Bethesda

Various MoCo Restaurants Included in Eater DC’s List of Most Anticipated Fall Restaurant Openings

By MCS Staff

Various MoCo restaurants that are anticipating fall openings have been included in Eater DC’s list of ‘Most Anticipated Fall Restaurant Openings.’ The upcoming Montgomery County restaurants included can be seen below:

Aventino Cucina and AP Pizza Shop (Bethesda): MoCo resident Chef Mike Friedman (Olney), Colin McDonough, Gareth Croke, and Mike O’Malley, the team behind DC restaurants All-Purpose Pizzeria, The Red Hen, and Boundary Stone Public House will be opening a new concept in Downtown Bethesda this November. Aventino and AP Pizza Shop will be located at 4747 Bethesda Ave. Additional information can be found here.

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MCDOT

Montgomery County Calls for Feedback on Conceptual Findings from Ride On Reimagined Public Transportation Study

By Patrick Herron

Per MCPOT: The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) announced a virtual open house to be held via Zoom at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 28 to present a first look at the Ride On Reimagined study findings and get community feedback on proposed concept changes to the County transit network. Montgomery County residents are encouraged to register and attend to share their feedback.

The ongoing Ride On Reimagined Study is a full-scale re-assessment of how the Montgomery County public transit network will operate in the County, with the goal of creating a future-focused public transportation system. The study, which began in Feb. 2022, conducted a comprehensive assessment of the current Ride On and Metrobus network, ridership patterns and ongoing projects. To better address community needs, MCDOT sought extensive community feedback through ridership surveys, pop-up events and focus groups comprised of both transit riders and non-riders.

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Maryland

Restaurant Association of Maryland Releases Statement Strongly Opposing Proposed Bill to Increase Wages for Tipped Employees in Montgomery County and Eliminate Tip Credit

By Patrick Herron

A bill that would increase wages for tipped employees will be introduced at the Montgomery County Council meeting on Tuesday, September 19. Bill 35-23, County Minimum Wage – Tipped Employees would adjust the calculation of the minimum wage for tipped workers and phase out the tip credit amount under the Montgomery County’s minimum wage law. Currently, businesses are required to pay servers $4.00 per hour; if a server does not make the current minimum hourly wage ($15-16.70) per hour, employers are required to make up the difference.

A statewide tip credit repeal bill considered in the Maryland General Assembly failed to pass earlier this year because of strong restaurant industry opposition and scores of servers who urged lawmakers to reject it because they make significantly more money under the current tipping system. Like all workers, restaurant tipped employees must earn at least the full applicable minimum wage per hour in base wages plus tips. There is no subminimum wage for restaurant tipped employees. Under federal, state and local minimum wage laws, employers are required to make up any deficiencies if a tipped employee does not earn enough in base wages plus tips to make at least the full minimum wage.

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Beyond MoCo

Maryland Firefighter Wins $50,004 Powerball Prize; Tonight’s Jackpot Reaches $638 Million

By Patrick Herron

A firefighter from Odenton, MD is $50,004 richer after purchasing a winning Powerball lottery ticket from Royal Farms at 100 Monument Avenue in Oxon Hill.  According to the Maryland Lottery, no one has won the Powerball jackpot since a $1.08 billion winning ticket was sold in California back in July. Tonight’s jackpot has an estimated annuity of $638 million and an estimated cash value of $304.2 million, making it the 10th largest jackpot in Powerball history.

The Anne Arundel County resident confessed that he told a few coworkers about his Lottery luck when he arrived at the station. “I couldn’t keep it to myself. It was hard to contain.”  His $10 ticket had four of the five winning numbers along with the Powerball to secure the third-tier prize in the drawing. He also won $4 on another line of the ticket, giving him a total prize of $50,004.

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Beyond MoCo

UMD Ranked 19th Among Public Schools in U.S. News’ Rankings of “Best Colleges”

By MCS Staff

The University of Maryland has earned its highest-ever ranking among national universities from U.S. News & World Report, cracking the top 50 for the first time. Per the Maryland  Office of Marketing and Communications:

UMD rose nine spots since last year to No. 46 in the national listing and held steady at No. 19 among public schools in the influential 2023-24 “Best Colleges” report released on Monday.  The university now has a combined 69 top-25 undergraduate and graduate programs, according to U.S. News, which began its annual rankings 40 years ago.

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Montgomery Parks

Montgomery Parks Announces Free Active Aging Week Activities

By Patrick Herron

Per Montgomery Parks:  Montgomery Parks is observing Active Aging Week October 2 – 8, 2023, an international celebration of leading an active lifestyle at any age. Residents 50 and older are invited to participate in free programs and events that support and promote the benefits of leading healthy physical, mental and intellectual lifestyles across the lifespan.

“We are committed to inclusivity and having programs and events that appeal to all members of the community. Active Aging Week is a great opportunity for the 50 and better community to come out and enjoy our parks,” said Jennene Blakely, Montgomery Parks Program Access manager. “We have activities geared toward older adults year-round and hope that people keep an eye out for future programming.”

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MoCo Government

Councilmember Will Jawando Announces 2023 Councilmember for a Day Challenge for Students

By Patrick Herron

Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando, who chairs the Education and Culture Committee, will host the Council’s eighth Councilmember for a Day challenge for local high school and middle school students. The annual Councilmember for a Day program was developed in 2016 by former Councilmember Craig Rice as a way for youth to lend their voice on public policy issues and engage with local government in enacting change. Councilmember Jawando is continuing this tradition to engage youth in public policy and, more importantly, provide an opportunity for Councilmembers to learn what issues are important to our youth and what solutions they can offer.

The culminating project for students is a video on a public policy issue, from whom a winning video will be selected. The winner will be the guest of honor at a Council breakfast, receive a Council proclamation, serve as an honorary Councilmember for a Day, and receive prizes to enable their continued digital storytelling.

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MoCo Government

Bill to Increase Wages for Tipped Employees in Montgomery County to be Introduced

By Patrick Herron

A bill that would increase wages for tipped employees will be introduced at the Montgomery County Council meeting on Tuesday, September 19. Bill 35-23, County Minimum Wage – Tipped Employees would adjust the calculation of the minimum wage for tipped workers and phase out the tip credit amount under the Montgomery County’s minimum wage law. Currently, businesses are required to pay servers $4.00 per hour; if a server does not make the current minimum hourly wage ($15-16.70) per hour, employers are required to make up the difference.

The bill’s lead sponsors are Councilmembers Will Jawando and Kristin Mink. Per Montgomery County, “The tip credit represents an amount of the minimum wage a worker is expected to receive in tips. The current amount of the credit is the hourly minimum wage minus four dollars or a lesser credit if the employee or representative of the employee satisfies the Executive Director of the Office of Human Rights that the employee receives a lesser amount in tips. The limit and phase-out of the tip credit would be staggered over multiple years as proposed in the legislation.”

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MoCo Government

Anti-Hate Task Force to Hold a Virtual Meeting on Sept. 19 at 7 p.m.

By Patrick Herron

Per Montgomery County: The Montgomery County Anti-Hate Task Force’s Muslim cohort will present their policy recommendations to the task force at a virtual meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. The Anti-Hate Task Force was formally adopted through a resolution with unanimous support in June. The task force is made up of community and faith leaders working to engage the community and develop recommendations to inform policies that promote safety and combat hate crimes in Montgomery County.

Cohort groups representing the Jewish, Black/African American, LGBTQ+, Asian American and Pacific Islander, Latino/Hispanic and Muslim communities will present their policy recommendations at meetings throughout the fall. Each of the six cohort groups may also hold listening sessions to provide an opportunity for the public to engage and provide input. The Muslim cohort held a listening session on Sept. 11.

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MCPS

MCPS: Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

By Patrick Herron

Per MCPS: Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. Throughout the month, MCPS schools will be celebrating the unique culture and traditions of students, teachers, staff and community members who trace their roots to Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries in North America, Central America, South America and the Caribbean.

Hispanics and Latinos are the fastest growing ethnic group in MCPS, with 34 percent of the student population. MCPS resources to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month are available here.  Instead of starting celebrations on the first day of the month, Hispanic Heritage Month begins the third week of September each year.

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