The MoCo Local Newsletter - Issue #1
Hi there! You're looking dapper today.
Welcome to the inaugural edition of The MoCo Local Newsletter, a regular email with interesting links for Montgomery County and Maryland residents. This is a newsletter in progress, so expect things to be tweaked here and there as the weeks go on. Thank you for your support! Comments, concerns, questions, tips? You can reply to this email.
MoCo Local Updates
- Want to support MoCo Local? Consider becoming a member of my Patreon. Your support will allow me to keep MoCo Local going, as well as growing it. Don't want to commit monthly? Consider sending me a tip on Venmo (@Vito-Anastasia) or CashApp ($VitoAnastasia)
- The MoCo Local Store is open. Check out the Pride collection, which will be up all year round. Use code LAUNCH by the end of June for 15% off your order.
- MoCo Local's coverage of the 2022 Election began a bit earlier than anticipated. I've already launched a few projects, including:
- 2022 Candidate Tracker
- 2022 MoCo Candidate Twitter List, which includes tweets from all of the candidates that currently have a Twitter account
- The 2022 MoCo People's Agenda, a short survey designed to make your voice heard
๐ณ๏ธ 2022 Election
State Races
- There are a number of candidates running for Governor in 2022. One of the early favorites is current Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot, who lives in Montgomery County. The race is far from decided though. MarylandReporter.com spoke to the "long-shots." Look for more candidates to announce throughout the summer (coughTomPerezcough).
- Wes Moore announced that he has raised $1 million in his first week
County Races
- The County Council race is already packed, both for At-Large and District seats. Women make up a majority of candidates. There's still a few months left to announce so expect this list to grow.
- Unexpectadly, the Montgomery County State's Attorney race is crowded already. Incumbent John McCarthy, who was recently called out for his performative activism, now has two primary challengers. Tom DeGonia, a Rockville attorney, announced this month. Bernice Mireku-North, an attorney from Silver Spring, has already filed and is expected to announcing officially tonight.
๐ MoCo News
- The eviction moratorium ends on August 15th. There are thousands of MoCo residents behind on rent and facing eviction. Aid programs designed to help residents who are behind are slowly doling out aid, but not fast enough. County Executive Marc Elrich asked Governor Larry Hogan to extend the moratorium.
- Local and state housing advocates are requesting policy changes to court proceedings.
- Local resources for renters:
- For now, plans to widen the Beltway and 270 are on hold ๐ Pro-widening officials are gaslighting, but we could invest that money in public transportation instead.
- If you live in Rockville, consider applying to be on a number of Boards and Commissions that have vacancies
๐ฆ Maryland News
- 17 years ago, Baltimore musician, Ken Kolodner, was inspired by the cicadas and wrote "The Cicada Reel." 17 years later, he made a video and put it on YouTube.
- Baltimore native, Lydia Griggsby, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to become the first woman of color to serve as a Federal judge in Maryland. More๐of๐this๐please๐
- Thanks to a handful of bills in the previous legislative session, the 2022 election is set to be the most accessible its ever been in Maryland. Thanks to local elected officials Del. Jheanelle Wilkins, Sen. Ben Kramer, Del. Eric Luedtke for their work on these bills.
๐ Elsewhere
- Parents and students in MoCo have complained about the inequities of virtual school during the pandemicโthe pandemic exacerbated existing inequities but also created new ones. An op-ed in The NY Times from a DC teacher explains why.
- A new website, Recommend If You Like, recently launched that talks about Arts and Culture as well as local to the DC-area events.
- Housing is such an important issue in the region that The Washington Post hired its first gentrificaiton and housing reporter
๐ Pride
- The event for Pride in the Plaza is listed below, but I also wanted to point it out here, in our Pride section. June 27th is National HIV Testing Day. While HIV/AIDS strongly impacts the LGBTQ community, it also impacts everyone else. Stop down, get tested, learn more about what the County is doing to end the AIDS epidemic, and check out local organizations that serve or are run by the LGBTQ community.
๐ Events
Looking for a Farmers Market? There are several throughout the county on various days of the week, weekends being the heaviest.
Arts & Culture
- 6/23 - Rockville - ArtStream, a local, inclusive theater company, has a drive-in performance in Rockville. Information and tickets
- 6/23-6/26 - Rockville - Live at RedGate is a four-day event featuring live music, children's events, and yoga
- 6/27 - Silver Spring - Pride in the Plaza will be at Veterans Plaza from 1-8pm (I'll be there). Starting at 5, you can see our very own Pride Ball featuring local Ballroom Houses, Kiki Houses, and model troupes. You won't want to miss it. Information and RSVP here
Community Resources
- 6/23 - Zoom - Renters Alliance will be hosting a Renter's Town Hall to discuss eviction protection updates. RSVP here
Politics and Government
- 6/22 and 6/23 - Silver Spring and Darnestown - Laurie-Anne Sayles, current member of the Gaithersburg City Council, is hosting two events for a special announcement ๐ RSVP here
- 6/23 - Del. Lorig Charkoudian will be hosting an outdoor fundraiser. RSVP here
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6/26 - Brandy Brooks, candidate for Montgomery County Council At-Large, is having a Meet & Greet. RSVP here
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6/28 - Zoom - UpCounty Democrats Monthly Breakfast. Information and RSVP
Want to advertise your event (for free) in the newsletter? Send me an email at vito@mocolocal.blog with the details.
๐ COVID-19
- If you haven't yet received your COVID-19 vaccine, or know someone that hasn't, you can sign up at a number of locations in the County
- Just because mask mandates have been lifted across the region doesn't mean you should necessarily stop wearing a mask. There are a lot of people that haven't been vaccinated, including children.
- Be kind, not everyone will adjust to post-pandemic life as easily as others.
๐ฆ Tweet of the Newsletter
More on why this is the tweet of the week later, but suffice to say that this explains a lot about what is currently going on in MoCo.