Beyond MoCo

The Urbana Volunteer Fire Department’s 49th Community Carnival is open nightly this week through Sunday, July 23.

The event is tailored towards fun for the whole family. Admission and parking are free, and the doors open every evening this week at 5:30, with rides opening at 6:00. There are a variety of carnival games throughout the midway. This year, there will be free nightly live music and fireworks at 10:00 PM Thursday night. A Blackstone 36″ Griddle is being raffled off, with the raffle drawing Sunday night. Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, unlimited ride tickets are available for $20.


MoCo Police

Chief Marcus Jones has released a statement on the death of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old man who died from injuries sustained by police after a traffic stop on January 7 in Memphis, TN. Memphis Police are scheduled to release body-cam footage of the incident on Friday evening.  All five of the Memphis Police officers involved have been fired and indicted on murder charges. Per MCPD: “Our nation and the law enforcement community are once again faced with the death of a man at the hands of people who have taken an oath to protect and serve.

Five Memphis Police Officers have been fired and indicted on charges including murder and kidnapping in the death of Tyre Nichols. The Memphis, Tennessee officers also face charges of official misconduct and official oppression. Their actions are indefensible.


Silver Spring

Per the Prince George’s County Police Department: The Prince George’s County Police Department’s Gang Unit arrested a Silver Spring man for being in possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute. The suspect is 29-year-old Raymond Jenkins. On December 30, 2022, at approximately 10:10 pm, officers were patrolling the 4400 block of Wheeler Road. While in the area, officers observed Jenkins slouched down in the front seat of a vehicle and believed that he may have needed medical attention. Officers immediately conducted a welfare check. As officers conducted the welfare check, they could smell the odor of marijuana emitting from the vehicle, which prompted a search of the vehicle.

Officers recovered a loaded handgun, as well as cocaine, and marijuana with an approximate street value of $25,000.  Jenkins is charged with drug and gun related offenses.


Beyond MoCo

Many of us likely grew up with a Sears department store somewhere nearby, but lately you may have noticed that you haven’t seen much from the brand that has been a household name for decades. Sears has been rapidly closing locations since 2018, when it filed for bankruptcy in October of that year. According to a report from the Frederick News Post, the Sears department store at Frederick’s Francis Scott Key Mall is set to close on January 15th. Note: There is still a Sears Hometown Store listed as open in Chestertown, MD, but it is not a traditional Sears department store and focuses on selling appliances, tools, hardware and lawn and garden equipment.

Sears at Frederick’s Francis Scott Key Mall — one of the final remnants of a once great department store empire — is going out of business.The last day customers can shop at the store will be Jan. 15, a manager, who declined to provide her name, told a Frederick News-Post reporter on Tuesday afternoon. Bright yellow signs advertising the store’s impending closure in red block letters are plastered on the store’s windows. More hang around the building’s interior.


Beyond MoCo

“This is an exciting day for the City of Baltimore and the State of Maryland as the Ravens are truly a world-class organization and a source of great pride for Marylanders,” said Governor Larry Hogan. “With the ratification of this historic agreement, we are securing the franchise’s presence in Baltimore for decades to come, and advancing critical infrastructure upgrades for M&T Bank Stadium. I want to thank both the Ravens and the Maryland Stadium Authority for their continued strong partnership.”

Following passage by the Maryland General Assembly of HB896 (2022), the MSA was delighted that the Ravens expressed a desire to discuss their agreement well in advance of its 2027 expiration and investment in M&T Bank Stadium as it approaches its 25th year. HB896 offered a significant incentive for the team to renew or extend its lease and remain in Baltimore, and it provides the opportunity to expand the economic impact of games and other year-round activities at the stadium.


Beyond MoCo

Per the Maryland Lottery:  “When Edward Rybolt Jr. of Frederick realized he and his wife won $50,016 playing Powerball, he recalls being overwhelmed with excitement.

One Sunday after church, he visited his favorite Lottery retailer to buy a $10 ticket for the Oct. 29 drawing. His lucky retailer is Edgemere Convenience store located at 7308 North Point Road in Baltimore. When he scanned the ticket after the drawing, he couldn’t believe Lottery luck had really come his way.


Beyond MoCo

Per the Maryland State Police: Maryland State Police are investigating a fatal three-vehicle crash in which one person died Tuesday evening in Allegany County. Shortly before 7:25 p.m. on Tuesday, troopers from the Maryland State Police Cumberland Barrack responded to westbound Interstate-68 at Route 36 in Frostburg, Maryland for a report of a multi-vehicle crash with injuries. According to a preliminary investigation, a 2017 Ford Explorer was driving westbound on I-68 when the vehicle rear-ended a tractor-trailer.

The crash sent the Ford Explorer into the next lane, where it was struck on the driver’s side by a 2004 Ford F350 truck. The driver of the Ford Explorer, identified as Corey Douglas McElroy, 31, of Friendsville, Maryland, was flown by Maryland State Police Helicopter to Ruby Memorial Hospital, where he was declared deceased. Upon further investigation, it was learned that McElroy was a deputy sheriff for the Garrett County Sheriff’s Office, and he was driving an unmarked departmental vehicle at the time of the crash.


Beyond MoCo

Per U.S. Customs and Border Protection: There’s nothing funny about the bones that U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists recently discovered in the baggage of a Virginia woman at Washington Dulles International Airport. During a secondary baggage examination on November 10, CBP agriculture specialists discovered bones that the Fauquier County, Va., woman admitted were giraffe and zebra bones she found in Kenya and kept as souvenirs. CBP detained the bones and checked with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) inspectors on admissibility.

On November 17, USFWS inspectors reported that the bones violated provisions of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and the Lacey Act. USFWS directed CBP to seize the bones.


MoCo Government

Per Montgomery County: The Montgomery County Government, and programs that impact County residents, will have the following schedule and program changes for the Christmas Weekend, Saturday, Dec. 24, through Monday, Dec. 26.


Beyond MoCo

Per the Frederick Police Department: On Dec. 9, 2022, at approximately 2:16 p.m., The Frederick Police Department received several calls for a disturbance and the sound of gunshots. Callers advised that an altercation took place around the area of Key Parkway and Willowdale Drive. Officers responded to the area, but did not immediately locate any subjects that were believed to be involved. Patrol officers continued to canvass the surrounding area and eventually observed a subject that matched the clothing description of one of the possible suspects in an outside common area of a nearby apartment complex. Officers made contact with the subject and checked the surrounding area where he was observed. Within close proximity of the subject, officers found a loaded handgun hidden under a children’s toy. The subject immediately began to flee on foot from officers when they discovered the handgun. The subject ran to the area of McCain Drive and entered into an underground water culvert. The culvert travelled underground from McCain Drive to an area South of Route 40 near the Alternate Route 40 split.

Officers positioned themselves at both ends of the culvert and with the assistance of a Frederick County Sheriffs Office K9 Team, they entered and began to search for the suspect. As the officers were making their way through the culvert, the suspect emerged at the other end and was arrested. The suspect was in possession of a New Jersey ID card, however officers determined the ID card was fake and the name was not the suspect’s correct name. Officers eventually fully identified him as Gervon William Norris (11-08-1993) of Gaithersburg, Maryland. Officers discovered that Norris had an active arrest warrant through the Anne Arundel County Sheriffs Office for failing to appear in court. Officers also learned that Norris is prohibited from possessing firearms due to previous criminal convictions.


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