People

Ear and Nose to the Ground: Cpl. Chad Eastman and K-9 Max Walk a Clean Beat

By Pamela Schipper | Photography by Phil Fabrizio On any given day—or night—in Gaithersburg, Cpl. Chad Eastman and his K-9 partner Max may be called upon to sniff out drugs and suspects. Police dogs can be trained to detect and indicate on a number of odors, from guns and bombs to missing persons and drugs. But they are all one-odor dogs, Eastman ...

No Kidding! MoCo Businesses That Give Families the Warm Fuzzies

By Pamela Schipper | Photography by Phil Fabrizio This isn’t news. Ask any parents and they’ll tell you—juggling career, marriage and children takes great stamina and resourcefulness, and you can’t expect all of the balls to stay in the air at all times. Inevitably, one or two will drop. That’s why working parents are so grateful for ...

For Best Results, Add Heat

Behind the Transformations of Silver Spring Cookie Artisan Carla Hall, a "Top Chef" Favorite and Co-Host of ABC's "The Chew" By James Eppard | Photography by Phil Fabrizio and courtesy of ABC, Greg's List DC and Alchemy by Carla Hall Alchemy [al-kuh-mee]: noun 1. A form of chemistry and speculative philosophy concerned principally with discovering ...

Just What the Doctor Ordered: With On-Air Chemistry, Doreen Gentzler Delivers the Perfect Dose of Accessible News4 You

By James Eppard | Photo courtesy of Robin Fader/NBC4 News Washington Jim Vance remembers well the day in 1989 when Doreen Gentzler cemented her place as an anchor on the News4 desk. Newly recruited from Philadelphia, Doreen joined a lineup of local news all-stars that included Vance, George Michael, Bob Ryan and Arch Campbell—what Vance recently ...

To Go Home Safe: Firefighter Pam Foltz Broke Down Gender Barriers

She Fought Just as Hard to Unite a Family of Firefighters--Men and Women By Pamela Schipper | Photography courtesy of Pam Foltz The year was 1979, and Pam Foltz had just run 1.5 miles in 12 minutes and passed a really arduous physical exam—one designed for men. Then 21 years old, she had her heart set on becoming a career firefighter and she had just ...

Commuters’ Connection

Our Drive-Time Copilots Keep Us Safe, Moving, Dry and Sane By James Eppard | Photography by Hilary Schwab It’s 5:30 a.m. and Doug Hill’s alarm clock is rousting the “most badass weatherman on the planet” to wake up for two televised reports from his home studio and a series of live radio weather spots to pair with traffic “on the 8s.” Across ...

The Nighthawks: Soaring Into Their 40th year as the Region’s Premier Blues & Roots Band

By James Eppard | Photography by John Keith It was Jimmy Reed’s “Hush Hush” that coaxed a handful of middle-aged bar patrons to set down their longnecks and get off their stools. As the floor filled with couples in jeans and tank tops swaying to their own versions of the shag, Betsy Kelley stayed in her seat nearest the tiny bandstand, her eyes ...

Tricks of the Trade

Consumer reporter Liz Crenshaw wanted only to work behind the scenes when she landed a job three decades ago with News4. But her talent got in the way. By James Eppard | Photography by John Keith The Pope had just been shot in Vatican City and the news director at NBC’s Washington station, WRC Channel 4, barked across the newsroom that he wanted ...

You Don’t Know Jack: “The FitzWay” Car Dealer Has Something New to Sell You

By James Eppard | Photography by John Keith When John “Jack” Fitzgerald was a child, the nuns at St. Aloysius School in Northwest D.C. told him the poor would inherit the Kingdom of God. Counting himself a fully entitled member of that lucky class, Jack went home and shared the good news with his father. His dad promptly escorted him into the ...

Family-Owned Businesses

By Jacqueline M. Duda It’s not always easy to be a member of a family. And owning a business can be a challenge. So, being a family member in a multigenerational family-owned business must be another trick altogether. What makes a family business tick? How do family members divide up responsibilities? How do they all get along? How does the mantle ...