Montgomery Community Media

Montgomery County Council President Tom Hucker Tuesday proposed doubling the county’s excise tax rate on the wholesale price of electronic cigarette products from the current 30% to 60%. A public hearing on the increase will be held April 27 at 1:30 p.m. If approved, the higher rate would go into effect on July 1. Hucker […]

Almost 90% of Montgomery County Public Schools’ Class of 2020 graduated after four years which was a 0.6% increase over the Class of 2019, which stood at 88.7%. The 2020 class’s graduation rate was 89.3%, according to recently released data from the Maryland State Department of Education. The state graduation rate average is 86.8%. The […]

Initial claims for unemployment filed by Montgomery County residents rose slightly during the week ending Jan. 23. Last week, 4,844 residents filed initial claims, according to the Maryland Department of Labor (DOL). That is an increase of more than 300 new claims as compared with the prior week’s filings, which ended on Jan. 26. During that […]

President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that overall COVID-19 vaccine allocations to states will increase from about 8.6 million doses to about 10 million beginning next week. The weekly increase will last for three weeks, said the White House. The Washington Post reported that according to senior Biden administration officials, the increase will primarily come from […]

July is here! Yes, we’re serious, even though it is International Joke Day. 1. Minimum Wage Increase: The minimum wage in Montgomery County increases today to $14 for large employers, $13.25 for mid-sized employers and $13 for small employers. Please see updated minimum wage graphic. The minimum wage will rise in the County on July […]

Pump prices may climb up to $3.00 per gallon in the Washington metro area this summer due in part to the impact of economic sanctions on Iran, AAA mid-Atlantic warns. “Though anticipated, today’s White House decision brings a wide variety of global and domestic impacts,” said John Townsend II, spokesperson for AAA Mid-Atlantic. “In the […]

The Montgomery County Council is considering a bill that would raise the minimum wage to $15 by July 1, 2020. Councilmember Marc Elrich is the lead sponsor of the bill and Councilmembers George Leventhal, Tom Hucker, Nancy Navarro and Hans Riemer are co-sponsors. Earlier in the week, County Councilmember Nancy Floreen asked the Office of […]

The graduation rate for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) rose for a third consecutive year and the achievement gap narrowed in all areas, according to an MCPS news release out today. According to MCPS, the largest improvement was at Wheaton High School. The four-year graduation rate for the MCPS Class of 2014 was 89.7 percent, […]

Montgomery County has had than double the number of reported homicides in 2014 than in 2013. Last year, there were 19 homicides. That compares to 8 in 2013. But, Capt. Darren Francke, director of the department’s Major Crimes Division, said the number is not alarming. He talks about the county’s homicide rate in this MyMcMedia […]

Montgomery County this week filed its initial brief with the Maryland Public Service Commission in Case No. 9336, Pepco’s most recent rate increase request. “While I believe that Pepco has improved its reliability since the Derecho of 2012, largely in keeping with recommendations made in a 192-page report by my Pepco Reliability Work Group earlier, […]