Four Corners GameStop available for lease

The future of the GameStop at 10100 Colesville Road in the Four Corners area of Silver Spring is in question. An online listing shows the store's space is now available for lease, and states that it will be available for a new tenant as of October 2020. 

North High Street extension proposed in Olney

Montgomery County's Department of Transportation is proposing an extension of North High Street to Morningwood Drive in Olney. The street travels west from Georgia Avenue just south of the main commercial intersection of Olney at Georgia and Olney-Sandy Spring Road. North High Street is currently residential on the north side where it nears Morningwood, and commercial on the south side there.

MCDOT is proposing to extend the road, and add pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements. Two alternatives are being proposed. Alternative 1 consists of an 11-foot travel lane in both directions, 8-foot wide pocket parking spaces on the south side of the roadway, and a 6-foot sidewalk along south side of North High Street with a minimum of 6-foot grass buffer.

Alternative 2 would provide an 11-foot travel lane in both directions, 8-foot wide pocket parking spaces on both side of the road, an 8-foot sidewalk on the south side of the road with a minimum of 6-foot grass buffer, and a 10-foot sidepath on the north side of the road with a minimum of 6-foot grass buffer.

The agency will hold a public virtual meeting on the proposal tomorrow night, Wednesday, September 30, 2020, at 6:30 PM.

ATV caravan visits downtown Silver Spring (Video)

A caravan of all-terrain vehicles and motorcycles rolled through downtown Silver Spring Sunday night. Wheelies were popped, sidewalks were ridden, and a good time was had by all.

ATV rider pops a wheelie near the
World Building in Silver Spring

Burtonsville Giant getting a facelift (Photos)

Renovations continue at the Burtonsville Giant at 15618 Columbia Pike. The roofline has been adjusted from flat to peaked on the part of the building over the entrance. A painter was rolling on a tan color over the creme facade of the store when I stopped by.

Bottlegonia coming to Shoppes of Burnt Mills in Silver Spring

Bottlegonia, a beer and wine store, is coming to the Shoppes of Burnt Mills at 10715 Colesville Road in Silver Spring. The owners say to expect a mid-November opening.

Chuck Levin's expands in Wheaton

The legendary Chuck Levin's in Wheaton just got bigger. They've expanded down the hill into the former GameStop store at 11147 Veirs Mill Road. The music store's new building is hosting school rentals.

Ulta Silver Spring location sets moving date

The Ulta store at Downtown Silver Spring is relocating within the Peterson Cos. development, as I previously reported. Now there is an opening date for the new store, next Tuesday, September 29, 2020. The new Ulta location is at 8510 Fenton Street.

Howard Johnson's Wheaton restaurant and hotel now completely demolished

Only the memories of chicken croquettes, fried clams and orange sherbet remain at the corner of Veirs Mill Road and University Boulevard in Wheaton. The former, and many would argue historic, Howard Johnson's hotel and world-famous roadside restaurant building have now both been completely razed.

The property will become part of the future Wheaton Gateway mixed-use development. In later years, the hotel structure had become a Best Western and Ambassador Apartments, and the restaurant building a mattress store. These were among a handful of extant Howard Johnson's buildings remaining in the state of Maryland.

Atlantic Guns relocates Silver Spring store to new Rockville location

After 70 years in business, family-owned Atlantic Guns has consolidated its Rockville and Silver Spring gun shops into a brand-new Rockville location. The new Atlantic Guns is now open at 15813 Hungerford Drive (MD 355) in the King Farm/Derwood area of Rockville. It's right up the street from Wendy's and McDonald's.

Atlantic Guns carries long guns, handguns, ammo, and firearm accessories. They also sell non-lethal defense products like Tasers, camping and survival gear, archery equipment, knives and fishing supplies.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, only ten customers may enter the store at a time. The first customer at the new store received a free Benchmade knife.

Wheaton Sport Bar space available for lease

A sign has been placed outside the Wheaton Sport Bar building indicating that the restaurant and lounge space is available for lease. It's a great location with high visibility, but there continues to be frequent turnover in tenants. 

Perhaps the loss of parking at the nearby Lot 13 and surrounding area during the Montgomery County government office building construction was a factor. That project is now completed.

Armed carjacking on Veirs Mill Road in Silver Spring

Two suspects

remain at-large

An armed carjacking was reported in the 12000 block of Veirs Mill Road in Silver Spring last night at 8:35 PM. Montgomery County police searching for the stolen vehicle located it in Rockville, near the intersection of N. Van Buren Street and W. Middle Lane.

Three suspects bailed out of the vehicle. Officers arrested one of them, but two remain at-large. Police describe the two at-large suspects as a Latino male with braided hair wearing a red shirt, and a second Latino male wearing a black sweatshirt. 

El Dollar Plus closes in Wheaton

You know you're in trouble when the dollar stores are closing. El Dollar Plus has closed at 11208 Grandview Avenue in Wheaton. A for-lease sign is up in the window. El Dollar Plus opened in 2016.

Burtonsville Taco Bell opens (Photos)

The new Taco Bell in Burtonsville is now open at 15670 Old Columbia Pike, at Burtonsville Town Square. Try the $5 Grande Nachos Box before it disappears off the menu. The drive-thru hours are 7:00 AM to 1:00 AM Sunday-Thursday, and 7:00 AM to 3:00 AM Friday and Saturday.

Walter Reed in Silver Spring optimistic on coronavirus vaccine

Researchers think one vaccine will

be effective on all existing Covid strains

Researchers developing a coronavirus candidate vaccine at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in the Forest Glen area of Silver Spring are optimistic that it could be effective on all known strains of Covid-19. The Miami Herald reports that Walter Reed scientists are finding minimal mutation happening within the virus so far. They also believe that the vaccine could also provide immunity for some strains of the common cold. Walter Reed's trials have so far been limited to monkeys, however. Human trials are anticipated to begin later this year.

Strong-arm rape reported in Wheaton

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a strong-arm rape in the center of Wheaton Tuesday night. The sexual assault was reported in the 11100 block of Georgia Avenue.

Montgomery County Council proposes creating its own illegal police force to pull you over

Proposal is illegal under

federal and state law

The Montgomery County Council is proposing to create its own police force, to replace the Montgomery County Police Department's role in traffic enforcement. This would be illegal under both federal and Maryland law, but that's not deterring them from trying to quietly move forward. Councilmembers have floated the idea with two local reporters in recent weeks, resulting in two low-key articles, one in The Washington Post and one on NBC Washington's website. Those, and a virtual town hall being held by one councilmember tonight, have largely evaded public attention.

Who would make up this new police force remains unclear. The Post article made vague references to "civilians" somehow gaining the authority to pull over and detain motorists. NBC Washington reports that it could be County bureaucratic employees who somehow gain this authority. Unfortunately for the Council, neither group can engage in such activity under the law. Which is why such a ridiculous idea isn't currently allowed anywhere in America.

In the case of civilians, the Council may have been inspired by an idea proposed in the District to have civilians be able to use an app to enforce traffic laws in Washington, D.C. One can only imagine the potential abuses of an army of "Karens" wielding a Stasi-style reporting app, but that was largely the goal, as yet another way to harass people committing the horrific offense of continuing to drive private automobiles.

Now, imagine Karen or a random bureaucrat empowered to pull you over and issue tickets and other penalties, with no way to defend yourself against any preposterous allegation designed to fill the County's dwindling coffers. Your crime might be your race, as if racism is somehow only found among sworn police officers, or a particular religious or political bumper sticker displayed on your vehicle. Let's not forget, it was our white County Planning Board chair who repeatedly called in police officers on members of a black church peacefully protesting at board meetings.

Having non-sworn civilians pulling people over in traffic would not only be a violation of federal and Maryland law, but it would also be a danger to those making the traffic stops. Who would pull over for a non-police vehicle, especially when a non-sworn bureaucrat would have no authority to make a stop? What happens if the driver detained is a criminal and has a violent response? How would tourists know non-police could pull them over in our jurisdiction? How many accidents will be caused by the confusion of non-police vehicles trying to pull over drivers on busy roads? And traffic stops are inherently very dangerous to make, as the number of police officers hit by vehicles while making such stops each year indicates.

Montgomery County has one of the most professional and highly-trained police forces in the nation. These men and women are prepared physically and mentally for one of the most difficult and demanding jobs in the world. Bureaucrats would not have anywhere close to the same preparation and judgement as these officers possess. And if they did, why and how would taxpayers fund what essentially would be a duplicative police academy and police department?

The bottom line is that what the Council is proposing is illegal. They've offered no details on their proposal, nothing is mentioned about it on the Council website, and there is so far no public process through which we the People can yet comment on this.

If you are concerned about your Constitutional rights and tax dollars, you may want to sign up for Councilmember Will Jawando's little-advertised "virtual town hall" tonight at 7:00 PM. Given the hush-hush nature of the event beyond the Montgomery County political cartel, it's unlikely he's expecting your virtual attendance.

Would you turn to your lawyer or hairdresser to perform emergency heart surgery? Likewise, most of the general public is more comfortable with professional police officers enforcing the law than with random bureaucrats. It's about time we also had a professional County Council. Maoist fever dreams like a personal police force are yet another distraction from the Council's failure to address the multiple crises they've created over the last two decades.

Construction begins on Elan condos in Silver Spring

Work is now underway on the conversion of the office building at 700 Roeder Road in downtown Silver Spring into a residential building. The final product will be the Elan condominiums. Prices range from studios starting at $199,999 to two-bedrooms from the low $400s.