Montgomery County criticized for releasing man who allegedly sexually abused child

A man arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a child on June 18 was released from jail by the Montgomery County Department of Corrections on June 23. In the meantime, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers had lodged a detainer request for Rene Atilio Ramos-Hernandez, 56.

ICE officials complain that Montgomery County did not honor the detainer request. They say the County called them at moment they were releasing Ramos-Hernandez, and refused to hold him for the time it would take ERO officers to travel to the jail.

“Montgomery County continues the practice of not honoring lawful ICE detainers and release potential public safety threats back into the community,” acting ICE Baltimore Field Office Director Francisco Madrigal said in a statement. “When they refuse to give adequate notification of an impending release to allow a safe transfer of custody, it shows their actions are insincere. ICE believes the best way to protect public safety is for law enforcement to work together.”

Officials in Montgomery County and other jurisdictions that refuse to comply with ICE requests have said detainers are not arrest warrants. They argue that the County could be sued for illegally holding a prisoner after his or her release. ICE reports that Ramos-Hernandez is in the country illegally, and remains at large.

Vibes Hookah Lounge indoor hookah shut down by MoCo in Rockville, remains open for retail sales, takeout, outdoor hookah

UPDATE - July 8, 2020 10:23 AM: Montgomery County has now acknowledged that it released false information when it incorrectly stated it had "closed" Vibes Hookah Lounge. As noted in my previous update, the business remains fully open for retail sales, takeout and outdoor patio hookah.

UPDATE - 3:44 PM: The owner of Vibes Hookah Lounge disputes Montgomery County's claim that the business was "closed" by the County. He says Vibes remains open for retail sales, takeout service, and outdoor hookah, and that the County inspector ordered that indoor hookah not be allowed during Phase 2 of reopening

Montgomery County inspectors have taken enforcement action against several businesses they say have not complied with Phase 2 reopening guidelines and social distancing requirements. Vibes Hookah Lounge at 1 Dawson Avenue in Rockville was closed down by County inspectors because hookah lounges are not currently allowed to operate under Phase 2 rules.

Cabana Hookah Lounge in Silver Spring was shut down by the County for the same reason, County officials said Monday. Additionally, the County forced The Palisades Lounge in downtown Silver Spring to close because social distancing was not being enforced, and for a liquor law violation, officials alleged.

The Grille at Flower Hill in Gaithersburg came onto County officials' radar after the owner vowed on social media not to follow the County requirement that employees wear masks. But it has not been closed down yet, as it is not reopening until Thursday, when an inspector will reportedly pay a visit.

County health officer Dr. Travis Gayles said Monday that the County has "legal authority" to close businesses that do not comply with reopening guidelines. "Businesses will stay open provided they follow the public health guidelines," County Executive Marc Elrich said yesterday. "If they choose to ignore public health guidance, we will shut them down."

Mayor and Council ask Hogan to slow down interstate express lanes plan

Rockville's Mayor and Council have sent a letter to the Maryland Department of Transportation asking that plans to add Express Lanes to Interstates 270 and 495 be halted temporarily. The plan was approved by the state's Board of Public Works in January.

“The City of Rockville requests that MDOT put a pause on the project and process,” the Mayor and City Council wrote. “It is not responsible to continue spending taxpayers’ money on preliminary design, environmental studies, and hiring a developer while the country is facing significant economic changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is also predicted that teleworking will be more acceptable and widely implemented in the future, which will likely lower traffic volumes on I-495 and I-270. Therefore, it only makes sense to hold off on next steps for this project until a new purpose and need is defined.”

Rockville's elected officials would have a very strong argument about telecommuting - if our region's leaders had not decided to let a crisis go to waste.

Many expected the light traffic of the coronavirus lockdown could be a sign of the future of telework. After all, every employer across the region now has a firm list of exactly who can work from home. Common sense would dictate that all of those individuals should now be encouraged, if not ordered, to continue working from home permanently. Not only would we have cleaner air and very little traffic congestion, but perhaps necessary and expensive road expansions would no longer be needed.

Shockingly, regional officials have made clear they have no intention of seizing the opportunity to implement teleworking on a large scale. No formal efforts have been made to keep workers from returning to their commutes as the lockdowns are lifted.

Why is this? In short, developers, developers, developers. If the federal government were to continue teleworking on a large scale, Metro would have to shut down, as these heavily-subsidized riders are now the major bulk of the rail system's passengers. And transit use and traffic congestion are needed to continue to make the public relations case for increased density in development.

It's been a lost opportunity, but a small victory for those who have long pointed out that some in the development industry cynically use issues like climate change and pedestrian safety to wring out even more profits and buildable land for themselves. When the impact of Covid-19 revealed that more space would be needed for outdoor dining, developers moved quickly to ensure that would take the form of lane and road closures, rather than mandated wider setbacks for buildings from the street. Most recently and outrageously, developers are now using race to achieve their goal of mixed-use zoning in single-family-home neighborhoods - literally using racial tensions to line their own pockets.

In reality, those developers don't give a damn about any of these issues. The proof is in the pudding. When presented with a grand opportunity to extend the lockdown's clean air quality for our region by making mass teleworking permanent, they showed their true colors by sending the highway and transit users back to the office.

We see you.

Rockville task force on boards and commissions makes recommendations

Former Rockville Mayor Steven Van Grack,
chair of the task force on boards and commissions

A task force appointed to study the City of Rockville's Board and Commissions, and appointments to those bodies, has filed its report. The task force found that one-third of city residents are not aware of Rockville's boards and commissions, the work they do, or that they are eligible to participate as a member of them. In its report, which will be discussed by the Mayor & Council at their July 6 meeting, the task force made several recommendations:

1. Improve diversity across all boards and commissions
2. Create a full-time volunteer-coordinator position
3. Increase transparency
4. Better coordination among different boards and commissions when missions or issues overlap
5. Improve clarity of missions and objectives with annual reports and workplans
6. Enhance the volunteer experience with increased visibility and public acknowledgement of their work, enforcing the limits of terms, a more open expression-of-interest process, timely vacancy filings, and better training
7. More openness to creating new boards and commissions, and reviewing the relevance of existing ones
8. Update the City Code and guidelines to reflect any of the above changes if they are adopted

The report made other findings, including that the Animal Matters Board has not met in five years. A similar finding was made about the Personnel Appeals Board, The Recreation and Parks Advisory Board is currently being undermined by "subgroups" within the board, the task force said. 

REDI, the city's economic development corporation, needs more transparency, and attention to conflicts of interest, the report argued. And the task force suggested the Sign Review Board be abolished, its functions replaced by existing city staff and the Board of Appeals as needed.

Task force members include Anita Neal Powell, Anne Goodman, Anne Herbster, James Hedrick, Jack Kelly. John Becker, Lorraine Tarnove, Michael "Ben" Parry. The task force has a high-profile chair, former Rockville Mayor Steven Van Grack. Van Grack is also a prominent attorney, who has remained actively involved in the city long after his 1985-1987 mayoral term.

Photo via Twitter

Kabuto Hibachi Sushi to reopen today in Rockville

Kabuto Hibachi Sushi will reopen today at 220 E. Middle Lane in Rockville. They will be offering takeout service only for the time being. Their temporary operating hours will be 11:30 AM to 2:00 PM for lunch, and 4:30 to 8:00 PM for dinner.

Pence visits U.S. Public Health Service headquarters in Rockville

Vice-President Mike Pence donned a mask to visit the headquarters of the U.S. Public Health Service in Rockville yesterday. He was joined by members of the Trump administration's Coronavirus Task Force, including U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, Assistant Secretary for Health Adm. Brett Giroir, M.D., U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, and Dr. Stephan Hahn of the Food and Drug Administration.

Pence said "it is a particular honor to be here at the headquarters of the United States Public Health Service," and thanked "the women and men who wear the blue uniforms across the country and have served our nation with such distinction and compassion over the past four months." He reported that 28 states currently have rising numbers of coronavirus cases or rising percentages of positive Covid-19 tests. 12 states have both, he added. And four states currently account for half of the total cases in America at the moment.

Admiral Giroir said that self-administered home nasal swab test kits will be the next leap in testing across the country. He predicted that up to 50 million tests will be available by September.

Hahn described himself as "cautiously optimistic" about the timetable for making a Covid-19 vaccine available to the public. Almost all of the speakers stressed the importance of wearing masks until such a vaccine is widely available. 

"If you want the return of college football this year, wear a face covering.  If you want a chance at prom next spring, wear a face covering," urged Dr. Adams, who couldn't resist playing to the home crowd in Rockville - at least to those who remember the pre-Big-10 days of local college basketball. "I had an interview earlier with a North Carolina radio station...if you want to see North Carolina beat Duke in person this year, wear a face covering. And I grew up in Maryland and in Indiana, so, sorry, Duke, but I...as long as somebody beats you, I’m okay with that," he said to laughter from attendees.

Photos via Office of the Vice-President

Rockville construction update: Main Street Apartments (Photos)

The Main Street Apartments project is rounding into a nearly-finished shape at 50 Monroe Place. This was formerly the location of the IBM building. The project was scheduled for a July 2020 delivery, so let's see what happens in the coming weeks.

Gumbo YaYa has closed at Rockville Town Square

Gumbo YaYa has closed at Rockville Town Square. Rockville residents are growing used to businesses at the property closing, but it seems like the life of a business is shorter than ever here.

Longtime anchor Gordon Biersch lasted for well over a decade before closing recently, but businesses departing in recent years have sometimes lasted a year or less. Gumbo YaYa opened in November 2019.

Microsoft Store to close at Montgomery Mall

Bad news for Xbox gamers and fans of Microsoft devices: the Microsoft Store at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda will be closing. Microsoft Stores had been closed already during the pandemic, but now the tech giant is permanently closing all 83 of its bricks-and-mortar retail stores across the country. Shares of Microsoft have dropped 1.83% on the announcement this morning, CNBC reports.

Sephora sets reopening dates for Pike & Rose, Montgomery Mall

Sephora has announced reopening dates for its stores at Pike & Rose and Westfield Montgomery Mall. The Pike & Rose store will reopen tomorrow, Friday, June 26, 2020. Sephora's Montgomery Mall location will reopen a week later, on Friday, July 3. Both stores will operate under social distancing and hygiene guidelines to lessen the risk of spreading the coronavirus.

Owen's Ordinary patio reopening today at Pike & Rose

The patio will officially reopen today at Owen's Ordinary at Pike & Rose. It won't be quite as crowded as you see in my photo above from previous years; seating will be more spread out to comply with social distancing regulations. Masks must be worn to enter (disposable extras are available, and they have cloth masks for sale), but can be removed while you are seated.

All orders will be taken online. You'll receive a text when your patio or carry-out order is ready.  Groups that arrive together may be seated together. Individuals who arrive separately may not join a group for seating. Guests are asked to observe social distancing while on the premises.

Rockville construction update: BMW of Rockville dealership (Photos)

The permanent sign has been installed on the facade of the new BMW of Rockville dealership on Rockville Pike. It definitely maximizes storage space on the site, at a time when dealerships are increasingly renting parking spaces at shopping centers and malls to store their overflow inventory. With the prices on BMWs, you don't want to have to park them in an unsecured area someplace.

Montgomery Mall reopens today - here's what you need to know

Westfield Montgomery Mall reopens today, June 23, in Bethesda at 11:00 AM, after shuttering during the coronavirus lockdown this spring. The mall will close tonight at 7:00 PM. You must wear a mask to enter the mall, and handwashing stations are positioned at the entrances and throughout the mall.

Public gatherings are not permitted - you are expected to head directly to the retailers or restaurants to make your purchases. Contrary to initial statements from Montgomery County officials, the Dining Terrace food court will indeed be open for takeout. You just won't be able to sit and eat your food at the mall; tables and chairs have been removed or blocked off for that reason.

Social distancing floor markers have been laid out around the mall, in case there is a wait to enter a particular business. Individual stores will have to control how many customers are inside at once under County regulations on persons per square foot. Westfield says staff will monitor mall traffic every fifteen minutes in case social distancing cannot be maintained in the common areas of the mall at any point.

Lucky Strike will not be opening at this time, and neither will Urban Plates, for now. The Playspace playground will remain closed.

Zara will open Thursday. Nordstrom has been open since Saturday, but the Nordstrom Cafe inside the department store won't reopen until next week. Bath & Body Works is currently expected to make its return on July 10, but is listed as being open today on the mall's website.

The mall's website will keep updating a list of stores that are open as needed. I recommend checking it, or calling ahead to the business you hope to visit, to avoid disappointment.

New opening dates targeted for 7-Eleven, Amazon 4-Star, and LEGO Store at Montgomery Mall

The coronavirus pandemic has complicated almost every facet of life around the world, and new business openings have been among the biggest victims. 7-Eleven was on the eve of opening the doors of its new Westfield Montgomery Mall location when the virus arrived and the shutdown began. Now Westfield says that 7-Eleven is preparing for an early-July opening in the Dining Terrace at the mall.

Arrival of an Amazon 4-Star store has also been eagerly awaited by shoppers. That retailer of top-rated products carried by the internet commerce giant is now aiming for a late July opening.

Finally, perhaps the most highly-anticipated retail opening of the year in Bethesda is the LEGO Store at the mall. LEGO is now planning to open in late August, Westfield said yesterday.

Congressional Plaza Barnes & Noble store to have Starbucks

Despite a major downsizing from their current Rockville location, the new Barnes & Noble store at Congressional Plaza will have a Starbucks B&N cafe. There's already furniture in the cafe, and shelving, tables and displays continue to be installed on the main sales floor. Also new, is a sign promoting the store at the entrance of the property.

City Perch to reopen for indoor dining at Pike & Rose today, June 19

City Perch will reopen its dining room at Pike & Rose today, June 19, 2020. They've had curbside takeout and patio service so far. Now diners who wish will be able to dine in the air-conditioned dining room once again.

Diners will be seated at least 6 feet apart, and dining room capacity cannot exceed 50% under Montgomery County Phase 2 reopening rules that begin at 5:00 PM today. Temperatures will be checked at the door, and employees will wear masks and gloves. You can use their online menu on your device, or request a single-use physical copy of the menu.

City Perch is celebrating their return with four new dishes. They are Seared Ahi Tuna, Shrimp Avocado Salad, Cavatappi Spinaci, and Spinach Quinoa Salad. Reservations can be made online through OpenTable.

Westfield Montgomery Mall to reopen Tuesday, June 23; Nordstrom opening early this weekend

Westfield Montgomery Mall is ready to come out of Covid hibernation. They will be reopening on Tuesday, June 23, 2020. The mall's hours initially will be 11:00 AM-7:00 PM Monday-Saturday, and 12:00-6:00 PM Sundays.

But you can get an even earlier start to shopping beginning this Saturday at Nordstrom, because they'll be reopening ahead of the rest of the mall this weekend (Nordstrom has its own entrance).

Nordstrom will have special hours this Saturday and Sunday 11:00 AM-5:00 PM.  Starting Monday, Nordstrom will be open Monday-Saturday 11:00 AM-7:00 PM, and Sundays 12:00-5:00 PM.

Montgomery County's Phase 2 reopening that begins Friday at 5:00 PM requires masks to be worn, and social distancing observed, in stores. There may be restrictions on how many customers may be in a store at one time if it gets crowded.

Malls in Montgomery County will be "open for shopping, not for socializing," County Executive Marc Elrich said yesterday. "The food courts will not be opening," Elrich said. "We are not going to allow people to gather in the mall."

Award-winning Rockville police officer promoted to corporal

City of Rockville police Officer Brandon Thomas has been promoted to the rank of Corporal, the department announced yesterday afternoon. If Officer Thomas' name sounds familiar, he has been in the news before. In 2019, Thomas received the Citation for Bravery at the annual Rockville Public Safety Awards ceremony for pulling a man threatening to commit suicide back from the ledge of a parking garage. 

At the 2018 awards, Thomas received the Lifesaving Award for saving the life of a stabbing victim at an unsecured violent crime scene. His colleagues Corporal Jonathan Lally and Corporal Steve Malko also received that award for their part in the same lifesaving effort.

Photo courtesy City of Rockville Police Department