Brad Rourke, Founder and Publisher
Cindy Cotte Griffths, Editor
Rockville Central is a community-produced information source with a healthy dose of opinion focused on the neighborhoods of Rockville, MD. Publisher: Brad Rourke. Editor: Cindy Cotte Griffiths.
We welcome submissions from readers! Especially ones who disagree with us! Contact: rockvillecentral@gmail.com
As most in the area know, we are expecting another snow storm that may dump five inches and more in a region from DC north along the eastern seaboard. Double-whammy time, and I know for a fact that there are a number of secondary streets in Rockville that have not yet been touched by our [...]
Our local Richard Montgomery High School has been set up as a Montgomery County emergency shelter for those experiencing power outages. Curious, I walked over to learn what it would be like to stay at the high school.
With electricity still out for approximately 50,000 Montgomery County residents and temperatures expected in the teens tonight, the [...]
Thank you to Montgomery County Public Schools for letting us know in plenty of time: Schools will be CLOSED on Monday and Tuesday, February 8 and 9. Here’s the official notice:
MCPS schools closed Monday (2/8) and Tuesday (2/9) due to emergency weather conditions. Administrative offices closed Monday.
As Rockville Central readers know, another of my very favorite local institutions is Animal Exchange (along with Carmen’s).
My friend and AX owner Ruth Hanessian has passed along some excellent — and important — tips to keep in mind during the storm when it comes to keeping your pets safe:
We have been getting calls from people [...]
As Rockville Central readers know, one of my very favorite local businesses is Carmen’s Italian Ice near Woodley Gardens park. When I learned from their Twitter account (@CarmensCarts) that they were planning to open up today, I rejoiced. Since I was in the neighborhood anyway, digging out my dad’s driveway, I thought I would drop [...]
While it is out of the “official scope” of Rockville Central, there are many Rockville implications to the possible “Science City” that is being contemplated in Gaithersburg. (Maryland Politics Watch has had excellent back-and-forth opinion pieces — pro and con – on this issue.)
Rockville Central friend Randy Alton has passed along this note about an [...]
As many Rockville Central readers know, there is an ongoing effort to develop an affordable senior housing project in the Town Center area. It is being proposed by Victory Housing, Inc., and has been the subject of some controversy. This post links to most of the relevant article here.
On Monday, the developers went before the [...]
From Montgomery County Public Schools:
Montgomery County Public Schools are opening on time today (Friday, February 5) but will close early due to emergency weather conditions. Schools will dismiss students two and one-half hours earlier than the regular closing time. Students in morning pre-kindergarten programs and morning half-day Head Start will be dismissed at 10:30 a.m. [...]
The announcements are starting to settle in my inbox like the snowflakes we expect this weekend.
The National Weather Service is now saying:
A major winter storm comparable to the December 19, 2009 event is now imminent for the region. Winter storm preparations should be rushed to completion. 16-24″ of snow possible for Montgomery County with near [...]
From the city of Rockville, in anticipation of Snowpocalypse 2:
The City of Rockville is asking residents to help with snow removal efforts this weekend to help ensure that roads are cleared as efficiently as possible.
Residents are asked to remove all vehicles from roads, including neighborhood streets. All vehicles should be parked in garages and driveways [...]
Rockville was incorporated on March 10, 1860. The city will celebrate its 150th birthday with appropriate pride. The residents have been getting older too. In the 1950’s the population of Rockville was about 5000 people. The development of affordable housing attracted young families from Washington D.C. and Rockville grew at a rate of about 2000 [...]
During the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, the Mayor and Council will attend their biannual retreat and set their priorities for the next two years.
As many of you know, I chair the Human Services Advisory Commission and we have sent the following letter to the Mayor and Council:
We, the Human Service Advisory Commission (HSAC), [...]
The voter participation figures are usually given in terms of votes per number on registration list. The recent surge in Democratic registrations before the 2008 presidential elections increased the registration list so that even though there are more voters in the 2009 Rockville election than in the 2007 election, the relative participation numbers went from [...]
Last Friday I did a little Christmas shopping in Rockville Town Square. When I pulled into the parking garage on Rt. 355 by CVS, only 170 spaces were left. (Here’s a picture of me fooling around with the mirrored ceilings in the elevator. Usually when I’m in the garages, I don’t need to go up [...]
Dear Rockville Central readers:
As this gets posted, we are in the middle of what appears to be the record-settingest snowfall for December ever in the region. Metro has closed all above-ground stations, RideOn buses are ceasing running in a few hours. It’s an official blizzard out there! We hope that most of you are nestled [...]
In the original report on November 18 the final candidate financial report had not been made. I stated that if the final report made any major changes that I would issue an update. The final report on December 3rd showed increases up to 30% in expenditures of some candidates. Most candidates had changes much smaller. [...]
I collect flag images from the Internet, and I recently ran across a site called 15 of the world’s strangest flags and at the top of that list was a flag that looks almost identical to our Rockville city flag. It’s the city flag for Fryslan/Friesland/Frisian, Netherlands. Their flag uses the red images to represent [...]
Let’s say you want to put solar panels on your roof. It’s a big expense. There are many options to choose from, many companies offering different products, lots of paperwork to get the state, local and federal support that is available. It’s a daunting prospect. I’m sure some people who might otherwise move forward with [...]
Will Rockville consider using the optical-scan voting machines in the 2011 election? The City of Takoma Park used the new voter verified technology for their November 3rd Election.
Optical-scan voting machines offer a relatively high degree of verification support. These machines save a record of the votes and allow auditors to go back and verify [...]
In her inaugural talk at this weekend’s ceremony, Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio outlined a number of planned initiatives, including three commissions: one to review budget and finance, one to improve communications, and one to review and make recommendations for the governance of the city.
I wanted to make a suggestion about city governance. People can take or [...]
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