Tuesday, November 20, 2012
New campaign uses Ride On buses to promote pedestrian safety.
William Linkens sees it all the time. A pedestrian focused on a smart phone as they approach a busy street. “I see so many people come into the crosswalk—or maybe not even the crosswalk, just to cross the street—and their head never looks up,” said Linkens, a 12-year veteran driver of Montgomery County’s Ride On buses. Ride On is at the heart of a safety campaign that Montgomery County officials hope will prevent pedestrian fatalities on county roads. Two Ride On buses parked on East Montgomery Avenue in Rockville Town Center on Tuesday morning bore the campaign slogan, “Hey you, I’m looking at you!” above a pair of eyes. The eyes–two sets on two different versions of the bus-sized ads—belong to one current and one former student at …
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Bill coincides with American Cancer Society’s 37th Great American Smokeout.
Montgomery County leaders are considering tightening restrictions on tobacco use again, this time with a ban on smoking on any property owned or leased by county government. The ban—proposed by Councilwoman Nancy M. Floreen—would apply to the land around recreation centers and county buildings, for example, but not bus shelters and sidewalks, The Washington Examiner reported. Floreen, a breast cancer survivor, will announce more details at a news conference Thursday timed to coincide with the Great American Smokeout. The American Cancer Society "smokeout" aims at getting the nation’s 44 million smokers to quit, including the 1 in 12 adults in Montgomery County who smoke, according to a county statement. The county has been at the leading…
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Leggett: 'I believe that it’s about time.'
Friday, November 2, 2012
Leggett: 'I believe that it’s about time.'
With Election Day looming, Patch recently sat down with Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett to discuss key issues. Approaching the midway point of his second term in office, Leggett (D) reflected on the upcoming election, the state of the county and its budget, his priorities for the remainder of his second term and persistent rumors about whether he’ll seek higher office in 2014. In this second installment, Leggett discusses why he supports a vote "yes" on Question 6 on the Nov. 6 ballot in favor of same-sex marriage. Click here to view the interview's first installment, in which Leggett discussed the ballot referendum on the Dream Act, which would allow in-state tuition for children of illegal immigrants.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Leggett: To vote against the ballot question would be 'shortsighted.'
With Election Day looming, Patch recently sat down with Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett. Approaching the midway point of his second term in office, Leggett (D) reflected on the upcoming election, the state of the county and its budget, his priorities for the remainder of his second term and persistent rumors about whether he’ll seek public office in 2014. In the first installment, Leggett talks about why he “wholeheartedly” supports voting "yes" on Question 4 on the Nov. 6 ballot and allowing in-state tuition for children of illegal immigrants.
The city's ceremony on Sunday will feature Vietnam veteran Mike Marceau.
Rockville will mark Veterans Day with its annual ceremony on Sunday. Some county and city facilities, including City Hall, will be closed Monday, when the federal holiday is observed. Mike Marceau, a U.S. Army veteran, will be the featured speaker at the city’s Veterans Day ceremony at 11 a.m. on Friday at Veterans Park. Veterans Park is locate under the large American flag at the intersection of Rockville Pike and Veirs Mill Road. Parking is available at the Sandy Spring Bank building, located between Fleet Street and Rockville Pike. Click here for more information. In the city of Rockville the following facilities will be closed on Monday: Other city facilities will be open on Monday: Recycling and trash will be collected on regular …
Monday, October 29, 2012
Gov. O'Malley: "The more responsibly citizens act, the fewer people will die."
All City of Rockville offices and facilities and all Montgomery County government offices are closed Monday as the region braces for Hurricane Sandy’s arrival. There will be no city or county trash, recycling or leaf collection on Monday or Tuesday. The Rockville City Council meeting scheduled for Monday night has been canceled. A decision will be made later today regarding closings and cancellations for city and county offices and activities for Tuesday. Montgomery County Public Schools are closed Monday and Tuesday. Federal government offices are closed as well with employees granted administrative leave. Metro, Ride On and MARC train services have been suspended. Early voting in Maryland is canceled for Monday. District and circuit …
Monday, October 8, 2012
Montgomery County Council member Valerie Ervin said she was inspired by students at the University of Maryland who redistributed food that would be thrown away from sports events.
How many hungry people could government and community programs feed if food that would otherwise be thrown away was redistributed to those who needed it? Montgomery County Councilwoman Valerie Ervin (D-Dist 5) of Silver Spring is hoping to find out. Ervin announced Friday that she wants to start a food recovery program in Montgomery County based on a model created by students at the University of Maryland, College Park. Ervin is scheduled to outline the county program at a news conference on Tuesday in Rockville. At Maryland, the Food Recovery Network collects unused food from special events, such as football games and alumni parties, and redistributes the food to hungry people. The group has donated more than 30,000 meals, according to a …
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Leggett: 'Tight economic times' call for 'creative ways to reduce the cost of government.'
Thirty-four Montgomery County Department of Transportation employees received $223 checks from County Executive Isiah Leggett on Tuesday in recognition of their efforts to save the county money with an innovative idea. The bonuses are part of a program that encourages county employees to look for ways to save the county money. Staff from the department’s Sign and Signal Shop established a program for separating and selling the more valuable metals collected as part of the shop’s scrap metal recycling operations. Sales of the metals generated $16,047 in the first year of operation, according to a county news release. “During these tight economic times, it’s even more important that we encourage employees to find creative ways to reduce the …
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Can you speak, read and write in English—and speak fluent Spanish?
Are you fluent in Spanish? Are you interested in becoming an election judge? The Montgomery County Board of Elections is looking for people just like you to serve at polling places on Election Day, Nov. 6. According to Maryland's election law, election judges must meet the following requirements: What you don't need is Montgomery County residency. Another point of interest: Election judges are compensated for their time during training and on Election Day itself. Anyone interested should contact the Montgomery County Board of Elections at 240-777-8532, download an election judge questionnaire at www.777vote.org, or e-mail Dr. Gilberto Zelaya at gilberto.zelaya@montgomerycountymd.gov.
john davidson
6:06 pm on Wednesday, November 14, 2012
TobaccoControl Tactics TCTactics aims to provide up-to-date information on the Tobacco Control Industry, its allies and those promoting the extremist anti-tobacco agenda that no longer targets just tobacco but ordinary adult consumers who use it. The website explores how this industry – with support from the pharmaceutical nicotine producers and government tax funds – influences and often … more ›