Per Montgomery County: The 77th Damascus Community Fair, which is a present-day reminder of what the northern Montgomery County community was like many years ago, will take place Friday-Sunday, Sept. 8-10, at the Damascus Volunteer Fire Department activity center. The free fair will feature displays of top agricultural crops as the growing season hits its prime, exhibitions of home-made products, live music, exhibitions, kids’ activities and livestock and cake auctions. New this year will be the touch-a truck opportunity to get close to vehicles of many types.
The Damascus Volunteer Fire Department activity center is located at 10211 Lewis Dr. in Damascus. The fair is open through 9 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 8. It is open 9 a.m.-9 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 9, and from 9 a.m.-3:45 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 10. The livestock and cake auction will start at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
The fair will include pet shows on Saturday and Sunday. A fashion show of home sewing and needle arts clothing entries modeled by fair exhibitors will begin at 4 p.m. on Saturday. A vendor area will provide an opportunity for displays by local crafters and businesses, community educational services and local organizations. More information about the Damascus Community Fair is available at https://www.damascusfair.org/.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) was dispatched to Miller Fall Rd and Muncaster Mill Rd (Gaithersburg) for a vehicle accident involving an occupied school bus with children. Two occupants from the car are being evaluated for transport and traffic is being diverted by Montgomery County Police.
According to an update by MCFRS Spokesperson David Pazos, MCFRS is transporting three adults (two from the car and the driver of the school bus) to local area hospitals with non-life threatening injuries. All 30 students on the bus are ok and are in the process of being transferred to another MCPS bus en route.
Update~MCFRS is transporting 3 adults(2 from car and driver or school bus) to local area hospitals with NLT injuries. All 30 students on the bus are ok and are in the process of being transferred to another MCPS bus en route. @DavidPazos15 @mcfrsPIO @mcfrs https://t.co/P4wyaxpJAn pic.twitter.com/ow3lYlFY2Q
— Pazos@mcfrsPIO (@DavidPazos15) September 7, 2023
Per MCPD: The Montgomery County Department of Police – Major Crimes Cold Case Unit has arrested a Prince George’s County man for a rape allegedly committed 23-years-ago and believe there may be more victims.
On July 26, 2000, at approximately 1:55 a.m., two victims walking along Montgomery Village Avenue were approached by a suspect who was armed with a handgun. The suspect, later identified as 47-year-old James Lorenzo Greene, allegedly robbed the victims of property and raped one of the victims.
Cold Case Detectives submitted evidence from the crime scene to the crime laboratory and a DNA profile was extracted from the evidence. The DNA was submitted into the Combined DNA Index System and matched to Greene.
Cold Case Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Greene, charging him with first-degree rape, armed robbery, and first-degree assault. Greene was arrested by the Repeat Offender Section on Wednesday, September 6, 2023, at his residence in Prince George’s County.
Detectives are asking for anyone who believes that they may have been a victim of Greene to contact the Montgomery County Police Major Crimes Division at 240-773-5070.
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Per Prince George’s County Police: The Prince George’s County Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division (IAD) is actively investigating the actions of a Prince George’s County Police officer that were recorded and posted on social media. The Department is aware of two videos involving Corporal Francesco Marlett and an adult female. As soon as the agency became aware of the first video on Tuesday, IAD opened an investigation and Chief Malik Aziz decisively suspended this officer’s police powers.
As part of its investigation, the Internal Affairs Division is attempting to interview all parties involved as well as citizens with knowledge of the interactions. IAD encourages those with knowledge to please assist with the investigation by speaking with detectives. Your information could play a key role in helping us determine exactly what happened and taking appropriate action.
Once the IAD investigation is complete, the Administrative Charging Committee (ACC), which was established by Maryland law as part of the legislature’s police reform actions, will make a recommendation to Chief Aziz regarding any potential disciplinary actions. This is now standard protocol in all IAD investigations. The investigation will also be reviewed by the Police Accountability Board.
“I know the officer’s actions seen on these videos have sparked a range of emotions in the community and put a negative spotlight on this agency and the many hard-working women and men who wear our uniform. I expect every officer to conduct themselves in a way that will not dishonor this agency or this county. I assure the residents of Prince George’s County I take this matter extremely seriously,” said Chief Malik Aziz.
In 2016, a previous administration internally disciplined Corporal Marlett on sustained administrative charges of unbecoming conduct/child abuse and unbecoming conduct/assault second degree. Officer Marlett was removed from the next promotional cycle and fined $1500 for his actions. According to Maryland Judiciary Case Search, in 2019, a hearing was held in Calvert County and a judge denied a petition for a peace order after ruling there was no statutory basis and again in 2023, after a hearing in Charles County, a judge denied a petition for a final protective order after ruling there was no statutory basis. In both of those instances, we took these allegations seriously and IAD conducted administrative investigations and ruled the allegations unfounded. In the 2023 case, the ACC concurred with the findings and recommended that the charges were unfounded.
The Takoma Park Folk Festival takes place this Sunday, September 10th from 10:30am until 6:30pm at Takoma Park Middle School (schedule available below, pinch and expand). The mission of the Takoma Park Folk Festival, Inc. is to present a free annual folk festival in Takoma Park each September that celebrates the arts and the Takoma Park-Silver Spring community. The event, which is held rain or shine, presents six stages of music, a juried crafts show, international food, community nonprofit tables, and children’s games and activities. The Festival offers free shuttle buses (with wheelchair accessibility) to the Takoma Metro station.
All roads will remain open with limited access to the Takoma Park Middle School. Motorists are urged to use caution and drive slowly – there will be heavy pedestrian traffic expected on Piney Branch Road. No parking from Piney Branch to Grant to Holly Avenue Parking is limited to residential side streets. Spaces will be reserved for handicapped parking, vendors, festival staff members, musicians & artists.
The goals of TPFF are to:
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Present a day of folk music, handcrafts, and food of many traditions that can be enjoyed by folks of all ages.
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Encourage the enjoyment of the cultural and ethnic diversity of the local and wider community.
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Celebrate the wealth of musical and artistic talent found in Takoma Park and the greater Washington community.
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Raise money for programs that benefit the young people of Takoma Park and the surrounding neighborhoods.
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Encourage a sense of community and spirit of volunteerism by involving as many segments of the community as possible in producing the festival.
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Increase community awareness by providing a forum for local nonprofit organizations to distribute literature and answer questions.
Featured photo courtesy of the Takoma Park Folk Festival
As previously reported, customers served by WSSC Water’s Potomac Water Filtration Plant (Potomac River) may still notice changes in the taste and odor of their tap water because of algal activity in the Potomac River (map available below). This change is not harmful and is due to an increase in a naturally occurring substance, Geosmin, caused by warmer weather and low water levels in the Potomac River. As Geosmin are prone to fluctuate with rain and changing water levels, customers may notice order is stronger at certain times than others. This is completely normal.
The odors from the naturally occurring compound, Geosmin, are not toxic. Because the human nose can detect Geosmin concentrations at very low levels, the unpleasant smell can cause sensitive individuals to experience nausea/headaches. Despite the taste and odor issues, the water remains safe, meeting all EPA Safe Drinking Water Act standards.
WSSC Water frequently monitors levels of Geosmin at the plant and makes treatment updates accordingly to minimize the odor. Per WSSC, “We perform 500,000 laboratory tests on our water every year, on samples from both of our water filtration plants and from 90 different locations throughout our distribution system. If there were a reason to believe the safety of our water was compromised, we would immediately issue a public notification. This would include web alerts, text messages*, news outlets and utilizing our social media platforms.
Boiling the water will not improve the odor. Flushing the water lines inside homes or flushing the WSSC Water mains in the impacted areas will not improve the taste and odor issues. Customers can always reach us (24/7) by calling the Emergency Call Center at 301-206-4002 or complete this form to report a water quality concern.
Montgomery County Police has announced that during a September 2nd sobriety checkpoint on Columbia Pike and Dustin Rd in Burtonsville, officers from MCPD and allied agencies stopped approximately 507 vehicles and arrested 3 people for driving while impaired. During an August 25 sobriety checkpoint on northbound Georgia Avenue at Weller Road in Wheaton, MCPD stopped approximately 372 vehicles and arrested 5 people for driving while impaired and during an August 18th sobriety checkpoint on northbound Frederick Road at Game Preserve Road in Gaithersburg police stopped 565 vehicles and arrested 4 people for driving while impaired.
In July, recreational marijuana use became legal in the state of Maryland and Montgomery County Police Chief Marcus Jones issued the following reminder before the July 4th weekend, “We implore drivers to think of cannabis the same way they think of alcohol. Do not get behind the wheel of a car if you are impaired. Our officers will pull over and arrest anyone they suspect of driving while impaired. Alcohol, marijuana and other drugs can impair the ability to drive because they slow coordination, judgment, and reaction times. Our priority is keeping the roads safe for everyone.”
During the September 2 checkpoint on southbound Columbia Pike at Dustin Road, officers from Montgomery County Police and allied agencies stopped approximately 507 vehicles and arrested 3 people for driving while impaired.https://t.co/XmUhLoRnxp#mcpnews pic.twitter.com/rl96XY9Yev
— Montgomery County Department of Police (@mcpnews) September 7, 2023
Montgomery Parks is inviting the public to a ceremony naming the newest mural at Brookside Gardens. The celebration will take place on Sunday, September 10, 2023 from 1:30-3:00 p.m. at Brookside Gardens Underlook/Harry Dewey Terrace 1800 Glenallen Ave. in Wheaton, MD 20902 (in case of inclement weather the program will be held in the Visitor Center).
The new artwork was painted this summer by Afro-Cuban artist Osbel Susman-Peña. Entitled “Where Dreams Live/ Donde Viven los Sueños,” the dynamic artwork is in the Brookside Gardens Underlook, adjacent to the Aquatic Garden. The mural is a memorial to the late Betsy Thomas, past president of the Friends of Brookside Gardens.
About Montgomery Parks: Montgomery Parks manages more than 37,000 acres of parkland, consisting of 420 parks. Montgomery Parks is a department of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), a bi-county agency established in 1927 to steward public land. M-NCPPC has been nationally recognized for its high-quality parks and recreation services and is regarded as a national model by other parks systems.
