Van Hollen secures Pleasant View restoration funding for Gaithersburg

Senator Chris Van Hollen (D - Maryland) announced Tuesday that he has secured $943,000 in an FY-2023 U.S. Senate appropriations bill for renovations of structures at Gaithersburg's historic Pleasant View community. Pleasant View was established by free African-Americans after Maryland emancipation, following the Civil War. Many such communities were completely wiped off the map in Montgomery County by developers in the 20th century, such as those on River Road in Bethesda or in Rockville's Town Center.

The funding will be used by the Pleasant View Historical Association to renovate and stabilize structures that remain in Pleasant View. This will allow them to be reopened to the public for tours and educational opportunities. It will also expand the community's existing educational partnerships with Montgomery County Public Schools and the Universities at Shady Grove. The funding is not final until the Senate bill passes, is reconciled with the House of Representatives, and is signed by President Biden.

Photo courtesy Office of Senator Chris Van Hollen

Indecent exposure at Gaithersburg gas station

Patrons at a Gaithersburg gas station saw more than high prices at the pump early yesterday morning. Gaithersburg City police responded to a report of indecent exposure at a service station in the 400 block of N. Frederick Avenue at 1:39 AM Monday. 

Maryland governor candidate Wes Moore won't debate GOP rival Dan Cox at Morgan State University

Wes Moore, Democratic nominee for governor of Maryland, has declined a debate invitation from Morgan State University. MSU is the largest among the state's Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Republican gubernatorial nominee Dan Cox accepted the invitation, and said he will debate an empty chair representing Moore at MSU on September 27. According to The MSU Spokesman campus newspaper, which is hosting the debate, a Moore spokesperson provided the paper with a contradictory statement when asked why Moore would not accept the invite.

The Moore spokesperson said that the candidate would not debate Cox because Moore does not want to provide a platform "that amplifies his dangerous and decisive (sic) rhetoric." Yet, the spokesperson went on to say that Moore would debate "at the appropriate time and forum." Moore has so far declined at least two invitations by organizations that have invited him to debate Cox.

“The students at Morgan State University deserve inclusive treatment for their historic debate,” Cox said in a statement. "Moore should not discriminate against them, nor diminish the University’s leadership in political debates. Voters need to hear directly from their candidates, so they can make well-informed decisions on how to vote November 8th.” The Cox campaign said their candidate accepted the MSU invite "immediately."

Fairchild Apartments in Germantown update (Photos)

The Fairchild Apartments topped out last month at 20013 Century Boulevard in Germantown. Since that last update, virtually all of the glass has been installed in the unit windows. 

When completed in early 2023, The Fairchild will feature 212 luxury units, and is steps away from Regal Cinemas Germantown cineplex, IHOP, Chick-fil-A, Taco Bell, Senor Tequila's, Red Robin, Longhorn Steakhouse, Taqueria y Pupuseria El Paso, Panera Bread, Top Golf, the Germantown Library and the Germantown Transit Center. You will also have a wonderful neighbor in the Fairfield Inn & Suites next door.

Marc Elrich victory confirmed as Montgomery County Executive election results are certified

The Montgomery County Board of Elections certified the results of the July 19, 2022 gubernatorial primary election yesterday. A full recount in the Democratic Montgomery County Executive primary race confirmed the victory of incumbent Marc Elrich over second-place finisher David Blair. Final results showed Elrich with 55,504 votes, and Blair with 55,472 votes, a difference of only 32 votes.

Elrich will face Republican Reardon Sullivan in the November general election. While the lengthy counting and recount provided a final result more than a month after the primary, the small change in votes produced by the recount does help to boost confidence in the integrity of the vote-counting process in Montgomery County.

Paranormal Cirque to return to Montgomery County in Clarksburg September 8-18

Paranormal Cirque is coming back to Montgomery County next month. It will set up by the Clarksburg Premium Outlets at 22705 Clarksburg Road. A combination of European-style circus, theatre and cabaret, the show will be in Clarksburg from September 8 to 18, 2022.

Under the ominous Clown Castle big top, you will witness acrobats, illusionists, "freaks," and "mysterious creatures." "If you scare easily, you might want to run," the website warns those weak of heart. No one under 13 will be admitted to the event. Children 13-17 must be accompanied by an adult aged 21 or older.

Tickets are now on sale, and can be purchased online.

Office work, transit use aren't recovering in Montgomery County, new data show

New Google Mobility data for Montgomery County show that transit use has only picked up by 1% since spring 2022, and that fewer workers are toiling in on-site offices than were this past spring. The data use a five-week period just before the pandemic hit the United States, January 3 - February 6, 2020, as the baseline. In reports I've posted over the last two years, numbers for office and transit use have been poor, as expected. But we've also seen some surprising shifts in behavior, which continue in the latest period examined here, from June 23 - August 4, 2022.

For starters, with the overwhelming message from governments and the media being to drop precautions and go back to business as usual, it's intriguing that there's been no significant increase in transit use in Montgomery County since President Joe Biden's State of the Union address. And would you have expected that the number of residents going into an office in Montgomery would actually decline by 12 percentage points since then, as well? Time spent in offices of employment in spring 2022 was 30% less than the pre-pandemic period; this summer it was 42% less than early 2020. The return of vacation travel may have been a factor - but not entirely, as summer 2021 office use was only 2 percentage points higher at 44% below the pre-pandemic period.

Use of public parks in Montgomery County has bounced back since spring. This summer, residents were 19% more likely to be in a park than they were during the pre-pandemic period of 2020. Shopping in stores and supermarkets has picked up since spring, too. The percentage of people going into retail stores compared to this past spring has doubled, but still remains 16% below pre-pandemic shopping levels. Residents' patronage of grocery stores is up 5% from spring 2022, but is 1% less than the pre-pandemic period. 

Montgomery County residents this summer are spending 10% more time at home than they did in the January-February 2020 period, the new data show. 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.

Staff training at new Pollo Campero in Gaithersburg

Another progress note from the new Pollo Campero restaurant at 426 N. Frederick Avenue in Gaithersburg. A sign at the entrance says that the employees are now in-training for the grand opening, which could be any day now, judging from the status of the interior. With drive-thru ordering, this is going to be a wonderful addition to the main drag of MD 355 through Gaithersburg.

Armed carjacking in Montgomery Village

Montgomery County police responded to a report of an armed carjacking in Montgomery Village yesterday morning, August 18, 2022. The carjacking was reported in a residential parking lot on Boysenberry Drive at 6:33 AM Thursday. That is in the area of the Breckenridge Condominiums off of Christopher Avenue.

Maryland governor candidate Dan Cox visits Montgomery County Fair

Dan Cox, the Republican nominee for governor of Maryland, stopped by the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair in Gaithersburg. The candidate met and spoke with voters, toured the exhibits and attractions, and visited the Montgomery County Republican Party tent. One stop of particular interest to the gubernatorial hopeful was the 4-H Sheep & Swine Club booth, where he participated in the 4-H raffle. Cox was a Champion sheep (Shropshire) showman and shepherd in Maryland 4-H from 1986-1991. 

Photo via Dan Cox for Governor

Contents of Ichiban Restaurant in Gaithersburg to be auctioned off next month

Ichiban Restaurant closed at 637 N. Frederick Avenue in Gaithersburg in September 2021. Curiously, a full year later, the contents of the Korean BBQ/sushi business are finally hitting the auction block. The auction will start closing online on Thursday, September 15, 2022 at 1:00 PM. One of the most interesting items up for bid is...a pay phone. I'll buy that for a dollar!

Assault in Gaithersburg parking lot

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a 2nd-degree assault in a Gaithersburg parking lot early Sunday morning. The assault was reported in a commercial parking lot on School Drive at 4:30 AM. That's off Muddy Branch Road. 

Car stolen from parking lot in Montgomery Village

Montgomery County police are investigating the report of a vehicle being stolen from a commercial parking lot in Montgomery Village yesterday, August 14, 2022. The vehicle was parked in a lot in the 19100 block of Montgomery Village Avenue. It is believed the vehicle was stolen sometime between 8:00 PM Friday, and 8:00 AM Sunday.

Elrich finishes first in Montgomery County Executive election results, Blair-requested recount pending

After canvassers counted the 102 missing ballots that election workers discovered Thursday, Marc Elrich held onto his narrow lead over David Blair in the Democratic race for Montgomery County Executive yesterday. Blair did manage to cut Elrich's lead from 42 votes down to 35. That number could change again in the coming days and weeks, as Blair is requesting a full recount. But as of this morning, Elrich has 55,497 votes (39.20%) to Blair's 55,462 votes (39.17%).

Rock Grove shopping center gets new sign, art installation in Gaithersburg (Photos)

A permanent tenant sign has been erected at the new Rock Grove shopping center at 16220 Frederick Road in Gaithersburg. It lists the Comfort Inn hotel, interestingly, along with shopping center tenants Minerva Indian Cuisine, Dunkin' Donuts/Baskin Robbins, Luxury Nails and Atlas Pharmacy. Strangely, Qdoba Mexican Eats is not yet on the sign. The property also includes an office building.

Also new at the property is an art installation. It features a tree and soaring eagle, surrounded at the base by real landscaping. 

Montgomery County Board of Elections finds 102 more ballots

The already drama-filled Montgomery County primary election just took another bizarre twist. Montgomery County Acting Election Director Alysoun McLaughlin issued a statement late last night on Board of Elections letterhead announcing that election staff has found 102 missing ballots. As a result, McLaughlin said, the Board will be unable to certify the election results today as scheduled. The Board will meet at 3:30 PM this afternoon to figure out how to proceed.

The ballots were found Thursday during a "precertification audit," McLaughlin wrote. “Today, we pulled our random sample of empty provisional ballot envelopes for audit and were unable to locate one of the randomly selected envelopes where it should have been," she explained. "In addition, we were unable to resolve a discrepancy between the number of provisional ballots that our staff had recommended that the Board accept, and the number of ballots scanned. Together, these two pieces of information prompted a visual search of folders where provisional ballots had been stored prior to the canvass. Those folders contained 102 unopened, sealed ballot envelopes that were never removed from their folders and presented to the canvass from the following precincts:

• Precinct 06-10 – 1 ballot

• Precinct 06-11 – 1 ballot

• Precinct 06-13 – 14 ballots

• Precinct 06-14 – 7 ballots

• Precinct 06-15 – 15 ballots

• Precinct 13-56 – 12 ballots

• Precinct 13-57 – 10 ballots

• Precinct 13-58 – 30 ballots

• Precinct 13-59 – 12 ballots

Intriguingly, McLaughlin personally apologized in the statement for not locating the missing ballots until yesterday, thereby delaying a certification of the results. The delayed certification has all kinds of implications for the photo finish of Democrats David Blair and Marc Elrich in the County Executive race. Elrich declared victory in the race last week. But if the 102 ballots found yesterday were to split Blair's way, that could flip the current results and Elrich would then have the option to ask for a recount. If Elrich retains his lead after the 102 new ballots are tallied, the recount Blair has said he will request following certification will be further delayed.

"I want to emphasize that Maryland’s comprehensive precertification audit was designed to identify issues like this before an election is certified to ensure theaccuracy of the results," McLaughlin wrote. "It worked as intended.”

“I will finish reviewing the rest of the audit to ensure that there are no further discrepancies before I ask the Board of Elections to certify the results of the election. The Board will meet at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, August 12, and we will discuss the findings of our audit and the schedule for canvass and certification.”

Olde Towne Gaithersburg utility project slows traffic (Photos)

Nighttime utility work in Olde Towne Gaithersburg tonight is slowing traffic. The project is at the intersection of Summit and Diamond Avenues, and is moderately impacting traffic on both roads. NPL of Landover is the contractor, which specializes in energy pipelines.

Purse snatching at Gaithersburg Giant

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a purse-snatching at the Giant at the Flower Hill Shopping Center in Gaithersburg yesterday. The purse was snatched at 12:00 PM, but was not forcibly taken from the victim. Another reminder not to leave purses unattended in shopping carts.

Flood watch in effect for Montgomery County as severe storms approach

Severe thunderstorms are expected to pass through the area this afternoon and evening. The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch that will remain in effect until 11:00 PM tonight for Montgomery County, Prince George's County and most of Maryland west of the Chesapeake Bay, Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia. Rainfall amounts of 2-4" are expected, in timeframes as little as one or two hours, leading to potential flash flooding. Isolated strong wind gusts are also expected.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) issued a statement this afternoon regarding the severe weather forecast. "More severe weather is expected to impact our state this afternoon and evening, including thunderstorms that could produce damaging wind gusts, heavy rainfall, and flash flooding," Hogan said. He urged residents to "please monitor local forecasts, exercise caution while traveling, and never drive through standing water."

Now is the time to charge your devices, and check the batteries in your flashlights. Bring objects that might fly away in from yards and balconies. Have a battery-powered radio to receive information in case of power outages. For Pepco customers, download the Pepco app to report power outages.

Gaithersburg's Rio Lakefront named one of America's "top 10 retail experiences" by magazine

Rio Lakefront in Gaithersburg has been declared one of America's "top 10 retail center experiences" by Chain Store Age magazine. The property has undergone a massive update by owner Peterson Cos., and has added many new stores, restaurants and attractions during that transformation. 

CSA highlights the manmade lake water feature, children's play features, live concert venue, and the variety of retail and restaurant tenants as among the factors that make it one of the nation's "most-engaging" retail experiences. Sportrock, an indoor climbing center, was the most recent signee of a lease at the popular center, CSA says.

Maryland governor candidate Wes Moore to hold fundraisers in the Hamptons, on Martha's Vineyard this month

Wes Moore, the Democratic nominee for Maryland governor, will be raising funds with some boldfaced names in New York and Massachusetts in the coming weeks. Director Spike Lee will host Moore for a fundraising event at his home on Martha's Vineyard on August 14, CNBC reports. Attendees will pay $500 to $6000 to get inside Lee's Oak Bluffs mansion.

A week later, Moore will head to the Hamptons for a second fundraiser hosted by Dilation Capital hedge fund managing partner Brian Eizenstat and C-Street Advisory Group CEO Jon Henes. CNBC reports that ticket prices are the same for that event. Moore is only one of many gubernatorial and presidential candidates heading where the money is this month; Stacey Abrams, Ron DeSantis, Mike Pence, Ben Sasse and Lee Zeldin all have similar events planned in the Hamptons.

Moore's travel itinerary has caught the attention of his Republican opponent, Dan Cox. In a fundraising email to supporters, Cox said that while Moore "is raising money from the international law firms and big pharmaceuticals and is in the Hamptons this month raising money from Oprah, C-Street globalists and power-hungry radicals, this week I was in the neighborhoods of West Baltimore hearing concerns of students and parents."