News Briefs

Blue Cross/Blue Shield at Pax

The BC/BS CareFirst representative, Bill Gray, will be at Patuxent River today, 10 a.m. 1 p.m., at the Total Force Strategy & Management Department, Bldg 1489, Rm 101. To schedule an appointment, please contact Sebastiane Toney at (301) 342-6685 or sebastiane.toney. ctrnavy.mil, or walk in for a 15-minute visit. If you have a detailed claim to discuss, schedule two 15-minute time slots.

JSO Soup du Jour II

The famous soup sale is back! NAS Junior Sailor Organization will have its 2nd Soup du Jour today, 10:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. at the Religious Programs Center, Bldg. 401. Popular favorites are returning such as the famous Zuppa Toscana and lobster & crab bisque, alongside new entries such as southern style gumbo, tortilla, Jamaican red peas and more. Prices are as follows: Single Bowl of Soup- $2, 4 Soup Bowl Sampler- $3, Soup/Salad/Bread/Drink-$5, Salad- $1.50, Drink-$1.00; For information contact Yeoman Seaman Kerrick Williams at 301-757-0636 or kerrick.williamsnavy.mil. Support your Junior Sailors!

St. Mary's County Board of Elections Public Logic and Accuracy Testing

The St. Mary's County Board of Elections will conduct Logic and Accuracy Testing on the AccuVote Touch Screen Voting Units on March 9 at 10 a.m. at the Election Warehouse at 47382 Lincoln Avenue, Lexington Park (Old Carver Elementary School). For information, call Wendy Adkins at 301-475-7844 ext. 1613.

Change for Catholic Mass

Catholic Mass is now held at 9 a.m. and CCD at 10:30 a.m., each Sunday.

Town Hall Discussion on Homelessness

Project ECHO is proud to be the local organizer of a Town Hall Discussion focusing on the issue of homelessness in the community on March 12, 6:30 p.m.- 8:30 p.m. at the St. John Vianney Family Life Center Auditorium. For information about homelessness, contact Trisha Gipson, Executive Director, Project ECHO at 410-535-0044 or trishgipsonprojectecho.net.

St. Mary's Board of Education Public Forum

A public forum with candidates for the St. Mary's Board of Education Cathy Allen, Marilyn Crosby, Jim Davis, David Kelsey, Trisha Post, and James Tomasic will be held March 13, 7 p.m. 8:30 p.m. at Leonardtown High School Auditorium. A question and answer session is part of the public forum. For information please contact Kristen Bergery, program assistant, Center for the Study of Democracy at St. Mary's College of Maryland at 240-895-6432 or kabergerysmcm.edu.

NAMI Basics Education Program

National Alliance on Mental Illness Southern Maryland will offer its six-week Basics Education Program in Leonardtown, beginning on March 13. The course is free. Class meets every Tuesday, 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. at St. Mary's Hospital's Pavilion Building, in the Health Connections office, 25500 Point Lookout Road, Leonardtown. Seating is limited so registration is required. Call Laura at 301-247-7554 for information or to register.

NAS Patuxent River/NAVAIR Technology Exposition

March 14, 10 a.m. 1 p.m. at the South Engineering Center, Building 2187. All military, civilian, and contractor personnel are invited. Discover solutions for every mission. Exhibitors will demonstrate the latest in Audio-Visual Equipment, Blade PCs, Coaxial/Waveguide Switches, Color/Monochromatic Printers, Command Control, Ergonomic Furniture, Fiber Optics, Imaging Video Systems, Opto-Mechanical Design, Power Distribution Units, Test Measurement, VDI Endpoint Solutions, Video/Graphic Codecs, and more. Complimentary refreshments giveaways will be available while supplies last. For information contact Jennifer Mason at 443-561-2392 or Masonncsi.com. To register for FREE event, visit www.FederalEvents.com, click on the “NAS Patuxent River/NAVAIR” link and select the Pre-Register button.

Volunteer at the Tester

Our editorial intern is moving on. Email testernewsdcmilitary.com to find out about unpaid editorial and photography internship opportunities here on station and around town.

Tired of AtHoc pop-ups?

Personnel who have not yet signed up for the AtHoc early warning system receive an alert each morning and evening from Chief Wolfe, encouraging them to sign up. If you are receiving those alerts, there is one way to make them stop: sign on for weather and other emergency information through the AtHoc system. When the pop-up prompts you to Acknowledge and Show More Information, click on it and follow the link for a quick, step-by-step process to get emergency warnings through your email or phone.

PDI Training Event

The American Society of Military Comptrollers will conduct their annual Mini- Professional Development Institute training event 8 a.m.-4 p.m. on March 21. Cost: $35.00 FOR ASMC Members & $40.00 for non ASMC members.

MCAA applications due March 15

Applications for a Marine Corps Aviation Association John Glenn Squadron merit-based scholarship are due by March 15. Tri-county area high school seniors pursuing STEM-based degrees are eligible to apply. Visit www.mcaa-jgs.org and click the "Scholarship Program" button for details.

School Outreach

The Education Partnership Office seeks volunteers with science/engineering backgrounds to support the Calvert County Public Schools LEGO Robotics Competition on March 17 from 8 a.m.-1 p.m., at Calvert Middle School in Prince Frederick. The competition will include teams from middle and elementary schools. Volunteer judges and table referees are needed; training will be provided. For information, contact Karen Lane at Karen.lane.ctrnavy.mil or 240-587-1684.

2012 Women's History Month Banquet

“Women's Education Women's Empowerment” is the theme of this year's St. Mary's County Commission for Women annual dinner banquet, set for March 22 at 6 p.m. at the Dr. James Forrest Career and Technology Center in Leonardtown.

SMHEC Open House

Come to the Southern Maryland Higher Education Center Open House, March 22 at SMHEC, 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. Step up in your career, improve your salary, achieve a new career or job, or succeed in the transition from military to civilian. Join more than 34,000 students who have enrolled in university classes at SMHEC in more than 90 academic programs including doctorate, masters, and upper-level bachelor's. For information, go to www.smhec.org or call 301-737-2500.

Women's Business Roundtable

Women in business are invited to the Women's Business Roundtable on March 23, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the College of Southern Maryland, Leonardtown Campus in Room C201, 22950 Hollywood Road. Fee of $20 per person includes catering from Chesapeake Cuisine. The topic for March is “Peer to Peer Lending.' This is an open forum where women business owners and women in the workplace can network and learn from each other. Everyone in attendance has an opportunity to speak about their business. To register and pay in advance to reserve your attendance, please contact Linda Craven at 301-475-4200, ext. 1687 or email Lindacrcsmd.edu, or Lynda McDonald at 301-934-7583.

On-Farm Poultry and Rabbit Processing Certification

To help farmers meet growing consumer demand for local meats, the Maryland Department of Agriculture in partnership with the University of Maryland and Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission will conduct a training workshop for on-farm poultry and rabbit slaughter and processing, March 23 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. at the University of Maryland Extension, Community Resource Building, 30 Duke Street, Conference Room 105, in Prince Frederick. Registration check-in begins at 8:30 a.m. Fee of $20 includes lunch and materials. Register by March 16. To download a copy of the registration form, visit: www.mda.state.md.us/pdf/poultryrabbitwkshp.pdf.

Retirement StrategiesThe Office on Aging along with Women's Institute for a Secure Retirement presents A Day Late and a Dollar Short: Retirement “Catch Up” Strategies on March 22, 6:30 p.m.    7:30 p.m. at Calvert Pines Senior Center.  The seminar is free and for informational purposes only. You will not hear a sales pitch. Learn ways to catch up on your savings and improve your retirement prospects. To register call Calvert County Office on Aging at 410-535-4606 or 301-855-1170.

Request an Absentee Ballot for the Presidential Primary ElectionThe deadline to request an absentee ballot by mail, fax, or email for the 2012 Presidential Primary Election is March 27.  Any registered voter in Maryland may request and vote by absentee ballot. A voter who wishes to vote by absentee ballot must request an absentee ballot in writing and sign the request.  An application can be printed from the State Board of Elections' website at www.elections.state.md.us/voting/absentee.html or requested by telephone, in writing, or in person at the St. Mary's Board of Elections. To request an absentee ballot application from the St. Mary's Board of Elections, call 301-475-7844 ext. 1100 or visit the office at 41650 Tudor Hall Road, Leonardtown, MD 20650 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Military Spouse FellowshipThe FINRA Foundation Spouse Fellowship Program provides military spouse recipients with the education and training needed to earn the Accredited Financial Counselor® designation. Applications are accepted online at www.MilitaryFamily.org/FINRAFellowship by midnight EST March 31.

Easter Egg HuntThe base chapel's annual Easter Egg Hunt will be held April 7, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Chapel Annex. Children will participate according to age groups: 0-4 yrs, 5-7 yrs, 8-11 yrs, 12-15 yrs, and 16 yrs up. There will be a bouncy castle and prizes for special eggs found. Activities will include face painting, hunting for eggs, and Easter egg dyeing.Hot dogs, chips and drinks will be served. Contact Religious Program Specialist Petty Officer 2nd Class Thomas J. Harrald at 301-342-3811 for information.

Job FairThere will be a job fair at the Pentagon, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. on April 10. All military, spouses and other job candidates are encouraged to attend. Job Seekers will have varied military and DoD backgrounds from mid to advanced skill levels with high clearances. A large percentage will have military-specific, aviation-related, DoD background, electronics, information technology, operations, security, telecommunications, networking, administration, engineering, and much more. The majority number of candidates will possess active clearances of all levels (Secret, Top Secret, to Poly). These events attract attendees from the Pentagon and surrounding military installations.

See what's happening at NAS Pax River in the Tester.http://dcmilitary.com/patuxent.shtml