Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Find out what city facilities are open on the holiday.
Looking for something to do in Gaithersburg on Memorial Day? There aren't many options. All city facilities will be closed on Monday, May 27, with the following three operating on a modified schedule: Administrative offices for the Gaithersburg police department will be closed from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., but this will not affect police patrol, according to the city. Monday recycling will instead be collected on Saturday, May 25.
Duke is a fun-loving, young miniature pinscher mix who gets along well with everyone and is looking for his new family.
Hey guys, my name is Duke and I’m very pleased to meet you! I’m a charming and energetic one-and-a-half-to-two-year-old miniature pinscher mix with loads of personality. I’m the complete package: smart, social, affectionate and playful, with a little mischief mixed in to keep things interesting. I only weigh about 12 pounds, but I’m no shrinking violet, and can run and play with the best of them. Sadly, my owners surrendered me to a shelter in Maryland, and said they just didn’t want me anymore. I don’t understand it, but I’m better off without those guys anyway. I was pretty scared in the shelter and realize how lucky I am to make it out alive. I’ve settled into home life now, and am so thankful for my second chance and the opportunity to…
The state's spending and advocacy for cyclists earned it a high ranking from the League of American Bicyclists.
Maryland is one of the best states in the region to bike, according to new rankings from the League of American Bicyclists. A combination of citizen advocacy for safe bike routes, dedicated state funding and a "Share the Road" campaign helped the state earn No. 11, behind places like Washington state, Colorado, Oregon and Massachusetts. Neighboring states also fared well on the rankings list: Delaware was 5, Pennsylvania was 15 and Virgina was 16. The League created a list of 10 signs that show progress on bikeability for states, including more than 1 percent of the commuters using bikes, bike education for police and congestion mitigation, none of which the organization noted positively for Maryland. "As the scores clearly highlight, …
A Montgomery County councilman pitches a plan as Pepco customers sound off.
Last year's derecho storm was the latest to highlight issues with Pepco reliability and communication. Last week, Montgomery County Councilman Roger Berliner proposed a "Utility 2.0" plan to improve electricity service. Patch users had something to say about Pepco getting a rate increase to pay for reliability improvements: Michael Smith said: "Why should Pepco increase it's rates AT ALL to pay for infrastructure? Each year they make over $100 MILLION dollars in pure profit and invest ZERO of it into the community." Arlene K. Polangin said: "Pepco needs to improve service BEFORE it gets a rate increase. Why should customers pay for poor service with a higher bill? The DERECHO = 6 days NO electricity and every little outage = no power in …
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it's likely that there's fecal matter in public pools across the country.
Summer is just around the corner and what could be more refreshing than a dip in your local pool? Just don't open your mouth. In a recently released study, the CDC found E.coli in more than half of the public pool filters tested for genetic material. Although the researchers did not find the toxin-producing strain of E. coli that can cause diarrhea, cramps and, sometime, kidney failure, the bacteria they did find is normally found in human intestines and feces. What that means, in case it’s unclear, is that “swimmers frequently contaminate pool water when they have a fecal incident in the water or when feces rinse off of their bodies because they do not shower thoroughly before getting into the water.” In addition to 58 percent of the …
Yes, Wednesdays can be a challenge. Need some inspiration from those who "climbed a mountain?"
Are Wednesdays really so tough? Well, yes, they can be. Here, though, is to keeping things in perspective. For more than a month now, Patch and Grape-Nuts have teamed up to present stories about your neighbors - neighbors who have faced challenges that would seem insurmountable to many of us. But not to the people we've featured in this series, Journeys. Not surprisingly, the stories have generated dozens of comments on Patch and on Facebook: "Great story..." "Thanks for sharing..." "So wonderfully inspiring..." And, so, here they are again. Great stories shared to inspire. Take a look at what these people have faced. Then click on the story to see their responses. And feel better about your tough Wednesday. Enterprising Dad Juggles …
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Police: Runner's injuries may be life threatening
A jogger was seriously injured after being hit by an unoccupied school bus in Rockville on Tuesday, Montgomery County police said. Police said Jason Alexander Estabrook, 42, of Point of Rocks, was running along Shady Grove Road at around 2:30 p.m. when he was hit by a bus at the intersection of Darnestown Road. Police said Estabrook's inuries were "possibly life-threatening." The driver, Tugjnyam Bavaa, 58, of Rockville, was not injured. Montgomery County Public Schools spokesman Dana Tofig said the driver had just finished his route from Wootton High School and was heading to pick up students at Frost Middle School.
Changes to Gaithersburg code would address 'peddlers, hawkers and solicitors,' and city exemptions from county regulations.
The Gaithersburg City Council on Monday set public hearing dates this summer for ordinances dealing with how county laws apply in the city and how the city treats "peddlers, hawkers and solicitors." A proposed emergency ordinance that deals with how Gaithersburg interacts with county laws—the city must opt in for them to be valid—would remove provisions from the county code that conflict with city law. As part of the ordinance, the city would remove the following county code provisions from the city code: Each of the areas already are regulated by the city. The ordinance also will delete the county provision establishing the county water quality protection charge. Gaithersburg included its own water quality protection charge in the fiscal …
Data from 2009 reveals that students have long struggled with final exams in MCPS math courses.
Few Montgomery County Public Schools students enrolled in high school math courses made high marks on final exams last semester, data released by the school district last week showed. In one class, Bridge to Algebra 2, less than 1 percent made an "A" on the final exam. (See data, above, that details the distribution of final exam grades "A" through "E" for eight math courses last semester.) School officials were prompted to release student math grades after members of the county school board grilled Superintendent Joshua Starr about last semester's final exam grades. Media outlets reported earlier this month that the majority of students in high school math—Algebra, Algebra 2, Geometry and Precalculus—failed their final exams. Starr …
To add photos to Montgomery County Patch's Flickr pool, search "Show Us Your Patch of Montgomery County" and join the group.
How does Montgomery County light up? Pharmacies, roads and town hubs—Patch was inspired by the photos you submitted this week that show our community at dusk or just after. (Are you a photographer? Both iPhone and professional photogs welcome in our Montgomery County Patch Flickr pool. Join here and upload! Your photos may end up on any of our 11 websites throughout the county.)
Mutts Matter Rescue
12:13 am on Friday, May 24, 2013
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