Silver Spring

Per MCPD: Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Major Crimes Division area investigating an attempted armed carjacking that occurred on Monday, February 13, 2023, at the Safeway in the 900 block of Thayer Avenue. Detectives are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying the male suspect.

The investigation by detectives has revealed that the suspect approached the victim, displayed a knife, and demanded the car keys. The victim complied and the suspect entered the car. The suspect was not able to drive the car because it was a manual transmission. He left the car and ran away.  The suspect is described as a Black male, approximately 20-years-old, 5-feet, 6-inches to 5-feet, 8-inches tall and weighs 130 pounds. He was wearing a dark jacket, dark pants and a black mask.


Rockville

A Girl Scout troop that was selling cookies in front of the Safeway at 14939 Shady Grove Rd in Rockville had their money box stolen over the weekend.  According to Rockville Police, “On Sunday, February 12, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. a mother and daughter were selling boxes of Girl Scout cookies outside of the Safeway in Fallsgrove Village Center. An unknown man walked up to their table and grabbed the money box containing approximately $300.00.” FOX5 reports that the troop does not want to press charges if the suspect is found, they only want their money back.

A parent involved in the incident posted the following message nextdoor: “Hi all, this is a community safety announcement as there are many Girl Scouts in the neighborhood. Today, my troop was robbed during their cookie booth sale in front of the Shady Grove Safeway. Fortunately, no one was injured. However, the “suspect” brazenly reached over the cookies on the table to grab the cash box directly in front of two girls with an adult female on either side…and a security camera looking directly on. Law enforcement are currently investigating.”


Gaithersburg

Per MCPD: A Gaithersburg man has been arrested on charges related to a fatal pedestrian collision that occurred on Tuesday, November 8, 2022. 47-year-old Davinder Singh of Gaithersburg was arrested on Friday, February 10.

The investigation revealed that Singh was driving his Toyota Prius west on School Drive when he struck and killed 65-year-old Miguel Antonio Ortiz and 70-year-old Ana Margarita Ortiz, a married couple from Gaithersburg, who were crossing the street to vote at the school polling place. Singh was found to be driving under the influence of alcohol.


Gaithersburg

Sardi’s/Olney Station (3418 Olney Laytonsville Rd, Olney) will open at 11am on Tuesday following an issue with the exhaust system that caused the restaurant to temporarily close on Monday night. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) and county health inspectors have cleared the restaurant to reopen for business as usual starting Tuesday morning.

We spoke with owner Phil Sardelis who let us know that the safety of the Sardi’s employees and customers is always his number one priority. “The exhaust system at every Sardi’s location is cleaned every two weeks and unfortunately the recent situations have been freak occurrences.” Sardelis told us. Insurance claims were not filed for the recent fires at both the Gaithersburg and Olney location as the ultimate goal has been to fix any potential issue and get the restaurants open again. The Gaithersburg location will likely reopen in a few weeks as they await the arrival and installation of a fan for the exhaust system.


MoCo Government

The bill would establish new rules for businesses that operate between midnight and 6 a.m. in areas which generate high calls for service. Businesses that operate in those late hours would be required to develop a business safety plan and have it approved by police.


MDLottery

Two $50,000 winning Powerball lottery tickets sold in Rockville this month remain unclaimed as of February 13, according to the Maryland Lottery. The tickets were sold on February 5 at Gourmet Beer & Wine at 11530 Rockville Pike and on February 10 at Talbott Beer & Wine at 1071 Rockville Pike. Winners have 182 days from the date of a drawing to claim their prizes at Maryland Lottery headquarters in Baltimore. Additional information on recent winners below:

“Two Maryland Lottery players won life-changing prizes in the past week: Someone bought a Cash4Life ticket in Windsor Mill that won the game’s top prize of $1,000 a day for life, while another player in Elkridge landed a $750,000 Multi-Match jackpot.


MCFRS

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to a collision with entrapment Tuesday morning around 7:30am. According to Chief Spokesperson for MCFRS Pete Piringer, the incident took place on Randolph Road and Connecticut Avenue in Wheaton-Glenmont and involved three vehicles. WTOP traffic advises to “stay left” in N Randolph. We will post an update when additional information is available.

Randolph Road and Connecticut Avenue, collision, evolving, three vehicles, with entrapment, @mcfrs PE721, A721, RS742, BC704 responding


Events

Town hall will be held at Lakelands Park Middle School in Gaithersburg with virtual participation available

The Montgomery County Council will hold a hybrid town hall meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 15 from 7-8:30 p.m. at Lakelands Park Middle School, which is located at 1200 Main St. in Gaithersburg.  Councilmembers have scheduled this time to answer questions and listen to concerns from community members. Some of the topics for discussion will include public safety, public health, housing and transportation, and other issues of community concern.


Events

Celebration at Cabin John to Benefit the Scotland AME Zion Church Restoration

Celebrating the past and present of the first places African-Americans owned land in Montgomery County, the Scotland community of Potomac, Md., is announcing a significant expansion of its annual Scotland Juneteenth Heritage Festival for 2023. Featuring a children’s carnival and music performance, as well as art exhibitions, food, sports, and presentations on Black history in this region, the events for the federal holiday on Monday, June 19, will be spread across the Cabin John Regional Park, Cabin John Village, and the Scotland community on Seven Locks Road.


MCPS

Earle B. Wood Middle School principal Heidi Slatcoff sent out a community letter on Friday information families of an investigation following a teacher’s discovery of a presentation titled “Homophobic Club Hub” on a student Chromebook. The investigation found the the student shared the documents with at least two other students prior to deleting them. There was no evidence of any other students participating in generating the documents, and no evidence that a club was actually formed. According to the investigation, the documents were generated 2 – 4 months ago. The full letter can be seen below:

This is clearly a hate/bias incident and I must say that discrimination in any form cannot be tolerated. It impedes MCPS’ and our school’s ability to discharge its responsibilities to all students and staff, and achieve our community’s long-standing efforts to create, foster, and promote equity, inclusion, and acceptance for all. While students who commit this unacceptable act will receive consequences as per MCPS Student Code of Conduct, it is important that we continue our work with our students to help them understand the impact of hateful and hurtful words.


Arts

9-Year-Old Keivonn Woodard is cast as Sam in HBO’s The Last of Us, a show based on the popular video game that has become one of HBO Max’s most watched series. This is the first acting job for Keivonn, who is a Bowie native– a city located in neighboring Prince George’s County.

Woodard is part of a six-generation deaf family, many of whom are actors. He also plays hockey locally for the Bowie Hockey Club 10U Team. The photo seen below, courtesy of the Bowie Hockey Club, shows the team after becoming the 2022 Ice Works St. Patrick’s Day Tournament Champions.