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Comedian Engvall takes break from competition to stop by Strathmore. B-5
The Gazette OLNEY
DAILY UPDATES ONLINE www.gazette.net
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
25 cents
Mass furloughs expected in Montgomery
Having a good stein At right, The Blaskapelle Alte Kameraden “Old Comrades” German Band performed at the Sandy Spring Museum’s Oktoberfest fundraiser. Below, Doug Farquhar is in the Oktoberfest spirit, wearing, as he puts it, his thrift store lederhosen, with Lisa McKillop of Highland (center) and Julie Thomas of Leisure World at the fundraiser.
Federal agencies slash operations, national parks close n
PHOTOS BY GEORGE P. SMITH /FOR THE GAZETTE
BY
KATE S. ALEXANDER AND KEVIN SHAY STAFF WRITERS
G
erman bands, German beer and lederhosen may have been on stage at the very first Oktoberfest Saturday, but it was the Sandy Spring Museum that was the star of the show. About 150 people attended the festival at the museum campus, located at 17901 Bentley Road. The event raised about $25,000 for
programming and projects at the museum, according to Allison Weiss, executive director of the Sandy Spring Museum. “For the first-time event, I think our goals were achieved. I think it was everybody’s intention to be an annual fall event,” she said. — KRISTA BRICK
Starr wants later high school start time n
First bell would ring at 8:15 a.m. BY
LINDSAY A. POWERS STAFF WRITER
High school students in Montgomery County Public Schools may be one step closer to getting more time to sleep before they wake up for school. Superintendent Joshua P. Starr announced Tuesday his recommendation to move the start time for the school system’s high schools back 50 minutes, from 7:25 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. Starr is also recommending adding 30 minutes to the elementary school day to
match the length of the high school and middle school days, and moving middle schools’ start time 10 minutes earlier to 7:45 a.m. Start and end times would not change until the 2015-16 school year at the earliest, Starr said. Starr said at a press conference Tuesday that the school system will study the feasibility and practicality of his recommendation, partially through engaging students, families, staff and the community and partially through estimating costs. “We’ve heard from some but not all of our community,” he said.
See START, Page A-11
DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE
Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Joshua P. Starr talks to the press about a report from the Bell Times Work Group, which is looking at pushing back school start times.
DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE
Thousands of federal jobs and employees call Montgomery County home, but many were not working Tuesday after Congress’ inability to compromise on the federal budget, shutting down most government operations. Exactly how many Montgomery County residents were forced to stay home was unclear, but most agencies in the county were slashing operations and mandating that most employees stay home. Employees who are furloughed are required to not work and will not receive pay. Montgomery is also home to many companies that contract with the government. Those companies could see employees furloughed and delays in contract bids and awards. Eighteen federal agencies and installations are in the county, including the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Energy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the National Institutes of Health. When Congress failed to pass legislation to fund the government Monday night in an impasse over the health care reform law, it triggered plans for agencies to halt all but essential operations. For the Silver Spring-based Food and Drug Administration, 45 percent of its 13,000-member work force was scheduled for furlough, spokesman Steven Immergut said. Most of those reporting to work Tuesday are paid with user fees, money outside the budget, he said. The last time the government shut down in 1996, em-
One of the gates to the National Institute of Standards and Technology is closed Tuesday afternoon after federal workers were furloughed.
ployees were eventually repaid for the closure. Whether employees will get back pay this time is up to Congress, said Jennifer Huergo, spokeswoman for the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Reached Monday, Huergo said she was among those who would be furloughed during the shutdown. During the 1996 shutdown, which lasted three weeks, contractors were not reimbursed. If all of Montgomery County’s residents employed by the federal government were out of work for one day, it would cost the county $500,000 in income tax revenue, County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) said. Should the federal government not repay employees furloughed by the shutdown, he said it will affect actual county income tax revenue. To lessen the blow, Montgomery prepared for both federal furloughs by lowering its budgeted income tax revenue $60 million in fiscal 2014, he said. Whether $60 million is enough cushion, Leggett said remains to be seen. In 2011, federal jobs totaled 46,020 in Montgomery, according to county data. The U.S. Department of Labor estimated the number of federal jobs in both Montgomery and Frederick counties at 51,400 in August 2013. Many county residents work in federal jobs in Washington,
See SHUTDOWN, Page A-11
New chapter looms in fight over required government ads in newspapers Sides disagree on most efficient ways Digital to get information to the public overnment n
The first in a two-part series
INSIDE n High-speed Internet access is available to more than nine of every 10 households in the county, making it one of the nation’s most connected communities. A-15
NEWS
GUILTY PLEA IN SLAYING
BY
ANDREW SCHOTZ STAFF WRITER
Lawmakers and government groups are resuming a fight with media representatives over a requirement to buy newspaper advertisements. Known as “legal notices,” the ads are mandatory an-
nouncements of certain government proceedings, such as public hearings and zoning requests. They are a revenue source for newspapers and a longstanding way to inform the public. The main questions: Are these ads the best way to publicize government workings?
SPORTS
Should government bodies be forced to buy the ads? The Maryland Municipal League and the Maryland Association of Counties argue that the current legal-ad system is inefficient and wasteful; government bodies have better, cheaper ways to reach constituents. But the Maryland-DelawareD.C. Press Association, a media
SIZE DOESN’T MATTER
Prince George’s County man stabbed Olney man at Woodley Park Metro Station.
Rockville High quarterback lacks traditional size, but is putting up impressive numbers.
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Garrett Park’s official town bulletin board inside the post office.
See ADS, Page A-15
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RECYCLE
FALL HOME SERVICES INSIDE
FOCUS ON LAWN & TREE SERVICES LOCAL JOBS INSIDE ADVERTISING INSIDE B SECTION
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