Human BioSciences fleeing Montgomery County for West Virginia

The hits just keep on coming for Montgomery County. Its moribund economy took another cannonball to the gut yesterday. Human BioSciences announced it will be the latest company to move its corporate headquarters out of Montgomery County to a lower-tax jurisdiction in the region. It will move its current HQ from 940 Clopper Road in Gaithersburg to wild, wonderful West Virginia. 

The blow is an especially painful one for the County, as the biotech industry is the only bright spot in MoCo's private sector economy. According to the Maryland Department of Labor, all Human BioSciences employees are being offered positions at the new West Virginia facility, meaning that the taxable revenue of any MoCo residents leaving with the company will also be lost to the County's coffers.

It says quite a bit about the state of business in Montgomery County and Maryland that a biotech firm would leave. Remember, the County and State both provide financial incentives and tax breaks to the biotech sector, decisions made decades ago by smarter leaders that allowed for the creation of a strong life sciences presence in the I-270 corridor. In recent years, that strength has begun to weaken. It hasn't been helped when you have the state legislature and Governor Wes Moore wallop firms that are immersed in technology with a new 3% tech tax, as of July 1 this year. 

The tech tax is piled on top of the fact that Montgomery County already suffers from the highest tax and fee burden in the region. We've seen the results over this century, as companies like Discovery Communications have fled. Only a week ago, Rocket Money announced it was moving its HQ from Silver Spring to Washington, D.C. 

Meanwhile, Northern Virginia has been cleaning our clock, Hoovering up the corporate HQs of Northrop Grumman, Amazon HQ 2, Nestle, Corporate Executive Board, Hilton Hotels, Lidl, Gerber, Lego, Intelsat, CoStar, Volkswagen, Blackboard, and General Dynamics. This is the direct result of decisions made by failed leaders who have no clue about the world of international business circa 2025. Heckuva job, Brownie!

Another motorcycle theft in the Aspen Hill area

Keep those motorcycles secure in Aspen Hill, as they are still being targeted by thieves. The latest bike to be nabbed was parked in the 15000 block of Shamrock Ridge Road. It was stolen sometime between 10:00 PM on August 28, 2025, and 6:00 AM the next morning. Montgomery County police have not released a suspect description. 

Prime Beer & Wine burglarized in Silver Spring

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a burglary at Prime Beer & Wine at 12841 New Hampshire Avenue at the Meadowood Shopping Center in Silver Spring in the early morning hours of August 27, 2025. Officers arriving at the scene found evidence of forced entry at the store. They determined that money and merchandise had been stolen from the business.

Police describe the suspects only as two males, one Black, and the other of unspecified race. If you have any information about this incident, or can identify either of the suspects, call police at (301) 279-8000.

Another 17-year-old killed in Long Branch; 2 suspects in custody

Juan Carlos Gutierrez-Hernandez

A shocking series of events this past weekend in the Long Branch area of Silver Spring has left a second 17-year-old dead in as many months in that neighborhood. Montgomery County police detectives even suspect that the two shootings may be related. Last Friday night, September 5, 2025, around 9:46 PM, several people called 911 to report the sound of gunfire in the 700 block of Langley Drive. One person also dialed 911 to report that he had been shot inside Long Branch Local Park.

County police and Maryland National-Capital Park Police converged on the park, and found two males suffering from gunshot wounds. Charly Blayner Vail Lucas, 17, of Silver Spring, tragically was pronounced dead at the scene. A 21-year-old man was transported to a local hospital, where police say he remains in critical condition at this time. 

Jhony Steve Rosales Castillo

Jhony Steve Rosales Castillo, 20, and Juan Carlos Gutierrez-Hernandez, 18, both of Silver Spring, were arrested a short time later. They were each charged with two counts of first-degree murder of a minor victim, one count of attempted first-degree murder, and two counts of possession of a firearm under the age of 21. Initially, a judge ordered both of them held without bond. Detectives say the evidence they've collected connects both suspects to both fatal Long Branch shootings.

Downtown Silver Spring retail building for sale

A retail building on heavily-traveled Georgia Avenue in downtown Silver Spring is now on the market for sale. 8415-8425 Georgia Avenue is a 7,842 SF building with four tenants. One second floor unit with a kitchen is available for lease. The asking price for the building is $2.5 million, according to the online sale listing. Bethesda-based AMR Commercial, LLC is the broker.

Photos courtesy AMR Commercial, LLC

Little progress seen at promised Fuddruckers at Downtown Silver Spring

Fuddruckers fans are rightfully frustrated at the interminable wait for the return of Fuddruckers at Downtown Silver Spring. There is little sign of progress on the construction at the hamburger restaurant, which is located at 819 Ellsworth Drive. It's been over a year since the chain announced its intention to return to this previously-shuttered location. As far back as February of this year, patrons of The Fillmore concert venue were even being directed by signage to dine at this Fuddruckers after the show, which provided quite a chuckle for those in the know of its actual status.

Marathon Deli & Grill "coming soon" to Kensington

Marathon Deli & Grill has posted more "coming soon" signage over the windows of its future location at 10619 Connecticut Avenue, at the Crossroads of Kensington shopping center. This is also a "sign" that the interior fit-out of the deli is now underway. The Greek deli is well known for its College Park location, very close to the University of Maryland campus. The Kensington location will be a new-construction and more-upscale setting.