Maryland

Maryland Permanently Preserves 27 Working Farms

By MCS Staff

The Maryland Board of Public Works approved 27 new Maryland Agricultural Preservation Foundation easements during their October 4 meeting. The easements will permanently preserve 4,600 acres of prime farmland in Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Charles, Dorchester, Frederick, Garrett, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Wicomico counties, for an investment of more than $16.9 million. “Preserving Maryland farmland is incredibly beneficial to its citizens,” said Maryland Department of Agriculture Secretary Kevin Atticks. “By preventing irreversible conversion of farmland to other uses, we protect our local food supply and our local economy. I am grateful to the landowners that volunteered to preserve these 4,600 acres of farmland.”

The Maryland Agricultural Preservation Foundationwas established in 1977 as part of the Maryland Department of Agriculture.The foundation purchases agricultural preservation easements from willing farmers to forever protect prime farmland and woodland. To view a list of the Maryland Agricultural Preservation Foundation easements broken down by county, see this list. The newly-approved easements will help the state meet its newly-enacted goal of conserving 30% of state land by 2030. The new goal went into effect on October 1st in accordance with the Maryland the Beautiful Act as passed in the 2023 Session by the Maryland General Assembly.

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Germantown

Montgomery Parks to Host Frankenskate Event

By Patrick Herron

Per Montgomery Parks: This Halloween let the ghoul times roll with friends and family at the Ridge Road Recreational Park Inline Rink for Montgomery Parks’ Frankenskate. On Saturday, October 28, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm come as you aren’t in your best Halloween costumes to enjoy this eerie-sistible afternoon full of music, lawn games, and treats – no tricks, we promise!

Bring your own skates and boogie on down to the sounds of the DJ spinning spooky throwbacks. Refuel at the concession area with local food vendors. Take a break from the rink and lounge on the lawn with your best witches.

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Highways / Interstates

MDOT to Hold Public Meetings on American Legion Bridge and 270 Corridor Program in November

By MCS Staff

The Maryland Department of Transportation has announced a series of open house meetings from November 13-16 to engage the public on the American Legion Bridge and 270 Corridor Program and gather community feedback as the program advances. The meetings provide the opportunity for corridor travelers, project neighbors and other stakeholders to directly engage with the program team on potential multimodal transportation solutions for the corridor.

The open houses follow Governor Wes Moore’s August 21 announcement of the path forward for the future of the I-495 and I-270 corridors with a comprehensive program to improve access, opportunity, and quality of life in the Washington region through multimodal enhancements along the I-495 and     I-270 corridors, including replacement of the aging American Legion Bridge. The open houses will take place at three venues along the program corridor:

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Maryland

Attorney General Brown Seeks Penalties against Prince George’s County Private High School and Principal for COVID Aid Fraud

By Patrick Herron

Per the Maryland Attorney General’s Office: “Baltimore, MD (October 13, 2023) – Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown announced today that the State has filed suit against Metropolitan Washington High School and its Principal Gamaliel Onyemaobi-Prince for submitting a fraudulent application for COVIDrelated aid. In response to the COVID pandemic, the Maryland State Department of Education made emergency funds available to private schools to cover COVID-related expenses such as cleaning supplies, PPE, improving ventilation systems, installing physical barriers to allow social distancing, testing, and educational technology needed for on-line or hybrid instruction.

Onyemaobi-Prince submitted an application on behalf of Metropolitan Washington High School, claiming that the school enrolled six hundred students and providing copies of receipts for supplies and services the school claimed to have purchased as a result of COVID. The school, however, allegedly operates out of a residential address and the receipts submitted were forgeries. The Maryland State Department of Education noticed these discrepancies and did not approve the application for COVID aid.

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Glenmont

Update: Police Investigating Single Motorcycle Collision

By Patrick Herron

Montgomery County Police are investigating a serious collision that occurred last night on Randolph Rd. According to police, “On Thursday, October 12, 2023, at approximately 7:25 p.m., 4th District officers and Montgomery County Fire Rescue personnel responded to the area of Randolph Road and Glenmont Circle for the report of a single motorcycle collision. 

The investigation has revealed that the operator of the motorcycle was traveling westbound on Randolph Rd. prior to Glenmont Circle when the motorcycle collided with the curb for reasons that are still under investigation. As a result of the collision, the motorcyclist was ejected.  The adult male motorcyclist, of Silver Spring, was transported to an area hospital in critical condition.  More information will be released as it becomes available.”

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Gaithersburg

Gaithersburg-Based Novavax’s Updated Non-mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine Now Available at Costco, CVS, Giant, and Other Major Pharmacies 

By Patrick Herron

Per Novavax: Novavax, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVAX), a global company advancing protein-based vaccines with its Matrix-M™ adjuvant, today announced that it has finalized agreements with major pharmacy retailers and prominent Group Purchasing Organizations (GPO) in the U.S. to provide the Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine, Adjuvanted (2023-2024 Formula) (NVX-CoV2601) to prevent COVID-19 in individuals aged 12 and older this vaccination season.

Through these agreements Novavax’s updated COVID-19 vaccine will be widely available across the U.S., including but not limited to, Costco, CVS Pharmacy, Giant, Publix, Rite Aid, Stop & Shop and Topco, a large retail purchaser for member pharmacies. Novavax’s vaccine received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on October 3, 2023.

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Beyond MoCo

Teens Threaten to Throw “Acid” on Victim During Tysons Corner Carjacking, Liquid Revealed to Be Candy; Arrest Made in Montgomery County

By MCS Staff

Detectives from the Fairfax County Police Major Crimes Bureau charged a 14-year-old juvenile from Maryland in connection with a carjacking in Tysons Corner Center yesterday evening.

Per Fairfax County Police: “At 6:23 p.m., detectives from our Tysons Urban Team responded to a parking garage in the 7900 block of Tysons Corner Center in McLean for a carjacking. Two juvenile suspects approached the victim, an adult man, who was sitting in his car, and knocked on his window. When the victim exited his car, the juveniles threatened to throw “acid” on the victim. One of the juvenile suspects entered the victim’s car while the other suspect threw green liquid, which was later determined to be liquid sour candy, on the victim. The suspects fled the area in the victim’s BMW X5.

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North Bethesda

Pike & Randolph Beer and Wine is Now Open

By MCS Staff

Pike & Randolph Beer and Wine is now open at 5408 Randolph Rd, in Rockville. The space was closed for over a year, until this past Monday when the newly renovated space opened. The owners tell us they “have a lot of different kinds of wine and a huge variety of beers.”

Owners Mariely and Carlos Barbosa, along with and Natalie and Brent Underwood, also own Native Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, which opened a few years back and is located in the same building. Photos of the new beer and wine can be seen below.

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MoCo Government

Future of White’s Ferry to be Discussed This Monday

By Patrick Herron

The Montgomery County Transportation and Environment (TE) Committee will hold a public hearing on Monday, October 16 at 9:30am to discuss the future of White’s Ferry.  County Council President Evan Glass tell us, “Ever since White’s Ferry closed in 2020, much of the discussions and negotiations have been in private. Residents routinely ask me about any updates to the situation, which is why I have called this public hearing. People have a lot of questions and it’s important to have a public conversation on an issue that affects so many people.”  White’s Ferry ceased operations back in December 2020 over a legal dispute with Rockland Farms.

In March, the owners of White’s Ferry announced that Rockland Farm, the Virginia landing site for the ferry, rejected a $1.1 million dollar offer to purchase the site that included funds from White’s Ferry’s owners, both Montgomery and Loudoun Counties, and additional funds from Herb Brown, the original ferry owner. Chuck and Stacy Kuhn, owners of JK Moving Services, purchased the Ferry in February 2021. “We have run out of options and will now seek to sell the ferry land and operations to Montgomery County so it can work to invoke eminent domain and acquire the Virginia landing site,” Chuck Kuhn said.

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Maryland

Governor Moore Announces Two Dozen International Companies to Participate in Maryland Global Gateway Program

By Patrick Herron

Per the State of Maryland (10.12.23): “Governor Wes Moore today announced that the Maryland Department of Commerce has helped place more than two dozen international companies in incubators across the state through the Maryland Global Gateway program. The 27 approved participating companies represent 19 countries and are in a number of industries including quantum computing, cybersecurity, life sciences, aerospace, manufacturing, and agriculture.

“The state’s Global Gateway program is truly an innovative tactic for attracting new businesses to Maryland,” said Gov. Moore. “While going through this soft landing trial, companies will quickly learn the benefits of doing business in Maryland. Six of these participants have already registered to do business in the state and we are excited to see more positive results from the program.”

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Gaithersburg

Five Things To Do This Weekend in Montgomery County

By Patrick Herron

Verny Varela is an arranger, composer, singer and flutist who born in Cali, Colombia, and raised in the “Barrio Obrero,” Verny started singing and playing with his father’s band, El Nuevo Son. In 1996, he sang with Ismael Miranda, Adalberto Santiago, Pete “El Conde” Rodríguez and the Fania All Stars, in Cali and in Tulua. In 1997, Verny became the lead singer in the Gabino Pampini Band, and later toured Europe and the U.S. with Tito Gomez.”

The special display of Lotus is expected to have at least 20 vehicles with the ACBC founder’s initials. Models expected will include a Seven and a Type Nine. There also will be displays of Elite, Elan, Europa, Eclat, Esprit, Elise, Exige and Evora. The cars will represent Lotus models from the 1950s to the 2020s. The special display will be located at the front of the show field, near the stage. In addition to the vehicles on display, with owners nearby to provide details and histories, the show will have a flea market and a car sales area. Food and drink will be available for purchase. Visitors can bring their own food to the show area. Music will be provided by Blue Sky Five.

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