On the Way to London: Olympic Dive Team Makes a Splash in County
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| US Olympians execute a dive during a training session for the media at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Sargent Shriver Aquatic Center in North Bethesda. |
Local media and residents had a couple of unique opportunities to see the U.S. Olympic Team–Diving during the four days of training sessions held in the County before the team departed for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
Montgomery County Recreation hosted a media-only training session for the team on July 14 at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Sargent Shriver Aquatic Center in North Bethesda. Members of the media filmed and interviewed team members during the session.
The following day, the Olympians participated in a special exhibition at the Germantown Indoor Swim Center. In addition to elected officials and residents, the full-house audience included Olympic Champion diver Greg Louganis, who is serving as a mentor to the US team.
Inside word has it that the team was very happy with the facilities here in Montgomery County and that they were accessible and friendly to both Recreation staff, other swimmers and the public, in general, signing autographs and talking with young people.
Gazette Editorial Commends County’s “Latest Milestone” in Recycling
In the past 60 days, the County has taken two more giant steps to enhance its reputation as a local leader in recycling efforts.
The first step came in May when County Executive Ike Leggett announced establishment of a new, higher recycling goal -- 70 percent of the waste stream being recycled by the end of 2020. The new goal would be one of the highest among jurisdictions in the metropolitan region, as well as other counties across the United States.
The second step came at the end of June when the Executive announced that residents of single-family homes receiving County recycling pick ups can now add PET thermoform plastics to their recycling bins. [See photo.]
PET plastic is used to make items such as cups and rigid packaging. It is a transparent, lightweight, strong, safe, shatterproof and recyclable packaging material commonly used to package fresh fruits and vegetables, bakery items, prepared foods and salads, and deli items.
Both announcements were lauded by The Gazette in a July 11 editorial entitled “Recycling strides.” Adding clamshell containers, the editorial stated, “is the latest milestone in the county’s recycling program which is getting even more ambitious after the county executive raised the goal on how much of the county’s trash…should be recycled by 2020.”
Correction and Rehabilitation Program Featured on Channel 7
Turning lives around is more than a phrase at the County’s Correctional Facility in Clarksburg.
It’s a fact, thanks to a comprehensive work program that teaches life skills to inmates learning how to make new starts for themselves.
ABC 7 News (WJLA) recently detailed the program, a dedicated career coach and the positive impact both are having on inmates.