“TRAFFIC ADVISORY: A traffic collision has Woodfield Road at Deanna Drive closed in both directions. Drivers are advised to seek an alternate route. Expect significant delays. #mcpd #mcpnews #traffic
TRAFFIC ADVISORY: A traffic collision has Woodfield Road at Deanna Drive closed in both directions. Drivers are advised to seek an alternate route. Expect significant delays. #mcpd #mcpnews #traffic pic.twitter.com/9NZYvLHKF0
On Thursday evening, the Montgomery County Board of Education provided an update to county leaders on the independent investigation of MCPS principal Joel Beidleman following alleged conduct reported by the Washington Post. Below you will see the letter from the Board of Education to county leaders and a summary of the report provided to the Board of Education by the Jackson Lewis law firm:
Letter from board of education to county leaders: “Dear: Mr. Kramer, Ms. Palakovich Carr, Mr. Elrich, Mr. Glass, Mr. Jawando, Dr. Handy, Ms. Martin, and Ms. Morrison,
Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich will join in several special events as the County joins in the celebration of “National Hispanic Heritage Month” from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15. The events will recognize Latinos and Hispanic immigrants making important contributions to their communities.
National Hispanic Heritage Month recognizes the history, culture and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States. According to the 2020 Census, the Latino population in Montgomery County increased by 31.4 percent since 2010, making Hispanics or Latinos 20.5 percent (217,409) of the County’s total population.
Montgomery County, MD is commonly known as being a suburb of the nation’s capital, but what might surprise some is that it is also home to a thriving biotech ecosystem. With over 350 life sciences companies, including global brands like AstraZeneca, United Therapeutics, and Novavax, Montgomery County anchors the third largest biophama hub in the U.S., behind only Boston and San Francisco.
Running annually in Washington D.C. for over 25 years, World Vaccine Congress attracts an international audience from over 80 countries and convenes more than 3,000 people to learn about the latest trends, research, and technologies in the vaccine industry. This year, Montgomery County took center stage, with a featured session on the extensive Biologics Value Chain in the County, as well as a session during which County Executive Marc Elrich spoke about the extensive resources available to companies here, and an exhibit space showcasing these resources.
A Complete Biologics Value Chain in One Region
One of the defining strengths of Montgomery County is its ability to support the full lifecycle of biologics, all the way from early research to large-scale manufacturing. During the panel discussion, moderated by Dr. Stefanie Trop, Director of Life Sciences at the Maryland Department of Commerce, local leaders emphasized that the region’s strength lies in its network of partners who work collaboratively across discovery, development, testing, and production. Panelists from companies in all stages of the value chain spectrum included Dr. Andrew Lees, Founder of Fina Biosolutions, Benjamin Moutier, Senior Vice-President, Vaccines and Immune Therapies at AstraZeneca, Dr. Helen Sabzevari President & CEO of Precigen, and Dr. Frederick Holtsberg, Chief Scientific Officer of Integrated BioTherapeutics.
This end-to-end capability in close geographical proximity gives companies a unique advantage and is rare to find in other markets, even established ones like San Francisco and Boston. In fact, only a handful of places worldwide offer the combination of infrastructure, expertise, and collaboration found in Montgomery County and if diversity, education and population density are taken into consideration – then Montgomery County standouts even more.
“Gaithersburg is one of the six places in the world where we can do what we’re doing,” explained Benjamin Moutier, Senior Vice-President, Vaccines and Immune Therapies, AstraZeneca. “We have the right partners at every step of the value chain [in Montgomery County].”
A Strong Partnership Network
Biotech breakthroughs rarely happen in isolation. They depend on strong partnerships between private companies, local and state governments, academic institutions, and workforce training organizations. Montgomery County has intentionally cultivated these connections, making collaboration and coordination defining characteristics of its life sciences ecosystem.
Dr. Frederick Holtsberg, Chief Scientific Officer at IBT Bioservices, a full service CRO offering clinical & preclinical contract research services, says the company’s close partnerships between them and local stakeholders have been crucial to its success. “As a Rockville-based company, we’re grateful for the partnership and support from city, County, and state leaders,” explained Dr. Holtsberg. “These programs have helped fuel our growth, and we’re excited about the continued momentum of our community.” (more…)
Per the State of Maryland: Today, Governor Wes Moore joined the Montgomery County Office of Broadband’s training event during a free Broadband Affordable Connectivity Program training session to encourage community enrollment in the program. The virtual event, with more than 250 in-person participants, complements last month’s Affordable Connectivity Program training session at Salisbury University.
“Thank you for answering the call to help connect people to high speed connectivity,” said Gov. Moore. “Your work is critical to Maryland’s success, as the internet is one of the most important pathways to prosperity in the 21st century. You are the very best of Maryland, and I thank you for your service.”
Connect with neighbors, learn about Lafayette Federal, and grab fun giveaways! All while enjoying food from local Tacos el Pariente.
First 75 registrants can receive free food.*
Per the State of Maryland: Governor Wes Moore today announced that Maryland will direct $17.4 million toward adult education providers in support of key investments to grow Maryland’s economy. The announcement came as part of the program during President Joseph R. Biden’s visit to Prince George’s County Community College in support of the Biden Administration’s vision for growing the country’s economy.
“Together, we will grow an economy that works for everyone, from the bottom up and the middle out,” said Gov. Moore. “President Biden has been very clear about his vision to empower and educate workers to grow the middle class. It’s a vision I stand by because it’s good for Maryland, good for our people, and good for our economy. Together, we are going to work in partnership to follow the president’s lead, build out our workforce, grow the economy, and win this decade.”
Montgomery County Police responded to the 900 block of Ellsworth Drive at approximately 6:10 p.m., on Thursday, September 14, for the report of a stabbing. According to police, a male victim was transported to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries and a male suspect is in custody. Public safety reporter Cordell Pugh reports that the victim suffered chest & facial injuries.
This is an active investigation and we will provide an update if additional information becomes available. Featured image courtesy of Google Maps.
The Special Victims Investigations Division is asking for the public’s assistance in locating Xavier Beltran, a missing 15-year-old. Beltran was last seen on Monday, September 11, 2023, in the 200 block of Poplar St. in Rockville. He is 5’6″, 120 lbs., with black hair, brown eyes and was last seen wearing a black hoodie, black sweatpants and red and black high top sneakers.
Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Xavier Beltran is asked to call Montgomery County Police Non-Emergency (301) 279-8000 (24-hour line).
MCPS sent out a community message with ‘things to know’ on Thursday Sept. 14. The message includes information about a new guide to ensure student success, Covid-19 district measures, how you can share your feedback on the 2023-2024 school calendar, upcoming Girls’ Summit, and a chance to comment on proposed amendments to three policies:
Pathway to College, Career and Community Readiness: MCPS created a new guide to help families, students and teachers work together to ensure student success. The Pathway to College, Career and Community Readinesshelps identify students’ strengths and areas of improvement to ensure each student receives the support they need. Here’s how it works:
Below you’ll see the most recent updates or final scores of the 2023 week 3 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.
Per MCPD: Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – 6th District Investigative Section are investigating a burglary that occurred on Saturday, September 9, 2023, at a Verizon store in the 17700 block of Muncaster Mill Road in Derwood. Detectives have released surveillance video of the suspect and are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying him. The investigation has revealed that the suspect broke a window to force his way into the store. Once inside, he stole store items before leaving the scene.
Detectives reviewed surveillance video and obtained a description of the suspect. The suspect is described as a Black male, with medium length black hair and a black beard. He is described as a wearing a tan long sleeve hooded t-shirt, black sweatpants with “Nike Air,” written vertically on the right leg and white sneakers with gray and black designs.
A federal grand jury has returned a superseding indictment charging Michael Cooley, Jr., a/k/a “Micheal Cooley Jr.,” “5Micmusik,” and “Michael White,” age 24, and Isiah Lewis, a/k/a “Zay,” age 33, both of Maryland; and “Alonzo Brown, age 26, of Virginia, for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, relating to the submission of fraudulent claims for unemployment insurance (“UI”) benefits under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act, enacted to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering from the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The superseding indictment was filed July 19, 2023, and unsealed today upon the arrest of the defendants.
Lewis is expected to have an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt at 2:30 p.m. Cooley and Brown are expected to have their initial appearances in U.S. District Court in Atlanta, Georgia this afternoon as well.