Four people are injured after a Montgomery Village home caught fire in the early hours of Easter Sunday morning. Police say the fire began around 1 a.m. in the 9600 block of Whetstone Drive. Around 75 firefighters responded to the scene, according to the county’s Fire and Rescue spokesperson Pete Piringer.
The cause of the fire was likely an electrical accident stemming from the screened-in porch area of the house, Piringer said. Three residents and a firefighter were taken to the hospital with injuries, and one—a female who had to be resuscitated on the scene by firefighters—is still in critical condition, according to Piringer. [WTOP]
Drug overdoses prompt high schools to change bathroom policies
Amid an alarming spike in fentanyl-related youth overdoses, Montgomery County high schools are stiffening up their policies regarding bathroom safety. Walter Johnson High School recently implemented a new bathroom-locking policy, similar to Bethesda-Chevy Chase High’s.
A recent study found that youth fentanyl overdoses have risen 77% in the county over the last two years, with 90% of school overdoses taking place in bathrooms. All county public school security guards are now required to carry Narcan—an emergency overdose reversal drug. [The Tattler]
Hundreds of residents confused over new tax credit law
Under a new Maryland law, homeowners must apply to receive a tax break on their primary residence—known as the Income Tax Offset Credit (ITOC). Over 924 Montgomery County residents have called into the state’s tax agency with questions about their eligibility for the $692 tax credit.
People applying for the credit for the first time have until May 1 to file. According to some residents, they need an access code to apply—which can take up to three weeks to obtain. A tax official said they’re “pooling resources from all over the department” to ensure people get the information they need in time to meet the deadline. [WTOP]
Today’s weather
Sunny with a high of 66 and mild winds.
In case you missed it:
Baby delivered on I-270 in the Germantown area in the wee hours of Friday morning
Study aims to inform competing rent stabilization bills
Inside Charley Prime Foods, the American bistro set to open this month at Rio Lakefront
