White Oak

Montgomery County Police are investigating a homicide that occurred on Sunday, April 9, 2023, on Old Columbia Pike in Silver Spring.  Per MCPD“At approximately 3:22 a.m., Montgomery County Police responded to a residence in the 11800 block of Old Columbia Pike to assist Montgomery County Fire Rescue.  

Upon arrival, officers located an adult male with trauma to the body. Officers provided life saving measures to the victim who was then transported to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore will conduct an autopsy to officially determine the cause and manner of the death.  


Gaithersburg

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to a call for a fire at a two-story single family home on the 9600 block of Whetstone Drive in Gaithersburg/Montgomery Village at approximately 1am on Sunday morning.

According to MCFRS Chief Spokesperson Pete Piringer, approximately 75 firefighters responded to the call. Crews encountered heavy fire upon arrival. Three people were rescued/removed from the house, including one person who was trapped and rescued with life-threatening injuries. One firefighter was also transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.


Gaithersburg

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to a collision with ejection around 7pm on Saturday, April 8 on westbound I370 in Gaithersburg. According to Chief Spokesperson for MCFRS Pete Piringer, EMS transported four adults, including one Priority1 trauma patient with life-threatening injury, two Priority 2 non-life threatening trauma patients, and one Priority 3 patient with non-life threating injuries. Westbound I370 is currently closed at I270 (the southbound I270 ramp is open.) We will post an update when additional information is available.  Featured photo by @yaofomo  on Instagram.

Per @mcfrsPIO on Twitter: “Update – WB I370 IAO (under) I270 bridge, collision, some lanes blocked, @MCFRS_EMIHS  transported 4 adult patients, incl 1 Pri1 trauma w/LT injury, 2 Pri2 NLT trauma patients & 1 Pri3 NLT patient (4 occupants of vehicle, 1 ejected) @mcfrs  PE728, PE732, A728, M731, A722, M708 OS”


Beyond MoCo

An arrest was made after disturbing videos that were widely viewed on social media Friday appeared to show different children being abused at a day care facility in Prince George’s County, FOX5 reports. Additional information available below, courtesy of the Prince George’s County Police Department:

The Prince George’s County Police Department’s Child and Vulnerable Adult Abuse Unit arrested and charged an employee for abusing children in her care at a daycare center in Oxon Hill. The suspect is 23-year-old Kayla Greenwell of Oxon Hill.   On April 7, 2023, the PGPD received multiple videos showing the suspect assaulting children at the center. Investigators immediately responded to the business in the 6000 block of Oxon Hill Road. Detectives gathered evidence, identified the suspect and ultimately obtained an arrest warrant. 


Gaithersburg

In honor of Autism Acceptance Month, Goldfish Swim School is raising awareness about the increased risk of drowning for children on the autism spectrum and the heightened need for water safety education among kids in this group and their families. Goldfish Swim Schools in Winter Park, Florida, where the foundation is based, and Gaithersburg, Maryland (801 Center Point Way), will award three-month swim lesson packages to 10 local children through the Alijah’s Swimmers Scholarships program. The program was launched in 2021 and has provided swim lessons for dozens of children.

Local residents in Gaithersburg and Winter Park can submit themselves or nominate a child from April 1 through April 30 by visiting https://bit.ly/AlijahsSwimmers. According to a Goldfish Swim School press release, children with autism are 160 times more likely to die from drowning than the general pediatric population, according to a study by Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, due to their increased tendency to explore and wander away from parents, teachers or caregivers and the affinity for water that many autistic kids share. Children on the spectrum can be highly focused, and if they slip away from a known adult, their curiosity can be life-threatening near any water source.


Beyond MoCo

Candytopia opened a couple weeks back in Tyson’s Corner and tickets are available for the exhibit that boasts an experience close to “scoring a golden ticket.” The exhibit, which also has a location in New York and one coming soon to Cleveland, has tickets available through May 31st. Tickets go for $23 for children 4-12, $30 for adults, and free for children 3 and under. Additional information on what to expect below:

“Welcome to Candytopia, where colossal candyfloss constructions meld with a tantalizing taffy twistedness. If you’ve ever dreamed of nibbling your way through Candyland or scoring a Golden Ticket, you’ve come to the right place.


Bethesda

The Bethesda Circulator is a free way to get around town in Bethesda. There is now a new app to see the buses on the route. Scan the QR Code below to download the app through RidePingo. You can also go to your smartphone’s app store with the links below to download the app through RidePingo (orange icon with arrow pointing to the right).

1. Open, then Select “Get started”


Events

The Town of Poolesville will be holding its annual youth fishing tournament next month. The Richard S. McKernon Youth Fishing Tournament will take place at Stevens Park Pond on May 13 from 9am until 11am. All youths between the ages of 6 and 16 are invited to come on out and “catch some fun”.  Cost is $1.00 and the event is held rain or shine. Prizes awarded for each age category. Tournament Rules (and registration) below:

Register here.


Business

Deka Biosciences (“Deka”), a clinical-stage biotechnology company headquartered at 20271 Goldenrod Lane in Germantown and focused on developing novel cytokine therapies to treat cancer and inflammatory diseases, announced that the first subject has been dosed in a Phase 1 clinical trial of DK210 (EGFR) at NEXT Oncology in Fairfax, Virginia. The Phase 1, first-in-human, multicenter clinical study seeks to characterize the safety, potential efficacy and evaluate possible biomarkers of response to DK210 (EGFR) in patients with advanced solid cancer(s) who are expressing epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR) (NCT05704985).

Per the press release: “We are beyond thrilled to begin the clinical trial of DK210 (EGFR), marking our first program to enter clinical development,” said John Mumm, Ph.D., President and CEO of Deka. “Importantly, we anticipate that the results of the study will confirm the clinical safety, pharmacokinetics, exploratory efficacy and correlative biomarker responses to our first DiakineTM, establishing a solid foundation for the expanded use of this treatment in cancer patients.”


Bethesda

Kindbody, a technology-driven fertility clinic network and family-building benefits provider for employers, announced the opening of a new clinic– Kindbody Bethesda. The clinic is located at 6000 Executive Blvd in Rockville/N. Bethesda. The announcement comes at a time of extraordinary growth for the company which owns and operates 32 clinics nationwide, including a state-of-the-art fertility clinic and IVF lab conveniently off of Dupont Circle and 19th Street in Washington, D.C. Kindbody Bethesda was built to meet the growing demand for comprehensive fertility and family-building benefits by local employers including Kindbody client GEICO, which is headquartered in Chevy Chase, MD, and employs nearly 7,000 corporate associates in the greater Washington, D.C.metro area. In addition to GEICO, Kindbody serves 21 large employers in the region, covering more than 27,000 lives.

Per the press release: “Since opening our doors in Washington, D.C. last spring, we’ve seen unprecedented demand from local employers who understand the critical role fertility benefits play in attracting and retaining world-class talent and building inclusive workplaces,” said Taryn Branca, Chief Revenue Officer at Kindbody. “Our new Bethesda location allows them to provide a premium fertility benefit with significant cost savings, as a result of working directly with the healthcare provider.”