Attention Postmaster: Time sensitive material. Requested in home 11-6-08 PRSRT STD A Connection U.S. Postage Newspaper PAID Martinsburg, WV Potomac PERMIT #86 ‘Just Fed Up’ Canal Benefit News, page 3 At Marwood People, Page 9 Win and They’re In Sports, Page 14 Calendar, Page 18 ❖ Classified, Page 16 Page 16 Classified, ❖ Sports, Page 14 Sports, Page 14 ❖ Real Estate, Page 13 Page 13 Real Estate, StudentsStudents WorkWork forfor anac PresidentialPresidential CandidatesCandidates News, page 3 Winston Churchill High School theater students, who most recently performed “Rent: School Edition,” serenaded voters as they showed up at the Herbert Hoover Middle School polling station on Tuesday, Nov. 4. Voters turned out in high numbers early, with lines ranging from 30 minutes to an hour at various polling locations before 9 a.m. Photo by Aaron Stern/The Alm by Aaron Photo www.ConnectionNewspapers.comNovember 5-11, 2008 ❖ Volume LII, Number 45 Potomac Almanac www.potomacalmanac.com❖ November 5-11, 2008 ❖ 1 12266 Rockville Pike Rockville, MD 20852 240-221-0078 Located in Federal Plaza 2 ❖ Potomac Almanac ❖ November 5-11, 2008 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com For full election coverage, News On the Web see www.potomacalmanac.com ‘Just Fed Up’ ticket two elections ago because she was Potomac voters fed up with the Republican Party. A Barack showed up early and Obama victory, she said, would mean a lot. “To myself. To my kids. If things don’t get in high numbers to turned around, we’re in a heap of trouble,” Spears said. make their selections “The issue is the overall [national] secu- rity and the security of the financing sys- on Tuesday morning. tem,” said Dr. Hadi Bahar as he readied to vote at the Potomac Community Center. By Aaron Stern Despite a lengthy campaign and countless opportunities for each presidential candi- The Almanac date to clearly explain how they would solve the current financial crisis, Bahar said he hief Judge Steve Cades felt neither candidate offered a concrete showed up at 6 a.m. to explanation. In particular, Bahar never Cprepare the Potomac heard a plan for how CEOs who receive Community Center poll- golden parachutes as their companies crash ing site for the general election on and burn would be dealt with in the future. Tuesday, Nov. 4. Though the polls As a result, Bahar said he wasn’t terribly wouldn’t open for another hour, five pleased with either candidate. Photo by Mary Kimm/The Almanac people were already waiting to vote. “So I’m voting for one, but reluctantly,” Election officials at River Falls said By 7:30, the line was halfway into the Bahar said. they could accommodate about 70 center’s parking voters every 30 minutes, and about lot. “THE ECONOMY and the war,” said Ben 150 people waited in line at “It seems like “This precinct around 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 4. is always heavy See Early, Page 4 people have the first couple come here on hours,” Cades said. This year a mission was particularly heavy, on par today.” with the highest — Vernon Ricks levels he had seen as an elec- tion judge, he said. At various polling stations around Potomac, the wait to vote grew as long as 30 minutes to an hour. As she waited in line at Herbert Hoover Photo by Mary Kimm/The Almanac Middle School to cast her vote in the Julia Chandler, River Falls resident general election, Tomye Spears said and junior at Walt Whitman High that the economy was first and fore- School, serves home-baked breads, most on her mind. coffee and orange juice to voters “I’m just fed up,” she said. “I’m ab- waiting in line outside the River solutely fed up the way it’s been the Photo by Aaron Stern/The Almanac Falls Clubhouse. She and other last eight years.” A lifelong Republi- Jonathan Fishbein, a challenger and watcher for the McCain campaign, Whitman students were asking for can originally from Texas, Spears said brought his radio with him to listen to results as he worked the polls at donations to help fund their school she began voting the Democratic Cabin John Middle School on Tuesday, Nov. 4. United Nations trip to Qatar. Students Serve in Presidential Campaigns Armies of high school volunteers mobilized Churchill by Photo on behalf of both presidential candidates. senior Lawrence By Aaron Stern supporter after another. He called, he informed his Yen calling Stern Aaron The Almanac listeners, first to ensure that they intended to vote Obama on Tuesday, Nov. 4 and second, to see if they would supporters n Friday, Oct. 31 as many of his friends volunteer with the campaign that day in one capac- on Friday, Oct. 31 to Oand classmates were likely readying them ity or another. /The Almanac selves for Halloween festivities, Lawrence “I saw that you signed up to take off on election ensure they Yen sat in a small room in the back of the Barack day to help Barack. I just wanted to make sure you vote in the Obama campaign office in Bethesda. Reading from were still planning on doing that,” Yen would say, general a prompt on a computer screen, Yen, a senior at Win- reading from a computer screen. Depending on their election. ston Churchill High School, called one known Obama See Students, Page 4 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com Potomac Almanac ❖ November 5-11, 2008 ❖ 3 News Two Burglary Early, Heavy Turnout Suspects From Page 3 Cleared THERE WERE no major glitches to report By Aaron Stern Haskin when asked what mattered most to Tuesday morning, though there was some The Almanac him this election. “Civic duty, too,” he said confusion at Cabin John Middle School. of what brought him to the polls. Haskin Those who normally voted at Bells Mill El- ll charges were dropped last also brought his daughter along with him ementary School, which is currently under week against two suspects to Hoover Tuesday morning to see what reconstruction, were supposed to vote at A charged in connection with an voting was like. Cabin John, with the regular Cabin John August burglary on Scotland Drive. Lines at Hoover ranged from 30 to 40 voters going to the cafeteria, the Bells Mill An investigation into that burglary led minutes long between 7 and 8 a.m., said voters to the school’s gymnasium. Some to simultaneous raids of six homes in Chief Judge Deborah Snead. people got in the wrong line though, only Scotland, Cabin John and Some people brought books and maga- to realize it later and have to go to the back Germantown by Montgomery County zines as they stood in line. One man stand- of the correct line, said Jonathan Fishbein, Police in late September during which ing in line had a newspaper. a challenger and watcher for the McCain none of the stolen items were recov- “I always bring something to read,” he campaign. ered. The manner and execution of said. “You never know what’s going to hap- “I don’t think anybody walked away,” the raid is currently under investiga- pen.” Fishbein said. tion by the Internal Affairs depart- At Our Lady of Mercy Parish precinct chair Judy Murphy spent her morning outside ment of the Montgomery County Po- Vernon Ricks said the line was about 50 of Hoover soliciting donations for the Win- lice Department. yards long when the poll opened at 7 a.m., ston Churchill High School theater Randy Polite of Scotland had been but that it grew to more than 150 yards department’s trip to Scotland next year but Photo by Aaron Stern/The Almanac charged with first degree burglary, before 8:30 a.m. was going to go to Wayside Elementary to Voters stand in line at Hoover fourth degree burglary, theft over “Everybody I’ve seen has been happy,” vote later in the day. Middle School, where lines report- $500, conspiracy to commit first de- Ricks said. “It seems like people have come “I just want my voice to be heard,” edly got as long as 30 to 40 min- gree burglary, conspiracy to commit here on a mission today.” Murphy said. “There’s a lot of assumptions utes before 9 a.m. “I always bring fourth degree burglary, and con- Ricks said he himself was waiting to vote about who’s going to win, but it ain’t over something to read,” said one man. spiracy to commit theft over $500. until the end of the day so he can hopefully ‘til the fat lady sings.” “You never know what’s going to Detric Thompson, 27, of Cabin John “cast the deciding vote.” — Mark Giannotto contributed to this story. happen.” had been charged with the three con- spiracy charges and charging docu Students Volunteer in Political Campaigns See Charges, Page 17 From Page 3 conducive to student involvement, Scholl “I don’t want to say it’s tough but I think response, he clicked on either ‘yes’ or ‘no’ said. it’s frustrating,” Schick said. When his prompts based on the responses he got, “There’s been no opportunity like it be- friends and classmates find out that Schick, Boundary when he got any at all. fore. There’s never been a presidential can- 18, is a registered Republican, “They’re like “Most of the time nobody’s home or they didate that took youth so seriously,” Scholl ‘oh, what’s wrong with you, I didn’t see that just don’t pick up,” Yen said. It was, after said. coming.’” Compromise all, around 6 p.m.