Gaithersburg

Gaithersburg Receives Financial Presentation Award

By Patrick Herron

The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management.

“The residents of our community deserve the highest level of service we can offer, and this award demonstrates that our commitment to transparency and excellence is recognized on a national level,” said City Manager Tanisha Briley. “This award also reflects the tremendous efforts of the dedicated staff in our Department of Finance and Administration.”

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Business

Hughes is Coming To New 140,000SF Building on Montgomery College Germantown Campus

By MCS Staff

A joint-venture between Minkoff Development and South Duvall has signed a lease with Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES) to build a 140,000 square foot build-to-suit project on Montgomery College’s Germantown Campus. The campus currently is home to the Pinkney Innovation Complex for Science and Technology at Montgomery College (PIC MC) with Holy Cross Germantown Hospital as its anchor tenant. Located at 19710 Observation Drive in Germantown, Maryland, adjacent to the Hughes headquarters complex (11717 Exploration Lane), the new high-tech manufacturing building will house production of Hughes satellite broadband and networking equipment. Full press release below:

“This new facility reflects our long-standing commitment to Montgomery County, as a local employer and business leader for more than 50 years and will help Hughes advance our mission of connecting the unconnected around the world with innovative satellite and networking solutions,” said Jim Muir, III, vice president, corporate real estate at Hughes. “We look forward to inviting students from PIC MC to learn and grow with us and continuing to engage with the community where so many of our employees live and work.”

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Montgomery Parks

Montgomery Parks Increases Local Pollinators by Removing Invasive Plants From its Parks and Meadows

By MCS Staff

Montgomery Parks, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, is increasing pollinators and native wildlife in its parks. Through its Meadow Management and Restoration Program, the department is seeing a resurgence of many new pollinator-friendly plants. At Rachel Carson Conservation Park, parks staff restored eight acres of a meadow over the past two years and plans to restore 12 more acres by the summer of next year.

Senior Natural Resources Specialist Dianna Loescher oversees Montgomery Parks’ Meadow Management and Restoration Program.  “The goal of the restoration program is to increase native biodiversity to better support pollinators and native wildlife,” Loescher said. “With this unique program, we are boosting the health and resiliency of our native ecosystems through planting efforts.”

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Olney

Community Rallies Around Local Basketball Coach Diagnosed With ALS

By MCS Staff

Patrick Behan is a former college basketball player whose life’s work has since been coaching high school boys basketball in the DMV. The former Montgomery County resident and teacher is currently serving in his 6th year as the head boy’s basketball coach at St. John’s College High School in Washington, D.C. The community has created a website, BehanStrong, and will hold a family friendly fundraising event on Saturday, September 17th, from 3pm-7pm at the Olney Boys & Girls Club in Olney that allows anyone interested to make donations directly to Pat’s trust to help him fight this battle.

In May of 2022, Pat was diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. While this has been a devastating diagnosis for everyone involved, Pat and those around him – his family and his close friends – have chosen to fight this disease head-on. Pat was born and raised in Leesburg, Virginia, and graduated from Notre Dame Academy (Middleburg Academy) in Middleburg, Virginia. He played college basketball at Bucknell and went on to play overseas in Germany.

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MoCo Government

(NOW DELAYED) Election Certification Planned for Friday; Recount Could Start As Early As Thursday, August 18

By MCS Staff

Update 8/11, 11:19pm: Certification has been delayed as board of elections releases statement on additional provisional ballots that still need to be counted

If a recount petition is filed, which David Blair stated he would do, it could tentatively start Thursday, August 18. Election officials must work at least eight hours for each day of the recount and may choose to pause the recount on Sundays and holidays, per the Montgomery County Board of Elections.

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MoCo Government

RESCHEDULED: County to Host Ceremony of Remembrance to Commemorate ‘International Overdose Awareness Day’ on Aug. 25, and Will Launch ‘Montgomery Goes Purple’

By Patrick Herron

UPDATE: Montgomery County’s ceremony of remembrance and candlelight vigil has been rescheduled for Thursday, Sept. 1, in Downtown Rockville to memorialize lives lost to overdose or substance use.   

“Montgomery Goes Purple,” an awareness campaign aimed at spotlighting the impact of opioid addiction on the community, will be launched as part of the ceremonies which also lead to September being recognized as “Recovery Month.” The color purple has been adopted internationally to illustrate the struggles endured by people who are drug addicted and the related impacts on their families and friends.

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MoCo

Electric Vehicle Ownership Continues to Rise in MoCo

By Patrick Herron

This growth is welcome news for the County’s carbon emissions goals. The Climate Action Plan identified transitioning to electric vehicles as a key action for reducing emissions in the County – along with reducing driving overall with increased use of transit, waking, and bicycling. With EVs only making up 1.5 percent of registered vehicles, there is a long way to go.

According to a Bloomberg News study of EV adoption around the world, once a market reaches 5 percent of new vehicle sales, demand starts to accelerate rapidly. The United States recently passed this milestone, and Montgomery County is ahead of the curve.

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Silver Spring

Detectives Ask for Assistance in Locating Missing Silver Spring Man

By Patrick Herron

Devante Britton was last seen on the evening of Friday, August 5, 2022, in the 9900 block of Medical Center Drive. Britton is approximately 6 feet, 4-inches tall and weighs 180 pounds. He has black hair, brown eyes and a scar on his neck. Police and family are concerned for his welfare.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Devante Britton is asked to call the non-emergency number at 301-279-8000 or the 6th District Investigative Section at 240-773-5770.

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MoCo Police

Detectives Investigate Jewelry Distraction Thefts That Target Older Victims of Asian and Indian Descent

By Patrick Herron

During these recent thefts, the suspects, in a vehicle, approached the victim, who was walking in the area. A female suspect placed imitation gold jewelry on the victim to distract him/her while removing the victim’s jewelry from his/her person. In many of the cases the female suspect hugged the victim while committing the theft. In some instances, the female suspect remained in the vehicle and committed the theft by calling the victim to the vehicle’s window.

These incidents have occurred in both residential and commercial areas during daylight hours. The suspects’ descriptions and their vehicles vary but investigators believe that there are multiple suspects working together.

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