Armed carjacking in Rockville

Montgomery County police responded to an armed carjacking in Rockville early yesterday morning. The carjacking was reported in the 5000 block of Norbeck Road at 12:10 AM, according to crime data. That's a residential stretch of Norbeck near its intersection with Bel Pre Road.

Assault in Rockville parking lot

Montgomery County police were called to a parking lot in Rockville on Tuesday morning, after an individual reported having been the victim of a second-degree assault there. The assault was reported in the 7600 block of Standish Place at 7:00 AM, according to crime data. That is an office park area across from the headquarters of the American Red Cross.

Tornado watch issued for Montgomery County, Washington, D.C., parts of Maryland and Virginia until 2 PM

Montgomery County is under a tornado watch until 2:00 PM today, May 27, 2022. The National Weather Service has issued the tornado watch for Washington, D.C., and large portions of Maryland and Virginia. A tornado watch means that weather conditions may generate one or more tornadoes in our area. Isolated hail up to a quarter in size is possible. Winds may gust up to 70 MPH.

Violent thunderstorms are possible this afternoon and evening. The area is under a flood watch until 11:00 PM tonight. High temperature today will be 74 degrees. Accuweather is predicting thunderstorms are likely between 3:00 and 6:00 PM today, and around 9:00 PM tonight.

What should I do if a tornado warning is issued in my area?

If a tornado is reported in your area, move quickly into a basement level or interior room. Take a flashlight and listen to local weather information on a cellphone or battery-powered radio. In advance of storms, take the opportunity to charge your cellphone. Remove any items that might blow away from your yard or balcony.

Rockville Wegmans construction update (Photos)

They're still constructing the underground parking garage at the future site of the Twinbrook Quarter Wegmans grocery store in Rockville, at the corner of Rockville Pike and Halpine Road. The 80,000 square foot supermarket will be the retail anchor for Phase 1 of the B.F. Saul development. Phase 1 will also include 450 luxury apartment units, a rooftop sundeck, a full-size resort pool, 24 hour concierge desk, 25000 square feet of additional retail and restaurant space, a game room, a chef's kitchen, and a "state-of-the-art" fitness center. 

Surging Wes Moore, Donald Trump-endorsed Dan Cox top Google searches in Maryland governor race

Democrat Wes Moore (left) and
Republican Dan Cox top Google searches
in Maryland governor race

The lack of polling in the Maryland race to decide who will succeed Republican Larry Hogan as governor is leaving pundits, candidates and voters alike in the dark. On the Democratic side of the contest, all prognosticators have had to look at recently are a straw poll, a tracking poll obtained by WUSA 9, and a poll conducted for the Wes Moore campaign by a well-known polling firm; no major polling data has been released on the Republican side of the race. One other data point we can look at is Google search data in Google Trends. It doesn't tell us who voters will cast their ballots for, but it does indicate whom the voters want to know more about, and which candidates' names are on the minds of the public.

Wes Moore (red) vs. Dan Cox (blue) in 
Google searches over the last year

Democrat Wes Moore is by far the most-searched for candidate in the governor race over the last year, according to Google Trends data. Among Republicans, Delegate Dan Cox is the most-searched for by a wide margin. Democrat Tom Perez is very competitive with Cox over the last year, making him the second most-searched for Democrat. Moore easily tops all Democrats, although it is difficult to get an accurate result for John King, as searches for the CNN journalist of the same name are mixed in with those for the gubernatorial candidate. "John King, Jr" produces a trend line far below that of Moore's.

Wes Moore (blue) vs. Democrats Tom Perez (yellow), 
Peter Franchot (red), Doug Gansler (green) and
Rushern Baker (purple)

Each of the three boast big-impact endorsers, and their popularity in Google search is consistent over the last year, less dependent on events to spike interest. All three also benefit from having a national profile. While Republican candidate Kelly Schulz is well-known in Maryland GOP circles, she is still introducing herself to voters outside of the party, including a six-figure radio and TV ad buy this month in the Baltimore and Washington markets. 

Dan Cox (blue) vs. Republicans Kelly Schulz (red),
Robin Ficker (yellow), Joe Werner (green)

Google Trends won't tell us definitively who the actual frontrunners are, or who is likely to win. But they tell us who is on the minds of the voters, and who they want to know more about. They provide another intriguing view of the race for political junkies, and another data point to synthesize with what little else is out there - fundraising totals, endorsements, event turnout, etc. - to give us some insight into one of the most competitive and fog-shrouded horse races for Maryland's top office in recent history.

Dan Cox (blue) neck-and-neck with Tom Perez (red)
in Google searches over the last year

Wes Moore (blue) vs. Democrats John King, Jr. (red),
Jon Baron (yellow), Ashwani Jain (green) and
Jerome Segal (purple)

Wes Moore (blue) vs. Kelly Schulz (red)

Assault at Rockville grocery store

Rockville City police responded to a report of an assault at a grocery store Monday night. The assault was reported at a supermarket in the 1800 block of Rockville Pike at 8:10 PM, according to crime data. There is a Safeway store on that block.

Gas prices stable in Montgomery County as Maryland governor, comptroller squabble over July gas tax hike

Gas prices on River Road in
Bethesda late Tuesday night

Gas prices, by and large, haven't increased that much in Montgomery County since last week. The most notable hikes spotted as of late Tuesday night were on River Road in Bethesda, topping out at 14 cents at one station. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) and Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot (D) have squabbled back and forth this week about the scheduled state gas tax hike from 36 to 43 cents on July 1, 2022. Hogan has asked Franchot to take action to protect consumers. The comptroller, who is running for governor, said he has no authority to do so. He suggested Hogan declare an emergency, or call the legislature back into emergency session.

Regular gas for cash-paying customers was actually down a cent from last Thursday at Marathon at 5143 River Road in Bethesda yesterday. Liberty on River was the same price as last Thursday yesterday at $4.69, according to the Gas Buddy app. But prices last night were up at other stations along that River Road strip: Sunoco was up 14 cents to $4.83. Mobil was up to $4.84, and Shell at $4.89. Citgo up on Westbard Avenue was 4-10 cents cheaper at $4.79.

Gas prices held steady in higher-priced downtown Bethesda. Regular was $4.97 at the Exxon at 8240 Wisconsin Avenue, and $4.99 at the two Liberty stations on Bradley Boulevard.

The cheapest cashless payment gas in Montgomery County as of late Tuesday night was found in Rockville at the Liberty station at 5400 Randolph Road, where regular was going for $4.45. If you can pay in cash, your buck would go further at Sunoco at 18701 Liberty Mill Road in Germantown ($4.42), Liberty at 26241 Ridge Road in Damascus ($4.43) and Freestate at 20650 Frederick Road in Germantown ($4.43).

As of last night, your other cheapest options are Carroll Motor Fuels at 26234 Ridge Road in Damascus ($4.45 cash), Liberty at 1900 Rockville Pike in Rockville ($4.46 - cash), and Shell at 2240 Veirs Mill Road in Rockville ($4.49).

In general, the cheapesr gas stations outside of Bethesda are largely charging about the same, or a few pennies more, as last week.