Germantown teen missing

Montgomery County police are searching for a missing Germantown teenager, and are asking the public's help in locating her. Sokha Sade Prak, 16, hasn't been seen since leaving her home on Sibley Terrace on January 23, 2020. She has not been in contact with her parents since, police say.

Police describe Prak as being about 5’ 03” and weighing around 130 pounds. She has brown eyes and her hair is shoulder-length and is currently a reddish/blond color.

Anyone who has information regarding the whereabouts of Sokha Prak is asked to call the Montgomery County Police Special Victims Investigations Division at 240-773-5400 or the police non-emergency number at 301-279-8000 (24 hours).

Gaithersburg Nike missile site to be sold by U.S. government

More development could be coming to the Muddy Branch area of Gaithersburg if Uncle Sam has his way. Yahoo! Finance reports that the federal government will put the Gaithersburg Nike Missile Site W-92 up for sale in the coming months. The site became inactive in 1974, when it was rendered obsolete by a new generation of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles. It is considered to be worth $5 million in the current real estate market, Yahoo! claims.

The missile launch site
as seen on Google Maps

However, according to the Maryland Department of the Environment, the site is still contaminated and would require remediation to be used for commercial or residential redevelopment. Among the substances that were previously identified in the soil and groundwater of the site are trichloroethene (TCE), tetrachloroethene (PCE), benzene, carbon tetrachloride and associated degreasing agents, petroleum compounds, red fuming nitric acid, dimethyl hydrazine, perchlorates, lead based paints, asbestos containing materials, polychlorinated biphenyls, pesticides and heavy metals. Portions of the site have been remediated, MDE says.

A good picture of just how hemmed-in
the former missile site is by later
development - homes back right up to
the Nike Missile facility

Nike Missile Site W-92 is located at 770 Muddy Branch Road, near residential homes and shopping centers built since it was decommissioned.

MCGOP to hold Lunar New Year celebration at New Fortune in Gaithersburg

Christina E. Shin (Sohn) will be the headlining speaker at the Montgomery County Republican Party's 2020 Lunar New Year Celebration on February 7, 2020 at 7:00 PM at New Fortune Chinese Restaurant, located at 16515 S. Frederick Avenue in Gaithersburg. Shin is a founding partner of Rowe, Weinstein & Sohn, PLLC and Quantum Title Corporation in Rockville. She is also the President of the Korean American Republican Party of Virginia.

Guests will enjoy a 7-course meal of Fried Shrimp Balls, Seafood Tofu Soup, Roasted Chicken Cantonese, Walnut Shrimp, Mushrooms with Vegetables, Chow Foon with Vegetables, Sweet 'n Sour Pork Chop, Young Chow Fried Rice, Oranges/Fortune Cookie, Soft Drinks, and Tea (vegetarian options available). Adult beverages will be available at a cash bar.

Tickets are $40.00 if purchased by Feb. 2, 2020, or you can pay $45 at the door. Payment can be made online, by credit card, or by check; cash will not be accepted for this event. Sponsors can buy a table for 10 for $400, and will be recognized at the event - but must buy tables by January 31.

Make Checks Payable to MCGOP: 15833 Crabbs Branch Way Rockville, Maryland 20855.

Gaithersburg smoothie bar being liquidated Jan. 30

A Gaithersburg smoothie bar is "closing its doors and making a complete, urgent liquidation," according to an online auction listing. Based upon what's shown in the listing, it appears to be the Blended Smoothie & Juice Bar inside of L.A. Fitness at Downtown Crown. The business-unfriendly climate created by the policies of the Montgomery County Council are likely to blame once again, as I can't imagine a better fit for a healthy refreshment business than the inside of a gym.

Dog Haus Biergarten opens in Gaithersburg

One of the best hot dogs to be found in Montgomery County is now in Gaithersburg. Dog Haus Biergarten has opened at the Market Square development in the Kentlands. There was a packed house Sunday night when I went by. Dog Haus master Würstmacher Adam Gertler was spotted at the opening of what is sure to be a popular pre- and post-cinema dining spot at Market Square.

Temporary closure on ICC this weekend

Traffic alert: There will be a temporary closure along the ICC this weekend, as the Maryland Transportation Authority begins replacing the electronic tolling gantries with newer, updated ones. Closures are expected between January 24 and 27, 2020 and again next weekend. Follow the detours below this weekend and next.

Beginning at 9:00 PM tonight, Friday, January 24, and continuing until 5:00 AM on Monday, January 27, westbound traffic on the ICC/MD 200 will be detoured at New Hampshire Avenue (MD 650). The detour route will direct motorists north on New Hampshire Avenue to Norbeck Road, west to Layhill Road (MD 182) ,and south on Layhill Road back to westbound ICC/MD 200.

The following weekend, from 9:00 PM Friday, January 31, until 5:00 AM on Monday, February 3, eastbound ICC/MD 200 traffic will be detoured at Layhill Road (MD 182). The detour route will direct motorists north on Layhill Road to Norbeck Road, east on Norbeck Road to New Hampshire Avenue (MD 650) and south on New Hampshire Avenue back to eastbound ICC/MD 200.

Photo via MDTA

Shack ND Pack to appear at Sprint store in Gaithersburg Jan. 25

WPGC FM's Shack ND Pack will be appearing at the Sprint store at 527 Quince Orchard Road in Gaithersburg this coming Saturday, January 25, 2020 at 1:00 PM. There will be special Sprint deals, and if you can answer WPGC trivia correctly, you could win a $50 gift card.

Gaithersburg Planning Commission to consider request for sign in Montgomery Village

Six Montgomery Executive Center, located at 6 Montgomery Village Avenue, is requesting permission from the City of Gaithersburg to erect a new monument-style sign at the corner of Montgomery Village and Russell Avenues. The 10'9" sign is above the 8' height limit, requiring approval from the city's Planning Commission.

Commissioners will take up the request at their meeting tonight, January 22, 2020 at City Hall. City staff is recommending approval of the sign request.

Montgomery County fumbles Eli Lilly factory to North Carolina

Indianapolis residents now know what it feels like to live in Montgomery County. Just as moribund MoCo can't get one of its few remaining major companies - Lockheed - to locate its manufacturing facilities here, neither could Indy get hometown pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly to build its new manufacturing facility in the Hoosier capital. Lilly is looking south instead, choosing Durham County, North Carolina's booming Research Triangle Park.

"We continue to grow North Carolina into a worldwide hub for the biotechnology industry," a jubilant North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) said in a statement Tuesday.

Biotech and hospitality are the only two economic sectors in Montgomery County that even have a pulse these days, thanks to decisions made by wiser County leaders prior to the Montgomery County political cartel's seizure of the County Council in 2002 (today, the cartel controls all nine Council seats). But just days after the Washington Post reported once again that Montgomery County has fallen behind Prince George's County in job creation (while failing to report MoCo was also behind every other county in the region over the last decade in that department), Montgomery County's elected officials weren't able to score the biggest biotech get of the year so far - the Eli Lilly factory.

Not only did the County Council and economic development officials make no public campaign to attract Lilly, but their fumble also emphasizes how our inept leaders are squandering the biotech advantages their smarter, less corrupt predecessors left them at the turn of the century. North Carolina is catching up, as is Virginia. As MoCo officials continue to drop balls left and right, those and other states will soon surpass us.

North Carolina Commerce Secretary Tony Copeland correctly noted Tuesday that, "North Carolina is one of the nation’s leading centers for innovation in the life sciences." They also have two other things we don't: A friendly business climate, and superior infrastructure.

The Tar Heel state has the Research Triangle Park. Montgomery County was supposed to have a "Science City" in the I-270 corridor. Remember that?

Montgomery County elected officials couldn't even get that done. Of course, they never intended to. "Science City" was a total ruse perpetrated by the Council, and their developer sugar daddies, a decade ago. Sold to you as something like North Carolina's biotech park, that fakeout was merely a Trojan horse for more residential development.

Remember how Clarksburg, Germantown and Shady Grove were going to be booming job centers, with a Corridor Cities Transitway and expanded MARC service? None of that ever happened.

But - the housing all got built.

Jobs continued to divert to Northern Virginia, and I-270 just got more congested with all of the new housing approved by the Council without any new transportation infrastructure to support it. Heckuva job, Brownie!

Now, standing amidst the ashes of a "Science City" ghost town surrounded by stack-and-pack Soviet-style apartment blocs, the Council is saying the whole problem is...there wasn't enough housing built. LOL. [Insert cuckoo clock sound here].

You can't make this stuff up, folks.

What did we lose this week as a result?

462 new pharmaceutical manufacturing jobs, with an average salary above $72,000. 462 jobs are just a drop in the bucket given how stagnant and shrinking Montgomery County's economy is, but we're not in a position to pass any up in such a crisis. We should be, but are not, actively pursuing aerospace, biotech, and defense corporate headquarters, and their related research and manufacturing facilities.

North Carolina's Research Triangle Park's motto is, "Inspiring Bold Ideas."

The Montgomery County Council's is, "Lining our pockets with developer cash."

Our County's should be, "The Bedroom Community for the Booming Job Centers Elsewhere in Our Region."

Rape in Montgomery Village

A strong-arm rape in the Montgomery Village area of Gaithersburg was reported to Montgomery County police at 6:00 AM Monday, according to crime data. The assault took place in a wooded area off the 8400 block of Snouffer School Road.

Brews & Barrels aiming for early February opening in Gaithersburg

Brews & Barrels is nearing the finish line at Market Square in the Kentlands. The whiskey bar's owner says they are hoping to open the first week of February. They will offer whiskeys and craft beers both domestic and international, as well as a variety of other top-shelf spirits. Brews & Barrels is located at 625 Center Point Way in Gaithersburg.

Gaithersburg's Novavax gets fast-track from FDA for seniors' flu vaccine

America is suffering through another devastating flu season, especially children and seniors, but more help is on the way for the latter from a vaccine firm in Gaithersburg. Novavax announced Thursday that it has received fast-track designation for its NanoFlu vaccine for older adults. The company said it expects NanoFlu to better match flu strains and be more effective than egg-based vaccines.

NanoFlu is designed for adults 65 and older. Novavax is located at 21 Firstfield Road.

Pier 1 stores in Gaithersburg, Rockville to close

Montgomery County's moribund economy is hitting the home furnishings sector. Pier 1 Imports is closing in Rockville and Gaithersburg; both stores have disappeared from the Pier 1 website Store Locator. No official announcement or closing date for either store has been issued by Pier 1's corporate office.

It's interesting that Pier 1 stores in areas with booming economies like Fairfax, Fredericksburg, Waldorf, Bowie, Pasadena, Laurel and Columbia - to name just a few - are remaining open in our region. Pier 1 has been a fixture in Rockville as long as I can remember. 

The pending closures would have come as a shock if it were not for the widespread consensus that Montgomery County's economy has stagnated, according to every relevant benchmark of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics over the last decade. Montgomery County has suffered a net loss of retail jobs since the turn of the century, according to the Maryland Retailers Association.

AstraZenica going green in Gaithersburg

Gaithersburg biotech firm AstraZenica is going green. The international company has teamed up with My Green Lab to have that sustainability non-profit certify its laboratories in Gaithersburg, Cambridge (UK), Boston, and elsewhere to its sustainability standards.

Other labs already certified by My Green Lab include MIT and Los Alamos National Laboratories. Steps labs can take to comply with My Green Lab's standards include energy and water-saving measures, waste reduction, and elimination of hazardous or toxic chemicals from their protocols, according to a statement from My Green Lab.

Photo via My Green Lab

Topgolf Germantown opening date set

Topgolf Germantown has finally announced an opening date. The recreational golf, restaurant and event venue is currently holding soft opening hours for those who can't wait. But an official message sent out by Topgolf Monday announced that the official grand opening will be this Friday, January 17, 2020.

Gaithersburg's Emergent BioSolutions gets European clearance for vaccine development

Emergent BioSolutions, a Gaithersburg biotech firm, has received approval from the European Medicines Agency to proceed with its plans to develop a vaccine for the chikungunya virus, the company announced in a statement this morning. The mosquito-spread virus, also known as chikungunya fever, causes fever, joint pain and rash.

The Emergent BioSolutions vaccine has already shown promise in testing, with up to 98% of test participants developing an antibody response sufficient to neutralize the virus within seven days of receiving the vaccine. A single dose has proven effective for at least one year in laboratory tests so far. Emergent BioSolutions is located at 400 Professional Drive.

Hogan express lanes compromise may be a bust for Beltway drivers

Gov. Larry Hogan's compromise agreement on his Express Lanes proposal, which earned a needed second vote from Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot to move the project forward, may still provide traffic relief along I-270. But it could wind up being a bust for drivers on the Capital Beltway.

The compromise essentially puts the Express Lanes plan back to where it was hung up a few months ago. Hogan had agreed to postpone the Express Lanes on the Beltway, and focus on I-270 first. There would be no improvement for Beltway drivers under that scenario.

Then Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam stepped forward with a proposal to assist in expansion of the over-capacity American Legion Bridge in exchange for allowing Virginia's Express Lanes to cross the bridge and run into Maryland. Recognizing that this would only work if the Beltway Express Lanes continued around the interstate, and the reality that the project was more feasible if companies could bid on Beltway Express Lanes that went at least to I-95, Hogan then revived the Beltway portion of the project.

Franchot, under pressure from his constituents and preparing to launch a gubernatorial campaign, immediately withdrew his support again. Hogan then capitulated on the Beltway portion beyond the I-270 spur to regain Franchot's vote. But that compromise is a Beltway backfire, and Hogan appeared to realize he will be long out of office by the time that is apparent.

The reality is, unless voters "get dangerous" as former Gov. Bob Ehrlich exhorted them to years ago, there may not be a single vote for Express Lanes on the Beltway on the Board of Public Works. There very well could be a Democratic governor, a Democratic comptroller, and there certainly will be a Democratic treasurer.

So, Beltway Express Lanes past the I-270 interchange are almost certainly dead.

But the compromise plan will likely make traffic on the Beltway even worse, not better.

First, Northam ingeniously made his problem our problem. Extending Express Lanes over the bridge means that he moves the current choke point where drivers enter and exit those lanes onto the Maryland side of the river. His problem is now solved, and we got played like a violin.

Second, Beltway Express Lanes will now terminate in the vicinity of the existing logjam between River Road and I-270 on the Beltway. This jam is caused not only by lack of capacity, but also by the drivers trying to change lanes to either access I-270 or to continue east on the Beltway. There's also a third factor, which is drivers entering from River Road who then need to merge into the far left lanes to access I-270.

So now you will have cars that want to stay on the Beltway pouring out of the Express Lanes exit in that area - and with the lanes in the center, they will have to merge across several lanes to do so.

Apparently no one bothered to study the reality of the situation on the ground there before making this decision. And the local media was too busy filing some of the most embarrassingly-biased praise reports about the Maryland General Assembly ever published to notice what a just-plain-dumb Express Lanes package was put through by the Board of Public Works.

Northam won. Upcounty drivers may benefit if the lanes really go to Frederick - and especially if they are continuing to Virginia southbound - and that's a very good thing. But Beltway drivers are likely to find this Express Lanes compromise a bust. And we still need a new Potomac River crossing.

There will be no real traffic relief until voters start playing hardball at the ballot box, and elect new leaders who will play hardball in Rockville and Annapolis.

Gaithersburg firm scores $10.2 M federal contract for superbug cure

Less than two weeks after being credited with saving a Minnesota man's leg from a drug-resistant superbug infection, a Gaithersburg biotech firm has scored more than admiration from the nation. Adaptive Phage Therapeutics has just won a $10.2 million contract from the U.S. Department of Defense.

The money will fund a clinical trial for APT's innovative PhageBank, a personalized bacteriophage therapeutic that would be used to treat multidrug-resistant and complicated bacterial infections. A phage is a virus found in nature that recent breakthoughs have proven can be used to attack bacteria that have become immune to treatment with pharmaceutical drugs.

Specific phages from the bank can be matched to the infection diagnosis of each individual patient. In a press release announcing the contract, APT notes that phage research began in the 1920s, but was abandoned in the belief that drugs like Penicillin developed soon afterward were the answer to curing infections.

APT says this is the first phage-based therapy to be chosen by the Pentagon for this type of advanced research and development. CEO and co-founder Greg Merril predicts the DOD-funded research will have potential benefits for military and civilian patients alike. Once again, biotech is the lone hot business sector to watch in the otherwise-moribund Montgomery County economy.

New daycare center proposed on MD 355 in Clarksburg

A new daycare center with two classrooms on MD 355 in Clarksburg would care for up to 42 children, according to documents filed with the Montgomery County Planning Department. The daycare facility would build on to an existing single-family home at 23126 Frederick Road (MD 355) and Woodport Road.

Planning staff has expressed reservations about the applicants' original plan to use the existing curb cut access to the property from 355 for the future daycare center. They have recommended the applicants instead create a driveway access from Woodport Road, a street with many private homes along it. Planners have asked the County's Development Review Committee to discuss this issue, as well as parking and traffic flow concerns, at their January 21, 2021 meeting at 9:30 AM.

Update on Dog Haus Biergarten in Gaithersburg

Dog Haus Biergarten looks close to opening day in Gaithersburg. It has a prime spot across from the new Cinepolis cineplex at Market Square in the Kentlands. Stay tuned for an opening date!

Burtons Grill & Bar coming to Gaithersburg

Burtons Grill & Bar is coming to Gaithersburg. The East Coast mixed-grill chain is known for its allergy-friendly menus. In our region, they have locations in Prince George's County and Northern Virginia's exurbs. This will be their first Montgomery County location. Burtons will be in the Market Square development in the Kentlands.

Democrats propose Netflix tax for Montgomery County

Democratic leaders in the Maryland General Assembly are poised to propose a new tax on the highly popular entertainment streaming services used by most Montgomery County residents. The officials announced the proposed tax quietly in a Friday news dump strategically arranged by The Washington Post, whose reporters were aware of the pending tax earlier in the week, another clear example of coordination between the Montgomery County political cartel and the Post.

Subscribers to Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV, and other streaming services could find a hefty tax added to their bill as soon as this year. The Post reports that the new Netflix tax would be one of several new taxes slapped on residents of Montgomery County and the rest of the state to cover a new $6000-per-taxpayer spending hike for public education statewide. Montgomery County is already spending record amounts on public schools, and the County's own recent report shows that the declining school system has only gotten worse for all the high spending.

Now residents' Baby Yoda and You addictions are squarely in the tax crosshairs of the cartel. With property and income taxes at record highs, it is almost impossible for officials to add $6000 in hikes via those taxes. The county is now turning to these sin taxes, similar to those you pay on your cell phone service and the rain that falls in your home's yard, to get the same amount in sneakier ways. You may recall that the County floated a new Trash Tax in 2019, for example.

The Netflix tax will be hard to pass openly, however. Most of their constituents will be furious, and the tax will fall heaviest on young people, the poor and senior citizens - like all of "progressive" Montgomery County's regressive flat taxes.

Gaithersburg Mayor & Council to vote on Royal Farms, Starbucks for Watkins Mill area

Gaithersburg's Mayor and Council are expected to vote on the proposed Royal Farms convenience store/gas station and a new Starbucks for the Spectrum development by the future Watkins Mill Road-Interstate 270 interchange at their January 6, 2020 meeting. If approved, this would be the first Royal Farms in Montgomery County.

City staff confirm that the developer has modified the rear elevations for both buildings, based on feedback at the previous public hearing on the project. The city's Planning Commission last month recommended approval of the Royal Farms and Starbucks, and staff is also recommending approval of the project.

Montgomery Village man missing

Montgomery County police are searching for a missing Montgomery Village man. Andres Sanchez Brito, 41, hasn't been seen by his family since he left his home on Lost Knife Circle on foot around 10:00 PM on December 22. They have been unable to contact him since, and have now reported him to police as missing.

Brito is about 5’ 5″ tall and weighs around 200 pounds. He has brown eyes and black hair.

Anyone with information regarding Andres Sanchez Brito’s whereabouts is asked to call the Montgomery County Department of Police at 301-279-8000 (available 24/7).