Author: Patrick Herron

Gaithersburg

Update on Ross’s ‘dd’s DISCOUNTS’ in Gaithersburg

By Patrick Herron

Coming soon signage is up for dd’s DISCOUNTS at 18236 Contour Rd in the Montgomery Village Plaza shopping center in Gaithersburg. The store will be located in the former space of Marshall’s, which relocated to Gaithersburg Square in 2021.  dd’s is owned and operated by Ross Stores, Inc and items for sale at its locations are similar to those found in other discount retailers. This will be the first dd’s location in Montgomery County. No opening date has been announced.

About: dd’s DISCOUNTS opened its first store in 2004 as the place to shop and save in your neighborhood. We’re part of the Ross Family, so our buyers know all about delivering great deals every day on clothing shoes home decor fashions toys and much, much more. We have the looks and brands you love at prices well below other retailers.

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MoCo Government

County Council Unanimously Passes Resolution in Support of the Transgender Community

By Patrick Herron

Per Montgomery County: The Montgomery County Council unanimously passed a resolution in support of the transgender community. The resolution, led by Councilmembers Sayles, Stewart, Mink, and President Glass, and co-sponsored by Councilmembers Albornoz, Balcombe, Fani-González, Jawando, Katz, Luedtke and Vice President Friedson, affirms Montgomery County as a place that is inclusive of the transgender, nonbinary, gender non-conforming, and wider LGBTQIA+ community, and to condemn all anti-LGBTQIA+ acts.

Recently, hate groups nationwide have targeted transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming people as well as events and organizations centering on or supporting those communities. In Montgomery County, hate groups have attempted to disrupt Drag Story Hour at Brookside Gardens, Loyalty Bookstores and more. In February, Bells Mill Elementary School shifted an in-person PTA meeting to virtual after receiving threats following a social media post about a teacher reading a book about a transgender child.

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Takoma Park

Search Continues for Missing Sixteen-Year-Old Last Seen February 2

By Patrick Herron

Per MCPD: Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Special Victims Investigations Division (SVID) are asking for the public’s assistance in locating, Jennifer Soto Muralles, a missing 16-year-old from Takoma Park. Muralles was last seen on Thursday, February, 2, 2023, between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., in the 8500 block of Greenwood Avenue.

Muralles is 5-feet, 4-inches tall and weighs approximately 120 pounds. She has blue hair and brown eyes. She has a tattoo of a flower on her hand and another on the inside of her left forearm. She was last seen wearing a brown t-shirt and sweater, black pants and black boots. Police and family are concerned for her welfare.

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Beyond MoCo

Beyond MoCo: Maryland State Police Aviation Rescue Hiker and Dog

By Patrick Herron

Per the Maryland State Police: A Maryland State Police helicopter was called to rescue a hiker and his dog after they became stranded on a cliff above the Shenandoah River late Sunday night. Maryland State Police Aviation Command’s Trooper 3, based in Frederick, MD, was summoned to a densely-wooded, mountainous area of the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park around 10 p.m. The 27-year-old hiker and his dog “Angel” had been exploring the area along the Loudon Heights Trail, across the river and south of Historic Harpers Ferry Lower Town, when he became lost and unable to access the main trail.

Rescuers from Jefferson County, WV were called to the area of William L. Wilson Freeway (US340) and Chestnut Hill Road (WV32). They were able to speak with the hiker via cellular telephone and could see his headlamp on the cliffs above. However, due to the steep and treacherous terrain, they were unable to safely reach him. Due to the hiker’s precarious position, Jefferson County rescuers called the Maryland State Police to assist with extrication.

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Health

Montgomery County Ranked Healthiest County in Maryland

By Patrick Herron

Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County ranks as the healthiest county in Maryland in the annual County Health Rankings (CHR).  According to the 2023 rankings, the five healthiest counties in Maryland are Montgomery County, followed by Howard County, Frederick County, Calvert County and St. Mary’s County. The CHR, a collaboration of the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, annually compares counties within each state on more than 30 factors that impact health, including social determinants such as education, jobs, housing, exercise, commuting times and more.

Several factors influence how well and how long people live. These include behavioral habits such as physical activity, nutrition, and smoking, in addition to factors from the built environment, such as access to affordable housing and well-paying jobs.

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MoCo Police

MCPD Announces Hiring of Hispanic Community Liaison

By Patrick Herron

Per MCPD: Montgomery County Department of Police Chief Marcus Jones is pleased to announce the hiring of Mariela Leon as the Hispanic Community Liaison. Leon joined the County in 2015, where she worked with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as an Income Assistance Program Specialist (Case Manager). In this role she worked closely with county residents of all ethnicities, providing Spanish language translation; helped residents in need of medical assistance; worked with undocumented pregnant women and children to obtain medical coverage; and referred victims of sexual assault to the Victim Assistance and Sexual Assault Program or the Crisis Center.

In 2017, Leon transferred to the Office of Human Resources.  As a Recruitment specialist, she worked on improving hiring in Montgomery County Government as part of the Latino Workforce team. She wrote how-to guides on the recruitment process in Spanish, provided bilingual support to candidates and created social media accounts for the recruitment and selection team. Leon’s family immigrated from Central America. Her father is from Guatemala and mother is from El Salvador. She is the first person in her family to attend a university, earning a Bachelor of Applied Science and Criminal Justice, and a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources Management. Leon has a passion for helping others and is excited to be a part of the Montgomery County Police Department. She is assigned to the Office of Public Information.

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Montgomery Village

Continued Concern for Missing Seventeen-Year-Old Last Seen in Montgomery Village

By Patrick Herron

Per MCPD: Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Special Victims Investigations Division (SVID) are asking for the public’s assistance in locating a missing 17-year-old from Montgomery Village. Lesly Hernandez Perez was last seen on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, at approximately 7 a.m., in the 8300 block of Stedmall Ter.

Perez is approximately 5-feet, 4-inches tall and weighs 130 pounds. She has brown eyes and brown hair and was last seen wearing a pink jacket, blue jeans and white shoes. Police and family are concerned for her welfare.

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Rockville

MCFRS Respond to Collision With Entrapment Tuesday Morning

By Patrick Herron

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to a collision with entrapment Tuesday morning in Rockville. According to Chief Spokesperson for MCFRS Pete Piringer, the collision occurred on E. Gude Dr and Dover Rd, in front of Rockville Metals, and involved three vehicles. Several patients were evaluated with non-life threatening injuries.

Per @mcfrsPIO on Twitter: “800blk E Gude Dr IFO Rockville Scrap Metal, collision, involves 3 vehicles, @MCFRS_EMIHS evaluating a few patients all with NLT injuries”

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MoCo Government

Applicants Sought for New Montgomery County Development Review Workgroup, with Deadline of Monday, April 17

By Patrick Herron

Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, the Montgomery County Planning Department and the Montgomery County Delegation to the Maryland House of Delegates are seeking applicants to be part of a new Development Review Process Workgroup. Individuals interested in the serving on the workgroup must apply by Monday, April 17. The workgroup will examine the County’s process for reviewing and approving development projects, with a special focus on ensuring the County remains economically competitive. The workgroup will be formed by May 1. The workgroup will be made up of individuals who represent County, State and other jurisdictional representatives, but also will include representatives from the development community and broader community.

The composition of the workgroup will include:

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MoCo Government

County Council Meets Today at 9 a.m. to Deliberate on the FY23-28 Capital Improvements Program, Hold Public Hearings, and Vote on Resolution in Support of Montgomery County’s Transgender Community

By Patrick Herron

Per Montgomery County: The Montgomery County Council will meet on Tuesday, April 11 at 9 a.m. and the meeting will begin with two proclamation presentations. The first proclamation recognizing Child Abuse Prevention Month will be presented by Councilmember Sidney Katz. The second, presented by Councilmember Gabe Albornoz, will recognize National Public Health Week. The afternoon session will begin at 1:15 p.m. with a proclamation presentation recognizing Black Maternal Health Week, led by Councilmember Laurie-Anne Sayles. More detail on each agenda item is provided below.

FY23-28 Capital Improvements Program Status Update

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Rockville

Update: 17-Year-Old Hospitalized with Life-Threatening Injuries, Two Dogs Dead After Being Struck by Driver on Muncaster Mill Rd

By Patrick Herron

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services responded to a collision on Muncaster Mill Rd on Monday, April 10. According to Montgomery County Police, “At approximately 4:24 p.m., 1st District officers and Montgomery County Fire Rescue personnel responded to the 6300 block of Muncaster Mill Rd. for the report of traffic collision involving a pedestrian. The preliminary investigation has revealed that a 17-year-old female was walking two dogs in the area of the Upper Rock Creek Trail, when for reasons still under investigation, she was struck by a vehicle. The driver of the striking vehicle remained on scene. The two dogs died at the scene. The victim was transported to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries.  This is an active and ongoing investigation.”

We will post an update when additional information is available. Featured photo courtesy of Google Maps.

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