Montgomery College

Governor Wes Moore Announces Montgomery College’s Dr. Sanjay Rai as Acting Secretary for the Maryland Higher Education Commission

By Patrick Herron

Per Montgomery College: Maryland Governor Wes Moore today announced Dr. Sanjay Rai, Montgomery College’s senior vice president for academic affairs, as acting secretary for the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC). He starts his new role in early May. Dr. Rai has consistently and vigorously advanced innovations that bolster student success in academic, career, technical, and workforce development programs throughout his career. He has worked to remove barriers to education access through the redesign of developmental education, revision of alternate placement policies, and embedding of coaches in classrooms to increase student success.

“Based on his many years of leadership here at Montgomery College, we are confident that Dr. Rai will continue his tradition of educational innovation as Maryland’s secretary of higher education,” Chair of the Board of Trustees Dr. Michael Brintnall said. “He is keenly focused on preparing students for success academically and in the workforce, which thereby contributes to growth for our region’s employers and enriches our communities. We wish Dr. Rai the very best in this exciting role on Gov. Moore’s Cabinet.”

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MCDOT

Hybrid Public Meeting on the Good Hope Road Shared Use Path Extension Project in Silver Spring to be Held on Wednesday, April 26

By Patrick Herron

Per MCDOT: On Wednesday, April 26, starting at 7 p.m., the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) will hold a hybrid public meeting to discuss the latest progress of the Good Hope Road Shared Use Path Extension project in Silver Spring. The public will have an opportunity to attend in person or virtually to ask questions and provide comments. The Good Hope Road Shared Use Path Extension project provides additional pedestrian and bicycle connectivity along Good Hope Road from the northern terminus of the Good Hope Road Shared Use Path project. This project proposes an 8-foot-wide shared use path with a 5-foot-wide grass buffer on the east side of the road for approximately 900 linear feet from Rainbow Drive to the entrance to Spencerville Local Park. This extension will provide a safe, low-stress connection for pedestrians and bicycles of all ages and abilities from neighborhood residences to a local park, nearby schools, places of worship and the Good Hope Neighborhood Recreation Center.

The meeting will be held at Briggs Chaney Middle School located at 1901 Rainbow Drive, Silver Spring, MD 20880. Online registration is required to attend virtually. On the morning of the meeting, an invitation to participate in the meeting will be emailed to registrants Prior to the meeting, the public is encouraged to review the project files on the project website. Comments and questions may be submitted by email to [email protected] or via the online comment form. All information provided, including questions and comments, will become a matter of public record. Interpreter services will be provided upon request with five business days advance notice by contacting Rebecca Park by email at [email protected] or call 240-777-7226. Learn more about MCDOT’s engineering and construction projects by visiting montgomerycountymd.gov/dot-dte. For information on MCDOT programs and services visit montgomerycountymd.gov/mcdot, follow @MCDOTNow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and subscribe to MCDOT’s “Go Montgomery!” newsletter.

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Gaithersburg

MCFRS Respond to Early Morning Fire Caused by Unattended Candle

By Patrick Herron

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to a fire on Sunday, April 16 at approximately 5:15am in the 19500 blk of Farmingham Dr in Gaithersburg. According to Chief Spokesperson for MCFRS Pete Piringer, the fire was caused by an unattended burning candle in a 2nd floor bedroom of the two-story single family home. Smoke alarms alerted the residents and there were no injuries reported. Damage is estimated to be ~$35K, including $10K structural and $25K contents. One family that includes two adults, three children, two dogs, two guinea pigs and a pet ferret will be likely be displaced.

Per @mcfrsPIO on Twitter:”(515a) 19500blk Farmingham Dr, 2-sty SFH; smoke alarms present & alerted occupants; Origin/Cause, unattended burning candle, 2nd floor bedroom; Damage, total ~$35K, incl $10K structure, $25K contents; no injury; 5 adults, multiple pets displaced”

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Health

State of Maryland to Purchase Substantial Amount of Mifepristone to Protect Essential Health Care Access for Women

By Patrick Herron

“Yet again, women’s health care and reproductive rights have come under attack,” said Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller. “And once again, Maryland has stepped up to continue providing safe and effective reproductive health care.”

Since the FDA approved the drug more than two decades ago, mifepristone has been used safely in more than 60 countries, providing critical care for women. The medication is used for a variety of reproductive health care needs.

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Crime

Rockville Police Investigating Suspicious Person Who Invited Juvenile To His Home For Candy

By MCS Staff

Per Rockville Police: Suspicious Person Alert – At approximately 9:45 a.m. on April 16, 2023, RCPD responded to the 400 block of Congressional Ln/Montrose Park for the report of a suspicious person. Upon investigation, officers were made aware that an unknown male subject in a wheelchair approached a juvenile and invited him back to his home for candy, the juvenile walked away and reported the encounter to his parents. The subject was described as a white male in his 50’s, wearing all black clothing, a yellow bandana and face mask, in a wheelchair.

RCPD Criminal Investigations Unit is investigating this incident and is asking the public to provide any information as to the identity of the subject and any similar incidents of this nature by calling 240-314-8938 or e-mailing [email protected]. Featured photo courtesy of Google Maps

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Crime

MCPD Respond to Shooting at Pike & Rose Late Saturday Night

By Patrick Herron

Montgomery County Police responded to reports of a shooting Saturday night at Pike & Rose. According to MCPD,  “At approximately 11:50 p.m., MCPD responded to the area of Pike and Rose for the report of a shooting. Preliminarily investigation revealed a dispute occurred inside a restaurant. The male subjects left the restaurant. Shots were fired. No injuries were reported. Items of evidentiary value were recovered at the scene. No one is in custody at this time. This is an ongoing investigation.”

We will post an update if additional information is available. Featured photo courtesy of Google Maps.

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Crime

Rockville Police Responds to Burglary at Jewelry Store; High Value Items Stolen

By MCS Staff

Per Rockville Police: At approximately 5:36 a.m. on April 16, 2023, Rockville City Police responded to the 100 block of Gibbs Street for the report of a burglary of a jewelry store. Officers discovered the front window had been broken out, numerous jewelry cases were smashed, and a high dollar value of items were taken.

The suspects are described as three subjects wearing all dark clothing, masks and gloves fleeing towards the Dawson’s Market parking area. Anyone with information is asked to contact the RCPD Criminal Investigations Unit at 240-314-8938. Featured photo courtesy of Google Maps.

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Burtonsville

Pepino’s to Close Permanently After 32 Years

By MCS Staff

Pepino’s has been responsible for most of the parked cars you’ve seen at the Burtonsville Crossing Shopping Center the last few years.  Owners/sisters Patti Pignataro and Margaret Manley told us, “Every night’s a dinner party!” when we stopped by during our 2019 “tour of Burtonsville”. Sadly, Pepino’s has confirmed that Saturday, April 29th will be the last day of operations for the restaurant, as they won’t be around for the redevelopment of Burtonsville Crossing.

Originally located in the current Cuba de Ayer location, Pepino’s has been around since 1991. Patti and Margaret bought the restaurant in 2006. They’re the former owners of Umberto’s, which was located in the Cabin John Shopping Center in Potomac. The restaurant didn’t miss a beat and remained a staple in the Burtonsville community.

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Olney

The Pronunciation of Olney

By MCS Staff

Nearly six years after our first poll on the pronunciation of Olney, our very own Mr. MoCo revisited the topic with polls on Twitter and Instagram (see video below). The two most popular pronunciations, “ole-knee” and “all-knee” were the two options for the polls and the result was pretty similar to our 2017 poll with “ole-knee” coming out on top pretty decisively (results can be seen below).

We’ve noticed that many of those who grew up in or very close to Olney tend to pronounce it as “all-knee”, while just about everyone else goes with the more popular “ole-knee.” Olney, originally named Mechanicsville, officially became Olney in the early to mid 1800s (named after the Olney House…which was named after Olney, England). Olney, the English city that Olney, MD is essentially named after, is pronounced Ole-nee in England…with a bit of an accent of course, which supports what most voters went with.

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Restaurants

Mochinut Pushes Grand Opening Back to April 29; Deals and Giveaways for Grand Opening

By MCS Staff

Last September we let you know that Mochinut, a restaurant that serves mochi donuts, Korean rice flour hotdogs, soft serve, and bubble tea drinks (menu available below), is coming to 838 Rockville Pike– inside the current location of Tea-Do. Tea-Do is a “contemporary tea house” that was on the early side of MoCo’s bubble tea explosion in recent years, opening in January of 2016. The grand opening was for Mochinut was originally scheduled for Saturday, April 15th at noon, but has been pushed back to Saturday, April 29th.

Mochinut offers mochi donuts, which is described as “a donut that originated from Hawaii which is a combination of American doughnuts and Japanese mochi.” Up to 25 different flavors are available, but flavors will vary by location. The Mochinut menu also consists savory treats in the form of Korean hotdogs and offers other sweet menu items like soft serve ice cream and bubble tea drinks.

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MDLottery

$100,000 Scratch-off Sold at Gaithersburg Safeway

By Patrick Herron

The retired transit worker said most of his winnings will help pay off his daughter’s college loans. “The wife and I might split the rest on home improvement projects,” he noted. The lucky grocery store that sold the instant ticket was Safeway #1620 at 20211 Goshen Road in Gaithersburg. The Montgomery County retailer will receive a $1,000 bonus from the Lottery for selling the $100,000 top-prize winning scratch-off. The lucky player is the seventh $100,000 winner since the game was launched on Jan. 23. Three top prizes are still unclaimed along with four unclaimed $50,000 prizes and others ranging from $10 to $10,000.

The Gold X50 game is a member of a Gold Multiplier family of games and the Gold Multiplier second-chance promotion. Upcoming entry deadlines for the chance to win $50,000 are April 24, May 22 and June 19. Other members of the scratch-off family are the $1 Gold X5, $2 Gold X10 and $5 Gold X20.

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