Montgomery Parks completes lighting project in the Dalecarlia Tunnel portion of the Capital Crescent Trail
Montgomery Parks says pedestrians and cyclists can expect smooth sailing on the Capital Crescent Trail, now that the installation of new lighting inside the Dalecarlia Tunnel is complete and all lanes of the trail have reopened.
Gold’s Gym at 18810 Woodfield Rd in Gaithersburg, located next to the Montgomery County Airpark, has closed. The gym’s last day in business was Friday, August 25. The chain recently opened a new location at 12922 Middlebrook Rd in the former location of DSW in the Germantown Commons shopping center. According to an email Gold’s Gym sent to members earlier this month, “The county is taking the land back under what is called eminent domain relating to the neighboring airfield – we are being required to exit and turn the building back over to the landlord.” Full email below:
We have some important news to share about your membership at Gold’s Gym Airpark and want to be transparent in our communication of some upcoming changes set to occur this month. The county is taking the land back under what is called eminent domain relating to the neighboring airfield – we are being required to exit and turn the building back over to the landlord. This is out of our control, unfortunately, and we are forced to permanently close Gold’s Gym Airpark on August 25th, 2023.
According to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, “Today in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, MD, before the Honorable Cheryl McCally, a jury found defendant, Dr. James Michael Ryan, 50, of Clarksburg, guilty of second-degree depraved heart murder and involuntary manslaughter for the death of 25-year-old Sarah Harris, along with possession with the intent to distribute midazolam and distribution of ketamine and diazepam. The jury deliberated for less than three hours following a two week trial. Ryan faces up to 55 years in prison when he is sentenced. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.
The victim, Harris, was found deceased in the home she and Ryan were renting in Clarksburg on January 26, 2022. A medical examiner determined her cause of death was ketamine, propofol and diazepam intoxication. Ryan had been supplying her with drugs, taken from his oral surgery practice, often administering them himself. Prior to their romantic involvement, Harris was Ryan’s patient who he recruited as an employee.
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…)
Teso Life is coming to 1701 Rockville Pike in The Shops at Congressional Village shopping center. Teso Life is a retail store that collaborates with a variety of well-known Japanese suppliers and has a limited amount of products from China and Korea as well. The company was established in 2017 in Flushing, NY and is based in Queens.
“Teso Life retail store is a great place to shop for high quality daily used products with decent prices, or stick around and enjoy the town! Along with the amazing make-up products, small housewares, kitchen supplier, snacks and more, we look forward to serving the best products in town!” In addition to purchasing in-store, you can order through their website where customers can place both pick-up or delivery orders. An opening date it not yet available for the store.
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After shredding, stick around to enjoy:
Spend the day with family and friends at North Bethesda’s premier fall festival– PIKEtoberfest. Get into the fall groove Oktoberfest-style with live music and entertainment throughout the day. Grab a pint of local and craft brews at Owen’s Ordinary beer garden and enjoy a bountiful harvest of eats and treats from the neighborhood’s retail and restaurant partners. Discover artisanal hand-crafted goods at the pop-up Makers Market, play against your friends in exciting games, and get creative with kid’s activities. The event is free to attend and dogs are welcome!
WHAT: PIKEtoberfest at North Bethesda’s Pike & Rose
Per MCPD: Two 20-year-olds from Baltimore have been arrested for a commercial burglary that occurred in the early morning hours of Monday, August 21, 2023. At approximately 3:50 a.m., 2nd District officers responded to the Island Smoke Tobacco Shop in the 7900 block of Norfolk Avenue for the report of a commercial burglary.
The preliminary investigation has revealed that Nathan Stewart and Donald Pevia III forced entry into the store, stole property and then left the area on foot. An alert citizen witnessed the two suspects exit the store and was able to provide police with an accurate description of both Stewart and Pevia III.
The ribbon cutting ceremony at Walmart (20910 Frederick Rd) in Germantown scheduled for Friday, August 25 has been rescheduled to Friday, September 1 at 7am. The event is being organized by the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce (GGCC) to mark the completion of recent renovations at the location. According to the GGCC, “Join us for Walmart Supercenter’s ribbon cutting and unveiling of its new store remodel at the Germantown location! The $7 million remodel includes a new floor plan, parking lot project, new merchandise, food online grocery delivery , and 60 new associate hires. Walmart’s Germantown location currently employees nearly 500 people and is celebrating 20 years of being part of the community.”
Charleys Cheesesteaks and Wings will also opening inside the Germantown Walmart, possibly as soon as this weekend. Charleys is taking over the space formerly occupied by McDonald’s. A representative at the restaurant tells us that they are just waiting for final inspections to be completed. Featured image courtesy of Google Maps.
Per MCPD: 38-year-old Samir Haleem Jr. of Germantown and 19-year-old Diego Moreno of Capitol Heights have been arrested and charged with a series of residential burglaries that occurred in August 2023. Detectives have released a photo of Haleem Jr. and Moreno, as well as their vehicle, and are asking anyone with information or surveillance footage to come forward.
Detectives from the 1st, 4th, 5th and 6th Districts Investigative Sections, along with detectives from Gaithersburg Police, collaborated and determined that a series of residential burglaries were committed by the same suspects. The investigation by detectives has revealed that the two suspects posed as workers wearing a reflective vest, forced entry into at least 7 homes, stole property and left the scenes.
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, along with the County’s regional services offices and community partners will host 10 Community Conversations from September through December to seek input on the Fiscal Year 2025 Operating Budget. The first conversation will be from 7-8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 14, at the Mid-County Recreation Center in Layhill.
The official address of the Mid-County Recreation center is 2004 Queensguard Road in Silver Spring.
The Council will receive testimony on the Fairland and Briggs Chaney Master Plan, which is an update to a portion of the 1997 Fairland Master Plan and will establish a clear vision for an equitable, just and prosperous future for the Fairland community, mirroring the County’s long-term priorities, which includes a vibrant economy, equity for all residents and a healthy environment.
The master plan boundary consists primarily of property and neighborhoods of Fairland and Briggs Chaney along the U.S. 29 Corridor near Paint Branch on the south toward Greencastle Road on the north. The update will examine and provide policies and recommendations on existing and future land uses and zoning, housing inventory and needs, transportation systems, historic preservation opportunities, area park facilities and the environment.
Approximately 65 firefighters responded to an attic fire in the 7400 Blk of Rosewood Manor Lane in Gaithersburg on Thursday, August 24. According to Chief Spokesperson for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) Pete Piringer, two adults and two children have been displaced. No civilians were injured and one firefighter was treated for non-life threatening injuries.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. We will post an update if additional information becomes available.