Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Tell us what you thought of county decisions to delay or cancel school due to weather.
Not everyone is happy about Montgomery County’s reaction to a little winter weather over the last few days. Multiple winter weather advisories calling for some icy conditions and a few inches of snow caused Montgomery County Public Schools cancellations and delays for much of last week. The delays were piled on top of federal holidays including Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the 2013 presidential inauguration. Winston Churchill High School student Patch blogger Kenvin Hauschild detailed the closures and delays, calling the last week a “crazy” beginning to the semester: Second semester starts and already we have not have a full day of school. Here is how the week started: Monday-Tuesday: No school Wednesday: the start of the second semester…
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, June 6, 2012
At what age should children be allowed on Facebook?
Is your 10-year-old child ready for Facebook? In an attempt to bolster the bottom line for investors, Facebook is considering lowering its minimum age of 13 to register, The Washington Post reports. "The move highlights what analysts say will be a recurring problem for the newly public firm: Facebook needs to find ways to increase revenue and please its shareholders, but those actions can stir privacy concerns," The Post reported. Since its beginning, Facebook has slowly broadened its scope from being restricted to college campuses to opening access to the general public. Now, Facebook's minimum age requirement is 13, and users who falsify their age to participate violate the site's terms and conditions. "Facebook said it hasn’t made …
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Were the judges right?
A federal appeals court in Boston ruled Thursday that the Defense of Marriage Act — which defines marriage as between one man and one woman — is unconstitutional because it denies benefits to same-sex couples that heterosexual couples receive. The justices stayed the ruling pending an anticipated decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, Bloomberg reported. According to the Huffington Post: "The court didn't rule on the law's more politically combustible provision, which said states without same-sex marriage cannot be forced to recognize gay unions performed in states where it's legal. It also wasn't asked to address whether gay couples have a constitutional right to marry." The judge who wrote the unanimous decision was appointed by President …
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 …
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 ›