Pulaski Newsletter Nov 2008

Pulaski Corridor News
Covering news in the Pulaski Highway corridor from the city line to Joppatowne
* C-Mart is closing its store
in the Jopppatowne
Shopping Center. It's last
day will be Oct. 18 after 33
years in business. It was
the largest anchor store in
the shopping center,
known for discount
furniture, clothing and
home items.
"God first, family second, country third"
Don’t forget to vote!
* The new Catches
Restaurant was abuzz last
week as it invited the
community to join in
making its first
commercial. Look for the
commercials to air on
Comcast TV and WBAL
radio.
* Pulaski Highway was
shut down from Mohrs
Lane to the Harley
Davidson Store last
Wednesday for several
hours during the afternoon
rush hour due to a BGE
gas main break in the area
of Middle River Road
causing extreme back ups
on secondary roads.
Police blocked off Pulaski
Highway due to the
potential threat of a gas
explosion. State Highway
workers have been
working on utilities as part
of an overall road
improvement project.
The presidential election will be held
Tuesday, Nov. 4 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and will
be the 56th consecutive quadrennial election
to select the president and vice president. Oct.
14 was the last day to register to vote.
The Republican Party has chosen John
McCain, the senior United States Senator from
Arizona as its nominee; Barack Obama, the
junior United States Senator from Illinois, has
been chosen as the nominee for the
Democratic Party. The election is particularly
notable because it is the first time in U.S.
history that two sitting senators will run against
each other for president, and because it is the
first time an African American is a presidential
nominee for a major party, as well as the first
* PCN is proud to be
time both major candidates were born outside
partnering with two
charities it wrote about last the continental United States - Hawaii for
month: Success in Style,
Obama and the Panama Canal Zone for
which donates women's
McCain.
business attire to lowincome women returning
With African American candidate Barack
to the workforce, and the
Obama, who is of mixed African and
Maryland SPCA Adoption
Caucasian parentage, as the Democratic
Program. PCN sent three
Party nominee for President and John
boxes of items to the
charities from donations
McCain's selection of female Alaska Governor
collected from readers.
Sarah Palin as the Republican Party nominee
PCN will continue sending
for Vice-President, the winning ticket will have
donations through the end
a historic context, as either the first African
of 2008. To learn how to
donate items for either
American will be elected President along with
cause, see page 6.
* Congratulations to
Rosedale Fire Chief Steve
Barry who correctly
answered last month's
trivia question. The answer
was: Longhorn Steak
House. Look for our trivia
question this month on
page 2.
Contact us on the web at:
www.pulaskicorridornews.com
Volume 1, Issue 9 November 2008
the first Roman Catholic as Vice President or the
first woman will be elected Vice President.
The Libertarian Party has nominated former
Congressman Bob Barr, the Constitution Party
has nominated pastor and radio talk show host
Chuck Baldwin, and the Green Party has
nominated former Congresswoman Cynthia
McKinney. Ralph Nader declined to seek the
Green Party nomination and is running as an
independent candidate.
The election marks the first time since the 1928
election in which neither an incumbent President
nor an incumbent Vice President ran for their
party's nomination in the presidential election,
and the first time since the 1952 election that
neither the incumbent President nor incumbent
Vice President is a candidate in the general
election.
The election will coincide with Senate elections
in 33 states, House of Representatives elections
in all states, and gubernatorial elections in eleven
states, as well as various state referendums and
local elections. As in the 2004 presidential
election, the allocation of electoral votes to each
state will be based partly on the 2000 Census.
The president-elect and vice president-elect are
scheduled to be inaugurated on Jan. 20, 2009.
Also, if inaugurated, McCain would be the oldest
U.S. president upon ascension to the presidency
at age 72.
Unlike other traditional newspapers, PCN has
chosen not to endorse a candidate because it is
the publisher's belief that a newspaper's purpose
is to disseminate information, not opinions, to
readers so that readers can come to their own
decision based on solid information reported and
not "opinions" reported. Also, political
endorsements usually only reflect the opinion of
the publisher, and not the entire staff of a paper,
which PCN believes is also flawed.
Will the slots referendum pass?
In addition to selecting our president and vice president,
Baltimore County citizens also will pick some
Congressional positions as well as have the opportunity to
vote on a referendum question that the legislature has
been debating for years - whether to put slots in Maryland.
In District 2, former Baltimore County Executive C.A.
Dutch Ruppersburger is up for re-election in the House.
This would be his second term. In District 1, there is a
strong race between Andy Harris, a state senator who
represents the Pulaski Highway Corridor in the state
legislature, and Queen Anne's State's Attorney Frank
Kratovil. They are running for the congressional seat
currently held by Wayne Gilchrest since 1991. PCN wrote
about this race in January.
There are also four judgeships up for election as well as
a number of questions concerning Baltimore County being
able to borrow monies for services. Lastly, there is a
question concerning the amendment of the county charter
to allow a member of the County Council to be able to be
employed with the state at the same time they sit on the
county council.
Baltimore County Board of Elections
106 Bloomsbury Avenue
Baltimore, Maryland 21228
Telephone - 410-887-5700
FAX - 410-887-0894
E-mail - [email protected]
Hours - Monday thru Friday
8 a.m to 4 p.m
Trivia Question
What is a Super Delegate?
The first person to respond correctly will receive
a $10 gift certificate to the new Catches Restaurant.
Mail answers to: PCN, P.O. Box 114 White Marsh, MD 21162
Local motorcycle business raises funds for
Signal 13 police charity
Renegade Classics on Pulaski Highway was the site last
month where hundreds of motorcyclists converged as part of
"Blue Thunder Day", an event to raise money for Signal 13, a
charity that helps police officers and their families who have
been seriously injured or died in the line of duty.
Signal 13 is the universal distress call for an officer down.
Approximately 20 years ago, Baltimore Police Commissioner
Frank Battaglia started the foundation to serve officers and
their families by conducting fundraisers. Former auto dealer
Scott Donahoo, who sits on the Signal 13 Board, approached
Renegade Classics owner John Onorato (Johnny-O) about
doing a fundraiser for the charity that would consist of
motorcycle participation. Johnny-O agreed and "Blue Thunder
Day" was born.
On Sept. 13 approximately 150-160 motorcyclists came to
the Pulaski Highway location and then in a cloud of "blue
thunder" departed from the motorcycle shop and drove
together to Pimlico Raceway where the day's main activities
were held. Pimlico's infield was used to host the event which
included entertainment, a display of crime fighting equipment,
food and drinks and socialization for the biker and police
communities.
Johnny-O said he was pleased to have a police helicopter
escort the ride to Pimlico from his shop, and said the Maryland
State Police, the Baltimore City and County Police and the
Maryland Transportation Police all participated. Monies for the
event were raised through admission into Pimlico and a
portion of the proceeds, which are still being tabulated,
will be given to Signal 13.
Johnny-O opened Renegade Classics in 2004, close to
Martins East. He said he located his business along
Pulaski Highway because there was a building that
happened to be available at the time. Renegade
Classics specializes in motorcycle clothing and
accessories. Johnny-O said he has been riding
motorcycles since he was about 7 years old and after
working in the construction industry for years, felt a
passion to open a motorcycle store. He said he plans to
make "Blue Thunder Day" an annual event.
The store is holding a Halloween Open House on Oct.
18. The public is invited. See advertisement below.
PCN will be adopting families
for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
If you’d like to donate to this cause,
please contact PCN at
[email protected]
Easterns Motors new building now complete
Easterns Motors on Pulaski Highway next to Cycle
World has finished construction of its new building and
General Manager Kenny Booth told PCN that furniture
and other office items will be moved in during midOctober.
The building will replace the two-year old temporary
trailer that the staff of 20 has been working out of. Booth
said Easterns is renting the land that the current lot is
on but owns the land where the new building was
constructed. "The building is franchise ready and about
9,800 square feet. It's equipped as any new car
dealership would be," he said.
Booth said he is uncertain whether Easterns will keep
the former lot they were on and whether the old trailers
will stay. He said approximately 70-100 cars a month
are sold from the Pulaski Highway location, one of 8
Easterns stores in Maryland. Booth has been with the
company 4.5 years and said the economy has been
challenging, but that Easterns anticipated the downturn
and is prepared to wait out the storm. "We will be one of
the few [dealerships] left," he predicted, due to the
company's solid financial structure.
Easterns deals primarily in second chance credit auto
loans and sells all makes and models of vehicles. They
maintain 2,200 vehicles in their inventory. He said he
has seen a tightening of the banks to release funds for
loans, but he predicts that after the presidential election,
come early spring the market will rebound. When that
happens, the staff will be ready to accommodate customers
in their new building.
News Briefs
• The 3rd annual Kenwood Alumni
Golf Tournament was held Sept. 26
at Rocky Point Golf Course in
Essex. Several Kenwood High
School alumni, dating back to the
60's participated in the event.
Monies raised during the event will
be donated to Kenwood's Athletic
League.
• Parker and Pallet Law Firm on
Pulaski Highway has opened a new
office at 2901 Pulaski Highway in
Edgewood. The office started
serving clients in September. Ron
Parker stated that his practice is
seeing many more clients from
Aberdeen Proving Ground and the
Edgewood area, facilitating the need
for an additional office. The law firm
handles personal injury, workers
compensation, traffic, criminal,
medical malpractice, social security
and domestic cases. Call the firm at
410-335-3800.
Meetings
• The Baltimore County Public Library is hosting a series of "Election 2008" meetings
in October where the public is invited to attend and hear different speakers and
perspectives on the upcoming presidential election. The October meetings are: "Your
Vote and Health Care" on Sunday, Oct. 19 at 2 p.m. and the "War on Terrorism" on
Wednesday, Oct. 29 at 7 p.m. On Nov. 4, election night, join others to watch and
discuss the election returns and projections with Johns Hopkins policitcal science
professor Dr. Matthew Crenson. All meetings are held at the Towson Library. Call the
library at 410-887-6166.
• The Route 40 East Business & Civic Association will hold its October general
meeting on Monday, Oct. 27 at 8:30 a.m. at the Williamsburg Inn. The association
promotes business and community interests along the Rt. 40 Corridor from Rosedale to
White Marsh. The association will hold a Shrimp Feast on Saturday, Nov. 8 from 7-11
p.m. at Lantern Gardens. Tickets are $35 each and can be purchased by calling Kathy
McCourry at 410-218-3098 or 410-866-6111. The public is encouraged to attend.
• The Essex-Middle River-White Marsh Chamber of Commerce will host the 19th
annual Principals Breakfast on Friday, Oct. 24 at the Hilton Garden Inn in White Marsh
starting at 7:30 a.m. It's an opportunity for educators and the business community to
come together to explore the issue: "The World of Work..Are they Ready?" The event
will host a panel of students which will be moderated by Marc Czosnowski of M&T
Bank. The cost is $15 for chamber members and $25 for non-members. For
reservations or more information, please contact the Chamber office at 410686-2233 or
by email [email protected]
PCN is pleased to share your news with the community. If your business, association or community has news of interest to
those who live and work in the Pulaski Corridor, please let us know. You can email the information to:
[email protected]
Pet of the Month
BEOWULF, 1½ years old, neutered
male, 10 lbs, White + Grey,
American Domestic Short Hair
Hello everyone! I’m curious &
playful & love to explore my
indoor world. I love to play with
my cat toys & I’d like you to let
me curl up in your lap for a nap
once in a while.
CHANDLER, 2 years old, neutered
male, 42 lbs, Beagle
Hello everyone! I’m an active &
talkative fella looking for a new
home. Hope you enjoy long walks in
the park. I do like to talk for
attention, so please be prepared.
The Maryland SPCA
410-235-8826x101 www.mdspca.org
PENELOPE, 7 years, spayed
female, 10 lbs, Black & White,
American Domestic Short Hair
Hi there! I’m a plump & calm
cat looking for a new family. I
am front de-clawed & I would
prefer to be in a calm home
with lots of room to relax.
Chamber relocates to Rt. 43 extension
After being on Eastern Avenue in Essex for years, the
Essex-Middle River-White Marsh Chamber of Commerce
has moved its office to the Rt. 43 extension. At a grand
opening Sept. 24, the Chamber held a ribbon cutting and
open house at their new offices on Williams Court. Jad's
Caddyshack catered the lunch and the new chamber office
was open for tours.
A wide variety of new furniture was donated by Ikea of
White Marsh and the brand new office is now up and
running. St. Johns Properties, a commercial developer of
the corridor, donated a three-year lease to the chamber and in
return the chamber office will be used as a model for
prospective tenants looking to move into the Rt. 43 corridor.
After the three year lease, the chamber office will move into
a planned building that will be a joint venture with the Marine
Trades Association, the Middle River Volunteer Ambulance
Rescue Company and the Central Alarmers. A visitor's center
is also planned.
President Hal Asham, owner of Ultimate Watersports, is the
current president of the chamber. He stated that the office is
more centrally located and would fit the needs of chamber
members better. He also acknowledged that the chamber is
celebrating its 60th year. Chamber members will have the
opportunity to use the conference room for their own business
meetings.
The new office is located at 405 Williams Court, Suite 108.
For more information, call 410-686-2233 or visit their website
at: www.emrchamber.org
Attention Readers
The Essex-Middle River-White Marsh Chamber of Commerce celebrated
its move from Eastern Avenue in Essex to the new Baltimore Crossroads
@ 95 on Rt. 43 extension with a ribbon cutting ceremony last month.
PCN has officially partnered with the
Maryland SPCA and Success in Style
to help people and pets in need.
To make a donation for animals or
to donate business attire items to the
Success In Style charity,
Contact PCN at 410-698-7500
Questions? Comments?
Please write us at:
P.O. Box 114
White Marsh, MD 21162
Phone 410-698-7500
Email: [email protected]
Publisher & Editor: Audrey Carpenter
Layout & Web Manager: Penny J, Munro,
Munro Design & Technologies, LLC.
Printing: Print Solutions