Update on Wonder food hall in Burtonsville

Wonder food hall is still very much "wonder construction" at Burtonsville Crossing. But permanent signage has just been installed above its future storefront at 15771 Old Columbia Pike. Inside, it's a different story, as you can see in the sneak peek below. Workers are still in the very early construction stage of forming interior walls within the space.

Police investigate fatal Silver Spring accident

Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Collision Reconstruction Unit are currently investigating a multi-vehicle fatal crash that occurred on July 30, 2026 in Silver Spring. At approximately 9:53 PM, 3rd District officers and Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service personnel were dispatched to the intersection of University Boulevard East and Colesville Road, following reports of a severe collision. According to preliminary investigation findings, a white 2013 Chevrolet Silverado was traveling westbound on University Boulevard East. For reasons that remain under investigation, the Silverado left its path, striking a guardrail, a curb, two trees, and a utility pole along the left side of the roadway.

Following the impacts, the truck overturned and collided with the rear of two other vehicles—a white Acura RDX and a white Ford Escape—which were stopped at a red light at the intersection of westbound University Boulevard East and Colesville Road. The Chevrolet Silverado driver, 35-year-old Moussa Diarra of Springdale, Maryland, was tragically pronounced dead at the scene. A passenger in the Silverado sustained non-life-threatening injuries, and was transported to a local area hospital for treatment. Neither the driver of the Acura RDX nor the driver of the Ford Escape reported any injuries.

Police say this remains an active and ongoing investigation, which may take anywhere from several weeks to months to conclude as detectives work to determine the underlying factors that contributed to the crash. They are asking anyone who may have witnessed the incident, or has relevant information regarding the collision, to contact the Montgomery County Police Collision Reconstruction Unit at 240-773-6620.

Glenmont traffic stop yields weapons charges

A traffic stop in Glenmont Wednesday afternoon led to weapons charges for two people inside the vehicle. Montgomery County police pulled over a driver in the 12400 block of Georgia Avenue at 5:56 PM Wednesday. In the course of the stop for moving violations, officers discovered two people in the vehicle were in illegal possession of two firearms. Both suspects were arrested.

Buna & Barley opens in Silver Spring

Buna & Barley is now open at 901 Silver Spring Avenue in downtown Silver Spring. A new neighborhood gathering spot and convenience store, it carries Ethiopian specialties and snacks, grab-and-go meals, and a curated selection of beer and wine. Enjoy a freshly-poured cup of Ethiopian coffee while you're there! 

Taiwan's MedVoyage Global chooses Virginia over Maryland for U.S. headquarters

Is Northern Virginia tired of winning yet? No! And fortunately for them, Montgomery County and Maryland elected officials aren't tired of losing. Thus it is that the Taiwanese firm MedVoyage Global has chosen Virginia, not Maryland, for its U.S. headquarters. The MedVoyage HQ will be at 10300 Eaton Place, at the Mason Enterprise Center (MEC) in Fairfax City. MedVoyage is a leading firm in the future of healthcare, using a low-Earth-orbit satellite network to deliver telehealth and pharmacy services to remote areas in 40 countries, to ships at sea, and to over 80 bricks-and-mortar medical centers across the globe, as well as connecting these remote customers with emergency response units.

Now MedVoyage is expanding into the North American healthcare market, and has chosen Northern Virginia as its base to scale up system and sales operations, as well as to navigate federal regulatory red tape. "Over the next two years, the company plans to scale its local workforce with systems engineers, clinical compliance specialists, and commercial sales executives," the Fairfax City Economic Development corporation said in a statement this morning. FCED added that this latest victory "further strengthens Fairfax City’s role within Northern Virginia’s innovation economy."

"Selecting Fairfax City for our U.S. headquarters is a foundational step in our global scaling strategy," MedVoyage Global CEO Nemo Teng said in a statement. "MEC Fairfax offers the ideal soft-landing environment and unparalleled access to the Northern Virginia tech ecosystem, placing us minutes away from critical federal and defense stakeholders such as the U.S. Coast Guard, Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Defense. This facility allows us to rapidly build strategic U.S. partnerships, access premier regional engineering talent, and deploy our emergency and maritime telehealth solutions across North America."

Anyone familiar with local geography will realize that Montgomery County is also in close proximity to these same federal and defense stakeholders. So, why does Northern Virginia keep winning, and Montgomery County keep losing?

You can look at the most obvious difference, which is the low tax environment of Virginia versus Montgomery County, which weighs down its residents and businesses with the highest total tax and fee burden in the region. But let's again go a step further, and see how once again Northern Virginia's superior infrastructure triumphs over Montgomery County's incomplete master plan highway system and poor airport access.

MedVoyage Global's new U.S. HQ will sit right beside an on-ramp to Interstate 66, and directly adjacent to U.S. Route 50. That will give MedVoyage a straight shot to Dulles International Airport via Route 50, or even faster with tolls via I-66. In contrast, Montgomery County and Maryland elected officials continue to block construction of the long-delayed new Potomac River crossing of I-370 from Gaithersburg to Dulles. 

As much as Northern Virginia enjoys winning, so do corporations that need to make something called profits. Winning is contagious. And winners like to have direct access to the only airport in the region with the frequency and variety of flights to international destinations that international businesspeople require to compete - Dulles International Airport. Thanks to our anti-business, Marxist "leadership," Montgomery County continues to lack that strategic advantage - by choice!!

In another delicious coincidence, did you know that Montgomery County's unfinished master plan highway system would have also extended I-66 access into Bethesda? The unbuilt Northwest Freeway, which would have paralleled Wisconsin Avenue through Bethesda, Friendship Heights and Tenleytown, would have crossed the Potomac on the also-unbuilt Three Sisters Bridge and (surprise!) also-unbuilt I-266 near Georgetown University. And you wonder where Montgomery County got all that land for tiny parks and big parking garages between Wisconsin Avenue and the Town of Chevy Chase!

By learning to love losing.

Prestige Auto Body property for sale in Silver Spring

The property currently home to Prestige Auto Body at 928 and 934 Philadelphia Avenue in downtown Silver Spring is being marketed for sale. It consists of two parcels that total 19,380-square-feet, and two buildings. The online sale listing suggests the portfolio of properties is ideal for continued auto body shop use, or as a future infill redevelopment opportunity. It does not disclose the asking price, however.

Victim stabbed in Aspen Hill robbery

Montgomery County criminals are increasingly carrying knives and "hard objects" these days, as the victim of an armed robbery in Aspen Hill discovered Saturday morning. Waiting at a bus stop near the intersection of Bel Pre and Grand Pre Roads at 5:51 AM, the victim was approached by two suspects. According to County police, they proceeded to "search him." When the victim attempted to defend himself, police say, he was stabbed. Police have not released a description of the suspects, nor an update on the victim's condition, at this time.