Education

Three MCPS students are among 32 women who will be recognized with 2023 Women Making History Awards from the Montgomery County Commission for Women and Montgomery Women. They will be recognized at the Women Making History Celebration and panel discussion at 6:30 p.m. on March 16 at the Silver Spring Civic Building. The students are: Shrusti Amula, 9th grader at Richard Montgomery High School; Shairee Arora, 10th grader at Richard Montgomery; Lumina Zhang, 8th grader at Herbert Hoover Middle School.

The awards are given in recognition of outstanding women in Montgomery County who are making significant contributions to their vocations and to the community. Nominations were submitted by peers based on criteria such as unselfish leadership, hard work in their field, exceptional leadership in civic activities, developing or supporting programs resulting in positive social action and inspiring others. More information and the full list of honorees is available here.


Germantown

Signage is up for Charleys Philly Steaks inside of the Germantown Walmart at 20910 Frederick Rd. Charleys is taking over the space formerly occupied by McDonald’s. Charleys will also be opening an additional Germantown location later this year at 19877 Century Blvd in Germantown, 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. No opening date for the Wal-Mart Charleys has been announced.

Charleys opened a location at 405 N Frederick Ave in Gaithersburg, in the location that was recently home to Teriyaki Express, back in September and closed its Lakeforest Mall location in January.


Bethesda

Westfield Montgomery has announced the signing of a new lease with Arhaus, a leader in artisan-crafted, sustainably sourced home furnishings and décor. The nearly 10,000 square-foot showroom will open on the lower level of the Nordstrom wing of the mall, providing shoppers with an inspiring destination to experience the brand’s heirloom-quality furnishings and complimentary design services.

“We are thrilled to have Arhaus open at Westfield Montgomery,” says Stuart Amos, Senior General Manager of Unibail-Rodamco Westfield. “The company’s sustainable mission and artisan-quality furniture and décor speaks directly to the values of the modern consumer in our region, and the new showroom will provide the sort of experience that our shoppers are looking to return to – one that emphasizes personal touches and in-real-life service.”


Health

Per the State of Maryland: Governor Moore released the following statement regarding the Texas hearing seeking to revoke the FDA approval of Mifepristone: 

“Since the FDA approved two-dose medication for abortions more than 20 years ago, more than 5 million people have used mifepristone as a safe and effective healthcare option. Attempts to restrict access to mifepristone are not based on scientific justification—these are nothing more than politically motivated attacks to dismantle women’s rights to make decisions about their own health care.


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.


White Oak

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services and Montgomery County Police responded to a collision involving a pedestrian around 1:20PM on Thursday, March 16. According to public safety reporter Cordell Pugh, the incident occurred at Northbound US-29 Columbia Pike, near Stewart Ln in White Oak. Montgomery County Police tweeted the following at 2:12PM: “All lanes at northbound 29 at New Hampshire Ave. are closed. All southbound lanes of 29 are open. Drivers can use Old Columbia Pike as an alternate route to continue northbound on 29. Expect significant delays.” We will post an update when additional information is available.

CRITICAL INJURY PEDESTRIAN STRUCK: ~1:20PM Thursday, Northbound US-29 Columbia Pike near Stewart Ln (White Oak/MoCo, MD). 29 North CLOSED at MD-650 New Hampshire Ave; lanes will remain closed for Collision Reconstruction. #MDTraffic H/T @MoCoPGnews cc @ACTforTransit @MoCoFSS


Rockville

Per MCPD:

Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Special Victims Investigations Division (SVID) are asking for the public’s assistance in locating a missing 14-year-old from Rockville.  Tanease Callands was last seen on Tuesday, March 14, 2023, at approximately 3 p.m., near Northwest High School in the 13500 block of Richter Farm Rd. in Germantown.


Events

Montgomery Parks, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, is postponing the celebration of the newly renovated Hillwood Manor Neighborhood Park playground, due to inclement weather expected Saturday, March 25.  Instead, the event will be held next week, on the pre-scheduled rain date, Saturday, April 1, 2023 from 2:00-3:30 p.m. at Hillwood Manor Neighborhood Park 1301 Elson Street, Takoma Park, MD 20912 (speaking program begins at 2:15 p.m.).

Montgomery Parks is inviting the public to join in a celebration of the newly renovated Hillwood Manor Neighborhood Park playground. Attendees will enjoy fun on the modernized playground, refreshments, and giveaways. The festivities will be held: 


Events

Per the City of Rockville: International Night will return Friday, March 17, following a two-year pandemic hiatus, for a free evening of multicultural fun and entertainment at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre.

From 6 p.m., International Night will showcase dance performances and traditional clothing displays, with an opportunity for attendees to sample unique and traditional foods from around the world, engage with and learn the customs of people from different countries, and discover our community’s different cultures.


Arts

Sherwood High School’s Rock ‘n Roll Revival just had its 52nd annual show– the tradition has been going strong since 1971, with 2020 being the only year a live show wasn’t produced due to Covid (a virtual show was produced that year). It all began when Sherwood students were inspired by a concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Since then, students audition for the show and rehearse for a couple months, working with staff members to put together a show that is routinely seen by thousands of people each year.

Per Dan Gross of MCPS Communications, “performers work on four to five songs a day. Other cast members who rehearse separately accompany the larger group little by little until all 40 songs have been rehearsed en masse. Shortly before opening night, dancers join in when rehearsals move to the theater. In the weeks before opening night, the stage is built and painted, while the tech crew finalizes sound and lighting.” Gross writes that this year’s show involved 250 student performers and crew members and was seen by over 6,000 people over six performances this year. See the full MCPS photo story here.


MoCo Government

Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is asking residents to participate in a survey on how the County could expand and improve charging infrastructure for electric vehicles (EVs). As part of the initiative, DEP will hold webinars on Thursday, April 13, and Friday, April 14, to share details about the planning process and collect more input. Beginning in 2023, significant funding will be available from Maryland and the Federal government for local governments and private property owners to install EV charging. To take advantage of this opportunity and accelerate the transition to EV ownership, DEP is developing a plan to expand the availability of EV charging throughout the community.

EVs charged in Montgomery County on Pepco’s electric grid reduce emissions by 70-75 percent, demonstrating that switching to an EV is one of the biggest ways to reduce the County’s carbon footprint. The market for electric vehicles is growing rapidly, with plug-in vehicles making up more than 12 percent of newly registered vehicles in 2022. There are currently about 600 EV charging plugs in the County, including 100 “Fast Charging” plugs. However, more charging infrastructure is needed to meet the current demand and allow more residents to feel confident making the transition to electric vehicles. To overcome “range anxiety”—a fear of running out of battery—drivers need to know that they can easily charge their vehicle nearby to where they live, work and visit regularly.


Silver Spring

Per Montgomery County: The Montgomery County Commission for Women and Montgomery Women have named 32 women who were selected for the 2023 “Women Making History Awards.” They will be recognized at the Women Making History Celebration and panel discussion at 6:30 p.m. on March 16 at the Silver Spring Civic Building. The awards are given in recognition of outstanding women in Montgomery County who are making significant contributions to their vocations and to the community. Recipients and their accomplishments will be featured each day in March on the social media platforms of the Montgomery County Commission for Women and Montgomery Women.

This year’s recipients are: