County Seeks Volunteers to Participate in Thanksgiving Parade

| at 10:08 am | Categories Montgomery County

The county is looking for volunteers to assist with various aspects of the annual Thanksgiving parade this Saturday, Nov. 23. Volunteers must be at least 13 or older and plan to meet at the civic building, then expect to remain at the parade site from 7:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Opportunities include dressing up in costumes as elves or pilgrims to ride on floats, as penguins or reindeer to walk in the parade, to walk along and handle balloons and other inflatables, or act as unit leaders.

“Accidental Candidate” Reveals His Planning Priorities

| at 10:41 am | Categories Montgomery County

The newest commissioner on the Montgomery County Planning Board refers to himself as “the accidental candidate” when talking about his appointment. Partap Verma, who joined the board in July, looks at this as a natural transformation from work he began after moving to the Forest Glen area in 2013. His priorities include pedestrian safety, affordable housing, and the upcoming Silver Spring master plan process.

Council to Hold Hearing Tonight on Forest Glen/Montgomery Hills Plan

| at 11:59 am | Categories Montgomery County

The County Council will hold a public hearing on the draft Forest Glen/Montgomery Hills Sector Plan tonight, according to the schedule released this week. The plan covers the Georgia Avenue corridor from the edge of downtown Silver Spring at Spring Street to Dennis Avenue. It is intended to consider land use and transportation strategies, including traffic conditions and redevelopment opportunities, and make recommendations that will improve the area.

Council Votes to Prohibit Discrimination of Natural Hairstyles

| at 10:13 am | Categories Montgomery County

Montgomery County became the first local jurisdiction to prohibit discrimination on the basis of natural hairstyles with the passage this week of the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act. The bill, which the County Council passed unanimously, would add a definition of race to the underlying anti-discrimination law to specify that race includes “traits historically associated with race, including hair texture and protective hairstyles.”

County Releases Schedule of Closings for Veterans Day

| at 1:00 pm | Categories Montgomery County

The county has released its schedule of closings for the Veterans Day holiday on Monday, Nov. 11. All county offices, libraries and state offices and courts will be closed. The aquatic centers will be open, while the recreation and senior centers, as well as administrative offices will close.

Wayne Avenue Incident an Auto Theft, No Shooting, Police Say

| at 3:43 pm | Categories Montgomery County

County police are investigating an incident that occurred on Wayne Avenue early this morning as an auto theft, according to a department press release. Officers responded at about 7:18 this morning to a report of a vehicle collision in the 300 block of Wayne, in front of the Silver Spring International Middle School.

Bill Would Formalize County Community Policing Guidelines

| at 1:15 pm | Categories Montgomery County

A bill to formalize community policing guidelines for the county’s police department was introduced this week by Council President Nancy Navarro (D-District 4) and Councilmember Craig Rice (D-District 2). Bill 33-19, Police – Community Policing would address “core community policing values,” diversity on the force, engagements with the community, complaints against county officers and other issues.