Kentlands Market Square construction continues (Photos)

Kimco continues its renovation of Kentlands Market Square in Gaithersburg. All businesses remain open during the construction work. Banners around the construction area give a preview of what the finished product will look like when the refresh is completed.

Power outages in Montgomery Village area

Some Pepco customers in the Montgomery Village area of Gaithersburg are in the dark this morning. Two power outages have about 20 customers waiting for air conditioning and lights to come back on. 

One outage is near the intersection of Centerway Road and Strawberry Knoll Road. Pepco estimates power will be restored there by 2:00 PM. The second outage is just south of the Montgomery County Airpark. Power should be back on there by 3:00 PM, Pepco says.

Montgomery County police union trolls elected officials on social media for defunding police amid crime wave

Montgomery County's Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 35 criticized County elected officials on social media Thursday for "defunding MoCo police" amid a crime wave. The posts on Facebook and Twitter called out County Executive Marc Elrich and the County Council for eliminating 27 police officer positions in the budget. They also cited violent crimes in the county that made area headlines in the last few days.

"3 carjackings in 2 days (2 @ gunpoint, 1 w/ serious injuries) when is @MontCoExec and @MoCoCouncilMD going to get their priorities straight and stop defunding MoCo police?" the posts asked. Officers have reported that morale on the force and officer recruiting efforts are both trending downward.

"Just because of the, so much of the anti-police sentiment, not being treated well," County Officer Petr Speight told CBS' Ted Koppel in a report aired Sunday. "Those kind of things are just discouraging people from wanting to stick around. Things have just changed, the way people view us, and the way they view our role in society and our jobs."

While anti-police sentiment has markedly increased after the death of George Floyd, declining police morale has actually been trending in Montgomery County for more than a decade, based on what officers have told me over that time period. The County Council tried to slash disability benefits for officers in 2009, approving a modified version of that plan in 2011. Councilmembers, and the Washington Post editorial board, falsely characterized officers seeking disability benefits as schemers and scam artists without evidence to back up those claims. Both have publicly criticized County police on a regular basis for a variety of grievances since that opening move.

Car stolen in Germantown

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a stolen car at a Germantown townhome community on Monday evening. The vehicle was parked outside a townhome in the 19000 block of Laurel Grove Terrace, in the Meadows at North Lake development, according to crime data.

Royal Farms Gaithersburg construction update (Photos)

Work is picking up speed at the future site of Royal Farms at the Spectrum development in Gaithersburg. It looks like they are digging to place the underground fuel tank for the mega gas station component of the convenience store. Brilliantly located at the I-270 interchange with Watkins Mill Road, the store is well ahead of the Gaithersburg Wawa in the race for opening day.

Damascus GNC to become massage spa

A new business has leased the GNC space at 9815 Main Street in Damascus. It will be a massage spa, and will open later this year at the Damascus Center shopping center.

Signage installed at Marshalls in Gaithersburg (Photos)

Signage has been installed at the future Marshalls at Gaithersburg Square. Last night, the signs were lit. Mirrors have been attached to pillars around the store. Now the racks, shelving and merchandise just have to be loaded onto the sales floor.