The Silver Spring Penguin

UPDATE — Just because The Penguin publication hasn’t cranked out any content lately doesn’t mean that things haven’t been busy. Okay, maybe we slacked a little after scoring that sweet video-game thingy for $3 at Value Village. But it was all business once the batteries crapped out.

The Penguin’s tech crew successfully cracked web code for a local children’s author and Penguin client and went live with her shiny new website late last week. When they were done with that, they updated another website, one for a humanitarian organization. Try explaining “humanitarian” to the guys in the Penguin mailroom.

Last but not least, I brought the Penguin mobile news unit into the repair shop to get rid of that damned metal-grinding-on-metal sound. Not only did mechanics mute the noise, but they hooked me up with new brakes, too. Nice!

Now that all of that is done, the Penguin newsroom can move on to this week’s work:

Monday

9:30 a.m. The county council’s transportation committee discusses November’s failure in the county’s traffic-light system, and future transportation projects, including the Purple Line. This free event takes place at the council’s office building (100 Maryland Ave, Rockville), seventh floor, and is open to the public.

1:00 p.m. The county council’s education and planning committees discuss the development of community gardens, including one proposed for a private lot in downtown Silver Spring. This free event takes place at the council’s office building (100 Maryland Ave, Rockville), seventh floor, and is open to the public.

8:00 p.m. County executive Ike Leggett delivers his State of the County address from the BlackRock Center for the Arts in Germantown. The speech can be viewed live on County Cable Montgomery television.

Tuesday

10:55 a.m. The county council decides whether to support an application from the National Park Seminary Apartments for state low-income housing tax credits. The renovated Forest Glen building has 66 rental units, 56 of which will be available to households making no more than 60 percent of the county’s median income, according to council documents.

This free event takes place at the council’s office building (100 Maryland Ave, Rockville), third floor, and is open to the public.

11:10 a.m. The county council votes on whether to allow one Fenton Village developer to claim public alleys for a proposed mixed-use development project. This free event takes place at the council’s office building (100 Maryland Ave, Rockville), third floor, and is open to the public.

Wednesday

Catch up on missed episodes of “Days of Our Lives”.

7:30 p.m. The county’s planning department discusses plans to streamline its development review process. This free event takes place inside the planning board’s auditorium (8787 Georgia Ave) and is open to the public.

Thursday

11:30 a.m. The county council’s health and human services committee considers a proposed resolution that would require crisis-pregnancy centers such as Centro Tepeyac Pregnancy Center in downtown Silver Spring to notify clients that their services do not include medical advice.

This free event takes place at the council’s office building (100 Maryland Ave, Rockville), third floor, and is open to the public.

6:00 p.m. The AFI Silver Theatre (8633 Colesville Rd) presents a free screening of the documentary “Triumph of the Ball” (2009), a compilation of scenes from Monty Python’s “Secret Policeman’s Ball” concerts. Tickets are available at the box office starting at 12:30 p.m. There is a limit of four tickets per person.

7:00 p.m. The county’s planning board receives public testimony on its Purple Line functional plan, which recommends routes and modes for the proposed mass-transit project. This free event takes place inside the planning board’s auditorium (8787 Georgia Ave) and is open to the public.

Updated Dec 9, 2009, to add Wednesday’s development review meeting. — JD