Jacob Newman, the new director of the Silver Spring Regional Center, has been on the job a week and likes it already. “I had the good fortune to meet several community members and other stakeholders. I have a daily shipment of emails and readings to catch up on,” he said. “It’s been fantastic.”
The Montgomery County Animal Services and Adoption Center joined NBC/Telemundo’s nationwide “Clear the Shelters” adoption event today, reducing adoption fees for all animals by 50% from today (Aug. 23) through Sept. 19. In addition, the fee will be completely waived for any animal that has been at the shelter for more than 30 days.
The Takoma Park City Council is accepting applications for City Boards and Committee volunteers through September 30.
The county’s Department of Health and Human Services has been awarded a two-year, $3.7 million grant to provide support for Mobile Crisis Outreach Teams and the Crisis Center, expanding intervention services to those with mental illness or a disorder due to substance abuse.
The county’s Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security issued a Heat Emergency Alert that will begin at noon today, Aug. 11, and continue through 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 12. A Heat Emergency Alert, a step above Tuesday’s Hyperthermia Alert, means that the heat index is forecast to be 105° F or higher.
As promised, County Executive Marc Elrich yesterday vetoed a bill that would establish a business improvement district in Silver Spring. In response, seven County Council members vowed to override the veto when the council returned in September.
The City of Takoma Park has begun the installation of sidewalks featuring poetry from local residents, as part of an interactive public art project organized by the City’s Arts and Humanities Division. The poems were chosen in a contest held earlier this year, with the winners receiving a $100 award in addition to their poetry stamped in sidewalks around Takoma Park.
The County Council, sitting as the Board of Health, yesterday voted unanimously to reinstate a mandate requiring all residents, regardless of vaccination status to wear masks indoors. The vote followed recommendations from County Executive Marc Elrich and County Health Officer Dr. Travis Gayles to take the action.
The county’s Department of Transportation is planning to create a crowd-sourced app that will give riders and DOT’s central dispatch real-time information on the status of bus routes and passenger counts.