Friday, January 25, 2013
A Maryland company started making bulletproof school supplies in response to the shootings at Newtown, Conn. Company owner tells Capital News Service the supplies are a last line of defense.
Since the shootings in Newtown, Conn., much of the discussion has swirled around gun control and school security, whether there should be armed police officers or guards in America’s schools. But what about bulletproof school supplies? Several Montgomery County Patch sites picked up a Capital News Service story about Hardwire LLC. The Eastern Shore military armor company started making bulletproof whiteboards and clipboards in response to the tragic school shootings. The company’s CEO George Tunis told CNS that the bulletproof school supplies could be effective if incorporated into a broader security strategy. He donated 90 of the white boards to a school in Worcester County, according to the report. "Inside every classroom, with every …
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Heroines with bows, vampires, super heroes and James Bond dominated the 2012 box office.
In 2012, box office tallies increased for the first time in three years, hitting an all-time high of $10.8 billion, according to a recent Huffington Post article. Superheroes, secret agents, strong females wielding weapons, and animated fare took seven of the top 10 slots in terms of domestic gross, with Marvels' The Avengers raking in more than $623 million, The Dark Knight Rises over $448 million and the Hunger Games over $408 billion. Rounding out the top 10 were: While they may not (yet) be in the $200 million+ range, a number of other films are both critically and popularly acclaimed. The recently opened Les Miserables and Django Unchained seem likely to cross that barrier, while Lincoln, Argo and Life of Pi will probably enjoy a …
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
A collection of the best comments following Gaithersburg's unanimous approval of the annexation of Shady Grove Road's approximately 28 acre Sears property.
City officials and residents from Gaithersburg and Rockville alike have offered strong opinions regarding Gaithersburg's unanimous vote to annex the 27.9 acre Sears property located along Shady Grove Road. The decision follows a Montgomery County Council July 31 decision to approve a zone change for the property, shifting it from Research and Development (R&D), which prohibits retail, to Mixed Use District (MXD) zoning. Prior to the vote, Rockville City Council member Tom Moore said in a blog on Patch that Gaithersburg officials were "preparing to wreak serious, unnecessary and perhaps permanent damage upon the relationship between their city and the City of Rockville." Gaithersburg City Council member Cathy Drzyzgula replied directly to …
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
What do you think of the controversy?
The Archdiocese of Washington has joined dozens of Catholic organizations across the country in fighting a mandate that religious employers provide workers with birth control coverage. A coalition that includes Catholic University of America, the Archdiocese of Washington, the Consortium of Catholic Academies, Archbishop Carroll High School and Catholic Charities of D.C. filed suit in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Monday. The suit challenges the recent Department of Health and Human Services mandate that forces the institutions to provide health insurance covering contraception and other medical practices that run counter to church teachings. "The archdiocese’s complaint maintains that the HHS mandate violates the …
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Some county employees worked more than 1,000 overtime hours each in 2011.
Some county employees logged in more than 1,000 overtime hours last year, according to a report published last month by The Washington Examiner. "More than 280 county employees earned more than $30,000 in overtime last year—with dozens nearly doubling their regular paychecks," The Examiner reported. Still, the top overtime workers were those in harder-to-fill positions: firefighters, mostly, with some correctional officers and a few police officers and bus drivers sprinkled into the mix. The Examiner published a document listing the overtime hours and overtime pay for Montgomery County employees. Notably, one bus operator worked more than 2,000 hours in overtime in 2011—"the equivalent of 57.4 extra 40-hour workweeks," The Examiner …
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Facebook executives announced the new feature Tuesday morning on Good Morning America encouraging its 900 million users to let others know if they are organ donors, according to a Washington Post report.
You might be familiar with the tiny heart on driver's licenses marking the license's owner as an organ donor. Now, you might find the tiny heart on Facebook, too. Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg announced the social networking giant added the ability to both register as an organ donor and demonstrate it in your profile on ABC's "Good Morning America" Tuesday morning. The new initiative, which encourages Facebook's 900 million users to let others know they are organ donors, was motivated by Zuckerberg's relationship with Apple's late co-founder, Steve Jobs, and Zuckerberg's girlfriend, according to The Washington Post. The two each encouraged Zuckerberg to use Facebook as a means for spreading social awareness. Facebook's FAQ …
Friday, April 27, 2012
With the second pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, the Washington Redskins selected Robert Griffin III, Baylor University's Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback.
Following former-Indianapolis Colts, now-Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning's release in early March, Patch asked whether you thought the Redskins should pursue the Super Bowl champion and four-time league MVP or go a different route. The different route won out. In Thursday night's first round of the NFL Draft, the Washington Redskins selected Baylor University's Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, Robert Griffin III, with the second overall pick. Washington traded its first round pick in this year's draft (No. 6), along with it's 2012 second round pick, 2013 first round pick and 2014 first round pick to the St. Louis Rams for the right to select RGIII behind Stanford's Andrew Luck, who was picked No. 1 by Indianapolis. In March, …
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot says Maryland's families and economy would benefit from a later school year start. Do you agree?
Should public schools open after Labor Day? Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot says they should. Citing the benefits to Maryland families, small businesses and tourism, Franchot called for a policy change to have all school systems in the state begin classes after Labor Day weekend, according to a press release. Most state school systems now begin classes a week to 10 days before the end-of-summer holiday, which takes place this year on Monday, Sept. 3. For the 2012-2013 school year, Montgomery County Public Schools will begin classes on Monday, Aug. 27. Nearby, in Prince George's County, students will begin classes on Monday, Aug. 20. Teachers generally report back to school a week before the students. 'The chance for families to spend …
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Does the Discovery trip end one chapter, or start another?
The Space Shuttle Discovery made its retirement voyage from Florida to Virginia, dazzling spectators who stopped to watch the final flight. Here's a great gallery of photos and videos submitted by Patch readers. For those of us who remember the moon walks and the Challenger and Columbia disasters, this was a bittersweet moment. The United States has accomplished so much in space—it seems sad we have to hitch a ride from the Russians to send our scientists to the International Space Station. In his coverage yesterday from Reagan National Airport, Falls Church Patch Editor Andre Taylor met up with Terry Springer, NASA’s lead for communications and education. Springer said NASA is looking into different spacecraft to replace the shuttles but …
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
School districts in Maryland and Virginia are closing early for the year after using none of their built-in snow days.
While a mild winter and lack of snow left young students in Maryland without days off from school to sled and relax, they may be getting the last laugh. Students in Baltimore, Prince George’s, Anne Arundel, Howard and Carroll counties are likely to start their summer breaks a week early due to a mild winter that produced no snow days, according to a report by Savage-Guilford Patch. Frederick County Public Schools are also likely to close early, without having used any of their built-in snow days, an FCPS spokesperson told Patch. But Montgomery County Public Schools — with the last day scheduled for Tuesday, June 12 — has no current plans to wrap up early, MCPS spokesman Dana Tofig told Patch in an email. “I am not aware that this is being…
Jay Levy
8:47 am on Sunday, January 27, 2013
What a great idea. Of course, kids only wear their backpacks to and from school so why not also put as little derringer in the backpack. Oh, wait a minute, maybe dleivering the kids to school in tanks would be better, then they would be hustled into a totally fortified school building for their complete protection. more ›