Beyond MoCo

Maryland Man Pleads Guilty for Threatening An LGBTQI+ Advocacy Group; “You have the right to your own opinions, but you don’t have the right to threaten the lives of those who disagree with you”

By MCS Staff

Per the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Maryland:– Adam Michael Nettina, age 34, of West Friendship, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to using the telephone to threaten a group that advocates for LGBTQI+ people.  As part of his plea agreement, Nettina also admitted sending messages to Maryland and Virginia state delegates due to their statements in support of transgender people.

“You have the right to your own opinions, but you don’t have the right to threaten the lives of those who disagree with you,” said United States Attorney for the District of Maryland, Erek L. Barron.  “We’ll continue prosecuting these threats to the fullest extent of the law.”

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Education

MCPS is Introducing New Messaging Platform That Will Be Used For Communication Among Schools, Staff, Teachers, and Parents

By MCS Staff

MCPS is introducing a messaging platform, Remind, that will be used to communicate among MCPS schools, teachers, students and parents. School staff, central office staff, students and parents will all have Remind accounts to enable them to send and/or receive messages using a preferred mode of communication, such as text message, email or phone call and in their preferred language.

When and How Will My School Use it? By winter break, schools will be transitioning to and regularly using the Remind app. When your school makes this transition, parents and older students will receive a text message or email notification from the teacher(s).

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Sponsored

Montgomery County showcases its unique ecosystem at World Vaccine Congress 2026

By Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation
AstraZeneca's Cell Therapy Manufacturing Facility in Rockville, Montgomery County. Photo courtesy of the Montgomery County Government.
AstraZeneca's Cell Therapy Manufacturing Facility in Rockville, Montgomery County. Photo courtesy of the Montgomery County Government.

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…)

Crime

Rockville Man Sentenced to Nine Years in Federal Prison for Transportation of Child Pornography

By MCS Staff

Per the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Maryland:

S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced Gregory Thomas Clement, age 53, of Rockville, Maryland, yesterday to nine years in federal prison, followed by 15 years supervised release, for transportation of child pornography.  Judge Chuang also ordered that, upon his release from prison, Clement must register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (“SORNA”).

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Clarksburg

Recent Seneca Valley Graduate and Family Lose Home in Friday Afternoon Fire; Community Rallies to Support

By MCS Staff

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services responded to a fire on the 23900 block of Trading Post Drive in Clarksburg around 3:30pm on Friday, September 1. Lucien Lee, a recent graduate of Seneca Valley High School, reached out to let us know he and his family lived in the home that was destroyed by the fire. The young man started a GoFundMe fundraiser to help the family as everything gets sorted out and they recover from their loss.

“Hello everyone i’m fundraising for my family and I, today september 1st 2023 our house was burned down. My parents are first generation immigrants and we’ve lived in maryland our whole lives. And now we have nothing other than our clothes on our back and our car. Today we lost everything I hope you guys could help us get back on our feet. God bless everyone.”

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Rockville

Radon Rental Testing Requirement to Begin This Month in Rockville

By Patrick Herron

Per the City of Rockville: An ordinance that will require specific rental properties in the city to be tested for the presence of radon will go into effect Sept. 27.  Radon is an invisible, odorless, tasteless, radioactive gas found in soil and rock, formed by the natural decay of uranium. While no immediate symptoms signal its presence, exposure at high levels can cause cancer. Testing is the only way to know a home’s radon levels. The testing requirement will apply to all units in a rental facility in contact with the ground, including basement apartments and any dwelling unit with a basement, crawl spaces or units built on a slab in contact with the ground. Landlords will be required to conduct a radon test before leasing a qualifying dwelling unit.

The legislation also addresses instances when tenants can have their rental unit tested for radon. If the test results are above the 4 picocuries per liter standard, the tenant must report the test results to the landlord in writing. Landlords must initiate a follow-up radon test within 14 days to confirm radon levels. If confirmed, the landlord must take steps to reduce the radon level within safe parameters and provide tenants a copy of test results indicating levels have been reduced. A tenant has the right to terminate the lease without the loss of a security deposit if the landlord fails to mitigate the issue.

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Gaithersburg

Labor Day Detours Will Impact Ride On Routes 5 and 57 on Monday, September 4

By Patrick Herron

Per MCDOT: Due to Labor Day Celebrations, Ride On Routes 5 and 57 will experience detours on Monday, Sept. 4. Information for each detour can be found below.

To Silver Spring Station:  From Knowles Avenue, left on Connecticut Avenue, continue on University Boulevard, right on Perry Avenue, right on St. Paul Street, left on Metropolitan Avenue, and back on route. Stops 24026, 24960, 21284, and 21282 will be bypassed. Use alternate stops 24028 and 23512.

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Beyond MoCo

Man Arrested for Impaired Driving After Crashing Into Maryland State Trooper

By Patrick Herron

Per the Maryland State Police: Maryland State Police arrested a man on impaired driving charges after a crash in which a state trooper was injured this morning in Washington County. The suspect, Chauncey Dale Baylor II, 30, of Hagerstown, Maryland is charged with impaired driving. He was transported to the Maryland State Police Hagerstown Barrack for processing before being released. Additional charges are pending in the case.

At about 2:45 a.m., Corporal Kevin Mowers, who is assigned to the Hagerstown Barrack, was traveling west on Interstate 70, east of Route 66 in his marked departmental vehicle. According to a preliminary investigation, Corporal Mowers’s vehicle was struck by a silver 2013 Chrysler 300, driven by Baylor.Corporal Mowers was flown by MSP Aviation Command, Trooper 3, to the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore for treatment of his injuries. Baylor was arrested at the scene. All lanes of westbound I-70 prior to Route 66 were closed temporarily for reconstruction of the crash.  The crash remains under investigation.

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MCPD

Update: Detectives Investigate Single-Vehicle Fatal Collision; Victim’s Identity Released

By Patrick Herron

Per MCPD: Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Collision Reconstruction Unit (CRU) are investigating a fatal collision that occurred on Friday, September 1, 2023, in the area of East West Highway and Washington Avenue in Silver Spring. The decedent has been identified as 22-year-old Josue Abisai Melendez of Hyattsville.

At approximately 1:11 a.m., 3rd District officers and Montgomery County Fire Rescue personnel responded to the location for the report of a collision.  The preliminary investigation revealed that Melendez was traveling east in a blue Honda Civic on East West Highway, past Washington Avenue. For reasons that are still under investigation, the Honda left the roadway and collided with a tree. Melendez was pronounced dead at the scene.

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Germantown

Massage Envy in Germantown Has Closed

By Patrick Herron

Update: The Gaithersburg Massage Envy will relocate into this location on December 1st. 

Massage Envy at 20950 Frederick Rd in the Neelsville Village Center in Germantown has permanently closed. The store is redirecting its members to the Gaithersburg Massage Envy location at 127 Crown Park Ave in Downtown Crown.  According to signage posted on the front door, the store never fully recovered after the COVID-19 pandemic.  Massage Envy offers massages, stretch therapy, and facials, and has additional Montgomery County locations in Rockville and Silver Spring.

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