Montgomery County Council seeks to remove neighborhood veto power on "benefit performances"

The Montgomery County Council is proposing to strip residents of their existing veto power over "benefit performances" staged in their residential neighborhoods. Currently, entities and organizations - with a few exceptions, such as fire departments and religious institutions - who propose to hold a live music event, carnival, festival, or other performance to raise charitable funds must obtain consent from 75% of residents whose homes are within 600 feet of the performance site. Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 26-11: Temporary Uses - Benefit Performances would entirely eliminate this veto authority from neighbors. If passed, the ZTA would merely require that those residents be notified that they are going to be treated to a benefit performance, whether they like it or not. The performances could last as long as 15 days(!!).

I would venture to say that few Montgomery County residents are even aware that they currently possess this veto authority, much less that the Council is conniving to relieve them of it. The move continues a trend for the Council - when they're not banning stuff or raising taxes, they're systematically removing residents' ability to express objection or input on controversial matters they want to ram through, from development and road diets to bike lanes, bus depots, landfills and jails. A public hearing on the ZTA is scheduled for Tuesday, September 15, 2026, from 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM.

Wheaton Plaza shooting suspect charged as adult

The 17-year-old suspect in a shooting inside Westfield's Wheaton Plaza mall last evening has been charged as an adult, Montgomery County police announced this afternoon. Diego Rafael Turcios Avalos is facing charges of attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault, use of a firearm in the commission of a violent felony, carrying a loaded handgun on his person and possession of a firearm by a minor. He is being held at the County jail pending a bond hearing.

Police allege that Turcios Avalos was seated at a table near Cinnabon inside the mall at 5:58 PM Friday, when a group of teenagers walked past him. For reasons yet unspecified, he stood up, drew a handgun, and fired at the teens, hitting a 13-year-old boy in the leg. Turcios Avalos then turned and ran from the scene.

As the suspect neared Dick's Sporting Goods, he was intercepted by an armed mall security guard. Police say the guard ordered him to drop to the floor, which is where County police officers responding to approximately two dozen 911 calls regarding the shooting found him minutes later. Police allege Turcios Avalos was in possession of a black 9mm handgun when he was taken into custody by Montgomery's Finest.

Officers found the shooting victim, and applied a tourniquet to his leg. They took note that children had been playing in a play area close to the shooting scene when the shooter allegedly fired. Turcios Avalos could be facing additional charges for the reckless endangerment of mall patrons. His mugshot was not released by police.