Montgomery County Councilmember suffers heart attack

Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando (D - At-Large) suffered a heart attack during a pickup basketball game this past Saturday, September 5, his office announced on Monday. He was transported to George Washington University hospital, where doctors inserted a stent, although the statement released did not indicate where the stent was placed. The statement did say that Jawando is "resting comfortably." His doctors expect him to make a full recovery, and anticipate he will be discharged from the hospital later this week. He will then work back up to his normal Council schedule under their guidance.

Jawando's medical emergency gained increased notice because he is also the Democratic nominee for Montgomery County Executive, and because he is relatively young and in apparent good health. The latter two factors will be advantageous in his expected full recovery. Much older elected officials like Bernie Sanders and Chris Van Hollen have suffered cardiovascular episodes, and have returned to not only full schedules, but to vigorous travel and public speaking engagements. In that context, there's every reason to believe his ability to campaign - and serve, if elected in November - will be unaffected in the long term.

However, the incident did draw renewed attention to the fact that Jawando had not yet agreed to participate in one or more public debates with his Republican opponent, Esther Wells. Debates are a critical part of this "democracy" thing we keep hearing strident lectures about. The voting public has a right to hear the candidates for each office expound on the issues, and defend those positions and ideas. If a candidate cannot do this, they are utterly incapable of assuming the responsibilities of public office - much less the highest office in the County. 

Yet Jawando and his colleagues never participated in a general election Council At-Large debate in 2018 or 2022(!!). It seems inconceivable that the forces of "democracy" in Montgomery County would allow this definitively-autocratic trend to continue this fall. Voters should not only express their interest in debates to the Democratic candidates directly, but should also apply pressure to the local media and their civic associations to host these debates prior to the start of early voting. You can either be complicit in an election process that Vladimir Putin and Fidel Castro would be proud of, or you can claim you are a champion of democracy. You cannot do both.

Wonder food hall now open in Gaithersburg

Wonder food hall is now open at 124 Main Street in the Kentlands area of Gaithersburg. The hybrid food hall and ghost kitchen offers multiple cuisines with celebrity chef branding on one menu. This is the third Montgomery County location to open, if I am counting correctly. A fourth is under construction in Burtonsville. With the heavy cash burn of rapid expansion, it will be interesting to see if this is the next Starbucks, or the next WeWork or Slapfish.

Kareem's Lebanese Kitchen opens in Gaithersburg

Kareem's Lebanese Kitchen opened with a ribbon-cutting yesterday at 212 Boardwalk Place at Rio Lakefront in Gaithersburg. The dining room was packed this evening. Specialties include fresh breads, handmade mezze, Lamb Mouzat, Farrouj, and Kareem's signature hummus, which is prepared from scratch in a three-day process. 

"I'm proud to bring Kareem's to Maryland and share the food, traditions and hospitality that have been part of my family for generations," Chef Rachid Eido said in a statement. "Lebanese hospitality is about more than serving a meal. It is about opening your table, sharing generously and making people feel like they belong. That is what we want every guest to experience when they come to Kareem's."

Arby's construction begins at Red Mill Shops

Construction has begun on the future Arby's restaurant at 7200 Muncaster Mill Road at the Red Mill Shops shopping center. So far, they are demolishing the interior of the former McDonald's. They haven't added Arby's to the tenants on the shopping center's monument sign yet, but you can see the blank space where it will go. Here's a look inside:

Empress Coffee & Cocktails for sale in Gaithersburg

Empress Coffee & Cocktails is being marketed as available for sale at 325 Main Street in the Kentlands area of Gaithersburg. The asking price is $250,000. Empress has a lease that expires on April 3, 2034, at a rent of $6200 a month, according to the online sale listing. That listing states that the reason the coffee shop is on the market is that the owner is moving. Empress remains fully open for business at this time.

Sheetz opens second Gaithersburg location

Sheetz is now open at 793 S. Frederick Avenue (MD 355) at the Walnut Hill Shopping Center in Gaithersburg. This is the second Montgomery County location for the convenience store and mega gas station chain. The store model used in the County is smaller than the ones I've been in on the road elsewhere. Sheetz expedited development of this second Gaithersburg location after the first, at 751 Progress Way, quickly proved to be a financial success. This one is convenient to the Rockville and Derwood areas.

Teen stabbed in Germantown

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a stabbing in Germantown yesterday afternoon. The assault took place at the 7-Eleven store at 19786 Crystal Rock Drive at 4:25 PM Wednesday. One juvenile male victim was transported to a local hospital with serious injuries, but is expected to survive, police say. The suspect(s) in the incident remain at large as of this writing.

Violent assault in Montgomery Village

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a violent assault in Montgomery Village this past Saturday afternoon. The assault was reported in the 18700 block of Nathans Place at 3:17 PM. According to police, the victim was assaulted by an unspecified number of assailants, and was transported to a local hospital with serious injuries as a result. It was a disturbing incident for two reasons: First, it continued the troubling 2026 Montgomery County crime trend of violent crime being committed during daylight hours. And second, it took place only a block east of the Lakeforest Mall site, where developers will soon be attempting to sell homebuyers on an expensive new community in one of the highest-crime hotspots in Montgomery County.

Police investigate shots-fired incident at Gaithersburg apartment building

A shots-fired incident inside a Gaithersburg apartment building is being investigated by police. The incident was reported at an apartment complex in the 18300 block of Streamside Drive at 8:42 PM last night. According to Montgomery County police, a single shot was fired inside an apartment unit there. Police have not announced any further details yet regarding the circumstances of the discharge, or whether any charges have been brought as a result.

Self-storage unit burglarized in Gaithersburg

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a burglary at a self-storage facility in Gaithersburg yesterday afternoon. The burglary was reported at a self-storage complex in the 8500 block of Snouffer School Road at 2:55 PM Thursday. Police have not identified the specific business, but that appears to be the U-Haul Moving & Storage facility at 8501 Snouffer School Road. Officers responding to the scene found evidence of forced entry into at least one storage unit. They determined that items were stolen from the unit.

Road rage in Germantown

Montgomery County police responded to a road rage incident in Germantown yesterday morning, August 12, 2026. The incident was reported at the intersection of Father Hurley Boulevard and Waters Landing Drive between 10:00 and 10:30 AM Wednesday. According to police, amid a road rage dispute, one driver displayed a handgun to the other. No description of the suspect was released.

Aspen Dental, Jersey Mike's lease spaces at new strip mall in Gaithersburg

Gaithersburg's newest strip mall has secured its first two tenants. Aspen Dental and Jersey Mike's have leased inline spaces at Matan Companies' Progress Way development at the intersection of Route 355 and Montgomery Village Avenue. The new strip mall structure is joining existing tenants Sheetz and Chick-Fil-A, which each have pad sites. Formerly home to IBM and Leidos, the property also has industrial buildings leased by AstraZeneca and Montgomery County Public Schools.

Car stolen from dealership in Gaithersburg

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a stolen car at an auto dealership in Gaithersburg on July 27, 2026. The vehicle was stolen sometime in the early morning hours from Mr. 301 Auto Sales at 8061 Snouffer School Road. No suspect descriptions, vehicle description, or surveillance camera images have been released in this case. If you have any information regarding this incident, call police at (301) 279-8000.

Sleepy burglar arrested in Gaithersburg

A burglar broke into a business in Gaithersburg sometime overnight between Tuesday night and yesterday morning, only to fall asleep once inside. Workers discovered the sound sleeper at 9:53 AM inside a business in the 600 block of N. Frederick Avenue. They called police, who took the intruder into custody. Officers found no evidence that the burglar had pocketed anything while inside.

Taiwan's MedVoyage Global chooses Virginia over Maryland for U.S. headquarters

Is Northern Virginia tired of winning yet? No! And fortunately for them, Montgomery County and Maryland elected officials aren't tired of losing. Thus it is that the Taiwanese firm MedVoyage Global has chosen Virginia, not Maryland, for its U.S. headquarters. The MedVoyage HQ will be at 10300 Eaton Place, at the Mason Enterprise Center (MEC) in Fairfax City. MedVoyage is a leading firm in the future of healthcare, using a low-Earth-orbit satellite network to deliver telehealth and pharmacy services to remote areas in 40 countries, to ships at sea, and to over 80 bricks-and-mortar medical centers across the globe, as well as connecting these remote customers with emergency response units.

Now MedVoyage is expanding into the North American healthcare market, and has chosen Northern Virginia as its base to scale up system and sales operations, as well as to navigate federal regulatory red tape. "Over the next two years, the company plans to scale its local workforce with systems engineers, clinical compliance specialists, and commercial sales executives," the Fairfax City Economic Development corporation said in a statement this morning. FCED added that this latest victory "further strengthens Fairfax City’s role within Northern Virginia’s innovation economy."

"Selecting Fairfax City for our U.S. headquarters is a foundational step in our global scaling strategy," MedVoyage Global CEO Nemo Teng said in a statement. "MEC Fairfax offers the ideal soft-landing environment and unparalleled access to the Northern Virginia tech ecosystem, placing us minutes away from critical federal and defense stakeholders such as the U.S. Coast Guard, Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Defense. This facility allows us to rapidly build strategic U.S. partnerships, access premier regional engineering talent, and deploy our emergency and maritime telehealth solutions across North America."

Anyone familiar with local geography will realize that Montgomery County is also in close proximity to these same federal and defense stakeholders. So, why does Northern Virginia keep winning, and Montgomery County keep losing?

You can look at the most obvious difference, which is the low tax environment of Virginia versus Montgomery County, which weighs down its residents and businesses with the highest total tax and fee burden in the region. But let's again go a step further, and see how once again Northern Virginia's superior infrastructure triumphs over Montgomery County's incomplete master plan highway system and poor airport access.

MedVoyage Global's new U.S. HQ will sit right beside an on-ramp to Interstate 66, and directly adjacent to U.S. Route 50. That will give MedVoyage a straight shot to Dulles International Airport via Route 50, or even faster with tolls via I-66. In contrast, Montgomery County and Maryland elected officials continue to block construction of the long-delayed new Potomac River crossing of I-370 from Gaithersburg to Dulles. 

As much as Northern Virginia enjoys winning, so do corporations that need to make something called profits. Winning is contagious. And winners like to have direct access to the only airport in the region with the frequency and variety of flights to international destinations that international businesspeople require to compete - Dulles International Airport. Thanks to our anti-business, Marxist "leadership," Montgomery County continues to lack that strategic advantage - by choice!!

In another delicious coincidence, did you know that Montgomery County's unfinished master plan highway system would have also extended I-66 access into Bethesda? The unbuilt Northwest Freeway, which would have paralleled Wisconsin Avenue through Bethesda, Friendship Heights and Tenleytown, would have crossed the Potomac on the also-unbuilt Three Sisters Bridge and (surprise!) also-unbuilt I-266 near Georgetown University. And you wonder where Montgomery County got all that land for tiny parks and big parking garages between Wisconsin Avenue and the Town of Chevy Chase!

By learning to love losing.

Assault at restaurant in Germantown

Two people were assaulted at a restaurant in Germantown yesterday, August 3, 2026. Montgomery County police were called to a restaurant in the 12900 block of Middlebrook Road at 10:03 PM Monday. According to police, two people were arguing outside of the restaurant. A third individual approached and pepper sprayed them. The suspect was described by police only as "a man."

Indecent exposure at pool in Germantown

Montgomery County police responded to a report of indecent exposure at a pool in Germantown Saturday afternoon, August 1, 2026. The incident was reported at a pool in the 13600 block of Ale House Circle at 4:51 PM. That is a pool located within the Millstone at Kingsview apartment complex, off of Germantown Road.

Montgomery County Council seeks to remove neighborhood veto power on "benefit performances"

The Montgomery County Council is proposing to strip residents of their existing veto power over "benefit performances" staged in their residential neighborhoods. Currently, entities and organizations - with a few exceptions, such as fire departments and religious institutions - who propose to hold a live music event, carnival, festival, or other performance to raise charitable funds must obtain consent from 75% of residents whose homes are within 600 feet of the performance site. Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 26-11: Temporary Uses - Benefit Performances would entirely eliminate this veto authority from neighbors. If passed, the ZTA would merely require that those residents be notified that they are going to be treated to a benefit performance, whether they like it or not. The performances could last as long as 15 days(!!).

I would venture to say that few Montgomery County residents are even aware that they currently possess this veto authority, much less that the Council is conniving to relieve them of it. The move continues a trend for the Council - when they're not banning stuff or raising taxes, they're systematically removing residents' ability to express objection or input on controversial matters they want to ram through, from development and road diets to bike lanes, bus depots, landfills and jails. A public hearing on the ZTA is scheduled for Tuesday, September 15, 2026, from 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM.

Potbelly closes at Gaithersburg Square

Potbelly has closed at 544 N. Frederick Avenue at Gaithersburg Square. Signage has been ripped off the storefront, and the interior appears to have been cleared out. The sandwich chain is actually in an expansion mode of significant growth, only closing low performing stores. Once again, the anti-business policies of the Montgomery County Council - and the resulting moribund economy - claim another victim.

Fugitive alleged thieves found at Motel 6 in Gaithersburg

Two men accused of multiple thefts from vehicles in Bethesda were located at one of my favorite hotels in Montgomery County, the Motel 6 at 497 Quince Orchard Road in Gaithersburg. Say what you will, but these two fellas have got great taste when it comes to lodging. Craig Pendergrass, 30, of Silver Spring and Antonio Gordon, 38, of Frederick may have been expecting Tom Bodett when they heard a knock on their door, but it turned out to be Montgomery's Finest. 

Police claim numerous stolen items, including electronics and other property linked to the Bethesda thefts, were found in their hotel room. Two firearms previously reported stolen in a separate Montgomery County case were also recovered. Pendergrass and Gordon were arrested and charged with multiple counts of theft: $1,500 to under $25,000, rogue and vagabond and related charges. They are being held without bond. 

Photo courtesy Montgomery County Police Department 

Lil' Cakes & Creamery for sale in Gaithersburg

Lil' Cakes & Creamery at 488 N. Frederick Avenue at Gaithersburg Square is being offered for sale. The asking price is $300,000, according to the online sale listing. That includes $30,000 worth of equipment, but does not include inventory. The business is a franchised dessert shop featuring baked goods and ice cream. It opened here in 2019.

Watkins Mill Town Center: Promises made, promises broken

Montgomery County taxpayers, and early homebuyers, were sold a vision of the Watkins Mill Town Center shortly after the Montgomery County cartel seized a majority of the seats on the County Council in 2002. Over twenty years later - like the similarly promoted Clarksburg Town Center - the Watkins Mill Town Center remains an empty field. Nowhere to be found are the promised shops, restaurants, and movie theater with a special liquor license that predated the lobby bars that would pop up in County cinemas a decade later. And no Corridor Cities Transitway light rail connects Watkins Mill to the Shady Grove Metro station - or anything else for that matter.

Like Clarksburg, all of the highly-profitable residential housing was built at Watkins Mill. But the less profitable commercial construction and amenities? You're on your own, baby, the Council and City of Gaithersburg told residents. Hey, you got a mega gas station and Starbucks on the other side of the highway, so shut up and quit your complaining.

Taxpayers who picked up the tab for new services and classrooms will well remember that the developers involved helped get favored County and City officials elected. Their campaign signs were even erected on the property. They got elected, and prospered. The developers prospered. You, the taxpayer? Not so much. 

It follows the Montgomery County cartel model we've seen everywhere from Westbard to downtown Bethesda and White Oak. Developers and their planning and legislative puppets promise the world. They get their approvals. Then they take the money and run - for the hills, or for re-election. Amenities are deleted. Master plans ignored. Commercial land gets rezoned for more and more housing. 

Watkins Mill Town Center. Promises made. Promises broken.

Whip Clean Car Wash opens in Gaithersburg

Whip Clean Car Wash is now open at 391 Muddy Branch Road, at the Festival at Muddy Branch shopping center in Gaithersburg. You can go through for a single wash at a la carte pricing, or sign up to save with a membership. The results have been impressive, based on the photos posted online by the first customers so far. Operating hours are 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM Monday through Saturday, and 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM on Sundays.

Model homes open at Watkins Mill Station in Gaithersburg

Model homes are now open to tour at Pulte Homes' Watkins Mill Station development at 506 Parkview Avenue in Gaithersburg. The development features stacked 2-level townhome-style condos, which start at $584,990. When completed, the property will offer a Clubhouse with a fitness room, an outdoor swimming pool, a pavilion, a tot lot, and two pocket parks. What's most interesting is how close it is to the actual train station that inspired its name. You are literally steps away from the platform at the Metropolitan Grove MARC commuter rail station. This could be a real boon for the person who works in downtown Silver Spring, or near Union Station in Washington, D.C., or for train buffs who want a front row seat to the Amtrak, CSX, and MARC Brunswick Line trains passing through this station.