MoCo Archives - Page 341 of 615

Springbrook’s Gary Frace Named Maryland Coach of the Year

Published January 26, 2023 at 8:23AM

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) :

Montgomery Community-wide Greenhouse Gas Emissions Decreased by 30 Percent Between 2005 and 2020, According to Council of Governments

By Patrick Herron

Published January 25, 2023 at 5:21PM

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.”

Energy Assistance Programs and Energy Savings Information Tables Will Be Available at Montgomery County Public Libraries Through April

By Patrick Herron

Published January 25, 2023 at 5:07PM

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].

16 Multiple Electric Vehicle Charging Ports Added in County Parking Facilities, Bringing Total to 56 in County Garages and Parking Lots

By Patrick Herron

Published January 25, 2023 at 4:52PM | Updated January 25, 2023 at 5:31PM

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):

$116K in Funds Distributed to Families Affected by November 26 Explosion and Fire at Potomac Oaks Condominiums in Gaithersburg

By MCS Staff

Published January 25, 2023 at 4:06PM

More than $116,000 in funds have been distributed to families affected by the catastrophic November 26 explosion and fire at the Potomac Oaks Condominium in Gaithersburg through a collaborative effort involving governmental agencies and nonprofits, including Making Homes Possible (MHP). The dedicated relief fund, which totals more than $138,000 thanks to generous donors, is being managed by MHP. One hundred percent of donations are going to affected families to cover costs and damage resulting from the explosion/fire.

Ten people were transported to the hospital, two with critical injuries and eight (4 adults/4 children) with mild/moderate injuries following the explosion and fire. Dozens of residents from 24 different units across four buildings were also displaced. It was announced that the body of the deceased recovered from the wreckage on Thursday had been positively identified as 36-year-old Juan Pablo Marshall Quizon. The manner of death was ruled a suicide and the cause of death was smoke inhalation and burns. MHP anticipates closing the Potomac Oaks relief fund by the end of February. Those interested in contributing to the fund should complete their donations by February 28. You can donate here.

Damascus High School Alumna, Ava Piedrahita, named Penn State Student-Athlete of the Week

By MCS Staff

Published January 25, 2023 at 3:01PM

Ava Piedrahita, a 2022 graduate of Damascus High School has been named Penn State student-athlete of the week. Ava, a native of Gaithersburg, also attended John T. Baker Middle School in Damascus. According to her website, Ava started gymnastics because her sister Kaitlyn was in gymnastics back in 2007 and she was just tagging along running around in the waiting room. She started with recreational classes for a couple of years then was invited to team at Hill’s Gymnastics in Gaithersburg.

Penn State on Ava: “In the first Big Ten meet of her career against No. 16 Minnesota, Piedrahita shined with three career-highs in a fantastic all-around competition for the freshman. The freshman started off her night with a 9.800 on bars as one of four Nittany Lions to post a 9.800-or-better on the apparatus. She continued with a career-best 9.875 on vault, which led the team in the event and became Penn State’s best mark on the apparatus this season. Her career-best 9.775 on the balance beam closed out the night for her and helped her set a new lifetime best 39.225 in the all-around to claim second place in the meet. The score also became Penn State’s best all-around mark in the 2023 season. In a tough Big Ten road environment, the freshman rose to the occasion and performed extremely well for the Nittany Lions”

Nominations Now Being Accepted for Montgomery County’s Commission for Women’s 2023 ‘Women Making History Award’

By Patrick Herron

Published January 24, 2023 at 10:25PM

Recipients of the Women Making History Award will be recognized and featured during Women’s History Month in March and again at a panel discussion and dinner to be held at a later date. To be eligible, nominees should exemplify one or more of the following:

MoCo Natives to Start New Weekly FM Radio Show on February 5th

By MCS Staff

Published January 24, 2023 at 8:11AM | Updated January 24, 2023 at 7:55PM

Montgomery County natives Brandy Louis Simms and George Johnson will start broadcasting their new radio show, ‘Sports Rap’, on Sunday, February 5th on Radio Arlington (WERA 96.7fm). Simms graduated from Newport Prep in Kensington Johnson is a graduate of Walter Johnson HS in Bethesda. Johnson has previously worked at Home Team Sports/Comcast SportsNet, while Simms is the manager former Sports Director at Montgomery Community Media’s “Cable News 21”.

The weekly show, ‘Sports Rap’, will air every Sunday at noon (12pm) and will primarily discuss local high school, college and professional sports along with other issues within the world of sports. Not a fan of sports? No worries, Simms tells us they’ll also talk about pop culture and comedy, music, movies, television, and more.

Montgomery County Council Meeting on January 24 at 9am

By Patrick Herron

Published January 23, 2023 at 11:07PM

Interview: The Council will conduct an interview with Rabbiah Sabbakhan, the County Executive’s appointee for the position of director within the Department of Permitting Services.

Statement from County Executive Marc Elrich Regarding Antisemitic Incidents in the County Over the Weekend

By Patrick Herron

Published January 23, 2023 at 9:12AM | Updated January 23, 2023 at 10:05PM

Per Montgomery County: “Over the weekend we learned about new antisemitic incidents of hate and intolerance in our County. The first took place at three MCPS schools and the other in a neighborhood in Kensington. For several months, we’ve seen and responded to hate speech being spread across our community in the form of graffiti and flyers dropped off in neighborhoods in a cowardly manner while many of us sleep. Last night flyers were left in the Kensington area targeting several Jewish families. Police are investigating the incident and, as with each incident before, we intend to prosecute any hate crime to the fullest extent of the law. If you have information that could help the investigation you’re encouraged to contact 240.773.TIPS (8477.)

On Saturday, we learned about 3 separate incidents in which swastikas were drawn into desks last week in Montgomery County Public Schools. MCPS leaders tell us the incidents were reported, the people responsible identified and punishment administered.

Montgomery County Council and Committee Meetings on January 23, 2023

By Patrick Herron

Published January 22, 2023 at 2:22PM

The Economic Development (ECON) Committee will meet at 9:30 a.m. to receive a presentation from the Office of Legislative Oversight (OLO) on economic development strategies that have been determined to establish and maintain a business-friendly environment in the County. In addition, the committee will receive a briefing from the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) on the County’s economic indicators. The members of the ECON Committee include Chair Natali Fani-González, Councilmember Marilyn Balcombe, Council President Evan Glass and Councilmember Laurie-Anne Sayles.

The Education and Culture (EC) Committee will also meet at 9:30 a.m. to discuss the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Monthly Financial Reports and receive an update on the MCPS Requested FY24 Capital Budget and Amendments to the FY23-28 Capital Improvements Program (CIP). The members of the EC Committee include Chair Will Jawando and Councilmembers Gabe Albornoz and Kristin Mink.