Van Hollen secures funding for NIST, NIH in U.S. Senate omnibus spending package

A massive $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill for FY-2023 passed by the United States Senate yesterday will include substantial funding for two major federal employers in Montgomery County, the National Institutes of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg and the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda. Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen pressed for those and other Maryland priorities in the controversial and complicated negotiations and agreement. The deal found some Republican senators joining with the Democratic majority in an attempt to lock in spending before the GOP gains control of the House of Representatives in January.

The Senate deal includes $48 billion for NIH, and $1.7 billion for NIST. It also includes renovation funds for a failing bridge over the Baltimore-Washington Parkway to Goddard Flight Center. Van Hollen and other Democrats lamented they could not get other priorities filled in the agreement, but considered the end run around potential GOP cuts in next year's session to be a success worth compromising for. "While I was deeply disappointed that Republicans refused to support a number of key priorities, it was vital that we pass a new government funding bill instead of kicking the can down the road," Van Hollen said in a statement late yesterday afternoon. "On balance, this package will meaningfully invest in the critical priorities of our state and nation.”

Senate Republicans who voted for the bill were Roy Blunt (Missouri), John Boozman (Arkansas), Shelley Capito (West Virginia), Susan Collins (Maine), John Cornyn (Texas), Tom Cotton (Arkansas), Lindsey Graham (South Carolina), Jim Inhofe (Oklahoma), Mitch McConnell (Kentucky), Jerry Moran (Kansas), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Rob Portman (Ohio), Mitt Romney (Utah), Mike Rounds (South Dakota), Richard Shelby (Alabama), John Thune (South Dakota), Roger Wicker (Mississippi) and Todd Young (Indiana). The majority of them have already publicly distanced themselves from President Donald Trump in varying degrees.

Assault at Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville

Montgomery County police were called to Richard Montgomery High School Wednesday afternoon, December 21, 2022, to investigate a 2nd-degree assault reported on the campus. The assault was reported at 2:35 PM on Wednesday.

Car stolen from dealership in Rockville

Rockville City police responded to a report of a stolen vehicle at an auto dealership yesterday afternoon, December 21, 2022. The vehicle was reported stolen at a dealership in the 1300 block of Rockville Pike at 2:15 PM on Wednesday. There is a new Tesla dealership on that block.

Rockville biotech firm Immunocore wins Prix Galien France award

Immunocore, a biotech firm located at 2273 Research Boulevard in Rockville, has won a prestigious Prix Galien France award. It received the honor for its breakthrough therapeutic, KIMMTRAK, the world's first T cell receptor therapy. Immunocore took home that award in the "Medicine in Innovative Therapeutics" category. KIMMTRAK is the only therapy approved for the treatment of unresectable or metastatic uveal melanoma, and the first bispecific T cell engager to receive regulatory approval to treat a solid tumor.

“We are honored to receive this prestigious award, which is a reflection of the impact of this novel treatment for patients and the innovative technology behind it,” Immunocore CEO Bahija Jallal said in a statement. “This award is also a tribute to the teams at Immunocore who have taken KIMMTRAK from bench to bedside, and those working on our future therapies that could benefit more patients living with cancer, as well as infectious diseases and autoimmune conditions.” KIMMTRAK received FDA approval this past January. Immunocore's press release notes that the Prix Galien France awards are considered the equivalent of the Nobel Prize in the biopharmaceutical research field.

Photo courtesy Immunocore

Water main break in Rockville

There is a water main break in the area of 500 N. Washington Street in Rockville. A City of Rockville Public Works crew is now on-site making repairs. The right southbound lane of N. Washington Street is currently closed. 401 and 500 N. Washington Street are currently without water service until the repair is completed.

Man who threatened Rockville cannabis dispensary headed to federal prison

A Seattle man who police say phoned in homicidal threats to a Rockville cannabis dispensary on September 11, 2021, has been sentenced to two years in federal prison. Joey George, 37, admitted calling multiple businesses nationwide and threatening to kill African-American and Latino people. He made the admission as part of a plea agreement in the case of his telephone threats to the Tops Market in Buffalo two months after a mass shooting took place there. 

George's threatening calls to the unidentified Rockville marijuana dispensary caused the business to temporarily close and hire security. The dispensary owners estimated their financial loss to be more than $50,000, the United States Department of Justice said in a statement. George has agreed to make financial restitution to the dispensary, and to the other businesses that he threatened around the country.

Derwood Wendy's renovation update (Photos)

You can see some significant cosmetic changes on the exterior of the Wendy's at 15807 Frederick Road in Derwood now. The restaurant is temporarily closed for a major renovation project. There are now long, black strips along the top area of the facade on the side of the building. Tyvek covers the center of that area, above the side entrance.

Where there was a stone facade cover at the front corner, you can see red peeking out from underneath a Reynobond covering. Construction materials are laid out in the parking area. While you are waiting for the Wendy's of the Future here, the Rockville Wendy's at 808 Rockville Pike is open and ready to take your Baconator and Chocolate Frosty order.