Beyond MoCo

Metro is marking the first day of school for D.C. public school students with a new effort to help ensure a safe and stress-free trip to and from school. Starting today, students will see ‘Kids Ride Free’ signage directing them to use specific faregates at Metrorail stations most used by school children. Station Managers will be on hand to help students who may have issues with their Kids Ride Free SmarTrip cards. If a student does not have their card, the Station Manager will tap the student through the faregates and take note of the student’s school to give the D.C Public School System data to help ensure cards are distributed.

Students are reminded that their Kids Ride Free card from last school year will work until the end of September to allow time for distribution of this year’s cards. Metro has begun working with the District to make Kids Ride Free cards available in mobile wallets in the future to give give students with smartphones a convenient way to get to school without the risk of losing their physical cards. Stations with Kids Ride Free faregate lanes include:


MCDOT

Per MCDOT: Due to work on the Purple Line, overnight construction at the Silver Spring (Paul S. Sarbanes) Transit Center in will begin late this evening, on Monday, Aug. 28. Work will take place from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Thursday through Sept. 8. Riders should expect delays on Ride On Routes 912, and 16 when arriving at Silver Spring Transit Center. Ride On Routes 12, and 28 will not be impacted.

Ride On bus fare is only $1 and monthly passes are $22.50 using SmarTrip, cash, or tokens. Seniors age 65 or older, persons with disabilities and youth ages 18 and under all ride free using specialized SmartTrip cards. Riders can plan trips online using the free Ride On Trip Planner App.


Gaithersburg

Spirit Halloween is coming to the former Pier 1 location (30 Grand Corner Ave) in Gaithersburg’s Rio. Currently, the upcoming Gaithersburg store is the only Montgomery County location listed on Spirit’s website. Last year, Spirit had additional locations in Burtonsville and Rockville.  During the Halloween season, Spirit operates over 1,400 stores in North America. The Spirit Halloween website is open year-round, offering its in-store products online. The store usually open 30-60 days prior to Halloween.

In previous years, Spirit has opened at 101 Boardwalk Place in Rio. That location is scheduled to become a new “plan and order” concept from IKEA later this year. Click here to see a full list of what’s new and what’s coming soon at Rio.


MDLottery

The winner told Lottery officials that a friend of his, who is an avid Racetrax player, recently won a big prize playing the simulated horseracing game. “Racetrax was a little bit on my mind after talking to my friend. I guess that’s why I bought the ticket. I made sure it was a Superfecta bet, just like his was.” The lucky plumber reports that his life has been very busy lately, professionally and personally, so it took a few weeks to cash in his $41,385 winning quick-pick ticket from the July 25 race. “It was such a good feeling knowing that I had this coming. I am going to share my good luck with my family.”

The Lottery terminal at Corner Market & Pharmacy produced the big winner, randomly selecting horses 6, 4, 11 and 7. The market’s owner receives a $413.85 bonus from the Lottery for selling a winning Racetrax ticket of $10,000 or more. The bonus is equal to 1% of the prize.” Featured photo courtesy of Google Maps.


Event

Join Kaiser Permanente for Healthy at the Harbor, a free community health and wellness event taking place Saturday, June 6, from 11 am to 4 pm at National Harbor in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Bring your family and friends for free full day of fun, fitness, and preventive care along the waterfront.

Throughout the day, Kaiser Permanente nurses and physicians will offer no-cost health screenings, alongside a health and wellness expo focused on preventive care education. A lively Kids’ Zone will keep children active and entertained with spin-art bikes, face painting, balloon art, games, and more.


Glenmont

Montgomery County Police has announced that during the August 25 sobriety checkpoint on northbound Georgia Avenue at Weller Road, officers from MCPD and allied agencies stopped approximately 372 vehicles and arrested 5 people for driving while impaired. Last week MCPD announced that it stopped 565 vehicles and arrested 4 people for driving while impaired during an August 18th sobriety checkpoint on northbound Frederick Road at Game Preserve Road in Gaithersburg.

Last month, recreational marijuana use became legal in the state of Maryland and Montgomery County Police Chief Marcus Jones issued the following reminder before the July 4th weekend, “We implore drivers to think of cannabis the same way they think of alcohol. Do not get behind the wheel of a car if you are impaired. Our officers will pull over and arrest anyone they suspect of driving while impaired. Alcohol, marijuana and other drugs can impair the ability to drive because they slow coordination, judgment, and reaction times. Our priority is keeping the roads safe for everyone.”


Bethesda

Ledo Pizza was voted best pizza in DC, Maryland, and Virgina by a recent reader/listener poll conducted by WTOP.  Ledo Pizza started near The University of Maryland in 1955 with its first location on University Boulevard. Since then, Ledo Pizza has grown substantially from just one location to over one hundred locations throughout Maryland, D.C., Virginia, South Carolina, West Virginia, New York, and Florida. Ledo Pizza is one of the pioneers of what we call “Maryland Style Pizza” and has Montgomery County locations in Bethesda, Damascus, Germanton, Montgomery Village, North Potomac, Rockville, and Silver Spring.

Additional pizzerias with Montgomery County locations to make the list include:


Education

Per Montgomery County Public Schools: It is with great excitement that Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) welcomes students, families, and staff to the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year. As students and staff gather for another remarkable first day of school, MCPS is thrilled to introduce the BRAND NEW Cabin Branch Elementary School, the 211th school in MCPS, and to celebrate the opening of FOUR newly renovated school buildings across the county.

This year, our theme is “All Together Now: On the Pathway to A Bright Future.” We emphasize the remarkable unity that characterizes our county, enabling us to work collectively on behalf of students, families, and communities. Our community’s ability to come together has led to a significant increase in resources for our staff, students, and schools, thanks to the 8.4% operating budget increase for the school year. This investment has already had a substantial impact, with staff paychecks reflecting up to ten percent.


Bethesda

Brio’s Chicken has announced it will open a location at Westfield Montgomery Mall (7101 Democracy Blvd) in Bethesda. The restaurant will be located in the space previously occupied by Tara Thai, which closed this past spring.  Menu items at Brio’s will includes Peruvian charbroiled chicken, empanadas, paninis, steaks, and seafood. Brio’s plans to be open daily from 8am-9pm and will offer Sunday brunch (full menu below.) No opening timeframe has been announced.

Brio’s Chicken was scheduled to open a location in the Kentlands but after several years of delays and issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the restaurant never materialized.  Brio’s Chicken previously had a location in Aspen Hill in the Aspen Manor shopping center, where Outback is located, but that location is under new ownership and is now known as Gio’s Chicken.


Clarksburg

Per MCPD: Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – 5th District Investigative Section are investigating two residential burglaries that occurred on Friday, June 30, 2023, and Thursday, August 3, 2023.

On Friday, June 30, 2023, 5th District officers responded to a residence in the 12300 block of Houser Dr., in Clarksburg, where the victim noticed his rear door smashed in and found multiple pieces of property were stolen.  On Thursday, August 3, 2023, 5th District officers responded to a residence in the 19900 block of Crystal Rock Dr., in Germantown, where the victims advised that when they returned home, their door had been pried open and found multiple pieces of property and an undisclosed amount of money stolen.


Events

$450K in Funding was Granted to 31 Non-Profit Organizations to Provide Equitable Access to Sports 

The PLAY Sports Coalition (PLAYS), a unique coalition of thousands of stakeholders across the national and community youth sports industry, announced today that the organization has successfully distributed previously unlocked state funding in Maryland and Massachusetts. This funding provided one-year grants to programs using sports as a tool for youth development in historically disadvantaged communities. Included amongst the programs receiving the grants is Girls on the Run of Montgomery County.


Arts

Montgomery County native and “Abbott Elementary” actress and comedienne Lisa Ann Walter has lined up seven stand-up shows all over North America from Sept. 1-16 this year, including two shows at Bethesda Theater on Sunday, September 17th (6pm and 8pm) with tickets going for $49.

Lisa Ann Walter is an actress, comedian and television producer, perhaps best known for her roles as Chessy in the romantic comedy film The Parent Trap and her current role as Melissa Schemmenti on the ABC mockumentary sitcom Abbott Elementary. She’s also a native of Montgomery County.