MCDOT

Montgomery County residents are feeling the love from their local transportation department. The Montgomery County Department of Transportation has decorated some of its US 29 Flash buses with pink neon heart-shaped lights in honor of Valentine’s Day. The buses will remain decorated throughout February.

Fares on Ride On for most riders has been re-established at $1 per ride. Seniors (age 65 and older), persons with disabilities and youth under 19 ride free with specialized SmartTrip cards. The Flash buses are the first of a series of Bus Rapid Transit corridors planned for the County


Bethesda

The evolution of Bethesda was the subject of a 2022 virtual presentation from Montgomery History that proved to be its most watched presentation of the year. Starting Monday, Feb. 20, and continuing for a one-week period through Sunday, Feb. 26, “A Wide Place in the Road—The Roots of Modern Bethesda” will again be available in a free virtual presentation from Montgomery County’s history organization.

Bethesda Historical Society Secretary and Tour Chair Hank Levine will take viewers through how, between 1750 and 1920, a fall line, a ridge line, a turnpike, a trolley line, rail lines, the coming of the automobile and Chevy Chase set the stage for the development of Bethesda. Mr. Levine will address how Bethesda went from being an affluent suburb and transformed into the urban center it is today.


MoCo Government

The Late-Night Business Safety Plan bill was introduced on Feb. 14 to the Council, which will now consider it. “Last year, we met with business leaders and community members in Silver Spring to discuss the situation and concerns with late night establishments over crime and safety,” said County Executive Elrich. “Since then, we have added safety cameras and new license plate reading technology in areas where they are needed. We have used crime date to reconfigure our patrol strategies. When passed, this bill will be another tool to help keep the community safe by relying on our businesses that cater to a late-night crowd to be part of the solution.”

Changes already in place to improve safety in Silver Spring include the addition of three high-visibility morning posts for officers in the Downtown Silver Spring area, more bicycle officers on patrol and more officers involved in community engagement and crime prevention areas. Adopt-A-Neighborhood programs and support from Maryland State Police have helped the area see fewer incidents of crime since last summer. Adding the Late-Night Business Safety Plan is the next step in addressing safety concerns.


Maryland

Maryland legislature will be looking at a bill on March 2 that would abolish the “tip credit”. Employers in the state of Maryland (and most other states across the country) are permitted to count customer tips toward the minimum hourly wage they must pay to certain service employees. This is often referred to as a “tip credit.” A tip credit allows the employer to pay employees a wage that is less than the minimum wage by relying on tips the employee receives from customers to make up the difference. In November, DC voted to approve “Initiative 82”, which gradually eliminates the tip credit until its fully eliminated by 2027.

Synopsis of the bill, courtesy of the Maryland General Assembly: Specifying a certain tip credit amount that is in effect for certain time periods; prohibiting certain employers of tipped employees, beginning July 1, 2027, from including a tip credit amount as part of the employees’ wages; and requiring the Commissioner of Labor and Industry to establish the High Road Kitchen Program as a recognition program for restaurants that do not include the tip credit as part of certain employees’ wages.


Maryland

Marylanders either needing or just contemplating replacing appliances could be motivated to shop from Feb. 18-20 when they can save on paying State sales tax on eligible Energy Star-rated appliances during “Shop Maryland Energy Weekend.”

During Presidents’ Day weekend, appliances bearing the Energy Star label, whether purchased in-store or online, will be exempt from the State’s six percent sales tax. Eligible appliances could include air conditioners, washers, dryers, standard-size refrigerators, furnaces, heat pumps, boilers, compact fluorescent light bulbs, dehumidifiers and programmable thermostats. Solar water heaters are tax-exempt year-round.


White Oak

Montgomery County Police and Metro Transit Police responded to a fatal shooting on board a Metro Transit bus in White Oak on Friday evening. According to police, “ At approximately 7:45 p.m., MCPD 3rd District officers responded to the 14300 block of Lockwood Drive where an adult male had been shot inside of the bus.

Montgomery County Fire Rescue responded and provided life-saving measures, but the victim died on scene.  The suspect exited the bus and ran from the location.  Preliminarily, it appears that there was an altercation between the suspect and the victim and there is no threat to the community.


Montgomery Village

Per MCPD: Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Major Crimes Division have arrested a suspect wanted for a homicide that occurred on Thursday, February 16, 2023, in the 19000 block of Mills Choice Rd. At approximately 12:09 p.m., 6th District officers responded to the location for a check the welfare call.  Upon arrival, officers located 41-year-old Louis James Chesley, of Montgomery Village, deceased with apparent trauma to the body. His body was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore, where an autopsy will be conducted to officially determine the cause and manner of death.

The suspect, 35-year-old William Oligiwan Cutler was arrested the afternoon of Friday, February 17, in Gaithersburg. Cutler has no known address. He has been charged with first-degree murder and is being held at the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit.


MCPS

“Dear MCPS Community,

Far too many families and communities across MCPS have come home over the past several weeks to letters from their school condemning acts of antisemitism. A concerning number of students have drawn Nazi symbols on desks, verbally assaulted Jewish peers, spoken anti-Jewish tropes, and glorified Naziism via pictures broadcasted on social media. These acts have left me – and so many of you – feeling angry, dismayed, and horrified.   


MoCo Athletics

Justin “Captain America” Budd is a Poolesville native and 2016 graduate of Poolesville High School. Last week he made his pro debut at the Legacy Fight Alliance’s LFA 152 show, knocking out Caleb Jensen in the first round with a spinning back fist (video below).

The 5’10, 170 lb Budd wrestled at Poolesville before going on to wrestle at Bacone College. MMAnews.com gave Budd the #1 finish of the week with his impressive performance, stating the following about the up and coming fighter, “Justin Budd had a lengthy amateur career before turning pro at LFA 152, but he jumped onto the radars of a lot of fight fans with the way he stopped Caleb Jensen.”