MoCo Police

Two Suspects Arrested and Charged in Series of Armed Robberies and Carjackings

By Patrick Herron

On Sunday, February 20, 2022, at approximately 7:08 a.m., 4th District Officers responded to the 7-Eleven store in the 3500 block of University Blvd. West for the report of an armed robbery that just occurred.

The investigation by detectives determined that three suspects arrived at the location in a black Honda Ridgeline, which they had just allegedly stolen from Live Oak Dr. in Montgomery County. The suspects entered the store, displayed handguns and demanded an employee to remove money from the cash register. The employee complied with the suspects’ demands. A round was fired into the store, but no one was struck. One of the suspects stole a key fob from a customer in the store. The suspects then exited the store, and one of the suspects fled the scene in the customer’s vehicle, a gray Lexus RX. The other two suspects fled in the Honda.

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Maryland

Governor Hogan Announces 211 Maryland Campaign to Expand Multilingual Access to Services and Support

By Patrick Herron

Per the State of Maryland:

ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Larry Hogan today announced a new partnership between the Office of Immigrant Affairs and 211 Maryland to expand multilingual access to services and support, including reporting hate crimes and finding resources for victims.  “This new partnership with 211 Maryland is an important collaboration to overcome language barriers in serving everyone who calls Maryland home and who works to make great contributions to our state,” said Governor Hogan. “It will further expand our outreach and resources to make it easier to report hate crimes and connect victims with services. We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to help provide additional support for those who are affected by these heinous crimes.”

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Bethesda

Plant-Based Food Festival Coming to Bethesda

By Patrick Herron

Planet Bethesda, a plant-based food festival, will take place on June 5 from 12-6pm at Elm Street Park in Bethesda.  According to the events website, there will be more than a dozen area restaurants and vendors, live DJ, Bier Garten, and a plant-based pie eating contest.  Participating restaurants include Dog Haus, Berries & Bowls, True Food Kitchen, and Tikka Masala. Entry to is the event is free and vendor food and beverage will be available for purchase.

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Germantown

Food Distribution Event Today in Germantown For Those in Need

By Patrick Herron

There will be a food distribution event today, May 3, at Germantown Elementary School (19110 Liberty Mill Rd) from 2-3PM. Please remain in your vehicle while food is being delivered.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Black Rock Center has temporarily transformed into the Upcounty Consolidation Hub. The Hub provides essential food, baby, and household supplies to over 1,000 families disproportionally impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic every week. Learn more at blackrockcenter.org 

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Events

Rocktobierfest Currently Scheduled to Take Place in RedGate Park This October

By MCS Staff

Rocktobierfest is currently scheduled to take place at RedGate Park at 14500 Avery Road in Rockville on Saturday, October 1st from 11am-5pm.. It makes for the second major City of Rockville event to leave Rockville Town Square this year, as Taste of Rockville/Hometown Holidays will also be taking place at RedGate Park for the first time this year.

Rocktobierfest features three stages of entertainment, including German, rock and children’s music. Guests can also enjoy beverages for sale by local breweries and participants, food, and an artisan shopping area. This annual event attracts usually attracts more than 8,000 people. Last year’s Rocktobierfest was scheduled to take place in Rockville Town Square on October 2nd, but was cancelled on September 17th due to Covid concerns.

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North Potomac

Construction Update on 200,000 SF Building Being Constructed On Darnestown Road

By MCS Staff

A nearly 200,000-square foot building with a five-level parking garage containing up to 562 spaces is currently being constructed for Research and Development use off at 9810 Darnestown Rd next to the Travilah Square shopping center. The first tenant has been announced and update photos and a rendering of the completed building can be seen below.

Building A will be the first of three buildings planned for Parcel N (shown in the images below). Together, these buildings will form a research and development campus that coordinates effectively with the current life sciences campus.

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Arts

Gaithersburg City Park Photo Contest

By MCS Staff

The Alliance for Parks of the Gaithersburg Parks, Arts and Recreation Corporation (G-PARC), along with the Department of Parks, Recreation & Culture, are pleased to announce the First Annual Photo Contest, designed to showcase the best of Gaithersburg’s Parks, Arts & Recreation. Photos should illustrate the connection between parks, arts & culture, and recreation in the City, and MUST be taken in a City Park. Photos should fall under one of the following themes.

The top 12 photos will be announced at the end of May. Winners will be selected by a panel of jurors comprised of local artists, members of G-PARC, & members of the City’s Public Information Office. In addition, a random winner will be chosen weekly during the month of May. All winners will be announced on Instagram & Facebook, and notified via social media channels. The objective of this contest is to expand G-PARC’s social media presence through photo documentation of our parks & what happens in them.

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Montgomery Parks

Montgomery Parks Receives $12.3 Million in State Funding for a Variety of Park Projects

By MCS Staff

Montgomery Parksreceived $12.3 million in funding from the state of Maryland to be used towards 17 park projects, which might otherwise have been delayed or possibly canceled. Projects range from the development of a new urban park to the creation of a new action sports park to new active recreation amenities and updating of aging playgrounds and infrastructure.

“We are so appreciative of the support from our state legislators and the funding that will go towards so many great park projects. Our recent Parks, Recreation and Open Space plan confirms that parks are a top priority for communities. The public depends upon us to deliver beautiful parks for exercising and recreating, socializing, and enjoying nature. Thanks to this support, we can deliver more projects by matching state funding with our own capital funding,” said Mike Riley, director of Montgomery Parks.

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Crime

Germantown Couple Facing Federal Indictment for a Series of Fraud Schemes, Including Passport Fraud, Wire Fraud, and Bankruptcy Fraud

By MCS Staff

Defendant Allegedly Used a Stolen Identity to Receive Child Care Subsidy Payments for Taking Care

Per the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Maryland: A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Andrews Oduro Brown, a/k/a Andrews Oduro, age 39, and Charmaine Miesha Brown, age 43, both of Germantown, Maryland, for conspiracies to commit passport fraud and wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, bankruptcy fraud, and making false statements in a bankruptcy proceeding.  The indictment was returned on April 28, 2022, and unsealed upon the arrest of the defendants.

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MoCo Government

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich Signs ‘Building Energy Performance Standards’ Legislation into Law

By Patrick Herron

The new law expands the number of buildings covered by the County’s existing Benchmarking Law to include additional County-owned, commercial and multifamily buildings and establish long-term standards for those buildings and require the use of less energy.

At the bill signing, County Executive Elrich stressed the importance of the legislation in realizing the County’s Climate Action Plan goals of eliminating greenhouse gas emissions by 2035. A video of the bill signing ceremony can be viewed at https://youtu.be/eQE5Uezy7MQ.

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