Cooper's Hawk Rockville opening next week

Cooper's Hawk has set the opening date for their new Rockville location. The restaurant and winery will open Monday, July 15, 2019 at 1403 Research Boulevard in the new Research Row shopping center, a company spokesperson tells me.

You can see that the permanent signage has been installed on the facade of the restaurant. They've also already got an interesting assortment of wine bottles and containers arranged inside the front windows.

Closing sale underway at Saks Off Fifth in Rockville

The collapse of high-end retail in Montgomery County continues. A closing sale is now underway at Saks Off Fifth at Congressional Plaza on Rockville Pike. Items are 20-40% off, which somewhat undercuts the "Nothing Held Back!" claim. My guess is that unsold merchandise here will wind up at the many other Saks Off Fifth locations that remain open around the country.

Windows in the storefront display the "Everything Must Go!" signs now ubiquitous in shop windows around the county. Montgomery County has suffered a net loss of over 2100 retail jobs since 2000, according to the Maryland Retailers Association. The flight of the rich to lower-tax jurisdictions in the region has since cratered high-end retail centers in Bethesda and Chevy Chase, with the latter's once-touted "Rodeo Drive" of Wisconsin Avenue now a sad strip of vacant storefronts, aging apartments and smashed-out bus shelters.

Sign installed at Escapology in Rockville

The permanent sign and door stenciling have been added to the front of Escapology, coming soon to 11572 Old Georgetown Road at Pike & Rose. Like another escape room business in downtown Bethesda, this one has been severely delayed in opening, so it's encouraging to see some activity here.

Ding Tea opening in Rockville

Rockville is nearing "peak bubble tea," and the latest addition will be Ding Tea in the Ritchie Center, opening soon at 785-C Rockville Pike. It will be in the space next to Kiin Imm Thai.

eyebobs opens, Crabtree & Evelyn closes at Westfield Montgomery Mall

Westfield Montgomery Mall is one up and one down in tenants. Designer eyewear boutique eyebobs has opened on Level 2. Meanwhile, Crabtree & Evelyn has permanently closed.

China Garden sets soft opening date in Rockville

China Garden is finally happening. The restaurant's owners told me last night that they have scheduled a soft opening for their long-delayed new location at 11333 Woodglen Drive in the White Flint area of Rockville. China Garden will open on July 12, 2019 at 11:00 AM for lunch.

Specializing in dim sum and authentic Cantonese cuisine, China Garden has operated since 1973 in its original Virginia location. All of their chefs are recruited directly from Hong Kong.

KFC Cheetos Chicken sandwich arrives in Rockville/Cheetos Lovers Box Review

KFC launched its limited-time-only Cheetos Chicken Sandwich nationwide yesterday. The sandwich contains a crispy chicken breast brushed with a cheesy Cheetos sauce, served atop a layer of Cheetos and mayonnaise on a bakery roll. It comes in a special Chester Cheetah box.

For larger appetites, there is the Cheetos Lovers Box. For just under $10, you get the Cheetos Chicken sandwich, Cheetos popcorn chicken, potato wedges, mac & cheese and a medium drink. There is no special box for the Cheetos Lovers Box, unfortunately. Watch my review of the sandwich and Cheetos Lovers Box for a full evaluation.

Rockville cooling centers to open if temperature reaches 95 degrees, or Code Red alert issued

The City of Rockville will open four designated cooling centers should the temperature reach 95 degrees or higher - or if a Code Red air quality alert is issued - today or any other day. Visitors can rest for free in the designated public area inside the cooling center. Those wanting to utilize fitness centers, computer labs or other amenities can upgrade by paying a fee. All children must be accompanied by an adult.

Rockville's cooling centers are at the following locations:

• Lincoln Park Community Center, 357 Frederick Ave.
• Thomas Farm Community Center, 700 Fallsgrove Drive.
• Twinbrook Community Recreation Center, 12920 Twinbrook Parkway.
• Rockville Senior Center, 1150 Carnation Drive.

After banning circus animals, MoCo gets one-man circus

The Montgomery County Council is infamously known for debating at length, and then approving, a ban on circus animals - at the same time as once-major County employer Discovery Communications was being wooed to relocate by other jurisdictions. Sadness ensued for all, as Montgomery County wound up losing both circuses and the Discovery Channel headquarters. But, now through Sunday, July 7 at Strathmore, it's David Dimitri to the rescue! The son of legendary clown Jakob Dimitri is bringing a one-man circus to Montgomery County, L'homme Cirque.

Dimitri will fire himself out of a cannon as a human cannonball. He will walk the high wire. Strathmore promises he will balance these and other daring feats with "humor, poetry and an accordion serenade." At the climax of the performance, Dimitri will open the top of the tent, and the audience will witness him disappear "into the sky" on the high wire.

The one-man circus is one contingency the anti-circus County Council apparently did not anticipate, and thereby is legal. Teeth are assuredly gnashing at 100 Maryland Avenue, but the show must! go! on! True to the Montgomery Way, though, Dimitri was required to get a permit from the County to erect his tent on the Strathmore property. Big Government for the Big Tent!

You can buy tickets online, and watch a trailer for Dimitri's L'homme Cirque:

Mayor Newton to run for reelection with Rockville Forward slate

Incumbent Rockville Mayor Bridget Donnell Newton
is seeking a third term

Rockville Mayor Bridget Donnell Newton is running for a third term, she announced last Friday. In an effort to bring a more collegial, less-divisive approach to the fractured City Council, Newton will run as part of a slate this time. She and Councilmember Beryl Feinberg have each won election multiple times as independent candidates, but other potential Newton allies have been defeated by the ongoing Team Rockville slate in recent elections. Newton's Rockville Forward slate should deliver a much more competitive choice for voters this November.

The wild card in predicting the impact of the slate this year will be the introduction of voting by mail. In theory, voter participation should rise, including the number of citizens voting who do not regularly follow city politics and personalities. How those less-engaged voters will perceive the differences between the two slates, and the value of incumbency, will be two interesting outcomes to watch. Any three victorious members of one slate can give that faction a three-vote majority on the Council.

Rockville Forward consists of Newton, Feinberg, and three "newcomers" who actually have been extensively-involved in civic activities for quite a while. 

As Mayor, Newton has helped protect the suburban character of Rockville with smart appointments to the city's Planning Commission, who successfully scaled-back the original high-density urban vision for the Rockville Pike Plan. Among the issues she has high on her agenda for a third term are the future of the RedGate golf course property, ironing out parking and business challenges in the Town Center area, affordable housing and the potential for a new pedestrian crossing of the CSX railroad tracks between Twinbrook and B.F. Saul's Wegmans-anchored Twinbrook Quarter development.

Monique Ashton

Monique Ashton was a finalist for the ultimately-unfilled Council vacancy earlier this year. A 15-year Rockville resident, Ashton has served as a school cluster coordinator, neighborhood captain, and as a member of the recent Adequate Public Facilities Work Group. She also has executive business experience, and has been an advocate for small businesses in the city. 

Beryl Feinberg

Feinberg has lived in Rockville for 25 years, and describes herself as a "neighborhood-centric" candidate. She is frequently allied with Newton on issues such as preserving the quality of life and small-town feel of the city, and on school overcrowding. With a long career in Montgomery County Government, Feinberg has also taken the lead on fiscal accountability and the procurement process.

Kuan Lee

Social Security Administration Attorney Kuan Lee is Chair of the King Farm External Affairs Committee and an appointed member of the Rockville Financial Advisory Board. He was also a past appointee to the Rockville Board of Appeals. Lee is a volunteer with the Rockville Sister Cities Corporation and the King Farm Neighbors Village. In addition to his resume, Lee also offers a surprisingly-rare chance for voters to help elect a Council that "looks like Rockville." Even as Rockville has gained one of the largest and most-prominent Asian communities in the D.C. region, like the Montgomery County Council, its elected offices have not included any Asian-Americans.

Suzan Pitman

Suzan Pitman is President of the East Rockville Civic Association, and played a major role in the master plan update process for that community. She has been a prominent voice in debates on major community issues of recent years, such as testifying before the County Planning Board to stop a school bus depot from being dropped into the residential Westmore neighborhood. The Board ended up voting against the depot.

Independent Rockville City Council
candidate Brigitta Mullican

Rockville Forward will take on Team Rockville, and independent City Council candidate Brigitta Mullican.

Virginia Onley

Team Rockville is led by mayoral candiate Virginia Onley, who has served two terms on the City Council and on nine city boards and commissions. She brings business experience to the table with 35 years as an employee of IBM, once a major employer with offices in the County. Onley cites her fiscal responsibility and consistent votes against tax increases as strengths.

Cynthia Cotte Griffiths

Joining Onley on the Team Rockville slate are incumbent Mark Pierzchala, and Cynthia Cotte Griffiths, James Hedrick, and David Myles.

James Hedrick

Mullican, Griffiths, and Hedrick had previously announced their candidacies prior to the formation of the two slates. 

Mark Pierzchala

Pierzchala has served several terms on the City Council, and has previously run for mayor. One of the most-vocal supporters of bicycle safety and facilities in Rockville, he is also one of the few politicians who actually uses a bike as a major mode of transportation, rather than just talking about it. Pierzchala also touts his efforts in stopping the school bus depot, as well as in fighting the widening of I-270 through Rockville. He served as President of the College Gardens Civic Association from 2004-2008.

David Myles

Myles is a U.S. Navy veteran and pediatrician who lives in Tower Oaks. He is a member of the city's Rockville Goes Purple opioid-awareness planning committee, the physician representative on the Montgomery County Mental Health Advisory Committee, and provides pro-bono medical care at Holy Cross Hospital.

The election winners will each serve a four year term. Ballots will be mailed to all registered voters in the city this October, and must be received by mail or in person at City Hall by 8:00 PM on November 5, 2019. 

If you aren't registered to vote, click here. If you are a registered voter in Maryland and live within the city limits of Rockville, you are already registered to vote in the City election.

Former Rockville mayor calls out Montgomery County cartel

Former Montgomery County Executive and Rockville mayor Douglas M. Duncan is the first prominent political figure to acknowledge, and call out, the political cartel that has seized control of the County over the last two decades. Over that same period since they first won a majority of the seats on the County Council in 2002 - and now control every single seat in 2019, the County has plunged to rock bottom in all relevant regional economic development categories. As a result of their high-tax and anti-business policies, the County economy has become moribund, the ultra-wealthy have fled in great numbers to lower-tax jurisdictions, and the County has failed to attract a major corporate headquarters in over twenty years. While high profile voices like The Washington Post, Washington Business Journal and Sage Policy Group have finally joined me in declaring Montgomery County moribund, no prominent figure has previously identified that a political cabal has seized control of the local Democratic party and County government. Until now.

A day after the County's elected officials held another clueless meeting on the stagnant County economy, repeating the same mantras and problems without endorsing actual solutions we know will solve them, it's worth examining what Doug Duncan recently said regarding the cartel. One of the key reasons we are struggling to attract jobs and economic growth is that cartel-controlled officials are anti-highway and anti-car. That is because the most dominant players in the cartel are developers who specialize in developments that require traffic congestion to remain high, in order to justify their density. So it's not surprising that the County Council's predictable opposition to Gov. Larry Hogan's Express Lanes plan for the Beltway and I-270 frustrated a common-sense leader like Duncan.

"You don't often see a governor saying, 'I want to put billions of dollars into your infrastructure,'" Duncan told the Post. "For Montgomery County to say no right off the bat without saying let's look at this is the result of who's controlling the Democratic Party now."

Those elected officials have not only blocked and canceled critical highway projects, but have also pursued the anti-business course that their developer sugar daddies in the cartel have demanded behind closed doors. Developers want the valuable land in Rock Spring and along I-270 where existing office parks could be used to lure defense, aerospace and tech firms that need large, secure campuses. They want those office zones to remain vacant and struggling, so that they can acquire the land and redevelop it as residential. This is why you see the Council continuing to refuse to take the steps needed to turn the economy around, and to block economic growth.

Duncan addressed that, too, in his remarks to the Post. He told the newspaper "the County's Democratic leadership of 'no-growthers' is out of step with residents."

This is a breakthrough in the public debate. Duncan is as liberal a Democrat as they come, but he's also remembered for being pro-business while in office until he ran for governor in 2006. Duncan lost his bid to return as County Executive in 2014, when the cartel threw its weight behind incumbent Ike Leggett. He may now wish he had run in 2018, when pro-business candidate David Blair lost to Marc Elrich by a literal whisker in the Democratic primary. If the County remains on this road to bankruptcy, we likely haven't heard the last of Duncan and Blair in the political arena.

To be first to acknowledge the local Democratic Party and our elected offices have indeed been hijacked by a cartel, cabal or whatever you want to call it, is indeed a shot across the bow by Duncan. These words need to be heard and taken seriously, if we are to resolve this fiscal crisis, and become the major economic development player we once were in the region.

Moving truck pins man at The Alaire in Rockville

A moving company employee was pinned by his own moving truck when his coworker backed into him at the loading dock of The Alaire apartments at 1101 Higgins Place in Rockville Sunday. Anthony A. Liason, 43, is in critical condition at a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. Police say Liason was assisting truck driver Malik Brooks, 21, in backing into the loading dock area around 1:39 PM.

The Collision Reconstruction Unit continues to investigate this collision.  Anyone with information regarding this collision is asked to contact the Collision Reconstruction Unit at 240-773-6620.

Fu Shing closing at Westlake Crossing

Fu Shing Cafe at 10315 Westlake Drive by Montgomery Mall will close on July 1, 2019. The Chinese restaurant has been in business for twenty years. In announcing the closure, the owners said what they will miss the most after closing are the restaurant's loyal customers. Fu Shing is located in the Westlake Crossing shopping center.

355 Bus Rapid Transit open houses June 26 & 27

What's a $10 billion boondoggle with branding that brings to mind a creepy man wearing a trenchcoat? Montgomery County's proposed $10 billion Bus Rapid Transit network, devised with consulting help from Communist Chinese officials, and branded as "Flash," despite moving only one mile every four minutes. The public will have an opportunity to learn more about the MD 355 BRT route proposed to run between Clarksburg and the Bethesda Metro station at two open houses next week.

Open House #1 will be held Wednesday, June 26, 2019 from 6:00-8:00 PM at the Activity Center at Bohrer Park, located at 506 S. Frederick Avenue in Gaithersburg. The second Open House will be held the next evening, Thursday, June 27 from 6:00-8:00 PM in the Wisconsin Multipurpose Room at the B-CC Regional Services Center, located at 4805 Edgemoor Lane in downtown Bethesda.

You'll notice several key factoids are not emphasized to the public about this particular BRT proposal.

First, if dedicated lanes are utilized, the vehicle capacity of already-jammed MD 355 will be slashed by 33%. If you know that BRT advocates' most-optimistic number for the percent of people who will "get out of their cars" (as the globalists like to say) is only 16% in the best-case scenario, in a "flash" you can quickly calculate that the BRT will have the effect of severely-worsening rush hour traffic - and increasing exhaust emissions from additional idling in traffic jams.

Second, speaking of fumes, these buses run on diesel fuel. Unlike the futuristic subways on wheels depicted in glossy promotional materials you paid for, the buses look just like Metrobuses. That was exposed in one of the most cringeworthy PR disasters of the BRT push, when the actual bus was displayed at the County Fair, and it looked like a junky Metrobus.

Third, the 355 route - like Route 29 and Georgia Avenue BRT lines - will require demolition of thousands of residential and commercial properties between Clarksburg and Bethesda. Watch this very closely, and keep track if all of the same activists who are raging against 37 potential home demolitions for Beltway Express Lanes yell and scream about thousands of demolitions for BRT. I expect to see heartfelt columns from John Kelly denouncing the greedy developers and their puppets on the County Council and Planning Board, and extensive local news coverage of anti-highway folks jumping up and down and lighting their hair on fire to stop BRT! And like the anti-Express Lane and anti-M83-Highway campaigns, shadow-funded by the Rockefeller Foundation, of course.

In the fine print, you'll notice the County is "still studying" the "property impacts" of BRT. LOL.

Fourth, the only thing the Flash does fast is eat up taxpayer money. 355 "Flash" will take a turtle-like 87.2 minutes to travel the 21.8 miles from Clarksburg to the Bethesda Metro station. And then you're not even at work, because you still have to transfer to Metro to reach where the actual jobs are in the District or Northern Virginia. Better pack a Red Bull, my friend.

It's a simple fact that only transit projects that can beat automobile travel times will get ridership, meaning "Flash" is dead-on-arrival. This, of course, is why the War-On-Cars County Council is trying everything to increase auto commuting times, proposing nuclear options ranging from changing the speed limit to 25 MPH along 355, reducing the width of lanes to 10' and seizing one lane in each direction for the bus.

But that still won't create ridership, or "get people out of their cars." Why? Because increasing your auto commute by another 34 minutes still won't take as long as the average one-way transit commute of two hours. So you'll just end up with empty buses running past heavier traffic congestion and thicker clouds of exhaust from idling vehicles. Heckuva job, Brownie!

Why would County officials press ahead anyway, knowing all this? Because BRT isn't meant to improve travel or be a success. It's simply meant to allow urban-density development along all the routes it travels, by magically qualifying them for "transit-oriented development" by being on a "rapid transit line." The Council's developer sugar daddies couldn't be more pleased.

Finally, there's no demand for bus service on 355. I'm the only journalist to conduct spot checks on the $1 million Ride On Extra service between Shady Grove and Medical Center Metro stations. I've yet to find any significant ridership even during rush hour on this line. During peak evening rush hour, I counted one person riding the Ride On Extra in each direction on 355 at Edmonston Drive. During another peak evening rush hour, a Ride On Extra departed Shady Grove Metro station with no passengers on board.

This is a boondoggle of astronomical proportions. For a fraction of the cost of BRT, we could build the M-83 Highway, the long-delayed new Potomac River crossing, the Rockville Freeway between Montrose Road and the ICC, and the equally-long-delayed Georgia Avenue-Norbeck Road interchange. Each one of the aforementioned highways would carry more commuters each day than the entire $10 billion BRT network. And the Potomac River crossing, like I-270 and Beltway Express Lanes, could be built at virtually no cost to taxpayers by private firms that would earn back their investment through tolls on those new lanes and roadways.

In an economically-moribund county where the government's debt - if it were a government department - would be the third-largest department in the County government, highways make the most sense: moving the most people for the lowest cost of any mode of transportation.

Moge Tee opening today at Montgomery Mall

Moge Tee, the latest bubble tea spot to arrive in Montgomery County, will open today, June 20, 2019, at Westfield Montgomery Mall. Buy one drink and get another for 50% off today only at this location only, if you check in at Moge Tee or either Facebook or Yelp. Moge Tee is located at the edge of the Dining Terrace on Level 2, where Frozen Stuff on a Stick was previously.

Moge Tee bubble tea shop to open at Westfield Montgomery Mall

Moge Tee, a New York City-based bubble tea chain, is coming to Montgomery Mall. The latest of many bubble tea destinations in the county has at least one trendy new item on its menu. Cheese Tea at Moge Tee is made with fresh cheese imported from Australia. I guess we'll find out soon enough what the significance of that is. Moge Tee will be in the spot where Frozen Stuff on a Stick was previously.

MOD Pizza sign installed at Montrose Crossing

The sign is up at MOD Pizza's newest Montgomery County location, opening soon at Montrose Crossing on Rockville Pike. Because of the placement of the restaurant in the parking lot, there's also a similar sign above the rear service entrance. There's still one prime space available for lease in this new building at the Federal Realty-owned shopping center.

Rockville construction update: Jersey Mike's (Photos)

Jersey Mike's, the sub restaurant for those-in-the-know, is coming soon to the Fallsgrove Village Center in Rockville. It will be located at 14933-L Shady Grove Road, next to Pet Valu (what happened to the "e?").

Free wine tasting tonight at Dawson's Market in Rockville

Start the weekend off right with a free wine tasting tonight at Dawson's Market in Rockville. The wine tasting will be held from 5:00-7:00 PM this evening, Friday, June 14, 2019. Dawson's Market is located at 225 N. Washington Street at Rockville Town Square.

United Gun Shop burglarized, suspects at large after shootout with police

Suspects' vehicle crashed into
United Gun Shop; suspects fled
in a second vehicle

Burglars crashed a car into United Gun Shop in Rockville around 2:30 AM this morning, police say. An alarm triggered a police response to the store at 5465 Randolph Road. Officers engaged the suspects in a shootout, and the alleged burglars used a separate vehicle to ram a police cruiser and escape. That vehicle was later found abandoned, with a dead person left inside.

Police cruiser that was rammed
by fleeing suspects near United Gun Shop

Police began, and continue, a manhunt for the suspects. They say at least one officer was assaulted by the fleeing suspects. Evidence dropped by the suspects as they fled, including firearms, was recovered at the scene. Police advise residents to immediately call 911 if they notice any suspicious activity.

Evidence dropped by suspects as they
fled and engaged in shootout with police
at United Gun Shop

Photos via Montgomery County Police

Rockville pedestrian advocacy committee to hold first meeting Thursday

The topic of pedestrian safety is front-and-center in the region these days. It seems that the more restrictions and obstacles that are put in the way of motorists, the higher the pedestrian death toll continues to rise. A Pedestrian Advocacy Committee formed by the Mayor & Council on May 20 will hold its first meeting tomorrow night, Thursday, June 13, 2019 at 7:00 PM in the Red Maple Room on the second floor of City Hall. All city residents are welcome to attend and are invited to "take part in the committee."

City Manager Rob DiSpirito has recommended the committee first develop a workplan on its own, and then report back to the Mayor & Council so they can coordinate strategies and expectations. To that end, Thursday night's agenda includes an overview of how the committee was created, a review of existing pedestrian safety initiatives in the city, and how residents can help advocate for pedestrian concerns and Vision Zero goals to be more fully considered in planning decisions.