Silver Spring

Purple Line Construction Updates in Montgomery County

By MCS Staff

Beginning on or about May 31, 2022, crews will add a 2nd crew to continue to advance underground utility relocation work.  The 2nd shift may take place from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, with makeup days on Friday and Saturday, as needed. Work will occur within the long-term lane closure on Wayne Avenue between Dale Drive and Springvale Road. A noise waiver is in the process of being reviewed for activities related to the Purple Line project. For more information please review the noise waiver here. Comments can be made to the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection. Instructions and contact information are located on the noise waiver page.

Beginning on or about June 12, 2022, Bonifant Street (East) will be closed to vehicular traffic between Georgia Avenue and Fenton Street for up to 4 consecutive nights. Work may take place 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., weather permitting. At least one sidewalk will be maintained for pedestrian access to Bonifant Street during the road closure.

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Montgomery County Supports Preservation of Affordable Housing at 515 Thayer Ave. in Silver Spring

By Patrick Herron

“Our approach is to Protect, Preserve and Produce dedicated affordable housing – protecting tenants from displacement while we produce needed new affordable units,” said Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich. “At 515 Thayer, we are protecting tenants from displacement and preserving NOAH housing before it was lost to rising rents. In FY22, the County committed $69 million in low-cost loans to support long-term control of rents on over 1,200 units, including preserving 627 units in 11 properties and producing 587 new units in six properties—which includes repurposed office buildings and on church-owned land.  To protect more tenants and produce even more affordable housing, I recommended, and Council approved, $140 million for affordable housing, with $100 million of that for capital lending—two-and-a-half-times previous budgets.  We have dedicated at least $40 million of that capital lending to preserve affordability of up to 700 units facing increasing rent pressures, including properties near transit like the Purple Line.”

The County provided a $6 million HIF loan in 2021 to support the recapitalization and full renovation of the property.

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Message on School Security Preparedness by Takoma Park Police Chief

By MCS Staff

On Friday, Takoma Park Police Chief Antonio DeVaul released a message to the community regarding school security preparedness in the wake of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. The full message can be seen below:

“Our hearts are with the families of the children and teachers who lost their lives in the senseless act of gun violence in Uvalde, Texas, earlier this week.

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Former NFL Player Visits Takoma Park Students

By MCS Staff

Riki Ellison, a former NFL player for the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Raiders who has won three Super Bowls, visited Takoma Park Middle School recently. He is also the founder of the Youth Impact Program (YIP) for disadvantaged and at-risk adolescent boys. YIP partners with universities, the U.S. Marine Corps, and local NFL teams.

Ellison spoke with sixth to eighth grade boys about his football career and the YIP. His motivational talk discussed how hard work equals success, as well as how to make positive choices.

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African American Male Students Honored at Leadership Event at Francis Scott Key MS on May 19

By MCS Staff

Approximately 50 African American male students were honored during the Iron Sharpens Iron leadership event on May 19 at Francis Scott Key Middle School. The event’s keynote speaker was Dr. Daryl Howard, an instructional specialist with the Equity Initiatives Unit who has a passion for enlightening young people and supporting male educators of color.

Francis Scott Key Middle School received a grant from the Maryland State Department of Education to support young men of color to develop skills that would help ensure success academically, socially and emotionally. Throughout the year, students learned leadership skills and had opportunities to complete community service, which included beautification projects, putting food baskets together and coordinating toy drives during the holidays, and sorting and organizing items at A Wider Circle.

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Montgomery County Council Passes Resolution Approving the Silver Spring Downtown and Adjacent Communities Plan

By MCS Staff

For Immediate Release: Thursday, May 26, 2022

ROCKVILLE, Md., May 26, 2022 —The Montgomery County Council voted unanimously to pass a resolution approving the Silver Spring Downtown and Adjacent Communities Plan. The Plan makes recommendations within the Silver Spring Downtown and Adjacent Communities Plan area for land use and zoning, housing, economic development, urban design, transportation, parks and public spaces, environmental resiliency, community facilities and historic resources.

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Montgomery County Man Sentenced to 17 Years in Federal Prison for Soliciting and Paying for the Production of Child Pornography

By MCS Staff

Per the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Maryland:  U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel today sentenced Patrick Lawrence Wood, age 35, of Silver Spring, Maryland, to 17 years in federal prison, followed by lifetime supervised release for conspiracy to produce child pornography.  Wood admitted that he paid co-conspirators in the Philippines to procure images and videos of children under the age of 12 engaged in sexually explicit conduct requested by Wood.  Judge Hazel ordered that, upon his release from prison, Wood will be required to register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge Selwyn Smith of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; and Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department.

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Detectives Ask For Assistance in Locating Missing 32-Year-Old Man

By Patrick Herron

Patterson is approximately 5-feet, 11-inches tall and weighs 245 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing glasses, a grey sweatshirt and grey sweatpants.

He may be operating a bronze Dodge Charger bearing DC registration plate GS3272.  Police and Family are concerned for his welfare.

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