Maryland

Greivis Vasquez, Who Moved to the U.S. to Attend High School in Rockville, is Inducted Into Maryland Athletics Hall of Fame

By MCS Staff

Greivis Vasquez, who attended Montrose Christian in z Rockville, was inducted into the University of Maryland Athletics Hall of Fame this past weekend, joining seven other former UMD student-athletes in the ceremony.

The 2010 ACC player of the year was born in Caracas, Venezuela and moved to the United States to attend high school and play basketball at Montrose Christian School in Rockville in 2004. During his senior year at Montrose he committed to the University of Maryland to play under head coach Gary Williams. Below you’ll see some of his accomplishments at the University of Maryland and in the NBA after that:

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Silver Spring

Tropical Smoothie Cafe Now Open in the Woodmoor Shopping Center

By Patrick Herron

Tropical Smoothie Cafe is now open at 10141 Colesville Rd in Silver Spring, at the Woodmoor Shopping Center, in the space formerly occupied by Hoover-Fisher Florists. Tropical Smoothie’s most recent MoCo location opened in Germantown on December 26 and the company has additional locations in Aspen Hill , Bethesda, 2 in Gaithersburg, Travilah, and White Oak.

The café offers more than just smoothies as the menu contains flatbreads, wraps, quesadillas, sandwiches, bowls, breakfast, and a lot more.

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MoCo Government

Montgomery County Providing 50,000 Loaner Computers to Low-Income Residents; Receives Additional $22.6 Million in Digital Equity Grants

By Patrick Herron

Computer distribution events also provide in-person assistance to help eligible families get free home or mobile internet service so they can better use the computers.

“Everyone deserves to be part of the digital world—it is a necessity,” said County Executive Elrich. “Montgomery County was focused on digital equity before the pandemic, and it is critical to our economic and educational recovery efforts. I appreciate the Federal, State and private sector entities for these investments and am proud of what Montgomery Connects is doing to bring much needed funding to expand digital equity programs for our residents most in need.”

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Health

Halloween ‘BOO!sterama’ to Be Held Saturday, Oct. 29 at Westfield Wheaton Mall; Montgomery County Encourages Updated Boosters as COVID-19 Illness Continues

By Patrick Herron

Both Moderna and Pfizer bivalent boosters will be available at the BOO!sterama.  Anyone 12 and older who had their last vaccine dose at least two months ago should get the updated booster shot. The event will be held at Westfield Wheaton Mall, outside of the Carter’s store on the second floor.  Individuals who receive their booster at the event will be entered in a drawing to receive one of five $50 gift cards that can be used throughout Westfield Wheaton’s wide variety of retailers.

“Over the past month, Montgomery County became the largest jurisdiction to become 90% fully vaccinated,”  said County Executive Marc Elrich. “However, being ‘fully vaccinated’ doesn’t protect us enough and we must convince every eligible individual to get the new bivalent booster.  These booster shots are free and can protect you from the risk of serious illness from COVID-19.  I am grateful and appreciative of our partnership with Westfield Wheaton to provide space, incentives and access to get our vaccines directly in front of potential recipients.”

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Highways / Interstates

Maryland State Police Arrest Seven People After Protests Shut Down I-495 In Montgomery County

By Patrick Herron

Per the Maryland State Police: (ROCKVILLE, MD) – Maryland State Police arrested seven people after a group of protestors shut down a portion of Interstate 495 this morning in Montgomery County. Shortly before 10:30 a.m., troopers from the Maryland State Police Rockville Barrack responded to inner loop of I-495 at U.S. Route 29 following multiple calls of protestors dressed in neon vests holding signs and blocking the road. According to a preliminary investigation, more than 10 pedestrians were sitting in the road and blocking all lanes of traffic. Several other protestors were walking around and holding signs.

Troopers from the Rockville and College Park barracks, with assistance from Montgomery County Police, asked the protestors multiple times to leave so they could be issued a criminal citation. After several warnings, those who did not comply were arrested without incident.In all, seven people were arrested at the scene. During the protest, traffic was diverted off the beltway until the road could be cleared. The interstate was reopened by 11:15 a.m. All seven people arrested were charged with obstructing or hindering the free passage of another in a public place or on a public conveyance and failing to obey law enforcement officer who attempts to prevent a disturbance to the public peace. The suspects were identified as:

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Montgomery Parks

Montgomery Parks to Begin Phase Two of Little Falls Parkway Pilot Project in October

By MCS Staff

The project aims to develop a linear park on two lanes of the four-lane parkway. Montgomery Parks, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, will again reconfigure lanes on Little Falls Parkway for Phase Two of the pilot project to repurpose two lanes of the parkway between Arlington Road and Dorset Avenue and create a linear park. Work is scheduled to begin on Monday, October 17, 2022. The new park will add much-needed recreational space in an area where land is at a premium, and adjacent to the Capital Crescent Trail – one of the most popular trails in Montgomery Parks’ system.

The ultimate planned linear park will be located on a portion of Little Falls Parkway that was previously part of Montgomery Parks’ Open Parkways program between River Road and Arlington Road (1.3 miles). That portion of the Open Parkways program was suspended last summer, to study the operational effects of permanently reducing a segment of the Parkway from four lanes to two. Phase One of the pilot project implemented a road diet from Arlington to Dorset, with one lane in each direction and a median in the middle of the traffic flow. MCDOT and Parks independently completed several rounds of traffic counts during Phase One of the pilot and determined that Little Falls Parkway functioned well with two lanes, allowing the project to proceed to Phase Two.

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Beyond MoCo

Beyond MoCo: Columbia, MD (Howard County) is ‘Safest City in America’, According to Report

By MCS Staff

Personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2022’s Safest Cities in America, and nearby Columbia MD (Howard County) was ranked the safest city in America. It appears that only Baltimore and Columbia, the two areas in MD with a population over 100,000 were the only places in Maryland included in the report.

Per WalletHub, To determine where Americans can feel most protected against life’s hazards, including nonphysical forms of danger, WalletHub compared more than 180 U.S. cities across 42 key metrics. The data set ranges from the percentage of residents who are fully vaccinated and assaults per capita to the unemployment rate and road quality.

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Bethesda

New Most Expensive Home For Sale in Montgomery County

By MCS Staff

Last week a new listing took the place of “most expensive home for sale in Montgomery County” when 8801 Fernwood Rd in Bethesda was listed for $12.5 million. The 15,000 SF home (photos below) is listed by Daniel Heider of TTR Sotheby’s International Realty and has 6 bedrooms to go along with 10 bathrooms (8 full, 2 half).

The home, which was built in 1972, is part of the Bradley Hills Grove subdivision and sits on a lot size of 2.773 acres. Per the property description:

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Montgomery College

County Council Seeks Applicants for Nominating Committee for Board of Trustees of Montgomery College

By Patrick Herron

The committee consists of two members appointed by the County Executive, one by the Montgomery College Alumni Association and two by the County Council. The current Council representatives on the committee are Kenneth Jones and Althea Lloyd-White. The terms are for two years.  The Nominating Committee was established by state law and has no limit to the number of terms members can serve.

The committee reviews applications for vacancies on the Board of Trustees of Montgomery College and submits recommendations to the Governor, who makes the appointment.  Approximately three committee meetings are held each year. Meeting dates and locations are arranged at the convenience of the entire committee. In the past, the committee chairperson has requested that committee members also attend several Board of Trustees meetings.

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Germantown

Germantown Man Arrested and Charged with Attempted Murder in Montgomery Village Shooting

By Patrick Herron

Officers arrived at the scene and located a juvenile male suffering from apparent gunshot wounds on the back staircase of the location. Officers administered life saving measures to the victim until Montgomery County Fire Rescue arrived at the scene. The victim was transported to an area hospital in critical condition.  Items of evidentiary value were collected from the scene.

During the month of September 2022, detectives identified Damien Fisher as the suspect in the August 16th shooting. Additionally, detectives learned that Fisher was also a suspect in a carjacking and kidnapping incident. Detectives obtained an arrest warrant, charging Fisher with kidnapping, first-degree assault and unauthorized removal of a vehicle.

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Derwood

Montgomery County Provides Relief for Florida Shelters in the Aftermath of Hurricane Ian; Cats and Dogs Available for Adoption

By Patrick Herron

As a Best Friends Network Partner, the Office of Animal Services (OAS) received a request for aid. Working together with the Best Friends Emergency Response team, OAS was able to accept 10 cats and three dogs from the Humane Society of Pinellas, which acted as a transport hub for dogs and cats to move out of Florida in the wake of the hurricane to create more room in local shelters for displaced pets. Animals from the transport originally came from multiple Florida shelters, but primarily from Manatee County Animal Services.

The cats and dogs were given several days to relax and recover from their long road trip. They were then evaluated medically and behaviorally in preparation for eventual adoption at MCASAC. The Montgomery County Animal Services and Adoption Center (MCASAC) provides high-standard sheltering and care to the homeless, abused and neglected animals and ensures the safety and welfare of the County’s residents. The Center is the County’s only open-admission, municipal shelter.

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