A warrant has been issued in Montgomery County for the arrest of Deandrew Hamlin, the man who stole slain American University professor Sue Ann Marcum’s Jeep and a suspect in the mueder. He is currently detained in Washington, D.C. on other charges.

The 18 year old was arrested in D.C. soon after Marcum’s body was found in her Bethesda home early Monday. He took police on a small chase, eventually wrecking her Jeep on M Street Northwest. He is charged with being a fugitive from Mayland and unauthorized use of a vehicle by the Montgomery County Police, and is in jail in D.C on charges of being a fugitive from justice.

Hamlin is a prime suspect in her murder, as police found stolen items in his home that could be enough to formally charge him at a later date as the investigation continues. For now, his extradition hearing is slated to take place November 24.

Marcum’s official cause of death was determined as homicide by asphyxiation and blunt force trauma by the Bethesda medical examiner.

American University has planned a remembrance service for Marcum for 8 p.m. Nov. 9. in Bender Arena, 4400 Massachusetts Ave., Washington D.C.

Popularity: 29% [?]

As Interstate 95 marks its 50th anniversary this year, the I-95 Corridor Coalition announced several key milestones in their coordinated multi-state effort focused on improving the transport of people and commerce in a region representing the world’s 3rd largest economy.

Today, the Coalition announced its ground-breaking “Vehicle Probe Project” now provides real-time traffic speeds and travel time information for more than 5,000 miles of roads along the I-95 corridor.  In announcing the expansion, the Coalition outlined how the 2-year-old project, through a more cost-effective approach, has improved operations, managed emergency response, and delivered new and improved traveler information services.

“Two years ago, leaders of the Coalition decided to seek consistent real-time traffic data for a large multi-state area, believing the timing was right to leverage technology capable of delivering high quality traffic information at much less cost than traditional approaches,” said George Schoener, Executive Director, I-95 Corridor Coalition

The I-95 Vehicle Probe Project is a public-private partnership, launched in October 2008, between the Coalition, the University of Maryland and INRIX resulting from a competitive bidding process managed by the Coalition.  The project is focused on creating the nation’s first seamless traffic information and monitoring system to use “crowd-sourced” traffic information for achieving a more complete view of travel times and speeds on freeways and arterials along the eastern seaboard.  Key results to date include:

• Better Traffic Monitoring at a Fraction of the Cost. In addition to providing states with a more complete view of traffic conditions on their major roads, INRIX’s real-time traffic information has helped states more effectively allocate limited traffic operations resources.  According to North Carolina DOT where previous approaches to gathering traffic data had a life cycle cost of nearly $50,000 per mile, INRIX vehicle probe data has been proven to deliver more coverage at about 25 percent of the per mile life cycle cost.(2)  Similarly, South Carolina DOT claimed that maintaining coverage to gain speed data for over 300 miles of South Carolina roads using traditional methods is equal to the total cost of the INRIX speed and travel time data for 1,200 miles of roads.(2)
• Faster Emergency Response. In addition to seeing real-time traffic conditions for more roadways and across state lines, member states have been able to more quickly identify and respond to traffic issues.  In New Jersey, traffic operations staff identified a serious accident on a stretch of I-80 during a surprise October 2008 snowstorm that they previously wouldn’t have been able to see using their CCTV system.  Without the Vehicle Probe Project traffic monitoring site, response to the 2nd incident would have been delayed by as much as an hour.  NJDOT estimated that the expedited response to the second incident translated into $100,000 in savings in user delay costs. (2)
• New and Improved Traveler Information Services. In a region of 100 million people where more than 100,000 cars and trucks travel the I-95 corridor every day, the Project has delivered new and improved traveler information services that help residents and businesses better plan their trips including:
  • Online. i95travelinfo.net provides valuable information to help people better plan their trips with traffic information and travel times for destinations in 15 states covering 24 metropolitan areas including I-95, the beltways surrounding each major city, and all associated routes that together make up the corridor.  Additionally, New Jersey DOT is now posting trip times for key corridors and work zones on its newly upgraded nj511.org site along with the traffic flow map that has been on the site since the projects inception.
  • On the road. The Maryland State Highway Administration is now posting travel times on 22 dynamic message signs in the Baltimore/Washington area during peak periods using Project data.  Additionally, Virginia DOT is displaying travel time information to common destinations on several multi-function displays at one of the nation’s largest malls at Tysons Corner and at two welcome centers along I-95.
  • On the phone.  North Carolina DOT has created a statewide “virtual dynamic message sign” feature on its 511 telephone service that allows callers to get estimated travel times to major interchanges.  The Florida DOT also has made improvements to its statewide 511 service by using project data along I-10 and I-75 in North Florida, areas previously not covered until Florida joined the Project in June 2010.

“As we move forward with to expand coverage throughout the Coalition, more of our members will have access to traffic data that is becoming a valuable tool in the development of performance measures for their systems,” added Schoener.

Popularity: 26% [?]

Over 100 business owners in Gaithersburg could have their signs destroyed by the city by next February.

The city’s development committee says many of the signs in the city are antiquated and gaudily ugly.  A long, 29 page law states that signs not attached to a building can’t be more than 10 feet tall. Signs on roofs can’t be higher than the pitch of the roof, and moving signs with flashing lights are prohibited.

All of these signs are safe courtesy of a five year grace period granted by the ordinance, but they could start being trashed as early as this coming January.

Some in the city support the ordinance because of the eyesore some of the signs create. However, those who actually own businesses in the area say they can’t conform because of a shortage of funds. The owner of the Golden Bull, Bob Sheahin, told the Gazette: “They think businesses have the money to do that right now? That’s crazy. It’s tough out there right now just to stay in business.” He says his sign would be at least $25,000 to replace, which is major because people associate his business with his sign, much like many other businesses.

Sign replacement is not a cheap ordeal. Many signs, at the most basic, can cost up to $20,000. Individually lighted letter boxes sell for $400 for each letter.

Last Friday, the committee gathered to hammer out the details of the law. No concrete solution was made, but the chairman told the Gazette that “It would be horrible if a business went out because of a $10,000 sign. To do all or nothing, the fallout of that could be significant.”

Popularity: 31% [?]

Police were training for a campus shooting at The Universities at Shady Grove Sunday, preparing themselves in case of a real shooting scenario.

Police from the Maryland State Police, Rockville, Gaithersburg and the Montgomery County PD participated in the lifelike event. Adorned with flak jackets, helmets and shields and deployed in SWAT vehicles, the law enforcement members rushed towards the campus in groups of four and six. They were part of a mock shooting which was based off of a real campus shooting in history, including 40 students and 20 officers total. The real life shooting was not named by authorities.

Participating Montgomery County Police Sgt. Charles Swinford told the Montgomery Gazette: “It’s scenario-based training, much different than a classroom and as close as we can get to the real event. It’s kind of like a scrimmage for a basketball game. You go from drills to full practice to the real situation.”

Realism seemed to be key for this exercise – victims wore painted wounds while gunmen carried fake semi-auto guns and police carried guns that shot out soap bullets.

The exercise comes as an ongoing response to the events of the deadly 1999 Columbine High School massacre and subsequent shootings since, including the 2001 sniper attacks. Montgomery County started out with classroom preparation drills, and are now stepping up their training with full-scale law enforcement involvement. Authorities say that there are 1,100 officers in Montgomery County and they are trying to get as many as possible acclimated to a real-world campus shooting.

Popularity: 27% [?]

Halloween came a little early for Frederick.

Many volunteers adorned in zombie costumes participated in a commercial filming for Beyond Comics, a comic book store located in Gaithersburg and Frederick. Many from the community came out wearing their best zombie impressions, confusing some who had no idea that a shoot was even going on.

An employee of the store, D.C, said “A lot of people didn’t know what was going on. There were a lot of people watching as we were filming, and I had to kind of explain to them what was happening.”

The commercial shoot was a promotion for a show premiering on AMC Halloween night entitled “The Walking Dead,” which airs at 10 PM. It is based on a comic book series of the same name that the store carries. The series tells a story about life after a zombie invasion, survival in a seemingly empty world, and how survivors of the invasion could be more dangerous than the zombies themselves.

Overall, D.C. said that the shoot was successful. “We had people coming from all over Frederick and Montgomery counties willing to participate. Many of our customers spread the word of this event, and we announced it on our mailing list.” He stated that around 70 people came out to emulate zombies and fleeing humans for the shoot.

Volunteers showed up as early as 9:30 am to be transformed into zombies by makeup artists, according to the Montgomery Gazette. Camera crews gave chase down alleys and roads to shoot hoards of zombies chasing doomed humans. Overall, the response from volunteers was positive and D.C. says that the shoot will bring more awareness to the business and the show itself.

To celebrate the new show, Beyond Comics will host a premiere party for “The Walking Dead”  at 9:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 31 at WOW Café & Wingery, located at 5100 Buckeystown Pike. The party will feature discounted food and drinks, a zombie costume contest, trivia and giveaways. Admission is one canned food item for the Frederick Food Bank. For more information, call the store at 301-668-8202.

Popularity: 31% [?]

Big Brother is watching you, Gaithersburg – even from school buses.

Montgomery County Schools said they have added cameras to the left side of 96 buses to catch people flying past the warning lights.

They insist that the cameras won’t be used to give tickets, but they will get the license plate number of offenders and send them a letter notifying them of their negligence.

The cameras in question cost a total of $48,000, and the school board says no incident in particular led them to take such measures. However, people speeding around stopped buses is a common occurrence in the area and ostensibly, everywhere else.

The electric eyes will be used to  support proposed legislation to allow citations to be given for driving around a bus. The legislation crashed and burned last time it was proposed.

Popularity: 25% [?]

New Jersey’s cornucopia of fruits and vegetables overflows from the cafeteria to the classrooms of Lakewood School District, giving teachers a chance to fuel their students’ academic performance while teaching a quick lesson on eating right as Sodexo serves up local produce to all children in the classroom.

A $75,000 New Jersey’s Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program grant, secured by nutrition-provider Sodexo for Lakewood School District, will make fresh and local produce abundantly available in schools throughout the state.

The grant, administered by New Jersey’s Department of Agriculture for the third consecutive year, provides the Lakewood School District with fresh produce throughout the 2010-2011 school year and allows Sodexo to teach students about the importance of fruits and vegetables in their diet. Sodexo is using the grant to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables for more than 1,600 elementary school students at both Ella G. Clarke School and Spruce Street School in Lakewood.

Sodexo, a 20-year strategic partner with the Lakewood School District, fills bags with local fruits and vegetables twice each week throughout the entire school year. The Sodexo team works closely with teachers to deliver the fresh produce to students to eat and enjoy in their classroom. This system promotes fruit and vegetables consumption as part of a daily routine, in addition to the school lunch students get in the cafeteria.

Getting students to eat fruits and vegetables can be challenging but Sodexo engages them with fun, interactive and informative programs. For example, the A to Z Salad Bar expands student palates in a fun way by allowing them to try a fruit or vegetable from every letter of the alphabet. Another program, arranges for visits from local farmers and food producers to teach students about where their food comes from.

“We really enjoy participating in the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program and we are particularly proud that we are able to use both the grant money and our student well-being expertise to get more Lakewood students eating fruits and vegetables,” said Armida Caldwell, general manager for Sodexo. “This program is only successful if you get the kids to eat the food and we think our approach makes healthy eating and nutrition education fun and exciting.”

In addition to Lakewood, six Sodexo-served districts in New Jersey are also receiving 2010-2011 Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program funds including:

• Atlantic City School District – Atlantic City, N.J.
• East Orange School District – East Orange, N.J.
• Long Branch Public Schools – Long Branch, N.J.
• Phillipsburg School District – Phillipsburg, N.J.
• Plainfield Public Schools – Plainfield, N.J.
• West Orange Public Schools – West Orange, N.J.

Sodexo is observing National School Lunch Week, Oct. 11 to 15 by highlighting innovative programs in the 480 school districts it serves. Sodexo is committed to take measurable sustainable actions that ensure a brighter future in the areas of health and wellness, environmental stewardship and community development. Sodexo School Services focuses on nutrition, achievement, environment, community and activity to promote student well-being.

Popularity: 27% [?]

A troubled teen has been given a sentence of 25 years behind bars for the murder of a Gaithersburg car salesman, 57 year old Ali Reza Zare.

The murderer, Artie Ellis, saw his life sentence reduced to 25 years upon entering a guilty plea. The other person of interest in the case, Emily Geller, was given essentially the same deal in August.

The 15 year old killed the car salesman by nailing him with a shovel in a robbery attempt in the woods. He and Geller stole the man’s car, wallet and cell phone. They were nabbed when they tried to use his card at an ATM machine at a mall in Bethesda – police just connected the dots.

Additionally, Geller was the mastermind of the plot, according to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office. She lured Zare into the wooded area near Bells Mill Elementary with a promise of sex when the attempted robbery took place.

Calls made from Zare’s stolen cell phone to Geller’s house didn’t help the duo in the investigation, either.

Ellis’ attorney, in defense of Ellis, said he had a troubled home life laced with cocaine, PCP and marijuana use – as well as a plethora of psychological issues. She tried to get Ellis put in Patuxent Institute, a mental ward, so he could be rehabilitated upon his release. The judge, however, didn’t see it that way.

The Gazette reported his response to the plea for added leniency: “I recognize that most 15 year olds don’t have a lot of foresight … but they don’t go out and plan a robbery.”

Popularity: 2% [?]

AccuStrata Inc., a company in the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech) Technology Advancement Program incubator developing a control system that increases the power solar cells generate, has received a $432,000 phase II small business innovation research (SBIR) grant from the National Science Foundation, university officials announce today.

The grant is the sixth the company has won in the past 18 months.

AccuStrata is developing a real-time process control system, called TF Auto-Pilot, which detects manufacturing flaws in solar panels and allows manufacturers to correct the panel and return them to their targeted specification, enabling higher-power panels and fewer product rejects.

“Solar cells manufactured with our system can produce 15-20 percent more power,” says AccuStrata President George Atanasoff. “With this funding, we are developing an improved prototype system and validating it for the two most widely used thin film solar panel manufacturing technologies.”

Decreasing flawed and rejected panels “on the fly” as products are made increases solar panel efficiency and manufacturing yield, reduces manufacturing costs, and increases revenue and profit for manufacturers.

In March 2010, AccuStrata received a $70,000 phase I SBIR grant from the Environmental Protection Agency. In January 2010, the company received a $35,000 phase II SBIR grant from the National Science Foundation. In December 2009, the company won a $150,000, phase I Department of Energy SBIR grant. In August 2009, the company won a DOE Supply Chain grant for $150,000. In June 2009, AccuStrata received a National Science Foundation phase I SBIR grant for $100,000. The company also received funding from the Maryland Technology Development Corporation through the Maryland Technology Transfer Fund.

AccuStrata was selected as the Maryland Incubator Company of the Year in 2008 and was again nominated for Maryland Incubator Company of the Year in 2009.

Popularity: 29% [?]

The National Education Association (NEA) Academy has partnered with UMassOnline, Western Governors University and Walden University to provide Master’s of Education degrees to NEA members.

The agreement creates the first master’s degree program offered through strategic alliances with the NEA. It adds to the Academy’s extensive offerings of professional learning opportunities available to the association’s 3.2 million members through the NEA Academy.

The three institutions were selected after a lengthy research process into over 110 online Master’s of Education degree programs with key stakeholder input. Through the partnerships, NEA members will receive 5 to 20 percent discounts on courses, special access to NEA member-only scholarships, and have some fees waived.

“Our mission is to create programs that make the personal and professional lives of members better. This includes providing convenient access to the lifelong learning opportunities we know educators seek out. These partnerships and this program reflect the NEA’s commitment to helping educators master their craft,” said Lily Eskelsen, vice president of the National Education Association. “We are pleased to provide affordable, anytime, anywhere access to degree programs through UMassOnline, Western Governors University and Walden University.”

UMassOnline was established in 2001 to serve community educational needs and increase quality, affordability and an internationally recognized education, UMassOnline provides access to the high-quality programs offered by the University of Massachusetts’ Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell or Worcester campuses. Through the agreement, NEA members have access to 15 different master’s programs and can save up to $2,730.

“UMassOnline is honored by this selection by the NEA Academy,” said Dr. Ken Udas, UMassOnline Chief Executive Officer. “Our ten-year history of consecutive double digit growth on the strength of tremendous online programs developed and taught by our on-campus faculty positions the University of Massachusetts, among the other partners, to provide substantial value to NEA members.”

Western Governors University is the nation’s only non-profit, all-online university. WGU’s NCATE-approved Teachers College, which has nearly 10,000 students in all 50 states, is flexible, affordable, and student-focused. NEA members have access to 15 master’s degree programs, including some with options for licensure. With member discounts, the cost for a two-year degree program at WGU is approximately $11,000. In addition, WGU’s competency-based academic model allows students to accelerate, making it possible for them to complete their degrees more quickly, further reducing tuition costs. Members are also eligible to apply for one of 30 WGU-NEA Academy Scholarships awarded annually and valued at up to $1,200.

Finally, Walden University’s Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership is dedicated to increasing teacher effectiveness and student achievement by connecting its students with nationally recognized education experts, researchers and scholars. Walden is offering NEA members the opportunity to choose between two master’s degrees—M.S. in Education or M.S. in Instructional Design and Technology—that include more than 15 specializations to help teachers meet their personal and professional goals. Through the partnership with the NEA Academy, members can receive a 10% tuition reduction and gain access to $100,000 per year in NEA member scholarships.

For additional information about the partnership between the NEA Academy and Walden University, Western Governors University and UMassOnline please visit:

www.neaacademy.org

Popularity: 26% [?]