Hoeber questions Trone spending in congressional race

Republican Amie Hoeber is questioning the spending of her Democratic opponent, David Trone, in the 6th Congressional District race. Hoeber accuses Trone of trying to buy the U.S. Congressional seat, with his expenditures believed to be nearing sixteen million dollars.

Hoeber also noted that Trone has donated $2500 to the GOP candidate for governor in Pennsylvania.  "He has stated this election will be 'Decided by Western Pennsylvania,'" Hoeber said Tuesday, "but I still think it will be decided by Western Maryland."

Trone has recently returned to the campaign trail and the airwaves following successful treatment for cancer.

Rockville Mayor & Council vote to return public right-of-way to private landowner

Rockville's Mayor & Council voted unanimously last night to abandon a right-of-way easement at 2131 Veirs Mill Road. Running parallel to the busy route, the easement could have been a future service road, but is now returned to the landowner for private development.

The easement was granted to the city in 1976 for use as a public street or service road. Abandonment of the property comes just as Montgomery County is threatening to demolish dozens of homes and businesses along Veirs Mill to create a wider right-of-way for a $10 billion Bus Rapid Transit boondoggle, and additional bike and pedestrian facilities. That made the idea of handing back a significant piece of property already in public possession an intriguing one at this time.

City staff told the Mayor and Council that no public comment on the abandonment proposal was received.

Rockville Town Square ice rink under construction (Photos)

Temperatures below 50 degrees over the weekend may have visitors to Rockville Town Square in the mindset for winter. The square's ice rink is under construction now, coincidentally. Where's a Zamboni when you need one?

Rockville construction update: Aldi (Photos)

As the future of groceries implodes at Rockville Town Square, Rockville's newest grocery store - Aldi - continues to be constructed at Congressional North on Rockville Pike. This used to be Circuit City years ago. Hard to imagine this store will open by year's end as promised, but stay tuned.

New poll shows Wolf only 6 points behind Frosh in Maryland Attorney General race

A new Gonzales poll out yesterday showed Republican Craig Wolf surging in the Maryland Attorney General race, only 6 percentage points behind incumbent Democrat Brian Frosh. The narrowing gap brought new attention to the race Wednesday, with Wolf using the poll in a new fundraising pitch.

Frosh was in position to win handily just a few weeks ago, although Larry Hogan has proven it is still possible for a Republican to win statewide in Democratic-controlled Maryland. Some attributed Frosh's 23-point collapse to the public perception that he has been entirely focused on Donald Trump and Washington since 2017, instead of Maryland issues. At the same time, Frosh's Trump obsession was thought to be a winning move with Democratic voters statewide.

Hammer & Stain coming to Rockville Town Square

Hammer & Stain is coming to Rockville Town Square, but despite the name, it's not the hardware store people have been demanding. Instead, it is a "Wood, Paint & Sip Studio." Similar to the painting/pottery + adult beverages fad, guests will construct a woodworking project they can take home at the end of the night.

Materials and all necessary tools are provided by the shop for the DIY workshops. Friends, officeworkers, and kids are among the target audiences for the workshops, where you might find yourself constructing planks, wood signs or rustic benches. Hammer & Stain will be located at 107-B Gibbs Street.

Apollo Restaurant to close in Rockville

The Apollo Restaurant will close at the end of this month, according to the owner, who made the bombshell announcement at a meeting about the future of Rockville Town Square. He cited high rent at Courthouse Center as the reason for the closure. Courthouse Center, like RTS, is owned by Federal Realty.

What the Apollo lacked in Michelin stars and fancy decor, it more than made up for in 4 Yelp stars, and hearty Greek/American food for three decades. A regular stop for City officials, the restaurant has a large and loyal following in the community. The Apollo is just the kind of restaurant that is increasingly facing extinction in Montgomery County - longtime, mom-and-pop operations squeezed by high rents and the high cost of doing business under an anti-business County Council.