Rockville

Per the Maryland Attorney General’s Office: Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today announced that his Consumer Protection Division (CPD) has reached a settlement with 786 Property Management, Inc. t/a Real Property Management Capital (RPMC) and its owner, Suleman Hooda. RPMC is a Rockville-based property manager that the Office of Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division alleged was charging tenants illegal fees, was failing to properly maintain and return tenants’ security deposits, and was acting as an unlicensed debt collector. The company and its owner have signed an Assurance of Discontinuance agreeing to stop the practices the Office of the Attorney General alleged were illegal and to pay restitution and a penalty.

“When you are working hard to pay rent and put a roof over your head, every dollar matters.” said Attorney General Brown. “Marylanders need to know that my Consumer Protection Division is here to protect them and their hard-earned dollars, so I am very pleased that the money that was collected as fees and interest will be returned. Landlords must follow the laws put in place to protect tenants, especially those laws that limit the fees tenants can be charged.” Under today’s settlement, RPMC and Mr. Hooda have also agreed to an injunction that requires both to follow Maryland’s landlord and tenant and debt collection licensing laws. They also agreed to pay a penalty of $50,000, which will increase to $250,000 if they violate the agreement.


Rockville

Five species are expected to be available. This list is subject to change and species preferences are not guaranteed:

Interested in planting more trees? The Rockville RainScapes Rebates offers rebates of up to $150 per native tree to single family residences, homeowners and condominium associations, and nonprofits in the City of Rockville. To learn more and apply, visit www.rockvillemd.gov/rainscapes.


Rockville

Per the City of Rockville: The Chesapeake Bay Trust has awarded Rockville an Urban Trees Award Program grant of $199,930 to plant more than 1,000 trees and 500 shrubs in RedGate Park to reforest the area, as approved in the Mayor and Council’s RedGate Master Plan.  The city has until May 1, 2026, to use the funds.

At 131 acres, RedGate, located at 14500 Avery Road, is a former golf course converted to park use, and one of 67 parks in the City of Rockville. In 2018, following the course’s closure, the Mayor and Council voted unanimously to keep the open space as a park, with a lengthy period of community engagement to determine what facilities should be planned for the future.


Health

Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County Councilmember Gabe Albornoz will be joined by County Executive Marc Elrich, Dr. Monifa McKnight, the Office of Food Systems Resilience, the Montgomery County Food Council and community partners to unveil key recommendations from the Montgomery County Strategic Plan to End Childhood Hunger. The event will take place on Wednesday, September 6 at 10 a.m. at Highland Elementary School.

The Montgomery County Strategic Plan to End Childhood Hunger was spearheaded by Councilmember Albornoz, chair of the Health and Human Services Committee, in conjunction with the Department of Health and Human Services in 2022 to combat rising rates of childhood food insecurity in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.


Rockville

In May we let you know that DMV Iron Gym, a world class facility that offers hand selected, state of the art gym equipment from the 1960’s up to the latest technology from the best manufacturers in the world, is coming to MoCo. The 16,000 square foot facility planned open in Rockville’s Federal Plaza in September 2023, next to Micro Center. The opening date has been finalized– Friday, September 15th.

Its mission is to provide members with the most effective equipment, to see the fastest results, allowing them to become the best version of themselves. “For years, we’ve been hearing from our members that they would love to see us expand into Maryland. We were excited by the central location of Federal Plaza in Rockville and look forward to bringing a state-of-the-art gym and training facility to Montgomery County,” says Leo Williams, Owner of DMV Iron Gym.


Burtonsville

A couple years back we let you know of MoCo resident Jonathan Mensah, who created the All In Summer Tour– a platform that allows some of the best basketball players in our area to go head to head while crowds watch the games in person or through Instagram. Now, he has brought together Seneca Valley legend Bruce Massey Jr. And a Prince George’s County’s Kevin Kuteyi aka “Uncle Skoob” for a 2v2 tour event that will take place at Paint Branch High School on Saturday, September 2 from 2pm-7pm.

Mensah tells us he wanted to bring his tour back to its roots with 2v2 basketball, moving away from the 1v1 games for now. He is opening things up to all area basketball players who simply have to comment or send a DM in order to be invited to play (@all_in_summer_tour). Saturday’all event is free for the community.


Calverton

This article has been updated to include updated plans for the Downtown Silver Spring location.

Chick Fil A on Tech Rd. in the Calverton/Fairland/White Oak area (technically Silver Spring) has temporarily closed for renovations. The store closed on Thursday at 2pm and will reopen in 8-10 weeks (approximately two months).


Crime

Per MCPD: A 16-year-old wanted in connection with a Father’s Day homicide is in custody. Isaiah Brown-Hawkins was arrested by Forest Heights police officers on Thursday, August 31, 2023. The Damascus teen is accused of shooting and killing 32-year-old James Joel Austin on Sunday, June 18 in the 9800 block of Bethesda Church Road in Damascus. Brown-Hawkins drove away in a Honda belonging to Austin. The car was located in Washington, DC, however he has been on the run since the shooting.

Brown-Hawkins was seen driving a stolen vehicle on Audrey Lane in Oxon Hill. When officers attempted to make a traffic stop, Brown-Hawkins allegedly rammed police cruisers, got out of the car and ran away. Brown-Hawkins was taken into custody following a brief foot pursuit. A handgun was found by officers during the pursuit. Detectives requested and obtained a warrant for Brown-Hawkins’ arrest on Monday, June 19. He has been charged with first-degree murder, armed carjacking and use of a handgun in the commission of a felony.


Gaithersburg

The City of Gaithersburg is governed by an elected Mayor/City Council – City Manager style of government, with elections held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in odd numbered years. The Mayor is elected to a four-year term and presides over the City Council.  The City Council consists of five members elected at-large, each serving staggered four-year terms.

Gaithersburg residents will cast their ballots for three City Council Members in the November 7, 2023 Election. The terms of office for Council Members Neil Harris, and Robert Wu expire in November. There is an open seat vacated by Ryan Spiegel. On August 28, 2023, the Gaithersburg Board of Supervisors of Elections certified the following candidacies for the three City Council positions up for election in the City of Gaithersburg, which will be held on November 7, 2023:


Germantown

Per MCPD: Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Collision Reconstruction Unit (CRU) are investigating a fatal collision that occurred on Wednesday, August 30, 2023, in the area of Frederick Road and Gunners Branch Road in Germantown. The decedent has been identified as 28-year-old David Glenn Jenkins, II  of Germantown.

At approximately 9:49 p.m., 5th District officers and Montgomery County Fire Rescue personnel responded to the location for the report of a collision involving a bicyclist.  The preliminary investigation has revealed that Jenkins was traveling east to west across Frederick Road when he was struck by a silver 2005 Acura RSX that was traveling northbound on Frederick Road. Jenkins was pronounced dead at the scene.  The driver of the Acura remained at the scene and CRU detectives are investigating the possibility that other vehicles may have been involved with the collision