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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Beyond MoCo

Beyond MoCo: NoVa Cookout Expected to Open By the End of The Summer

By MCS Staff

Back in May 2021, we let you know that fast food chain Cook Out is coming one step closer to us, as a new location was expected to open at 8502 Centreville Road in Manassas Park. The location, which was formerly home to a Roy Rogers, is now almost fully-staffed and expected to open by the end of the summer, a representative told us.

In 2020, the MoCo Show made the 60 mile trek down to Fredericksburg, VA to visit the areas closest Cook Out location. We left Gaithersburg, located in the approximate center of MoCo, at 6:14pm and arrived an hour and twenty minutes later, at 7:34pm. The Manassas Park location is a little over 30 miles from the center MoCo, about half the distance of Fredericksburg. There is a location in Salisbury, but that is further than both of Virginia locations mentioned.

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MoCo Government

Montgomery County Completes ‘High Road Economic Inclusion Framework for an Equitable Climate-Ready Economy’ Report Addressing Climate Change, Equity, Economic Development

By Patrick Herron

The analysis, conducted by Emerald Cities Collaborativeand its subcontractors, Inclusive Economics and Health Care Without Harm, focuses on the need to actively align the County workforce and small business ecosystems. It also recommends leveraging partnerships with large “anchor institutions” to advance climate action and economic inclusion.

“We can’t reach our climate change goals without addressing systemic inequities and we can’t build a robust and resilient economy without considering climate change,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “While climate change is no doubt an extraordinary threat to our very livelihood, it also presents an historic opportunity to boost our economic development and address racial economic disparities. We intend to seize that opportunity.”

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Potomac

Signage Up at The Scoop

By Patrick Herron

Permanent signage has been installed at The Scoop (7909 Tuckerman Ln, Potomac), the former Baskin-Robbins location in Cabin John Village. The creamery is being opened by Timothy and Mitch Ryoo, Potomac natives and Winston Churchill High School Graduates (2010 and 2006).  They are hoping to have The Scoop open by next weekend.

The Scoop will feature 24-30 permanent flavors and 8-10 seasonal options. All of the ice cream is made in house with natural ingredients, staying away from products like simple syrup.  The owners tell us they are working with local distributors and are in talks with local farms to purchase ingredients from. The Scoops plans to stay open later than their competitors (11pm) as they want to be known as a late-night dessert destination. The Scoop will offer ice cream cones, cups, and milkshakes, as well as Italian ice and dairy free ice cream. They also plan to eventually serve gelato.

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