MoCo Government

Council President Albornoz Responds to the County Executive Elrich’s Request to Vote ‘No’ on Thrive Montgomery 2050

By Patrick Herron

ROCKVILLE, Md., Oct. 21, 2022—Today Montgomery County Council President Gabe Albornoz sent a letter to County Executive Marc Elrich responding to his continued opposition to moving Montgomery County forward with Thrive Montgomery 2050. In the letter, the Council President clarifies information and addresses issues raised by the County Executive.The full text of the letter by Council President Albornoz is below and can be viewed here. 

The Council has received your Oct. 20 letter with your continued opposition to moving Montgomery County forward. This time it’s related to your ongoing objections about Thrive Montgomery 2050, which is the first comprehensive rewrite of Montgomery County’s General Plan since 1969. The Council must plan for the future of our community, and we cannot do that appropriately or effectively based on principles that are more than a half century old.  

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Maryland

Maryland Department of Health Announces First Human Monkeypox-Related Death in the State

By MCS Staff

Per The Maryland Department of Health (MDH): The Maryland Department of Health has confirmed and reported the death of a Maryland resident in which human monkeypox (MPX) was a contributing factor. The individual was immunocompromised, resulting in a more severe case. MDH will not be providing additional information to protect patient confidentiality.

“Human monkeypox is still circulating and can cause severe illness and death,” said MDH Deputy Secretary for Public Health Services Dr. Jinlene Chan. “If you are eligible, such as being immunocompromised or at-risk, the best way to protect yourself against serious illness from MPX is by getting vaccinated.”

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Aspen Hill

BB.Q Chicken and Beer Now Open in Plaza Del Mercado

By MCS Staff

BB.Q Chicken is now open at 2235 Bel Pre Rd in Plaza Del Mercado (Silver Spring).  It has been over a year and a half since we announced that it would replace Fu Lin Restaurant, which closed on February 21st, 2021. BB.Q Chicken, a global chain of restaurants offering Korean fried chicken and more, has another Montgomery County location at 9712 Traville Gateway Dr in Rockville.

The “BB.Q” stands for “Best of the Best Quality”. The restaurant’s menu offers a wide variety of starters, including waffle fries with nacho cheese, kimchi chicken sliders, and many different flavors of their olive chicken strips. Entrees include half/whole chicken, boneless chicken, garlic chicken, and many different flavors of wings. They also have sandwiches, soups, salads, and plenty of homemade sides. Below you’ll see a picture of the interior, courtesy of Dean Themis.

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Aspen Hill

Worst Parking Lots in MoCo 2022

By Patrick Herron

“The Costco in Gaithersburg is the 7th circle of hell” is just one of many answers we received when we asked the question, “What is the worst parking lot in MoCo?” on social media.  Everyone has had their share of terrible experiences in MoCo parking lots, and while there are more than 26 “bad” parking lots, we’ve narrowed down a list (in no particular order) of what we feel are the worst.

 

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Gaithersburg

Late 2023 Opening Expected for Sportrock Climbing Centers in Rio

By MCS Staff

Back in July we let you know that Sportrock Climbing Centers is coming to Rio, taking over part of the space that was previously occupied by Sport & Health (Dave & Buster’s now occupies the other part of the space). Per an update provided to us by Rio today, Sportrock is aiming for a late 2023 opening. Sportrock opened the first commercial climbing gym in the DC metro area approximately 28 years ago in 1994, when it opened its Rockville. That location closed in 2006, but Sportrock has continued to operate successfully in Alexandria, Virginia. Now, it’s bringing rock climbing back to Rio, where many remember the much smaller walls that were a part of Sportland in the 90s.

The Sportrock founders met while training together at Zich’s (pronounced Zeke’s) Garage, a handmade climbing gym in Washington, DC. When Zich was 19 he was looking for a place to train in the wintertime. Zich convinced his supportive parents to let me build a DIY climbing space in their freestanding car garage. When the demand outgrew the space, Sportrock founders broke off and formed Sportrock’s first location in Rockville (14708 Southlawn Ln) so they would continue to have a place to climb and train together.

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Beyond MoCo

Beyond MoCo: Rusty the Red Panda, Who Once Escaped the National Zoo, Has Passed Away

By MCS Staff

Rusty, the red panda who escaped from the National Zoo back in June of 2013 when he was less than a year old, has passed away unexpectedly according to a social media post by Pueblo Zoo. Rusty roamed around Adams Morgan when he escaped the soon at some point during the night of June 23rd. He was spotted throughout Adams Morgan until the Washington Humane Society located him in a tree at 2pm the next day and was able to put him in a crate and bring him back home to the zoo.

Rusty was born in 2012 at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo in Nebraska. He then moved to the National Zoo in DC where he lived for a while before moving once again to the Pueblo Zoo in Colorado. While at Pueblo Zoo he became a father of twins, Mogwai and Momo. Pueblo Zoo released the following statement regarding Rusty’s death earlier this week:

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Education

Free Tutoring Available to All MCPS Students

By MCS Staff

Per MCPS: FEV Tutor and Tutor Me Education offer free, virtual tutoring for MCPS students. By logging into their Clever accounts, students can join a tutoring session. Both companies offer the same two services: on-demand homework help that requires no scheduling and scheduled, ongoing tutoring for longer term support.

More information linked in English and Spanish 

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MCPS

MCPS Athletics Championships Season Begins for Many Sports

By MCS Staff

The fall sports season is almost over and championships are beginning.. It’s an exciting time for student-athletes and spectators. From soccer to field hockey, volleyball, cheerleading, golf and more, there is a full schedule of events for all sports lovers. Below is an abbreviated schedule, courtesy of MCPS Athletics:

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