CHVchick

Get ready for the ChvProm!!!!

2009-12-10T05:33:00.000-08:00

ChvProm will be happening this year thanks to the great people who live in Cheverly and many volunteers who are ready to organize it!

SAVE the date: Friday, May 21st 2010

ChvProm Committee is looking for the band that would like to perform on that evening, preferable a local band, so please let us know, talk to your neighbors, and suggest one!
Chvchicks will be happy to host an Audition for tall, dark and handsome musicians!!!

Christmas Tree Lighting & Children's Holiday Party

2009-11-30T14:12:00.001-08:00

The time has come for one of our favorite Cheverly traditions...the tree lighting!

Join your friends and neighbors at Legion Park this Friday night (December 4) at 7:00 for the annual tree lighting...you never know, we may even sing a few carols!
The children's holiday party is Saturday, December 5, 11:00am at the Community Center. Meet Santa, make a craft project and enjoy refreshments with other Cheverly children. Consult your trusty Cheverly Newsletter for details on this, the holiday house decorating contest, Santa's Secret Shop and all sorts of community information.

-- Posted from the iPhone of Awesome

Happy Black Friday

2009-11-27T11:17:00.001-08:00

Wishing you a safe and happy Black Friday. ChvChicks are celebrating in a different way today, which is to say we're sitting around eating pie directly out of the pan and consuming wine at alarming rates.

-- Posted from the iPhone of Awesome

Gazette article on recent teacher firings at St. Ambrose

2009-11-12T06:45:00.000-08:00

As many of our readers know, all the ChvChick progeny attend or plan to attend Cheverly's St. Ambrose School. The school and parish have experienced a certain amount of upheaval in the past few years, but we believe that the education that our children receive in this environment has been strong and that it is a good community. We're supporters of the school and want to see it -- and the parish -- succeed. Unfortunately, events of the past month have raised questions regarding the motives and the method of the Archdiocese in removing teachers to improve the troubling budget outlook. We understand that times are hard and that difficult decisions must be made. What troubles us is the manner in which these blows to the school community have been handled. The Archdiocese is not demonstrating the Catholic values that it espouses in this case, and it ignores its' responsibilities to the families of St. Ambrose School by denying the principal, Mrs. Carter, the ability to address these issues head on with the school community. We hope that the Archdiocese reconsiders this strategy very soon.

Link to the Gazette Article by Natalie McGill

If the puppets in Barbara Liston's family room could talk, they would ask the next time they'll meet a pair of tiny hands again.

Puppets, story sets and hundreds of books fill Liston's family room after Cheverly's St. Ambrose Catholic School let her go in October from a kindergarten teacher position she held since 1985.
Liston, 61, of Cheverly was called into a meeting with St. Ambrose Principal Dian Carter on Oct. 19 where she was told the school would let her go effective Nov. 6 because of a $90,000 deficit due to unexpected lower enrollment. She was offered six weeks' severance pay but said she did not want to accept until reviewing the package with a lawyer.

"It's ludicrous," Liston said Nov. 3. "Six weeks' pay is not going to help me. I want my job back."
Carter referred all comment to Kathy Dempsey, an Archdiocese of Washington spokeswoman.
Liston's position, which carried a $70,000 annual salary, was one of two that fell victim to the school's deficit. Liston said she was the highest-paid teacher at the school.

A science teacher position was also cut. Dempsey said the teacher had been at the school for about three years but did not provide her salary because it was confidential information.

Dempsey said 17 students who had registered prior to the beginning of the school year were later unable to attend because of economic reasons. Another blow was the loss of 15 current students who used to participate in the aftercare program.

She could not confirm the exact loss of tuition from these students, as tuition per student ranges based on factors such as multiple siblings attending and membership in the St. Ambrose parish. There are 244 students attending St. Ambrose and 28 staff members.

"Those families, as we all are, are struggling," Dempsey said. "So a lot of them are deciding, ‘We want to stay in a Catholic school, but we're going to try to find alternative arrangements for our children in the afternoon,' so that budget line was also diminished."

The layoff is the second blow to Liston this year. Liston's husband, David Liston, died of cancer at age 64 in March. Liston said she asked if she could take a salary cut to remain at the school but was denied.

"When they did this to me [I said], ‘You do realize my husband died seven months ago. This is leaving me without a livelihood,'" Liston said. "They said, ‘This is what the Archdiocese [of Washington] told us to do.'"

St. Ambrose is one of 96 Catholic schools under the Archdiocese of Washington, which includes Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George's and St. Mary's counties in addition to Washington, D.C., Dempsey said.

Dempsey could not say for certain if St. Ambrose is the only school in the archdiocese to let employees go this school year because of budgetary constraints.

"We're all in a struggle right now with the economy, and St. Ambrose found itself having to make some difficult decisions," Dempsey said. "But St. Ambrose is a very resilient, vibrant and faith-filled community so I know they are going to rally around the school in order to carry it forward."
The layoff is also a blow to community parents who see Liston as an educational institution in the town. Liston said she has taught more than 800 students during her tenure at St. Ambrose and has also served on the school's advisory board and as an assistant principal.

She had 18 students in her class at the time she was let go.

Tina Colbert of Fairmount Heights said she is still "completely shocked" about Liston's departure. Five of Colbert's eight children had Liston as a teacher, but all have had some interaction in one way or another.

"She took a lot of pictures that went into the yearbook, ran a Web site for her kindergarten class, just a lot of advertisement," Colbert said. "She just offered so much more to the school than just running a small kindergarten class."

Many parents are buzzing about the cuts and wonder if they could have been made in other areas, such as making foreign language an elective course, Colbert said.

"When you're not put into the process on what parents want or what they don't want, that's when everyone can get a little upset and antsy about it," Colbert said.

For now Liston is grateful for her late husband's insurance from his job with the Smithsonian Institution, but she is too young to qualify for Social Security benefits and is unsure if she can still afford the monthly $1,600 mortgage payments on their three-bedroom Cheverly home.
"It was just the two of us and we had just put an addition on our house to make it the place we were going to stay in our retirement," Liston said.

Though Liston said she wants her job back, she will consider other positions elsewhere if she can't return to St. Ambrose.

But it won't be in the archdiocese, she said.
"I'm sure they won't want me," Liston said.

LOCK YOUR DOORS AND WINDOWS!!!!

2009-11-11T05:29:00.000-08:00

This ChvChick attended the Cheverly Police meeting last night and here is what they say on what we can do to reduce B&E in Cheverly:

LOCK YOUR DOORS AND WINDOWS!!!!All of the B&E that recently happened were because of the unlocked doors and windows!

Prevention:

1. Lock doors and windows
2. Call for home security surveys
3. Call police for house checks when out of town
4. Improve lighting, especially in the back of your house
5. Don't leave cash in plain sight
6. Keep purses and wallets upstairs
7. Keep your keys hidden
8. BE A NOSEY neighbor
9. Leave the toys near front door,most likely they will avoid house with kids, because someone is always around

Deterrence:

1. Report curfew and truancy violations (Curfew 10pm to 5am weekdays, 12am-5am weekends)
2. Leave radio or TV on when gone
3. Use timers on various lights
4. Join Cheverly Watch (more radios are available, call if interested)
5. Commit to Ride-Alongs (this ChvChick is going on one on Friday)
6. Carry a whistle when walking a dog (if needed, available in the Chief's office)
7. Keep vehicle trouble button at bedside
8. Keep glass items near window entry points - Arrest in the greatest deterrence
9. Know what a suspicious person is(teen out of school at school time, after 10pm weekdays or 12am weekends, door to door salesman etc, anybody carrying electronic equipment, trespassers, someone walking in the alleyways and backyards
10. Some of the recent B&E didn't produce fingerprints, so look for the people wearing inappropriate clothing (bulky jackets or gloves on a warm day, overloaded backpack at night etc)

Investigation (what to do when criminal has left the scene):

1. Don't touch anything until the scene can be fingerprinted
2. Look around for several days if you have been a victim
3. RECORD SERIAL NUMBERS on laptops, cameras, game systems etc (one laptop was returned to the owner because they recorded the serial numbers.Pawn shops can not sell anything for 30 days and have to enter serial numbers in the system)
4. Don't be shy about telling police about the potential suspect.
5. Pay attention to your kids, what they are saying and who they hand out with.

AND DO NOT FORGET, ladies: Close your blinds and curtains in the evening. People can see you from the outside!:)

There is about ten more spaces left for Ladies Self defense class that will be held in January. Learn how to protect yourself!

Have a great day - stay dry and safe!

Your "Wired" Chvchick

Happy Birthday, Katie Troyner!!!!

2009-11-03T06:33:00.001-08:00

Join us in wishing

ChvChick Extraordinaire

Katie Troyner

a very happy birthday!

If you see her today,

honk your horn and shout

"Happy Birthday!"

She will really like that.

(Incidentally, did you know that when you do an image search

for "tiara" and add "pink" as part of the search,

Enrique Iglasias is one of the resulting images? It is true.)

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T14:33:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Barbara and the Rec Council for the great parade and party! Remember, trick-or -treaters are out tonight, 6-8pm. Turn on your porch lights if you want a visit from tiny -- and very cute -- ghouls and goblins.

-- Posted from the iPhone of Awesome

President Obama Visits Cheverly

2009-10-21T14:33:00.000-07:00

Edit: Okay. We have two posts about President Obama's Cheverly visit. What can we say? This is exciting (and good news on a day of bad local news...) We're excited.

Late word today that President Obama was in the Chv today -- he visited Metropolitan Archives, a small business in the industrial corridor (sounds fancier that way, eh?)

The Gazette has the story...

ChvChick would like to invite the President over for a cappucino the next time he decides to visit the neighborhood. We'd also welcome the President and his family at Cheverly Community Market...just sayin'...

Obama stops in Cheverly to announce boost for small businesses

2009-10-21T14:16:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009
Obama stops in Cheverly to announce boost for small businesses

State senator's company hosted event

http://www.gazette.net/stories/10212009/prinnew161852_32567.shtml

by Daniel Valentine | Staff Writer
President Barack Obama chose a Prince George's County business as the backdrop for a new policy announcement today, his second surprise appearance in the Maryland suburbs this week.
The president gave a speech to a small crowd at the warehouses of Metropolitan Archives in Cheverly, where he announced plans to boost lending by smaller community banks and increase the amount entrepreneurs can borrow from the Small Business Administration.

"These small businesses are the engine of job growth in America," the president told the crowd of about 130 invitees. "They fuel our prosperity."

The expansions will require congressional approval.

Metropolitan Archives, which stores files and records for major law firms and accounting groups in Washington, D.C., purchased its new $7 million headquarters in February using a $2 million loan from the SBA.

White House officials called the company Friday looking to set up the event, said Douglas J.J. Peters, co-owner of the business and state senator (D-Dist. 23) from Bowie, who started the business years ago with a school friend, Joseph Incarnato.

"We're just kind of in shock that this is really happening," Peters said a few hours before Obama arrived, as Secret Service agents sent dogs searching the halls.

On Monday, the president toured Viers Mill Elementary School in Silver Spring.

Invites were kept secret for the event this week, with most people only learning about the appearance the day before. Throngs of police cars and Secret Service surrounded the building, located in an industrial zone off the Capital Beltway, where dogs and agents searched every car before parking.

The crowd was composed of a mix of representatives from national business and banking groups, local small business owners and elected officials, who waited in the closed room for around two hours for the chance to see Obama during his 10-minute appearance.

"You set out your week, and then something like this happens, and you drop everything," said County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D), who attended the news conference. "It's always great to have the president in town."

Other local politicians included Sen. C. Anthony Muse (D-Dist. 26) of Fort Washington, a co-investor in the business, and Sen. Nathaniel Exum, Del. Justin Ross and 2010 county executive candidate Rushern L. Baker — all of whom endorsed the president early in 2007 and were delegates at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

"Everybody's asking, ‘Can you get me in?'" Ross told an audience member as they waited.

Invitees included many local business owners who have used the SBA loan program in the past. Natalie and Timothy Proctor, Glenn Dale residents who own a New Carrollton auto repair service, sat with a copy of the president's book, hoping for an autograph.

"We only found out last night," Natalie Proctor said. "We told our mothers. Oh, and they've told everybody."

Other local owners included Saundra Thurman-Custis of Bowie, whose company, Crystal Enterprises Inc., recently received a loan through the SBA to add 33 workers to their business, which supplies cafeteria services at federal office buildings in the region.

"[The SBA representatives] were very easy to work with," said Thurman-Custis, who said she is glad the program is expanding.

Peters and Incarnato appeared on stage with Obama, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Karen Mills, administrator for the SBA, as the president lauded their growth.

"These small businesses are what will pull us out of this recession," Mills said.

After his televised speech, the crowd rushed the stage as the president shook hands.

E-mail Daniel Valentine at dvalentine@gazette.net.

Thrill the World 2009

2009-10-05T07:09:00.000-07:00

Get ready to set a world record while raising money for charity and having a great time with friends and family! Saturday, October 24, a group of Cheverlyites will join thousands at Freedom Plaza in DC and around the world (32 countries so far!) to dance Michael Jackson's "Thriller"! What a perfect way to lead up to Halloween!

There are rehearsals in Cheverly on Friday nights (October 9, 16, and 23) at Cheverly United Methodist Church, 3rd Floor. Rehearsals are 7:00-8:00pm for children ages 5-14, and 8:00-9:00pm for anyone over age 14. The cost is $30 per person, or $50 for families.

Get the details here. Still have questions? Contact Jeanne Robinson (240-374-3945) or visit the main website for Thrill the World 2009 here.

Cheverly Soccer Club Teams are forming now!

2009-10-05T06:54:00.000-07:00

Cheverly Soccer Club is gearing up for the 2009-2010 indoor season and they're looking for players to fill out their teams!

Visit the website for details and downloadable registration form. Practices begin in late October at Cheverly Community Center.

The Club is also looking for coaches -- no experience is necessary. If you're interested, please contact Jim Allegro.

New Law on the Books!

2009-10-01T11:17:00.001-07:00

Do NOT text and drive!

Effective October 1, 2009, Section 21-1124.1 of the Maryland Annotated Code prohibits text messaging to write or send a text message while operating a motor vehicle in motion or in the travel portion of the roadway (sitting at a light or stop sign).

Violating this new law could result in the Suspension of the operator's license.

Don't TEXT and Drive!

Important ChvBlog Meeting in Progress

2009-09-29T16:09:00.001-07:00

-- Posted from the iPhone of Awesome

Looking for something fun to do this Saturday night?

2009-09-26T12:01:00.000-07:00

We know many of you had a great time between tot soccer and the Cheverly Community Market this morning. You're probably tired right now and enjoying a rainy afternoon. But what about tonight? Admit it. You want to get out of the house and have some fun. Well, we know some people who want you to have fun. Tonight.

Hope to see you tonight at New Deal Cafe in Greenbelt!

We've been terribly, horribly remiss!

2009-09-21T14:46:00.001-07:00

One of those snappy dresser, stalwart reporter, men about town that *are* ChvBlog (and a well-known local music guy and tea purveyor, to boot) celebrated a big milestone birthday -- his 40th -- about 10 days ago. Somehow even the CHVchick who shares his home forgot to post the big news. Rest assured, he got a big party, two cakes and a great week of celebration.

Happy Birthday, Charles!

-- Posted from the iPhone of Awesome

Getting ready for Public Safety Night...

2009-09-21T14:36:00.001-07:00

They have all sorts of people, vehicles and equipment ready for you at Town Park. Cheverly Public Safety Night runs 5:30-8:30pm. Make sure to buy a CHVchick cupcake!

-- Posted from the iPhone of Awesome

Added bonus of going to Cheverly Public Safety Night?

2009-09-21T08:10:00.000-07:00

Why, it's CHVchick COPcakes, of course!

We're very happy to donate delicious cupcakes for tonight's Public Safety Night. Look for our fancy logo ...

See you at Cheverly Public Safety Night tonight, 5:30pm at Town Park!

Cheverly Public Safety night is Monday, September 21

2009-09-20T18:18:00.000-07:00

CHVchick hopes to see many of our friends, families and neighbors in the community at this annual event, hosted by C-PACT.

from Denise Ryan, Cheverly Police and Citizens Together (C-PACT):

"Monday night is Cheverly Public Safety night starting at 5:30 p.m. in Town Park. There will be good stuff for everyone - Outback Steakhouse has donated catering again and there will be food from them in addition to hotdogs, chips and drinks (thanks to Pepsi). If you have the time to help out, we are looking for volunteers to help serve food.

"There will be plenty of activities for kids and adults - Mandy the clown, fire trucks, a helicopter, balloon animals and Berwyn Heights Fire Department will demonstrate a car rescue (I hope it is the jaws of life). The Club for your car will be on sale at the usual low, low, price of $5. There will be an opportunity for adult residents to try target shooting with a new police defensive weapon that is akin to a high powered paint gun.

"C-PACT is hoping to offer a women's self defense course this fall for a small fee of $10 for a half-day class over the weekend (10 a.m. - 3 or 4 p.m.). I have taken part of the course and found it very helpful to just be aware of some techniques and tools that could help me if confronted. I'll be taking names and numbers of residents interested in this program to see if we have enough interest to offer the class. I hope you'll sign up and spread the word. A private course is far more expensive.

"There will also be a bake sale fundraiser for HEROES. This is a fund to help families of fallen police officers to aid them with mortgage payments and college for their children. We would welcome your baked goods in individual containers like cookies, brownies, or other treats packaged in a baggie and ready to grab and go for a donation to the cause. Whole cakes or pies are difficult to sell, so we would prefer individual packaged portions. If you don't want to bake, please come down and enjoy a treat. "The two homicides in Cheverly this summer have no doubt shaken us up, and this event is a wonderful opportunity for us to unite as a safety conscious community. I hope you'll join us!"

Let's get together to support this very worthy organization -- and have fun and learn about safety at the same time. See you at Town Park this Monday evening.

-- Posted from the iPhone of Awesome

A message from Cheverly regarding N1H1 precautions...

2009-09-03T13:17:00.000-07:00

Are there ways to prevent the spread of th H1N1 influenza virus?

Take everyday actions to stay healthy:
- When available in early November, get a flu shot.
- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
- Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
- If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your creased elbow rather than in your hands.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze.
- Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
- Stay home if you get sick.
CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
- Avoid shaking hands.
- Don't share water bottles or other drinking items.
- Clean door knobs and other heavily touched surfaces with a mild bleach.
- Avoid crowds, crowded sleeping conditions and take other social distancing measures.

For More Information visit:
http://www.dhmh.state.md.us/

-- Posted from the iPhone of Awesome

Another senseless homicide in Cheverly

2009-09-01T11:17:00.000-07:00

By now, you've probably heard that there was a second homicide in our town last Saturday night. The young man, Abdul Karim Barrie, was just 17 years old. Seventeen. Let that sink in. Another young man (age 19) was injured and taken to the hospital. Seventeen and nineteen. Those boys were someone's children.

There's a very thorough account in today's Gazette by local reporter Natalie McGill.

The police are working very hard to solve this crime, as well as the unsolved July 4th homicide. Here's the email they sent the other day:

THE CHEVERLY POLICE DEPARTMENT NEEDS YOUR ASSISTANCE
FOR THE HOMICIDE THAT OCCURRED AT 10:47 ON SATURDAY AUGUST 29TH AT 6329 LANDOVER ROAD. LOOK OUT FOR A GREEN FORD WINDSTAR OR SIMILAR VEHICLE
TAGS REMOVED OCCUPIED BY 4-5 BLACK MALES. ONE MALE DESCRIBED AS WEARING A BLACK SKI MASK WITH HAIR IN THE FORM OF LONG DREDLOCKS, A WHITE SLEEVELESS T-SHIRT AND BLUE PANTS, ARMED WITH AN UNKNOWN CALIBER HANDGUN. THE ATTACKERS APPEAR TO HAVE TARGETED THEIR VICTIM

IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION CALL PG COUNTY HOMICIDE 301-772-4925
OR THE CHEVERLY POLICE AT 301-341-1055

Please keep your eyes and ears open, and if you have any information, please contact the police right away. Two murders in Cheverly in one summer are two too many.

Local Resident Ili Horchler

2009-09-01T06:16:00.001-07:00

You may know Ili from the pool, the Market, Weekday Nursery...
There's a very nice article about her in this morning's Gazette: http://www.gazette.net/stories/09012009/prinnew72107_32535.shtml

-- Posted from the iPhone of Awesome

Happy Birthday, BreadMan!

2009-08-28T06:42:00.001-07:00

CHVchick wishes ChvBlog's Dan Scott, aka The BreadMan, a very Happy Birthday!

-- Posted from the iPhone of Awesome

Fun at the Cheverly Swim & Racquet Club

2009-08-20T10:42:00.000-07:00

Looking for something fun to do with the family Friday night? How about Family Float Night?

Cheverly Swim & Racquet Club will have a special Family Float (and Picnic) Night for members and their guests this Friday, August 21, 7:00-10:00pm. I can tell you from the campout, floating in the dark is a great, fun thing. Highly recommended.

The pool will also hold a Family Movie Night on Friday, September 4, 7:30-10:00pm. The movie will be "The Incredibles". It's like they're reading my mind: I've been thinking about how great floating around and watching a movie at the same time would be!

If you're a member, just show up Friday night. If you're not, find out which neighbors and friends are pool members. It's time for you to butter them up. And it will be totally worth the effort!

See you Friday night at the pool!

I totally want this.

2009-08-20T06:39:00.000-07:00

This t-shirt is available at greatcitees.com. There are other fonts, but this is perfect!

(Also, it matches our favorite beverage...

Put it on your calendar: 2nd Annual Cheverly Public Safety Day

2009-08-20T06:36:00.000-07:00

The Cheverly Police Department and its law enforcement partners present the Second Annual Cheverly Public Safety Day

When: Monday, September 21, 2009, 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Where: Town Park, 6401 Forest Road, Cheverly, MD 20785

Celebrate the critical partnership that the public safety community has with Cheverly and its residents. Sponsored by Outback Steakhouse of Largo, Maryland, there'll be hot dogs, chips,and candy for the kids! Everyone is invited to a wonderful evening of free food and music, and police and fire department demonstrations including a police helicopter, motorcycles and horses. There will also be an exciting recreation of an emergency vehicle extraction by the Berwyn Heights Fire Department, as well as home security demonstrations, sales of "The Club" vehicle anti-theft device, firearms displays, and the opportunity to fire the CPD's FN 303 semi-automatic less-lethal launcher.

All donations go to HEROES, Inc. All C-PACT members are encouraged to attend the next C-PACT Meeting, scheduled for September 15, 2009, at 7:00 PM, at the police station. Planning for the Public Safety Day will take place at this meeting.

Want to volunteer for this event? Anyone who wishes to donate a baked good or offer their services as a volunteer or vendor (or donate) should contact Chief Buddy Robshaw at (301) 341-1055 or email the following information:
General: your name, address, telephone number
Baked goods: type/quantity of baked good
Other information: volunteer, vendor, donation