Business

Dr. Sonya Bruton, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and President of CCI Health Services, located in Silver Spring, has been awarded the inaugural Dr. Sheila C. Johnson Game Changer Award from the WNBA’s Washington Mystics.  

“I am humbled and deeply honored to be the first person to receive the Dr. Sheila C. Johnson Game Changer Award from the Mystics,” said Dr. Bruton. “Dr. Johnson has a legacy of modeling what right looks like.  She has done it in television, self-care, healthcare and the arts.  Her business strategies and community contributions have populated my playbook, so her recognition adds fuel to my commitment to advance health equity.” 


Beyond MoCo

On Monday, December 18, Metro will begin a two-week construction project on the Red Line to perform critical safety repairs to the tunnel and track infrastructure, upgrade signal and communications systems, and install new platform edge lights. 

During construction, Red Line service will be unavailable at Farragut North, Metro Center, and Gallery Place stations with free shuttle buses replacing trains from December 18 through Saturday, December 30. While the Red Line is closed, service will continue to be available on the Blue, Orange, and Silver lines on the lower level at Metro Center and Green and Yellow line service on the lower level at Gallery Place.


Montgomery Parks

Montgomery Parks invites the community to the Wheaton Ice Arena Open House, where guests can learn about and try out ice sports and activities. Stations will be set up to assist members of the community who want to try hockey, speedskating, and figure skating. Guests will be able to meet clubs that operate at Wheaton Ice Arena, get information on group lessons, birthday parties, camps and clinics, and take advantage of sign-up specials on September 17, 2023, from 9 – 11 a.m. The Open House is free, but there is a $4 per person fee to skate (which includes skate rental).

“The Open House is a great opportunity for members of the community to learn about, and experience ice skating and ice sports” said Kimberley Ransfield, Wheaton Ice Arena Facility Manager. “There will be lots of information available for those looking to join a team or club, or who are interested in taking group lessons.”


Germantown

Update: Spirit Halloween locations in Germantown and Rockville have fallen through. Additional information available here.

According to EDENS, Spirit Halloween is coming to 12940 Middlebrook Rd. in the Germantown Commons shopping center. It will be located in the space that was previously home to Bed Bath & Beyond, next to the recently opened Gold’s Gym. The chain is also scheduled to open Montgomery County locations at 2210 Veirs Mill Rd. (former CVS location) in the Twinbrook Center in Rockville and at 30 Grand Corner Ave (former Pier 1 location) in Gaithersburg’s Rio. Last year, Spirit had an additional Montgomery County location in Burtonsville. While no opening dates have been provided, all three stores are expected to open this month.


Event

Olney, MD Art Gallery and Studio to present a Pop-Culture themed group Art Exhibit and Artists’ Alley event.

Highly Animated is a 2-month long celebration of the vibrant world of fan art. From classic JRPG nostalgia, to the latest anime obsessions, to amazing original characters, this exhibition will highlight the passion, creativity and talent within fan communities.


Crime

Per MCPD:  Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Major Crimes Division have arrested and charged 19-year-old Bill Gomez with auto theft related offenses that occurred over the span of several months in the Rockville and Baltimore areas.  Detectives from the Auto Crime Enforcement Section (ACES) were investigating the rise of Infiniti G37 models being stolen in the county and developed Gomez as a suspect.

The investigation revealed that Gomez was running a pseudo “chop-shop” out of his residence located in the 800 block of Westmore Avenue in Rockville.  Gomez had also obtained Vehicle Identification Numbers from wrecked/salvaged vehicles and placed them onto stolen vehicles to conceal their stolen status.


MoCo Government

Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County Government has nearly 1,000 full-time and part-time jobs, currently open for employment. Interested job seekers 18‐and‐over are encouraged to attend the Montgomery County Career Fair and Hiring Expo from 3-7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 3, at the Silver Spring Civic Building at Veterans Plaza, located at 1 Veterans Place in downtown Silver Spring.

This is the County’s second major job and hiring event this year designed to attract job seekers across various careers. During the County’s first career fair and hiring expo in May, one in seven attendees received a contingent job offer.


Bethesda

Update: Postponed due to weather. Look out for updates with new dates.

The Jolly Shows Carnival will be at Westfield Montgomery Mall (7101 Democracy Boulevard, Bethesda) from Wednesday, September 20th until Sunday, September 24th. There will be over 30 attractions, including carnival rides, games, and food wagons. According to their website, “We are a new generation of carnival operators who strive to be more progressive and professional. We realize that we must produce a premium product for our customer’s hard earned money. We won’t forget our proud traditions, but we are committed to overcoming the stigmas which have hindered our industry for far too long.”


Bethesda

Beginning the week of September 26th, Clark Construction will perform night work activities on Old Georgetown Road between Commerce Lane and Woodmont Avenue. Clark will be performing a double lane closure each night from the hours of 9:00 PM to 5:00 AM.

The road will be opened for full traffic operations at 5:00 AM each morning. This lane modification will be in effect until the end of October 2023, and is in addition to the single lane closure on the right side of Old Georgetown Road that will remain in effect through February of 2024.


Bethesda

Each month popular food website, Eater, answers the question “Where should I eat right now?” In their September edition, Eater DC has included two Montgomery County restaurants in its list of buzzworthy restaurants that have been open for less than six months.

The first Montgomery County restaurant listed is The Farmhouse Bistro at the Crossvines (16601 W Willard Rd, Poolesville, MD). Per Eater, “Locally sourced lunch includes confit chicken wings with a “Cool Ranch”-style dip; fried clam and lobster sliders; and an aged brisket burger. Dinner highlights for summer include Chesapeake crab cakes and sweet corn; wild Chesapeake Bay rockfish with tomato butter; and Jurgielewicz Farms duck breast adorned in Virginia strawberries and fava beans.”


Bethesda

Per MCPD: Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – 1st and 4th District Patrol Investigation Units are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying fraud suspects. On Saturday, June 17, 2023, the victim stated that her credit cards were stolen out of her wallet in the Olney area. The investigation by detectives determined that the suspects fraudulently used the credits cards at several stores in Montgomery Mall.

On Friday, August 11, 2023, a Poolesville victim reported a theft from auto, where the suspects stole the victim’s credit cards and an undetermined amount of cash. The suspects fraudulently used the credits cards at multiple stores in Montgomery Mall.


Health

Per the FDA (9.11.23): Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration took action approving and authorizing for emergency use updated COVID-19 vaccines formulated to more closely target currently circulating variants and to provide better protection against serious consequences of COVID-19, including hospitalization and death. Today’s actions relate to updated mRNA vaccines for 2023-2024 manufactured by ModernaTX Inc. and Pfizer Inc. Consistent with the totality of the evidence and input from the FDA’s expert advisors, these vaccines have been updated to include a monovalent (single) component that corresponds to the Omicron variant XBB.1.5.

What You Need to Know