Per the Office of the Montgomery County State’s Attorney: “Today in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, MD, the Honorable Michael McAuliffe sentenced defendant, Charles Ewald, 37, of Knoxville, MD, to 15 years in prison suspend all but five years to serve and five years of supervised probation upon release.

Ewald pleaded guilty on May 18th, 2023 to charges of felony theft scheme having a value of over $100,000 and misdemeanor misconduct in office. He stole approximately $324,500 from the Montgomery County Public Schools Department of Transportation between at least 2016 and 2021 while he was working there in the role of Assistant Director.


Update: The FREE wheel locks have all been given away.  We are happy we were able to assist our community with this FREE service.  If we get any more, we will make an announcement. Thank you.

The FREE wheel locks are open to ALL Montgomery County Residents – criteria: Takoma Park Police have FREE anti-theft steering wheel locks to help prevent vehicle thefts.  Montgomery County residents can receive one free steering wheel lock per vehicle, while supplies last.


Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County Alcohol Beverage Services (ABS) will deploy a new point-of-sale system at all its Liquor Wine and Oak Barrel & Vine retail stores over the next several weeks. Each store will be closed for one full day and will reopen at noon the following day to accommodate installation of the new hardware. The first store closure will occur at the Darnestown Liquor Wine location on Sunday, Sept. 10 with the store reopening at noon on Monday, Sept. 11.

During the project schedule, up to three stores will be closed at a time on a rolling basis until installations are complete at all stores. All retail stores will remain open on Saturdays. ABS expects to finish the upgrades by Oct. 10.


Per the National Weather Service: “A Heat Advisory is in effect for much of the area this afternoon. Record heat is once again possible today. Drink plenty of fluids today and take plenty of breaks. Be sure to know the warning signs of heat-related illnesses.” The advisory begins at noon and lasts until 7pm today (Wednesday, September 6).

Montgomery County officials have also issued an Hyperthermia Alert and urge residents to take precautions to protect themselves, and their loved ones, against heat-related illnesses such as heat stroke and heat exhaustion. A Hyperthermia Alert is issued for the County when forecasted temperatures, and/or heat index, in at least part of the County is at least 95 degrees or higher creating a hazardous situation in which heat-stroke and heat exhaustion are likely.


Per Montgomery Planning: Green Montgomery County by planting native trees on your property. Download our Reforest Montgomery coupon to receive a $50 discount on any qualifying tree with a retail value of at least $75 from one of the participating nurseries or garden centers below. Adapted to the unique environmental conditions of Montgomery County, these native trees may need less maintenance and offer high quality habitat that supports pollinators and other local wildlife.

This $50 coupon can be combined with the State of Maryland’s $25 Marylanders Plant Trees coupon for $75 off the price of a tree that qualifies for both programs. View trees that qualify for the Marylanders Plant Trees program. Note: This program was formerly known as Leaves for Neighborhoods.


The Rockville City Police Department is offering a free Fair and Impartial Policing training for community members who would like to understand more about bias-free behavior in community policing. This event will be held on Saturday, September 9, 2023 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Social Hall at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre. Light refreshments will be served.

This training will give community members the tools needed to better communicate with police officers so that community members and police can work together and make their community safer and more resilient. An FIP national instructor will lead a roundtable discussion session specifically designed for community members, covering the following topics:


Per Montgomery County: The Montgomery County Anti-Hate Task Force’s Muslim cohort will hold a virtual listening session on Monday, Sept. 11 at 8 p.m. The listening session is an opportunity for the public to engage with the Muslim cohort of the Anti-Hate Task Force and provide input that will guide the cohort’s recommendations to the Council. Each of the six cohorts is tasked with presenting policy recommendations that promote safety and combat hate in Montgomery County.   

The Anti-Hate Task Force was formally adopted through a resolution with unanimous support by the Council in June. The task force, made up of community and faith leaders, held their first meeting in July. 


A full list of upcoming public hearings is available on the Council Calendar. Review the public hearing frequently asked questions for additional information.

To testify in-person or remotely during a live public hearing at the Council Office Building, residents need to preregister on the Council’s web page. Residents may also choose to provide pre-recorded testimony in written, audio or video formats or submit testimony by mail.


Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, along with the County’s regional services offices and community partners will host 10 Community Conversations from September through December to seek input on the Fiscal Year 2025 Operating Budget. The first conversation will be from 7-8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 14, at the Mid-County Recreation Center in Layhill. The official address of the Mid-County Recreation center is 2004 Queensguard Road in Silver Spring.

Seven of the 10 conversations will be conducted in English, including one focusing on issues for older residents and another focusing on issues of importance to Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) members. For a County first, one of the forums will be conducted in Amharic. Two other non-English language forums will be held, with one in Spanish and another in Chinese. A select number of Community Conversations will be held online so that residents have the option to participate remotely.


Montgomery County has activated a Hyperthermia Alert for extreme heat for Tuesday, Sep 5 from 1:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Expect the heat index to be above 95 degrees. Stay hydrated. Take precautions to protect yourself & pets from heat-related illnesses: County officials urge residents to take precautions to protect themselves, and their loved ones, against heat-related illnesses such as heat stroke and heat exhaustion. A Hyperthermia Alert is issued for the County when forecasted temperatures, and/or heat index, in at least part of the County is at least 95 degrees or higher creating a hazardous situation in which heat-stroke and heat exhaustion are likely.

A Heat Emergency Alert could be issued for the County when dangerously hot conditions are present, including, but not limited to, temperatures and/or heat index reaching 105 degrees for a period of at least two days or longer for which it will be dangerous to anyone exposed to the heat for an extended period of time. Residents are also asked to check on elderly friends, relatives and neighbors who may be isolated, to ensure they are not showing signs of heat-related illnesses.


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