Beyond MoCo Archives - Page 132 of 187

FBI Offering $10,000 Reward for Information Leading to the Arrest of Ex-Chief of Staff to Former Gov. Hogan, Roy C. McGrath

Published March 28, 2023 at 3:59PM

Per the Federal Bureau of Investigation: The FBI is seeking the public’s assistance in locating fugitive Roy C. McGrath (photo below), age 53, of Naples, Florida, who is the ex-chief of staff to former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan. An arrest warrant has been issued for McGrath after he failed to appear in Baltimore, Maryland, for trial on March 13, 2023. McGrath is now a fugitive and considered an international flight risk.

On October 5, 2021, McGrath was indicted in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland for violations of 18 USC 1343 (wire fraud) and 18 USC 666 (theft or bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds). During his October 2021 court appearance, McGrath entered a plea of not guilty on all charges and was released pre-trial on the condition that he appear at all scheduled court dates.

Six-Year-Old Giraffe Dies Unexpectedly At The Maryland Zoo

By MCS Staff

Published March 28, 2023 at 2:30PM

A six-year-old giraffe named Willow has died at the Maryland Zoo, the zoo announced via social media on Tuesday afternoon. The giraffe, born at the zoo in 2017, had shown signs of illness for several days. Full statement by the Maryland Zoo below:

“It is difficult to put into words the impact Willow the giraffe has had since she was born here in 2017. If you’ve followed us for a while, you know. Our Zoo family is truly broken as we share with you that Willow has passed on. Several days ago, Willow’s care team noticed something was off when she didn’t eat her typical meals and showed other signs of illness. Since then, Zoo veterinarians and other team members have been working together, taking steps to treat the gastrointestinal issues Willow was experiencing. Last night, Willow’s condition significantly worsened, and after every effort was made to save her, the team made the difficult decision to humanely euthanize her.

Shark Tank Alum Soupergirl to Close Retail Location Permanently Today in Takoma

By MCS Staff

Published March 28, 2023 at 7:56AM | Updated March 28, 2023 at 8:51AM

Main Street Takoma has announced that Soupergirl will be closing its retail location at 314 Carroll Street NW in Takoma DC (just outside of Takoma Park). In 2018, the mother/daughter duo behind Soupergirl made it onto Shark Tank, where the two have joked they “got yelled at” and were unable to come away with a deal. The business pushed forward and is now available in various stores across the country. Last year, Soupergirl launched a new website, and will continue to remain available in Costco, Whole Foods, Kroger, Amazon Fresh, Harris Teeter as they move to a larger facility to focus on those sales. Soupergirl will have a $5 soup sale today, Tuesday, March 28th, from 10am-5pm. Full announcement, per Main Street Takoma, below:

Montgomery County Executive Elrich Leading Economic Development Mission to Taiwan to Promote County and to Recruit High-Tech Companies and Talent

By Patrick Herron

Published March 28, 2023 at 6:58AM

Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich this week is leading an economic development mission to Taiwan to promote the advantages for Taiwanese organizations to establish or expand their U.S. operations in Montgomery County. The trip is an outgrowth of an invitation he received from the Taipei Computer Association (TCA) to speak at its 2023 Smart Cities Summit and Expo the County’s Climate Action Plan and Net Zero activities. Montgomery County now is a featured delegation at this Summit, which has more than 1300 attendees from 47 countries around the world.

Montgomery County, which is viewed as the economic leader of Maryland, now is a featured delegation at the Smart Cities Summit and Expo, which has more than 1,300 attendees from 47 countries around the world at its 2023 event.

Rockland Farm Responds to Today’s Statement by White’s Ferry Owners

By Patrick Herron

Published March 27, 2023 at 8:10PM

Earlier today, White’s Ferry owner Chuck Kuhn released a statement saying that Rockland Farm, the Virginia landing site for the ferry, had rejected a $1.1 million dollar offer to purchase the Virginia site. In the statement, Kuhn also announced his intentions to sell the ferry to Montgomery County; “We have run out of options and will now seek to sell the ferry land and operations to Montgomery County so it can work to invoke eminent domain and acquire the Virginia landing site.”

Rockland Farm tells us, “the reason that Rockland Farm turned down the $1.1 M combined offer from Loudoun County, Montgomery County, and Mr. Kuhn is that we will not accept a flat fee for our Virginia landing.” Rockland Farm has stated on several occasions that it was requesting $.50 per vehicle. “All that it would have taken to get the ferry open would be to increase the fee by 50 cents per ride for the use of our landing, but Mr. Kuhn said no.”

Turbulence Ruled Out as Flight Issues Cause Jolts That Killed Montgomery County Woman on Flight

By MCS Staff

Published March 27, 2023 at 7:48AM

Turbulence has been ruled out as the cause of Montgomery County woman’s death earlier this month after pilots told investigators they did not encounter turbulence on the flight, providing an update to the early statements from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) from a preliminary assessment the day after the crash. According to FOX5, “investigators said Friday that a passenger on a business jet was fatally injured in early March when the aircraft violently bucked up and down after pilots disconnected a system used to stabilize the plane.”

The flight took off from New Hampshire and was destined for Leesburg, VA before making an emergency landing in Connecticut. Dana Hyde, of Cabin John, was transported via ambulance to Saint Francis Medical Center, in Hartford, Connecticut after suffering blunt-force injuries. Hyde worked in the Clinton and Obama White Houses and was counsel on the 9/11 Commission, which investigated the September 11th terrorist attacks.

Beyond MoCo: Columbia Mall to Implement New Curfew Policy on Weekends

By MCS Staff

Published March 26, 2023 at 10:20AM | Updated March 27, 2023 at 11:48AM

The Mall in Columbia, also known as Columbia Mall, will now require adult supervision for minors on weekends. According to WBAL, “Starting March 31, all guests under 18 must be accompanied by an adult who is at least 21 years old. The curfew begins at 4 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. To enforce the program, trained public safety officers will be stationed at mall entrances to check IDs.”

According to the report, the mall said the new curfew is intended to crack down on unruly behavior. The policy comes after police made three arrests in January while responding to a large group of disorderly teenagers at the mall. FOX 5 reported that “Brookfield Properties did confirm they already began a juvenile curfew policy at the Towson Town Center in Maryland. That policy requires teens 17 years old and younger to be escorted by a parent or supervising adult on Fridays and Saturdays, from 4 p.m. to close.”

Beyond MoCo: Baltimore Fire Department Responds to Report of Vehicle in the Water at the Inner Harbor

By MCS Staff

Published March 22, 2023 at 9:08PM

With a recent string of crashes leading to overturned vehicles and one driving into a building in the last two days here in Montgomery County, the Baltimore Fire Department had to swiftly jump into action when they responded to a call shortly after 4pm on Wednesday afternoon for a report of a car in the water at the Inner Harbor.

Upon arrival to the scene on the 700 block of E Pratt Street, all occupants were out the vehicle with the help of a bystander. The fire department tweeted that Fireboats were on scene with a car into the water. Two people were treated and transported to the hospital with minor injuries. No word on what led to the vehicle in the water. Featured photo courtesy of the Baltimore Fire Department (tweet below).

“LEGO Discovery Center DC” to Open This Summer

By MCS Staff

Published March 22, 2023 at 6:58PM

Last year we reported that Springfield Town Center, in Springfield Virginia (Fairfax County) executed an agreement with Merlin Entertainments, the world’s second-largest visitor attractions operator, to launch the next generation of LEGO Discovery Center in 2023. The 32,000 square foot indoor attraction has been co-created by Merlin & the LEGO Group and will be accessible on one level right off the main entrance to the property. Springfield Town Center is located at the intersection of I-95, 395, 495, and Fairfax Parkway. There are currently 14 Legoland Discovery Centers in the United States and 13 overseas, with the closest being in Philadelphia. The center has since announced that it will be known as LEGO Discovery Center DC and is expected to open this summer. Additional information below, courtesy of Merlin Entertainments:

“We are delighted to be opening an indoor LEGO attraction in Washington DC at Springfield Town Center. Our LEGO themed attractions have been a huge success across the globe, providing an opportunity for adults and children to spend fun and quality time together in an awesome LEGO world. We look forward to revealing more special details over the coming months ahead of welcoming our first visitors in 2023,” said Meike Lippert, Senior Divisional Director Midway Europe and Global New Openings, Merlin Entertainments. “This new attraction helps PREIT achieve its goal of creating high quality purposeful places that serve as one-stop destinations for customers at a key property in a growing market,” said Joseph F. Coradino, Chairman and CEO of PREIT. “Experiential tenants have proven to be great catalysts throughout our portfolio and we expect that, upon opening, our trade area will expand by a two hour drive time, driving traffic and sales.”

Beyond MoCo: Governor Moore Requests Federal Fishery Disaster Declaration for Invasive Blue Catfish

By Patrick Herron

Published March 17, 2023 at 9:57PM

Per the State of Maryland (3.16.23): Governor Wes Moore is today calling on the federal government to declare the expanding population of invasive fish species—including blue catfish, flathead catfish, and snakehead—to be an ongoing commercial fishery disaster in the Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay. The governor sent a letter to U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo requesting the declaration under provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act.

Since 2012, the total catch of seven of Maryland’s marquee commercial fishery species that share their habitat with invasive fish at some point in their life cycle has declined between 27% and 91%. The dockside value of these species has likewise declined between 12% and 85%. Commercial fisheries—including hard blue crab, striped bass, yellow perch, and others—have brought in an average $64 million yearly in dockside value during that time, making declines a significant loss for Maryland’s commercial watermen and the state’s economy.

Arrest Made in August 2022 Murder of Montgomery County Man

By MCS Staff

Published March 17, 2023 at 7:40AM

Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch have announced that an arrest has been made in a homicide that occurred on Thursday, August 25, 2022, in the 800 block of 7^th Street, Northwest. The decedent was previously identified as 21-year-old Montgomery County resident Juwaan Henry, of Silver Spring.

According to the Metropolitan Police Department: At approximately 8:16 pm, members of the First District responded to the listed location for the report of a shooting. Upon arrival, the members located an adult male victim suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services responded to the scene and transported the victim to a local hospital. After all life-saving efforts failed, the victim was pronounced dead.