New Carrollton

The Transportation Security Administration will begin screening Amtrak and commuter train passengers at a Prince George's County train station next month, as part of a national test program to make rail travel safer. Addressing concerns that America's railroads are a weak link in transportation security, the TSA said yesterday that it would test new technologies in screening passengers and their carry-on bags for explosives at the New Carrollton station. Amtrak President David L. Gunn described the nation's busiest rail stations as being "like Swiss cheese" in an interview with Washington's WTOP Radio on Wednesday - echoing the concerns of some that train stations have too many points of entry and not enough security.

Backed by an affirming legislative session and soon to be flush with transportation money, state officials went to Washington on Monday to assure the administration that Maryland has both the means and the will to build two light rail systems. "Timing is everything," said Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown, after a meeting with U.S. Deputy Transportation Secretary John D. Porcari and the deputy administrator for the Federal Transit Administration. "Maryland has the resources to move forward.

NEW CARROLLTON - One by one, the commuters - about 250 of them - paused during evening rush hour yesterday at the New Carrollton commuter rail station to step into a portal the size of a phone booth. There, several cool puffs of air shot at them, enough air to blow neckties into the air. The scene was the launch of a national pilot test program to make rail travel safer. The passengers and nearly 400 bags were screened for explosives at the Prince George's County station- the first such test on a commuter rail system in the country.

Your article about the effects of the sequester on federal employees left readers with a misleading impression of its effects by not mentioning the IRS ("Agencies in Maryland dodge furloughs - for now," March 30). The National Treasury Employees Union, which represents IRS employees and more than 35 other federal agencies, represents over 1,000 employees at various posts in Maryland, including Baltimore City, Annapolis, Salisbury, Wheaton and Frederick. In addition, there is a huge IRS office in New Carrollton.

Stepping up his efforts to ease traffic congestion and curb sprawl in the Washington suburbs, Gov. Parris N. Glendening announced yesterday that he will push for a new light-rail line connecting Bethesda and New Carrollton. The $1.2 billion Metro system route - dubbed the "purple line" - would directly link Montgomery and Prince George's counties, eliminating the need for rail commuters to travel through downtown Washington to go from one suburb to the other. "We all know what the [Capital]

Backed by an affirming legislative session and soon to be flush with transportation money, state officials went to Washington on Monday to assure the administration that Maryland has both the means and the will to build two light rail systems. "Timing is everything," said Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown, after a meeting with U.S. Deputy Transportation Secretary John D. Porcari and the deputy administrator for the Federal Transit Administration. "Maryland has the resources to move forward.

Jean and Bryan Ledoux of Glen Burnie say their 16-year-old son was among scores of teens stranded outside RFK Stadium after the Guns N' Roses concert ended Friday night because the Washington subway had stopped running long before the event ended.The couple said they had double-checked the Metro's closing time with Metro employees at the New Carrollton station when they dropped off their son, Benoit Martineaux."We were told there would be no problem, that the Metro would not leave those kids stranded," said Mrs. Ledoux.

The City of Annapolis is working with the Maryland Transit Administration to find funding for next year to accommodate bus riders who work in Annapolis and live in the Washington area, as well as Annapolitans commuting to D.C., Mayor Ellen O. Moyer said. The "Capital to Capital" bus route was under the threat of shutting down, but Dillon's Bus Service, the company that provides the commuter bus line from Annapolis to New Carrollton, where the closest Metro station is located, decided to continue the service despite cuts in MTA funding.

On Friday, October 8, 2004, at 1 A.M. CHARLES ROSSON, 75, of Middler River; beloved husband of Betty Rosson; father of Rita Hamm, of Boca Raton, FL, Susan Spain, of Atlanta, GA and son John Rosson, of Severna Park, MD; brother of John Rosson, of Washington, DC, Dr. William D. Rosson, of New Carrollton, MD and the late Walter and Edgar Rosson. He is survived by 10 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. No formal memorial service planned at this time. Contributions may be directed to a charity of your choice.

Annapolis Mayor Ellen O. Moyer is calling a decision by the Maryland Transit Administration to cut a popular but sparsely used bus route connecting Annapolis to the Washington area "nuts," and is vowing to scrape together funds from the city's budget to keep the bus in circulation. "It's nonsense," Moyer said. "We've spent a lot of time and energy - that means money - trying to convince people to use alternative transportation to reduce congestion on the roads and to reduce the [pollution]

Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold is skeptical of the decision to move two state agencies out of his county - and for good reason. In the case of the Department of Housing and Community Development's planned relocation to Prince George's County, he raises legitimate questions of cost and political favoritism that deserve closer scrutiny. But don't expect that closer scrutiny to come from the General Assembly. The DHCD's move to New Carrollton, announced nearly one year ago, has all the look of a political decision - the fulfillment of a five-year-old campaign promise from Gov. Martin O'Malley that fellow Democrats are unlikely to question, no matter how expensive it turns out to be or how much fuss a Republican county executive might make in the media.

The state is planning a new building in Prince George's County to house the state Department of Housing and Community Development, Gov. Martin O'Malley announced Monday. The agency, which employs 385 workers, will move from Crownsville to New Carrollton next fall, O'Malley and Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown said. The new building, to be called Metroview, is to be built near the Orange Line and the proposed Purple Line of the Washington Metro. O'Malley called it a "modern investment" that will "allow us to do the right thing for reducing traffic and sprawl, the right thing for our quality of life, and the right thing for our land, our water, and our air. " Metroview is to be developed by Carl Williams of Grand Central Development, the governor's office said.

At least two developers are vying to lure the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from its outdated Rockville complex in Montgomery County to spacious new digs in Prince George's County. Each firm is interested in building almost 1 million square feet of office space for HHS near a Metro stop in Prince George's County. If constructed, such a complex would relocate about 5,000 federal jobs to the county, fatten property tax coffers and serve as a major anchor near a transit station.

The City of Annapolis is working with the Maryland Transit Administration to find funding for next year to accommodate bus riders who work in Annapolis and live in the Washington area, as well as Annapolitans commuting to D.C., Mayor Ellen O. Moyer said. The "Capital to Capital" bus route was under the threat of shutting down, but Dillon's Bus Service, the company that provides the commuter bus line from Annapolis to New Carrollton, where the closest Metro station is located, decided to continue the service despite cuts in MTA funding.

Annapolis Mayor Ellen O. Moyer is calling a decision by the Maryland Transit Administration to cut a popular but sparsely used bus route connecting Annapolis to the Washington area "nuts," and is vowing to scrape together funds from the city's budget to keep the bus in circulation. "It's nonsense," Moyer said. "We've spent a lot of time and energy - that means money - trying to convince people to use alternative transportation to reduce congestion on the roads and to reduce the [pollution]

An overnight storm flooded roads and streams south of Baltimore yesterday morning, snarled rush hour traffic, interrupted MARC train service to Washington and triggered a brief tornado scare in Prince George's County. Cheron Wicker, a spokeswoman for the Maryland Transit Administration, said flooding along the Camden and Brunswick MARC lines forced trains to operate at reduced speeds early yesterday morning. High water on the Amtrak tracks forced Penn Line MARC trains to stop at the New Carrollton station, and passengers had to transfer to the Washington METRO system to finish their commute into Washington.

At least two developers are vying to lure the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from its outdated Rockville complex in Montgomery County to spacious new digs in Prince George's County. Each firm is interested in building almost 1 million square feet of office space for HHS near a Metro stop in Prince George's County. If constructed, such a complex would relocate about 5,000 federal jobs to the county, fatten property tax coffers and serve as a major anchor near a transit station.

A 6-year-old girl was killed and her father and 2-year-old sister critically injured yesterday in a three-car accident in New Carrollton, Prince George's County police said.The accident occurred shortly after 5 p.m. when a Nissan Sentra driven by Teffy Dent, 32, of the 6700 block of Carrollton Parkway in New Carrollton, slid out of control in the westbound lane of the 6900 block of Riverdale Road, police said.Mr. Dent's car skidded on wet pavement, crossed into oncoming traffic and was struck broadside by a Cadillac, police said.

Woman charged in officer's death Elkton woman identified by authorities as a person of interest in a hit-and-run accident that killed a veteran Maryland Transportation Authority police officer was indicted yesterday in connection with the New Year's Eve crash, according to Baltimore prosecutors. Kerri J. King, 35, faces charges of automobile manslaughter, driving under the influence of alcohol and leaving the scene of an accident, the city state's attorney's office said. The indictment handed up by a Baltimore grand jury was unsealed yesterday.

Many motorists know the age-old speeding ticket routine - get pulled over, wait at least 10 minutes for an officer to write a barely legible citation and hope to remember to mail a check within 15 days. But fumbling with carbon copies and postage stamps might soon be a thing of the past. By the end of the month, the Maryland State Police, which issues a third of all speeding tickets issued in the state, plans to deploy an electronic citation system, and law enforcement agencies in almost 30 other jurisdictions have expressed interest in doing the same, police and court officials say. The agencies are following the lead of New Carrollton, whose police department in December became the first agency in Maryland to become certified by the District Court to issue e- citations.