Takoma Radio Music Director Bringing Live Music to Area
The music director of WOWD Takoma Radio is bringing small, pandemic-safe live music shows to the area beginning this month.
Council Votes to Add More Funding to Assist in COVID-19 Recovery
The County Council this week approved two special appropriations and introduced a third designed to help businesses and organizations recover from the COVID-19 emergency. The council unanimously okayed $14 million to create the Reopen Montgomery Business Assistance Program. The funds will reimburse county businesses and nonprofit organizations reopening expenses incurred to comply with new state and county health regulations due to the crisis.
Washington Revels Headquarters Listed For Sale, May Force a Move
The Washington Revels’ headquarters building has been listed for sale, a development that may require the organization to move out, according to Revels Executive Director Greg Lewis. “The expectation is that the buyer will not be an investment buyer,” he said, “in which case, if it were, it might be a scenario where a lease rate could be worked out and we could stay.”
Life in the Time of the Coronavirus: Voices from Silver Spring—Melanie Padgett Powers
Editor’s note: This guest post and photo is from Jonna Huseman, who began the Voices project to document the lives of friends and neighbors in Silver Spring and Takoma Park and how they may have changed since the shelter in place order. It originally appeared on her blog, The Sligo Creek Photographer.
Life in the Time of the Coronavirus: Voices from Silver Spring—Liz Brent, Go Brent
Editor’s note: This guest post and photo is from Jonna Huseman, who began the Voices project to document the lives of friends and neighbors in Silver Spring and Takoma Park and how they may have changed since the shelter in place order. It originally appeared on her blog, The Sligo Creek Photographer.
County Accepting Applications for COVID-19 Emergency Grants
The county is now accepting applications from county businesses and nonprofit organizations for the Public Health Emergency Grant program established to assist them during the COVID-19 emergency. The program is designed to provide up to $75,000 in assistance to eligible entities that can demonstrate a “significant financial loss.”
Timebanking in Times of Social Distancing
Timebanking was created to connect people in order to help one another, increasing community well-being. But this is an unusual moment in time. The highly contagious coronavirus has become a pandemic. How can we stay connected when we need to stay away from each other? How can we support others while keeping to social distancing guidelines, self-isolating, or even when in quarantine?
Childcare, Travel Support Offered to Essential Workers During COVID-19 Emergency
Two area organizations are offering childcare and travel support for essential workers at no cost during the COVID-19 emergency. The YMCA of Metropolitan Washington has opened several of its branches and program centers to provide emergency childcare for workers, including at the Silver Spring branch. At the same time, the county’s Department of Transportation announced temporary programs from Capital Bikeshare and Lyft scooters to provide free rides to essential employees.
Council Approves $36.5 Million in COVID-19 Emergency Aid
The County Council yesterday approved a package of measures to provide $36.5 million in financial assistance to businesses and other organizations affected by the COVID-19 emergency. The largest amount, $20 million, will fund a Public Health Emergency Grant Program that would allow the county executive to provide grants of up to $75,000 to county businesses and nonprofits with 100 or fewer full-time-equivalent employees that can demonstrate financial losses caused by the public health emergency.