Royal Farms taking form in Montgomery Hills (Photos)

The Royal Farms convenience store and mega gas station are taking structural form in the Montgomery Hills area of Silver Spring. Located on the site of a demolished gas station at 9475 Georgia Avenue, the new operation will have the lucrative "last gas" positioning for drivers heading north to get on the Capital Beltway. As you can see in the photos below, the framework of the store building is now standing, and the mega gas station canopy has been erected. You can also see the gas tanks installed below ground level.

Armed robbery at White Oak apartment building

Montgomery County police responded to a report of an armed robbery at an apartment building in the White Oak area of Silver Spring Friday morning, June 20, 2025. The robbery was reported at a building in the 11200 block of Oak Leaf Drive at 11:28 AM Friday. The Enclave is located on that block.

Stabbing at Aldi in Calverton

This morning's news takes us back once again to Calverton. Montgomery County police were called to the Aldi at 12012 Cherry Hill Road at the Orchard Center on June 13, 2025. At 8:31 PM that evening, a male suspect allegedly displayed a weapon and stabbed a man at the grocery store. Police identified and arrested a suspect. 

Juan Rivas-Jordan, 44, of no fixed address, has been charged with felony 2nd-degree attempted murder, felony 1st-degree assault, misdemeanor theft, and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. He is being held without bond at the County jail. 

According to Maryland court records, Rivas-Jordan had been arrested for theft and trespassing in a separate incident in March. On March 15, he posted $1000 bond and was released pending trial. Rivas-Jordan did not appear at his trial on May 5. Judge Eric John Nee issued a bench warrant for his arrest. That outstanding warrant was served when Rivas-Jordan was arrested for the alleged June 13 stabbing.

One victim injured in Calverton shooting

One person was seriously injured in a daytime shooting in Calverton yesterday, Montgomery County police report. Officers were dispatched to the unit block of Hunters Gate Court at 1:12 PM yesterday, June 19, 2025. That is a townhome community across the street from the Orchard Center shopping center. Officers found an adult male suffering from "serious injuries," but police did not specify that the injuries were gunshot wounds, as they do in other cases. One suspect was taken into custody, and police say they believe this was an "isolated incident." However, their investigation is ongoing.

Temporary closure of Bonifant St.-Ramsey Ave. intersection in Silver Spring set for July 10, 2025

Commuters and residents in downtown Silver Spring should prepare for a temporary full closure of the intersection of Ramsey Avenue and Bonifant Street, effective on or about July 10, 2025, through September 10, 2025. The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) announced on Tuesday that this closure is required so that crews can install new tracks, reconstruct sidewalks, and complete essential utility crossings for the Purple Line light rail project.

The closure will necessitate adjustments for those accessing the Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Center and surrounding businesses. However, the MTA emphasizes that significant efforts have been made to maintain accessibility for key transit services and local establishments.

Impact and Alternative Access:

Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Center (Level 3) Access: The Kiss and Ride and taxi stands on Level 3 of the Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Center will remain open and accessible. All traffic intending to use these services should plan to access them via Ripley Street.

Bonifant-Dixon Garage: Access to the Bonifant-Dixon Garage from Dixon Street will remain open for the convenience of local businesses.

Pedestrian Access: The MTA assures the public that pedestrian access to the transit center, the MARC platform, and all local businesses in the vicinity will be maintained throughout the closure. Pedestrians are advised to follow posted signage and directions from on-site personnel for safe navigation.

Commuters are encouraged to plan their routes in advance and allow for extra travel time during this two-month period. The MTA advises all individuals in the area to pay close attention to posted signage and instructions from on-site personnel, who will be present to guide traffic and pedestrians safely through the work zone.

Montgomery County Council wants to ban bamboo

The few among the public who even know what the Montgomery County Council is, or what it does, would tell you it primarily raises taxes, provides reckless zoning and giveaways of taxpayer money and public land to its developer sugar daddies, and "bans stuff." It's a lazy summer for the very part-time Council, but it has just announced the latest thing it wants to ban: bamboo. If Bill 26-25 passes later this year, perhaps after the Council's long summer vacation, there would also be a new nanny state requirement that at least 50% of the landscaping in any new development be comprised of native plants, although this provision appears only in the Council press release and not in the current language of the bill.

The bill would prohibit the sale of invasive bamboo, which is a rapidly-spreading plant. It would also establish penalties for doing so. A public hearing on the bill has been scheduled for July 22, 2025 at 1:30 PM at the County Council chambers.

Most people would probably agree that bamboo is an aggressively invasive plant. Maybe it should be banned, or maybe it should have been banned a long time ago. But one can't help but notice the many crises the County is facing, and wonder why bamboo is the top priority of the County Council. The current Council hasn't passed a single bill to address our moribund economy or sustained violent crime wave. Montgomery County hasn't attracted a single major corporate headquarters in over 25 years. And we are currently facing fiscal oblivion in the coming years, regarding the County's structural budget deficit and debt. This is a part-time Council that is absurdly unserious in its legislative pursuits. We can't go on like this.

ALERT: Possibly-rabid raccoon in Wheaton/Kemp Mill area

Montgomery County is alerting residents in the Arcola Avenue area of Wheaton and Kemp Mill that there is a potentially-rabid raccoon on the loose in that vicinity. Areas likely to be frequented by the raccoon would include Arville, Kemp Mill, Wheaton Regional Park, Arcola Local Park, Sligo Creek, and Colt Terrace Neighborhood Park. However, keep in mind that the typical raccoon in a developed area like this may travel as far as one-to-two miles each night, so you really want to be aware of your surroundings during the day and night, if you are within a mile or two of Arcola Avenue. Behavior and movement of a raccoon will also be affected if it is rabid; it is more likely to roam during daylight hours, for example.

The raccoon in question has bitten two people in the 1800 block of Franwall Avenue in the Arville neighborhood. The County Office of Animal Services and the Department of Health and Human Services are asking residents to be alert, and to share this information with neighbors. Rabies is a serious disease that is typically fatal if the victim of exposure does not receive rabies shots in time.

Residents are asked to call 911 and Animal Services at 240-773-5900 if they come into immediate contact with an animal acting aggressively or strangely. If you determine you are not in immediate danger from the animal, you can just call Animal Services to report your sighting so that they can investigate.  HHS advises that if you and/or your pet had contact with a raccoon in this area, to seek medical or veterinary care immediately. If you can supervise your pets' outdoor time, and keep them indoors the rest of the time, that would be the safest way to avoid or be aware of any contact with this raccoon.

Downtown Silver Spring retail building for sale

A three-level retail building at 8241 Georgia Avenue in downtown Silver Spring has hit the market for sale. It is fully-leased with seven tenants. Constructed in 1987, the building is really a mini-mall in its layout, which includes an elevator servicing all three levels. It will also be a prime redevelopment opportunity in the future. That is one of the reasons the asking price is $5,000,000, according to the online listing. Another reason is that the current owner kept rents lower to retain tenants during the pandemic and Purple Line construction, leaving the new owner a justification to raise them once the light rail system opens in 2027.

Love this retro 80s design

Photos courtesy Larry Rosen Commercial & Investment Realty Associates, LLC

Armed robbery at Kohl's in Silver Spring

The Kohl's department store at 12024 Cherry Hill Road at the Orchard Center in Silver Spring was held up on June 1, 2025, Montgomery County police report. At 8:17 PM that evening, a suspect inside the store displayed a weapon, and stole merchandise. Police have no description of the suspect at this time, which is a bit hard to believe, given that there are surveillance cameras all over the store. If you can identify the perpetrator of this robbery, call police at (301) 279-8000.

Strong-arm robbery at Ellsworth Place mall in Silver Spring

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a strong-arm robbery inside Ellsworth Place mall in downtown Silver Spring on June 1, 2025. Two suspects approached the juvenile male victim around 7:19 PM that evening. According to police, they proceeded to assault him, and take his property. 

Police describe the suspects only as two Hispanic males of unknown age. If you can assist detectives in identifying either of these suspects, call police at (301) 279-8000.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore leaves no doubt he's an abundance bro

Maryland Governor Wes Moore hinted that he was embracing the controversial abundance agenda in a recent speech in South Carolina. His endorsement of the billionaire-backed drive to have Democrats make the slashing of costs and regulations for big business their agenda in the 2028 presidential campaign has now been made official by the Radio Abundance podcast. Moore's name is atop a list of Democratic elected officials who will appear on an episode entitled "Fascism Comes to America." Of course, there's something humorously ironic about a billionaire-backed podcast calling for more corporate power and profits - at the expense of the democratic process and local control - claiming to be fighting fascism.

Moore's move to join fellow White House aspirants Jared Polis, Ritchie Torres, and Ro Khanna in the abundance lane for 2028 is a remarkable gamble. With that being only a partial list of corporate-backed Democrats who will be crowding into that niche during the primary season, there will be much more competition for staff and donors. Recent polling has shown that "abundance" policies are not popular among Democratic and independent voters. And many prominent progressives in the party have come out strongly against the astroturfed abundance campaign.

This only complicates Moore's task in 2028. Maryland's finances have tanked during his first term, as Moore squandered a budget surplus he inherited from former Gov. Larry Hogan, and is facing a $6 billion deficit by 2030. Despite a much-trumpeted career on Wall Street, and big ticket fundraisers among late-stage capitalist titans on Martha's Vineyard and in the Hamptons, Moore has been unable to attract any major corporations to Maryland. And he has no major policy victories, even as he gears up to run for reelection next year.

That last fact makes running on the abundance agenda even more daunting for Moore. It is progressives who have the momentum and the crowds in the Democratic party right now. Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have had no trouble drawing mobs of progressives to their Fight Oligarchy tour stops, at which Sanders appears to be symbolically passing the torch to AOC. She, in turn, is clearly testing the waters for a potential 2028 presidential run. AOC's agenda may be controversial in many quarters, but she has a concrete set of policies she would seek to implement, including Medicare-for-All, repeal of the Taft-Hartley Act, a federal jobs guarantee, and free college. Even failed vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz has a record of major progressive legislative wins as governor in Minnesota.

Moore, by contrast, is fighting to...become president? He has no signature suite of policies, much less ones that have been signed into law. What legislation has passed during his term has only benefitted small identity groups, leaving out the majority of voters, or raised fees on everyone. Hogan was able to do very little with a hostile, Democrat-controlled legislature - but what little he did usually applied to everyone in the state, like blocking tax hikes and lowering bridge tolls.

That blank slate agenda, combined with abundance bro status, tags Moore as a corporate shill - an identity easy for his rivals to reinforce by emphasizing his Wall Street past, celebrity backers and tycoon associates, and his proposed giveaway of taxpayer money and prime public land to Baltimore developers. Moore would essentially be replicating the Kamala Harris "joy and excitement" campaign of late summer 2024. That didn't work out very well. 

Harris had celebrities (check), billionaire friends like Mark Cuban and Michael Bloomberg [a major financial backer of the abundance movement, coincidentally] (check), and some vague promises (check) about "not going back." Not going back to what? Low inflation? Low gas prices? World peace? 

Ironically, Harris and Walz had their greatest success right at the start of their brief campaign, when her selection of the Minnesota governor as running mate suggested she would be more progressive than Joe Biden, and she rolled out a short list of specific socialist promises like price fixing and giving everyone $25,000 to buy a home. The abundance neoliberals in the press and corporate boardrooms predictably lost their minds, and Harris quickly dropped the concrete policy goals, falling back on a vacuous campaign of "joy," twerking rappers, and the daughter of Uber Villain and war criminal bogeyman Dick Cheney. Progressives and the working class quickly fell off the bandwagon.

Even Moore's pal Oprah couldn't save Harris. Will appearing on Radio Abundance save a foundering Moore? Not likely. For Radio Abundance is the latest example of "every accusation is a confession." Corporations setting our regulations, and seizing power over local decisions away from citizens, is indeed "fascism coming to America."

Silver Spring construction update: The Guardian apartments (Photos)

Let's take another look at the construction progress at The Guardian apartments at 8605 Cameron Street in downtown Silver Spring. The project is getting a lot of attention, but not just from apartment shoppers in the D.C. area. Real estate experts and developers in the region will also be closely following the office-building-to-apartments conversion process, and its succes after completion. That's because Avenue5 residential has been on the cutting edge of this new trend. The conversion of this 1950s office building into apartments was in the works, and then in-progress, as regional leaders were just beginning to seriously discuss the idea as a solution for vacant office space.

Future lobby entrance

Balcony view

Purple Line Silver Spring Transit Center station construction update (Photos)

Here's a look at the latest progress on the future Purple Line station at the Silver Spring Transit Center. You can see the platform taking shape, including the textured warning strip at the edge where trains will pull up to stop. No tracks have been laid down at the station yet. The Purple Line will have connections with Metrobus, Ride On bus, Metrorail, and MARC commuter rail service at this location.