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Six Community Leaders to be Honored with ‘African American Living Legend Awards’ on Friday, June 16, at BlackRock Center in Germantown

Published June 15, 2023 at 7:37AM

Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County’s 26th Juneteenth Celebration, themed “Journey to Freedom . . . Memorialize the Struggle, Celebrate the Successes and Secure the Justice and Equality,” will kick off at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 16, at the BlackRock Center for the Arts in Germantown when Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich presents “African American Living Legend Awards” to six County residents. This year’s honorees are Henry Hailstock, Jr., Rev. Theresa M. Henderson, Pauline G. Johnson, Sheila G. Ogilvie, Vernon H. Ricks, Jr. and Lt. Colonel Shelton (Ivan) Ware.

The Juneteenth celebration will continue at BlackRock with activities from noon-10 p.m. on Saturday, June 17. The BlackRock Center is located at 12901 Town Commons Dr. in Germantown. The public is invited to the award ceremonies. The event is free to attend. The African American Living Legend Awards honor distinguished individuals who have helped shape the cultural heritage of the African American community. The 2023 awards will be presented to six individuals who have dedicated their lives to service, advocacy and selfless acts of kindness to their community.

Opening Information for MoCo’s First Sheetz

By Patrick Herron

Published June 14, 2023 at 9:49AM | Updated June 14, 2023 at 10:10AM

Sheetz is holding a hiring event today, June 14, at the Holiday Inn Express in Germantown in preparation of the opening of its upcoming store at 751 Progress Way in Gaithersburg. The location, which will be the first Sheetz in Montgomery County, is targeting an August 10th opening date. Last month we reported that Sheetz will also be opening a location in the Walnut Hill shopping center in Gaithersburg in 2024.

Sheetz is a gas station/convenience store that offers made to order food and has over 650 locations throughout Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. According to the company, Sheetz provides “kicked-up convenience while being more than just a convenience store. Sheetz is a mecca for people on the go. If you need to refuel your car or refresh your body, we have what you need to keep you moving on to whatever comes next.”

Communication Board Dedicated at Cedar Grove Elementary School

By MCS Staff

Published June 14, 2023 at 7:25AM | Updated June 14, 2023 at 2:37PM

Gunnison Consulting Group, Inc. donated a communication board to Cedar Grove Elementary School located on Ridge are in Germantown. The board was donated in a dedication ceremony earlier this week […]

MD 355 Flash BRT Project Update

By MCS Staff

Published June 14, 2023 at 6:01AM | Updated June 14, 2023 at 7:51AM

A briefing on the MD 355 BRT was provided to the Gaithersburg Mayor and City Council on Tuesday night. Per the presentation, available below, the MD 355 BRT will provide a new transit service with greater travel speed and frequency along the MD 355 corridor that will help:

The MD 355 BRT has completed the Preliminary Engineering phase between Grosvenor and Montgomery  College – Germantown. Preliminary Engineering is continuing for the Bethesda and Clarksburg segments (Fall 2023 completion), NEPA documentation is underway, there is ongoing coordination with FTA, and they are currently preparing procurement for Progressive Design-Build. Full presentation below:

Police and Family Concerned for 14-Year-Old Missing Since Friday

By Patrick Herron

Published June 13, 2023 at 1:17PM

Per MCPD: Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Special Victims Investigations Division (SVID) are asking for the public’s assistance in locating Zamya Santiago, a missing 14-year-old from Germantown.

Zamya Santiago was last seen on Friday, June 9, 2023, at approximately 11:45 p.m. on Locbury Court. Zamya is approximately 5-feet, 1-inches tall and weighs 120 pounds. She has shoulder length brown hair and brown eyes. Zamya has a nose piercing. It is unknown what clothing she is wearing. Police and family are concerned for her welfare.

Juneteenth Celebration to Take Place in Germantown on Saturday, June 17

By MCS Staff

Published June 13, 2023 at 7:01AM

Montgomery County will celebrate Juneteenth at a special event featuring live music, food, art, films and awards from 12-10 p.m. Saturday, June 17, 2023 at the BlackRock Center for the Arts. The Montgomery County Office of Human Rights coordinates the program, which also features the Living Legends Awards honoring county residents who have helped shape the cultural heritage of the African American community. Look for a City of Rockville table and city representatives at the celebration.

The Juneteenth holiday commemorates June 19, 1865, when the Union army arrived in Texas bearing federal orders proclaiming the end of slavery. The orders arrived nearly two-and-a-half years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation declared that enslaved people living in the secessionist Confederate states were now free.

GrillMarx Clarksburg Has Closed Permanently

By MCS Staff

Published June 12, 2023 at 5:36PM | Updated June 13, 2023 at 4:39PM

Grillmarx in Clarksburg, located at 12011 Snowden Farm Pkwy, has closed permanently. We spoke with owner Alec Aronow, who confirmed the news and let us know that he wants to thank the community for their support the last decade. GrillMarx Clarksburg, which hasn’t been affiliated with the other GrillMarx locations in Olney and Columbia for about a year, originally leased the space about a decade ago in 2013.

The restaurant previously planned to undergo a rebrand after a split with the other GrillMarx locations located in Olney and Columbia, but ultimately wasn’t able to make it happen. “I am devastated that we have to close. I gave it everything I had,” Aronow told us, “and unfortunately due to circumstances beyond our control, we had to make the decision to close.” Aronow wanted to stress how important the Clarksburg community has been to him throughout the years, “I wish it would have worked, I gave it a million percent…I just want to say thank you to everyone.”

Police Investigating Germantown Fatal Shooting; Identity of Victim Released

By Patrick Herron

Published June 10, 2023 at 8:30PM

Per MCPD: A 57-year-old Germantown man was shot and killed on the evening of Friday, June 9, 2023. Montgomery County Department of Police, 5th District officers were dispatched to the Middlebrook Commons apartments in the 19500 block of Gunners Branch Road at approximately 8:03 p.m., for multiple calls of shots fired.

Upon arrival, officers located several shell casings in the parking lot of the apartment complex. The victim, Errick Roy Dixon was found in a grassy area behind an apartment building with an apparent gunshot wound.

Update: One Dead After Friday Night Shooting in Germantown

By Patrick Herron

Published June 10, 2023 at 7:41AM

Montgomery County Police responded to a fatal shooting that took place in the 19500 block of Gunners Branch Road around 8pm on Friday night. According to MCPD, “when 5th District officers arrived, they found several shell casings in the parking lot of the apartment complex and located an adult male suffering from apparent gunshot wounds behind one of the apartment buildings.

Officers provided aide until Montgomery County Fire Rescue responded. The 57-year-old male was pronounced dead on scene. Witnesses stated that they saw several people drive away from the location and there are no suspects in custody at this time. It is too early in the investigation to provide suspect or vehicle descriptions.”

One Dead After Shooting in Germantown

By Patrick Herron

Published June 9, 2023 at 9:09PM | Updated June 10, 2023 at 9:49AM

Update 6/10: Montgomery County Police responded to a fatal shooting that took place in the 19500 block of Gunners Branch Road around 8pm on Friday night. According to MCPD, “when 5th District officers arrived, they found several shell casings in the parking lot of the apartment complex and located an adult male suffering from apparent gunshot wounds behind one of the apartment buildings.

Officers provided aide until Montgomery County Fire Rescue responded. The 57-year-old male was pronounced dead on scene. Witnesses stated that they saw several people drive away from the location and there are no suspects in custody at this time. It is too early in the investigation to provide suspect or vehicle descriptions.”

Murder Conviction in Retrial of Germantown Stabbing

By Patrick Herron

Published June 9, 2023 at 5:31PM

According to the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, “Today in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, MD, before the Honorable John Maloney, a jury convicted defendant, Kyle Noble, 30, of unknown address, on charges of second-degree murder and armed robbery for the death and robbery of 31-year-old Efrain Arias. Noble faces up to 60 years in prison and a 25-year mandatory minimum as this is his third conviction for a crime of violence in the state of Maryland. Noble committed this murder while on probation for a stabbing in Frederick County in April of 2017. He also pleaded guilty to robbery in Montgomery County in March of 2014. He is scheduled for a sentencing hearing on July 17^th 2023.

This stems from an incident on September 15^th 2019, when the defendant, Noble, confronted Efrain Arias as Arias exited a vehicle in the parking lot of the Extended Stay America hotel on Milestone Center Drive in Germantown. Noble chased the victim down a hill into a field near the parking lot, fatally stabbed him, then came back and robbed the dying victim of personal property. As stated by the prosecutors in court, the attack was fueled by drug-seeking behavior and a jealous rage, as the victim was a friend of the defendant’s ex-girlfriend.