&pizza opens at Gaithersburg Square (Photos)

&pizza has opened its newest Montgomery County location at the Gaithersburg Square shopping center at 524 N. Frederick Avenue. Operating hours at this pizzeria are Monday-Sunday 11:00 AM - 11:00 PM. The interior design here is a lot more colorful than the Bethesda store, for example.

Wawa Gaithersburg construction begins (Photos)

After three years of delay, construction is finally beginning on the Wawa convenience store and mega gas station at 405 S. Frederick Avenue (MD 355) in Gaithersburg. Fencing has been erected around the property, and a backhoe is parked on the site. The first order of business will be to demolish the vacant retail structure on the lot. This will be the first Wawa in Montgomery County.

Montgomery County transit use, return to offices remains far below pre-pandemic numbers, data show

Park use and grocery/pharmacy shopping

now less than during pandemic

New Google Mobility data show life in Montgomery County has yet to resume pre-pandemic patterns over the first three months of 2022, and some activity categories have even declined below their pandemic numbers. Transit use in the county has been even worse this year than it was last fall, dropping from 43% below early 2020 ridership numbers to 48% below in early 2022. Workers are heading back to the office only 1% more so far this year than they were last fall, with residents working on-location 30% less than during the same period before the pandemic in 2020.

Wheaton Claridge Local Park

County residents in 2022 so far are still staying home 10% more than they did in early 2020. In a troubling change, residents have actually reduced their time in parks and in grocery and drug stores. Google data during the pandemic months of 2020 and 2021 had showed residents were actually spending more time in parks, grocery stores and drug stores than they were before the pandemic. Now even those categories have gone negative.

Buses lined up at
Rockville Metro station

Residents spent 5% less time in parks between January 21 and March 4, 2022 than they did over the same period in 2020. They spent 6% less time in grocery and drug stores so far this year than they did in early 2020, which is odd considering that Covid-19 cases were way up when the year started, and shelves were bare for several weeks at grocery stores. And they've spent a whopping 30% less time in other types of retail stores and in recreation activities this year than they did in January - March 2020.

County residents spent less time
shopping at CVS Pharmacy so far
this year than they did over the same
period in 2020

The data collected by Google is limited to those users who have opted in to allowing the tech giant to track their phone's location. It measures both the frequency of visits, and the amount of time those users stay in the places categorized in the results, such as grocery stores, transit stations and parks.

Franchot, Moore tout new endorsements in Maryland governor's race

Democrats Peter Franchot and Wes Moore have announced several new endorsements in the crowded primary field of the 2022 Maryland gubernatorial race. Takoma Park resident and Maryland Comptroller Franchot has been endorsed by hospitality unions UNITE HERE Local 23 and Local 7. Among Franchot's efforts as comptroller was a successful push with Governor Larry Hogan (R) to extend the summer vacations of Maryland public school students, a boon for hotels and other businesses in travel destinations like Ocean City. Individual school systems later regained the right to set their own school opening dates each fall through action by the Democrat-controlled state legislature, rendering Hogan's executive order moot.

Wes Moore

Takoma Park native Moore's latest endorsements are from former Montgomery County Planning Board Chair Royce Hanson and Montgomery County Delegate Eric Luedtke (D - District 14). Hanson is recognized as the architect of the County's Agricultural Reserve policy, which has preserved farmland in a designated zone of the county from development. Moore is a combat veteran, former White House Fellow, bestselling author, and former CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation.

Photo via WesMoore.com

Germantown man arrested with loaded gun at Milestone Shopping Center

Brasean Decarlos Wellington

Montgomery County Police arrested a Germantown man at Milestone Shopping Center, after a traffic stop allegedly revealed he was in possession of a loaded firearm. Brasean Decarlos Wellington, 28, was driving a 2009 BMW at the popular shopping center at 3:35 PM on Friday, March 25, 2022. Officers patrolling the center noticed the vehicle had an "equipment safety violation," and ordered Wellington to stop.

When officers approached the BMW, they reported smelling a strong odor of marijuana eminating from the vehicle's interior. Upon searching the car, they allegedly located a loaded Springfield 9mm handgun hidden in a compartment behind the glovebox. Officers subsequently found that the gun had been reported stolen in Prince William County, Virginia.

Gun allegedly found in 
Wellington's BMW

Wellington was arrested and transported to the Central Processing Unit, where he has been charged with multiple firearm related charges. The Montgomery County Police Department reports that the arresting officers were with the 5th District Action Community Team.

Photos courtesy Montgomery County Police Department

Hans Riemer endorsed by Matt Yglesias for Montgomery County Executive

Journalist Matt Yglesias endorsed Montgomery County Councilmember Hans Riemer in the Democratic primary race for County Executive Friday. In a tweet that displayed a portion of a recent blog post, Yglesias wrote, "I would vote for Hans Riemer." Yglesias, who reportedly lives in Logan Circle in the District, wrote that incumbent executive Marc Elrich (D) "is bad and people should vote against him. Hans Riemer is almost certainly the best candidate in that field."

"That field" also includes businessman David Blair, businessman Peter James (who just filed for the race yesterday), and County Councilmember Tom Hucker; no candidate of any other party affiliation has filed to run as of this morning. Yglesias also weighed in with a novel take on the Maryland governor's race, predicting Peter Franchot would top the Democratic field "based on name recognition and being white in a field with many Black candidates. And that's a shame."

A co-founder of Vox Media, Yglesias is now a columnist for Bloomberg, and publishes a subscription-based blog called Slow Boring. He is also a senior fellow at the Niskanen Center.

Assault on Gaithersburg residential street

City of Gaithersburg police were called to investigate a 2nd degree assault on a residential street late yesterday afternoon. The victim reported being assaulted in the 1 block of Duvall Lane at 5:20 PM, according to crime data.

Strong-arm robbery at Germantown apartment complex

Montgomery County police were called to a Germantown apartment complex last night, after a strong-arm robbery was reported there. The robbery occurred outside apartments located in the 13000 block of Middlebrook Road at 6:08 PM, according to crime data. 

MD Gov. Larry Hogan endorses Kelly Schulz for governor

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan (R) yesterday announced he is endorsing Kelly Schulz for governor in the Republican primary currently scheduled for July 19, 2022. Schulz served in the Hogan administration for seven years, as the first female secretary of both the Department of Labor and Department of Commerce. She has also served as a state delegate to the Maryland General Assembly from Frederick County, and as a small business owner. If elected, Schulz would be the first female governor of the state.

Schulz faces fellow Republicans Delegate Dan Cox, who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump; attorney and former state delegate Robin Ficker; and attorney Joe Werner in the gubernatorial primary. The Hogan endorsement's impact on the race is debatable. 

For Schulz, the support from Hogan bolsters her argument that she is the only candidate who can hold the Hogan coalition together that led him to victory twice in a blue state. Hogan said as much in his statement of endorsement Tuesday:  “If you approve of how we have led Maryland, then Kelly Schulz is your choice for governor.” 

The governor scored a major win this week in bringing a Hitachi railcar factory to economically-hard-hit Hagerstown, with 460 high-wage jobs, the first such high-profile victory in nearly two decades for the state. Hitachi's announcement puts a tangible punctuation mark on Hogan's claim to have improved Maryland's miserable business climate. Schulz noted following the announcement that she played a leading role as Secretary of Commerce in recruiting Hitachi and a new United Safety Technology manufacturing facility to the state, allowing her to now tout these wins on the stump, a powerful talking point with broad appeal to moderate Democrats and independents.

But while Hogan is more popular in majority-Democrat Maryland overall than Trump, Trump may loom larger in a GOP primary. A Gonzales poll in January showed that more Democrats approved of Hogan than Republicans statewide. Hogan clashed eagerly and regularly with Trump over the last several years, angering many Republicans in the state.

While Schulz has led in fundraising, her campaign has unleashed increasingly-negative attacks on Cox in recent weeks, via online ads and surrogates. Either Cox remains a significant concern, or Schulz is not taking any chances. 

Ficker and Werner have stayed out of the fray. Ficker has focused on his proposal to reduce the state sales tax by two cents, and Werner has balanced conservative positions on social issues with a pro-business-growth message. Cox has fought Hogan's pandemic restrictions and mandates, such as business closures, going as far as suing the governor at one point. He and his supporters are likely shedding no tears over an endorsement snub by Hogan.

Pepco makes donation to Montgomery College

Pepco has made a donation to Montgomery College, as part of a $650,000 package of donations to local community colleges and historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The money will go to workforce development in the energy field, teacher training and scholarships, the Exelon-owned utility announced in a press release. Montgomery College has campuses in Rockville, Germantown and Takoma Park.

“We hope this funding helps open the door to educational opportunities that all too often are just a dream for many young people within our communities,” Rodney Oddoye, Senior Vice-President of Governmental, External and Regulatory Affairs for Pepco Holdings, said in a statement. “Through our partnerships with local community colleges, HBCUs, and workforce development programs like the DC Infrastructure Academy, we are not only expanding the possibilities for our youth, we are building the talent pool for the future energy workforce.”

Gaithersburg man arrested in fatal stabbing near Downtown Crown

A fatal stabbing in Rockville last night has led to an arrest, and is under investigation by Montgomery County police detectives. Deonte Foreman, 21, of Rockville was stabbed outside his home in the 10100 block of Reprise Drive around 9:21 PM Monday night. Police arrived after someone called 911 to report a shooting at that location. Officers found Foreman suffering from multiple stab wounds, and attempted to provide medical assistance until County Fire and Rescue personnel arrived, but Foreman was ultimately pronounced dead at the scene.

Demarco Rayford, 26, of Gaithersburg was arrested at the scene. Detectives allege that Foreman and Rayford had an argument, which escalated into an altercation. During that fight, police allege that Rayford stabbed Foreman multiple times. Rayford has been charged with 2nd degree murder; police have not yet provided a mugshot of Rayford.

The location of the homicide is near the Gaithersburg border, directly adjacent to the Crown Farm development.  Police say their investigation is ongoing.

Gaithersburg homes could be replaced by car wash

Two single-family homes on MD 355 in Gaithersburg could be demolished and replaced by a car wash, if the proposal is approved by city officials. Crain Partners, LLC of Bowie has submitted an application seeking approval of the site plan for a 5,617 square foot automatic car wash facility at 601, 605 and 607 South Frederick Avenue from the City. 605 and 607 are the house properties; 601 is undeveloped land at the corner of MD 355 and Central Avenue. The properties are backed by a stream that has a wetland buffer zone.

New ingress-egress curb cuts would be added on the Central Avenue side of the property for the car wash. A 3' retaining wall would be constructed along the parking spaces and drive aisle on the site. 18 vacuum stations would be provided for customers. A 16'x11' dumpster enclosure would hide a refuse dumpster. And three micro-bioretention planter boxes would assist in stormwater management. Crain Partners has agreed to donate part of the property along Central Avenue, as required by the Montgomery County Department of Transportation, to meet right-of-way requirements for that street.

Proposed site plan

Some car washes in the county have had issues with backed-up lines spilling out into traffic lanes. Gaithersburg has a 200' stacking length guidance for car wash lanes. Crain Partners has proposed going above and beyond what it is required to offer, by providing two lanes that will total 510' of stacking length. The required 23 parking spaces will also be provided under the site plan, but the applicant will seek waivers for parking space dimensions and parking green space requirements at a later date.

Crain Partners has proposed planting 9 trees and 46 shrubs on the site. The applicant is seeking an environmental waiver related to the retaining wall facing the stream buffer. While the walls will not be built within the buffer zone, workers and their equipment will need to be on the buffer zone land for temporary periods to construct and maintain the walls.

A public hearing on the car wash proposal will be held tonight, March 21, 2022, by the Mayor and Council at 7:30 PM. Because this is the initial hearing on the matter, city staff will not make a recommendation on the proposal at this juncture.

Gaithersburg St. Patrick's Day Parade better late than never this Saturday

Gaithersburg knows how to extend a party. Guinness mugs may be empty around the world, but the St. Patrick's Day celebration is just getting started here. The city's annual St. Patrick's Day parade was frozen out by the nasty weather last weekend, and has been rescheduled for tomorrow, Saturday, March 19, 2022 at 10:00 AM. Festivities take place at Rio Boulevard and Grand Corner Avenue at Rio Lakefront. 

Lapu Lapu Kentlands construction update (Photos)

There's been a great deal of progress at Lapu Lapu at 216 Market Street West at Kentlands Market Square in Gaithersburg. Just a few weeks ago, the interior of the Filipino restaurant was hardly more than an empty shell with some walls. Now much of the kitchen equipment is in place, and counters and flooring appear complete. Stay tuned for an opening date.

Claire's to open store at Gaithersburg Square

Claire's will open a store at 536 N. Frederick Avenue at Gaithersburg Square, according to a sign posted at its future storefront. The store will be next to AT&T. Claire's already has a store at the nearby Lakeforest Mall. The Illinois-based chain sells popular cosmetics, jewelry, toys and accessories aimed at teen and tween girls.

Amazon Fresh Gaithersburg construction update (Photos)

We're getting our first look inside the future Amazon Fresh grocery store at 15790 Shady Grove Road in the 270 Center, on the border of Rockville and Gaithersburg. Some of the window coverings and barricades have been removed, allowing a closer view. This will be the second Amazon Fresh store to open in Montgomery County; the first is in Friendship Heights.

BurgerFi opens at Rio Lakefront in Gaithersburg (Photos)

BurgerFi is now open at 5 Grand Corner Avenue at Rio Lakefront in Gaithersburg. The upscale burger chain serves all-natural hamburgers, Vienna beef dogs, and veggie and vegan burgers. Their 100% natural Angus beef patties have no steroids, antibiotics or growth hormones. Burger Fi's menu also includes fresh, hand-cut fries, double-battered crispy onion rings, craft beer, wine, natural sugar cane sodas, and frozen custards and shakes.

Winter weather advisory issued for Montgomery County Saturday

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory that includes Montgomery County for tomorrow, Saturday, March 12, 2022, from 6:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Accuweather and the NWS are forecasting a potential accumulation of 1-to-2 inches of snow. 

While snow is not expected to accumulate by any significant degree on roads and sidewalks, due to warmer temperatures, they will still be slippery from mixed precipitation. Winds may gust up to 50 MPH, causing trees and limbs to fall, and power outages. 

Rain is expected to begin after midnight tonight, and turn to snow around 10:00-11:00 AM Saturday. The temperature will steadily drop throughout the day on Saturday, reaching a brutal low of 19 degrees at 6:00 AM Sunday, with potential for icy spots on wet surfaces. 

Image courtesy National Weather Service

Qdoba opens in Gaithersburg

Qdoba Mexican Eats has opened at 16260 Frederick Road in the Rock Grove shopping center in Gaithersburg. This is actually a return to Gaithersburg for Qdoba. The chain had a location at 622 Center Point Way at Kentlands Market Square, which is now closed. 

Galito's update (Photos)

Galito's is nearing its American debut at 15918 Shady Grove Road in the Shady Grove Center on the border of Rockville and Gaithersburg. The South African flame-grilled chicken chain hasn't announced an opening date publicly yet, but as you can see, the interior is nearing completion. 

Galito's has announced what the opening specials will be: a full chicken with one side item for $19.00, and a 1/4 chicken with french fries for $6.90. The restaurant is also currently hiring grillers, expediters, and cashiers, with a starting salary of $15-$20.