Education

STEAM Festival Showcase for Families and Students of All Ages on November 5

By MCS Staff

A STEAM Festival Showcase will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5 at Northwood High School (919 University Blvd., West). MCPS and educational partners will showcase opportunities for STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) with hands-on activities and demonstrations. This event is free and open to all MCPS families and students of all ages.

The keynote speaker is Tina C. Williams-Koroma, the founder and CEO of TCecure, a cybersecurity and intelligence company providing security architecture, engineering, assessment, training, and consulting services to businesses. She is also the founder of CyDeploy, a technology company that helps organizations confidently make security changes to their systems and better protect its assets. Williams-Koroma is a Maryland attorney who also holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science and a master’s in management. She will speak at 11 a.m.

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Crime

Laurel Man Sentenced to 17 Years in Federal Prison for Distributing Kilograms of Fentanyl, Cocaine, and Marijuana Through the U.S. Mail; Over $1.5 Million in Cash Seized

By MCS Staff

Per the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Maryland: U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallaher sentenced Michael Fisher, a.k.a. “Mark Wilson,” age 47, of Laurel, Maryland, today to 17 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for his participation in a large-scale drug trafficking organization involving fentanyl, cocaine, and marijuana shipped from California to Maryland through the U.S. mail.  At today’s sentencing hearing, Judge Gallagher found that approximately 120 kilograms of cocaine, 6.5 kilograms of fentanyl and 50 kilograms of marijuana were attributable to Fisher as part of the conspiracy.

According to his guilty plea, in November 2019, law enforcement began investigating a drug trafficking conspiracy that used the U.S. mail to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and marijuana in the Baltimore/Washington Metropolitan area.  During the investigation, court-authorized wiretaps of Fisher and his co-conspirator, Dwight Antonio Pitts, revealed conversations in which they discussed the distribution of fentanyl, cocaine, and marijuana with each other and with other individuals.  Further, law enforcement conducted surveillance and observed drug transactions by both Fisher and Pitts.

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MDLottery

Powerball Jackpot Reaches $550 Million for Drawing on Saturday, October 22

By Patrick Herron

Kaywood Liquors, at 2205 Varnum Street in Mt. Rainier (Prince George’s County), sold the $150,057-winning ticket. Schroeder’s Liquors at 479 North East Road in North East (Cecil County) sold the $50,000-winning ticket.

Lottery officials encourage all winners to sign the backs of their tickets immediately and put them in a safe location. They get 182 days from the date of the drawing to claim their prizes.

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MoCo Government

Montgomery County Council Committee Meetings on October 24, 2022

By Patrick Herron

The Education and Culture (E&C) Committee will meet at 1:30 p.m. to discuss a $750,000 Special Appropriation for the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Technology Modernization Project. In addition, the Committee will receive its third briefing on the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. The members of the E&C Committee include Chair Craig Rice and Councilmembers Jawando (Lead for Libraries) and Nancy Navarro.

Expedited Bill 22-22, Landlord-Tenant Relations – Limitations on Rent Increases

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MoCo Government

Council President Albornoz Responds to the County Executive Elrich’s Request to Vote ‘No’ on Thrive Montgomery 2050

By Patrick Herron

ROCKVILLE, Md., Oct. 21, 2022—Today Montgomery County Council President Gabe Albornoz sent a letter to County Executive Marc Elrich responding to his continued opposition to moving Montgomery County forward with Thrive Montgomery 2050. In the letter, the Council President clarifies information and addresses issues raised by the County Executive.The full text of the letter by Council President Albornoz is below and can be viewed here. 

The Council has received your Oct. 20 letter with your continued opposition to moving Montgomery County forward. This time it’s related to your ongoing objections about Thrive Montgomery 2050, which is the first comprehensive rewrite of Montgomery County’s General Plan since 1969. The Council must plan for the future of our community, and we cannot do that appropriately or effectively based on principles that are more than a half century old.  

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Maryland

Maryland Department of Health Announces First Human Monkeypox-Related Death in the State

By MCS Staff

Per The Maryland Department of Health (MDH): The Maryland Department of Health has confirmed and reported the death of a Maryland resident in which human monkeypox (MPX) was a contributing factor. The individual was immunocompromised, resulting in a more severe case. MDH will not be providing additional information to protect patient confidentiality.

“Human monkeypox is still circulating and can cause severe illness and death,” said MDH Deputy Secretary for Public Health Services Dr. Jinlene Chan. “If you are eligible, such as being immunocompromised or at-risk, the best way to protect yourself against serious illness from MPX is by getting vaccinated.”

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Aspen Hill

BB.Q Chicken and Beer Now Open in Plaza Del Mercado

By MCS Staff

BB.Q Chicken is now open at 2235 Bel Pre Rd in Plaza Del Mercado (Silver Spring).  It has been over a year and a half since we announced that it would replace Fu Lin Restaurant, which closed on February 21st, 2021. BB.Q Chicken, a global chain of restaurants offering Korean fried chicken and more, has another Montgomery County location at 9712 Traville Gateway Dr in Rockville.

The “BB.Q” stands for “Best of the Best Quality”. The restaurant’s menu offers a wide variety of starters, including waffle fries with nacho cheese, kimchi chicken sliders, and many different flavors of their olive chicken strips. Entrees include half/whole chicken, boneless chicken, garlic chicken, and many different flavors of wings. They also have sandwiches, soups, salads, and plenty of homemade sides. Below you’ll see a picture of the interior, courtesy of Dean Themis.

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Aspen Hill

Worst Parking Lots in MoCo 2022

By Patrick Herron

“The Costco in Gaithersburg is the 7th circle of hell” is just one of many answers we received when we asked the question, “What is the worst parking lot in MoCo?” on social media.  Everyone has had their share of terrible experiences in MoCo parking lots, and while there are more than 26 “bad” parking lots, we’ve narrowed down a list (in no particular order) of what we feel are the worst.

 

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Gaithersburg

Late 2023 Opening Expected for Sportrock Climbing Centers in Rio

By MCS Staff

Back in July we let you know that Sportrock Climbing Centers is coming to Rio, taking over part of the space that was previously occupied by Sport & Health (Dave & Buster’s now occupies the other part of the space). Per an update provided to us by Rio today, Sportrock is aiming for a late 2023 opening. Sportrock opened the first commercial climbing gym in the DC metro area approximately 28 years ago in 1994, when it opened its Rockville. That location closed in 2006, but Sportrock has continued to operate successfully in Alexandria, Virginia. Now, it’s bringing rock climbing back to Rio, where many remember the much smaller walls that were a part of Sportland in the 90s.

The Sportrock founders met while training together at Zich’s (pronounced Zeke’s) Garage, a handmade climbing gym in Washington, DC. When Zich was 19 he was looking for a place to train in the wintertime. Zich convinced his supportive parents to let me build a DIY climbing space in their freestanding car garage. When the demand outgrew the space, Sportrock founders broke off and formed Sportrock’s first location in Rockville (14708 Southlawn Ln) so they would continue to have a place to climb and train together.

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