As the opioid crisis continues to take a drastic toll on the United States, Montgomery County officials are looking for ways to reverse the epidemic.
In an attempt to combat this issue, police officials held a press conference last week to educate residents on the overall rising problem, particularly for those who use heroin, fentanyl and carfentanyl.
During that same day a departmental Narcan (Naloxone) training class was also held in order to teach officers how to administer the life-saving drug and learn about the fundamentals of addiction, how opiates affect the body, and how Narcan works to reverse the effects of an overdose. More than 200 officers attended the class.
In 2017, county police responded to 57 non-fatal overdoses and 69 fatal overdoses in 2017, compared to 52 non-fatal and 40 fatal overdoses in 2014.
To date, officials have reported a 145 percent increase in the number of fatal and non-fatal overdoses from the various drugs over the past four years.
Discovery Communications Set to Exit Silver Spring
Discovery Communications announced last week that it will sell its headquarters in downtown Silver Spring and move the site to New York City in 2019, leaving many to wonder the future of business for the area.
Discovery President and CEO David Zaslav announced in a company-wide memo the “difficult decision” to reduce the company’s footprint in Maryland over time, with the ultimate closure and sale of their One Discovery Place headquarters building in Silver Spring.
Currently an estimated 1,300 people work for Discovery in Maryland, which also helped to grow and build the downtown Silver Spring area. County Executive Isiah Leggett said that the county and state made a “tremendous offer” to try to keep the business, but was ultimately unsuccessful.
Discovery helped revitalize downtown Silver Spring when their headquarters opened off Georgia Avenue at Colesville Road in 2003.
Bethesda Restaurant Week Begins
Bethesda’s Restaurant Week is underway, and the event will allow new businesses to shine while allowing older eateries to highlight their latest menu options.
Throughout the week, over 250 participating restaurants in the D.C. area will offer special menus and prix fixe menus, allowing residents to choose the restaurants they want to visit based on budgets and taste buds.
During the event, which began Jan. 12 and will run through Jan. 21, partakers will also be able to snap photos of their meals and restaurants and share it on Instagram for a chance to win a gift card from one of the participating venues.