Volunteer in Parks in Honor of MLK Day of Service

Volunteer in your parks and community in recognition of the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service! Several volunteer events – including park and stream cleanups and the removal of non-native invasive plants – will take place in parks around the county. Events are open to the public and volunteers of all ages, including students who will be able to earn Student Service Learning (SSL) hours. MLK Day of Service volunteer events are scheduled at parks in various communities including Bethesda, Silver Spring, Aspen Hill and White Oak. For more details on dates, times, locations and to sign up please visit www.MontgomeryParks.org/MLK or contact the Volunteer Services Office at 301-495-2504.

Advocate for the Aging Award Presented to Austin Heyman

Chuck Short and Austin Heyman

Austin Heyman was awarded the 2015 Advocate for the Aging Award from the Jewish Council for the Aging® (JCA). The award was presented at the JCA’s Annual meeting on October 8.

Heyman is a longtime advocate for seniors and intergenerational programs. His visionary leadership in Montgomery County led to his founding of Interages, a non-profit organization that seeks to build bridges and relationships between generations. Austin served as Interages' Director from 1986-1997. In addition to his work with Interages, Austin has been deeply involved with numerous community groups; working on educational and youth issues. Heyman’s contributions to our community have earned him numerous honors. Also, Heyman is the moderator of two television programs on Montgomery County Cable: Seniors Today and Montgomery Citizens Agenda.

Photo credit: Harvey Levine

Ride On Begins Service Changes

Beginning January 10, Ride On will make schedule changes to 15 bus routes. Most of the changes modify the bus schedule to more accurately reflect the time it takes for a bus to run its route based on traffic and other conditions.

To read more about the changes go to Ride On Service Changes

Commission on Women to Host Annual Women’s Legislative Briefing

The Montgomery County Commission for Women will host the 36th Annual Women's Legislative Briefing, Pioneering Justice for Women and Girls through Advocacy, Policy and Legislation, on Sunday, January 31. It will be held at the Universities at Shady Grove, Building II, 9630 Gudelsky Dr., Rockville.

The Women's Legislative Briefing provides information about legislative proposals before the Maryland General Assembly and the U.S. Congress of special concern to women. To learn more or to register, go to https://wlb2016.eventbrite.com/

County’s Holiday Schedule for Christmas and New Year’s Day

Montgomery County government will observe the following holiday schedule for Christmas Day, December 25 and New Year’s Day, January 1:

• County Offices – closed 
• Libraries – closed December 25, 26 and January 1, 2; all branches will close at 6 p.m. on December 24 and 31
• County Liquor stores – closed December 25 and January 1;will close December 24 and 31 at 7 p.m
• Recreation – all facilities are closed on December 25 and January 1; senior centers, community and neighborhood recreations centers will be closed Friday, December 25 through Friday, January 1; aquatics to close at 3 p.m. on December 24 and 31. Contact aquatics facility directly for modified holiday schedules
• Montgomery Parks - for holiday operating schedule on Parks’ facilities, including Brookside Gardens, ice rinks, tennis centers, trains and carousels, visit www.MontgomeryParks.org
• Ride On – Sunday schedule on December 25 and January 1; limited weekday service until 10 p.m. on December 24. 
• Metrobus – Sunday schedule 
• Metrorail – Sunday schedule 
• TRiPS Commuter Stores (Silver Spring and Friendship Heights) -- closed
• Refuse/recycling pickup – no collection*
• Transfer Station – closed December 25 and January 1; Transfers Station’s public drop-off area will close at 5 p.m. on December 24 and December 31 
• MCPS Administrative Offices – closed December 24 and 25 and January 1
• State offices and courts – closed December 25 and January 1

*Collection for Friday provided one day later for remainder of week (last collection day is Saturday)

Coming Together For Peace

Local officials, including County Executive Ike Leggett, will join residents in a peaceful gathering to take a united stand against gun violence. The event is scheduled for Sunday, December 20 from 5 to 6 p.m. at the Old Gray Courthouse in Rockville.

What You Need to Know about Montgomery’s Local Liquor Operations...

 

All jurisdictions “control” the sale of alcohol in some way, and about one-third of Americans live in jurisdictions with Local Liquor Control systems similar to that of Montgomery’s.

Local liquor control in Montgomery County contributes an average of $30 million in annual profit to the County’s general fund – helping us fund schools, transportation, help for the vulnerable in our midst – and more. Money generated by local liquor stays in the County, working for us – not in the pockets of wealthy out-of-state liquor interests. Privatization will eliminate this revenue to the County – requiring reductions in critical County services and/or up to a $100 additional property tax increase for every household. Plus the County would have to pay back $100 million in County liquor bonds.

Get all the facts on this important issue… HERE

Understanding the County's Changing Demographics with a New Digital Tool

Montgomery County demographics have been rapidly changing and our population has become increasingly diverse. CountyStat has developed two tools, the "Diversity Explorer" and the "Language Browser" to better understand the changes.

Here are some interesting quick facts about our changing demographics:

• One-third of Montgomery County residents were born outside of the United States
• Montgomery County is the number one destination in the United States for people from Ethiopia and Cameroon, and is the number two destination for immigrants from the continent of Africa (second only to Los Angeles)
• The top five countries of origin for people born abroad and living in the County are El Salvador, Mainland China, India, Ethiopia, and Korea
• There are more than 15 census tracts in Montgomery County in which English is the second most spoken language
• Among all counties in the United States, Montgomery County ranks number four in the number of French speakers and speakers of African Languages, number nine in Persian speakers, number 13 in Korean and Armenian, number 14 in Greek, Thai and Hebrew, and number 15 in Chinese speakers

Hundreds of Residents Participate in "Summit on Aging"

Over 400 County residents joined County Executive Ike Leggett for his “Summit on Aging” at the Silver Spring Civic Building to review County accomplishments toward making us a “Community for A Lifetime” and chart future directions.

• Senior Summit
• County Accomplishments
• Watch video
• Press Release
• Maryland's First AARP Age Friendly Community

The Officer Noah Leotta Memorial Blood Drive

download flyer

Please join the Montgomery County Police Department in giving the gift of life by donating blood in honor of Officer Noah Leotta.

• Date: Wednesday, December 23, 2015
• Location: Montgomery County Public Safety Headquarters –100 Edison Park Drive, Gaithersburg – First floor conference room
• Hours: 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
• Sign Up: Online or call Red Cross at 1-800-733-2767

All donors are urged to register online so the Red Cross can adequately staff. Walk-in donors will be accepted but may have a longer wait time. Donors will receive a Red Cross long-sleeve black T-shirt and Buffalo Wild Wings and Chick-fil- A food or coupons.

The Officer Noah Leotta Memorial Blood Drive by Public Information Office