Per Montgomery County: The Transportation and Environment (TE) Committee will meet on Monday, Jan. 30, at 9:30 a.m. to discuss Executive Regulation 10-22 regarding the Transportation Services Improvement Fund (TSIF), the state transportation priority letter and the general manager’s proposed FY24 Operating Budget for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA).
The members of the TE Committee include Chair Evan Glass and Councilmembers Marilyn Balcombe and Kate Stewart.
Nominations are now open for the 2023 class of the Montgomery County Sports Hall of Fame. “We are looking for athletes, coaches, journalists, officials, and others who have made significant contributions or brought notoriety to sports in Montgomery County.” The last year’s inductees included Steve Francis, Tim Kurkjian, Sonny Jackson, Rob Bordley, Sally Glynn Hauser, and Clarence “Pint” Isreal.
The nomination form along with nomination criteria and rules can be found on our website at www.mcshf.org. Nominations will stay open until February 10th. Inductees will be chosen by the MCSHF Board of Directors and will be announced in March. They will be honored at a ceremony on Sunday October 29th at the Silver Spring Civic Building.
Per Montgomery County: Our thoughts are first and foremost with the Nichols family and the people of Memphis as they grieve the senseless murder of Tyre Nichols. Our nation once again mourns the brutal loss of a young Black man’s life at the hands of law enforcement and must now cope with the collective trauma that this tragedy has triggered.
It’s difficult to grasp the lack of humanity that was displayed by these officers during this heinous incident. We share the outrage and pain felt all across our country, at the disregard of basic human rights at the hands of those who took oath to protect and serve the public. As a county, a state, and a nation, we must have zero tolerance for police brutality.
Chief Marcus Jones has released a statement on the death of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old man who died from injuries sustained by police after a traffic stop on January 7 in Memphis, TN. Memphis Police are scheduled to release body-cam footage of the incident on Friday evening. All five of the Memphis Police officers involved have been fired and indicted on murder charges. Per MCPD: “Our nation and the law enforcement community are once again faced with the death of a man at the hands of people who have taken an oath to protect and serve.
Five Memphis Police Officers have been fired and indicted on charges including murder and kidnapping in the death of Tyre Nichols. The Memphis, Tennessee officers also face charges of official misconduct and official oppression. Their actions are indefensible.
Per Montgomery County: In recognition of National Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Awareness Day on Jan. 27, low-to-moderate income Montgomery County residents are reminded that valuable tax credits, including the State and Federal Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credits and County’s Working Families Income Supplement, may help them and provide thousands of dollars in tax refunds.
To help residents access these credits, the Community Action Agency’s (CAA) Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Partnership hosts free tax sites throughout the community for households earning $60,000 or less. VITA sites offer in-person appointments in Gaithersburg, Silver Spring, Rockville and Wheaton. Virtual appointments also are available.
The Montgomery County Students Automotive Trades Foundation (ATF) is looking for car donations. Donations will help more high school students learn how to evaluate, repair and restore used cars. The ATF is a nonprofit that fosters automotive education by offering students hands-on instruction in maintenance, repair, sales and marketing. The students run a mini-dealership where people can purchase the refurbished cars. The ATF accepts donations year-round by appointment at Damascus, Gaithersburg and Seneca Valley high schools, at Thomas Edison High School of Technology and at the Shady Grove Bus Depot. Donations may be tax deductible. Call 240-740-2047 to donate.
MCPS students engage in a hands-on curriculum to refurbish used cars. As part of the automotive program, students sell the cars at three sales throughout the school year (www.cars2purchase.org). The next sale is coming up from 9–11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11 at Damascus High School. Potential inventory of available cars will be posted closer to sale date (end of January/ early February). Additional information about the program below:
The panel will cover topics including the economics of affordable housing, market rate housing and a discussion surrounding rent burden and rent relief. Panelists will include leaders from County agencies, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG), nonprofits, including AHC, Montgomery Housing Partnership, Renters Alliance and PolicyLink, and the private sector, including Stonebridge Real Estate, EYA, Southern Management Companies and the Small Multifamily Owners Association.
The members of the PH Committee aim to connect data, context and conversation with a variety of stakeholders to guide future policymaking around the affordability of rental housing. The committee plans to subsequently delve into additional critical housing matters, including home ownership programs, and the Housing Initiative Fund and Housing Production Fund, the county’s primary financing vehicles to subsidize affordable housing projects.
Per MCPS: Gary Frace, Springbrook High School’s longtime cross country coach, was named state Cross Country Coach of the Year by the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA).
Frace has been at Springbrook for nearly 50 years. Will Jawando, Montgomery County Councilmember and chair of the council’s Education and Culture Committee, offered his congratulations in the video below (featured photo– From left to right, MCPS athletics director Jeff Sullivan; Springbrook principal Stephanie Valentine; Gary Frace; athletic director Dan Feher and athletic assistant Melissa Turowski) :
Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County community-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions decreased by 30 percent between 2005 and 2020, despite a 13 percent growth in population, according to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) GHG emission inventories. COG has 24 member jurisdictions in the Washington Region, including Montgomery County. Montgomery County’s inventory covers GHG-emitting activities from the entire community, including the County government, businesses, industry, residents and visitors.
“This inventory demonstrates that in every sector of our County—from our businesses to our residents and local governments—we are successfully working together to bring down greenhouse gas emissions,” said Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich. “Our Countywide efforts, including moving toward electrification and away from fossil fuels, encouraging electric vehicle adoption, planting more trees and making it easier and safer for people to bike and walk, are all contributing to our goals to cut GHG emissions 80 percent by 2027 and 100 percent by 2035.”
Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County Public Libraries will offer staffed information tables to learn about energy assistance programs and energy saving resources on seven select Mondays through April. The resource tables will be staffed by the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services and Pepco.
For more information about the energy savings display tables, contact Clotilde Puértolas at [email protected].
Per Montgomery County: The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) has added 16 electric vehicle charging ports in County garages over the last four months, increasing the total of electric vehicle (EV) charging ports to 56 for public use in County parking garages and parking lots. Eight ports were added in the NOAA Garage (G58) in Silver Spring this month, four ports were added in the Cordell-St. Elmo Garage (G40) in Bethesda in December and four ports were installed in the Wheaton Market Place Garage (G13) in October. MCDOT has eight more charging ports planned. Four will be installed in the Bethesda-Elm Garage (G57) later this winter and four ports have been ordered for the Cameron Street Garage (G7) in Silver Spring.
EV charging ports are now available in the following County parking facilities within each of the three County maintained Parking Lot Districts (PLD):