Per Montgomery County: The 29th Annual Montgomery Parks Harvest Festival will be a day of fall activities and opportunities to meet farm animals up close. The festival will take place from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 7, at the Montgomery County Agricultural History Farm Park in Derwood.
The park is located at 18400 Muncaster Road in Derwood. The charge for entry will be $20 per car.
The City of Gaithersburg has received the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the 45thconsecutive year and the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for the 22nd consecutive time, both from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA).
The City’s comprehensive annual financial report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022, was judged by an impartial panel to meet the high standards of the program, which includes demonstrating a constructive “spirit of full disclosure” to clearly communicate its financial story and motivate potential users and user groups to read the report. The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in governmental accounting and financial reporting.
In June, the Washington Wizards traded three-time All-Star Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns for Chris Paul, Landry Shamet, a handful of second-round picks, and multiple pick swaps. Now, the NBA superstar has put his Bethesda home up for sale for $10 million in a listing by held by Jill Schwartz and Andres Serafini of RLAH @properties.
The home, located at 8913 Holly Leaf Ln in Bethesda, has 6 bedrooms and 8.5 bathrooms with a total of 13,482 SF on 2.03 acres. It also includes a four-car garage and two full-size basketball courts (one indoor, one outdoor). The home is described as having a “South Miami vibe” and if basketball isn’t your thing, you can enjoy the “full-size tennis court with stadium lighting, elevated spa cascading into the heated linear swimming pool, detached Pool House complete with cabana bath, outdoor kitchen and the finest smore-worthy fire pit.” The full description and a video can be seen below:
Montgomery County, MD is commonly known as being a suburb of the nation’s capital, but what might surprise some is that it is also home to a thriving biotech ecosystem. With over 350 life sciences companies, including global brands like AstraZeneca, United Therapeutics, and Novavax, Montgomery County anchors the third largest biophama hub in the U.S., behind only Boston and San Francisco.
Running annually in Washington D.C. for over 25 years, World Vaccine Congress attracts an international audience from over 80 countries and convenes more than 3,000 people to learn about the latest trends, research, and technologies in the vaccine industry. This year, Montgomery County took center stage, with a featured session on the extensive Biologics Value Chain in the County, as well as a session during which County Executive Marc Elrich spoke about the extensive resources available to companies here, and an exhibit space showcasing these resources.
A Complete Biologics Value Chain in One Region
One of the defining strengths of Montgomery County is its ability to support the full lifecycle of biologics, all the way from early research to large-scale manufacturing. During the panel discussion, moderated by Dr. Stefanie Trop, Director of Life Sciences at the Maryland Department of Commerce, local leaders emphasized that the region’s strength lies in its network of partners who work collaboratively across discovery, development, testing, and production. Panelists from companies in all stages of the value chain spectrum included Dr. Andrew Lees, Founder of Fina Biosolutions, Benjamin Moutier, Senior Vice-President, Vaccines and Immune Therapies at AstraZeneca, Dr. Helen Sabzevari President & CEO of Precigen, and Dr. Frederick Holtsberg, Chief Scientific Officer of Integrated BioTherapeutics.
This end-to-end capability in close geographical proximity gives companies a unique advantage and is rare to find in other markets, even established ones like San Francisco and Boston. In fact, only a handful of places worldwide offer the combination of infrastructure, expertise, and collaboration found in Montgomery County and if diversity, education and population density are taken into consideration – then Montgomery County standouts even more.
“Gaithersburg is one of the six places in the world where we can do what we’re doing,” explained Benjamin Moutier, Senior Vice-President, Vaccines and Immune Therapies, AstraZeneca. “We have the right partners at every step of the value chain [in Montgomery County].”
A Strong Partnership Network
Biotech breakthroughs rarely happen in isolation. They depend on strong partnerships between private companies, local and state governments, academic institutions, and workforce training organizations. Montgomery County has intentionally cultivated these connections, making collaboration and coordination defining characteristics of its life sciences ecosystem.
Dr. Frederick Holtsberg, Chief Scientific Officer at IBT Bioservices, a full service CRO offering clinical & preclinical contract research services, says the company’s close partnerships between them and local stakeholders have been crucial to its success. “As a Rockville-based company, we’re grateful for the partnership and support from city, County, and state leaders,” explained Dr. Holtsberg. “These programs have helped fuel our growth, and we’re excited about the continued momentum of our community.” (more…)
Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich announced today that Sarah Kogel-Smucker is the new Climate Change Officer. Ms. Kogel-Smucker joins Montgomery County after leading the creation of the climate change division of the District of Columbia’s (DC) Office of the People’s Counsel. Prior to her work in the District, she served as senior counsel for the New York City Law Department’s Environmental Division. In this role, she advocated for the deployment of affordable clean energy initiatives, analyzed environmental legislation and advised other divisions on climate policy. She has more than 15 years of experience in environmental issues, particularly in the area of environmental law.
“Addressing climate change and designing and implementing effective environmental policy are top priorities for us,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “I am pleased to welcome Sarah Kogel-Smucker to our team. We are looking forward to her using her experience and passion to help us reach our goal to achieve an 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2027 and a 100 percent reduction by 2035. As a county, we cannot solve the problems created by climate change but we can be a leader and a model for other jurisdictions, and Sarah’s work will be an important part of those efforts.”
Program Overview
This 6 week Saturday tennis clinic is designed for middle school players who want to learn and improve their tennis skills in a fun and supportive environment. Players will build confidence on the court while developing strong fundamentals and enjoying the game with other students.
Per MCPD: 52-year-old Scott Brigden, of Silver Spring, has been arrested and charged with multiple counts of destruction of property and theft, for allegedly breaking into several mailboxes and stealing multiple pieces of mail and packages.
On Tuesday, June 27, 2023, at approximately 11:35 a.m., officers responded to the 1130 block of University Blvd. W. for the report of a vandalism and theft. Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – 4th District Patrol Investigations Unit developed Brigden as the suspect and determined that he broke into several mailboxes and stole mail and then stole multiple packages from the package room at the Warwick Towers Apartments.
The Maryland Department of the Environment urged public water systems, citizens and businesses in parts of the state to continue voluntary water use restrictions as a drought watch issued earlier this summer has been upgraded to a warning.
“Water conservation is a good practice year-round, but we are asking water systems to take extra precautions as dry conditions persist,” said Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain. “Consumers can help by limiting the use and duration of sprinklers for lawns, taking short showers as opposed to baths, and not leaving the faucet running while brushing your teeth. These things sound simple, but it all adds up.”
According to a report by Source of the Spring, construction is now underway at the future home of Taco Bell Cantina at 8662 Colesville Road, next to the Fillmore Silver Spring and across the street from Ellsworth Place in the space that was most recently home to Pollo Campero until it closed in late 2021. Taco Bell Cantina is known for its fast-paced environment, tech-forward innovations like kiosks and digital menu boards, and a variety of alcoholic beverages to go along with traditional Taco Bell fare.
The Taco Bell Cantina alcoholic drink menu “features an assortment of beers, wines, sangria and Twisted Freezes, including your favorite fermented alcohol”, but the exact drink menu varies by location. An opening timeframe is not yet available.
On Tuesday, Montgomery County Police shared a video on Twitter of a student almost being hit by a car after a driver fails to stop for a school bus that had its flashing red lights and stop sign activated. According to Maryland law, “Drivers must stop at least 20 feet from a school bus with the stop arm extended and the red lights flashing. Do not pass the bus from any direction until the stop signals are off and the bus is moving again. Motorists in Maryland are not required to stop if the road is separated by a physical median – such as dirt, grass, or a barrier.” Failure to stop for a school bus when the flashing red lights are operational can result in a traffic ticket and a fine of up to $1,000.
According to WUSA9, the incident occurred last week on Old Columbia Pike near Fairland.
Sherwood (3-1) at Gaithersburg (3-1): In-county, this looks to be the most competitive high-level match. After playing each other every year from 2002 to 2014, these two teams square off once again after a 9 year hiatus. It will be a matchup of two top MoCo running backs in Gideon Ituka vs. Van Mahoney. Whoever can generate the most offense outside of their bellcow will likely walk away the winner. Don’t underestimate Gburg, aside from an expected blowout loss to QO they’ve taken care of business against opponents you’d expect a good team to easily handle, and are surely hungry for a statement win. I see this being a pretty tight affair with lots of scoring, but right now I think Sherwood gets the edge based on their earlier schedule being tougher, more proven defense and desire to bounce back from the Blake loss. Prediction: Sherwood by 13
Richard Montgomery (2-2) at Seneca Valley (2-2): A somewhat intriguing matchup that pits strength against strength: RM’s high-flying offense vs. SV’s ferocious defense. SV has some ballhawks that we expect will generate several turnovers and possibly rival the offense in terms of scoring output. Prediction: Seneca Valley by 17
1. (LW 1) Quince Orchard 4-0: The Cougars earned their third shutout of the season, beating Churchill 35-0. Quarterback Nino Marzullo passed for 257 yards and 3 touchdowns in the win. Quince Orchard will travel to Silver Spring to take on Blair this Friday.
2. Northwest (LW 2) 4-0: The Jaguars retained possession of the King’s Trophy defeating Seneca Valley 30-8. As a team the Jags rushed for 232 yards and 3 touchdowns. Northwest will host BCC next.
Let us know in the comments for any missing scores.