Beyond MoCo

Sweet Rolled Tacos was founded in California in May 2017 by two brothers, Donovan and Kenny. Since then the dessert shop has expanded to over a dozen locations across the country, including one at 5967 Centreville Crest Ln in Centreville, VA that opened just last week.

The concept is a melting pot of taste, texture, and aesthetic into ice cream and drinks. Per the dessert shop’s website, “Sweet Rolled Tacos is all about the experience and catering to what customers want. We want you to enjoy every bite and every sip.  Every ice cream taco is made with premium cream, handcrafted on a cold plate that is rolled into ice cream is fitted into a waffle taco cone.”


Education

Earlier today, the Montgomery County Board of Education unanimously voted to name the upcoming Gaithersburg Elementary School #8 in memory of Harriet Tubman– an American abolitionist and social activist. The additional list of names the Board of Education had previously narrowed it down to can be seen below.

In February, Dr. Cavena J. Griffith was appointed as Principal at the upcoming Gaithersburg Elementary School #8. She is currently the principal intern at Whetstone Elementary School. in Griffith’s presentation earlier today, she stated that the name name aligns with MCPS core values– learning, relationships, equity, respect and excellence.


MCPS

Through resolve, flexibility and agility, MCPS staff members have been heroes in our community during unprecedented and challenging times. Over the last year, our staff has operated on virtual and hybrid platforms before returning full-time to the classroom this school year. These new employee agreements recognize these efforts, and it is a privilege to provide our employees with the compensation and conditions that acknowledge their significant achievements. It is my hope that these new agreements represent one more way we are working to recognize, reward and retain our educators and staff, while providing much deserved further incentive to continue to serve our community.

These agreements maintain MCPS’ status as a premier destination for all employees. The new agreements include a 3.35% cost-of-living increase and a salary step increase, which combine to equal, effectively, an over 6% increase in the salaries of our employees. This is the highest increase, reached in the shortest amount of time, in more than a decade. Also included in the agreements is a commitment to professional development to support the desire of our teachers to perform at their best, enhancements that are directed toward administrators who have committed the greatest number of years of service to our students and community, and a renewed focus on employee well-being. All of this combines to serve as further proof of the high value we place on our employees and their contributions to our schools.


MoCo Government

“We live in a time where people’s rights are under attack – from the Supreme Court to the halls of Congress, to State Houses throughout this nation,” said County Executive Elrich. “We must do all we can to protect women’s health and their personal rights. With this allocation of funds, we are helping ensure that any woman who needs assistance will be able to access it. I want to thank our nonprofit partners, doctors, and nurses who are so critical to our efforts. In Montgomery County, we are committed to working in partnership to stand up for all people and will continue to do so.”

“The County Executive’s initiative is in great alignment with the County Council’s resolution on reproductive rights, which I spearheaded,” said County Councilmember Nancy Navarro. “The resolution affirmed our commitment to ensuring that health care organizations that provide reproductive health services have the appropriate supports and capacity to safeguard the reproductive rights of residents in our communities. As the lone woman Councilmember on the Council, I will continue to do all I can to support the County executive and the County Council in doing the right thing – protecting our reproductive rights and safeguarding the welfare of all our residents. I also call on Governor Hogan to support reproductive rights in Maryland by releasing the $3.5 million earmarked by the legislature for training.”


Business

A collaborative space created to ignite and inspire innovation in Montgomery County is having its Grand Opening on Saturday, May 14th from 11am until 1pm at Montgomery College (900 Hungerford Drive in Rockville)

ignITe Hub is an exciting, unique space where students of all ages can learn coding and entrepreneurial skills to help prepare them for the future workforce.”


Silver Spring

Holy Cross Hospital (1500 Forest Glen RdSilver Spring, MD 20910) is  recipient of the Healthgrades 2022 America’s 100 Best Hospitals Award. This places Holy Cross Hospital among the top two percent of all hospitals for clinical care and patient outcomes across treatment of the most common conditions and procedures. This is the 2nd consecutive year Holy Cross Hospital (Silver Spring) is among America’s 100 Best Hospitals, one of only six hospitals in Maryland among America’s 100 Best Hospitals, and the only recipient in Montgomery County, Maryland.

Per the press release: “The past two years have been the most challenging of my 38 years in Medicine,” said Ann Burke, MD, vice president of medical affairs at Holy Cross Hospital, part of Holy Cross Health. “COVID-19 has stressed every aspect of medical care and put unusual pressure on efforts to achieve excellence. To attain the Top 100 Hospital designation over these challenging two years is a testament to the unrelenting quest for quality in our colleagues and physicians. As the only hospital in the U.S. in 2021 to achieve the Top 100 Hospital Designation plus all Three Excellence Awards for Women’s Services further solidifies our position at the most trusted provider for women. Our participation and leadership of State and Regional Collaboratives supports excellent care for sepsis, diabetes, heart failure and pneumonia.”


Beyond MoCo

The governor made the announcement at an MDH warehouse facility in Hanover, joined by Yaroslav Brisiuck, Deputy Chief of Mission for the Embassy of Ukraine; Karina Mandell, chair of the Baltimore-Odesa Sister City CommitteeDr. William Chester of the Paul Chester Children’s Hope Foundation; and Maryna Baydyuk and Boris Levonenko of United Help Ukraine.

“The atrocities taking place in Ukraine have served as a reminder to all of us of exactly why strong ties and alliances are so critical, and why it is so important that we do whatever we can to support our allies in their time of need,” said Governor Hogan. “I want to thank our entire state government team for working around the clock over the past week to make this possible, along with the Baltimore-Odesa Sister City Committee, which has been indispensable in helping us coordinate efforts on the ground.”


Bethesda

The upcoming HalfSmoke location in Montgomery Mall is scheduled to open in “about four weeks”, according to a representative from the restaurant. HalfSmoke will be located in a kiosk in the food terrace that was the former home of Coldstone Creamery and more recently Gelato Galaxy. This will be the first restaurant/bar in the food court to serve alcohol. The menu will consist of the best selling sausages and sides from their DC location, as well as boozy milkshakes and a funnel cake bar. HalfSmokes sister restaurant Butter Me Up opened its Montgomery Mall location last week. Butter Me Up is located in the old Aroma Espresso Bar location, which is downstairs near the Old Navy entrance and features “instagrammable” decor, will offer a menu that consists of a variety of breakfast sandwiches, toasts, sides, bowls, smoothies, and juices.

HalfSmoke was the first restaurant of its kind to serve gourmet sausages via an assembly line format. Its sausages and toppings can be fully customized to create over 50,000 variations. The HalfSmoke menu also features craft beer, mac and cheese balls, tater tots, milkshakes, funnel cakes, wine, cocktails, and more.  HalfSmoke is also planning to open a Rockville Town Square location sometime this year.


Athletes

Lazzaro’s Authentic Italian Deli is now open in the Montgomery Mall Food Court, located in the space recently occupied by Big Al’s Sub Shop. The restaurant features imported cold cuts that are cut fresh daily, homemade meatballs, cannolis, and more.

Owner Larry tells us his family owned Lucia’s Deli on University Blvd in Wheaton back in the 80’s. The business was eventually sold and the company became what is now Mamma Lucia. He’s wanted to open a deli for as long as he can remember and felt the food court location was a good fit.  He plans to bring the same work ethic and authenticity that has mother brought to Lucia’s when he was growing up.


Germantown

Redwall Castle (built in the 1930s) is located off of Richter Farm Rd. in Germantown, Maryland (22 miles northwest of Washington, DC). It has been available for rent via rental sites AirBNB and VRBO like for a few years now. Per the listing on AirBNB, “it is excellent for families (w kids) and groups.” The castle is made up of a main house and a separate carriage house. The main house has 5 bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms, and is for rent. The carriage house is used by the owner and outdoor open wood fire pits are available. There’s even a theater room.

The building was designed by the first licensed woman architect in the US, following British author Brian Jacques’s fairy-tail Redwall stories. It is composed of a main house (which is for rent) and a separate carriage house (owner occupied), with 6 acres (29,000 Square Yards) of land for outdoor activities. Guests must rent it for a minimum of two nights and have the full access and complete use of the 5 bedroom (4.5 bath) main house. It’s currently going for just over $500 per night.


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