The county government is investing $580 million in a bus rapid transit system, called the Flash Network, which uses dedicated bus lanes and traffic signal priority to move people faster. Since the system’s approval in 2013, the county has partially opened one of five proposed lines. The next isn’t scheduled to open until 2028.

Evan Glass, chair of the county council’s Transportation and Environment Committee, said the new lines are just one example of the historic investments the county has made to improve public transportation.

“These efforts have reflected the years of work that we’ve undertaken to make transit more accessible and equitable,” he said. “As we move into this new phase, we need to focus on reliability, on connectivity, and on accessibility.”

The regular county bus system, called Ride On, has seen a 5.4% increase in ridership from July-August 2024 to the same months this year, according to Ride On General Manager Phil McLaughlin. The system operates 83 fixed routes and carries 61,000 riders per day, making it the second largest transit system in the state.

Bus rapid transit program manager Joana Conklin said the county needs more bus lines because of increasing population density and employment. A recent county study projected the area will add 71,000 residents and 30,000 jobs by 2034.

“To responsibly accommodate this growth, we need to invest in high capacity, high reliability, high quality transit that gives people alternatives to driving,” Conklin said.

The Flash Network map is designed to do just that.

The lines are planned in popular areas with routes that connect centers of activity. Conklin said 12% of households within half a mile of a Flash station don’t own vehicles, so developing good transit is critical to provide opportunity in the county.

Along with dedicated bus lanes, the bus rapid transit system also expands pedestrian infrastructure, making it safer for people and bikes to get around.

Here’s what you need to know about each of the five lines:

US 29 Flash Route

The US 29 line has 12 stops from Silver Spring Transit Center to Briggs Chaney, plus an express ride from Silver Spring to Burtonsville. Service runs every 7-8 minutes during rush hour.

Phase one of the US 29 line opened in 2020 and cost $32 million to implement. It is the only operational bus rapid transit line in the county. But right now, the bus doesn’t have a dedicated traffic lane.

That’s part of phase two, for which the county is currently in the design phase.

The plan is to construct 5 miles of dedicated bus median lanes, which Bus Rapid Transit Implementation Manager Jamie Henson said could decrease inbound morning travel time by 40%.

The remaining improvements to the US 29 line remain unfunded, and there is not enough information to accurately estimate the overall cost, Henson said.

Veirs Mill Route

The bus line along Veirs Mill Road will be 7.6 miles long and connect 12 bus stations. In peak hours, the bus will run every 6-10 minutes, which is 10-20% faster than regular bus routes.

Veris Mill is in the early construction phase, securing the right of way and acquiring needed property from nearby owners. The county has contacted all landowners and is appraising and making offers. Heavier construction is set to start in 2026.

Henson said things are moving forward very quickly, and he expects the route to open in late 2028. The total cost of the project is estimated around $207 million.

Funding is a joint venture between local, state and federal governments. Only 9% of the money is coming from Montgomery County. The state is putting up 25% of the total, and the remaining 66% will come from federal funds.

MD 355 Central

The MD 355 will service 15.5 miles of Wisconsin Avenue and Rockville Pike with service every 4-8 minutes at peak hours from Gunners Branch to Rockville. The line will cost $450 million and is expected to open in 2031.

The county is still choosing a design builder. Henson said property acquisition and construction are expected to start in 2028. The county will rely less on federal funds for this project, since it is larger, Henson said.

Still, federal money will make up 47% of the budget, with the state giving 51% of the funds. That leaves just 2% for Montgomery County to make up.

New Hampshire Avenue

The county department of transportation is still in the planning stages for the two remaining rapid transit lines.

The New Hampshire line will run from Colesville to the Fort Totten Metro Station. Though many bus lines already serve the area, Henson said, building exclusive bus lanes will make both Ride On and rapid transit buses faster.

The transportation department will submit its feasibility studies to the planning department this fall. Then, the planning board will hear the proposal before it’s passed to the county council for a vote.

Henson said there is no cost estimate because it is too early to give an accurate number for the project.

North Bethesda Transitway

The North Bethesda Transitway will connect Westfield Montgomery Mall to the North Bethesda Metro Station. Similarly to the New Hampshire Avenue line, the transportation department is still finalizing plans for submission to the planning department. The department should submit those this winter, Henson said.

This line will serve a major redevelopment area and many high schools. Henson said there is no cost estimate because it is too early to give an accurate number for the project.

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Saydam has organized the sale every few months since March, and it has quickly grown into more than an easy way to clean out your garage.

When people gather in the parking lot of Rachel Carson Elementary School on Tschiffely Square Road in Gaithersburg Nov. 30 with cars full of unwanted treasures, they won’t just be exchanging goods; they will be building community.

“What it has turned into is this magical moment of community,” Saydam said. “It’s become something where people look forward to it. They’re excited. They feel so alive that they’re able to easily get rid of these things that are often weighing them down.”

The rules are simple. Vendors should arrive 15 minutes before the sale begins. Absolutely no shopping until the event officially starts at 9 a.m. Most importantly, no haggling–everything is free.

Saydam said making everything free helps people remember what their time is worth. She said time is better invested in meaningful moments, not standing around arguing over $2.

Hosting the yard sale helped open Saydam’s eyes to the financial issues in her own community.

“I didn’t realize how much people were struggling, and I think that’s only going to get more pronounced as time goes on,” she said. “People are losing their SNAP benefits; people are out of work — how many more paychecks can they lose?”

Saydam said hundreds of people from the D.C. region come to shop at each sale. Nothing lasts on the lot for more than 30 minutes.

Anthropologist Gretchen Hermann said garage sales bring people together by forging face-to-face connections. While shoppers pick up new belongings, people who are giving things away get to know their once-loved items are going to a good home.

That sense of community has hooked June Jimenez, a nonprofit consultant who lives in Montgomery County. She said she has been attending the yard sale since it began in March and keeps coming back for human connections.

“You get to have really interesting conversations with people in the community. In this moment in time, when there’s a lot of fear and a lot of isolation, people of all different types are at this event and you’re able to bond with them over some stories,” she said.

Jimenez said communities can solve their own problems by helping each other, and the yard sale is an example of that.

Local dog trainer Cheryl Mathews-White said it is a stressful time in Montgomery County amid the federal government shutdown, officially the longest in history, and the yard sale is a good place to find things you want or need.

Best of all, there’s no need to worry about the presentation.

“It doesn’t have to be organized. It doesn’t have to be pretty,” Mathews-White said. “At yard sales, a lot of people set stuff up to be pretty or attractive. You don’t have to do that. You put it on the ground, you stand there, you talk to people.”

Montgomery County resident Deborah Pollack said she has handed off several big-ticket items at previous sales, like a designer jacket. As she gears up for the November sale, she said she is looking forward to making more connections and bringing a smile to someone’s face.

She said she hopes local municipal agencies will take notice of the good work Saydam is doing and follow in her footsteps by starting more local, free swaps for people in need.

“Things are dark in this world right now and challenging, but you can continue to show up for your neighbors,” Pollack said. “It’s a very moving effect when you see the kinds of needs and you see likeminded people caring about other people.”

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Still, both parties are refusing to take the blame for the reasons behind the 36-day shutdown. Democratic leaders say the election day victories are a sign to hold their ground. Republicans say blue wins in blue states are not a reason to cave.

House Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said at a press conference Wednesday that he hopes the elections are a “wake-up call” for Republicans. Schumer said Democrats may have won the battle, but they have to keep fighting to win the war. 

“Americans have been feeling the real-world repercussions of Trump’s policies for months,” said Schumer, who Wednesday sent a letter asking President Trump to meet with party leaders.

Voters “know that Democrats are fighting for them and Republicans are doing nothing … Last night, Republicans felt the political repercussions.”

Bipartisan Stalemate

The shutdown has persisted because Democrats and Republicans cannot find a middle ground on health care tax credits, which makes insurance cheaper for millions of Americans. Those subsidies are set to expire Dec. 31.

Democrats have refused to reopen the government until Republicans agree to extend the tax credits.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Republicans have always been willing to talk about making health care more affordable, but have been reluctant to do so during the shutdown because they want to reopen the government before negotiating.  

Republicans have been reluctant to do so during the shutdown because they want to reopen the government before dialogue continues, he said.

“It was in no way necessary or appropriate to shut down the government in order to have bipartisan discussions about the subsidies,” Johnson said.

Mayoral Milestone in New York

In New York City, Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani beat former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, becoming the city’s first Muslim mayor-elect, and its youngest in over a century. 

Mamdani, who calls himself a democratic socialist, started his campaign relatively unknown last year before surging to victory Tuesday against Cuomo. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.,called Mamdani’s win “one of the greatest political upsets in modern American history.” 

Sanders said Mamdani not only took on oligarchs, President Trump and Republicans in the election, but also the Democratic establishment.  

“If you have an agenda that speaks for the working class in this country, if you are prepared to take on the oligarchs — explain to people that it’s unacceptable that the very rich become much richer while working families can’t even afford groceries or their rent — and if you put together a grassroots movement you can in fact win,” Sanders said.

Speaker Johnson called Mamdani an “avowed, openly proclaimed Socialist” at a press conference Wednesday. He said Mamdani’s win signifies a shift toward socialism in the Democratic Party.

“Mamdani is without a doubt the biggest win for socialism in the history of the country, and it is the biggest loss for the American people,” Johnson said.

Alejandro Medina, a marketer who splits his time between New York and Virginia, said he feels more comfortable living in Virginia now because of the election results, which flipped the governorship to Democrat.

Medina is an immigrant from Mexico who cannot vote because he is not a U.S. citizen.

“I have to allow people to vote on my behalf,” he said.

Electoral sweep in Virginia

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., said Democrats are “playing politics” with the lives of Americans during the shutdown. Republicans currently have a majority in both the House and Senate, as well as control of the White House. 

The Democratic sweep of Tuesday’s elections presents a new mainstream for the party, he said. 

“From a Communist mayor in New York City to a Virginia Attorney General who said he wanted to murder his political opponent. Pro-terrorist Marxist radicals are now the left’s mainstream,” Emmer said.

In Virginia, Democrats won the races for Governor, Lt. Governor and Attorney General in one fell swoop. 

D.C. Tour Guide Lori Cohen, said she wasn’t surprised that Democrats won the state elections, with the exception of Attorney General-elect Jay Jones. 

On the campaign trail, Jones sent text messages about shooting his political rival, then-Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert, to a Republican state delegate. Jones had apologized but stayed in the race.

Cohen said she wasn’t too pleased with the messages.

“I almost didn’t vote for him, but I didn’t want to continue Trump policies for attorney general, so I voted for him, and I kind of held my nose while doing it,” she said.

She said she voted Democrat because she disapproved of the shutdown and recent policy decisions by Trump. She said that she believes other democrats voted for similar reasons.

“There’s no end to the things to hate about Donald Trump,” she said.

Eric, a federal employee and Republican, who did not want his full name used, also said he was surprised by the election of Jones.

Jones “wanted to shoot his opponent twice and murder his children. I find that kind of extreme,” Eric said.

Eric is a Maryland resident, but he says he would have voted for Winsome Earle-Spears if he could have participated in the Virginia elections.

“I’m a Republican and she’s a Republican. I kind of go for the underdog,” he said.

Blue voted blue

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La, said the recent elections do not represent most Americans’ view of Republicans’ performance during the shutdown. Many of the states that saw Democratic wins Tuesday voted for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.

“Is it any surprise that last night, blue states voted blue? We’re talking Virginia, New Jersey, New York,” Scalise said. “By the way, none of those were swing states.”

Pam Henkins, a retired federal employee who voted in the Virginia election, said that the federal shutdown was one of many factors that motivated her decision. 

Her husband is one of the federal employees furloughed as part of the shutdown, though he still works for the DOJ. The government has furloughed about 670,000 employees, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center.

“I feel like this president is lawless,” Henkins said, “and I relied on the Supreme Court to institute the structure and uphold Congress’s authority and that’s just gone dead.”

Scalise said Republicans have worked with President Trump to deliver results on issues, like lowering taxes and securing the southern border.

But Ed Markey, D-Mass., said the elections are a clear call from voters for Republicans to come to the table and negotiate to end the shutdown. He said Trump has given himself “king-like power” and enacted economic policy that is illegal and destructive. 

“President Trump is taxing food, and toys, and clothing and even tea … the last time there was a tax on tea there was a revolution in Boston,” Markey said. 

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Many school buildings across the county are over capacity. The district is opening three new high schools in 2027 to address overcrowding, which means the county needs a new school-boundary map.

The school system unveiled multiple proposals for earlier this month, revised from those originally proposed in June. Parents say the new boundaries backstep promises to diversify schools.

“These proposals are no longer driven by data or MCPS’s stated priorities. They are being driven by politics,” Victoria Hougham, a parent of a middle school student, said at a Board of Education meeting Oct. 16. “Equity cannot be achieved through words alone. It requires courageous action–a willingness to correct patterns of exclusion, not reinforce them.”

The board must adopt new boundaries by March 2026 for changes to be implemented by the 2027-2028 school year, when the new schools are slated to open. Board of Education member Karla Silvestre said at the October meeting the boundary changes are an important decision and she wants more community engagement before any choices are finalized.

Under the new proposal, schools in the richest parts of the county, like Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, would keep their current boundaries. But schools in less-affluent areas would have new designations.

Hougham said the board is favoring the rich by pushing “disruption and instability” on families that don’t even live close to the new schools.

Darren Vieira, a parent of a first grader, said at the October board meeting the original proposals would have made schools’ student bodies more racially and economically balanced. But, he said the current maps appear to strategically concentrate low-income and minority students into a few schools.

Students at Woodlin Elementary in Silver Spring could face a particularly convoluted path. Under all four of the new proposals, Woodlin will start feeding into Silver Spring International Middle School, but that won’t happen right away.

During the transition, students will go from Woodlin to Sligo Middle School. Then, they will be phased into Silver Spring International.

That building is set to close in 2031, pushing some students back to Sligo and others to Eastern Middle School.

“That’s bonkers,” said Chris Rutledge, whose children graduated from Montgomery County Public Schools a few years ago. “You’re jerking families around.”

Rutledge said the idea for the boundary change is good, but the execution is poor.

At the October board meeting, Woodlin parent Mikey Franklin echoed that sentiment.

He said several initial proposals would have ensured integrated education and more diversity for students. But those proposals didn’t stand the test of time because the affluent areas of the county weren’t happy.

“Those wealthiest in our county mobilized to hoard their resources and to demand that their schools remain enclaves of privilege. And it appears as though you, board members, are backing down in the face of their pressure,” Franklin said.

Franklin told the board his family has seen firsthand the importance of diversity. His kids have benefited deeply by knowing not every child is as privileged as they are, he said.

He also said diversity doesn’t just enhance academic learning, but the development of empathy and creativity.

“Making an affirmative decision to desegregate and diversify our wealthiest schools will be hard. The backlash may yet be fierce. Be strong, and of good courage, and do it anyway,” he urged the board.

Grace Rivera-Oven, a member of the board of education, thanked parents at the board meeting for advocating diversity and equity across the county.

“We need to ensure that every child has access to the programs we offer in this county. I just want to say thank you for the care that you show our children,” Rivera-Oven said.

The board will host engagement sessions for the boundary study throughout the rest of October and November. The next session is scheduled for 7 p.m. Oct. 30 at John F. Kennedy High School.

More information on upcoming sessions can be found on

Montgomery County Public Schools did not answer questions about the boundary study.

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While the rest of the country focuses on national policy debates centered on affordable healthcare, people in Washington, D.C., feel the weight of the shutdown each day.

Here’s how the federal government halt is playing out on the streets of the District:

Museums everywhere – but they’re closed

George Washington Law School student Bradley Suarez often brings his dog Maple to play fetch on the lawn of the National Mall. The Florida native said his mom tagged along a few weeks ago. It was unusually barren – no local artisans or food trucks set up outside.

Suarez said that’s not the only thing that’s changed. He had to find a new place to take study breaks, since the Smithsonian Institution museums closed.

He used to “pick one museum a day” to walk around between class work. Now, because of the shutdown, the doors are locked.

“I don’t like it,” Suarez said.

By Isabel Del Mastro

New normal

Rachel Callahan moved to D.C. two months ago, eager to start college at George Washington University and explore the city. Federal layoffs and a government shutdown welcomed her to the District.

Originally from Pittsburgh, Callahan said her parents are eager to visit for family weekend. But, since TSA is “all messed up” from the shutdown, she said they may not make the trip.

As the National Guard troops walk by the Foggy Bottom Metro, Callahan said she has only known a D.C. in shutdown.

“It’s just like normal for me at this point — it would be different if I was here before,” she said.

By Ellen Tannor

Empty city, empty restaurants 

Kevin Gonzales, a manager at Carvings, a casual American restaurant in Foggy Bottom, said he wonders how long the government’s pause will affect business.

“We are down to about 25% of our business’s revenue because federal employees stop coming to our establishment,” he said. The restaurant serves everything from quesadillas to Reuben sandwiches to chicken tenders.

The restaurant has been empty Wednesday, with only spurts of customers straggling in. Gonzales said the business may have to lay off morning staff if the shutdown continues.

By Lynn Howard

‘Disappointing’ trip

Rachel Jennische and Robert Muilenberg, both journalism professors at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas, flew with four undergraduate students to D.C. for MediaFest25, an annual conference for student journalists.

Jennische said she is disappointed, but not surprised, that the federal shutdown ruined their plans.

She wanted to take her students to visit the Smithsonian Institution museums, but the federal shutdown paused its funding. All 21 Smithsonian facilities closed their doors Sunday.

“I do mostly feel bad for our students because they don’t get the chance to travel much,” Jennische said. “That is disappointing.”

Instead, the group visited replicas of well-known D.C. sites, like The People’s House: A White House Experience.

By Isabel Del Mastro

No dinosaurs in D.C.

Matt, a French traveler who didn’t give his last name due to privacy concerns, is just in D.C. for two days as a part of a 60-day solo excursion throughout the United States. His trip started in New York and will end in Portland, Oregon.

He said he didn’t care about the federal shutdown at first. Then, it messed up his plans to visit the Smithsonian.

“Now, since I can’t go to see the dinosaurs, I’m kind of sad,” Matt said.

By Isabel Del Mastro

‘National gardeners’

Hundreds of thousands of furloughed federal workers are going without pay during the shutdown. The military, including National Guard members, could be the next to miss paychecks.

Protesting outside Union Station, veterans Matt Gordon and Blake Heinz said the National Guard should not have been deployed in D.C.

Gordon called the deployment “an embarrassment.” The guard has no clear orders, he said, and low morale. Guards assigned to beautification of the National Mall, have earned the nickname “National Gardeners,” Gordon said.

By Terrance Williams

Future ‘to be determined’

The shutdown is making it harder for Elizabeth Riekse, a senior international relations major at American University, to finish her capstone.

She planned to write about Thomas Jefferson’s Quran. Visiting the Library of Congress was essential to Riekse’s research. Now that it’s closed, the future of her project is “to be determined,” she said.

It’s not the first time the government changes have impacted Riekse. This summer, she interned at the US Department of Agriculture. Her job was cut during DOGE.

By Anastasia Menchyk

Democracy’s future

A group called For Liberation and Resistance Everywhere, a left-wing organization protesting Donald Trump’s presidency, has been on the lawn outside Union Station for months. Randy Kindle, a board member for the organization, said Trump’s presidency is a “multi-generational traumatic event.”

“If we don’t get Trump out by the end of the year, we won’t be a democracy for a long, long time,” he said.

Kindle said he has noticed fewer tourists since the shutdown started two weeks ago. He said he thinks Republicans and Democrats will reach a deal after the ‘No Kings’ protest Oct. 20.

By Terrance Williams

Federal workers ‘in panic’

Once a week Astor Archer stands around D.C. and spreads the word of God. He’s a Jehovah’s Witness, and said many of his friends and fellow parishioners who were furloughed are facing economic hardships.

Positioned in the heart of Foggy Bottom, across from Circa restaurant where federal workers pass by on their way to work, Archer said it seems like people are “in panic” at times.

Archer said he talks to everyone — doctors, nurses, federal workers and the general public. He looks through the pages of his bible for solutions for problems people are facing.

“It helps us see that there’s something better for mankind,” he said. “I’m here to give information, spread love and give hope.”

By Ellen Tannor

Nothing to see here

American University teaching assistant Jonah Gutterman, a 22-year-old junior from Philadelphia, usually escorts his intro-level government class on trips to federal buildings throughout the semester.

The shutdown cut those visits. “We were supposed to do a lot of really fun, exciting trips,” Gutterman said.

The class was scheduled to visit the Washington Monument and the Pentagon, he said, but the visit had to be cancelled. Gutterman said he doesn’t think the shutdown is close to ending.

“To be honest with you we haven’t covered it a whole lot in my congress class,” he said.

By Anastasia Menchyk

Life in limbo

Chris Ravenwind has been unhoused for four months. The path that led him there is tangled with the ripple effect of federal layoffs.

Originally from California, Ravenwind said he worked for a security company in Virginia — until he was abruptly laid off. He said he believed the layoffs were tied to the instability of the federal government.

Now, he said he spends his days submitting job applications and trying to find permanent housing, which is harder to nail down right now. Ravenwind said he is on a 5- to 8-year waiting list for government-assisted housing. For now, his next steps are simple: find food, get rest, keep trying.

“After I manage to get one responsible thing done, it’s about sleep and getting enough spare change to cope,” he said.

By Ellen Tannor

Staying optimistic

Fall is usually the busy season at Central Michel Richard, a French-American bistro near the Federal Triangle, said Ebony Miller, assistant general manager.

The restaurant’s main clientele are senators, lawyer groups and federal workers, she said.

The restaurant has seen a decrease in business since August, Miller said, but the federal shutdown has made it worse. She said her team is trying to stay optimistic.

“I’ve been trying to find creative ways just to make sure we put ourselves out there,” Miller said.

By Isabel Del Mastro

New business plan

Anuradha Mehra has sold handcrafted goods at Capital Harvest on the Plaza, a vendor market, for two years. But since the federal shutdown, she said her business has been suffering.

Mehra has 30 artisans crafting bags, scarves, and home goods in New Delhi, India, for her business IndiBlossom. She moved to D.C. 15 years ago and has been selling art for the past 10 years.

She said she only sells her goods in popup shops but, since the federal shutdown, she might create an online shop to help supplement business.

“I think in some ways I feel compelled to start my online space because, you know, with the way things are. But the shutdown is really just impacting people’s ability to shop,” said Mehra.

By Isabel Del Mastro

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As the county prepares its next budget, which outlines spending for July 2026 – June 2027, the Bethesda community is pushing a recreation center as a priority.

The Montgomery County Planning Department predicts downtown Bethesda’s 2050 population will be more than double the 2020 population. As the area grows, so will the need for county services, like parks and recreation.

The planning department called out the need for a dedicated recreation center back in the 2017 Bethesda Downtown Sector Plan. There’s been little progress.

“There isn’t a timeline. When the stars are aligned then things can happen,” said Elza Hisel-McCoy, west county planning chief. “I definitely would not say it’s stalled. A free-standing Recreation Center on a piece of property somewhere in the county is a complex undertaking.”

In a written statement to the county government submitted Oct. 8, Kristen Nelson, chair of the Western Montgomery County Citizens Advisory Board, said Bethesda doesn’t have equitable access to recreation spaces.

On behalf of the advisory board, Nelson urged government leaders to take meaningful steps towards a recreation center.

“Bethesda’s continued success depends on ensuring residents – and businesses — have access to the same community infrastructure found elsewhere in the county,” Nelson said.

“A civic and recreation center would improve public health, expand equity, and reinforce downtown Bethesda’s role as a connected, inclusive, and vibrant place to live, work and gather.”

Rec center ‘long time coming’

Montgomery County has 22 recreation centers, eight senior centers, five indoor aquatic centers and seven outdoors pools maintained by the recreation department.

Monika Hammer, recreation department spokesperson, said it’s important people have access to adequate resources to exercise to stay health and active.

“There’s a lot of different factors that are taken into consideration when it comes to locations of centers. That can include center usage, population, looking at things with the racial equity and social justice lens,” she said. “We want to be accessible to everyone in the county.”

There’s a lot of moving parts to decide where a new recreation facility will go, Hammer said.

At least four different county agencies are involved in planning and execution, Hammer said. Plus, capital projects like recreation centers are expensive.

Downtown Bethesda hasn’t seen any new parkland or recreation spaces since the passage of the 2017 plan. Other priorities in the plan, like economic growth through new development, have seen major progress.

The area has seen over 3.8 million square feet of new development. The county has already approved 3.6 million more.

Amanda Farber, a Bethesda resident, said downtown needs more parks and recreation spaces. But finding a location is hard.

“The recreation center has been a long time coming,” she said. “There was a point in time where the county really was investing a lot in these sorts of amenities in downtown Bethesda.”

Then, she said, the county shifted focus towards private development to support public spaces.

What’s next?

Montgomery County is exploring public-private partnerships to get the recreation center off the ground.

“There was a general feeling that the amenities were a little bit slower in coming than everybody would have preferred,” Hisle-McCoy said.

Working off that feeling, the county adopted an updated plan in May 2025 with incentives to entice developers to partner with the county and make the recreation center a reality.

Developers who take up the offer could get a tax break and approval to build a taller facility than regular zoning laws would allow.

Hisle-McCoy said the incentives will help everything “get into the right alignment” to deliver the recreation center.

The public-private model worked in Silver Spring.

A partnership between the county and an affordable housing provider made way for the Silver Spring Recreation and Aquatic Center, which opened last February.

The $72 million facility offers a variety of free programming, like dance and fitness classes, recreational sports, water aerobics and more. Attached to the facility is a 15-story affordable housing building for seniors.

“I call it the Ritz Carlton of rec centers,” Farber said. “They included everything. It’s amazing.”

To see the same success in Bethesda, the county government has to decide what it wants to see in a recreation center.

Multiple community organizations, including the Western Montgomery County Citizens Advisory Board, have asked the county council to fund a Program of Requirements Study, which would define physical requirements for the space and operational goals for the center.

The county is hosting public input sessions on the upcoming budget throughout October and November. The budget must be set by June 1, 2026

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Montgomery County Renter’s Alliance and Montgomery Community Media co-sponsored a county executive candidate debate forum Wednesday night.

Mithun Banerjee, a county executive candidate, wasn’t allowed to participate. He is seeking $870,170 in punitive damages in Montgomery County Circuit Court.

Banerjee’s lawsuit alleged possible election interference. The filing also said the nonprofit organizations violated rules that govern their tax-exempt status by getting involved in political campaigns.

Banerjee told 91���� that, by excluding candidates from the forum, the organizations will make it harder for other candidates to win the upcoming primary.

“That itself is a corrupt system,” he said. “I’d given them emails notifying them they are violating law. I asked them to do corrective action. They decided not to.”

Rental Alliance: The lawsuit is frivolous.

In a written statement, Rental Alliance Executive Director Matt Losak said all Democratic primary candidates were invited to the forum. But, to participate, candidates had to meet the requirements for public matching funds or have raised more than $250,000 in campaign contributions.

The statement said the Renter’s Alliance made a good faith effort to explain the eligibility rules to Banerjee.

The alliance called the lawsuit frivolous.

“The Renter’s Alliance and [Montgomery Community Media] are Section 501-c-3 nonprofit organizations. Neither organization endorses any political party of candidate. The forum was provided as a service to educate and inform the public on the candidates’ views on housing policy,” the statement said.

Banerjee said his campaign is publicly financed and approved by the Maryland State Board of Elections, but he still wasn’t allowed to attend the forum.

He told 91���� he also filed a complaint with the Maryland governor’s office, U.S. Department of Justice and the Maryland State Board of Elections.

Montgomery Community Media Executive Director Jasmine White said in a written statement to 91���� that the media outlet did not select the participants from the forum and any views expressed at the event do not represent the organization’s views.

Montgomery Community Media remains committed to facilitating free speech, supporting open access to media and connecting people through shared information and community dialogue, the statement said.

Banerjee said his exclusion from the forum was “a shame to journalism.”

“Montgomery Community Media said they give voice to all people. That’s their commitment,” he said. “Did they give voice to me yesterday night? They didn’t.”

The case is Banerjee v. Losak, et. al, No. C-15-CV-25-005578, Montgomery County Circuit Court.

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They swayed their hips and snapped their fingers in downtown Bethesda as the queens sang “The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish,” to the familiar tune of “The Wheels on the Bus.”

performed with glowing smiles and carved cheekbones. For them, drag is a safe space.

“Drag, it is theater. It is political. It is comedy. It is very joyful,” Vettick said.

Jazz agreed, saying that performing is a “special moment” that lights up the room.

“With these difficult moments that we’re living, bringing joy to the people is something very important.”

Saturday’s Drag Story Hour is the first of many that will be held in the event space of the new , which opened its first physical location at the end of August.

More space, more programs

The center has offered satellite programs since its founding in 2017. Having a dedicated space has let the event calendar expand “exponentially,” said Maddie Roepe, program director at the new Bethesda location.

“We can’t count on institutions to look out for us or take care of us when things are hard,” she said. “We need a level of support that sometimes our government and our larger cultural institutions are not willing to provide for us. We will provide for each other.”

She said having a physical space will help expand access to support for the queer community. MoCo Pride Center is the first Pride center in Montgomery County.

LGBTQ+ people are at higher risk for mental health challenges and sexually transmitted infections, according to the

They are also more likely to experience housing instability or homelessness, according to a 2020 study from the .

While the Pride center is a place to foster community, MoCo Pride Center CEO Phillip Alexander Downie said, it’s also a hub that connects people with necessary services, like health care navigation and STI testing.

The center also hosts various peer support groups, including for people who are sober and families of LGBTQ+ people.

There are multiple community spaces in the center, like a coworking room and LGBTQ+ library and archive, open for drop-in use seven days a week.

Downie said services will expand as community needs evolve, with legal and mental health clinics already planned.

He said the physical space will help create “consistent” access to services that make navigating queer life easier.

Without reliable access to educational services, like a Pride center or inclusive school club, young LGBTQ+ people may turn to the internet to learn — which puts them at risk of relying on misinformation, said Erin Gill, a researcher who focuses on education policy’s effect on queer students’ wellbeing.

Pride centers serve the same purpose for communities as gender and sexuality alliances do for students, she said. Having those designated spaces makes it easier for young people to feel a sense of belonging.

Students in schools with inclusive curriculum, gender and sexuality alliances, and culturally informed educators feel safer, more connected to school, face lower rates of bullying and report better mental health than peers in schools without those supports, Gill said.

In communities with Pride centers, Gill said, young people report lower instances of bullying, harassment and violence. They also report better mental health than people in communities who don’t have access to safe spaces.

‘Vital’ to MoCo

As the MoCo Pride Center grows, so will its financial need.

As a nonprofit organization, Downie said all donations and grants given to the center go toward paying staff and funding programs.

He said Montgomery County government is the largest benefactor, having allocated $515,000 to the Pride center this year.

Downie said he hopes as the center grows, county investment will too.

Councilmember Evan Glass, the first openly gay person to serve on Montgomery County Council, said the Pride center is vital to the wellbeing of the county.

Glass is campaigning for the 2026 County Executive election and said he will do everything he can to support and enhance the center in years to come.

He said it is vital the center has the support it needs to fight against the rhetoric of President Donald Trump’s administration.

“Trump is trying to destroy everything we believe here in Montgomery County. A cornerstone of that is our beautiful diversity in making sure everybody feels safe and welcome,” Glass said. “We need to double down on our commitment to our diversity and the Pride center is a foundation of that.”

Trump has signed multiple executive orders since the start of his second term that scale back protections for LGBTQ+ people, particularly the trans community, by banning transgender people from serving in the military and limiting access to gender affirming care.

‘A game changer’ for queer youth

When looking to the future, Glass said it’s inspiring to reflect on how far support for LGBTQ+ people has come. He said there were no spaces like the Pride center when he was growing up.

Without that solid educational support system, Glass said he didn’t have a place to explore his identity.

“There was no built-in community that I could reach out to. That is what the Pride Center is now — a place for people of all ages to get the help, love and support that they need,” he said. “It would have been a game changer for me, and I hope that it will be a game changer for other young people.”

The MoCo Pride Center is filling a long-neglected gap by bringing services to the LGBTQ+ community.

Wing, a small business owner who asked to only be identified by their chosen first name, was born and raised in the county.

They recently opened their own small business, , which makes sustainable upcycled and vegan art. They set up Saturday a booth at the MoCo Pride Center’s first Wellness Weekend, which is a vendor fair that also connects people with services.

Wing said they first started questioning their sexuality in middle school but didn’t have anywhere to turn to for support.

The Pride center is a resource they wished they could have had growing up, Wing said.

Queer space ’empowers people’

Vettick said it is refreshing to see times grow and change to offer more accessible resources to the queer community.

Growing up in Puerto Rico, she said she was left to her own devices to navigate being queer.

“There was a lot of questions that I had that I was not able to get answers to. Having these kind of queer spaces that are open for everybody with so much resources that are educational, you’re able to get your answers and be represented,” she said. “We didn’t have that back then, and it’s so important right now.”

Vettick encouraged Jazz to pursue their drag dreams, Jazz said.

In a time where queer safe space was hard to come by, the duo created their own.

Jazz said the Pride center will make it easier for future generations to explore their own identifies.

“All of us should have a place where we feel safe, we feel love, and we feel empowered to be ourselves, which is I believe the purpose of life,” Jazz said.

“Creating safe spaces empowers people to live their truly best.”

The post ‘It is political:’ Creating queer safe spaces in Montgomery County first appeared on 91����.

The Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition filed a lawsuit in August 2024 to bar developers 1784 Capital Holdings LLC from building on property the coalition says could have hundreds of enslaved people’s bones. Montgomery County Circuit Judge Carlos Acosta ruled in late August that the coalition has until February to finish discovery so court hearings can proceed on schedule.

“This, just like every case that comes here, is an important case. It’s not just important to the parties involved. It’s important to a lot of people in the community,” Acosta said at an August court hearing.

Acosta denied a motion by the Arizona-based developers to dismiss the lawsuit, calling it “premature.”

The developers maintain there is no evidence of human remains on the property.

“It’s just rhetoric,” said Jarvis Stewart, who owns a communications firm that represents 1784.

“It’s just vicious, calling my client the most horrible names – racists and bigots – with no proof.”

Stewart said the company recovered multiple bone fragments during the excavation process, but archeologists they hired determined they were animal bones.

The discoveries were removed from the site, stored for over one year, then tested for human DNA multiple times, Stewart said.

During the DNA testing process, the bones were destroyed.

To test for human DNA, according to a court affidavit, a forensic analyst smashed the bones “into a fine powder.”

Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, who founded the Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition, called the removal and subsequent destruction of the bones “one of the crimes of the century.”

She said the bones are human and belong to Bethesda’s African ancestors.

“That was their only means of communicating with future generations, with their bones. Those bones would have told the story of what happened to them,” she told 91����.

“When you assume the arrogance of destroying someone’s ability to tell their story, that is vile and despicable.”

Bethesda’s African history

In the early 1800s, nearly 50% of the people in Montgomery County were enslaved African Americans, Bethesda historian Hank Levine said.

After the U.S. emancipated slaves, many African Americans left Bethesda.

Some stuck around.

“After the Civil War, free Black people were able to purchase land in some areas, including along River Road. That becomes a Black neighbor,” Levine said. “They built a church. It’s still there.”

That church is Macedonia Baptist Church. It is the only remaining building from the Black neighborhood on River Road.

Coleman-Adebayo’s husband is the pastor. She said that’s how she first learned of Moses African Cemetery.

One of the congregation members, Harvey Matthews, said he used to play at the cemetery as a little boy in the 1950s.

The developers don’t argue that the cemetery existed, but there is debate over where the boundary is.

Developers discover bones on property

The developer 1784 originally bought multiple adjacent parcels of land for $11 million in 2017, according to Montgomery County land records.

In the early stages of construction, the company found “artifacts” and other things “related to early 1900s grave sites” on one parcel, Stewart said.

The company deeded that land back to the county.

Construction continued on the adjacent section of property and is ongoing today. That’s the piece of land where 1784 recovered what company officials said were “animal bones.”

Boyd Sipe is an archeologist at Wetland Studies and Solutions Inc., the company 1784 hired to oversee the archeological excavation on site.

In a sworn court affidavit, he said “no human remains or funerary objects were found on the property.”

Multiple archeologists have examined the recovered bones.

In an email to Sipe, Towson University professor Dana Kollmann, a forensic archeologist, said she could not conclude that recovered bone fragments were “conclusively non-human” without DNA testing.

Coleman-Adebayo said that is important evidence that points to needing more conclusive examination.

After that email, 76 of the 132 recovered bones fragments were tested for human DNA.

Of the 76 bone samples tested, 74 had DNA levels “below the limit of detection,” according to court fillings from March.

Of the remaining two samples, only one showed evidence of human DNA, according to a report from Benetta George, the DNA analyst who did the testing. She attributed the trace amounts of human DNA to possible contamination during the transportation and testing process.

That’s not conclusive for Coleman-Adebayo. The recovered bones are likely human, she said.

So far, experts paid by the developers have done all the DNA testing on recovered artifacts. Court filings said 1784 spent $331,058 on archeologic services from Wetland Studies.

Coleman-Adebayo said the coalition needs access to what is left of the recovered bones so they can perform their own analysis.

She said there might be a different kind of test that can produce conclusive results with the trace amounts of DNA left on the bone fragments.

The land being built on had the perfect conditions to be a mass grave, Coleman-Adebayo said.

“That was swamp. It was just an incredible amount of water. Because it was agriculturally unproductive, it was environmentally perfect to be used as a mass burial because you couldn’t do anything else with it,” she said.

She said the bodies of Africans who were kidnapped and brought to the U.S. to be slaves were likely thrown in that mass grave.

The coalition recovered over 30 “funerary artifacts” from construction site dirt, Coleman-Adebayo said, which builders dumped at a landfill.

Those artifacts include scraps of fabric and bottles, which Coleman-Adebayo said points to funeral activity because African cultures often place bottles on grave sites to protect the spirit of the dead.

Tammy Hilburn, a cultural property crime expert, volunteered to monitor the construction site with the Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition. During those observations, she said there was minimal oversight from the developers’ archeologists.

She observed an object on top of a “freshly excavated” pile of dirt and took a photo. Later, when reviewing her pictures, she said “it was evident … that object was a tombstone,” according to court documents filed by the coalition.

Stewart said anything recovered from the site is normal waste from “people living their lives,” not an indication of funeral activities.

“The property we are currently building on does not have any artifacts or any tombstones and all this other stuff that the coalition is suggesting,” he said.

What happens next?

Although the judge granted Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition until February to prove there are human remains on the development site, construction doesn’t have to stop.

Stewart said the projected completion date of the project is Spring 2026.

The company recently filed a countersuit in Montgomery County Circuit Court against the coalition to stop the group from interfering with construction. Judge Acosta postponed that ruling until after discovery is finished.

Stewart said the company recognizes Montgomery County’s history of “highly regarded, highly respected African American communities.” That’s why 1784 promised $250,000 to paint a mural honoring Bethesda’s African American population on a retaining wall near the storage facility.

The coalition isn’t interested in compromise, Stewart said.

“They want the land. They’ve wanted the land from the very beginning,” he said.

Coleman-Adebayo said winning the court battle would “stop the ongoing desecration” of Moses African Cemetery.

To prove the land is part of the cemetery, the coalition will hire its own experts to survey the property and examine any recovered artifacts. That will include DNA testing of the bones 1784 recovered from the site, Coleman-Adebayo said.

Ideally, she said, the coalition and Macedonia Baptist Church would partner to control the land and build a museum telling the history of the River Road community.

“We’d like to turn that area into a sacred space where people from all over the world can come, not to store their refrigerators and couches, but to understand the horror of what we call European barbarism,” Coleman-Adebayo said.

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President Donald Trump’s AI policy, , sidelines existing government restrictions to support faster AI development. He and other Republican leaders want to position the U.S. as the global leader in AI exports, like chips and software.  

“We have to stay ahead of China,” said Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., chairman of the Senate Science, Manufacturing, and Competitiveness Subcommittee, at a hearing Wednesday.  

Budd said the U.S. must be at the forefront of disseminating AI  across the world.  

At Wednesday’s hearing, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, introduced a bill that would bring Trump’s AI policy into U.S. law.   

The bill would allow AI development companies to get exemptions from federal regulations to make experimentation and development of new technology easier. 

Trump rescinded Biden-era AI regulations on his first day in office, before codifying his AI plan with three executive orders in late July. 

His orders seek to build more AI data centers, promote American AI exports and weed out bias “woke” AI models in government.  

Trump’s “AI Action Plan” builds on the policies he first implemented in 2018, testified Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. 

That was the first time a president had designated AI as a “research and development priority”   

Kratsios, the only witness at the hearing, is in charge of implementing Trump’s AI executive orders. Kratsios said he has made “tremendous progress” on carrying out Trump’s policies.  

Consumer advocate slams bill 

Ben Winters, director of AI and data policy at , told 91���� that Trump’s policy is to “maximize AI company profits at all costs.” The federation is a D.C.-based consumer protection advocacy group. 

Winters said Trump will likely “maximize” government contracts for large data companies, like Meta and OpenAI, while “hamstringing” consumer protection agencies, like the Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.  

Presidential executive orders have limited reach. Cruz’s bill attempts to bring Trump’s policy into American law. 

Winters said he is “not encouraged” by Cruz’s bill. 

‘Devastating’ impact 

At Wednesday’s hearing, Democratic leaders slammed Trump’s AI plan for undermining consumer protections in the name of innovation and development.  

Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., bashed the Trump administration, saying despite pushing for technology development, Trump is known to “undercut” and “disregard” science. She highlighted the Trump administration’s cancellation of research grants as an example.  

So far this year, Trump has cut over $2.3 billion of National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health grants, according to , an organization tracking government cuts to research.  

“We cannot be short-sighted. These attacks on our scientists, researchers, educators and students have devastating impacts on scientific advancements and our ability to compete globally,” Baldwin said.  

Bruce Schneier, with expertise on AI in government, said framing the development of AI as an arms race only benefits tech tycoons. 

He said AI is successful in areas with heavy regulations, like the European Union, and the U.S. could benefit from stricter AI policy.  

“This is a transformative technology that’s going to help and harm a lot of people,” he said in an interview with 91����. 

“Because it has the potential to change things, it really needs strong regulation.” 

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