4 10 12 14 the Battle on Zoning Changes

INSIDE THIS ISSUE JULY 2016 A free publication serving Owings Mills, Pikesville, Randallstown, Reisterstown, Windsor Mill, Woodlawn and Catonsville 4 Housing Voucher Bill The Battle on Zoning Changes County Council to make final decisions 10 on requests affecting Music festivals hundreds of bring fun to community properties A request to rezone the 225-acre property at Woodholme Country Club in Pikesville to accommodate 40 acres of townhomes in addition to the single-family homes has drawn a lot of debate. There is community opposition for the plan, which was originally to build all single-family homes. Interestingly, there is research 12 that suggests that a gravesite for Windsor Mill African-American slaves lies nearby Road needs the property. However, the developers sidewalks believe it is their right to build on as desired. And therein lies the challenge, as Baltimore County goes through its every-four-years 2016 Comprehensive Zoning Map Process. The county’s Planning Department Staff and Planning Board make recommendations on the hundreds of zoning requests. The County Council must ultimately decide to approve, reject or modify the request, delicately 14 considering the interests of all parties. Body-worn The public can weigh in at various police cameras Developers want to replace the Golden Dragon Bar and Grill at Liberty Road stages of the process. are in county and the 3500 block of Milford Road with a convenience store and gas station. Most of these decisions on land use are made through two types of zoning processes. One way is the Be among the first to Comprehensive Zoning Map Process be in the know. Sign up (CZMP), which takes place every four for news updates from nwvoicenews.com. continued on page 19 Page 2 Northwest Voice July 2016 From the Publisher, Kenneth Brown Should We Consider Year-Round Schools? I was talking to my daughter and two other parents breaks every couple of months to refresh and spring sport seasons be impacted? Those issues are with children and they seem to have the same rejuvenate. something to think about and I am hopeful we can struggle: What do we do with our kids for 10 weeks As for students, most studies conclude that a work around that. in the summer? continuous 10-week break is a huge brain drain. For example, can we come up with enrichment We live in a time where in most families They recess with no studies and much of what programs at certain schools that would keep the the parents work outside the home. That got they learned in the previous academic year slowly me thinking: Why are kids at home in the dissipates with video games, TV shows and idle continued on page 17 summertime? time come into play. School is not only a place of learning, it is a It’s been said that it takes 30 to 45 days after a social outlet. Students enjoy a second family of student returns to school to relearn before starting friends and even some teachers there; it’s a home on new information. Isn’t that a waste? When kids away from home. take shorter breaks they retain the information The question is: Has our traditional school better and it’s a lot easier for the teacher to pick up calendar outlived its time? The original reason where they left off. schools were closed in the summer was because the United States was an agricultural country and children were part of the labor pool necessary to IT’S BEEN SAID THAT IT TAKES 30 TO 45 The Northwest Voice is a privately-owned work the fields and harvest crops. So I ask myself: DAYS AFTER A STUDENT RETURNS TO community newspaper founded in 2005 Are we continuing this schedule because it’s a habit SCHOOL TO RELEARN BEFORE to inform, entertain and inspire, as well and tradition? STARTING ON NEW INFOrmATION. as share news of interest to the northwest When we talk about year-round school, we’re not ISN’T THAT A WASTE? Baltimore County communities of Owings talking about kids being in the classroom 365 days Mills, Pikesville, Randallstown, Reisterstown, a year. Currently, there are 180 days on instruction Woodlawn, Windsor Mill and Catonsville. on the calendar for Maryland schools and we cram Approximately 97 percent of low-income those days into a nine-month format. Under some students rely on schools for Internet access. Readers are welcome to comment and respond year-round school models, children would attend Recognizing how essential the Internet is for to articles. We reserve the right to edit for clarity classes for roughly 45 days, get two to three weeks education, is it a missed opportunity when kids and length, as well as to publish them online, in off, go back to school for another 45 days, and so on. don’t have access during the summer months? print or not at all. Anonymous letters or those I expect there might be some push back not Food security is another reason year-round that cannot be verified will not be published. The necessarily from the kids, but from the adults schools would be a benefit to many students. opinions of readers and guest columnists are not (parents and teachers). How do parents keep their Because of breakfast and lunch programs, these necessarily the opinions of the Northwest Voice. kids busy in the summer? Hopefully, young people kids were consistently getting meals. Can we be Unsolicited material will not be returned. are doing some summer reading and participating sure they eat nutritious meals in the summertime in other enriching activities. But the truth is, while when they are home? Fortunately, certain libraries Publisher: parents are working, some unattended young and schools are serving breakfast under a U.S. Kenneth C. Brown, people might be tempted to do things they are not Department of Agriculture program. (See page 9). [email protected] supposed to. Too much idle time is not good thing. Three million students and 86 percent of public Writer-Editor: J. Anderson, A student who has parents with the means schools still operate on this traditional schedule, [email protected] to send him or her to a fun or specialty camp or but year-round schools are slowly beginning to Creative Director: Lori Kirkpatrick take extended vacations and getaways will find catch on. After all, 30 years ago, 98 percent of the Circulation Manager: George E. White their summers relaxing and enjoyable. A child in systems were traditional. Advertising: Kenneth C. Brown, a middle-class or low-income household whose I get that some parents like to take long summer [email protected] parents may not have the extra income to do more breaks and would like school to open after Labor activities may get bored with such everyday tasks as Day so they can have a longer vacations. Chances P.O. Box 47266 watching TV or babysitting their younger siblings. are that’s the way it was when they went to school. Windsor Mill, MD 21244 Fortunately, some young people will have summer There are some downsides to having year-round Phone: 410-508-1424 jobs to go to. schools. Some parents will find it problematic Many teachers might like the idea of having 10 about what to do with their students on a rotating Web: nwvoicenews.com weeks off. At the end of the school year, they’re two-week basis. Most parents don’t have enough Email: [email protected] ready for the summer. To be able to spread out their vacation time to take off from work every time the income to cover the time that school is out is a big children will be on break under this model. What No reprints or copies without express permission. help. But imagine the benefit of having extended about sporting events? How will the fall, winter and © 2016 Northwest Voice How Do I Improve My Autistic Child's Social Skills? Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which most hygiene and money management. children" diagnosed in the 1990s. of us refer to as autism, is characterized by a Many health professionals believe it is best The responsibility for obtaining services also group of restricted and repetitive behaviors, to start treatment as early as possible. A shifts. Public schools are tasked with finding communication that may be verbal or non- person’s chances to work successfully and children with disabilities and providing them verbal and impaired social interaction. live independently within a supportive services. But in the adult system, you must The Centers for Disease Control and environment improve with treatments and apply for services and ask for what you need. Prevention estimates that one in 68 children therapies. A treatment regimen might include: Once in college, students with disabilities will have ASD and significantly more boys develop behavioral therapy, educational interventions have to request the accommodations they autism than girls. Parents usually first notice and social skills therapy. Students may be need to be successful, and their schools need signs of the disorder when their children are enrolled in regular schools classes, special only provide the "reasonable" ones. young, but the behaviors typically last through education classes or separate schools for a person’s life. students with disabilities, but will still need Most of the planning necessary to ensure a additional support from professionals who are child has the smoothest transition possible into People with autism spectrum disorder face used to working with ASD. their teen, young adult and adult years falls additional challenges as a result of their on the parent. Establishing good independent neurodevelopment disorder.

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