A Look Back at 2008

Eventful Year Had Residents Eating, Spending Differently

From a ban on unhealthy fats to a scary string of home invasions and more wrangling over a proposed Purple Line transit link, people who live and work in Montgomery County got plenty of news -- and had plenty to talk about -- in 2008.

As in communities across the United States, the year drew to a close with hand-wringing over the economic downturn, with falling home values even in relatively affluent suburbs creating budget squeezes on everything from schools to road projects.

Montgomery teachers and other school employees voted last month to forgo a 5 percent raise for fiscal 2010 to help the system close a projected $89 million budget gap, although many will still receive step increases. Meanwhile, County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) floated the idea of furloughing county employees for at least two days to solve the Montgomery government's budget problems, which will be addressed in the spring.

Months before the financial crunch hit, Montgomery residents faced new rules aimed at protecting their arteries. The first phase of a ban on trans fats in foods prepared or served by about 2,500 restaurants, bakeries, delis and other establishments took effect in January.

The new law made Montgomery the first county in the United States to ban the type of fats blamed in part for raising "bad cholesterol." The law's first phase required that margarines, spreads and frying oils, other than those used for doughnuts, contain no more than a half-gram of trans fat per serving.

The fat rules become more strict this month, when the ban extends to all foods, including doughnut frying oil, pies, pancake mixes, cookie dough and gravy. Although many Montgomery restaurants and bakeries have found products such as trans-fat-free shortening, they are still testing how pie crusts will flake and how cookies will taste, said Melvin Thompson, senior vice president of the Restaurant Association of Maryland.

Restaurants that need more time to find food alternatives can get a one-year extension. So far, Thompson said recently, "We haven't heard any complaints."

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Six months after news about what Montgomery residents were eating came concerns about what some might be drinking. After a major water main ruptured in June, tens of thousands of residents in central and northern Montgomery faced a three-day order to boil drinking water, and about 900 restaurants and food markets were forbidden from selling anything but prepackaged food.

The break, one of the most extensive in Maryland in 20 years, left residents scrambling for bottled water and closed swimming pools and day camps.

Although no water-borne illnesses were reported, the incident highlighted the region's aging infrastructure and problems with the county's emergency notification system, which some said took too long to post alerts or didn't work at all.