gaithersblog.net

Gaithersburg-based MedImmune, a major local employer and the City’s fourth-largest source of property tax revenue, has been sold to UK-based global conglomerate AstraZeneca. It is of course unknown at this time how this development will impact local jobs or plans for future investment in Gaithersburg.

Angela Zimm and Etain Lavelle report in this Bloomberg story:

AstraZeneca Plc, struggling to develop new medicines, agreed to buy U.S. biotechnology company MedImmune Inc. for $15.2 billion in cash to gain flu vaccines and an antiviral treatment for babies.

Investors in Gaithersburg, Maryland-based MedImmune will get $58 a share, AstraZeneca said today. That’s 21 percent more than MedImmune’s April 20 closing price of $48.01. MedImmune put itself up for sale on April 11 after pressure from billionaire Carl Icahn and other shareholders.

The acquisition comes just as AstraZeneca reports the failure of its fourth experimental drug in the last year. The London-based drugmaker will be helped by MedImmune’s FluMist for influenza and Synagis for infant lung infections, as well as 45 products in development. AstraZeneca will merge MedImmune with Cambridge Antibody Technology Group Plc, a biotech company it bought in May.

The second topic for next Monday’s work session has to do with a proposal to redevelop a stretch of East Diamond Ave, just east of Summit Ave. This is a project that has been in the works for several years, and was on the drawing board even before the development of the Olde Towne Master Plan in 2004-2005. The properties that currently occupy this location include Jim Clifford’s current office building, a couple of small apartment buildings with a total of 74 units, the current Olde Towne Youth center, and an old, abandoned and decaying house.

Click on the above picture to pull up the Windows Live aerial photograph.

I saw the previous plan for this site, and I was not entirely happy with what had been proposed — it was too massive, and it was too tall and crowded the street, and there were too many units — nearly 500 — jammed into that amount of space. This new proposal is greatly improved.

At first, and according to the Master Plan, this block was designated to have owner-occupied condos. But in the past year or two, the condo market has pretty much collapsed. Even the Rockville Town Square has had to back off on condo sales and pursue the rental market. I’m not particularly happy with this change, but I do understand the reality of the situation, and I hope that the developers will at at least build the units to be easily convertible into condos when the market returns, as it inevitably will.

But really, this is precisely what Olde Towne needs — more people living within walking distance of downtown restaurants and stores, and right across the street from mass transit. The current restaurants and retail stores are pretty limited, but I would hope that the addition of these apartments would help to bring in more. Also, that stretch of Diamond is pretty dismal late at night, and the wooded areas, while pretty from the street, are magnets for the homeless alcoholics (the first two color photographs in that post are from that stretch of E. Diamond) and no place to, for example, take quiet evening strolls.

The approval of this project is not certain, and I would encourage anyone who agrees that this should go forward to contact the Mayor and City Council to let them know how you feel.

Part of the proposal is to turn Teacher’s Way — which currently connects to Girard St for access to Gaithersburg Middle School, becoming a foot/bike path past the schoolyard, and an alleyway next to Gaithersburg Elementary, connecting to Summit via a City parking lot — into a real street connecting Summit & Girard in parallel with Diamond Ave, and providing the primary access to the new building’s parking garage. This is another thing that Olde Towne has needed for a long time. Also as part of this project, the current Olde Towne youth center — which is just a repurposed residential structure — will be torn down and a new one would be built by the City further out Diamond Avenue, near the Middle School. The plans are for it to be exactly on par with the newly-completed Robertson Park Youth Center, which I’ve never been to, but everything I’ve heard has been positive.

As far as mass transit is concerned, MARC isn’t perfect, but it is great for people commuting to Capitol Hill and especially Silver Spring — in fact, I’d say it is very nearly the only sane way to commute from Gaithersburg to Silver Spring. MARC also connects to Metro at Rockville. One might imagine that this building, together with the Park Station apartments, might start to achieve the sort of density that would justify dedicated shuttle buses running between Shady Grove and Olde Towne. (There is one Ride On bus — the 57 — that goes through Diamond & Summit on the way to and from Shady Grove, but it takes the scenic — and horrendously congested during rush hour — route out through Flower Hill to Muncaster Mill Road.)

Some will complain about the destruction of the 74 “affordable” apartments, but as I’ve previously discussed, Olde Towne already has far more than its share of “affordable” housing — much of which is affordable only because it is so out of date and, in some cases, poorly maintained. Others have complained about the loss of historic properties, but at least one of those is on its way to being demolished through abandonment and neglect, and more properties could follow if something isn’t done to bring more investment into Olde Towne. Often, historic preservation involves making these compromises so that one can afford to keep what is truly unique and significant.

Staff discussion from the work session background materials follows:

As you will recall, the concept of higher density residential redevelopment was a key theme of the fall 2004 Olde Towne Revitalization Charrette.

During the course of the Charrette, there was considerable discussion about potential redevelopment on East Diamond Avenue. For your review, we have attached the Olde Towne plan for Sector 3 that includes the proposed redevelopment area.

Mr. Clifford and Archstone approached the City about purchasing the Youth Center parcel and obtaining development rights for parcel 936, but staff would not recommend that the City Council consider disposing of these properties until we saw a fairly detailed plan for the proposed redevelopment.

In May of 2005, staff began meeting with Mr. Clifford and representatives of Archstone to discuss their plan, and numerous modifications and improvements were made over time.

On May 30, 2006, a work session was held to review the concept plan. During the course of the work session, the Mayor and City Council and the public expressed general support for the project but expressed some concerns about the massing and the density of the project.

Staff has been working with the development team to address the issues raised at the May 30, 2006 work session, and a number of key changes have been made to the draft plan. The development team is no longer proposing to include the surface lot behind Victor Litz (P 936) as part of the project, and the architecture and the massing on East Diamond Avenue has been modified significantly. For your review, we have attached the latest conceptual elevations from East Diamond Avenue and a conceptual footprint for the project.

To date, staff has worked with Archstone on four versions of the conceptual plan with densities ranging from 480 units to 390 units. At this point, staff is comfortable with the massing and density of the latest version and believes that it is in the City’s best interest to move forward with the planning process.

On December 19, 2005, the Mayor and City Council passed a resolution authorizing the City Manager to negotiate and execute a contract to sell the Youth Center property (parcel N 948), and staff is in the process of negotiating a contract with Archstone Smith. It is anticipated that a contract to sell the Youth Center parcel would be contingent upon Archstone ultimately receiving Planning Commission approval for a specific unit count; however, the City can not approve a concept plan via a contract and the applicant will have to proceed with the normal process before the Planning Commission.

As the City Council is aware, it is necessary for the City to obtain a new site for the Olde Towne Youth Center prior to allowing redevelopment of the existing site. We have identified an excellent location on the grounds of Gaithersburg Middle School, and have executed a long-term lease with MCPS that gives the City rights to build on the property. Additionally, we have reached an agreement in principle with MCPS to obtain a portion of the right-of-way for Teachers Way Extended to facilitate this project.

At the conclusion of the work session, staff will be seeking guidance on the following:

1) Is the City Council generally comfortable with the scale and density of the proposed project?

On Monday, April 23, 2007, the Mayor and Council will hold a work session to discuss just two topics. One of these is the City’s travel policy for the Mayor, Council and their spouses. The lack of an officially-articulated policy, and the tradition of paying travel, lodging and food costs for spouses, as well as the costs of alcoholic beverages for both the officials and their spouses, was first disclosed by the Town Courier newspaper, while the Gazette reported additional details a few weeks later. In the new draft policy, the City Manager appears to be attempting to strike a compromise, by changing to a per-diem system for food, eliminating the reimbursement for alcohol, and limiting the events for which the City will pay a spouse’s expenses to just the National League of Cities and Maryland Municipal League main annual conferences.

Transcribed from the (PDF format) background materials:

DRAFT
Mayor & City Council Travel Policy

Purpose To establish criteria for payment and reimbursement of travel expenses incurred by the Mayor, City Council members, and members of City Boards and Commissions who travel in the performance of their official functions.

General Policy The City of Gaithersburg recognizes that the Mayor, City Council members and members of City Boards and Commissions travel to locations within and outside the State of Maryland for the purpose of representing the City at conferences and meetings, as well as to receive education and training to enhance their skills relating to the performance of their duties within the City government. In formulating this Travel Policy, it is further recognized that tangible benefits are gained through attendance at such events, including the informal networking and information exchanges that often occur. The expense of such travel is therefore appropriate for the City to bear.

It is understood herein that an individual traveling under this Policy is expected to exercise reasonable care in incurring travel expenses. Excess costs, circuitous routes, luxury accommodations and/or meals, and unnecessary services solely for the convenience or personal preference of the traveler are not acceptable under this Policy. Travelers will be held responsible for any additional expenses incurred for personal preference or convenience.

Meal Expenses The City employs a per diem system for meal expenses. The aggregate daily total per diem is $50; which will be reviewed and amended as needed from time to time. Travelers can receive this amount as an advance, be reimbursed, or use a municipal credit card for meal expenses. No receipts are required to be submitted to receive the per diem rate.

Reimbursement for meal expenses of up to $65 per day may be made if accompanied by receipts and the expenses are deemed in conformance with this Policy. Any meal expenses in excess of $65 per day are the responsibility of the traveler.

Lodging/Transportation Expenses City staff will arrange for accommodations (lodging) and transportation (airfare, train, etc.) with an emphasis on obtaining the best price, taking into consideration reasonable time and location constraints. Staff will make reservations with sufficient lead times to obtain the highest discounts. Airfare will be coach or business class, whichever is less. Lodging at conference venues often offers a higher value, even though the nightly rate is slightly higher, as transportation costs (cabs, etc.) are reduced and additional time is made available for conference activities. Whenever possible, municipal credit cards will be used to ensure that the most accurate records are maintained. Travelers using personal methods of payment are eligible to receive reimbursement provided proper receipts are provided.

Spouse Travel A spouse of the Mayor or a member of the City Council will be allowed travel privileges (airfare, lodging, meal per diem, etc.) only to the National League of Cities and Maryland Municipal League main conferences each year.

Alcohol No alcoholic beverages may be included in any request for reimbursement under this Policy.

April 23, 2007

Photo Courtesy Clark W. Day Photo-Graphics

From the City’s Crime Summary:

Thursday, April 19, 2007
Robbery
Today at 1:05 PM the Bank of America was robbed on N. Summit Avenue. A white male approached the teller and implied he had a gun and demanded money. He fled out the front door and headed toward E. Diamond Avenue. Handled by Montgomery County Police Robbery Section.

This is the same bank that was robbed about six weeks ago:

3/6/2007

Armed Robbery of Bank of America in Gaithersburg

Detectives from the Montgomery County Police Major Crimes Division - Robbery Section and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are investigating a bank robbery that occurred yesterday evening in Gaithersburg.

At about 7:45 p.m., Gaithersburg City and 6th District police officers responded to the Bank of America located at 22 N. Summit Avenue in Gaithersburg, for the report of a bank robbery that had just occurred. The preliminary investigation revealed that a teller of the bank had just left the remote drive-thru building, and was opening her car door, when she was approached by a suspect, who grabbed her and displayed a handgun. She was ordered back into the remote drive-thru building, and cash was demanded. The victim complied, and the suspect fled out of the door in an unknown direction.

The victim also reported that she noticed a second suspect standing near the ATM of the main bank building, close to N. Summit Avenue, possibly as a lookout. It is possible that the two were driving a light-colored, older model, boxy-type car, such as a Toyota Camry or Toyota Corolla.

The suspects are described as follows: Suspect #1 is a black male, 25 years of age, 5’4” to 5’8” tall, weighing 150 pounds. He was wearing a dark hooded jacket and carrying a handgun. Suspect #2 is a black male, 25 years of age, 5’8” tall, wearing a plaid, short-sleeved, button-down shirt.

Anyone who has information about this bank robbery or the suspects is asked to call the Major Crimes Division – Robbery Section at 240-773-5100. Those who wish to remain anonymous may call Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). Crime Solvers will pay a cash reward of up to $1,000 for information provided to them that leads to an arrest and/or indictment in these crimes.

*** No surveillance video is available at this time.***

Despite the opening of the CASA de Maryland-run day laborer center on Crabbs Branch Way, and despite repeated assurances that the day laborer center would work, despite the City’s anti-solicitation ordinance, day laborers continue to assemble at the Duvall Center 7-Eleven.

Photo Courtesy Clark W. Day Photo-Graphics

One wonders, of course, why these laborers would prefer not to use the CASA-run site. Surely it isn’t because they have no way to get there, because CASA is running a special shuttle service, at least for the first couple of weeks:

For the first two weeks, Casa will shuttle the workers the 2.5 miles between the parking lots in Gaithersburg and the new center. The city has nixed the notion of giving the workers bus tokens and plans to erect signs at the primary informal lot to guide workers and employers to the new center.

Could it be that some of the day laborers actually prefer not to deal with CASA and the center’s rules? Could it be that some of these workers had failed to follow CASA’s rules and CASA kicked them out? Could it be that the limited number of jobs available at the CASA center — together with the limited number of employers who want either to comply with CASA’s rules or to have any official documentation of the fact that they have been hiring illegal immigrants — acts to create an environment wherein spreading out to multiple sites in the area allows the laborers to increase their chances of being hired for the day? Could it be that the risk of being treated poorly by an employer is outweighed by the cost of dealing with CASA and the CASA-run hiring center and the risk of not getting hired at all? Could it be that they just feel more comfortable in the 7-Eleven lot?

The County’s Planning Board, in approving the Derwood center, expressed clear concern that day laborers would not willingly restrict their solicitation to the center’s premises, although they did seem mostly concerned that yet another informal hiring location would pop up at the Grove shopping center:

Monitor the Shady Grove Shopping Center and provide police enforcement to assure that this location is not used as an alternative for workers and employers to meet.

I guess that the Duvall Center location is already considered a loss and not worth the effort to try to do anything about?

In fact, the County Police have explicitly stated that they plan on making a special exception to their hands-off approach for the Grove and other locations near the new labor center:

There is worry, however, that if workers stray from the site, the nearby community will consider the center a failure.

‘‘We don’t want to give them a reason to say the center isn’t working,” said Diane Tillery, community services officer for the county police’s Sixth District.

Tillery, who has played a central role in the situation since late 2004, wants to prevent impromptu hiring sites in Derwood like the ones that have tended to pop up near the county’s formal centers in Silver Spring and Wheaton.

The Grove shopping center — which includes a gas station, a fast-food restaurant, a supermarket, a liquor store and a day-care center— is only a few hundred yards away. And a Home Depot nearby on Shady Grove Road regularly draws workers, Tillery said.

But officials at Casa, which runs the Silver Spring and Wheaton centers, say they are committed to forming a ‘‘trusting relationship” with the workers, said Christy Swanson, Casa’s direct services director.

‘‘We don’t force the workers to use our center, that’s not our job,” Swanson said. ‘‘… But if the employers are using the center, there won’t be a problem.”

So, endevoring to make sure that the day laborer center works to bring order and safety to the day labor market in the area isn’t CASA’s job, it isn’t the job of the Police, and it isn’t the job of the State’s Attorney. Really, it is no one’s job. The center will work or it won’t work; the laborers can use it or not and the employers can use it or not. What we have is just an odd sort of Laissez-faire approach to allowing a black market for labor to persist even as the County dumps hundreds of thousands of dollars into their Potemkin Laborer Center, that undoubtedly impresses everyone except those who actually bother to look around.

Photo Courtesy Clark W. Day Photo-Graphics

District 6 has finally gotten last week’s crime report posted. The summary lists four robberies, five aggravated assaults, two commercial burglaries, six residential burglaries, fifteen thefts from vehicles, four stolen vehicles and one sex offense.

Some notable reports:

• A strong-armed robbery occurred at 18411 Hallmark Court on Tuesday 4/3 at 2200 hours. The victim had just gotten off of the bus on Flower Hill Way and was walking down the foot path when the suspects approached and beat him. They took the victim’s backpack and it and the contents were all recovered, except for $80 cash.

  Suspects: eight B/M’s, NFD

• An adult female claimed she was sexually assaulted somewhere on Route 270 on Wednesday 4/4, between 1840 and 1915 hours. She was walking on Route 270, near Route 121 when the suspect pulled over and offered her a ride. After they drove down the road, the suspect pulled over, asked the victim if she would “do anything for a ride”, and then he asked for a ‘hand-job’. When the victim refused, he started to fondle her breasts. She jumped out of the vehicle and he drove off. The victim flagged down an officer around the Montgomery Village Avenue exit.

  Suspect: W/M, 30-37 yrs. old, 5’7”-5’9”/170-200 lbs., ruddy complexion

• A strong-armed robbery occurred in front of the South Lake Elementary School, at Contour Road and Horizon Run Road on Friday 4/6 at 0005 hours. The victim was walking and the first suspect approached and asked for money. He refused, but seeing money sticking out of the victim’s shirt pocket, the suspect hit him and then snatched the money. She fled to the suspect vehicle, driven by the second suspect and they fled towards Route 270.

  Suspects: H/M, and H/F, NFD

• An aggravated assault occurred at the Sport & Health, 700 Russell Avenue on Wednesday 4/4 at 2315 hours. The victim is an employee and was in her vehicle when the suspect approached. He refused to move and she blew her horn. He yelled at her to get out of the vehicle and displayed a black handled knife, and told the victim he was “ready to die”. When the suspect heard the approaching police sirens he fled on foot. The suspect came back the next day to try to talk to the victim and he was arrested for trespassing at that time. He did have the knife on him at the time of the arrest.

  Suspect: Mustapha Bamber, B/M, 18 yrs. old, 5’8”/250 lbs., shaved head, of 18 N. Summit Drive

• The aggravated assault at 9208 Bluebird Terrace on Thursday 4/5 was committed by the victim’s girlfriend. The victim was stabbed and didn’t make the report until he went to the hospital. Despite him not wanting to press charges, the suspect was arrested.

  Defendant: Kim Baylor, B/F, 39 yrs. old, 5’11”/130 lbs., of 9208 Bluebird Terrace

  Bluebird Terrace is near Goshen Rd, between Centerway and Emory Grove.

• A citizen was possibly a victim of a scam at 19662 Framingham Drive. The subject had previously done ‘odd jobs’ for the victim and on 3/10, came to her house and installed gutter guards without her authorization. He asked for $80 for installing them and she told him she only had $20 and considered the matter settled. He came back to the victim on 4/6 and told her she owed him the ‘balance’ of $60. She refused and he left. The same subject was possibly seen in the area of 18520 Grackle Way on 4/10. A citizen called and said he was walking around the area carrying a ladder and was trying to get gutter cleaning jobs. He was last seen on foot towards Quail Valley Drive.

  Subject: ‘Johnny the gutter guy’, W/M, 50’s, 5’10”/160 lbs., brown & grey hair, possibly mustache, has ‘rotting’ teeth

  Framingham Drive is near Goshen Rd, north of Centerway.

• The Goshen Elementary School was broken into on Wednesday 4/4 at 1605 hours. An employee saw the suspect pry a 2nd floor window and enter the school. The employee confronted him and the suspect said he was there to play basketball. The suspect fled on foot and a witness who saw him running provided the limited description.

  Suspect: Juvenile, B/M, 12 yrs. old, thin, possibly a Forest Oak MS student

• An aggravated assault occurred on N. Summit Drive on Wednesday 4/4 at 2253 hours. The victim claimed two B/M’s were fighting in the parking lot and when the victim tried to break it up, he was stabbed by the suspect. The suspects fled in the suspect vehicle. It should be noted the victim was intoxicated and uncooperative.

  Suspect: B/M, black T-shirt, black jeans, NFD
  Vehicle: brown Honda Civic, NFD

• A Gaithersburg officer saw a suspect climbing into a laundry room window at 531 S. Frederick Avenue on Thursday 4/5 at 1950 hours. The suspect gave a false name and said he was there to see a person in the building. He gave three different apartment numbers and was arrested on the scene.

  Defendant: Isaac Jackson, AKA ‘Baldy’, B/M, 50 yrs. old, 6’/220 lbs., mustache/beard, has priors for assault with intent to murder, armed robbery, burglary, theft and CDS, of 16 W. Deer Park Road

• An attempted burglary occurred at 18400 block of Guildberry Drive on Thursday 4/5 at 2015 hours. The suspect knocked on the victim’s door but when the victim looked through the peephole, no one was seen. She heard scratching at the door and opened it up. The suspect attempted to push his way in and hit the victim. The victim called out, implying there was someone else in the apartment, and the suspect fled to the waiting vehicle.

  Suspect: H/M, 18-21 yrs. old, 5’6”-5’7”/150-155 lbs., shaved head, black hooded jacket, tight blue jeans Vehicle: white Isuzu trooper, no tags, dark tinted windows

  Guildberry Drive is just west of the intersection of Rt. 124 and Snouffers School Rd.

• Graffiti vandalism was found at the top level of the Olde Towne Garage, on Tuesday 4/3. Black and red spray paint was used to write some unintelligible words, and also “IVADER” with the letter “S” below it.

• Graffiti vandalism was found on four vehicles and the fence at a construction site at Diamondback Drive & Key West Avenue sometime between 1630 hours on Tuesday 4/3 and 0630 hours on Wednesday 4/4. White and black spray paint was used but the words were unintelligible.

• Graffiti was found on a wall and rear door of the Emory Grove Center, 18100 Washington Grove Lane on Monday 4/9. The officer indicated it could be gang-related but there is nothing in the report to describe the graffiti.

Chris Robinson writes in the Gazette:

The parent of a Gaithersburg Elementary School student was arrested Wednesday after allegedly making a threatening phone call to the school referencing the shootings this week at Virginia Tech, Montgomery County Police said.

Moore allegedly called the school and asked that his son, a student, be kept inside the building during afternoon recess due to the child being ill, police said.

When a faculty member told Moore a note from the child’s doctor would be required, Moore became agitated and said the school shooting that occurred earlier this week at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va. could happen at Gaithersburg Elementary, police said.

WTOP and The Examiner also have stories.

A few notable letters this week:

• N. Schell writes: Legal immigrant followed dream of coming to America

  Recently, I was rear-ended at 50 mph by a young man who wouldn’t speak English. He had no driver’s license or insurance. Even the owner of the car he was driving had no coverage or license to drive.

  I would like to tell Kim Propeack, director of community action at Casa of Maryland (‘‘Police fear waning trust from immigrants,” March 21 article), what it means when an illegal breaks the law by not having the proper identification after causing a serious accident. The day after hitting me and sending me to the hospital, this person went to the Motor Vehicles Administration and paid his $130 traffic ticket. Now the MVA has closed the case and he’s off the hook. He didn’t have to show a valid driver’s license to pay the fine.

• Naomi Sussman Morse writes: Ignored crosswalks endanger pedestrians

  No amount of money thrown at citizen education can counter the fact that there is no oversight, and are no consequences for drivers who speed through pedestrian crosswalks. They do so with impunity.

• Bruce Seidel writes: Why pedestrians are endangered

  Reading Isiah Leggett’s plan for pedestrian safety, one can’t help but suspect the county executive of an alternative motive — justifying millions in revenue through new speed cameras. After all, one of Leggett’s first acts in office was to propose increased gasoline taxes on country drivers.

• E. Beth Dumesco writes: For health’s sake, curb deer

  If the deer weren’t so cute and they looked more like, say, rats, no one would be defending them.

• Three writers: It’s wrong to advocate that illegal immigrants need not abide by our laws

  Jill Gershen:

  The editorial staff has consistently taken the approach that illegal aliens, or as The Gazette prefers to call them, ‘‘immigrants,” are a special group that does not need to abide by the same rules of law that American citizens must.

  Robin Ficker:

  The Gazette’s editorial says that local police ‘‘have more urgent problems” and ‘‘should not be saddled with doing the work of federal agents.”

  I assume that, concomitantly, the newspaper believes that people with federal police powers should ignore Montgomery County warrants.

  Constance Van Hoek:

  Illegal immigration into this country will not be tolerated, nor will the politicians who allow this or think that we should have a guest worker program.

• Norman Ochs writes: Expedite legal immigration

  There are millions of people who wait years to enter America legally. Shorten their legal time to enter by offering them jobs illegal immigrants have. That would reduce the illegal population.

• Chris Robinson writes: Convenience store denied alcohol license

  ‘‘There is no way I can sit here and agree that change is not necessary,” said Commissioner Ann Chapman (D).

  Gaithersburg Mayor Sidney A. Katz also raised concerns about the sales practice, and said that city employees have responded to numerous calls about intoxicated people outside the Community Museum and the History Park in Olde Towne.

  ‘‘There can be little doubt that early morning intoxication is a serious issue in Gaithersburg,” he said. ‘‘Police regularly respond to reports of individuals hanging out on the patios of private residences and leaving trash strewn across backyards.”

  Update: MoCo over at the New MoCo Progressive points out that this article mentions that the owner does plan on filing an appeal of the ruling.

• Chris Robinson writes: Teens charged in connection to ‘soda bombs’

  Five Gaithersburg teenagers were charged in connection with several homemade chemical ‘‘soda” bombs detonated at Rachel Carson Elementary School and a residence in the Kentlands last month.

• Chris Robinson writes: Road rage spurs high-speed chase through city

  Police believe road rage is a factor in a high-speed car chase in Gaithersburg that ended in a rollover collision outside Forest Oak Middle School last week.

• Meghan Tierney writes: Arrest made in trash fire

  A 26-year-old Gaithersburg man was arrested early Saturday morning after he allegedly set fire to debris he gathered from trashcans in a Gaithersburg townhouse community, according to county fire and rescue officials.