Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to the report of downed electrical wires on a home in the 15000blk of Clopper Rd in Boyds, MD on Thursday, February 22.

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Montgomery County Park Police and Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to a call for a lost hiker around 6pm on Thursday, December 28 in Boyds.

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Update: Per MCFRS Spokesperson Pete Piringer: “Park Police UTV & UTV731 located hiker at 7pm. 1 adult being assisted back to roadway/staging, MCFRS EMS evaluating for possible transport before releasing.”

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Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to a single vehicle collision in the 15800blk of Barnesville Rd, between Sugar Ridge Ter and Bucklodge Rd in Boyds on Wednesday, December 6 around 9:30pm. (more…)

A collision with rollover that occurred Friday night on southbound I-270 between Rt121 and Rt27 has closed all lanes after Clarksburg Rd. The Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management & Homeland Security (OEMHS) tweeted the following at 8:45: “Traffic incident closes SB I-270 after Clarksburg Rd (MD121). Expect significant delays and seek alternate route.”

We will provide an update when additional information becomes available. Featured image courtesy of @crystalyu_ on Instagram.

SB I270 between Rt121 and Rt27, collision with rollover

— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) September 30, 2023

Fall is here and the colors around us are about to change. Whether it’s the taste of a warm pumpkin-flavored latte, the cool breeze of a crisp fall morning, weekends full of football, or the yellow glow of the sun on a tall birch tree, autumn is often a contender for MoCo residents’ favorite season (however short it may be). Many locals are looking forward to combining all the best parts of fall and enjoying the foliage outdoors, so we’ve put together a small list of 11 where you can enjoy the foliage across the county:

Agricultural Reserve: A drive through the rural areas that the 93,000 acre Agricultural Reserve encompasses, along with the larger rural communities of Damascus and Poolesville and small crossroad communities such as Beallsville, Sunshine and Dickerson, are sure to give you your fill of fall foliage.

Black Hill Regional Park (Boyds): With over 2,000 acres of land for outdoor recreation and family gatherings, you can enjoy spectacular views of the foliage and Little Seneca Lake.

Agricultural History Farm Park (Derwood): You can find fall changes beyond foliage at Agricultural History Farm Park. The fields are golden brown and ready for harvest. Dahlias are in bloom next door in the Montgomery County Master Naturalists’ gardens. And, there are glints of red on a maple tree.

Rock Creek Regional Park (Derwood): Lake Bernard Frank at Rock Creek Regional Park is a beautiful spot for quiet and solitude right now. Pack in a chair or find a log and take in the crisp air and seasonal scenery. Yellow leaves are saturated at sunset.

Seneca Creek State Park (Gaithersburg): Th3 6,300 acre park extends along 14 scenic miles of Seneca Creek, all the way to the Potomac River. Clopper Lake offers boating and fishing, as well as trails for hiking, cycling and horseback riding. A 16.5 mile hike down Seneca Creek Greenway Trail follows the entire course of the creek.

Cabin John Regional Park (Potomac): Look high and low on the trails near Locust Grove Nature Center at Cabin John Regional Park for autumn color.

Great Falls Park (Potomac): Foliage and the Potomac River? Count us in. You can catch a little of everything at Great Falls this time of year.

Maydale Conservation Park (Silver Spring): In the eastern part of Montgomery County, there are hints of fall. Dabs of yellow are beginning to show on trees around the pond at Maydale Conservation Park.

Sligo Creek Stream Valley Park (Silver Spring): Crunch your way along Sligo Creek Trail. The paved path is covered in brown and yellow leaves which collect and disperse with the wind. The canopy is punctuated with hints of yellow and orange.

Brookside Gardens (Wheaton): Montgomery County’s incomparable, award-winning 50-acre public display garden within Wheaton Regional Park has plenty of foliage for visitors to take in.

Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard (Dickerson): While the mountain itself is in Frederick County, the vineyard is in Montgomery County with amazing views of the surrounding area (as seen in our featured photo). As of press time the mountain is closed to the public, but you can still enjoy the view nearby.

Featured photo courtesy of @dronifyDMV

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to the 13500 blk of W. Old Baltimore Rd, near Lake Ridge Dr in Boyds for the report of a fallen tree on a vehicle. According to Chief Spokesperson for MCFRS Pete Piringer, the person that was driving vehicle is out and there were no serious injuries.

W. Old Baltimore Rd is blocked between Lake Ridge Dr and Broadway Ave. We will provide an update if additional information becomes available.

W Old Baltimore Rd. near Black Hill regional Park entrance, tree down onto a vehicle, road blocked pic.twitter.com/8spCBDe6uy

— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) September 24, 2023

Old Glory DC is the first professional rugby team based in the Washington metropolitan area and this year it’ll be playing its home games right here in Montgomery County. Old Glory DC competes in Major League Rugby (MLR), a professional rugby union league competing in its sixth season in 2023, representing North America’s highest level of rugby competition. Since its inaugural season in 2018, MLR has grown from seven to 13 teams, featuring 12 from the United States and one from Canada.

Per the team: Old Glory DC is excited to announce that all 2024 home regular season and playoff matches will be played at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Germantown, MD. Entering its sixth season and following an exceptional Championship Series playoff berth and a first-ever Eastern Conference Championship appearance, Old Glory aims to continue its success with rugby fans, supporters, and sponsors throughout the DMV region.

Old Glory DC matches will be played at Maureen Hendrick’s Field at Championship Stadium; sporting a natural, high-use Bermuda grass pitch. The bowl-like stadium design features fixed seating for 3,200 fans and a large, grassy berm for general admission seating. The move to the Maryland SoccerPlex provides easy access for Old Glory fans throughout The District, Maryland, and NOVA.

Old Glory DC fans can also enjoy a new Beer Garden, improved food & beverage concessions, and more expansive concourse areas directly connected with views of the field of play. “If you happened to catch the Collegiate Rugby Championship this past spring, you know the Soccerplex has really stepped up its ability to present the unique game of rugby in a top quality environment,” said Old Glory Chairman Chris Dunlavey.  “The venue offers a vibe that really taps into the rugby community’s culture and spirit.  We look forward to providing Old Glory fans with this engaging environment once again.”

“We are excited at the SoccerPlex to be the new home of Old Glory DC.  We plan to be the best facility in Major League Rugby,” said Matt Libber, Executive Director Maryland Soccer Foundation and Maryland SoccerPlex. “Bringing the highest level of rugby in the US to Maryland raises the profile of professional sports in the State.  This is also another step to show the world that we are more than a soccer facility.”

Frequently Asked Questions can be seen below:

Where will Old Glory DC play in 2024? 
Old Glory will play its home games for the 2024 MLR regular season in the Championship Stadium at the Maryland Soccerplex, located at 18031 Central Park Circle in Boyds, MD. The venue offers a full-sized rugby pitch, includes 3,200 fixed seats (plus a variety of group seating and standing room spaces), and has recently been improved to accommodate the play of professional quality rugby. In April of this year, the Soccerplex hosted the NCR Collegiate Rugby Championship, to broad acclaim from the rugby community, and the venue is contracted to host the CRCs for the next two years. For more information on the Soccerplex, see HERE.    

Why is Old Glory moving to a different venue now? Old Glory is embarked upon what we expect to be an unending mission to grow the game of rugby in the DMV, including delivering the best possible professional game accommodations for our players, partners, and fans.  This mission obliges us to listen to our fans and constantly search for improvements. While we love the communities of Leesburg and Loudoun County, where we have played for the last three years, the feedback we’ve received from our fan base at large has consistently expressed concerns about venue accessibility and the ability to support certain game elements such as a beer garden or integrated concourse. At the end of the day, you vote with your feet (or your ticket purchases) and we simply have to continue to grow our attendance. The Soccerplex provides us the most immediate opportunity to respond to venue-based fan concerns.

 Is the Soccerplex the same distance outside of DC? Close — we admit it.  Depending on how you play with Mapquest and what starting points you use, the Soccerplex is only around 5 miles closer to DC. We agree that’s not much. However, our research indicates that the Soccerplex may well be more accessible to a broader percentage of our fan base than our current venue, particularly when considering the lack of such obstacles as access via a toll road. We are acutely sensitive to the fact that a number of our best, most loyal fans travel from as far south as Norfolk / Virginia Beach to our games, but we also observe that others regularly travel to us from Pennsylvania or beyond. Overall,  the Soccerplex will give you, the Old Glory fan, an improved game-day experience. 

 Is there a long term plan for Old Glory to play in The District? We have stated in the past and will state again: Old Glory belongs in Washington, DC, our namesake and the place where our team was born. Through our history and continuing today, we have worked to identify opportunities to play in an appropriately-sized venue that properly presents the game of rugby within the District, or at least at a Metro-accessible location inside the Beltway. The obvious catch is that such a venue does not exist today, considering factors such as the attendance we draw, the resulting economics of our sport, the facility standards set by MLR for field quality and broadcast visuals, and others. We pledge that a return to the center of our region remains a core element of our mission and our business plan, that we are working to achieve it at the soonest possible date, and that we will not rest in this effort until successful.

 How long will Old Glory play at the Soccerplex? Old Glory will play at the Soccerplex under a 1-year license agreement in 2024. This one-year term suits the planning horizons of both the Soccerplex and Old Glory, and we will evaluate possible extensions or next steps as 2024 unfolds.

 Does the Soccerplex offer any unique advantages for the game of rugby? The biggest advantage is that the field of play, Maureen Hendrick’s Field at Championship Stadium, is a natural, Bermuda grass pitch with excellent drainage, proper dimensions for rugby, and the right lighting for night games – thus offering the safest playing experience for the players themselves.  

 What benefits can the fans look forward to at the Soccerplex? We’ll share details of our 2024 game presentation plans over the coming weeks and months; however, some key opportunities to note today include: unlike our current venue, Old Glory will control food and beverage choices for our games at the Soccerplex, allowing us to be more responsive to fan input and preferences; we will have space enabling us to envision the return of a ‘beer garden’ experience similar to the one at Catholic U;  Old Glory will have responsibility of enforcement of tailgating policy; we will have control over our ticketing system choices, enabling us to provide “in & out” access for our fans; and finally, we think you’ll agree with us that the Championship Stadium layout, which provides an open concourse with 360 degree connectivity to views of the field, a variety of bleacher and chair-back seating, and grassy berms where we can sell “standing room” or picnicking tickets, is simply a great place to embrace rugby culture. We can’t wait to host you there.

The Montgomery County Council unanimously voted July 11 to add the former Edward U. Taylor Elementary School property to the county’s Master Plan for Historic Preservation. The County Council’s vote designating the Taylor School a historic site aligns with the recommendations of the Montgomery County Planning Department and the Montgomery County Planning Board. The Taylor School was built in 1952 as an elementary school for Black students at a time when Montgomery County used legally sanctioned racial segregation to prohibit Black children from attending white schools. The facility was built to modern school design standards and represents the movement by the county’s Black community to have better facilities and opportunities after decades of public underinvestment in educational facilities for Black children. One of the last schools to be desegregated in 1961, the Taylor School was the only segregated Black elementary or high school that retained its original use as a school building when it integrated.

“Montgomery Planning commends the County Council for designating the Edward U. Taylor Elementary School site historic,” said Acting Planning Director Tanya Stern. “The Taylor School is a significant landmark in the fight against racial segregation in Montgomery County and the nation and educates current and future generations about the struggle to integrate schools. Adding it to the county’s Master Plan for Historic Preservation ensures the inspiring efforts of individuals like Edward U. Taylor and Black organizations, parents, and teachers to obtain quality educational facilities for Black children in the mid-20^th century will never be forgotten.” The draft amendment to add the Taylor School to the county’s Master Plan for Historic Preservation also proposed adding the former Weller’s Dry Cleaning site in Silver Spring to the master plan. The County Council followed the Planning Board’s recommendation and voted to not designate the Weller’s property historic. Historic designation criteria are established in Chapter 24A in the Montgomery County Code. The Council evaluated the sites against the criteria and found that the Edward U. Taylor School met the following criteria:

• 24A-3(b)(1)a. Historical and cultural significance. The historic resource has character, interest, or value as part of the development, heritage or cultural characteristics of the county, state, or nation.
• 24A-3(b)(1)d.  Historical and cultural significance. The historic resource exemplifies the cultural, economic, social, political, or historic heritage of the county and its communities.
• 24A-3(b)(2)e.  Architectural and design significance. Represents an established and familiar visual feature of the neighborhood, community, or county due to its singular physical characteristic or landscape.

More about the Edward U. Taylor School site: The former Edward U. Taylor School (19501 White Ground Road, Boyds, MD) is a Modern Movement-influenced building that was completed in 1952, and features several additions built between 1954 and 1969. The building serves as the Taylor Science Center for processing and storing science kits for Montgomery County Public Schools. The recommendation to study the school was brought forward in the MARC Rail Communities Plan, which was approved by the County Council in April 2019. In 2022, the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) found the school site met the requirements in the County Code to be designated through its evaluation process. View a short video on the legacy of the Edward U. Taylor School. View the September 2022 Edward U. Taylor Elementary School Master Plan for Historic Preservation Designation Form.

About the historic preservation process: Designating a place for historic preservation is based on criteria set forth in Chapter 24A-3 of the County Code. The decision to designate a property begins with a completed research form from The Maryland Historic Trust and is reviewed by the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC), the Montgomery County Planning Board, and the Montgomery County Council. The County Council has the final say on what gets designated historic. When the County Council includes a property in the Master Plan for Historic Preservation, all changes to the outside of the property must be reviewed by the HPC before issuing any permits. Examples of current Master Plan Historic Sites and Districts include:

• Archeological sites and mill ruins along stream valleys
• Farms, banks, and meeting houses, associated with the Quaker heritage
• Lock houses, aqueducts, mines, and quarries, boarding the Potomac River and the Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) canal
• Rivers fords and encampment sites of the Civil War
• Early African American communities
• Early suburbs developed along the route of the Baltimore & Ohio (B&O) railroad
• Small-scale commercial blocks and gas stations from the early automobile era
• Major government complexes such as the Bethesda Naval Hospital and the National Institutes of Health
• Postwar housing that shaped suburban development

About the Historic Preservation Office

Montgomery Planning’s Historic Preservation Office (HPO) identifies, protects, and explores historically significant built places throughout the county, ultimately preserving the past to enrich the future. HPO is responsible both for administering regulations around designating and maintaining historical sites and for digging into the county’s history to better inform the decision makers planning our future.

The HPO strives to help improve the natural and built environments of Montgomery County. The county’s historic fabric has irrevocably informed every corner of the county, from the Ag Reserve to Silver Spring, and understanding HPO’s role is a critical part of planning. Americans are aware of such public history in ways that they have not been in a generation, and the HPO aims to share that history as broadly as possible. Though the Historic Preservation Office focuses on the built environment (which distinguishes us from other historic societies), HPO also has resources for genealogy, tax credits, and more. From restoring and promoting specific sites to painting a more complete picture of the diverse people and places that shaped—and continue to shape—the modern Montgomery County, the HPO helps ensure that future plans are informed by and reflected in a thorough, critical appreciation of what came before. History lives with us in the present.

Per MCPD: Officers from the Montgomery County Department of Police- 5th District Community Action Team have arrested 20-year-old, Elvis Gomez of Boyds, for possessing a controlled dangerous substance with the intent to distribute and a privately manufactured firearm (PMF).

At approximately 5:30 p.m., officers observed a blue 2016 Toyota Corolla commit a moving violation in the area of Wisteria Drive and Father Hurley Boulevard.  Officers initiated a traffic stop of the Toyota, which turned into a shopping center in the area. When the vehicle stopped the front and rear passengers jumped out of the car and ran away. Gomez, who was driving the Toyota, remained on scene. After talking with officers, Gomez took off on foot, running down Wisteria Drive. While running, officers observed Gomez throw the keys to his vehicle into a sewer drain. Gomez was quickly apprehended without incident.

Officers, with the assistance of Montgomery County Fire Rescue Personnel were able to recover the keys to the vehicle.  A search of the Toyota revealed a fully loaded 9mm PMF with an extended magazine and one round in the chamber.  Officers also located a large number of individually packaged bags of marijuana.  Gomez was arrested and transported to the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit (CPU), where he has been charged with possession with the intent to distribute a controlled dangerous substance and multiple firearm related charges.

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The Defendant Laundered the Drug Proceeds by Converting Bitcoin into Cash, and Through a Series of Transactions, Transferring the Money into Bank Accounts He Controlled