Per MCPD: “The suspect wanted in connection with a November 4, 2023 homicide is in custody. (more…)
Per MCPD: “Five juveniles, between 12 and 15-years-old, have been arrested and charged with an armed robbery that occurred on Wednesday, October 4, 2023. (more…)
Per MCPD: Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Major Crimes Division are asking for the public’s assistance in locating 33-year-old Markus Tyrelle Dowdy, who is wanted in connection with the homicide that occurred on Saturday, November 4, 2023, at the America’s Best Wings restaurant in the 11200 block of New Hampshire Ave.
Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Special Victims Investigations Division (SVID) are asking for the public’s assistance in locating Zabiya Carter, a missing 15-year-old from White Oak. Carter was last seen on Saturday, November 11, 2023, at approximately 7 p.m., in the 11230 block of Oak Leaf Dr. in White Oak. She is 5′, 130 lbs., with black hair, brown eyes and was last seen wearing a black hoodie and black and grey pajama pants. Carter is traveling with a small black and white puppy. (more…)
The Montgomery County Department of Police – Missing Person/Cold Case Unit continues to ask for the public’s assistance in locating Olawale Ogunbiyi, a 37-year-old male. Ogunbiyi was last seen on Friday, November 3, 2023, in the 9700 block of Hedin Drive in Silver Spring. He is 5’9″, 179lbs, with black hair and brown. Ogunbiyi is known to frequent the White Oak and Hillandale area. (more…)
Adventist HealthCare White Oak Medical Center earned an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit watchdog that “sets standards for excellence in patient care.” Leapfrog assigns an A, B, C, D, E, or F grade to general hospitals across the country based on over 30 national performance measures reflecting errors, accidents, injuries and infections, as well as the systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm.
“We are truly honored to be recognized by The Leapfrog Group for the second consecutive time as one of the safest hospitals in Maryland,” said Anthony Stahl, president, White Oak Medical Center. “The ‘A’ safety grade reflects our deep and ongoing commitment to the safety and wellbeing of our patients.”
Per the press release: The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program exclusively based on hospital prevention of medical errors, infections and injuries that kill more than 500 patients a day nationally. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. Grades are updated twice annually in the fall and spring.
“Earning an ‘A’ Grade means White Oak Medical Center made a true commitment to put patients first,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “We congratulate the leadership, Board, clinicians, staff and volunteers that all had a role to play in this achievement.”
“Fewer than 30% of hospitals in the U.S. receive this distinguished recognition,” said James Rost, M.D., vice president and chief medical officer, White Oak Medical Center. “Our entire team continually works together to identify opportunities to improve and sustain our culture of safety, review and update policies and practices related to quality and safety, and incorporate best practices into our focus on being a high-reliability organization.”
To see White Oak Medical Center’s full grade details and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org.
Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps for patient safety. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey and Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey collect and transparently reporthospital and ASC performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog’s other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents and infections For more, follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and sign up for our newsletter.
Adventist HealthCare White Oak Medical Center is a state-of-the-art acute care hospital located in Silver Spring, Md., and part of Montgomery County-based Adventist HealthCare. White Oak Medical Center offers a full range of health services including a comprehensive and nationally recognized heart program, cancer care, maternity care, surgical and emergency care. White Oak Medical Center is a neighbor and research partner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and at the center of the emerging White Oak Science Gateway in Montgomery County, Md.
Per MCPD: “Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Major Crimes Division are investigating a fatal shooting that occurred on Saturday, November 4, 2023, at the America’s Best Wings restaurant in the 11200 block of New Hampshire Ave. At approximately 5:51p.m., 3rd District officers and Montgomery County Fire Rescue personnel responded to the location for the report of a shooting.
Upon arrival, officers located two adult male victims, suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. 34-year-old Marvin Jefferson, of Silver Spring, was located outside of the restaurant. The second victim was located nearby. Both victims were transported to an area hospital, where Jefferson was later pronounced dead. The second victim sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries and has been released from the hospital.
The investigation has revealed that there was an altercation inside the restaurant between the victims and the suspect that led to the shooting. After the shooting, the suspect left the scene. No suspect is in custody at this time. This is an active and ongoing investigation.
Anyone with information regarding the suspect or this crime is asked to visit the Crime Solvers of Montgomery County, MD website at www.crimesolversmcmd.org and click on the “www.p3tips.com” link at the top of the page or call 1-866-411-8477. A reward of up to $10,000 is being offered for information that leads to the arrest of the suspect. Tips may remain anonymous.”
Montgomery County Police responded to a shooting in the White Oak Shopping Center on Saturday, November 4. According to police, “At approximately 5:51p.m., 3rd District officers and Montgomery County Fire Rescue personnel responded to the America’s Best Wings restaurant in the 11200 block of New Hampshire Ave. for the report of a shooting. Upon arrival, officers located two adult male victims, suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. The victims were transported to an area hospital, where one of the victims was pronounced dead. The second victim is in critical condition.
The preliminary investigation has revealed that there was an altercation inside the restaurant that led to the shooting. After the shooting, the suspect left the scene. No suspect is in custody at this time. This is an active and ongoing investigation.” We will provide an update if additional information becomes available. Featured photo courtesy of Google Maps.
Montgomery County Police tweeted the following at 6:09pm on Saturday, November 4: “MCPD is responding to a shooting call in the 11200 block of New Hampshire Ave. More information will be released as it becomes available.”
According to public safety reporter Cordell Pugh, two victims were shot during a fight near the White Oak Shopping Center around 5:50pm. Montgomery County Police 3D Officers aided both victims prior to EMS arrival. We will provide an update if additional information becomes available.
WHITE OAK CRITICAL DOUBLE SHOOTING: ~5:50PM Saturday near the White Oak Shopping Center at New Hampshire Avenue & Lockwood Drive in White Oak, MD (Montgomery County). 2 victims shot during a fight. Montgomery County Police 3D Officers aided both victims prior to EMS arrival. https://t.co/JGEnyKW5w7
— Cordell (@CordellTraffic) November 4, 2023
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, headquartered in White Oak, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), released data from the 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) on tobacco product use among U.S. youth. The findings, which were collected between March and June 2023, show that 10% of U.S. middle and high school students (2.8 million youth) reported current use of any tobacco product. Among U.S. high school students, current overall tobacco product use declined during 2022-2023 (16.5% to 12.6%). This decline was primarily attributable to reduced e-cigarette use (14.1% to 10%), which translates to 580,000 fewer high school students who reported current use of e-cigarettes in 2023. Among high school students, declines in current use were also observed during 2022-2023 for cigars and overall combustible tobacco smoking, representing all-time lows.
Per the FDA and CDC: “It’s encouraging to see this substantial decline in e-cigarette use among high schoolers within the past year, which is a win for public health,” said Brian King, Ph.D., M.P.H., director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products. “But we can’t rest on our laurels. There’s more work to be done to build on this progress.” Although a decrease in e-cigarette use was observed among high school students, among middle school students there was an increase in current overall tobacco product use (4.5% to 6.6%) and multiple tobacco product use (1.5% to 2.5%). However, among middle school students overall, no significant change was observed during 2022-2023 for current use of any individual tobacco product type, including e-cigarettes.
E-cigarettes remained the most commonly used tobacco product among both high school and middle school students for the 10th year in a row. Among youth who reported current e-cigarette use, approximately one-quarter reported using e-cigarettes every day. Disposable e-cigarette products were the most common product type used by youth who reported e-cigarette use. However, the most popular brands included both disposable and cartridge-based products. Among current youth e-cigarette users, the most commonly reported brands were Elf Bar (56.7%), Esco Bars (21.6%), Vuse (20.7%), JUUL (16.5%) and Mr. Fog (13.6%).
Among youth who reported current e-cigarette use, nearly all used flavored products (89.4%), with fruit, candy, mint and menthol being the most commonly used flavors. For the first time in NYTS, the 2023 questionnaire asked about use of flavors that included the word “ice” or “iced” in their name, along with other concept flavor names (i.e., names that imply flavor but do not explicitly indicate any particular flavor, such as “island bash”). Accounting for these products provides a more robust picture of flavored tobacco product use among youth, with the results suggesting that flavored tobacco product use among youth might be higher than previously thought.
“The FDA remains concerned about youth tobacco product use, and we cannot and will not let our guard down on this issue,” King said. “The agency has an array of enforcement tools at our disposal, and we’re committed to using them as appropriate. We will not stand by as bad actors place profit over the health of our nation’s youth.” After filing 22 civil money penalty (CMPs) actions in September for the largest amounts sought to date, the FDA is announcing a new wave of enforcement actions targeting illegal e-cigarettes with youth appeal. The agency is seeking CMPs for similar amounts against 20 additional retailers for the sale of unauthorized Elf Bar products, the most popular brand among youth according to the 2023 NYTS. The FDA previously issued a warning letter to each of these 20 retailers cautioning them to stop selling unauthorized tobacco products. During follow-up inspections, the FDA observed that the retailers had not stopped selling the unauthorized products, resulting in the CMP actions. In September, the FDA announced civil money penalty actions against more than a dozen retailers for the sale of unauthorized Elf Bar/EB Design e-cigarettes and sent hundreds more warning letters to retailers for selling the same products.
Today’s actions mark yet another step in the agency’s continued actions against manufacturers, distributors, importers and retailers of illegal e-cigarettes with youth appeal. Over the past year, the FDA has issued more than 135 warning letters to manufacturers and distributors of unauthorized e-cigarettes – including several distributors of Elf Bar (Easy Wholesale, LLC, EC Supply, Inc., Safa Goods, LLC). The FDA has also conducted a series of nationwide retailer inspections, issued more than 400 warning letters to retailers for the sale of unauthorized e-cigarettes, issued import alerts for the detention without physical examination of unauthorized e-cigarettes offered for entry into the U.S. marketplace, filed civil money penalty actions for the largest amounts sought to date against manufacturers of unauthorized e-cigarettes and filed the first injunctions against manufacturers of unauthorized e-cigarettes.
Youth use of tobacco products in any form – including e-cigarettes – is unsafe. Keeping tobacco products out of the hands of youth remains a top priority for the FDA. The FDA’s continued efforts, including the enforcement actions announced today, mark important progress toward achieving that goal.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to a fire at 12001 Old Columbia Pike (Columbia Towers) in White Oak on Sunday, October 29 around 11:45am. The fire was located in a 7th floor apartment and has been extinguished. According to Chief Spokesperson for MCFRS Pete Piringer, the fire alarm at the building was not operating and smoke was reported on multiple floors.
There are no reported injuries and the building is now being reoccupied. We will provide an update if additional information becomes available.
MCFRS has met with all residents to explain what has happened and to answer any questions. The 2nd alarm requested has been released, and the building is starting to be reoccupied and turned over to mgt. @DavidPazos15 @mcfrs @mcfrsPIO https://t.co/FwasodsH2t pic.twitter.com/m2lSPt7dPN
— Pazos@mcfrsPIO (@DavidPazos15) October 29, 2023
