North Point claims
SMAC indoor
track meet title
See special section inside
Sports, Page B-1
Established 1872
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
n
75¢
Charles County, Maryland
WE DNE SDA Y
It’s all about
the kids in
Our Children
Berry suit
vs. Coffey
gets started
nn Jurors hear
testimony from
Coffey, Collins
By ANDREW MICHAELS
Staff writer
Staff photo by JEREMY BAUER-WOLF
Deanna Wheeler, a teacher at J.C. Parks Elementary School, has earned the honor of Teacher of the Year from the Chesapeake Bay Trust, a
nonprofit dedicated to cleaning the waters of the bay and its tributaries through educational and community outreach initiatives.
Students know where wild things
are: in school’s own backyard
nn Wheeler
planned,
raised funds for wetland
By JEREMY BAUER-WOLF
Staff writer
Only several years ago, a large swath
of the J.C. Parks Elementary School campus was flat turf and a shallow ditch —
unrecognizable from the current setup,
which features a small pavilion and the
school’s own little wetland, teaming
with wriggling bits of wildlife native to
Maryland.
The catalyst behind this beautification is one woman: fourth- and fifthgrade instructor Deanna Wheeler, a
veteran teacher of more than 30 years,
whose commitment to environmental
education, and countless hours of planning, grant-writing and additional work
outside the classroom, have earned her
the honor of Teacher of the Year by the
Chesapeake Bay Trust, a nonprofit dedicated to cleansing the waters of the bay
and its tributaries via educational and
community outreach initiatives.
In addition to a gleaming plaque,
Wheeler’s win comes with a $2,500 grant
for J.C. Parks to continue expansion of
its environmental programs.
Though Wheeler has shouldered
much of the schoolwide project to transSee WETLAND, Page A-12
Charles County Sheriff Troy
Berry’s (D) lawsuit against his
former boss is underway as the
civil jury trial began Monday
morning with jury selection
at the circuit courthouse in La
Plata.
Jurors were presented two
witnesses Jan. 26, who testified
about Berry’s allegations that
then-Sheriff Rex Coffey (D)
interfered with internal investigations during Coffey’s 2006
and 2010 political campaigns
and demoted officers who did
not support him.
Berry defeated Coffey in the
Democratic primary, and ran
unopposed in the November
general election.
In March 2013, Berry, then
an operational patrol commander for the Charles County
Sheriff’s Office, filed a lawsuit
alleging Coffey interfered with
internal investigations of officers who supported the former
sheriff’s 2006 and 2010 campaigns. In addition, the lawsuit
alleges Coffey demoted those
who supported his opponents,
including Berry, who had been
promoted in
2006 to the
commander
of the agency’s internal
affairs unit,
the Office of
Professional
ResponsibilBerry
ity.
Before
jury selection Monday,
circuit Judge
Maureen
Lamasney
stated that
the court
would hold
Coffey
the jurors
through Jan.
30 for the potential length of
the trial.
The trial began Monday
afternoon with opening arguments from attorney Matthew
M. Bryant, who represents
Berry, along with attorney
Timothy Maloney.
“We’re going to prove Troy
Berry was demoted November
2010 by Mr. Coffey because
Mr. Berry exercised his right to
support [Coffey’s] opponent,”
Bryant told the 10-person jury.
“[The case] is about the fundamental right of an employee
to exercise their constitutional
See TRIAL, Page A-7
Hogan budget slashes 1 school fund source in half
nn Charles’
state
aid goes down
0.5 percent
By SARAH FLEISCHMAN
Staff writer
Gov. Larry Hogan’s
announcement of his budget plans Thursday during a
press conference in Annapolis has left those around
the state grappling with the
good and the bad. Hogan
announced a structurally balanced budget despite a $750
million expected deficit and
increases to education funding, but a statewide cut of 2
percent and varying educational cuts for some counties.
Although Hogan (R) touted the increases in funding
for public schools when he
revealed his budget, it results
in cuts of millions to some
Southern
Maryland
school districts and
other state
programs.
Hogan
presented
his
balHogan
anced budget,
what he said
is the first structurally balanced one in a decade.
His proposal expends
$16.4 billion while collecting revenues of the same
amount, with no layoffs, furloughs or tax increases. In
fact, Hogan said he would
immediately propose tax
cuts.
“It could be worse,” said
Andrea Mansfield, legislative director for the Maryland
Association of Counties. The
cuts to education funding put
more of a burden on counties
to make up the difference,
she said.
The budget includes a
record amount allocated to
public schools, an increase
of $45.3 million. The capital
budget provides $280 million
for the public school construction program and provides a 1.3 percent increase
in funding for the University
System of Maryland.
But the increase comes
with a substantial decrease
for school systems that
Take the steps to a
healthier you. See
Southern Maryland
Health magazine
nn Greer
takes helm, vows
better communication
Inside today
New Charles County Chamber of Commerce Chairwoman Sue Greer, center, poses with Alexander
& Cleaver attorney David Hruda, left, and Todd
Pounds, an attorney with the firm, and his wife
Patti.
By JEREMY BAUER-WOLF
CommunityA-13
Editorial
A-8
Obituaries
A-10,11
On the agenda A-5
Police news
A-5
Sports
B-1
See BUDGET, Page A-7
Optimism over business’ future at chamber gala
Get healthy
Inside
receive funding from the
Geographic Cost of Education Index, which will be
cut by 50 percent, Hogan
revealed.
The GCEI is a nonmandated program that provides
additional funding to school
systems where educational
costs are above the state average, according to a fact sheet
from the Maryland Associa-
Cook-off has
a bit of a kick
Relay For Life
holds fundraiser,
plans for July event
A-13
Vol. 145,
No. 8
3 sections
Copyright 2015
Southern
Maryland
Newspapers
Staff photo by JEREMY BAUER-WOLF
Staff writer
Dozens floated around Middleton Hall on
Friday evening, dressed to the nines — many
of them business owners or simply Southern
Maryland stakeholders who were eager to
hear the direction Charles County businesses
will take.
The Charles County Chamber of Commerce inaugurated its next chairwoman,
Sue Greer, of the La Plata-based Greer Law
Firm on Friday at its annual dinner. Greer
expressed her optimism on new state leadership, whom she said would likely help to dispel the notion of Maryland’s hostile climate
toward businesses, and the future strength of
both Charles County’s small businesses and
military assets.
The chamber desires to return to its core —
small businesses — and representatives will
be in talks with owners on how to better communication among both the chamber and the
general public, Greer said. For instance, many
businesses have slots to fill, but for some reason or another, have not connected enough
to the community to find and secure those
employees, perhaps a case of a lack of marketing, but a problem that will be pinpointed and
solved, Greer said.
Another chamber priority is capitalization
of the Maryland Airport, a tool with massive
potential, Greer said — in her speech, she
noted its proximity to Washington, D.C., but
with a new runway setup, and the possibility
of expanded corporate travel, as estimated
by the Federal Aviation Administration, the
airport as an economic engine is now likely.
See CHAMBER, Page A-12