A Message from
County Executive Marc Elrich
Dear Friends:
This week I want to talk with you about the importance of
voting—and why you should vote early, if possible; my thoughts on Ballot
Questions A and B; why I am disappointed that the County Council voted
this week to override my veto of Bill 29-20; my concern about the number
of rising positive tests for COVID-19 nationally and in Montgomery
County; what we are doing to help the businesses and low-income residents
that have been hard-hit by the health crisis; and about a remarkable
tribute—created by a County resident—to honor the more than 200,000
Americans who have died nationally due to this horrible virus.
As Daylight Saving
Time Ends This Weekend, Vision Zero Program Addresses Needed Adjustments
with Road Safety Upgrades, Enhanced Impaired Driving Enforcement
The fall and winter months bring less daylight and darker
commuting hours, which includes the end of Daylight Saving Time overnight
this Saturday as clocks need to be turned back one hour. The adjustments
that must be made at twilight during Eastern Standard Time can lead to
more crashes between car drivers and pedestrians, with past records
showing that two-thirds of all fatal pedestrian injuries over the past
four years occurred between dusk and dawn.
To address the changing conditions, Montgomery County’s
Vision Zero Initiative continues to make upgrades to streetlighting and
crosswalks to protect pedestrians and urges residents to lookout for each
other and obey the rules of the road.
County’s COVID-19
Team Offers Halloween Safety Guidance
Many of the traditional ways of celebrating Halloween and
Dia de los Muertos will not be appropriate this year, so it is important
to identify safer alternatives to avoid the risk of spreading COVID-19.
Early Voting
Centers Are Now Open and Will Continue through Monday, Nov. 2
Election day—Tuesday, Nov. 3—is days away. For those who
want to avoid possible long lines on Election Day, a better option will
be to vote early at one of the 11 Early Voting Centers in the County.
Early voting is underway and will continue through Monday, Nov. 2.
Free
Transportation Options Available for Early Voters and on Election Day
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Montgomery County residents who choose to cast their votes
at ballot drop boxes or in person during the early voting period and on
Election Day are encouraged to make use of multiple free transportation
options to support voting activity.
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County-Operated
COVID-19 Testing Will Expand to 52 Clinics on Upcoming Schedule
Montgomery County will significantly expand its COVID-19
testing program over the next nine days as it will hold 52
County-operated clinics. Those clinics will be in addition to more than
45 private providers who are continuing to operate testing clinics.
Residents Urged to
Get a Flu Shot; Free County-operated Clinics for Those 18-and-Under to be
Held on Nov. 7 and Nov. 21
Montgomery County health officials are urging all residents
to get a flu vaccination, with two upcoming County-operated clinics
providing shots specifically for children ages 6 months to 18. Those
clinics will be held Saturday, Nov. 7, and Saturday, Nov. 21, at the
Dennis Avenue Health Center in Silver Spring.
Woodland Drive
Temporary Neighborhood Greenway Begins as County ‘Shared Streets’ Program
Makes More Local Roads Friendlier
A local street in Montgomery County has been transformed
into more friendly roadway for pedestrians, bicyclists and other
non-vehicular users as the County’s Department of Transportation (MCDOT)
unveiled the newest “Shared Street” in a program that encourages roads to
be shared by vehicles and other users.
County Office of
Consumer Protection Advises That Taking Password Protection Actions Can
Help Avoid Giving Criminals the Holiday Gift of Access to Your Personal
Accounts
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The holiday season is when consumers are most active,
buying many gifts and household items online. Most of those
transactions involve creating accounts that require passwords. The
holidays are also times when criminals are most active, stealing
identities and personal information. Easily identifying a password
makes their work even easier. That is why the Montgomery County Office
of Consumer Protection is urging consumers to review their passwords
before the holidays and make sure they have ones that are not easy for
criminals to guess.
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Ribbon-Cutting
Celebration for Willow Manor at Fairland Senior Housing Community
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich joined developers
and community leaders on Oct. 23 for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at an
affordable housing residence in Silver Spring for tenants age 62 and
older. Willow
Manor at Fairland is a new, $24 million, three-story,
121-unit apartment building located adjacent to East County Regional
Services Center, the East County Community Recreation Center and FLASH, a transit service running along
US 29 between downtown Silver Spring and Burtonsville.
Changing Clocks
Twice a Year Are Good Reminders to Change Batteries in Smoke and Carbon
Monoxide Alarms Safety—And Here is How to Dispose of Those Batteries
Overnight this Saturday, everyone must turn back their
clocks and watches one hour as most of the country goes to Eastern
Standard Time and Daylight Saving Time ends for the year. The
twice-annual time changes are good reminders to change batteries in smoke
and carbon monoxide alarms to make sure they are always working in case
of an emergency.
Alcohol Beverage
Services Begins ‘Labor Against Cancer’ Initiative to Raise Funds for
Local Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
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Alcohol Beverage Services (ABS), in partnership with the
Montgomery County Government Employees Organization (MCGEO—UFCW Local
1994) and County Executive Marc Elrich, are supporting the Labor Against Cancer initiative,
benefiting the local chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
(LLS). The “Labor Against Cancer” retail store campaign will run in all
26 County ABS store locations through Nov. 14.
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County Commission
for Women to Present Free Monthly Seminars on the Legal Process of
Separation and Divorce
The Montgomery County Commission for Women and the Family
Law Section of the Montgomery County Bar Association, starting Wednesday,
Nov. 4, will be presenting a series of free monthly seminars on
“Separation and Divorce: What I Need to Know.” The sessions will be
offered from 7-8:30 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month through
June 2021.
County to Have
Facility and Program Changes for Veterans Day Holiday on Wednesday, Nov.
11
The Montgomery County Government will have schedule changes
for various facilities and programs as it observes Veterans Day,
Wednesday, Nov. 11.
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