East County Archives - Page 63 of 99

$50,000 Winning Scratch-off Sold at Local Beer & Wine Shop

Published July 28, 2023 at 3:50PM

Courtesy Google Maps

The player, who is a cartoon fan and chose to remain anonymous, picked the nickname “Elmer Fudd” to tell the story of his win. While running errands, the 73-year-old stopped at Hillandale Beer & Wine in Silver Spring to buy beer and noticed the Corvette Cash scratch-off. He couldn’t take his eyes off of the $5 game.

Having won second-chance prizes in Lottery promotions, “Elmer Fudd” knew the game had a second-chance promotion. He added the scratch-off to his cart, purchased his items and quickly headed home. Only hoping to win a prize equal to the money he spent, the Montgomery County man scratched off the instant ticked and quickly realized it was worth much more than $5. “I couldn’t believe my eyes,” he said. “I was very surprised because I’ve never won that much money at once. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.”

Man Accused of Killing Pregnant Girlfriend and Gas Station Attendant Ruled Competent to Stand Trial

By MCS Staff

Published July 27, 2023 at 5:58PM

Torrey Moore, the man accused of murdering his 8-month pregnant girlfriend, Denise Middleton, and a gas station clerk, Ayalew Wondimu, in White Oak last December was found competent to stand trial, according to a report by MyMCMedia. Moore was previously ruled not competent to stand trial. The trial for the murder of Wondimu begins April 8, 2024. Trial begins May 8 for the murder of Middleton and her unborn baby boy. The chilling details of what occurred last year can be seen below in the Statement of Charges, per the Montgomery County State’s Attorney:

“On 12/8/22 at 3:00 PM, Montgomery County Police responded to a convenience store at the Shell Gas station located at 11150 New Hampshire Ave, Silver Spring, Montgomery County, Maryland for a report of a shooting. Upon arrival, officers found the victim, Ayalew Wondimu, a black male with date of birth of 11/6/61, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Investigation revealed the victim was working inside the store, behind the register when he was shot. Wondimu was pronounced deceased on the scene.

Gaithersburg’s Adventist Healthcare Named Top Workplace in Annual WaPo Ranking; Only Hospital to Make The List

By MCS Staff

Published July 27, 2023 at 6:49AM

Gaithersburg’s Adventist HealthCare, one of the largest employers in Montgomery County, earned a spot on The Washington Post’s list of Top Workplaces 2023 in the Washington, D.C., area. Adventist HealthCare was the only hospital system on the list of 199 honored employers from public and private industries, nonprofits and government agencies. Beyond the healthcare sector, Adventist HealthCare was one of only 17 organizations that The Post honored in the largest company category.

Rankings are based on a survey of employees conducted by The Post through its research partner, Energage LLC. The anonymous survey asked employees to rate their companies in areas related to workplace culture, including connection, leadership, engagement, pay and benefits. The Post invited 6,500 employers in the region to participate.

Renovations Set to Begin at Columbia Local Park

By MCS Staff

Published July 26, 2023 at 8:43AM

Long awaited renovations are about to begin at Columbia Local Park, located at 14900 Old Columbia Pike in Burtonsville. The park, which is adjacent to the Marilyn J. Praisner Community Recreation Center and the Marilyn J. Praisner Library, has consisted of a baseball field, two tennis courts, and picnic shelter receive very little use, compared to the southern portion of the park. In addition to the baseball field, tennis court, and picnic shelter in the northern portion of the park, three additional tennis courts have been taken out of service, leaving only a large, open paved area surrounded by a ten-foot-tall fence.

The 25.2-acre park is bisected by a densely forested stream valley, effectively splitting the park into two distinct spaces. With significant frontage along Old Columbia Pike, the three basketball courts, two baseball fields, and multi-user swing in the southern portion of the park are highly visible and heavily used. Beyond the forested stream valley, the northern portion of the park is relatively isolated, obscured from Old Columbia Pike by the nearby library and recreation center. As such, The purpose of this project is to find a permanent use for the former tennis courts and simultaneously activate the northern portion of the park to make it more inviting to future users and to discourage inappropriate activities from occurring. Because Columbia Local Park is within the Upper Paint Branch Special Protection Area, the amount of impervious surface within the park cannot be increased. One of the goals of the project is to remove and de-consolidate paved areas wherever possible.

Peri Peri Original & Kallisto Steakhouse Now Open

By Patrick Herron

Published July 23, 2023 at 11:09AM

Peri Peri Original & Kallisto Steakhouse is now open in the space that was previously home to Pollo Mex at 13436 New Hampshire Ave in the Colesville Center. Pollo Mex closed last summer after 12 years in the location. Items at Peri Peri Original include wings, coconut shrimp, flame-grilled chicken, pita sandwiches, wraps, smash burgers, and tacos. Kallisto Steakhouse, a concept by the owners of Peri Peri Original, will be joining Peri Peri in the restaurant space, but items from its menu are currently unavailable.

Peri Peri Original is an international chain that has over ten locations in Virginia and Maryland, as well as an additional location coming to Rockville (location not yet available). “Peri Peri chicken is marinated for 24hrs in our unique Portuguese Peri Peri sauce flamed grilled for serving from the spice selection of your choice.” The first United States location was opened in 2018 in Alexandria, Virginia. Kallisto Steakhouse was launched in 2020 in Herndon, VA. “Impatient and unsatisfied from the unavailability of true steak parlors and appropriate cuts under Halal sector, company leaders took a daunting and brave step to take the reins in their hands and inaugurated the operations with the deep vision on providing excellence around the principles of 3Ps – people, process and product. Kallisto Steakhouse incepted with only one goal and that is to bring premium cut and best in class Halal Steaks to its loyal and respected steak connoisseurs, Kallisto Steak house company is proud of being a first mover in the steak industry while offering the unique products to its esteemed patrons. The founders bring deep enthusiasm towards ensuring the sophistication in ultimate product delivery to the end consumers with pride and excellence. Furthermore, finding passion and zeal in delivering mouthwatering steaks that are flavored and grilled to perfection to serve the perfect taste and fulfill the appetite.”

75+ Restaurants That Have Opened in 2023

By Patrick Herron

Published July 21, 2023 at 6:53PM | Updated July 21, 2023 at 10:24PM

Below is a list of restaurants that have opened in Montgomery County, MD so far in 2023! Asian Cuisine and Seafood – Gaithersburg Asian Cuisine and Seafood is now open […]

Concern for Missing 16-Year-Old

By Patrick Herron

Published July 21, 2023 at 11:34AM

The Special Victims Investigations Division is asking for the public’s assistance in locating a missing 16-year-old. Carol Hernandez was last seen on Thursday, July 20, 2023, at approximately 9:30 p.m. in the 1700 block of Hampshire Green Lane in Hillandale/Silver Spring. Hernandez is 5’2″, 145 lbs, with short black hair above the shoulders and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a white tank top and blue jean shorts. Police and family are concerned for her welfare.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Carol Hernandez is asked to call Montgomery County Police Non-Emergency (301) 279-8000 (24-hour line).

“Lucky Great-Grandma” Wins 3rd $50,000 Lottery Prize; Plans to Use Money on Dental Work and a Vacation

By Patrick Herron

Published July 20, 2023 at 12:54PM | Updated July 20, 2023 at 1:56PM

The married great-grandmother chose to keep the winning news to herself. She shared with Lottery officials, when she claimed the prize, that she’ll use the winnings for dental work and a vacation. The Lottery retailer, Williams Beer & Wine, located at 15440 Old Columbia Pike is also celebrating this win. For selling a top-prize winning Bonus Match 5 ticket, the Montgomery County business will receive a $500 bonus from the Lottery. This is one of 17 $50,000 top-prize winning Bonus Match 5 tickets sold in 2023.

‘Summer Shady Hikes’ Will Offer Beginning Hikers Opportunities to Stay Fit and Enjoy Nature, Despite the Heat

By Patrick Herron

Published July 19, 2023 at 3:08PM

Per Montgomery County: A series of Summer Shady Hikes organized by Montgomery Parks will help people stay active in August, despite the heat. The hikes will be especially geared to help beginning hikers. The three hikes in August, designed for ages 8-and-older, wlll take place from 6-7 p.m.

The upcoming Summer Shady Hikes schedule:

Police and Family Concerned for Missing 15-Year-Old

By Patrick Herron

Published July 18, 2023 at 4:46PM

Per MCPD: The Special Victims Investigations Division is asking for the public’s assistance in locating a missing 15-year-old. Neveah Washington was last seen on Sunday, July 16, 2023, in the 14200 block of Castle Blvd in Burtonsville. She is 5’4″, 140 lbs, with black hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Neveah Washington is asked to call Montgomery County Police Non-Emergency (301) 279-8000 (24-hour line).

Concern for Missing Fifteen-Year-Old

Four $25,000 Winning Lottery Tickets Sold at Shell Station (all unclaimed)

By Patrick Herron

Published July 17, 2023 at 2:35PM | Updated July 17, 2023 at 8:57PM

Four individual PICK 5 tickets each worth $25,000 ($100,000 total) were sold recently at the Shell Station/Dunkin at 700 Gaither Road in the King Farm neighborhood of Rockville. This same retailer also sold a $10,000 winning PICK 5 ticket on July 10. Additional big winners in Montgomery County last week included a $50,000 ticket sold July 16 at Williams Beer & Wine (15440 Old Columbia Pike) in Burtonsville and a $10,000 winning scratch off sold at Kingsview Beer and Wine (13406 Kingsview Village Avenue) in Germantown. Full list of winners across the state of Maryland below courtesy of MD Lottery:

The Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots continue to climb. Since there were no jackpot winners, the Powerball jackpot grew over the weekend to $900 million and Mega Millions has reached $640 million. The combined total is more than $1.5 billion. Meanwhile, six players in Maryland hit third-tier, five-digit prizes on the two multi-state jackpot games in the past week in Baltimore, Bowie, Columbia, Jessup, Rockville and Waldorf.