Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County Alcohol Beverage Services (ABS) is launching an ad campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of under-21 alcohol access and consumption. Starting this month, ABS will place public service advertisements on bus shelters and bus taillights to deter under-21 alcohol use and reduce adolescent access to alcohol.

The bus shelter ads will be placed near high schools and feature the phrase “under 21 drinking can lead to alcohol addiction.” The Ride On bus taillight ads will be placed on upper county routes and feature the phrase “60% of kids who drink get their alcohol from family and friends.” Ads will run for six weeks and include a QR code that can be scanned for more information on reducing under-21 alcohol use and access to alcohol as well as other prevention resources.

“As a community we recognize that we have a responsibility to deter and reduce underage alcohol use,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “Our actions as parents and caregivers can influence our children’s decision to experiment with alcohol. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, children are more likely to avoid substance use when they have a strong, trusting relationship with their parents or caregivers. So, I’m glad that ABS is taking this step to remind us to speak to our children early and often about the dangers of underage alcohol consumption.”

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration states that under-21 drinking is associated with various negative consequences including the risk of developing future alcohol dependence. Under-21 drinking can also be influenced by the drinking behaviors of adult relatives, adults in the same household, and adults in the same community.

“Alcohol is the most commonly misused substance among young people in the United States,” said ABS Director Kathie Durbin. “Under-21 alcohol use contributes to risky behavior, lower academic achievement, altered brain development and the likelihood of future substance abuse, Parents, teachers and community members play a key role in deterring under-21 alcohol use and access.”

ABS developed the advertising campaign with a funding award from the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association. The ads are a part of the “Keeping It Safe” (KIS) public education campaign geared toward the hospitality industry and the community with educational material. KIS provides information on how to keep communities safe by raising awareness of the dangers of under-21 alcohol consumption as well as information on responsible alcohol service.

ABS is the alcohol wholesaler of beer, wine and spirits for Montgomery County and operates 27 retail stores throughout the County. In addition, ABS manages alcohol licensing, enforcement and education for more than 1,000 businesses. Generating more than $35 million in net income annually, its profits are used to pay down County debt with a large portion deposited in the general fund to pay for resident services that would otherwise be funded by County tax dollars.

Per the Maryland Cannabis Administration (9.8.23): The Maryland Cannabis Administration today announced that the first application round for cannabis business licenses will open on November 13. The Administration also announced the number of licenses, by license type, that will be available in the first application round.

“Today’s announcement is another step forward in fulfilling Maryland’s commitment to building an equitable and inclusive cannabis industry,” said Maryland Cannabis Administration Acting Director Will Tilburg. “This application round will more than double the number of cannabis businesses in the State, and each award will be to a verified social equity applicant.”

More than 175 standard and micro cannabis grower, processor, and dispensary licenses available in the first round will be exclusive to social equity applicants. A social equity applicant is an applicant that has at least 65% ownership and control held by one or more individuals who lived or went to public school in an area disproportionately impacted by the criminalization of cannabis, or attended a four-year institution of higher education in Maryland where at least 40%
of enrollees were eligible for a Pell Grant.

Last week, the Office of Social Equity published the ZIP codes and public schools in Maryland that are within a disproportionately impacted area, and the qualifying four-year institutions of higher education. Detailed information on the qualifying geographic areas, public schools, and institutions of higher education may be found at ose.maryland.gov. The application round will be open for a period of 30 days, from November 13 to December 12. Any applicant who meets the minimum requirements for licensure, on a pass-fail basis, will be placed in a randomized lottery based on license type (grower, processor, or dispensary) and county or region for which the application was submitted. Under the Cannabis Reform Act, the Administration will begin conducting the lottery on or before January 1, 2024.

The following number of licenses will be available by license type and geographic area in the first application round:

For the remaining license types, the State will be divided into four regions, as follows:
● Western Region: Allegany, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett, Montgomery, and Washington.
● Southern Region: Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Prince George’s, and St. Mary’s.
● Central Region: Baltimore, Baltimore City, Cecil, Harford, and Howard.
● Eastern Region: Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico, and Worcester.
Equal numbers of each of the remaining license types will be available, as outlined below.
Table 2. Distribution of Growers, Processors, and Micro Licenses.

Additionally, the Administration announced the opening of the Social Equity Verification Portal. The portal instructs individuals on the social equity applicant eligibility requirements and allows them to confirm their eligibility as a social equity applicant before the application period opens on November 13. The portal will be open for a period of 60 days, closing on Tuesday, November 7. For more information on the application process and how to access the Social Equity
Verification Portal, visit cannabis.maryland.gov.

Per Montgomery County: Legendary vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater, a three-time Grammy® Award winner, will highlight a full day of entertainment on two stages at the free 18th Annual Silver Spring Jazz Festival in Silver Spring downtown on Saturday, Sept. 9. The festival, which will start at 3 p.m. on Veterans Plaza, will feature performers with various types of traditional and multicultural jazz sounds.

Veterans Plaza is located at 1 Veterans Place in Silver Spring downtown, adjacent to the Silver Spring Civic Building. The festival site is easily accessible from the Silver Spring Metrorail Station and the area has considerable public parking. The festival will be held rain or shine.

The Jazz Festival will feature a brewery garden with yard games, comfortable seating, artist demonstrations and food and offerings from local breweries. Denizens Brewing, Silver Branch Brewing and Third Hill Brewing—all located in the Silver Spring Arts & Entertainment District—will serve craft beers.

The two stages on either side of Veterans Plaza will provide an opportunity for attendees to turn their chairs and immediately view the next musical performance.
The mainstage will feature:

• Crush Funk Brass Band, a traditional New Orleans brass sound mixed with D.C. funk.
• Straight-ahead jazz by Paul Carr and the Jazz Collective.
• Smooth jazz and go-go music by Marcus Johnson with Crank and Flo.

Dee Dee Bridgewater will take the main stage at 8:30 p.m. In addition to her solo career, she pursued a parallel career in musical theater, winning a Tony® Award for her role as Glinda in The Wiz in 1975. Having recently completed a run as the lead role of Billie Holiday in the off-Broadway production of Lady Day, her other theatrical credits include Sophisticated Ladies, Black Ballad, Carmen, Cabaret and the off-Broadway and West End Productions of Lady Day, for which Bridgewater received the British Laurence Olivier nomination for best actress in a musical.

Bridgewater launched The Woodshed Network, which was created to mentor, connect, support and educate women in jazz. Her commitment to support female artists was the inspiration for featuring female jazz artists on the second stage. These jazz performers will demonstrate how the traditional African American art form of jazz has influenced and been interpreted by their respective backgrounds.

Each group on the second stage will feature female lead vocalists:

• Cecilia Esquivel of CantoSur will perform Brazilian jazz and samba.
• Akua Allrich will sing in many languages including Portuguese, French, Spanish, English, Xhosa and Twi.
• Taiwanese-born Chien Chien Lu will deliver a unique sound using a vibraphone.

Schedule of performers:

• 3 p.m. Second Stage: CantoSur
• 3:30 p.m. Main Stage: Crush Funk Brass Band
• 4:15 p.m. Second Stage: Akua Allrich and the Tribe
• 5 p.m. Main Stage: Paul Carr and the Jazz Collective
• 6 p.m. Second Stage: Chien Lu and Richie Goods ‘Connected’
• 7 p.m. Main Stage: Marcus Johnson with Crank and Flo
• 8:30 p.m. Main Stage: Dee Dee Bridgewater

The Jazz Festival also puts a spotlight on Downtown Silver Spring and its many restaurants featuring a variety of cuisines. Attendees are encouraged to use public transportation and to bring a blanket and/or low back lawn chairs for seating.

“The Silver Spring Jazz Festival has something for everyone,” said Jacob Newman, director of the Silver Spring Regional Services Center. “Jazz aficionados can enjoy traditional jazz and the unique music of the internationally influenced stage. And for the public who just enjoys a good concert, we have a brewery garden, food trucks and lawn games your kids can enjoy.”

Visit the  Silver Spring Jazz Festival website for more information about the event.  Photos of past Silver Spring jazz festivals can be found at SS Jazz Fest Promo Materials. Photos of headliner Dee Bridgewater are available on her website.

“Dear Montgomery County Families and Community Members,
As key leaders representing Montgomery County residents, we are writing to report on the actions taken following the recent fight that followed a high school football game in Bethesda this past Friday, September 1, and to reiterate our collective commitment to community safety.

Following the football game between Bethesda-Chevy Chase and Walter Johnson High Schools, a physical altercation near the Bethesda Metro Station resulted in multiple student injuries. Montgomery County Public Schools and Montgomery County Police immediately began a collaborative conversation.

The primary goal of this work is to determine precisely what occurred and to ensure that students involved will be held accountable. The memorandum of understanding with all community police partners very specifically outlines what actions may be addressed through school-based discipline and what is considered criminal activity.

Available evidence has been reviewed and we can confirm at this time that appropriate disciplinary action has been applied in alignment with the MCPS Student Code of Conduct . However, no students have been charged criminally, although the criminal investigation is ongoing.

The school district has always maintained comprehensive operational safety plans for each football game every week during the fall athletics season. Prior to the fall athletic season, MCPD and MCPS hold a collaborative meeting to discuss comprehensive operation safety plans for each football game. These meetings have helped create the tiered safety plan system that has been in place since 2022. MCPD and MCPS remain committed partners in ensuring school and community safety, and frequently discuss updates to these plans on a weekly basis.

The question has arisen, “How do we extend safety beyond the school campus?” This poses challenges but we are exploring a number of options along with our county security and police partners. Essentially, this involves monitoring by placing MCPS staff in key areas of our community following football games and messaging to our students that we and the community are watching.

Moving forward, we are taking the following actions to strengthen safety at all football games.

1. We utilize the resources that our Fall 2023 Athletics Safety Plan provides, which include actions such as:

   • Students must present a school ID
   • School-age spectators from other than the competing schools must be accompanied by an adult
   • Backpacks are not allowed and more.

2. 2. The Athletics Safety Plan also allows for us to implement actions on an incremental basis. Therefore, effective this week, all varsity football games will operate with the following Tier 2 actions:

      • Spectator numbers will be limited to 75% of stadium capacity to assist with event management.
      • Individuals who engage in inappropriate behaviors may be excluded from postseason competition or suspended for multiple contests.

      • Game times/dates may be altered to provide more daylight and assist with event management.

If additional incidents occur, consistent with the decision guidelines in the safety plan, additional actions may be taken, including a shift to Tier 3 of the plan.

3. Also, Montgomery County Police have committed to assigning officers in identified areas of concern such as areas where students may gather after games.

This incident must serve as a teachable moment for our entire community. We must collectively reinforce the values of respect, tolerance, and resolving conflict through peaceful means. It is through an “All Together Now” understanding that we can ensure our students do not resort to violence as a means to resolve their differences. Collectively, we encourage parents and guardians to have conversations with their children about the inappropriate choice of violence and fighting, as well as the possible consequences. These conversations are vital in reinforcing the values we hold dear within our community.

As community leaders, we are dedicated to addressing this incident with the seriousness it deserves and ensuring that it serves as an opportunity for positive change. Together, we can strengthen the bonds that unite us and help our students grow into responsible, compassionate, and productive members of society.”

In partnership,

Football JV

Football Varsity

Soccer Boys JV

Soccer Boys Varsity

Soccer Boys Varsity, Whitman-Churchill Invitational

Soccer Girls JV

Soccer Girls Varsity

Per the Maryland Attorney General’s Office: Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown announced today that the State of Maryland and its subdivisions recently received nearly $24 million as the 2023 installments of payments due under consent judgments that the Office of the Attorney General entered into last year with the three largest pharmaceutical distributors in the United States – McKesson, Cardinal Health, and Amerisource Bergen – and the pharmaceutical manufacturer Johnson & Johnson. The payments are the most recent installments of approximately $395 million that Maryland and its subdivisions will receive from the settlements over the course of 18 years.

The settlements, entered into in 2022, resolved the companies’ liability to the State for illegally marketing and distributing opioids before the settlements’ effective dates. Subdivisions will receive a total of more than $13.6 million from the settlements, including more than $4.8 million in direct payments already distributed and nearly $8.8 million in targeted abatement grants from the State that will be distributed once processed. All funding is committed to abating the opioid crisis. To date, the State and its subdivisions have received more than $84 million in total from the settlements.

“Opioid addiction has been the source of too much pain and devastation in our communities, tearing apart families and leaving a trail of suffering,” said Attorney General Brown. “This continuing flow of payments from those who’ve caused that pain will help abate the opioid crisis and provide relief for Maryland’s communities. This is about standing up against the devastation and offering a path to healing and restoration for our communities.”

Along with the injunctive relief imposed by the consent judgments, payments from these settlements help deter and prevent wrongdoers from continuing to harm our citizens and communities, while enabling state health policymakers, including the Opioid Operational Command Center (“OOCC”) of the Maryland Department of Health, with the advice of the Opioid Restitution Fund Advisory Council, and local governments and health officials across the State to implement abatement programs that provide assistance to afflicted Marylanders.  Of the nearly $24 million recently distributed to the State and its subdivisions, approximately $10 million will be placed in the State’s Opioid Restitution Fund for State policymakers to expend for opioids-related abatement programs. Another nearly $8.8 million will be deposited into the Opioid Restitution Fund to make targeted abatement grants to 58 qualifying subdivisions that participated in the settlements. The remaining approximately $4.9 million has already been distributed to these local governments for deposit in local opioids abatement funds established under agreements with the Office of the Attorney General.

Specifically, the following eligible subdivisions that participated in the settlements have or are expected to receive the amounts projected here in the table below (subject to final calculation and determination by OOCC):

Test Messages Will be Sent to All TVs, Radios and Cell Phones

FEMA, in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) this fall. The national test will consist of two portions, testing WEA and EAS capabilities. Both tests are scheduled to begin at approximately 2:20 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Oct. 4.

The WEA portion of the test will be directed to all consumer cell phones. This will be the third nationwide test, but the second test to all cellular devices. The test message will display in either English or in Spanish, depending on the language settings of the wireless handset.

The EAS portion of the test will be sent to radios and televisions. This will be the seventh nationwide EAS test. FEMA and the FCC are coordinating with EAS participants, wireless providers, emergency managers and other stakeholders in preparation for this national test to minimize confusion and to maximize the public safety value of the test.

The purpose of the Oct. 4 test is to ensure that the systems continue to be effective means of warning the public about emergencies, particularly those on the national level. In case the Oct. 4 test is postponed due to widespread severe weather or other significant events, the back-up testing date is Oct. 11. 

The WEA portion of the test will be initiated using FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), a centralized internet-based system administered by FEMA that enables authorities to send authenticated emergency messages to the public through multiple communications networks. The WEA test will be administered via a code sent to cell phones. 

This year the EAS message will be disseminated as a Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) message via the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System-Open Platform for Emergency Networks (IPAWS-OPEN). All wireless phones should receive the message only once. The following can be expected from the nationwide WEA test:

• Beginning at approximately 2:20 p.m. ET, cell towers will broadcast the test for approximately 30 minutes. During this time, WEA-compatible wireless phones that are switched on, within range of an active cell tower, and whose wireless provider participates in WEA, should be capable of receiving the test message. 
• For consumers, the message that appears on their phones will read: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”
• Phones with the main menu set to Spanish will display: “ESTA ES UNA PRUEBA del Sistema Nacional de Alerta de Emergencia. No se necesita acción.”

WEA alerts are created and sent by authorized federal, state, local, tribal and territorial government agencies through IPAWS to participating wireless providers, which deliver the alerts to compatible handsets in geo-targeted areas. To help ensure that these alerts are accessible to the entire public, including people with disabilities, the alerts are accompanied by a unique tone and vibration. 

Important information about the EAS test:

• The EAS portion of the test is scheduled to last approximately one minute and will be conducted with the participation of radio and television broadcasters, cable systems, satellite radio and television providers and wireline video providers.
• The test message will be similar to the regular monthly EAS test messages with which the public is familiar. It will state: “This is a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System, issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, covering the United States from 14:20 to 14:50 hours ET. This is only a test. No action is required by the public

Per Montgomery County:

Hello Friends,

Young adults do not always see what is possible. They often do not dream about careers until they see a path toward achieving those goals. Summer internships and fellowships give students a chance to learn by doing. I know that kind of experience is invaluable, and I am glad that our government, along with businesses across the County have hosted and welcomed student interns, fellows and seasonal employees this summer.

In the Office of County Executive, we hosted 12 college and high school students. Some of them are working on projects helping us gauge the effectiveness of policies we have put in place. Others are researching issues and they’re all having a chance to glimpse the day-to-day operations of the County Executive Office.

Several of these students were part of Montgomery County Public School’s Summer RISE program. This is a great effort from our school system to provide MCPS students exposure, experience, and the chance to network in various professions that they may be interested in. More than 900 students showed up for the closing ceremony and even more participated in the Summer RISE program and I enjoyed the opportunity to address them at their closing ceremony last week.

Two of our summer high school interns interviewed me. You can watch those conversations in this week’s newsletter or on the Montgomery County YouTube page. You can watch the two interviews conducted with Sara Zemikiel of Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School and Ava Bedaque of Montgomery Blair High School after they observed us for a few weeks.

• Sara Zemikiel: https://youtu.be/yFRD0b3lk7o
• Ava Bedaque: https://youtu.be/ReQY05zlkD0

You can also find the interviews on the Montgomery County YouTube page.

I encourage everyone and every business and organization to continue to provide internships and jobs to our young people. Your engagement could change their lives forever. Please check out the following youth opportunities and enrichment websites for more information:

• Montgomery County Recreation Department TeenWorks Employment Program
• WorkSource Montgomery Youth Opportunities
• Maryland Department of Labor Youth Workforce Programs and Services
• MCPS Youth Apprenticeship Program

Severe Summer Storms Hit Montgomery County 

We dealt with extreme heat and severe thunderstorms last weekend that impacted many families and neighborhoods across Montgomery County. The picture below is from Glen Echo Park where trees were uprooted and structures, like this pavilion, were damaged.

These were some of the most widespread and devastating storms that we have seen hit our County in quite a while. We had several thousand residents without power for over two days.

Montgomery County Government employees worked diligently to assist people recovering from the weekend’s storms. We provided regular alerts and updates on social media and other platforms and steered them towards help. We assisted those in need to find shelter, rescued boaters during the thunderstorms, removed trees and debris from streets and sidewalks, distributed water on Ride On buses and directed traffic when lights were out.

The 911 call center reported 1,300 calls in the first two hours of the storm on Friday and by Monday the County’s Department of Transportation had removed more than 160 fallen trees.

I want to thank our County first responders, as well as those working for the State, Pepco, Washington Gas and WSSC Water, for their response to these storms. Pepco reported more than 1,300 line workers, mutual assistance crews, contractors, support personnel and customer representatives were used around the clock following the storm.

I also want to thank the County’s Department of Health and Human Services which worked with the Medical Reserve Corps and Red Cross of the National Capital and Greater Chesapeake Region to set up temporary shelter for victims of the storm. These efforts made a difficult weekend much better for so many people.

Be ready for the next storm by signing up for Alert Montgomery. It will help keep you up to date with weather alerts, infrastructure issues and severe traffic issues.

New Climate Adaption Program Manager Helps Mitigate Community Risks

More frequent, severe and extreme weather is going to be our new normal. We are working to slow the rate of climate change, and we know we have to work on resiliency and be better prepared to withstand its impacts. That is why we developed a new position in Montgomery County: the Climate Adaptation Program Manager. Mara Parker is the first person to fill the role. Mara works in our Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. She manages the development of climate adaptation and resiliency programs to help mitigate the impacts of climate change and promotes emergency preparedness in the face of climate-related hazards, with a particular emphasis on communities at highest risk. On my media briefing this week she said one purpose of her office is to develop safe spaces during storms and other emergencies.

Mara works in partnership with community partners to develop resiliency hubs, address urban heat island effect and flooding, conduct climate change-related community outreach and position the County and community to maximize grant funding opportunities related to climate change.

I am glad she is on our team to help us enact our Climate Action Plan. I see the positive impacts of being fully prepared for weather anomalies paying off for our County and I believe we will continue to lead the way on climate-friendly initiatives.

National Night Out

On Tuesday, our community celebrated the 40th anniversary of National Night Out. This annual event was an opportunity for neighborhoods to get to know the police officers, firefighters and other first responders that serve their community.

I was able to visit activities in White Oak, Olney, Mt Calvary in the Lincoln Park section of Rockville, Aspen Hill and at Flora Singer Elementary School. You can see photos from my trip around the County here. It was great to see old friends and talk with residents about so many different issues.

One thing I noticed throughout the County was the attempt by police to get more people to join the 911 command center. These are good paying jobs and recommended for people who handle stress well and are computer literate. If you are interested or want to pass along the information to someone you think would be a good fit, go to WORK4MCG in any Internet search engine or find Montgomery County Government on LinkedIn.

National Night Out events are a good reminder that an important way to keep our communities safe is having engaged neighbors and positive relationships and interactions with our first responders.

Visit Montgomery Travel Conference

Visit Montgomery this week hosted the Mid-Atlantic Tourism Public Relations Alliance. It is a collection of regional tourism partners that includes Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, the District of Columbia and West Virginia. The group was comprised of 60 tourism representatives and approximately 50 journalists from the organization.

They participated in a variety of events, activities, and familiarization tours throughout the county. This is the largest media event Visit Montgomery has ever held.

I attended a welcome dinner for this group at the Comus Inn. For years, I have known that the Comus Inn was a nice restaurant, but I was not aware that the restaurant is now home to world renown chef, Sammy Demarco. Originally from New York City, Chef Demarco’s career has taken his culinary skills all over the world to places like Australia, Canada, Dubai, Thailand and, most recently, with restaurants in The Bellagio in Las Vegas and The Kimpton Hotel in Amsterdam.

Visit Montgomery also took the group to our new Crossvines grape-crush facility and events venue in Poolesville and hosted meetings and a trade show at Pike and Rose in North Bethesda.

We have a great tourism story to tell and now that the travel industry has rebounded back to pre-pandemic levels, we need to take advantage of more people looking to travel again. Montgomery County is already one of the most visited counties in Maryland with 6.8 million day and overnight visitors, generating $1.4 billion to the economy. The industry is tied to 20,000 jobs that represent 4.4 percent of our workforce.

As I expressed to our tourism industry visitors, we know hospitality well because it one our top industries. We are home to Marriott International, Choice Hotels, Sodexo and Host Hotels & Resorts.

What makes us unique is the variety of cultures from every part of the world. We are one of the most diverse and inclusionary jurisdictions in the nation, if not the world. We are diverse in many ways—from urban to suburban to rural. And numerous ethnicities, races and religions are represented through cuisines, events and attractions.

I appreciate the Mid-Atlantic Tourism Public Relations Alliance for participating in this tour. We showed that Montgomery County is changing as a tourism destination for food and wine coinsures.

I want to thank Kelly Groff, the president and CEO of Visit Montgomery, and her team for organizing this event and proactively working with those who will increase awareness, draw visitors and create more revenues for our businesses and our economy.

CLIMATE MESSAGE OF THE WEEK: It Is a Great Time to Get an Electric Vehicle

Each week, I am highlighting one initiative in our wide-ranging efforts to combat climate change. This week, wanted to update you on efforts to expand our adaptation of electric vehicles or EVs.

I drive an EV and I am proud of the way our state and County have committed to getting more electric vehicles on the road. Even though Montgomery County represents one-sixth of Maryland’s population, one-third of registered plug-in vehicles in the State are located here.

One thing we have done in Montgomery County is develop the EV Purchasing Co-op. It brings together participating local dealerships that have pledged to honor incentives geared specifically toward Montgomery residents. The savings could be applied to purchases or leases of new or pre-owned electric vehicles.

New State programs began last month. Here are two State incentives available:

• The Excise tax credit for plug-in vehicles offers $3,000 toward plug-in vehicles with a sale price under $50,000. This new State tax credit, when combined with the existing Federal tax credit of $7,500, can get you up to $10,500 on qualifying vehicles. That is significant.
• There also is new funding for the State’s Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment or EVSE Charger Rebate Program. This helps pay for new charging equipment for your home, neighborhood or business. You can get up to $700 for residential charging. Commercial properties can get a rebate of up to $4,000.

EVs are in stock locally and dealerships are making it easier than ever to find deals. Each month, the County’s Department of Environmental Protection’s EV Team updates its website with incentives and special offers from automotive retailers in the County. You can find a link to that page here. The graphic above from the DEP website shows that we currently have five dealers in the County with specific EV deals.

We are pushing more consumers to switch to EVs to reduce our carbon emissions and meet our Climate Action goals. It also is good for car owners, saving them money in the long run.

As you can see on the graphic above, an EV costs only $5.21 for 100 miles as compared to $12.87 for a gas vehicle. An EV owner saves up to $10,000 over five years on fuel and maintenance as compared to those with gas cars. Those are significant savings that, when combined with the rebates, should be considered when considering purchase of a new vehicle.

Additionally, we continue to push grant applications to expand our stock of public EV charging stations at County facilities and private properties. We practice what we preach and continue to switch our County fleet of cars and buses over to electric.

Earlier this year, Governor Wes Moore announced Maryland’s Adoption of the Advanced Clean Cars II Rule to Combat the Effects of Climate Change. This new regulation requires manufacturers to continuously increase the share of electric vehicles sold, reaching 100 percent of passenger car and light truck sales by model year 2035.

This is an ambitious goal that I support and thank the Governor for his leadership. We will continue to do our part in Montgomery County when it comes to promoting the switch to EVs.

As always, my appreciation for all of you,

Marc Elrich

County Executive

Per the Maryland Attorney General’s Office: “Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today announced the sentencing of Vitalis Ohakwe Ojiegbe, 68, of Bowie, Maryland, who pleaded guilty to one count of Medicaid Fraud for writing prescriptions for controlled dangerous substances without a legitimate medical purpose in the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County in June. The Honorable Judge Carol Coderre sentenced Ojiegbe to a five-year suspended sentence with three years’ supervised probation. Ojiegbe was ordered to pay $16,035.11 in restitution and is also to be excluded from participating in any federally funded healthcare program.

Ojiegbe, a physician specializing in internal medicine, owned and operated Sunrise Medical Clinic, a medical practice located in the 9800 block of Greenbelt Road in Lanham, Maryland. The investigation began following a referral from the Maryland Department of Health’s Office of Controlled Substances Administration (OCSA). OCSA is the state agency responsible for enforcing the Controlled Dangerous Substances Act. Beginning in January 2013 and continuing through June 9, 2019, Ojiegbe charged his patients, many of whom were Medicaid recipients, $200.00 a month for monthly medical appointments, even though the patients could have seen a Medicaid provider free of charge. In exchange for these cash payments, Ojiegbe prescribed controlled dangerous substances, including oxycodone and alprazolam, without a legitimate
medical purpose.

This case was prosecuted by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Attorney General’s Office in cooperation with the Drug Enforcement Administration. Attorney General Brown thanked Medicaid Fraud Control Unit Assistant Attorneys General Lisa Marts and Cathy Schuster Pascale, Fraud Analysist Todd Sheffer and Investigator Michael Glenn for their work on the case. Attorney General Brown also thanked Special Agent James Browning of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Per the State of Maryland: Governor Wes Moore today announced that the Maryland Department of Natural Resources is providing $13.5 million in Waterway Improvement Funds. The funds will support new and improved public boating access facilities, dredging of navigable public waterways, emergency vessels and equipment for local first responders, and other important infrastructure and initiatives.
“Investing in infrastructure is integral to achieving the full potential of Maryland’s resources,” said Gov. Moore. “This partnership between the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and our local jurisdictions is critical to improving, maintaining, and promoting use of our public waterways.”

The Waterway Improvement Fund is primarily derived from the one-time 5% excise tax when a boat is purchased and titled in the state, as well as a small portion of the state gas tax. It has been used to construct and maintain more than 400 public boating facilities and more than 250 public navigational channels across the state as well as the acquisition of vessels.
“Maryland’s Waterway Improvement Fund is an outstanding example of a user-pay, user-benefit program,” said Maryland Secretary of Natural Resources Secretary Josh Kurtz. “Paid largely by Maryland’s boating public, supporting local efforts are critical to this partnership.”

Applications are reviewed and projects are selected based on local government and state needs and priorities, which are evaluated to determine the benefit to the general motor boating public. Starting after July 15, the Department of Natural Resources will accept Waterway Improvement Fund applications for the next fiscal year through the department’s online ​Grants Gateway.

Local projects funded in FY24 include:
Allegany County: $300,000
Rocky Gap State Park
Boat ramp and bulkhead replacement

Anne Arundel County: $1,484,000
City of Annapolis, Fourth Street
Public boating access, improvement and engineering

Lake Placid
Dredging

City of Annapolis, Hawkins Cove
Engineering for dredging

City of Annapolis, Shipwright Street End
Public boating access, improvement and engineering

Little Magothy River
Dredging

Church Creek
Dredging

Duvall/Kitty Creek
Dredging

Baltimore County: $365,000
Pleasure Island, Sparrows Point
Dredging and beneficial use

Bowleys Quarters Community Volunteer Fire Department
Fire/rescue boat replacement

Shallow Creek, Sparrows Point
Dredging

Calvert County: $229,063
St. Leonard Volunteer Fire Department
Dive and rescue rigid hull vessel

Hallowing Point State Park
Boat ramp dredging and beneficial use

Caroline County: $500,000
Choptank Marina, Preston
Basin dredging

Cecil County: $394,360
Beck’s Landing, Chesapeake City
Re-decking promenade

Water Street Boat Ramp and Fire Pier, Charlestown
Dredging

Dorchester County: $430,000
City of Cambridge Municipal Marina
Wave screen

Tylers Cove, Church Creek
Renovation

Frederick County: $100,000
Pinecliff Park Boat Ramp, Frederick
Boat ramp rehabilitation

Kent County: $796,800
Rock Hall Volunteer Fire Company
Rescue vessel

Chestertown Marina
Dredging

Betterton Public Landing
Preliminary engineering

Prince George’s County: $250,000
Jackson’s Landing, Upper Marlboro
Boating access facility Improvement

Queen Anne’s County: $387,000
United Communities Volunteer Fire Department, Stevensville
Fire Boat Motor Replacement

Thompson Creek Landing, Stevensville
Bulkhead Replacement

Little Creek Landing, Chester
Drainage and parking lot improvements

Somerset County: $212,000
City of Crisfield Depot
Replacement of piers and walkways

Somerset County (countywide)
Marina facility safety improvements

Tylerton Harbor, Smith Island
Breakwater

St. Mary’s County: $1,250,000
St. Inigoes Landing
Public boating access improvement

Point Lookout State Park
Marina renovations and improvements

Talbot County: $160,000
Windy Hill Landing, Bruceville
Landing Reconstruction

Easton Point Park
Engineering for Dredging

Washington County: $200,000
Town of Williamsport Boat Ramp
Construction

Wicomico County: $480,603
City of Salisbury Fire Department
New outboard boat motor

Cedar Hill Marina, Bivalve
Bulkhead restoration

Pirates Wharf Park, Quantico
Boating Facility Construction

Worcester County: $2,029,177
Pocomoke City Volunteer Fire Company
Rescue boat safety equipment

Pocomoke City Boat Ramp
Boating access improvements, engineering services

Public Landing, Wharf Road, Snow Hill
Retaining wall and rip rap construction

George Island Landing Road, Stockton
Boat Landing Engineering Services

Pocomoke River State Park Shad Landing Marina and Boat Ramp
Marina and boat ramp replacement

Pocomoke River State Park Milburn Landing Boat Ramp
Ramp replacement

Statewide: $3,931,997
Maryland Pumpout Grant Program

Maryland Natural Resources Police
Patrol vessel and outboard motor replacement

Statewide Emergency Maintenance and Dredging

State Match for Federal Boating Access and Boating Infrastructure Grants

Additional funds reserved for state projects and priorities as determined by the Department of Natural Resources.

Per the Maryland Department of Health: With hot and humid conditions becoming more common across the state, the Maryland Department of Health is urging Marylanders to follow safety tips and take precautions to avoid illness during periods of extreme heat.
“We remind Marylanders to take precautions to avoid any heat-related illnesses this summer. This includes heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. On extremely hot days, stay indoors or visit a cooling center and drink plenty of water,” said Deputy Secretary for Public Health Services Nilesh Kalyanaraman. “Also, be sure to check on family, friends and neighbors who may be vulnerable to heat, especially infants, young children, older adults, and people with chronic disease.”

From May through September, the department monitors temperature conditions and incidents of heat-related illness and death.  More information is available online through the Office of Preparedness and Response Extreme Heat webpage. The site also includes the state Heat Emergency Plan, information about heat-related illnesses and tips for staying safe and healthy during hot weather. Fact sheets are available for download in English and eight other languages.

MDH encourages use of the following tips to help cope with hot weather:

●        Drink plenty of fluids

●        Avoid alcohol, caffeine and overly-sweetened beverages

●        Wear loose-fitting, lightweight and light-colored clothing

●        Avoid direct sunlight and wear sunscreen; stay in the shade when possible

●      Avoid salt tablets, unless advised by a doctor to take them

●      Take it easy outside; schedule physical activity in the morning or evening when it’s
cooler and take breaks if necessary

Here are warning signs that you could be suffering from a heat-related illness including heat exhaustion, heat stroke or heat cramps.

Marylanders are advised to never leave children or pets in a car for any amount of time during hot weather, even with the windows cracked. Always check twice to ensure that children or pets are not in a vehicle—on an 80 degree day, within one-half hour, the temperature inside of the vehicle can climb to well over 100 degrees.

Residents in need of cooling centers are encouraged to reach out to their local health department or call 2-1-1 and provide their county location and ZIP code to get information about cooling center locations, hours of operation and available accommodations. During the 2022 extreme heat season, Maryland had 5 heat-related deaths.