MoCo Archives - Page 349 of 615

Four Police Cruisers Struck by Impaired Drivers Over the Past Five Weeks

Published December 13, 2022 at 4:35PM

Per MCPD: Over the past five weeks, four police cruisers have been hit while conducting police related activities. In each case, it was determined that the drivers of the striking vehicles were impaired. On Sunday, November 13, 2022, at approximately 12:24 a.m., a Gaithersburg Police officer, assigned to the Holiday Task Force, was outside of his cruiser conducting a traffic stop in the area of northbound I-270 and Montgomery Village Ave., when his cruiser was side swiped by a red 2021 Ford Explorer. Following the collision, it was determined the driver of the Explorer was under the influence.

On Sunday, November 20, 2022, at approximately 1:38 a.m., a Maryland State Police Trooper, assigned to the Holiday Task Force, was initiating a traffic stop, in the area of northbound I-270 and Middlebrook Rd., with all emergency lights and sirens activated, when his cruiser was sideswiped by a 2011 Nissan Maxima, in the travel lanes of the roadway. The officer attempted to stop the Nissan Maxima, but the driver did not immediately come to a stop. When the driver stopped a short distance later, it was determined that the driver was under the influence.

MoCo’s Joshua Pitsenberger Named Ivy League Rookie of the Year

By MCS Staff

Published December 12, 2022 at 8:10PM

Joshua Pitsenberger has been named the Ivy League Rooking of the Year after an impressive freshman year at Yale. Pitsenberger, who is from Bethesda and attended North Bethesda Middle School before going on to star as a student-athlete at The Avalon School, helped lead Yale to a 8-2 overall record (and 6-1 in the conference).

This season, Pitsenberger has rushed for 667 yards on 120 carries for 5.6 yards per carry and 6 touchdowns. He also has 10 catches for 53 yards and one receiving touchdown. He has been named Rookie of the Week four times this season and was a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award, which is awarded annually to the most outstanding freshman player in the NCAA. As a senior at Avalon, he rushed for 1,156 yards on 188 carries and scored 13 touchdowns, and had 36 receptions to go along with two receiving touchdowns. He also added two returns for touchdowns. Growing up he played football in Bethesda’s Maplewood Athletic Association and comes from a large, football-loving family. According to the Yale athletics website, he has eight brothers who have also played football.

Montgomery County Council Meets on Dec. 13 at 9:15 a.m. to Receive an Update on the County’s Fiscal Condition

By Patrick Herron

Published December 12, 2022 at 6:13PM

Fiscal Plan

Briefing: The Council will receive an update from Executive staff about the County’s fiscal plan. The fiscal plan provides a high-level overview of the County’s fiscal condition and position based on current revenue and expenditure assumptions. The December 2022 update includes revisions to the County’s revenues based on actual collections to-date, assumed additional revenue that will be received in the coming months, and estimated annual expenditures based on quarter one spending for the County government.

Montgomery County Police Respond to Stabbing in Silver Spring

By MCS Staff

Published December 12, 2022 at 4:57PM

Per Montgomery County Police: At approximately 11:04 a.m., 3rd District officers responded to the unit block of Inventa Pl. (off of Wayne Ave.) for the report of a stabbing. An adult male was transported to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries. No suspect is in custody at this time.

Featured photo courtesy of Google Maps

The MoCoShow High School Top 10 (Final Rankings for MCPS Schools)

By MCS Staff

Published December 12, 2022 at 10:40AM

1. Quince Orchard 14-0: The Cougars defeated Flowers from PG county, in the 4A State title game, 32-7. RB Iverson Howard had 195 yards rushing and 2 TDs and DE Jaylen Harvey 6 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble & a blocked punt, in the win. QO won their 5th overall State Championship and their 3rd in 5 years. With the victory Head Coach John Kelley earned his 100th victory.

2. Damascus 13-1: The Swarmin’ Hornets beat Oakdale from Frederick county, in the 3A State title game 21-14. RB Dillion Dunathan had 228 yards rushing and 2 TDs and DT Will Terry had 6 tackles and 1 sack in the win. Damascus won their 12th State championship, tying Seneca Valley & Dunbar for the most all time in Maryland.

MoCo Restaurants Dominate Yelp’s “Top 25 places to eat in the MD Burbs” List

By MCS Staff

Published December 10, 2022 at 6:16PM

Earlier this year, the local “Yelp MD Burbs” part of Yelp released its list of “Top 25 Places to Eat in MD Burbs” list and 15 of the 25 restaurants on the list are in Montgomery County, including four of the top five. Yelp is a popular company that publishes crowd-sourced reviews about businesses with a major focus on restaurants. The Montgomery County restaurants that made the list can be seen below (most pictures courtesy of Taste MoCo):

25. Trattoria Da Lina (7000 Carroll Ave, Takoma Park)

Montgomery County Council Meeting on December 12; Council will continue its review of local and bi-county bills for the upcoming 2023 Maryland General Assembly

By Patrick Herron

Published December 10, 2022 at 12:07PM

Review: The Council will continue its review of the remaining local and bi-county bills for the upcoming 2023 Maryland General Assembly and may choose to take a position on each bill. On Nov. 28, 2022, the 19th Council held a briefing and reviewed 15 local and bi-county bills. The newly inaugurated 20th Council continued its review of local and bi-county bills on Dec. 6, 2022. The legislation under consideration will cover topics including voting methods, special taxing districts, parking, mass transit, speed monitoring, alcoholic beverage licensing and collective bargaining agreements. The Maryland State Delegation conducted a public hearing about local and bi-county bills on Dec. 8, with additional public hearings scheduled on Dec. 15, 2022.

Cougar Pride- It’s a Real Thing (By Syl Sobel)

By MCS Staff

Published December 9, 2022 at 5:07PM

Shortly before kickoff of Thursday night’s Maryland 4A state championship football game at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium in Annapolis, Gaithersburg Mayor Jud Ashman noticed that he’d received a text message from former Quince Orchard High School football star Johnny Hodges. “He wants to know where he can get a livestream of the game,” said Ashman to his companions at the 50-yard-line as they prepared to watch QO defend its state title against C.H. Flowers High School of Prince Georges County.

That Hodges, a 2019 QO graduate and cocaptain of the 2018 championship team, would still want to watch a team of players who weren’t even at QO when he played, isn’t all that remarkable when you think about it. Hodges’ loyalty to his former coaches and the QO football program runs deep. Neither is the fact that of all the people he might contact to find out where to find a livestream, he’d choose the Mayor of Gaithersburg. Ashman’s love of QO football as a parent of two QO alums, including a former football player, is well known throughout the community.

Lawyer or Retired Judge Needed for Role with County’s Police Accountability Board and Administrative Charging Committee

By Patrick Herron

Published December 9, 2022 at 1:05PM

Per Montgomery County: The Montgomery County Office of the County Attorney seeks expressions of interest from lawyers interested in being appointed, pursuant to Montgomery County Charter Section 213, as special counsel to provide legal services to the newly formed Police Accountability Board (PAB) and Administrative Charging Committee (ACC) sitting in Montgomery County, Maryland. Additional information on the PAB/ACC can be found here. The PAB and ACC is tasked with reviewing issues and receiving public complaints arising from local Law Enforcement agencies including the Montgomery County Department of Police, the municipal police departments, and the Sheriff’s office.

The PAB is responsible for meeting with directors of the law enforcement agencies in the County, receiving public complaints of police misconduct and forwarding them to the appropriate law enforcement agency; advising the County Executive and the County Council on policing matters; and reviewing the outcomes of disciplinary matters considered by the ACC.

Montgomery County Police Responds to Accidental Discharge of BB Gun at Local Middle School on Thursday

By MCS Staff

Published December 9, 2022 at 8:33AM | Updated December 9, 2022 at 8:56AM

A letter (available below) was sent home to the Silver Spring International Middle School community on Thursday, December 8th, detailing an incident involving a BB gun accidentally discharging and striking a student in the leg during the school day.

According to the letter, a 7th grade student showed a BB gun to a friend when it accidentally discharged and struck her friend in the upper thigh. There were no injuries, as the student was examined by the school nurse following the incident, and the BB gun was confiscated by school security. Montgomery County Police and Montgomery County Public School Systemwide Safety reported to the school to investigate the incident. Full letter below:

County Executive Elrich Is Holding Hybrid Forums to Seek Input on FY 2024 Operating Budget, With Next One on Monday, Dec. 12, in Germantown

By MCS Staff

Published December 8, 2022 at 7:40PM

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, the County’s regional services offices and community partners are hosting hybrid forums to seek input on the Fiscal Year 2024 Operating Budget. The next forum, emphasizing priorities of the senior community, will be conducted from 7-8:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 12, at the BlackRock Center for the Arts in Germantown. Residents can attend most forums in person or view them via the internet.

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. “The budget is a primary indicator of the priorities of any jurisdiction,” said County Executive Elrich. “This is why community and resident involvement is essential to the process of developing a budget that reflects our values and goals. The objective is the make these forums accessible and interactive. I encourage residents to participate in the discussions because they are for you. No matter where you live or your age, I want to hear from as many people as possible. We were fortunate to maintain a very strong financial position throughout the pandemic, which enabled us to continue to support programs and services that are important to residents. Now we are looking ahead to the many ways we can make this a better place to live for everyone.”