Spirit Halloween to return to downtown Silver Spring this fall

The spirit of Halloween is hitting downtown Silver Spring early again this year. Spirit Halloween has already posted Coming Soon posters in the windows of the same space they leased last year at the corner of Wayne and Georgia Avenues.

Spirit Halloween offers all of the standard costumes, decorations and supplies you need for Halloween season. But their professional-quality props and displays have made touring the store a new Halloween tradition for many across the country. If you have the cash, a haul of animated characters and elaborate set pieces can either make your house the best in the neighborhood, or even be used in a professional haunted house.

Armed robbery in White Oak this morning

A man was pistol-whipped and robbed in the parking lot of his White Oak apartment building around 2:19 AM this morning. As the three suspects ran to an unidentified getaway car, the victim ran to a nearby Shell station on New Hampshire Avenue to report the crime.

Montgomery County Police responded to the scene, and summoned paramedics to examine the victim, who had been struck across the forehead. A K-9 unit was also called in, as officers scanned the area for the suspects.

The incident happened in the parking lot of an apartment building at 11447 Lockwood Drive. Police described the suspects as three black men.

One was said to be 6'2", 250 pounds, wearing a white shirt and blue jeans, with a black shirt over his face. He was brandishing a black, semi-automatic handgun, which he used to pistol-whip the victim.

Suspect two was 5'6", 160 pounds, wearing a red shirt, blue jeans, and a black shirt covering his face.

The third suspect was 5'6", 160 pounds, wearing a black t-shirt, jeans, and also obscured his face with a black shirt.

The men were last seen fleeing in the unidentified vehicle toward Stewart Lane. If you have any information about this incident, call police at 301.279.8000.

More psychobabble, no specifics on MCPS achievement gap

The sound you hear is $90,000,000 in taxpayer money going down the toilet. That's the $90 million the Montgomery County Council extracted out of you to give above the required funding for Montgomery County Public Schools in their wallet-busting, record tax increase FY-2017 budget two months ago. Where is it going? If you don't have blood pressure medication handy, you may want to stop reading now.

Incoming MCPS Superintendent Jack Smith announced his strategy last night to address the achievement gap between white students and black and Latino students. That gap has increased since 2010, despite record amounts of your money being supplied to MCPS by the Council.

So, we had the 9% property tax hike, and taxes are now at the highest total level in Montgomery County history. What is MCPS going to do with it on the achievement gap? What's the innovative new strategy? We know what we're doing now doesn't work. After several months to strategize, here's what MCPS has outlined for spending your $90 million:

According to the Washington Post, Smith "stopped short of providing a detailed plan for the coming year, and school officials said more specifics would come soon."

Wait a minute, what?! 

Here comes the barrage of Orwellian buzzwords and phrases:

"Optimistic"

"build up cultural competency among educators"

"operational excellence"

"learning accountability"
(quite a statement from a system that just jettisoned final exams, and dumbed down its grading system to inflate final grades - which college admissions offices will catch onto soon enough, tarnishing our once great reputation across the country)

"Smith did not say precisely how success would be measured." 

God help us.

Your tax dollars "at work."

#MoCoTermLimits #ThrowTheBumsOut

Advisory board revolts against Leggett on Blair Ewing bus depot study

The Mid-County Citizens Advisory Board, which acts as the middleman between residents of Wheaton, Glenmont, Aspen Hill and Olney and Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett, has sent a letter to Leggett strongly denouncing his consideration of the Blair G. Ewing Center as a school bus depot site.

"We strongly urge that the Blair G. Ewing Center (on Avery Road) be immediately removed from any consideration," board Chair Gregory Intoccia wrote to Leggett. "This location is wholly unsuited for hundreds of buses."

The board cited environmental damage to Rock Creek and its watershed, loss of a forest conservation easement, traffic impacts on Norbeck Road, reduced traffic safety on Avery Road, the loss of Mark Twain Athletic Park on the Ewing site, and demolition of a functional school building when overcrowded schools are the norm in Montgomery County as its key objections to an Avery Road depot.

The latter loss would require existing programs at Ewing to be moved elsewhere, potentially to the vacant English Manor in Aspen Hill.

What makes the letter remarkable is not just the board going to bat for the community, but that the board members are appointed by Leggett himself. It's another sign of just how politically-toxic the bus depot issue is. There is literally no support for closing the existing depot outside of Leggett, certain County Council members, and the developer who is eager to get started redeveloping the current depot on Crabbs Branch Way in Shady Grove. Yet this thing keeps moving forward, attempting to find a political weak spot on the map.

The letter suggests that, once again, Aspen Hill will not be that weak spot. How much longer does the County risk pushing this scheme, with term limits looming on the November ballot?

Zales coming to Wheaton Plaza

Zales will soon open a store at Wheaton Plaza. The Irving, Texas-based chain jeweler was founded in 1924. They offer a broad variety of jewelry ranging from engagement rings and necklaces to products partnerships with Shaquille O'Neal, and an LGBTQ-targeted line by designer Udi Beher.

They are currently hiring; apply at Zales.com.

Amazon Locker arrives in Silver Spring, Long Branch, Wheaton/Glenmont, Takoma Park, Olney

Amazon Locker has arrived in Montgomery County at last, and Silver Spring has one of the first locations. Here are photos from the new Amazon Locker in the 7-Eleven at 7980 Georgia Avenue in downtown Silver Spring.

You can also find Amazon Locker in Long Branch at the Bestway supermarket at 8540 Piney Branch Road, 7-Eleven in Takoma Park at 900 Merrimac Drive, at the Shoppers Food Warehouse at 6881 New Hampshire Avenue, at the Shoppers in Glenmont at 2201 Randolph Road, and in Olney at the Shoppers at 18140 Village Center Drive.

What is Amazon Locker? You can have your Amazon.com order shipped to an Amazon Locker location near you. Your package(s) will arrive at that location, and you will receive an email notification with an access code that will open your locker. If you do not pick up your order within 3 days, it will be returned to Amazon.

If you live in a building where you have difficulty receiving your packages, this can really come in handy.

Bar Louie officially open at Wheaton Plaza

If you missed the soft opening events on Tuesday, don't worry - the new Bar Louie at Wheaton Plaza is now officially open. And it's off to a promising start.

Early Facebook feedback shows 8 reviews. All are giving the new bar and restaurant 5 stars except for one 4.5 star review from a customer who was disappointed they didn't have sweet tea.