Construction on the second Sheetz convenience store and mega gas station in the MD 355 corridor is advancing quickly at the Walnut Hill Shopping Center at 733 S. Frederick Avenue. The familiar building design and roofline are now visible. There's an interesting Sheetz Site Safety sign I have included a picture of below. It looks like the store could be open by summer at this point.
J. Crew Factory is coming soon to Rio Lakefront in Gaithersburg. The outlet arm of the preppy apparel brand has posted signage in the storefront windows at 20-A Grand Corner Avenue. J. Crew Factory will open in "Winter 2026," according to the signage. Very similar to Gap Factory, J. Crew Factory is not a liquidation outlet of past-prime J. Crew clothing, instead carrying a line of clothing designed specifically for Factory stores.
What's the difference? Mostly in the materials used. They're going to be lower-quality but also much lower priced. The genuine wool sweater or scarf you might buy at J. Crew, for example, could be made of synthetic fabrics at Factory stores. So it's a way to get J. Crew styling for less, but the pieces might not last you as long as The Real Thing. How can you immediately recognize a Factory item on the resale market? J. Crew Factory items will have two tiny diamonds or dots on the brand label.
The car wash is proposed for 26203 Ridge Road (MD 27), currently the site of a bank building. Sam's would demolish most of the bank, but retain part of it for office space. Existing driveways would be consolidated into one two-way curb cut for ingress and egress.
And we wonder why the Montgomery County economy is moribund!
Police describe the suspects only as three Black males of unknown age. If you have any information that could assist detectives in closing this case, call police at (301) 279-8000.
The latest forecast from the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center portends trouble for the Washington, D.C. suburbs and central Maryland tomorrow, Monday, March 16, 2026. Many meteorologists are saying the NWS prediction is showing the highest chance of a tornado or derecho event they've seen in many years. The NWS predicts there is a 15-29% chance of a tornado in Montgomery and Frederick Counties Monday. The "moderate" designation means "widespread severe storms are likely," with severe weather most likely between 3:00 PM and 9:00 PM.
Such a forecast underscores the importance of monitoring weather forecasts and NWS bulletins over the next 36 hours. Make sure to bring indoors or secure any objects in your yard or on your balcony that could be lifted by high winds. Replace batteries in flashlights and transistor radios as needed tonight, try to fully charge your cellphone, and ensure you have at least half a tank of gas. A few days' supply of non-refrigerated snacks and water bottles can't hurt. Finally, have a plan for all occupants of your home to quickly move to the basement or lowest level of your house if you receive a Tornado Warning on your phone.
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| Dan Weber of Boilermakers Local 45 (left) with Republican candidate for Maryland Governor Ed Hale |
Baltimore businessman Ed Hale, a candidate for Maryland Governor, has been endorsed by the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers and the Boilermakers Local 45 Zone #193 unions. "Your efforts to support unions in our fight for good jobs and a just economy help our members and the millions of workers who depend on a strong labor movement," IBB Director of Government Affairs Cecile Conroy wrote in a letter informing Hale of the coveted labor endorsement. "As always, we thank you for your friendship and support of working families."
"Maryland was built by WORKERS — not politicians," the Republican candidate said in announcing the endorsements yesterday. "I’m very grateful for their endorsement. These skilled tradesmen build the ships, power plants, and infrastructure that keep our economy running. As Governor, I’ll always stand with the men and women who build things."
Hale began his career at Bethlehem Steel in Dundalk, where he joined the Ironworkers Union. After moving to another job at the Port of Baltimore, he founded Hale Intermodal Trucking Company, and Port East Transfer. The latter company became the largest employer at the port, and laid the groundwork for the Hale Companies, a trade and logistics firm that incorporated barge and additional truck companies under its umbrella. The Hale Companies also built 343 buildings.
Hale's massive success in business gave him the ability to win a proxy battle for control of the Bank of Baltimore. His $1.4 million investment led to his appointment as CEO of the bank. Hale parlayed his banking experience into the founding of his own financial institution, 1st Mariner Bank. By 2011, his new bank sported 24 branches, and $1.2 billion in assets. He then purchased the Baltimore Blast soccer team, and has invested millions in revitalization projects in Baltimore, including Canton Crossing, which boasts the only Target in the City of Baltimore and a Wonder food hall. The 20-acre development replaced a brownfield left behind by an ExxonMobil oil refinery, and has won multiple awards.
Incumbent Governor Wes Moore (D) by contrast, has so far fallen flat in economic development and job creation in his first term, despite having been touted as a Wall Street-connected business genius by the local and national press. A budget surplus he inherited from his GOP predecessor Larry Hogan quickly vanished and became a structural deficit under Moore's leadership. Amid gathering fiscal storm clouds, Moore refused to abandon the massive cash-burning Blueprint for Maryland school funding initiative. As a result, the state lost its coveted AAA bond rating.
Moore hiked taxes and fees, and introduced new ones, including a massive tech tax that has failed to raise the revenue expected because many companies left the state rather than pay it. His vow to quickly rebuild the Key Bridge, destroyed by an out-of-control ship, has spiraled into a fiasco of inaction and skyrocketing cost overruns. Moore has spent the majority of his first term attempting to raise his national profile for a presidential run by attacking Donald Trump, which severely backfired when Trump yanked away the planned Maryland FBI headquarters, the federal blank "100%" Key Bridge construction check promised to Moore by Joe Biden, and the state's National Guard air wing in retaliation.
The inertia, malaise, and affordability woes hammering Marylanders have created an opening for a successful businessman like Hale to make a compelling case to voters. Those voters are also receiving the highest monthly energy bills in the nation, a result of Moore's acquiescence to the Democrat-controlled forced closure of 8 power plants in the state, mandates of clean power purchases, and a massive EmPOWER surcharge added to electric and gas bills. Moore had recently approved an increase in that surcharge so large that utility companies sent written notice to customers to inform them that the charge was coming from the state, not the utilities. Hale has said he would reopen the shuttered plants and expand nuclear energy capacity in the state.
