Baylor University’s  George W. Truett Theological Seminary is has announced that first-year Truett student Josepha Mbouma is among two students to have been awarded Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics (FASPE). Mbouma, a native of Cameroon, grew up in Montgomery County, attending Roberto Clemente Middle School in Germantown and Watkins Mill High School in Montgomery Village where she excelled in the classroom and on the basketball court.

The FASPE is awarded to students pursuing professional degrees in business, journalism, law, medicine, theology, and technology as well as to early-career professionals. Through the program, fellows spend two weeks in Germany and Poland visiting Auschwitz and other key historical sites and participating in seminars led by experts in their respective fields of study. Award recipients are able to examine the roles their counterparts played in Germany and elsewhere from 1933-1945. They then draw on historical, cultural, philosophical, literary, and discipline-specific sources to explore the ethical issues facing their respective fields today.


Last August we let you know of a joint-venture between Minkoff Development and South Duvall signing a lease with Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES) to build a 140,000 square foot build-to-suit project on Montgomery College’s Germantown Campus. According to a MarylandNewsletters report, Arium AE has pulled a building permit valued at $14 million to work on the interior of the building. Minkoff Development and South Duvall delivered the 140,000 square foot build-to-suit at 19710 Observation Drive, and in October The Hughes Network Systems Sattelite Production Facility broke ground on Monday and will be bringing approximately 300 jobs to Germantown, according to Montgomery County Councilmember and former Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce CEO, Marilyn Balcombe.

The campus currently is home to the Pinkney Innovation Complex for Science and Technology at Montgomery College (PIC MC) with Holy Cross Germantown Hospital as its anchor tenant. Located at 19710 Observation Drive in Germantown, Maryland, adjacent to the Hughes headquarters complex (11717 Exploration Lane), the new high-tech manufacturing building will house production of Hughes satellite broadband and networking equipment. “This new facility reflects our long-standing commitment to Montgomery County, as a local employer and business leader for more than 50 years and will help Hughes advance our mission of connecting the unconnected around the world with innovative satellite and networking solutions,” said Jim Muir, III, vice president, corporate real estate at Hughes. “We look forward to inviting students from PIC MC to learn and grow with us and continuing to engage with the community where so many of our employees live and work.


Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich is holding “community conversations” at sites around the County in April and May to talk about long-term priorities and how he will address the Fiscal Year 2025 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) budget. There will be an event for the UpCounty area from 7-8:30 p.m. TONIGHT, Monday, April 24, at the Sidney Kramer UpCounty Regional Services Office

The Sidney Kramer UpCounty Regional Services Office is located at 12900 Middlebrook Rd, Suite 1000, in Germantown.


Duffin was last seen on Sunday, April 23, 2023, at approximately 3:30 p.m., on Cottage Field Ct. He may be traveling to the Rio area in Gaithersburg. Duffin is approximately 4-feet, 3-inches tall and weighs 80 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a grey hoodie, black jeans and blue and white Jordan sneakers. Police and family are concerned for his welfare.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Marcell Rejaun Rozier Duffinis asked to call the police non-emergency number at (301) 279-8000 (24-hour line) or the Special Victims Investigations Division at (240) 773-5400. Callers may remain anonymous.


Amaya is approximately 6-feet tall and weighs 200 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes. It is unknown what clothing Amaya was last seen wearing. Police and family are concerned for his welfare.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Jefferson Amaya is asked to call the police non-emergency number at (301) 279-8000 (24-hour line) or the Special Victims Investigations Division at (240) 773-5400. Callers may remain anonymous.


Bed Bath & Beyond at 12940 Middlebrook in the Germantown Commons shopping center has confirmed that the store will be closing permanently on Sunday, April 23. “Store Closing” signage was placed on the store windows back in February. A representative from the Germantown location tells us that the nearby Rockville and Frederick stores will remain open.

The Gaithersburg location closed a couple years back in Gaithersburg Square and has been replaced by Marshalls. The Wall Street Journal reports that the company is expected to file for chapter 11 bankruptcy in the coming days.


Per MCPD: Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Special Victims Investigations Division (SVID) are asking for the public’s assistance in locating a missing 15-year-old from Silver Spring.

Harmonee Sykes was last seen on Monday, April 17, 2023, at approximately 7 a.m., leaving her residence in the 19600 block of Scenery Drive in Germantown. Harmonee is approximately 5-feet, 9-inches tall and weighs 180 pounds. She has dark brown eyes and dark brown hair. She was last seen wearing a green sweater, blue jeans and black shoes.  Police and family are concerned for her welfare.


Montgomery Parks, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, celebrates Mental Health Awareness Month “With Parks in Mind,” a free, kick-off event on Saturday, May 6, from 2 – 4 p.m. at Germantown Town Center Urban Park. This event launches the month-long campaign, “Every Mile for Every Mind” a series of walks to encourage people to spend time outdoors hiking a Montgomery Parks trail. These events are coordinated in partnership with local mental health organization, EveryMind.

What: With Parks in Mind: Mental Health Awareness


Per MCPD: The body of an adult male recovered in Lake Churchill on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, has been identified. Officers were called to the area of Afternoon and Summersong Lanes at approximately 8 a.m., for the report of a body in the water. The body was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and identified as 30-year-old Ankit Bagai of Germantown.

Bagai was reported missing and last seen on Sunday, April 9, 2023, at approximately 11:30 a.m., in the 12000 block of Panthers Ridge Drive. No foul play is suspected.


A body was recovered at Lake Churchill in Germantown on Tuesday morning, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) Chief Spokesperson Pete Piringer. Piringer noted that today’s activity may be related to an exhaustive search that took place at the lake on Easter Sunday (April 9th), where nothing was found.

On Sunday, April 9, MCFRS responded to a call at Lake Churchill in Germantown for a report of “someone in the water” from what has been described as a reliable source by MCFRS Chief Spokesperson Pete Piringer. The call came at approximately 1pm. Crews searched on land and and with boats in the water and nothing was found at the time. Below is a video from the April 9 search.


The personal-finance website WalletHub released its report on 2023’s Most Diverse Cities in America this week and MoCo claimed the top three spots with Gaithersburg, Germantown, and Silver Spring coming in as the three most diverse cities/areas the United States (Rockville was also ranked 13th). Germantown ranked first in cultural diversity. Categorized rankings available below.

To determine the places in the U.S. with the most mixed demographics, WalletHub compared the profiles of more than 500 of the largest cities (areas) across five major diversity categories: socioeconomic, cultural, economic, household and religious.


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