Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Governor calls budget package "good for all Marylanders." Republicans say burden to local governments may force county governments to increase taxes.
The Maryland House of Delegates gave final approval Wednesday to a package of three bills that increases taxes on some state residents, shifts part of teacher pensions to local governments and undoes the so-called "doomsday budget." The votes Wednesday afternoon capped the three-day special session called by Gov. Martin O'Malley in order to override more than $500 million in cuts made in a budget passed in early April. The Senate approved the same three bills Tuesday. As part of the package, legislators approved by a vote of 86-51 what amounts to a 50-50 split of teacher pension costs with local governments. The split will be phased in over the next four years beginning July 1 with the new budget year. That bill also includes a doubling of…
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Corridor Cities Transitway is touted as a backbone of biotech and commercial development between Rockville and Germantown.
Gov. Martin O’Malley has endorsed the use of bus rapid transit for Montgomery County’s Corridor Cities Transitway, the proposed north-south line from the Shady Grove Metro station to the COMSAT facility near Clarksburg. The governor’s office made the announcement Friday, more than two years later than O'Malley (D) had expected to declare a mode for the much-anticipated transit line. Capital costs for the 15-mile line were estimated at around $828 million. The system would comprise 68 BRT vehicles characterized by low floors and multiple doors that open at sidewalk level, allowing people to walk on and off as they would on a Metro car. The BRT vehicles would make 16 stops and will travel mostly in rights of way separate from traffic. …
Saturday, May 12, 2012
We tell you the favorites from our Readers' Choice polls from around the county.
It's almost Mother's Day, which means if you actually planned ahead you either have flowers headed to mom's door or are taking her out to a meal. For nearly two weeks, we asked our Patch readers in Montgomery County to tell us which restaurants were the best within their regions for a meal with mom this Sunday, May 13. Maybe it's their signature Bloody Mary drinks or brunch burger but in Rockville, Matchbox took the win. But you might have to check them out next time, since manager Steve Hesson said they are "pretty booked." Readers in Gaithersburg and Germantown think French cuisine is the best for mom when they crowned Crepes-A-Go-Go in the Kentlands the winner with 40 percent of the vote. The Gaithersburg creperie features handmade, …
Friday, May 11, 2012
Asian-owned businesses make up the largest percentage of minority-owned businesses in Rockville, but the path to ownership is not an easy one.
Mark Sittichai Thomgekum fulfilled his parents’ American dream. He moved to America from Thailand when he was 11 and struggled in school. But at age 21, he walked into a Thai restaurant for the first time looking for a job and found a passion. The manager became his mentor and eventually made Thomgekum his assistant. By saving, investing in small establishments and making a series of business moves—buying, selling, expanding—Thomgekum had enough money saved and enough collateral from his home to invest in his Rockville restaurant, Benjarong. Asians make up 20.6 percent of Rockville's population and own 13.4 percent of the city's businesses, according to the 2010 U.S. Census. The 7.2 percent disparity is the largest among racial and ethnic …
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Four farm-fresh food options return to Rockville beginning this weekend.
Farmer’s market season returns to Rockville this weekend. The King Farm Farmers Market opens its season on Friday, at 805 King Farm Blvd. The market will be held 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Fridays only this year. It had been held on Wednesdays and Saturdays last year. “We were unable to find a weekend location satisfactory to the success of the market and the [King Farm Citizens’] Assembly elected officials,” organizers wrote on the market’s Facebook page. The Rockville Farmers Market returns to Town Center on Saturday. The market will be held 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays through Nov. 17 at the corner of E. Jefferson Street (Route 28) and Monroe Street. The market offers farm-fresh fruits and vegetables, bedding plants, preserves, honey …
A scheduling hearing is set for July 6.
(UPDATE, 4:21 p.m.) -- The dispute over Belward Farm and what Johns Hopkins University can do with it will begin July 6 with a scheduling hearing before Judge Ronald B. Rubin, according to a release from plaintiff Tim Newell. Judge John W. Debelius, III issued a decision this week in response to a request in April from the university to fast-track the case, according to the release, assigning the case to the Court’s Business and Technology Case Management Program, Expedited Track 5. The case could be settled within six months, according to expedition guidelines. (See the PDF on the right for a diagram of the process.) However, the judge will decide whether the official expedition begins today, the day of the hearing, or at some future …
Monday, May 7, 2012
New budget analysis finds $352,190 the council could spend.
A final vote on an ordinance to block the Robert A. Pumphrey Funeral Home from building a parking lot, the final public hearing on the city’s fiscal 2013 budget and a budget discussion are on the Rockville City Council’s agenda for Monday. The council meets at 7 p.m. at City Hall. The meeting will be broadcast live on Rockville 11. Pumphrey parking In a 3-2 vote on April 16, the council moved to reverse a 2010 decision by the previous council that was intended to allow Pumphrey Funeral Home to build a parking lot on property adjacent to the existing funeral home. Get daily and breaking news email updates from Rockville Patch by signing up for newsletters here. The council is scheduled on Monday to take a final vote on an ordinance that …
Saturday, May 5, 2012
As part of our series on veterans and jobs, we're posting veterans' resumes on Patch. If you're a potential employer, we invite you to take a look.
If you're a veteran or have a veteran in your family, you know that the job market for those formerly in the military can be worse than for civilians. In Maryland, the 8.9 percent unemployment rate among the 28,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans is higher than the state’s overall average. Veterans often get preference in hiring from government agencies but it's still tough out there. Patch has begun telling some of the stories of the struggles of veterans facing fewer employment opportunities, and the successes, too. We want to do more. If you are a veteran and are looking for work, we invite you to contact us so we can put your job search information on our sites. We'll feature you in your hometown Patch among hometown employers. We'll …
Friday, May 4, 2012
Catalyst Health Solutions sold; Emergent BioSolutions CEO retires.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Teacher and students benefit from extendYoga's free classes for Wilkins Avenue shelter residents.
Yoga practitioners laud the ancient discipline's ability to relieve stress, alleviate daily pains and generally improve one’s quality of life. Now, an innovative program at extendYoga is making yoga's benefits available to a group of women in need of some daily respite: the ladies of the Wilkins Avenue Women's Assessment Center, a homeless shelter serving 65 homeless women year-round. When extendYoga opened its doors on Nov. 5, founders and owners Arlet Koseian and Antonia Trigler knew that contributing to the community would be the cornerstone of their business. "We always knew that we wanted to volunteer, do community service and just be involved with the neighborhood," Koseian said. "We didn't know how we were going to do that. We just …
Paul Amirault
8:30 pm on Sunday, May 20, 2012
No they don't. So why did you move here. Oh, that's right, you are a fraud, just another counterfeit bill. more ›