Rockville Rewind: March 14-18

A week dominated by the arrival of long-awaited, much-dreaded county budget news also included taking time out to celebrate St. Patrick's Day and the arrival of March Madness. 

The Rockville and Gaithersburg city councils are . The councils held a joint meeting at Rockville City Hall on Monday. David Robertson, the executive director of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, outlined changes to Metro's governance that were recently recommended by a task force created by COG and the Greater Washington Board of Trade.

With grim news and new photos and video dispatched daily of the devastation in Japan following last week's earthquake and tsunami, Patch offered

County Executive Isiah Leggett swung the budget axe on Tuesday, for the county that includes cuts to 216 county jobs, 139 of which are filled.

Leggett for an $82 million increase in county aid. Schools Superintendent Jerry Weast said he expects that the failure to increase county aid to keep up with growing enrollment will result in a state fine for failing to comply with Maryland's "maintenance of effort" school funding mandate.

Thursday saw the of and the first big day of "the big dance" as Patch competing in this year's men's and women's NCAA basketball tournaments. 

County police on Thursday asked the public for help in locating 17-year-old .

Also Thursday, on the federal government's decision to consolidate four offices of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at the Parklawn Building.

A busy week left a bunch of loose ends to be tied up by which included details of U.S. Rep. Chris Van Hollen's call for entries in this year's Congressional arts competition for high school students.