Author: MCS Staff

Montgomery Planning

Update to the Rustic Roads Functional Master Plan Approved

By MCS Staff

The update to the Rustic Roads Functional Master Plan was approved by the Montgomery County Council on July 25, 2023, marking the first comprehensive update to the plan since 1996.

Rustic roads are historic and scenic roadways that reflect the agricultural character and rural origins of the County. Preservation of rustic roads must be achieved by retaining certain physical features of rustic roads and by certain right-of-way maintenance procedures. Rustic and Exceptional Rustic roads are preserved under the Rustic Roads Program, which provides a system for evaluating, protecting, and enhancing these scenic roadways.

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Damascus

Collision Leads to Downed Utility Pole That Closes Road in Damascus Thursday Morning

By MCS Staff

Traffic advisory, per Montgomery County Police: Johnson Drive at Bethesda Church and Johnson Drive at Mountain View are closed following a collision (Damascus). A utility pole is down, and Pepco is en route. Drivers should seek an alternate route and expect significant delays. Featured photo courtesy of Google Maps.

 

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Crime

Man Indicted, Arraigned in Federal Court in Multi-State Scheme to Defraud Home Depot Out of Almost $300K

By MCS Staff

A Connecticut resident, Alexandre Henrique Costa-Mota, has been arraigned in U.S. District Court in Providence, RI, on charges of conspiracy and wire fraud, as reflected in an indictment that alleges that he participated in a scheme to defraud Home Depot stores in eight states, including Maryland, of approximately $297,332, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.

According to the United States Attorney’s Office, District of Rhode Island, it is alleged in charging documents that, from at least June 2021 to February 2022, Alexandre Henrique Costa-Mota, 26, executed non-receipted return fraud schemes at more than two dozen Home Depot stores located primarily in Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, but also in Maine, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey.

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Beyond MoCo

Patrick Wojahn, Former Mayor of College Park, Convicted on Child Pornography Charges

By MCS Staff

Per the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney: The former mayor of College Park pled guilty to 60 counts of distribution of child pornography, 40 counts of possession of child pornography, and 40 counts of possession of child pornography with the intent to distribute. Patrick Wojahn pled guilty in court today to 150 years suspend all but 30 years.

In February 2023, the Prince George’s County Police Department received notification from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that suspected child pornography had been distributed by someone in the county. Subsequently, the Department opened an investigation which led to Wojahn who now stands convicted on a host of child pornography charges.

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MCPS

MCPS: Important Information for the Fall Sports Season

By MCS Staff

As MCPS prepares for the first day of tryouts and practices on August 9, 2023, here is is some important information for the fall sports season. High School Fall Sports Registration:

Registration for high school fall sports is available through ParentVUE. Tryouts and practices for high schools start on August 9, 2023; details regarding tryout/practice logistics are available through the local school and team(s). Systemwide resources are available on the MCPS Athletics webpage.

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Education

Eight Additional MCPS Students From Various Schools Earn College-Sponsored National Merit Scholarships

By MCS Staff

Earlier this year, 20 MCPS students earned National Merit Scholarships from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). Today, an additional eight Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) students have earned college- and university-sponsored National Merit Scholarships, bringing the MCPS total for college- and university-sponsored scholarships to 28.

Each sponsoring college or university selected scholarship winners from among the finalists in the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program. These awards provide between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at the institution financing the scholarship. The additional winners, their sponsoring university or college, and their intended career fields are:

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Entertainment

Gold’s Gym Germantown to Hold Grand Opening Celebration With Over $10K in Giveaways on August 15

By MCS Staff

Gold’s Gym will be holding a Grand Opening celebration for its new Germantown location at 12922 Middlebrook Rd. The gym opened earlier this month in the former location of DSW in the Germantown Commons shopping center, next to the recently closed Bed Bath & Beyond. The celebration will feature over $10K in giveaways and will take place on Tuesday, August 15th from 10am until 7pm.

Per Gold’s Gym: “Join us from 10AM-7PM to celebrate our brand new gym location by experiencing group exercise classes, free giveaways, special membership offers, fitness competitions, Therabody recovery clinic, free food, live dj and more — Presented by Celsius! Attend to enter for a chance to win a 1 year FREE membership!

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Maryland

Deceased Victim Identified In Fatal Multi-Vehicle Crash Involving Man Driving in the Wrong Direction on I-270 That Killed 1 and Hospitalized 9 People

By MCS Staff

The Maryland State Police Crash team continues the investigation into a multi-vehicle crash which claimed the life of a Pennsylvania woman and injured nine others last night in Montgomery County. Full press release per Maryland State Police below:

The deceased is identified as Elizabeth Velez, 36, of Easton, Pennsylvania.  She was the driver of a Nissan Pathfinder involved in the crash. Velez is the mother of three children, ages 2, 5, and 15, all of whom were passengers in the vehicle.

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Rockville

Rockville Police Phone Service Restored After Temporary Issue

By MCS Staff

Update – Phone service has been restored.

Per Rockville Police: The Rockville City Police Department is currently experiencing an issue with incoming calls to our non-emergency Communications Center as well as the Administrative Offices. At this time, if you are in need of police assistance, please contact the Montgomery County Police non-emergency number at 301-279-8000 or 911 if you are experiencing an emergency. We apologize for the inconvenience, and are working to fix the issue as soon as possible.

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Germantown

Gold’s Gym Replacement Set to Begin Construction in Germantown

By MCS Staff

In February, we let you know that Hope Grows Child Development Center selected the Fox Chapel Shopping Center as the children’s daycare and educational facility’s third location in Montgomery County– taking over part of the space that was home to Gold’s Gym, prior to its move a couple miles away. Now we know that they’ve pulled a permit valued at $1.4 million and are ready to begin construction at the space, courtesy of Maryland Newsletters.

Founded and owned by Salema Horn, the group signed a lease with Fox Chapel, LLC for 10,803 square feet of space within the 115,000 square foot neighborhood shopping center positioned at 19721 North Frederick Road in Germantown. Hope Grows Child Development Center offers a range of programming for children ranging from infant to school age including before and after school daycare. The center focuses on providing a nurturing and educational environment with an emphasis on intellect and social development and maintaining an atmosphere that promotes respect for diversity, mutual trust and personal and social responsibility. The educational philosophy is guided by the standards set by the National Association for the Education of Young Children and parents are recognized as an integral component of their child’s ongoing education.

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Crime

Police Offering Reward Up To $10,000 For Information Leading to Indictment of Suspect Who Shot and Killed Mechanic Last Year

By MCS Staff

The Takoma Park Police Criminal Investigations Division is actively investigating a fatal shooting that occurred on Saturday, July 16, 2022, at about 11:05 am. The victim Nurhusen Hamid (pictured below) was working as a mobile mechanic on the Advanced Auto Parts parking lot in the 6300 block of New Hampshire Ave, Takoma Park, Montgomery County, Maryland. An unknown suspect approached the victim and shot him. The victim was transported to an area hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. The suspect fled the parking lot on foot onto Eastern Ave and entered a waiting white in colored SUV then fleeing the area into the District of Columbia on New Hampshire Ave. Suspect is described as a black, male, wearing a white tee shirt, dark baseball cap and jeans.

Anyone with information regarding this crime is asked to call Detective Earle at 301-891-7127. Case #220030554 / CID #22-092 ([email protected]). Individuals with information may also contact Montgomery County Crime Solvers either by going to their website WWW.P3TIPS.COM, or by text message using the P3 mobile app. The app is available at the Android Playstore or Apple App Store – search for “P3 TIPS. Tipsters will remain anonymous and could be entitled to a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and/or indictment of the person or persons responsible for this crime. Those without access to either may call 866-411-TIPS (8477).

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