Frederick News-Post (Newspaper) - August 28, 1992, Frederick, Maryland Weather Eighty percent chance of rain and thunderstorms developing and heavy pours are possible Highs around 80 Western Maryland weather and national map on 1992 The Great Southern Printing and Manufacturing Company Good Everyone of changing the world but no one thinks of changing himself Leo Tolstoi Vol 222 Frederick Maryland 21701 Friday August 5 Prm Run Today Pott News ToUl County says no fo adding interpreters By RICHARD KERNS Staff Although the Frederick County Commissioners earlier this month approved a far-reaching plan to bring Frederick County into com- with the Americans with Disabilities Act they balked twice Thursday at actually funding grams The commissioners denied funding for extra interpreting services at televised planning ings and delayed a decision on making the New Design Water Treatment plant accessible for public tours Questions over the signing services n seeking from the county's contingency fund Planning officials said the additional money was needed to provide interpreters at televised meetings of the planning commission and board of appeals Planning director James Shaw said the interpreters were not included in the planning ment's budget because he was not notified of the extension to planning meetings until after the budget was approved Signing services now are provided to county government by based Services for the Hearing Impaired According to county officials the company is doubling its fees as of Oct l Under the new rate it will cost the county at least to provide signing services for each televised meeting for each of two inter- for two hours Each tional hour will cost per inter- preter Mr Shaw said a six-hour planning commission meeting would cost more than Commissioner Bruce Reeder who joined Commissioners President Ronald Sundergill in voting against Continued on Page Recall of buses won't hamper school system By GLENN McMAHAN Staff School bus service in Frederick County will not be hampered by a recall of 108 county school buses when school starts Monday School Superintendent Noel T Farmer Jr decided to temporarily remove from service 18 buses until a faulty tion cage on the buses can be strengthened The remaining powered buses will be used while repairs are made Navistar International Trans- Corp announced in early August a recall of buses nationwide After collision tests the buses were found to have weak structures around the fuel tanks that collapsed on impact and could cause a rupture and explosion County school officials had to decide if they should use the Continued on Page Staff photo by Mark Months to go teacher Angie Rosenberry waits for her helper and former student Ashley Blank to ready the tape on the back of signs telling the months as they prepare Ms room at Ballenger Creek Elementary School Wednesday Monday is the first day of classes for students SAT scores slip by three points By GLENN McMAHAN Staff The average Scholastic Aptitude Test score in Frederick County this year dropped a few points to the lowest level since 1989 but still remained higher than the state and national scores The combined average score of the 1992 graduating class was 923 com- pared with the 907 state average and the 899 national average Last year and in 1990 Frederick County seniors scored 926 In 1989 the average score was 924 and in 1988 it was 918 Seniors taking the test countywide 932 in all scored 491 in the math section of the test a between the county curriculum and the verbal test Mr Hess said the Educational Testing Service the organization that designs and administers the SAT is overhauling the test because schools nationwide have changed the curriculum and made the test less relevant to what students are ing in school The verbal section of the new test will focus more on analytical ing and problem solving as opposed to a test of only reading sion and multiple choice math tions The new test is scheduled for March 1994 There is a tension Mr Hess said between what is taught in schools and wei Al naa uic highest score in the past five years 15 points above the state and national average However on the verbal exam county seniors scored 10 points below the previous year with the average of 432 That number was the lowest figure in five years and is one point above the state average County educators were pleased with the results despite the small drop in overall scores and the more significant decrease in verbal scores Stephen K Hess supervisor of testing for the school system said the verbal section results can be buted in part to a weak correlation lion 10 educators should decide what students ought to be learning he said We are not going to allow a book or testing company to decide what kids ought to know and Mr Hess said That's our job That's the essential curriculum On the other hand he said Clearly if there's a test out there we're going to prepare our kids We want to add that to their bag of competencies But that's not to say we're going to replace the entire curriculum The county curriculum includes Continued on Page Commissioners don't want to maintain pond By RICHARD KERNS Staff The Frederick County waded into a murky pool of controversy Thursday over who is farm pond in a development near Yellow Springs The commissioners backed away before becoming totally mired in the issue deferring a decision until more information is available The pond is on a parcel in the subdivision west of Yellow Springs Road In April 1990 the development's preliminary plan was approved and signed by the planning commission showing the pond as open park space dedicated to the county The development's 24 lots which range in price from to were then sold with the understanding that the would be a county park However the commissioners never signed a deed for the property and approval of the dedication did not go Further muddying the water records on the matter are plete Public Works officials said the parks and recreation department has no record of accepting maintenance responsibility for the pond and no record of reviewing the plat before it was recorded Representatives of the developer Que Inc urged the county to accept responsibility for the pond saying the signature of former ning commission chairman William Continued on Page Schaefer enters Johns Hopkins BALTIMORE AP Gov William Donald Schaefer was hospitalized at Johns Hopkins Hospital on Thursday after com- plaining he did not feel well a spokeswoman for the governor said Spokeswoman Page Boinest said no further details would be provided on the governor's illness to protect Mr Schaefer's privacy There is no reason for Ms Boinest said We're treating it as a precautionary situation Mr Schaefer 70 asked to be taken to the hospital after scheduled events Thursday morning He was taken to Johns Hopkins at about 3 p.m Ms Boinest said recommended the governor be admitted for tests Ms Boinest said Mr Schaefer is expected to be released Friday afternoon The governor has had no health problems in the past she said Index Editorials Family................................Bl-3 of Post tn Mch on U.S iets ao unchallenged bv WASHINGTON AP U.S warplanes swooped into southern Iraq Thursday to enforce a coalition ban on all flights by Iraqi aircraft Saddam Hussein's government denounced the zone and threatened retaliation in due time But the Pentagon said no Iraqi planes had challenged the prohibition of flights below the parallel Pentagon spokesman Bob Hall speaking at a news conference almost two hours after the EDT ban went into effect As of this moment or as of about five minutes ago there had been no activity to prevent the monitoring regime that we've undertaken He said based on the aircraft carrier Independence and fighters were patrolling the skies of southern Iraq and that the military was adding to its and reconnaissance plane force in the Persian Gulf theater British and French planes are moving into the region to participate Mr Hall said President Bush announced the ban on Wednesday saying one purpose was to prevent any attacks on tion surveillance planes monitoring Iraqi military activities in the marshlands of southern Iraq Mr Bush accused Hussein of attacking the Shiite people of southern Iraq a violation of Resolution 688 that requires Iraq to cease all suppression of its citizens Continued on Page New liver gives truck driver second chance at normal life By TERESA FRANKLIN Staff Charles Lewis started out this summer with a life expectancy of six months to two years But he is ending the summer with a new liver and the chance to lead a normal life again After an operation of more than 11 hours on Aug 18 Mr Lewis 52 is hoping to head home to Adamstown next week he said from his room at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore n About 30 people are expected to get liver transplants in Maryland this year As of July people were on the waiting list according to Joyce Tarrant spokeswoman for the Transplant Resource Center of Maryland which coordinates the procurement of organs and tissue for transplant The average wait for a liver transplant is three to eight months Ms Tarrant said Only a transplant could save Mr Lewis life after he was diagnosed with an incurable hardening of the liver called Laennec's cirrhosis according to Dr William Miller a liver specialist in Frederick and one of Mr Lewis doctors Mr Lewis said his drinking habit was responsible for the damage to his Rut he said he alcohol about a year ago In September 1990 he went to a Continued on Page Storms forecast From Staff Reports Relief will be on the way today following a scorching 92 degrees and sticky humidity Thursday Heavy rain and powerful thunderstorms are also on tap for today according to Ken Shaver a forecaster with the National Weather Service If the front continues to move the rain will be tapering off by midnight just in time for the weekend he said The rain is the result of a westerly front and the remains of Tropical Storm Andrew coming together Shaver explained But the haze and humidity of the past few days should be washed away The weekend forecast calls temperatures in the 80s Sheriff's office trying to cut waist Deputies have to shape up By NANCY LUSE Staff Members of the Frederick County Sheriff's Office and Adult Detention Center are being encouraged to sit-up push-up and eat from the four basic food groups Started about a month ago the wellness and physical performance program was started on a voluntary basis with mandatory compliance starting next July Our business requires a fit individual We want healthy people working for said David Doxzen chief of operations at the sheriff's office A manual has been distributed to personnel at the sheriff's office and jail and spells out fitness goals and how to develop a program It even contains sketches of the of chair dips and side leg lifts Chief Doxzen said a personnel committee researched other police departments and borrowed ideas for the local program There was planning and research it wasn't the product of one he said He said standards will be adjusted for the age of the deputy or correction officer Physically this is a high-risk the chief said not just in terms of being shot at or the other injuries associated with police work This is the only occupation i know where a heart attack is automatically considered he said adding the job often is stressful and has quirks such as shift work and the stereotypical meal of donuts and coffee at a desk According to the manual any officer who fails to achieve and maintain the physical standards may have promotions salaries and special duty assignments affected We don't monitor it Chief Doxzen said adding that some employees already are on an exercise gram Basically it's a year's grace period and then they'll have to meet these standards
