what's up the pike: election fallout (happy earth day!)

The Rachel Carson House in White Oak.

- Reader Eli Pousson e-mailed us some photos from the celebration of Rachel Carson's 100th birthday hosted by the Rachel Carson Council at her former home in White Oak last weekend. As a researcher at the Patuxent Wildlife Refuge, Carson studied the effects of pesticides on animals and wrote Silent Spring in 1962, effectively starting the environmental movement. The house on Berwick Lane where she wrote the book is now a National Historic Landmark.

- A number of local agencies - including MCPS, the county police, and the managers of Downtown Silver Spring - are holding a "Safe Silver Spring Summit" next month to deal with the increase in local crime. Last fall, Blair High student Tai Lam was murdered on a Ride-On bus; four months later, fights broke out after a concert on Ellsworth. This comes after Monday's "Crime Prevention Town Meeting" in Wheaton. The Maryland Gangs blog, however, worries the summit won't focus on teen safety.

- Supporters of Valerie Ervin (at right, with aides Amparo Macias and Avi Edelman) are throwing a fundraiser tomorrow night for the County Councilmember, who plans to run for a second term representing District 5 (that's most of East County below Randolph Road) in next year's election. Contributions for the dinner, which will be held at Jackie's on Georgia Avenue, range from $25 (Student) to $500 (Host). The fundraiser is from 6pm to 8pm.