In an emotional straw vote Friday, the Montgomery County Council voted 9-2 to approve a $7.9 billion operating budget for next fiscal year — providing an additional $143 million in funding for Montgomery County Public Schools that is still $36 million less than what the district requested.

The decision, which is not binding but is unlikely to be changed, means hundreds of educator positions — including media assistants, social workers and English composition assistants — could still be on the line.

The Montgomery County Council hearing room in Rockville was packed with educators Friday morning, with many holding signs advocating to keep their positions and fully fund the school board’s budget request. As councilmembers discussed the reasoning behind their vote, many educators in the audience became emotional and wiped tears.

The $7.9 billion council-approved budget includes no property tax rate increase and a new progressive income tax structure that will increase the income tax rate for filers making over $150,001 annually and provide a tax break for everyone making less.

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During a Tuesday press conference at the council office building in Rockville, Glass cited county residents’ concerns about the potential environmental impacts of future data centers — specifically, a 360-megawatt campus proposed at the site of a former coal-fired power plant in Dickerson — as a driving force behind his decision to push for a moratorium.

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A low hum broke the anticipatory silence—a signal that the performance was about to begin. In quick succession, performers with the Young Artists of America (YAA) took the stage, dressed in costumes resembling ancient Egyptian garb and ready to bring the biblical story of Moses to life.

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The Tuesday meeting in Rockville addressing the long-debated role of police officers in public schools came after the release of preliminary results from an MCPS survey that showed about a third of families, administrators and staff who responded said they want to see more police presence in schools.

It also followed several recent security incidents in schools, including the arrest of a Gaithersburg High School student in March for alleged  on school property and a  at Thomas S. Wootton High School in Rockville that left one student injured and another facing an attempted murder charge.

However, police officials acknowledged during Tuesday’s meeting with the County Council that the department does not have enough officers to place one in each of the county’s 211 schools on a daily basis.ÌıThe county police department, like other departments in Maryland, has been facing 

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Michael Raul Bilecky, creator of the “Pillars of the Past� YouTube show, faces nine counts of second-degree rape without consent, a felony charge, and nine counts of second-degree assault, which is a misdemeanor, according to online court records. The offenses allegedly occurred from April 2025 to January 2026.

Bilecky was arrested Feb. 27, the same month in which his episode with Rogan was released, Montgomery County District Court records indicate. Montgomery County police obtained a warrant for his arrest two days earlier.

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Private immigration detention centers will be effectively banned in Montgomery County after the County Council’s unanimous vote Tuesday to pass the ICE Out Act — but the local law may not be necessary if Gov. Wes Moore (D) signs a similar bill to prevent jurisdictions across the state from approving the facilities.

“We have great allies in the Maryland General Assembly,� said council President Natali Fani-González (D-Dist. 6) ahead of the council’s vote on Tuesday. “The fact that we don’t need this local bill anymore is awesome, but we’re gonna still pass it.�

Councilmember Evan Glass (D-At-large)  in March with the support of the full council.ÌıICE stands for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The bill will prohibit the county’s Department of Permitting Services from issuing building or use-and-occupancy permits for would-be private immigration detention centers.ÌıCounty Executive Marc Elrich (D) has said he will sign the bill into law.

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“This is a significant step to moving us toward the finish line,� Gaithersburg Mayor Jud Ashman said during the ceremony attended by local officials and the project’s developers at the 102-acre mall sire at 701 Russell Ave.

Ashman called the moment a milestone years in the making. “On behalf of our whole community, I want to say hallelujah — let the redevelopment begin,� he said.

Opened in 1978, the mall once served as a central shopping and social hub for Montgomery County, featuring major department stores, an ice rink and later a movie theater and food court. For many residents, it was a place of first jobs, first dates and holiday shopping traditions.

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“This concern is not about Hinduism, Hindu culture, or the Hindi language,â€� the coalition wrote in a Wednesday letter to county and library officials.Ìı“Our concern is about political ideology entering public institutions under the guise of cultural programming, particularly when that ideology has been documented as exclusionary, hateful, and violent.â€�

MCPL had planned to host “Many Languages, One Library: Celebrating Hindi,� on Sunday. The free event would celebrate the unveiling of a new collection of 160 Hindi-language books at the Germantown Library at 19840 Century Blvd.

Among the funders of the new book collection was Germantown’s Balvihar Hindi School, part of the  (VHPA).ÌıThe VHPA describes itself on its website as “the oldest and one of the largest Hindu organizations in the U.S.â€� Representatives of the Hindi school were expected to speak at Sunday’s event.

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Police say Andre Duvall, 27, fired multiple shots at a county police officer during the incident that occurred inside of an apartment complex on Lost Knife Circle. The officer returned fire and struck Duvall twice, leaving him with non-life-threatening injuries, according to the release. The officer has not been identified.

Video containing the police body-worn camera footage from the shooting is expected to be released to the public early next week, police said in the Friday release.

According to online court records, Duvall faces multiple charges, including two counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree assault, two counts of second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and several firearms-related charges in connection with the incident.

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Elrich presented his $8 billion operating budget proposal for fiscal year 2027 during a Friday afternoon press conference at Rockville’s Richard Montgomery High School. The proposal now heads to the County Council for review.

The fiscal year 2027 proposal represents a $420 million — or 5.5% — increase over the county’s $7.6 billion operating budget for fiscal year 2026. Fiscal year 2027 begins July 1.

“My budget has tax increases because I cannot instantly grow the county,� Elrich said during his budget presentation Friday. “You have to make investments to grow the county.�

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The restaurant, which offers traditional Greek dishes, was founded in December 2016 by Alexander Hobson, his brother Philip and their mother and executive chef Eugenia Hobson. The Westbard location will be their first venture in Maryland, joining three Our Mom Eugenia restaurants in Northern Virginia, according to Alexander Hobson.

The eatery at 5315 Zenith Overlook will occupy the development’s central standalone restaurant building. The building is nestled between the development’s townhomes and a retail building home to a Giant Food grocery store, Piccoli Piatti Pizzeria, Silver & Sons BBQ, Starbucks and Tatte Bakery & Café.

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Twenty people voiced their opinions at a public hearing on the  at the council office building in Rockville. They included representatives of the Montgomery County Renters Alliance and Housing Justice Montgomery, who were in favor; and representatives of the Greater Capital Area Association of Realtors and the Apartment and Office Building Association of Metropolitan Washington, who were opposed.

Under Jawando’s bill, it would be illegal to collect information from two or more private landlords, public databases or a combination of both for the purpose of calculating and recommending rents for units in Montgomery County.

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Anyone who was in the building at 7200 Wisconsin Ave. between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. may have been exposed, according to the release from the Disease Control Office of the county’s Department of Health and Human Services.

Sean O’Donnell, the department’s deputy chief director of public health services, told Bethesda Today on Friday that, to his knowledge, the department has not yet received any reports from people regarding potential exposure.

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The Dominique Dawes Academy in Silver Spring is at 12006 Plum Orchard Drive in White Oak and is the academy’s third county location, with two in Clarksburg and Rockville, and fifth to open nationwide.

The Feb. 21 grand opening runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for the general public and will feature a full meet-and-greet with Dawes, open gym access, face painting, music and other family activities, according to gym officials. Before the public opening, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., the gym will host a VIP grand opening event for those who enroll early for the academy online.

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“We don’t have the money. We just don’t,� County Council President Natali Fani‑González (D-Dist. 6) said during a Tuesday media briefing at the council office building in Rockville.

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich’s (D) $6.6 billion six-year capital improvements program (CIP) for fiscal years 2027 through 2032 represents a $634.1 million increase over the current CIP for fiscal years 2026 through 2031. Fiscal year 2027 begins July 1.

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