Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to a collision involving a motorcycle and a dump truck on Monday, July 24 around 4:30pm. According to Chief Spokesperson for MCFRS Pete Piringer, the collision occurred on Ridge Rd and Hawkes Rd in Damascus, close to Cedar Grove Elementary School, and involved one person trapped under the truck. EMS evaluated one adult with Priority 2 trauma.

According to MCPD, “Ridge Rd. is closed at Hawkes Rd. as the result of a traffic collision. Drivers are advised to seek an alternate route. Expect significant delays.” We will post an update when additional information becomes available.


Per MCPD: Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Major Crimes Division have arrested and charged 25-year-old Jerald McCalla, of Clarksburg, with auto theft related charges.

In July 2023, detectives from the Auto Crime Enforcement Section began an investigation into a Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT that was stolen in May 2023 through fraudulent means from a car dealership in Farmington, Missouri.  During the investigation, detectives identified McCalla as the suspect.


A Germantown man is $50,000 richer after purchasing a winning Bonus Match 5 lottery scratch-off ticket from the Sunoco gas station at 19738 Germantown Road in Germantown. Full story below courtesy of MD Lottery:

“A lucky Montgomery County man likely received the best birthday gift of his life after buying a Bonus Match 5 ticket for the July 18 drawing. He won $50,000 just in time for his birthday festivities. The 48-year-old found his lucky ticket at Town Center Sunoco, which is located at 19738 Germantown Road in Germantown. He purchased one $4 ticket, replaying numbers from a previous drawing. The Germantown resident works as a contractor for AAA and uses some of the money he receives as tips to purchase Lottery tickets. He walked away this time with a far larger prize than in the past.


Gold’s Gym is now open at 12922 Middlebrook Road in Germantown, in the former location of DSW in the Germantown Commons shopping center, next to the recently closed Bed Bath & Beyond.  Gold’s Gym previously had a Germantown location in the Fox Chapel shopping center which closed in December, soon after the new gym was announced.

Gold’s Gym has other Montgomery County locations in Gaithersburg, Germantown, Olney, and two in Rockville (Rockville Town Square and Wintergreen Plaza). Featured photo courtesy of Gold’s Gym Germantown. 


Per The Maryland Department of the Environment: The Maryland Department of the Environment is urging citizens and businesses in a large part of the state to voluntarily reduce their water usage as a drought watch has been issued. “Water conservation is a good practice year-round, but we are asking residents and businesses to pay particular attention during the summer months when the State can experience hot and dry conditions,” said Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain.

“You can do your part by limiting the use and duration of sprinklers for lawns, taking short showers as opposed to baths, and not leaving the faucet running while brushing your teeth. These things sound simple, but it all adds up.” A drought watch has been issued for Western Maryland and portions of Central Maryland based on lower-than-normal stream flows and groundwater levels for this time of year. During a drought watch, MDE increases oversight of water supply conditions and encourages voluntary water conservation practices. No mandatory water use restrictions have been issued.


Last month we let you know that CVS at 18080 Mateny Rd in the Cloppers Mill shopping center in Germantown confirmed that the store will be closing. Signage is now up at the store announcing that the store will be closing on Thursday, August 24th and directing customers to a nearby Germantown location at 1285 Wisteria Drive and the new Kentlands lcoation at 311 Kentlands Blvd in Gaithersburg (photo below).

CVS also recently closed its locations at 9140 Rothbury Drive in the Goshen Crossing shopping center in Gaithersburg/Montgomery Village and at 10113 New Hampshire Ave in the Hillandale Shopping Center. In 2021, CVS announced that it would be closing approximately 900 stores “over the next 3 years due to changes in population, consumer buying patterns, and future health needs.” CVS locations at Rockville Town Square (360 Hungerford Drive) and Twinbrook Center (2210 Veirs Mill Rd) both closed last year as well.


Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – 5th District Investigative Section are asking for the public’s assistance in locating Tina Louise Martinez, a missing 50-year-old. Martinez was last seen on Sunday, June 18, 2023, in the 19900 block of Sweetgum Circle in Germantown. She is 5’5″, 210 Ibs., with blonde hair and green eyes and was last seen wearing a tan shirt. Police and family are concerned for her welfare.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Tina Louise Martinez is asked to call Montgomery County Police Non-Emergency (301) 279-8000 (24-hour line).


In a proposal from earlier this summer, Clarksburg Town Center is looking for approval on limited amendments that would put the upcoming development in “a position to attract additional tenants and multifamily residents sufficient to support development of this final phase of Clarksburg Town Center.” The subject amendments to the Project Plan, Preliminary Plan and Site Plan propose construction of 179 multifamily units in three buildings along the east side of Clarksburg Square Road, and approximately 99,200 sq. ft. of retail/commercial space, including a grocery store of approximately 55,000 sq. ft.

At a Clarksburg community meeting on the future of the Clarksburg Town Center (CTC) last December, it was revealed in updated plans that the hope was for construction to begin in 2024 and be completed in “one fell swoop”. It was also announced that a grocery anchor, Weis, has signed a letter of intent to open up a new store at the CTC.


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-20th 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:


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