Peruvian Charcoal Chicken & Grill "coming soon" in Gaithersburg

Peruvian Charcoal Chicken & Grill is expanding to Gaithersburg. Permanent signage has been installed above its future storefront at 261 Kentlands Boulevard. The pollo a la brasa and Mexican grill has an existing location in Clinton, Maryland. Windows are covered, so the progress on the interior can't be measured at this time.

Armed robbery at Rio Lakefront in Gaithersburg

Gaithersburg City police responded to a report of an armed robbery at Rio Lakefront in Gaithersburg Monday evening, February 17, 2025. The robbery was reported along the street in the 200 block of Boardwalk Place at 7:27 PM Monday. That is the first block of Boardwalk that extends out from the movie theater building entrance. A weapon other than a firearm was employed in the robbery.

Maryland governor's false claim of tax cuts for some is really a tax hike for nearly everybody

Despite claims by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore that some Marylanders will receive a tax cut under his budget proposal, the math is adding up otherwise. Moore's proposed changes to the tax code would provide the average low-income resident with an annual tax cut of $300, and "middle class" taxpayers with an average savings of $173. Even in another dimension where those taxpayers would actually end up in the black on Tax Day with those amounts, you could still imagine Dr. Evil rubbing his hands together over that paltry "one-hundred and seventy-three dollars." But imagining is all that taxpayers who were promised a "tax cut" will be able to do next April 15, based on new numbers emerging from the state and economists in recent days.

For those working and middle-class taxpayers, the new, doubled vehicle registration fee alone will wipe out their entire tax cut. The Moore plan also eliminates deductions such as mortgage payments for homeowners. This is not only insane at a time when homeownership is already incredibly expensive and hard to attain, but is also an embrace of a radical idea designed to discourage people from even owning a home, by removing one of its key advantages over renting. With mortgages and other costs no longer deductible, most taxpayers making a modest $75,000 and up would find Moore's deduction-elimination plan delivering a tax hike. And even the low-income taxpayers are unlikely to realize any savings once all of the new, regressive tax hikes and fees are factored in.

A proposed new tax on "sugary drinks" is misleadingly promoted by sponsors as a "2-cent tax." In reality, it is 2-cents per ounce. That means $2.88 per 12-pack of sodas. $3.84 for a 12-pack of Monster Energy drinks. Multiply that by 26 or 52 weeks, depending on consumption level, and you're talking about a serious escalation in price, at a time when groceries are already obscenely-expensive for all but the wealthiest. Why in the world would our elected officials do this to their constituents?

The average Amazon Prime member places 100 orders from Amazon per year. And the average American orders food from a food delivery service like DoorDash or Uber Eats around 60 times per year. That means Moore's new 75-cents tax on all retail and food deliveries from Amazon, DoorDash, Uber Eats and other equivalent services would cost the average Marylander an additional $120 per year.

I've already reported on the massive tax hikes Moore has proposed for marijuana and sports betting. But there's yet another target for new taxes: guns. Two proposed bills would place a new 12% excise tax on all firearms, firearm accessories, and ammunition.

We haven't even factored in the skyrocketing energy bills that are the direct result of Moore and the Maryland General Assembly's Communist EmPOWER MD fee hike, and their forced closure of 8 power plants across the state to meet a 100% "clean" energy target by 2035.

Conservative news outlets wringing their hands over the potential flight of the rich from Maryland are actually underplaying the threat to the state's future, because such departures of the well-off were an established fact following former Gov. Martin O'Malley's disastrous "millionaire's tax" of 2012. Only two years after that tax hike, there were 1000 less such "millionaires" filing tax returns in Maryland, and it's only gotten worse since.

So why would Moore press ahead while knowing this? Because he knows that, like before, it's the working stiffs and modestly well-off white collar workers who are really going to pick up the tab. In fact, The Washington Post calculated that Marylanders who make under $500,000 will actually contribute about 60% of the new revenue generated by the Moore tax plan. And as many economists have noted, in a real estate market as expensive as we are in now, those lucky enough to be in home are unlikely to relocate to avoid taxes, unlike the rich who can afford to move and often have more than one home.

Maryland energy crisis requires axing EmPOWER, embracing nuclear

Barakah Nuclear Power Plant, UAE

Maryland is in a full-blown energy crisis, which is devastating electric ratepayers across the state, and has only exacerbated our image as a poor destination for international business. The two root causes are the direct responsibility of our elected officials in Annapolis: the Communist EmPOWER MD program, and the closure of eight power plants that resulted from a state mandate to attain 100% clean energy by 2035. EmPOWER's surcharge was increased for this year by Governor Wes Moore and the Democrat-controlled Maryland legislature. The result has been a massive increase in electric costs for Maryland residents in the midst of a cold winter. In the not-so-distant future, low-energy Maryland will be forced to import nearly half of its power from out-of-state (it currently imports 40%, and is in the process of approving another transmission line to bring power from outside Maryland), further raising electric bills.

One of the short-term solutions is obvious: Maryland must revoke, repeal, kill, and bury the EmPOWER program. Communist to the core, EmPOWER is a rob-Peter-to-pay-Paul scheme that steals money from working Marylanders, ostensibly to buy "green" appliances and home efficiency upgrades for poor people, but to also line the pockets of the political cartel and their cronies along the way. 

Maryland residents simply can't afford to "EmPOWER" the cartel any longer, and it is a no-brainer to demand that the Maryland General Assembly take immediate action to terminate it during the current session. At the moment, they are too busy cranking out every imaginable new tax in the world to increase what is already the highest tax burden in the Washington, D.C. area, and among the highest nationwide.

For the long term, we must take equally-immediate action to increase the electricity generating capacity inside our state borders. That includes restarting the shuttered power plants, and modifying others for natural gas. It also means expediting the construction of new nuclear plants across the state. Even a broken clock is right twice a day, and to that end, there is one modestly-positive proposal on the table in Annapolis this session: to add nuclear to the list of "green" power sources.

But we also need to move urgently on actually getting nuclear plants constructed. There are several new players in the nuclear energy field, and new technology such as micro reactors. 

The United Arab Emirates is currently conducting an active search for potential nuclear projects in the United States. Maryland should answer the call. We often hear that nuclear plants can take two decades or more to come online. But the UAE's Emirates Nuclear Energy Company completed four reactors at the Barakah nuclear power plant in less than 12 years, and the project came in on-budget, according to the Financial Times. 

Enec's CEO Al Hammadi was asked by the FT if his firm would like to build, own, or operate nuclear projects, or function as a consultant. "All of the above," he replied. Maryland should at least be having a conversation with Al Hammadi, and with leaders at other companies, about creating a state where energy is cheap and abundant for residents and business alike.

Photo courtesy Enec

Damascus man arrested after alleged crime rampage in Pennsylvania

A Damascus resident is behind bars after allegedly going on a crime rampage this past weekend in Pennsylvania. Police in that state claim David Kelpy, 40, robbed a Royal Farms convenience store in Straban Township on Friday. After pocketing a whopping $89.84 from the store's cashier, he allegedly fled in a Dodge Ram pickup truck. 

Early Saturday morning, police in Luzerne County say, Kelpy rammed the Ram truck into a sedan that was already parked in a parking space in West Hazleton, Pennsylvania. Police allege he then got out of the truck, pulled the driver of the car he hit out of the vehicle, and threw them into the road. After assaulting the driver, police say, Kelpy then took the victim's car and ran over the victim while making his getaway.

Kelpy was located and arrested in Pittston Township, Pennsylvania. He was placed in the Luzerne County jail, where his bail has been set at $150,000.

Maryland AG's lawfare case against United Gun Shop dismissed by judge

Attorney Dan Cox represented the Rockville
gun shop that prevailed in the case

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown was handed his first loss in his lawfare crusade to bankrupt gun shops in the state yesterday. Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Ronald B. Rubin dismissed Brown's case against United Gun Shop of Rockville with prejudice. "With prejudice" means that the case is permanently dismissed, and cannot be reopened. Brown's lawfare effort against United Gun Shop and two other Rockville gun stores is a partnership that includes the Attorney General of the District of Columbia, and anti-gun organization Everytown Law, which is backed by billionaire Michael Bloomberg. The unstated goal of this lawfare crusade is to bankrupt all gun stores in Montgomery County - and ultimately, all gun shops statewide - via expensive legal fees to defend themselves.

In his 19-page opinion, Rubin advised the plaintiffs that the gun sales in question were completely legal, and that they would have to seek changes to the existing gun laws if they wanted to prevent such sales. The current Designated Collector statute in Maryland law permitted the purchaser to make repeated purchases of the same gun from United Gun Shop, and the other dealers in Rockville, Rubin wrote.

Attorney Dan Cox represented United Gun Shop in the case, in which he faced off against twenty attorneys well-funded by the multiple plaintiffs. "It was political, and the judge even called that out," Cox said after the dismissal Friday. "We thank God for this victorious outcome," he said in a statement issued by his office. "It sends notice to those wishing to crush innocent Americans with unfounded false accusations that we will not shrink, we will not falter, we will not fail to fight for the truth under law."

Cox is favored by many in the state to be named as the next U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland by President Donald Trump. The U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, Erek L. Barron, resigned on February 12. Cox is also representing the mother of Kayla Hamilton, a 20-year-old Maryland woman murdered by an MS-13 gang member from El Salvador, who was allowed to enter the United States illegally, live in Maryland, and attend public school in Harford County during the Biden adminstration.

Hamilton's mother and Cox joined newly-sworn-in U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi at a press conference on February 12, at which Bondi announced the filing of charges against the State of New York, NY Governor Kathy Hochul, NY Attorney General Letitia James, and NY Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Mark Schroeder for issuing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants in the Empire State. In addition to being on Bondi's radar, Cox was previously endorsed by Trump when he ran for Maryland governor in 2022. Cox supporters have started emailing petitions to urge President Trump and the U.S. Department of Justice to consider appointing Cox as the next U.S. Attorney for Maryland.

JOANN Fabric & Crafts closing in Gaithersburg

JOANN Fabric & Crafts is closing at 2A Bureau Drive at the Diamond Square shopping center in Gaithersburg. We can't blame the moribund Montgomery County economy for this closure, however. The chain has filed for a second bankruptcy, a sad turn of events for a venerable retailer that has been around since 1943. It is closing 500 of its 850 stores nationwide. Closing sales at those stores could begin as early as tomorrow.

69% of Montgomery County voters oppose bag tax hike - but County Council passed it anyway

Over two-thirds of registered voters in Montgomery County oppose raising the bag tax to ten cents, a Washington Post/University of Maryland poll found, but the Montgomery County Council unanimously passed it anyway on Tuesday. The poll found that 69% of voters oppose the tax increase on paper bags, and that a minority 47% of voters support the plastic bag ban that was passed alongside it Tuesday. But, as the Council has done increasingly since defeating the Columbia Country Club with its 2009 Purple Line vote that brought no electoral consequences, the Council put its legislative steamroller in gear and floored the accelerator.

Interestingly, the Post declined to print the results of its bag tax/ban poll questions until the day after the Council voted, despite having taken the poll in late January, a clear attempt to tamp down opposition ahead of the Council vote. Tuesday's vote spoke deafening volumes about the deepening radical political trends in Montgomery County, trends that suggest the moribund jurisdiction is on-track for further and accelerating economic decline in the years ahead.

Montgomery County has acquired an international reputation as an anti-business jurisdiction. Not surprisingly, it has failed to attract a major corporate headquarters in over 25 years. Since the last decade, it ranks at or near the bottom by every relevant measure in economic development and job creation in the D.C. region, based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. It has long ago fallen out of the Forbes Top Ten Richest Counties in America list, as the wealthy flee to lower-tax jurisdictions in the region. In 2010, stores like Target and Magruder's in Rockville turned their interior lights down, posting apologetic signs explaining it was due to the County's new Energy Tax.

Tuesday's decision won't change the world's perception of us.

According to Wednesday's Post article, Councilmember Marilyn Balcombe (D - District 2) demanded Tuesday that the County begin to go after businesses "more aggressively" if they don't comply with the new ban and tax collection, despite the even-more-complicated regime of mandates imposed by the new law.

Okay, the Council is going to hound your business "more aggressively." But if you're thinking of starting a business, or moving it to Montgomery County, surely you can trust that the local Chamber of Commerce will have your back against the tinfoil dictators of the County Council, right?

Wrong.

The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce supported the Council's vote. Yes, you read that right. "We worry about Montgomery County being in a position that it's not competitive with surrounding jurisdictions [and] that's not what this bill does," Chamber spokesperson Brian Levine told the Post. 

That's nice, but it's actually false, as Washington, D.C., Arlington County, and Fairfax County do not have bans on plastic bags, and only charge 5 cents per bag, not 10 cents. So putting us in a position that's "not competitive with surrounding jurisdictions" is exactly "what this bill does."

Imagine paying dues to a Chamber that kneecaps you in order to keep political favor with the County Council when the rubber meets the road. This isn't the first time. How many Chamber members wanted this bag law to pass? The Chamber's written testimony goes so far as to declare the organization "applauds the sponsor and co-sponsor for proposing this commonsense policy change." Applauds?! Such kowtowing to an rabidly-anti-business Council is embarrassing for a business organization. Yet again, we cede competitive economic growth territory to Northern Virginia and D.C.

It's bad enough that this is yet another tax hike, at a time when a majority of Montgomery County taxpayers are struggling with already-outrageous grocery prices, and Maryland is about to raise taxes and fees at the state level. But it's also another example of our megalomaniacal elected officials, who have a psychological need to control other people. Council President Kate Stewart (D - District 4) said the new bag law will "change behavior." Voters didn't elect you to "change behavior." They elected you to execute the basic functions of government in a competent manner, foster a favorable climate for business, provide necessary infrastructure and a functioning transportation system, and enforce the laws to protect the safety of the public - - all things this Council hasn't been able to do in this century. 

Angel Reese meal now available at McDonald's in Montgomery County

McDonald's' latest celebrity meal veers from the music world to the WNBA. The Angel Reese meal includes the new BBQ Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese. "Featuring an unapologetically bold and smoky BBQ sauce with crispy bacon, this breakout QPC® is taking it to the next level," McDonald's promises. "Each BBQ Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese is cooked when you order with a 100% fresh beef+ quarter pound patty, seasoned with just a pinch of salt and pepper, and sizzled on our flat iron grill. It’s smothered in smoky BBQ sauce and layered with crispy bacon, two slices of melty American cheese, slivered onions and tangy pickles all on a soft and fluffy sesame seed hamburger bun."

Reportedly, the BBQ sauce is a new recipe, and not the one used for McNuggets or the McRib. The Angel Reese Special also includes a medium fries, and Hi-C Orange is the recommended beverage pairing.(or other soft drink) round out the roster and has 1230 calories. Speaking of local basketball stars...here in Washington, we are looking forward to the Cooper Flagg Meal, if the NBA doesn't cheat us out of the #1 draft pick again.

Strong-arm robbery in Montgomery Village

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a strong-arm robbery in Montgomery Village this past Sunday afternoon, February 9, 2025. The robbery was reported in the 18300 block of Montgomery Village Avenue at 4:10 PM. It took place in a Montgomery County-owned parking lot, which appears to be that of the Gaithersburg Library.

Party City closing in Gaithersburg

Party City is closing at 295 Kentlands Boulevard, at Kentlands Market Square in Gaithersburg. The chain is closing all 850 stores nationwide. It's a particularly sad situation at this location, as it was just renovated with the chain's latest interior format last spring. A closing sale is underway. "Nothing held back!"

Maryland lawfare crusade to eliminate gun shops targets Montgomery County first

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown has joined a crusade that aims to use lawfare to ultimately drive all gun stores in the state out of business. The first three businesses in the crosshairs of the campaign are all located in Montgomery County. One of Brown's initial targets is a family-owned gun shop in Rockville operated by retired law enforcement professionals, United Gun Shop, whose owners have already been forced to shell out over $100,000 to defend themselves. Brown's partners in the lawfare effort are the Attorney General of the District of Columbia, and pro-gun-control organization Everytown Law. The other defendants in the civil suit filed last September 3 are Atlantic Guns and Engage Armament, which are also both located in Rockville.

Lawfare is the use of frivolous lawsuits designed to bankrupt political or business opponents either through victory with punitive damages in friendly courtroom venues, or through the cost of defense even if there is little or no chance of prevailing in court. It is often employed as a last resort, when such opponents are not violating criminal law, and their activities are legitimate and legal. You'll notice that Brown has not lodged criminal charges against the store owners.

While the shops are accused of selling guns to a "straw purchaser," the sales were legal. The shop owners have no way to know to whom a legal purchaser might sell a firearm after the transaction at their business. Brown, et al's civil suit argues that the shop owners should have known (through E.S.P., perhaps?) that his large number of legal purchases of firearms meant that he was selling them to criminals. 

The lawfare effort is only the latest attempt by Montgomery County and Maryland elected officials to prevent their constituents from exercising their 2nd Amendment rights. Maryland's gun laws, among the strictest in the nation, have failed to prevent an ongoing violent crime wave, shootings, and homicides. They also happen to be unconstitutional. A forced closure of all gun stores in the county - and, potentially, the state - will make it all the more difficult for residents to exercise their 2nd Amendment rights.

United Gun Shop's owners have started a GiveSendGo fundraising campaign to help defray the tremendous cost of defending themselves from this lawfare in court. While Everytown Law is at least using its own funds in the effort, Brown is using your own tax dollars to strip you of your 2nd Amendment rights.

AH'HAAN by Bangkok Garden "coming soon" to Gathersburg

AH'HAAN by Bangkok Garden is "coming soon" to Gaithersburg, according to signage in the window and above its future storefront. The sign has been lit up since at least January 30, when the above photo was taken, but the windows are covered. AH'HAAN will be located at 237-A Kentlands Boulevard. The Thai restaurant will be next to Supertooth.

Proposed Maryland law would jail social media users for posting deepfake, AI, or altered media of political candidates

A new law proposed in the Maryland legislature would impinge on the 1st Amendment right to freedom of speech, and result in potential fines and jail sentences of up to 5 years for posting "deepfake," AI-created, or otherwise-altered media featuring candidates during elections. The text of MD House Bill 525 does not even distinguish between official posts or advertising by political campaigns against opponents, and social media posts by individuals. As currently written, the law would expose all citizens to a threat of fines up to $5000, and jail terms of up to 5 years. 

Censorship on social media was a significant issue in the 2024 election. It's surprising that the sponsors of this bill believe this is an opportune time to propose new restrictions on freedom of speech. The vague and broad language in the bill would have a chilling effect on negative political speech, and is clearly unconstitutional. If passed during the current legislative session, the new law would take effect on June 1, 2025.

Maryland Comptroller owes taxpayers a fine - with interest - for 1099-G data breach

Has an apology even gotten you out of paying your taxes, or fines, to the Internal Revenue Service or the Comptroller of Maryland? It's thought-provoking, then, that Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman believes that an apology is sufficient to cover a shocking data breach by her agency. "On February 4th, The Office of the Comptroller identified a printing malfunction that led to a limited batch of roughly 6,000 1099-G forms going to incorrect addresses," the Office of the Comptroller posted on its website yesterday. "The printing error did not impact other tax forms produced by the agency. There was no external data breach; this was an internal issue. Individuals who mistakenly received another person’s information should destroy the document immediately."

In other words, personal identification data and financial information of "roughly 6000" Maryland taxpayers was exposed to identity theft by the Office of the Comptroller. What is going to happen in terms of accountability? "We sincerely apologize for not catching the error and for any distress this incident may cause the affected individuals," the statement concluded. "We will be altering our process in the future on printing jobs to ensure this type of incident does not ever happen again." That's it?

Has that kind of response ever worked for you with federal or state tax authorities? Of course not. Has the Maryland legislature taken steps to hold Lierman accountable for the data breach in the last 48 hours? Negative on that front, as well.

Who does "public servant" refer to? Do our elected officials serve the public? Or is it the other way around? The latter seems to be the case virtually 100% of the time. Government believes it is entitled to an ever-increasing amount of the income you generate through your own labor and enterprise. Government cannot be held accountable, but it will bankrupt you, and throw you in prison for the same behavior.

The fact is, the Comptroller's office owes all Maryland taxpayers whose data was exposed a check. A fine, with interest added for each day that passes since February 4, 2025. Not surprisingly, the local lapdog media, and the Comptroller's elected friends in Annapolis, are not calling for this.

Tous Les Jours opens in Gaithersburg

Tous Les Jours is now open at 1 Grand Corner Avenue at Rio Lakefront in Gaithersburg. The French-Asian bakery offers baked goods, sandwiches, coffee beverages, teas, and blended beverages. Entering the United States market in 2004, the last 21 years have seen the chain expand to over 110 locations across America. Products are baked fresh daily. The Rio location has so far earned a positive 4.3-star out of 5 rating from Google Reviews, and a similar 4.2-star rating on Yelp.

New Maryland regulation will raise cost of buying a home, agency warns

A new directive issued by the Maryland Office of Financial Regulation last month will raise the cost of buying a home, and make financing harder to obtain, credit rating agency KBRA warned yesterday. The January 10, 2025 licensing rule update requires mortgage trusts and their assignees to obtain licenses under Maryland’s Installment Loan Licensing Law and Mortgage Lender Law. MOFR clarified that Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Ginnie Mae, all other federal, state, and local governmental loan purchase programs, as well as any trusts created by these entities, are exempt from the rule. However, as KBRA noted, $3.7 billion in Maryland loan balances are currently financed by the U.S. non-Agency securitization market.

"Non-agency" means private mortgage securities not backed by the aforementioned government and quasi-government agencies or entities. KBRA said the new licensing requirement will likely reduce the number of financing sources available to homebuyers in Maryland. For those who can still obtain financing, KBRA warned, the reduced competition and higher licensing costs will be passed on to homebuyers in the form of higher monthly payments. A new Washington Post/University of Maryland poll found the already-high cost of housing is now the top concern of Maryland voters.

Physical media DVDs, CDs vanish at Target

DVDs and CDs have vanished at local Target stores, like this one at Westfield's Wheaton Plaza mall. Gone are shelves of movies, TV shows, and music CDs. In their place are just books and vinyl records. Many of the latter are Target-exclusive editions. A few CDs remain available, primarily by Taylor Swift and K-pop artists. The flop of Joker 2 continues to resonate, as Lady Gaga's companion album to that box office bomb is now on clearance. Remember: whatever you buy, you only own it forever if it's on physical media.

Virginia created twice as many jobs as Maryland in 2024

The year-end job creation numbers from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics are a total humiliation again for the state of Maryland, and Montgomery County. Our rival across the Potomac River, Virginia, created twice as many jobs as Maryland in 2024. Virginia added 76,900 jobs last year, while Maryland created a paltry 38,400 jobs by comparison. In the closing month of December 2024, Virginia added 4,900 new jobs, while Maryland added a laughable 200. That's a 2 with only two zeros after it.

“Virginia’s labor market continues to demonstrate resilience and growth, with a strong increase in nonfarm payrolls, a growing labor force, and low unemployment,” Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) said in a statement. “Our commitment to business-friendly policies, reducing costs, and fostering innovation has created an environment where both Virginia companies and Virginians can thrive.” 

Virginia was named America's top state for business in 2024 by both CNBC and Business Facilities magazine. The latter is a professional journal covering the topic of corporate headquarters relocation. While the Old Dominion has added multiple major and Fortune 500 corporate HQs this century, Maryland was a loser in all of those competitions. Among those choosing Virginia over Maryland were Northrop Grumman, Nestle, Intelsat, Lidl, Gerber, Volkswagen, Amazon, and Hilton Hotels. Here in Montgomery County alone, our elected officials have failed to attract a single major corporate headquarters in over 25 years. 

Who can forget the Montgomery County Council laser-focusing on a bill to ban circus animals on the very day that Discovery Communications was sealing the deal with two other states to move their HQ from MoCo to their cities? Or the Council canceling the biggest transportation project in White Flint on the very day that Amazon representatives were touring that area during their HQ2 search, which we lost to...Virginia? Scrapping your biggest transportation project the same day that a logistics-obsessed firm like Amazon is visiting: Sheer genius! Heckuva job, Brownie!

While Maryland Governor Wes Moore (D) is promising higher taxes and fees, and a 75-cent charge on every Amazon and food delivery order, Youngkin is asking the Virginia legislature to cut taxes on his constituents and businesses. Virginia has made major investments in new transportation infrastructure and site development, all while keeping taxes lower than Maryland. 

Maryland elected officials, by contrast, have blocked every meaningful congestion relief project, and have directed Maryland State Highway Administration officials to increase congestion by placing absurdly-low speed limits on major commuting state highways. They've even ordered MDSHA to remove vehicle lanes from many of those highways, including Old Georgetown Road, Georgia Avenue, and University Boulevard in Montgomery County alone. 

Rather than invest in site development for corporate campuses, and high-wage research and manufacturing facilities, MoCo and Maryland leaders have instead turned such valuable land over to their developer sugar daddies for new stack-and-pack residential housing. Taxes? Nobody in the region pays more than Montgomery County taxpayers.

Given the history of Virginia decimating Maryland in job creation this century, the only surprising thing about the 2024 numbers is that yet another historic drubbing of Montgomery County and Maryland officials is not being covered by the local media. Failure and incompetence are never brought to busy voters' attention. We can still enjoy the irony that Montgomery County's international business trips are - bizarrely - most often to Communist countries like China and Cuba, but that failures in policy and economic growth of the magnitude we find in Maryland often result in removal, or even jail, in those nations.

Taxpayers pay for IMF, World Bank staffers' enrollment at posh Germantown country club

Bretton Woods country club at 15700 River Road in Germantown is in the spotlight, after the New York Post reported that staffers for the International Monetary Fund and World Bank enjoy free enrollment there as a job perk. Employees of either institution have the $12,000-$20,000 initiation fee for membership waived at the expense of U.S. taxpayers, who provide the largest financial contributions to both agencies. Two members of the IMF sit on the club's board of directors, the Post revealed. 80% of the club's 1300 members are now staffers from the IMF or World Bank. The Post report suggested that the lavish perk could make the IMF and World Bank juicy targets for President Donald Trump and Elon Musk's DOGE spending-cut effort.

Driver escapes injury after crashing into Poolesville post office

A driver escaped unharmed after crashing into the U.S. Post Office at 19800 Fisher Avenue in Poolesville Monday, January 27, 2025. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson Pete Piringer said the driver declined an ambulance ride to the hospital for further testing, after being evaluated at the scene by paramedics. Fortunately, no patrons were on the sidewalk or in the lobby area at the time of the collision. A County building inspector was called in to ensure the structural integrity of the library, and determine the extent of the damage, Piringer said.

Photo courtesy MCFRS/Pete Piringer

Maryland restaurants aren't going out of business fast enough, lawmakers in Annapolis say

Maryland's restaurants aren't going out of business fast enough, lawmakers in the state's capital of Annapolis say, and a pair of Democrats in the legislature have a plan to speed up the process. On top of previous hikes to the state's minimum wage, which have been a factor in many restaurant closures and staff reductions statewide, their new bill would create a 2026 ballot question asking voters to approve a minimum wage of $20-an-hour. If approved by voters, the question would also force restaurant owners to pay that $20 wage to tipped workers, as well. The bill is expected to be taken up by the Democrat-controlled Maryland House and Senate next month.

Montgomery County was the vanguard of the proletariat in the effort to raise the minimum wage in the previous decade. The Montgomery County Council was warned by business owners, the Maryland Retailers Association, and the Restaurant Association of Maryland that a significant wage increase would put many enterprises out of business. Their predictions came to pass, as Montgomery's already-moribund economy was slammed by the higher wage requirements, higher taxes and new regulations, and the Council's disastrous "Nighttime Economy" initiative that ended up destroying the nighttime economy. Bars, stores, and restaurants that had endured for thirty or fifty years, serving multiple generations of Montgomery County residents, were suddenly closing left and right.

The nightlife scene in Bethesda looks starkly different from what it was prior to the last decade. In fact, you can't really look at it at all, because it no longer exists. Along with record numbers of restaurant failures countywide, at least 24 nightspots closed in Bethesda alone. Downtown Bethesda's streets are now dark and lonesome after 9:00 PM. 

Demolition of Regal Cinemas Bethesda 10
cineplex in 2017

The impact of the Council's "Nighttime Economy" catastrophe in Bethesda was capped off when Barnes and Noble closed, and the Council allowed the town's only major cineplex to be demolished, without requiring the developer to replace the theater - even though the Minor Master Plan Amendment that permitted the demolition provided the Council with the authority to impose just such a requirement. The public plaza outside the former bookstore that previously teemed with crowds during warm weather was suddenly deserted. A "spaces available" sign outside the public parking garage at Bethesda Row that usually read "FULL" during the peak dinnertime hours now showed hundreds of spaces available. The counter was eventually deactivated to cover up the embarrassment.

There are now not only fewer restaurants in Montgomery County, but fewer restaurant workers, as well. Fast food establishments that haven't closed now sport touchscreens that eliminate the number of workers needed to man (or woman) the counter. Chains like McDonald's are on the verge of total automation, only slowed by the open revolt a speedy conversion to this technology would spur among unions, and the mainstream press that already delights in bashing restaurant chains that allow working class people to eat cheaply without government welfare assistance.

Many writing for the "Buzz Insider"-style websites, and even more among the world of TikTok "influencers," were fooled into believing McDonald's' new CosMc's concept is a super-cool place to film yourself waiting in an hour-long line of cars, to get a million video views of yourself making moronic faces while sipping a Sour Cherry Energy Burst. In reality, it is a test run for the "Fight for $25" future, a future of a single supervising employee monitoring an array of robots serving precisely-made Big Macs and Egg McMuffins.

Along with Governor Wes Moore's proposal to raise taxes on the "rich," the proposed wage hike will indeed speed up the bankruptcy process for mom-and-pop restaurants across Maryland. Restaurants - and most retail - are very slim profit margin businesses to start with. The margin is even slimmer in hellaciously-anti-business counties like Montgomery. Having elected officials who don't understand this, or much of anything about how business works, is always potentially fatal to the independent entrepreneur in MoCo and Maryland.

This financial illiteracy among our elected officials leads to measures such as the higher taxes, fees, and wages being proposed fast and furiously in Annapolis this month. It leads to a state where many elected officials and government employees end up making more money annually than the private businesses they regulate. But as we've seen already in Montgomery County, which fell from its lofty perch among the Forbes "Top Ten Richest Counties in America" list during MoCo's purge of the free enterprise system last decade, the more you pile on the taxes and wage hikes, the less revenue you get. Taxation is not only theft, but generates diminishing returns as rates increase. The more you squeeze, the less you get. 

Montgomery County has already reached rock bottom in the D.C. region, or close to it, in every significant economic development category compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Even Gov. Moore has admitted Maryland's economy is stagnant, and its economic and job numbers lag far behind the national average since 2017. Yet, Annapolis wants to again join Rockville in amplifying the assault on the small businessperson even further. The question for our representatives in Annapolis this year is, "How much lower do you want to go?"

Two Germantown beer & wine stores burglarized the same morning

Two Germantown beer & wine shops were burglarized the same morning, Montgomery County police report. Leena's Beer & Wine at 13505 Clopper Road at Seneca Park Plaza, and Germantown Beer & Wine at 13046 Middlebrook Road at Germantown Commons were both burglarized in the early morning hours of January 17, 2025. Officers responding to the scenes found evidence of forced entry at both stores. 

Money was stolen from inside Germantown Beer & Wine. At Leena's, the burglars took unspecified merchandise.

Police describe the suspects in the Germantown Beer & Wine break-in only as "3 males." No suspect descriptions have been released for the break-in at Leena's. If you have any information that could assist detectives in closing either case, call police at (301) 279-8000.