• Sebastian Montes writes, Leggett strikes Webb Tract deal:

    Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett has agreed on a $46 million price tag for the 130-acre Webb Tract near Montgomery Village, where he wants the county to build four major facilities in the next several years.

  • Sebastian Montes writes, Station cutbacks raise eyebrows:

    Tucked into Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett’s fiscal 2010 operating budget is a line item that would close the 2nd District and 6th District police stations to the public in the early-morning hours — the first time that closing stations has been considered as a cost-saving measure.

  • Janel Davis writes, County unemployment rate highest in almost 20 years:

    As county leaders grapple with imposing budget cuts, they also face an additional burden — the highest unemployment rate Montgomery has seen in almost two decades.

    The county’s unemployment rate for February reached 5.1 percent, up from 4.6 percent in January, according to data released Friday by the state Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. Although the county’s unemployment figure is still well below the state’s February rate of 7.2 percent, it is the highest level the county has seen since 1990.

  • Sebastian Montes writes, Police identify body found on I-270 ramp:

    Montgomery County Police have put a name to the body found nearly two months ago on an on-ramp to Interstate 270 in Germantown.

    After scoring a fingerprint match from New York, county police announced Friday that the man is Gerardo Botello, who is believed to be 40 years old.

  • Sebastian Montes writes, Tax idlers face postal pinch:

    There’s death, there’s taxes, and for one night a year in Gaithersburg, there has for years been another certainty: The last-minute rush of tax filers swarming the post office on Shady Grove Road until midnight April 15.

  • C. Benjamin Ford writes, Prosecutor goes after late campaign finance filers:

    The Maryland State Prosecutor’s Office charged 77 individuals Thursday with violating state election laws for not filing campaign finance reports on time, including the treasurer for the campaign of former Frederick County State’s Attorney Scott L. Rolle, who ran unsuccessfully for Maryland attorney general in 2008.

  • Susan Singer-Bart writes, Opponents line up against historic preservation law:

    One speaker after another told the County Council last week that the changes proposed to the county’s historic preservation law are a bad idea.

    Some 33 people, including historic preservation professionals, homeowners and a carpenter, identified flaws with the amendment proposed by Councilman Michael J. Knapp (D-Dist. 2) of Germantown. Two speakers testified at the March 31 hearing in support of the proposals — a woman who said she was unable to sell her parents home in a timely manner because neighbors nominated it for historic designation and an individual who said the needs of property owners deserve greater consideration, which is what Knapp said is his intention in proposing the amendment.