Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) recently shared the Montgomery County Department of Permitting Service’s “Guidance for Use of Fire Pits, Fire Bowls and Chimineas in One- and Two-Family Homes Including Townhomes”. Per MCDPS, “The Use of Fire Pits, Fire Bowls, Chimineas and other similar appliances has become popular in our community. The Department of Permitting Services would like to share with you the criteria for their use”:
In 2020, Kelvin Quacoe-Dameshie, a former Watkins Mill HS and Montgomery College alumni, began his UMD journey becoming one of the university’s first-ever CPSE graduates. Upon graduation in 2022, Kelvin remarked how “the program enabled me to gain knowledge in multiple different aspects of technology, and after graduating with my degree, I believed it made me more marketable to employers”.
One of the newest and most exciting undergraduate engineering programs today is Cyber-Physical Systems Engineering (CPSE). This cutting-edge program is offered by the University of Maryland, College Park, A. James Clark School of Engineering, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, at the Universities at Shady Grove (USG) Rockville campus. Its focus on the intersection of computing/communications with the physical world and its specializations in programming, networks, cybersecurity, and machine learning, make it an excellent choice for students interested in pursuing a career in a rapidly growing engineering field.
Kentlands Baby Bar is planning a Spring opening, according to its website. It Will open at 375 Main St. in Gaithersburg’s Kentlands neighborhood. The space will offer “food, fun, and socializing” where “you enjoy a coffee and a bite, while your little ones get yummy food and a baby-friendly place to play!” Baby Bar Kentlands will offer fresh fruits and veggies and will have options for babies (puréed or chopped), food for kids like grilled cheese, egg bites, croissants, and more, and food for adults like bagels, muffins, fruit bowls, and more.
More about Kentlands Baby Bar: “Anyone who knows me can tell you that I am the queen of forgetfulness. I say I have something, only to find out that it slipped my mind. This led to the Baby Bar concept. I was running around and forgot my daughter’s food. I went to the nearest cafe and grabbed a banana before running to my next business appointment (I take my little ones everywhere for work – I am an event planner by trade!).
The Germantown WIC Office has closed permanently, according to an email sent to families last week. Families are being directed to the Gaithersburg office a few miles away. WIC is a Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. It is an American federal assistance program of the Food and Nutrition Service of the United States Department of Agriculture for healthcare and nutrition of low-income pregnant women, breastfeeding women, and children under the age of five. The full letter can be seen below.
“Hello WIC Families,
The Olney Chamber of Commerce is hosting its 41st annual Community Night on Monday, April 10 at Good Counsel High School from 4:30pm-8pm. This free admission event will host over 100 exhibitors and will include food, giveaways, raffles, performances, and family fun (Biz & Family Expo, Taste & Toast of Olney).
Included in the event will be a moon bounce, games, & crafts, a fire safety house, “Vicky” the link fire engine, a DJ Dance Party and photo booth, Cropduster player autographs, local restaurants and food trucks, beer, wine, & spirits, hero dogs, Olney HELP food drive, Olney Lion eyeglass collection, and a lot more.
25 student-athletes from five different Montgomery County high schools are currently going through leadership training with Adam Bradley’s Lead ‘Em Up to prepare for the Student-Athlete Mentor Program (SAMP), created by Joseph Hooks and the 480 Club.
The participating student-athletes had to interview in order to be hired for the stipend, which is fully funded by the Montgomery County Department of Health & Humans Services (DHHS). After the student-athletes go through an 8-part Lead ‘Em Up training, they will begin to serve as mentors for the program.
Per the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Maryland – U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang has sentenced Israel Ramirez, age 29, of Burtonsville, Maryland, to 17 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for an armed robbery of an armored truck, two armed bank robberies and the armed robbery of a convenience store. In each of the armed robberies, Ramirez discharged his weapon. Ramirez discharged his handgun multiple times in the bank robberies.
According to his guilty plea, on July 4, 2021 Ramirez committed the armed robbery of convenience store in Laurel, Maryland. During the robbery, Ramirez brandished a firearm, which he fired into a cigarette display behind the register when the employees had trouble opening the register. Ultimately, the employees were able to open the register and provided Ramirez with cash. On July 12th, Ramirez robbed the same store. An employee recognized Ramirez as the person that had robbed the store and discharged his weapon the week before. Ramirez kept his hand in his pocket and demanded that the employee open the register. The employee provided Ramirez with cash from the register and Ramirez left the store.
Per the National Weather Service: “The strong system moving in from the Midwest will bring strong to locally damaging winds to the region. Additionally, a threat for severe weather exists across far northeastern MD today. While temps warm back up next week, more active weather looms. Damaging winds are expected on Saturday. High Wind Warnings are in effect for most of the region for gusts up to 65 mph. Wind Advisories remain for areas generally south of I-66 for gusts up 55 mph. Secure loose objects and prepare for power outages.”
Temperatures will reach the mid 70s today, and the rain may clear out for a bit midday, but the winds will remain and so will the chance of rain throughout the day. Sunday will be breezy to start with temperatures reaching the mid 50s and plenty of sunshine as the breeze slows down as the day continues. The upcoming week will bring temperatures in the 70s, and possibly 80s on Tuesday and Wednesday, before a cool-down on Friday and into the weekend. Photos courtesy of the National Weather Service.
Melashops, a south Asian fashion market, is opening today (Saturday, April 1) at Montgomery Mall. Melashops, which originally opened in Lakeforest Mall in 2019, offers Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi apparel, jewelry, and accessories. “We have managed to grow our business over the years, even as the rest of Lakeforest was shutting down. Our new Montgomery Mall store, located on the first floor of the Nordstroms wing and across Urban Outfitters, represents the culmination of years of market feedback and optimization.” owner Bobby Mozunder tells us.
“We are in effect, a mall-within-a-mall and the only multi-vendor shopping destination for South Asian apparel in the DMV area.” Their vendors provide the full spectrum of South Asian clothing, including sarees, dresses, menswear, kids wears, high-end bridal wear, fancy Bollywood party dresses, casual wear, as well as lots of detailed jewelry. Some vendors are permanently located at the store and other vendors attend as their schedule permits. Holidays such as Eid and Diwali can be especially packed and busy. The shop also has an experienced tailor on-site available for alterations and to make custom matching blouses and dresses as needed. The stores hours of operation will be:
Montgomery Parks, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, has canceled its Petals and Paws event that was scheduled for Saturday, April 1, 2023, due to the inclement weather forecast. The event will not be rescheduled. Montgomery Parks is hosting a variety of events this spring. Visit the special events section of the Montgomery Parks website for a complete list of upcoming events.
Back in July we let you know that Dollar Tree is coming to 2321 University Blvd W in Wheaton, the former site of CVS (next to Max’s, which closed in July). CVS closed this location back in December 2019. The store is now open (photos sent in by @dalilaaaa._).
Dollar Tree has undergone several big changes over the past year. In January 2021, the company raised the price of all items in its stores from $1 to $1.25. At the time, Dollar Tree said the higher prices were not a result of inflation, but rather to allow the company to offer a wider range of merchandise. In April the chain added “Dollar Tree Plus” sections to area stores, with items priced $3 and $5. The higher priced items include cookware, headphones, chargers, and t-shirts (Baby Yoda, Lilo & Stich, etc.) similar to those found at FiveBelow.