MoCo

County to Offer $20,000 Incentive to Join Montgomery County Police; Department Currently Down 129 Sworn Officers

By Patrick Herron

Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County and the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Lodge #35 have come to an agreement to begin offering a $20,000 bonus for new sworn police recruits.  The funding for the initial part of this effort was generated through savings accrued from personnel vacancies within the Montgomery County Police Department. Full implementation of the bonus program would require County Council approval for the fiscal 2024 and beyond budgets.

Chief Marcus Jones confirmed earlier this month in testimony before the Public Safety Committee of the County Council that the Department is currently down 129 sworn officers.

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Local Students Extend Invite to 16th Annual Black History Month Celebration

By MCS Staff

The Students of Minds In Motion Child Care, Scotland Community, and the Judith Resnik Elementary School extend an invitation to celebrate Black History Month with a night filled with knowledge, food, poetry, and performances. This free program will be held on Friday, February 24, 2023, from 7 – 9 pm at the Resnik Elementary School, Gaithersburg, MD, and includes dinner from local restaurants. The program will recognize icons of Black History including Viola Davis, Rosa Parks, Michelle Obama, Guy Bluford, Missy Elliot, Cynthia Erivo, and Katherine Dunham. Students will present on their achievements throughout the event.

Performances will be led by various youth groups including students of Minds in Motion Child Care, Scotland Community, Bells Mill Elementary School, Cabin John Middle School, Damascus Elementary School, Goshen Elementary School, Judith Resnik Elementary School, Winston Churchill High School, and Watkins Mill Elementary School. The highlight of the evening will be the Step Performance featuring Kristopher Paul, Noah Gleaton, Diezel Duckett, Sidoine Djimbou, Braedan Lynk, Bebo Aly, and Ahmed Hassan.

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Montgomery Housing Project is Accepting Donations For Those Affected by Saturday’s Fire at Silver Spring Apartment Complex (Hundreds Displaced)

By MCS Staff

A fire that took place on Saturday, February 18th at the Arrive high-rise apartment complex on Georgia Avenue in Downtown Silver Spring resulted in one fatality and injuries to multiple residents, as well as the displacement of hundreds of residents. At the request of Montgomery County, Montgomery Housing Project (MHP) is managing a dedicated relief fund to assist those affected by the fire. One-hundred percent of donations will go directly to those affected.

Per MHP: “While this is not an MHP property, we maintain close ties with the community through the many affordable housing properties we have developed in Montgomery County, and are playing a role by managing financial donations to help impacted residents. Thank you for lending a hand to our neighbors!” Donations can be made here.

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Georgetown Prep Music Teacher Releases EP

By MCS Staff

Sean Gaiser is a class ‘98 Georgetown Prep alumnus and a current music teacher at the Jesuit college-preparatory school in North Bethesda (the only only Jesuit boarding school in the United States). He and Billy Glading (Gonzaga ‘99) have recently released a new five-song EP titled “Wildflower.” The title of the album was inspired by Sean’s sister, Caroline, who passed away in February 2020.

Per a Georgetown Prep news release, his sister, Caroline, was a free spirit who loved flowers. Gaiser chose a fox on the cover because they frequent his house and stare at him and he feels in his heart the foxes represent his sister. The third song on the album is a tribute to Caroline. This is Sean’s third album and he says, “I am always writing music and enjoy starting new projects. I plan to never stop making music.” Sean and Billy said this is their most personal and challenging piece of work yet, and took 5 years to create.You can listen to the album on Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube.

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Seasonal Increase in Passport Applications Has Increased Processing Time

By MCS Staff

Last week Representative Jamie Raskin warned travelers who plan on traveling this Spring that processing times for are increasing for passport applications due to a seasonal increase in applications. Processing times are now up to 8-11 weeks for regular applications and 5-7 weeks for expedited applications. Rep. Raskin’s full message can be seen below:

”I’ve just been alerted that a seasonal increase in passport applications has increased processing times to 8-11 weeks for regular apps and 5-7 weeks for expedited apps. If you have travel plans, please submit your application ASAP.”

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Ride On Flash Buses Decorated For February

By MCS Staff

Montgomery County residents are feeling the love from their local transportation department. The Montgomery County Department of Transportation has decorated some of its US 29 Flash buses with pink neon heart-shaped lights in honor of Valentine’s Day. The buses will remain decorated throughout February.

Fares on Ride On for most riders has been re-established at $1 per ride. Seniors (age 65 and older), persons with disabilities and youth under 19 ride free with specialized SmartTrip cards. The Flash buses are the first of a series of Bus Rapid Transit corridors planned for the County

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‘A Wide Place in the Road—The Roots of Modern Bethesda’ Will Again Be Available from Montgomery History from Feb. 20-26

By MCS Staff

The evolution of Bethesda was the subject of a 2022 virtual presentation from Montgomery History that proved to be its most watched presentation of the year. Starting Monday, Feb. 20, and continuing for a one-week period through Sunday, Feb. 26, “A Wide Place in the Road—The Roots of Modern Bethesda” will again be available in a free virtual presentation from Montgomery County’s history organization.

Bethesda Historical Society Secretary and Tour Chair Hank Levine will take viewers through how, between 1750 and 1920, a fall line, a ridge line, a turnpike, a trolley line, rail lines, the coming of the automobile and Chevy Chase set the stage for the development of Bethesda. Mr. Levine will address how Bethesda went from being an affluent suburb and transformed into the urban center it is today.

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New Legislation Introduced Aimed at Having Certain Businesses Improve Late-Night Safety

By MCS Staff

The Late-Night Business Safety Plan bill was introduced on Feb. 14 to the Council, which will now consider it. “Last year, we met with business leaders and community members in Silver Spring to discuss the situation and concerns with late night establishments over crime and safety,” said County Executive Elrich. “Since then, we have added safety cameras and new license plate reading technology in areas where they are needed. We have used crime date to reconfigure our patrol strategies. When passed, this bill will be another tool to help keep the community safe by relying on our businesses that cater to a late-night crowd to be part of the solution.”

Changes already in place to improve safety in Silver Spring include the addition of three high-visibility morning posts for officers in the Downtown Silver Spring area, more bicycle officers on patrol and more officers involved in community engagement and crime prevention areas. Adopt-A-Neighborhood programs and support from Maryland State Police have helped the area see fewer incidents of crime since last summer. Adding the Late-Night Business Safety Plan is the next step in addressing safety concerns.

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Poolesville Native Justin “Captain America” Budd Makes Pro MMA Debut With “#1 Top Finish of the Week”

By MCS Staff

Justin “Captain America” Budd is a Poolesville native and 2016 graduate of Poolesville High School. Last week he made his pro debut at the Legacy Fight Alliance’s LFA 152 show, knocking out Caleb Jensen in the first round with a spinning back fist (video below).

The 5’10, 170 lb Budd wrestled at Poolesville before going on to wrestle at Bacone College. MMAnews.com gave Budd the #1 finish of the week with his impressive performance, stating the following about the up and coming fighter, “Justin Budd had a lengthy amateur career before turning pro at LFA 152, but he jumped onto the radars of a lot of fight fans with the way he stopped Caleb Jensen.”

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