“Citizen science, freedom celebration, outdoor happy hour, and more! It’s another jam-packed weekend of activities in the parks!” Check our activities in and around Montgomery Parks this weekend:
Nature- Meadowside Nature Center features its Women’s Fire Making Class(opens in a new tab) on Friday, November 4, at 9 am. Learn to identify fire materials, collect them, then practice with a bow drill and flint and knap to create sparks so you have a roaring fire. Please register.
Janss is approximately 6-feet, 3-inches tall and weighs 230 pounds. He has grey hair and brown eyes and was last seen wearing a red sweatshirt, with the words “Butler’s Orchard” written on the front and blue jeans.
Janss may be traveling in a 2014 dark blue Ram truck with Maryland license plate 1BN7057. He may be in the Morgantown, WV area. Police and family are concerned for his welfare.
While nobody won the estimated $1.2 billion jackpot in last night’s Powerball drawing but there were several 3rd-teir prize winning tickets sold in MoCo. A $100,000 winning ticket was sold at Steve’s Beer, Wine & Deli (12132 Darnestown Road, Gaithersburg) and a $50,000 winning ticket sold at 3 Star Beer & Wine (18524 Woodfield Road, Gaithersburg). Last night’s winning numbers were 2, 11, 22, 35 and 60; and the Powerball was 23. Additional details below courtesy of the Maryland lottery:
The Powerball jackpot rolled again last night to an estimated annuity value of $1.5 billion for Saturday’s drawing, and in the process it generated a wave of big winners in Maryland. Although there was no jackpot winner, there were $1 million winning second-tier tickets sold in Calvert County and Baltimore City, along with three $100,000 third-tier winning tickets with Power Play and five $50,000 third-tier winning tickets. Powerball has nine prize tiers ranging from $4 up to the jackpot.
“Montgomery College has had a presence in the East County since 2015, when we established a community engagement center inside the East County Regional Service Center on Briggs Chaney Road,” said MC President Williams. “[Since 2015] the College has served thousands of people seeking training and job skills. These individuals have been empowered to take advantage of classes and learning opportunities –many of them free, such as English classes and computer trainings—that have improved their earning potential. Now it’s time to expand those opportunities and we can do so with the help of everyone here today.”
Montgomery College currently has three campuses (Germantown, Rockville, Takoma Park/Silver Spring) and two training centers in Gaithersburg and Wheaton. The ECEC will be the largest of the College’s three centers and nearly four times larger than the Gaithersburg site.
“After two years of COVID-19 precautionary measures, I am very excited that this year we will finally be back to host an in-person Youth Town Hall,” said Council President Gabe Albornoz. “Civic participation is so important, and it’s never too early to engage with elected representatives.This is a great opportunity for all students to participate and ask questions to their County Councilmembers, and it also helps us become more cognizant of the priorities of the residents that will shape, and be, the future of our County.”
Montgomery County Public Schools students need to register to receive their student-service learning hours for advocacy. All students interested in participating can register here.
Magruder High School’s “major capital project” renovation has been delayed two years, but is expected to be completed by August 2029, according to the latest MCPS Capital Improvement Program (CIP)/Master Plan. Relocatable classrooms will also be utilized at Mill Creek Towne Elementary school in the Magruder High School.
Per the CIP, to address various building systems and programmatic needs for Magruder High School (5939 Muncaster Mill Rd), a major capital project is planned. Expenditures for this project are included in the Major Capital Projects—Secondary and an appropriation will be requested for planning funds in a future CIP. Due to fiscal constraints, the County Council, in the adopted FY2023- 2028 CIP, delayed this project two years. This project is now scheduled for completion in August 2029.
Fox 5 has released its 2022-2023 Winter Weather Outlook forecast and they’re expecting “similar levels of snowfall to last winter, perhaps a little more in the immediate DC area with 9-18” of snow” without any blizzards anticipated and increased snow risks in the second half of the winter, according to meteorologist Mike Thomas.
The outlook discusses a La Niña weather pattern that we are currently in the midst of, as we have been for the last two winters (13.2” last year and 5.4” the year before). La Niñas usually lead to warmer weather for our area with just one La Niña winter producing with none bringing more than average snowfall since the year 2000.
The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) presented a 2022 Climate and Energy Leadership Award to the Rise N Shine Foundation Inc., founded by Richard Montgomery High School junior Shrusti Amula, for its “Can We Do Something About Food Waste?” project (video below).
Amula embarked on a research project with friends for a STEM competition on food waste and its effects on climate. The team of students volunteered to adopt an elementary school in the county as a pilot and committed time and effort to implement a composting program. The “Can We Do Something About Food Waste?” project aims to divert food waste from incinerators or landfills to compost facilities and save food from restaurants and grocery stores from becoming food waste and provide it to vulnerable members of the community with food insecurity.
Teams from 25 MCPS high schools tumbled, jumped and performed stunts during the 2022 cheerleading competition on Oct. 29, held at Montgomery Blair High School. Squads were judged on level of difficulty, technique and execution. The competition showcased the talent of the squads and gave fans an opportunity to support the teams. Check out a photo gallery. Winners were:
Division I
Sharon Faber, theater and ESOL teacher at Watkins Mill High School, has won a $4,900 grant from the Wolf Trap Foundation. Faber’s project, called Theater to Heal, is focused on Emergent Multilingual Learner (EML) students. Theater to Heal will nurture a sense of community and connectedness, make students feel more anchored in the present, and let their stories and voices be heard in a culminating presentation or reflection piece.
Students will take part in a drama residency or master classes that speak to their cultural perspectives and personal beliefs, such as Signature Theater’s program in Contemporary Immigration Issues. They will also attend a live professional show at a local theater, where they will see the many aspects that go into a full-fledged production and explore how to incorporate their own voices and aesthetic sense into a performance.
Residents are asked to pile leaves near the street, but off the road. They should avoid placing leaves on road shoulders, bike lanes and rain gardens as leaves in these areas can disrupt traffic, negatively impact stormwater drainage, hamper snow removal operations and become a fire hazard for automobiles parked over them. Leaf piles also limit the availability of residential parking and, especially when wet, can pose a hazard for cyclists and pedestrians. Since 1983, the County has been composting the leaves it collects at a County-operated facility in Dickerson. The compost produces a fertilizer called Leafgro, which is sold in retail stores.
“This program keeps fall leaves out of our storm drains and uses them for compost,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “This valuable service helps our neighborhoods and provides a great product.”