Scott Van Pelt has been named the new host of ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown, according to Adam Schefter. MyMCMedia noted that Van Pelt will be taking over for Suzy Kolber, who was let go by the network during their recent round of layoffs.

Van Pelt will join former Commanders players Ryan Clark, Robert Griffin III, and Alex Smith, as well as Schefter, Marcus Spears, Michelle Beisner-Buck, and Larry Fitzgerald who are all part of the show’s cast. The week 1 show will take place at 6pm in anticipation of the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets game later in the night.

Van Pelt is a Sherwood High School graduate who has gone on to find success in the world of sports since starting at FOX5 (WTTG) in 1990. He has been with ESPN since 2001 and has anchored the midnight edition of Sportscenter since 2015. Van Pelt is a Brookeville native who attended Flower Valley Elementary School in Rockville. He graduated from Sherwood High School in Sandy Spring and then from the University of Maryland in 1988 where he studied radio/television and film.

Featured photo courtesy of @TerrapinHoops

The Washington Post recently released its “10 Best Burgers in the D.C. Area” list and Montgomery County’s very own Steeze Burger was ranked the #1 burger in the area. It was the only MoCo burger to make the actual list, with burgers from Soko Butcher (Takoma Park) and Quarry House Tavern (Silver Spring) named as honorable mentions. After going back and trying some reader’s picks, write Tim Carman believes MoCo’s Sunshine Burger deserves a spot on the original list.

“The Sunshine burger deserves a spot on the original list. It checks all the boxes: an unassuming preparation that trusts the basic building blocks of a good burger, even if they’re not necessarily the kind of ingredients sought out by chefs in white-tablecloth restaurants.” Carman wrote. The burger itself is generally loved by many, but there are also plenty (based on various comments through the years on our various social media posts) who can’t get past the look of the Sunshine General Store, where the burger is made.

Five years ago, we took you through a step by step look at the general store where the burger many consider the “best in the DMV” is made. “The inside looks like a truck stop diner scene from an 80s movie. After passing the register you’ll see a few tables and four stools at the counter of the dining area.” we wrote in the 2018 piece. At the time, the Sunshine General Store didn’t accept credit cards and the closest ATM was a few miles away in Olney or Laytonsville. That is no longer the case, as you can now pay with your card.

Now, let’s discuss the taste. Carman wrote, “…the Sunshine burger is a tender bite. Your teeth sink into it with little resistance, the ground beef, seasonings and fat just barely held together under a layer of good, gooey American cheese. The raw onions are placed on top of the patty, the thickly sliced dill pickles and tomatoes on the bottom. It’s a simple burger, executed to perfection.” The burgers are cooked well done unless you ask for them to be cooked differently, which we highly recommend to avoid getting a burger that may fall on the drier side. In our experience, asking for it to be cooked “medium” usually yields a “medium-well” product.

The full Washington Post article can be seen here.

https://www.facebook.com/100063690995046/posts/499865492146480/?mibextid=cr9u03

MoCo native (Brookeville) and 2023 Sherwood graduate, Bryan Kim, has won the 75th U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, held at Daniel Island Club in Charleston, South Carolina. He will be attending Duke University in the fall.

Kim, 18, joins Jason Widener (1988) as Duke players to etch their name on the U.S. Junior Amateur Trophy that includes the likes of major champions Tiger Woods, Johnny Miller, David Duval, Jordan Spieth, Scottie Scheffler and Brian Harman, this year’s Open winner at Royal Birkdale who sent a congratulatory video message to the champion. Kim advanced to the championship match, where he defeated Joshua Bai. A breakdown of the championship can be found here. Kim is 11th in the latest iteration of the American Junior Golf Association rankings and 443rd in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. As champion, Kim receives the following:

• A gold medal
• Custody of the U.S. Junior Amateur Trophy for one year
• Exemptions into al future U.S. Junior Amateurs, if age-eligible
• Exemption into the 2024 U.S. Open Championship at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club’s Course No. 2, in the Village of Pinehurst, N.C.
• Exemptions into the 2023 U.S. Amateur Championship at Cherry Hills Country Club, in Cherry Hills Village, Colo., and 2024 U.S. Amateur Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club, in Chaska, Minn.

Delightful at Daniel Island!

Bryan Kim is champion of the 75th #USJuniorAm! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/Roh09ldwpU

— USGA (@USGA) July 30, 2023

Per MCPD: Officers from the Montgomery County Department of Police – 4th District station responded to a hate/bias incident involving an electronic sign board in a construction zone. On Saturday, July 8, 2023, at approximately 6:47 a.m., the Montgomery County Emergency Communications Center received multiple calls about a sign board displaying a racist message near Brookeville Road and George Avenue, in Brookeville.

When patrol officers arrived, they discovered that the sign board, intended for construction safety messages, had been hacked into. Officers were able to erase the message and arranged to have the sign removed.

MCPD is encouraging anyone with information regarding this incident or any suspicious activity in the area to call Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). A reward of up to $10,000 is being offered for information that leads to an arrest. Callers can remain anonymous.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Serviced (MCFRS) responded to a fire at a two-story farmhouse on the 4200 block of Sundown Road between Sunshine and Laytonsville on Saturday afternoon.

According to MCFRS Chief Spokesperson Pete Piringer, approximately 55 firefighters responded to the call. Upon arrival, fire and smoke was coming from the house, which is located in a non-hydrant area with a limited access driveway. Live wires were reported down in the area and all occupants and pets were reported out of the house.

The fire has temporarily closed Sundown Rd between Damascus/Howard Chapel Rd and Zion Rd. Firefighters used dry chemical extinguishers where necessary due to the electrical nature of the fire. The power company was notified and en route as of 2:18pm. The fire is fully extinguished and no injuries were reported. One family and several pets willl be displaced.

Update – Sundown Rd, 2-sty farmhouse, fire extinguished, One (1) family & several pets will be displaced, non-hydrant area, ~55 @mcfrs FFs responded https://t.co/YHCqq3g2ZH pic.twitter.com/VO7JOI083Q

— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) April 22, 2023

Per Montgomery County: Four in-person seminars on “Introduction to Women’s Self-Defense” will be offered this spring by the Montgomery County Commission for Women. Each S.A.F.E. (Self-defense Awareness and Familiarization Exchange) seminar is a two-hour “sampler” session for women of all ages and abilities taught by Rape Aggression Defense (R.A.D.)-certified instructors. The seminars, which cost $12 per participant, are exclusively for women and require pre-registration to participate. Women ages 13-17 are welcome to participate, but they must be accompanied by an adult woman who is also registered for the class.

The classes will include training on risk, crime awareness and prevention. Participants will be given a 13-piece student folio with information on how to reduce the risk of exposure to violence and how to escape violence. Participants also will learn some physical aspects of self-defense.
The self-defense seminars will be offered at the following locations:

• Saturday, March 18. 1-3 p.m. Longwood Community Recreation Center, 19300 Georgia Ave., Brookeville.
• Tuesday, March 22. 7-9 p.m. Plum Gar Community Recreation Center, 19561 Scenery Drive, Germantown.
• Wednesday, March 28. 7-9 p.m. Mid-County Community Recreation Center, 2004 Queensguard Road, Silver Spring.
• Wednesday, April 5. 7-9 p.m. White Oak Community Recreation Center, 1700 April Lane, Silver Spring.

For additional information and to register for a session, click here.
A minimum of 10 participants is needed for each class.
A men’s self-defense class is also available but is not currently offered by the Commission for Women. Those interested in a men’s class should call 240-777-8300.
For more information about the Commission for Women, visit Home – CFW (montgomerycountymd.gov) or call 240-777-8300.

Almost 1 million people have seen the original tweet by MoCo native and ESPN SportsCenter host Scott Van Pelt, asking for help after his dog, Redd, got out of a doggy daycare on Friday afternoon in Rockville/North Bethesda. “Heads up to anyone in Rockville, Md. area: Redd somehow got out of the Dogtopia on Wyaconda Rd. Rhodesian Ridgeback, about 65 pounds. He’s chipped. White front left paw and white markings on chest Please keep an eye out or an ear if you hear of anyone who might have found a puppy”

At 10:37pm, after hundreds of retweets and his tweet being seen by hundreds of thousands of people, Van Pelt announced that Redd was found. “Oh my goodness, they found him!!!! An army of people apparently on the case. I can’t even begin to connect the dots. I’m sitting here in tears on a plane headed home and Redd is gonna be there to greet me. I can’t believe it & I can’t thank everyone enough for their kindness.”

A happy ending for the Sherwood High School graduate who has gone on to find success in the world of sports. Van Pelt is a Brookeville native. He attended Flower Valley Elementary School in Rockville. He graduated from Sherwood High School in Sandy Spring, and then from the University of Maryland in 1988 where he studied radio/television and film.

Oh my goodness, they found him!!!!

An army of people apparently on the case. I can’t even begin to connect the dots. I’m sitting here in tears on a plane headed home and Redd is gonna be there to greet me. I can’t believe it & I can’t thank everyone enough for their kindness.

— Scott Van Pelt (@notthefakeSVP) March 11, 2023

According to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, “Today in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, MD, the Honorable Robert Greenberg sentenced defendant, Maritza Ramirez, 57, of Germantown to five years in prison suspend all but 18 months and five years of supervised probation upon release. Ramirez was also ordered to pay $7,700 in restitution to the families of victims she stole from. Ramirez was a 14-year employee of Marian Assisted Living, located in the 19100 block of Georgia Avenue. On November 29, 2022, she pleaded guilty to Financial Exploitation of a Vulnerable Adults in a Scheme.

The investigation began in March of 2022 when one victim’s family discovered that while their relative, a resident at Marian, underwent surgery and recovery, several items of jewelry and a cell phone had gone missing from the secured bedroom. The ensuing investigation by Montgomery County Police uncovered at least 11 victims and pawn shop records which show that between 2015 and 2022 Ramirez received at least $7,700 by selling 81 items including jewelry and several designer purses. Chief of our Special Prosecutions Unit, Assistant State’s Attorney Bryan Roslund prosecuted this case.”

“Maritza Ramirez was entrusted with the care of vulnerable adults and violated that trust when she stole their possessions and used the items for her personal financial gain. Multiple items had great sentimental value to the families who were victimized, and those items have not been recovered. We thank Judge Greenberg for this appropriate sentence. It should serve as a deterrent for anyone looking to use their position to exploit a vulnerable person in this way,” said Lauren DeMarco, spokesperson for the State’s Attorney’s Office.