Author: MCS Staff

Maryland

UMD Ranked Nation’s No. 1 College for LGBTQ+ Students

By MCS Staff

The University of Maryland was named the top college in the nation for LGBTQ+ students by Campus Pride and BestColleges. It leads the list of 2023’s Top 25 LGBTQ+-Friendly Colleges, recognizing educational institutions that foster inclusive and supportive environments for LGBTQ+ students. Maryland was No. 1 in 2020 and appeared among the top 25 in 2021 and 2022.

The ranking is based on an extensive evaluation of various factors, including efforts to support and provide academic, financial, and social resources for LGBTQ+ students. In addition to the Campus Pride Index rating scale, BestColleges has included its own ranking methodology accounting for academic quality and college affordability. The collaboration between BestColleges.com and CampusPride aims to empower prospective LGBTQ+ students by providing them with valuable insights and information as they make decisions about their higher education journey.

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Maryland

Maryland Is the “State with the Best Unemployment Rate Change”, According to Report

By MCS Staff

With inflation slowing but prices still relatively high and the U.S. gaining 187,000 jobs in July, slightly higher than in the previous month, WalletHub today released updated rankings for its report on Changes in Unemployment Rate by State, with Maryland being the “state with the best unemployment rate change.” Recently, Montgomery County announced an unemployment rate of 1.5%, which is the lowest in more than 30 years.

In order to take stock of how unemployment rates are changing throughout the U.S., WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on six key metrics that compare unemployment rate statistics from the latest month for which data is available (July 2023) to key dates in 2023, 2022, 2020 and 2019. Below, you can see highlights from the report, along with a WalletHub Q&A.

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Burtonsville

Ulta Signs on as Newest Tenant at Burtonsville Crossing

By MCS Staff

Ulta is listed as the newest tenant for the Burtonsville Crossing Shopping Center that’s currently being renovated. The center will be home to Montgomery County’s first Sprouts grocery store, which is on pace to open by the end of this year. It will also be home to Domain Fitness & Performance, an upcoming TJ Maxx location, and Creative Outlets Arts Center which recently announced that they’ll be moving into the shopping center from their previous Montgomery Mall location that closed in Bethesda earlier this summer. EDENS is also likely to receive a $3.5 million grant to renovate and revenant the shopping center.

Ulta opened 47 new stores in 2022 and renovated or relocated 32 stores, according to its 2022 fiscal year-end earnings call. The brand is known for its variety of beauty and skin care products ranging from entry level brands to prestige lines, allowing customers to try from the least expensive brands to top line brands all under one roof. The company saw growth throughout 2022 and expects the same in 2023 with plans to open another 25 to 30 more new stores and provide facelifts to or relocate another 20 to 30, according to Ulta CEO Dave Kimbell. These additional storefronts are above and outside of the plans to expand its shop-in-shops with Target. An opening date for the Burtonsville Crossing location is not yet available.

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Education

Montgomery County Public Schools to Announce Attendance Action Plan to Combat Student Absenteeism

By MCS Staff

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) will be hosting a press conference to introduce a comprehensive Attendance Action Plan titled “ALL TOGETHER Now: In School Together, Learn Together, Achieve Together / Attendance Action Plan” This multifaceted initiative aims to address a significant problem faced by school systems across the country – student attendance in school.

During the press conference, MCPS Superintendent Dr. Monifa B. McKnight and MCPS Staff will unveil the Attendance Action Plan, which encompasses various strategies and interventions to promote consistent attendance and enhance student learning outcomes. The plan focuses on fostering a collaborative effort among students, parents, educators, and the wider community to ensure all students have equal opportunities to succeed academically. Chronic Absenteeism is defined as 18 or more days absent in a school year without permission (10%).

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Burtonsville

EDENS Expected to Receive $3.5 Million Grant For Burtonsville Crossing Renovations

By MCS Staff

Last month we showed you some of the progress EDENS continues to make at Burtonsville Crossing. Sprouts, the first business announced as part of the renovated shopping center, is on track to open by the end of this year.  Sprouts was the first to sign a lease for the renovated Burtonsville Crossing and will be opening the grocery chain’s first Montgomery County location in the shopping center. Now, EDENS is expected to receive a $3.5 million grant towards the renovations, according to a report by Maryland Newsletters. “The state Board of Public Works takes up the grant, aimed at renovating the Route 29 center that has lain dormant for years, this month. Edens first signed grocery store Sprouts for about 23,000 feet, then added T.J. Maxx and more recently, Domain Fitness & Performance, for 32,100 feet.”

Former NBA player Jason Miskiri is part of a group that will be opening Domain Fitness & Performance, a new fitness center that has signed on to open in the shopping center and will be located adjacent to Sprouts. Miskiri also owns several restaurants in Silver Spring, including the Angry Jerk, The Breakfast Club, and Society Restaurant & Lounge. A representative from EDENS also confirmed to us that TJ Maxx will be opening a location in the shopping center in 2024. In addition to TJ Maxx, Creative Outlets Arts Center has announced that they’ll be moving into the shopping center from their previous Montgomery Mall location that closed in Bethesda last month. Ulta has also recently signed on to become the newest tenant at the shopping center. Progress video from last month can be seen below.

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MCFRS

Man Struck by Red Line Train Late Friday Morning

By MCS Staff

The Metro Transit Police Department (MTPD) and Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to a call at the Forest Glen Station in Silver Spring where a man was struck by a Red Line train shortly before noon Friday morning.

According to MTPD, the man was transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. “Based on a review of video, he appears to intentionally place himself in the path of the train.” Due to the ongoing investigation, Red Line trains continue to single track between Silver Spring & Forest Glen. Check @Metrorailinfo for latest service info. Featured photo courtesy of Google Maps.

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MoCo Police

Sobriety Checkpoint Tonight (Friday, August 18) Starting at 10pm

By MCS Staff

On Friday, August 18, 2023, officers from the Montgomery County Department of Police and allied agencies will be conducting a sobriety checkpoint and will conduct focused enforcement on impaired driving laws. The exact location of the checkpoint will not be disclosed in advance.

What: Sobriety Checkpoint

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Gaithersburg

Gaithersburg Nixes Plans For Pedestrian Bridge Over Great Seneca Highway; City Will Focus on Intersection Pedestrian Improvements

By MCS Staff

The City of Gaithersburg Public Works Department has been evaluating the possible installation of a pedestrian bridge over Great Seneca Highway (MD 119) between mile point 2.10 and 2.55 at the intersection of Kentlands Boulevard/Orchard Ridge Drive. At the July 10, 2023 meeting, the City Council directed Staff to move forward with an amendment to the City’s agreement with AstraZeneca to terminate the pedestrian bridge project and reallocate approximately $2.0 million for intersection pedestrian improvements at the City’s highest need locations, under the newly created “AstraZeneca Safety Improvement Fund.”

Project Background: MedImmune (now AstraZeneca) partnered with the City to fund the design and construction of a new pedestrian bridge across Great Seneca Highway.  The bridge planned to have two approach access ramps for pedestrians and bicyclists. The City started the initial evaluation of the project in 2017, which was followed by early concepts in 2018 and continued with procurement of an engineering consultant for final design services starting in 2021.

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Gaithersburg

New Permit Parking Program Will Consolidate Variety of Existing City Parking Permits Into One Program in Gaithersburg

By MCS Staff

Per The City of Gaithersburg: Gaithersburg currently maintains a patchwork of permit parking programs in both residential and commercial neighborhoods. In order to address community concerns about permit parking, the City established a work group with representation from different departments in the spring 2023 to analyze, develop, and implement a new permit-parking program.

This page is intended to provide the community with updates on the Permit Parking Program Project. City staff conducted a presentation to the Mayor and City Council about the program on March 27, 2023. Information about that meeting is below:

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Bethesda

Sarah’s Handmade Ice Cream is Coming to Fallsgrove

By MCS Staff

Sarah’s Handmade Ice Cream will open its third Montgomery County location in Rockville’s Fallsgrove Village Center. The ice cream shop, which was recently ranked #1 in “Mr. MoCo’s 15 Favorite Ice Cream Spots in MoCo” list, has two existing locations in Bethesda– The Wildwood Shop (10219 Old Georgetown Road Bethesda, MD 20814) and River Road Shop (5241 River Road Bethesda, MD 20816). Sarah’s Handmade aims to open its Fallsgrove location by the end of the year, with additional information to follow.

Per the ice cream shop, “Sarah’s Handmade was created by a Bethesda mother-daughter team, Sarah and Annie Park. When Sarah retired in 2018, she suddenly found herself with time to indulge in her old hobbies. She began to experiment and create original ice cream recipes for her family, friends, and neighbors, fit for each occasion. Soon enough, she was receiving calls and orders from strangers for her handmade ice cream! With strong enthusiasm from friends and wide support from neighbors, Sarah and Annie decided to bring the homemade flavors to a River Road storefront in Bethesda. To stay true to Sarah’s commitment to the highest quality ice cream that she would “feel proud feeding my family,” Sarah uses only the best, local-whenever-possible ingredients and sticks to her small-batch, all-natural recipes.”

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DC Sports

Anheuser-Busch Back as Washington Commanders’ Exclusive Beer Partner

By MCS Staff

Almost a year and a half after Washington lost Anheuser-Busch as it’s official beer sponsor (March 2022), the two sides have come to a new agreement less than a month after Josh Harris and the new ownership group took over. More below, per Washington:

As the 2023 NFL season kicks off, the Washington Commanders and Anheuser-Busch are proud to announce their new multi-year partnership. As part of the deal, Anheuser-Busch will become the Official Beer Sponsor of the Washington Commanders, making it easy for fans ages 21 and over to enjoy the game experience all season long with gameday activations, custom social and digital content, exclusive fan content, and much more. Additionally, the Washington Commanders, Anheuser-Busch, and Bud Light are honoring the veteran and first-responder community with exclusive experiences and fan recognition.

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