Education

Statement from Board of Ed. President Karla Silvestre Concerning MCPS Superintendent Dr. Monifa B. McKnight’s Medical Leave

By MCS Staff

Montgomery County Board of Education President Karla Silvestre made the following statement at the Board’s business meeting today, Thursday, Oct. 26, concerning Superintendent Dr. Monifa B. McKnight’s medical leave.

“Dr. McKnight is on temporary medical leave to receive treatment for a persistent health issue. We are in contact with her and happy to report that she is in good condition and recovering at home. During the time she is out of the office, Brian Hull, the current Chief Operating Officer, will serve as Acting Superintendent. The Board sends our support to Dr. McKnight and her family and wish her a speedy recovery and safe return to work.”

Go to Statement from Board of Ed. President Karla Silvestre Concerning MCPS Superintendent Dr. Monifa B. McKnight’s Medical Leave Read more
Uncategorized

31-Year-Old Man Located Safe and Unharmed After Five Days Missing

By MCS Staff

Update per Montgomery County Police: Rashawn Williams has been located safe and unharmed. Per Montgomery County Assistant Chief Administrator Dr. Earl Stoddard, “Officer Jon Greene, who specializes in finding missing persons as the MCPD Search Manager, located Mr. Williams and helped return him to his family.”

NBC Washington assignment editor Tom Lynch tweeted that Rashawn Williams was found inside of a room at Glenmont Metro station, where he was since Saturday without food or water. He is recovering at a Montgomery County hospital.

Go to 31-Year-Old Man Located Safe and Unharmed After Five Days Missing Read more
Restaurants

Kusshi Sushi to Open Rockville Town Square Location

By MCS Staff

Kusshi Sushi has officially signed on to take over the space that was home to popular sushi restaurant Sushi Damo at 36G Maryland Ave in Rockville Town Square for over 15 years. Sushi Damo, one of the first tenants of Rockville Town Square, closed permanently on October 1st.

Kusshi Sushi, which has additional MoCo locations in Pike & Rose and Downtown Silver Spring (along with an Arlington Pentagon Row and Tysons Pike 7 Plaza in Northern VA), will be renovating the restaurant and has already submitted drawings to the landlord for approval. They hope to begin construction in early 2024 and open in the spring of 2024. Kusshi is working on keeping the Sushi Damo sushi chef at the restaurant and has also made offers for Sushi Damo servers to join the new restaurant once it opens.

Go to Kusshi Sushi to Open Rockville Town Square Location Read more
MCPD

Concern for Missing 26-Year-Old Last Seen October 6

By Patrick Herron

Detectives from the MCPD- 3rd District Investigative Section is asking for the public’s Assistance in locating Heidy Hernandez-Escobar, a missing 24-year-old. Escobar was last seen on Friday, October 6, 2023, in the 3100 block of Heilson Dr., in Silver Spring. She is 5’5″, 120 Ibs., with brown eyes, black hair, and has a tattoo on her left hand.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Heidy Hernandez-Escobar is asked to call the Montgomery County Non-Emergency Number at (301) 279-8000

Go to Concern for Missing 26-Year-Old Last Seen October 6 Read more
Education

2023 Week 9 MCPS High School Football Scores

By Damon Anderson

Below you’ll see the most recent updates or final scores of the 2023 week 9 MCPS football games. The scores will be updated as we receive them. If a score isn’t listed, it’s because we haven’t yet received a report from the game that we can confirm. An ‘F’ signifies the score is confirmed as being final.

Thursday’s Games:

Go to 2023 Week 9 MCPS High School Football Scores Read more
Education

MCPS: Five Things To Know For October 26th

By MCS Staff

MCPS has sent its community message with five things to know for Thursday, October 26th. The full message can be seen below:

Halloween can be a fun time with friends and neighbors. However, it is also a high-risk time for injuries. Even if you are not participating in Halloween activities, you can take action to keep our neighborhoods safe:

Go to MCPS: Five Things To Know For October 26th Read more
Rockville

Pedestrian Struck by Driver Thursday Evening; Wootton Parkway Closed

By Patrick Herron

According to our public safety reporter Cordell Pugh, a pedestrian was struck on Wootton Parkway, South of MD-189 Falls Road, near Pasture Brook Way in Rockville around 4:35pm on Thursday,  October 26.

Montgomery County Police tweeted the following at 5:23pm: “TRAFFIC ADVISORY: A traffic collision has Wootton Pkwy. closed at Falls Rd. Drivers are advised to seek an alternate route. Expect significant delays.” We will provide an update if additional information becomes available. Featured image courtesy of Google Maps.

Go to Pedestrian Struck by Driver Thursday Evening; Wootton Parkway Closed Read more
Germantown

A Look at Maryland’s Largest High School

By MCS Staff

Before it became the largest high school in Maryland, in terms of square footage (here’s a list of the 20 largest by enrollment), Seneca Valley High School (19401 Crystal Rock Dr. Germantown, MD) opened in its original building in 1974. The school sits on land that was once the site of a dairy farm owned by baseball player Walter Johnson. Johnson purchased the land in 1935 and lived there with his family until his death in 1946. It was Germantown’s only high school until Northwest opened in 1998.

In its first year of operation, the 1974-1975 school year, under Principal Nathan Pearson, Seneca Valley hosted students in grades seven through ten. In the following 1975-1976 school year, the school operated grades nine through eleven, with 8th graders transferring to the newly opened Ridgeview Junior High School in Gaithersburg, Maryland. During the 1976-1977 school year, Seneca Valley became a senior high school, hosting grades ten through twelve, and graduating its first class in June 1977. Finally in 1988, Seneca Valley changed to its present state of full-fledged high school with grades 9-12. The original school building was demolished in 2020 and replaced with a new building on-site in 2021.

Go to A Look at Maryland’s Largest High School Read more
MoCo Government

Rockland Farm Owner Responds to White’s Ferry Announcement of Increased Offer to Purchase Landing Site

By Patrick Herron

On Wednesday,  the owners of White’s Ferry announced they had increased their offer to purchase the Virginia landing site from Rockland Farm to $1.25 million, an increase of $150,000 from the offer that was made in January. We reached out to Rockland Farms owner Libby Delvin, who provided the following response: “We continue to believe that a volume-based fee based on the amount and size of vehicles using our land is the fairest way to compensate us for the use of our land. Fifty-cents per car is very reasonable. The operator can increase the fee of the ferry and pay Rockland Farm accordingly. Most people are willing to pay an additional incremental amount in order to re-open the ferry.”

Other options also recently proposed by the Kuhns as ways to get the ferry opened as soon as possible, include:

Go to Rockland Farm Owner Responds to White’s Ferry Announcement of Increased Offer to Purchase Landing Site Read more
Bethesda

The Ghosts of Glen Echo

By MCS Staff

Glen Echo Park was first developed in 1891 as a National Chautauqua Assembly, which taught the sciences, arts, languages, and literature. The Chautauqua lasted for just one season, and by the early 1900s, the site had become Glen Echo Amusement Park — the premier amusement park serving the Washington area until 1968, when it closed (learn more about the civil rights story here). Below we will share with you a tragic tale that has become somewhat of a local ghost story. A video of what Glen Echo Park looks like today can be seen below.

Glen Echo Park was home to the “Coaster Dips” roller coaster. The popular attraction opened in May 1921 and remained until the park closed in 1968. Coaster Dips was nearly 70 feet tall, and the Potomac River could be seen in the distance before plummeting to the bottom of the rickety wooden coaster. Tragically, William J. Lawrence, a 21-year-old Washington drug clerk, fell from the coaster in 1929. According to local legend, screams from the coaster echo into the late evening hours on clear nights. Per the Washington Post in 1929:

Go to The Ghosts of Glen Echo Read more
Bethesda

Detectives Investigating Theft and Credit Card Fraud in Bethesda

By Patrick Herron

Per MCPD: Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – 2nd District Investigative Section are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying a suspect responsible for a theft and fraudulent credit card use in Bethesda.  On Saturday, September 16, 2023, at approximately 1:40 p.m., the victim was at a CAVA restaurant in the 4800 block of Bethesda Avenue when an unknown suspect stole his black Lulu Fanny Pack, containing personal property and credit cards, from the back of his chair.

Moments after the victim discovered his bag had been stolen, he received a notification that his credit card had been used at a Target in the 6800 block of Wisconsin Avenue.  Detectives obtained surveillance video of the suspect. The suspect is described as a Black male, approximately 40 to 50-years-old with a salt and pepper beard. He was wearing a black Nike baseball hat, a gray Nike long sleeve zippered sweatshirt and black Nike sweatpants.

Go to Detectives Investigating Theft and Credit Card Fraud in Bethesda Read more
View More Stories