The B12 Store rebrands at Montgomery Mall

The B12 Store at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda has rebranded. It is now known as Vydration. The shop offers primarily preventative healthcare via vitamin injections and IV therapy. Clients apparently find that it offers benefits, as the store has a perfect 5-star rating after a whopping 254 Google reviews, tough for any business to pull off. Look for Vydration on Level 1 of the mall, next to Häagen-Dazs.

Rockville office building, beer store burglarized 15 minutes apart

Two Rockville properties were broken into within a 15 minute period Thursday night, October 10, 2024. Rockville City police responded to a report of a burglary at a beer and wine store in the 100 block of Congressional Lane at 11:23 PM. Fifteen minutes later, a burglary occurred at a nearby office building in the 1500 block of Rockville Pike. Officers responding to both scenes found evidence of forced entry at the properties.

Montgomery Mall toy store's final days mean discounts of 70-90% off

These appear to be the final days of Alex Baby & Toys at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Discounts at the short-lived toy store are now 70-90% off on everything in the store. Everything that's left, I should add, as shelves are growing bare - and when they do, the shelves themselves disappear from the sales floor, as you can see in the pictures below. Not surprisingly, there were plenty of Black Adam toys left. Look for Alex Baby & Toys on Level 1 of the mall in the Old Navy wing.

LEGO thief strikes again in Rockville

LEGO superfans just can't stop collecting these expensive block-building sets, and one LEGO-loving thief in Rockville is no exception. A suspect driving a beige Buick LeSabre struck again on October 1, 2024 at 11:00 AM. He entered a store in the 1600 block of Rockville Pike, which appears to be at Congressional Plaza, and allegedly stole two LEGO sets. 

A man of similar description, once again driving a beige Buick getaway car, stole an unspecified number of LEGO sets from the same location on September 27. That day, he fled the store through a rear door, and drove off in the Buick.

Rockville City police describe the suspect as a Hispanic male, 40 to 60 years of age, clean shaven with dark brown hair and glasses. On October 1, he was wearing a dark blue shirt with yellow letters, white shorts, and a dark green/gray cap. During the first alleged LEGO heist, he wore a dark blue shirt with the word "Wolverines" in yellow letters (sound familiar?), light blue jeans, a dark blue rain jacket and a (take a wild guess) dark green/gray cap.

If you can identify the suspect, or have any information about either theft, call police at 240-314-8900.

The Jam opens at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

The Jam has opened at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. An art gallery, it replaces Wentworth Gallery in this spot. It is certainly more political than Wentworth, which leaned heavily toward celebrity artists who were aiming at a wealthy, broader audience. Look for The Jam on Level 2 of the mall, right outside of Nordstrom.

Annapolis migrant-arrival drill raises eyebrows as state officials deny imminent influx

Maryland State Senator Justin Ready
questioned the use of taxpayer dollars for
a migrant-arrival "drill" Tuesday

A curious preparedness exercise by the Maryland Department of Emergency Management caught the attention of Republican lawmakers and Baltimore media outlets. Using actors posing as newly-arrived migrants being bused into the state capital on Tuesday, emergency personnel simulated their response to a now-familar scene in cities across America. The "drill" included actors pouring out of buses, and the conversion of two buildings in Annapolis into short-term migrant shelters. 

WBFF Fox Baltimore 45 and The Baltimore Sun reported on the exercise yesterday. The two media outlets share an owner, and quoted alarmed GOP elected officials who felt this could be a dry run with a purpose. "It sounds to me like the state is thirsty for this to happen," State Senator Justin Ready (R - District 5) said. State officials told Fox 45 and the Sun that they are not aware of any immediate plans for a major influx of new migrants to Maryland. 

Some immigration supporters on social media decried the reports as fearmongering. Most other news outlets ignored the state exercise.

Such an event would hardly qualify as a shock in Maryland, however. The state has accepted the most unaccompanied migrant children of any in America since 2015, and added 33,000 migrants to its population between 2022 and 2023 alone, according to CASA of Maryland. 

Big Lots closing in Germantown, Montgomery Village store to stay open for now

Big Lots is closing at 20926 Frederick Road at the Milestone Shopping Center in Germantown. This is one of 46 additional Big Lots store closures found on a list posted by Columbus Business First. Fortunately, the Big Lots in Montgomery Village is not on the list. Big Lots filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on September 9, 2024, the latest victim of America's vanishing middle class. 

Cyclist damages Rockville store over "no-shirt, no-service" policy

A shirtless cyclist became enraged when blocked from entering a Rockville store by an employee. The suspect attempted to enter the business in the 100 block of Rollins Avenue at 7:47 AM on September 28, 2024. When denied entry for not wearing a shirt, the cyclist lunged toward an employee and damaged a store window, Rockville City police allege. The suspect fled on their bicycle. Police have not released a description of the suspect.

Mui modern Japanese restaurant "coming soon" to Rockville

Mui is "coming soon" to Rockville Pike, according to signage posted at the restaurant's future storefront at 967 Rose Avenue at Pike & Rose. The modern Japanese restaurant is anticipated to open this winter. Taking over a large space that previously belonged to Asian food hall The Block, the spacial dimensions and Japanese cuisine of Mui remind me of the Kabu Japanese Steakhouse that opened in a massive space at the Rockville Metro II office building. 

Inspired by the modern cuisine of Japan, the menu at Mui will combine traditional and innovative new dishes. Seafood and meat will be cooked on a Robata grill. Like many top sushi restaurants in the region, Mui will offer an omakase dining option, which will leave the selection to the chef, who will surprise and delight diners with their latest creations.

A wine and champagne list will join a curated selection of cocktails. These will be complimented by a menu of fine agave, scotch and sake brands. The coming-soon signage gives a preview of what the restaurant's interior will look like when completed this winter. 

NIST awards potential $1.5 million to develop regenerative medicine curricula

Gaithersburg's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has awarded a potential $1.5 million to two organizations, with the goal of developing regenerative medicine standards curricula. Brammer Bio, LLC, and Gaithersburg's own Standards Coordinating Body (SCB) for Gene, Cell and Regenerative Medicines and Cell-Based Drug Discovery, will each receive $250,000 per year, with the option to renew for up to three addition years of funding. 

Regenerative medicine includes cell therapy, gene therapy, and therapeutic tissue engineering. It relies on the human body's own healing abilities to regenerate or replace damaged organs, cells, and tissue. As a rapidly-growing field in medicine and research, regenerative medicine is a promising new avenue in preventing, treating, and curing cancer and genetic disorders.

NIST was charged by the U.S. Congress last year to help develop the regenerative medicine workforce of the future. It oversaw a competitive process earlier this year, through which the two winning organizations were identified. Now these organizations will endeavor to create training programs on the standards, protocols, and measurements that will provide a foundation for the field going forward.

“We are thrilled to announce our new partnerships to develop an innovative standards education program, paving the way for flexible and immersive learning experiences that support advanced biomanufacturing,” Sheng Lin-Gibson, chief of NIST’s Biosystems and Biomaterials Division, said in a statement this morning. “These educational programs will facilitate the adoption of standards and best practices to increase quality and consistency of advanced therapies and ultimately bring down costs.”

Photo courtesy Robert Rathe/NIST

Mother and child assaulted at Rockville park

A mother and her child were both physically assaulted at a Rockville park on September 28, 2024, according to Rockville City police. Around 7:00 PM at Montrose Park at 451 Congressional Lane, the child was punched in the face by a juvenile male. When the child's mother confronted the juvenile assailant, she was assaulted by a female of unspecified age. No description of the assailants has been released as of this writing.

Rockville celebrates Piketoberfest 2024 (Photos)

One day after downtown Bethesda held its biggest annual event, one of the biggest fall events returned to Rockville Pike for 2024. Piketoberfest at Pike & Rose brought out the masses for four hours of food, live music, games, and a craft beer garden. My favorite pumpkin man returned to preside over the festivities for another year. There was even a rock climbing tower for the daredevils in the crowd. Good fortune prevailed on the weather front, as the event fell squarely between two hurricane rain events.

Sagel Bloomfield Danzansky Goldberg Funeral Care relocates in Rockville

Sagel Bloomfield Danzansky Goldberg Funeral Care has relocated in Rockville. It has moved from the Talbott Center to 170 Rollins Avenue, right across the street from the Bethany House apartments. Parking is available behind the building, which has been converted into a 6000-square-foot modern facility.

Sagel Bloomfield Danzansky Goldberg Funeral Care has been a fixture in the regional mortuary business for over 100 years, after its founding in 1920 in Washington, D.C. In the 1970s they relocated to Rockville, where they have been a landmark at the intersection of Rockville Pike and Talbott Street for decades, making one move across the street to Talbott Center in 2015.

As the business has grown, so have the number of services offered. Ten years ago, the company added a monument division. In 2020, they introduced pet cremation and pet funeral care services. Sagel Bloomfield Danzansky Goldberg Funeral Care continues to actively support area temples, hospice organizations, and cemeteries, along with a wide variety of other Jewish nonprofit organizations.

Photos courtesy Sagel Bloomfield Danzansky Goldberg Funeral Care

Rockville diner punches manager over bad service

Sometimes leaving a reduced tip, or writing a bad Yelp review, apparently isn't enough. Rockville City police are looking for a man who got violent after becoming "angry about food service at a business." The suspect was patronizing an establishment in the 2200 block of Veirs Mill Road at 4:28 PM on September 24, 2024. Angry about what he felt was bad service, he allegedly punched the store manager, and threatened to spray him with a can of mace. 

Police describe the suspect as a balding Black male of medium-build, 32 to 33 years of age, and 5'9" in height. He was wearing a white T-shirt and white sweatpants, and carrying a "large square lunch bag." If you can identify the suspect, or have any information about this incident, call police at 240-314-8900.

Kura Revolving Sushi Bar opening in Rockville Oct. 5

Kura Revolving Sushi Bar at 12266 Rockville Pike at Federal Plaza now has an opening date. It is scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday, October 5, 2024, at 12:00 PM. "Kura Revolving Sushi Bar is a unique 'eater-tainment' destination that combines authentic Japanese cuisine with interactive dining," the chain said in a statement. "With more than 100 dishes served via a two-layered conveyor belt system, guests enjoy a whimsical journey of flavors, enhanced by our drink delivery robots, Kur-B the KuraBot, and Bikkura Pon prizes. It is our philosophy and ongoing promise to prepare food using REAL ingredients free of artificial sweeteners, seasonings, preservatives and colorings." Look for Kura right next to Torchy's Tacos, which just opened this past week.

But, wait, there's more! Save the date for the restaurant's Grand Opening celebration next week on Tuesday, October 8, at 11:30 AM. The first 50 seated dine-in guests on October 8th, 9th and 10th who show their Kura Sushi Rewards Member QR code will receive one (1) sushi towel. The first 300 seated dine-in guests on October 8th will receive a commemorative Rockville, Maryland location sticker. During the grand opening celebration, premium sushi will be $3.70 per plate. Other plate prices will vary. 

Operating hours from Saturday, October 5 through Monday, October 7 will be 12:00 PM – 9:00 PM. Beginning Tuesday, October 8, the regular business hours will be as follows: Sundays from 11:00 AM to 9:30 PM, Mondays through Thursdays from 11:30 AM to 9:30 PM, Fridays from 11:30 AM to 10:00 PM, and Saturdays from 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM. 

How does the dual conveyor belt system work? One circulating belt rotates plates of sushi throughout the restaurant. Freshness is retained via their trademarked Mr. Fresh sushi lid, and the time plates have been out on the belt is monitored to ensure sushi is always fresh. A second belt above the primary belt is used to deliver a la carte items you order from your table directly to you. Any of the more than 100 menu selections you choose will travel the Express Belt to your table.

What are the Bikkura Pon prizes? According to the company, "the Bikkura Pon Prize System is an integral part of Kura Sushi USA’s innovative and tech interactive dining experience and is comprised of a prize machine, touch panel and plate disposal slot located at every table in the restaurant that are connected via sensors. The touch panel registers the number of sushi plates dispensed into the plate disposal slot. After every five plates inserted, a short animation will play on the touch panel and after every fifteen plates inserted, a prize will be dispensed from the prize machine."

Photo credits: 1-2 by Kura Revolving Sushi Bar; 3-5 by Emily J. Davis; 6-8 by Rockville Nights

 

Montgomery County Black cemetery advocates sue River Road self-storage developers

A seven-year dispute between advocates for a desecrated Black cemetery in Bethesda, and the developers of a self-storage building directly adjacent to it, is moving to the courtroom. Several activists have filed suit against the project's developers, 1784 Capital Holdings, LLC and Bethesda Self Storage Partners, LLC, in Montgomery County Circuit Court. The civil case is the latest effort by the Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition to halt and reverse development impacts to the burial ground - which is located under land occupied by the Westwood Tower apartments and a second plot hastily-purchased by Montgomery County to avoid an archaeological search for graves - and ultimately have the graveyard memorialized and restored.

The six plantiffs in the case are asking the court for "a judicial declaration that the land, designated as parcel 242, was used as a burial ground and that human remains, burial artifacts and funerary objects were wrongfully removed from the site, and for an order requiring the defendants to return such remains, artifacts and objects to BACC," a press release from BACC today notes. The plaintiffs are also seeking monetary compensation. 

Although the self-storage site was not part of the original cemetery, the concern since 2017 has been that burials in Black cemeteries sometimes were placed beyond the boundaries of the graveyard in question, when property lines were not delineated by fencing. The core of the dispute is that observers with BACC say they saw potential remains and funerary objects being excavated and trucked away, while the archaeological expert hired by the developers reported that they had determined these were not human remains or funerary objects. Those bones and objects in question are now stored in a Virginia warehouse, and BACC has sought to have them reviewed by their own experts.

Among the plaintiffs are Harvey Matthews, a former resident of the Black community on River Road between Brookside Drive and Little Falls Parkway, that was wiped out by developers who evicted the residents to redevelop the area into an industrial and commercial zone in the 1960s. A second plaintiff is Darold Cuba, a historian who has extensively researched kinship communities and networks that formed in post-Emancipation America, exactly like the one on River Road formed by freed slaves from the adjacent Loughborough plantation. Cuba is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Cambridge. 

BACC and its President, Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, are also plaintiffs. BACC community organizer and activist Ari Gutman, and activist and former Green Party candidate for Montgomery County Council Timothy Willard round out the parties filing suit.

The plaintiffs have the highest-powered legal representation yet in the cemetery saga. They are being represented by the prominent and massive international law firm of Holland & Knight.

A pre-trial conference in the case has been scheduled for June 5, 2025 in Montgomery County Circuit Court. The case has been assigned to Judge James A. Bonifant.

Photo: Gail Rebhan

"Sirius" failure for Montgomery County, Maryland as Virginia wins UK defense firm's US HQ

Officials in Montgomery County and the State of Maryland just can't seem to get "Sirius" about economic development, coming up empty again as a U.K. defense firm has followed so many others to Virginia to establish its first U.S. headquarters. Sirius Analysis, a defense management software consulting company headquartered in Portsmouth, England, will open its American headquarters at 4525 Main Street in Virginia Beach, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced in a statement. The headquarters will bring 105 new high-wage tech jobs to the Old Dominion. 

Youngkin said Virginia and Massachusetts were the two finalists competing for the headquarters. There's no indication that Montgomery County or Maryland officials even bothered to compete. This despite Sirius having sought a location near military bases, of which Maryland has twenty, compared to Massachusetts' paltry six. Did we blow it, or what?

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin

“Sirius Analysis choosing Virginia Beach as their U.S. headquarters showcases the Commonwealth's magnetic appeal in global defense innovation,” Youngkin said in a statement. “This expansion bridges UK-US defense collaboration, bringing cutting-edge analysis capabilities to our shores and creating valuable job opportunities for Virginians.”

“The arrival of Sirius Analysis signals a bright future for our region's tech ecosystem,” Virginia State Senator Aaron Rouse said. “By choosing our Virginia Beach for their U.S. operations, Sirius Analysis is not just creating over 100 high-skilled jobs, they're planting seeds for a new wave of innovation by strengthening our position as a hub for defense technology." 

It's long past time Montgomery County and Maryland's elected officials conducted a "Sirius Analysis" of their failures to attract corporate headquarters to locate here. Virginia is laughing at us.

Photo credits: Sirius Analysis (top), Office of Gov. Glenn Youngkin (bottom)

Montgomery County Public Libraries hit by network outage after underground fire in Baltimore

Montgomery County Public Libraries announced that they are experiencing a system-wide network outage, due to an "underground fire in Baltimore this past weekend." The fire damaged a fiber optic cable network that serves public libraries statewide, MCPL said in a statement this afternoon. 

All Montgomery County libraries remain open on their normal schedules, and it is possible to check out books and materials. However, MCPL’s Wi-Fi, public computers, printing, scanning and copying services are currently unavailable, and MCPL believes the outage may last for several days. Libraries and school systems in all Maryland counties have been impacted.

Repairs to the fiber optic system are currently underway, MCPL stated. Baltimore City officials do not yet know the cause of several recent underground fires that have impacted electrical and communication utilities. This past weekend's fire was followed Monday by a major Verizon cell service outage impacting multiple states, and today by an eight-hour Sony PlayStation Network outage that affected users worldwide. Neither Verizon nor Sony have indicated the cause of their service interruptions so far.

First look: Torchy's Tacos in Rockville (Video + Photos)

Torchy's Tacos will open this Wednesday, October 2, 2024 at 10:00 AM at 12266-A Rockville Pike at Federal Plaza in Rockville. Here's a sneak peek from the restaurant's soft opening hours, which are available by reservation again today, September 30. Pictured below are the Trailer Park taco and Chicken Fajita taco, and a side item of Hillbilly Queso (Torchy's famous queso upgraded with chorizo, and probably what J.D. Vance would order if the manager got nervous) and chips (a.k.a. nachos). Notable selections from the soft drink dispenser are Fuze and Strawberry Fanta. The restaurant also has Torchy's merchandise available for sale.

Trailer Park taco (L) and
Chicken Fajita taco (R)

Hillbilly Queso + Chips

Thumbs up for Strawberry Fanta

You're not leaving without a trucker hat