April 1st has been celebrated as April Fools’ Day for over 500 years. It is difficult to find one specific explanation for this long-standing day of pranks. It is likely the amalgamation of many Spring festivals like Hilaria (ancient Rome), Holi (India), Songkran (Thailand), Nowruz (Persia) and the medieval celebration of the Feast of Fools (festum fatuorum) during Saturnalia.
In 1582, the Gregorian calendar was adopted and moved the […]
March is National Reading Month, and the 2nd was “Read Across America Day”. While this is often thought of as a “school” issue, folks of all ages are encouraged to read regularly. In fact, reading is linked with several positive outcomes for older adults, including enhanced memory retention, sharper decision-making skills, stress reduction, better sleep, and even the delayed onset of Alzheimer’s and dementia. Not to mention the fact […]
Thousands of families in Montgomery County are not required to file Federal or Maryland Income Tax returns because they do not meet the minimum income level. But they may be missing out on thousands of dollars in tax refunds which they are eligible to receive.
Maryland’s Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) has been expanded and most people who receive it also get back money from Montgomery County’s Working […]
If you are a Maryland homeowner who has received a county tax property credit on your property tax bill, please be advised that a new law requires homeowners to have a completed and approved Homestead application on file with the State Department of Assessments and /taxation (SDAT) to be eligible for the County’s Income Tax Offset Credit (ITOC). This credit appears on your annual property tax bill.
Even if you received […]
Lucy Wright Trundle (1890-1960) was the first woman member of Montgomery County Board of Education.
Lucy Wright Trundle was born on Carroll Springs, her family’s estate near Forest Glen, Maryland. Her mother, Jessie Waite Wright, was an active suffragist who impressed Elizabeth Cady Stanton and was president of several Equal Suffrage organizations in DC and MoCo. For many years, her mother and father Dr. George H. Wright operated the homeopathic Carroll Springs Sanitarium […]
If you know a young artist in 6th through 12th grade, either attending PHS, JPMS or living in their attendance areas, be sure to let them know about the Poolesville Mural Contest. The Upcounty Prevention Network and Riverworks Art Center are sponsoring this search for a work of art that should eventually grace a building in downtown Poolesville and enhance the community. The theme of the artwork is “Mindful of […]
Since 2021, Tara Tetrault and her archaeology team from Montgomery College have been uncovering the homestead of Basil and Nancy Dorsey, who bought their property on Sugarland Road in the 1870s. The Dorseys were one of the earliest freedman families in Sugarland.
The archaeological team from Montgomery College is about to begin its third season of work in the woods near the Sugarland church. So far, only a relatively small part of the […]
A strong voice for women’s issues and rights, The Honorable Connie Morella has been a leader in women’s issues throughout her legislative career and continues to advocate in her “retirement”.
Born in Massachusetts, Connie Albanese attended Boston University, graduating in 1951. After her marriage to Anthony Morella 1954, they moved to Montgomery County where her first job in education was teaching at Poolesville […]
If you need help with your 2021 or 2022 Maryland or Federal income tax return contact the AARP/IRS Tax-Aid program. For several years, knowledgeable volunteers have been assisting primarily low income and senior clients with preparing their Federal and Maryland state income tax returns. This service is available each Friday until April 18, 2023, at Poolesville’s Maggie Nightingale Library. Appointments are required for consultations from 10:15 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. You can request […]
Pi, also known by the Greek letter “π,” is a constant value used in math that represents the ratio of a circumference of a circle to its diameter, which is 3.14….15…9265359… (and so on, and so on). The fourteenth of March is also Albert Einstein’s birthday, so it’s a mathematician’s delight.
The value of pi was first calculated by Archimedes of Syracuse (287–212 BC), one of the greatest mathematicians of the ancient world.