Entertainment

Rocktobierfest is set to return to Rockville after last year’s cancellation. The event will take place on Saturday, September 30, 2023, from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. and features two stages of entertainment, including German and rock music. Guests can also enjoy beverages for sale by local breweries and participants, food, and an artisan shopping area. This annual event attracts nearly 10,000 people to Rockville Town Center.

Local artisans and breweries are invited to apply to participate as a vendor for Rocktobierfest. Click on the appropriate application below to download the rules and application for this year’s festival. Applications are due by Friday, August 11, 2023. Additional information and applications can be found here.


Bethesda

The 31st annual Taste of Bethesda is scheduled for Saturday, October 7th from 11am – 4pm, and will feature Bethesda’s best restaurants, five stages of live entertainment, an activity area for kids and more.

Admission to the Taste of Bethesda is free. Taste tickets are sold on-site in bundles of four tickets for $5. Food servings cost one to four tickets. Restaurants serve delectable dishes from 11am-4pm. Ticket sales end at 3:30pm. The event is held along Norfolk, St. Elmo, Cordell, Del Ray and Auburn Avenues in Bethesda’s Woodmont Triangle. Taste of Bethesda is located just three blocks from the Bethesda Metro. Participating restaurants and entertainment schedule can be seen below:


Beyond MoCo

The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA), in cooperation with the Prince George’s County and Anne Arundel county Health Department, will expand mosquito control services in areas due to a public health concern over the potential for mosquito-borne diseases after additional mosquito pools tested positive for the West Nile Virus.

So far, no human cases have been reported. “For most people that get West Nile, they have zero symptoms. No symptoms at all,” said Johns Hopkins University senior scholar and physician Dr. Amesh Adalja (per FOX 5). Per the CDC, about 1 in 5 people who are infected develop a fever with other symptoms such as headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea, or rash. About 1 in 150 people who are infected develop a severe illness affecting the central nervous system such as encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) or meningitis (inflammation of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord).


Bethesda

Montgomery Parks has closed Sligo Creek Parkway, between University Boulevard and New Hampshire Avenue, and Beach Drive, from Connecticut Avenue to Knowles Avenue due to the anticipated flooding, high winds, and downed trees.

Additionally, Montgomery Parks is urging the public to stay out of parks and off trails and parkways today, August 7, 2023, due to the severe weather forecast for this afternoon through the evening. An announcement will be sent out when the parkways are reopened, and it is safe to use parks and trails.


MCPS

MCPS Athletics has announced that it is excited to launch an enhanced sports medicine program for the 2023-24 school year. Included in the program are full-time, 12-month certified athletic trainers in each high school and a partnership with MedStar Health.

Athletic trainers have been hired and have started working in all 25 MCPS high schools. A coordinator of health and safety, Mr. Shawn Hendi, has also been hired. Athletic trainers, now MCPS employees, will provide streamlined and enhanced care for student-athletes and across the program.


DMV

A Tornado Watch has been issued for Montgomery County for Monday, August 7th, from 1:20 pm until 9:00 pm. Be alert for rapidly changing weather conditions and be prepared to take shelter if a warning is issued.

Earlier today, the Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security stated, “The @NWSSPC has just upgraded our area to a level 4 out of 5 for severe weather threat. This is very rare. Please pay attention to weather watching & warnings today. Have a plan ready to quickly seek shelter in a sturdy building away from windows, if warnings are issued today.  To prepare for today’s weather: Charge battery-powered devices; fuel your vehicle; secure any loose outdoor furniture; locate your flashlight; and make sure you have some basic supplies available in case you lose power for a day or two.”


Maryland

With the average conventional birth costing over $2,600 for mothers with insurance and nearly $15,000 for mothers without insurance, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2023’s Best & Worst States to Have a Baby, with Maryland coming in 18th and a #4 ranking in the “Cost” category.

To determine the most ideal places in the U.S. for parents and their newborns, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 31 key measures of cost, health care accessibility and baby-friendliness. The data set ranges from hospital conventional-delivery charges to annual average infant-care costs to pediatricians per capita.


Brookeville

The Washington Post recently released its “10 Best Burgers in the D.C. Area” list and Montgomery County’s very own Steeze Burger was ranked the #1 burger in the area. It was the only MoCo burger to make the actual list, with burgers from Soko Butcher (Takoma Park) and Quarry House Tavern (Silver Spring) named as honorable mentions. After going back and trying some reader’s picks, write Tim Carman believes MoCo’s Sunshine Burger deserves a spot on the original list.

The Sunshine burger deserves a spot on the original list. It checks all the boxes: an unassuming preparation that trusts the basic building blocks of a good burger, even if they’re not necessarily the kind of ingredients sought out by chefs in white-tablecloth restaurants.” Carman wrote. The burger itself is generally loved by many, but there are also plenty (based on various comments through the years on our various social media posts) who can’t get past the look of the Sunshine General Store, where the burger is made.


Crime

At approximately 11:22 p.m., Montgomery Counry Police responded to the 12700 block of Sesame Seed Court for the report of a shooting.

According to police, the preliminary investigation has revealed that shots were fired near the location and one of the rounds struck the foot of a 12 year old female who was inside her residence. The victim was transported to an area hospital with non life threatening injuries. No suspects in custody. The scene is secured.


Maryland

WSSC Water has filed a lawsuit against nearly 20 companies that knowingly polluted the environment with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals.” The lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland (Southern Division), was brought against 3M, Dupont, Chemours and others for manufacturing fire-suppression foams, which contain PFAS, and concealing the toxic nature of the materials from the public.

Per WSSC: PFAS are compounds that do not easily break down and end up in drinking water supplies and wastewater. The lawsuit seeks to hold these companies financially responsible for any past, present and future water and wastewater treatment changes as they profited from selling products they knew contained these dangerous substances.


Montgomery Planning

Little Steps LLC has submitted a plan for Primrose daycare to be built at 16650 Georgia Avenue in Olney. According to a report by Maryland Newsletters, the existing Olney Antiques would remain at the space, but three other buildings would be demolished for the daycare center to be built. 16650 Georgia Avenue is located near Emory Ln., the ICC, and Roots Market

Featured photo courtesy of Google Maps.


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