Results tagged “montgomerycounty”

OK, let's say we're police officers at a union meeting in Montgomery County. The County's under a severe budgetary crisis. The powers that be have asked the union to voluntarily give up our 4.25 percent yearly increase in salary. If they're smart, the union will ask the County for something so off-the-wall that they'll realize that the small savings they'll get from eliminating the cost-of-living increase wouldn't be worth it. Hmm, what to ask for? I've got it! Let's tell them that we'll give up our raises, something that will save them a little less than $5 million this year, if they let us drive our patrol cars whenever we want for personal use! Oh man, that's a good one...wait, they accepted? And they're going to pay for the car's gas and maintenance? And there's only a 15-mile limit on driving the cars outside the county? What a deal. (Sheesh, I probably would have settled for some kick-ass tricycles.)

After this morning's news that the Prince George's County Council appears to have blocked DC United from building a new stadium in the county, DC United fans have spent the day worrying about the future of the team. Now the Washington Business Journal's Tierney Plumb reports that hope still hasn't gone out of style: officials in both Montgomery County and Frederick County have reportedly expressed at least initial interest in building a stadium for the team. So now we're talking maybe Shady Grove or Germantown? Those are even farther away from the center of the city than the hypothetical PG stadium. Of course, any such development would likely rest on the original, and still unpopular plan to have the Maryland Stadium Authority float bonds. Color us skeptical.

While we were resting our hangovers yesterday, we missed word via the Examiner that River Road was at last reopened, a full eight days after a massive water main break caused flooding, substantial damage and led to the rescue of 15 people by boat and helicopter. The delay in reopening the road occurred after engineers discovered three cracked pipes that needed to be replaced in addition to the one that caused the flooding. The road is now open to vehicles, but crews are still working in the area and traffic will continue to be delayed for some time while final repairs are made.

Montgomery County Schools have announced that they are closing 2 and 1/2 hours early today due to the very large Bethesda water main break that damaged River Rd. and forced the rescue of 15 people from about a dozen stranded vehicles. The Post reports that school officials closed the campuses because the main break "has caused widespread water outages in schools across the lower part of the county," affecting the availability of water and heat in numerous schools. Students are being bussed home.

Leave it to the D.C. metro area to turn something as normally humdrum as a winter water main break into a dramatic rescue operation. Tune in to News Channel 8/WJLA for the best views of the large water main break near River Road that's forced Montgomery County authorities to send in helicopters and, yes we're not kidding, boats to rescue stranded motorists caught in roughly 4 feet of rushing water due to the broken main. At least twelve people have reportedly already been rescued.

Montgomery County Police say they have tentatively identified the two bodies found in Renee Bowman's freezer as two of Bowman's adopted daughters. They also released this undated photo of Jasmine Nicole Bowman, who would now be 9, and Minnet Cecila Bowman, who would be 11. A family friend made the identification, though as the Post points out, it's not yet an official identification. Still, police don't expect to discover the bodies belonged to anyone else once the autopsies are completed.

View Larger Map

I'm totally going to the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair on Saturday. It's an excellent fair, with genuinely fun, scary rides, a demolition derby, pig races, the full Ag competition thing ranging from chickens to rabbits to steer, and all the delicious, fattening fair food you could hope for. So I was deeply disturbed to run across the news this morning that the fair is subject to the county's trans fat ban, which passed last year and is now fully in place.

You may recall the mysterious death of a 3-year-old girl in Potomac, Md. about a month ago. A mother and two children had been seen walking down the road to a gas station, and then later, turned up at a fire station with the daughter having sustained fatal injuries. The mother had been described as behaving erratically enough that an employee at the gas station where they were seen called police. The Post reports that police have finally determined that the little girl died as the result of an accident. A 16-year-old boy picked the family up to give them a ride back to their vehicle, and accidentally hit her after letting her out of his car. The teen driver didn't know he had hit Jasmine Afolabi and drove off. No charges will be filed.

From the AP via WTOP, it seems a Montgomery County man has pleaded guilty to holding a Nigerian teenager as a slave for five years. George Udeozor, 52, smuggled a 14-year-old Nigerian girl to the U.S. and used the girl as an unpaid domestic servant and child care provider. Sounds like that new Montgomery County law requiring contracts for domestic workers couldn't have come at a better time.

Silver Spring's new Fillmore music hall will be getting an $800,000 tax break over ten years under a law proposed by Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett. The proposed measure applies to the county's arts districts in Wheaton, Silver Spring, and Bethesda, and a county memo says the only projects eligible for the tax break would be the Fillmore and any condos units in a Bethesda building, the Trillium, that are occupied by "certified" artists or arts groups. The music hall, to be run by Live Nation, is expected to open in late 2009 or 2010. The agreement between the county and Live Nation has been criticized for being a sweetheart deal.

Legislation protecting transgender persons in Montgomery County suffered another blow this week as a judge sided with groups opposing that legislation, reports the Washington Post. This brings the possibility that voters will be able to decide on whether the law stays or goes even closer.

The Montgomery County Council voted last week to withhold $2 million in county funds for Live Nation's Fillmore concert hall in downtown Silver Spring until some details are explained. The council members wanted to see the planning and land use details before releasing the other $2 million of their contribution. The county and state of Maryland are set to spend $4 million each on the Fillmore, with Live Nation and a developer adding about another $5 million in cash and land.

We wrote last week that a deal was signed between Montgomery County and Live Nation for a Fillmore club in Silver Spring, and how Seth Hurwitz, head of local concert venue company I.M.P. vowed to keep fighting. Yesterday, Montgomery County Council members had their say, with some lambasting county officials over the deal.

Temperatures are expected to remain well below freezing again overnight, which can mean danger for the District's homeless population. The city has put out a reminder to call their Hypothermia Shelter Hotline should you spot anyone trying to sleep outside when it's this cold.

Good morning, Washington. We hope not too many of you were making your way into the city from Montgomery County this morning, as two separate water main breaks forced road closures in Takoma Park and kids to get the day off from school in Germantown. We'll admit it -- we're pretty envious of the students at Fox Chapel Elementary School, who get to spend the day doing whatever they please while we had to show up and actually do work. Isn't it supposed to be Christmas break already?

If you think the Montgomery County 911 system has problems, D.C.'s 911 office isn't likely going to be having an easy time of it this week either. On Saturday the Examiner ran a small story about how D.C. Council member David Catania (I-At large) had to make a 911 call early Friday morning and says he received "textbook badgering treatment" from the operator.

Good morning, Washington. If you experienced a power outage at some point on Sunday, you were not alone. Strong winds averaging close to 40 mph knocked out power to as many as 100,000 customers across the metro area yesterday. While not much ice or snow ever materialized during the weekend's storm, Sunday's chilly wind made for an uncomfortable time walking through downtown D.C. for many holiday shoppers -- we spotted at least one woman near Chinatown whose skirt was blown up almost entirely over her head. Slightly less strong winds are expected to continue throughout the day today, so if you wore anything billowy or potentially revealing, we hope you picked out some nice underwear this morning.

Good morning, Washington. Are ya ready for some embezzlement scandal news? Of course you are! This morning's update comes not from the embattled Office of Tax and Revenue, but rather from the D.C. Public Schools front office, as the Examiner reports that Eugene Smith, the former director of internal audits for DCPS, entered a guilty plea yesterday to charges of stealing nearly $50,000 from a charter school account. Smith was fired by the school system...

On Sunday the Post ran a big story on the future of SmarTrip cards containing some good news for DCist commenters who have long complained that the problem with SmarTrip is that you can't use them and take advantage of any of Metro's special discount passes. WMATA has announced that by the end of 2008, SmarTrip technology will allow customers to realize the benefits of its special passes like the 7-Day Fast Pass, Montgomery County's...

Good morning, Washington. Getting going on a Monday is normally difficult enough, but we were having a few technological difficulties this morning as well, so thanks for your patience and bear with this truncated Morning Roundup while we get up to speed. Tax Scandal Triggers Reviews in Counties: Neighboring jurisdictions are apparently taking D.C.'s tax office scandal to heart and initiating big reviews of their agencies. Property tax revenues are slated to be scrutinized in...

A Post business columnist and an independent music non-profit have joined the chorus questioning Live Nation's proposal for a Silver Spring music hall. Last Friday, Steven Pearlstein wrote that while I.M.P. boss Seth Hurwitz has fought against competition for his 9:30 Club before, and his alternative proposal to Live Nation is in his own best interest, "he's put forward a financial proposal attractive enough that county officials cannot ignore it."

Good morning, Washington. We hope you had a pleasant and restful evening despite the howling wind and bitter cold. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee had a bit of a rough night last night herself, as she was greeted by throngs of angry Ward 5 parents at the first community meeting that allowed her to present the school closures plan to the public. Ward 5 D.C. Council member Harry Thomas Jr. had set up the separate meeting...

>> Bostonist is on top of the hostage situation at the Hillary Clinton headquarters in Rochester, NH. [Bostonist] >> "The historic Hotel Washington will close at the end of the year to undergo extensive renovations and will reopen in 2009 as a sleek W Hotel." [AP via WTOP] >> "Montgomery County Del. Kumar Barve was arrested last night in Gaithersburg for allegedly driving while impaired by alcohol." [WaPo] >> "In this day and age,...

A happy Friday to you, Washington. Hopefully you all made it in to work on time despite Metro having reduced the speed of their rail cars in several areas this morning. Speed restrictions were in place until 8:10 a.m. along portions of the Orange line in Maryland and Virginia, the Red line from Union Station to Silver Spring and from Shady Grove to Grosvenor, and the Green line from Branch Avenue to Congress Heights...

>> D.C. police will spend $3 million in the 3rd Police District on an anti-gang initiative. [WaPo] >> Montgomery County Del. Jane Lawton, 63, died of an apparent heart attack this morning, collapsing after giving a speech in downtown Washington. Lawton also served as a four-term mayor of Chevy Chase. [Md. Moment] >> If you have an elderly relative living at either Carolyn Boone Lewis Health Care Center in D.C. or Ruxton Health of...

Via Silver Spring, Singular, we find this amusing/embarrassing video spoof based on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air put together by Darryl Williams, the new principal of Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring. Back in October, the Washington Post ran a profile on Williams as he transitioned into his new job at Blair, taking over for popular former principal Phillip Gainous. From the looks of things, Williams is already making his mark on...

Good morning, Washington. Given that A Charlie Brown Christmas was on TV last night, this story seems especially rough. Apparently some folks stole $1500 worth of Christmas trees from the Boy Scouts that were selling them. Remember kids: leave your clearly marked tree receipt out for Santa if you want your presents delivered promptly and with a minimum of additional paperwork. Latest On Taylor Murder Investigation, Funeral: The Post reports on the few details...

The plot thickens for the Montgomery County-Live Nation concert hall deal. In September the county signed a non-binding letter of intent with concert promoter Live Nation for a Fillmore concert hall in Silver Spring, which would give the company $8 million in state and county funds, rent well below the market rate, and other perks. But now, county council members, groups of residents, and even the Howard County executive are questioning the county's deal and backing the proposal by I.M.P., Seth Hurwitz's Montgomery-based company that runs the 9:30 Club and Merriweather Post Pavilion. I.M.P.'s proposal for a club would be cheaper for the county and would pay more rent.

Happy Day-After-Thanksgiving, D.C. Normally we like to get you your headlines in the a.m., so we hope you'll forgive us for rounding up the news later in the day today -- we needed to spend the morning rolling our much fatter selves out of bed and calling our doctors for a new Lipitor prescription. What do you mean, it isn't necessarily a good idea to put gravy on pumpkin pie? Breaking News: People are Shopping!:...