Tenacious, life-changing and strong leader are just some of the outstanding qualities used to describe this Silver Spring elementary school teacher and the latest Milken Educator Award recipient: Dion Jones. Jones was surprised with the national honor at a vibrant schoolwide assembly earlier this week. Milken Educator Awards Senior Vice President Dr. Jane Foley and Maryland State Superintendent of Schools Mohammed Choudhury presented Jones with the prestigious recognition and the unrestricted cash prize to be used however he likes.

Jones, a third grade teacher at Fairland Elementary School in the Montgomery County Public School District, is among up to 40 elementary educators across the nation who will receive the Milken Educator Award during the 2022-2023 school year. On top of today’s celebration, he will have the opportunity to join the national Milken Educator Network of more than 2,900 exceptional K-12 educators and leaders across the country. Honorees receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the Milken Educator Awards Forum in Los Angeles this April.


Edge has brokered three new leases at 12301 Old Columbia Pike in the area between White Oak, Fairland, and Calverton (all considered Silver Spring) in Montgomery County.  Dance Silver Spring, LLC, an upscale dance studio for children and adults that operates more than 300 studios worldwide, was represented by Jonathan Hamburger of CBRE. Graphic Communications Conference of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a union that represents more than 60,000 workers in all craft and skill areas in the printing and publishing industries, and Habesha Spring Driving School, a professional driving school that offers a variety of driving classes for students of all ages were self-represented and are among the new tenants in the building.

Per Edge: Located at the intersection of MD Route 29 and Tech Road, 12301 Old Columbia Pike features nearly 34,000 square feet of commercial office. Renovated in 2021, the asset is less than two miles from MD Route 200 (Intercounty Connector), three miles from Interstate 95, and four miles from the Capital Beltway (Interstate 495). A number of hotels, restaurants, big-box retailers and fitness centers, as well as other amenities, are located within close proximity. The property is also directly across the White Oak Town Center Development, which will house more than 100,00 square feet of new retail amenities.


Per MCPD: Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police -Major Crimes Division are investigating an attempted commercial armed robbery that occurred inside Karen’s Seafood in the 13800 block of Outlet Drive. Detectives have released surveillance video of the suspect and are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying him.

At approximately 7:28 p.m., 3rd District officers responded to the location for the report of an attempted armed robbery that just occurred. The investigation by detectives has determined that an unknown suspect entered Karen’s Seafood, armed with a firearm. The suspect approached multiple patrons inside the restaurant, pointed his firearm at them and demanded money. When the patrons failed to comply with the suspect’s demands, he approached an employee at the cash register. For reasons still under investigation, the suspect fled the scene without obtaining any currency from the establishment.


Montgomery County Police responded to the area of Briggs Chaney Road and Columbia Pike at approximately 7:32 pm on Wednesday night for the report of an attempted commercial armed robbery that occurred at Karen’s Seafood in the Briggs Chaney MarketPlace shopping center.


Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) were called to the scene of a collision on Route 29 and Fairland Road at approximately 2pm on Saturday afternoon, according to MCFRS public information officer Pete Piringer.

Two patients were transported to local hospitals with non-life threatening injuries. Northbound Route 29 was was closed for a couple hours, according to the Montgomery County office of Emergency Management. All lanes are now open, but residual delays should be expected.


Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Services responded to a collision involving an overturned vehicle and entrapment Wednesday morning.  According to Chief Spokesperson for MCFRS Pete Piringer, the incident occurred around 7am on Columbia Pike and Briggs Chaney Road in Fairland. Two patients have been extricated and transported by EMS with Priority 2 trauma. Some lanes are currently blocked and drivers are to expect risidual delays. We will post an update if additional information becomes available.

Per @mcfrsPIO on Twitter: “Update – Columbia Pike and Briggs Chaney Road, collision, over turn vehicle, 2 patients trapped, extrication in process, @MCFRS_EMIHS  evaluating 2 Pri2 trauma patients, some lanes blocked”


The Montgomery County Planning Department and Dallas-based nonprofit Better Block Foundation worked with the Fairland and Briggs Chaney to bring to life the goals of the Fairland and Briggs Chaney Master Plan. The Fairland and Briggs Chaney Placemaking festival temporarily reimagined the Briggs Chaney Park and Ride on October 21 and 22, 2022 (video recap below).

The effort brought together residents, visitors, local business owners, and representatives of civic associations to make the space a vibrant place for the community to gather. Community members worked with the Better Block team through the summer and fall to build, paint, and construct their ideas and bring them to life. The transformed outdoor space hosted food and retail vendors, Montgomery Parks’ activities and features, and a welcoming place for residents to gather with their family, neighbors and friends during the public celebration.


 Montgomery Parks will host a ribbon cutting for The Pit at Fairland Bike Park from 1 – 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29. The Pit is a new mountain bike skills park that includes a variety of features such as rollers, kicker ramps, wall rides, drops, and skinnies of all types. Montgomery Parks Principal Natural Resources Specialist Bob Turnbull oversaw the completion of the project. He said Montgomery Parks’ trail crew, in collaboration with consultants American Ramp Company, has created a space that beginner, intermediate and advanced mountain bikers will love to ride.

“It’s built on the idea of progression, on the idea of building your skills so you can get better. And it’s just a lot of fun,” Turnbull said. “And honestly, I think the trail crew knocked this one out of the park.” The new mountain bike skills park is located at the intersection of Green Castle Ridge Terrace and Green Castle Road within Fairland Recreational Park. Limited parking for the event will be onsite across from Greencastle Terrace. Overflow parking will be available at the park’s soccer field No. 5 along Greencastle Road in Burtonsville.


The Montgomery County Planning Department and Dallas-based nonprofit Better Block Foundation are working with the Fairland and Briggs Chaney to bring to life the goals of the Fairland and Briggs Chaney Master Plan. The Fairland and Briggs Chaney Placemaking festival will temporarily reimagine the Briggs Chaney Park and Ride. The effort will bring together residents, visitors, local business owners, and representatives of civic associations to make the space a vibrant place for the community to gather.

Community members will work with the Better Block team through the summer and fall to build, paint, and construct their ideas and bring them to life. This transformed outdoor space will host food and retail vendors, Montgomery Parks’ activities and features, and a welcoming place for residents to gather with their family, neighbors and friends during the October 2022 public celebration. The schedule of events can be seen below:


Update: Montgomery County Police announced at 9:28am that barricade situation on Castle Boulevard has been safely resolved. The adult male is in custody and the shelter in place has been lifted.

Montgomery County Police (5:46am): MCPD is asking for residents in the 14000 block of Castle Boulevard and all of Castle Ridge Cir. to shelter in place.


The Montgomery County Planning Department has unveiled the design concepts for the Fairland and Briggs Chaney Placemaking Festival. The concepts can be viewed below with additional information on the project’s website and were created after hearing feedback and ideas from the community through an online questionnaire and at the project’s kickoff meeting in June. The Fairland and Briggs Chaney Placemaking Festival is a free community event and will be held October 21 and 22 (rain or shine) at the Briggs Chaney Park and Ride near the Eastern Montgomery Regional Services Center (3300 Briggs Chaney Road, Silver Spring, MD 20904).

Planners are now asking the community to help bring these concepts to life. The community-led build of the festival will be held October 19 through October 22 with various ways to get involved. Volunteers may be asked to apply paint to create a ground mural, construct tables, chairs, art sculptures, a children’s fort with a bounce path, and provide assistance with festival operations, such as set up, clean up, and parking management. Interested parties can sign up for volunteer slots using the online form. Student Service Learning (SSL) hours will be available for students. To volunteer, you must complete the form and release form provided in the link. Planners are also seeking performers and vendors for the placemaking festival. Applications are due on September 25.


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