Purse snatched in Gaithersburg

A purse-snatching in Gaithersburg was reported to Montgomery County police Wednesday around 3:45 PM. The victim was in the Giant grocery store in the 600 block of Quince Orchard Road, according to crime data. Watch your wallet and purse in this area!

Fatal pedestrian collision in Gaithersburg

A pedestrian has died, four days after he was allegedly struck by a vehicle in Gaithersburg. Douglas Ariel Perez Martinez passed away Tuesday in an unspecified local hospital, Montgomery County police said Wednesday. Martinez was struck by a 2012 Mercedes Benz C300 while trying to cross MD 355 at North Westland Drive around 9:19 PM Friday. Police did not specify whether Martinez was in a crosswalk or not.

Montgomery County Board of Education candidate forum scheduled for March 16

A Montgomery County Board of Education candidate forum has been scheduled for Monday, March 16, 2020 at 6:30 PM at the Potomac Community Center, located at 11315 Falls Road in Potomac. Candidates vying for the three open seats on the board have been invited to participate.

Thirteen candidates are competing for the At-Large seat; the two top vote-getters in that April 28 primary race will advance to the General Election in November. The two candidates running in each of the District races are unopposed, and will face-off in the General Election. Key issues are the school system's funding and budget, the achievement gap, academic decline over the last decade, student safety and a highly-controversial redistricting study now underway that some on the current board have openly said should include the forced busing of students to schools outside of their communities.

The forum's sponsors include the Montgomery County Federation of Republican Women and its four clubs, as well as the GOP Asian-American Association and the Republican Legislative District 15 Political Action Committee.

Clarksburg firm's tech behind Olli autonomous shuttle bus

The autonomous shuttle bus Olli is currently in testing in our region in places like Northern Virginia and National Harbor. But the brains that let the tiny bus think for itself come from Clarksburg. Robotic Research has announced its two latest autonomous driving kits will go international. They will be installed in Olli shuttles that will be tested in Turin, Italy and at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia. RR is located at 22601 Gateway Center Drive.

Photo courtesy Robotic Research

Montgomery County Council seeking authority for new property tax, income tax hikes

Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando (D - At-Large) will hold a press conference this morning to endorse two bills in the Maryland General Assembly that would broadly increase the Council's ability to hike taxes on property and income. If passed in Annapolis, the new taxing powers would allow the Council to hike property taxes even further on owners of homes 5000 SF or larger, or any subclass of property not specifically excluded in the bill, and to raise the County income tax and set multiple rates based on income. The proposed tax hikes come as County taxpayers are already paying the highest tax rates in history, and as large numbers of wealthy residents continue to flee to lower-tax jurisdictions in the region, resulting in declining revenue for the County as they take their money with them.

Last year, Councilmember Evan Glass (D - At-Large) proposed a "teardown tax," also known as a "McMansion tax." It would have taxed new construction homes that replaced existing homes, and then place an excise tax on the square footage added. The proposal was blasted by homebuilders, many of whom would have been forced out of business by the new taxes. Local media did their darndest to promote Glass and his tax, but rarely told the public that he did not even have the votes on the Council to pass it.

Jawando will endorse a bill today that brings the tax back in a new form - and then some. Applying to homes 5000 SF and larger, it again primarily targets teardown projects, by going after square footage. Jawando claims that 97% of County homeowners own homes less than 5000 SF in size, and promises that they would receive a "property tax cut." However, House Bill 1276 includes no such tax cut. There is also the possibility that the automatic assessment hikes each year would handily eclipse a nominal, tiny "tax cut." In that case, the "97 percent" of homeowners would continue to pay the same high property taxes they are now - and the ongoing annual increases.

The House bill is also much more general then what Jawando's press release would suggest. It could lead to all kinds of new property tax hikes on other kinds of property.

HB 1276 actually would allow the Council to create new, higher property taxes on any subclass of property. The bill appears that it could be used to sneak in the high taxes developers have sought for golf and country clubs that would run them out of business, forcing them to sell their club properties, to open up their vast lands for real estate development. In fact, under the current language, any subclass of property not exempted by the bill could face higher taxes of any amount sought by the Council.

Attorney and activist Robin Ficker
is mobbed by fans outside the
Council Office Building in Rockville

The property tax move is the Council's latest attempt to find an end run around attorney Robin Ficker's successful property tax cap ballot initiative, which requires the Council to vote unanimously to raise property taxes beyond the charter limit. When the Council did last did that, voters responded by voting to pass Ficker's ballot question allowing 12-year term limits on the Council and County Executive.

Ironically, Jawando's press conference is scheduled to take place at 11:45 AM this morning. Fifteen minutes later, at noon, Ficker is expected to deliver 55 lbs. of signed petitions for a new ballot question preventing the Council from passing another 9% property tax hike as they did recently.

But wait, we're not done talking about new taxes!

Jawando will also endorse House Bill 1494, which he claims will allow the County to increase the tax rate on incomes over $1 million a year from 3.2% to 3.5%. The Councilman says such a tax hike on millionaires would raise $88.4 million in new revenue annually.

One must ask, if true, why did the 9% increase of the already-progressive property tax only result in ongoing budget shortfalls each fiscal year since? Revenue is declining, not increasing, under the record-high tax rates now being paid. You can only get so much blood from a stone, especially when that stone has very smart tax advisors on retainer. Some on the Council continue to ignore what their own staff - past and present - has warned them about the impact of overtaxing, and their warnings are borne out in our declining revenue today.

One must also, again, read the actual text of the bill. In fact, under the language in the bill, everyone - that includes you! - could end up paying a higher income tax rate. "But Will Jawando says we won't," someone - likely an obsequious member of the local media or political cartel - might protest. As with the desperate Council attempt to create a Transit Authority last decade, it is key to ignore what the politicians say, and read what the actual bill says.

Under HB 1494, the Council could - for example - hike the income tax of all residents to 3.4%, and of "millionaires" to 3.5%. The bill has no language protecting "non-millionaires" from a higher income tax rate. It only says wealthier residents can't pay a lower tax rate than the people in the brackets under them, and allows the Council to create those brackets.

So even if you think the property tax hike on homes bigger than 5000 SF - and the income tax hike on incomes over $1 million - are good policy, you need to lobby your legislators to actually put those specific provisions into the bill. They aren't there as of this morning.

With no amendments to the text of each bill, both proposals will allow much corrupt mischief by the Council on property taxes, certainly hit local homebuilders and remodeling firms hard financially, and absolutely set up a potential income tax hike for every Montgomery County resident.

Will the proposed tax hikes destroy the Montgomery County economy? Probably not, because the County economy has already been destroyed. The new taxes will simply put a heavier layer of concrete atop the grave of the moribund economic corpse. And will make it all the harder for a future, competent set of new leaders to restore it once we have a free and fair Montgomery County election.

Virginia studying another Metro extension - why isn't Montgomery County?

The Silver Line isn't even finished yet, and booming Northern Virginia is already looking at another ambitious subway extension to Prince William County. Meanwhile, Montgomery County elected officials are looking at a ten-day February vacation, and even sleepier, moribund economic times ahead. What they should be studying are Metro extensions to the Upcounty and East County, studies that should have begun over a decade ago.

Clarksburg is about 12 miles from the Shady Grove Metro station. Burtonsville is around 10 miles from the Silver Spring Metro station. Virginia's $2 million Blue Line study is examining a 15-mile extension to Prince William via Fort Belvoir, Lorton, Potomac Mills and Quantico, modestly bigger than either potential Montgomery County extension.

Rail transit is far more advantageous for economic development than bus rapid transit. Unlike BRT, companies and developers can be assured the new transit isn't going to be suddenly cut off or rerouted. Ridership of rail would be far higher than that of buses or BRT (the County's future "Flash" B"Rapid"T will take a sluggish 87 minutes to travel from Clarksburg to Bethesda - longer than a car in traffic!).

In contrast, Montgomery County couldn't even get the Corridor Cities Transitway bus line built. Instead of high-speed rail technology fomenting a modern economic hub of the future, Montgomery's "Science City" ended up as Sleepy City. Just more stack-and-pack residential development, and thousands more cars vying for space on over-capacity I-270 and MD 355 every rush hour. Promised anchor biotech tenant Johns Hopkins Medicine just exited stage left as a result.

Meanwhile, what jobs we had in the 270 corridor continued to migrate to Northern Virginia and Frederick County. Montgomery County was at rock bottom in the D.C. region for job growth over the last decade. What we need are boardrooms, not more bedrooms.

There are also large properties planned for redevelopment north of Shady Grove, such as Lakeforest Mall, COMSAT and the Montgomery County Fairgrounds. These developments will not be "smart growth" without a Metro extension, or other rail service, and will not have the job component we need to also reduce the number and length of car trips in the corridor. The same goes for White Oak and Burtonsville.

A coordinated plan to address our moribund economy and failing, incomplete transportation system is needed. No such plan has come out of our current County Council.

Here's what we should be prioritizing today:

• Study extending the Red Line to Clarksburg, including options for at-grade, elevated and cut-and-cover underground segments
• Metro should connect to Lakeforest and COMSAT
• Study of Metro extension from Silver Spring Metro to Burtonsville
• Addition of third track to MARC Brunswick Line
• Making Ride On bus service free
• More business-friendly tax policy and regulations
• More competitive state tax policies
• Fully privatizing the County liquor monopoly, and allowing beer and wine sales at all grocery, drug and convenience stores
• Coordinate timing of new business policies with zoning/sector plan updates that incentivize and favor commercial/corporate development (a.k.a. high-wage jobs) over residential housing
• Planning and construction of long-delayed Midcounty Highway Extended (M-83 Highway Master Plan Alignment), with potential use for median/cut-and-cover simultaneous construction of rail line from Shady Grove Metro on relevant segments
• Construction of equally-long-delayed new Potomac River crossing to Dulles Airport with trackbed for future Red Line extension to Silver Line in median, as a toll facility built by a private company
• A concerted, focused effort on attracting aerospace, defense and tech corporate headquarters, and related research and manufacturing facilities (i.e. satellite and rocket assembly)

The Montgomery County Council isn't doing any of this. In fact, they're in the middle of a 10-day vacation. In February. 

Working hard, or hardly working?

In contrast, the Council-equivalents of our biggest competitors - Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties - are all meeting this week. It would be interesting if all local media - print, online, TV, radio - would join me in exposing the lazy work schedule of our self-proclaimed "full-time" slacker County Council.

Anyone who thinks we can dig ourselves out of this economic hole with a small-ball agenda by running empty BRT buses up and down, giving government contracts to small businesses, believing residential housing that generates more costs than revenue is the definition of "economic development," and patting ourselves on the back by adding the same STEM components to our schools that all of our competitors' school systems are also adding - or that it can be done under the leadership of our current County Council - is fooling themselves. 

Virginia has plenty of housing. But they also have plenty of jobs. Plenty of revenue, as a result. And they are making the big ticket investments to keep cleaning our clock for decades to come. Meanwhile, we're scaring every company away, have a structural budget deficit as far out as the projections go, are paying record high taxes, have massive debt, and steadily declining revenue even with a 9% tax hike several years ago. 

We can't go on like this.

MVA expanding appointments to include vehicle titling

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R)

The Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration announced this morning that the appointment process it has used to address a backlog of Real ID verifications will now be expanded to include vehicle titling services. MVA Administrator Chrissy Nizer said that the appointments have been so successful and favorably-received by customers that the department decided to try expanding their use.

Customers who schedule a vehicle title-related appointment are guaranteed to be seen within 15 minutes of the appointment time, the MVA promised. In Montgomery County, the new titling appointments will be available at the Metropolitan Grove Gaithersburg and White Oak MVA branches. Appointments can now be made online.

Hughes wins role in National Weather Service contract

Germantown-based Hughes Network Systems, LLC came out in a winner in a new National Weather Service contract awarded to ERT, Inc. As a subcontractor for ERT, Hughes will 4G LTE wireless backup, and install Hughes HR4860 Secure SD-WAN Gateways with live dashboards with 24x7 access to network performance data and analytics at NWS locations in the lower 48 states, Hawaii, Alaska and in U.S. Pacific Ocean territories.

"This expansion of our longstanding partnership with ERT, Inc. in support of the National Weather Service is a testament to the essential power of connectivity to impact lives every day," Tony Bardo, assistant vice president of government solutions at Hughes, said this morning. "The work of the NWS ensures the preparedness of people nationwide, and we are proud to deliver the network they need to carry out their mission with speed, flexibility, and reliability."

Armed robbery at Montgomery County Liquor store in Germantown

An armed robbery was reported at the Montgomery County government-owned liquor store in Germantown last Sunday. The store at 20680 Seneca Meadows Parkway was robbed Sunday evening at 6:07 PM, according to crime data. A gun was the weapon employed in the robbery.

Poolesville resident arrested in Urbana armed robbery

A Poolesville resident has been arrested in the armed robbery of the Bank of America branch on Worthington Boulevard in Urbana. Jerry Lee Tolbert, 54, is being held without bond in jail in Frederick County.

WFMD reports that Tolbert has been charged with one count each of armed robbery, 1st-degree assault, 2nd-degree assault, reckless endangerment and the use of a firearm in a felony crime of violence. The robbery took place on February 11.

Germantown woman missing

A Germantown woman is missing, and Montgomery County police are asking for the public's help in locating her. Amy Renee Vollmer, 42, of Esmond Court hasn't been seen since 7:00 Thursday morning when she dropped off a family member in the area of Great Seneca Highway and Wisteria Drive in Germantown. She was driving a 1999 green Honda Civic, with an unknown West Virginia license plate. Her family has been unable to contact her since.

Police describe Vollmer as being around 5’ 05” tall, and weighing 130 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes.

Anyone who has information regarding the whereabouts of Amy Renee Vollmer is asked to call the police non-emergency number at 301-279-8000 (24 hours).

Clarksburg High School students arrested for robbery, gun possession

Montgomery County police arrested five Clarksburg High School students Monday, after one allegedly brought a gun and an additional loaded magazine for it to school, and was then robbed of the gun and his cash-filled wallet by four schoolmates in a school restroom. Officers were alerted by a colleague assigned to the school of the incidents around 1:00 PM Monday.

The gun-toting victim and his four assailants were identified by officers; all five students were arrested. Juveniles were released to their parents' custody; adult students were taken to jail. Police say the investigation is ongoing, but the following suspects have been charged:

• Tyson Brown, age 16, of Clarksburg – charged as an adult with possession of a handgun, robbery, and conspiracy to commit robbery

• Justin Ferguson, age 18, of Gaithersburg, charged with robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery

• Juvenile male, age 15, charged as a juvenile with possession of a handgun and possession of a deadly weapon on school grounds

• Juvenile male, age 15, charged as a juvenile with robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery

• Juvenile male, age 16, charged as a juvenile with robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery

Gaithersburg teen missing

Montgomery County police are seeking the public's help in located a missing Gaithersburg teenager. Taiveon Stephen Tyler, 16, resides on Broschart Road but police have not disclosed the amount of time that has passed since he was last seen.

Police describe Tyler as being around 6' and weighing 155 pounds.  He has brown hair and brown eyes.  Tyler was wearing a black jacket, green shirt, and blue shoes when he was last seen, and has an ace of spades tattoo on his left arm.

Anyone who has information regarding the whereabouts of Taiveon Stephen Tyler 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 seeks public input on Diamond Farms playground proposal tonight

The City of Gaithersburg is seeking public input on a proposal for a new playground at Diamond Farms Park. They are also encouraging parents to bring children who will be the primary users of the future playgrounds to get their opinions. The equipment being replaced is targeted towards children of ages 2-5. Equipment geared to older kids in the park is still too new to be replaced.

The community meeting for Diamond Farms Park takes place tonight, Tuesday, February 11, 2020 at the Robertson Park Youth Center, 801 Rabbitt Road. The 90-minute meeting will start at 7:00 PM.

Montgomery Village man missing

Montgomery County police are searching for a missing man who lives and works in Montgomery Village. Craig Michael Johnson, 42, hasn't been seen by family, friends or co-workers since he left his place of employment in Montgomery Village on February 5, 2020.

Police describe Johnson as being around 5’06” tall, and weighing 130 pounds. He has hazel eyes and brown hair.

Anyone who has information regarding the whereabouts of Craig Michael Johnson is asked to call the police non-emergency number at 301-279-8000 (24 hours).

Gaithersburg, Germantown, Clarksburg, Damascus hit by unusual January storm

Damaged car on
Norbeck Road

The upcounty area of Montgomery County is being pounded by severe storms this morning. A tornado was issued for parts of Gaithersburg and Germantown, as well as the northeast corner of the upcounty near the Howard and Carroll County borders. Flooding has been reported across the upcounty, as have fallen trees and power lines. The whole county is being hit by the unusual February summer-style storm, but the upcounty is being affected the most.

Power lines, tree down on
Darnestown Road at
White Ground Road

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services have received so many emergency calls that they are now operating under Condition Red, which means there may be longer response times, particularly for non-critical incidents. Violent weather and storm damage have also impacted parts of Poolesville, Rockville and Silver Spring, most notably in the Dawsonville, Norbeck Road and Layhill Road areas.

Route 109 is currently blocked between MD 355 and the I-270 overpass after a tree fell across the roadway. Some lanes are also blocked at Route 28 and Route 107. Trees are also reported down by MCFRS on Circle Gate Drive in Germantown.

Photos by Pete Piringer/MCFRS

Armed robbery in Germantown

Montgomery County police responded to the report of an armed robbery in Germantown early Wednesday morning. A firearm was utilized in the robbery, which occurred in an apartment building parking lot in the 19600 block of Crystal Rock Drive around 12:34 AM.

Fighter jets over DC, Montgomery County, N. Virginia after State of the Union rattle residents

Significant fighter jet activity over the Washington, D.C. area around 11:00 PM Tuesday night had many residents seeking answers, answers that are not forthcoming as of this writing. President Trump's State of the Union address had ended earlier, and the commander-in-chief was presumably already back at the White House by the time the jet flyovers began. It was not surprising to hear jets deployed, but they have not been heard to this extent following other recent State of the Union speeches.

The noise was somewhat reminiscent of the weeks following 9/11. It continued for about 15 minutes, paused for a few minutes, and then resumed for about 5 more minutes - at least over Montgomery County. Based on social media chatter, the jets were heard in the District and Northern Virginia, as well. Following the jet flyovers, commercial airliners were heard resuming landings at Reagan National Airport, in greater numbers than one usually hears along the Potomac after 11:00 PM.

A Google News search finds no news articles on the jet noise. In a tweet, Oriana Pawlyk, an air war reporter for Military.com, suggested the fighters may have been F-16s from Andrews Air Force Base.

Gaithersburg construction update: True Food Kitchen at Rio Lakefront (Photos)

The construction of True Food Kitchen at Rio Lakefront in Gaithersburg is still in the early stages. This is on the former site of Joe's Crab Shack, which has been demolished (except for a short staircase you will see in one of the photos below). The addition continues the Peterson Cos. property's comeback from recent closures - with several superior dining additions to those that departed, a totally-revamped AMC Dine-In Rio Cinemas 18, and the new Dave & Busters, Rio has recovered and then some.

BonChon opening Gaithersburg location

If you want to know if someone is working for the Montgomery County political cartel, or development interests anywhere, they'll talk to you about the "missing middle" in housing - your cue to start running the other direction. But for BonChon chicken fans, the missing middle has been Gaithersburg. Now BonChon is filling the vacuum between Rockville and Germantown by coming to the Kentlands, at 654 Center Point Way. The sign is already up.