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Montgomery County Public Schools faces an estimated $3 billion backlog in deferred maintenance (including plumbing, HVAC and roofing), and the County Council reviewed MCPS’s FY27 operating budget after cuts that eliminated 46 jobs and trimmed $1.6 million from contracted mental-health services. The school board will set capital priorities as enrollment shifts, with central Rockville projected to grow.

Twelve high school bands performed Saturday at the MCPS Marching Band Showcase at Albert Einstein High School, where Wheaton revived its marching band and students shared halftime-style shows (noncompetitive) to build connections.

MCPS presented fall assessment data Thursday in Rockville showing Black and Latino students trailed white and Asian peers on DIBELS, MAP and mCLASS tests, with much lower rates for FARMS (Free and Reduced-price Meal System), IEP, and emergent multilingual learners.

The district said it will release the state report card this week and roll out student profiles and risk letters.

Montgomery County Council is holding informational hearings this month to decide whether to keep the Dickerson waste-to-energy plant or close it and long-haul trash to a landfill, a shift the operator says would add about 100 tractor-trailers per day at Shady Grove Transfer Station (Derwood) and could cost taxpayers up to $1.4 billion over 30 years.

Whitman Vikings boys soccer finished their regular season with a 4-3 win over Paint Branch in Bethesda yesterday.

The team extended its seven-game unbeaten run despite an early goalkeeper injury and now prepares for regional playoffs starting Oct. 28.

Maryland health officials warn that oysters from the Little Wicomico Oyster Company, harvested from the Little Wicomico River between Sept.

18 and Oct. 8, may be contaminated with salmonella, posing a risk to consumers. Restaurants and retailers are urged to discard the product or contact their distributor.

A Rockville couple converted cargo vans into boutique campervans with Scandinavian style, and their business Roamer Vans moved into a new 3000 sqft workshop on Cessna Avenue + now plans up to 8 custom builds per year.

Their work has drawn interest from local and regional customers.

On Oct. 15, a federal complaint alleged that MCPS failed to protect an Orthodox Jewish student at Montgomery Blair High School from repeated antisemitic bullying, including a bomb scare at his home, despite school measures.

The report follows a noted rise in hate-bias incidents & calls for further review.