Crime

Police Search For Suspect Responsible For Armed Carjacking Tuesday Night

By MCS Staff

On July 25 at approximately 11:26 pm, Takoma Park Police responded to the 6700 block of Prince George’s Avenue, Takoma Park, Maryland, for the report of an armed carjacking.

According to Takoma Park Police, “The victim was sitting in his parked vehicle when the suspect approached on foot to his driver’s side window and ordered the victim out of his vehicle at gunpoint.  The victim complied and the suspect fled with his vehicle.  The suspect did not get far before losing control of the vehicle and crashing into another unoccupied truck parked in the street.  The suspect fled on foot in an unknown direction.  The vehicle was towed.

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Maryland

Maryland Attorney General Brown Supports Federal Ocean Justice Strategy to Address Historically Excluded Communities from Policy Decisions

By Patrick Herron

Per the Maryland State’s Attorney’s Office: Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today joined a coalition of six Attorneys General in submitting a comment letter in support of the Biden administration’s development of a national Ocean Justice Strategy. Certain communities (“ocean justice communities”) have been historically excluded from ocean policy decisions – including Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities as well as people with disabilities, low-income communities, and the youth and elderly – and ocean justice aims to address those disparities.

In submitting the letter, Attorney General Brown joins the Attorneys General of California, the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Michigan, and New York.

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Health

Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security Issues Heat Emergency Alert Effective 11am Thursday, July 27 through 9pm Saturday, July 29

By Patrick Herron

Per Montgomery County: The County’s Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security has issued a Heat Emergency Alert from 11 a.m. on Thursday, July 27 until 9 p.m. Saturday, July 29 due to the National Weather Service forecast for extremely dangerous temperatures and heat index values. A Heat Emergency Alert is declared when the temperature or heat index is forecast to be 105℉ or higher for a period of two days or more.  While nighttime temperatures will be lower, they still pose a health threat with extended exposure.

Extreme heat affects the body’s ability to regulate temperature, which can create dangerous conditions if appropriate safety measures are not taken. Heat may affect air quality, especially in urban areas, and may have a stronger impact on the elderly, children and sick persons.

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Sponsored

Montgomery County showcases its unique ecosystem at World Vaccine Congress 2026

By Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation
AstraZeneca's Cell Therapy Manufacturing Facility in Rockville, Montgomery County. Photo courtesy of the Montgomery County Government.
AstraZeneca's Cell Therapy Manufacturing Facility in Rockville, Montgomery County. Photo courtesy of the Montgomery County Government.

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…)

Bethesda

Murder Fugitive Extradited from Mexico Scheduled for First Appearance Inside Montgomery County Courtroom

By Patrick Herron

After twelve years on the run, murder fugitive Jorge Rueda Landeros was arrested in Mexico and charged in connection to the 2010 murder of Sue Marcum, of Bethesda. In December 2022, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office received information that Rueda Landeros was likely living in Guadalajara, Jalisco. The FBI – Baltimore Field Office coordinated with Mexican authorities to extradite Rueda Landeros. He was returned to Montgomery County on Tuesday, July 26 and is scheduled to appear in a Rockville courtroom later this afternoon.

At first, it appeared the case was a robbery as Marcum was found dead in the basement of her home. Later, it was reportedly discovered that Landeros was the beneficiary of Marcum’s $500,000 life insurance policy, which police believed played a role in the murder. DNA that did not belong to Marcum was also found on the murder weapon. Investigators discovered Landeros, who was in Mexico and communicating with police through email, would occasionally cross the border to visit family. Montgomery County Police detectives requested that border patrol stop Landeros on his next trip to Texas and take a DNA sample from him. That sample matched DNA found on the murder weapon in Marcum’s home and Landeros was charged with first-degree murder the next say.

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Event

Closing Reception at “Inspired!” Art Show & Sales

BlackRock Center for the Arts

12901 Town Commons Drive

Germantown, Maryland 20874

Website Contact Social

Beautiful venue; great art, gifts and hand-crafted items; refreshments; and meet the award-winning painters, photographers, mixed media artists, ceramicists, fiber artists, and more – some 40 artists in all. It’s an extraordinary array of framed wall works, 3-d media including sculpture, ceramics, jewelry, and fiber pieces, and unframed prints.

Among them, you’ll see:

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Beyond MoCo

$1 Million and $40,000 Winning Mega Millions Tickets Sold in Maryland; Friday’s Jackpot Now at $910 Million

By Patrick Herron

Maryland had several big winners for last night’s Mega Millions lottery drawing. A $1 million ticket was sold at Pine Liquors (9231 Oxon Hill Road) in Prince George’s County and a $40,000 Mega Millions Megaplier ticket was sold at Giant (8100 Loch Raven Boulevard) in Towson.  Last night’s winning numbers were 3, 5, 6, 44 and 61. The Mega Ball number was 25 and the optional Megaplier number was X4. This Friday’s drawing now has an estimated jackpot of $910 million, with a $464.2 cash option.  Additional details below:

“The last Mega Millions® jackpot offered in July will be a massive one, as the estimated prize for the next drawing on Friday, July 28, is a whopping $910 million ($464.2 million cash). The jackpot is on the verge of $1 billion, a level it has surpassed four times in the past, most recently last January. The big prize rolls after no ticket matched all six numbers drawn Tuesday night – the white balls 3, 5, 6, 44 and 61, plus the gold Mega Ball 25. Friday’s drawing will be the 29th in this current  roll, which began after the jackpot was last won in New York on April 18.

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Burtonsville

Renovations Set to Begin at Columbia Local Park

By MCS Staff

Long awaited renovations are about to begin at Columbia Local Park, located at 14900 Old Columbia Pike in Burtonsville. The park, which is adjacent to the Marilyn J. Praisner Community Recreation Center and the Marilyn J. Praisner Library, has consisted of a baseball field, two tennis courts, and picnic shelter receive very little use, compared to the southern portion of the park. In addition to the baseball field, tennis court, and picnic shelter in the northern portion of the park, three additional tennis courts have been taken out of service, leaving only a large, open paved area surrounded by a ten-foot-tall fence.

The 25.2-acre park is bisected by a densely forested stream valley, effectively splitting the park into two distinct spaces. With significant frontage along Old Columbia Pike, the three basketball courts, two baseball fields, and multi-user swing in the southern portion of the park are highly visible and heavily used. Beyond the forested stream valley, the northern portion of the park is relatively isolated, obscured from Old Columbia Pike by the nearby library and recreation center. As such, The purpose of this project is to find a permanent use for the former tennis courts and simultaneously activate the northern portion of the park to make it more inviting to future users and to discourage inappropriate activities from occurring.  Because Columbia Local Park is within the Upper Paint Branch Special Protection Area, the amount of impervious surface within the park cannot be increased. One of the goals of the project is to remove and de-consolidate paved areas wherever possible.

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Beyond MoCo

Maryland Black Bear Hunt Lottery Has Opened for 2023 Season

By MCS Staff

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is now accepting applications for the 2023 black bear hunt lottery. Successful applicants will receive a permit valid for the 6-day hunting season open October 23-28 in Allegany, Frederick, Garrett, and Washington counties.

The annual bear hunt, now in its 20th year, is an important management tool used to slow the increase of Maryland’s black bear population and limit expansion of Maryland bears into the eastern suburbs and cities. The department will once again issue 950 hunting permits this year.

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Arts

Works By Gaithersburg Camera Club on Display Until October

By MCS Staff

The City of Gaithersburg presents works by the Gaithersburg Camera Club, on display through October 1, 2023, at Kentlands Mansion. Meet the artists and view their works at a free Artists Reception on Sunday, August 6 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. All our welcome; light refreshments will be served.

This exhibit features 55 images depicting a wide variety of subject matter. Featured artists include Michael Brown, Sabine Dickens, Wendy Dinova-Wimmer, Cheryl Gillerman, Deborah Gillham, Carol Gregoire, Judy Gross, Linda Joy, Michael Kedda, Anis Khan, Judy MacArthur, David Oakes, Ed Palaszynski, Barry Scheiner, Dottie Schmidt, Goutam Sen & Alan Simmons.

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Beyond MoCo

Clear Lanes Are Coming to D.C. To Improve Bus Speed and Reliability

By MCS Staff

The future is looking clearer for Metrobus, as Metro and the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) announce the start of the 45-day minimum warning period for the Clear Lanes program. The goal is to improve bus speeds and reliability. Parked cars and vehicles illegally using dedicated bus lanes and bus stop zones slow buses down and impedes customer safety.

Under the program, cameras mounted on Metrobuses will capture video and photos of vehicles illegally operating, parking, standing, or stopping in dedicated bus lanes and bus zones. All enforcement will be handled by DDOT. Metro will not have any role in ticketing and enforcement.

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