Shop Q now open at Wheaton Plaza

Shop Q is now open at Westfield's Wheaton Plaza mall. The woman's apparel boutique is located across from the food court. Shop Q promises "you’re guaranteed to find something to wear without breaking your wallet’s heart. Shop Q carries only the highest quality, affordable women’s clothes, shoes, and accessories. We believe in providing women with clothes that are both affordable and stylish. You should look and feel like a million bucks without having to spend a million bucks. We can’t wait to help you elevate your style game."

Montgomery County Council cuts Elrich out of picture on life science project launch

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich joined WMATA General Manager and CEO Randy Clarke and elected officials at the North Bethesda Metro station yesterday to formally launch the search for a developer to build a Life Science Center at the transit stop. But you wouldn't know this from watching the Montgomery County Council's video on the press conference. Elrich's speech was completely omitted from the Council report, which included excerpts from comments by Clarke, Council President Andrew Friedson, and even U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen. The snub was particularly notable, as Elrich has been the main driver of the Life Science Center from its inception.

If it were up to the Council alone, the site adjacent to the Metro station would have been yet another residential housing development. Elrich was the rare County elected official to acknowledge that MoCo needs more high-wage jobs as much as it does new housing, when he proposed the biotech use for this site several years ago. Yet the Council attempted to take all the credit for itself in its Monday video, similar to Congresspeople who vote against infrastructure projects in their districts, only to later claim credit for them once they come to fruition.

The attempt to cut Elrich out of the launch announcement was only the latest cheap shot by the Council at the Executive. Some on the Council resorted to subterfuge and outright deception in their successful effort to deep-six Elrich's proposal to restore funding for the Office of the People's Counsel. Councilmembers are still pondering whether to create a competing ballot question for the one that will give voters the option to oust Elrich with a two-term limit in the November election. Perhaps they are weighing the possibility of opening the executive seat to one of the ambitious Councilmembers, versus reducing their own future executive terms by one. 

Virginia continues to crush Maryland in job creation

The economic development outlook remains bleak on this side of the Potomac River, as Virginia absolutely crushed Maryland in job creation last month. Just eight days after CNBC declared Virginia "America's Top State for Business," the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the state added 15,000 new jobs in June. That gave Virginia the third-highest job creation number out of all fifty states last month. By comparison, Maryland barely surpassed a third of that total, generating only 5,600 new jobs in June.

Maryland's unemployment rate rose to 2.8% in June, while Virginia's dropped to 2.7%. The biggest area of job growth in Maryland was in the government sector. In contrast, Virginia's largest job growth was in the private sector, in Professional and Business Services. While Maryland has only added 27,800 jobs total since January 1, Virginia was able to add more than half of that in the last month alone.

Montgomery County used to be a major engine of economic growth not only in Maryland, but in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan region. It has now ceded that role to Northern Virginia, as MoCo increasingly becomes the bedroom community for workers who are employed elsewhere in the region. In fact, a new Bethesda-to-Tysons express bus has just been proposed to serve those workers commuting to Virginia in the morning. Tysons - and Northern Virginia as a whole - continue to add major corporate headquarters, while Montgomery County hasn't added a single one in over a quarter century.

It's that high-wage job growth that allowed Virginia’s general fund revenues to end fiscal year 2024 $1.2 billion over the official revenue forecast. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin cited "robust job growth" as the driver of that better-than-expected revenue.

In contrast, Montgomery County remains focused on the revenue-sapping activity of adding bedrooms, instead of boardrooms. Aside from presiding over a strong biotech sector that was created by wiser leaders years before they ever took office, MoCo's elected officials continue to put all of their economic development eggs into the residential housing construction basket.

Instead of building a new Potomac River crossing to Dulles International Airport, completing our master plan highway system, creating shovel-ready job sites, and focusing on attracting Fortune 500 companies and aerospace and defense firms to vacant office parks from Clarksburg to Bethesda to White Oak, our County Council is focused on building more luxury apartments and townhomes.

Montgomery County Council President Andrew Friedson told an audience of real estate developers hosted by Bisnow on July 18 that “[i]n Montgomery County, we’re really trying to change the narrative. We have to view housing as the economic infrastructure that we have to build communities.” That's definitely not the narrative guiding Northern Virginia, Texas, or California. We're in real trouble, folks.

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.

Fantasticks opens in downtown Silver Spring

Fantasticks is now open at 915 Ellsworth Drive in downtown Silver Spring. It is located at the Peterson Cos.' Downtown Silver Spring development, next to Potbelly. Fantasticks is a customizable gelato and ice cream pop shop. The shop's initial operating hours are 12:00 PM to 10:00 PM Monday through Thursday, and 12:00 PM to 11:00 PM Friday through Sunday.

Fitzgerald Auto Mall closes in Wheaton

Fitzgerald Auto Mall has closed at 10915 Georgia Avenue in Wheaton. This had been an operating auto dealership for half-a-century. Like other large commercial properties left over from the golden age of Wheaton, expect this to be redeveloped into more stack-and-pack residential housing. Fitzgerald customers are being directed to the local auto sales giant's nearby White Flint locations: Fitzgerald Buick GMC and Fitzgerald Subaru. 

Elegant Look opens in downtown Silver Spring

Elegant Look has opened at 8661 Colesville Road in the Ellsworth Place mall in downtown Silver Spring. The boutique offers clothing for special events for men, women, and children. If you need wardrobe for weddings, proms, and other occasions, they promise you will have an elegant look for your special event. Look for Elegant Look on Level 4 of the mall, near the garage entrance.

Pollo Campero opening at Wheaton Plaza

Pollo Campero is "coming soon" to Westfield's Wheaton Plaza mall, according to signage posted at its future space in the food court. This was formerly home to Moe's Southwest Grill, which closed over a year ago. Pollo Campero has an existing Wheaton location not far from here at 11420 Georgia Avenue, in a building that once belonged to Roy Rogers (What would Pappy Parker say?). The Guatemalan chicken chain is now opening at both Westfield malls in Montgomery County.

Virginia is named #1 state for business; Maryland is...31st

CNBC released its annual America's Top States for Business list this morning, and as usual, our neighbor across the Potomac has cleaned our clock once again. The cable network declared Virginia the top state for business in America. Maryland ranked 31st on the list for 2024. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is already taking a victory lap this morning. "I am thrilled that our great Commonwealth has been named America’s Top State for Business," Youngkin said in a statement. Rest assured you won't be seeing a press release from Maryland today on the subject.

You won't be surprised to know that other states in the top 10 include Texas and Tennessee. But southern, right-to-work states didn't completely dominate the top tier, as union redoubts Minnesota, Michigan, and Washington came in at #6, #9, and #10, respectively. Pro-labor policies don't make for an anti-business state all by themselves.

Delaware surprisingly finished below Maryland. The First State is usually associated with corporations, but is apparently a better place to incorporate your business than to actually operate a business - in CNBC's evaluation. Of course, Elon would strongly disagree.

Why is Maryland failing? It isn't only our failure to attract Fortune 500 companies to the state.

Virginia has the third-best infrastructure in America, according to CNBC. Maryland's infrastructure is ranked way down at 37th-best in America. Ouch. This isn't surprising when you consider that Virginia has built countless miles of new highways; installed Express Lanes on I-395, I-495, and all the way down to Fredericksburg on I-95; expanded Metro subway service through Fairfax and Loudoun Counties to Dulles Airport; now has three passenger airports in Northern Virginia alone, including the vast array of international business destinations only accessible via Dulles Airport; and has greatly expanded - at its own expense - Amtrak and Virginia Railway Express rail service. CNBC also took note of Virginia's "shovel-ready" site availablity. 

Over the same period, Maryland has built - well, not much at all. Maryland finally managed to replace the Nice Bridge over the Potomac River after many delays, only to see the Key Bridge in Baltimore collapse because state leaders for decades failed to make the necessary safety improvements they were warned to in 1980. The Purple Line delays speak for themselves. Gov. Wes Moore recently revived the plans for the Baltimore Red Line, but the state lacks any money to build it in the foreseeable future. 

Likewise, there's no cash for commuter rail in Southern Maryland or a new Bay Bridge, and any financial drain from the operation of the Purple Line is already directed to take money from other transportation projects to cover the shortfall. Maryland continues to kick the solutions for congestion on I-270 and I-495 can down the road. 

Montgomery County likes to cancel transportation infrastructure as much as it likes to ban things. Unless you are a bike lane, you are likely to be canceled by the County Council. The Council's transportation fails include announcing the cancellation of the Montrose Parkway East in White Flint on the very day that Amazon reps were touring the White Flint area during the Amazon HQ2 competition. Our talented County Council also canceled all of the major transportation infrastructure that was required to support its approval of massive housing development in Germantown, Clarksburg and Damascus - - the Corridor Cities Transitway light rail system, and the M-83 Highway. The Rockville Freeway? Removed from the master plan decades ago.

Maryland infamously continues to block construction of any new bridges over the Potomac River, denying itself congestion relief that might negate the need to widen the Beltway and I-270, as well as providing direct access to Dulles Airport that would be essential to attracting major corporations to the I-270 corridor. That highway extension of I-370 to VA-28 has an existing right-of-way from Gaithersburg to the Potomac River crossing site, but none of the intelligence, will, or leadership to build it.

The infrastructure picture in Maryland is so bad, we couldn't even keep the ancient White's Ferry operating. Remember when former Maryland Gov. Bob Ehrlich built an entire highway, the InterCounty Connector, all by himself? It is now, rightfully, named for him. Our leaders today are super low-energy, by comparison.

Former MD Gov. Bob Ehrlich

Where else does Maryland fall short for business, according to CNBC? We're nearly the worst in America for the "Cost of Doing Business," landing at 47 out of 50. "Right into the buckle - that's gotta hurt, Gene." Montgomery County has the highest tax burden in the Washington, D.C. region, and our County and State tax structures are simply not competitive with Virginia.

CNBC shares the growing consensus that the economies of Montgomery County and Maryland are moribund. Maryland's economy ranks 30th out of all 50 states on their list. And that's probably being very generous of them. Grading on a curve.

Maryland's score for "Workforce" is nearly as bad, at 28 out of 50. This is shocking given that we have some of the most highly-educated populations in America in several counties. But CNBC finds our workforce to be worse than average.

Virginia is #1 for education. Maryland is #14. This isn't surprising if you've watched the slow motion 100-car-pileup decline of Montgomery County Public Schools since the departure of Dr. Jerry Weast, the last MCPS superintendent who - for whatever faults he had - was actually professionally-qualified for the job.

Maryland ranks way down at #37 for "Business Friendliness." Virginia is #5 in that column.

If you're an elected official in Maryland,
don't turn on CNBC today

The news isn't all bad. Maryland rises to 16 out of 50 in quality of life. Texas is dead last in that category. But Virginia is only 3 points behind us at 19th. The Commonwealth was also 19th in cost-of-living. That means they beat us there, too. 

CNBC also ranks Maryland in the top 10 states for Technology and Innovation, at #8. This is pretty surprising, too, but likely the result of Montgomery County's only economic bright spot, the biotech sector. Virginia has superior tech infrastructure, and has been home to many more notable tech firms, but somehow ends up at 15 in this category.

We already know that Montgomery County hasn't attracted a single major corporate headquarters in over a quarter century. But it's becoming more surprising by the day that Gov. Moore has been unable to attract such HQs or significant manufacturing facilities to the state. One of his biggest calling cards and selling points was that he was a successful Wall Street businessman. He regularly hobnobs and fundraises among the financial elite on Martha's Vineyard and in the Hamptons. Surely, his Rolodex is bursting at the seams with CEO phone numbers. But, perplexingly, he has yet to score a big win in the corporate HQ and factory races.

The CNBC list only reinforces what engaged observers in our County and State already know. We're in real trouble, folks. And the lack of business starts, development and growth are hitting the County and State budgets harder than ever. Just look at the latest County Council tax hikes (and ballot questions to facilitate even-bigger tax hikes starting next year), and the dystopian budget headlines out of Annapolis. 

We can't go on like this.

Indecent exposure in downtown Silver Spring

Montgomery County police responded to a report of indecent exposure in downtown Silver Spring Sunday night, July 7, 2024. The incident was reported along the street in the 8100 block of Georgia Avenue at 10:19 PM. A 36-year-old Silver Spring man was taken into custody, and ordered held without bond. 

H&R Block closes in Wheaton

It turns out it wasn't just a tough tax season for you. H&R Block has closed its office at 11208 Grandview Avenue in Wheaton. They only opened here in January, so that was a very short run. Customers are being redirected to the H&R Block office at 10520 Connecticut Avenue in Kensington, according to the sign in the window. 

Suspects arrested in Taco Bell Cantina shooting in Silver Spring

Montgomery County police have arrested two suspects in the June 23, 2024 shooting at the new Taco Bell Cantina at 8662 Colesville Road in downtown Silver Spring. One person was injured in the shooting, which was reported at 6:00 PM that evening. The suspects fled the scene and remained at large.

Souleymane Traore, 18, of Silver Spring, and Maximus Jean-Jerome, 20, of York, Pennsylvania, were arrested on July 2. According to court records, Traore has been charged with attempted 1st-degree murder, felony use of a firearm in a violent crime, four counts of felony 1st-degree assault, four counts of 2nd-degree assault, reckless endangerment, and possession of a firearm as a minor. He was ordered held without bond, and has been denied bail twice. Another bail hearing is scheduled for this afternoon in Montgomery County District Court in Rockville.

Jean-Jerome has been charged with four counts of 2nd-degree assault. He posted $10,000 bond, and was released on July 5.

Express, Express Men close at Wheaton Plaza

Express and Express Men have closed at Westfield's Wheaton Plaza mall. The chain has filed for bankruptcy. It announced earlier this year that it would close nearly 100 of its stores nationwide. The Express stores at Westfield's Montgomery Mall in Bethesda were recently added to the closure list, which appears to be expanding.

The Nail Lab opens in Wheaton

The Nail Lab is now open in the Wheaton Triangle. It is located on the second floor of The Grandview at 11204-A Grandview Avenue. A family-owned nail spa, The Nail Lab offers eco-conscious and luxurious services that utilize natural and non-toxic products. The Nail Lab has quickly established a winning streak among its clients, earning a perfect 5-star rating on both Yelp and Google Reviews. Appointments can be booked online.

Rue21 closes in Wheaton

Rue21 has closed at Westfield's Wheaton Plaza mall. A glowing logo sign can still be seen inside the space, which is now only occupied by three cash registers, and empty displays that have been slid over against the back wall. Rue21 closed its store here in 2017, when the chain first filed for bankruptcy, only to return to Wheaton Plaza in 2022 after the brand found its sales boosted during the pandemic. The renaissance didn't last long, as Rue21 has filed for bankruptcy again, and is closing all of its stores nationwide.