs). This set up makes it easier for folks who don't like to speak before a group; the audience sits behind you! Usually 3-6 speakers are called down to the table at one time. There are usually about 3 microphones on the speaker table. The speakers then have up to 2 minutes each to speak on the topic (they speak in the order they are called). After this group is done speaking, then another group of 3-6 speakers are called to come to the table to speak in the order they were called, 2 minutes for each speaker. If you sign up and everything you wanted to say has been said by earlier speakers, you don't have to go down. They will just fill your seat with another speaker on the list. After everyone is done speaking, we may expect the County Council to vote on whether to change the zoning to W1. The slots casino must have the change in zoning to W1 or it will not be permitted at Arundel Mills Mall. Thus, the zoning change is the key! 4) If you wish to drive down to the County Council meeting, the address is 44 Calvert Street in Annapolis. Directions: -Take I-97 to US 50 east -From US 50 exit off on to Rowe Blvd (MD 70) -On Rowe Blvd, you will pass the Naval Academy Stadium (on your right side) -Continue on Rowe Blvd over the bridge (you will see the Naval Academy on your left) -Stay on Rowe Blvd as it curves to the right (you will see a cemetery on the right) -From Rowe Blvd, turn right on to Calvert Street. -You will cross over Northwest Street -Then turn right almost immediately on to Clay Street -As you turn on to Clay Street, stay to the left side, you will almost immediately turn left into the parking ramp. Be sure to take your ramp parking ticket with you, so you can get it validated at the desk outside the Council Chambers. The County Council Chambers are across the street from the Clay Street parking ramp. From the ramp you cross Calvert Street to enter the building. There is also a parking ramp behind the Council Chambers, but you have to pay to park there. It isn't a huge cost, but they do charge you and you can't validate that ramp ticket. 5) I am attaching the information on the County Council members to send e-mails on how you feel about a slots Casino at Arundel Mills Mall. Please go to the following. This is very important to let all 7 County Council members know where you stand. Please paste the link below into your web browser. http://www.aacounty.org/CountyCouncil/index.cfm You will see all 7 members (Daryl Jones (District 1)) is our County Council member. The Council Chair is Ed Reilly (District 7). Just click on the contact link next to each County Council member to do an e-mail to each one of the members. If you have any questions, please feel free to send me an e-mail. Thank you for your support! Roger Fox

April post from Roger- Slots at Mall

2009-05-04T23:00:00.000-04:00

Guys, If you are against the slots casino at Arundel Mills Mall, this is your CHANCE TO BE HEARD. We still have seats available on the bus and we need to fill the bus! Let's show the County Council that we can get the people out for an important event. I often hear, "someone should do something about it." That someone is YOU, me, and everyone in our communities. At the April 6th meeting, the County Council is expected to vote on whether to change the zoning to permit a Slots Casino at Arundel Mills Mall [Bill 10-09, Zoning Video Lottery Facilities]. Items: 1) 5:30p.m., Monday, April 6th-A Gunthers bus will leave from the Frank Hebron-Harman Elementary School parking lot to take folks to the County Council meeting in Annapolis. Please be there prior to departure time, so we can depart at precisely 5:30! We need to get to Annapolis in time for folks who wish to speak to sign in prior to the meeting start time (6:30p.m.). One of our residents (Ray) has kindly offered to schedule and pay for the bus. Ray has refused to accept any reimbursement, but rather, requests folks make donations to the Harman Civic Association. Donations can be mailed to: Harman Civic Association P.O. Box 711 Hanover, MD 21076 Please remember you don't have to speak at this County Council meeting! When HCA President Wayne Dixon speaks (or one of our other speakers), we want to have the group stand up to show the community supports our testimony. WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT AT THIS MEETING!!!! 3) If you wish to speak at the hearing, you need to sign up to speak. They will start letting speakers sign in at 6:30p.m. on Monday, April 6th. Each speaker is allowed to speak for 2 minutes. Those of us who wish to speak will have to wait until it comes up on the agenda. This item is called "Bill 10-09, Zoning Video Lottery Facilities." I am hoping it will be early on the agenda because of its importance. If you have never been to a County Council meeting, the Council members sit at the front of the room facing the audience. There is a table for speakers set up at the front and middle of the room facing the Council members (with the audience to the speakers' backs). This set up makes it easier for folks who don't like to speak before a group; the audience sits behind you! Usually 3-6 speakers are called down to the table at one time. There are usually about 3 microphones on the speaker table. The speakers then have up to 2 minutes each to speak on the topic (they speak in the order they are called). After this group is done speaking, then another group of 3-6 speakers are called to come to the table to speak in the order they were called, 2 minutes for each speaker. If you sign up and everything you wanted to say has been said by earlier speakers, you don't have to go down. They will just fill your seat with another speaker on the list. After everyone is done speaking, we may expect the County Council to vote on whether to change the zoning to W1. The slots casino must have the change in zoning to W1 or it will not be permitted at Arundel Mills Mall. Thus, the zoning change is the key! 4) If you wish to drive down to the County Council meeting, the address is 44 Calvert Street in Annapolis. Directions: -Take I-97 to US 50 east -From US 50 exit off on to Rowe Blvd (MD 70) -On Rowe Blvd, you will pass the Naval Academy Stadium (on your right side) -Continue on Rowe Blvd over the bridge (you will see the Naval Academy on your left) -Stay on Rowe Blvd as it curves to the right (you will see a cemetery on the right) -From Rowe Blvd, turn right on to Calvert Street. -You will cross over Northwest Street -Then turn right almost immediately on to Clay Street -As you turn on to Clay Street, stay to the left side, you will almost immediately turn left into the parking ramp. Be sure to take your ramp parking ticket with you, so you can get it validated at the desk outside the Council Chambers. The County Council Chambers are across the street from the Clay Street parking ramp. From the ramp you cross Calvert Street to enter the building. There is also a parking ramp behind the Council Chambers, but you have to pay to park there. It isn't a huge cost, but they do charge you and you can't validate that ramp ticket. 5) I am attaching the information on the County Council members to send e-mails on how you feel about a slots Casino at Arundel Mills Mall. Please go to the following. This is very important to let all 7 County Council members know where you stand. Please paste the link below into your web browser. http://www.aacounty.org/CountyCouncil/index.cfm You will see all 7 members (Daryl Jones (District 1)) is our County Council member. The Council Chair is Ed Reilly (District 7). Just click on the contact link next to each County Council member to do an e-mail to each one of the members. If you have any questions, please feel free to send me an e-mail. Thank you for your support! Roger Fox

Health Seminar

2009-03-19T11:16:00.002-04:00

Time to be Healthy - Saturday March 21 209 from 9-3. Centennial-Caroline Street United Methodist Church 1029 E, Monument Street, Baltimore, MD 21202 Contact 410-276-3079 A Journey Toward Wholeness. FOR THE SPIRIT Strengthening Your Faith Walk Merging Spirituality and Medicine FOR THE MIND Depression Stress FOR THE BODY Cancer Diabetes HIV AIDS Hypertension Smoking Stress A Healthy Lunch Much much more Rev Barbara J. Whiple, Coordinator

Upcoming Lyme Events

2009-03-19T11:09:00.002-04:00

Doctors from the Howard County Health Department will present “Lyme Disease, Focus on Howard County”, 7 PM March 24, 2009 at the Howard County Central Library, register online or call 410-313-7850

A showing of Under Our Skin, a film about Chronic Lyme, will be shown at the Howard County Central Library, 7 PM Thursday, April 2, 2009. Register online (The library says this registration option will work after 3/19/2009) or call 410-313-7850

National Capitol Lyme Disease Association will host a legislative forum on Saturday, March 28th 2009, at George Mason University Arlington Campus.

Roger's latest Mar 10 2009

2009-03-19T11:09:00.001-04:00

Upcoming Dates: 7:30p.m., Tomorrow night (Wed), 11 Mar 09-PCRC (Police-Community Relations Council) meeting at the Western District Police Station. The PCRC will be honoring some of our police officers for outstanding work in the past year. In addition, the Homicide Unit will give a presentation to attendees. Please see PCRC President Dave Daughters newsletter at the end of this report for the great work these officers have done. All residents are welcome at these meetings! 7:00p.m., Thursday, 26 Mar 09-The Harman Civic Association will continue discussion and planned actions on the Slots Casino proposed at Arundel Mills Mall. We will again meet in the gymnasium at Frank Hebron-Harman Elementary School. Please enter the school through the front doors. The Slots Casino (Video Lottery Facilities) Public Hearing (Bill 10-09) will be brought before the County Council at 7:00p.m, Thursday, 2 April 09 in the Council Chambers (located at 44 Calvert St Annapolis, Md.). 5:30-7:30p.m., Tues, 31 Mar 09-Improvements for BRAC (Base Realignment & Closure) at 6 intersections on MD 175 will be available for viewing at Meade Middle School. This is your chance to offer your comments. You can stop by to view at any time during the 5:30-7:30p.m. period. Please see Delegate Pam Beidle's recent newsletter for details at the end of this report & other Maryland House of Delegates items. Events: 1) 10:00p.m., Friday, 6 February 09-A house was egged multiple times in the Ridge Chapel area. Sun morning, 8 Feb 09-2 large empty egg cartons were found in the middle of the street in the Baggins Road/Aragorn Court area. Please do not hesitate to call police at 911 or 410-222-8610 to report. Thank you for your support and keep the info coming! Roger

Western District View

Western District Police-Community Relations Council March 2009

8273 Telegraph Road, Odenton, Maryland 21113

Officer of Merit Awards – Well-Deserved Recognition

Our next meeting will be on Wednesday, March 11, 2009, starting at 7:30 p.m., in the meeting room at Western District. At this meeting, we will recognize four officers and a reserve officer who have served the citizens well during 2008. Please join us in thanking these five individuals who have done much for the citizens of the Western District. Those recognized will be:

Corporal Charles Jones Corporal Jones, an eight-year veteran of the Anne Arundel County Police Department, is dedicated to his profession and takes great pride in his work. His work ethic and the results he achieves are superior in both quantity and quality.

His alertness and instincts have paid off on numerous occasions in Meade Village, Crofton and Davidsonville. After he and another officer arrested two individuals in Crofton following a citizen’s complaint of drug activity in the area, Corporal Jones searched one suspect’s vehicle and found a hidden compartment containing a loaded handgun and 16 baggies of cocaine.

On December 30, 2008, Corporal Jones took the initiative between calls of surveilling a house in Crofton where an individual was reportedly selling marijuana. Following a suspicious person who left the house, he observed the driver running a stop sign, prompting a traffic stop. After several minutes of conversation, the driver admitted that he had just purchased a large quantity of marijuana from the house in question. The driver was arrested and the drugs seized. Corporal Jones than prepared a search warrant for the house, which was then searched. The search disclosed more drugs and drug paraphernalia and resulted in the arrest of two drug dealers.

Corporal Daniel Long Corporal Long joined Western District in March 2008, and serves as a Field Training Officer and often as acting sergeant for Platoon Three. He is proactive in his assigned area, demonstrating creative abilities, investigative expertise and keen problem solving techniques. In an eight-month period, he made 593 traffic stops and 101 arrests. He has developed an excellent record of service.

During April 2008, Corporal Long conducted a thorough investigation of the theft of a credit card at Arundel Mills Mall, obtaining a confession and the arrest of two individuals, one an employee of the store where the card was stolen; the other an employee of the jewelry store where it was used. During July, he successfully investigated and arrested a store manager for viewing child pornography in the back room of a Hanover store. In August, he obtained a confession from an individual who stole several firearms, in the process identifying locations where the suspect had traded the guns for drugs. Also in August, he observed a suspicious individual in a car at Arundel Mills Mall. As he watched, the suspect became unconscious after “huffing” on a can of compressed air. Corporal Long called for paramedics and treated the individual, returning him to consciousness, then arranged for an emergency psychiatric evaluation. During November, investigating a reported robbery, he developed information that resulted in first degree attempted murder charges against the victim’s girlfriend.

PFC Charles Crawford PFC Crawford’s patrol area includes Meade Village and Still Meadows, where he has attended community meetings and established rapport with community leaders and county officials, providing advice on residential crime prevention, identifying problems and recommending solutions that have a positive impact on the community. Additionally, his hard work and dedication resulted in 643 traffic stops and 158 arrests during 2008.

During May 2008, while enroute to work, he responded to a call for assistance to an on-duty officer who had located two stolen trucks in Lions Gate, occupied by uncooperative suspects. Upon arrival, a foot pursuit of one suspect ensued through the apartment community and back to one of the trucks, where an apprehension and arrest was made. It was later determined that the trucks were valued at $75,000. A trailer and bobcat attached to one of the trucks had been stolen earlier in Prince George’s County and were valued at $16,800. During a routine traffic stop during November, PFC Crawford observed the driver acting suspiciously and detected an odor of marijuana. With backup in place, the driver was removed and a vehicle search disclosed 204.4 grams of marijuana, drug paraphernalia and $164 in currency, leading to an arrest. The vehicle was seized because of its use in drug distribution.

PFC Crawford displays his dedication and his strong work ethic on a daily basis.

Officer Ryan Holliday Officer Holliday is primarily assigned to the Pioneer City, Still Meadows and Meade Village communities with the Police and Community Together Unit and is the lead coordinator for a crime prevention program funded by a state grant. He attends bi-weekly meetings with the goal of pulling several entities together to find ways of fostering a better way of life for residents of the Western District, approaching this task with the utmost optimism.

In October 2008, following some intense moments between the police department and the community, Officer Holliday organized an evening meeting to address concerns in the neighborhood. He went into the meeting with residents and used his calm demeanor to facilitate a positive meeting that produced favorable results. In November, after participating in a warrant service on a Still Meadows residence that had been the source of over 100 calls for service, he met with the homeowner, who was unaware of the situation at the house. After several meetings, he was able to assist the homeowner in evicting the tenants who were the source of parties and drug dealing. Later in the month, he was able to do that same thing for another residence in the community. He also met with community leaders in Still Meadows and was able to assist in the establishment of a banning list, to keep non-productive individuals out of the community.

Officer Holliday epitomizes the department’s vision of community policing and is an outstanding asset to his unit, the Police Department and the community.

Reserve Officer Howard Dillard Reserve Officer Dillard has spent nearly three decades volunteering his time to Western District and will mark his 27^th year of reserve service in November 2009. During this time, he has represented the police department at funerals and public events, assisted patrol officers in road closures in all types of weather, and performed numerous other public service details. In 2008 alone, he has volunteered over 600 hours of his time, more than three times the minimum expected of reserve officers.

He is perhaps best known publicly for operating the civilian fingerprint program at Western District, serving the public in a very professional, enthusiastic and friendly manner, treating every person with respect as he guides them through the process. His performance of this duty twice a week has resulted in numerous compliments.

Reserve Officer Dillard has consistently contributed his expertise, service and selflessness to the successful execution of the Anne Arundel County Police Department’s mission.

Special Unit Recognitions

On November 16, 2008, a multiple shooting occurred outside an Odenton bar, leaving two men dead and two others wounded. For the next seven days, members of the Homicide Unit and the Special Enforcement Team worked tirelessly, despite less than full cooperation by the two surviving victims, resulting in first degree murder charges being brought against three individuals, with a fourth being charged as an accessory.

In view of their efforts, we will also be presenting special unit awards to the members of both of these organizations.

Meeting Presentation

Following the presentations, a representative of the homicide unit will brief Council members on the organization, functions and activities of the unit.

Charitable Solicitations

At our February meeting, we discussed various scams and the need to be careful about various charitable solicitations; particularly those involving police support groups and veteran groups. Coincidentally, the following day, I received two from alleged veteran groups, one by phone and one in the mail.

The phone call came from the Veterans Assistance League, seeking a donation to help veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. With a son recently returned from a National Guard deployment to Iraq, I had never heard of this organization. An Internet search disclosed nothing and the organization is not listed with either the Better Business Bureau or charitynavigator.org. It has, however, registered with the Maryland Secretary of State. It registered on July 21, 2008, and has not reported receiving any money.

The one in the mail was from the National Veterans Services Fund, based in Connecticut. While they are listed with BBB, the website provides no substantive evaluation. According to charitynavigator.org, the organization spends 22.2% of its revenue on program expenses and 70.7% on fundraising, about opposite the preferred standard split of 85-15. Its president, Phil Kraft, receives a salary of $78,000. It gave the organization 0 stars out of 5 and an overall score of 22.50. In a separate report in January 2006, Charity Navigator said that NVSF collected $4.4 million in 2004, but gave only $6,416 in direct aid to veterans. In 2004, Kraft received a salary of $60,000, so that’s a 30% salary increase in five years.

Police Protective Fund

This organization is also conducting their apparent annual statewide fund drive in Maryland, with residents getting call for donations. They did the same thing in February 2008, which prompted a special notice from the Western District PCRC. Since they are at it again, we are repeating that notice. You need to know who is asking for your money.

In late February (2008), I received a telephone solicitation from the Police Protective Fund, claiming that they provide financial support to families of police officers who die in the line of duty. When I declined to make a pledge, but asked that they send me information, the caller claimed (falsely) that “IRS regulations” require that they only mail information to people to make pledges.

Faced with that falsehood, I did some research. The Police Protective Fund, and its administrative arm, the American Association of Police Officers, are both located in Hollywood, California, but were incorporated in North Carolina in 1998.

The Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving report for the organization says that it fails to meet eight of the 20 standards for charity accountability. The organization spends only 25% of its expenses on program services, while standards require that at least 65% go to services. Its fund-raising costs were 63% of its expenses, while standards call for no more than 35%. (charityreports.bbb.org)

Charity Navigator (charitynavigator.org) gives the Police Protective Fund zero stars, with an overall rating of 22.50. Similar groups had scores of 60-62. With revenue of nearly $6 million in 2006, only 28.3% went for program expenses, mostly to paid fund raisers. Its director receives $172,900 in compensation, its two managers each receive $149,500, and the administrator receives $89,900.

In August 2006, then-Montgomery County Executive Douglas Duncan issued a press release warning that the group was a “police charity scam,” which was then operating in Montgomery County. Duncan accused the fund of deceptive practices by representing a mail drop address as an actual office in the county.

In July 2007, Missouri’s Attorney General filed suit against both the Police Protective Fund and the American Association of Police Officers, saying that the fund made false claims in its calls and used harassing and intimidating tactics to solicit donations in the state. According to the suit, donors are not told that the $10,000 death benefits only go to the first four officers who die in the line of duty in a calendar year, and are capped at $40,000 annually. People complained that the solicitors implied that unless they contributed, police might not respond to a call for help. In September, the St. Louis Circuit Court issued a restraining order, prohibiting the fund from continuing to violate Missouri consumer protection laws and requiring it to stop calling residents on the state No-Call list. The court also froze the fund’s local bank account, with a balance of $344,102.

Based on this information, any area residents called by this group should refuse to make a donation, or to provide them any information. If they continue to call, or use any threatening or harassing tactics, report them to the Maryland Secretary of State.

Volunteers in Police Service

We are still seeking volunteers to help out at the Western District station through the Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) program. If you can provide at least 16 hours a month in performing administrative and station greeting duties, please pick up an application at the station, obtain the application on line at (http://www.aacounty.org/police/), or call Lt. Tim Zywiolek at 410-222-6155.

Some Final Words

Our next meeting, on March 11^th, will be an opportunity to again say thank you for the efforts of the Anne Arundel County Police Department by recognizing some outstanding members of that organization, sworn and volunteer.

Please come out and join us in honoring these officers.

Also, please remember to renew your annual membership.

Dave Daughters

President

410-672-5703

dldaugh@aol.com

General Assembly Update - February 27, 2009

[Delegate Pam Beidle Newsletter]

As I write this, we are about halfway through our 90 Day session, with six weeks left and a great deal of work to be done.

The Structural Deficit Continues to Loom

The Recovery Act (The Stimulus Package), passed by Congress, is not going to fix the structural deficit for Maryland. While we stand to received $3.75 Billion over a period of three fiscal years, much of this money does not flow through state budget and does not provide the flexibility to erase our operating budget shortfall. Much of the funding is based on current federal formulas or block grants that are not part of the state's general fund budget.

The Maryland State Transportation budget will benefit by some of the money from the stimulus funds, $141.8 million will go to "Phase One" projects. That is projects that are shovel ready. Anne Arundel will benefit with a $3 million restoration of the BWI Marc Station and nearby Laurel will see a $2.9 Laurel Station Rehab. Overall this stimulus money will represent 10,000 jobs. Considering that the State's transportation fund revenues are down nearly $350 million a year, this stimulus money is important to our infrastructure and our economy. More information is on the MDOT website:

http://www.mdot.state.md.us/Planning/Economic_Recovery/Economic_Recovery_Powerpoint_02-18-09.pdf

The current FY 09 budget shortfall is approximately $340 million and March revenues are sure to show additional declines. Our state revenues are income from income tax, sales tax, the transfer tax from home sales and capital gains from the sale of stocks or mutual funds that have experienced a gain. Needless to say, the entire country is in a downward spiral and our revenues are a reflection of what is happening around the country. We are actually in better fiscal conditions than most states. Kansas cannot afford to give State tax refunds and California is laying off 20,000 workers. Our five day furlough is minor compared to these layoffs.

However, Maryland will continue to experience a structural deficit unless we make changes in our mandates and formulas. The legislature thought we passed changes in the 2007 Special Session that would erase the structural deficit, little did we know that the entire country would be in recession and our budget changes would not be as effective as planned. So we are again looking at a 1.9 billion dollar structural deficit. Our chairman of appropriations, Delegate Norman Conway, stated at a recent meeting, "We must get a grip on our baseline budget and review mandates and formulas that are driving our increases in our budget." He gave us one example of a "Disparity Grant" that was initiated in 1998 for $8 million and has now grown to $121 million 2009 as the result of a formula.

So, while we all want great schools, community colleges, four year universities, libraries, well maintained roads, health care, as well as our own personal agendas, it is time to make tough decisions. Everyone, every organization, every agenda, will feel some pain as we trim this budget to address the structural deficit.

On a very positive note, Nancy Kopp, State Treasurer, just wrote: "the bond rating agencies have affirmed the State's strong Triple AAA bond rating in preparation for the upcoming sale of $515 million of Maryland General Obligation bonds." Maryland residents will have first priority in a retail sale of bonds that begins Friday, February 27 and continues on March 2 and March 3. All three rating agencies, Standard & Poors, Fitch, and Moody's recognized the extent to which Maryland has addressed the severe budget problems and the economic downturn. They all noted the tough decisions made by the Legislature in the 2007 Special Session and commended our efforts and prudent oversight.

Update on my three bills.

House Bill 287 addresses issues with condominium law and the condominium Master policy deductible. It was heard in the Environmental Matters Committee on Thursday, February 26. I am continuing to work with condo unit owners, the insurance industry and the consumer agencies for a bill that all can agree upon.

House Bill 1214 which proposes a change to the lyrics, but not the melody, of the State Song, Maryland my Maryland, will be heard on March 11. The students from Glen Burnie Park Elementary plan to join us that day for a press conference and testimony, if possible. The bill can be found at: http://mlis.state.md.us/2009rs/bills/hb/hb1241f.pdf. The Capital Newspaper on February 23^rd published an editorial regarding HB 1214. It stated:

"WORDS AND MUSIC - We suppose Del. Pamela Beidle of Linthicum will take the usual shots from wiseacres for offering legislation to change the words of the state song, "Maryland, My Maryland." With all the important matters waiting to be settled, why should she be wasting her taxpayer-subsidized time on this trivia? And so forth and so on.

This issue is a perennial, and there are always lots of things that are more important. But what her bill proposes is so sensible that it ought to be approved by the General Assembly after about five minutes of thought. There is, indeed, no reason to waste a lot of time on it.

Most Marylanders can hum their state song, because it uses the same traditional melody used for "O Christmas Tree." Most state residents don't know the words - for good reason.

The words, written in 1861 by James Ryder Randall, are an overwrought nine-stanza hymn to the glory of taking up arms for the Confederacy. Randall starts with a reference to "the despot's heel" - the despot was Abraham Lincoln - and climaxes by urging Marylanders to proudly spurn "the Northern scum."

Isn't it a trifle odd to have a state anthem that virtually glows with out-and-out hatred - and not of foreign enemies, but of other Americans?

Beidle's legislation would replace Randall's words with a four-stanza poem of the same rhyme scheme written by Maryland educator John T. White in 1894. It's not great poetry either, but it's intelligible, expresses vast pride in the state - and is not an embarrassment. You could actually teach schoolchildren to sing it.

Couldn't we at least have a state song with words that don't make today's Marylanders cringe?"

House Bill 1386 will not allow piers to be built over State Wetlands. This means State designated Wetlands. This bill does not have a hearing scheduled at this time.

My Committee Work

The Environmental Matters Committee continues to hear about a dozen bills a day on environmental issues, land use local government issues, and motor vehicle issues. Bills like "Smart, Green and Growing," House Bills, 294 and 295 are all part of the administrations bills. Read more at: http://www.green.maryland.gov. We will also share the Global Warming bill with the Economic Matters Committee. House Bill 297 addresses the Terrapin Run law suit and requires counties to be consistent with the General Development Plan that is approved by the citizens.

Improvements for BRAC on Route 175

Please watch for information about a public workshop concerning the upgrades to six intersections around Fort Meade. The workshop will be held at Meade Middle School on March 31. You can stop by anytime between 5:30 and 7:30. The six intersections are:

MD 175 and Blobs Park/Clark Road

MD 175 and MD 713

MD 175 and Disney Road

MD 175 and Mapes Road

MD 175 and MD 174 (Reece Road)

MD 174 and Severn Road

$31.6 million in funds are available for these improvements, but it is not enough money to do all six intersections. Your comments are important to establish the priority of this road work to improve the intersections.

Delegate Scholarships

Delegate Scholarships are available subject to funds allocated in the State Budget. I have formed a Scholarship Committee to review and consider all applications. The applicant's scholastic performance and the family's financial situation are heavily weighted. The application is available at my website: www.pambeidle.com. The House of Delegates Scholarship Application must be completed in its entirety and returned along with an original full transcript from your current educational institution and the mandatory written essay. The application, essay and transcript must be received no later than March 31, 2009.

Please continue to stay in touch, email me, call me, and let me know your position on bills and issues. Thank you for allowing me to serve you in the House of Delegates.

Pam Beidle Maryland House of Delegates, District 32 410-841-3370 410-841-3347 (fax) pamela.beidle@house.state.md.us Environmental Matters Committee Subcommittees: Environment Housing and Real Property Local Government and BiCounty

Fence at Tuckerman Drive?

2009-01-07T11:55:00.001-05:00

I hope you can answer a question I have. I have lived in Harmans Woods South since it was built (1985). I am an avid runner and do alot of running through Harmans Woods. Recently there has been a fence put up atthe end of Tuckerman Dr. that connects to Graham Farm Circle. I know a lot of runners and walkers that used that path to get out to Severn Rd. Since there is a paved asphalt path connecting these streets I though this was an approved path for people to use. Now the only way for people to get out to Severn Rd. is by using Harmans Rd from Harmans South to the light at Boyer Farms. The is a very twisty and dangerous stretch of road for runners. Is there a reason that thisfence on Tuckerman Dr was erected?

Roger's December and November 2008 Watch Reports

2009-01-07T11:25:00.001-05:00

Sunday Dec 7, 2008 Neighborhood Watch Report 256 Guys,A final reminder for the PCRC-Police Christmas Buffet on Wed, 10 Dec 08, at the Western District Police Station on MD170 across from Greenway Bowl. [PCRC President Dave Daughters' December newsletter is attached at the end of this report with more information.]Art Lisowsky has done an outstanding job soliciting food and prize donations from businesses here in our immediate area.If you can help Art pick up these donations at 2:00p.m, Wed, 10 Dec, it would be greatly appreciated! He can be reached at 410-206-0073 or 410-697-3324. Even if you can only pick up a few donations, it will really help him!Upcoming Dates:Noon-Midnight, Wed, 10 Dec 08-PCRC-Police XMAS Buffet.7:00p.m., Thurs, 22 Jan 09-The next Harman Civic Association meeting is scheduled for this date. We hope to hold this (our second meeting) in the new Frank Hebron-Harman Elementary School. The school is really beautiful!Events & Other Items:1) 3 Dec 08-Our watch folks reported a car tire was slashed in the Baggins Road/Strider Court area. You know the drill. Please call 911 or 410-222-8610 for any suspicious persons or vehicles.2) Harman Civic Association meetings-I have been reluctant to pass on specific details of major Harman Civic Association (HCA) initiatives prior to the meetings. There are also ongoing activities which need community support and attendance which I have not been giving a lot of publicity.If I put everything in the watch reports, folks won't need to come to the meetings! The HCA officers are a small group of dedicated residents who have a passionate desire to work for the good of the community. At the same time, almost all of the HCA officers work full time and are supporting multiple other community and youth organizations.Thus, I feel it would be a "slap in the face" for all their hard work to do otherwise.I just wanted to pass that bit of information out in case you hear of items going on in the community that aren't necessarily publicized in the watch reports.Of course, all safety and crime concerns will be quickly disseminated to you in these reports.That said, I will be sending out some major items the HCA has been working on (see item #2).3) 29 Oct 08-I do need to let you know the Harman Civic Association sent a letter to Senator Barbara Mikulski on the change of BWI-Marshall Airport flight patterns over our communities since the spring of 2007. The HCA cc:'d Senator Ben Cardin, Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger, State Senator Ed DeGrange, State Delegates Mary Ann Love, Ted Sophocleus, and Pam Beidle. The HCA also cc:'d County Executive John Leopold, County Councilman Daryl Jones, and County Exec Leopold's Community Constituent Rep Mark Chang.The HCA letter documented 49 overflights from early in the morning till late at night from July-Nov 07.If you have any specific complaints about the overflights (dates, times, locations), please send them to me now. That way I can be prepared for a follow up letter to Senator Mikulski as needed. As of this date, Senator Mikulski's staff is investigating the 29 Oct HCA letter.4) 1 Dec 08-Be wary of scammers trying to solicit funds for firefighters-PCRC President Dave Daughters forwarded a press release from Anne Arundel County Battalion Chief Matthew Tobia. "The Anne Arundel County Fire Department is issuinga warning to consumers to be extremely cautious when considering giving financial support to telemarketers purporting to be seeking funds for "firefighters"." "Recently, the department was contacted by several private citizens after receiving a phone solicitation on behalf of the "Firefighter Charitable Foundation" and the "Firefighter Support Foundation"." "Although both organizations are legal entities and are entitled to solicit in Maryland, neither organization supports, either directly or indirectly, any part of the Anne Arundel County Fire Department or its member volunteer companies.""The Anne Arundel County Fire Department is prohibited by law from soliciting anything from County residents or businesses." "Individual entities within the County including individual volunteer fire companies functioning as independent corporations, the Volunteer Firefighters Association, and the International Association of Firefighters IAFF Local #1563 do solicit within Anne Arundel County but should never represent themselves as the Anne Arundel County Fire Department.""Consumers with concerns who receive a telephone solicitation should contact the Office of the Secretary of State and speak with Mr. Michael Schlein at 410-974-5534 x3879 or via the internet at"http://www.sos.state.md.us/President Daughters added the following important item:"FYI, Charity Navigator (charitynavigator.org) gives Firefighters Charitable Foundation, located in Farmington, NY, 0 stars, reporting that the organization spends 83.1% of its money on fundraising (good is 15-20%). BBB has nothing on either organization."5) Sat, 29 Nov 08 Garbage Pickup-What happened?!-I am guessing the recycling truck broke down for the special Saturday, 29 Nov garbage pickup (due to the Thanksgiving holiday).Folks in Harmans Woods and Matthewstown, at a minimum, had full recycling bins left behind. It looked like the regular garbage was picked up.This Saturday pickup will occur again on Saturday, 27 Dec 08 (due to the Christmas holiday). Hopefully, it will go through without a hitch!6) Carolyn from the Provinces watch passed on a new recommendation below in the General Items section for handymen (blue text). Thank you, Carolyn!Most recommendations in the General Items section have come from you folks on the watch. Your continuous feedback on the listed services is appreciated (quality of work, responsiveness, etc.). That way, I can pass it back to you by removing them from the reports.Also, let me know what kind of service you are getting if you call 911 or 410-222-8610. If you ever call 911 or 410-222-8610 and don't feel you are getting the level of service you should be getting, request to speak to the supervisor (and let me know).I have called 911 maybe 200 or so times over the last 13 years and have gotten good service, but we want to maintain that high level.Clubs & Activities for Kids:1) 4-H Club:Although 4-H provides many non-farm activities including computers, photography, public speaking, crafts and such this is a great opportunity for suburban youth to have a rural farm experience. The club is recruiting new members and encourages anyone who is interested to call Wendy at 410-812-9927. 4-H is open to all youth ages 8-18.2) The Student Tutoring and Retention (STARs) Progam resumed at New Life Fellowship (7605 Harmans Road) beginning September 6 at 9am. This tutoring program is free to the community and offers one on one attention in a wide variety of subjects for students from kindergarten to college. Tutoring will be held every Saturday morning beginning at 9 a.m. For more information, call the church at 410.850.5767. General Items:1) Recommended plumbers:a) http://www.alphaplumbing.biz/ (Maria recommended from her work at Nationwide)b) http://www.servprooftowson.com/ (Keith in Harmans Farms recommended)c) Rob McCauley at 410-693-5280 (Cindy in Provinces recommended)2) Recommended handymen:a) I wanted to pass on a business we enjoy doing business with. We've had our windows replaced and are about to have a sliding door replaced. Their work is professional and they stand behind their work. They also do roofs and other home maintenance and services. Call 410-557-0555 and ask for Mike. (Carolyn in Provinces recommended)3) Landscaping Services:a) John Bridges (community resident) 410-519-9602 or 443-794-8138. He has employed at least one of our neighborhood kids. b) Miguel Sanchez (MAS Landscaping) 410-562-4007 (Mario in Ridge Forest recommended)4) Tom's Painting, Pressure Washing, and Cleaning Service 410-519-6062 (Mario in Ridge Forest recommended)5) Bounce Around (Tom's Painting in above item--his wife owns this business.) It is an indoor inflatable playground for birthday parties, etc. near BWI Marshall Airport in Linthicum at 410-519-60626) Mike's Auto Repair (410-850-0999) at7466 New Ridge Road, Suite 7, Hanover, MD 21076 (next group of buildings on the left after the post office, going north toward the airport rental car facility)7) Tree Cutting Service (410-859-0932) Please call Wayne Dixon.8) Harmans Woods News blog at http://therealharmanwoodsnews.blogspot.com/. Liz Greene is back with the Harmans Woods News. She can be e-mailed at http://us.mc634.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=lizgreene52@yahoo.com. It serves the Hanover, Harmans, Jessup and Severn communities.9) The Goddard School, 7538 Teague Road, Hanover, MD 21076 (owner Dipti Singh). Please visit http://us.mc634.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=Hanovermd@goddardschools.comor 410-684-260110) Tutoring all subjects (410-551-8839 or 443-854-1390) Please call Liz Greene.11) BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport Noise Complaint telephone number 410-859-7021 to report aircraft noise and specific overflights. Please note the specific time and as much detailed information as possible. Please let me know too.12) Street light out? Lost power in your house or neighborhood? Please call BGE at 410-685-0123 to report.13) Animal Control (410-222-8900)14) Anne Arundel County website is located at http://www.aacounty.org/. Good place to go to find out about any county agency or question. You can also get to the Anne Arundel County Police website from here. 15) County Roads (410-222-7940) to call in any county roads needing patching. They also handle trash/litter pick up along county roads.16) State Roads (410-766-3770) to call in state roads (any roads with highway numbers MD170, MD175, MD713 Ridge Road) to include road patching, traffic lights out, etc.17) Going on vacation or on a business trip? Please call 410-222-8610 to have your house put on the "police watch" while you are gone. It only takes a couple of minutes and gives our communities an additional police patrol.18) 3 websites to verify/check out the latest (and all previous lists) urban legends, folklore, or rumors. Anytime you hear some new shocking story about gangs, etc., please go there first before you send out an e-mail to other folks, family, or friends:http://www.snopes.com/http://www.urbanlegends.about.com/http://www.truthorfiction.com/19) Please call 911 or 410-222-8610 to report any suspicious persons, vehicles, or activities (day or night).Thank you for your support and keep the info coming! Roger Fox Western District View Western District Police-Community Relations Council December 2008 8273 Telegraph Road, Odenton, Maryland 21113 December 10, 2008 – Holiday Buffet and Party On Wednesday, December 10th, we will host the 17th Annual Holiday Buffet for the officers and staff at Western District. We'll begin serving at noon and continue until the midnight shift gets something to eat before they go out on the road. We've ordered a buffet spread of cold cuts and salads, but want to augment that with hot dish items and deserts – or anything you think the officers would enjoy. Food can be dropped off at the station anytime after 10:00 a.m. on the 10th, or if you can't get to the station, let us know and we'll pick it up. We are still looking for volunteers to help out with the serving during the mid to late afternoon. If you can help out for an hour or two between 2:00 and 6:00 p.m., let us know. At our regular meeting time of 7:30 p.m., we will have our party. There will be no business meeting. Family members are welcome. During the party, we will draw names of officers for door prizes. Sarah's House The morning after the buffet, we will be taking extra food to Sarah's House, the family shelter at Fort Meade. If you would like to make a personal donation to the shelter, bring it to the station and we'll deliver it. Please mark the item(s) with your name, address and telephone number so that Sarah's House can send you an acknowledgment. A copy of the Sarah's House wish list is included with this newsletter. January Meeting Our following meeting, on Wednesday, January 14, 2009, will be an open meeting with the District Commander, to allow us to catch up on events and any problems since the meeting in November. Holiday Precautions Now that the shopping season is here, there are some precautions to take to keep you from becoming a victim. When shopping, try to park in a well-lit area. Don't load yourself down with so many packages that you can't keep track of your purse or wallet and what's going on near you. It's better to take a couple of trips to your car. When going to your car, walk with someone else or near other shoppers. Avoid becoming isolated in the parking lot or garage. Put packages in the trunk or covered and out of sight. When you get home, you'll probably be tired and tempted to wait until morning to unload the car. Thieves know that and cruise residential areas during the night, looking for cars with Christmas goodies in them. Take the time to take packages into your home. You may be tired, but it's easier than filing a police report and going back to the mall to buy the things all over again. Remember that GPS devices and catalytic converters are still very high on the theft list. Keep the GPS out of sight when not in use (and wipe off the suction cup markings on the windshield). Be alert for individuals hanging out near parked cars, particularly at malls, train stations and common area parking lots. If they make you uncomfortable, call 911 and have the police check them. Some Final Words Have an enjoyable holiday, and see you at the buffet. Dave Daughters President 410-672-5703 http://us.mc634.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=dldaugh@aol.com Wed, November 26, 2008 Neighborhood Watch Report 255 Guys,Wanted to get a few important items out to you tonight, so I'll have to postpone a full report for a while. I have a lot of items that I'll put out at that time. I hope you are all able share Thanksgiving with family and/or friends and that you aren't going through hard times like so may of our fellow Marylanders and fellow Americans. For you folks who have garbage pickup on Thursday (Thanksgiving Day tomorrow), it will be pushed back to Friday. Those of us who have garbage pickup on Friday, we will have pick up on Saturday.I gotta tell you this is getting embarrassing for me. I hope none of my neighbors watch me too closely.Thanks to Linda Harris (Councilman Daryl Jones' Legislative aide) and her sending out the holiday garbage pickup dates, I think I'll get it right for these 2 upcoming holidays!Since Christmas will fall on Thursday too, this pattern will be repeated exactly on the same days.Important Dates:7:00p.m., Thursday, 4 Dec 08-The Harman Civic Association (HCA) will meet for the final time this year. Due to the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays falling at the time of our usual meetings (4th Thursday of the month), we only meet once during these 2 months.After this December 4th meeting, we will resume our normal schedule for the following HCA meeting on Thursday, 22 Jan 09 (first meeting in 2009).President Wayne Dixon has scheduled our first meeting in the Frank Hebron-Harman Elementary School Multi-Purpose room in the school [If for any reason the school is closed, we will meet in the Harmans Community Room at Arundel Mills Mall.]Entry into the Multi-Purpose room is on the side of the school (same side as the Chesapeake Mobile (home) Park.HCA Treasurer Rusty Bristow has scheduled 2 interesting speakers for the 4 Dec meeting at the school. First, Anne Arundel County Police Captain Wilson (from police headquarters) will speak for about 30 minutes. He is in charge of the Anne Arundel County Emergency Management Office.Second, Ed Peters from the county Health Department will speak for about 30 minutes on septic tanks. For those of you still using septic tanks, he will be providing some valuable information.Noon-Midnight, Wed, 10 Dec 08-The PCRC (Police-Community Relations Council) will host the 17th annual police buffet for our officers and their families.PCRC President Dave Daughters does an absolutely fantastic job taking charge of this event every year. You, in the community, have come forward every year to show your appreciation for the fine work our police officers do.If you are able to bring a hot dish, dessert, or any special dish you like to prepare, please bring it to the Western District police station any time after 10:00am, on Wed, 10 Dec.The buffet is held in the open meeting room at the front of the station, so all you have to do is walk in and someone should be there to happily receive your hot dish or whatever you would like to bring. [If you drop off a plate or dish you would like to have back, please put a piece of tape on the item with your name & way to reach you.]Cash donations are also welcome. They can be sent to the Western District PCRC at the Western District police station. Please e-mail me if you need more details.Last year when Dave, Moose, Cindy, and I were working the late shift at the buffet, a group of young police officers came in to eat together; it must have been around 9:30p.m or 10:30p.m. They may have come in just prior to going out on the road for the midnight shift or may have been working the swing shift (2nd shift). I was struck with the high calibre of their professionalism and at the same time of their youth (I guess that can happen when you realize you are getting close to the other end of your work career.)If these young men and women hadn't been in police uniform, I could have mistaken them for young white collar professional workers. They had that youthful exuberance and energy and exuded a "can do" attitude. Maybe what really hit me the most, when it seems everyone is looking for the "big paying" job, there are still fine young people (along with all the other officers, of course) who are dedicated in service to the community. For they, like so many other public servants (teachers, firefighters, other county workers), can't be coming into these job fields for the money!Thank you to all the fine officers who protect us 24 hours a day!Other News:1) 16 Nov 08-Will Williams sent me an e-mail. One of his family members found a key box with a key inside it. Will said it looks like those that are placed under a car for emergencies. If it is yours and you can identify it, please call Will at 410-551-6767.2) 12 Nov 08-Donna sent me an e-mail. She said:"FYI, we needed some repairs done around the house so we called Mike Van-phone disconnected and left several messages for America's Handyman and they never called back."Looks like I need to take these off our services listed at the bottom of the regular watch reports. Your feedback is always welcome for ANY item placed in the reports!3) 26 Nov 08-Senator DeGrange just sent out an important letter (please see below) regarding the current mortgage situation. Thank you for your great neighborhood watch support!Roger FoxNovember 26, 2008TO: THE CITIZENS OF LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT 32MARYLAND AND THE MORTGAGE CRISISMaryland, along with several other states, has made many strides to provide homeowners with protection against foreclosure.During the 2008 session, the Maryland General Assembly passed legislation that requires increased oversight of mortgage lenders and extends the foreclosure timetable from 14 to 150 days. As an additional component of this legislation, Maryland recently entered into an agreement with six loan services companies to provide help to homeowners before they lose their properties. The companies, which serve about 25% of the mortgage loans in Maryland, include HSBC, Ocwen, GMAC ResCap, Litton Loan, American National Community Services and Citi.The loan service companies' agreement provides homeowners facing foreclosure with a "cooling-off period" that stops foreclosure actions, fees and penalties for 60 days. In essence this agreement makes the timetable extensions more beneficial for homeowners by providing homeowners with an opportunity to renegotiate loans or retain counseling. As part of the agreement, the companies will assign employees to serve as contact points for homeowners that are utilizing the state's Foreclosure Prevention Assistance Network and will also favor loan modification over foreclosure in order to keep families in their homes. In addition, the companies are required to periodically provide data to the State Commission of Financial Regulation.As a result of these strides, Maryland has already begun to see positive results. According to the State Department of Housing and Community Development the number of Maryland foreclosures dropped 15.6% from 9,453 to 7,974 from the second to the third quarter of 2008. The decrease was largely due to the extended foreclosure timetable.I will continue to work to improve the foreclosure crisis and will support legislation protecting homeowners from foreclosures.Please do not hesitate to contact me on this or any other legislative issue of concern to you. I continue to encourage and welcome your input.Sincerely,James E. DeGrange, Sr.State Senator, District 32James Senate Office Building11 Bladen Street, Room 101Annapolis, Maryland 21401(410)-841-3593(410)-841-3589 (fax)http://us.mc634.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=James.DeGrange@senate.state.md.us Thursday November 20, 2008 Neighborhood Watch Report 254 Guys,The watch received an official Anne Arundel County Police Press Release today regarding the false report floating around on the Internet (from both the police department and PCRC President Dave Daughters).I would have attached the file, but I am trying to cut down on sending attachments.Here is the press release released to the public by Sgt John Gilmer on behalf of Anne Arundel County Police Chief James Teare: "The Anne Arundel County Police Department has been made aware of inaccurate information that has been circulating on the Internet. Some of the information indicated that our department's stance was to avoid patronizing Arundel Mills Mall because of recent crime in the area. The department refutes this assertion. The Arundel Mills area has experienced a few incidents during the last two months; however, during this same time period over two million people have safely visited Arundel Mills. The safety of Arundel Mills' shoppers and the citizens of Anne Arundel County are of top priority." "The Anne Arundel County Police Department continues to have an excellent working relationship with Arundel Mills mall management and the security staff. The mall offers vehicle, bike, Segway, and foot patrols and operates an extensive CCTV system. When a crime occurs, mall management provides video footage to police personnel, which has been responsible for the closure of many cases. In addition, Arundel Mills Mall offers security related services such as escorts and direct dial access to security from all mall pay telephones. The center utilizes off duty Anne Arundel County police officers that supplement the normal patrol officers based in and around Arundel Mills, and works daily with the Anne Arundel County Police to ensure the safety of customers and employees." "The Anne Arundel County Police Department encourages everyone, regardless of where they shop or visit, to use common sense safety tips such as always locking vehicle doors, never leaving valuables visible in a vehicle, being aware of surroundings, and being prepared with keys in hand when walking to and from any shopping center. If you have any questions or concerns regarding past incidents at the mall, please feel free to contact the Anne Arundel County Police at 410-222-8610. We hope that you and your loved ones have a safe and enjoyable holiday season." Thank you for your great support!Roger Thursday, November 13, 2008 Neighborhood Watch Report 253 Guys,1) I have a short report to notify you of another robbery in the Arundel Mills Mall area. It occurred outside the Petsmart/Staples strip mall across from Arundel Mills Mall.I want to thank Jan (one of our watch folks) for sending a Baltimore Sun article (13 Nov 08) with the details. It stated:"A woman was robbed in the parking lot (across from) Arundel Mills Mall last night, the fifth person to be attacked there in the past month, Anne Arundel County police said.""The 28-year-old woman was walking across the parking lot around 7:00p.m, when a man demanded her purse, police said. The woman hesitated and the man reached into the waistband of his pants and brandished what appeared to be handgun, police said.""The woman gave the man her purse, and he ran into a waiting white Honda Civic that headed toward Arundel Mills Boulevard, police said."The other earlier robberies were reported here in the watch report, thanks to info from our watch folks and the Maryland Gazette.Ironically, I was at the police meeting last night (PCRC meeting). Captain Flemings is working special police actions to combat the recent spate of crimes. These actions will also take officers into surrounding communities (besides the mall areas). It is a good idea for folks going to the stores, go with others and not alone (particularly after dark).Let's all be watchful (day or night). If you see anything suspicious, please don't hesitate to call 911 or 410-222-8610. Better safe than sorry. Let the police check it out. Captain Flemings (& Chief Teare) are strong supporters of neighborhood watches & folks calling 911 to report suspicious persons/vehicles.As I have told you before, if you receive these reports (no matter where you live), you are part of the neighborhood watch.2) Jody, another watch person, pointed out to me that the link to the Harmans Woods News blog takes you to a suspicious website with "Paula" as the name of the website. Please don't click on that link in any of the previous watch reports.Please take this text and copy and paste it into your browser instead:http://therealharmanwoodsnews.blogspot.com/This (above) link should bring up the Harman Woods News. You should NOT get the "Paula" website. If you do, immediately get out of that website. [You shouldn't have a problem if you cut and paste the text here into your browser.]Thank you for your support and keep the info coming!Roger Fox

ANOTHER MUGGING

2008-10-19T15:36:00.000-04:00

Guys, I hope to get back to the normal watch report format with the next report. I wanted to get this info out to you on an assault that occurred on Friday. 1) 2:50pm, Friday, 17 Oct 08-Our watch folks reported an assault (see below). If you have any information, please call the police 911 or 410-222-8610. Please let me know too. We want to let the bad guys know this will not be tolerated in our communities. "Today at about 2:50 pm (a young man) was assaulted by three black youths, he was attacked at Fairbanks Drive and Boulder Court." "Two guys were wearing black hoodies and one guy was wearing a red hoodie." "(The police were called) however (the attackers) had cleared the area before the police got here." "Thankfully (the young man) only sustained minor injury; however it could have been much worse. (The young man) did not recognize them as being residents in the area, ......." "If they are not from the area, they maybe hiding out in the lake area, so people should be careful." 2) 8:00am, Thurs, 16 Oct 08-One of our watch folks reported seeing 5 police cars in the Gesna Drive/Fairbanks Drive area. I don't have any information on this event, but I will let you know as soon as I do. 3) Surveillance Cameras in Russett Community-You may recall that back when we were fighting the panhandlers in the Arundel Mills Mall area, I met Tim Reyburn and some other folks from the Russett Community. They were also fighting panhandlers in their area. We are lucky to have folks like Tim who spend so much of their free time (did I say free time?!) working hard to make our communities better and safer places to live. Since our battles in Annapolis with the successful elimination of panhandling in Anne Arundel County, Tim and I have shared information. Tim is the overall President of Russett Association, which has a bunch of smaller associations under it, for the entire Russett Community. Tim is basically the mayor of a town of some 13,000 people! Russett has gotten fed up with the normal crimes all communities face (vandalism, graffiti, car break ins, etc.) by setting up surveillance cameras. They have done some pretty neat stuff using infrared and regular surveillance cameras, and are going to install more cameras. I really believe this is a great tool to give our hard working residents in all our communities a "level playing field" against crime. I know some folks have a problem with camera surveillance. Many of our grandparents and great grandparents fled countries in Europe and elsewhere to come to America to be free of tyranny and religious persecution. I understand that point. However, when crime gets to the point where our residents have to put up with assaults and crimes against property, then it is time to take whatever "legal means" we have at our disposal to fight crime. Baltimore has been very successful setting up surveillance cameras in problem areas of Baltimore City. They even make it clear they are there with a bright blue light. These cameras in Baltimore have greatly reduced violent crime. I love it when a stupid criminal still commits a crime in camera range. That's getting your money's worth! Technology has really been important in our crime fight. Everyone has cell phones to report crimes as they see them. Neighborhood watches and community newsletters are thriving with e-mail communications which are much faster and more convenient than the old conventional ways. Besides that, e-mail is very interactive. I know when a particular watch report has made a point by the number of e-mail responses I get back from you. It gives you a voice, particularly since Captain Flemings and all are elected officials in our area receive these watch reports. The next step is to refine the use of surveillance cameras to protect hard working Americans and their families.

Woman Mugged at Walmart

2008-10-15T06:23:00.000-04:00

Guys, I wanted to get out a very short report to bring a couple of important items to your attention. 1) 9:15pm, Wed, 8 Oct-The (Sat, 11 Oct) Maryland Gazette reported "A woman was put in a headlock and robbed by 2 men while walking in (the) Wal-Mart parking lot." The article goes on to say the woman was walking from the Wal-Mart at Arundel Mills when 2 men walked in front of her and then turned around to face her. One of the men put her in a headlock and held her as a second man went through her pockets. The woman screamed, and they ran away. The suspects' vehicle was a small, dark sport utility vehicle. The Maryland Gazette reported police searched the area with a helicopter and police dogs. If anyone happened to see anything relating to this incident, please feel free to call 911 or 410-222-8610 to report ANYTHING which may help this case. When you are in the parking lots (day or night), please scan the parking lot for anyone who gives you a bad feeling and go back inside the business if necessary. Let the store manager know or call police at 911 or 410-222-8610. If possible, park in an area that is well-lit. Sometimes people just seem to "come out of the woodwork." I scan the parking lots pretty well when I am going into or coming out of stores; I still have had panhandlers come up to me while loading items in my trunk, and I have no idea where they came from. In this case, it was a little more difficult since the 2 suspects were there already. I think the woman did the right thing by screaming and drawing attention to herself and the situation. Usually, the last thing the bad guys want is special attention. 2) 3:45pm, Friday, 10 Oct-A car was egged while driving on Dorchester Blvd in the Rutland Way area. It doesn't seem like a big deal but eggs can hit a car like a rock. In this case, it hit just below the driver's window. Police were called (911) immediately. I suspect it was juveniles hiding on a slope that is right next to Dorchester Blvd in the Rutland Way loop (townhomes are on the other side of the slope from Dorchester Blvd). Eggs can be hurled at cars and the offenders can run off quickly without being seen. If any other cars have been egged, please let me know. In many cases if vandalism isn't confronted, it can be a stepping stone to more serious vandalism and then crimes against persons. Thank you for your support and keep the info coming! Roger

Zoning and parked cars from Roger

2008-10-06T07:40:00.001-04:00

Guys, Just wanted to let you know the County zoning inspectors are in the community due to resident complaints about the appearance of our community. Some of the complaints have been about yards with junk, old cars, old trucks, etc. The Harman Civic Association just got the official word about covered cars in yards. Many of us thought that if the car or truck is covered (on private property), it is exempt from a zoning citation. This is not the case! The zoning folks will want proof that any car or truck (on private property), covered with a car or truck cover, has a valid Maryland plate with current registration tags. Please remember there are a lot of wonderful organizations which will accept old vehicles. You can donate to a charity and maybe get a tax deduction. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. The point isn't to give residents a hard time. The zoning folks will give warnings first. And you will do your part to keep our community looking great! Thank you, Roger

Funds4LymeVictims PledgePage

2008-09-28T10:20:00.008-04:00

“I don’t want to die. I want to stop feeling these things. I’m so scared.”

Christie Brewer,

September 27, 2008

Lyme symptoms, such as those that make you feel like your are going to pass out, are very scary, and sometimes life threatening. Blood volume decreases dramatically and sometimes as much as 2 liters of IV saline is needed to bring blood volume to normal.

Lyme also causes severe joint and muscle pain.

The lyme bacteria causes proteins to stick to your brain cells, causing brain fog, or an inability to think clearly. It invades the heart muscle, causing damage to the heart and irregular heart beat. It causes the blood vessels to weaken and not pump adequately. Lyme can invade every organ of the body and cause it to weaken and deteriorate.

If lyme is caught early enough and treated aggressively enough, these symptoms diminish and hopefully end. But not caught early, the symptoms can become permenant.

Added to this is the fact that many doctors are afraid to treat lyme aggressively because some in the medical establishment have deemed short term antibiotic therapy to be sufficient.

Please help support those who cannot afford to see lyme-literate medical doctors, and who need help while recovering from this dreadful disease. Contribute to Christie's recovery by sending a check or money order to Funds4LymeVictims, 7720 Aragorn Ct, Hanover, MD 21076. Your contribution is tax deductible. To visit the Funds4LymeVictims Pledge Page, click on the words Funds4LymeVictims Pledge Page at the top of this story or visit http://www.pledgepage.org/funds4lymevictims/ Thank you.

To read more about Lyme disease in Harmans Woods, and how to protect your yard and family, click on "July" at the right on this page.

FREE MEDICAL CARE

2008-09-05T21:44:00.004-04:00

Mission of Mercy brings free medical care to Reisterstown twice a month. If you are uninsured or underinsured, the caring doctors and other medical personnel will provide no strings attached care for you and your family. Click on the link or copy and paste for more information. http://www.amissionofmercy.org/ They will also happily accept donations of money, supplies and time from those who are able and so inclined.

FREE TUTORING

2008-09-05T20:54:00.001-04:00

New Life Fellowship Church, located at 7605 Harmans Road, Hanover will resume its STARs Program on Saturday, September 6. The Student Tutoring and Retention (STARs) program is a tutoring program being offered FREE to the community. The program is a volunteer effort that serves to encourage children to reach their full potential. With experienced tutors and creative learning programs, students of all ages, even college students, can take advantage of this weekly tutoring program. The tutoring sessions will be held every Saturday beginning at 9a.m. Kim Jones - Proposal Manager Proposal Advantage Center of Excellence Aon Consulting 35 Greenknoll Blvd, Hanover, MD 21076 T: 410.766.2242 F: 410.766.0278 Aon Consulting, selected by the readers of Business Insurance as the "Best Employee Benefit Consulting Firm" in 2006 and 2007.

BLOOD DRIVE honoring Christopher Gipson

2008-08-16T09:42:00.002-04:00

September is Sickle Cell Awareness Month. To honor Christopher Gipson, a long time sickle cell patient and recipient of many blood transfusions, Macedonia United Methodist Church will sponsor a blood drive Monday September 8 from 2-8 pm. The church is the little white church just off the Odenton Circle at 1567 Sappington Station Rd. Please call Cynthia Gibson at 410-793-0621 to schedule your donation.

Rogers latest post

2008-08-10T17:08:00.003-04:00

Guys, I had a few items I needed to get out to you, so this is going to be a rather short report. I'll try to address the rest of the "inbox items" in the next report. 1) Weekend of 4 July 08-One of our watch folks reported a house break-in between Tuckerman Drive and Fairbanks Ct. Entry was gained by breaking out a back bedroom window. Games, sneakers, and X-Box were stolen. Rest assured, the house now has a burglar alarm! Please do not hesitate to call 911 or 410-222-8610 for any suspicious people or vehicles in our communities! 2) One of our watch folks in the Harmans Woods Townhomes recently sent me an e-mail. Their home backs up to the AmTrak railroad tracks on Fairbanks Court. If any of you guys are having problems like this, please let me know. Here's what she sent me: "I'm writing to you to ask a question and to hopefully get answers. What I'm ultimately looking for is if anyone living in the townhouses that back up to the railroad tracks have had any issues with water/mold problems in their basements. I've had a problem with a leak in my basement along the back wall that faces the railroad tracks. The water is actually seeping through the middle of cinder blocks, not necessarily in between them where they are cemented together. I've tried numerous things to stop the leak, but nothing has worked so far. My husband and I first noticed a small spot of mold (about the size of a softball) on the drywall. Upon further investigation, we ended up tearing down one entire wall and half of another wall to get rid of the mold. This included drywall, insulation, and studs. It was a mess. There is a house that is up for sale in one of the sections of townhouses that backs up to the railroad tracks and I was told by the real estate agent selling it that the basement of that townhouse also has mold in it and it's being sold as-is." After receiving this e-mail, I talked to someone who had accurate historical information on that area of the townhomes. Here's what he had to say: "Roger, I know some of the homes along the track had water problems with the knoll the builders raised to put the fence and plant trees. There were a few that were constantly fighting wet back yards and installed drain fields. If the pipes fill with dirt the water will not drain. All the rain drains down the slope towards the homes. A bad idea on the builders part. Since it has been over 20+ years there would be little that can be done to the builder (my guess). Why the county signed off on them with the slope towards the house is beyond me." 3) One of our watch folks reported a missing pet (dog). You may have seen the signs posted on light poles around the community. The pet is a light brown (golden), labrador. His name is Comet. I am scanning in a picture of the family dog. If you have seen him around the community, please let me know. As you can imagine, the family is very upset and is hoping someone in the community knows where he might be. He has been missing since 11 July. A few years back our watch folks (Jim Scoggins) was able to find another missing dog which turned up at a residence near Severn Road. Sure seems like Jim is always doing something good in the community! 4) Due to the rash of car thefts in the County, PCRC (Police-Community Relations Council) President Dave Daughters sent out a car theft prevention guide to PCRC members. Jim Scoggins also received it through another e-mail venue. I gotta tell you the county-wide neighborhood watch efforts are working pretty well! The guide is attached to this e-mail. Please read it when you get a chance (good info). By the way, Prince Georges County had the distinction of being the #1 car theft region in the country a year or two ago! I wouldn't be surprised if it is again this year. 5) In the last report, I mentioned folks doing local newsletters. I forgot to mention 2 other newsletters that are also active in the community (see below). There are a lot of folks working hard in our communities to get the word out. If anyone knows of any other local publications, please let me know. a) Peach Orchard Association President Chuck Levay writes "Peachy News" for the Peach Orchard community. b) Linda publishes the Ridge Commons Community Newsletter.

HARMAN WOODS NEWS: FALL SCHOOL OPENING

2008-07-27T17:06:00.001-04:00

www.aacps.org

JOE CANNON STADIUM

2008-07-24T21:15:00.003-04:00

410-222-6652. I'm trying to find out if it has a program this summer and if not, why not. Stay tuned http://www.aacounty.org/RecParks/athletic_facilities/cannon.cfm

County Council Presentation July 2008

2008-07-24T04:58:00.001-04:00

Friends and members of the Council

On May 20^th of this year, after working in my yard, I found a deer tick embedded in my scalp. On June 5^th I developed symptoms of the disease and have been taking antibiotics and alternative treatments since that date.

In 2006, Maryland had 1248 CDC reported cases of lyme, which put it number 7 in the country. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/ld_rptdLymeCasesbyState.htm

This is an incidence of 22 per 100,000, but a recent Harvard study puts that actual rate at 10 times that number. Lyme disease is the fastest growing vector borne disease in the country and is growing faster than the aids epidemic.

Anne Arundel County has the second highest rate of reported lyme cases in the state, with and increase of 44% from 2005 to 2006, according to the county public health website and 183 confirmed cases in 2007. I will be an unreported case for 2008. I would have to pay $250 out of pocket for testing, because as a Home and Hospital teacher for the county for the past 12 years, I receive no health insurance.

Ticks of all types have been described as cesspools of disease. Borrelliosis, babesiosis, are among the many diseases that ticks cause. Lyme is the most serious, a terrible disease which if misdiagnosed or untreated has ruined thousands of lives. It causes muscle and joint pain, depression and brain fog, fatigue, and a host of other symptoms and has put thousands of people on disability country-wide. The organism is a spirochete which worms its way into tissues in the body, does not behave like ordinary bacteria, and which is suppressed much much more slowly by antiobiotic treatment.

Did you know that Lyme ticks are spread by mice as well as deer, and that there may be other vectors as well, and that they can be greatly reduced in population by relatively inexpensive means. I have given you each a “tick tube” which is filled with cotton which has the insect repellant permethrin in it. When the mice take the cotton and build their nests with it , the ticks don’t bite them. This might run about $75 per ½ acre.

BUT…

Last Monday morning, I learned from the Lyme-Aid Yahoo support group that soybeans or corn laced with Ivermectin, which is a wormer for livestock, can virtually eliminate ticks on deer. I spent the entire day communicating with the person who posted that information, about dosage and other details, and the deer in the woods behind my house have now, I hope, had a little meal of corn and ivermectin. After I found the tick in my scalp, I was finding 1 or 2 ticks per week on me or in my house. Since I put out the Damminix tubes and the deer corn, and sprayed my yard with garlic, not permethrin, I have not found any ticks.

Lyme is a preventable and controllable disease. It’s just a matter of who is going to do the preventing. I can prevent the disease in my back yard, You, the county council can prevent the disease in the entire county. The person who posted the information about the ivermectin owns 200 acres of woods populated by deer. He estimates he spends $25 per year on corn and ivermectin to inoculate the deer. Extrapolating to Anne Arundel County, I figure that at that rate, the County would spend about $150,000 a year to inoculate it’s deer and virtually eliminate lyme disease as well as a host of other tick borne diseases in the state.

There are many issues to consider and this is just a start, but if lyme and its associated diseases could be knocked down and out in this county, I believe it is worth the price. Why? Because of the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. Because of our law enforcement officers, military personnel and others who work and train outdoors. Because of all the families in state and out of state who use state parks. To protect property values.

YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS

2008-07-22T15:31:00.004-04:00

GOVERNOR OF MARYLAND - MARTIN O'MALLEY LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR - ANTHONY BROWN OUR LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT IS DISTRICT 32. OUR DELEGATES ARE- PAM BEIDLE pamela.beidle@house.state.md.us MARY ANN LOVE maryann.love@house.state.md.us TED SOPHOCLES ted.sophocleus@house.state.md.us OUR SENATOR IS JAMES DEGRANGE james.degrange@senate.state.md.us

OUR U.S. Congressional District is Maryland District 2

REPRESENTATIVE: C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger : http://dutch.house.gov OUR US SENATORS ARE BARBARA MIKULSKI BEN CARDIN

FOR MORE INFORMATION GO TO

http://mdelect.net/electedofficials/ WHERE YOU WILL FIND LINKS TO EACH OF THE ABOVE OFFICIALS COUNTY COUNCIL - ED MIDDLEBROOKS e-mail emiddlebrooks@aacounty.org

LIBRARY

2008-07-21T15:52:00.004-04:00

Below is the link to the Anne Arundel County Public Library site. You can search for, reserve and renew items online, and much more. http://web.aacpl.lib.md.us/

NEW REPORT FROM ROGER

2008-07-21T09:45:00.002-04:00

Guys, I haven't done a full report in over a month, so I'd better get to it. I am pleased to see Liz Greene back with her http://therealharmanwoodsnews.blogspot.com/ Please note this new address. The one I had in the previous watch reports was different. Back around 1996 when we started having juvenile problems, Liz was the person who got me in touch with the Harman Civic Association and the Western District Police-Community Relations Council. Up to that time, I was like a lot of people. I went to work, came home, but really didn't know what was going on in our community. Liz also did a great job in those days when she published the old Harmans Woods News. It was the only local (hardcopy) publication which covered our areas in detail [with exception of Jerry Peterson's Provincial News publication.]. Liz is very concerned about Lyme disease and will be going down to testify at this Monday night's County Council meeting (21 July 08). If you would like to join her, she will be wearing a green ribbon, so you will recognize her. She has also posted a her picture on her blog and her specific concerns regarding Lyme disease. She is also starting to post general information on her blog. I am going to pass news items to her too. Please check out her blog. Upcoming Dates: Noon-5:00pm, Friday, 25 July-Noon-5:00pm, Sat, 26 July 08-The PCRC (Police-Community Relations Council) table will be set up at Arundel Mills Mall and the Annapolis Mall. We will be handing out information on crime prevention and reminder of the National Night Out event on Tues, 5 Aug 08. With the Neighborhood Watch, we carry out these efforts 365 days a year! 7:30pm, Wed, 10 Sept 08-The PCRC (Police-Community Relations Council) breaks during the summer months. Please note the next meeting in Sept will be held at the Western District Police Station. The public is welcome to attend. The police station is on MD 170 (Telegraph Road) just south of MD 32. The address is 8273 Telegraph Road, Odenton, MD 21113 (across from Greenway Bowl). 7:00pm, Thurs, 25 Sept 08 -The Harman Civic Association (HCA) breaks during the summer months. The next meeting will be held in the Harmans Community Room at Arundel Mills Mall in September. Events: 1) As I mentioned in the previous reports, the Firefighters Appreciation Day held at the Dorsey Road fire station on 28 June 08, was a big success. Art Lisowsky did a great job organizing the event. Many businesses supported the event with door prizes and food. I would like to acknowledge Dipti Singh owner of the Goddard Schools (on Teague Road across from Joe Cannon Stadium water tower). She provided the hamburgers and set up a table with information on her Goddard School. She has a pretty good sized staff of around 30 teachers. The school accepts children from 6 months old to 6 years old. They stress the educational aspects of child development. At the same time, they have an outside playground for the kids to play and I am sure have other physical activities for them. The school hours are 7:00am-6:00pm (Mon-Fri) and offers a summer program for children up to 8 years old. For teacher bio's and more specific information, please go to Hanovermd@goddardschools.com website or call the school at 410-684-260. All of the Harman Civic Association Officers were in attendance for most of the day. They are President Wayne Dixon, Treasurer Rusty Bristow, Corresponding Secretary Chip Woods, Recording Secretary Shay Jones, and Senior Advisor Harry Matthews. [I think most of you know that I am Vice President.] Past Treasurer Marge Liike also helped sign up new HCA members. Sandra Hochstein was a big help through the day setting up for the event and keeping things moving. Shay Jones put in a lot of effort advertising the event and setting up and helping for this event. All in all, it was a great success. We received cash donations (checks via mail) at the event and food from a lot of good folks for this event. If I left anyone out, please forgive me. So many folks helped with this event. Thank you to you all! 2) 1 July 08-One of our watch folks, Kajal, had some really nice things to say about our firefighers. They didn't just come out and take care of the fire, but they also wanted to make sure Kajal's 18-year-old son was ok. Here's what Kajal had to say: "I wanted to let you know that I had a small fire at my house and my son he is 18 year he had to call AA fire dept. They did a wonderful job and I am very happy about it that after finish everything there was person from Fire department called at my house and talked to my son and asked if he is doing OK and did he notified his parent? Also someone from EMS called and asked my son how he is doing everything is alright with him. I sent an email to the Fire department also about doing a wonderful job.( it was not a big damage it could be worst we were blessed)."

3) After the last vandalism in our community, I mentioned the use of surveillance cameras. One of our watch folks, Dave Nation, gave me a link to one of his surveillance cameras he is using in his backyard. Here's what Dave had to say:

"I've had a camera on my backyard for a while to allow me and others to watch my bird feeders." "It also has pan, tilt and zoom controls and can be controlled and monitored over the Internet. It has the ability to record and store on a PC that I had working at one point but I haven't been able to get to work lately." "I used to have another older camera pointed out my window at my front yard but when I put in a new wireless router it stopped working so I have it on my backyard also at the moment directly wired to my network." "You can get to them at: http://backyardbirdcam.net/ and http://www.davenation.com/FrontDoorCam.html" I'm interested in any other surveillance cameras and ideas." I went to his link and was able to control the camera from my computer! Go ahead and give it a try. If you have any information regarding surveillance cameras that you would like to share, please feel free to pass it to me.

4) Dave and Becky Nation are interesting folks. Over the years one of their hobbies has been being "extras" in movies.

If you ever saw the movie Patch Adams with Robin Williams, Dave had a pretty big part in the movie! I don't recall the exact circumstances, but I believe in 1 scene Robin Williams (as Doctor Patch Adams) tries to console a distraught woman at the hospital desk.

In that scene, Dave is prominently seen standing in the background with his long, white beard. Guess they were trying to cast him as a coal miner. Dave, if I missed the description of the scene, please let me know. Of course, Dave got the opportunity to meet and talk to Robin Williams.

If you recall the movie Deep Impact, Dave and Becky spent a rather lengthy period in the hot sun. They were in the scene where all the cars were jammed up in one big traffic jam.

My recollection was that it was filmed somewhere in Virginia during one of our long hot summer droughts a number of years ago.

One other interesting point. Dave and I went out on security patrol about 10 or 11 years ago. It was the first time I met him. We started talking and I found out he was from Iowa like me. Turns out his town is right next to mine in Northeastern Iowa. My sister taught at the high school in his town. Small world!

5) Over the last couple of years, Jim Scoggins has offered the opportunity to our neighborhood kids to help him build a boat. In the process, the kids learn a lot and make some money. I think Jim gets a lot more than the help building the boat. He sees how many good kids we have in our neighborhoods who are eager to learn. I was privileged to be cc:'d on the e-mail Jim sent to one of the parents, Brian (one of our watch folks & a good father), and I wanted to share it with you. You can see Jim teaches them a lot. Here's what Jim said: "Brian - Over the past two days, the boys completed fiberglassing the four remaining -- of five total -- floor-deck sections, which completes that phase of construction." "When I return from NY next week, I can install the decking and the only thing left for that part is non-skid paint and filets (epoxy mixed with filler) for the edges." "Major progress. Today they completed all of the main hull prep-work, which included sanding the entire outer hull, mostly by hand and some power using the random orbital sander, filling all recessed screw holes (two step process) and applying two coats of epoxy to the entire hull." "They also coated the rear-deck framing, sanded and finished the inside transom. The outer hull is now ready for paint and we can build the seating and steering console." "The foredeck will be ready to install once we paint the inside area just below, designed for life-jacket and anchor storage. They prepped that section early-on and it is in the garage." "They did a terrific job on all counts and I could not be more pleased. Before they left, I showed them the wood that is ready to install for the seating and outer rubrail, that must first be scarfed." "Scarfing is an important boat building process to learn but is essentially about joining/butting/gluing two or more pieces of wood together to make one seamless piece." "If they can work on a couple of weekend days or late afternoons, we can do some woodwork -- cutting, drilling, countersinking screws, etc. They have filled a lot of countersunk holes and may be ready to do some true boat-building, to learn about wood types, tools/techniques." "I know people that have built large sailboats and then sailed around the world and lived on them for years. Once you learn the basics, anything is possible. Really nice young men. You guys should be very proud of them. Jim" By the way, teaching runs in the Scoggins family. Jim's wife, Linda, was a teacher at Harman Elementary for many years. Thank you, Jim, for providing this great opportunity for our kids! 6) By the way, a couple of our neighborhood churches (St Mark's United Methodist Church & New Life Fellowship Baptist Church) are also doing their part to guide and mentor our young people. In the coming weeks, I hope to be able to pass more details on their work. 7) Mon, 7 July 08-One of our watch folks reported a vehicle egged in the Mt. Blanc Road area and juveniles vandalizing property. Please remember if you have juveniles cursing and disturbing the neighborhood, you may call 911 or 410-222-8610 to report it (and let me know). Oftentimes, they think they can get away with it. This is not the case! The report below warrants a juvenile citation (equivalent to an adult arrest). Thank you for this detailed report. Great job! Here's his report:

"On another note I had a confrontation in my neighbors yard with some young children. Both of our houses are on the west side of the lake, my neighbor has taken a lot of pride in sprucing up her backyard."

"Unfortunately over the past few years her beautified yard has become a hangout for 5 pre-teen boys. Generally they are just an annoyance by making good amount of noise, moving stuff around and leaving behind trash."

"On a side note their language is a river of filth that would make even a drunken sailor blush. Well, on this particular occasion my neighbor was not home and it was raining, the boys arrived in her backyard along the trail and began crawling around I suppose looking for worms for fishing. Then they started turning over her landscape rocks off the trail in her yard."

"I finally went out to try to get rid of them when they found it amusing to roll her large landscape rocks into the lake."

"When I approached the boys and told them to get out of her yard I was told to "shut the **** up", "How about I come out swinging!", and the final "How about I follow you back into your house?". I replied that "that's a GREAT idea, we can call the Police together!". Keep in mind I'm 6'2" and 200+ lbs, these boys are very brazen and have zero respect for my neighbor or either of our properties." "I suggested they go home and was told that they were "not allowed in the house", keep in mind it was RAINING on this particular day."

"This is a VERY typical encounter with this group of boys that happens far too often. I'm sure they are causing trouble all around the lake." "Anyway, I'm beginning to capture their escapades on camera, I figure it is only a matter of time before they doing something that causes serious damage." 8) Early Mon, 30 June 08-I forgot to mention terra cotta figurines (red clay decorative yard pieces) were taken from 2 yards (1 on Aragorn & 1 on Baggins Rd.) during the first night of the fence vandalism in the Baggins Road/Strider Court area. They were smashed in the middle of the Baggins Road/Aragorn Ct. intersection. 9) A while back Regina had requested names of reliable plumbers and/or handymen. I will put in the "general section" in future reports. Thanks, guys, for your help! Here is the list: a) http://www.alphaplumbing.biz/ from Marie. She works at Nationwide and says they haven't gotten any complaints. b) www.SERVPROofTowson.com from Keith in Harmans Farms. c) Mario in Ridge Forest sent this: "I had a handyman come and do some external repairs on my house, and he was great. Good work, and very reasonable. His name is Jim, and he's the owner of "America's Handyman" services. He can be reached at (410) 418-8779." d) Kajal sent this: "I know a handyman his name is Mike Van 410-375-6860. (They do excellent Job they are working for a big construction company but they do side work.)" e) Cindy from the Provinces sent this: "I know a good plumber. His name is Rob McCauley. His # is 410-693-5280." 10) Mario over in Ridge Forest also recommended some other good services:

"There's another company that I use that I would highly recommend. Tom's Painting, Pressure Washing & Cleaning Service. They did some pressure washing for me; did my whole house, the deck, etc. and was very good. He can be reached at (410) 519-6062. His wife, by the way, owns "Bounce Around" near BWI in Linthicum, in case anyone wants to call him to set up a birthday party there or something. It's a huge inflatable indoor playground."

"Finally, if anyone needs a GREAT landscaper, I recommend Miguel Sanchez, of MAS Landscaping. Incredible job and great prices; but it does come at a price. He gets backed up quite a bit, so expect the turnaround to take a little while. But for me, it was worth the wait. People compliment my lawn and landscaping all the time, and he did it all. He did the layout, selected the right bushes and shrubs, did all the mulch work, and finished it up. His number is: (410) 562-4007."

General Items: 1) The Goddard School, 7538 Teague Road, Hanover, MD 21076 (owner Dipti Singh). Please visit Hanovermd@goddardschools.com or 410-684-2601 1) Landscaping Services-John Bridges (community resident). Please call 410-519-9602 or 443-794-8138. By the way, he employs at least one of our neighborhood kids. 2) Mike's Auto Repair (410-850-0999) at7466 New Ridge Road, Suite 7, Hanover, MD 21076 (next group of buildings on the left after the post office, going north toward the airport rental car facility) 3) Tree Cutting Service (410-859-0932) Please call Wayne Dixon. 4) Harmans Woods News blog at http://therealharmanwoodsnews.blogspot.com/. Liz Greene is back with the Harmans Woods News. She can be e-mailed at lizgreene52@yahoo.com. It serves the Hanover, Harmans, Jessup and Severn communities. 5) Tutoring all subjects (410-551-8839 or 443-854-1390) Please call Liz Greene or e-mail lizgreene52@yahoo.com. 6) BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport Noise Complaint telephone number 410-859-7021 to report aircraft noise and specific overflights. Please note the specific time and as much detailed information as possible. Please let me know too. 7) Street light out? Lost power in your house or neighborhood? Please call BGE at 410-685-0123 to report. 8) Animal Control (410-222-8900) 9) Anne Arundel County website is located at http://www.aacounty.org. Good place to go to find out about any county agency or question. You can also get to the Anne Arundel County Police website from here. 10) County Roads (410-222-7940) to call in any county roads needing patching. They also handle trash/litter pick up along county roads. 11) State Roads (410-766-3770) to call in state roads (any roads with highway numbers MD170, MD175, MD713 Ridge Road) to include road patching, traffic lights out, etc. 12) Going on vacation or on a business trip? Please call 410-222-8610 to have your house put on the "police watch" while you are gone. It only takes a couple of minutes and gives our communities an additional police patrol. 13) 3 websites to verify/check out the latest (and all previous lists) urban legends, folklore, or rumors. Anytime you hear some new shocking story about gangs, etc., please go there first before you send out an e-mail to other folks, family, or friends: www.snopes.com www.urbanlegends.about.com www.truthorfiction.com 14) Please call 911 or 410-222-8610 to report any suspicious persons, vehicles, or activities (day or night). Thank you for your support and keep the info coming!

FALL SCHOOL OPENING

2008-07-18T17:27:00.006-04:00

MOST Anne Arundel County Schools will open Monday, August 25, 2008. Go to the Anne Arundel County Public Schools link www.aacps.org for more information, and a list of schools that will open after 8/25. The Board of Education Phone number is 410-222-5000

CHESAPEAKE MOBILE COURT

2008-07-18T16:05:00.003-04:00

CHESAPEAKE MOBILE COURT Is there still an Anne Arundel County Mobile Home Association? If there is, (or isn't) would someone from the organization please contact me at lizgreene52@yahoo.com

SUMMER MEETINGS

2008-07-18T12:12:00.002-04:00

No regular meetings of the Harman Civic Association or the Western District Police Community Relations Council are scheduled until September. As soon as dates become available, they will be posted on the right. (Look under the welcome notice.)

Getting the Word out about Lyme

2008-07-15T02:01:00.000-04:00

I am planning to make a presentation to the County Council July 21 at 7 pm in Annapolis about lyme disease and how to control ticks. Fellow lyme sufferers, their friends and family, and those who do not want to get the disease are welcome to stand with me.

Killing Ticks

2008-07-15T01:58:00.001-04:00

Today I learned that ivermectin mixed with corn or other feed will kill ticks on deer and other mammals, including mice, which carry the deer ticks. The ticks stop breathing when they bite the treated animal.

Crime Report from Roger

2008-07-02T23:23:00.000-04:00

Guys, Another short report to bring you up to date on the fence vandalism in the Strider Ct./Baggins Road area. 1) Late Monday night, 30 June 08-The watch requested police patrols in the Strider Court/Baggins Road area for the late night hours of Monday night and early Tuesday. 10:30-11:30pm, Tues, 1 July 08-The same white teenagers did more vandalism again to the same fence! Police were summoned. The responding officer searched for the 3 teens where they were last seen at the corner of Harmans Road and Strider Court. The officer eventually found them walking in the Strider Court cul-de-sac. One of the teens was issued a juvenile citation (similar to an adult arrest) for the vandalism. This particular teen is staying with the other 2 teens who live in a house on Strider Court. The other 2 teens said they didn't do any of the vandalism. Good job, guys! Keep up the good work. If the police officer asks whether you want him/her to give a juvenile a juvenile citation, make sure you tell the officer to issue the juvenile citation. You can see in this case these juveniles need to be accounted for. The police officer then went to the house on Strider Court to talk to the parents. The watch was informed that a different responding police officer was going to go to the house the previous night to talk to the parents. No record whether they (the parents) were home that night. Keep calling 911 or 410-222-8610 for any more suspicious activity. 2) Sun, 29 June or Mon 30 June-Disney Estates Neighborhood Watch reported a house in their community was egged and graffiti written on a garage door. The graffiti which looks like scribbles turned out to be Japanese writing. If you have seen any similar type of vandalism, please call the police at 911 or 410-222-8610 (and let me know). 3) One of our watch guys sells surveillance equipment. The last time I talked to him he was experimenting with infrared cameras. It is time to go high tech. If folks start installing surveillance cameras in strategic places, it can go a long way to stopping the aggravating vandalism problems, and even more serious crimes. You may have seen the surveillance cameras which caught the guy who murdered a young mother who refused to give up her car keys. Understandably she wouldn't because her child was strapped into a car seat in her car. We can't bring her back but at least they can get the criminal who so viciously and cowardly took her life. I would like to share any technology information (with everyone on the watch reports) you guys may have who are already using surveillance equipment. 4) All you guys really responded to my requests for a handyman and/or plumber. I will try to get a more complete report out soon with that information. Thank you for your help! Thank you for your support and keep the info coming! Roger Fox

Harman Woods News

2008-07-02T00:09:00.001-04:00

LYME DISEASE PREVENTION TIPS

To all my neighbors in Harmans.

On May 20 of this year I found a deer tick attached to my scalp. Three weeks later I developed the rash and a fever and have been on antibiotics ever since. I have found about a tick a week (not all deer ticks) on me or in my house ever since, including one deer tick nymph. A neighbor close by also has lyme disease. There may be many others I don’t know about and there will be many future cases if we do not do something now.

I plan to buy damminix (http://www.ticktubes.com/products.asp) tubes to put around my yard to control ticks on mice, which spread the disease. These tubes are expensive, 24 tubes for $75 protects a half acre but if we were to buy in bulk, they would be cheaper by about half. If you are interested in buying these tubes please contact me at 410 551 8839. If you are interested in having a meeting to discuss this, I plan to bring it up at the next Harmans Civic Association meeting. I also plan to bring it up at the first opportunity at the board of education, since many activities are held on the school grounds right next to the woods. I’m sure deer and mice travel there. Please feel free to call, or e-mail me at lizgreene52@yahoo.com if you have questions. Here is information from one Pennsylvania site.

WHAT IS LYME DISEASE?

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection caused by the bite of a tiny deer tick that carries the infection. If not properly diagnosed and treated promptly, it can become crippling and debilitating. According to the Chester County (PA) Health Department, Lyme disease is the #1 reportable disease in the county. All the suburban counties in Southeastern Pennsylvania are considered high-risk areas.

WHO IS AT RISK FOR LYME DISEASE?

Anyone who works or plays outdoors is at risk. Deer ticks like cool, moist environments, like tall grassy areas around the edge of yards or along roads. They also like moist garden areas, around shrubs and in wooded areas. Outdoor workers, gardeners, campers, hikers, people who hunt or fish, golfers who stray into the rough, people who live in the city but go for a picnic in a park are all at risk. The list is endless. You can be at risk right in your own back yard. You can be at risk when mowing the lawn or picking up leaves in the fall. Children are especially vulnerable since they tend to run and play without caution.

You are at risk anywhere you see deer. Deer bring the ticks to your yard; birds and other animals also help transport the ticks. But the principal culprits in spreading the actual disease are mice. A deer tick infected with the Lyme bacteria and seeking a blood meal will bite a mouse. The tick transmits the Lyme bacteria to the mouse while feeding. Deer ticks can also transmit other diseases at the same time including: Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Bartonella, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, mycoplasmas, etc. Ticks are often described as cesspools of diseases.Then other deer ticks sucking on the infected mouse will become infected thereby spreading the diseases. Mice have been found with many deer ticks attached to them. The spring and summer months are the “Pryme Tyme for Lyme,” however you can be bitten any month of the year when the weather is mild. Ticks are active when the temperature gets above 40 degrees.

PREVENTION IN YOUR YARD Keep your lawn mowed and cut down brushy areas. Remove enough trees so the lawn gets sunshine to create a less inviting environment for deer ticks. Remove brush and leaves around your house and the edge of the yard. Trim bushes away from your house. When working in your yard, avoid touching the ground with your bare hands. Avoid touching plants and bushes as much as possible.

Pets are particularly vulnerable and frequently will bring deer ticks into your house. Inspect pets closely before they come in. See your veterinarian for protective chemicals that will kill deer ticks.

Use Damminix® tubes to kill the deer ticks. Damminix® consists of biodegradable cardboard tubes with cotton balls inside that are treated with permethrin. Mice will take the cotton back to their nest and the permethrin will kill the deer ticks but not the mice. It is highly targeted. Tests on Long Island, NY have shown that Damminix® will reduce the number of infected deer ticks by more than 90% year after year.

Have your yard sprayed with permethrin. This is a complement to the Damminix® tubes. Professionals spray only the tick habitat areas, edges of lawns, not the entire lawn, for example.

OTHER PREVENTION TIPS Avoid tick-infested areas when possible. Avoid sitting directly on the ground or fallen logs; use a blanket or other ground cover. When walking near bushes or trees, avoid touching them. Walk in the center of trails. Avoid sitting on stonewalls or woodpiles; these are places deer ticks like.

CLOTHING Wear light-colored long pants and long sleeves and white closely knitted socks when outside. Tuck your shirt into your pants and tuck your pants into your socks. This will help prevent a tick from crawling under your clothing and getting to your skin. Wear light colored gloves. The light color makes it easier to see a tick crawling on your clothing or gloves. Wear a hat to protect your head from deer ticks when working around bushes.

Consider wearing Rynoskin protective underwear. It is made of a closely knitted but breathable stretch fabric that ticks apparently have difficulty penetrating. It is especially helpful for hunters and those outdoors when the weather is cooler. It is available in long sleeved tops, long bottoms, socks, hoods and gloves.

Look at the differences among various types of socks. [click here]

PERMETHRIN TICK REPELLENT Spray your boots, socks, pants, sleeves, gloves, and hat with permethrin spray. Do not apply it to your skin and apply it outdoors. The permethrin spray has the same active ingredient as the Damminix® tubes mentioned above only in a lower concentration. It not only repels deer ticks, but it will kill them. It is relatively long lasting. Follow all label directions carefully.

WHAT IS PERMETHRIN? Permethrin is a synthetic chemical developed to simulate the natural chemical pyrethrum that protects plants from insect attack. Permethrin is not a natural product. It is different from regular insect repellents in that it will kill insects and deer ticks as well as repel them. Also, the labels state that one treatment lasts 2 weeks. It was developed in the 1970s by the Department of Agriculture and has been used successfully since then.

SKIN PROTECTION Avon makes Skin-So-Soft Bug Guard Plus IR3535®, but tests by Consumers Union and a group from the Mass General Hospital (published in the New England Journal of Medicine) showed this product not to be at all useful in repelling insects. DEET was reported to be the best repellent. Insect repellents containing DEET are widely available and offered under many brand names. They can be used on skin or clothing. Many authorities suggest you use repellants with less than 10% DEET on the skin of children. All repellents should be applied to the skin carefully. Avoid getting the repellents in eyes. Adults should apply repellents to children. Follow label directions carefully. DEET repels insects by its vapors, so applying DEET to clothing can be effective.

AFTER RETURNING INDOORS After returning inside do a careful tick check. Most deer ticks are tiny and may be hard to see. If possible, have someone else inspect you especially in the areas where it is difficult for you to see. Be sure to check your hairline. Parents should check their children whenever they have been outdoors and might have been exposed to ticks. Some parents give their boys a buzz haircut so it is easier to see a tick in the hair.

If you do find a deer tick attached, remove it carefully. Use fine pointed tweezers and grasp the tick as close to the mouth parts as possible. Pull gently straight out. Do not put petroleum jelly, alcohol or any irritant on the tick or try to get the tick to release by putting a lit match on it. Any agitation might cause the tick to regurgitate the Lyme bacteria into you. Save the tick in a plastic bag or vial with a moistened cotton ball for identification and testing. After removing the tick, see your Doctor promptly. If the tick is infected with the Lyme bacteria, early diagnosis and antibiotic treatment is the key to recovery. Delay will allow the Lyme bacteria to disseminate into tissue in the body where the antibiotics are less effective.

After returning inside, wash and dry your clothes immediately. Do not even let them lie on the floor since a deer tick might be attached and get loose in your house. Some people put the clothes in a trash bag then spray with permethrin & tie up the bag. This should kill the ticks or other insects before washing. Running the clothes through a timed 30 minute cycle on hot in a dryer will also kill ticks. They cannot survive being dried out.

Have a great DEER TICK-FREE year outdoors.

Enjoy the outdoors but be wise and protect yourself.

Protect your children!

Protect your pets!

Protect your neighbors.

Mention of brand names does not constitute endorsements by LDASEPA. The information here is not intended to be a substitute for sound medical advice from your physician.

Rynoskin Har-Son, Inc. PO Box 10772 Midwest City, OK 73140 405-737-2494

Information and ordering information can be found on web site: http://www.rynoskin.com/index.html

Permethrin spray It is available under several brand names including: Sawyer, Duranon, Permanone, etc. It can be found in retail stores including: Sports Authority, Dicks, and Pickering Feed. Look in the camping section.

Permethrin yard spray (many lawn care companies will do this, too.)

Bartlett Tree Experts PO Box 177 Exton, PA 19341 610-594-4740

DEET spray Sprays containing DEET are available under many brand names including: OFF, Deep Woods OFF, Cutters, Ben’s etc.

They are widely available. Most authorities suggest you use only sprays with less than 10% DEET in them for application to children’s skin.

Damminix - Local sources (be sure to call first to check it it is stock): Brandywine Hardware, Pocopson, PA Corner of Route 926 opposite the elementary school Agway West Chester on Matlack Street

Please feel free to copy this information and give it to your friends, neighbors and legislators. Anne Arundel County has the second highest reported cases of lyme in the state. Reported lyme cases doubled last year. The actual rate of lyme is estimated to be 10 times the reported rate.

Lyme is a terrible disease if it becomes chronic. My own physician in Laurel has 300 lyme patients. The symptoms mimic many diseases, including chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia. You may not realize you have been bitten until it is too late. If you develop a fever or a bulls eye rash, see your physician immediately.

There are herbal as well as antibiotic remedies for lyme and books which deal with lyme and treating lyme. One available at the Anne Arundel County Library is Healing Lyme by Stephen Buhner. There is a wealth of information on the web, as well.

Don’t let someone you love be the next victim. We need to take action NOW!