 To fill many vacancies in the County’s Police Department—and ensure the County attracts top quality recruits—County Executive Marc Elrich this week explains why he is supporting a proposal to pay $20,000 bonuses to future police recruits. Following a deadly apartment building fire in Silver Spring, the County Executive thanked first responders and those that helped residents who were displaced. He encourages parents and students to attend a forum on Saturday, Feb. 25, at Northwood High School in Silver Spring that will address the dangers of fentanyl. And he talks about how the County is addressing demonstrations of the Proud Boys, who are attempting to disrupt Drag Queen Story Hour events.
Montgomery County and the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Lodge No. 35 have come to an agreement to begin offering a $20,000 bonus for new sworn police recruits. Full implementation of the bonus program would require County Council approval for Fiscal Year 2024 and beyond budgets.
A plaque has been dedicated at the Rockville Memorial Library recognizing the name change from the original Rockville Library. The name change for the branch of the Montgomery County Public Libraries system was instituted in 2010 at the request of Gold Star families—those who have lost a family member in U.S. military conflicts—and the County Commission on Veterans Affairs.
 Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller met in North Bethesda on Feb. 17 with Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, County Council President Evan Glass and members of the County Council for a presentation and update on the UM-Institute for Health Computing project.
 Montgomery Parks will be hosting two meetings to present initial concepts and solicit feedback on the future Bethesda Market Park development.
 The schedule and education sessions for the 10th Annual Montgomery County Energy Summit were announced this week, with focus on preparing the commercial building community for compliance with energy benchmarking, building energy performance standards and emerging building codes. The summit will take place in-person on March 28 and 29 at the Silver Spring Civic Building. It will offer hands-on learning opportunities and actionable case studies from commercial and multifamily buildings.
“Montgomery Connects,” Montgomery County’s digital equity and inclusion program, will distribute 10,000 laptops to low-income individuals funded by the FCC’s Emergency Connectivity Fund grant and Maryland Emergency Education Relief grants. The distributions will take place, while supplies last, at numerous events across the County in February, March and April.
Entries are now being accepted for the Seventh Annual Wheaton Arts Parade & Festival poster contest. The winning design will be used on all promotional materials for the parade and festival, which will take place in Downtown Wheaton on Sunday, Oct. 15. The winner will receive a $500 commission.
As the world continues to grapple with the complexities of securing critical IT systems and infrastructure, the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) and partners are stepping up their collaborative approach to cybersecurity innovation. A new initiative with a focus on helping small businesses seeking to provide cybersecurity services will be detailed at an event in Rockville on Monday, March 6.
Montgomery County has released the second-quarter update of its Fiscal Year 2023 Climate Work Plan, highlighting ongoing work on the County’s Climate Action Plan. In the second quarter of FY23, progress was made on more than 50 actions to help reach the goals of the plan.
AFI Silver Theatre will join with Solas Nua to present the 17th Annual Capital Irish Film Festival (CIFF) from March 2-5 in Silver Spring. The four-day festival will bring the best of contemporary Irish cinema by filmmakers from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
In recognition of March as Women’s History Month, the Montgomery County Commission for Women, Montgomery County Public Libraries and Friends of the Library, Montgomery County is holding its Sixth Annual “Girl Power Contest.” County residents, ages 5 and up, are encouraged to submit a short story, poem, drawing or entry in the medium of their choice that addresses this year’s theme.
County residents who are ages 100 and older or will turn 100 in 2023 will be honored in May at a special celebration. Montgomery County Recreation is now seeking to identify those residents so they can be invited to the event.
James and the Giant Peach, a musical based on the book by Roald Dahl with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and book by Timothy Allen McDonald, will be presented from March 10-26 at the Gaithersburg Arts Barn. The show, recommended for ages 5 and older, follows James and his new friends as they roll their peach into the ocean and embark on a fantastic voyage that crosses paths with seagulls and sharks and lands them on top of the Empire State Building.
A free spring and summer concert series at the Good Hope Neighborhood Recreation Center in Silver Spring will return this year as a partnership between Bloom by Strathmore and Montgomery County Recreation. The Bloom at Good Hope concert series will open on Saturday, March 11, with Standards Reimagined with Christie Dashiell.
|
