Montgomery County Council votes to increase impervious surfaces days after new flood risk was revealed

The Montgomery County Council speaks loudly and often about climate change and the environment, but their warmed-over Reaganomics policies betray their true values. This has been revealed once again as the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments has commissioned new flood zone maps that show much more of Montgomery County's land area to be at risk of flash flooding than the standard U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) maps. Several of the areas highlighted on the new maps experienced significant flooding during an unusually-heavy rain event last month. But just four days after MWCOG released its new flood danger maps to elected officials in MoCo and elsewhere in the region, the Montgomery County Council went ahead and approved new zoning rules that will increase the amount of impervious surface area in many of the very neighborhoods identified as now being at high risk of flash flooding.

Under the Reaganesque Thrive 2050/"More Housing N.O.W." zoning text amendment approved by a majority of the Council on July 22, 2025, the allowed increase in impervious surfaces are almost entirely permitted in the downcounty areas like Bethesda and Silver Spring. That is where the greatest flooding risks are located. Despite having access to this new flood danger report and maps on four days earlier on July 18, our "green" County Council bulldozed ahead, and voted to approve a massive increase in impervious surfaces in the very areas at highest risk. Single-family home neighborhoods where houses are currently surrounded by soil and grass lawns will now be open to four-story apartment buildings.

Just in the River Road corridor of Bethesda alone, the properties where the greater impervious surfaces will be allowed are within the flood zones of at least three major streams. Of course, the increased flooding we have already been experiencing in Montgomery County over the last decade is in large part due to the massive development approved this century by the County Council. This is the same reason we have an overpopulation of deer and even wandering bears in the downcounty, as these animals have been forced out of their forests that have fallen to the chainsaws and bulldozers of our supply-side, trickle-down, voodoo economics County Council. The same Council that swears by the Laffer Curve - but only when it applies to their developer sugar daddies.

The reckless decision by the Council could have ramifications in the 2026 elections. Councilmembers Evan Glass and Andrew Friedson voted for the ZTA to increase impervious surfaces in flood danger zones, and they are both running for County Executive. One of their opponents in the Democratic primary is their colleague, Councilmember Will Jawando, who did not vote for the ZTA. Jawando could now use this scandal as another point to differentiate himself from his Reagan Democrat rivals. And Councilmembers running for reelection will have to answer to voters who might raise the topic on the campaign trail, to explain why they voted to put their current and future constituents at greater risk of flood damage and death. Heckuva job, Brownie!

Robbery at knifepoint on Gaithersburg residential street

Montgomery County police responded to a report of an armed robbery on a residential street in Gaithersburg Wednesday afternoon, August 6, 2025. The robbery was reported in the 100 block of Gold Kettle Drive at 4:36 PM. That is a townhome community between Sam Eig Highway and Muddy Branch Road. A knife was the weapon used in the robbery.

BioNTech to lay off 32 more employees in Gaithersburg

The hits just keep on coming to the moribund Montgomery County economy. Amid mass layoffs of federal employees who live in the County, biotech firm BioNTech has announced further layoffs at its facilities. 63 employees are already due to be let go on Saturday, August 9. Now the German pharmaceutical company says it will lay off an additional 32 workers at its facility at 25 West Watkins Mill Road in Gaithersburg on September 16. 

Alleged Ledo Pizza burglar arrested in Montgomery Village

Ledo Pizza doesn't cut corners, and neither do Montgomery's Finest. Montgomery County police arrested a man whom they allege broke into the Montgomery Village location of the Maryland pizza chain at 19200 Montgomery Village Avenue, in the Montgomery Village Center at on July 26, 2025 at 5:02 AM. Officers responding to the scene found evidence of forced entry at the pizzeria, but determined that nothing had been stolen. Jason Cole, 20, of Falmouth, Virginia was arrested. 

Cole has been charged with felony 2nd-degree burglary. He was released from custody by Judge Patrick Mays after posting a $5000, unsecured bond on July 28. A preliminary hearing in the case has been scheduled for August 22 in Montgomery County District Court in Rockville.

Montgomery County IG finds 1000s of MCPS employees with access to students haven't been screened

A new report issued by the Montgomery County Office of the Inspector General contains alarming findings about the safety of students in Montgomery County Public Schools. An investigation by IG Megan Limarzi and her office found that thousands of MCPS employees' criminal histories are not being monitored by the school system, about 4,900 employees currently have access to students but have not undergone a Child Protective Services background check, and that MCPS does not ensure that contractors and volunteers undergo a criminal history check before they begin working inside the school system. These are violations of Maryland law and MCPS' own rules, Limarzi wrote in her report.

MCPS Superintendent Thomas Taylor wrote a response to the OIG report's conclusions in which he accepted responsibility for the security failures, but also cast blame on the OIG for slowing the school system's response to the lapses, and for not recognizing the cost of implementing the report's recommendations, which Taylor estimated would be $2 million. Limarzi called Taylor's accusations "perplexing," and said she and her staff are disappointed "by the apparent attempts to transfer blame to this office" for "serious issues that have been well known at MCPS for years and yet have gone unaddressed."

"We appreciate the work of Inspector General Megan Limarzi and her team for bringing this important issue to light and providing the public with an impartial evaluation of the MCPS Background Screening Office," County Council President Kate Stewart and Vice-President Will Jawando said in a joint statement yesterday. They wrote that the Council's Audit Committee will conduct oversight hearings on the matter beginning September 26, 2025. Additional meetings will be held by two other Council committees later in the fall. "[T]he urgency with which these issues must be corrected cannot be overstated," Stewart and Jawando wrote.

This is only the latest revelation about lax security measures at MCPS. Previously, a lack of security cameras - and staff to actively monitor the ones that exist - came to light after violent crime and hate graffiti incidents inside MCPS schools. And a 2016 State of Maryland audit of MCPS uncovered lax cybersecurity protocols that did not adequately shield private student information from those accessing MCPS computer systems from inside - and outside - the organization.

Hobby Lobby to open in Gaithersburg

Hobby Lobby is planning to open its first store in Montgomery County. It will be at 15750 Shady Grove Road in the 270 Center, on the border of Gaithersburg and Rockville. That is the former Best Buy space. Hobby Lobby will take advantage of the big box building dimensions, and the immediate access to I-270 just west of the shopping center.

Hobby Lobby was founded by David Green in 1972, initially operating out of a garage with a $600 loan to create miniature picture frames. The success of these frames, which could be sold to larger retailers, allowed Green to open the first Hobby Lobby store in Oklahoma City in 1972. The company's growth was fueled by its focus on providing a wide array of craft and hobby supplies at competitive prices, coupled with a strong emphasis on customer service. Similar to Chick-fil-A, Hobby Lobby followed a practice of closing its stores on Sundays. Their strategy resonated with a broad customer base, enabling steady expansion across the United States.

The Hobby Lobby concept centers on offering a vast selection of arts, crafts, and home decor items under one roof, catering to a diverse range of creative interests and decorating styles. Their merchandise typically includes framing supplies, floral and wedding décor, fabric, jewelry making components, scrapbooking materials, and various craft supplies for painting, drawing, and needlework. Beyond crafts, Hobby Lobby also stocks a significant amount of seasonal decorations, party supplies, and general home furnishings, all curated to appeal to a family-friendly demographic interested in DIY projects and affordable home embellishments.

Pepco substation broken into in Gaithersburg

Montgomery County police report that a Pepco electrical substation in Gaithersburg was broken into earlier this month. The break-in occurred sometime between 3:14 PM on July 11, 2025 and 6:00 AM on July 14. Officers responding to the scene found evidence of forced entry at Pepco Substation 56, which is located in the 19400 block of Watkins Mill Road. 

Police said nothing appeared to have been stolen from inside the facility. However, this is an event that draws scrutiny from law enforcement, as the U.S. Department of Energy reports that there were 175 attacks, or threats of attacks, on electrical infrastructure in the United States in 2023 alone. If you have any information about this incident, call police at (301) 279-8000.