Poolesville

Among those joining the formal groundbreaking ceremonies were County Councilmembers Andrew Friedson and Craig Rice; Maryland State Senator Brian Feldman; Poolesville Mayor Jim Brown; Craig Beyrouty, dean of College of the Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Maryland; Keith Miller, CEO of the Montgomery County Revenue Authority; and Marc Weller, founding partner and CEO of Weller Development Company. See photos from the groundbreaking event.

“For the past two years, Montgomery County and the nation have been dominated by the impact of COVID-19, but we continued to plan for the future—and for our future economy,” said County Executive Elrich. “Crossvines is an exciting project that will change the economic prosperity of the Agricultural Reserve. As one of the only grape-crushing facilities in the region, this will open up opportunities for more landowners to grow profitable grapes and to explore winemaking as part of their future options.”


I-270

All lanes are open on SB I-270 at Montrose Rd after a collision Thursday evening that involved a Maryland State Police vehicle. The incident had closed three lanes on southbound 270 from Exit 4 (Montrose Rd) to Exit 1 (Democracy Blvd). According to Chief Spokesperson for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service Pete Piringer, at least two adults were transported by EMS with non-life-threatening injuries.

WJLA reports that the Maryland State Police vehicle involved was an SUV. Drivers are warned to expect residual delays. We will post an update when more information becomes available.


Education

Johnathan Dunn, choral teacher at Sherwood High School, was named the 2022-2023 Montgomery County Teacher of the Year during a virtual celebration on April 28. Dunn will now go on to compete for Maryland Teacher of the Year. Per MCPS: Dunn has been the choral teacher at Sherwood for nine years. He brings positive energy, love and kindness to everyone he encounters. A joyful and enthusiastic educator, Dunn works tirelessly to see that students benefit from his lessons.

He teaches chorus, piano and music perspectives. Believing that music is a way to connect, he makes the music department a home for everyone. He takes great pride in making sure that all students have an opportunity to express themselves and experience the joy of music, regardless of their background, physical capabilities, learning differences, mental health challenges or musical proficiency. He encourages them all to perform in concerts and get involved in the Rock n‘ Roll Revival production, a 50-year tradition at Sherwood. With a cast of more than 300 students—from the highly skilled to first-time performers—Dunn unites them for a creative three-hour show. He also leads other school events, including vocal direction for the fall musical production and a Night of Jazz event in the spring.


MCFRS

Traffic collisions have closed parts of two major roads in Montgomery County this evening, according to Montgomery County Police and Montgomery County’s Office of Emergency Management.

Two lanes of Veirs Mill Road and all lanes of Meadow Hall Road are closed as a result of a traffic collision. Drivers are advised to seek an alternate route and are being warned to expect delays. Three lanes are closed on southbound 270 from Exit 4 (Montrose Rd) to Exit 1 (Democracy Blvd) as a result of a traffic collision. Drivers are advised to seek an alternate route and are warned to expect delays.


Beyond MoCo

Maryland’s black bears are leaving their winter dens and as they emerge, they are hungry. Bears will be searching for natural food sources such as acorns, plants, berries, and insects. With natural food sources in short supply until later in the spring, bears can be attracted to anything that smells like food. Homeowners who leave human-generated food sources out in the open may unintentionally draw bears to residential areas. Residents of Maryland’s bear country (Garrett, Allegany, Washington and Frederick Counties in Maryland are all home to black bears, and black bears have occasionally been spotted in Montgomery County) are urged to be proactive and exercise good judgment to avoid creating man-made attractions for bears. 

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources advises:


Derwood

Standard adoption procedures are still in place. Interested adopters should visit the website to view available pets. An appointment can be made by filling out the application online, calling the shelter at 240-773-5900 during business hours, or walking in. Patrons with scheduled appointments will have priority over walk-ins. Submitting a questionnaire does not reserve an animal for adoption and adoptions are first come, first served by appointment. Information on how to adopt can be found at https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/animalservices/adoption/howtoadopt.html.


Silver Spring

16th Street at Lyttonsville Road is closed in both directions as a result of the collision, according to Montgomery County Police.  Drivers are advised to seek an alternate route and to expect significant delays.

Update – IFO 8600 16th, on zCsx RR overpass bridge, Single vehicle collision rollover & vehicle fire, fire is extinguished, @MCFRS_EMIHS transported 1 adult Pri2 trauma, TRAFFIC ADVISORY – some lanes BLOCKED between Lyttonsville Road and Spring Street https://t.co/jnBqVzTeDY pic.twitter.com/oM0LnCzEyt


North Bethesda

The investigation by detectives determined that the pedestrian was jogging across southbound Tuckerman Lane, in the crosswalk. For reasons still under investigation, the operator of a 2019 Subaru Forester, who was traveling westbound on Tuckerman Lane, struck the pedestrian in the crosswalk. This crosswalk is equipped with a push-to-activate pedestrian signal. Detectives are investigating whether the signal was activated. The adult male driver of the Subaru remained on scene. The 74-year-old male victim was transported to an area hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. The name of the deceased will be released following proper notification of the family. This is an active and ongoing investigation. The Collision Reconstruction Unit (CRU) continues to investigate this collision. Anyone with information regarding this collision is asked to contact CRU detectives at (240) 773- 6620.

Feature photo courtesy of Google Maps.


MoCo Government

“These local maps will help us identify where we can take action to protect vulnerable neighborhoods now and in the future from extreme heat risk,” said Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich. “We are pleased to be participating in this nationally competitive program and continuing our work in Montgomery County toward equitable climate resilience.”

This campaign is part of a national effort to track “Urban Heat Islands.” Heat inequities will be tracked in 14 states and two international cities. Urban Heat Islands are areas that can be up to 20 degrees hotter than nearby neighborhoods due to buildings, pavement, and other parts of urban environments amplifying high temperatures compared to nearby vegetated areas. They can put people at heightened risk of illness and death during extreme heat events. Through this effort local climate scientists and residents will work together to identify the hottest areas in the County. Heat equity refers to the development of policies and practices that mitigate heat islands and help people adapt to the impacts of extreme heat in a way that reduces the inequitable distribution of risks across different populations within the same urban area.


Bethesda

On the same date, officers from the 2nd District responded to the 8000 block of Glenbrook Road for the report of a burglary that occurred earlier. Detectives obtained surveillance footage, which showed the suspect kicking in the back storm door to gain entry to the residence at approximately 5 a.m. The video footage later showed the suspect leaving the residence at approximately 11 a.m. Nothing was taken from the residence.

The suspect is described as a white male with a mustache, long black hair and medium build. The suspect was wearing a black jacket, black pants and grey sneakers.


Gaithersburg

Dogfish Head Alehouse, which opened its first location at 800 W. Diamond Ave in Gaithersburg in 2005, announced it has donated a combined $1,000,000 to charity over the past 17 years between its three locations.

Dogfish Head Alehouses, which are owned and operated independent from the Dogfish Head brewery in Milton, DE through a licensing agreement, announced recently that it will be closing its Falls Church, VA location at 6220 Leesburg Pike in the Seven Corners Shopping Center.  The restaurant says it was unable to come to terms with the property owner when it came time to renew its lease.  The last day of service will be on May 15. The Dogfish Alehouse locations at 800 W. Diamond Ave in Gaithersburg and 13041 Lee Jackson Memorial Hwy in Fairfax, VA will remain open.