The initial investigation has revealed that a Silver 2006 Ford F250 was traveling southbound on Frederick Road. A blue 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee was turning left from northbound Frederick Road onto westbound Plummer Drive, striking the Ford F250 in the intersection.

The passenger of the Jeep Grand Cherokee was pronounced dead at the scene. The decedent has been identified as 30-year-old, Jose Vidal Urias Beltran of Germantown.


This free kids’ Halloween event features several attractions and performers to get your little ones in the Halloween spirit! Check out some magic tricks at the magician’s corner, add to your costume at the face painting area, and create a Halloween art project at the craft station.

Catch a showing of “Little Red Riding Hood and the 3 Little Pigs” with The Puppet Co. at the stage area on the lawn. See showtimes below under Event Information! Stop by the moon bounce area to enjoy some Halloween-themed inflatables! Test your cognitive skills with the Haunted Maze, get your energy out on the Jack-O-Lantern Bounce, and race your friends on the Funhouse Slide. Move and groove to fun Halloween tunes from the DJ while you enjoy concessions for purchase from the food vendors listed below. Make sure to stop by the photo booth to capture your Parks Spooktacular experience with a take-home photo keepsake!


Updated to reflect total of eight people transported to hospital due to the crash

Ridge Road in Damascus is currently closed just north of High Corner Street following a serious crash involving two vehicles that took down a utility pole. The roadway will remain closed even after emergency crash response clears for utility pole replacement.


A representative from Lotte Plaza Market in Germantown Plaza (13069 Wisteria Drive) confirmed that the grocery store will be closing permanently by the end of the year. Montgomery County locations in Gaithersburg, Rockville, and Silver Spring will remain open.

Lotte Plaza Market is a grocery store that specializes in Asian groceries. Per its website, Lotte started with a single store on Veirs Mill Road in1989 and now has a dozen locations throughout Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, and Florida. “Our goal is to open 50 Lotte Plaza Market locations by 2030.”


Updated at 10:15am with additional information from Montgomery County Police; crash confirmed as fatal

Emergency crews responded to the scene of a crash involving two vehicles on southbound Rt. 355 Frederick Rd in the area of Plummer Drive in Germantown at approximately 11:15pm, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) chief spokesperson Pete Piringer and Battalion Chief Chase Fabrizio. Montgomery County Police has stated that an adult male passenger of one of the vehicles was pronounced dead on the scene.


Jake Funk was drafted in the 7th round of the 2021 draft by the Los Angeles and won a Super Bowl with the team in his first year in the NFL. He remained with the team for the first part of the 2022 NFL season, but was released earlier in the week before finding a new home in New Orleans when the Saints signed the running back to the practice squad on Wednesday.

Jake Funk holds the Maryland state record for career touchdowns from when he was a student at Damascus High School. He went on to play at the University of Maryland before getting drafted by the Rams with the 5th pick of the 7th round in 2021. In New Orleans, he joins veteran Jordan Howard who was also signed to the teams practice squad, to prepare begging active roster running backs Alvin Kamara, Mark Ingram, and Dwayne Washington.


On Wednesday it was announced in a letter to the community  by Gaithersburg High School Principal Cary Dimmick, Northwest High School Principal Scott Smith, and MCPS Systemwide Director of Athletics Jeff Sullivan that the Gaithersburg High School Athletic Specialist position and the Northwest High School head and assistant varsity football coach positions will be vacated following an investigation by MCPS of a physical altercation that occurred during the football game between the schools on September 16th.

On Thursday afternoon a petition was created anonymously in support of the reinstatement of Northwest head football coach Travis Hawkins. In four hours the petition has been signed by over 1,000 people.


The inaugural DMV Auto Show will take place at the Clarksburg Premium Outlets (22705 Clarksburg Rd.) on Saturday, October 22 from 1pm until 6pm.

Per the event: “This is a different take on the car shows you are used to with the goal to be completely inclusive to the whole car community. We want to bring a premium experience to those who have spent a lot time and money on this passion and to appreciate the vast variety of cars our community has to offer. We will have over 20 classes with premium trophies, guest judges, prizes, giveaways, vendors, food & drinks and family friendly entertainment! ALL SPECTATORS ARE FREE!”


Several winning lottery tickets were sold this past week in Montgomery County that have yet to be claimed. They include a $50,000 winning Powerball ticket sold on October 5 at the W Express (5143 River Road) in Bethesda, a $20,004 winning Mega Millions ticket sold on October 5 at Safeway (403 Redland Blvd) in Rockville, a $10,000 Mega Millions ticket sold October 5 at Sugarloaf Wine Cellar (12955 Wisteria Drive) in Germantown, and a $10,000 Lucky Numbers ticket sold on October 3 at Ollie’s Beer, Wine & Deli (2011 Veirs Mill Road) in Rockville. All four tickets remain unclaimed as of October 11, according to the Maryland Lottery.

Winners of prizes larger than $25,000 must redeem their tickets at the Maryland Lottery Customer Resource Center in Baltimore, which is open by appointment only. Prizes of up to $5,000 can be claimed at any of more than 400 Expanded Cashing Authority Program (XCAP) locations. All Maryland Lottery retailers are authorized to redeem tickets up to and including $600. More information is available on the How To Claim page of mdlottery.com.


Officers arrived at the scene and located a juvenile male suffering from apparent gunshot wounds on the back staircase of the location. Officers administered life saving measures to the victim until Montgomery County Fire Rescue arrived at the scene. The victim was transported to an area hospital in critical condition.  Items of evidentiary value were collected from the scene.

During the month of September 2022, detectives identified Damien Fisher as the suspect in the August 16th shooting. Additionally, detectives learned that Fisher was also a suspect in a carjacking and kidnapping incident. Detectives obtained an arrest warrant, charging Fisher with kidnapping, first-degree assault and unauthorized removal of a vehicle.


Per the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Maryland: U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm sentenced Enitan Mouroukeji Agbi, a/k/a “Anton Agbi” and “Tone,” age 38, of Germantown, Maryland to 114 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for distribution of fentanyl.  A victim died from using drugs that Agbi distributed.  Judge Grimm also ordered Agbi to pay restitution of at least $1,125.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration – Washington Division; Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Chief Darryl McSwain of the Maryland National Capital Park Police; Chief Robert J. Contee III of the Metropolitan Police Department; and Chief Victor Brito of the City of Rockville Police Department.


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