The Takoma Park Police Department’s Winter Coat Drive has collected over 600 winter coats and over 200 other items in this year’s campaign. The annual coat drive, which began November 2 and ended December 18, was held in partnership with Adventist Community Services of Greater Washington and other local charities.
Takoma Park Mayor Kate Stewart has issued a statement in response to news of a Takoma Park police officer’s arrest for sexual abuse of a minor. Citing court documents, WJLA-TV last week reported that 42-year-old Eric Mueller had been arrested in a case involving a 17-year-old female juvenile that occurred shortly before Thanksgiving.
The Takoma Park Police Department has issued a notice of a missing person it deems “critical.” Eighty-year-old Hector Ray Robinson, who the department also describes as “vulnerable,” was last seen in the 7600 block of Maple Avenue.
Silver Spring-based nonprofit Small Things Matter, created by Montgomery Blair High School student Lana Anderson, distributed 600 Indian curry meals free of charge to anyone that visited the school on Monday. The Guru Gobind Singh Foundation – Sikh Spiritual Center provided the meals.
Lidl will hold a grand opening of a new store in Takoma Park on Wednesday, Dec. 9, according to the company’s website. The operators will cut the ribbon at 7:15 a.m. at its location on 6881 New Hampshire Ave., the former home of a Shoppers Food Warehouse. The doors will open at 8 a.m. and the first 100 customers will receive a gift card worth anywhere from $5 to $100 each.
Starbucks is offering free coffee to front-line workers throughout December from its stores throughout the country, including locations in Silver Spring and Takoma Park.
The Takoma Park Police Department has been accepted into a program to train officers in strategies and tactics to help law enforcement officers prevent misconduct and reduce officer mistakes, among other goals. The Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement Project, an initiative of Georgetown University’s Law Center, includes more than 60 other law enforcement agencies, along with statewide and regional training academies chosen to participate in the ABLE Project’s national rollout.
The Takoma Park Police Department is accepting applications for the 2021 Community Police Academy, which will be held virtually due to the pandemic. The academy is designed to help residents 16 years of age or older understand how officers go about doing their jobs. The classes will begin via Zoom on Tuesday, Jan. 5 and will be a 14-week long program of one class a week from 7 p.m.–9:30 pm.
Takoma Park’s Olive Lounge, and its neighboring sister restaurant Middle Eastern Cuisine, will combine operations and offer a single menu that will be available all day, according to a post from earlier this week on Olive Lounge’s Instagram account.