Damascus

At approximately 3pm on Tuesday afternoon, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to a call for a vehicle fire on the 5000 block of Damascus Road, near Griffith Road, in Damascus.

According to MCFRS Public Information Officer Pete Piringer,  crews arrived on the scene to a fire coming from two vehicles and were able to extinguish the fire. There were no injuries reported and no word on what caused the fire at the moment.


Bethesda

Jordan Brand has signed its first NIL in MoCo’s Kiki Rice, one of the most decorated players from the class of 2022. NIL allows college athletes to earn money off of their name, image, and likeness. The Bethesda resident stands at 5’11” and is an incoming freshman at UCLA. She joins a decorated roster of women athletes on Jordan Brand. “Being Jordan Brand’s first NIL athlete is an incredible milestone, and I think it’s a testament to the hard work I’ve put in and all the people around me who have helped me get to this point,” says Rice. “Signing with the Jordan Brand is another motivating factor for me to continue to work hard and achieve my goals.”

Kiki Rice, the No. 2 women’s basketball recruit in the Class of 2022, was named the 2022 Naismith Girls’ High School Player of the Year. Rice helped lead Sidwell Friends to an undefeated record and #1 ranking in the nation. Named for the inventor of the game, the Naismith award is considered among the highest—if not the highest—award in high school and college basketball. “My teammates and my coaches played a huge role in me getting this award,” Rice said in an article on the Sidwell Friends website. “It’s an individual award, but someone who isn’t on a great team and who isn’t being pushed every day is not going to win this award.”


Events

 Montgomery Parks invites the public to the November 2022 session of its Parks Speaker Series on the topic of The Underline. The free session will take place online on November 9, 2022, from 3 – 4 p.m.

The Underline will be a ten-mile, 120-acre linear park, urban trail and public art destination in Miami-Dade County, Florida, that runs underneath the county’s elevated Metrorail system. This public-private partnership is being built in three phases and the first phase opened in 2021. The project is expected to be completed by 2025. In this session, Friends of the Underline’s founder and president, Meg Daly, will discuss the journey of creating a linear park, from idea to completion.


Beyond MoCo

Michelin-starred Chef Elias Taddesse, executive chef and owner of DC’s acclaimed Mélange restaurant, will open his Ethiopian-style fried chicken restaurant on November 17th at 11 a.m. The first 50 in-person guests will get a free 2-piece Fried Doro Chicken Plate with Black Cumin Qibe Cornbread and Spiced Mac & Cheese.

Doro Soul Food infuses traditional American soul food with Ethiopian flavors. The restaurant is located in a virtual food hall at 1819 7th Street, NW, blocks from Howard University. Chef Taddesse says he plans to offer a catering menu in the near future. Doro Soul Food will be open for pickup and delivery during the following hours:


Crime

On October 31, Takoma Park Police responded for the report of a theft from auto in the 700 block of Chaney Drive.  Sometime between October 26 at 4:00 pm and October 28 at 10:00 am, unknown suspect(s) stole the victim’s catalytic converter from a Toyota Prius.

Per Takoma Park Police: In an effort to deter would-be thieves and to track stolen catalytic converters, the Takoma Park Police Department has teamed up with RS Automotive on Carroll Avenue and Lowe’s. People who want their catalytic converters etched and painted can visit RS Automotive, 7224 Carroll Avenue, Takoma Park, Maryland, to have their license plate number etched onto their catalytic converter, free of charge.  An appointment is needed – 301-270-4418.


Events

Don’t miss Whalen Commons being transformed into a winter wonderland!  Many of our traditional activities will return, including the lighting of our holiday tree, visits with Santa, musical performances, the Holiday Express Train, ice skating rink, Frozen moon bounce, artisan vendors, food trucks, the WUMCO Basket Auction, Gingerbread Cookie decorating (sponsored by PACC) and Polar Express wagon rides through town (sponsored by Calleva). Additional information below:

Whalen Commons:


WMATA

Service to Washington Dulles International Airport and Loudoun County

Per WMATA: Opening day is set for the Silver Line Extension – Tuesday, November 15 – connecting Metrorail customers to Washington Dulles International Airport and Loudoun County for the first time. The announcement came from Metro Board Members and employees in a video touting “We’re Ready,” marking the opening for customers and culmination of the largest expansion of Metrorail since the system’s inception.


WMATA

Per WMATA: Metro Transit Police officers will begin issuing fare evasion citations on Tuesday, November 1, following a monthlong awareness and warning campaign. Citations with associated fines may be issued to anyone jumping fare gates, improperly using emergency gates, or not tapping fare boxes on Metrobuses.

Fare recovery is a major issue and has been mentioned as one of the top concerns of customers when talking with Metro staff and Metro Board Members. Revenue from fares allows Metro to keep buses, trains, and MetroAccess serving our community.


Downtown Silver Spring

Back in June we let you know that a Nike Unite store is coming to Downtown Silver Spring, taking over the location that was formerly home to DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse location at 910 Ellsworth Drive. The store has now pushed back its opening to “2023” after previously setting an opening date of November 3rd on its Google listing, which has since been scrubbed, according to a report by Source of the Spring.

An employee at the Nike Unite store told us that the pricing and products offered at a Unite store are similar to that of a Nike Factory store (often found at outlets), with a slightly different layout and a specific return section for items purchased on Nike.com. Nike describes the Nike Unite concept as:


MCDOT

Beginning November 3, 2022 (weather permitting), concrete and asphalt work for the MDOT SHA MD 108 safety and resurfacing project will begin at the Olney Shopping Center (3414-3484 Olney Laytonsville Road) on weekdays, sunrise to sunset through mid-November 2022.

Store owners and employees should add extra commute time for intermittent parking lot impacts. Work may also impact store deliveries. Customers may be directed to alternate plaza entrances and exits during this work.


MCPS

At the conclusion of the playoffs we will post a final top 10.

1. Quince Orchard 9-0 (LW 1): The Cougars shutout Clarksburg 65-0.  QO finishes the regular season undefeated for the 5th time in school history. With that they earned the #1 seed in 4A West and the #2 seed overall in 4A.  Quince Orchard will rematch with Clarksburg in the 1st round of the playoffs at the CougarDome on Friday.


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