Montgomery County

In a series of decisions that began to frame the scope of the American Civil Liberties Union school-funding lawsuit against Maryland, Baltimore's chief judge ruled yesterday that Montgomery County cannot join the case -- and that Baltimore City does not have to.Chief Circuit Judge Joseph H. H. Kaplan denied the state's request to dismiss the lawsuit, which it challenged because Baltimore was not named as a party in the suit.The suit alleges that the state fails to aid Baltimore sufficiently for the city to provide adequate education to its students.

The commission charged with overhauling Maryland's system of school financing narrowed yesterday the number of ways it might shake up state spending - including eliminating most scenarios that would have cut millions of dollars from the current funding level of politically influential Montgomery County. Yesterday's actions move the task force closer to making its final recommendations, with decisions being made on how much aid to give school systems for educating children with extra needs - including nonnative English speakers, students with disabilities and those living in poverty.

In the second sign of internal unrest in the past week, Republican gubernatorial candidate Ellen R. Sauerbrey's volunteer executive director for Montgomery County is quitting because of disputes with the political professional brought in to run her campaign statewide.Allen Prettyman, who had headed the campaign in Maryland's largest county since August of last year, said yesterday that he is resigning effective Dec. 1 because of personal and philosophical differences with campaign manager David Albert.

DERWOOD -- Montgomery County is offering $1 million in emergency drought assistance to farmers in a program that may serve as a model for the rest of the state.County Executive Douglas M. Duncan said the program, to begin at the end of September, will give grants to crop and livestock farms to help keep them in business. Without aid, he said, the county could lose part of its 93,000-acre agricultural preserve."This doesn't come close to offsetting their losses," said Duncan, standing in the pasture of the county's Agricultural History Farm Park.

After several months of political static, Montgomery County has pulled the plug on buying a Rockville radio station to broadcast traffic reports full time.Instead, the county will augment its traffic control operation -- considered by highway experts to be one of the most sophisticated in the country -- by buying time on WINX-AM to alert commuters to road conditions.County Executive Douglas M. Duncan had hoped to add the 1,000-watt AM radio station to a traffic system that includes rush-hour coverage on a cable channel and a Web site.

ROCKVILLE -- Armed with chocolate crabs, a talking robot and swollen pride, county leaders are in Philadelphia to answer a simple question: What's so great about Greater Montgomery?The right answers, and they bring home the title All-America City, an annual honor bestowed on 10 communities by the National Civic League.The wrong answers and they come home Sunday as they did last summer -- empty-handed.For a half-century, the civic league has spotlighted the best examples of how we live -- from picturesque townships where Dudley Do-Right might patrol to Rust Belt cities that have refused to succumb to urban ills.

Gilbert Gude, a liberal Republican who championed environmental causes during five terms in the House of Representatives, died Thursday of heart failure at Sibley Hospital in Washington. The longtime Bethesda resident was 84. Mr. Gude, who represented Montgomery County and, at times, parts of Howard County from 1967 to 1977, was the chief House sponsor of the bill preserving the C&O Canal from Georgetown to Cumberland, making it the narrowest -- and one of the most-used -- national parks.

Convicted snipers John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo will return to stand trial in Maryland, site of six of the 10 sniper killings that paralyzed Washington-area residents with fear 2 1/2 years ago. Their extradition across the Potomac to Montgomery County was announced yesterday by Virginia Gov. Mark R. Warner and Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., coming just days after the final Virginia charges were dropped against Muhammad, 44, and Malvo, 20....

GAITHERSBURG - Jack Pykosh, 8, has endured multiple antibiotics, CAT scans and the removal of his adenoids in an attempt to alleviate his chronic sinusitis and allergies to pollen and mold. Jack's father, Paul Pykosh, has resorted to ultraviolet lights lights to kill bacteria, cleaning vents, dehumidifiers and expensive filters in his house. This summer, it all seemed to be working. But when Jack returned to DuFief Elementary School in Gaithersburg this fall, his congestion worsened. Pykosh thinks it has something to do with the mold problem at his son's school.

Montgomery County put a price on the heads of hatemongers. But in 15 years, no one has collected.Despite promises of a bounty of up to $2,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of bigots, the county has made just one payout from its $42,000 Anti-Hate and Violence Fund: $600 for an educational brochure.County officials say they have no intention of discontinuing the fund and earlier this month renewed the legislation that authorizes it."It shows we are steadfast and aggressive when it comes to keeping hate crimes at bay," said County Council member Gail Ewing, a Potomac Democrat.