W.C. & A.N. Miller Bought Out by Long & Foster
W.C. & A.N. Miller Companies, a fixture in the Potomac real estate market for nearly a century, has been bought out by Long & Foster Companies.
The official announcement will be made Wednesday, Feb. 7.
Miller Companies will function as a company within the larger company of Long & Foster, said Andrea Alderdice, a realtor with Miller Companies. The staff and management of W.C. & A.N. Miller Companies will remain the same, Miller said, and listings will continue to be under the W.C. & A.N. Miller Companies brand name.
"We're actually excited about it as agents," Alderdice said. "It's good to know the management will stay the same, and now we'll have a little bit deeper of a pocket for technology and advertising."
W.C. & A.N. Miller was founded by brothers William C. and Allison N. Miller in 1912, according to the companies website.
"Right now we're waiting for the official details," Alderdice said. "From this point it looks like a real win-win."
Gas Outage Leaves 600 Homes, Potomac Elementary, Without Heat
A Washington Gas Light Co. equipment failure left Potomac Elementary School and 600 homes in Potomac without heat beginning Tuesday morning, Feb. 6. Potomac Elementary closed at 1 p.m., more than two hours early.
The failure was due to the burden placed on the Washington Gas infrastructure by the extremely cold temperatures of the last few days, said Joan Hairston, a spokesperson for the company. Hairston said the problem was noticed at about 8 a.m. Tuesday morning.
Parents of Potomac Elementary students were notified by e-mails and phone calls that the school would close early, said Kate Harrison of Montgomery County Public Schools.
"The kids were still relatively warm," by the time school let out, said Diana Conway, the president of the Potomac Elementary PTSA.
The failure effected homes near Potomac Village on River, Falls, Counselman and Hall Roads, as well as Potomac Manor Drive, said Hairston.
Hairston said that 80 crews would work through the night to restore heat to the area and would go house to house to relight the furnaces in each home.
Cherner Automotive Closes in Potomac
Cherner Automotive closed its doors for business on Thursday, Feb. 1.
The lot at 9916 Falls Road, just north of the intersection of Falls Road and River Road, has been purchased by Chevy Chase Bank, said Jonathan Cherner.
Cherner Automotive has sold classic and specialty automobiles at the Potomac location for more than 10 years.
Holy Child Student Performs in McLean Community Theater
Margaret Berkowitz, an eighth-grade student at Connelly School of the Holy Child, will perform in the McLean Community Players’ production of "Life With Father," which debuted in 1939 and is the longest running non-musical on Broadway. Margaret is only one of five young people in the show, and she plays the same role that Elizabeth Taylor did the 1947 movie version.
The play opens Feb. 2 at the McLean Community Center's Alden Theater, 1234 Ingleside Ave., McLean, Va., and runs for the next three weekends. Show times are Feb. 9, 10, 16 and 17 at 8 p.m. and Feb. 11 at 2p.m. Tickets are $14 for adults and $12 for students and seniors. For ticket information, call the Alden Box Office at (703) 790-9223 or visit www.McLeanCommunityPlayers.com.
Har Shalom Helps Project Linus
On Sunday, Feb. 11, Potomac’s Congregation Har Shalom, 11510 Falls Road, Potomac, is the place to be for making blankets for children in need, as part of Project Linus, a nonprofit charity which says "a blanket is like a big hug when you most need one." The event, which runs from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., is free and open to all, but donations of soft, washable, new acrylic yarn will be appreciated. Those with no prior experience as well as experienced knitters and crocheters are welcome. Visit www.harshalom.org or call 301-299-7087, Ext. 2314.
Jonathan Deutsche Awards Season Underway
Applications for the Jonathan Deutsche Musical Arts Memorial Award for Excellence in Jazz and Creative Arts Music are currently being accepted. The award is presented by the Potomac Community Center Advisory Board, Inc.
The competition is open to all high school students who attend a public or private school in Montgomery County, or who live in Montgomery County but attend school in a different district. A $500 award and two $250 awards will be offered to an individual or group of high school instrumentalists, vocalists, and composers for demonstrated excellence in jazz performance and composition. Contributions will be judge by working professional jazz musicians and will be based on musical creativity.
Jonathan Deutsche was a music lover and jazz enthusiast and piano player who graduated from Winston Churchill High School in 1997. He was killed in a car accident in 2002 at the age of 24. The award was created by his family and friends in his honor.
For information on how to apply, call Penny Heltzer at 301-983-9624.
Jewish Federation Holds Super Sunday Dial-a-Thon
The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington will hold its annual Super Sunday dial-a-thon on Feb. 25, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., at three area locations, including the JCC of Greater Washington in Rockville, to help raise funds for Federation’s campaign to care for those in need locally, in Israel and around the world. Community service projects will be ongoing at all three sites, as well as free babysitting, snacks and more. To register or for more details, contact Adrienne Matthews at 301-230-7281 or e-mail Adrienne.Matthews@ShalomDC.org, go to www.SuperSunday2007.org.
Montgomery Democrats to Elect New Member of the Central Committee
The Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee, at its regular meeting on Feb. 13, will elect a member from Legislative District 16. The new member will replace Paul Mandell who has resigned. District 16 encompasses all or parts of Bethesda, Cabin John, Chevy Chase, North Bethesda, Potomac and Rockville.
All residing in District 16 who would like to fill the position should submit a letter of application with a resume by 5 p.m., Monday, Feb. 12, to the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee by mail to 3720 Farragut Avenue, Kensington, MD 20895, FAX to 301-946-1002 or e-mail to MontgomeryDems@msn.com. Applicants are requested to attend the Feb. 13 meeting at 7:30 p.m. and will be interviewed by the Committee members on their capability to fill this position. For further information, contact Elliot Chabot, Committee Secretary at 301-871-1113.
Navy Extends Scoping Period for Public Comments on BRAC-Related Expansion
U.S. Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Maryland Delegate William A. Bronrott (D-16) and Montgomery County Councilman Roger Berliner (D-1) announced on Jan. 10 the Department of the Navy's decision to extend the public comment period for the proposed expansion of the National Naval Medical Center (NNMC) for 30 days, until Feb. 3.
The public comment period, which is required by the National Environmental Policy Act, will give the public an additional opportunity to share its concerns over the proposed relocation of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) services onto the NNMC campus.
At the request of the elected officials who represent the neighborhoods surrounding NNMC, the Navy also agreed to use the additional time to host well-publicized public forums to give interested individuals and neighborhood associations greater opportunities to learn about the full scope of this BRAC project and to express their views during this scoping period. Those who would like to provide public comment can do so via e-mail at nnmceis@bethesda.med.navy.mil or by phone at 301-295-2722.
National Naval Medical Center will also hold two additional public information meetings. The meetings are scheduled for Jan. 30 and Feb. 1 from 7-9 p.m. at the Pooks Hill Marriott in Bethesda.
The public will have another opportunity to formally comment in the summer of 2007 once the draft Environmental Impact Statement is published.
Leggett Seeks Applicants for Recreation Advisory Boards
Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett is seeking applicants to fill vacancies on the following Recreation Advisory Boards:
* Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Committee
* Taxicab Services Advisory Committee
* Solid Waste Advisory Committee
Applicants should write a letter of interest by Feb. 23 to County Executive Isiah Leggett at the Executive Office Building, l0l Monroe Street, Rockville, MD 20850 or send an e-mail to CountyExecutive.Boards@montgomerycountymd.gov. A brief resume, with work and home phone numbers and e-mail address, should be included. Members of County boards, committees and commissions may not serve on more than one such group at a time.
Leggett's appointments are subject to confirmation by the County Council. Applications of those selected for appointment are made public as part of the confirmation process.
For more information about the committees, visit www.montgomerycountymd.gov/apps/exec/Boards/index.cfm.
Public Libraries Add New Music Online Collection
Thanks to a new online service offered by Montgomery County Public Libraries (MCPL), customers with MCPL cards can now access a variety of music — including African American, classical and folk — from their own homes.
Entitled Music Online, the database is part of the Montgomery Online Resources (MOR) collection and may be accessed from the MCPL home page, www.montgomerycountymd.gov/library. Music Online requires Macromedia Flash Player version 7 and higher or Microsoft Windows Media Player version 10 and higher.
Critical Blood Shortage
The National Institute of Health Blood Bank has announced an urgent need for type O blood donors. Both local and regional inventories of this blood type are dangerously low. If you are a donor with blood type O, please donate today by visiting the NIH Blood Bank located on the first floor of the Clinical Center on the NIH campus in Bethesda. Hours of operation are from 7:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Please call for an appointment or directions at 301-496-1048. Convenient, free parking is available for blood donors.
If you have not donated blood before and are not sure if you are eligible, please visit www.cc.nih.gov/dtm/html/donrinfo.htm to learn more about being a donor at NIH.