National Archives - Page 10 of 10

2023’s “Safest States in America” Report Released

Published October 23, 2023 at 8:53AM

With over 34,000 Americans having died from gun violence this year and the country having experienced 24 billion-dollar climate disasters, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2023’s Safest States in America, with Maryland coming in Ranked 17th. The state’s lowest ranking comes in the “Personal and Residential Safety” category (27th) with the highest ranking coming in the “Workplace Safety” category (17th). In order to determine the most secure states, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 52 key metrics. The data set ranges from assaults per capita to the total loss amount from climate disasters per capita to the unemployment rate.

Key Stats

U.S. Marshals to Auction Off Car Collection of YouTube Personality in Maryland; Lamborghinis, Bentleys, and More Will Be Included in the Auction

By MCS Staff

Published October 6, 2023 at 4:43PM

The U.S. Marshals Service will hold an auction for the multimillion dollar car collection of the imprisoned YouTube star Bill Omar Carrasquillo on October 13th in Baltimore, MD. The live auction will include over 55 cars, motorcycles, ATV, and other vehicles seized from Carrasquillo, also known as “Omi In A Hellcat”. The collection includes exotic cars like Lamborghinis and Bentleys, Jeeps and other SUVs. The auction will be held at the historic B&O Railroad Museum on October 13th, with a preview day on Thursday, October 12th starting at 11 am EST. Also available in a separate online sale is a collection of jewelry seized from Carrasquillo along with other items from other cases.

Earlier this year, Carrasquillo was sentenced to 5 ½ years in prison for crimes arising from a wide-ranging criminal scheme that involved piracy of cable TV, access device fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, and hundreds of thousands of dollars of copyright infringement. In addition to his prison sentence, Carrasquillo is subject to a $30 million forfeiture money judgment and must pay $15 million in restitution.The event is open to the public. To place a bid on any item, registration is required. Registration information for the auto event is located at www.appleauctioneeringco.com; and jewelry sale registration is located at http://www.txauction.com/USM .

Montgomery County Fugitive Captured in Connecticut

By MCS Staff

Published October 6, 2023 at 4:38PM

The U.S. Marshals in Connecticut, along with Middleton and New Haven police, arrested today a man wanted out of Silver Spring, Maryland, for assault and other charges. Oliver Agyopong, 21, was wanted on charges of armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, assault first-degree, assault second-degree, use of a firearm in a violent crime, and theft.

Per U.S. Marshals Service: “Since March, Montgomery County detectives have been investigating several armed robberies in the Silver Spring area of Maryland. Agyapong and two co-defendants were identified as suspects in some of the robberies, and a warrant was issued for their arrest. Oliver was the last suspect arrested in the trio.

President Biden Announces an Additional $9 Billion in Student Debt Relief

By MCS Staff

Published October 6, 2023 at 8:40AM | Updated October 6, 2023 at 9:31AM

White House press release (10/4/23): President Biden has long believed that college should be a ticket to the middle class, not a burden that weighs on families. That’s why from day one, his Administration has taken unprecedented steps to fix the broken student loan system, make college more affordable, and bring the promise of higher education in reach for more Americans.

Marking a key step forward in that effort, President Biden is announcing that an additional 125,000 Americans have been approved for $9 billion in debt relief through fixes his Administration has made to income-driven repayment (IDR) and Public Service Loan Forgiveness, and by cancelling debt for borrowers with total and permanent disabilities. Today’s announcement brings the total approved debt cancellation by the Biden-Harris Administration to $127 billion for nearly 3.6 million Americans. The Biden-Harris Administration is announcing it has approved:

Two Areas in MoCo Ranked in Top 7% of ‘Best Small Cities in America’ List

By MCS Staff

Published October 3, 2023 at 8:20AM | Updated October 7, 2023 at 9:21PM

With almost one third of the population saying that they’d prefer to live in a suburban area, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2023’s Best Small Cities in America, with two areas in MoCo listed in the top 7% (and others ranking relatively high on the list, as seen below). We refer to them as areas, since not all are technically considered cities.

”To help Americans put down roots in places offering good quality of life and affordability, WalletHub compared more than 1,300 U.S. cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 across 45 key indicators of livability. They range from housing costs and school-system quality to restaurants per capita and the crime rate.”

FDA Expands Warning to Consumers About Product That Has Been Referred to as “Nature’s Ozempic”

By MCS Staff

Published September 17, 2023 at 12:05PM

There are currently three FDA-approved semaglutide products. All three medications, Ozempic, Rybelsus, and Wegovy, are only available with a prescription, and there are no approved generic versions. Since their approval, many weight loss products have used the medications’ name, “Nature’s Ozempic”, etc. to fuel sales of their products.

Per the FDA: The FDA and Maryland Department of Health analyses have determined that certain weight loss products labeled as Nuez de la India, and potentially marketed as “botanical food,” “India Nuts for Weight Loss,” “slimming seeds,” “India seeds for weight loss,” or “diet seeds,” appear to be highly toxic yellow oleander, a poisonous plant native to Mexico and Central America. Ingestion of yellow oleander can cause neurologic, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular adverse health effects that may be severe, or even fatal. Symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, dizziness, diarrhea, abdominal pain, cardiac changes, dysrhythmia, and more.

Stephen Marley Announces Star-Studded New Album; Unplugged Tour Includes Stop in MoCo

By MCS Staff

Published August 20, 2023 at 9:47PM

Stephen Marley’s Old Soul, the new album from the 8x GRAMMY Award winning singer/songwriter/producer and son of the legendary Bob Marley, will be released digitally on September 15, 2023. The album boasts an array of special guests including Eric Clapton, Bob Weir, Jack Johnson, Ziggy Marley, Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley, Buju Banton and Slightly Stoopid. In celebration of the announcement, new single “Cool As The Breeze” is now playing everywhere and the Old Soul Tour Unplugged 2023 tour runs from this Sept 8 – Oct 22, with a stop in Montgomery County. Marley will be performing at The Fillmore in Silver Spring on Wednesday, October 18.

Additional information from the album website: Stephen Marley’s highly anticipated fifth solo album Old Soul, his first full-length project since 2016, comes as a complete revelation. With his well-earned reputation as a studio perfectionist, “Ragga” as he’s known to friends and family, is a consummate live performer with a knack for spontaneity. Old Soul leans into those strengths, and opens up the artist as never before.

Over $25K Raised For Family of 13-Year-Old Killed in Fatal House Fire

By MCS Staff

Published August 16, 2023 at 9:12AM

A fatal house fire at a vacation home in North Carolina killed three Montgomery County residents and injured three more last Friday. The deceased were identified on Monday as 64-year-old Colleen Cohan and her husband William Deeg, 68, of Ashton, Maryland, and 13-year-old Sienna Farr of Silver Spring, Maryland. The three people injured were 48-year-old Laura Volk, 16-year-old Sadie Farr and 55-year-old David Brewer, all of Silver Spring. Volk is Sienna and Sadie’s mother, and the girlfriend of Brewer, per Kill Devil Hills officials. Various reports state that Volk and Brewer remain hospitalized in the burn unit, while Sadie Farr has been released. In less than a day, the community has raised over $25,000 for the family of 13-year-old Sienna Farr.

Per the GoFundMe, funds will go towards a memorial in honor of Sienna Farr and to support expenses for Laura and Sadie as Laura recovers from her injuries. the full text from the fundraiser can be seen below:

Fatal House Fire in North Carolina Kills Two Adults and One Teenager From Montgomery County; Three Others Injured

By MCS Staff

Published August 14, 2023 at 5:03PM

At approximately 2:25am early Friday morning, The Kill Devil Hills Fire Department in North Carolina responded to a report of a structure fire. According to the city’s public information officer, Rachel Tackett, crews contained and extinguished the blaze, which had fully engulfed an Outer Banks rental home and damaged two neighboring properties. Unfortunately, three people were killed and three others were injured due to the fire.

The deceased were identified on Monday as 64-year-old Colleen Cohan and her husband William Deeg, 68, of Ashton, Maryland, and 13-year-old Sienna Farr of Silver Spring, Maryland. The three people injured were 48-year-old Laura Volk, 16-year-old Sadie Farr and 55-year-old David Brewer, all of Silver Spring. Volk is Sienna and Sadie’s mother, and the girlfriend of Brewer, per Kill Devil Hills officials. Various reports state that Volk and Brewer remain hospitalized in the burn unit, while Farr has been released. According to wric.com, “A family member’s social media post indicated that recovery for Volk and Brewer could take several months, and they will eventually be transferred to a hospital closer to their home in the suburbs of Washington.” More, per the Town of Kill Devil Hills below:

EchoStar, Parent Company of Germantown-Based Hughes, and Dish Network Have Signed Merger Agreement

By MCS Staff

Published August 10, 2023 at 9:33PM

EchoStar, the parent company of Germantown-based broadband satellite services provider Hughes, and Dish Network have signed an all-stock merger agreement with the goal of establishing a global connectivity provider to businesses, governments and consumers. The boards of directors at both companies unanimously approved the deal and all parties expect to complete the transaction by the end of 2023, according to a joint statement released Tuesday.

Under the agreement, Dish Network shareholders will own 69 percent of the combined firm and EchoStar shareholders will hold the remaining 31 percent. Charles Egren, co-founder and chairman of the two companies, will serve as executive chairman of the merged entity upon the deal’s closure, while EchoStar President and CEO Hamid Akhavan will lead the future organization to be headquartered in Englewood, Colorado.