gaithersblog.net

The trial of one of three suspects charged in the April killing of a Gaithersburg woman began Monday in Montgomery Circuit Court, raising questions from the defense as to whether the alleged shooter’s two younger companions should be considered equally guilty of armed robbery and murder.

A 74-year-old man was hospitalized for nearly a month after he was robbed and struck in the head during an evening walk, according to Gaithersburg Police.

Several people posing as Montgomery County fire inspectors have conducted about a half dozen building inspections and requested cash payments for code violations in Wheaton and Rockville since Thanksgiving, according to a Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service official who asked business owners to call authorities if they are approached by possible impersonators.

Southern Maryland resident Belinda Keller said having her son home for the holidays was the best Christmas present she could have received.

The County Council returns to work next week after a monthlong winter break.

Topping its agenda is a projected $450 million deficit for the year beginning in July. Not only does the county budget have to be balanced, but leaders must close the budget gap without raising taxes and exceeding the county’s charter limit.

Nine Montgomery County parks will be closed from sunset to sunrise through March 31 so that Park Police sharpshooters can thin the deer population.

Residents near Olde Towne Gaithersburg are concerned about a stalled development project that has left a 6.8-acre abandoned shopping center at the corner of Goshen Road and Girard Street. Complaints about the site are legitimate, city officials say, but there is little they can do until developers move forward. That could happen sooner than expected, developers said this week.

A coalition of environmental groups and residents of west Gaithersburg and North Potomac is proposing a scaled-down alternative to a live-work research campus planned in Shady Grove, west of Interstate 270.

The county school system likely won’t get the $20 million owed it by the state until after July 1.

County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) said Monday that he has heard directly from Gov. Martin O’Malley about the money.

“From what the governor has told me we will probably receive the money as part of the fiscal 2010 budget,” Leggett said. The fiscal year begins July 1.

At a time when every dime of government spending should be subjected to microscopic review, here comes the baffling news that the state mistakenly shorted Montgomery County schools nearly $25 million.

Parents in Montgomery County will get a reprieve next school year in the number of course-related fees they will have to pay, according to a plan released Wednesday by school officials.

A small group of lawmakers wants to make the school system’s and county government’s respective business transactions more open to the public.

Del. Alfred C. Carr Jr. said Monday that he would file a bill to require the county school system to publish details on contracts of $10,000 and up on its Web site.