Page 2 – Bethesda Magazine

In Silver Spring, businesses complain of crime increase, and advocates worry about response

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December 17, 2021

In Silver Spring, businesses complain of crime increase, and advocates worry about response

Business leaders in downtown Silver Spring say they are worried about a spike in crime recently that they say has harmed quality of life there. At the same time, advocacy groups and at least one lawmaker are concerned about the potential response.

Violent crime has risen across Montgomery County over the past two years, marked by an increase in homicides, non-fatal shootings and robberies. In Silver Spring, the crimes have included shootings that have damaged downtown businesses, such as one that happened around 2 a.m. Monday on Georgia Avenue following a fight. No one was injured. Additionally a man was stabbed to death last week near the intersection of Ellsworth Drive and Fenton Street, following a drug deal that went bad.

Zed Mekonnen, who owns Zed’s Café, said his business was about a block away from the area where the most recent shooting happened. The restaurant wasn’t damaged, but he said it’s still worrying.

“There’s no comfort in that. The surge in criminal activities is a concern to everyone,” he said this week.

Jane Redicker, the president of the Greater Silver Spring Chamber of Commerce, said on Monday that the chamber has been discussing the rise in crime with Montgomery County police officers for several months, and they have since formed a crime suppression task force to increase the number of officers on the street.

“Our chamber has a security task force that is property owners and property managers who meet once a month,” she said. And so partly in those conversations partly in other conversations, we talked about our concerns, and we heard more about how this is rolling out from the police perspective and what they’re doing.”

Last week, Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy said during a press conference that prosecutors from his office were involved in the task force and had worked on 10 cases in which criminals were charged, mainly for drug offenses that have happened near the Silver Spring Civic Center.

In an interview with Bethesda Beat, McCarthy said the task force isn’t focused on prosecuting cases of simple drug possession.

“We’re talking about selling drugs and distributing drugs,” he said. “We’re talking about something that’s changing the quality of life in Silver Spring.”

McCarthy said the goal of the task force is to improve quality of life for patrons in downtown Silver Spring.

“The objective is to make the situation better so that businesses thrive, the community thrives and people are safe when they come downtown to have dinner or to shop or come down to listen to a band…,” he said.

Redicker said police have been telling business owners that criminals used to operate in small groups of two or three, but lately the groups have been larger.

When asked whether it was fair to single out Silver Spring as a location where crime has increased the most recently, Redicker pointed to statistics provided in a County Council staff report for the Public Safety Committee last week. Among the numbers are that 19 of the 38 privately made guns recovered this year were recovered in the 3^rd District (Silver Spring, Fairland, Burtonsville) – the most in any of the six police districts in the county. Additionally, the report states that there have been 366 auto thefts in the 3^rd District this year, compared with the district with the next highest total, the 2^nd District (North Bethesda, Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Potomac, Kensington), which has had 215.

Emily Bruno, the owner of Denizens Brewing Co. on East West Highway, told Bethesda Beat this week that she thinks county leaders are more tolerant of crime in Silver Spring, compared with other areas of the county.

“I think there are certain levels of activity, whether it’s people hanging out on the street, whether it’s drug use, whether it’s like petty crime…. that the county does not tolerate in Bethesda and other places, that it does tolerate here, and I don’t know why that is, because they should be considering these two urban centers (Bethesda and Silver Spring) right next to the D.C. border, as kind of their two main urban core areas,” she said.

Bruno said it’s important for people to realize that the increase in crime is a multi-year trend that she’s observed since Denizens opened in 2014. They experienced it firsthand last year when the bar was burglarized, and Bruno said they also had problems last year with people loitering in their beer garden overnight.

“I was told that [police officers] weren’t allowed to remove anyone from private property,” she said.

Some county stakeholders don’t agree that simply adding more police officers to the streets of Silver Spring is the answer. Carlean Ponder, of the Silver Spring Justice Coalition, told Bethesda Beat on Thursday she worries that adding more officers in Silver Spring engenders “tough on crime” rhetoric that became popular in the 1990s.

“For some people, maybe walking down the street and seeing a line of armed policemen is comforting. Certainly not for all people in this community, and in the Silver Spring community,” she said.

Ponder said that by virtue of the fact that many businesses are in downtown Silver Spring, there’s more outcry over crime there.

“That’s why you’re gonna have a more vocal response, because of the businesses in downtown Silver Spring that we love and support. I’m not villainizing the businesses, they’re just more vocal,” Ponder said. “They have the capacity to be more vocal. They have the capacity to organize.”

Ponder said that County Executive Marc Elrich has “given lip service” to ideas such as increasing the number of mobile crisis units in the county, but that he hasn’t delivered.

“We need a holistic approach to public safety. I would hate to see the business community support the kind of stuff that we have in this country, that has proven to fail, in terms of one, actually providing community safety, and two, addressing underlying needs in terms of the reason that people are driven to violence to begin with,” she said.

Up until this year the county had only one mobile crisis team, but two new three-member teams launched in August due to a $1.9 million grant.

Scott Peterson, a spokesman for Elrich’s office, told Bethesda Beat they planned on Friday to respond.

State Del. Jheanelle Wilkins, a Democrat who represents Silver Spring and lives downtown, said many of the recent incidents of violence are concerning, but the focus should be on the causes of the violence and the solutions “rather than inciting fear or impugning downtown Silver Spring.”

“We have to look at it comprehensively. We have to look at the types of programming and activities and job solutions that we have for our young people,” she said.

Wilkins said some of the rhetoric she’s heard recently about Silver Spring has been hyperbolic, although she did not criticize any county officials by name.

“I would hardly call Silver Spring lawless. I would hardly say that there’s an open-air drug market. Absolutely there are incidents that are taking place, and I’m not questioning that. But I think we should focus on the facts and the solutions and just work together on comprehensive ways to mitigate the instances that are taking place,” she said.

Wilkins said Silver Spring has been under a microscope lately because of its importance within the county and the state, but that the increase in crime there is no different from an overall increase in crime across the county recently.

Redicker said it isn’t clear whether the rise in violence is affecting the bottom line of businesses, because they’ve already been struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather, it’s created a general sense of fear, she said.

“We don’t hear from people about how it’s affecting their bottom line. But what we hear from them is that they’re concerned. They’re afraid for their employees and they want something done,” she said.

Redicker, who has led the Silver Spring chamber for 16 years, said that between the crime increase and the pandemic, it has been one of the most challenging times she’s seen in the community there, she said.

“Public safety and safety of our community is very much a public welfare issue. And [county officials] have an obligation to lead the way,” she said. “And this could be their opportunity to be the first to find some solutions that maybe we don’t know about maybe we haven’t tried yet, but we could try.”

Dan Schere can be reached at daniel.schere@moco360.media

B-CC Rescue Squad to end service to upper Northwest D.C. by year’s end

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December 17, 2021

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B-CC Rescue Squad to end service to upper Northwest D.C. by year’s end

The Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad will end its ambulance service to upper Northwest D.C. by the end of this year.

The decision was made after reviewing response data and determining that the dedicated emergency service wouldn’t be needed because of an increase in fire stations with paramedic services in D.C. and Montgomery County. [WTOP]

As Bread and Roses Party disbands, founder to run for governor as Dem

The Bread and Roses Party, a socialist party officially recognized by the state of Maryland for the 2020 election cycle, has disbanded.

The party founder, Jerome M. Segal of Silver Spring, an author, college lecturer and activist, said he plans to run for governor as a Democrat in 2022. [Maryland Matters]

MCPS looks to hire bus drivers, substitutes at job fair

Montgomery County Public Schools is hosting an in-person job fair on Monday.

The school district is looking to fill positions for bus drivers, substitutes, school security assistance and elsewhere. [WUSA]

WSSC Water’s budget proposes $400M in upgrades, rate hikes

WSSC Water has approved more than $400 million in contracts to upgrade and improve aging water and sewer infrastructure in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.

That includes two $200 million contracts to rehabilitate sewer pipes across Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. [WTOP]

Today’s weather

Mostly cloudy, with a high around 59 and a low around 44

In case you missed it…

Reported shooting in Montgomery Village injures 15-year-old boy

Cost estimate for Purple Line mezzanine project jumps from $2.4 million to $25 million

Father held without bond after missing Silver Spring baby was found in New York City

County officials ponder vaccine mandate for indoor dining

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December 17, 2021

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County officials ponder vaccine mandate for indoor dining

Months after County Executive Marc Elrich said local leaders were floating the idea of a regional vaccine passport for Montgomery County and the greater Washington, D.C., region, it appears that proposal will not likely happen, at least in the immediate future.

But in a news briefing with reporters this week, Elrich said he would support another idea to try and mitigate the spread of the coronavirus: proof of vaccination for indoor dining.

Indoor dining is one place where masks are not continuously worn, and where the virus can potentially spread, the county executive said.

“The Board of Health is perfectly free to do that,” he said about an vaccination requirement for indoor dining. “And I would be thrilled if they did it.”

Previously, Elrich had suggested a vaccine passport between Montgomery County and neighboring jurisdictions. A regional governing body that could draft and pass such a regulation is the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG, or COG).

Steve Kania, a spokesman for the Council of Governments, wrote in email that at this point, “the administrative officials who discussed this topic in August have not taken it up again… there’s still no regional proposal being advanced through COG.”

County Council President Gabe Albornoz, who also chairs the Board of Health, said in an interview Thursday that he wasn’t opposed to Elrich’s suggestion for a vaccine mandate for indoor dining.

Larger jurisdictions around the country have enacted versions of a mandate, including Philadelphia, New York City and San Francisco.

Given the fluid movement of people throughout the Washington, D.C., region, Albornoz said it is probably worth trying to coordinate with other jurisdictions, like with the vaccine passport.

“I certainly understand the concept, but I think for it to be effective, there would have to be a regional approach to carrying out something like that … given the transient nature of our community, that is something to be considered, for that to have any sort of weight,” Albornoz said.

More than a dozen businesses countywide require proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID-19 test for entry, including about a handful of bars and restaurants.

A few restaurant owners in Bethesda, however, said enforcing an indoor vaccine mandate would be difficult, given the political nature of the issue.

Laura Houlihan, owner of Barrel & Crow, said it is difficult to ask customers whether they have been fully vaccinated, and some might have a legitimate medical or religious reason not to get it. She said she is vaccinated but has an employee who is going through chemotherapy, and thus could not.

She added there’s also the issue of breakthrough cases, and whether having a mandatory vaccination policy would actually improve business, or hurt it. It’s not a clear question to answer, Houlihan added.

A contractor who works for her “has had the booster and both vaccines and still got [it] … there’s so much that we don’t know about this .. I don’t know if people would come in and be at more ease if they knew that a restaurant was 100% vaccinated,” Houlihan said.

Alan Pohoryles, owner of Tommy Joe’s Bar and Grille, also said it would be difficult to enforce such a policy. Pohoryles is fully vaccinated and personally believes that people, if they are able, should get the vaccine.

Pohoryles said that Tommy Joe’s initially had a vaccine requirement for customers, but removed it when the county reinstated its mask mandate in November, not long after the county had lifted its mandate.

It’s difficult to enforce a vaccine mandate, especially during busier times, he said.

“Do you know how difficult it is when you have 100 people waiting to get into your restaurant, to check if they’re vaccinated? It’s nearly impossible,” Pohoryles said.

The rise of coronavirus cases and news of the omicron variant has already caused several cancellations of reservations at his restaurant, Pohoryles said.

“For every three parties we book, two parties cancel because of COVID,” he said.

There’s also another dynamic, Pohoryles said: How would restaurants fare under such a policy decision, versus bars that stay open late that also serve food? It’s difficult to say, he added.

“The personal side [of me] says, ‘Yeah that’s a great idea,’” Pohoryles said. “The business owner side [of me] says, ‘I’m scared of the business I’m going to lose, especially with how bad things got for restaurants during the [early] pandemic.”

Albornoz emphasized that before any Board of Health proposal is considered, there would need to be input from businesses and others.

“For it to be effective, I think we would have cross regional cooperation, and we would want input from our stakeholders, he said.

Steve Bohnel can be reached at steve.bohnel@moco360.media

McKnight’s $2.93B budget for fiscal year 2023 reflects lower enrollment

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December 17, 2021

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McKnight’s $2.93B budget for fiscal year 2023 reflects lower enrollment

Montgomery County Public Schools Interim Superintendent Monifa McKnight’s budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2023 allocates about $2.93 billion for the district, reflecting less revenue because of lower enrollment.

The budget is the first proposed one with McKnight at the helm of MCPS. The total budget reflects a decrease in local tax revenue of $32.35 million, due to enrollment being down from about a year ago, per a news release. Yet it still represents a $148.7 million increase — about 5.3% — over the current budget, Fiscal Year 2022. McKnight presented the highlights of the budget Thursday night at Seneca Valley High School in Germantown, noting the overall impact of enrollment trends.

As of Sept. 30 of this year, 154,391 students were enrolled in the school district. That’s 2,347 fewer students than were enrolled at the same point in 2020. Enrollment in 2019 was 165,267 students, according to MCPS data.

McKnight said other school districts around the country are facing similar declines in enrollment.

“We are far from alone in confronting these enrollment trends,” McKnight said. “But they are real and are exerting a very real impact on next year’s revenue streams.”

McKnight is seeking a budget increase of $148.7 million over this year.

McKnight said there are great challenges facing MCPS schools, caused in part because of the coronavirus pandemic and other factors. About 38% of students are impacted by poverty, shown by their eligibility to receive free and reduced meals (FARM) at school, she said.

“Who we are drives how we allocate our money so that we equitably differentiate our resources for every one of our students to get what they need to be successful in their futures,” McKnight said.

The budget also allocates just under $5.9 million for more than 61 additional full-time positions throughout the district, including at a new elementary school in Gaithersburg, scheduled to open in September of next year.

The school, planned for a 6-acre section of Kelley Park on Victory Farm Drive, will be able to serve up to 675 students and cost $26 million.

McKnight requested that $131.3 million be funded above the minimum level required by the state’s Maintenance of Effort. Maintenance of effort is a state law that requires counties to provide at least the same level of funding as the prior budget year.

She said she made this proposal, in part, to make up for the decrease in revenue from declining student enrollment. Near the end of her remarks, McKnight paid tribute to former school board member Pat O’Neill, who died in September. O’Neill always said finalizing the operating budget was a “team effort.” McKnight agreed.

“We hold an obligation to support the investments of this recommended operating budget because we hold an obligation to our children — all children, all needs, their future lives — in our hands,” McKnight said.

The interim superintendent’s presentation kicks off the budget process. The Board of Education is scheduled to hold public hearings on Jan. 10 and 18, and hold at least three work sessions during that month.

The Board of Education then aims to approve the budget in February, sending it over to County Executive Marc Elrich and the County Council for consideration. Elrich is scheduled to release his recommended budget for the county by March 15 next year, and the County Council is scheduled to vote on the budget, including the proposed MCPS budget, sometime in May.

Steve Bohnel can be reached at steve.bohnel@moco360.media

UPDATED: Reported shooting in Montgomery Village injures 15-year-old boy

Public Safety & Justice

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December 16, 2021

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UPDATED: Reported shooting in Montgomery Village injures 15-year-old boy

This story was updated at 11:35 a.m. on Dec. 16, 2021, to include the fact that the boy who was injured is a student at Seneca Valley High School

A 15-year-old boy was injured Wednesday evening in an apparent shooting in Montgomery Village, Montgomery County police say.

Officers were called to the 18800 block of Walkers Choice Road around 6:10 p.m. Wednesday, police spokeswoman Casandra Durham wrote in an email to Bethesda Beat Thursday. Police found a 15-year-old boy with a “suspected” gunshot wound on his chest, she wrote.

Durham did not provide additional details about what happened.

The boy was taken to a hospital with injuries that were serious but not considered life-threatening, according to Durham. As of Thursday morning he was in stable condition.

Chris Cram, a spokesman for Montgomery County Public Schools, and Shiera Goff, a spokeswoman for the police department, said Thursday that the 15-year-old was a student at Seneca Valley High School in Germantown.

As of Thursday morning no arrests had been made and it was being investigated as an “isolated event,” according to Durham.

The area where the boy was found is in a residential community just off of Montgomery Village Avenue.

Dan Schere can be reached at daniel.schere@moco360.media

Cost estimate for Purple Line mezzanine project jumps from $2.4 million to $25 million

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December 16, 2021

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Cost estimate for Purple Line mezzanine project jumps from $2.4 million to $25 million

This story was updated at 9:05 a.m. Dec. 16, 2021, to include a statement from WMATA.

Construction of a mezzanine to help connect Metro Red Line passengers to a future Purple Line light-rail station in downtown Bethesda is now estimated to cost roughly 10 times as much as anticipated, although a county official cautioned the new price tag is still a rough estimate.

The higher cost of roughly $25 million, first reported by the Washington Post, reflects that the initial estimate was provided to county officials by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) about five years ago, around 2016, according to Maricela Cordova, the county’s Purple Line implementation manager.

In an interview, Cordova said the initial estimate of about $2.4 million was based on “limited information” from WMATA and state officials. She added that the new estimate of $25 million is still not an exact figure because WMATA hasn’t yet solicited construction bids for the mezzanine project at the Metro station on Wisconsin Avenue.

County officials say the county can pay $5 million of the new estimated cost and are hoping state and federal funds would cover the rest. Cordova said the overall budget picture for the project will remain unclear until bids are received.

The mezzanine project is meant to more easily connect Red Line riders to the Purple Line, Cordova said. An escalator from the subway train platform will connect riders to the mezzanine. From there, a walkway will connect to high-speed elevators, which will take passengers to the street-level Purple Line station, under construction near Elm Street and Wisconsin Avenue.

Courtesy Maryland Transit Administration

Cordova said it is a separate project from the ongoing construction of the 16-mile Purple Line that will run from Bethesda to New Carrollton.

“Ideally, the mezzanine would be designed and built so that once the Purple Line is open, it can be immediately connected underground with the Red Line,” she said.

It’s unclear how the cost estimate for the project jumped by such a considerable amount. Cordova hinted that inflation could be a factor.

“As far as the programmatic requirements, nothing has really changed … officials put together a budget based on a planning estimate, and in large programs, this happens, it’s a large piece of work and it changes and evolves,” Cordova said. “And it’s been more than six years since talks have started about when this is going to be built.”

Del. Marc Korman (D-Bethesda) said that despite the estimated increase in cost, county and state officials are still focused on completing all facets of the project.

“The county and the state have made their commitment to the Purple Line and getting it going,” Korman said. “And interconnectivity between the [Metro] station in Bethesda and the Purple Line is an important part of that, so we’ve got to find a way to make it work.”

Ray Feldmann, a Maryland Transit Administration spokesman for the Purple Line, wrote in an email that “WMATA is designing and constructing the Montgomery County-funded Bethesda Metro Mezzanine. Any early estimates would have been completed by WMATA as the project owner.”

“At this time, MTA has not received any request for assistance with funding for this project,” Feldmann added.

Sherri Ly, a spokeswoman for WMATA, provided the following statement to Bethesda Beat about the project:

“Metro is in the process of soliciting the design proposals for the mezzanine at the south entrance connecting to the future MDOT/MTA Purple Line. As such, any estimates are general in nature and it would be premature to provide definitive project costs. Metro is building the mezzanine under an agreement with and funded by the MDOT/MTA Purple Line project. Due to changes in the project timeline and increased costs of construction industry wide, any estimate would need to reflect the actual cost of construction at today’s value. We do not yet have a timeline for construction.”

Steve Bohnel can be reached at steve.bohnel@moco360.media

Father held without bond after missing Silver Spring baby was found in New York City

Public Safety & Justice

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December 16, 2021

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Father held without bond after missing Silver Spring baby was found in New York City

The father of a baby girl who was found in New York City after she went missing last month from Silver Spring is being held without bond on charges of harboring an abducted child younger than age 12 and hiding her from her lawful guardian.

Cornelius Smith, 28, of Washington, D.C., is accused of taking the one-year-old girl to the city last month, even though custody belonged to her biological mother, Sandy Barrientos of Silver Spring, according to Montgomery County police.

On Tuesday, District Court Judge Karen Ferretti ordered Smith held without bond after noting during the hearing that in addition to the charges of harboring an abducted child and hiding her from her legal guardian, Smith has a previous charge from a different case in Charles County of failing to register as a sex offender in Maryland. Ferretti said she is concerned for the safety of Barrientos and the baby, and that Smith presents a danger to society.

As of Wednesday afternoon, court records did not indicate when Smith would next appear in court.

According to charging documents, the girl’s foster parents dropped her off at Barrientos’ Silver Spring home around 9 a.m. Nov. 26 for a scheduled visit. Barrientos, 29, was supposed to return the girl to the foster parents on Nov. 28, but did not do so. The foster parents then contacted county police, the documents state.

Officers tried to contact Barrientos and Smith, but could not reach either one, the documents state. The foster parents then told police that Barrientos held a protective order against Smith and that Smith has not been a part of his daughter’s life. Additionally, Smith did not have custody or visitation rights for his daughter, according to documents.

During the investigation, county police determined that Smith and Barrientos met Nov. 28 in Washington, D.C., and had an argument. D.C. police were called to the scene during the argument and arrested Barrientos and Smith went to an unknown location with the girl, according to documents. It was not clear whether Barrientos was charged with a crime.

County police alerted the public about the disappearance of Smith and his daughter on Nov. 29, and two days later authorities found Smith and the girl in New York City. New York and Montgomery County police officers found the pair Dec. 1 at a homeless shelter in the Bronx after a subway passenger recognized the baby, county police said.

County police and the State’s Attorney’s Office have credited a social media post by the group Black and Missing Inc., a nonprofit aimed at finding missing people of color, with helping to find the infant after the group shared her photo on its website and on social media. Police have said the subway passenger identified her after seeing the posted photo.

Smith was arrested by New York authorities and was later extradited to Montgomery County.

Dan Schere can be reached at daniel.schere@moco360.media

County Board of Health likely to convene after Jan. 1 to reexamine mask mandate

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December 16, 2021

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County Board of Health likely to convene after Jan. 1 to reexamine mask mandate

County Council members will convene as the Board of Health, likely in early January, to determine whether Montgomery County’s indoor mask mandate needs to be tweaked.

Currently, the county will automatically lift its indoor mask mandate at 12:01 a.m. the day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID-19 data tracker says 85% of its total population is fully vaccinated. As of Wednesday, that tracker showed 81.9% of the county’s population was fully vaccinated.

People are considered “fully vaccinated” two weeks after they have received the two-dose series of either the Pfizer and Moderna coronavirus vaccines, or the single-shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine.

County Council President Gabe Albornoz said in an interview Wednesday that the Board of Health would likely meet Jan. 4 to review the current order involving the indoor mask mandate.

Health officials have said they don’t anticipate the county will reach the 85% vaccination rate threshold by that date. If the county does, Albornoz said the board would probably “pivot” in order to avoid a “boomerang” or “yo-yo effect” of the mask mandate being lifted, then quickly reinstated by any potential new health order.

Albornoz said he is interested in checking the rate of hospitalizations over the next couple of weeks, but added he and others will rely on the county’s public health officials when considering any new mandate.

“The writing is on the wall that we’re entering another challenging phase of the virus, but we have a lot more information and resources now,” Albornoz said.

County Executive Marc Elrich and health officials told reporters at a news briefing Wednesday that the 85% vaccination metric is perhaps an indication of what was thought to be “herd immunity.” That goal is now tougher to achieve with the spread of coronavirus variants and more breakthrough cases in people who are vaccinated—though vaccination appears to keep people from developing serious illnesses and needing to be hospitalized, they said.

Regarding any potential tweak to the mask mandate, James Bridgers, the county’s health officer, said there are multiple data points to consider, including the number of hospitalizations, case rates, vaccination rates, and the spread of the delta and omicron variants.

Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Earl Stoddard emphasized that the Board of Health has the final say on any changes to the indoor mask mandate. Stoddard added that it would be “premature” to comment on any specific changes, as the holidays could have an impact on the spread of the virus in the county and it’s unclear how much the rate of hospitalization and other health metrics may change between now and the board’s meeting.

It’s possible, however, that county health officials will begin to use the number of hospitalizations as a more critical measure, versus case rates and other metrics, he said.

“There’s a lot that will change over the next three weeks and will heavily influence both the data that is shared with the County Council, and also potential recommendations,” Stoddard said. “But [the] point is generally well taken that as we get further into this response, hospitalizations should continue to matter a lot, and more—but that we will not negate the considerations of…long COVID [cases] and the other issues that we also are aware of.”

Steve Bohnel can be reached at steve.bohnel@moco360.media

UPDATED: MCPS sets new COVID athletics policy after outbreaks at teams at four schools

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December 16, 2021

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This story was updated at 1 p.m. on Dec. 16, 2021, to remove a reference to Sherwood High School being one of the schools with an outbreak. Montgomery County Public Schools had originally included the school in its list, but a spokesman later said it was done so erroneously.

Montgomery County Public Schools has set a new policy for athletic teams that experience outbreaks of coronavirus, following clusters of cases on teams at five high schools.

The guidance came Monday from the county’s Department of Health and Human Services. If a team has five or more active cases, all team activities will be suspended for 14 days from the point of exposure, MCPS spokesman Chris Cram wrote in an email to Bethesda Beat on Wednesday.

Teams at Paint Branch High School in Burtonsville, Col. Zadok Magruder High School in Derwood, Poolesville High School and James Hubert Blake High School have been affected by the new guidance, Cram wrote.

Cram did not elaborate on which specific teams were affected, how many cases had been reported or when the outbreaks occurred. He did not immediately respond to follow-up questions from Bethesda Beat.

Mary Anderson, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services, could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday morning.

Paint Branch High School’s junior varsity boys basketball team suspended its activities earlier this month following an outbreak of more than 20 cases at the school, WTOP reported.

Dan Schere can be reached at daniel.schere@moco360.media

Hogan approves Foley, the Democratic chair in Montgomery County, as District 15 delegate

Government & Politics

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December 16, 2021

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Hogan approves Foley, the Democratic chair in Montgomery County, as District 15 delegate

Gov. Larry Hogan has signed off on Linda Foley, the chair of Montgomery County’s Democratic Central Committee, to fill a state delegate vacancy in District 15.

Hogan announced Tuesday that he had appointed Foley, two weeks after the central committee nominated her through a vote.

She defeated five challengers to win the county party’s nomination. She received 20 of the 22 votes cast during a Nov. 30 public meeting online.

Saqib Ali and Michael Schrier each received one vote. The three other contenders — Amy Frieder, David Griffith and Colin Richard — did not receive any votes.

Foley recused herself from voting, but said she was allowed to vote if she wanted to.

“I am confident that Ms. Foley will represent the citizens of Montgomery County admirably in her new role as delegate,” Hogan said in a press release on Tuesday afternoon.

Foley is a former journalist and a former union leader.

The press release says she founded and served more than 20 years as the president of the Berger-Marks Foundation, “a nonprofit that promoted young women as union leaders and social justice advocates.”

The vacancy came when Hogan appointed Kathleen Dumais as a Montgomery County circuit judge.

Dumais was in her fifth four-year term as a delegate. Her current term ends in January 2023.

Because Dumais is a Democrat, the party’s central committee in Montgomery County got to recommend to Hogan a Democrat to succeed her.

Foley already has said she plans to run next year for a full four-year term.

Foley will join the other District 15 Democratic state lawmakers for the 2022 session that starts in January — Dels. Lily Qi and David Fraser-Hidalgo and Sen. Brian Feldman.

District 15 stretches from Potomac in the south to Clarksburg in the north and includes Darnestown and Germantown, but not Rockville.

UPDATED: Reported shooting in Montgomery Village injures 15-year-old boy

Uncategorized

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December 16, 2021

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