Maryland

The Delegate Howard P. Rawlings Program of Educational Excellence Awards is Maryland’s largest need-based program. The financial assistance grants will benefit students attending the upcoming 2023-2024 academic year and includes both the Guaranteed Access grant and Educational Assistance grant programs.

Each year, the Maryland Higher Education Commission is responsible for granting awards to more than 65,000 students, totaling more than $130 million dollars. The second round of awards for the program, in addition to other grants and scholarships, will be announced as they are awarded during the summer months.​


Gaithersburg

Permanent signage is up at Charley Prime Foods, the new restaurant from Jackie Greenbaum & Gordon Banks (Little Coco’s, El Chucho, Bar Charley, Quarry House Tavern) that will be replacing Tara Thai on the Rio Lakefront boardwalk at 9811 Washington Blvd in Gaithersburg. The restaurant is expected to open this spring.

According to a press release, the Charley Prime team envisions the restaurant as a mature version of their popular DC restaurant Bar Charley, with an expanded menu, but keeping its lively cocktail forward energy. The broader menu will remain steak focused, but will also feature house made pastas (a la Little Coco’s) as well as other items unique to just this location. The group has tapped Editlab@Streetsense to design the space. Explains Greenbaum, “We can’t wait to do our first suburban project and think the timing is perfect. We’ve always done restaurants that are near and dear to our hearts and that we feel are right or needed in the particular neighborhood. My partners both have young families and Rio has been a frequent destination for them for years, as it is for tons of people in north Montgomery county. This is especially true for our chef and partner in this project, Adam Harvey, who lives nearby. We’re really thrilled to bring something unique to the mix out there.”


Gaithersburg

Per MCPD: Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Special Victims Investigations Division (SVID) are asking for the public’s assistance in locating Madalyn “Wren” Carper, a missing 15-year-old from Gaithersburg. Wren was last seen on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, at approximately 12:30 p.m., in the 15800 block of Quince Orchard Rd. Wren is approximately 5-feet, 7-inches tall and weighs 150 pounds. She has red hair and hazel eyes. She was last seen wearing a white t-shirt, black shorts, and white high-top Converse sneakers. She may be carrying a dark colored backpack and a tan tote bag. Police and family are concerned for her welfare.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Madalyn “Wren” Carper is asked to call the police non-emergency number at (301) 279-8000 (24-hour line) or the Special Victims Investigations Division at (240) 773-5400. Callers may remain anonymous.


Event

Join Kaiser Permanente for Healthy at the Harbor, a free community health and wellness event taking place Saturday, June 6, from 11 am to 4 pm at National Harbor in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Bring your family and friends for free full day of fun, fitness, and preventive care along the waterfront.

Throughout the day, Kaiser Permanente nurses and physicians will offer no-cost health screenings, alongside a health and wellness expo focused on preventive care education. A lively Kids’ Zone will keep children active and entertained with spin-art bikes, face painting, balloon art, games, and more.


Kensington

A bear was caught going through the trash in a Kensington neighborhood on Tueaday night, according to a report by FOX5. The bear was recorded on video walking on Byeforde Rd, near Connecticut Ave., in Kensington. Per the report, there is no official word on what kind of bear it was. Video below:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Crim3qngiWp/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=


North Bethesda

In November we let you know that RASA, a fast-casual Indian restaurant with four locations in DC and Virginia, would be taking over the recently-closed Slapfish location at 12033 Rockville Pike in the Montrose Crossing shopping center. After a community day for charity on Wednesday, RASA officially opens its Rockville location today (Thursday, April 27th) at 10:30am.

The restaurant, founded by Rahul Vinod and Sahil Rahman (combined to create the name, RASA), opened its first location in Navy Yard in 2017 before opening a location in Mt. Vernon Triangle in 2020, Crystal City in 2021, and Fairfax this past summer. The menu offers seven chef-curated bowls under the “We Got You” portion of the menu, that includes their signature bowls like the “Tikka Chance on Me”, “Open Sesame”, “Eat Your Veggies”, “Home Cooking”, “Goa Your Own Way”, “Aloo Need is Love”, and “Caul on Me” or the “You Got It” portion of their menu that allows customers to “DIY” and design their own bowl using the assembly line format of a base, main, sauce, veggies, toppings, and chutneys/dressings. The full menu can be seen here.


MCPS

Per MCPS: The rise of incidents of hate, bias, racism, antisemitism and LGBTQ+ prejudice has grown significantly in recent months. In an address at 4 p.m. on Thursday, April 27, Superintendent Dr. Monifa McKnight will speak on this and its impact on the county’s children and school system. She will characterize the problem, issue a collective call to action and announce actions the school district will take moving forward.

The address will be streamed live on the MCPS-TV YouTube page and MCPS website.


Damascus

Bryan Bresee, a 6’5, 298 lb defensive tackle is projected by many as a first round pick in tonight’s NFL Draft. The Clemson Tigers lineman graduated from Damascus High School in 2019. He is the former No. 1 overall recruit in the Class of 2020, and played three years at Clemson, missing significant time in 2021 with an ACL tear.

Widely projected to be drafted within the first two rounds, mock drafts see Bresee going anywhere from the middle of the first round to the middle of the second round. NFL.com has a second round projection on him. Per NFL.com:


Education

Thirteen MCPS students from five high schools have been awarded National Merit corporate-sponsored scholarships financed by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. About 840 high school seniors have been chosen to receive corporate-sponsored National Merit scholarships financed by about 107 corporations, company foundations and other business organizations.

The students are among 25 high school seniors in Maryland to be selected in the latest group of National Merit Scholarship Program recipients. Most of these awards are renewable for up to four years of college undergraduate study and provide annual stipends that range from $1,000 to $10,000 per year. Some provide a single payment between $2,500 and $5,000.


Events

Arts on the Green presents the 37th annual juried art exhibition of the Gaithersburg Fine Arts Association (GFAA). The exhibit is on display at the Kentlands Mansion Gallery through July 16. Meet the artists at a free reception on Thursday, April 27 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. All are welcome.

The juror for this year’s exhibit is Michael Shibley, who has been recognized throughout the art community with a variety of awards and professional citations. His original watercolors, which focus on light, shape & colors in the natural and man-made landscape, can be found in both public & private collections in the Washington, D.C. area & across the country.


Beyond MoCo

Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport has opened the first set of improved restrooms as part of a broad program to modernize and enhance restroom facilities throughout the terminal. BWI Marshall Airport has an ongoing $55 million program that will ultimately expand and improve six sets of restrooms on Concourses B, C and D.

“These improved restrooms are an important part of our overall effort to ensure a positive, world-class travel experience for our customers,” said Ricky Smith, Executive Director/CEO of BWI Marshall Airport. “We are continuously working to provide an airport that is clean, modern, and inviting for passengers.” The new set of restrooms now open on Concourse B is nearly 4,700 total square feet. The new facilities are bright, spacious and comfortable, with full height stalls, space for stowing roller bags, solid surface materials that are easy to clean and sanitize, and improved ventilation. The new restrooms feature innovative technology such occupancy lights for the stalls and sensors to inform custodial staff when supplies need to be refilled. The facilities include honeycomb core windows that provide natural light to the open areas of the restroom while also ensuring privacy.