Rockville

Veterans and Military Members Wanted for City of Rockville Ceremonies

By Patrick Herron

Per the City of Rockville: Rockville’s annual Veterans Day and Memorial Day ceremonies each include a member of the military as a featured speaker. Rockville and Montgomery County residents who have retired from, or currently serve in, the United States military are eligible to take part in the ceremonies. The Memorial Day ceremony will be held Monday, May 29. The Veterans Day ceremony will be held Saturday, Nov. 11. Volunteer speakers must be comfortable speaking in public and must prepare a five- to seven-minute speech about their experiences in the armed forces, including what it means to serve and to honor those who have served.

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Rockville

Bike Safely From the City of Rockville

By Patrick Herron

Per the City of Rockville: Rockville is a great place to get around by all modes of transportation. People may drive to a park, bike to work, or walk or roll to a store. Traffic safety is a shared responsibility. Just like drivers, people walking, rolling, and bicycling need to do their part to keep themselves and everyone else on the road safe. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when bicycling:

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Rockville

‘Rockville Means Business’ Event to Highlight How Vendors Can Work with City Government

By Patrick Herron

Per the City of Rockville: Rockville’s Procurement Division will host an event in April offering vendors the opportunity to learn more about doing business with city government. Registration is now open for “Rockville Means Business” on Thursday, April 20 at Glenview Mansion at Rockville Civic Center Park, 603 Edmonston Drive. Doors open at 8:30 a.m. The event, from 9 a.m.-noon, will feature information sessions and exhibits by city departments giving vendors the opportunity to interact with City of Rockville staff. A continental breakfast will be available.

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Gaithersburg

Watkins Mill Principal Carol Goddard To Retire Following the 2022-23 School Year After Almost 50 Years in Education

By MCS Staff

This article was written by Ashley Huynh, Editor-in-Chief of Watkins Mill’s student newspaper The Current

Watkins Mill High School principal Carol Goddard will retire at the end of the 2022-23 school year, spending almost 50 years working in education and 30 years in Montgomery County Public Schools.Goddard’s retirement comes with mixed emotions for the community, including herself.  “I love this place.  Love the kids.  Love what I do,” Goddard said.  She will miss the kids and staff, and “all the tight, tight friendships I’ve made in the professional world.” “I am happy for Ms. Goddard to retire,” social studies teacher Lauren Squier said.  “I’m sure it was a very difficult choice for her to ‘hang up her pencils,’ but I’m excited for her to enjoy a new chapter in her life.”

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MoCo Government

Voluntary Rent Guideline Increase Set at 5.8 Percent

By Patrick Herron

Per Montgomery County: Under requirements of Montgomery County law, the Voluntary Rent Guideline (VRG) is updated annually to represent the prior year increase in the rental component of the Consumer Price Index for the Washington Metropolitan Area. Based on that, the VRG for Montgomery County has been set at 5.8 percent. That guideline went into effect on Feb. 24. The VRG for 2022 was 0.4 percent.  Per the County law, a notice of rent increase must be in writing and delivered to a tenant at least 90 days prior to the effective date of the rent increase. The limit on rent increase notices applies to all County-licensed residential rentals, including rental units in multifamily buildings, houses, townhouses, individual condominium units and accessory dwelling units.

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Hillandale

MoCo Scratch-off Fan Wins $100,000 Top Prize

By Patrick Herron

The construction worker is married with two children. He plans to put most of the prize in the bank but might take a trip to El Salvador, his native country, to visit family members. Hillandale Beer & Wine in Silver Spring was the home of the winning scratch-off. For selling a $100,000 top-prize winning instant ticket, the Montgomery County retailer located at 10117 New Hampshire Avenue will receive a $1,000 bonus from the Lottery. The bonus equals 1% of the prize. The $100,000 Extreme Cash game is one of five $30 scratch-offs and went on sale in September 2020. Five $100,000 top prizes still remain unclaimed along with two $5,000 prizes and 29,600 others ranging from $30 to $500.”

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Beyond MoCo

Beyond MoCo: Maryland State Police Investigating Discovery Of Human Skeletal Remains In Cecil County

By Patrick Herron

Per the Maryland State Police: Maryland State Police are investigating the discovery of human skeletal remains found Sunday in a wooded area in Cecil County. Shortly before 10:30 a.m. on February 26, troopers from the North East Barrack received a call from two hunters in a wooded area off of Mountain Hill Road, near Route 7 in Perryville. They told police that they located possible human skeletal remains along with a firearm, clothes, and jewelry.   Troopers responded along with crime scene technicians from the Maryland State Police Forensic Sciences Division. Investigators located the remains, a .22 LR/410 bore combination rifle and a gray backpack. Crime scene technicians processed the scene for evidence. The skeletal remains were transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for analysis.

Police believe the deceased to be a Caucasian male, 6-feet tall, approximately 50 to 60 years old with a healed collarbone break and a healed broken rib. The preliminary investigation indicates the presence of a possible camp in the area where the remains were located.

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MCPS

MCPS DMM Coordinator, Kimani Gray, Wins Supporting Services Employee of the Year

By MCS Staff

Kimani Gray, supply services coordinator for the Supply and Property Management Unit, doesn’t have an easy job. Even though it regularly pulls him in multiple directions, he always remains calm and focused. Colleagues call him the “behind-the-scenes glue” that keeps schools and offices running. Gray has been named this year’s Supporting Services Employee of the Year, an annual award given by SEIU Local 500.

He has exceptional customer service skills, exceeds expectations with his attention to detail and has in-depth knowledge of the school system’s inventory, which help him meet design and spatial needs for all offices. He deftly juggles several projects at once, and is described as a flexible, positive and kind leader. He also works closely with local businesses as he coordinates the furniture donation program, which allows the Department of Materials Management to obtain new or gently used furniture for MCPS facilities.

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WMATA

Metro developing plan to fix wheels and return 7000-series fleet to normal service

By MCS Staff

Metro’s plan to change the way it presses wheels on 7000-series rail cars (7Ks) is under development, based on technical data released today by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB):

“We appreciate the NTSB making the technical reports available so that we can develop our plan to begin repressing wheels on these trains at a higher standard, including the fit onto the axles,” said Chief Operations Officer Brian Dwyer. “We are preparing the technical documents and training plan, while we collaboratively advance the next version of our return to service plan for approval by the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission.”

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Bethesda

Traffic data about the Little Falls Parkway pilot project to the Montgomery Planning Board on March 30, 2023

By MCS Staff

Montgomery Parks will present information, including traffic data, related to the Little Falls Parkway pilot project(opens in a new tab) to the Montgomery Planning Board at an evening briefing on March 30, 2023. After the briefing, the Planning Board will hold a public hearing so the public can respond to the data and share input on the project. The exact time for the March 30 briefing and public hearing will be posted on the Planning Board agenda closer to the date of the hearing.

The public will have an opportunity to provide testimony virtually or in person at the March 30 planning board hearing or in advance via email or mail. Details on how to sign up to testify, provide advance testimony and the procedures for testifying are outlined on the Planning Board “Sign Up to Testify” webpage.(opens in a new tab)

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Gaithersburg

Montgomery County Public Libraries Celebrates ‘Read Across America Week’ March 2-6 with Volunteers Pairing with Children in Reading Program

By Patrick Herron
Courtesy MCPL

Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County Public Libraries is partnering with the Jewish Council for the Aging Heyman Interages Center (JCA), or Interages, to celebrate “Read Across America Week” by providing a reading program at selected branches. The special week is March 2-6. The one-on-one program will pair JCA volunteers with children between kindergarten and third grade. The volunteers have been recruited, vetted and trained by JCA in communication and intergenerational interaction. Reading sessions will be at the Gaithersburg and Wheaton libraries.

“Getting our young people inspired to read is one of the most important things we can do in providing great educations for our upcoming generations,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “Having a reading partner often is the key to making reading fun and interesting. The Read Across America program in which Montgomery County Public Libraries partners with the Jewish Council for the Aging is a model program we should duplicate wherever possible—including right at home.”

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