Jeff Bezos Donates 100 Million to Bethesda-Based Chef José Andrés

Right after Jeff Bezos returned from his self-founded trip to outer space, he announced that he will be awarding the “Courage and Civility Award” to Bethesda-based Chef José Andrés. Andrés Was one of the two lucky recipients. 

Each awardee gets $100 million to disperse to charities of their choosing. Andrés will channel his share into his charity, World Central Kitchen. Their mission is to feed people during times of disaster, which includes the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

(Fun Fact: one donation of $100 million is about .04% of Bezos income, with his tax write offs not taken into consideration).

Jose Andres has been proactive about the arising needs during the pandemic. In May, he offered $50 Gift Cards to those who got the COVID-19 vaccine until 70% of the U.S. is vaccinated. The gift card applies to any of his @ThinkFoodGGroup restaurants in the DC Area.

José Andrés is an active member in the community, he was selected as the MCPS graduation speaker for the class of 2020.

His newest restaurant Spanish Diner on Woodmont Avenue in Bethesda opened earlier this year. The Bethesda menu includes dishes from Asturias, the northwest region of Spain where Andrés was born. The diner serves breakfast all day and has an extensive beverage program, guided by Cocktail Innovator Miguel Lancha.

Governor Hogan Renews State of Emergency for Maryland After 12 Days

On June 15th, Governor Hogan announced that the state of emergency due to COVID-19 would be lifted effective July 1st. Last week on July 12th, Governor Hogan renewed the state of emergency and catastrophic health emergency in a proclamation, which you can view here. There were no press releases or public announcements from the Governor’s office regarding the state of emergency, which lead to speculation as to why it was reinstated.

Today Governor Hogan’s Spokesperson Shareese Churchill clarified the situation by saying, “The July 12 order supports the administrative grace period that runs through August 15, for things like renewing expired driver’s licenses. We are no longer in a state of emergency“, according to a report by FOX45.

The original state of emergency order was initially issued on March 5, 2020.

Former NFL Player to Run for Montgomery County Sheriff

Three-term Montgomery County Sheriff Darren Popkin announced in June that he will not run for re-election and former NFL star Robert Bass has announced he is running to take over the position.

Bass, a 50-year-old Democratic candidate, is the second candidate to enter the race.

Bass, originally from Brooklyn NY, moved to Montgomery County in 2008 to join the County’s sheriff’s office as a deputy, and is currently a Silver Spring resident. He has worked in the domestic violence and court transportation units.

Later, in 2012 Bass created his own company, Never Left Alone Security Consulting. The company provides security services for a multitude of different establishments including residential complexes, religious grounds, universities, hotels and more.

The sheriff’s responsibilities include court security, issuing criminal warrants, criminal transportation, service of process for the county court system, child support enforcement and combatting domestic violence.

Bass hopes to focus on officer training implementing de-escalation tactics and a bigger focus on mental health. He believes that MCPS could do better job with outreach, to recruit officers in the sheriff’s office from within the county.

Before moving to Montgomery country he worked as director of player development for the Miami Dolphins. From ‘91-‘94 he played football for the University of Miami, the Linebacker continue to his football career in the NFL for two years (94-‘96). Bass played for the New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers.

The 2022 primary will be on June 28 and the general election is on Nov. 8

At least eight athletes with MoCo ties qualified for the 2020 Olympics!

Andrew Wilson:

Andrew Wilson, became the first ever D-III swimmer to qualify for US Olympic team. He moved to Bethesda at 3 1/2 when his family moved from London. He started swimming as a child at Kenwood Golf and Country Club. Wilson attended Norwood School in Bethesda until eighth grade where he then transferred to a boarding school in Massachusetts.

At 17, Wilson transferred to Emory University in Atlanta, GA where he persuaded the coach to give him a spot on the team. Wilson didn’t even place on the travel team for the Division III program in his freshman year. Ten years later, Andrew finish second in the final of the 100-meter breaststroke at the U.S. Olympic trials, securing a place on the team. His mother was a gymnast at Yale and his sister swam at Northwestern.

Helen Maroulis:

Helen Louise Maroulis is a Rockville-born freestyle wrestler who competes in the women’s 55-kg 53-kg and 57-kg categories.At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil she became the first-ever American to win a gold medal in women’s freestyle wrestling at the Olympic Games.

She attended Magruder High School for three years, where as a freshman she became the first female wrestler to place at the Maryland state wrestling championships. She has been a great spokesperson for mental health awareness after suffering many physical injuries, brain trauma and the effects of prescription medicines.

Phoebe Bacon:

(Pictured: Inside the Germantown Indoor Pool)

Phoebe Bacon is a Chevy Chase born Olympian swimmer and recent Stone Ridge of Sacred Heart high school School Graduate. She holds the 5th fastest 100 m backstroke swim in the world for the 2019 calendar. She qualified for the US Olympic Swimming Team, placing second in the 200m backstroke at the Olympic Team Trials.

Bacon began swimming during the summer at the age of 3 for the Tallyho Foxes. When Phoebe Bacon was 4 or 5 years old at the Little Flower School in Bethesda, she was assigned an older “buddy” who was more advanced and could teach her; she happened to be paired with at the time 10 or 11 year old Katie Ledecky who ended up becoming her mentor and Olympic teammate.

She swims for the Nations Capital Swim Club (NCAP-MD) at the American University site, just as Katie Ledecky did. At the age of 14 she qualified for the U.S. Olympic trials, but didn’t secure a spot on the team. In 2020 Phoebe set a National High School Record at the D.C. Metros and became the first woman to swim under 51 seconds at a high school meet with a time of 50.89 seconds.

Kayla DiCello:

Northwest High School’s rising senior Kayla DiCello secured a spot on the U.S. Olympic team as an alternate. She is now a six time USA National Team member.

As a sophomore, DiCello accepted a full athletic scholarship to the University of Florida.

Kayla and her two sisters practice gymnastics at Gaithersburg’s Hills Gym off of Lindbergh Drive.

On the Final night of the trials her scores were:

Vault: 29.433
Uneven Bars: 26.766
Balance Beam: 27.566
Floor: 27.466
AA: 111.231

Katie Ledecky:

Kathleen Genevieve Ledecky was born in D.C. and raised in Bethesda. She attended Little Flower School through eighth grade and graduated from Stone Ridge of Sacred Heart high school in 2015. Ledecky finished her high-school career as the holder of the Stone Ridge school record in every swimming event except the 100-meter breaststroke.

Influenced by her mother and brother, she began swimming when she was 6, they swam for the University of New Mexico. Instead of following those footsteps she swam and studied at  Stanford University.

At the moment, she is considered the worlds greatest swimmer. She is the current world record holder in the women’s 400-, 800-, and 1500-meter freestyle. Ledecky has won five Olympic gold medals, one silver and 15 world championship gold medals, the most in history for a female swimmer. She has been named world Swimmer of the Year five times.

Kyle Snyder:

Our Lady Of Good Councol High School graduate, Kyle Snyder is returning to the olympics. Kyle Snyder is a freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler who competes at 97 kilograms. In his junior year he was ranked as the #1 pound-for-pound high school wrestler in America by Flowrestling and named the national high school wrestler of the year by both Intermat, and ASICS. During his first three years of high school, he held an impressive record of 179–0. Senior year, he spent his time training at the Olympic Center and competed internationally for Team U.S.A. Winning America’s first Junior World Championship in over 20 years while becoming the youngest two-time Junior World medalist in American history.

After Good Council he attended Ohio State University to Wrestle D-1.

He currently holds the distinction of being the youngest Olympic Gold medalist and the youngest World Champion in American wrestling history (all before his 21st birthday)!

Thea LaFond:

Kennedy graduate Thea LaFond is a long-term substitute teacher in Montgomery County Public Schools and triple jumper representing Dominica. After her time at Kennedy, she continued her athletic and educational career at the University of Maryland in College Park where she set the highest ever women’s triple jump score in school history (44-02.75), a record that still stands today.

She became the first Dominican athlete,to ever win a medal for her country in the competition, earning a bronze medal in the Triple Jump at the 2018 Commonwealth games.

Nicole Enabosi:

Nicloe Enabosi is a Germantown-based Power forward for Nigerian Olympic team. She graduated from Our Lady Of Good Councol High School where she was a decorated track & field and basketball athlete. She averaged 18 points per game and was a member of Best Buddies, Key Club, President Club and Honor Roll.

She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in May 2019 from the University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics and a Master’s in International Business in May of 2020. She was named the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) player of the year for the 2017–18 season. During the 2018-19 season she tore her ACL and missed the season. Enabosi resumed playing for Delaware in the 2019–20 season as a graduate Student.

Bullis Students Create Award Winning Wheelchair-Stroller for Teacher’s Husband

A talented team of ten high schoolers from The Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland, invented and created an award-winning wheelchair stroller. This device allows for people in wheelchairs to independently take babies on a stroll, which recently the invention won two international awards.

The “Wheelstroll” was inspired by Chelsie King, a middle school teacher at Bullis whose husband’s life changed after brain surgery. The procedure impacted Mr. King’s speech and balance, which lead to him using a wheelchair.

After the King’s found out they were expecting, they “immediately jumped into ‘Okay, how is he going to do certain things for our baby that normal parents don’t have to think about?’” King said. “And one of the things that we really couldn’t find was a way to enjoy walks with our son” (Interview with NBC Washington 4).

Mrs. King reached out to Matt Zigler, head of the school’s Innovation and Technology Lab, which teaches a class that creates objects for social good. The class interviewed the King’s family to better understand their needs. Class groups collaborated on design ideas, the end result was the combination of two designs to create one “superior” design.

The design created an attachment piece for the bottom/base of wheelchairs. Next, one would place the car seat into the attachment piece. Lastly, the baby would be buckled in before one would head out for a stroll.

The high school class entered the 2021 international Make: Able Challenge Competition where the judges awarded the Bullis students both “Best Inspirational Story” and “Best Showcase of Iterative Design” for the 14-18 age group. The school will receive a new 3D scanner and a FIlamentive bundle pack as prizes.

Now, Mr. King is able to independently take his son Phoenix on strolls. The King family found a new sense of appreciation for what many take for granted — a simple family stroll. They are very grateful for Mr. Ziegler’s high school students.

If someone you know could benefit from a “wheestroll,” you can contact The Bullis School on their website or call in to get connected.

Former Damascus Football Player Bikes Across the Country Raising Money for ALS

On Saturday, June 26th Wil Armstrong, a 2016 Damascus High School graduate, commenced his cross-country bike ride “Against the Wind” from Rehoboth Beach, DE. He is expected to finish 2.5 months later in Seattle, Washington. Throughout this journey, Wil is updating his daily blog with his progress, experiences, and updates on his banana consumption count. During his cross-country journey, he is crowdfunding for the ALS Association after seeing his mentor and former basketball coach, Rodney Lapp, go through it.

Photo courtesy: @wilarmstrong4 Instagram

Wil played football for his high school’s state champion team and later played rugby at the University of Maryland. What started off as a high school job at Jimmie Cone carried over into his time at the University of Maryland, where he got his Master’s in Quantitative Finance through the Robert H. Smith School of Business through their Plus One program. With eight years under his belt, he was the Damascus Jimmie Cone’s longest tenured employee! How much more Damascus can you get?

When people ask Wil why he is taking on such an adventure he says, “Touring is a way to use my gifts to make a difference in the world, the stars are aligned, and nothing makes me feel more clear, focused, and alive.”

Photo courtesy: @wilarmstrong4 Instagram (2018 trip – biked 375 miles from Damascus, MD to Niagara Falls, CA in 4 days)

His sister Megan inspired his craze for fitness and his Eagle Scout days got him into exploring nature, camping, and cycling. Although he has an excellent fitness resume, which consists of biking from Damascus, MD to Ocean City, MD in a day (215 mi) and running his first marathon backwards, to prepare for the bike ride he read about athletes’ and Navy Seal wellness, focused on strength training, and learned new stretches to help with recovery. 

Before starting his adventure, Jimmie Cone kick-started his fundraiser on Tuesday, June 22nd by matching the tips to donate towards ALS. He reached out to the outdoor equipment company Lone Peaks with his story and had about a thousand dollars worth of bags donated to him; which, he hopes to give a special in-person thank you in Washington. 

The planning of this trip was like a full-time job back in March. He considered starting on the west coast. Wil decided to take on the challenge of biking against the wind patterns and wrapping up his tour while visiting national parks. Since he was limited to the summer months he is taking a far turn north to avoid the heat, which will allow him to bike one of the most beautiful roads in America, “Going-to-the-Sun Road” at Glacier National Park, Montana.

I had the opportunity of interviewing Wil Armstrong on day three as he was pedaling through Towson, MD. He said the Oliva Rodrigo album has been a frequent play and the Home Depot theme song “locks him in.” Last year it was on his Spotify top five most played songs and says he wouldn’t be surprised if he was in the top 1% of listeners. The Home Depot song has helped him get his mind off some tough hills recently. On his long rides, he listens to recommended audiobooks and listens to a lot of music suggested by those keeping up with his trip.

On his website, he encourages individuals to reach out and connect with him. His sleeping arrangements will mostly consist of camping and sleeping in his mosquito net-covered hammock, but accepts the courteous offers of mutual connections or anybody offering their hospitality even if it’s a couch to sleep on or back yard to camp in. 

Wil’s Twitter (@wilarmstrongiv) automatically posts “Shared LiveTrack” links that update you on his location. You can learn more about Wil Armstrong and his journey on his website againstthewind.xyz

Germantown Elementary Crossing Guard Goes Viral

A Tik Tok video featuring a Germantown Elementary School crossing guard of 30 years is begining to go viral on social media this morning.

On the @gooodnews_movement Instagram page, the video has racked up over 600K views.

The short video shows Lisa, the longtime crossing guard, guiding traffic while greeting children on their way back from school. At the end of the short video, her daughters (who made the Tik Tok) brought her a little retirement surprise to honor her work.

Lisa was known for never taking days off, and greeting the Germantown Elementry students with a smile every day.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Good News Movement (@goodnews_movement)

Governor Hogan Visits Novavax Headquarters in Gaithersburg

On Thursday, June 10th Governor Larry Hogan visited Gaithersburg-based Novavax. The 700 Quince Orchard Road property started renovations in 2020 and it’s expected to open for operation in the following weeks.

Novavax (Nasdaq: NVAX) is a quick growing biotechnology company developing next-generation vaccines for serious infectious diseases. Novavax is expecting to play a huge role in public health as it develops a candidate vaccine against COVID-19 and advances its influenza vaccine for global markets. The company already has plans for a global production network once the trials are completed and approved.

The company publicly stated, “We appreciate the support, partnership and speed of the Maryland Department of Commerce, Montgomery County, and the City of Gaithersburg, which have enabled the expansion of our operations, enhanced our ability to retain and attract highly skilled employees, and reinforced our longstanding commitment to the biotechnology sector in Maryland.”

They have future plans of expanding in Gaithersburg too. A company affiliate purchased a 9.7 acre parcel of land at 14 Firstfield Road.

Images via twitter: @GovLarryHogan

Governor poses in front of 700 Quince Orchard Road

Today I was pleased to tour the site of @Novavax’s future headquarters in Gaithersburg. We are so proud that Novavax calls Maryland home, and we are thrilled that they are further expanding their footprint here. pic.twitter.com/eygLj7OdrN

— Governor Larry Hogan (@GovLarryHogan) June 10, 2021

Silver Spring Hosts First Pride Parade