Popeyes to open in the Kentlands in Gaithersburg

Popeyes has been scouting around Montgomery County for new locations for several years now. Their latest choice is the Kentlands. They will be opening a location in the former Zoe's Kitchen space at 177 Kentlands Boulevard, according to signs posted at the site. As you can see, construction has only barely begun. What we really need, is a Popeyes with a drive-thru, though!

HomeGoods sets reopening date in Gaithersburg

HomeGoods at 602-A Quince Orchard Road in Gaithersburg has been closed nearly a year, since it suffered heavy damage during a storm last August. The building was temporarily condemned as unsafe to occupy by Montgomery County. Now the store is finally ready to reopen. HomeGoods will officially reopen on July 16, 2020.

A look inside the windows of the storefront shows that HomeGoods' reopening is piggybacking on the larger reopenings of economies across the country from the coronavirus lockdown. Signage welcoming customers back and touting new safety policies to reduce the spread of Covid-19 have a double meaning here, where the Gaithersburg store will be welcoming customers back from a weather disaster rather than a pandemic.

It's official: Chuck E. Cheese's closed permanently in Gaithersburg

Sad but now true. Chuck E. Cheese's corporate office has now officially confirmed their currently-shuttered Gaithersburg restaurant is permanently closed. We shouldn't be surprised, as the company is now owned by an investment capital firm, which are known for draining all the value out of companies as cash, firing the employees, and then throwing away the dead husk.

Armed robbery in Montgomery Village

An armed robbery was reported to Montgomery County police in Montgomery Village early yesterday afternoon, A gun was the weapon used in the robbery. The robbery was reported in the parking lot of a residential building in the 18700 block of Walkers Choice Road at 1:46 PM.

GNC to close at Rio Lakefront

GNC will close its Rio Lakefront location at 20-D Grand Corner Avenue in Gaithersburg. The company has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In a statement, GNC says it plans to close 800 to 1200 stores nationwide, including those at Brandywine Crossing and in Waldorf here in Maryland.

Strong-arm robbery in Montgomery Village

A strong-arm robbery was reported to Montgomery County police Sunday night. The robbery occurred along the street in the 18900 block of Mills Choice Road. It was reported around 9:38 PM, according to crime data.

Chuck E. Cheese's Gaithersburg location closed (Photos)

The lockdown may be permanent at Chuck E. Cheese's Gaithersburg location at 516 N. Frederick Avenue. Two other Chuck E. Cheese's in Rockville and Frederick are open, but this one is closed, according to a sign in the window that directs customers to them. The windows are all papered over. A horrible scene for fans of Chuck E. Cheese.

Having been to the original Rockville location at Wintergreen Plaza, in my opinion it was superior to the Gaithersburg one. Wintergreen's arcade was bigger and had more video games, based on what is shown in a YouTube video tour of the Gaithersburg location. It also had a fancier theater for the animatronic puppet show. As far as the pizza, I remember it being very good in Rockville, but not as good as Shakey's or Pizza Hut.

Car stolen in Germantown

A car was reported stolen in Germantown early Wednesday morning. The vehicle was taken from a commercial parking lot in the 13000 block of Wisteria Drive.

Lakeforest Mall reopening Friday

Lakeforest Mall will reopen tomorrow, Friday, June 19, 2020 at 11:00 AM, the mall announced today. Montgomery County's Phase 2 reopening that begins Friday at 5:00 PM requires masks to be worn, and social distancing observed, in stores. There may be restrictions on how many customers may be in a store at one time if it gets crowded.

Malls in Montgomery County will be "open for shopping, not for socializing," County Executive Marc Elrich said yesterday. "The food courts will not be opening," Elrich said. "We are not going to allow people to gather in the mall."

AutoZone coming to Germantown

AutoZone is coming to Germantown. The auto parts and accessories retailer has leased a pad site at 19510 Waters Road. Currently, the closest AutoZone to Germantown is in Gaithersburg.

Indecent exposure in Germantown

An indecent exposure incident was reported to Montgomery County police on Friday. The incident occurred in the 13100 block of Bridger Drive in Germantown. It took place along the street around 6:14 PM, according to crime data.

Cajun Hero Seafood at Spectrum in Gaithersburg

There's something new in the window along with the Hot Pot Hero takeout menu in this age of curbside pickup at the Spectrum development in Gaithersburg. Cajun Hero Seafood allows you to put together your own combinations and bowls of boiled and fried seafood. Add corn on the cob or a clam chowder appetizer.

Purse snatcher at Germantown grocery store

A purse snatching was reported to Montgomery County police in Germantown on Wednesday. The victim's purse was snatched at a grocery store in the 19700 block of Germantown Road around 8:50 PM. There is a Safeway on that block.

Outdoor diners return in Gaithersburg

Outdoor diners are returning after a coronavirus - and winter - hiatus in Gaithersburg. A good size number of people were dining outside in the Kentlands. Lines have returned to their usual length at the popular summer destination of Bruster's Real Ice Cream at 18519 N. Frederick Avenue.

Lakeforest Mall to begin Phase 1 of reopening

Fans of Lakeforest Mall got welcome news from the shuttered Gaithersburg retail destination on Tuesday. The mall was the first in Montgomery County to announce it will begin reopening next Monday, June 15, 2020. Restaurants will be the first tenants to reopen. Outdoor dining will be available Mondays-Saturdays 11:30 AM to 6:30 PM and Sundays 11:30 AM to 5:30 PM.

Lil' Cakes and Creamery reopening today in Gaithersburg

Lil' Cakes and Creamery returns from a coronavirus pandemic hiatus at 488 N. Frederick Avenue in Gaithersburg today. The ice cream and cupcake shop opened last October.

Montgomery County Council's progressive credentials on the line in Defund the Police debate

Day 1 of the Montgomery County Council tackling the nationwide call of progressive activists to Defund the Police found the Council looking out of touch with the moment to some observers. Shortly after Councilmember Andrew Friedson (D - District 1) became the first elected official to publicly state he was reviewing correspondence on the topic, the Council released a public statement about their plans regarding police reform. Their specific 3-point platform of "set a higher standard for use of force by police, outlaw certain deadly tactics such as chokeholds, and require police officers to intervene if a fellow officer is committing a crime or violating department policy," fell flat with many of their progressive constituents.

For a Council that touts itself on the cutting edge of progressive policy, many saw the proposal as being years behind the current hot topic that has arisen out of the nationwide protests in the wake of the George Floyd murder case: defunding or abolishing the police. A Zoom meeting held by several councilmembers later Monday evening was criticized by some for having the formal announced panel dominated by elected and appointed public officials. Meanwhile, residents opposed to defunding the police warned of crime surges, chaos, higher gun sales, and the prospect of fleeing Montgomery County altogether if the Council were to defund the police.

Monday was also a day that some high-level Democrats nationwide began to express second thoughts about the Defund the Police slogan. "Joe Biden does not believe that police should be defunded," a Biden campaign spokesperson said in a statement. Prominent progressives countered that phrases once considered extreme have become mainstream in a short time. "Not long ago, 'Black Lives Matter' was *also* a rallying cry for justice that politicians worried polled too poorly, was too 'divisive' & required 'too much explanation,'" U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D - NY-14) tweeted. "Now Mitt Romney is saying it. Progress is a process. It’s normal to work through discomfort along the way."

It will be interesting to see which way the Council breaks on the issue. Montgomery County has clearly broken far to the left of establishment Democrats like Joe Biden in recent elections. Twitter was not low-volume in providing feedback to the Council on Day 1.

Montgomery County Council weighs defunding the police

A day after the Minneapolis City Council vowed to dissolve its police department, the Montgomery County Council is now examining whether it should "defund the police." Councilmember Andrew Friedson (D - District 1) says the Council has received almost 700 emails from constituents "advocating for defunding police, reforming police, reallocating resources to mental health services, housing initiatives, restorative justice, and more." The Councilman said on Facebook that "[w]e have many important conversations ahead."

The all-Democrat Council has been mostly silent on the nationwide issues of dissolving the police or defunding the police to this point. Progressives in Minneapolis quickly turned against very progressive Mayor Jacob Frey, who has pressed through radical reforms like ending single-family-home neighborhood zoning, when he declined to support the City Council plan to abolish its police department Saturday. With Montgomery County and Maryland veering sharply left in the last decade, it will be interesting to see how the County Council addresses these issues with progressive voters, who are now the decisive factor in Democratic primaries.

First walk across the new Watkins Mill Bridge in Gaithersburg, opening June 10 (Video+Photos)

The brand-new Watkins Mill Bridge over I-270 in Gaithersburg is not yet open to vehicular traffic. But there's nothing stopping pedestrians from using it right now - so I did, and captured this video of the views from Montgomery County's newest bridge! The bridge is expected to officially open on June 10.