The Silver Spring Penguin

The Penguin intern is in a lot of trouble.

Last week, the furry little bastard saw his shadow and predicted six more weeks of winter. That got newsroom staffers psyched for a weekend of frosty ice climbing on Catoctin Mountain. But when we and our ice picks arrived after a 45-minute drive, the place was a melting, muddy mess.

That’s why we’re dragging our intern across East-West Highway to NOAA, which is celebrating its history of weather prognostication this week. If The Penguin intern can’t learn anything about meteorology after all that earth-science education, I can always trade him in for a bonafide NOAA weather guru.

Get it together, intern. Or else!

Throughout the week

11:00 a.m. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration celebrates NOAA Heritage Week with a series of speakers and documentary films on the environment, earth science, and coastal and marine resources. These free events take place at the NOAA Science Center and Auditorium (1301 East-West Hwy) and are open to the public.

Click here for a full schedule of events.

Monday

9:30 a.m. The county council’s transportation committee combs over a $250,000 appropriation for bus-stop improvements. The yap goes down at the council’s office building (100 Maryland Ave, Rockville), seventh floor. It’s free and open to the public.

7:00 p.m. Silver Spring’s citizens advisory board holds its monthly meeting at the Silver Spring library (8901 Colesville Rd). This event is free and open to the public.

Tuesday

1:30 p.m. The full county council holds a public hearing on an $87 million appropriation for construction of Silver Place, a mixed-use development on Georgia Avenue at Spring Street. The high-fallutin’ speeches drop on the council’s office building (100 Maryland Ave, Rockville), third floor. Call (240) 777-7931 in advance if you plan to testify.

Wednesday

Change the water in The Penguin intern’s dish. Oh, and quiz him on the significance of barometric pressure.

Thursday

10:30 a.m. The county council’s health and human services committee takes another whack at whether a footbridge should be built between Silver Spring’s new library and the Wayne Avenue garage. Round two rocks the council’s office building (100 Maryland Ave, Rockville), seventh floor. It’s free and open to the public.

3:00 p.m. The planning board hears a pitch to give up parts of public alleys in Fenton Village to the Studio Plaza private development. The talk hits planning board HQ (8787 Georgia Ave) and is open to the public.

7:00 p.m. Local architect Carl Elefante previews green construction practices and argues that most don’t go the extra mile beyond what’s already required. The free yap rocks planning board HQ (8787 Georgia Ave) and is open to the public.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user chrisbb@prodigy.net.