Around 65 Montgomery County firefighters responded to a 1-story single family house fire Tuesday morning on Haw Lane (between Ashton, Spencerville, and Burtonsville).  According to Chief Spokesperson for MCFRS Pete Piringer, an occupant of the home witnessed a tree coming down on power lines, which caused a transformer to blow. They then notified the power company and minutes later saw smoke coming from the basement. The fire then vented out of a basement window of the home which ignited a propane/oil tank.

All occupants were able to make it out of the home and there were no injuries reported.  One family (3 adults) has been displaced.  Howard Co Fire & EMS assisted. Per @mfrsPIO on Twitter, “Origin/Cause, electrical in nature, tree pulled wires down (outside), combustibles in basement ignited (likely power surge) Damage ~$260K.”


El Andariego (5 Olney Sandy Spring Rd), a staple of the Ashton community for over 20 years, has announced that it will close from Monday, August 8th until Sunday, August 14th to provide its staff with a full week of vacation. In announcement made via social media, the restaurant states the following:

“Dear customers of El Andariego Restaurant, we want to notify you that after a long season of hard work of more than 2 years and during a pandemic, we have deemed it good to give a full week of vacation to our respectable staff, who deserve this time off for their unconditional support and honorable service. Due to the lack of more workers, El Andariego Restaurant will be closed from monday, august 8 to sunday, august 14, 2022. Thank you very much for your understanding always. -Consuelo, Jaime, Cristina & Staff.”


WSSC has issued a Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Advisory for the Triadelphia Reservoir, warning to avoid direct contact with water. Drinking water is not affected. The Triadelphia Reservoir is located along the Patuxent River, near the Olney/Brookeville area, between Montgomery and Howard Counties. Their full message can be seen below:

“WSSC Water has detected high concentrations of blue-green algae in the Triadelphia Reservoir, which can cause serious adverse health effects if contacted. The reservoir, located along the Patuxent River in Montgomery and Howard counties, serves as a drinking water source for WSSC Water and as a recreational area for hiking, fishing and boating.


New Hampshire Avenue is closed between Brighton Knolls Drive and River Mist Ct in Brinklow (includes Gold Mine Rd), according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue PIO Pete Piringer.

Crews were initially dispatched to New Hampshire Ave. near Brighton Knolls Drive for extensive storm damage. BGE was on the scene for wires down and damaged utility poles that has resulted in power out in are. Two people were trapped in a vehicle with burning/sparking ‘live’ wires on car and we’re safely removed by MCFRS. The road is currently closed in that area.


A collision involving three vehicles occurred at approximately 8:45 this morning at SB New Hampshire Avenue and Route 108 in Ashton, according to MCFRS Public Information Officer Pete Piringer.

The collision has resulted in the closure of “some lanes”, but it is not clear how many at this moment. Three vehicles were involved and two patients were sent transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.


“It helps save lives. Mine, as well as others – like my family,” she said. Milagro told Lottery officials that she is looking for a house and the $50,000 prize will go toward her dream of home ownership. “I’m also appreciative of the program and what it has done to encourage others to get the vaccine,” she said. Milagro is one of 11 VaxCash 2.0 winners so far, and one of 10 winners of $50,000. The promotion’s first drawing on Feb. 15 awarded a $500,000 prize to a Dundalk woman. On May 3, a single winner will be selected for a grand prize of $1 million.

The VaxCash 2.0 promotion, which was announced by Gov. Larry Hogan on Feb. 8, is awarding $2 million in cash prizes in weekly drawings from Feb. 15 through today, May 3. VaxCash 2.0 aims to incentivize Marylanders to get COVID-19 booster shots. All Maryland residents 18 and older who had received an initial shot(s) and a booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine at eligible facilities in Maryland at any time were eligible to win. No registration or entry was needed.


Olney Winery has been operating since 2012. The winemaker is currently located at 18127 Town Center Drive in the Fair Hill shopping center in Olney. In 2016, Olney Winery expanded and opened a tasting room in the stone house at 12810 Shank Farm Way in Hagerstown.Now, we’ve learned that Olney Winery will be one of the new tenants at Ashton Market, a new development that includes shopping and retail, located at 12 Olney Sandy Spring Road in Ashton.

Olney Winery will remain at its current location until the new location opens. They are currently aiming for a June opening. More on Ashton Market:


Press Release:

ASHTON, MD — Ashton attorney Dawn Luedtke announced today her candidacy for a district seat on the Montgomery County Council. Luedtke is an attorney with extensive experience in education, public safety, and health care law, and a mother of four children attending Montgomery County Public Schools. She is running as a Democrat in the 2022 election to represent the newly proposed District 7 in northeastern Montgomery County.


Steve Atwater was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame last night, having to wait a year due to Covid postponing last year‘s ceremony. The hard-hitting safety was one of the most feared players in the NFL during his time as a player.

Atwater won two Super Bowls in 10 seasons with the Broncos before finishing his career with the Jets in 1999. After his pro career came to an end, he lived in Georgia where he coached his two oldest sons youth football teams and started a real estate company.


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