Helping history survive at Mount Carmel Weekend Mollusk mania takes over at oyster festival N. Point golf wins district Sports, Page B-1 Friday, October 17, 2014 n Charles County, Maryland 75¢ Police say man ran over wife with car That’s a great pumpkin nn Victim called 911 minutes before body found By ANDREW MICHAELS Staff writer Staff photo by R.C. DOWNS Conner Garner, 10, right, and Austin Garner, 7, of Mechanicsville pick out a Halloween pumpkin on Tuesday at Howard Farm’s stand on Route 5 in Forest Park. District 2 race dealt Holland write-in wild card nn Contest is one of two to feature off-ballot challenge Charles County sheriff’s officers arrested Brian Patrick Weyhenmeyer, 32, of Waldorf on Wednesday and charged him with the homicide death of his wife, Jennifer Lynn Weyhenmeyer, 36, after police said he ran her over with a car on Oct. 12 behind a shopping center in the 3200 block of Crain High- nn Despite efforts, number grows just 0.7 percent By JEREMY BAUER-WOLF Staff writer Staff writer Bakir Business alliance hosts meet and greet with election looming Business B-4 CommunityB-5 Editorial A-8 ObituariesA-10 Police news A-6,7 Sports B-1 Davis gather to give one-stop convenience By REBECCA J. BARNABI Staff writer Homeless Resource Day connected 95 people with community services Wednesday at the Jaycees teachers put in long hours after classes Charles scores high in survey Potomac group rates jurisdictions on land use rules A-9 Vol. 144, No. 84 5 sections Copyright 2014 Southern Maryland Newspapers See DEATH, Page A-12 ity hires, members of the board of education and school officials say they feel they can explore other avenues to attract and retain minority teachers. The school system hired 38 black female teachers and 12 black male teachers for the 2014-15 school year, approximately 17.8 percent and 5.6 percent, respectively, of the overall 213 hires. Forty-three more teachers were hired than the previous school year, said Dean Brooks, human resources specialist with county schools. Other races are represented less: The system brought in four women Asian teachers, four Hispanic women teachers, two Native American women and one Hispanic man. The number of minorities hired increased 0.7 percent overall. More than half of the new hires are white women, 131, or a total 61.5 percent of the total. See HIRING, Page A-12 center in Waldorf and nearby Health Partners offices. Hosted by the Charles County Homeless and Emergency Shelter Committee, Homeless Resource Day has been held six times, said Dayle Hadden, communications director for United Way of Charles County. The first was held in 2010. Mark and Cathy Huffer said they found themselves homeless in July after trying to make a not-so-good living situation work. The couple have been together for 11 years and married for nine years, and Mark Huffer said they were doing fine until 2010 when he suffered an injury and lost his job. “[Homelessness] doesn’t define who I am,” Mark Huffer, 51, said. “This is just the situation I’m in.” The couple were living in the Thunderbird Apartments in Newburg when Mark Huffer lost his job. They found themselves homeless for most of 2013. Mark Huffer, born and raised in Prince George’s County, works part time at the Wal-Mart in La Plata, and Cathy Huffer receives disability payments. Mark Huffer said he was a fireSee SERVICES, Page A-13 So. Md. educators chafe over salary issues, respect nn Administrators, A-4 Inside Charles County Public Schools employed more than 200 new teachers for the 2014-15 school year, and though 27 percent of them are minor- nn Providers Holland Candidates meet voters with blaring music, refusing to let her out of the car. As the couple was driving near Fun Haven Golf in La Plata, the charging documents state, it was approximately 7:34 p.m. when the police heard Jennifer Weyhenmeyer state that her husband was jealous of her and “p---ed off” at her. The police report said the communications office continued to have some difficulty understanding Jennifer Weyhenmeyer over the loud music in the background. She then said they were driving to Waldorf. Special day unites homeless folks, services 2014 See RACE, Page A-6 way in Waldorf. A t approxim a t e l y 7:24 p.m., the sheriff’s office commuWeyhenmeyer nications received a call from Jennifer Weyhenmeyer, who said she was arguing with her husband in a white Ford Edge while he was driving north on Crain Highway, according to the police report. Jennifer Weyhenmeyer also said her husband was driving erratically School system sees slight uptick in minority hires, mulls options By JEFF NEWMAN In one of two Charles County commissioner races featuring a notable write-in candidate, Commissioner Debra M. Davis is vying to overcome challenges from Republican nominee E LECTIO N Mike Bakir and her runner-up in the Democratic primary, Melanie B. Holland. Davis (D) won the five-way primary in District 2 with 39.7 percent of the vote, but Holland finished a close second with 36.5 percent, or 459 votes fewer than Davis. Despite Holland’s strong showing, Davis said she is not “overly concerned” about losing Democratic votes in the Nov. 4 general election. “I feel that the Democrats have spoken, and FRIDAY Established 1872 Community, Page B-5 By JEREMY BAUER-WOLF Staff writer Sean Sayers, a teacher at Spring Ridge Middle School in Lexington Park, teaches 140 children each day. That’s 140 names and personalities, with outside interests that Sayers will memorize, and 140 students who possess unique academic strengths and blind spots. That’s 140 sets of parents who fuss about their children’s grades, to whom Sayers must answer. And likely, each of those 140 will at some point during the 10-month school year have a bad day, fail a test or grapple with a problem at home. And it’s Sayers’ job to know and help. For his time, which often bleeds far past the nearly eight-hour school day at Spring Ridge, Sayers said he is compensated approximately $600 a week, after taxes. He has taught for more than seven years. Sayers often stays after school for hours tweaking lesson plans. Some of his colleagues with children gather their materials to work from home and continue far into the night, only to rise and be at school at 6 a.m. to prepare for the students’ arrival. “I’ve gotten emails at midnight or 1 in the morning,” he said. Sayers’ story is one echoed among teachers across Southern Maryland. The unions and teachers peg the blame on school officials, whose leadership earns six figures, and elected policy makers, whom they decry as unsupportive and unwilling to furnish more funding. See TEACHERS, Page A-11 Staff photo by R.C. DOWNS Teacher Holly Walsh leads her class in a lesson at Mount Hope/Nanjemoy Elementary School in Nanjemoy.
© Copyright 2024