Homestead Suing "Downtown Annapolis"

From the Capital Gazette:

Brian Riddle, owner of Homestead Gardens

Homestead Gardens, owned by Brian Riddle, is demanding payment of the remaining cost of the contract it agreed to with the Downtown Annapolis Partnership three years ago to provide hundreds of flowers, planters and hanging baskets for the Annapolis Hanging Flower Basket program. Homestead Gardens in a second count is claiming that Downtown Annapolis Partnership unjustly enriched itself and is demanding an additional $30,000.

According to the complaint filed on May 14, Homestead Gardens agreed to provide 132 hanging baskets, 58 flower pots and maintenance and watering from May to September for $34,369, a 36% discount of the actual cost of those goods and the 485 hours of maintenance and watering it takes to keep the flowers in good shape.

In exchange, the business organization agreed to pay invoices for the goods and services as they were received, according to the complaint.

The Annapolis Downtown Partnership paid about $20,000 of the $34,369 that was owed under the contract before payments ceased after Sept. 29, 2018, according to the complaint.

Erik Evans, the partnership’s director, declined to comment on the lawsuit, which was first reported by Eye on Annapolis.

A hearing has been scheduled for July 20.

“It’s unfortunate that we have to work out our differences in this fashion,” Riddle said in an interview Tuesday. “We’ve been providing that program at no profit for over 20 years and so we’re happy to support our city. I’m happy to help with beautification efforts wherever we can and by no means does our disagreement with the Downtown Annapolis Partnership reflect on our willingness or desire to support the city of Annapolis and her residents.”

Recent D'ville Home Sale (735 Intrepid)

 A two story home on 2.18 acre at 735 Intrepid Way was sold by John Deleonibus to Christopher and Mary McCarthy for $1,400,000.

What's Next For Larry Hogan?

 Donors want him for Senate. Dreamers want him as President. Here's what we know about his next move.

https://www.washingtonian.com/2021/06/25/larry-hogan-2024/

Recent D'ville Home Sale (907 Gov. Br.)

 A two story home on 10.28 acres at 907 Governor Bridge Road was sold by Patrick Kahl to  Scott and Jennifer Buttz for $1,430,000.

Mary Taylor Passes Away

    Mary Kathleen "Kay" Taylor, 71, a 42-year resident of Davidsonville, MD and previously of Washington, DC, passed away peacefully on June 22, 2021 at the Baltimore Washington Medical Center.
    Born on July 6, 1949 in Washington, DC to the late Paul and Kathleen Kelley, Kay graduated from Notre Dame of Maryland University with a Bachelor of Arts degree. With a strong commitment to her Catholic faith, Kay enjoyed a successful career as a teacher in the Archdiocese of Baltimore at St. Mary's School in Annapolis and St. Phillip Neri School in Linthicum Heights. Kay was a devoted mother and wife who enjoyed cooking, painting, music, knitting and her cats, and was an active member of Holy Family Catholic Church in Davidsonville.
    In addition to her parents, Kay was preceded in death by two brothers, Jeremiah and John Kelley. She is survived by her loving husband of 47 years, Patrick T. Taylor; two cherished sons, Timothy (Sarah) Taylor of Frederick, MD and Arthur (Anna) Taylor of Crofton, MD; her brother, Paul Kelley of Leonardtown, MD; sister, Eileen Maybec of Nellysford, VA and three adored grandchildren.
    Friends are invited to celebrate Kay's life with her family from 10:00 a.m. until Mass of Christian Burial is offered at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 29 at Holy Family Catholic Church, 826 W. Central Avenue, Davidsonville, MD 21035. Burial will follow at Resurrection Cemetery in Clinton, MD.

Daniel Winsky Passes Away

    Daniel "Dan" Andrew Winsky, 58, a resident of Davidsonville, MD for twenty years and previously of Greenbelt, MD, died on Tuesday, June 22 after a short six month battle with metastatic pancreatic cancer.
    Born on December 13, 1962 in Washington, DC to Lucy and the late Andrew Winsky, Dan was a graduate of the University of Maryland College Park. He is survived by his wife of 32 years, Renee M. Bryan Winsky; his daughter, Gabriella "Gabby" Winsky; his sister, Denise (Alan) Royal and many in laws, cousins, nieces, a nephew, a grandniece, grandnephews, extended family and lots of loving friends.
    Friends are invited to celebrate Dan's life on Sunday, June 27 from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 pm at the Kalas Funeral Home & Crematory, 2973 Solomons Island Rd., Edgewater, MD where his funeral service will be held on Monday, June 28 at 10:30 am. Interment Lakemont Memorial Gardens in Davidsonville, MD. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to PanCan (pancan.org) or Hospice of the Chesapeake (hospicechesapeake.org) Condolences may be made online at Kalas Funeral Home and Crematoriam.

Helen Kane Passes Away

     Helen Howard Kane, 65 of Edgewater and previously of Riva, MD passed away unexpectedly at her home on June 11, 2021. 
    Helen was born on July 25, 1955 in Washington, DC to the late Robert and Jane Howard. She was retired from the State of MD Central Payroll Bureau as well as the Howard County Department of Finance. Helen enjoyed the experiences with her family and friends whether camping in their motor home or relaxing by her pool. Spending time with her grandchildren, and her lunch and shopping dates with her daughter will be held as cherished memories for all.
    In addition to her parents, Helen was preceded in death by her son, Michael Howard Kane. She is survived by her husband of 37 years, Michael; her daughter, Michelle Mitchell of Edgewater; sisters, Terri Estep of Riva, Dot Wood and Lisa Gaskins of Edgewater, and Tracy Howard of Odenton; grandchildren, Dylan and Chase Mitchell as well as Michael, Mason and Adriana Kane.
    Friends are invited to celebrate Helen's life with her family at the Kalas Funeral Home & Crematory, 2973 Solomons Island Rd., Edgewater, MD on Thursday, June 17 from 5 to 8 pm. A memorial service will be held on Friday, June 18 at 11 am at Chesapeake Christian Fellowship Church, 377 W. Central Ave., Davidsonville, MD.

Roger Vales Passes Away

     Roger Melvin Vales, 82, of Annapolis, MD passed away on 10 June 2021.

    Roger was born on 2 May 1939 in Rochester, Minnesota to the late Melvin and Hazel Vales. After graduating from the ROTC program at South Dakota State University, Roger joined the U.S. Air Force in 1961. A distinguished and interesting career followed as a navigator in the Air Force, highlighted by a tour in Vietnam; flying dignitaries all over the world including Sec. State Henry Kissinger, the Apollo 17 Astronauts, Gov. Ronald Reagan, Sen. George Bush, and President Gerald Ford; and working as an intelligence officer in the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He retired at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Roger continued to serve his country for another 15 years working for the Defense Intelligence Agency, even returning post retirement to support his country after 9/11. He served in many leadership positions at Davidsonville United Methodist Church, overseeing the addition of the Fellowship Hall and the CrossRoads Child Development Center. Roger enjoyed boating, golf, fishing, especially with his grandkids and traveling. 
    In addition to his parents Roger was preceded in death by his sister, Carol Dennis. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Vonda; sons, Jeffrey and his wife Nicole from Charlottesville, VA, and Christopher and his wife Kerry from Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ; sisters, Joyce Wagner of Grinnell, IA, and Nancy Paczosa of Orland Park, IL; his beloved grandchildren, Thomas, Patrick, Benjamin, Lucas, and Audrey Vales.
    Friends and family are invited to celebrate Roger's life on Thursday, June 17, 2021 from 6-8pm at the Kalas Funeral Home and Crematory, 2973 Solomons Island Rd., Edgewater. A funeral service will be held on Friday, June 18 at 10 am at Davidsonville United Methodist Church, 819 W. Central Ave, Davidsonville. Interment with military honors will follow at the church cemetery. In lieu of flowers a donation in Roger's name may be made to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at http://fightcf.cff.org/goto/TeamFeets2021. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.KalasFuneralHomes.com

Michael Rancourt Sr. Passes Away

    Michael Thomas "Mike" Rancourt, Sr., 77, a resident of Davidsonville for 41 years, died May 25, 2021.
    Born in Maine on April 23, 1944, Mike attended Waterville High School followed by Thomas College and Colby College. He honorably served his country in the United States Army and embarked on a long, successful career in the wholesale food industry. He loved spending time with family, playing tennis and watching sports.
    He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Sheri Rancourt; his children, Heather (Bradley) Leahy of West River, MD, Nicole Rancourt of Annapolis and Michael Rancourt of Davidsonville; and his granddaughters, Harper and Sylvie Leahy. He was preceded in death by his parents, Maurice and Marion Rancourt, and his sister, Judy Markee.
    A private burial will be held at Crownsville Veterans Cemetery with a Celebration of Life to be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Mike's name may be made to the USTA Foundation Scholarship Fund or to the American Cancer Society.

Doris Diggs Passes Away

       Doris Edna Diggs passed away on June 9, 2021 surrounded by her loving family. Services for Doris will be held at Union Memorial United Methodist Church in Davidsonville, MD on Thursday June 17, 2021 at 11am with a visitation to start at 10am

Teacher Acquited Of Sex Offense

 A jury acquitted a former South River High School biology teacher Thursday of charges that she had sex with a student.

Meredith Susan Barry Martin, 39, was found not guilty of five counts of having intercourse while in a position of authority, five counts of sexual offense by a person in authority, one count of unnatural or perverted practice and sex abuse of a minor. The jury deliberated less than two hours at Anne Arundel County Circuit Court before returning its verdict.

Thomas Morrow, Martin’s attorney, said in his closing statements to the jury that he knew prosecutors would try to discredit his client’s credibility. Morrow said the student who made the allegations lied years ago while under oath in court.

“My job is to try and test a witness’ credibility, recollection and establish they aren’t telling the truth,” Morrow said. “I was able to establish the student wasn’t telling the truth.”

The lawyer claimed every witness who testified on Martin’s behalf said she was a “caring teacher.”

Martin, a Davidsonville resident, was charged in February 2020 after a student submitted a written statement to the Anne Arundel County school board claiming they several sexual encounters in the Davidsonville and Edgewater area.

Martin’s attorney said she drove the student home was out of compassion because it was a cold day. She also let him drive her car once to help teach him how to drive.

Morrow said the protection was building a case to ruin his client’s life and there was never any inappropriate sexual contact between the two.

Prosecutors Maria Stamidis and Katherine Smeltzer, both assistant state attorneys, argued in their closing statements that Martin abused her power as a teacher.

Additional info can be found at:  https://www.baltimoresun article on Acquited teacher

Recent D'ville Home Sale (3276 Green Ash)

 A  two story home on 2.04 acres at 3276 Green Ash Rd sold by Robert Stone to Brandon and Alexa  Hunter for $775,000.

Recent D'ville Home Sale (3204 Dillon)

 A two story home on 4.21 acres at 3204 Dillon Drive was sold by Arthur Brannick to Rodney Hill for $1,450,000.

Florence Thompson Passes Away

We are sad to announce that on June 4, 2021, at the age of 74, Florence Thompson of Davidsonville, Maryland, born in Washington, District of Columbia passed away. Leave a sympathy message to the family on the memorial page of Florence Thompson to pay them a last tribute. You may also light a candle in honor of Florence Thompson.    To leave a message or light a candle,  go to:    obituaries florence-thompson

She was predeceased by : her parents, Michael Cahill and Adelaide Cahill; and her brother Michael F. Cahill. She is survived by : her husband Don Thompson; her sister Patricia Kurak; her daughters, Michelle Thompson of West River, MD and Stephanie McFaden of Stevensville, MD; and her grandchildren, Maria, Andrea, Alexander, Madeline and Quinn.

A celebration of life will be held on Wednesday, June 9th 2021 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the Kalas Funeral Home and Crematory (2973 Solomons Island Rd, Edgewater, MD 21037). A mass of christian burial will be held on Thursday, June 10th 2021 at 10:30 AM at the Holy Family Catholic Church (826 W Central Ave, Davidsonville, MD 21035).

In lieu of flowers, a donation in Florence's  name to a charity of your choice.

Recent D'ville Home Sale (1121 Double Gate)

A two story home on 4.48 acres at 1121 Double Gate Rd. sold by Maria Marzullo to Adam and Jennifer Vokac for $1,035,000. 

Recent Davidsonville Home Sale (905 River Knoll)

 A two story home on 1.23 acre at 905 River Knoll Ct. sold by Max Lum to Bret King and Victoria Whetzel for $750,000,