Tatyana Goes For Gold

The Flier has a piece on wheelchair athlete Tatyana McFadden. She's headed off to Beijing for the Paralympics where she hopes for some bling.

McFadden will have plenty of chances at gold at this year's Paralympics, which kick off with the opening ceremonies Sept. 6. She has qualified to participate in the 100-, 200-, 400-, and 800-meter track events, in addition to competing as a member of the 4x100-meter relay team.

The 100, the event in which she won silver in 2004 and also held the world record earlier this year, is her strong suit but, according to McFadden and her coaches, there is the chance for success across the board.

The Flier also says this about her legacy in Howard:

In July, after years of pushing and a testimony by McFadden in front of the Maryland General Assembly, the "Fitness and Athletics Equity for Students with Disabilities" bill was put into effect. The new legislation was a huge breakthrough in that it will require Maryland public schools to provide disabled students with equal access to physical education programs and high school sports teams, either among themselves or with able-bodied students.

Schools have three years to comply, and it is estimated that it will cost more than $2 million statewide to implement the program.

While McFadden is headed off to college and won't reap the benefits of the bill, her sister, Hannah, a wheelchair athlete going into seventh grade at Lime Kiln Middle School and already a swimming and track star, will have an easier time.

Relief Coming to Penn Line

From WaPo:

The Maryland Board of Public Works approved the purchase of 13 double-deck coaches yesterday for the MARC rail system, at a cost of $22 million.

Transportation Secretary John D. Porcari told the three-member board that the rail cars will be used primarily on the Penn Line, which provides service between Washington and Baltimore, adding 1,700 seats.

The rail cars are being purchased from the Virginia Railway Express and will be modified before coming on line in Maryland, Porcari said.

Hoodwinked!

Careful what you read in press releases you come across in random Google searches. Sysco isn't going to partner to sell groceries to Columbia residents.

HOUSTON, Aug 19, 2008 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX News Network) -- SYSCO Corporation (NYSE:SYY) today corrected information released late yesterday by Dezina Marketing, Inc. (Pink Sheets:DZNA). Contrary to the Dezina press release, which SYSCO Corporation did not review or approve, SYSCO has not negotiated with or entered into a joint venture with Dezina to provide its products online to residential customers. SYSCO does currently deliver foodservice products to commissaries operated by Dezina.

Furthermore, quotes attributed to Keith Shapiro, president of SYSCO's operating company in Baltimore, Maryland, were not reviewed or approved by Mr. Shapiro and information describing SYSCO and its financial performance was outdated or inaccurate. Current information describing SYSCO can be found at www.sysco.com.

SYSCO is the global leader in selling, marketing and distributing food products to restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, lodging establishments and other customers who prepare meals away from home. Its family of products also includes equipment and supplies for the foodservice and hospitality industries. The company operates 180 distribution facilities serving more than 400,000 customers. For the fiscal year 2008 that ended June 28, 2008, the company generated more than $37 billion in sales. For more information about SYSCO visit the company's Internet home page at www.sysco.com.

You've Been Warned

It's time again for our own bit of Beijing.

From HoCo PD:

The Howard County Police Department is advising drivers of expected delays Sunday, Aug. 24 due to the Iron Girl Triathlon in Columbia.

The swimming and running portions of the event, which includes 1,500 participants, take place inside Centennial Park, however the cycling portion takes place on various roadways in the county.

Motorists traveling on the following roadways from 6 a.m. until noon should expect delays and plan ahead:

MD Rt. 108
Homewood Road
Folly Quarter Road
Carroll Mill Road
Mt. Albert Road
Cantor Lane
Jumpers Hills Road
Triadelphia Road

Police officers will be directing traffic at the major intersections, but 20-30 minute delays should be expected.

And then, there's this:

In an effort to promote awareness and reduce the number of alcohol-impaired drivers on the roads, the Howard County Police Department will conduct a sobriety checkpoint this week at an undisclosed location. Police are reminding citizens to designate a sober driver or refrain from drinking alcohol if their plans include driving.

Last year in Howard County, eight people died in alcohol-related collisions and 1,340 people were arrested and charged with driving under the influence (DUI) in Howard County. So far this year, eight people have died in alcohol-related collisions and 801 people have been arrested and charged with DUI.

Police hope that by promoting awareness about the dangers of drinking and driving, the number of drivers under the influence will decline, reducing collisions and injuries.

Please remember to drink responsibly, drive safely and always wear your seatbelt!

A New Entrant In The Grocery Wars

Peapod's got some competition.

Sysco Systems, the giant food purveyor to restaurants, hotels, hospitals, colleges and corporate offices, is looking to penetrate the residential market through an online grocery operation that will based here in town, according to this release.

The company is teaming up with a local firm called Dezina Marketing to market and distribute food to folks like us at what Sysco says will be significant savings -- and free delivery.

Could this be Wegman's without the traffic? :)

Denina currently operates a "Deli Around The Corner" commissary that provides food to business customers, delivering 300 lunches today, in Timonium. It plans to open a similar operation in Columbia by the end of October serving business customers and residents within a 3-mile radius of its store.

The two companies are developing an interactive, virtual grocery shopping website that will simulate an actual grocery shopping experience. The site will be made available to target audiences and will have customer use incentives built into the system in various forms.

e-Progress at C.A.

Maybe we missed the great unveiling but CA's Web site has been updated and it seems much easier to find links to villages, e-mail addresses for board members etc. We learned that CA has a monthly TV show. Don't expect prime time production values or hard-hitting reporting, but at least it adds another outlet for public interest programming at a time when much of the mainstream media in town is cutting back.

Rocky Run R.I.P

If you haven't read the definitive account of why the closing of Rocky Run is such a loss, check out this account on Columbia Compass.