New traffic signals on Georgia Avenue in Wheaton (Photos)

The Maryland State Highway Administration has installed new traffic signals at the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Price Avenue in Wheaton. However, they are still covered, and have not been activated yet. My understanding is that these are standard traffic and crossing signals, which will operate on a timer, rather than the type of crossing signals that only stop traffic when a pedestrian pushes a button to cross. This project has been in the works for several years, but needed approval from MDSHA to move forward.

Pickpocket strikes at Silver Spring bar

Montgomery County police were called to a bar in downtown Silver Spring Thursday night, September 18, 2025, after someone reported their pocket had been picked there. The theft was reported at a bar in the 8100 block of Georgia Avenue at 10:56 PM Thursday. Wallets are best stored in a front pocket, especially in crowded spaces. Always be alert for attempts to distract you while someone else grabs your wallet. 

Strong-arm robbery in Glenmont

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a strong-arm robbery near the Glenmont Shopping Center on September 9, 2025. In the early hours of that morning, police say, two suspects ganged up on a man in the 12300 block of Georgia Avenue. They physically assaulted him, and stole his money.

Police describe the suspects only as two Hispanic males in their early twenties. If you can identify either suspect, or have any information that can assist detectives in solving this case, call police at (301) 279-8000.

Repeated armed robberies on Hewitt Avenue in Aspen Hill

Stay alert on Hewitt Avenue in Aspen Hill, as armed robbers appear to be preying on people late at night there. Four male suspects surrounded a male juvenile on September 4, 2025 at 11:30 PM in the 2900 block of Hewitt, Montgomery County police report. One of them displayed an unspecified weapon, and assaulted the juvenile. The four suspects then attempted to steal the juvenile's money, but were unsuccessful. Police did not say how the juvenile managed to get away.

Two days later, in the early morning hours of September 6, a single male suspect approached an adult male near the intersection of Hewitt and Georgia Avenue. The suspect displayed a weapon, police say, and took property from the victim. Police describe that suspect only as "male."

If you have any information related to these incidents, or can identify any of the suspects, call police at (301) 279-8000.

Nextdoor removes Montgomery County Charlie Kirk prayer vigil post

Nextdoor has removed a post informing users about Montgomery County-area prayer vigils being held for Charlie Kirk, the leader of the conservative organization Turning Point USA, who was assassinated last week in Utah. It included one taking place in Rockville on September 20. The Nextdoor user who posted it sent me a few screen shots of their post, which did not include any political statements, much less any offensive language. Some time later, the user was informed that their post had been hidden, and will ultimately be removed altogether, because a post about a timely event taking place in Rockville is supposedly a "non-local topic outside of a group."

The user has appealed the removal of the post. In contrast, comments promoting violence against Kirk that were posted in response to the vigil announcement have been allowed to remain on Nextdoor.

ABC 7 to air Charlie Kirk tribute during Jimmy Kimmel timeslot Sept. 19

Local ABC affiliate WJLA Channel 7 will air a one-hour tribute to Charlie Kirk during what would ordinarily be Jimmy Kimmel's late night time slot in the Washington, D.C. market this Friday night, September 19, 2025. ABC 7 is owned by Maryland-based Sinclair Broadcast Group, which along with rival broadcast firm Nexstar Media Group, successfully pressured the Disney-owned ABC network to suspend Kimmel indefinitely yesterday. Kimmel was suspended for making false statements about the assassination of Kirk, who was fatally shot during a Turning Point USA college event in Utah last week.

Kimmel has long been a pugnacious and vitriolic critic of President Donald Trump and his MAGA movement, devoting many minutes of his program to attacks on both nightly. But he has never faced any serious consequences until now, and parent company Disney seemed quite content with Kimmel's shift from a late night comedy show to a hardcore political broadcast that trashed half of his potential viewing audience. What changed? 

Nexstar hopes to successfully pull off a merger with Tysons-based Tegna, which would bring more local TV stations into its nationwide portfolio, including local CBS affiliate WUSA 9. Disney and Sinclair may also have potential tie-ups down the road, which would similarly need the approval of a Trump or future GOP administration. As a result, this time they had to show some action on Kimmel's controversial remarks. 

Whether Kimmel will actually be canceled by ABC remains to be seen, but his return would certainly risk the ire of Trump. Disney will have to decide if defending the declining career of Kimmel would be worth potentially-major financial consequences for the entertainment giant in the future. Kimmel's ratings have plunged 11% as of the last reporting period, dropping him to third place in his time slot.

The ABC 7 Kirk tribute will be only one of the local events remembering the slain TPUSA founder this weekend. A candlelight prayer vigil for Kirk in Montgomery County is set for this Saturday night in Rockville.

Photo courtesy Salem Media Group

Police called to school in Silver Spring for weapon possession

Montgomery County police were summoned to a Silver Spring elementary school for a report of weapon possession Tuesday, September 16, 2025. Officers were dispatched to Weller Road Elementary School at 3301 Weller Road at 3:15 PM Tuesday. No further information is available at this time.

Charlie Kirk vigil to be held in Rockville on September 20

A vigil will be held for Charlie Kirk in Montgomery County this coming Saturday, September 20, 2025. The event will be held in Rockville at the Courthouse Square park, located at the corner of E. Jefferson Street and W. Montgomery Avenue in Rockville Town Center, from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM Saturday. There will be tributes to Kirk, prayers, and speakers. Kirk, the founder of the conservative political organization Turning Point USA, was assassinated on September 10 while speaking at the launch of TPUSA's latest college campus tour in Utah.

Arrest in Silver Spring armed carjacking

Montgomery County police have arrested a suspect in the June 30, 2025 armed carjacking in the Hillandale area of Silver Spring. Around 2:50 AM, the victim was attempting to fill up at the gas pumps, when a dark SUV pulled into the station, and stopped across the front of the victim's vehicle. Two suspects emerged from the SUV, one allegedly brandishing a handgun. The victim was allegedly ordered out of their black Honda Accord at gunpoint. Both suspects got into the Accord and sped off, as did a mystery driver in the dark SUV.

Through investigative efforts, detectives identified Amilio Xavier Hernandez, 18, as one of the suspects. They then obtained an arrest warrant against Hernandez, charging him with armed carjacking and related charges. On Wednesday, September 10, Hernandez was arrested in Hyattsville and transported to the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit, where he is being held without bond.

Anyone with information regarding this crime or the other suspects involved is asked to visit the Crime Solvers of Montgomery County, MD website at www.crimesolversmcmd.org, click on the “Submit a Tip” link, or call 1-866-411-8477. Tips leading to an arrest may be eligible for a reward ranging from $250 to $10,000.

3 gang up on man in Silver Spring armed robbery

Three armed robbers ganged up on one victim in the White Oak area of Silver Spring on September 6, 2025, Montgomery County police report. The adult male victim was in the 1500 block of December Drive at 7:00 PM, when he was surrounded by the three suspects displaying weapons. They obtained property from the victim, and a set of vehicle keys.

The suspects then attempted to use the keys to steal the victim's vehicle, but were unsuccessful. Police did not indicate what prevented them from taking the car. The suspects then fled the scene. 

Police describe the suspects only as three Black males of unknown age. If you have any information that can assist detectives in closing this case, or can identify any of the three suspects, call police at (301) 279-8000.

Police searching for Silver Spring attempted murder suspect

Montgomery County police are seeking the public's help in locating a suspect in the July 20, 2025 attempted murder of a man in downtown Silver Spring. The victim was in his car in the 8000 block of 16th Street shortly before 4:27 PM, police say, when the suspect pulled up in a silver Chrysler Pacifica with Maryland license plate 4FC4143. Deondray Darnell Osborne, 33, of no specified address, allegedly climbed out of the minivan and fired multiple shots at the victim before driving away.

The victim somehow avoided injury, but his vehicle was struck several times. Detectives obtained an arrest warrant against Osborne, charging him with attempted first-degree murder and related charges.

Osborne is considered armed and dangerous. Police warn that if you see him, you should not attempt to approach or engage him, but to call 911 immediately. Anyone with information regarding this suspect or crime is asked to visit the Crime Solvers of Montgomery County, MD website at www.crimesolversmcmd.org, click on the “Submit a Tip” link, or call 1-866-411-8477. Tips leading to an arrest may be eligible for a reward ranging from $250 to $10,000.

Oak Barrel & Vine sets opening date in Wheaton

Oak Barrel & Vine will open its newest location in Wheaton on Thursday, September 25, 2025. The Montgomery County Government-owned liquor store is inside of Westfield's Wheaton Plaza mall at 11160 Veirs Mill Road. Look for it on Level 2 of the mall in the Costco wing, across from Nando's Peri-Peri.

The Oak Barrel & Vine store concept features a large tasting room and event space, a handpicked selection of items with an emphasis on locally-produced products, an improved selection of small format items, a dedicated non-alcoholic products section, queue lines for faster checkout, wayfinding signage, and "enhanced customer accessibility." This new format is designed to rebrand the County's government liquor sales monopoly through the aesthetics of private retail businesses like Total Wine & More, which are banned from operating in Montgomery County.

Purple Line construction update near Silver Spring Library (Video + Photos)

Here's look at the progress during August on the Purple Line light rail system in the area around the Silver Spring Library in downtown Silver Spring. You can see the library station continuing to take shape. Things are still pretty rough at the intersection of Fenton Street and Wayne Avenue. And businesses continue to take it on the chin during this wildly-behind-schedule infrastructure project.

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.

Rocket Money to flee Montgomery County for Washington, D.C.

The latest economic development defeat for Montgomery County is coming to us from one of the hardest-hit places in MoCo's revenue exodus, downtown Silver Spring. Rocket Money, a fintech startup located at 8455 Colesville Road, is nearing a deal to relocate its headquarters to Washington, D.C., according to a report in the Washington Business Journal. The new Rocket Money HQ is expected to be located in a recently-constructed office building at 1701 Rhode Island Avenue NW. Last home to a WeWork location, the building boasts "a unique facade constructed of pre-aged copper shingles, individually hand treated by an artisan in Italy," in the words of its architectural design firm Hickok Cole.

Silver Spring already sustained one of the biggest body blows to the Montgomery County economy in history, when one of the County's few remaining Fortune 500 companies, Discovery Communications, moved its headquarters to dual facilities in New York City and Tennessee. Infamously, Discovery's suitors quietly closed the deal while the Montgomery County Council was debating a ban on circus animals. The ban passed, but so did the opportunity to retain Discovery.

Of course, Rocket Money is not a Fortune 500 company, and has far fewer employees than Discovery. But it is a prominent fintech in the region, with significant future potential. Its parent company, Rocket Companies, has made the Fortune 500 in the past, but is currently off the list at #619 as of June. Montgomery County hasn't attracted a single new major corporate HQ in over a quarter-century.

Once again, Montgomery County's highest-in-the-region tax and fee burden has bitten the County in the [pocketbook]. Another recent and devastating blow is the new Maryland "tech tax," a 3% levy on all IT services in the state that was championed to passage by Governor Wes Moore, before he left for an Italian vacation at the lake villa of George Clooney. Imagine what that tax would add up to annually for a tech firm like Rocket Money! And that's on top of that already biggest tax burden, courtesy of the County Council and Maryland General Assembly. What company in their right mind would not move if they could? Heckuva job, Brownie!

Bete Ethiopian Cuisine & Cafe closes in Silver Spring

Bete Ethiopian Cuisine & Cafe at 811 Roeder Road in downtown Silver Spring has closed, according to a sign in the window. Known for its cozy dining space that was more like eating at someone's home than at a commercial restaurant, Bete Ethiopian had a very successful 16-year run in a very tough dining market and business environment. Fortunately, Silver Spring has a number of Ethiopian restaurants remaining, perhaps the most in Montgomery County. Two were recognized as among the best in the D.C. area earlier this year by The Washington Post's Tom Sietsema.