Maryland law leaves McDonald's large fries lovers holding the bag

Maryland McDonald's customers ordering medium and large french fries are finding out Ronald has a brand new bag. Instead of the iconic red cardboard medium and large fry containers, those orders are now being handed out in paper bags, at least at some Golden Arches locations in Montgomery County. Some customers say the weight and portion size of the bagged fries are less than those served in the cardboard containers. But it's not simply a shrinkflation attempt alone by McDonald's. It turns out that Maryland passed a law in 2024 that mandated the retirement of cardboard fry sleeves forever.

The George "Walter" Taylor act was presented to the public as a bill almost no one would oppose. It would ban the sale and use of firefighting foam that contained "forever chemicals." This would reduce health risks and impacts for firefighters, and who could disagree with that? Well, it turns out another provision was hidden in the bill, one that applied a similar restriction to food packaging. Cardboard fry containers often are lined with a chemical coating that resists grease, and that supposedly contained a forever chemical. Cardboard was out, and the bill was signed into law by former Governor Larry Hogan.

I found the fry transition has been underway in a few other nanny states for at least a couple of years. Like so many nutty laws paased by the Maryland legislature and Montgomery County Council, this was yet another plagiarized from the great state of California. Now, thanks to both local legislative bodies, we not only have paper straws that melt and ruin the taste of your drink, but potentially smaller fry portions for the same high price.

McDonald's swears that the portion size is the same. Fast food packaging experts have noted that the shape difference, and dimensions of the opening of the new bag, together make it more difficult to stuff the same amount of fries into the bag as filled the cardboard. The jury is out. Your mileage may vary. And it will be something to watch in the coming weeks and months - please share your experience in the comments below.

Ace Hardware opens in Rockville

Ace Hardware has opened at 835 Rockville Pike at Wintergreen Plaza in Rockville. This is the first Ace Hardware store to open in the city. A couple of target opening dates were missed, but they've opened just in time for today's Nor'easter. Time to stock up on snow shovels, ice melt, deicer, windshield scrapers, and snow blowers! Check out that early closing time, though. 

Esvin's Bagels and Cafe opening soon at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

And here we thought Bethesda was reaching peak bagel with the impending arrival of Call Your Mother Deli and PopUp Bagels in downtown Bethesda. But wait - there's more! Westfield Montgomery Mall is getting in on the act with Esvin's Bagels and Cafe. Founded by a father-son duo, Esvin's will serve artisanal bagels and Guatemalan coffee. Specialty sandwiches, healthy bowls, and a variety of baked goods will round out the menu, which also includes milkshakes. When it opens, look for Esvin's right inside Entrance 4 on Level 1 of the mall, in the Cheesecake Factory wing.

Gap Factory coming soon to Rockville

Gap Factory is coming this summer to Rockville. The store will be located at 1667 Rockville Pike at Congressional Plaza. That's the space recently vacated by Land's End, next to Hallmark. The interior has been gutted and construction on the interior fit-out appears to be getting underway.

Is Gap Factory yet another liquidation outlet? No, and I did not know this. Gap Factory does not sell anything sold at regular Gap stores. Instead, the products are designed with less-expensive materials at lower prices by Gap designers. Now, most of us would probably say, "Isn't that what Old Navy is?" The selling point seems to be that if you are fond of the styling of Gap clothes and find their designers' tastes to reliably match yours, Gap Factory is an additional line of their creations you can snag for less.

Assault at condo complex in Rockville

Montgomery County police were called to a condominium complex in Rockville early Tuesday afternoon, February 17, 2026, after someone reported having been assaulted there. The 2nd-degree assault was reported in the 15300 block of Diamond Cove Terrace at 1:33 PM Tuesday. It took place in the parking lot of the complex. It is in the Shady Grove area, just south of Downtown Crown.

Update on Shiki Fusion at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda (Photos)

New signage for Shiki Fusion has been installed at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. An updated construction wall displays items from the menu of the Japanese-Thai fusion restaurant, and a spring 2026 opening date. Behind the wall, construction on the dining area appears nearly complete. See below for a sneak peek. Finally, there will be no misunderstanding that Shiki Fusion is located on Level 3 of the mall with the AMC Montgomery 16 cineplex. Massive Trumpian gold letters and a directional arrow have been attached to a panel high above the Dining Terrace food court below to hammer this home.

Clarksburg Banana Republic employee accused of videotaping women in dressing rooms

An employee of the Banana Republic Factory Store at the Clarksburg Premium Outlets mall has been arrested after several women reported seeing a cell phone video recording them in the dressing rooms of the store. Police say Fabio Delrio, 19, of Clarksburg was identified as the suspect after officers reviewed surveillance camera footage from the store, and discovered images of women in dressing rooms on his phone. Delrio also took pictures of women as they shopped in the store, police allege. They report that he is no longer employed at the store at this time.

Delrio has been charged with four counts of peeping Tom, four counts of visual surveillance with prurient intent in a private area, and other related charges. He is free on $5000 bond.

The known peeping Tom incidents were recorded in the store's dressing rooms between May and August of 2025. Detectives believe there may be additional victims. They are asking anyone who shopped at the Banana Republic Factory Store between May 2025 and August 2025 and may have been a victim of Fabio Delrio to call the 4th District Investigative Section at (240) 773-5530, or to visit the Crime Solvers of Montgomery County, MD website at www.crimesolversmcmd.org and click on the “www.p3tips.com” link at the top of the page or call 1-866-411-8477.