MCS Staff, Author at The MoCo Show

MCPS Superintendent Dr. Monifa McKnight Will Address the Rise of Racism and Hate Incidents in MCPS

Published April 24, 2023 at 3:06PM

MCPS has sent out a letter informing the community of an event that will take place this week that will see superintendent Dr. Monifa McKnight address the rise of racism and hate incidents in MCPS:

“Dear MCPS Community, The rise of incidents of hate, bias, racism, antisemitism, and LGBTQ+ prejudice has grown significantly over recent months. In an address on Thursday, April 27, Superintendent Dr. McKnight will speak to this issue and its impact on the county’s children and school system. The superintendent will characterize the problem, issue a collective call to action and announce actions the school district will take moving forward.”

Crime

Shoplifting Arrest Leads to Discovery of Fentanyl-Laced OxyContin Pills

By MCS Staff

Published April 24, 2023 at 6:00AM | Updated April 24, 2023 at 8:24AM

Chief Antonio DeVaul from the Takoma Park Police Department announced the arrest of Ever Umanzor-Martinez, 22, of Hyattsville, Maryland, for Possession of Controlled Dangerous Substance (CDS) Oxycontin pills laced with suspected Fentanyl, as well as shoplifting.

On April 22, at approximately 3:50 pm, Takoma Park Police responded to the 1300 block of University Blvd., Takoma Park, Maryland (Walgreens), for the report of a shoplifting in progress. Officers arrived and made contact with Umanzor-Martinez. After a search incident to arrest, Umanzor-Martinez was found to be in possession of CDS Oxycontin pills laced with suspected Fentanyl. Umanzor-Martinez was transported to the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit and charged accordingly. Featured photo courtesy of Google Maps.

Bethesda

HalfSmoke Closes Baltimore Location; Update on Rockville Town Square Restaurant

By MCS Staff

Published April 24, 2023 at 5:36AM

In addition to HalfSmoke closing its Westfield Montgomery Mall location, the restaurant also closed its Baltimore location earlier this month. According to a report from BizJournals, the Baltimore restaurant closed at 2400 Boston St. in Canton’s Can Company on April 4.

At the mall, HalfSmoke was located in a kiosk in the mall’s food court/terrace (previously occupied by Coldstone Creamery and Gelato Galaxy) and was the first restaurant/bar to serve alcohol in the food court (nearby restaurants off of the food court served alcohol, ex: Slade’s). The menu consisted of the best-selling sausages and sides from its DC location (651 Florida Ave, NW), as well as boozy milkshakes and a funnel cake bar. HalfSmoke’s sister restaurant Butter Me Up also closed its Montgomery Mall location earlier this month.

Takoma Park

Takoma Park Library and Community Center Construction Update

By MCS Staff

Published April 24, 2023 at 5:15AM

Work accomplished to date: The Library and Computer Center Redevelopment Project is underway, with most of the work to date occurring inside and on the existing facilities. The work completed includes:

Additionally, the Library and Computer Center have been relocated off-site to provide continuity of services throughout the construction process. Please visit us at 7505 New Hampshire Avenue, Suites 201-208, for Library books, programs, computers, and more.

Retail

All Bed Bath & Beyond and Buy Buy Baby Stores to Close by June 30th

By MCS Staff

Published April 23, 2023 at 3:42PM

At its peak, Bed Bath & Beyond operated the largest home furnishing retailer in the United States with over 970 stores across all 50 states, consistently at the forefront of major home and bath trends. Operating stores spanning the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, Bed Bath & Beyond offers everything from bed linens to cookware to electric appliances, home organization, baby care, and more. Now, Bed Bath & Beyond has announced that it will close all 360 stores and 120 Buy Buy Baby locations on Wednesday and seek to sell parts of its business. In its filing with the bankruptcy court, the company said that it expected all stores to close by June 30, according to the New York Times.

According to the New York Times report, customers may use Bed Bath & Beyond coupons until Wednesday, when store closing sales begin. Customers will have until May 8 to use Bed Bath & Beyond gift cards. The company did not specify when its Bed Bath & Beyond and Buy Buy Baby apps would shut down, saying only that customers can continue using the apps “at this time.” The Gaithersburg location closed a couple years back and the Germantown location closed permanently on Sunday. The Rockville location is the only Bed Beth & Beyond store left in MoCo with Buy Buy Baby also having a location in Rockville.

Events

The Montgomery County Fair Has Announced its 2023 Dates

By MCS Staff

Published April 23, 2023 at 8:28AM

The Montgomery County Agricultural Fair has announced its 2023 dates for this upcoming summer. This will be the 74th annual fair and it’s third year back after having to cancel for the first time in its 70+ year history in 2020 due to Covid restrictions. This year opening day for the MoCo Fair will be on Friday, August 11th and it will go until Saturday, August 19th.

Founded in 1949, the Montgomery County Agricultural Center has been home to the Montgomery County Fair since its creation. Sitting on 62 acres, the Fair has more than 50 buildings that are filled with more than 5,000 animals every year. The Fair has animals, entertainment, food, commercial, home arts, arts and crafts exhibits, and many others for the whole family to enjoy.

Brookeville

~55 Firefighters Respond to Fire Saturday Afternoon

By MCS Staff

Published April 22, 2023 at 2:56PM

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Serviced (MCFRS) responded to a fire at a two-story farmhouse on the 4200 block of Sundown Road between Sunshine and Laytonsville on Saturday afternoon.

According to MCFRS Chief Spokesperson Pete Piringer, approximately 55 firefighters responded to the call. Upon arrival, fire and smoke was coming from the house, which is located in a non-hydrant area with a limited access driveway. Live wires were reported down in the area and all occupants and pets were reported out of the house.

Maryland

MD Attorney General: “Theft-Prone Hyundai and Kia Vehicles Should Be Recalled“

By MCS Staff

Published April 22, 2023 at 2:27PM

“Even if the vehicle is stolen while the owner is safely away from their car, the disruption to their quality of life is real,” said Attorney General Brown. “The time lost from work, the money spent to replace their vehicle or fix damages, even the stress of trying to find alternate transportation to get to work, school, appointments, it is all a load these owners should not have to bear, nor endure.”

Education

Local Foundation, TowerCares, is Offering $5,000 Scholarships

By MCS Staff

Published April 22, 2023 at 2:23PM

The TowerCares Foundation offers an annual college scholarship program for STEM and foreign language linguistics majors. The scholarship is open to high school seniors and college freshmen, sophomores and juniors who attend an accredited two- or four-year college/university full-time.

This year, the foundation will award up to 30 $5,000 scholarships. Additional consideration will be given to children/dependents of active duty military and veterans from all branches of the armed forces, including reserve and guard units. Learn more. The deadline to apply is Monday, May 15.

USG Open House, May 6: Learn About Degree Programs and the Campus (sponsored)

By MCS Staff

Published April 22, 2023 at 8:31AM

On behalf of USG and my fellow Student Ambassadors, we are thrilled to invite you to join us for our Undergraduate & Graduate Open House on Saturday, May 6, 2023 from 10am-1pm. Whether you are a high school student interested in a program from one of the nine Maryland universities at USG, a parent looking to support your child’s education, someone interested in completing a bachelor’s degree after two years of community college (or at another institution), or maybe you are seeking a graduate-level education — our open house is the perfect opportunity to see all that USG has to offer.

Before diving into the nitty gritty of the event, let’s learn some more about our campus. USG is a full-service campus located in Rockville, Maryland that offers select degree programs from nine Maryland universities. Students apply directly to the university offering their major, but on their application, they choose USG as their preferred campus location. Students still get the same professors, curriculum, and degree as if they went to the institution’s main campus, and a very important point: it won’t say USG on your diploma at all — this is a very common question we get!

MoCoSnow

Wildfire Smoke From Coastal North Carolina Could Affect Area This Morning

By MCS Staff

Published April 22, 2023 at 8:06AM

Per the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE): “A narrow ribbon of wildfire smoke from coastal North Carolina will push its way northward into the state overnight Saturday. At this point in time, the plume looks to focus along and east of the I-95 corridor extending across the Bay to the Eastern Shore coast. Areas impacted by this smoke plume will see fairly high fine particulate levels over a several hour period between roughly midnight and noon.

Meanwhile a cold front will begin to track eastward through the state during the afternoon hours. As the front pushes through, any lingering smoke will wash out as conditions turn cleaner. Expect Moderate to potentially high Moderate fine particulate levels along and east of the I-95 corridor for a 24-hour average. The situation will be monitored closely. Winds shift westerly Sunday into early next week behind the front as Canadian high pressure slowly moves overhead. Despite a fair amount of sunshine, ozone and fine particulate levels will remain in check given a clean residual air mass and unseasonably cool temperatures.”