C4
EZ SU
KLMNO
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2010 O’Malley, Ehrlich bring race for governor to Prince George’s BY JOHNWAGNER AND ANN E.MARIMOW Maryland’s two leading guber-
natorial candidates spent a blus- tery Saturday afternoon in Prince George’s County, a heavily Demo- cratic jurisdiction where turnout in less than three weeks will be key to Gov. Martin O’Malley’s reelection chances. Former governor Robert L. Eh-
rlich Jr. (R), who has spent little time campaigning in the majori- ty-AfricanAmericancounty, drew about 200 people to a rally where he sought to build on his energet- ic performance in last week’s de- bate at TheWashington Post. “Anybody see a debate the oth-
er day?” Ehrlich asked the crowd at Lake Presidential Golf Club in Upper Marlboro before arguing that his effort to lure high-end retailers was among the reasons that his tenure was better than O’Malley’s for Prince George’s. “We produced, big time,” Eh-
rlich said. “It’s not about black and white, but it’s about green.” Ehrlich said that the county
remains “a tough area for a Re- publican” but that he wants to improveon2002,whenhewon23 percent of Prince George’s vote in becoming Maryland’s first Re- publican governor in a genera- tion. The stakes for Democrat
O’Malley are much higher in Prince George’s. The county is
Boys and Girls Club fundraiser faces suit
screams from C1
zine, R.L. Stine and Sabrina the TeenageWitch. Here’s the dispute: TheMount-
ville, Pa., Field of Screams, which was started in 1993, says it had the name first. That means, the company argues, it holds the trademark for amarket that they say includes the Washington metropolitan area. Thrill-seeking visitors can get
confused and end up in the wrong hayride or startled by the wrong zombie, attorneys for the Pennsylvania attraction claim. They say that their for-profit venture offers a higher-quality haunt and that their reputation could suffer if people mix up the destinations. The Pennsylvania group’s Web site is fieldof-
screams.com, while the Olney group uses
screams.org. The Olney group, which start-
ed its Field of Screams in 2002, says in court papers that there’s plenty of fright to go around and that the two venues — about a two-hour drive apart — aren’t competitors. They found at least 25 other Field of Screams attrac- tions, fromSnohomish,Wash., to St. Petersburg, Fla. Besides, Ol- ney says in the court papers, Field of Screams is “a common and generic description for a haunted attraction.” In short, the group isn’t back-
ing down. “We don’t plan to give up our
Field of Screams name, or the reputation for excellencewe have built over the past eight years in our market, to a large for-profit organization located hours away in Pennsylvania,” saidDanDioni-
sio, volunteer chairman of the board of the Olney group. The Olney group expects be-
tween 20,000 and 25,000 visitors this season, while the Pennsylva- nia site had about 70,000 in 2008. Neither side will say how much money the attractions bring in. Dionisio said the Olney associ-
ation, which has 7,000 kids who come to play football, soccer, softball and other sports, just wants tomakemoney to support the youth sports programs and give people a high-quality fright. On Friday night in Olney, Zoe
Sadugor, 13, and Danielle Sklarew, 12, both of Rockville, giggled and clutched each other as they ventured along the haunt- ed trail. They screamed as aman wielding a chain saw jumped frombehind a tree and a zombie- like creature sidled alongside them and shouted: “Run! He’s coming for you!” “Oh my God, we made it,” Zoe
said as they finally emerged. “I’ve never been so scared — ever.” Dionisio said the event, which
includes a hayride and fires to make s’mores, is the group’s big- gest fundraiser. Proceeds go to operating costs, including equip- ment, upkeep of fields and insur- ance. All that, he said, helps keep down the fees the group charges to participate in sports pro- grams,which are open to anyone. Jim Schopf, a former high
school math teacher who runs Field of Screams LLC in Pennsyl- vania with his brother, said he wishes the Olney group well and supports local youth groups. But he said a few years ago he began to come across customers who
You came for the horses? mccartney from C1
a narrowermargin than the 12- point victory he scored over Fimian in the Year of Obama, 2008. That’s partly because of the
unique role of the federal gov- ernment in the 11th. Although much of the country is enraged over big government, it’s harder to bash federal spending in a community that grew to be the nation’s richest congressional district largely because of a sus- tained gush of government dol- lars. “That tea partymentality — I
don’t know if it plays well in a district where you have a lot of federal contractors and a lot of federal employees,”M. David Skiles, 23, a government affairs consultant in Fairfax, said after watching Tuesday’s debate. Fimian thinks that even peo-
MICHAEL S. WILLIAMSON/THE WASHINGTON POST
Marked by a sign outside its entrance, the “Field of Screams” event in Olney supports the Boys and Girls Community SportsAssociation, which says a venue of the same name two hours away isn’t a competitor.
would call in or order online tickets, thinking they were call- ing the Olney group. Some customers bought nonrefund- able tickets online for the Penn- sylvania event, according to court papers, thinking they were for theMaryland one. Schopf said the company first
sent a letter in 2007 asking the Olney association to find a new name for its fundraiser. Eventu- ally they filed the lawsuit. “This isn’tWal-Mart coming in
to stop the little hardware store around the corner,” Schopf said. “We don’t want them to go away. They can be Field of Terror, or the Scream Zone. The choices are endless.” But both sides are attached to
the name. When the Olney group was
building its sports facility, they called the capital campaign Field
of Dreams. So Field of Screams was a natural choice for the Halloween fundraiser, court re- cords say. The event has grown over the
years, attracting 700 visitors in 2002 and growing ever since, Dionisio said. Actors, including University of Maryland theater students in elaborate makeup, scare visitors, but don’t touch them. Teenagers who belong to the association help staff the concession stands, tend the bon- fires and make hot chocolate. Most nights the event isn’t for children, but Sunday night it will tone down the horror for family night. Schopf said the Pennsylvania
attraction began in 1993 after a friend suggested a Halloween hayride event. After some brain- storming it became Field of Screams, which has grown ever
ROBERTMCCARTNEY
Campaigning against government spending in a Virginia district flush with federal funds
ple who dine at the federal table are worried that the banquet has grown too large. “Connolly would have you be-
lieve that federal employees are selfish and care only about their own paychecks. He’s wrong,” Fimian said in an interview. “Federal employees and contrac- tors, they know their jobs are threatened by the fiscalmis- management of this Congress.” The Democrat said Fimian
didn’t understand the district. “You can’t just superimpose
national partisan talking points about the economy and about big, bad government and expect that to resonate unvarnished here,” Connolly said in an inter- view. “We have a unique econo- my here, with public-private partnerships with the federal government. People expect their representative to protect that.” Arguing that he’s far froma
LOTTERIES October 16
DISTRICT Mid-Day Lucky Numbers: Mid-Day D.C. 4: Mid-Day DC-5:
TRACY A. WOODWARD/THE WASHINGTON POST
Athletes in the JackRussell Terrier Race Exhibition bound over a barrier to the finish at the 73rdRunning of the InternationalGold Cup Races, an equestrian event held Saturday in Fauquier County. To see more hounds, hats and horses, visit
postlocal.com.
Wake up to home delivery.
Lucky Numbers (Fri.): Lucky Numbers (Sat.): D.C. 4 (Fri.): D.C. 4 (Sat.): DC-5 (Fri.): DC-5 (Sat.): Daily 6 (Fri.): Daily 6 (Sat.):
1-800-753-POST
MARYLAND Mid-Day Pick 3: Mid-Day Pick 4:
SF
Night/Pick 3 (Fri.): Pick 3 (Sat.): Pick 4 (Fri.): Pick 4 (Sat.): Match 5 (Fri.): Match 5 (Sat.):
3-4-9 6-6-9-7
3-8-2-0-6 3-3-2 9-4-3
9-1-3-9 3-6-0-5
1-4-0-1-3 7-1-4-8-8
5-15-21-31-35-36 *17 5-17-18-25-33-37 *21
8-2-2
7-4-8-4 0-1-5 6-0-3
3-1-1-3 4-5-0-9
5-9-11-35-38 *30 3-10-12-32-34 *17
VIRGINIA Day/Pick-3: Pick-4: Cash-5:
Night/Pick-3 (Fri.): Pick-3 (Sat.): Pick-4 (Fri.): Pick-4 (Sat.): Cash-5 (Fri.): Cash-5 (Sat.): Win for Life:
Power Play:
Mega Millions: Hot Lotto:
*Bonus Ball 6 †Hot Ball **Mega Ball 9-8-2 4-6-3-1
13-21-25-29-32 0-1-9 N/A
9-0-4-5 N/A
7-14-26-28-33 N/A N/A
MULTI-STATEGAMES Powerball:
N/A N/A
9-10-13-31-50 **10 N/A
***Powerball ‡Free Ball
For late drawings and out-of-area results, check
washingtonpost.com/lottery
reckless spender, Connolly points to two jobs bills on which he broke with other Democrats and voted “no” because the leg- islation wasn’t funded. That’s small potatoes for Fimian, who says Connolly has voted for $3 trillion of spending. Fimian faces some skepticism
because of his strong conserva- tive positions on other issues, such as his doubts about global warming and his opposition to abortion under any circum- stances. The abortion issue arose dra-
matically at a candidates’ forum Wednesday before lawyers of the Fairfax County Bar Associa- tion and doctors of theMedical Society of Northern Virginia. Fimian sounded evasive when asked whether he opposed abor- tion even in cases of rape, prompting several women in the audience to shout at himto state his views clearly. Acknowledging that he was
antiabortion, period, Fimian said, “I’mnot going to change my position just because I hap- pen to be running for office.” He tried to downplay it by adding: “That’s not the issue in this race, folks. The issue is this race is the United States and our econ- omy.” The latter point resonated
with some people, including physician LindaMosely, who is in her 60s. She said she didn’t like Fimian’s position on abor- tion but probably would vote for himanyway because his opposi- tion to the health billmakes him“a stronger advocate for doctors.” If the tide of anti-government
feeling swamps even Gerry Con- nolly, then the Republicans will be smiling especially broadly on Nov. 3.
mccartneyr@washpost.com
more elaborate. It now features bands, magicians and even a morgue that smells of formalde- hyde. According to court papers, the
Pennsylvania company has spent over $1 million in advertising over time. There’s no telling how the
judge will rule. But chances are most people will stumble across the phrase ‘field of screams’ again, perhaps even this Hallow- een season. According to court filings by
the Olney group, the phrase has been used in the titles of televi- sion shows including episodes of “Married With Children” and “The Simpsons,” and it appeared in headlines in several newspa- pers, including The Washington Post.
glodm@washpost.com
home to more Democrats than any other Maryland jurisdiction — 401,125 as of last month — but experienced unusually low turn- out in last month’s primaries. As part of his efforts to ener-
gize his party’s base,O’Malleywas joined by both Prince George’s outgoing county executive, Jack B. Johnson (D), and its presump- tive incoming executive, Rushern L. Baker III (D). Standing in front of his cam-
paign’s bright-green RV, O’Malley and Baker gave a pep talk to dozens of union workers and col- lege students preparing to go door-to-door for the governor in OxonHill. “Don’t be fooled. We’ve got to run like we’re 10 points behind,”
Baker said. O’Malley criticized Ehrlich for providing less money for school construction during his tenure and fewer dollars to shore up the county’s long-troubled hospital system. “We are not walking away from
that fight,” O’Malley said, before fueling up with a bacon cheese- burger and heading to the Allen- town Boys and Girls Club home- coming football game, where Johnson joined him. Even some Democrats who
posed for photos with O’Malley said there was room for improve- ment. “The hospital is not stablenow,
and it should be,” said Obie Pat- terson, a Democrat who is run-
ning for a County Council seat and who was a member of the House of Delegates during Ehr- lich’s term. “I don’t think either one of them has done enough.” When asked about Ehrlich’s presence in the county, O’Malley joked: “Is this his first visit to Prince George’s? Did he need a map?”
Ehrlich said he took comfort in
the amount of time O’Malley has spent there. “Obviously, he knows he’s in trouble. He’s been living here.” Saturday’s GOP rally, at which three-quarters of the audience was white, was one of only a handful of public appearances Ehrlich has made in Prince George’s since announcing his
rematch with O’Malley in April. From the golf course, Ehrlich headed to a cookout in Camp Springs held by the Prince George’s County Contractors As- sociation. Bob Ballard, a small-business consultant and registered Demo- crat who helped organize the ral- ly, said Ehrlich has a chance to exceed expectations in Prince George’s this year. “People are really, really dissat-
isfied with the status quo, and some of them are going to cross party lines,” he predicted.
wagnerj@washpost.com marimowa@washpost.com
Va. soldier, 20, ‘died doing what he loved’
BY OVETTAWIGGINS Fewer than threemonths after
his deployment, Pfc. Tramaine J. Billingsley of Norfolk was killed Thursday in Afghanistan when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using an impro- vised explosive device. Billingsley was 20. “He loved his job, and he died
doing what he loved,” said Shat- ara Billingsley, the soldier’s only sister. Billingsley was one of three
troops killed in the attack. They were assigned to the 7th Squad- ron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th In- fantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo. The other soldiers were fromTexas and California. Billingsley joined the Army in
September last year and his unit in January. He was deployed to Afghanistan in July. Army officials said Billingsley
received numerous awards, in- cluding the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan CampaignMedalwith Campaign Star, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon and the Combat Action Badge. Family members said Satur-
day that it was almost a given that Billingsley would join the military. His father served 21 years
before retiring. His older broth- er, Trevon, was in the Army and his twin, Tramal,was in theNavy. “We’re amilitary family,” Shat-
ara Billingsley said. “He followed his older brothers and his father.” Trevon Billingsley, who was
also stationed in Afghanistan, served one month while his brotherwas there, his sister said. He returned home three weeks ago from a one-year tour, she added. Tramaine Billingsley’s family
remembered him as a focused, hard-working man who also loved tomake people laugh. “He was a jokester,” Shatara
Billingsley said. “Surprising peo- ple was his thing.” Shatara Billingsley said she
will never forgetwhen her broth- er called his mother in May pretending to be in Colorado. Instead, he had taken emergency leave and surprised hismother at her job. “He was just an all-around
good guy, always happy,” Tramal Billingsley said during a phone interview, as family members gathered at his mother’s home. “He just loved to have fun and enjoy life.” Tramal Billingsley said he and
his brother loved music. Tra- maine Billingsley pounded the drums, and Tramal played the saxophone. “We’d have these dance bat-
tles, even though he’d always win,” Tramal Billingsley said. Tramaine Billingsley, who
graduated from Booker T. Wash- ington High School in 2008, also enjoyed playing sports. In high school, he wrestled and played soccer. He was a member of the ROTC and a drum major in the marching band. “Everywhere I was, he was,”
Tramal Billingsley said. “He was my left hand. . . . We did every- thing together.” Tramaine Billingsley offered a
glimpse of himself on his Face- book page.His favorite television show: “Everybody Hates Chris,” based on the comedy of Chris Rock.His favoritemovie: The list is too long, he wrote. In his bio, he said, “I like to
stay active, hate sitting around . . . serving the country the best way i know.”
wigginsovetta@washpost.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188