gaithersblog.net

Nearly a year after two fires in Gaithersburg shed light on the unsafe practice of multiple families sharing one home, a city report shows excessive occupancy is on the rise.

I must say, after reading this article, the number one question I have is: How many of these complaints have been resolved, and how many homes remain overcrowded and subject to continued fines?

Ruined homes, streets lined with overturned cars, the stench from refrigerators full of rotting food: It was “a desolate, sad panorama” that Francisco Luna Morales and 100 other Maryland day laborers found themselves in when they arrived in Mississippi to help clean casinos ravaged two years ago by Hurricane Katrina.

A tightened watch over what students are wearing at Gaithersburg High School has some parents complaining of overly aggressive enforcement, while others are rising in support of the new principal’s decision to stick strictly to the rules.

• City urges water conservation
  

  Gaithersburg Mayor Sidney A. Katz is urging residents and businesses keep an eye on the water tap, especially in outdoor areas, as dry conditions persist.

• Laytonsville logo decided
  

  Michele Shortley, a graphic designer and resident of Laytonsville, won the town’s first logo contest. Her winning submission, depicting Town Hall, is Laytonsville’s new official logo and will appear on official correspondence.

• Still standing
  

  Though the removal deadline is nearly a month past, the Heeter-Crown house, located on the planned Aventiene development in Gaithersburg, remains standing.

A Germantown man was charged with resisting arrest, assaulting a police officer and intending to distribute drugs behind Gaithersburg High School last week, just two days after students returned to class, a police spokesman said.

Anyone hoping to buy or sell a house in Montgomery County could see from $1,000 to tens of thousands of dollars added to the price — if a series of higher development and real estate taxes become law.

While county officials are debating the growth policy, the county’s largest cities — Rockville and Gaithersburg — are keeping a close eye on the final outcome.

After a yearlong struggle that landed him and his homeowners association in Montgomery County Circuit Court, Montgomery Village resident Tony Hose is now free to park his Ford F150 pickup truck without fear of being ticketed or towed.