MoCo

Find and Tour Cherry Blossoms in MoCo with ‘Cherry Tree Finder Map’ by Montgomery Parks

By MCS Staff

Montgomery Parks is making it easy as pie to find and tour cherry blossoms in parks located throughout the county. Montgomery Parks’ online tree finder map allows cherry tree seekers to easily locate the beautiful blooms; the map features pink dots to represent cherry trees located in parks. According to the National Park Service, peak bloom is expected between March 22-25, 2023.

According to The National Park Service “History of The Cherry Trees” website, “…the planting of cherry trees in Washington D.C. originated in 1912 as a gift of friendship to the People of the United States from the People of Japan.” The first cherry trees were planted in Montgomery County, MD in Chevy Chase as a test to see if the trees would thrive in an environment in the Washington D.C. area.

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Damascus

Damascus Community to Meet Tuesday Night Following Proposed Delay of Major High School Renovation

By MCS Staff

A recent change to the recommendation on the MCPS CIP that would delay the major capital project at Damascus High School by two years has led the Damascus community to call for a meeting that will take place at the high school on Tuesday, March 21 at 7pm.

The major capital project was previously approved to address various building systems and programmatic needs for Damascus High School, located at 25921 Ridge Road. The Board of Education, in the requested FY 2021–2026 CIP, included expenditures in FY 2022 to continue the planning and design of this major capital project with a completion date of August 2025, but the County Council delayed the expenditures by one year. An FY 2023 appropriation was approved to begin the design of this Major Capital project. A FY 2024 appropriation was recommended for construction funds, but that has now changed to “not recommended”, delaying the project for two years.

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Restaurants

New Pizza Hut Now Open in Rockville

By MCS Staff

Pizza Hut has opened its newest Montgomery County location at 842-B Rockville Pike in Rockville, located between Maki and Pho Nom Nom in the space that was previously home to Geico. Pho Nom Nom will be opening a second restaurant at 18509 N Frederick Ave at Gaithersburg S.C. (that’s the name of the shopping center), at the former site of Pho Viet Saigon.

The new Pizza Hut location is a smaller version than traditional Pizza Hut locations of the past– focusing solely on carry out and delivery orders. In September 2021, David Gibbs (CEO of Pizza Hut parent company Yum Brands), told investors, “We closed a lot of the dine-in stores that didn’t belong on the portfolio over the last 18 months in the United States,” according to a transcript on the financial services site Sentieo. “But for the most part, the stores we have in the portfolio now are good, long-term stores.” The new Germantown Pizza Hut location, which opened less than three months ago, follows the model.

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Aspen Hill

MCFRS Respond to House Fire Sunday Afternoon; No Injuries, $275K in Damage

By MCS Staff

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to a call for a chimney fire on Rippling Brook Drive in Aspen Hill at approximately 3pm on Sunday afternoon.

According to MCFRS Chief Spokesperson Pete Piringer, a neighbor called 911 to report a chimney fire and crews arrived to fire showing from the roof and attic of the home. The fire started in the attic of the home and is believed to electrical in nature. The sole occupant of the home was able to escape without injury, but there was approximately $275k in damage.

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Event

Healthy at the Harbor

National Harbor in Prince George’s County, Maryland

165 Waterfront St.

National Harbor, Maryland 20745

Website Social

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.

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Gaithersburg

End of an Era: Macy’s Closes Permanently Today in Lakeforest Mall

By MCS Staff

Macy’s will close its doors permanently today, Sunday, March 19 at 6pm. The department store is one of a handful of stores that are open in Lakeforest Mall as the mall prepares to close permanently at the end of this month to allow for planned redevelopment of the area (a few photos accessible below). The Planning Commission gave a recommendation of approval on March 1, 2023. The Gaithersburg Mayor and City Council will have a Policy Discussion April 17, 2023, where a final decision is expected to be made. No public testimony will be taken on April 17.

Additional information by the City of Gaithersburg: The Applicant, WRS, Inc., submitted Zoning Map Amendment application Z-9444-2022 that proposes to rezone the Lakeforest Mall from the current C-2 (general commercial) to the MXD Zone (mixed-use) zone. The application includes a sketch plan requesting up to approximately 1.2 million square feet of non-residential uses and up to 1,600 dwelling units on 102 acres of land in accordance with § 24-160D.9(a) “Application for the MXD Zone and sketch plan approval” of the City Code.

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Aspen Hill

Dishwasher Believed To Be Cause of House Fire That Led to $200K in Damage Saturday Morning

By MCS Staff

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) were called to the scene of a fire on the 14400 block of Big Bear Court, off of Bel Pre Road and Layhill Rd, in what is considered Aspen Hill/Silver Spring on Saturday morning.

According to MCFRS Chief Spokesperson Pete Piringer in one of two basement apartments (unoccupied at the time of the fire) of a two-story single family home. Units were able to quickly extinguish the fire after arriving and it is believed that the cause likely involved the dishwasher that was located in the basement kitchen. It extended to nearby cabinets and melted the water line of an unattended ‘de facto’ sprinkler, according to Piringer. One person was displaced and approximately $200k in damage was incurred. Featured photo courtesy of Google Maps.

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Burtonsville

Montgomery County Man Identified As One of Three Victims in Crash Involving Vehicle Reportedly Fleeing From Police

By MCS Staff

United States Park Police (USPP) officers have identified the victims of the crash that occurred on March 15 on Rock Creek Parkway involving a Honda sedan and a Lexus SUV that was reportedly fleeing from police.

Per Park Police, On Wednesday, March 15 at 1:43 a.m., USPP officers were dispatched to a crash on the Rock Creek Parkway near P Street NW. The three occupants in the Honda were pronounced dead on the scene. The deceased were later identified as Mohamed Kamara, 42, of Burtonsville, MD, Jonathan Cabrera Mendez, 23, of Arlington, VA, and Olvin Torres Velasquez, 22, of Arlington, VA.

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Gaithersburg

(Located) Detectives Seek Assistance Locating Missing 14-Year-Old Last Seen Driving a 2011 Silver Chevy Malibu

By MCS Staff

Update: Dakota Lilian Nicole Smith has been located safe and unharmed

Per MCPD: Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Special Victims Investigations Division (SVID) are asking for the public’s assistance in locating Dakota Lilian Nicole Smith, a missing 14-year-old. Smith was last seen on Sunday, March 19, 2023, at approximately 1:20 a.m., in the 20100 block of Loading Rock Place of Montgomery Village. Smith is believed to be in the Germantown area, driving a silver 2011 Chevy Malibu bearing MD tag 5BA4544.

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WMATA

Metrorail Gets a Service Boost Systemwide Amid Ridership Surge

By MCS Staff

Starting Monday, March 20, Metro will begin increasing train service across the rail system just in time for peak cherry blossom season. Weekday service will see an infusion of trains, as well as weekends. Additional trains will also run as needed during the Cherry Blossom Festival as crowding is monitored during peak bloom.

Per WMATA: The improvements correspond to growing ridership, with new post-pandemic records being set almost daily. This week, Metrorail saw its highest ridership since the pandemic, with more than 337,000 paid trips on Wednesday, followed by the second highest day on Thursday with more than 335,000 trips. Cherry blossom season, tourism, sporting events, entertainment, and increased commuters are driving the trend.

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Burtonsville

Construction Update at Burtonsville Crossing

By MCS Staff

Construction has begun on the redevelopment of the Burtonsville Shopping Center. Approximately 7,600 square feet of existing retail is in the process of being demolished with that retail square footage being turned into two new pad sites with drive- thrus. There will also be improvements to open space, landscaping, lighting, and pedestrian circulation. Video of the current state of construction is available below, by Larry Jones of the Burtonsville, MD Facebook group. Pepino’s and Burger King remain open during construction.

In June it was announced that a lease has been signed by the Phoenix-based company Sprouts Farmers Market in what is seen as the first critical step to kick start the revitalization of a once thriving retail area. It will also be the grocery chain’s first store in Montgomery County. “We are excited to partner with Sprouts on bringing a unique grocery experience to Burtonsville,” said David Germakian, Managing Director, EDENS. Additional information below, courtesy of Montgomery Planning:

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Briggs Chaney

(Located) Detectives Ask For Assistance in Locating Missing 11 Year Old

By MCS Staff

Neal is approximately 5-feet, 6-inches tall and weighs 140 pounds. She has brown eyes and long brown hair with a blond streak that she is currently wearing in a bun. Neal was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt with an image of a goaltender mask on it from the movie, “Friday the 13th,” black Adidas sweatpants and pink Crocs. She has her ears and nose pierced. Police and family are concerned for her welfare.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Kimora Neal 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.

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