Bethesda Today – 海角精品黑料 News Washington's Top News Tue, 14 Jul 2026 21:58:40 +0000 en-US hourly 1 /wp-content/uploads/2021/05/WtopNewsLogo_500x500-150x150.png Bethesda Today – 海角精品黑料 News 32 32 Nearly 300 Montgomery Co. families may be on the hook for dual enrollment costs /montgomery-county/2026/07/nearly-300-montgomery-co-families-may-be-on-the-hook-for-dual-enrollment-costs/ Tue, 14 Jul 2026 21:58:40 +0000 /?p=29431537 After a $1.4 million reduction in funds for dual enrollment classes in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), roughly 9% of MCPS students enrolled in the college classes may need to pay hundreds of dollars in tuition and fees for the courses.

Monday afternoon, MCPS sent 289 letters to families detailing the potential costs and options for students, according to MCPS spokesperson Liliana Lopez. Enrollment is ongoing, and 3,159 students are enrolled in dual enrollment classes at Montgomery College as of Friday afternoon, according to the community college鈥檚 spokesperson Vanessa Zambrano.

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Montgomery Co. parent group asks Supreme Court to hear case alleging discrimination in MCPS admissions /montgomery-county/2026/07/montgomery-co-parent-group-asks-supreme-court-to-hear-case-alleging-discrimination-in-mcps-admissions/ Wed, 08 Jul 2026 14:40:34 +0000 /?p=29414420 For at least the second聽time in the past several years, the U.S. Supreme Court is being asked to hear a case concerning Montgomery County Public Schools聽(MCPS), this time related to聽claims that admission policies adopted by the district for middle school聽magnet聽programs were designed to reduce opportunities for Asian American students.

The聽petition for writ of certiorari聽was filed聽to the highest court on Thursday聽by the Pacific Legal Foundation, according to court records and the group鈥檚 website. The foundation is 鈥渁 public interest law firm that defends Americans鈥 liberties when threatened by government overreach,鈥澛燼ccording to its site. It is representing the Association for Education Fairness, which calls itself聽a group of聽鈥渃oncerned聽Asian-American聽parents in Montgomery County.鈥

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Maryland delegate, union leader involved in fight at Montgomery Co. early voting site /montgomery-county/2026/06/maryland-delegate-union-leader-involved-in-fight-at-montgomery-co-early-voting-site/ Sat, 20 Jun 2026 09:30:50 +0000 /?p=29365955 UFCW Local 1994 MCGEO President Gino Renne filed a complaint Thursday night against Del. Gabriel Acevero (D-Dist. 39) alleging the state legislator 鈥渟ucker punched鈥 him outside the polls in Gaithersburg on the last day of early voting for Tuesday鈥檚 primary election.

In a Friday phone interview, Renne 鈥 whose union represents Montgomery County government employees 鈥 said he and members of his staff were at the early voting site at Bohrer Park Activity Center on Thursday evening canvassing for the union鈥檚 endorsed candidates.

Renne told Bethesda Today a union staffer confronted Acevero, who is running for re-election, about passing out campaign literature past the 鈥渘o electioneering鈥 point at the site. The confrontation got heated, and Renne stepped in.

鈥淚 looked at him and I said, 鈥楾his is the exact behavior that forced me to fire you,鈥 鈥 Renne told Bethesda Today, referring to Acevero鈥檚 past employment with MCGEO.

The story continues. Read the rest聽蹿谤辞尘听.听

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She thought it was an email from Social Security. Instead, it was a $100,000 trap. /maryland/2026/06/she-thought-it-was-an-email-from-social-security-instead-it-was-a-100000-trap/ Thu, 18 Jun 2026 19:02:46 +0000 /?p=29362195 In 2023, Lisa, 82, lost more than $100,000 by falling prey to a scammer, and on Wednesday she shared her story in front of a crowd of about 100 of her peers with the hope of preventing them from becoming victims.

鈥淚 was so scared and so worried,鈥 the Rockville resident said during the 16th annual Montgomery County Older Adults Safety Forum at the Margaret Schweinhaut Senior Center in Silver Spring.

Sponsored by the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, the event featured local leaders and law enforcement officials along with panel discussions, presentations and exhibitors focused on protecting older residents.

According to Lisa, the scam began with a fake email from the Social Security Administration telling Lisa 鈥 who asked not to have her last name printed to protect her privacy 鈥 that her 鈥淪ocial Security number was suspended and that she needed to take immediate action.鈥

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Friendship Heights, Brookdale community file lawsuit against developers seeking to redevelop former GEICO campus /montgomery-county/2026/06/friendship-heights-brookdale-community-file-lawsuit-against-developers-seeking-to-redevelop-former-geico-campus/ Wed, 03 Jun 2026 13:40:01 +0000 /?p=29315570
A judge may decide what's next for the former Geico campus in Friendship Heights, 海角精品黑料's Neal Augenstein reports.

The Village of Friendship Heights filed a lawsuit May 13 asking a Montgomery County Circuit Court judge to decide whether updated plans for the redevelopment of the 26.5-acre GEICO site on Western Avenue should still be subjected to 1998 county development requirements that applied to the early plans for the site.

The filing of the lawsuit does not halt the latest project plans, dubbed聽, from moving through the county鈥檚 development process. But it does request the court to decide whether specific project elements, including taller heights of the proposed multifamily buildings and construction of a new sports field, should be changed to abide by previous requirements. Leadership of the Village of Friendship Heights has previously聽聽and concerns about the plans鈥 proposed removal of mature trees and decision not to preserve or adaptively reuse the mid-century style GEICO building.

The requirements, or 鈥渂inding elements,鈥 approved by the county under a local map amendment for the area in 1998, address factors ranging from density, design specifications, building configuration, green areas to open space, recreation and traffic, according to the Village鈥檚 complaint. Their suit is asking for a declaratory judgment, a legal determination made by a court that rules on a legal dispute or uncertainty, on the matter.

The story continues. Read the rest聽蹿谤辞尘听.听

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Original mail-in ballots may be counted if replacement not returned, Md. elections administrator says /montgomery-county/2026/06/original-mail-in-ballots-may-be-counted-if-replacement-not-returned-state-elections-administrator-says/ Mon, 01 Jun 2026 21:04:31 +0000 /?p=29312309 Following a聽聽that potentially impacted聽ballots sent to聽more than 447,000 voters across Maryland, state elections officials聽announced a plan聽Thursday聽to ensure people who do not return a replacement ballot still have their votes counted in the聽June 23聽primary election.

The vendor error, which聽impacted聽ballots mailed before May 14,聽resulted in聽some voters receiving聽the wrong party ballot. The State Board of Elections ordered replacement ballots for all potentially impacted voters.

Initially, state elections officials said all potentially impacted ballots had been voided and instructed impacted people to vote and return the replacement ballot once they receive it.

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At least 430 Montgomery Co. school jobs on chopping block to close spending gap /montgomery-county/2026/05/at-least-430-montgomery-co-school-jobs-on-chopping-block-to-close-spending-gap/ Sat, 23 May 2026 02:40:32 +0000 /?p=29282181 Montgomery County Public Schools聽(MCPS)聽Superintendent Thomas Taylor recommended聽Thursday聽the聽county school board聽eliminate聽more than 430聽full-time equivalent聽positions聽to close聽a $36 million聽gap聽between聽the district鈥檚 budget for the coming fiscal year and its allotted funding.

鈥淚 think this聽is聽probably one聽of the worst budgets we have had that I can recall,鈥澛燽oard聽President Grace Rivera-Oven said prior to the budget discussion聽in a meeting room聽packed with聽hundreds of聽MCPS聽educators and support staff聽at the board鈥檚 Rockville headquarters.

The聽recommended聽reductions to close the budget gap聽include dozens of聽jobs for聽social workers, family engagement specialists and聽English composition聽assistants.

With those in attendance cheering in support,聽some of聽the聽affected聽employees told the board how the聽loss of their jobs聽would聽impact聽them 鈥 as well as the students and families they serve.

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Montgomery Co. schools superintendent to formally propose staffing cuts Thursday /montgomery-county/2026/05/taylor-to-formally-propose-mcps-staffing-cuts-thursday/ Wed, 20 May 2026 22:27:51 +0000 /?p=29275658 Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Superintendent Thomas Taylor is expected to announce Thursday his recommendations for staffing cuts to close an anticipated $36 million budget gap in proposed district spending for the coming fiscal year.

In a straw vote Friday, the聽County Council聽聽a聽$7.9 billion聽operating budget for the county for fiscal year聽2027. The spending plan includes聽roughly聽$3.7聽billion聽for聽MCPS, which聽represents聽an聽additional聽$143 million in funding,聽but聽is聽$36 million less than what the district requested. The straw vote is not binding but聽is expected to聽stand when the council formally votes to adopt a budget聽Thursday.听Fiscal year 2027 begins July 1.

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Montgomery County Council approves $143M budget increase for MCPS; personnel cuts still possible /montgomery-county/2026/05/county-council-approves-143m-budget-increase-for-mcps-personnel-cuts-still-possible/ Fri, 15 May 2026 18:37:02 +0000 /?p=29257652
Jeers as Montgomery County Council members delay a budget vote

In an emotional straw vote Friday, the Montgomery County Council voted 9-2 to approve a $7.9 billion operating budget for next fiscal year 鈥 providing an additional $143 million in funding for Montgomery County Public Schools that is still $36 million less than what the district requested.

The decision, which is not binding but is unlikely to be changed, means hundreds of educator positions 鈥 including media assistants, social workers and English composition assistants 鈥 could still be on the line.

The Montgomery County Council hearing room in Rockville was packed with educators Friday morning, with many holding signs advocating to keep their positions and fully fund the school board鈥檚 budget request. As councilmembers discussed the reasoning behind their vote, many educators in the audience became emotional and wiped tears.

The $7.9 billion council-approved budget includes no property tax rate increase and a new progressive income tax structure that will increase the income tax rate for filers making over $150,001 annually and provide a tax break for everyone making less.

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鈥楾he urgency is real鈥: Glass introduces bill to halt data center permits in Montgomery County /montgomery-county/2026/05/the-urgency-is-real-glass-introduces-bill-to-halt-data-center-permits-in-montgomery-county/ Thu, 07 May 2026 20:36:27 +0000 /?p=29226518 Montgomery County Councilmember Evan Glass (D-At-large) on Tuesday introduced a bill to temporarily pause the development of data centers in the county, including a project in Dickerson that already is pending final approval.

During a Tuesday press conference at the council office building in Rockville, Glass cited county residents鈥 concerns about the potential environmental impacts of future data centers 鈥 specifically, a 360-megawatt campus proposed at the site of a former coal-fired power plant in Dickerson 鈥 as a driving force behind his decision to push for a moratorium.

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Renowned composer Stephen Schwartz mentors young Montgomery Co. performers /montgomery-county/2026/05/what-the-arts-give-us-is-empathy-renowned-composer-stephen-schwartz-mentored-young-moco-performers/ Wed, 06 May 2026 18:41:35 +0000 /?p=29221536 The lights dimmed inside the Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda on Saturday afternoon as orchestral music stands, each fitted with small clip-on lights, softly illuminated the stage鈥攖he glowing orbs resembling a swarm of fireflies. Behind the orchestra, a large projection screen flickered to life with the title of the production, DreamWorks鈥櫬The Prince of Egypt.

A low hum broke the anticipatory silence鈥攁 signal that the performance was about to begin. In quick succession, performers with the Young Artists of America (YAA) took the stage, dressed in costumes resembling ancient Egyptian garb and ready to bring the biblical story of Moses to life.

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Montgomery Co. police says agency ‘can’t cover all the schools’ in MCPS youth safety meeting /montgomery-county/2026/04/montgomery-co-police-says-agency-cant-cover-all-the-schools-in-mcps-youth-safety-meeting/ Sat, 25 Apr 2026 13:03:06 +0000 /?p=29181536 Three聽days before a聽Watkins Mill High School聽student聽 Friday for alleged possession of a firearm on the Gaithersburg campus, Montgomery County leaders had met to discuss the issues of youth and school safety with Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) officials and county police.

The聽Tuesday聽meeting聽in聽Rockville聽addressing聽the long-debated role of police officers in聽public聽schools聽came after the release of preliminary results聽from an MCPS survey that showed聽about a third of聽families, administrators聽and staff聽who responded聽said they聽want to see聽more police presence in schools.

It also followed several聽recent聽security incidents in聽schools, including聽the arrest of a聽Gaithersburg High School student in March鈥痜or鈥痑lleged聽鈥痮n school property聽and聽a聽聽at Thomas S. Wootton High School in Rockville聽that聽left聽one student injured and another facing an聽attempted murder charge.

However, police officials聽acknowledged during Tuesday鈥檚 meeting with the County Council that the department does not have enough聽officers to place one in each of the county鈥檚聽211 schools聽on a daily basis.听The county聽police department, like other聽departments聽in Maryland, has been facing聽

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Chevy Chase archaeological researcher, YouTuber facing 9 second-degree rape charges /montgomery-county/2026/04/chevy-chase-archaeological-researcher-youtuber-facing-9-second-degree-rape-charges/ Wed, 22 Apr 2026 20:32:58 +0000 /?p=29171151 A 41-year-old archaeological researcher and explorer from Chevy Chase, who shared his experiences and theories on 鈥淭he Joe Rogan Experience鈥 in early February, was arrested later that month and is facing multiple rape and assault charges.

Michael Raul Bilecky, creator of the 鈥淧illars of the Past鈥 YouTube show, faces nine counts of second-degree rape without consent, a felony charge, and nine counts of second-degree assault, which is a misdemeanor, according to online court records. The offenses allegedly occurred from April 2025 to January 2026.

Bilecky was arrested Feb. 27, the same month in which his episode with Rogan was released, Montgomery County District Court records indicate. Montgomery County police obtained a warrant for his arrest two days earlier.

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鈥楽etting an example鈥: Montgomery Co. Council bans private immigration detention centers /montgomery-county/2026/04/setting-an-example-montgomery-co-council-bans-private-immigration-detention-centers/ Tue, 21 Apr 2026 22:55:39 +0000 /?p=29167747
海角精品黑料's Steve Karesh reports that the Montgomery County Council unanimously passed the ICE Out Act, which prohibits privately-owned ICE detention centers in the county.

Private immigration detention聽centers聽will be effectively banned in Montgomery County after the County Council鈥檚 unanimous vote Tuesday to pass the ICE Out Act 鈥 but the local law may not be necessary if聽Gov. Wes Moore聽(D)聽signs a similar聽bill to prevent jurisdictions across the state from approving the facilities.

鈥淲e have great allies in the Maryland General Assembly,鈥 said聽council President Natali聽Fani-Gonz谩lez (D-Dist. 6) ahead of the council鈥檚 vote on Tuesday. 鈥淭he fact that we don鈥檛 need this local bill anymore is awesome, but we鈥檙e聽gonna聽still pass it.鈥

Councilmember Evan Glass (D-At-large)聽聽in March with the support of the full council.听ICE stands for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The bill will聽prohibit the county鈥檚 Department of Permitting Services from issuing building or use-and-occupancy permits for would-be private immigration detention聽centers.听County Executive Marc Elrich (D) has said he will sign the bill into law.

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Lakeforest Mall demolition ushers in start of $1.2B redevelopment project /montgomery-county/2026/04/lakeforest-mall-demolition-ushers-in-start-of-1-2b-redevelopment-project/ Tue, 14 Apr 2026 20:26:37 +0000 /?p=29143728 Surrounded by piles of gray rubble, Gaithersburg leaders, developers and elected officials gathered Monday to mark the beginning of the demolition of Lakeforest Mall, signaling the start of a long-anticipated transformation of the aging retail site into a mixed-use community with retail shops, residential units and access to transit.

鈥淭his is a significant step to moving us toward the finish line,鈥 Gaithersburg Mayor Jud Ashman said during the ceremony attended by local officials and the project鈥檚 developers at the 102-acre mall sire at 701 Russell Ave.

Ashman called the moment a milestone years in the making. 鈥淥n behalf of our whole community, I want to say hallelujah 鈥 let the redevelopment begin,鈥 he said.

Opened in 1978, the mall once served as a central shopping and social hub for Montgomery County, featuring major department stores, an ice rink and later a movie theater and food court. For many residents, it was a place of first jobs, first dates and holiday shopping traditions.

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