MCPS

Community Letter From Winston Churchill Principal on Tragic Passing of Rising 11th Grade Student

By MCS Staff

Winston Churchill High School principal, John Taylor, sent a letter to the Churchill community on Tuesday informing them of the tragic passing of an 11th grade student at the school. The full letter can be seen below:

It is true that the death of anyone close to us, especially a young person, can be emotionally challenging. Our deepest sympathies and thoughts are with the student’s family and friends during this difficult time. You may be concerned about the reaction of your child to this news of the loss of a classmate. Many students will wish to talk with their parents, so I have linked (see below) some general information that may guide you in those conversations.

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Glenmont

Glenmont Forest Community Block Party Will Return at the Glenmont Forest Community’s New Park and Pavilion on Sunday, July 10

By Patrick Herron

The new park and pavilion is located at the corner of Randolph Road and Georgia Avenue adjacent to Fire Station No. 18 in Wheaton-Glenmont. There is no charge to attend the block party.

GFNCA block parties celebrate the community’s diversity, local arts and the environment. The annual community block party has not been held the previous two years due to the COVID-19 health crisis. All current health regulations will be observed at this year’s block party.

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Restaurants

Zinnia to Open New Café on Wednesday, July 6

By Patrick Herron

Zinnia, which opened the tavern portion of its restaurant back in October, has announced that the grand opening of Zinnia Café will take place on Wednesday, July 6.  The café will feature full breakfast and lunch menus and serve Counter Culture Coffee.  Zinnia is located at 9201 Colesville Rd in Silver Spring, the former site of Mrs. K’s Tollhouse, which closed in March 2020 after initial COVID-19 restrictions were enacted.

In June, Washingtonian released its ‘Best of Summer: Where We’d Have a Drink Right Now’ list that includes “new rooftop lounges, summery cocktails, terrific happy hour deals, and more reasons to raise a glass” and named Zinnia ‘Best Tavern Garden.’

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MoCo Government

Montgomery County Rolls Out New Portal for Filing Complaints Against Police Officers

By Patrick Herron

The newly formed Police Accountability Board (PAB) will oversee complaints filed against the Montgomery County Police Department, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, City of Gaithersburg Police Department, City of Takoma Park Police Department, City of Rockville Police Department, and Village of Chevy Chase Police Department and its officers.

Montgomery County’s PAB was established after the passage of the Maryland Police Accountability Act of 2021 (MD-HB 670.) It is a repeal and replacement of the Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights.

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MCDOT

New Ride On Bus Route 27 Service to Adventist Healthcare White Oak Medical Center to Begin Sunday, July 17

By Patrick Herron

The new route will operate between Hillandale Transit Center and the Tech Road Park and Ride lot with stops along Powder Mill Road, Cherry Hill Road, Plum Orchard Drive, Broadbirch Drive, and Tech Road. The route will have connections with Metrobus, Ride On, and Flash bus routes, as well as other transportation services within the network.

Ride On interiors will continue to be cleaned by the County’s Department of General Services with hospital-grade disinfectant. Bus filter and ventilation systems are also treated with a disinfectant.

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Maryland

Maryland State Police Arrest Almost 100 Drunk Drivers Through Independence Day Weekend Across the State

By Patrick Herron

From Friday, July 1st, through Monday, July 4th, police arrested 95 impaired drivers during regular road patrols throughout the state and a joint DUI saturation patrol focused on Route 50.  The full-time drunk driving enforcement team of troopers known as the State Police Impaired Driving Reduction Effort, or S.P.I.D.R.E. team, funded by the Maryland Highway Safety Office also worked the initiative.

Troopers worked saturation patrols on I-695 in Baltimore County, I-70 in Howard County and I-495 in Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties. In total, police issued 1,396 citations and warnings in these four counties during the initiative.

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MoCo Government

Stealing Houses or Scare Tactic Advertising? Montgomery County’s Office of Consumer Protection Provides Information on Home Title ‘Protection’

By Patrick Herron

OCP has been receiving calls and email messages from homeowners who are concerned about the alleged ease with which a crook can file a “quitclaim deed” in the Circuit Court Land Records to change the ownership of a consumer’s house and property.  Homeowners report that these heightened concerns are the result of receiving popup or radio advertisements on the internet from several firms that warn consumers about what might happen to their homes if they fail to purchase “protection” and “monitoring” services.

“These predatory advertisements seek to capture customers through fear and missing information, making consumers believe that they will be subjected to financial harm if they do not purchase their services,” said OCP Director Eric Friedman. “In fact, house stealing by filing fraudulent quitclaim deeds is extremely rare in Montgomery County, and there are several internal processes that make such activity highly unlikely. These advertisements do not disclose full information.”

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Silver Spring

Silver Spring Artist Uses Uber Driver’s License Plate Number to Win $50,000 

By Patrick Herron

“I play a lot, Keno usually, but all the different games,” he said. “It’s fun, helps me relax.” About to depart the store, our winner remembered the Uber license plate numbers. “There were five numbers so I used them for a Pick 5 ticket.”

He placed a wager on the June 22 midday and evening drawing, betting $1 straight for both drawings.

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MoCo Government

Chelsea J. Andrews Named Executive Director of Montgomery County’s Housing Opportunities Commission

By Patrick Herron

She has multiple years of demonstrated exemplary leadership experience and expertise in directing large scale housing organizations in the public and non-profit sectors. Roy Priest, Chair of the Board commented, “We look forward to working with her to build upon our current successes in the production and preservation of affordable housing, expanding our capacity and service delivery efforts to our residents and strengthening our engagements with our community housing partners, business associates and public officials. Chelsea’s selection marks the beginning of a new era for HOC’s visioning and building financial and community programs that will lead to the creation of new affordable housing and service opportunities for the residents of the County who struggle daily to stabilize their families in this volatile economic environment”

Ms. Andrews was selected from a pool of over a dozen candidates in a nationwide search conducted by the Board of Commissioners during the past year. She brings to her new role experience leading agencies in both affordable housing and homeless sectors, with the reputation of being a bridge builder and community transformer. Currently Ms. Andrews is the Interim Executive Director of EveryOne Home, a HUD designated Continuum of Care organization in the San Francisco area, bringing together stakeholders representing Alameda County and 14 cities including Oakland and Berkeley to end homelessness for nearly 10,000 individuals.

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Maryland

Governor Hogan Directs Maryland State Police to Suspend ‘Good and Substantial Reason’ Standard For Gun Permits

By Patrick Herron

“Over the course of my administration, I have consistently supported the right of law-abiding citizens to own and carry firearms, while enacting responsible and common sense measures to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill.

“Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a provision in New York law pertaining to handgun permitting that is virtually indistinguishable from Maryland law. In light of the ruling and to ensure compliance with the Constitution, I am directing the Maryland State Police to immediately suspend utilization of the ‘good and substantial reason’ standard when reviewing applications for Wear and Carry Permits. It would be unconstitutional to continue enforcing this provision in state law. There is no impact on other permitting requirements and protocols.

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Germantown

Update: Germantown Man Leads Police on Multi-State Pursuit, Identity of Suspect Released

By Patrick Herron

On July 4, 2022, at approximately 9:20 a.m., 5th District patrol officers responded to the 11300 block of Hawks Ridge Terrace in Germantown, for the report of a male shooting a rifle at people. The suspect, Frederick Njihia, shot multiple times at a WSSC worker, striking his vehicle several times, as well as a male standing next to his truck.

A description of Njihia’s vehicle, a blue Honda Civic, was provided to officers. A short time later, a Montgomery County Officer, along with a police officer candidate riding in the vehicle, were traveling on Germantown Rd. towards Frederick Rd., when they observed the suspect vehicle.

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