Tuesday, January 29, 2013
A House bill that would raise the maximum speed limit on interstates and expressways statewide from 65 to 70 mph will be introduced during the current General Assembly session, The Gazette reports.
A House bill co-sponsored by Del. Aruna Miller (D-Dist. 15) of Darnestown and Del. Neil Parrott (R-Dist. 2B) of Hagerstown could force a change in the speed limit on the Intercounty Connector, according to a report by The Gazette. The bill would raise the maximum speed limit on interstates and expressways statewide from 65 to 70 mph, according to the report, and automatically increase the ICC's speed limit from 55 to 70. Miller cited three reasons the change is necessary. “One, the posted speed limit is way too low,” she said, according to the report. “Two, the toll is way too high. And three, the enforcement is excessive.” A separate bill by Sen. Jennie Forehand (D-Dist. 17) of Rockville, would raise the speed limit on the ICC to 60, …
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
"Police officers are ticketing speeders aggressively,” Montgomery County Councilman Phil Andrews said, according to a report by The Gazette.
Speeders beware, police are ticketing the Intercounty Connector at a high rate. Over the last three months, police officers on the ICC "issued about 10 speeding citations and warnings per day," The Gazette reported, including a total of 887 citations and warnings issued for speeding between October and December. Montgomery County Councilman Phil Andrews (D-Dist. 3) of Gaithersburg said he's heard from constituents that “police officers are ticketing speeders aggressively” on the ICC, according to the report. The ICC is patrolled by the Maryland Transportation Authority Police, according to the report. Andrews has been vocal on ICC issues of late, calling the road overpriced and underused in December. The road's 55 mph speed limit has also …
Monday, December 10, 2012
A string of commercial robberies in Gaithersburg led police to issue a series of tips for business owners and employees to stay safe.
Following a series of incidents, including two armed robberies and an attempted armed robbery of Gaithersburg businesses, city police are offering tips for business owners, employees and customers to stay safe. Police recommend: On Nov. 27, officers responded to the CVS located at 546 North Frederick Avenue for a report of an attempted armed robbery. Montgomery County police released a photo of the victim hoping someone can help identify him. On Dec. 2, and Dec. 5, officers responded to the Subway located at 876 Muddy Branch Road for an armed robbery.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Gaithersburg and Montgomery County Police Departments conducted a two day “Holiday Safety” initiative at Lakeforest Mall.
Plain clothed officers from Gaithersburg and Montgomery County police departments arrested 13 people during a two day "Holiday Safety" intitative at Lakeforest Mall, police said Monday afternoon. The initiative, conducted on Nov. 23 and 24 in partnership with mall security, resulted in four people being charged with misdemeaner thefts, three charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance paraphernalia, one charged with possession of alcohol, two had outstanding warrants for failure to appear in court, and three were charged with possession with intent to distribute a controlled dangerous substance. “We appreciate the efforts and support of the Gaithersburg police and the Montgomery County police departments during the busy …
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
"Safety is our number one priority,” said Chief of Police Mark P. Sroka.
- PUBLIC SAFETY
- Greg Cohen
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Wednesday, November 21, 2012
The Gaithersburg Police Department has a simple message for travelers during the Thanksgiving holiday: Drive safe. “Officers will be out in force over the holiday weekend focusing on speed enforcement, seatbelt compliance, aggressive and impaired drivers," Gaithersburg Chief of Police Mark P. Sroka said. "Your safety is our number one priority." Gaithersburg police are encouraging drivers to plan ahead and be patient while traveling, not to text or make any hand held phone calls, and use a designated driver or public transportation if you find youself to be impaired. "If you see a driver you think may be impaired or is driving their vehicle in an unsafe manner, keep a safe distance and call the non-emergency number at 301-279-8000," police…
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Pepco's Outage Map confirms significant outages for areas in and around Gaithersburg Tuesday morning.
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
- Greg Cohen
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Tuesday, October 30, 2012
(Update, 1:52 p.m.): Power outage numbers are down in Gaithersburg, according to Pepco's Outage Map, following a morning in which more than 5,000 customers in and around the city were without power. The 20878 ZIP code is down to 236 customers in the dark, a significant decrease from an area-leading 2,017 as of 9:50 a.m. Residents in the 20879 ZIP code are down to 157 outages from 1,387. Other Gaithersburg-area outage numbers as of 1:55 p.m. are: (Original, 10: 14 a.m.): Approximately 5,308 Pepco customers were without power Tuesday morning following Hurricane Sandy's overnight surge, according to the utility company's Outage Map, with the most significant outages in the 20878 ZIP code. As of 9:50 a.m., upwards of 2,017 Gaithersburg and …
Monday, October 29, 2012
City, county and Red Cross officials prepare one of Montgomery County's three overnight shelters for Hurricane Sandy.
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
- Greg Cohen
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Monday, October 29, 2012
Gaithersburg City and Montgomery County officials worked quickly to set up one of three overnight shelters in the county at the Activity Center at Bohrer Park. The shelter officially opened to the public at noon but officials were in the process of setting up check-in stations and cots at 2:30 p.m. while volunteers from the Red Cross worked to unload food and other essentials for people who might be displaced by Hurricane Sandy. Mario Wawrzusin — a program administrator for the county's Department of Health and Human Services — was overseeing the set up and said the county wants to provide a safe place for anyone in the community. Wawrzusin would not speculate how many people would require the services of the shelter, but did use his …
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Keep your children, pets and house safe this October 31st.
- HALLOWEEN
- Ben Gross
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Saturday, October 27, 2012
Oct. 31 is the one day a year on which kids (and many adults) let loose and have fun – dressing up as their favorite sports and music personality, movie star or the more traditional zombies, vampires, ghouls and ghosts. The Montgomery County and Prince George’s Police Forces and Fire Departments as well as the ASPCA have issued a number of tips for keeping children, adults and even pets safe this Halloween. For trick-or-treaters: For Halloween party-goers: For pets:
Monday, July 30, 2012
Ever wondered what a typical fire rescue response looks like in Montgomery County?
When one fire siren goes off in North Potomac, Darnestown, or anywhere else in Montgomery County, it seems like dozens more follow. No matter what type of call, a normal response from Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service includes at least nine trucks in all – five engines, two ladder trucks, one heavy rescue squad and one ambulance or medical truck. All of this is overseen by two battalion chiefs, and perhaps a couple of volunteer chiefs. “The dispatch will vary to some degree based on the type of structure or hazard,” said Beth Anne Nesselt, spokesperson for MCFRS. “For instance, if the reported fire is for a high-rise, we would typically add an engine and aerial unit to the initial dispatch. In rural areas of the county and non-…
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
State officials: Sale of bumper pads could be outlawed by next June.
Crib bumper pads may soon become a thing of past if health officials in Maryland get their way. Several months after the American Academy of Pediatrics called for parents to discontinue use of crib bumpers because of the risk of death for babies, Maryland is poised to become the first state to ban their sale. “The safety and health of infants in Maryland is our first priority,” said Dr. Joshua M. Sharfstein, head of the state's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. “After an extensive, year-long review of the evidence and thoughtful consideration of public comment, we agree with our expert health advisors that baby bumper pads pose unreasonable risks to infants.” The Maryland Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics has thrown its …
Duke Ganote
6:09 am on Thursday, February 28, 2013
Mr. Flaharty, whipping up a frothy lather about speed limits -- on the ICC or other freeways -- which shows DANGEROUS IGNORANCE. Maryland's rural interstate fatality rate in 2009 was 0.06 -- FAR FAR lower that the all-road rate of 1.07 deaths per 100 million travel miles. Why? Simple physics! Traffic engineers very effectively adapt roads for higher speeds by eliminating opposing traffic, … more ›