Per MCPS Athletics: Congratulations to the following MCPS high school regional basketball champions:
Boys
MoCo
Per Montgomery County: “Montgomery Connects,” Montgomery County’s digital equity and inclusion program, will distribute 6,000 laptops in March to low-income individuals funded by the FCC’s Emergency Connectivity Fund grant and Maryland Emergency Education Relief grants. Montgomery County-serving nonprofit organizations, agencies and County departments who have clients eligible for the computers are encouraged to make information available to their clients about the limited remaining availability of the laptops.
Organizations are encouraged to provide assistance to help clients register for an appointment to receive a computer using registration links at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/computer. Organizations that need additional assistance are encouraged to contact Montgomery Connects by email at [email protected].
Per Montgomery County: Daylight Saving Time begins overnight Saturday-Sunday, March 11-12. In addition to moving clocks one hour forward, it is a good reminder to check or replace the batteries in smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. If batteries are being replaced, the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection encourages residents to not throw them in the trash. They need to be recycled properly.
Improperly disposed batteries in trash and recycling containers can result in trash fires. To avoid a potential tragedy, County residents can bring all types of batteries to the Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) drop-off area at the Montgomery County Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station. The recycling facility is located at 16101 Frederick Rd. in Derwood. Some retailers also offer drop-off programs to recycle batteries. Check the Call2Recycle website to find a nearby location. For more information on all recycling opportunities in Montgomery County, visit Home – Recycling and Resource Management Division (montgomerycountymd.gov).
The Montgomery Parks and Montgomery Planning(opens in a new tab) departments presented their Spring 2023 Semiannual Report to the Montgomery County Council on Tuesday, March 7, 2023. The presentations showcased key projects, park activities and plans from the past six months, and initiatives that will be completed over the next six months and beyond. The presentation is given to the County Council every spring and fall and allows County Councilmembers to provide feedback to Montgomery Parks and Planning leadership and staff. Watch the Spring 2023 Semiannual presentation to the County Council here or read highlights available below.
Montgomery County Planning Board Chair Jeff Zyontz began the presentation by highlighting the work of the temporary acting Planning Board. “I’m grateful to Commissioners Cherri Branson, David Hill, and Amy Presley – over the last four months, they were engaged and dedicated to the task they were given, including approving 133 individual regulatory items in addition to recommending approval of master plans for the County Council’s consideration. I look forward to working with the new Planning Board members.”
Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County Public Libraries in March will be participating in “Hatchlings: Ready to Hatch,” a Maryland State Library-sponsored program developed by Betsy Diamant-Cohen, the creator of Mother Goose on the Loose. The Hatchlings program helps expectant and new parents build the skills to be their child’s first teachers. Programs will be offered on Thursday, March 16, at the White Oak Library; Saturday, March 25, at the Wheaton Library (in Spanish and English); and Tuesday, March 28, at the Long Branch Library (in Spanish and English).
Details on the three dates and locations available in March:
Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando, Councilmember Kristin Mink, with the support of County Executive Marc Elrich, introduced the Housing Opportunity, Mobility, and Equity (HOME) Act during the Council session on Tuesday, March 7. Community organizations, landlords and renters joined the Councilmembers and County Executive for a press conference introducing the HOME Act. They highlighted the costly impacts of renting in the County and how the bill would help relieve hundreds of thousands of renters.
“Housing is a human right. Affordable housing is not a nice to have but a necessity for renters to be able to live and contribute to our communities,” said Councilmember Jawando. “One-third of our County residents are renters, and most are Black. 58 percent of Black households rent, double the percentage of White or Asian households. With inflationary concerns, we must provide stable housing for residents.”
Per Montgomery County: On Tuesday, the Montgomery County Council unanimously passed a resolution calling on Governor Wes Moore and the Maryland General Assembly to allocate $175 million in the FY24 budget. The funding would help an estimated 17,000 Maryland families avoid eviction and remain in their homes.
Governor Moore announced a $5 billion state surplus in this year’s budget. Montgomery County residents, along with all Marylanders, are facing an end to local rental assistance, in addition to reductions in SNAP benefits, imposing hardship on many families.
Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County At-Large Councilmember Laurie-Anne Sayles is hosting an inaugural Women’s History Month event on Saturday, March 11 from 3-5 p.m. at the AFI Silver Theatre in downtown Silver Spring to honor this year’s national theme for Women’s History Month, “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories.” She will be joined by prominent women in the media: Ovetta Wiggins, Politics Reporter with the Washington Post; Andrea Sarralde, Emmy Award Winning Journalist with Montgomery Community Media; and Jenn White, host of NPR’s 1A Podcast.
“Women’s History Month is an important time to celebrate the achievements of trailblazing women striving for equal rights,” said Councilmember Sayles. “By bringing women together in Montgomery County for this special occasion, we learn about the sacrifices women have made to successfully lead in their careers. Our stories are nuanced and significant, and we must continue to take up space to ensure dignity, respect, and equal access to opportunity.
Per Montgomery County: The Montgomery County Council and County Executive Marc Elrich, led by Councilmember Kate Stewart, sent a letter to the chair and members of the Maryland House Rules and Executive Nominations Committee today in support of the Melanie Diaz Sprinklers Save Lives Act (House Bill 1292), sponsored by Maryland State Delegates Lorig Charkoudian, Marvin Holmes, David Moon, Emily Shetty and Jared Solomon and Jheanelle Wilkins.
Stronger fire safety protections like these could have helped slow the devastating fire last month at a Silver Spring high-rise apartment complex that displaced over 400 residents, led to the hospitalization of 20 people, including firefighters responding to the incident, and caused the tragic death of 25-year-old Melanie Diaz and her two dogs. In 2019, the Maryland State Fire Marshal highlighted the dangers of living in high-rise buildings without sprinkler systems, which have been shown to reduce civilian fire deaths by up to 87% – but older buildings, a majority of which are in Montgomery County, are not required to have these sprinkler systems in place.
Per the Olney Theatre: Olney Theatre Center is adding a performance of its hit production of Kinky Boots on Wednesday, March 22 at 8:00 pm and donating proceeds from the evening to two partner organizations. MoCo Pride Center is the latest participant in Olney Theatre’s Community Partners Program, which seeks to deepen the theatre’s connections with local non-profits that are aligned with the theatre’s mission and values. Parasol Patrol was instrumental in the success of Olney Theatre Center’s recent Drag Story Hour event at the Olney branch of the Montgomery County Public Library. More than 100 Parasol Patrol volunteers showed up with rainbow flags and umbrellas to welcome the dozens of families who came to enjoy story hour with Drag Queen D’Manda Martini.
Tickets for the performance are $47-$79 and can be purchased at www.olneytheatre.org or by calling the box office at 301-924-3400. Discounts are available for students, seniors, active military, and first responders. The production is currently running through March 26 in the Mainstage Theatre.
Per Montgomery County: The Public Safety (PS) Committee will meet on Monday, March 6 at 9:30 a.m. to receive a briefing on police use of force and discuss the FY23 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) amendments for the Outdoor Firearms Training Center and the Public Safety Training Academy (PSTA) academic building complex. The members of the PS Committee include Chair Sidney Katz and Councilmembers Dawn Luedtke and Kristin Mink.
The Transportation and Environment (TE) Committee will also meet at 9:30 a.m. to discuss category change requests to the Comprehensive Water Supply and Sewerage Systems Plan, Bill 3-23, Environmental Sustainability – Montgomery County Green Bank and the FY22 National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System Permit (NPDES-MS4) Financial Assurance Plan. The members of the TE Committee include Chair Evan Glass and Councilmembers Marilyn Balcombe and Kate Stewart.