Earthbound Trading Co. closes in Wheaton

Earthbound Trading Co. has closed at Westfield's Wheaton Plaza mall. The "artisanal crafts, bohemian fashion, and globally inspired home decor" retailer opened here in 2019. Their space has been cleared out, but signage is still up out front, along with "STORE CLOSED" notices. The Texas-based chain closed its Lawrence, Kansas location earlier this year, but has plans to open a new store near Pittsburgh in 2024, so the firm doesn't appear to be in financial distress.

Police seek suspect in rooftop fight at Silver Spring apartment building

Montgomery County police are seeking the public's help in identifying and locating a suspect in a 1st-degree assault that allegedly took place on the rooftop deck of the Thayer and Spring Apartments at 915 Silver Spring Avenue on the evening of July 4, 2024. Around 11:50 PM that night, police say, an argument broke out between two groups of people on the roof. "A short time later," police allege, the male suspect drew a handgun and pointed it "at people" before leaving the scene.

Police describe the suspect as a Black male of unspecified age with a "stocky build, average height," and "short locs." He was wearing a white t-shirt, a white tank top, jeans, and sneakers. 

Anyone with information regarding this suspect or this crime is asked to visit the Crime Solvers of Montgomery County, MD website at www.crimesolversmcmd.org and click on the “www.p3tips.com” link at the top of the page or call 1-866-411-8477. Tips with information leading to an arrest may be eligible for a reward from $250 up to $10,000. Tipsters may remain anonymous.

Montgomery County Council won't put property tax hike question on ballot this fall

Robin Ficker

The Montgomery County Council voted 6-5 on Tuesday to reject a Charter Review Commission proposal that would have made it easier to raise property taxes above the current County Charter limit. This means the proposal will not be put before the voters as a ballot question in November 2024. Currently, under the successful Robin Ficker ballot initiative approved by voters in the past, the Council must vote unanimously to raise property taxes above the charter limit. The CRC proposal, the latest attempt to do an end run around the popular "Ficker Amendment," would have dropped the unanimous vote requirement.

Councilmembers who voted against the CRC proposal were Marilyn Balcombe, Andrew Friedson, Natalie Fani-Gonzalez, Evan Glass, Sidney Katz, and Dawn Luedtke. The Councilmembers who voted for the proposal to remove the unanimous vote requirement were Gabe Albornoz, Will Jawando, Kristin Mink, Laurie-Ann Sayles, and Kate Stewart.

Montgomery County's high property taxes are one of several highly-regressive tax burdens on working families and residents who are on fixed incomes. Along with high property assessments, the annual payments have essentially become a second mortgage for many cash-strapped residents. The Ficker Amendment has provided relief from even-more-nightmarish tax bills since it was passed. That's because, as it is, the Council has raised property taxes on residents every year except for FY-2015.

Sake Japanese Steakhouse opens in Wheaton

It's been years in the making, but Sake Japanese Steakhouse has finally opened at 11006 Veirs Mill Road at Westfield's Wheaton Plaza mall. Soft opening hours are now being held at the restaurant, which replaces the long-departed Bar Louie. Given some of the restaurants that were in the works here for a long time but never opened - such as Tilted Kilt - there's little room to complain about the delay here by comparison. Sake is placing menus on cars parked at the mall to get the word out.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore endorses Kamala Harris

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has endorsed Vice-President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential race. Moore lauded President Joe Biden's decision to not pursue reelection on Sunday, but did not immediately join the many other prominent Democrats who quickly endorsed Harris shortly after Biden gave her his support. "I am proud to voice my full support and offer my full endorsement to Vice-President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic Nominee for President," Moore tweeted this morning.

Moore said that he had spoken to both Biden and Harris yesterday. He noted that Harris was one of the first officials to call him after the collapse of the Key Bridge in Baltimore earlier this year. In his statement, Moore said Harris could attract a "unique coalition" of support, and urged Democrats to quickly "rally around her" for the nomination. 

Former president Barack Obama, to whom Moore is often compared when future Democratic presidential nominees are discussed, also declined to immediately back Harris yesterday. Moore has been one of the leaders to appear on the short list of possible candidates to replace Biden in a "mini-primary" ahead of next month's Democratic National Convention in Chicago. His name has been less-often mentioned as a potential running mate for Harris since Biden dropped out yesterday. Leading candidates to be Harris' running mate are Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Arizona U.S. Senator Mark Kelly, North Carolina Gov. Roy Moore, and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.

Moore and the many other Democrats who had been expected to run for the White House in 2028 will have to weigh their options in deciding whether to accept a VP slot in 2024, or to wait another four years. Endorsing Harris would allow Moore to leave all options open aside from running as Biden's replacement this year. The Democratic National Committee is expected to announce more details on its plan for the nomination process in the coming days.

JR Jewelers closes in Wheaton

JR Jewelers has closed at 11160 Veirs Mill Road inside Westfield's Wheaton Plaza mall. The jewelry store's space has been cleared out. Its website is gone, and the domain is available. 

Crossroads at Kensington shopping center construction update (Photos)

The new Crossroads at Kensington shopping center is finally beginning to take shape at the southeast corner of Connecticut Avenue and Plyers Mill Road. A redevelopment of a former gas station property, it has been in the works since January 2021. Tenants who have signed leases so far are Buffalo Wild Wings GO, Mezeh, Marathon Deli and M&T Bank. One end-cap space facing Plyers Mill remains available for lease at this time.