Online Chat on Homeowner, Condominium Association Disputes Set for Thursday

Montgomery County's Office of Consumer Protection director will field questions.

Leggett Asks for Montgomery County Budget Input at 5 Public Forums

Forums scheduled across Montgomery County in January and Feburary.

  Montgomery County residents can have their say regarding the county's fiscal 2014 operating budget priorities at five public forums in January and February. The forums, sponsored by County Executive Isiah Leggett, begin at 7 p.m. on: • Jan. 10 at Mid-County Community Recreation Center, 2004 Queensguard Road, in Silver Spring; • Jan. 24 at BlackRock Center for the Arts, 12901 Town Commons Drive, in Germantown; • Jan. 28, at Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Service Center, 4805 Edgemoor Lane, in Bethesda; • Jan. 29, Silver Spring Civic Building, One Veterans Plaza, in Silver Spring; and • Feb. 4, Eastern Montgomery Regional Services Center, 3300 Briggs Chaney Road, in Silver Spring. Leggett (D) will unveil his recommendations March 15 for the…

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Holiday Plans

Christmas and New Year's Closures in Rockville

Rockville and Montgomery County facilities will be operate on modified schedules over the holidays.

  All Montgomery County and City of Rockville facilities will be closed and no programs will operate on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1. Holiday hours for city facilities are as follows: Recycling and refuse collection for Monday and for Dec. 31 will not be affected. Collection for the remainder of each week will shift forward one day, with Friday collection made on Saturday. The city also is recycling cut and artificial Christmas trees. Click here for details. Parking will be free at city-owned meters and garages on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. For payment information on Rockville Town Square parking garages, go to rockvilletownsquare.com/parking. For more information about city facilities or programs call 240-314-5000 or visitwww.rockvillemd.gov…

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Winners of 26th Annual Keep Montgomery County Beautiful Awards

Photographers, volunteers and schoolchildren among 56 honorees.

  The county's Department of Transportation on Dec. 4 announced 56 awards to community groups, businesses, public institutions and other organizations whose landscaping projects enhance commercial or residential common areas, county roadsides and medians and other public locations. The 26th annual Keep Montgomery County Beautiful community beautification awards honored: Click here for a complete list of winners from across Montgomery County. The following are winners from the Rockville area: PUBLIC INSTITUTIONAL for outdoor projects at schools, government buildings, hospitals, churches or libraries: Award of Excellence: Aspen Hill Library Gardens, Aspen Hill Garden Club, Aspen Hill. CITYSCAPE for municipal street plantings in median strips…

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SPEAK OUT: The Montgomery County Council’s 2012 Accomplishments

What do you think of Councilman Roger Berliner’s list of council ‘wins?’

In his last day as president of the Montgomery County Council, Roger Berliner spoke with reporters in Rockville, recounting a year that included continued budget wrangling, squabbles over Pepco's performance and steps to aid small businesses and stimulate economic development. Click here to a see a video of Berliner’s remarks. Councilwoman Nancy Navarro (D-Dist. 4) of Silver Spring took the reins as the council’s new president on Tuesday. But before he stepped aside during Tuesday's council meeting, Berliner (D-Dist. 1) of Potomac outlined what he sees as the council’s greatest accomplishments during his yearlong term. Click here to read Berliner’s remarks in their entirety.  The council on Tuesday also released a list of accomplishments …

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Grocery Store and Nonprofit Representatives Selected for Food Recovery Work Group

The program would take food that would otherwise be thrown away and redistribute to people in need.

  A proposed "food recovery" program for Montgomery County that would redistribute would-be wasted food to people in need gained momentum last week. The County Council on Tuesday approved a work group to study costs and logistics for the program that Councilwoman Valerie Ervin (D-Dist 5) of Silver Spring proposed in October. She said the idea was inspired by the work of two University of Maryland students.  Maryland's program, called the Food Recovery Network, collects unused food from events like football games and alumni parties, and redistributes the food to hungry people. The group has donated more than 30,000 meals. The work group is made up of county government and school officials and representatives from local food banks, grocery …

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Montgomery County Council to Host Budget Forum

Challenges loom as state laws on school funding and teacher pensions add to fiscal burdens.

  For anyone who has ever taken a look at Montgomery County’s budget—or a tax bill—and wondered: “Where does all the money go?” or “What were they thinking?” Thursday is a chance to get your questions answered. The Montgomery County Council will host a forum on the next county operating budget at 7:30 p.m. in the third floor council hearing room of the Stella B. Werner County Council Building, at 100 Maryland Ave. in Rockville. Can’t make it to the forum? It will be carried live by County Cable Montgomery (Channel 6 on Comcast and RCN, Channel 30 on Verizon) and streamed on the county website at http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov. The 90-minute-long forum will include a presentation on the challenges county officials face and time for …

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Montgomery County Police Urge Residents to 'Shop With a Cop' This Holiday

An increased police presence will provide extra security and pedestrian safety awareness in some of the county's busiest retail centers.

  Black Friday shoppers might notice an increased police presence in some of the county’s busiest shopping areas. Beginning Friday through Dec. 23 the Montgomery County Police Department’s annual “Shop With a Cop” campaign will provide extra security in retail areas in all six county police districts. Officers also will distribute 9,000 reusable bright yellow shopping bags, county police Chief J. Thomas Manger said at a news conference on Tuesday in Rockville Town Square. The bags have a drawing of a pair of eyes above the slogan “Can you see me now?” and are part of a Montgomery County pedestrian safety campaign also announced Tuesday.  Shop With a Cop is focused on making drivers aware of increased pedestrian holiday traffic in shopping …

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Montgomery County Offers Tips for Pedestrian Safety

Holiday shopping traffic and less daylight mean more danger on the roads. Here's what to remember when driving, walking or biking.

  With the approaching holiday season meaning more traffic on Montgomery County streets and in shopping center parking lots and the end of daylight savings time making it harder for drivers to see pedestrians, county officials on Tuesday launched the “Eyes” campaign to promote pedestrian safety. The county’s Department of Transportation offers these tips: Drivers: Pedestrians: Bicyclists: For more information see this news release on the “Eyes” and “Shop With a Cop” campaigns or click here to visit the county’s pedestrian safety website.

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