Author: Patrick Herron

MoCo History

Silver Spring B&O R.R. Station to Hold Open House This Saturday, December 3

By Patrick Herron

This Station is a Montgomery County Historic Site and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Open House is Co-Hosted by Montgomery Preservation Inc. https://www.montgomerypreservation.org/ & Silver Spring Historical Society, https://www.facebook.com/sshistory/

B&O STATION SAFETY MEASURES: Montgomery Preservation continues to prioritize the health and safety of our visitors, volunteers, and guests, with social distancing and a masking policy that follows CDC and Montgomery County rules. Anyone inside the building must wear a mask in consideration for vulnerable patrons and staff. Masking is optional outdoors.”

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Takoma Park

Detectives Investigate Taco Bell/Kentucky Fried Chicken Armed Robbery; Surveillance Video Released

By Patrick Herron

Per MCPD: Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Major Crimes Division are investigating a commercial armed robbery that occurred on Thursday, November 10, 2022, at a Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) in Takoma Park. Detectives have released surveillance video of the male suspect and are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying him.

At approximately 7:29 p.m., 3rd District officers responded to the 7700 block of Blair Rd. for the report of a robbery. The preliminary investigation by detectives has revealed that the suspect entered the restaurant, displayed a firearm and demanded money. The employee complied with the suspect’s demands. The suspect left the scene with an undisclosed amount of money.

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MDLottery

$100,000 Scratch-Offs Prize Won in MoCo Among Last Week’s Top Lottery Prizes in Maryland

By Patrick Herron
Courtesy Google Maps

A Silver Spring couple that claimed a winning scratch-off lottery ticket worth $100,000 were among the biggest winners last week, according to the Maryland Lottery.  The couple purchased the $30 $100,000 Extreme Cash scratch off from the Exxon gas station at 8384 Colesville Road in Silver Spring.  Additional details about winners across the state below, courtesy of MD Lottery:

Two Maryland Lottery players claimed prizes of $100,000 each last week on tickets sold in Annapolis and Silver Spring. Meanwhile, another 11 tickets worth $50,000 each were sold last week in Baltimore, Bladensburg, Bowie (2), Dundalk (2), Fort Washington, Parkville and Suitland (3). In all, 29 tickets across Maryland delivered prizes of $10,000 or more during the seven days ending Nov. 27, and the Maryland Lottery paid more than $27.6 million in prizes during that span.

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Gaithersburg

Montgomery County Police Release 911 Call Made by Pilot After Plane Crashed Into Power Line Tower

By Patrick Herron

Montgomery County Police have released the 9-1-1 call made by the pilot who crashed a small plane into a power line tower near Goshen Road and Rothbury Drive in Montgomery Village on Sunday evening.  Maryland State Police identified the pilot as Patrick Merkle, 65, of Washington, D.C, and the passenger as Jan Williams, 66, of Louisiana. The two were rescued around 12:30am on Monday after spending seven hours in the tower, suspended more than 100ft.  In a press briefing on Monday, Fire Chief Scott Goldstein reported that both individuals had been transported to the hospital and their conditions had improved. One patient was still in the hospital as of Monday afternoon.  The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the cause of the crash.

In the 9-1-1 call, Merkle tells the dispatcher, “I’ve flown into a tower to the northwest of Gaithersburg Airport. It’s one of the electrical towers and, believe it or not, the aircraft is pinned in the tower and I don’t know how long we’re going to be able to stay here.” He also said that he believed the two had suffered head injuries from being banged around in the cockpit. You can listen to portions of the 9-1-1 call below courtesy of WUSA9:

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Silver Spring

Montgomery County to Hold Free Flu Vaccination Clinic for Children on Wednesday, Dec. 7, in Silver Spring

By Patrick Herron

Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County will hold a free flu vaccination clinic for children from 1-4 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 7, at the Dennis Avenue Health Center, located at 2000 Dennis Ave. in Silver Spring. Children ages six months to 18 are eligible to receive vaccinations at the clinic.  Getting an annual flu shot has been shown to reduce the risk of flu illness, hospitalization, and death.  Flu vaccinations are also available through private health providers and at retail locations throughout the community.  Find a flu vaccination at vaccines.gov.   Although the vaccination clinic is free, appointments are required. The best way to prevent seasonal flu is to get vaccinated each year. In addition, good health habits can often help stop the spread of germs and prevent illnesses like the flu. Good health habits include:

See the County’s flu website for more information.

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Silver Spring

One BMW and Three Mercedes-Benz Stolen From Dealership; Surveillance Video Released

By Patrick Herron

Per MCPD: Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – 3rd District Investigative Section are investigating a commercial burglary and auto thefts that occurred on Monday, November 28, 2022, at the Universal Auto Group, in Silver Spring. Detectives have released surveillance video of the four suspects and are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying them. At approximately 1:47 a.m., 3rd District officers responded to 2200 block of Distribution Cir. for the report of a burglary.

The investigation by detectives has determined that four unknown suspects forced entry into the car dealership, stole an undisclosed number of car keys and four cars: a white 2017 Mercedes Benz GLS, gold 2019 Mercedes Benz GLC, white 2019 Mercedes Benz S450 and a white 2019 BMW X3. Anyone with information regarding these suspects or this crime is asked to call the 3rd District Investigative Section at (240) 773- 6870. Callers may remain anonymous.

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Bethesda

CANCELLED: Montgomery Parks Announces Dog-Themed Holiday Market: Holiday Barket

By Patrick Herron

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER

Per Montgomery Parks: Montgomery Parks(opens in a new tab), part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, announces its first Holiday Barket, a dog-themed holiday market, on December 3, 2022, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Cabin John Regional Park. The event will feature dog-friendly accessories and gifts from a handful of local businesses, representatives from community pet service agencies and concessions for purchase.

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MoCo Government

Montgomery County Executive Elrich Is Holding Hybrid Forums to Seek Input on FY 2024 Operating Budget, With Next One TODAY, Monday, Nov. 28, at Leisure World

By Patrick Herron

Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, the County’s regional services offices and community partners are hosting hybrid forums in November and December to seek input on the Fiscal Year 2024 Operating Budget. The next forum, emphasizing priorities of the senior community, will be conducted from 2-3:30 p.m. TODAY, Monday, Nov. 28, at Leisure World in Silver Spring. The forum at Leisure World is open in-person only to Leisure World residents. However, it can be viewed by anyone who registers for internet viewing. In addition, there will be a live, in-person satellite broadcast shown at the North Potomac Senior Center, which is located at 13850 Travilah Rd. in Rockville. Residents can attend most forums in person or view them via the internet.

The forum scheduled for 7-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 29, at the Chinese Culture and Community Service Center, Inc. in Gaithersburg will be conducted in Chinese. The County is in the early stages of formulating the FY24 operating budget. County Executive Elrich is required to submit a recommended budget to the County Council by March 15. The Council will then have two months to review the budget. It must adopt a final budget no later than June 1. The FY24 operating budget will go into effect on July 1.

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Wheaton

Police Investigating Attempted Robbery at Wheaton Metro; Surveillance Video Released

By Patrick Herron

Per MCPD: Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – 4th District Investigative Section are investigating the attempt robbery of a person that occurred on Saturday, October 29, 2022, at the Wheaton Metro Bus Bay in the 11100 block of Georgia Ave. Detectives have released surveillance video of the male suspect and are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying him.  At approximately 10:35 p.m., officers responded to the location for the report of an attempt robbery that just occurred.

The investigation by detectives has revealed that the suspect began following and verbally harassing the adult male victim inside the Wheaton Metro station. When the victim attempted to enter a Ride on Bus, the suspect grabbed him and pulled him to the ground. The suspect then hit and kicked the victim, frisked his clothing and left the scene without taking any property. The victim sustained minor injuries and received medical treatment at the scene from Montgomery County Fire Rescue. Detectives reviewed the surveillance cameras of the Metro station and obtained a description of the suspect.  The suspect is described as an unknown race male, in his 20s, average height, medium build, with black curly hair, wearing black glasses, an orange and blue hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans and black shoes.

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Kensington

MCFRS Respond to Deck Fire Monday Morning

By Patrick Herron

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services responded to a fire in the 3900blk of Denfield Ave, near Brandywine Street, in Kensington on Monday, November 28 around 8am. According to Chief Spokesperson for MCFRS Pete Piringer, the fire appeared to have started on the exterior (deck) and extended to the house. The fire has been extinguished and all occupants are out of the home. EMS is transporting one adult (civilian) with non-life threatening injuries. We will post an update when more information becomes available.

Per @mcfrsPIO on Twitter: “3900blk Denfield Ave. near Brandywine Street, Kensington, single-family house, deck on fire, @mcfrs E705, PE721, PE718, PE725, PE707, AT723, AT719, RS742, A705B, BC704, BC702 responding”\

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