Gaithersburg

Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Special Victims Investigations Division (SVID) are asking for the public’s assistance in locating Jayla Hungerford, a missing 16-year-old from Gaithersburg. Hungerford was last seen on Saturday, April 15, 2023, at approximately 9 a.m., on South Frederick Ave.

Hungerford is approximately 5-feet, 7-inches tall and weighs 125 pounds. She has brown hair, brown eyes and was last seen wearing a black hoodie, a grey shirt and black shorts. Hungerford has three tattoos: Tinkerbell, on her left chest, a heart, on the right side of her lower back and a cross, on her left ankle.


WMATA

Per WMATA: Metro’s Board of Directors approved the $4.8 billion capital and operating budget for fiscal year (FY) 2024 which supports increased bus and rail services, simplifies fares for customers, creates a new low-income fare program, caps MetroAccess fares at $4, furthers the Better Bus Initiative and enhances safety measures.   

Additionally, the $2.4 billion capital budget allocates funds to invest in infrastructure projects and sustainability efforts to ensure #YourMetro is safe, reliable and efficient. This includes building new bus garages to support a zero-emission bus fleet, new Metrobuses and MetroAccess vehicles, advancing Metro’s new 8000-series railcars, technology upgrades to support next generation train systems and development of Blue, Orange and Silver rail line corridor improvements.


Education

Last week, MCPS sent a community message addressing school safety. “I am writing to update you on the measures we have taken to ensure the safety of our students and staff in our schools. As a follow-up to our community letter, we have been working diligently to implement concrete actions focusing on resources, expectations, and community engagement.” The full letter can be seen here. Additional information on Increased Security Staffing can be seen below:

“We have allocated a 1.0 permanent substitute to all high schools to address increased staff absences. We have also deployed security substitutes to schools with higher security absences and more significant security needs. At the elementary level, in addition to the cluster assigned Community Engagement Officers (CEOs), MCPS security assistant rovers are available to support as needed when safety incidents arise.  We have requested 10.0 additional security assistants in the FY2024 budget and are reviewing the process to allocate security staff within our schools.”


Derwood

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to a call for a “single vehicle into the woods with fire” on Shady Grove Rd and Midcounty Highway at approximately 2:15am early Monday morning.

According to MCFRS Chief Spokesperson Pete Piringer, one adult trauma patient was transported to the hospital. It was initially reported that there was also a passenger in the vehicle, but after an extensive search and police work, the individual was located at home. Morton’s Towing recovered the vehicle from the woods, “We recovered this vehicle, driver is very lucky to have survived. Engine and transmission came out of car on impact we arrived at 2:40am and finished around 5am.” said Morton’s Towing employee Dave G.


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.


Montgomery Village

Last May we let you know that Dickey’s Barbecue Pit would opening a new location in the recently renovated Montgomery Village Center, next to the upcoming Kobe Japan. The space is now listed as available again on the shopping center’s leasing website, indicating that Dickey’s will no longer be returning to MoCo. Kobe Japan appears to be ready to open soon and BooBoo Pho has recently opened on the other side.

Dickey’s Barbecue Pit previously opened its second Maryland location in Montgomery County when it opened in Germantown in February 2013. The restaurant closed the following year and reopened under new management in July 2014 before closing permanently in early 2016. The first Maryland location was in Gambrills, but has since closed. Currently there are nearby locations in Pasadena, MD, two in Fairfax VA, and one in Alexandria VA. Featured photo courtesy of Google Maps.


Beyond MoCo

A sister-and-brother chef team helm the kitchen at Koite Grill, which opened in Downtown Silver Spring in 2021. The Senegalese restaurant offers charcoal-grilled lamb dibi, chicken yassa, Senegal’s national dish, thieboudienne, which means “rice with fish”, and much more. Now, Koite Grill has added a food trailer known as Koite Grill Mobile owner Mamadou Koite, a graduate of Kennedy High School tells us.

The food trailer will be located at 2030 West Virginia Avenue NE DC from Thursday to Friday from 11am until 6:30pm, and will also be located at RFK stadium farmers market on Saturday from 11am until 6:30pm. “We offer the best best grilled lamb in the DMV.  The food trailer serves the lamb, the goat, and chicken. We also have salmon, steaks, shrimp, kabobs, and lamb chops.”


Germantown

Per Montgomery College: The Montgomery College community is invited to attend a free Narcan training on Thursday, April 27 at 6 p.m. on the Germantown Campus in Globe Hall. Attendees will learn how to prevent an opioid overdose. Specifically, participants will be trained in how to administer nasal Narcan and receive information on how to obtain Narcan. Two free Narcan kits will be provided to all attendees. This event is open to all MC students and their families, faculty, staff and Montgomery County residents. Registration is required. Register here.

This event is sponsored by the Montgomery County Prevention and Harm Reduction Services, The Community Health Program, in partnership with Montgomery College Germantown’s Office of Student Life, and Office of Public Safety, Health and Emergency Management.


Montgomery College

Per Montgomery College: Maryland Governor Wes Moore today announced Dr. Sanjay Rai, Montgomery College’s senior vice president for academic affairs, as acting secretary for the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC). He starts his new role in early May. Dr. Rai has consistently and vigorously advanced innovations that bolster student success in academic, career, technical, and workforce development programs throughout his career. He has worked to remove barriers to education access through the redesign of developmental education, revision of alternate placement policies, and embedding of coaches in classrooms to increase student success.

“Based on his many years of leadership here at Montgomery College, we are confident that Dr. Rai will continue his tradition of educational innovation as Maryland’s secretary of higher education,” Chair of the Board of Trustees Dr. Michael Brintnall said. “He is keenly focused on preparing students for success academically and in the workforce, which thereby contributes to growth for our region’s employers and enriches our communities. We wish Dr. Rai the very best in this exciting role on Gov. Moore’s Cabinet.”


MCDOT

Per MCDOT: On Wednesday, April 26, starting at 7 p.m., the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) will hold a hybrid public meeting to discuss the latest progress of the Good Hope Road Shared Use Path Extension project in Silver Spring. The public will have an opportunity to attend in person or virtually to ask questions and provide comments. The Good Hope Road Shared Use Path Extension project provides additional pedestrian and bicycle connectivity along Good Hope Road from the northern terminus of the Good Hope Road Shared Use Path project. This project proposes an 8-foot-wide shared use path with a 5-foot-wide grass buffer on the east side of the road for approximately 900 linear feet from Rainbow Drive to the entrance to Spencerville Local Park. This extension will provide a safe, low-stress connection for pedestrians and bicycles of all ages and abilities from neighborhood residences to a local park, nearby schools, places of worship and the Good Hope Neighborhood Recreation Center.

The meeting will be held at Briggs Chaney Middle School located at 1901 Rainbow Drive, Silver Spring, MD 20880. Online registration is required to attend virtually. On the morning of the meeting, an invitation to participate in the meeting will be emailed to registrants Prior to the meeting, the public is encouraged to review the project files on the project website. Comments and questions may be submitted by email to [email protected] or via the online comment form. All information provided, including questions and comments, will become a matter of public record. Interpreter services will be provided upon request with five business days advance notice by contacting Rebecca Park by email at [email protected] or call 240-777-7226. Learn more about MCDOT’s engineering and construction projects by visiting montgomerycountymd.gov/dot-dte. For information on MCDOT programs and services visit montgomerycountymd.gov/mcdot, follow @MCDOTNow on TwitterFacebook and Instagram and subscribe to MCDOT’s “Go Montgomery!” newsletter.


Gaithersburg

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to a fire on Sunday, April 16 at approximately 5:15am in the 19500 blk of Farmingham Dr in Gaithersburg. According to Chief Spokesperson for MCFRS Pete Piringer, the fire was caused by an unattended burning candle in a 2nd floor bedroom of the two-story single family home. Smoke alarms alerted the residents and there were no injuries reported. Damage is estimated to be ~$35K, including $10K structural and $25K contents. One family that includes two adults, three children, two dogs, two guinea pigs and a pet ferret will be likely be displaced.

Per @mcfrsPIO on Twitter:”(515a) 19500blk Farmingham Dr, 2-sty SFH; smoke alarms present & alerted occupants; Origin/Cause, unattended burning candle, 2nd floor bedroom; Damage, total ~$35K, incl $10K structure, $25K contents; no injury; 5 adults, multiple pets displaced”


Health

“Yet again, women’s health care and reproductive rights have come under attack,” said Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller. “And once again, Maryland has stepped up to continue providing safe and effective reproductive health care.”

Since the FDA approved the drug more than two decades ago, mifepristone has been used safely in more than 60 countries, providing critical care for women. The medication is used for a variety of reproductive health care needs.