|
According to the Metropolitan Area Transportation Operations Coordination (MATOC) Program, a “crash with injury” has closed Columbia Pike US-29 SB/NB at Burnt Mills Avenue.
All lanes are blocked in both directions due to the incident and emergency response. The closure currently extends between Lockwood Dr and Hillwood Dr. Drivers are asked to follow police direction in the area with delays continuing to build in both directions. A extended closure is expected.
|
Charleys Cheesesteaks & Wings opens today, Friday, June 30, at 19877 Century Blvd in Germantown. Charleys is taking over the location that was previously home to Roll by Goodyear and Yogi Castle in the Shops at Town Center & Century Station shopping center. The restaurant is being opened by the same franchise group that owns the location at 405 N Frederick Ave in Gaithersburg. Unlike most mall food court locations, this Charleys will also serve wings and milkshakes.
In March, we reported that signage went up for Charleys Philly Steaks inside of the Germantown Walmart at 20910 Frederick Rd, taking over the space formerly occupied by McDonald’s. No opening date for the Wal-Mart Charleys has been announced but it is expected to open this summer.
The Mental Health Version of an Annual Physical Is Here
By Montgomery County Counseling Center
You get the annual physical. You go to that 9am dentist appointment. You’re vigilant about your sleep and exercise. You treat your well-being as something you maintain, not just repair. Why is mental health different? Why aren’t we more proactive? Why do we only seek out support when something goes wrong? Mental health is so often treated like an afterthought when routine check-ups can make a world of difference. Montgomery County Counseling Center is working to change the way we view mental health with a new offering designed to put wellness and preventative care on the map for good.
For most people, mental health care follows a pretty predictable pattern. Something gets hard enough and it lasts long enough that it finally feels like a problem worth addressing. So then you find a therapist and you start working on it until you’re out of crisis, and then you stop. But that’s not the only path and for a lot of people, it’s not the best starting point either; the threshold for “is it bad enough to say something” ends up being way higher than it needs to be, and a lot gets ignored in the meantime.
Think about how you approach the rest of your health. You don’t wait for a heart attack to see a cardiologist. You don’t wait until you’re sick to get your flu shot. You plan ahead. You stay on top of it. You check in. You make decisions based on something more than a gut feeling or a bad stretch. The value of a routine checkup isn’t that it always finds something. It’s that you know either way, and make minor precautionary tweaks. Mental health doesn’t have to be any different.
And yet, for most people, it is. There hasn’t really been the equivalent of an annual physical for mental health. No annual touchpoint, like a birthday or a new year, where someone sits down with a professional and simply goes over how they’re doing. There’s certainly no outside party, like a school, a sports league, or a camp that insists you get checked. That’s why people fall through the slim cracks between doing great and being at risk. After all, the absence of a crisis is not the same thing as a clean bill of mental health. (more…)
Per the State of Maryland:
Together with Ali Zaidi, National Climate Advisor to President Joseph R. Biden, Governor Wes Moore today announced that Maryland will join the Biden-Harris Administration’s National Building Performance Standards Coalition. The announcement occurred during a visit to Requity Foundation’s Carver House project in West Baltimore, a community-based model for workforce development where high school trade students are gaining hands-on net-zero construction training by retrofitting a vacant rowhouse into an affordable netzero home.
Connect with neighbors, learn about Lafayette Federal, and grab fun giveaways! All while enjoying food from local Tacos Pretzel & Pizza Creations.
First 75 registrants can receive free food.*
MCPS is committed to cultivating an inclusive and welcoming learning environment and seeks to create opportunities where all students see themselves and their families in curriculum materials. In alignment with Board of Education Policy, MCPS has a responsibility to include instructional materials that reflect the diversity of the local and global community by exploring the aspirations, issues and achievements of men and women, people with disabilities, people from diverse racial, ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds, as well as those of diverse gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation.
As a reflection of our ongoing commitment to ensure our curriculum is inclusive and affirming of all students, the elementary and secondary English Language Arts (ELA) teams in the Office of Curriculum and Instructional Programs (OCIP) have approved a selection of more than 22 LGBTQ+-inclusive texts for use in the classroom.
Go to MCPS Things to Know: Inclusive Texts FAQ Sheet, Free Summer Meals Schedule, and more
Read more
A private fireworks display will take place at Kenwood Country Club, located at 5601 River Rd in Bethesda. According to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services Chief Spokesperson Pete Piringer, the club is hosting a ‘private/permitted event’ which will include a fireworks display & aerial explosions starting at approximately 930pm. The display is scheduled to last approximately 30 minutes. While the event is private, the fireworks will be visible in the surrounding area.
Featured photo courtesy of Google Maps
|
According to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, “Today in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, MD, the Honorable John Maloney sentenced defendant, Julia Birch, 28, of Kensington, to 40 years in prison suspend all but 23 years to serve and five years of supervised probation upon release. She must also complete 240 hours of community service upon probation. Judge Maloney recommended the defendant be admitted to the Patuxent Eligible Persons Program while incarcerated.
This stems from an incident on July 28, 2021. Montgomery County Police and Montgomery County Fire and Rescue personnel responded to a residence on Spruell Drive in Kensington, Maryland for a death investigation. Upon their arrival, the complainant, 26-year-old Julia Birch, told officers that she had suffocated and killed her 92-year-old roommate, identified as Nancy Ann Frankel, who was found deceased in her bedroom. Birch had staged the body to look more presentable, laying the victim on a pillow, folding her arms over her chest, and putting perfume on her. This was after initially unsuccessfully trying to get the body back into her bed. Birch was taken into custody and transported to Montgomery County Police Headquarters to be interviewed. She admitted to killing Nancy Ann Frankel by trying to place a plastic bag over Frankel’s head to suffocate her, and when the victim poked a hole in the bag, Birch took her to the ground and strangled her to death. Physical evidence and autopsy confirmed the method of death. Birch admitted to then calling 911 to report the death.
Per WMATA: This July 4, let Metro get you to and from Independence Day festivities stress and fare-free. Metrorail, Metrobus, and MetroAccess will be fare-free on Tuesday, July 4 from 5 p.m. until the system closes, with frequent service to the National Mall and other celebrations across the region.
Beginning at 5 p.m. on July 4, Metrorail faregates will be open, and fare-free signage will be posted throughout the stations and on buses to communicate that customers do not need SmarTrip cards if using Metro after 5 p.m. “The Metro Board of Directors is proud to support our region’s Independence Day celebrations by providing fare-free service for all customers traveling after 5 p.m. on July 4,” said Metro Board Chair Paul C. Smedberg. “The best way to beat traffic and get to barbeques, parades, and fireworks is with Metro, America’s transit system.”
Paint Branch Athletic Director Heather Podosek has retired from MCPS after 31 years. Podosek has been Athletic director since 2010, following two championships and 13 years as the girl’s head basketball coach. Earlier today, Podosek posted the following letter to the Paint Branch Athletics website saying goodbye to the Paint Branch community:
“Today is a emotional day for me as I retire from MCPS after 31 years, but it is also filled with reflection and gratitude! As I look back at my career (and all the stops along the way) which brought me to my “home” at Paint Branch, I will always be thankful for the guidance, patience and encouragement of the administrators, colleagues, coaches, students, and families that help me in my journey. You have been such a big part of shaping my career which is filled with love, laughter and happiness!
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced that Montgomery College, Takoma/Silver Spring Campus, has entered into a resolution agreement to resolve a sexual harassment complaint. OCR’s investigation established that a College professor, who was not named, engaged in sexual harassment of female students during a class he taught by requiring the students to remove their shirts and wear only their bras – and then commenting on their bodies – ostensibly to demonstrate a medical assessment despite the fact that the assessment did not require the clothing removal, or the bodily commentary.
Within approximately three months of the initial report of the professor’s harassment, the College’s investigation confirmed that the professor’s conduct created a hostile environment on the basis of sex. The College terminated the professor’s employment and the College provided written notice of the outcome of its investigation to the student in the class who initially reported experiencing sexual harassment, and also offered supportive services to affected students. However, the College did not notify all affected students regarding the conclusion of its investigation, raising a concern that the College may not have taken necessary steps to ensure that a hostile environment did not persist for affected students.
Taco Bell Cantina, 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, is opening its first Montgomery County location in Silver Spring, according to a BizJournals report.
Per the report, the new restaurant will open 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. 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 will vary by location. An opening timeframe is not yet available.