New Updates Shed Light on Purple Line Progress in Moco
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2015, 2016, 2017 MDDC News Organization of the Year! Celebrating more than 160 years of service! Vol. 165, No. 08 • 50¢ SINCE 1855 Thursday, August 1, 2019 INSIDE Staying Alive New updates shed CC Final Session Before Recess light on Purple Line The Montgomery County Council met to discuss the ap- proval of funds for Bus Rapid Progress in MoCo Transit (BRT) and to work through bills set for final reading, during its allow the trains to be placed on or By Elle Meyers last meeting before the August re- near existing streets and run along- @_ElleMeyers cess on July 30. side cars. CHEVY CHASE — The citi- In comparison, Metrorail Page 3 zen group Purple Line NOW host- trains must use a third rail to oper- ed a forum on July 25 to provide ate and run in their own designated the community with information spaces. on the progress of the new light The Purple Line is expected to rail system currently under con- connect with the Metro system, struction. providing further access to the The Purple Line will be a 16- Red, Green and Orange lines, de- mile light rail system that connects pending on the station. The new Bethesda to New Carrollton, ac- line will also connect with bus cording to the Maryland Depart- routes, MARC and Amtrak. ment of Transportation (MDOT). According to Montgomery The line will have 21 stations County Planning, the Purple Line along its route. has been under study since 1992. ‘Monsters’ The trains will run from east Purple Line NOW is a coali- to west and provide other modes of tion of individuals, businesses and “Monsters” runs Aug. 9 and transportation to get from Mont- neighborhood groups that advo- 10 at the Silver Spring Black Box gomery County to Prince George’s cate for building the Purple Line, according to the organization. In Theatre, 8641 Colesville Road. County. existence for 16 years, Purple Line Light rail systems differ NOW advocates through engage- slightly from heavy rail systems or Page 11 ment opportunities, such as press Metrorail in that light rail typically conferences and community fo- runs above ground on an electric rums, along with soliciting support structure called a catenary system. PHOTO BY GEORGE SMITH from local officials and testifying Bethesda Big Train pitcher Dalton Ponce helped his team edge past the The electric systems that help the at hearings. Silver Spring–Takoma Thunderbolts in Game Two of the best-of-three trains move typically run above series to determine the champion of the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball the train tracks, on aerial struc- League. Story on Page 17. tures. Light rail is often used alongside mixed-use roads, which See Purple Line, Page 8 Metro Board votes to finalize end to turnbacks at some Red Line stations Champions! the Grosvenor turnbacks, a service ther boarding or exiting at the Shady of Grosvenor happened less fre- By Kathleen Stubbs change that started in December. Grove to White Flint Stations now quently. Sherwood High School’s @kathleenstubbs3 boys basketball squad took down Since the 1980s, rush hour Red have to wait about four minutes for a “Customers at the stations with Clarksburg High School 74-67 to WASHINGTON – Metro’s Line trains would arrive at Shady train during rush hour instead of increased service (…) also saw im- win the Montgomery County Board of Directors voted to end train Grove, Rockville, Twinbrook and about eight minutes. proved OTP (on-time performance) Recreational Department summer turnbacks permanently on part of the White Flint stations half as often as In its written resolution in 2018 in the first six months of 2019 versus basketball league championship Red Line July 25 after a six-month most of the other stations on the Red for ending the Grosvenor turnbacks, the last four months of 2018,” ac- game on July 25 at Magruder evaluation period. Line. This was due to Metro having the board had asked Metro General cording to a memo to the committee. High School. Metro staff reported that Red too few railcars. Manager Paul Wiedefeld to write a “Additionally, there were no reports Line ridership and Metro parking us- Up until Dec. 17, half of rush report about the effects of turnback of issues with train spacing, or Shady Grove Terminal or Rail Control Cen- Page 18 age increased at select stations from hour trains traveling from either elimination on service. Metro staff ter (ROCC) operations.” December through June, the first six Glenmont Station or Silver Spring reported in a memorandum to the Ridership at Shady Grove, months without the turnback at Safety and Operations Committee Station would go out of service upon Rockville, Twinbrook and White Grosvenor/Strathmore Station, com- arriving at Grosvenor station due to for the July 25 meeting that Red Line Flint also increased after elimination pared to the period of September the turnbacks; half of the trains trav- rush hour trains continued to arrive of the turnback, according to the 2018 to December 2018. eling toward Glenmont station on time, despite the increase in the Metro’s Board of Directors on would enter service at Grosvenor number of trains, and that rush- hour July 25 voted to solidify the end to rather than Shady Grove. Riders ei- train overcrowding at stations west See Turnbacks, Page 8 2 THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY SENTINEL AUGUST 1, 2019 EFLECTIONS The Montgomery County Sentinel, R published weekly by Berlyn Inc. Publish- ing, is a community newspaper covering Montgomery County, Maryland. Our of- November 26, 1987: Man killed by officer was troubled fices are located at 22 W. Jefferson Street, Suite 309, Rockville, MD 20850. Each week the Sentinel visits a According to police, Ofc. Allen, who is assigned to the parlored and then institutionalized a Founded in 1855 by Matthew Fields. All mail to: P.O. Box 1272, Rockville, MD memorable story from its archives. Harold K. Allen shot Valltos after he Wheaton-Glenmont police district, few months later. 20849-1272. Subscription Rates for The lunged at the officer with a heavy was called again about 10:30 p.m. In 1979, Valltos was convicted Montgomery County Sentinel – Weekly The Germantown man who flashlight when the officer tried to when disorderly conduct was re- of four counts of assault and battery by mail: $40.00 per year & $26.50 for Se- nior Citizens. (USPS) 361-100. was shot and killed by an off-duty escort him from the lounge of the ported outside the hotel at 3 Re- against two Ohio men in Gaithers- county police officer Saturday night Sheraton Potomac Inn for disorder- search Ct. burg and drew a five-year, suspend- Bernard Kapiloff outside a hotel lounge was a Viet- ly conduct. Allen was not in uniform but ed sentence. He was placed in a PUBLISHER E MERITUS nam veteran with two criminal con- Valltos died at 4 a.m. at Subur- identified himself as an off-duty of- Bethesda therapeutic center, Second Lynn G. Kapiloff victions and a long history of mental ban Hospital’s Shock Trauma Unit. ficer before the shooting, Ludington Genesis, from September 1979 to CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER/ illness and drug and alcohol abuse, He was shot once in the stomach said. He said Allen was attempting October 1981, records show. PUBLISHER according to court records. and once in the chest, police said. to walk Valltos to a parking lot when Psychiatric evaluations con- [email protected] When he was fatally shot dur- Police spokesman Ofc. George Valltos grabbed him. tained in the court records docu- Mark Kapiloff ing a scuffle with a police officer Ludington said Valltos was asked to During the struggle, Allen ment chronic mental problems and ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER moonlighting as a security guard, leave Rick’s Lounge, located in the dropped a 12-inch flashlight and drug and alcohol abuse that began [email protected] George Peter Valltos, 37, was hav- Rockville hotel, at about 10 p.m. be- Valltos picked it up and “came at” when Valltos was 12 years old, EDITORIAL ing trouble keeping a steady job, cause of his disruptive behavior. the officer with it, Ludington said. when he experimented with sniffing Daniel Kucin Jr. court records show. The management called hotel secu- Allen pulled his .38-caliber revolver glue. EXECUTIVE EDITOR Valltos, of the 19000 block of rity when Valltos began shouting and shot Valltos twice, Ludington Valltos dropped out of high [email protected] Frederick Rf., also had been arrest- obscenities in the lobby, police said. said. school in 10th grade and joined the ed several times for violent activity, Allen, 28, a three-year member According to court records, Army. But while serving in Vietnam, José Umaña CITY EDITOR including an attack on a police offi- of the county force working off duty Valltos was sentenced to two years he suffered a mental breakdown that [email protected] cer, although those charges were as a security guard, escorted Valltos in prison in 1976 for breaking into a prompted a medical discharge, ac- dismissed, the records show. outside the hotel, police said. Silver Spring warehouse. He was cording to the psychiatric reports. Barbara Trainin Blank COPY EDITOR Neal Earley NEWS [email protected] ASSIGNMENTS Amendments to loosen restrictions on accessory dwelling units Write us George Smith able to afford to stay in their homes. was titled “Don’t turn Montgomery The Montgomery County Sentinel PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR By Elle Meyers @_ElleMeyers Families wishing to provide some County into a slum.” privacy to their aging relatives The short piece, written by welcomes letters. Tazeen Ahmad ROCKVILLE—Last week the would be deprived of the opportuni- Katherine Gugulis, argued that the CALENDAR EDITOR Montgomery County Council voted ty for proximity to intergenerational county is starting to lose its appeal, All letters must be original, [email protected] unanimously to approve legislation relationships.” and that loosening the regulations CALL 301-838-0788 with amendments that loosen re- The legislation was a consider- on ADUs to make them easier to im- signed by the author FAX 301- 838 - 3458 strictions on accessory dwelling able topic of discussion for multiple plement would be “a slap in the face NEWSROOM AND LEGAL ADVERTISING and must include the author’s daytime units (ADUs).