Christopher's Garden Center burglarized in Sandy Spring

Montgomery County police are investigating a burglary at Christopher's Garden Center at 1610 Olney-Sandy Spring Road in Sandy Spring. The burglary occurred sometime between 9:45 PM and 11:35 PM on October 26, 2026. Officers responding to the scene found evidence of forced entry at the business. They determined that cash had been stolen. No suspect descriptions have been released at this time.

Monarch butterfly tagged in Sandy Spring arrives in Mexico

A migrating monarch butterfly tagged in Sandy Spring last September was found in Mexico earlier this year. The monarch successfully traveled 1,934 miles from Maryland to the El Rosario butterfly sanctuary in Michoacán, Mexico. It was among the monarchs tagged by residents of Friends House, a retirement community on Quaker Lane in Sandy Spring, last fall. Less than one-half of a percent of tagged monarchs are recaptured at the end of their journey south of the border.

The tiny tag on the Sandy Spring monarch indicated it had been tagged in the Friends House flower garden on September 27. Researchers at El Rosario recaptured and identified the butterfly on February 4. The tagging program is a volunteer effort coordinated by Monarch Watch to map the annual migration and population of the species.

When will Tropical Storm Debby impact eastern Montgomery County?

Tropical Storm Debby is currently 471 miles from Montgomery County, Maryland, which will feel the former hurricane's impacts over the next three days. The storm will affect the entire Washington, D.C. metro area from around 8:00 PM Thursday night to 1:00 AM on Saturday morning. Accuweather is currently forecasting a total rainfall of 4 to 8 inches, with peak wind gusts of 40 MPH. The peak of the storm is expected to be from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM on Friday, when the most rain will fall on the area.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has declared a State of Preparedness ahead of the storm. "The safety of Marylanders is our top priority," Moore said in a statement. "By declaring a State of Preparedness, I am directing the Department of Emergency Management to coordinate the comprehensive preparation of State government ahead of potential impacts from the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby. Residents and visitors should monitor local weather forecasts, remain vigilant, and be prepared to follow safety instructions from local emergency officials."

Remember to keep phones and devices charged ahead of the storm. Now is the time to check batteries in your flashlights, and purchase additional batteries. Have a small transistor radio to monitor emergency bulletins and weather conditions if you lose power. And make sure your gas tank is at least half-full.

Tropical Storm Debby is currently approaching the coast of South Carolina. Its maximum sustained wind speed is 60 MPH, according to the National Weather Service, and it is moving northeast at 5 MPH. The storm is blamed for the deaths of six people in the southern United States so far.

Images courtesy NOAA, Office of Gov. Wes Moore

2 East MoCo students named National Honor Society semi-finalists for 2024

Allison Xu

Allison Xu, a senior at Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda, is one of the 25 finalists out of nearly 17,000 applicants who will receive a $5625 scholarship award from the National Honor Society. She is now also eligible for the $25,000 national winner scholarship, which will be awarded at a gala event on April 5. 

Xu is Editor-in-Chief of her countywide student newspaper, The MoCo Student, and her high school’s newspaper, The Pitch. She was named the 2023 Youth Poet Laureate of Montgomery County, and has performed at Kennedy Center, the National Cherry Blossom Festival, and the American Courage Awards.

"I feel incredibly honored to earn this prestigious recognition," Xu said in a statement yesterday. "Winning the NHS Scholarship also inspires me to continue striving for excellence and serving as a role model for others."

"Allison has gone above and beyond to excel academically and lift up her community through selfless service and leadership," National Association of Secondary School Principals CEO Ronn Nozoe said. "Her actions today exemplify the incredible leader she is, and I can’t wait to see what she accomplishes." NASSP is the parent organization of the NHS.

Davina Canagarajah of Sherwood High School, and Raei Tamiru of Wheaton High School, were named as two of the 575 semi-finalists yesterday, and will each receive a $3,200 scholarship.

"Obscene material" reported to police at school in Sandy Spring

Montgomery County police were summoned to a school in Sandy Spring yesterday morning to investigate a report of "obscene material" at the campus. The report was made at a school in the 300 block of Olney-Sandy Spring Road at 9:22 AM Monday. Sherwood High School is on that block.

Aspen Hill, Kensington, Wheaton, Olney among hardest hit by power outages after Saturday's storm

Pepco crews staging at the 7-Eleven store
on River Road in Bethesda this morning

Over 10,000 Pepco customers remain without power this morning in Montgomery County, but that number is down about 60,000 from the height of last evening's thunderstorm damage. The weather event, and resulting tree and power line damage, has been one of the few significant tests for Pepco since the electric utility was acquired by Exelon in 2016. Yesterday's storm appeared deceptively routine for late summer, but spawned straight line winds in areas like North Bethesda and Rockville, and had some in Northwest Washington, D.C. reporting a tornado in their community.

Southwest Bethesda neighborhoods like Springfield, Sumner, Wood Acres, Bannockburn and Spring Hill are still experiencing significant power outages. Grid resiliency issues reared their head again in the Westbard area long after skies had cleared Saturday night. Residents there who were fortunate enough to retain power after the storm last night report experiencing brownouts at 2:12 AM and 4:32 AM. The 4:32 AM brownout was an extended one, as after a split-second blackout that ravaged appliance motors, light fixtures were shimmering and flickering until all power was lost around 4:45 AM. Power was then restored around 4:48 AM. Interestingly, both brownout episodes reported seem to coincide with brand new power outages in the Westbard and Wood Acres/Searl Terrace areas, which the Pepco outage map indicates were reported at 2:15 AM (Searl Terrace) and 4:53 AM (Westbard Avenue). This morning's brownouts follow three sunny day brownouts in the Westbard area two weeks ago.

In North Bethesda, apartment building residents reported being in the dark Saturday night, and outages persist around Grosvenor, Garrett Park, Tilden Lane, Randolph Hills and the Randolph Road corridor this morning. Things aren't looking much better in the Twinbrook and Rollins Park areas of Rockville.

Aspen Hill is still smarting today with many outages. Fortunately for those without air conditioning, today's high will "only" be 85 degrees, instead of the 99 degree peak experienced last Friday. Outages also persist around Leisure World, Bel Pre Road, Wheaton, Kensington, Kemp Mill, Takoma Park, Hillandale, Colesville and Fairland. 

The storm appears to have cut a straight path across Montgomery Village, Goshen, and Laytonsville, judging from the large number of outages there. Outages remain in the Kentlands, Montgomery College-Germantown campus, Olney and Sandy Spring areas. 

Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Celebration Saturday, September 3 in Sandy Spring

Montgomery Parks announced that it will be hosting a Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Celebration tomorrow, Saturday, September 3, 2022, at Woodlawn Manor Cultural Park at 16501 Norwood Road in Sandy Spring from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Since 2019, by directive of Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R), September has been declared Underground Railroad Month in the state. 2022 is also the bicentennial of Tubman's birth in Dorchester, Maryland.

The event will include forested hikes, during which guides will explain techniques used by those fleeing slavery to successfully navigate a route to freedom. An $8 fee for the hike includes admission to the Woodlawn Museum. Visit the event website for advanced registration for the hikes.

“While Harriet Tubman was never active in this part of Maryland, we believe her story should inspire and generate pride in every Marylander," Woodlawn Manor Park Education Program Manager Cameron Walpole said in a statement. "Our guided hikes on the Underground Railroad Experience Trail allow visitors to contemplate the risks that freedom seekers took for a chance at freedom. These hikes focus on real Montgomery County freedom seekers. Our free children’s take-home activities, which are designed for ages 5 and up, provide a great opportunity for families to start a dialogue about what freedom means.”

Photo via Montgomery Parks

Deadly Sandy Spring auto fire was no accident, MCFRS investigators say

A suspicious death in Sandy Spring is becoming more suspicious by the hour. Montgomery County police say that Maryland's chief medical examiner has declared Andrea Mion Hawvermale, 56, of the 1300 block of Excaliber Lane, died of injuries caused by a vehicle fire on that block on June 17.

However, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services investigators have determined that the vehicle fire was deliberately set. No suspect names have been announced publicly yet, and detectives continue to investigate.

Anyone with information in reference to this investigation is asked to call the Major Crimes Division at 240-773-5070. 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 $10,000 for information provided to them that leads to an arrest in this case.

Patricia Fenati launches campaign for District 14 delegate

Patricia Fenati, a resident of Damascus, launched her campaign for the Maryland House of Delegates from District 14 last night at Argyle Country Club. District 14 covers the northeastern area of Montgomery County from Damascus to Burtonsville, and includes Calverton, Colesville, Cloverly, Fairland, Olney, Ashton, Sandy Spring, Brookeville and Laytonsville.

Fenati pledged to focus on ending gerrymandering of voting districts in the state and county, job creation, education, and the environment. She noted that the current district boundaries give some communities in District 14 very little say in the outcome of elections for County Council and the General Assembly. Fenati also supports the transportation plan proposed by Gov. Larry Hogan, which would greatly rely on private, rather than taxpayer, funds to accomplish.

No other Republicans have filed for the District 14 delegate race as of this morning. On the Democratic side, only three candidates have filed - Anne Kaiser, Eric Luedtke, and Pamela Queen.

Photo courtesy Patricia Fenati

Police: Rape of Sandy Spring teen "not a random act"

A troubling rape case in Sandy Spring is becoming murkier by the minute. While police had released a description of a suspect in the September 15 rape of a teenage girl walking to school, they now say they have identified and spoken to the alleged assailant. Detectives have now determined the assault was "not a random act," but are releasing no further details.

The state's attorney's office is reviewing the case, and police say there is no danger to the public related to this incident.

Sandy Spring rapist at large

A teenager was raped in Sandy Spring last Thursday, September 15, and Montgomery County Police are searching for the culprit.

Sometime between 7:00-8:00 AM that morning, a teenage girl was walking in the area of Olney-Sandy Spring Road. She was approached by a lone male, who directed her non-verbally to a grassy area off of the road. He then proceeded to rape her. The victim went to her home and told her parents she had just been raped. Detectives arrived at the hospital where she was then taken for treatment.

No description of the suspect has been released, but police say they will have more details for the public once additional information has been confirmed.

Anyone with information about this sexual assault is asked to call the Special Victims Investigations Division at 240-773-5400 or Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). Crime Solvers will pay a cash reward of up to $10,000 for information provided to their line that leads to an arrest in this case. Residents are reminded to immediately call 911 if they observe suspicious activity.