By Andrew KnowltonStaff Writer

For most people, ‘Decem-ber’ and ‘sailing’ just don’t be-long in the same sentence. But at Saint Mary’s College of Mary-land, December is the perfect month to start thinking about it.

During the winter season, the sailing team at the small col-lege in St. Mary’s City, which is conveniently nestled on the edge of the St. Mary’s River, will be working out twice a week with a strength and conditioning coach, doing core workouts, weightlift-ing, and even a little yoga. The reason? Because that’s what it takes to be ranked first in the na-tion – ahead of Yale, Boston Col-lege, Navy and Tufts.

The St. Mary’s women’s sailing team earned this rank-ing Nov. 14 after the fall season, in which they won the 17 school Atlantic Coast Championships in Kings Point, N.Y. and the 18 school Stu Nelson Trophy at Connecticut College.

This is not the first time the Seahawks have been ranked number one in the nation. In fact, they were the top-ranked team in the previous two-week rank-ing period, and the win at the Atlantic Coast Championships cemented their spot at the top for the winter.

“For us, it’s mostly an ac-knowledgment that we’re on the right track, that the things that we’re doing are helping us get better,” head coach Adam Wer-blow said of the rankings.

Winning the big races is the team’s top priority, while rank-ings are more of a representation of what has already happened.

“The rankings come sec-ond,” said junior All-American Adrienne Patterson, who came to St. Mary’s all the way from

New Restaurants will Satisfy Any CravingBy Adam RossStaff Writer

Whether it is crab, spaghet-ti, enchiladas, prime rib or a just a beer, new restaurants and bars are springing up around St. Mary’s County to offer any delicacies residents may desire.

Downtown Leonardtown will soon welcome El Cerro Grande. Located on Washing-ton Street, this Mexican venture is owned by Bruce C. Colby and will offer food and bar service 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week. The interior boasts a cozy wooden look, but renova-tions are still in the works and according to Colby the restau-rant should be running by the

second week of January.In Wildwood Village, the

former Tavern at the Village, an upscale restaurant offering a diverse wine list and menu for

the last 12 years, has become Woodlands Grill.

The Grill is currently oper-ating and will continue provid-ing high-end tableside service

said owner Charles L. Jeffries II. The restaurant also features a roomy patio that Jeffries said

Thursday, December 28, 2006 • St. Mary’s County, Maryland Established 2006 • Volume I • Issue 9 • FREE

Photos by Adam Ross

IndexOp.-Ed. ......Page A - 4Obits ..........Page A - 5Sports ........Page B - 1Police ........Page B - 4

For Continual News Updates Visit :

somd.com

Local Weather

FridayPartly Cloudy

55°

SaturdayShowers

62°

SundayFew Showers

63°

PRSTD STD

US Postage Paid

Permit No. 145

Waldorf, MD

See Craving page A - �

Photo by Emily Finch

By Emily FinchStaff Writer

Two men were injured, one seriously, in a Dec. 21 crash at the intersection of Route 235 and Clarke’s Landing Road.

Police report that James Miller, ��, of Burke, Va., was driving his white Dodge pickup truck northbound on 235 when the Toyota 4Runner in front of him, driven by John Mattingly, 59, of Hollywood, prepared to make a right hand turn onto Clarke’s Landing Road.

Miller struck the rear of Mattingly’s vehicle, sending it across the intersection and into a ditch. Mattingly’s 4Runner then hit a light pole and flipped over onto its top.

Miller was seriously in-

jured and was flown out by Trooper 7. There was no word on his current condition at press time.

Mattingly was transported by the Lexington Park Rescue Squad to St. Mary’s Memo-rial Hospital, where he was soon released and is in stable condition.

According to TFC Quade, one of the Maryland State Troopers who responded to the accident, Mattingly had “just some minor cuts and bruises and seemed to be doing well considering the damage to his vehicle.”

The Hollywood Volunteer Fire Department and TFC Reza of the MSP also responded to the accident and were on scene.

Success in SailingSeahawks Ranked as One of Best in Nation

See Sailing page B - 1

St. Mary’s County Government Offices will be closed for business New Years Day. County offices will reopen for normal business hours Jan. 2.

St. Mary’s County Libraries will be closed Dec 31, 200�, Jan. 1 in observance of the New Year. The libraries will be reopen for normal business hours Jan. 2.

The St. Andrews Landfill and six (6) Conve-

nience Centers and the St. Mary’s Transit (STS) bus service will be closed Jan.1

The STS, landfill and convenience centers will be open for normal business hours as of Jan. 2.

Call St. Mary’s County Department of Pub-lic Works and Transportation at 301-8�3-8400 for additional information about the landfill, convenience centers, or the STS bus service.

St. Mary’s County Government Holiday Closings

Photo by Adam Ross

Photo by Bryan Jaffe

The new Woodlands Grill was formerly known as the Tavern at the Village. The grill is currently open for business and will continue to offer high end table service to patrons.

Two Injured in Hollywood Auto Crash

Two men were injured in this crash, which took place at the intersection of Route 235 and Clark’s Landing Rd. The driver of the blue 4Runner suffered minor injuries and left the hospital under his own power. The Driver of the white truck was flown by helicopter for further medical attention.

Christmas in St. Mary’sSt. Mary’s County is no stranger to the Christmas Spirit. Many residents did a knockout job decorating their houses and yards for the holidays. Above and bottom left are houses that can be seen on Route 245, Hollywood-Leonardtown Road, while the bottom right house is on Route 5 in Callaway.

By Andrew KnowltonStaff Writer

A 1�-hour standoff in front of a home on Dusty Lane in Hollywood ended when one gunshot from the weapon of a State Police tactical officer killed James Emerick Dean, 29, of Hollywood.

St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Deputies and Maryland State Troopers responded to a call from Dean’s relatives at 9:51 p.m. Christmas night to check on his welfare after he said he wanted to kill himself.

Dean, who spent a year serving in Afghanistan as an Army Ranger, had recently re-ceived notice that he was going to be taken from inactive reserve status, reactivated and sent to Iraq. St. Mary’s County Sheriff Tim Cameron said this was the cause of Dean’s distress.

Dean barricaded himself inside his Hollywood home Christmas night with numerous weapons, Cameron said during a press conference Tuesday eve-

ning. Dean, when contacted by a county officer on the telephone, said that he was not coming out, he had a number of weapons and he planned on committing suicide.

Throughout the standoff, negotiators tried to defuse the situation, but had a difficult time

Army Ranger Killed in Christmas Standoff with Police

See Standofff page A-2

Colonel Tim Hutchins, secretary of the Maryland State Police Depart-ment, addresses Tuesday’s shooting during a press conference at the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office.

Photo by Andrew Knowlton

SectionA-� The County Times ThursdayDecember�8,�006

Route 245Hollywood, MD 20636

301-475-2531

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

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

Wildewood Shopping CenterCalifornia, MD 20619

301-866-5702

There are several sizes to choose from.

Extra ColossalColossal

Jumbo

Large

Medium

Small

Extra Small

Bring in the New Year with our fresh-Shrimp!

InYourCommunityLittleLeague

St.Mary’sAmericanLittleLeague, a non-profit organiza-tion serving our youth athelticsinthecommunityformorethan25years,islookingforsixvolun-teersforthe2007season.Posi-tions needing to be filled include Safety Officer, Player Agent, Vice President Minor League,PublicityCoordinator(web-site),Fund Raising Chairman and

Sponsorship Chairman. Mostpositionsrequirefour-sixhoursamonthforthisworthwhileeffortinshapingthefutureofourchil-dren.PleasecontactJohnKolb,President at kolb@gmpexpress.net or 301-536-0214 for moreinformation.

BingoLittle Flower School will

hold Bingo tonight at 7 p.m.Doorsopenat6p.m.

Little Flower School is lo-cated at 20410 Point LookoutRd.,GreatMills,MD20634.

SoupCookOffThe Dr. James A. Forrest

Career&TechnologyCenter ishosting its second annual SoupCook-off Jan. 9, 2007 from 3

–7:30p.m.intheschool’sstate-of-the-artkitchen.Cookingbe-ginsat3p.m.;doorsopentothepublicat5:30p.m.,with tastingandjudgingstartingat6p.m.

The contest is open to thepublic. Soups will be groupedinsixcategoriesincludingcreambased, seafood, redmeat, poul-try, vegetarian and other. Thecontestwillbejudgedbyexpertchefsandcommunityleaders.A

people’s choice award will alsobechosenbythepublic.

Costs for the ticketsare$5per adult, $3 per student, andfreeforchildrenunderfour.

RiversideDinnerTheatreTrip

Areyouwonderingwhatgifttogiveyourselforafriendfortheholidays?Well,theDepartmentofAginghastheperfectgiftideafor you. On Jan. 10, 2007, theDepartment of Aging will betakingatriptoRiversideDinnerTheatre in Fredericksburg, Va.tosee“Nunsense.”“Nunsense”

isaclean,high-spiritedmusicalcomedy about a nun who hasaccidentally poisoned 52 of herfellow sisters and the survivingnuns who stage a benefit concert to raisemoney for proper buri-als before the health inspectorshows up. You will delight inthis zany musical comedy which todatehasspawnedthreeaward-winningsequels.Thecostofthetripis$67andincludestheshow,a scrumptious meal, coach bustravel and gratuities. Call 301-475-4200 ext. 1072 to reserveyourspace.

WellnessandFitnessNight

JoinGreenHollyElementa-rySchoolfortheirWellnessandFitnessNightJan.11,2007,6–8p.m.,attheschoolsite.

The evening will includeactivities for the entire fam-ily. Get informed and get ac-tive with community organiza-tions such asHealth Connec-tions,GoodEarthNaturalFood,Jazzercise, “The Body Shakers,” Pro-Fitness, and local scoutingtroops.Student activities willinclude physical fitness testing, a cup stacking relay, rock climb-ing,juggling,andjumpingrope.Active footwear is required forthiseventandallstudentsmustbeaccompaniedbyanadult.

Formoredetails,contactthemain office of Green Holly El-ementaryat301-863-4064.

IncomeTaxPrepa-rationServices

St.Mary’sCountyresidentsage60andovermayhavesimpleincome tax returns preparedfree of charge. Appointmentswill be available on Tuesdaysand Thursdays at the GarveyCenterbeginningFeb.13from1- 4p.m. Individualswhohavebusiness,farm,orrentalincometoreportarenoteligibleforthisservice.Foranappointmentcall301-475-4200,ext.1064.

SeeStandofffpageA-3

StandoffContinued from page A - 1

makingprogress.“During the night, there

were timeswhere I thought thecommunicationwasgoingwell,”Cameronsaid.“Butwegotintoarepetitivekindofcommunicationwhere he said someone woulddietonight,andthatrepeatedit-self throughout theeveningandthroughouttheday.”

The situation was madeeven more difficult because of Dean’sexperienceandskillwithweapons.

“We were certainly cau-tious,” Cameron said. “With ahighly trained, highly skilledindividual, you are very cau-tious.Ourprioritywastomovevery slowly, to try to salvagecommunication.”

Dean fired several shots from his residence during thestandoff, three of which hitcounty and state trooper vehi-cles.Oneof those vehicleswasoccupied, but the officer inside it wasnotinjured.

Several times, officers tried to force Dean out of the housewith tear gas, but all attemptsfailed.Atabout12:50p.m.Tues-day,Deantriedtoexithishouse.At thesametime,apeacekeep-ingvehicleapproachedthefrontofthehometodeliverteargas.

“Mr.Deancametothedoor-way,hadaweaponinhishand,andbegantoraisethatweapon,at which time the state trooperthatwas functioning inacoun-ter sniper position fired one shot andMr.Deanfell,”ColonelTimHutchins,secretaryofMarylandStatePolicesaidduringthepressconference.

Deanwaspronounceddeadatthescenebyemergencymedi-calservicepersonnel.

Hadthesnipernottakentheshot, the lives of many wouldhave been in severe danger,Hutchinssaid.

“All the officers would have beeninjeopardy,thevehiclewastotallyopen,”headded.

During the press confer-ence, Cameron was askedwhether Dean intended to getshotbypolice.

“Certainly, that always

Thursday December 28, 2006 The County Times Section A - �

By Adam RossStaff Writer

Every child has a holiday wish list, but for some families around St. Mary’s County who are struggling to make ends meet, and may not be able to fulfill that list, the Department of Recreation, Parks and Com-munity Services (RPCS) offers a helping hand.

In coordination with the Department of Social Services, more than 550 families will re-ceive some extra help this holi-day season from RPCS’ Christ-mas Caring program.

Community Service Divi-sion Manager Cynthia Brown is on the giving end of this power-ful program, which, since 1990, has been helping St. Mary’s County families in need.

“We are trying to reach out to anyone who needs help,” said Brown. “We get lots of hugs and ‘thank yous,’ but we are there to try and encourage them and let them know, regardless of their circumstance, it’s only temporary.”

In conjunction with a host of residents, businesses, churches and St. Mary’s County schools, RPCS collects food, toys and clothing for needy families.

According to Brown, the majority of families are referred directly from the Department of Social Services. Candidates must fill out a one-page applica-tion that asks for the name of a Social Services caseworker, the names of children receiving food stamps or temporary cash assis-tance and a list of preferred toys.

Brown, standing next to her staff of two - Elaine Kauffman, a temporary employee, and office specialist Stephanie Roach - ac-knowledged the program is un-able to reach all of the families in need.

Every so often, the realiza-tion sets in that the county is a

big place, and the growing pop-ulation leads to greater needs, Brown said.

RCPS currently has 50 ap-plications to process. Kauffman characterized those applications as “late,” but said at the very least, they would go to Mike Schwartz of Mike’s Bikes in Lexington Park, who passes out approximately 1,000 traditional Christmas dinners each season.

Brown added that the pro-gram continues to push for con-tinuity and growth, so it can help more families.

“What I would like to see and continue to work on, is stronger coordination between the services, organizations and agencies,” Brown said. “Some-times staff changes from one year to another and it’s always good to reintroduce our program and goals each year.”

At times, the turnover has contributed to a “reduplication of efforts,” Brown said, meaning some families receive more than one shipment of gifts.

Brown called it “very dis-couraging” to donors when they drop off gifts and that fam-ily already has “a bunch of stuff there.”

While those problems are inherent in a system working with hundreds of individuals and numerous organizations, Brown and her partners “are doing the best we can.”

To their satisfaction, tangible evidence exists of the hard work they do, including a 10 by 10 room just two doors down from their office, filled with bikes, ste-reos, dolls and more donated by

Toyota of Waldorf and generous St. Mary’s County residents.

Brown and her staff work with donors to make sure chil-dren receive age-appropriate, and, in some cases, handicap-ap-propriate gifts.

Community members con-tinually roll in to drop off gifts,

including Billy Johnson from St. Joseph’s Church, who called the program a “good thing, otherwise kids would have no Christmas.”

However, Brown is often forced to coordinate disperse-ment between families and do-nors themselves because the RPCS’ office is too small to hold the entire inventory. Brown said she hopes one day they can set up a central depository for the gifts, but added “it would take quite a bit of staff and security to do that.”

Since 1990 the Christmas Caring program has grown into what it is today. But Brown and the Department of Recreation, Parks and Community Services has continually recognized the people of St. Mary’s County as the key to making the program work and fullfilling the wishes of our youth.

By Adam RossStaff Writer

In the wake of Tropical Storm Ernesto and several other storms that have slammed St. Mary’s County, tests are now underway on an emergency AM signal messaging system.

If successful, this system will combat the public’s frustra-tion with a lack of local emergen-cy information, and an existing system that in September turned to hand delivered messages as its most viable warning device.

Just before Ernesto hit in September, the Department of Public Safety (DPS) enlisted the fire department to hand deliver emergency warnings to resi-dents, according to Emergency Management Director Timothy Bennett.

Unlike previous storms, lo-cal radio stations maintained electricity during Ernesto, but lacked the on-air staff to help residents with weather and flood updates and proper evacuation routes.

In addition, the phone sys-tem purchased after Hurricane Isabel in 2003, which sends prerecorded emergency mes-sages out over the phone lines, only works while those lines are intact.

DPS submitted surveys to coastal residences before and af-ter Ernesto and found that most had little to no idea where to get emergency information, accord-ing to Bennett.

As a result, County emer-gency management began re-searching AM and FM radio sta-

tions as a new venue to prepare for the natural disasters faced by those living on a coastline.

According to Bennett, they found a fully licensed AM sta-tion designed specifically for county governments that is ap-proved by the Federal Commu-nications Commission.

The system comes stocked with flashing alert signs for county roads and a radio service linked to a national and local weather service broadcast. No additional staff is needed for the service, which sends messages from 911 centers to transmitters posted around the county.

Bennett said because tourist information can be transmitted over this particular signal, “the system can eventually be used on an everyday basis.”

Bennett, alongside Emer-gency Planner Michelle Lilly and Information Technology Director Bob Kelly, offered the Board of County Commissioners an option to invest in the system,

which costs roughly $200,000 to implement in two phases.

Phase one would use $106,000 in Homeland Security funds to set up three transmitters and four flashing road signs. If phase one is not implemented by March 31, 2007, the county will lose access to those funds.

Phase two would cost the county a computer-generated estimate of $94,000 for an addi-tional two transmitters and four road signs.

To install five transmitters would take three to four months.

Kelly said it was best to start the system sooner rather than lat-er so they could implement and test phase one at no cost to the county. This way, if the system has unforeseen flaws they can-nix it before the county’s share is used.

County Commissioner Law-rence Jarboe (R-Golden Beach) expressed concern that the indi-vidual transmitters only had 10 watts of power.

“My bass amp pumps out only 100 watts,” Jarboe said. “And I can’t extend out for miles and miles. Ten watts is not a lot of power.”

Commissioner Daniel H. Raley (D-Great Mills) said the citizens ‘very much want this,” but he had concerns about “get-ting the best bang for the buck.”

Because the issue is time-sensitive, the County government plans to hold a demonstration of the new system for the Commis-sioners after the new year.

Commissioner Thomas A. Mattingly, Sr. (D-Leonardtown), said while it’s always nice to use grant money, the commission-ers need to make sure they know what the issues are first.

“I remember an issue that came up when we first came to office,” Mattingly added. “We were presented with a commu-nications contract and we are still resolving issues eight years later.”

Rick and his staff would like to thank everyone for their

business thisholiday season and wish you the best of a very prosperous

New Year.

Diamonds, Gemstones, Grandfather Clocks, Watches, Earrings, Chains, Gemstone Globes, and new to our inventory “Evening Purses”.

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Extended Holiday Hours: Monday-Friday 9-8; Saturday 9-7.

Happy New Year

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“2 Year/24,000 Mile Warranty”

County to Test New Emergency AM Signal Messaging System

Christmas Caring in St. Mary’s

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From left, St. Mary’s Department of Recreation Parks and Community Ser-vices Community Division Director Cynthia Brown, Elaine Kauffman, a tem-porary worker, and Office Specialist Stephanie Roach show some of the toys collected by the Christmas Caring Program.

Photo by Adam Ross

comes to mind, what we refer to as a suicide by cop,” he respond-ed. “I don’t know that that’s the case at all. I know that in man-aging a very fluid and possibly violent situation like this, that these situations very much are

dictated by the individual. In this case, Mr. Dean.”

The officer who shot Dean is a 46-year old Maryland State Trooper, and has 13 years of ex-perience working with the spe-cial tactical assault team.

“He knows his job very well,” Hutchins said of the officer.

When asked whether the sit-uation could have been handled differently so that Dean didn’t have to die, Cameron paused for a long moment.

“Not that I can think of,” he finally answered. “Other than him responding to our requests to come out and give himself up peaceably.”

StandoffContinued from page A - 2

SectionA-� The County Times ThursdayDecember28,2006

We all make New Year’sResolutions. We promise our-selveswearegoingtodothisorthat.Wetellourselves that thisyearwewill(insertresolutionofchoicehere).Andthistime,wemeanit!

All too often, however,these resolutions are forgottenwithin a matter of weeks, andthegrindofdailylifemakesusforgetjustwhatitwasweprom-isedourselveswewoulddo.

This is very similar towhatwe see in government ona regular basis. New officials are elected to office, they make campaignpromises–verysimi-lartoournewyear’sresolutions–andusuallyfailtodeliver.We

arepromisedthesun,moonandsky, if we only vote for candi-dateA,butweseemtoendupwith nothing but the dirt be-neathourfeet.

Whatwerethe“NewYear’sresolutions” of this last cam-paignseason?Whatwillweseeinthemonthstocome?

TheTransferableDevelop-ment Rights (TDR) programmust be fixed. This has been an ongoingissuefromthepreviousBoard of Commissioners, andhas not been touched in morethanhalfayear.2007istheyeartogetitdone.

Currently, the system iscumbersome and costly forlandowners,andaslongasitre-

mainsprohibitiveinnature,wecan expect to see more growth pushed to the Rural Preserva-tion District (RPD). Especiallygiven the fact that AdequatePublic Facility (APF) regula-tionshaveshutdowngrowthinthedevelopmentdistrict.

The county’s New Year’sresolution must be to come upwith solutions for these prob-lemsandsticktothem!

Thecurrentformulaforde-terminingthenumberofTDRsalandownerhasinvolvestakingthedevelopableacreageofland,anddividingitbythree.

Howislanddeterminedtobedevelopable?Throughacost-ly land survey, of course. Yes,

landowners who want to par-takeintheTDRprogramoftenfind themselves with a lump of coal rather than anygain fromsellingtheirdevelopmentrights.Theyareonthehookforthecostof the survey, which can costupward of $20,000 dependingontheamountoflandowned.

Whenallissaidanddone,itispossiblelandownerswillpaymore for the survey than theycan get for selling their devel-opment rights. A surefire losing proposition,andaguaranteetokeeppeoplefromparticipating.

A landowner of 10 acresmay learn that only six are de-velopable.Thiswouldgivethatlandowner two TDRs to sell.

Hardly an incentive for preser-vation. And these landownerspushedoutbytheTDRprogrampairedwith the lackofAPF inthedevelopmentdistrictmeansthe direction of future growthin St. Mary’s County is clear.There is land for the taking intheRPDs,andiftheAPFprob-lems in the county are not ad-dressedsoon,takenitwillbe.

TherewillbemorefocusontheTDRissueincomingweeks,as itpromises tohangover theheadsoftheentirecountyuntilresolved.

Anotherissuethatmustbetackled in2007 is theneed forlongtermfundingfortheSher-iff. This has been done withthe Board of Education in theSt. Mary’s County Bridge toExcellence, and has afforded theschoolsystemtheabilitytoplan long term for the first time

inhistory.Butifschoolsensureour future,what of the organi-zationthatprotectsourpresent?

LiketheSchoolBoardusedtodo, theSheriffmustpartakein an annual beg-a-thon to de-terminefundingeachyear.Thisseverely inhibits the Sherifffrommakingalong-rangeplantoensurethesafetyofourfami-liesandfriends.Nowisthetimetoact,beforeourcrimeproblemgetsworse.

As the year unfolds, theseissuesaresuretocomeupagainand again, but it is not enoughfor the County Government tosimply discuss the problemsforever, we need decisive ac-tion,andweneed itnow.Let’smake sure that 2007 is a yearwecanrememberastheyearofpromiseskept.

ByAdamRossStaffWriter

We all spend a significant amountoftimeeatingeachandeveryday.Wewakeupandeatbreakfast. Then we have lunchjust a few hours later and, finally, dinnerwhenwegethomefromwork.Thisroutinecontinuestonotjustbeapartourlives,butof-tenthefocusofwhatwedo.

So it certainly leaves methinkingthatsinceIspendsucha large chunk of my life figuring outwhatandwhentoeat,payingtoeatandcritiquingwhatIeat,Ioughttoliveinaplacethathasgreatfood.

Unfortunately, the most at-tractiveareasintheworld,whichhappentobetheonesI’velivedin, are not exactly the most food -friendly.TakeLondon,Englandfor example. It’s an amazing citywithagreatdealofculture.Buildings date back throughthecenturies,museumslinethecorners,tubestopscanbefoundeverywhereandthemusicscenethrives.

WhetheryouwanttotakeawalkaroundParliament,orvisitthe twisted gallery of SalvadorDali, there is something for ev-eryone to do. But the food…Well, the food is terrible. Itdoesn’tgetanyworse.Someofthe most well respected restau-rants in London find a way to makeaspaghettitastebad.Anddon’tevengetmestartedontheirbeef.

Another lovely location isParis, France. Paris; a seduc-tive, charming city that calls tomindlifeasitwasintherenais-sanceperiod.Youwalkthebrickmortaralcovestreets,eachbricklooking as if it were laid three

hundredyearsagoandyouhon-estly believe this is where youaremeanttobe.

Parisians line the streets,pulling gentle drags from theirGauloise cigarettes. They evensmokeprovocativelythere.Thecafeshaveoutdoor seatingyearround.Eventhecoldestoftem-peratures cannot stop peoplefrom enjoying café’ crème at asmall round table nestled just afoot or so back from the next.

Themetroisdirty,buteachstation is exquisite in its own right, with tiled patterns, racyadvertisements and unique lay-outs.Youcanspelunkyourwaythroughthestationforagood10or 15 minutes before you evenget toyour train. Therearesomany things that absolutelyfascinate me about Paris, fromits tangible infrastructure toits vivid descriptions in ErnestHemingway’s book “A Move-able Feast.” But for all of itsradiance,thefoodisboneyandbland.

Good luck trying to find a bonelesschickenbreast,orapiz-zawiththickcrust.Ihadmanymeals in Paris and maybe onlytwoofthemhelduptothesuc-culenttasteofFiveGuys’burgerandfries.

Detroit, Michigan. It’s notradiant, it’s not exquisite and it’s not interesting,but the food,ahthefood,isfattyandgood.Co-neyIslandsarethehotcommod-ityinDetroit,andmostfoodcrit-icswill tellyou there isnobet-terplacetogetaconeydogandfries, not even New York City.The deli is just as powerful inDetroit.Leancornedbeefsand-wiches and fresh green pickles- larger than those dinky onesyougetatthegrocerystore-are

standard.Unlike the many rural and

populated areas of the UnitedStates, chain restaurants don’tcontrol the market in Detroit.Small family owned businessesdominatethemarketwithhome-madechickennoodlesoupsload-edwithsaltandfreshvegetables,andahot turkeysandwichwithmashed potatoes and gravy todie for. The food in Detroit istop-notch,butitisinnoway,inmy experience, the food capitol oftheworld.

Fornow,I’llawardthattitleto Florida. I have consumed alimitedamountof food inFlor-ida, but everything I’ve triedis spectacular. A restaurant inFlorida made fettuccini alfredotastegood!AndI’mnotsayingthatbecausefettuccinialfredoisabaddish,butitalwaysendsupbland;youneverquitegetwhatyoureyessee.

The fact is, I hate Florida,and I never understood whysomeonewouldwant to liveona swamp. The bugs storm yourhouseandcar,andthereissuchthingastoohot.There’snocul-tureinFlorida,itjustis.Oldpeo-plecrowdthebeachesandbickerall day about their children notproducingenoughgrandchildrenfor them tokiss. But for allofits flaws, the food, the wonderful food,justmightwinmeover.

I’ve traveled some of theworldandwitnessedsomeofthegreatwondersofit,butforallitsgloryIwouldprobablygiveitallup for a tasty piece of chickenand an Idaho potato. Call mecrazyorcallmeavisionary,thebottomlinetheonlylogicalthingtodoisliveinanareathatcaterstowhatIdobest:Eating.

Editorial&Opinion

Big City Boy, Small Town Heart

King of Food

ByTerriBartzBowlesContributingWriter

It’s‘NewYear’sResolutions’timeagain! DoyoumakeNewYear’sresolutions?Why?Andifyoudon’t,whynot?

You do get that clean-slate,start over thing with the newyear. Itdoesfeel likeanoppor-tunitytoputpastproblemsoris-suesorwhateverbehindyouandstartfreshdownanewpath.Theproblem,Ithink,iswelookatitasawayofsaying“Ididbadthingsor wrong things or not enoughthingslastyear.”Wemakeour-selves feel like bad people andthat’snothelpful.Wecanalwaysimprove – do more, do less, dobetter–butthatdoesn’tmeanweweren’tgoodorokayorstrivingbefore. We need to give our-selves a break; we are our ownworstenemyandourownworstcritic.Andbesideseasinguponourselves,weneedacheerleader,someone always willing to give

usencouragementorreassuranceoraswiftkickwhennecessary.

When we think of resolu-tions, it’s usually something toimproveourselves. We’regoingto lose weight, exercise more, save money and get organized.We’re always doing somethingandthenwe’regoingtoaddmoreontheToDoList.Maybe2007istheyeartodoless.Losingweightand exercising more are good and healthygoals. So ifyou’readd-ingthingslikethat,lookatotherthingsyou’recurrentlydoinganddeletesomething.

Stop doing so much. Ourlives are so darn busy and fulland stressful that we’re not en-joying ourselves or the peoplewe love. LearningFrench can’tpossiblybemoreimportantthangoingonareal‘packabasketandchillabottleofwine’picnicwiththeonesyoulove.Workingthoseextra hours is not as important as pickingyourkidupfromschoolordaycarealittleearlyanddoingsomething totally unexpected –

likethetwoofyougettinganicecream cone and talking to eachotherwithnodistractionsaround.How long has it been since yousatdownandtalkedtoyourpar-entsorgrandparentsaboutwhat-evertheywanttotalkabout?Orhadanunhurriedmealwithyourfamily?

WhatI’msayingisthatlife’stoo short and transitory. Thethingsthatmatterinvolvepeopleand memories, not being themartyratworkwhoalwaysputsbusinessaheadoffamily.Iknowyou’ve heard this before, but nodyingpersoneversaid“IwishIhadworkedmore.”

Make2007youryearfordo-inglessstuffandspendingmoretime with people. If you haveregrets at the end of your life,don’t let thembethatyoudidn’tspend time with those you love–letthembethatyoudidn’tstartsooner– then let thatgoandgomakeadatewithsomebodyyoulove.

Ramblings From A Country Girl

New Year’s Resolutions

JamesManningMcKay-Publisher

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Thursday December 28, 2006 The County Times Section A - �

Blanche Elizabeth Abernethy, 83

Blanche Elizabeth Aber-nethy, 83, of Mechanicsville, Md. died Dec.16 in Colton Point, Md.

Born April 29, 1923 in Washington, D.C., she was the daughter of the late Charles J. Yingling and Blanche M. Fugitt

Yingling. Blanche married Leo Xavier Abernethy in Washing-ton, D.C. and moved to Morn-ingside, Md. As they outgrew their home, the family moved to Accokeek, Md., where they lived until the late 70s. With much of the family grown, Leonardtown, Md. was chosen as the ideal location to relax and enjoy the empty nest. Blanche lived a long life of service not only to her family, but also she volunteered with the Maryland Democratic Club, was a lifetime member of the Morningside Fire & Rescue Ladies Auxilia-ry, and a Library Board Trustee for both Prince George’s and St. Mary’s counties. After losing her husband to cancer in 1989, Blanche was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. For her last 10 years, she was under the care of Ms. Dale Claytor of Colton Point, Md., whose loving hands and heart kept Blanche strong and comfortable. Blanche will be greatly missed and fondly remembered by all. She was always strong, ever caring, and taught us all even more of how to live in her later years.

Blanche is survived by her sons; Leo Abernethy of Colum-bia, Md., Wayne Abernethy of Mechanicsville, Md., Tom Ab-ernethy of Accokeek, Md., Don Abernethy of Glen Burnie, Md. and Mike Abernethy of Colum-bia, Md., daughters; Elizabeth Patton-Feeney of Nokesville, Va., Mary Perry-Fox of Wel-come, Md., Catherine Hen-derson of Nokesville, Va., and Joanie Barr of Mechanicsville, Md., 17 grandchildren, and six great- grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her daugh-ter, Blanche Ringley.

The family received friends Dec. 20 from 5- 8 p.m. in the Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A., Leonardtown, Md. with prayers being recited at 6 p.m.

A Mass of Christian Buri-al was celebrated Dec. 21, at 11 a.m. in St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Newtowne, Md. Reverend John Mattingly was the celebrant. Interment followed in the Maryland Vet-erans Cemetery, Cheltenham, Md. at 2 p.m.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, Southern Mary-land Office, P.O. Box 1889, La Plata, MD 20646.

Selma Deleen Gass, 88

Selma Deleen Gass, 88, of Abell, Md. formerly of New-burg, N.C. died Dec. 19 in St. Mary’s Nursing Center.

Born September 22, 1918 in Pamico, N.C., she was the daughter of the late John Frank and Isabelle Rawes Slade. She was preceded in death by her husband, Malcom Edward Gass, Sr. April 29, 1995 in Abell, Md. whom she married on Dec. 26, 1938 in Holy Angels Catholic Church.

She is survived by her chil-dren: Gloria C. Hall of Abell, Md. and Joseph A. Gass of Leonardtown, Md.; siblings: Donnie Knott of Valley Lee, Md., Ivy McCann of George-town, Del. and Susan Tassone of McKay Port, Pa.; six grand-children: Bryan Hall, Cynthia Cryer, Dean Gass, Caroline Gass, Steve Gass and Joe Gass and 11 great grandchildren. She was also preceded in death by her son: Malcom E. Gass, Jr. and siblings: Bonnie Wathen, Carl Slade and John F. Slade.

Mrs. Gass moved to St. Mary’s County when she was 13 years old from N.C. She was member of All Saint’s Epis-copal Church and the Ameri-can Legion. She was a loving wife, mother and grandmother. She also enjoyed doing arts & crafts, gardening, fishing on the bank, doing puzzles and being with her grandchildren.

The family received friends Dec. 21 from 5 – 8 p.m. in the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home, where Prayers were said at 7 p.m.. A Funeral Service was held Dec. 22 at 10 a.m. in All Saint’s Episcopal Church with Rev. Harry Harper officiating.

Interment followed in Sa-cred Heart Cemetery. Pallbear-ers were: Joe Gass, Steve Gass, Dean Gass, Mike Gass, Brian Hall, and J.W. Cryer.

Contributions may be made to: American Legion Post #221, P.O. Box 98, Avenue, MD 20609 and/or 7th District Vol-unteer Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 7, Avenue, Md 20609. Arrange-ments provided by the Matting-ley-Gardiner Funeral Home, P.A.

Gary Dean Kole, ��

Gary Dean Kole, ��, of Hollywood, Md. died Dec. 15 in his residence.

Born July 9, 1951, in Bay-onne N.J., he was the son of the late Joseph John Kole and Blanche Virginia Grovesnor Kole.

Gary spent much of his youth as a musician, and opened for rock superstars such

as Queen. As an adult, he en-joyed life in St. Mary’s County, Md. For many years he worked at Leonard Hall Junior Naval Academy and Aldridge Ford, and enjoyed the relationships he built with people at both places. Gary took great plea-sure in spending time on the water, cruising the Bay and taking trips with his wife on their boat. He was also an avid EMRA driver and spent many weekends racing.

He is survived by his wife, Deborah Kole, step-children, Jill Dodge of Austin, Texas, and Michael Dodge of California, Md., sister, Donna Hamill and her husband Bob of Underhill, Vt. He was preceded in death by his beloved parents, Jay and Ginny Kole.

Services were private.Arrangements were made

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

Joan Theresa Pancamo, 44

Joan Theresa Pancamo, 44, of Leonardtown, Md. for-merly of Delvan, N.J. died Dec. 15, in George Washington Uni-versity Hospital. Born March 31, 1962 in Philadelphia, Pa., she was the daughter of An-thony Francis and Joan Collins Coffey Pancamo.

She is survived by her daughter: Randi Pancamo of Brunswick, Ga.; brothers: Dan Pancamo of Kenner, La., Dave Pancamo of Ocean City, N.J. and Steve Pancamo of Mt. Lau-vel, N.J. and one grandchild: Jacob.

Ms. Pancamo graduated from Holy Cross High School Class of 1980 and also from Burlington County Commu-nity College Class of 1982. She moved to St. Mary’s County in 2000, where she worked as a legal assistant for Zuckman Spaeder, Washington, D.C. She enjoyed horseback riding and being on her farm.

A Memorial Service was held Dec. 20 at 11 a.m. in the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home Chapel with Deacon Bill Nickerson officiating. Interment was private.

Contributions may be made to: Leukemia & Lymphoma Foundation, Maryland Chap-ter, 11350 McCormick Road, Executive Plaza III, Suite 100, Hunt Valley, MD 21031 and/or Starflake Society.

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

Anne Mae Thomas, 88 Anne Mae Thomas, 88,

(Mae, Mae Thomas, Miss Mae, or Mae Skinner as she was af-fectionately known to many), of Mechanicsville, Md. died Dec. 16.

Born March 15, 1918, in St. Mary’s County, Md. she was the daughter of the late Thomas Hill. She is survived by her Great Nephews/Niece: John Butler (Sam), Mary Ag-nes Anderson, Charles Butler (Charlie), numerous family, friends, and their children. She was baptized, made her first communion, and confirmation in April, 1974, at Sacred Heart Parish in Bushwood, Md. Her Godparents and sponsors were Martha Butler and Marie Bow-man. Mae spent her early years working outside doing yard work, especially keeping flower beds clean of weeds and raking leaves for a lady named “Miss Julia” in Maddox, Md.

Mae always had a passion for children, and like a guard-ian angel, she would watch over

them, protect them and most of all talk, talk and talk to them (if they would listen). In her more senior years, Mae enjoyed the company of family and friends, watching television, playing solitaire, chewing spearmint or juicy fruit gum (courtesy of Dennis Butler) and holding her stuffed animals and doll baby. Her best friend was Mary Chase. Mae was a companion-ate individual who would do anything for anybody. She also was a breast cancer survivor.

The family would like to express their gratitude to each and every one of you for the part you have played in assist-ing us during this most difficult time and over the 88 years that Mae was with us. Special ap-preciation to Gracie Butler, who made Mae’s last days and hours comfortable.

The family received friends Dec. 20 from 5 – 8 p.m. in the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home, where prayers were said at 7 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Dec. 21 at 10 a.m. in Sacred Heart Catholic Church with Fr. Francis Early officiating. Interment followed in Sacred Heart Cemetery.

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

CorrectionsIn the Dec. 21 issue of the County Times, the Photo-graph of Gladys Louise John-son was incorrectly placed within the obituary for Shir-ley Ann Mathews. The obitu-aries should have appeared

as follows:

Gladys Louise Johnson, 78

Gladys Louise Johnson, 78, of Hollywood, Md. died Dec. 17 in St. Mary’s Hospital. Born Oct. 8, 1928 in Dynard, Md., she was the daughter of the late William Dudley and Mary Elsie Knott Lacey. She was preceded in death by her husband Joseph Norman Johnson whom she married Sept. 17, 1947 in Holy Angels Catholic Church.

She is survived by her daughters: Yvonne Bennett and Linda Greer both of Hol-lywood, Md.; siblings: Mildred Vallandingham of Helen, Md., Betty Jean Cusic of Mechanic-sville, Md. and Joseph Lacey of Hollywood, Md.; 7 grandchil-dren and 12 great grandchil-dren. She was also preceded in death by her siblings: James Lacey, Margaret Lacey, Lucille MaGill, Teresa Lacey, Francis Lacey, Aloysius Lacey, Grace

Smythers and Paul Lacey. Mrs. Johnson was a life

long St. Mary’s County resident where she attended Margaret Brent High School. She worked as a cashier for McKay’s Food-land for 22 years. She enjoyed crocheting, bird watching from her window, visits from her grandchildren and great grandchildren.

The family received friends December 20 from 5 – 8 p.m. in the Mattingley-Gar-diner Funeral Home, where Prayers were said at 6 p.m.. A

Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated today at 10 a.m. in St. John’s Catholic Church with Fr. Raymond Schmidt officiat-ing. Interment will follow in the Church Cemetery. Pallbearers will be: Terry Howard, David Wathen, Brian Woodburn, John Miedzinski, Kevin Miedzinski, Darrell Green and Nelson L. Butler.

Contributions may be made to: St. John’s Building Fund, 43927 St. John’s Road, Holly-wood, Md 20636 and/or Holly-wood Volunteer Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 79, Hollywood, Md 20636.

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

Shirley Ann Matthews, 63

Shirley Ann Matthews, 63, of Ridge, Md. formerly of Great Mills, Md. died Dec.15, in Ridge, Md. Born Jan. 26, 1943 in Keyser, W. Va. She was the daughter of the late Lelon and Nellie Shawen Keister. She was the beloved wife of Paul G. Matthews whom she married in Leonardtown, Md. in 1963.

She is survived by her children: Tony Matthews of Waldorf, Md. and Michael Mat-thews of Smithfield, Va.; sister: Donna Pietens of Irving, Texas and 4 grandchildren. She was also preceded in death by her siblings: Larry Keister, Ronny Keister, Lelon Keister, Jr., Bob-by Keister and Jimmy Keister.

Mrs. Matthews was a life long resident of St. Mary’s County where she graduated from Great Mills High School Class of 1961. She worked as a librarian for St. Mary’s County School System for 12 years un-til her retirement in 1982. She enjoyed sewing and computers.

Services were Private. Contributions may be made

to Hospice of St. Mary’s, P.O. Box 625, Leonardtown, Md 20650. Arrangements provided by the Mattingley-Gardiner Fu-neral Home, P.A.

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Obituaries

SectionA-� The County Times ThursdayDecember28,200�

PattyMuchowContributingWriter

One of the most frequentNew Year’s resolutions is tolose weight and get in shape.Thisexplainswhysomeof thehealth and exercise centers inSt. Mary’s County see a signifi-cant influx in membership in January.

“People have good inten-tions on this resolution, but even thoughweknowweshoulddoit,alotofpeopledon’tmakeitafter threemonths,” saidRyanKeller,ownerofSMACFitnessCenterinCharlotteHall.

AgreeingwithKeller,TerriVerbic-Boggs, owner of Ladies WorkoutExpressinHollywoodand Callaway said “the hard-est part of health and exerciseprograms is keeping women

motivated, as some are too busy taking care of other responsibil-ities.Womentendtoputthem-selveslast.”

Having worked almost28 years as a registered ERnurse, Verbic-Boggs feels her background makes her “cred-ible with members and they are more willing to work and talkwithme.”

Over 40 active ladies, 62years and older, belong to the DIVA program with Ladies Workout Express. The oldestmember is 85-years old, with most in their 70’s and 80’s.“I’m so proud of them,” Ver-bic-Boggs said with a smile, “They’retough!”

Ladies Workout Express specializes in circuit trainingand weight loss, and featuresdual hydraulic equipment,

which works muscles in both directions. “We are the onlyplace in the county with dualequipment,” Verbic Boggs said.

TheMaximumHealthandFitnessGyminSanSouciPlazais “the most spacious of anygym in the county,” accordingto the manager, Eric Harris.“Thereareperhapsthousandsofmen,womenandchildrenofallages inourplacemonthly,”hesaid.Thereisaninsideareaforwomenonly,ifdesired.Cardioand group fitness are the most popular features at MaximumHealthandFitnessGym.

“Wehaveaverylargefree-weight area,” Harris said, “sothere is no bumping into each other.” Childcare is also pro-videdthere.

Pro Fitness has two loca-tions,oneinSt.Mary’sSquarein Lexington Park and the other inWildewoodShoppingCenterin California. Combined mem-bership, according to owner Joe Evans, totals approximately4,000withmenaccountingforabout 40 percent. “Classes for weight loss and improving body tone are attended by 90 percent female members,” he said. “We

have over 6,000 members come into our two clubs each month and a lot of these same mem-bers come in two or three times aweek.” Mostmachineshaveweights, with many used by both male and female. Child-care is provided at both loca-tions, as well as a tanning bed and booth.

There are three Curvescenters in St. Mary’s County,each with separate owners.There is one in the K-MartShoppingCenter inCalifornia,another in the Blair Building in Leonardtown, and the last in CharlotteHall.Curvescentersare designed for women andfeature 30-minute training us-ing single-hydraulic cylindermachines.

Vicky Mudd opened herCurves center three years agoin Leonardtown and said it has been “exceptionally popular since the beginning.”

JanetSquiresisthedistrictmanager of Curves in Char-lotte Hall and also has twootherCurvescentersinCharlesCounty. Three years ago shesaw “a need for the center inSt.Mary’sCounty”andopenedthe Charlotte Hall center. Allthree of her exercise centers,accordingtoSquires,“areverysuccessful.”

CravingContinued from page A - 1

they plan to enclose and turnintoasolarium.

In Lexington Park, the Mixing Bowl has reopened withaseveralnewmenuitems.SeafoodandItaliancuisinearenew to its menu. While thecream-coloredwallsandgreenbooths offer a unique setting, this restaurant is highlighted by its friendlypersona that jumpsout upon walking in. OwnersYa-Ling Pan and Michael Ruisi had a class B-Restaurant Beer Wine and Liquor license ap-proved last Thursday by the St. Mary’s County Alcohol Bever-age Board.

Foragoodgameofhorse-shoes or an attempt at playingthe angles of pool, Big Dogs’ Paradise Bar and Liquor in Me-chanicsville will soon be the place for both. President Brian L. Adkins, of Waldorf, said he hopes his bar will be a place where people can relax andhaveagoodtime.

Big Dogs’ Paradise is un-dergoing renovations to both its interior and exterior grounds.The exterior will host an out-door bar area for horseshoe players,.

Those under 21 will not be allowed inside the bar, but will be allowed in the outdoor area accordingtoAdkins,whoadd-ed thateveryonewhoattemptsto enter the bar, regardless of their age, must present valididentification.

“Wearealwayslookingtoeliminate the problems before theystart,”Adkinssaid.

The liquor board expressed concernwithunderagealcoholsales, and customers bring-ing their own alcohol into theoutdoor bar area, which is cur-rentlyopen to the surroundingareas.Adkinssaidhewascon-sidering a fence to lessen thelikelihood of those problems coming about.

More information on thenew restaurants is available on theSt.Mary’sCountyGovern-ment website.

Mixing Bowl owner Ya-Ling Pan invites patrons in with her warm and friendly manner. After being closed for several months for renovations, the Mixing Bowl is open for business again.

Photo by Adam Ross

New Year’s Resolution?Determination…andLotsofEffort

Photo by Patty Muchow

Three generations of the same family have been members of Lady’s Workout Express since it opened two years ago. In the center is Mary Mileto, 85, and to the left is daughter Marianne Corrigan, 48. Rounding out the trio is granddaughter Jordan Corrigan, 19.

Photo by Patty Muchow

Winning Loser: Debbie Joy, of Hol-lywood, lost 31 lbs. in three months making her the winning member of the recent PHAT Girls Weight Man-agement team program at Ladies Workout Express. This twelve-week program is held occasionally dur-ing the year.