Per Montgomery County:
Metro has announced that Metrobus will return to regular weekday service on Monday, Feb. 7. Metrobus has been operating on a modified Saturday schedule, offering approximately 75 percent of normal weekday service, since Jan. 10 due to covid-related staffing shortages. In addition, Metro will require riders to have newer farecards starting March 1.
Police are investigating a shooting that occurred Sunday night around 7:10 on Neerwinder St, just off of Waters Landing Dr in Germantown.
A man was found suffering from multiple gunshot wounds when police arrived to the scene. The responding officers applied tourniquets to the victim prior to EMS arrival. The man was then hospitalized and is currently in stable condition
Local author Ada-Ari will be doing several events this week in Montgomery County as a part of her Black History Month book tour. Nigerian born Ada-Ari is the author of The Turtle’s Cracked Shell and The Spider’s Thin Legs, children’s books that document classic and beloved African folktales from her childhood. The book tour pays tribute and honors these historical artifacts that, for many, have been lost due to centuries of migration and oral transmission.
Ada tells us, “My kids, who were born at Shady Grove and are growing up in America, were my inspiration. I grew up in Nigeria and didn’t want my kids to miss out on the stories that my grandparents and family members told us. My books also include fun fact cards about the part of Africa that each story comes from. Children (and adults) get a geography and cultural lesson as well as an opportunity to learn moral lessons shared the African way – through stories that have been passed down for thousands of years. What a great way to reconnect with African roots. ”
Council will discuss and take positions on state legislation; Committees will review zoning for accessory buildings and the Sandy Spring Ashton Rural Village Overlay Zone, legislation on early care and education programs and receive an update on migrant and asylum-seeking children and families
The Planning, Housing and Economic Development (PHED) Committee will meet on Monday, Feb. 7 at 9:30 a.m. to discuss Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 21-10, Accessory Structures – Use Standards, ZTA 21-11, Zoning Text Amendment 21-11, Sandy Spring/Ashton Rural Village Overlay Zone, and the Ashton Village Center Sectional Map Amendment (SMA) H-144.
The ‘Special Weather Statement’ from earlier today has been update to no longer include C/SE MoCo. It now covers areas as close as Prince George’s County with potential for hazardous commuting conditions for the Monday morning commute.
Per the National Weather Service for ‘Special Weather Statement’ areas (shown in featured photo):
Stretch Zone, the nation’s first and largest practitioner-assisted stretching company, continues expanding throughout the United States with its first Maryland location now open in the Kentlands neighborhood of Gaithersburg. Stretch Zone takes over the former GNC location at 251 Kentlands Blvd, the former home of GNC.
Stretch Zone, the company that brought practitioner-assisted stretching to the public and introduced a new vertical in the health and wellness industry, closed out 2021 with a record-breaking year of milestones, from its fastest growth of studio openings to its highest-revenue year.
SportsLine oddsmakers have released their odds on who will be the Washington Commanders’ first-ever starting QB.
Incumbent Taylor Heinicke is leading the way at +300. That’s based on the belief that the Commanders will draft a quarterback with the 11th pick of the 2022 NFL Draft who is likely to not beat Heinicke out for week 1 starting duties. Heinicke is familiar with offensive coordinator Scott Turner’s offense and now has a full year of starter’s reps under his belt. Oddsmakers aren’t certain Heinicke will beat a newly drafted quarterback out for the position, as the odds for the 2022 draft pick starting are at +500, which is the third most likely situation.
Back in September we let you know that Lidl, a German international discount supermarket chain, was under contract to purchase the subject properties between Walter Johnson Road and Germantown Road and seeks to develop a 31,000 square foot Lidl Grocery Store with associated parking and open space areas. The application was accepted on December 15th of 2021 with future planning board action pending. Signs about potential development have been up since summer 2021.
The project site occupies approximately 2.8 acres of land on Walter Johnson Road between Bowman Mill Drive and Wisteria Drive, a few blocks northeast of the Germantown MARC Station. The site is a consolidation of several parcels of land. Currently, the site is partially wooded. The developed portion of the site houses an office building with a copy center on the ground floor and part of the parking lot for an adjacent credit union building.
The City of Rockville is considering implementing a Pair Parental Leave Policy to provide leave to eligible employees following the birth of an employee’s child or the placement of a child with an employee in connection with adoption or foster care. Paid Leave would run concurrently with leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), as applicable.
This was discussed on the January 31st, 2022 Mayor and Council meeting. Discussion on the matter will continue. Per City Code, unless the Mayor and Council instruct staff to modify the proposed policy, the policy will go into effect 55 days from the distribution of the revised PPM to the Mayor and Council.
Per the State of Maryland:
ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Larry Hogan today encouraged all Marylanders to celebrate the state’s frontline medical workers as he issued an official proclamation designating Feb. 7-13, 2022 as Healthcare Heroes Appreciation Week in Maryland.
Per Montgomery County:
For Immediate Release: Friday, February 4, 2022