Greg Roche, known as Roche in his 22 years with DC 101, has announced that he has been terminated from the station and was told the station will be going in a different direction. Roche has been with DC 101 since 2001 and is a resident of Montgomery County. His full post can be seen below (featured photo courtesy of Roche on Air on Facebook):
https://www.facebook.com/100058144205314/posts/692192246062243/?mibextid=cr9u03
This morning at approximately 7:44 a.m., officers responded to the area of the Fox Chapel Shopping Center in Germantown for the report of multiple individuals attempting to break into vehicles. […]
Last Friday, an email was sent to the Paint Branch High School community informing them of the school’s principal, Dr. Joel Beidleman, going on extended leave. Beidleman was named principal at Paint Branch in June and was previously principal at William Farquhar Middle School in Olney.
A Washington Post article released this morning alleges that Beidleman was reported to Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) 18 times in seven years and details alleged sexual harassment, workplace bullying, and other inappropriate conduct at multiple schools, spanning over a decade. The article states that Beidleman was placed on leave by MCPS and that the school system will launch an “independent, external investigation.”
American University President Sylvia Burwell will be stepping down from the position following this upcoming school year after six years at the school. The news was shared by the University in a memorandum earlier this week. The full memorandum can be seen below followed by a video from Burwell making the announcement:
“On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I want to extend our gratitude to President Sylvia Burwell for her dedicated leadership and service to the American University community. For the past six years, during some of the most consequential times in higher education and our broader world, Sylvia provided bold direction, personal caring, and an optimistic vision for American University. As she prepares to step down in June 2024, we will commemorate the many achievements during her tenure while continuing our vital work to building American University’s great future.
Montgomery County Public Schools (MPCS) and MedStar Health are announcing a new partnership to enhance the school system’s sports medicine program for scholastic athletics. Ahead of the upcoming 2023-24 school year, a newly-formed team of 12-month certified athletic trainers hired by MPCS has already begun working in all 25 of the county’s high schools. Their goal is to provide streamlined and enhanced care for student-athletes across all athletic programs.
“We are very excited to launch our innovative sports medicine program, which includes a full-time certified athletic trainer in each of our 25 high schools,” said MCPS Systemwide Athletic Director Dr. Jeff Sullivan. “Thanks to the commitment to safety from our school leaders and partnership with the region’s largest health system, MedStar Health, we now have medical professionals on staff to assist with the assessment and treatment of student-athlete injuries, prevention, rehabilitation, and more.”
Back in November of 2020, we let you know that Chase Bank was close to receiving approval to take over the location previously occupied by Meixin Supermarket (formerly Maxim) on Hungerford Drive (355) in Rockville. The building was demolished last summer and construction of the bank began earlier this year. Photos of the progress can be seen below.
During the approval process, Rockville’s Historic District Commission (HDC) recommended and found that the property met certain criteria for historic designation. City staff staff disagreed and recommended the the Planning Commission deny the change of zones from MXCD (Mixed-Use Corridor District) to MXCD-HD (Historic District) due to not meeting criteria for the designation. After a vote late last year, the City of Rockville decided that the building did not meet criteria for historic designation and the decision to move forward with the plans for Chase Bank moved forward.
Per the Office of the United States Attorney, District of Washington DC: Jonathan Willis, 37, of North Bethesda, Maryland, was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for coercion and enticement of a minor. The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Acting Special Agent in Charge Emily Odom, of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division.
Willis pleaded guilty on March 15, 2023, in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. According to the government’s evidence, on March 31, 2022, the defendant began communicating with a 14-year-old minor victim who resided in Washington, D.C. using Snapchat. The defendant offered to pay the victim money in exchange for sexually explicit photographs. Over a two-week period, the defendant sent the fourteen-year-old girl multiple photos of his penis and of himself masturbating, and repeatedly asked her to come to his residence in Maryland to “make love.” The victim refused and reported the defendant’s communications to law enforcement. On May 12, 2022 and May 24, 2022, an undercover officer assumed the victim’s identity on Snapchat. On both occasions, the defendant requested sexually explicit photographs of the 14-year-old girl, sent her photos and videos of his penis, and attempted to persuade her to travel to Maryland for sexual activity.
EchoStar, the parent company of Germantown-based broadband satellite services provider Hughes, and Dish Network have signed an all-stock merger agreement with the goal of establishing a global connectivity provider to businesses, governments and consumers. The boards of directors at both companies unanimously approved the deal and all parties expect to complete the transaction by the end of 2023, according to a joint statement released Tuesday.
Under the agreement, Dish Network shareholders will own 69 percent of the combined firm and EchoStar shareholders will hold the remaining 31 percent. Charles Egren, co-founder and chairman of the two companies, will serve as executive chairman of the merged entity upon the deal’s closure, while EchoStar President and CEO Hamid Akhavan will lead the future organization to be headquartered in Englewood, Colorado.
Metro will begin track work over the weekend, August 12-13, that will require single tracking between Eastern Market and Stadium-Armory stations, reducing service on the Blue and Orange lines to every 24 minutes. Silver Line trains will also turn back at Federal Center SW instead of going to Downtown Largo. On the Red Line trains will single track between Grosvenor and Medical Center with trains operating every 20 minutes only between Friendship Heights and Shady Grove.
During single tracking trains must share one track, taking turns going through the construction zone. Due to the length of the single track, trains will alternate between 2 and 22-minutes between trains from Eastern Market to Stadium-Armory with two trains, one Orange and one Blue, serving the platform in one direction and then two trains, one Orange and one Blue, serving the platform from the opposite direction. Trains will arrive more frequently, on average every 8-12 minutes, between Rosslyn and Federal Center SW, and every 10-12 minutes on average between East Falls Church and Rosslyn where lines overlap.On the Red Line, most stations will still have frequent service. Additional trains will operate between Glenmont and Friendship Heights every 10 minutes, with every other train continuing to Shady Grove. The construction will begin early Saturday and continue through the weekend, wrapping up before the system opens Monday morning. On the Blue and Orange lines work crews will be replacing grout pads, the concrete slabs necessary to support the tracks. The grout pads are located every few feet and anchor the tracks to absorb the weight of the train and provide stability.
Snakes are an integral part of Maryland’s fauna, functioning as important predators. Snakes are limbless reptiles with elongate bodies that are covered with scales. All snakes lack external ear openings and eyelids and have long, forked tongues. Maryland is home to 27 species and sub-species of snakes, including two with medically significant venom, the copperhead and the timber rattlesnake. These two species are found in the viper family (Viperidae). The remaining species are in the family Colubridae, which is the largest snake family in the world.
Pit Vipers (Subfamily Crotalinae):
Pursuant to Section 49-62 of the Montgomery County Code (2014) as amended, the County Executive or his Designee shall conduct a virtual Public Hearing via the internet-based platform known as Zoom on Tuesday, September 19, 2023 at 2:00 PM, to consider an application from 5500 Westbard Avenue Block Civic Association (the “Applicant”), for the permanent closure of a public right of way at the northwestern terminus of Westbard Avenue at River Road in the Westbard area of Bethesda. The Applicant is requesting permanent closure of the public right of way from all vehicular traffic, including emergency vehicles, at the intersection. The petition also requests that a temporary closure remain in place until a permanent closure can be installed.
Completion of this registration form will include you in a mailing list to receive an invitation to participate in the Hearing. If you require special accommodations, please contact Tiara McCray at (240) 720-7862 or [email protected]. Registration for this Public Hearing will close on Friday, September 15, 2023 at 5:00 PM.