 Earth Day, which has expanded into a month-long celebration of protecting the earth’s resources, is foremost on the mind of County Executive Marc Elrich this week. He appreciates that the County Council unanimously passed the Building Energy Performance Standards legislation that will help the County reach the goals in its Climate Action Plan. He expresses more concern about the increasing rates of COVID-19 infections and the effects of “long COVID” on many residents. In addition, he talks about the impact Interfaith Works has had on County residents as the organization celebrates its 50th anniversary.
 Passengers using Montgomery County’s Ride On buses are no longer required to wear a mask, but are strongly encouraged to voluntarily wear them. The change to the County’s masking policy comes after the announcement on April 18 that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has suspended enforcement of a mask mandate on all modes of public transportation. TSA’s decision came after a Federal judge’s ruling that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s mask mandate was unconstitutional.
The Seventh Annual Montgomery County “GreenFest” will return as a free in-person festival celebrating Earth Day from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday, April 23, at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton.
 Registration is now open for Montgomery County Public Schools middle school students interested in attending the fourth year of the unique and innovative “Montgomery Can Code Camp” this summer. The free virtual program is a public-private partnership formed by Montgomery College, Montgomery County Public Schools and the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation with Apple. It will offer an enriching and educational summer camp experience to learn computer coding.
 “MoCo Eats Week” will be an opportunity to visit favorite restaurants throughout Montgomery County and incentive to try new ones from April 22-30. The special week of food, which is hosted by Visit Montgomery, includes a chance to win the “Ultimate Foodie Giveaway” valued at $1,000.
 Montgomery County residents or companies that purchase electric leaf blowers are eligible for rebates of $50 or $100 through a special program that supports the County’s Climate Action Plan whose goals include reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Each individual or company is eligible for up to two rebates on either handheld or backpack electric leaf blowers.
 Earth Month will be celebrated throughout April by the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection with volunteer, community and environmental events that are fun, educational, and bring attention to the importance of caring for the environment.
 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have approved giving a second booster dose of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for certain groups. Montgomery County-operated clinics are now providing the second booster dose to eligible residents.
 Montgomery County residents can pick up free at-home polymerase chain reaction COVID-19 test kits at locations throughout the community. The "20/20 GeneSystems" tests are available to County residents while supplies last. Residents can receive a maximum of two test kits per person (each kit contains one test) per visit.
Just a few short weeks ago, the world let out a collective gasp as actor Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock during the Academy Awards show in response to Rock’s joke about Smith’s wife, actress Jada Pinkette Smith. On the latest episode of the What’s Happening MoCo podcast, Montgomery County’s Director of the Department of Health and Human Services, Raymond Crowel, shares his insights regarding the controversial incident.
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The Montgomery County Department of Transportation has started its semi-annual interior washdown to degrease and clean 21 County-owned parking garages in Silver Spring, Bethesda and Wheaton.
Montgomery County’s Department of Health and Human Services will host a virtual town hall from 3:30-5 p.m. on Thursday, May 5, to focus on the status of health in the community. Partners from clinical care settings, government agencies, community-based organizations, nonprofit organizations and academic and research institutions, as well as interested residents, are invited to the free event.
 Three-time Austin Music Award winner Patricia Vonne, an Alt-Americana powerhouse incorporating her special blend of rock, folk, flamenco, bilingual Tex-Mex and Latin music, will be the featured performer on Saturday, April 23, as Gaithersburg’s Arts on the Green opens its 2022 Singer Songwriter Concert Series at the Gaithersburg Arts Barn.
The sixth annual Wheaton Arts Parade & Festival poster will be based on the design submitted by K.S. Brenowitz, a Silver Spring resident and graphic artist. The contest was open to all residents of Montgomery County. Following their selection, Brenowitz worked with Wheaton Art Parade designer Josue Martinez of Corinto Gallery to apply the original design to the poster and for use on other promotional materials, including the T-shirt, for the event that will be held on Sunday, Sept. 25, in Downtown Wheaton.
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Residents can showcase their art in the online exhibition “Natur(ally)—A Virtual Community Art Exhibition in Celebration of Earth Day” taking place from 7-9 p.m. on Friday, April 22, on Zoom. The exhibition, presented by Silver Spring Town Center, Inc., will be hosted by artist Marcie Wolf-Hubbard.
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 The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) currently operates one line of the County’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service, branded Flash, in the Colesville Road/Columbia Pike (US 29) corridor. The upgraded bus service is part of a planned network of BRT lines in the County. MCDOT is now in the planning stages for a North Bethesda BRT line and would like residents to assist in determining the street layout, location of stations and the endpoints of the corridor.
“The Dairy Industry in the Bethesda Area in the First Half of the 20th Century”—and before the building of the Beltway—will be the focus of a virtual presentation of Montgomery History at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 26. The presentation was developed in cooperation with the Bethesda Historical Society to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of Bethesda.
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 April will have a lot of opportunities to dust off the winter cobwebs and get moving with a month of special events from Montgomery Parks, including Sunset Yoga, Chess in the Park and Acoustics & Ales.
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