Bethesda

“When crisis strikes, we help get the community back on its feet!” That was the quote from local restaurant Medium Rare as they prepared to deliver 600 meals for campers at Camp Airy in Frederick, after a fire destroyed the camp dining hall, causing $2 million in damages on Wednesday.

“Today in partnership with Feed the Fridge, we will be preparing and delivering 600 meals for campers at Camp Airy in Frederick Co., MD after their mess hall was destroyed in a large fire yesterday. Meals include Steak and Grilled Chicken with Salad, along with a vegetarian option.


MDLottery

Playing the Lottery during treatment helped take their minds off their worries

A husband and wife claimed a $1 million Maryland Lottery scratch-off prize on June 28, but they were already celebrating something even bigger. Upon claiming the prize, the husband explained, “She just survived cancer, so it’s a blessing!”


Burtonsville

Read our original story here: Burtonsville Crossing Redevelopment to Include Sprouts as Grocery Store Anchor

Per Montgomery County: On Thursday, County Executive Marc Elrich was joined by Council President Gabe Albornoz, Councilmember Tom Hucker, members of the Montgomery County State Delegation and representatives from EDENS to announce bringing a main “anchor” store back to the Burtonsville Crossing Shopping Center and the redevelopment of the vacant shopping center. A lease has been signed by the Phoenix-based company Sprouts Farmers Market in what is seen as the first critical step to kick start the revitalization of a once thriving retail area. It will also be the grocery chain’s first store in Montgomery County. “We are excited to partner with Sprouts on bringing a unique grocery experience to Burtonsville,” said David Germakian, Managing Director, EDENS.


Montgomery Planning

Join the first in-person Visioning Workshop for the Fairland and Briggs Chaney Master Plan on July 6

The Montgomery County Planning Board and the Montgomery County Planning Department have announced their July 2022 calendar of events and meetings. All persons attending Planning Board meetings in person at M-NCPPC’s Wheaton Headquarters (2425 Reedie Drive, Wheaton, MD 20902) must be vaccinated, must sign up in advance, and may be required to show proof of vaccination. Those who participate are expected to observe general rules of decorum and address only the issues relevant to the decision before the Planning Board.


MoCo Government

Based on the Consumer Price Index for all urban wage earners and clerical workers (CPI-W) for the Washington-Baltimore region, the Montgomery County Chief Administrative Officer has set the rate for the increase of minimum wage for July 2022 for large employers (those with 51 employees or more) at $15.65 per hour. After hitting the $15 minimum wage rate last year, the law now requires the Chief Administrative Officer to adjust the rate each year. The change is based on the previous calendar year. Previous years were based on rate of increase determined by the Montgomery County Council to get to $15.

“This is an important next step to ensure that the minimum wage keeps up with inflation,” said County Executive Elrich. “For too long, the minimum wage was stagnant and did not change based on inflation. I was proud to champion the increase in minimum wage when I was a County Councilmember and pleased to see it finally reached $15 per hour for large employers last year, and under the law, once the minimum wage hits $15, it is then increased based on inflation so that low wage workers are not left behind. A decent wage is the path to more opportunity and improved equity.”


Beyond MoCo

Press release from Frederick County Fire & Rescue: On Wednesday June 29, 2022, the Frederick County Division of Fire and Rescue Services was dispatched to a building fire at Camp Airy, located at 14938 Old Camp Airy Road, Thurmont, Maryland. A Frederick County Sheriff’s Office School Resource Officer as well as a Maryland State Trooper were first on the scene and confirmed smoke on the second floor of the structure and that the building was evacuated. Arriving fire crews located the camp’s dining hall with visible smoke and a rapid intervention dispatch, tanker task force, and second alarm were requested. The incident brought in over 100 firefighters from Maryland and Pennsylvania to battle the blaze. Fire and Rescue crews were able to isolate the fire to the dining hall and Camp Airy staff relocated all campers safely to a distant section of the property. The fire was brought under control in about three hours but numerous crews remained on scene for the duration of the day extinguishing hot spots.

As is normal for a fire this substantial, hot spots rekindled overnight and throughout the morning today bringing crews back out to continuously monitor and put water on it. Today, local construction company, W. F. Delauter & Son provided an excavator to assist with moving debris so that firefighters could access material that was still smoldering. Over 85,000 gallons of water was placed on the remnants of the structure to ensure it was completely extinguished.


Maryland

Together with Maryland Secretary of State John C. Wobensmith and representatives from Maryland State Police and the Annapolis YWCA, the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services (GOCPYVS) hosted a roundtable discussion about combating domestic violence and human trafficking, in addition to sharing victim support strategies.

“Comprehensive crime prevention and victim support are critical to reducing incidents of heinous crimes like domestic violence and human trafficking,” said Governor Hogan. “We are honored to share our progress and best practices with this delegation, in the hope that through these conversations, we can help those impacted by these crimes not only here in Maryland, but anywhere in the world.”