Montgomery Community Media

Swimming at Montgomery Parks’ Lake Needwood has always been off limits, but park officials warn that elevated levels of a toxic bacteria found in the water right now can also make you sick. The parks department issued the warning in late July and it could stay up until November depending on the amount of rainfall […]

Montgomery Parks officials are asking residents to use caution when recreating on or near Lake Needwood. Testing has shown there are elevated levels of microcystin, a toxic substance produced by some species of blue-green algae (cyanobacteria), in the 75-acre lake. Microcystin, hepatoxin, can cause harm to the liver of humans and pets. Of particular concern […]

Police in Southern Maryland recently issued an alert for a new telephone scam. Although Maryland received only one reported incident thus far, cell phone users are urged to be aware of the potential threat and to call police if they realize the presence of fraudulent behavior by telephone. In Maryland, the case involved an individual […]

The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for Montgomery County until 10 p.m. this evening (May 22). A severe thunderstorm watch means conditions are favorable for severe storms in and close to the watch area. The primary threat with these storms could include extremely heavy rain, large hail, lightning, and isolated tornadoes. […]

The Maryland State Police and other law enforcement agencies around the state have received numerous complaints over the last few days involving sexually explicit photographs of juveniles being posted on social networking websites, specifically Instagram. As the lead agency of the Maryland Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the State Police Computer Crimes Section has […]

Montgomery Parks, part of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, is reporting that elevated levels of microcystin have been detected in Lake Frank, in addition to Lake Needwood, which was determined in late July. The department is urging residents to use caution when recreating on or near both lakes which are located within Rock […]

Pepco is warning its customers about a scam involving prepaid “Green Dot MoneyPak” card. Callers claiming to represent Pepco are contacting customers telling them their electric service is scheduled to be shut off and they should make a payment by purchasing one of these cards. Pepco reminds home and business owners to practice safety when […]

The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for the potential of rapid wildfire growth in Montgomery County until 8 p.m. today (April 3). A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and dry grasses and brush make conditions ripe for explosive fire growth potential. Fire officials said it’s extremely important to discard […]

UPDATED 9/9 Severe thunderstorms with high winds and heavy rains rolled through Montgomery County during the afternoon of Sept. 8. The storms knocked out power to thousands of Montgomery County residents. At one point, over 20,000 Pepco customers were without electricity. Before and during the storms, the National Weather Service (NWS) issued several warnings including […]

Montgomery County’s park officials are cautioning residents to avoid contact with the water in Lake Needwood due to the water toxin microcystin. This toxic substance is produced by blue-green algae and causes liver damage if ingested. Residents are also advised not allow their pets to swim in the lake. Learn more at this website or […]