Per Montgomery County: The third holiday season with COVID-19 is underway, and everyone agrees that COVID fatigue exists. A few simple steps of caution can make being with family and friends enjoyable while reducing the risk of illness from COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses such as colds and flu. Montgomery County’s Department of Health and Human Services offers the following things to keep in mind when planning for family gatherings:
Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge James Bonifant has found Catherine Hoggle incompetent to stand trial in disappearance of her two young children. Under Maryland law, felony charges have to be dismissed five years after the first time a defendant was found incompetent, so Judge James Bonifant has dismissed the two murder charges against Hoggle. Judge James Bonifant says Catherine Hoggle “meets the criteria for involuntary confinement,” because doctors say she is schizophrenic, delusional and paranoid.
Background of the case, per the Maryland Court of Special Appeals: Catherine Hoggle is the mother of Sarah Hoggle and Jacob Hoggle. According to the State, the two children were last seen in the care of their mother on September 7, 2014. At that time, Sarah was five years old, and Jacob was three years old. Hoggle was arrested three days after the children disappeared. Officers interrogated her for several hours, but they did not learn the location of the children.
The Montgomery County Sports Hall of Fame (MCSHF) is proud to announce the class of 2022. MCSHF will be holding the 2022 Induction Ceremony on December 4, 2022 from 3:00pm to 5:00pm at the Silver Spring Civic Building. This year’s inductees are:
“These men and women have brought recognition and honor to our community in their respective fields,” says MCSHF Board Chair Trish Heffelfinger. “It is a stellar group and the induction ceremony will be one fabulous evening.” This year’s class joins the members of our first three classes in the Hall of Fame: Katie Ledecky, Dominique Dawes, Shawn Springs, Bob Milloy, Bruce Murray, Walter Johnson, Johnny Holliday, Curtis Pride, Amy Wood, Tom Brown, Jeri Ingram, Roy Lester, Greivis Vasquez, Richie Anderson, Deane Beman, Charlene Thomas-Swinson, and Mike Curtis. More on each of this year’s inductees below:
(*) = Seed
4A: (2) Quince Orchard vs (1) Flowers– The Cougars beat Broadneck 42-9 in the semifinals. RB Iverson Howard rushed for 210 yards & 2 touchdowns in the victory. WR Tavahri Groves also contributed with 129 yards of total offense and 2 touchdowns. Flowers, from PG County, defeated Wise 20-13 in their semifinal game. This will be QO’s 9th appearance in the state finals, having won 4. Flowers will be playing in their 1st state final in school history. These two squads have only played each other once prior, in 2011 they met in the state semifinal resulting in a 23-12 Quince Orchard win. Quince Orchard vs Flowers High School Football Game of the Week (2011) The Head Coaches of QO & Flowers, John Kelley & Dameon Powell respectively, both played their high school ball in MoCo. Kelley at Seneca Valley and Powell at Sherwood. In addition, they played against each other twice in 1996, Seneca winning the regular season meeting and Sherwood getting revenge in the playoffs. Thursday night Quince Orchard vs Flowers for the 4A State Championship at Navy Memorial Stadium in Annapolis. Prediction: Quince Orchard by 17
Per Montgomery County: Today the Montgomery County Council unanimously passed legislation that will fuel economic development by providing the County Executive with greater flexibility regarding the administration of the County’s program to match federal Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer grants. The legislation is sponsored by Planning, Housing and Economic Development (PHED) Committee Chair Hans Riemer and Councilmembers Will Jawando and Andrew Friedson, who sit on the PHED Committee.
Expedited Bill 31-22, Finance – Economic Development Fund – Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Matching Grant Program, alters the administration and eligibility requirements of the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Matching Grant Program, which provides funding to small businesses engaged in research and development, and amends the law regarding the program and the Economic Development Fund.
Per Montgomery County: The Montgomery County Council voted unanimously today to pass Bill 13-22, Buildings – Comprehensive Building Decarbonization, which will require the County Executive to issue all-electric building standards for new construction by Dec. 31, 2026. The legislation, introduced by Councilmember Hans Riemer and cosponsored by Councilmember Will Jawando, is the first of its kind in Maryland.
“This legislation, combined with cleaning up the electricity grid and retrofitting existing buildings, will bend the curve on emissions from our building sector, which produce over 50 percent of our total emissions,” said Councilmember Riemer. “Fully electric buildings are less costly to operate over the life cycle of the building and healthier for indoor air quality since they do not produce carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide as byproducts, pollutants that have been shown to contribute to asthma in children and disproportionately affect communities of color. Montgomery County will now be a national leader in the push for electrification as a solution for climate change.”
Per MCPD: Members of the Montgomery County Police Alcohol Holiday Task Force will be devoting their full time and attention to detecting alcohol-related offenses this holiday season. During the week of November 23, 24, 25, 26, and 27, task force officers arrested 32 people for driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs (DUI).
2022 Holiday Alcohol Task Force Enforcement – Week Three
This Station is a Montgomery County Historic Site and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Open House is Co-Hosted by Montgomery Preservation Inc. https://www.montgomerypreservation.org/ & Silver Spring Historical Society, https://www.facebook.com/sshistory/
B&O STATION SAFETY MEASURES: Montgomery Preservation continues to prioritize the health and safety of our visitors, volunteers, and guests, with social distancing and a masking policy that follows CDC and Montgomery County rules. Anyone inside the building must wear a mask in consideration for vulnerable patrons and staff. Masking is optional outdoors.”
By: Laurie Boyer-Babb, MCEDC Director of Economic Development
Are you a small business owner looking for a loan to support your business’s growth? The Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) and the Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC) have launched the newly activated Accelerating Community Excellence (ACE) Loan Fund, a state of Maryland-funded program that provides loans to small, minority and women-owned companies. Backed by an initial allocation of $1.5 million in state funds, the ACE Loan Fund is now open and accepting applications, fully dedicated to supporting and uplifting those crucial small businesses that may have struggled to secure a loan from a traditional bank or lender.
A person was found dead in a hotel room at Hampton Inn and Suites on North Frederick Avenue in Gaithersburg at approximately 12:20pm on Monday afternoon. Montgomery County Police is conducting a standard death investigation and as of now, no foul play is suspected, per our public safety reporter Cordell Pugh.
GAITHERSBURG HOTEL DEATH INVESTIGATION: ~12:20PM Monday at the Gaithersburg (North Frederick Avenue) Hampton Inn and Suites. Person found dead inside hotel room. Police conducting standard death documentation/investigation; as of now NO foul play suspected. Rest In Peace.
Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, the County’s regional services offices and community partners are hosting hybrid forums in November and December to seek input on the Fiscal Year 2024 Operating Budget. The next forum, emphasizing priorities of the senior community, will be conducted from 2-3:30 p.m. TODAY, Monday, Nov. 28, at Leisure World in Silver Spring. The forum at Leisure World is open in-person only to Leisure World residents. However, it can be viewed by anyone who registers for internet viewing. In addition, there will be a live, in-person satellite broadcast shown at the North Potomac Senior Center, which is located at 13850 Travilah Rd. in Rockville. Residents can attend most forums in person or view them via the internet.
The forum scheduled for 7-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 29, at the Chinese Culture and Community Service Center, Inc. in Gaithersburg will be conducted in Chinese. The County is in the early stages of formulating the FY24 operating budget. County Executive Elrich is required to submit a recommended budget to the County Council by March 15. The Council will then have two months to review the budget. It must adopt a final budget no later than June 1. The FY24 operating budget will go into effect on July 1.