Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to Planta at 4910 Elm Street in Bethesda Saturday for a reported building fire.
According to MCFRS, crews found an extinguished flash fire on a stove in the restaurant’s kitchen. No smoke or fire extension was found, and no injuries were reported. The utility company was notified, and MCFRS began reducing its presence at the scene.

Outrage has erupted among health experts over news that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is still eager to fund a widely condemned vaccine trial that would expose newborns in Guinea-Bissau to hepatitis B, putting them at high risk of a lifelong infection, which can lead to liver cirrhosis, liver cancer, and premature death.

The trial was suspended in January after its unethical design came to light and drew international outcry. Although the trial is still halted, staff of the CDC director's office told the agency's budget office in late September to set aside $1.6 million to fund the trial, according to a report by Rolling Stone. The money was to be pulled from funding for the CDC's global health security programs, which might otherwise go toward efforts like combating the Ebola outbreak currently raging in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the CDC, did not respond to a request for comment from Ars Technica.

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The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) has released its latest roundup of major projects and traffic alerts that could impact motorists across Maryland. All work is weather permitting.

In Baltimore County, motorists should continue to expect weekly lane, ramp and shoulder closures along I-695 (Baltimore Beltway) between I-70 and MD 43 (White Marsh Boulevard). The closures are associated with the ongoing Transportation Systems Management and Operations project along the corridor.

Several additional traffic alerts have been issued across the state over the past week. In Anne Arundel County, a microsurfacing project is underway along a section of MD 173.

In Baltimore County, SHA is scheduled to patch pavement along MD 943 (Warren Road), MD 372 (Wilkens Avenue) and MD 25 (Falls Road). The work is expected to include overnight lane closures and flagging operations, with traffic impacts continuing through late December.

In Charles County, SHA is resurfacing a section of MD 225. On the Eastern Shore, a section of MD 707 (Grays Corner Road) in Worcester County is scheduled to close for resurfacing work beginning Monday. Motorists can expect delays in the area through Tuesday.

In Wicomico County, bridge patching repairs are scheduled to begin Sunday night on the US 50 Business (Salisbury Parkway) bridge. The work is expected to require nighttime single-lane closures over approximately three weeks.

Motorists traveling through affected areas are encouraged to allow additional travel time and remain alert for changing traffic patterns and work crews.

The latest update does not list a new Montgomery County traffic alert. Last week’s statewide update included the ongoing MD 390 (16th Street) bicycle and pedestrian project in Silver Spring, where a northbound lane closure began October 5 and is expected to remain in place for approximately nine months.