Bethesda Row Arts Festival to Showcase World-Class Artist on Oct. 15 and 16

Downtown Bethesda will become an outdoor art gallery during the 19th Annual Bethesda Row Arts Festival. The free event, recognized as one the leading fine art and crafts festivals in the United States, will bring together 190 world-class artists. 

The festival takes place, rain or shine, Saturday, Oct. 15 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 16, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.  The Bethesda Row Arts Festival offers an art sale benefiting the NIH Children’s Charities, thanks to generous donations from participating artists.

More information is available at www.bethesdarowarts.org or www.facebook.com/BethesdaArtsFestival/ or by calling 301-637-5684.

The League of Women Voters of Montgomery County Voters’ Guides Are Available in Montgomery County Public Libraries and Other County Facilities

The League of Women Voters of Montgomery County publishes the Voters’ Guide that covers information on voting as well as candidates’ views on the issues in their own words. The League is a non-partisan organization of women and men that promotes informed participation in government. The League does not support or oppose any political party or candidate.

The Voters’ Guides Are available in Montgomery County Public Libraries, Regional Services Centers and Recreation facilities. The printable Voters' Guide is available in PDF format at lwvmocomd.org

October 2016 National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day

Montgomery County law enforcement agencies and the County's Health and Human Services Substance Abuse Prevention Office are participating in the DEA National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on Saturday, October 22 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Take this opportunity to check your medicine cabinet for any expired or unused prescription drugs. This is a safe, free and anonymous opportunity to dispose of unused or unwanted prescription drugs. The initiative is part of an effort to prevent the increasing problems of prescription drug abuse and theft that continue to occur nationwide.  For more information and a list of the drop-off locations.

Montgomery County Public Library Career Online High School Program is Changing Lives

Montgomery County Public Libraries (MCPL) Online High School Program is back in the news. The program recently received considerable press coverage for being the first library system in Maryland to launch the Career Online High School, which is the world’s first accredited, private online school district.

Career Online High School is specifically designed to reengage adults into the education system and prepare them for entry into post-secondary career education or the workforce. 

Recently Kellye Lynn with ABC7 shared how the program has opened doors for Cristian Tele a student in the program.

More information about the program is available at Montgomery County Public Library Career Online High School Program

Cocktails, Lipstick & Jazz Brings the Roaring Twenties to Life at the Montgomery County Historical Society

The Montgomery County Historical Society has announced the opening of their newest exhibit, Cocktails, Lipstick & Jazz in the Age of Fitzgerald. This exhibit will open in the Beall-Dawson Museum located at 103 W. Montgomery Ave., in Rockville on Oct. 15 and continue until Jan. 15, 2017, Thursday through Sunday, from 12 to 4 p.m.

The exhibit captures Roaring Twenties life complete with beaded fringe, costumes, masquerade parties and football pants to bring the F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Great Gatsby era to life.

More information is available at montgomeryhistory.org/cocktails-lipstick-jazz/.

National Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration Is a Big Success

National Hispanic Heritage Month is a time to celebrate the culture and traditions of residents who have roots in the Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, South America and Spain. The celebration takes place from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.

County Executive Ike Leggett attended a celebration put together in partnership by the Latino Health Initiative and Street Outreach Network, Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services and Montgomery College. The event took place on Friday, Sept. 16 at the Silver Spring Civic Building Plaza. The celebration included an evening of diversity, music and culture of Latin America. 

See highlights of the celebration at https://youtu.be/bZxSzBQYAR8.

Preserving Maryland’s Civil War Battlefields Forum

Adam Gillenwater of the National Civil War Trust will speak about Maryland Civil War battlefield preservation initiatives at the Montgomery County Civil War Roundtable meeting at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 13. The meeting will be held at the Gaithersburg Hilton, 630 Perry Parkway in Gaithersburg. A $5 donation is requested. Call 301-253-3845 for more information.

WorkSource Montgomery, County’s Non-Profit Workforce Development Agency will Expand Job Opportunities for People with Disabilities with Assistance from a Federal Grant.

WorkSource Montgomery, Inc., the workforce development resource for Montgomery County businesses and job seekers received federal funding from the State of Maryland to expand employment opportunities locally for people with disabilities.

WorkSource Montgomery will expand job training and placement services for persons with disabilities by creating individualized training opportunities that will lead job-seekers to the attainment of stackable credentials in the industries of professional and business services, construction, healthcare, and retail. Various strategies will be put into place to ensure that individuals with significant disabilities have access to employment opportunities in each of these targeted industries.

WorkSource Montgomery, Inc. began operation as an independent, non-profit organization on July 1 and is charged with overseeing workforce development programs for job-seekers and employers in Montgomery County.

Read more at worksourcemontgomery.com/news-articles.

Montgomery County Employees Federal Credit Union Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Scheduled for Oct. 25

Montgomery County Executuve Ike Leggett will be joined by Rockville Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Michelle Day, MC EFCU President & CEO Jim Norris, and MC EFCU Board Chair Melvin Tull to celebrate the grand reopening and ribbon cutting ceremony of the Montgomery County Employees Federal Credit Union (MC EFCU).

The ribbon cutting ceremony will begin Tuesday, Oct. 25 at 10 a.m. The event will include door prizes and giveaways throughout the day, for those coming into the branch, located at 20 Courthouse Square, Suite 101, Rockville.

What You Need to Know About Montgomery County’s New “Earned Sick and Safe Leave Law” That Goes into Effect on October 1

Montgomery County’s new Earned Sick and Safe Law goes into effect on October 1. It will require most employers in the County to provide earned sick and safe leave to employees for work performed in the County.

The intent of the law is to provide employees with paid leave or time off to take care of things such as sickness, family illnesses or domestic violence. It helps to ensure that workers do not have to make a choice between keeping a job and going to work sick or not being able to have time to find a safe living environment. The bill is expected to provide support to our lowest income and most vulnerable workers.

The legislation requires employers to provide earned sick and safe leave at a rate of at least one hour for every 30 hours an employee works in the County up to 56 hours in a calendar year. To help small businesses, an employer with fewer than five employees would have to provide an employee with up to 32 hours of paid sick and safe leave per year plus an additional 24 hours of unpaid sick and safe leave. Many County employers already meet or exceed the benefits required by the new law and do not have to provide any additional leave to their employees because of this law.

Employers are required to give employees written notice that they are entitled to earned sick and safe leave under the new law. The notice must include a statement of how sick and safe leave is accrued, the permitted uses of earned sick and safe leave, a statement that the employer must not retaliate against an employee for exercising the rights established by the law.

• Click here to see the poster outlining the law’s provisions and contact information.
• Click here to see answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the law.
• Click here to read the bill.