Rumi Life opens at Wheaton Plaza

Rumi Life has opened at Westfield's Wheaton Plaza mall. It is a lifestyle store. specializing in products from around the world with an emphasis on minimalist design and affordable prices. Rumi's "Three Cs" mantra prizes the creative, the comfortable and the convenient in both merchandise and lifestyle. Look for Rumi Life on Level 2, next to Shoe Stars.

Willie T's Seafood Shack/Be Right Burger update in Silver Spring (Photos)

The watch is still on for the opening of Willie T's Seafood Shack and brb Be Right Burger at 9326 Georgia Avenue, in the Montgomery Hills area of Silver Spring. It looks like parts of the restaurant interior have been demo'd since my last update. There is some insulation awaiting installation in the kitchen area, the ceiling has been opened up in one spot, and the main counter looks like a work still in progress, as do the walls. I wouldn't expect an opening to be imminent here, so stay tuned!

Hurricane Ian remnants to impact Montgomery County sooner than expected

The worst of Hurricane Ian may have already passed in Florida, but the now-Tropical Storm is expected to make a speedy trip up the East Coast, including a jaunt out to sea and another landfall somewhere in the South. Yesterday, Ian's timetable for arrival in the Washington, D.C., Maryland and North Virginia area began to look like it was slipping from early next week to this weekend. Now, Accuweather is forecasting the first rains of Ian to arrive in the Mid-Atlantic as early as tomorrow. 

Tropical rain showers are now expected all weekend, and showers may continue from Monday into Wednesday. This does not look good for events like Taste of Bethesda this Saturday. Rain associated with Ian will arrive well ahead of the actual storm center, which is expected to pass through Maryland sometime Sunday night or early Monday morning.

Ian has further business south of here first, however. After crawling across mainland Florida, the storm will go back over the Atlantic, and make another landfall tomorrow evening. Accuweather currently predicts Ian's landfall will be somewhere near the border of Georgia and South Carolina Friday night; the National Hurricane Center's prediction is for a landfall in South Carolina. 

The full impact of Ian's second landfall, and the strength of the storm's remnants when it arrives here in the D.C. area, will be determined by how long it drifts over the waters of the Atlantic prior to Friday night's landfall. The National Hurricane Center says the storm could again near hurricane strength as it approaches land.

Ian already has shown plenty of destructive power after making landfall as a Category 4 hurricane. Over 2 million utility customers in Florida are currently without electricity. Accuweather reports that every customer in Hardee County, Florida is in the dark. Part of the Sanibel Causeway collapsed, the only bridge between Sanibel Island and mainland Florida. 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said earlier this morning that helicopter rescues are being performed on barrier islands by the Coast Guard and Florida National Guard. He said 100 portable cell towers are being set up to restore some level of phone service, and that power line infrastructure in the hardest hit areas would in some cases have to be entirely rebuilt. Pine Island Bridge, like the Sanibel Causeway, is damaged and impassable, he added.

Fox Weather reports that there are believed to be hundreds of fatalities in Lee County, Florida, according to the sheriff there. Accuweather reports one confirmed death in Florida from Hurricane Ian, a 72-year-old man in Deltona. He slipped down a hill behind his home into a flooding drainage ditch while trying to drain his pool as the storm approached his area at 1:00 AM this morning. Fox Weather also reports Ian has caused a 200-year flood event in Orlando. More than a foot of rain has fallen on the city.

DeSantis said his state has all of the supplies it needs for storm victims. "It's much better to donate financially, rather than sending items. We've got a lot of items," he said at a news conference this morning. Those seeking to help storm victims displaced in Florida can have the greatest impact by donating funds at FloridaDisasterFund.org, or text DISASTER to 20222, he said. Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis said the fund has already raised $1.6 million in the last 24 hours.

Tropical Storm Ian's current location is 40 miles east of Orlando, the National Hurricane Center reports. Its current maximum sustained winds are at 65 MPH, and it is moving NE at 8 MPH.

Graphic courtesy Accuweather.com

Wheaton Target new exterior entrance nearing completion (Photos)

You soon won't have to enter Westfield's Wheaton Plaza mall to enter the Target store there. A new exterior entrance that is part of the major renovations to the store is now in an advanced stage of construction. Registers on the main level were relocated to line up with the new configuration. The store makeover has been underway since March.

Sneak peek: Kusshi Sushi at Downtown Silver Spring (Photos)

Here's a sneak peek at the interior of Kusshi Sushi, opening soon at 8512 Fenton Street at Downtown Silver Spring. They are just waiting on final permit approvals from Montgomery County. Kusshi has two other area locations, the original at Pike & Rose, and their most recent addition at Pentagon Row in Arlington.

Armed carjacking in downtown Silver Spring

The latest armed carjacking in Silver Spring took place at a Montgomery County-operated downtown parking garage on Saturday afternoon, September 24, 2022. Montgomery County police responded to a report of a carjacking at the garage in the 8500 block of Cameron Street at 2:30 PM Saturday. That is the Cameron Street Public Parking Garage 7.

Crack cocaine bust at Quality Inn in Takoma Park

Takoma Park police announced the arrest of a Washington, D.C. man in possession of crack cocaine at the Quality Inn hotel at 7411 New Hampshire Avenue on Tuesday afternoon. Hugh M. Dennis, Jr. 59, was being held by a Prince George's County police gang unit detective at the hotel at 3:00 PM that day. Dennis was transferred into the custody of Takoma Park police when they arrived at the hotel.

Based upon the amount of crack allegedly found on Dennis' person during a search, police have charged him with possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance (CDS) Crack Cocaine with the intent to distribute, and possession of CDS paraphernalia.