“Citizen science, freedom celebration, outdoor happy hour, and more! It’s another jam-packed weekend of activities in the parks!” Check our activities in and around Montgomery Parks this weekend:
Nature- Meadowside Nature Center features its Women’s Fire Making Class(opens in a new tab) on Friday, November 4, at 9 am. Learn to identify fire materials, collect them, then practice with a bow drill and flint and knap to create sparks so you have a roaring fire. Please register.
Magruder High School’s “major capital project” renovation has been delayed two years, but is expected to be completed by August 2029, according to the latest MCPS Capital Improvement Program (CIP)/Master Plan. Relocatable classrooms will also be utilized at Mill Creek Towne Elementary school in the Magruder High School.
Per the CIP, to address various building systems and programmatic needs for Magruder High School (5939 Muncaster Mill Rd), a major capital project is planned. Expenditures for this project are included in the Major Capital Projects—Secondary and an appropriation will be requested for planning funds in a future CIP. Due to fiscal constraints, the County Council, in the adopted FY2023- 2028 CIP, delayed this project two years. This project is now scheduled for completion in August 2029.
Fox 5 has released its 2022-2023 Winter Weather Outlook forecast and they’re expecting “similar levels of snowfall to last winter, perhaps a little more in the immediate DC area with 9-18” of snow” without any blizzards anticipated and increased snow risks in the second half of the winter, according to meteorologist Mike Thomas.
The outlook discusses a La Niña weather pattern that we are currently in the midst of, as we have been for the last two winters (13.2” last year and 5.4” the year before). La Niñas usually lead to warmer weather for our area with just one La Niña winter producing with none bringing more than average snowfall since the year 2000.
The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) presented a 2022 Climate and Energy Leadership Award to the Rise N Shine Foundation Inc., founded by Richard Montgomery High School junior Shrusti Amula, for its “Can We Do Something About Food Waste?” project (video below).
Amula embarked on a research project with friends for a STEM competition on food waste and its effects on climate. The team of students volunteered to adopt an elementary school in the county as a pilot and committed time and effort to implement a composting program. The “Can We Do Something About Food Waste?” project aims to divert food waste from incinerators or landfills to compost facilities and save food from restaurants and grocery stores from becoming food waste and provide it to vulnerable members of the community with food insecurity.
Teams from 25 MCPS high schools tumbled, jumped and performed stunts during the 2022 cheerleading competition on Oct. 29, held at Montgomery Blair High School. Squads were judged on level of difficulty, technique and execution. The competition showcased the talent of the squads and gave fans an opportunity to support the teams. Check out a photo gallery. Winners were:
Division I
Sharon Faber, theater and ESOL teacher at Watkins Mill High School, has won a $4,900 grant from the Wolf Trap Foundation. Faber’s project, called Theater to Heal, is focused on Emergent Multilingual Learner (EML) students. Theater to Heal will nurture a sense of community and connectedness, make students feel more anchored in the present, and let their stories and voices be heard in a culminating presentation or reflection piece.
Students will take part in a drama residency or master classes that speak to their cultural perspectives and personal beliefs, such as Signature Theater’s program in Contemporary Immigration Issues. They will also attend a live professional show at a local theater, where they will see the many aspects that go into a full-fledged production and explore how to incorporate their own voices and aesthetic sense into a performance.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) were called to the scene of a crash on Olney-Laytonsville Road and Dorsey Road at approximately 7:25pm on Wednesday night, according to MCFRS Public Information Officer Pete Piringer.
Crews arrived to find a vehicle on its side with one person stuck inside after after the driver crashed into utility pole for reasons unknown at this time. The patient was extricated from the vehicle and transported to a local hospital with priority 2 trauma (non-life threatening injuries).
Planet Fitness at 13031 Wisteria Dr in the Germantown Plaza shopping center has temporarily closed as renovations are currently being made to the location. Signage on the door reads: “We are working on an upgraded and expanded club! We temporarily close on 10/30 at 9pm and plan to re-open the gym floor tentatively on 11/12. Further communication will be sent out! -Planet Fitness Management”
Part of the renovations include expanding next door into the former site of Eye to Eye, which relocated to 19520 Waters Rd in Germantown over a year ago. The nearby Gaithersburg Planet Fitness, which is also currently undergoing renovations, is open for business. The company will also be opening a new location at 5520 Randolph Rd in Rockville (Montrose Shopping Center) in the space that was formerly occupied by Gold’s Gym.
Per the National Park Service: After careful consideration, the National Park Service (NPS) has decided to keep the upper portion of Beach Drive closed to motorized vehicles year-round. This decision will allow visitors to enjoy the park’s recreation and nature opportunities 365 days a year.
In July 2022, the NPS published the Environmental Assessment (EA) for public comment and shared three alternatives for consideration: Alternative 1: No-Action Alternative Pre-Covid-19 Pandemic Management; Alternative 2: Full-Time Closure for Recreation; and Alternative 3: Seasonal Closure for Recreation, the preferred alternative at the time of the EA publication. Based on the analysis presented in the EA, extensive public input and NPS internal deliberation and analysis, the NPS has selected Alternative 2 for implementation.
Early voting in Montgomery County for the 2022 General Election will be available at 14 early voting centers from 7am until 8pm through Thursday, November 3. Election Day is Tuesday, November 8. Any person registered to vote can vote during early voting. Any person eligible to register to vote can vote can also vote during early voting. Registered voters have always been able to vote during early voting, but now individuals who are eligible—but not yet registered—can register and vote.
To register and vote during early voting, go to an early voting center in the county where you live and bring a document that proves where you live. This document can be your MVA-issued license, ID card, a change of address card, a paycheck, a bank statement, a utility bill or other government document with your name and new address. You will be able to register to vote and vote. Voting during early voting is the same as voting on election day. When you get to the early voting center, check in to vote and then vote.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) were called to the scene of a fire at the Twin Towers apartment complex on Fidler Lane and Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring a little after 2pm last Friday afternoon, according to MCFRS Public Information Officers Pete Piringer and James Carpenter. The cause of the scooter fire is believed to be a malfunction/failure of the scooter battery.
Per last week’s report, crews arrived at the 17-story residential building to find a fire on the 14th floor. According to Piringer, one adult patient is being evaluated as a priority 1 trauma patient with serious injuries/burns. The person was injured when they attempted to move an electric scooter that caught on fire while it was charging in the living room of the home. After sustaining burns, the person exited the apartment and closed the door behind them. A total of three patients were evaluated, and occupants from two units have been displaced. Approximately $50K in damages incurred.