 The elections of Andrew Friedson and Kate Stewart as the new County Council president and vice president, respectively, have County Council Executive Marc Elrich looking forward to what the County’s executive and legislative branches can achieve in 2024 by working together. He additionally thanks Councilmember Evan Glass for his efforts during his one year as Council President. County Executive Elrich also talks this week about ways the County will work toward helping the homeless throughout the difficult winter months. He also provides an update on how the County is helping electric vehicle owners by increasing the availability of charging stations. And he reminds those that appreciate highly sought alcohol products that the deadline to register to buy special products from the County's Alcohol Beverage Services is Dec. 9.
Stories in this issue include:
 The nearly 2,700 certified and trained career and volunteer responders of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) answer more than 120,000 calls each year. Although MCFRS has worked hard to diversify its numbers, it still has many more males than females. Which is what made one night in November so different.
 Montgomery Parks will hold its third annual “Urban Wood Sale” on Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 9-10, at the Montgomery Parks Green Farm Maintenance Facility in Gaithersburg. The sale will offer woodworkers and craftspeople the chance to purchase wood salvaged from Montgomery Parks trees. Wood will be available from the historic Linden Oak Tree that had to be taken down earlier this year.
What is the secret to your Italian grandmother's spaghetti sauce? What exactly are tapas? How does your family make shashlik or pelmeni? Do they really eat fermented shark, sheep's head and sour ram testicles in Iceland? These long-held cooking traditions will be the focus of a diverse by at 7 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 11, as Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. presents “Culinary Traditions of Europe.”
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 Registration for ice time and reservations for tennis courts will soon open. Registration for Montgomery Parks’ Winter Term I ice and tennis court availability will open at 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 19.
The ‘Garden Railway Exhibit’ at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, winter shows at the Cabin John and Wheaton ice rinks, the annual urban wood sale in Gaithersburg and the Garden of Lights at Brookside are among the highlights of the special programs and events being offered by Montgomery Parks in December.
 Metro will begin a two-week construction project on the Red Line, starting Monday, Dec. 18, to perform critical safety repairs to the tunnel and track infrastructure, upgrade signal and communications systems, and install new platform edge lights. During construction, Red Line service will be unavailable at Farragut North, Metro Center and Gallery Place stations.
 Holiday markets, performances by the Maryland Youth Ballet, holiday concerts, jewelry making, Santa and the Grinch will be among the highlights in December on the event-packed calendar events in the Silver Spring Arts and Entertainment District.
The Wheaton Arts & Entertainment District and surrounding areas will have a full schedule of winter events and holiday celebrations for all ages. The events will include the “Santa Paws Pet Party” on Monday, Dec. 11, at Westfield Wheaton, and the Wheaton Holiday Market on Saturdays, Dec. 16 and 23, at Marian Fryer Town Plaza.
 Information about proposed improvements and renovations to Rosemary Hills-Lyttonsville Local Park in Silver Spring will be the focus of a hybrid community meeting hosted by Montgomery Parks at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 13. The meeting will be held at Gwendolyn E. Coffield Community Center in Silver Spring, with residents also able to participate via Zoom.
The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration has started a project to maintain pavement and improve ride quality on I-495 (the Capital Beltway) that will impact Montgomery County drivers through the end of the year. The work will be done five nights a week between MD 191 (Bradley Boulevard) and east of Linden Lane and between east of Northwest Branch Anacostia River and US 29 (Colesville Road).
 Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, along with the County’s regional services offices and community partners, is hosting a series of 10 “Community Conversations” to seek input on the Fiscal Year 2025 Operating Budget. The last conversation, from 2-3:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 11, will be a hybrid meeting that will focus on issues important to senior residents.
 The Montgomery County Commission for Women will offer a free online seminar on Women's Sexual Health and Wellness to help empower individuals to hold healthy conversations about sex, menopause and how sex impacts the body as people age. This event will be presented on Zoom from 7-8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 13.
 The “first family” of Potomac were the Offutts, for whom Potomac was originally named (Offutt’s Crossroads). Montgomery History, starting on Monday, Dec. 11, and continuing for a one-week period, will present a free, online presentation on the history of the Montgomery County community.
 Montgomery County Recreation’s “Rec Assist” program provides County residents who receive eligible public assistance an opportunity to receive a scholarship to use toward most Recreation classes, activities and memberships that have a cost associated with them. For 2024, the amount each eligible family member could receive in a year has been increased to $400.
 The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) is returning “Flash Lights” buses for the winter holiday season. Montgomery County residents and visitors can take in the roaming light display along Colesville Road/US 29 as five of the Flash Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) buses have been adorned with festive holiday lights. The buses will remain decorated throughout December.
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