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Wednesday, May 8, 2024
White Oak Day 2024 set for Saturday, June 1
Save the date for the 12th annual White Oak Day! This year, it will be held on Saturday, June 1, 2024 from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the White Oak Community Recreation Center, located at 1700 April Lane in Silver Spring. This free celebration of the wonderful White Oak Community will include food, fun and games for kids, live music and local vendors. The event is sponsored by the Montgomery County Department of Recreation.
Tuesday, May 7, 2024
Maven at Wheaton apartments burglarized
A burglar allegedly broke into the Maven at Wheaton apartment building at 10914 Georgia Avenue in Wheaton at 5:50 AM on April 25, 2024, Montgomery County police say. Officers responding to the scene found evidence of forced entry at the complex. Property was stolen from an employee lounge. Police describe the suspect only as a Black male of unknown age.
Monday, May 6, 2024
Chido's Tex-Mex Grill aiming for July opening in Silver Spring
Chido's Tex-Mex Grill is hoping to open its future Downtown Silver Spring location at 931 Ellsworth Drive in July, the company says. The interior dining area will seat between 160 and 180 patrons. A 10-year lease has been signed for the 7,619-square-foot space that was most recently home to The Eleanor. Operating hours are anticipated to be 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM Monday through Wednesday, 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM on Thursdays, 11:00 AM to midnight on Fridays, 10:30 AM to midnight on Saturdays, and 10:30 AM to 10:00 PM on Sundays.
Friday, May 3, 2024
Tesla Cybertruck deliveries picking up in Montgomery County (Photos)
Here's a rare sighting: A Tesla Cybertruck in the wild without an overpaid influencer behind the wheel. Deliveries of the king of trucks appear to be picking up at the Rockville Tesla facility at 1300 Rockville Pike. A purported halt of Cybertruck deliveries in mid-April due to an accelerator pedal issue clearly has ended, at least here in Maryland.
There was only one Cybertruck on this car carrier loaded with Teslas, but at least three more could be seen parked on the top level of the facility's garage. It seems that the production numbers of Cybertrucks and Tesla stock are both trending in an upward direction.
Thursday, May 2, 2024
Armed robbery at 7-Eleven in Aspen Hill
Montgomery County police are searching for a suspect in the April 18, 2024 armed robbery of the 7-Eleven store at 14101 Georgia Avenue in Aspen Hill. Early that morning, the suspect entered the store and allegedly displayed a weapon. He left the store with an unspecified amount of cash. Police describe the suspect as a Black male, approximately 20 years of age. If you have any information about the identity or whereabouts of this suspect, you are asked to call police at (301) 279-8000.
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
JBG Smith helps preserve affordable housing in Takoma Park
Bethesda-based real estate developer JBG Smith says it has exceeded its goal for preserving affordable housing in the region with its latest initiative in Takoma Park. JBG Smith provided $6 million in mezzanine financing to Montgomery Housing Partnership (MHP) for the refinancing of the Franklin Apartments, a 185-unit age-restricted housing community at 7620 Maple Avenue. The property then obtained a new $26.2 million Freddie Mac loan from Key Bank, along with an extension of an existing $3.75 million soft loan from Montgomery County.
"The Franklin Apartments investment is a perfect example of what we sought to accomplish when we created the Impact Pool," JBG Smith EVP of Social Impact Investing A.J. Jackson said in a statement. "Montgomery County is projected to lose up to 11,000 naturally occurring affordable housing units by 2030. Our collaboration with a non-profit owner, dedicated to the property’s preservation, will provide residents with the ability to age in-place in a resource rich neighborhood of Montgomery County," Jackson said.
JBG Smith formed the Impact Pool in partnership with the Federal City Council in 2020 with the goal of preserving 3000 affordable housing units in the region by 2025. The Franklin Apartments deal has now allowed the company to exceed that target, and it has funds left to go even further.
Photo courtesy JBG Smith
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
Update on Solaire Social food hall in Silver Spring
UPDATED - 2:00 PM:
Saturday, April 27, 2024
Montgomery County firefighter among 226 to be honored at National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend
A former Montgomery County firefighter will be among 226 fallen firefighters to be honored at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend in Emmitsburg, Maryland on May 4 and 5, 2024. Master Firefighter Mark R. Fisher Jr. passed away on July 24, 2014 from illness related to his response to the attack on the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. Fisher was also a member of the Maryland Task Force One Urban Search and Rescue Team, with whom he responded to other disasters, including Hurricane Katrina. He was with the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service for 22 years, and also served as an instructor for the department.
Fisher was a member of the Johnny Swamper Club, Frederick Elks Lodge No. 684, and the Loyal Order of the Moose No. 948 in Charles Town, West Virginia, and a life member of the United Steam Fire Engine Company, No. 3 Frederick. He left behind a wife, three children and five grandchildren. Fisher briefly played pro football with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was 59 years old at the time of his passing.
Two main events will be held on the memorial weekend at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Park in Emmitsburg. The National Fallen Firefighters Candlelight Service will be held on May 4 at 7:30 pm ET, hosted by Fire Captain Garon Mosby of the St. Louis Fire Department. The National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service is on May 5 at 10:00 am ET, and will be hosted by actor Jeremy Holm. Both events are open to the public, but will also be streamed online live for those who cannot attend in person.
Friday, April 26, 2024
Royal Farms to open Silver Spring location
Royal Farms was the first mega-gas-station-convenience store to open in Montgomery County, beating competitors Wawa and Sheetz to the punch when it opened its Gaithersburg location in 2022. Ironically, it is now the last of the three to announce its second MoCo location. That will be at 9475 Georgia Avenue, in the Montgomery Hills area of Silver Spring, a prime "last gas" location just before the ramps onto the Capital Beltway.
A Montgomery County construction permit for the new Royal Farms has been posted, but the location does not yet appear on the "Coming Soon!" section of the Maryland chain's website. There's a gas station on the property already, which will be demolished to make way for the Royal Farms. Expect an increase in the number of gas pumps, and wonderful fried chicken aromas.
Thursday, April 25, 2024
Honduran restaurant for sale in Wheaton
Baleadas Grill at 2304 Price Avenue in Wheaton is available for sale. The asking price for the business is $100,000. Monthly rent for the space is $5600 a month, according to the online listing. The Honduran restaurant has been open for about a year, and has a 4.4 out of 5-star rating on Yelp. It remains open for business.
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Chido's Tex-Mex Grill applies for liquor license in Silver Spring
Chido's Tex-Mex Grill is taking another step toward opening at 931 Ellsworth Drive at Downtown Silver Spring. The chain has applied for a liquor license from Montgomery County for this location. It now has a hearing on the license approval scheduled for May 2, 2024 at 10:30 AM. Chido's, which is filling the high turnover spot recently vacated by The Eleanor, is anticipated to open this summer.
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
New street art on Ellsworth Drive in Silver Spring (Photos)
The pedestrian-only block of Ellsworth Drive between Georgia Avenue and Fenton Street is abuzz with new street art for (Silver) spring. Paint was still drying when these photos were taken. A honeycomb pattern of various colors is populated with insectoid and plant life. Not for the melissophobic!
Monday, April 22, 2024
Prodigal Comics now open in Silver Spring
Wonderful news for comic book fans and collectors: Prodigal Comics has opened in the former Alliance Comics space at 8317 Fenton Street in downtown Silver Spring. They're gradually getting up to speed in meeting the bar set by Alliance/Geppi's Comic World over the years, and are buying as well as selling comics. Here's a chance to restore that trifecta of incredible downcounty comic book stores - Barbarian Books (a.k.a. Barbarian Comics) in Wheaton, Big Planet in Bethesda, and now...Prodigal Comics? Stay tuned, true believers. Excelsior!
Friday, April 19, 2024
Isaac's Poultry Market to open Burtonsville location
Isaac's Poultry Market is expanding to Burtonsville. The original location has been named the best restaurant in Gaithersburg by Bethesda Magazine, and its popular signature sandwich - The Isaac - the best sandwich in the state by the Maryland Restaurant Association. Founder Rob Gresham has leased a space for his second Isaac's location at 15785 Old Columbia Pike, at the Burtonsville Crossing shopping center. The 1710-square-foot restaurant will open later this year.
The Isaac sandwich |
The Burtonsville location will be slightly smaller than the original, as Gresham says takeout orders have been 90% of the Gaithersburg store's sales. There will be 25 seats inside, and 20 seats outside. Gresham says this is just the start of a planned expansion of the brand throughout the Washington, D.C. region.
Photos courtesy Isaac's Poultry Market
Thursday, April 18, 2024
Massage parlor bust in Kensington
Chang Liu |
A six-month investigation of alleged illegal massage parlors in Maryland has ended with the arrest of two women at Elegant Spa at 10555 Metropolitan Avenue in Kensington. Montgomery County vice squad detectives, working with Anne Arundel County and Laurel City police, determined that a woman who owned spas in all three jurisdictions was operating illegal massage parlors out of all three locations. Vice detectives obtained confessions from multiple male clients at Elegant Spa admitting they had traded cash for "illicit sexual activity" inside the business.
Yinlian Wu |
Chang Liu, 34, of Columbia, was located inside the spa, arrested and charged with multiple counts of sex trafficking and prostitution. Yinlian Wu, 50, of Philadelphia, was also arrested. She was charged with attempted bribery of an HHS inspector, and multiple counts of prostitution. Detectives learned that Chang Liu, Yinlian Wu, and two other females were living inside the spa at various times throughout the investigation. Vice detectives seized numerous items of evidentiary value, a "large amount" of U.S. currency, and a vehicle.
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
McDonald's Bacon Cajun Ranch McCrispy chicken sandwich arrives in Montgomery County
It's not the legendary Cajun McChicken, but a Louisiana-inspired chicken sandwich is once again on the McDonald's menu for a limited time. The Bacon Cajun Ranch McCrispy has a Southern-style fried chicken "fillet" topped with applewood smoked bacon strips, crinkle-cut pickle slices, and a Cajun ranch sauce, on a toasted potato roll. A deluxe version adds lettuce and tomato. According to the official McDonald's nutrition facts, the Bacon Cajun Ranch McCrispy has 630 calories, 33 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 85 milligrams of cholesterol, 11 grams of sugar, and 1650 milligrams of sodium.
Tuesday, April 16, 2024
Marc Elrich is right again on COG's developer-funded housing targets flimflam
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich has weighed in again on the latest revival of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government's zombie housing targets plan, and once again, he is correct in seeing through COG's developer-funded flimflam job. Elrich told The Washington Post that COG's math is "faulty," and that's probably being generous. He criticized COG for trying to gin up "a sense of panic" about housing.
Third, COG itself, and the other entities trying to force its plan onto local jurisdictions, are funded by developers and developer lobbying organizations. Among those funding COG are entities connected to the Cafritz Interest real estate development firm, and Connected DMV, a development lobbying and advocacy firm. The Urban Institute is funded by development interests, big banks who profit from mortgage loans on real estate, and even BlackRock(!!), the massive international investment firm that has actually made housing more costly by snapping up homes.