Author: Patrick Herron

Health

Montgomery County Health Officials Expand Eligibility for Monkeypox Vaccination

By Patrick Herron

In addition to those with a confirmed or possible recent exposure to the MPX virus, the County is now offering vaccinations to the following:

An online preregistration survey is available on the County’s monkeypox website.  Individuals who preregister and meet the eligibility guidelines will be contacted to schedule a vaccination appointment.  As a result of the expanded eligibility guidelines, residents who were already preregistered and are now eligible will be contacted to schedule an appointment.

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Beyond MoCo

Governor Hogan Celebrates 40th Anniversary of Maryland’s Sister State Partnership with Kanagawa Prefecture of Japan

By Patrick Herron

“Maryland and Japan share many connections that are perhaps most apparent through our sister state-prefecture relationship with Kanagawa, which continues to be one of our oldest and most important sister state relationships in the world,” said Governor Hogan. “We are so pleased to have the chance to finally celebrate the 40th anniversary milestone of this thriving partnership.”

The Sister State relationship, which was established in 1981, was initially inspired by the common geographic features of the two regions: both have mountains, beaches, a large bay, and are located in close proximity to their respective nation’s capital. Since then, Kanagawa and Maryland have built strong ties through business cooperation and academic exchange.

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Gaithersburg

Charleys Cheesesteaks & Wings Now Open in Gaithersburg

By Patrick Herron

Charleys Cheesesteaks & Wings is now open at 405 N Frederick Ave, in the location that was recently home to Teriyaki Express. The new Charleys restaurant is located in the shopping center anchored by Megamart and FedEx Office. We’re told there are no plans at this time to close the nearby Lakeforest location.

Charley’s now has over 600 stores nationwide. Newer locations have adopted a new menu concept, offering chicken wings and ice cream in addition to its Philly cheesesteaks. “Tossed-to-order, the wings are made with 10 chef-inspired flavors ranging from Angry Ghost and Nashville Hot to milder options like Zesty Lemon-Lime Rub and Sweet Teriyaki.”

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MCPS

MCPS’s Enhanced Safety Measures for Athletic Events to Take Effect at Friday’s High School Football Games

By Patrick Herron

At a press conference on Wednesday, Montgomery County Public Schools announced several new safety measures that will be implemented at upcoming sporting events as a result of last week’s incident at Gaithersburg High School that resulted in the Gaithersburg/Northwest High School Football Game being called off following an on-field altercation between the teams, as well as the arrest of five individuals for fights that occurred after the game in Gaithersburg High School’s parking lot. The safety measures include:

Per MCPS, these changes will be in effect for all high school athletic events for the remainder of the season. Should other incidents occur, other tiered security interventions will be implemented. These could include spectator capacity limitations and game time/date adjustments. Additional actions will be based on the following criteria or guidelines:

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Colesville

Update on Monday’s Fire in Colesville That Caused $550,000 in Damages

By Patrick Herron

Around 75 Montgomery County firefighters responded to a garage fire that extended into a home on the 12600 block of Davan Drive in Colesville on Monday morning around 1:45am.  According to Chief Spokesperson for MCFRS, sleeping residents were alerted to smoke in the home by their Google NEST ‘smart’ device (originally reported to be an Amazon Alexa). Upon awakening, they tracked smoke to the attached garage and attempted to enter to investigate, but were pushed back by smoke and heat.

Update/CORRECTION: (9/19) Davan Dr, @MontgomeryCoMD house fire; **Google NEST ‘smart’ device ALERTED family (sorry Alexa); 1 family safely escaped; Damage total >$550K, incl several vehicles; ~75 @mcfrs FFs responded, 1st arriving encounters heavy fire coming from attached garage https://t.co/IDNgS5LZDZ pic.twitter.com/OocTWfRRuv

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Ellsworth Place

Two New Restaurants Announced for Upcoming Commas Food Hall

By Patrick Herron

Two more food tenants have been announced for Commas, a new 13,000 square foot food hall coming to the third level of Ellsworth Place (8661 Colesville Rd) in Downtown Silver Spring. Tokoa, which focuses on cheesesteaks and burgers, and J&J Mex-Taqueria, a family owned restaurant which currently has a location at 6231 Georgia Ave NW, DC.

Tokoa was created after friends and long-time restaurant workers Evelyn Cruz and Delmy Hernandez “decided to combine their knowledge and experience to create their version of their favorite foods.” The menu focuses on cheesesteaks and burgers, both classic and innovative, from the traditional Philly Cheesesteak to a spicy cheesesteak to cheese-stuffed burgers.

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Wheaton Mall

MCFRS Respond to Vehicle Fire at Wheaton Mall

By Patrick Herron

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services responded to a vehicle fire inside of a parking garage at Westfield Wheaton Mall on Thursday morning.  According to Chief Spokesperson for MCFRS Pete Piringer, the fire was located on the lower/ground level of a garage near JCPenney’s and Dick’s Sporting Goods. The vehicle was ‘well-involved’ when firefighters arrived and the fire has been extinguished.

The vehicle was unoccupied at the time and there were no injuries. Piringer noted that there were no fire sprinklers in the parking garage.  Some roads in the area were blocked and drivers should expect residual delays. Per @mcfrsPIO on twitter: Westfield Wheaton Plaza, 11100blk Veirs Mill Road, parking garage IAO Between JCPenney’s & Dicks Sporting Goods, vehicle fire, ground level, @mcfrs PE718, PE705, PE719, PE716, E754B, AT719, PT725, RS742B, A742B, BC701, BC702, SA700, C705 & others responding & on scene

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Silver Spring

Silver Spring Man Arrested for Shooting During Dispute

By Patrick Herron

Per MCPD For Immediate Release: Thursday, September 22, 2022: Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police have arrested and charged 34-year-old Elliott George Patterson, of Silver Spring, for a shooting that occurred on Tuesday, September 6, 2022, in the 1900 block of Treetop Ln. in Silver Spring.

At approximately 4:12 p.m., 3rd District officers responded to the location for the report of a shooting that just occurred. Upon arrival, officers spoke with a witness who stated that they heard arguing outside. They looked out of their window and saw a white Infiniti SUV and a group of young males and females standing around the SUV. The witness also stated that they saw the Black male suspect and a Black female arguing with the group of young people.

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MoCo Government

Montgomery County Rewrites Sign Ordinance; Updates Allow More Flexibility for Menu Boards and Digital Signs

By Patrick Herron

The changes approved in ZTA 22-05 represent the first comprehensive rewrite of the County Sign Ordinance in the past 25 years. The provisions of ZTA 22-05 will go into effect Monday, Oct. 10.

Prior to approval of the new ZTA, owners of digital sign boards were legally limited to changing the messages on digital signs to once every 24 hours unless they obtained a variance. The new regulations will allow changes once every 30 seconds.

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