MoCo Archives - Page 341 of 629

(Located) Detectives Ask For Assistance in Locating Missing 11 Year Old

Published March 18, 2023 at 3:36PM | Updated March 19, 2023 at 8:29AM

Neal is approximately 5-feet, 6-inches tall and weighs 140 pounds. She has brown eyes and long brown hair with a blond streak that she is currently wearing in a bun. Neal was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt with an image of a goaltender mask on it from the movie, “Friday the 13^th,” black Adidas sweatpants and pink Crocs. She has her ears and nose pierced. Police and family are concerned for her welfare.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Kimora Neal is asked to call the police non-emergency number at (301) 279-8000 (24-hour line) or the Special Victims Investigations Division at (240) 773-5400. Callers may remain anonymous.

County Council to Receive Briefings on Community Engagement Officers and Restorative Justice Practices in Montgomery County Public Schools

By Patrick Herron

Published March 17, 2023 at 9:52PM

Per Montgomery County: The joint Public Safety (PS) and Education and Culture (EC) Committee will meet on Monday, March 20 at 9:30 a.m. to receive a briefing on the Community Engagement Officer (CEO) Program and restorative justice practices within Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS). The joint committee will also receive a briefing and discuss school bus safety. The members of the PS Committee include Chair Sidney Katz and Councilmembers Dawn Luedtke and Kristin Mink. The members of the EC Committee include Chair Will Jawando and Councilmembers Gabe Albornoz and Mink.

The Transportation and Environment (TE) Committee will meet at 9:30 a.m. to review a $250,000 FY23 Supplemental Appropriation and FY23-28 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) Amendment for streetlighting. The committee will also review CIP amendments for transportation projects and receive a briefing on the Purple Line. The members of the TE Committee include Chair Evan Glass and Councilmembers Marilyn Balcombe and Kate Stewart. The Planning, Housing and Parks (PHP) Committee will meet at 1:30 p.m. to receiving a briefing from representatives of the Housing Opportunities Commission (HOC) on Housing Choice vouchers. The members of the PHP Committee include Chair Andrew Friedson and Councilmembers Natali Fani-González and Jawando.

32 ‘Women Making History Award’ Winners Honored by Montgomery Commission for Women and Montgomery Women

By MCS Staff

Published March 17, 2023 at 6:50PM

The Montgomery County Commission for Women and Montgomery Women this week honored 32 women who were selected for the 2023 “Women Making History Awards.” The winners were recognized at ceremonies at the Silver Spring Civic Building. The awards are given in recognition of outstanding women in Montgomery County who are making significant contributions to their vocations and to the community. Recipients and their accomplishments will be featured each day in March on the social media platforms of the Montgomery County Commission for Women and Montgomery Women. This year’s recipients:

Nominations were submitted by peers based on criteria such as unselfish leadership, hard work in their field, exceptional leadership in civic activities, developing or supporting programs resulting in positive social action and inspiring others. Nominees had to either reside or work in Montgomery County. For more information about the sponsoring organizations, visit the Montgomery County Commission for Women website at https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/cfw/ or the Montgomery Women website at http://www.montgomerywomen.org/.

Free Design Consultations Offered by MoCo Department of Permitting Services

By MCS Staff

Published March 17, 2023 at 6:44PM

Per Montgomery County: Spring and summer are some of the busiest months of the year at Montgomery County’s Department of Permitting Services (DPS) as many homeowners apply for permits and schedule inspections for their home renovations and other projects. The department generally issues and processes about 40,000 permits each year, and DPS is eager to help ensure that your project is a success.

If planning to renovate a bathroom, remodel a kitchen, finish a basement, add a deck, install a fence, build a swimming pool or some other construction project, you should know that DPS offers free design consultations for residential (and commercial) projects. A one-hour online appointment provides the opportunity to discuss a construction project with code officials before the project’s final construction documents are submitted. The meetings will provide information you need to know about the process so that you can plan accordingly. Customers are encouraged to include their design professionals (architect, contractor, designer, etc.) at the meetings.

Local Authors to Present ‘Writing and Publishing a Memoir’ Free Program at Olney Library on Sunday, March 26

By MCS Staff

Published March 17, 2023 at 6:39PM

Per Montgomery County: Olney Writer’s Group authors and members Kaitlyn Jain and Amy Chan Zhou will present a free program open to all residents on “Writing and Publishing a Memoir” at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 26, at the Olney branch of Montgomery County Public Libraries (MCPL). Each recently published their memoirs and will have advice and tips for anyone who has been considering writing a memoir of their own. The Olney Library is located at 3500 Olney-Laytonsville Rd. in Olney. Advance registration is not required to attend, but seating is limited.

Ms. Jain and Ms. Zhou will describe the genesis of their writing projects, how they stayed motivated, their participation in and support from the Writer’s Group and the steps taken to successfully publish their works. A question-and-answer session will be part of the workshop. Light refreshments will follow. Ms. Jain is the author of Passports and Pacifiers: Traveling the World, One Tantrum at a Time(2021), which was published by Boston BELS Publishing. Ms. Zhou wrote Flowing with the Pearl River (2022), which was published by Santa Monica Press. Both memoirs can be found on Olney Library’s local author shelf and in MCPL’s catalog.

Press Release: County Executive Elrich Releases Recommended $6.8 Billion Fiscal Year 2024 Operating Budget That Includes 10-Cent Increase in Property Tax Rate Exclusively to Fully Fund MCPS Request  

By MCS Staff

Published March 17, 2023 at 6:10PM | Updated March 19, 2023 at 7:15AM

Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich this week released his recommended Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) Operating Budget of $6.8 billion, which is an increase of 7.7 percent from the FY23 approved all funds budget (County Government plus outside agencies). The recommended FY24 budget reflects record level and significant investments for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), Montgomery College, affordable housing, economic development, public safety and efforts to combat climate change. To access the entire recommended FY24 budget, click here.

The County Charter requires the County Executive to present a recommended budget by March 15 of each year. The recommended budget will be reviewed by the County Council over the next two months. The Council will adopt the new County budget in late May. The new budget will go into effect on July 1. “While the Federal funding to assist residents who have been impacted by the pandemic has reached its end, the need for services and assist remain great,” said County Executive Elrich. “County expenditures are higher because we choose to continue funding programs that support residents who need help stabilizing their lives while also facing the realities of the highly competitive labor market and tremendous inflation. This budget is about choosing to maintain services and the social safety net that we created during the pandemic, while also providing record funding for education, affordable housing, combatting climate change and public safety.”

Free Lyft Rides Offered on St. Patrick’s Day to Prevent Drunk Driving

By Patrick Herron

Published March 17, 2023 at 9:28AM

The Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP) is offering free Lyft rides from 4pm on Friday, March 17 to 4am on Saturday, March 18. Residents 21 and older can redeem the offer by downloading the Lyft app and entering the SoberRide code in the app’s ‘Promo’ section to receive their no-cost (up to $15) safe transportation home. WRAP’s 2023 St. Patrick’s Day SoberRideⓇ promo code will be posted at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, March 17th on www.SoberRide.com. Full details below courtesy of WRAP:

“Preparing to combat that time of year when according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly half (45%) of U.S. traffic deaths involve drunk drivers, * a local nonprofit organization announced today that free safe rides will be offered to would-be drunk drivers throughout the Washington-metropolitan area during this month’s St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.

Montgomery County Executive Elrich, Council President Glass to Join Committee Against Hate/Violence Antisemitism Panel Discussion on Wed., March 22, in Rockville

By Patrick Herron

Published March 17, 2023 at 8:43AM

Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County Council Executive Marc Elrich, County Council President Evan Glass and Councilmember Andrew Friedson are among those expected to join the County Committee Against Hate/Violence (CAHV) panel discussion on “Anti-Semitism in Montgomery County” at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 22. The in-person event at the County’s Executive Office Building in Rockville also will be viewable online.

The Executive Office Building is located at 101 Monroe Street in Rockville. The panel discussion can be viewed live online at https://www.facebook.com/CountyCableMoCo.

Residents Asked to Participate in Survey on How to Expand and Improve Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure and Will Offer Webinars on April 13-14

By Patrick Herron

Published March 16, 2023 at 9:50AM

Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is asking residents to participate in a survey on how the County could expand and improve charging infrastructure for electric vehicles (EVs). As part of the initiative, DEP will hold webinars on Thursday, April 13, and Friday, April 14, to share details about the planning process and collect more input. Beginning in 2023, significant funding will be available from Maryland and the Federal government for local governments and private property owners to install EV charging. To take advantage of this opportunity and accelerate the transition to EV ownership, DEP is developing a plan to expand the availability of EV charging throughout the community.

EVs charged in Montgomery County on Pepco’s electric grid reduce emissions by 70-75 percent, demonstrating that switching to an EV is one of the biggest ways to reduce the County’s carbon footprint. The market for electric vehicles is growing rapidly, with plug-in vehicles making up more than 12 percent of newly registered vehicles in 2022. There are currently about 600 EV charging plugs in the County, including 100 “Fast Charging” plugs. However, more charging infrastructure is needed to meet the current demand and allow more residents to feel confident making the transition to electric vehicles. To overcome “range anxiety”—a fear of running out of battery—drivers need to know that they can easily charge their vehicle nearby to where they live, work and visit regularly.

Walter Johnson Announced Aaron Fiddler as New Varsity Football Coach, Replacing Larry Hurd

By MCS Staff

Published March 16, 2023 at 9:17AM

Walter Johnson High School has announced the new varsity football head coach, Aaron Fiddler, a couple weeks after previous coach Larry Hurd made the decision to step down as coach to become the Athletic Coordinator (position previously known as Athletic Director) at the school. Walter Johnson Athletics announced the following:

The Walter Johnson Community would like to extend a warm welcome and congratulations to Coach Aaron Fiddler as our new Head Football Coach. Coach Fiddler brings incredible knowledge, experience, passion, success, and an ability to develop long lasting relationships with all his students/athletes. Coach Fiddler will be meeting with his team for the first time on Friday Morning at 7:30 am in the Weight Room at Walter Johnson High School!

Council President Evan Glass Releases Statement on the FY24 Recommended Operating Budget

By Patrick Herron

Published March 15, 2023 at 8:45PM

“Reviewing and approving the budget is one of the most critical responsibilities of the Council. Every budget brings its own set of challenges and opportunities, and it’s the Council’s obligation to ensure that this budget positions the County for long-term success and economic prosperity.

“As we undertake this important task, the Council will provide thorough oversight to ensure taxpayer investments are used prudently. We must balance the needs of today with those of tomorrow, which include supporting our schools, our teachers, our first responders, our healthcare professionals and other frontline workers.