Bethesda

New Season of CBS’s Survivor to Feature Contestant From MoCo

By Patrick Herron

Owen Knight, originally from Bethesda (now residing in New Orleans), will be a cast member on the upcoming 43rd season of Survivor, which premieres next Wednesday, September 21 at 8pm on CBS. Owen was born in Korea and adopted when he was four months old. He grew up in Bethesda and graduated from Walt Whitman High School in 2010,  where he was on both the football and rowing teams. During this time Owen also swam for the Montgomery County Swim League and worked at Bethesda Row’s Georgetown Cupcake.  After high school Owen went on to study business administration at Tulane University, where he now works as the Director of Admission Engagement.

Owen tells us, “I am very privileged to have grown up in Montgomery County! My parents moved away when I was in college, but I still get to visit multiple times a year for work. I still go out of my way to eat at Ledo’s and Bethesda Bagels, and ironically, one of my family’s favorites growing up was Louisiana Express.”

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Germantown

Detectives Investigate Armed Robbery of a Germantown Beer and Wine Store, Surveillance Footage Released

By MCS Staff

At approximately 7:30 p.m., 5th District officers responded to the location for the report of an armed robbery.

The investigation by detectives has determined that an unknown male suspect entered the store and walked behind the cashier counter, reaching around the employee to open the cash register. The suspect then pointed a gun at the employee’s neck and demanded that he open the cash registers. The employee complied with the suspect’s demands. The suspect removed the cash from both registers. A customer attempted to leave the store and the suspect redirected the gun to him, telling him not to move. The suspect then demanded Newport cigarettes, prior to leaving the store.

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North Bethesda

Tropical Smoothie Cafe Now Open in White Flint Station

By MCS Staff

Tropical Smoothie Cafe has opened its latest Montgomery County location with the addition of its newest store at White Flint Station– the shopping center, not to be confused with the Metro station that has recently changed its name to North Bethesda Metro Station. The store opened within the last month.

Tropical Smoothie Cafe is located at 11620 Rockville Pike, next to Pho Eatery and two stores down from Ize’s Deli and Bagelry. Tropical Smoothie’s most recent MoCo location prior to this one opened in Germantown on December 26 and the company has additional locations in Aspen Hill , Bethesda, 2 in Gaithersburg, Travilah, and White Oak. Another new location is coming to the Woodmoor shopping center in Silver Spring.

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Maryland

Civil Penalty Waiver Grace Period For Video Tolls Ends November 30

By MCS Staff

In February, MDTA started a civil penalty waiver grace period for tolls paid in full and has ceased referring toll bills to the Central Collection Unit (CCU) and MDOT Motor Vehicle Administration (MDOT MVA) temporarily. The grace period will end at 11:59 p.m. on November 30, 2022, and the MDTA will resume referrals of unpaid toll bills and civil penalties to CCU and MDOT MVA on December 1.

If you have unpaid Video Tolls and/or Civil Penalties, the MDTA will waive the Civil Penalties if your toll balance is paid in full between Feb. 24 and 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 30, 2022. After the grace period ends, customers will remain responsible for all unpaid tolls and civil penalties and referrals will resume.

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Maryland

Maryland Attorney General Frosh Urges FTC to Strengthen Car Rules to Prevent Consumer Harm, Misrepresentations

By MCS Staff

Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh joined a coalition of 18 attorneys general calling on the Federal Trade Commission to adopt and strengthen guidance on automobile sales.

The comment letter, led by Maryland, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania, expresses approval of the FTC’s proposed updates to the Motor Vehicle Dealers Trade Regulation Rule related to the sale, financing, and leasing of motor vehicles by motor vehicle dealers. The proposed rule, published in the Federal Register on July 13, would provide a critical tool to address misrepresentations in sales, leasing and financing transactions, and increase pricing transparency in advertising.

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MoCo

Montgomery Planning Expresses Appreciation for County Council Consultant-Led Study on Thrive Montgomery 2050; Notes it Confirms Widespread Support for Thrive’s Policies

By MCS Staff

Just a day after County Executive Marc Elrich urged the Montgomery County Council to disapprove Thrive 2050, the Montgomery County Planning Department expressed its appreciation for the Montgomery County Council’s consultant-led racial equity and social justice review of the Planning, Housing, and Economic Development (PHED) Committee Draft of Thrive Montgomery 2050, the update to Montgomery County’s General Plan.

Per Montgomery Planning: The report includes an assessment of how historically disadvantaged and vulnerable social groups are represented in the current version of the plan and a draft chapter on racial equity and social justice to be considered by the County Council to be included in the final plan.

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MoCo

Montgomery County Launches Online Tool to Help Older Adult Residents Find Transportation Providers

By MCS Staff

Montgomery County recently launched a new online tool to help older adult residents find volunteer ride providers to help them get where they need to go, when they need to get there.

The online tool uses GIS mapping to connect an address with organizations, such as nonprofit groups and senior villages, who provide volunteer rides for such things as medical appointments and grocery shopping.  In addition to free bus rides and a discounted taxi program for eligible residents, the County supports non-profit organizations that offer volunteer rides.

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MoCo Government

Montgomery County Supports Preservation of Affordable Housing at Parkside Landing Apartments in Rockville

By MCS Staff

Per Montgomery County: The Montgomery County Department of Housing and Community Affairs (DHCA) participated in financing, with a 40-year Housing Initiative Fund (HIF) loan of $5,342,517, to support preservation and renovation of 177 affordable units at Parkside Landing Apartments in Rockville. Through lending, DHCA supported preserving 118 affordable units and producing 59 additional affordable units – for a total of 177 units now priced affordably.

Parkside Landing Apartments has a total of 236 garden-style, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartment units. The City of Rockville’s public housing agency, Rockville Housing Enterprises, Inc. (RHE), acquired the apartment property in 2012 to preserve the affordable rental community and recently completed a full renovation.

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Maryland

Maryland is 9th ‘Most Diverse State’ in the Country, According to Report

By MCS Staff

The personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2022’s Most & Least Diverse States in America, and Maryland was ranked the 9th ‘Most Diverse State in America.’

To determine where the most idea and identity exchanges have occurred at the highest level in the U.S. – and where the population is relatively more homogeneous – WalletHub compared the 50 states across six key categories: socio-economic, cultural, economic, household, religious and political diversity.

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Bethesda

Former Cabin John Park Volunteer Fire Department Fire Chief James Seavey Sr’s Name to Be Added to National Firefighter’s Memorial Wall

By MCS Staff

This week it was announced that a plaque with the name of former Cabin John Park Volunteer Fire Department Fire Chief James Seavey Sr. will be added to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation memorial wall in Emmitsburg, Maryland. An honored first responder in the greater D.C. area for 42 years and a key member of state, regional, and national fire and rescue organizations, James Perrine Seavey, Sr., passed away September 4, 2018, after a courageous five-year battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Seavey’s death will be considered a line of duty death, with his battle with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma presumed to have been a result of contact with toxic substances during his 42 years of service as a first responder, per the Bethesda Patch.

Per his obituary, Seavey was born in D.C., but raised in Bethesda’s Westmoreland Hills. His calling began in 1976 as a 16-year-old Walt Whitman High School volunteer at the Glen Echo Fire Department. There he rose to the rank of Assistant Chief. He moved to the Cabin John Park Volunteer Fire Department in 1990 and took office as Fire/Rescue Chief in 1992, a post he held until retiring on Dec. 31, 2017.

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