The Silver Spring Penguin

Congratulations! If you’re reading this post, you’ve successfully waded through the parking lot that is the northbound I-95. The highway was a freakin’ mess this weekend, with zillions of holiday travelers inching their way between Fredericksburg, Va., and the Beltway. The guys in The Penguin newsroom barely made it back from their beer-and-cigarette run to Richmond.

And now, Penguin readers can stew in a different kind of traffic — the teeth-gnashing nightmare that is Cyber Monday. For those who weren’t bold (or stupid) enough to battle shoppers on Black Friday, there’s today’s electronic traffic jam of zillions of cubicle dwellers shopping for online bargains.

I just hope the slow surfers don’t hog tie the passing lane. There’s news to be covered this week:

Monday

9:30 a.m. The county council’s planning, housing and economic development committee rehashes three different housing bills. The first would allow developers to contribute to the Housing Initiative Fund instead of constructing on-site, moderately priced homes. The second would set up prices for moderately priced homes, and allow developers to build or buy those homes on an alternative site. The last would raise building heights and densities to accommodate on-site workforce housing.

This free gig drops on the council’s office building (100 Maryland Ave, Rockville) and is open to the public.

Thursday

9:00 a.m. The county’s planning board combs over its development program for Silver Place, a mixed-use development proposed for Georgia Avenue at Spring Street. The free meeting hits the board’s auditorium (8787 Georgia Ave) and is open to the public.

9:30 a.m. The county council’s public safety committee discusses bill 35-08, which would let red-light and speed camera fines pick up the tab for ambulance services. The free show rocks the council’s office building (100 Maryland Ave, Rockville) and is open to the public.

9:30 a.m. The county council’s health and human services committee gets another update on Silver Spring’s planned new library. Hit it at the council’s office building (100 Maryland Ave, Rockville). It’s free and open to the public.

= Real-time reporting via The Penguin’s Twitter feed.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user MyLifeStory.