 Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich this week talks about his support for Governor Wes Moore’s proposal to accelerate the increase in the State minimum wage to $15 an hour. He also reflects on the important proposed changes for the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange. He encourages parents and volunteers to play vital roles in Read Across America Week. And discusses how the personal stories told during the first “Climate Stories Film Festival: Our Grain of Sand” touched many emotions as residents related how climate change was impacting their lives.
Montgomery County’s Alcohol Beverage Services (ABS) will open registration on Sunday, March 5, for its annual limited availability whiskey lotteries that provide opportunities to purchase highly sought spirits. The lotteries are free to enter, but have residency requirements.
Montgomery Parks, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, will present information, including traffic data, related to the Little Falls Parkway Pilot Project to the Montgomery Planning Board at an evening briefing on Thursday, March 30. After the briefing, the Planning Board will hold a public hearing so residents can respond to the data and share input on the project.
Montgomery County Public Libraries is partnering with the Jewish Council for the Aging Heyman Interages Center (JCA), or Interages, to celebrate “Read Across America Week” by providing a reading program at selected branches. The special week is March 2-6.
Montgomery Parks will host a busy lineup of special events and programs in March, including a variety of hikes, birdwatching and a ParksAle Trail adventure.
Under requirements of Montgomery County law, the Voluntary Rent Guideline (VRG) is updated annually to represent the prior year increase in the rental component of the Consumer Price Index for the Washington Metropolitan Area. Based on that, the VRG for Montgomery County has been set at 5.8 percent. That guideline went into effect on Feb. 24.
The nine-foot-tall sculpture recognizing “Harriet Tubman—The Journey to Freedom” will be the subject of a free online presentation by Montgomery History at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, March 7. Anthony Cohen, historian and Menare Foundation president, will lead the discussion of the statue by artist Wesley Wofford.
 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 will 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 March and April.
A free online lecture on “Historic Preservation in Montgomery County” led by author and activist Eileen McGuckian and Montgomery Preservation will be held from 7-8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 15. The event will be presented by Silver Spring Town Center, Inc.
 Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich will join Montgomery County Public Libraries (MCPL), other officials and community members at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 15, for ceremonies reopening the Potomac Library. The branch has been closed since May 22, 2022, for significant renovations.
Companies and organizations developing health care or AI technologies or using cybersecurity tools to protect their manufacturing operations, their organization or other technologies can learn about local resources that may help on Monday, March 6, at a National Center for Cybersecurity Excellence Cybersecurity Connections event in Rockville.
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.
 The City of Gaithersburg, in partnership with The Peterson Companies and rio, will host its 21st St. Patrick's Day Parade at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 11. Following the parade, there will be festive live music, specials and family fun throughout the rio lakefront.
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.
Artist proposals are now be accepted to create a permanent art installation at Gene Lynch Urban Park in Downtown Silver Spring. The park, which will open in spring, sits on a quarter acre at the intersection of Colesville Road and Wayne Avenue, immediately adjacent to the former Discovery Channel Headquarters building and across the street from the Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Center and Silver Spring Metro Station.
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