Assault at AMC Montgomery 16 movie theater at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a 2nd-degree assault at the AMC Montgomery 16 cineplex at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda Sunday night, July 17, 2022. The assault was reported at the theater at 8:54 PM. Four assaults were reported at the mall between May 18 and June 7 this year; this is the first to be reported at the mall's movie theater.

Toys R Us to return at Macy's in Bethesda, Gaithersburg & Wheaton for holiday shopping season

Toys R Us will attempt to make a nationwide comeback this holiday season, the brand announced yesterday. The toy store will be largely found at malls across the country, but not in its own space. Instead, there will be Toys R Us stores inside of every Macy's department store, including those here in Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, Lakeforest Mall in Gaithersburg, and at Westfield Wheaton Plaza mall. The first pop-up stores are expected to open by the end of this month, with the rest making their debuts by mid-October. 

Toys R Us photo of new concept
store inside Macy's nationwide

Toys R Us closed in Rockville in 2014. It briefly operated a downsized Toys R Us Express store at Montgomery Mall ten years ago. The last Toys R Us in Montgomery County closed in 2018, in Gaithersburg. This new Toys R Us won't offer the experience kids enjoyed in the past: a cavernous warehouse space with nearly-endless aisles of toys, bikes, ride-on vehicles and video games, with a car trip around back to the loading dock area for special pickup of a big item.

Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued for most of Maryland, Northern Virginia, Washington, D.C.

The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch for a large area of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, stretching from Lynchburg, Virginia to lower New York and Western Connecticut. All of the Washington, D.C. region, including Montgomery County and Prince George's County, are under the watch until 10:00 PM tonight. This follows a Flood Watch for much of that area that is in effect until midnight tonight.

Between now and 10:00 PM, severe thunderstorms are possible. These storms may spawn tornadoes, isolated ping-pong-size hail, and scattered wind gusts up to 70 MPH. The first storms appear to be impacting northern Montgomery County - including Potomac, Germantown and Damascus, and parts of Northern Virginia and Frederick County, including Mount Airy and Urbana. Specifc severe thunderstorm warnings have been issued for those areas.

Be prepared by ensuring flashlights and radios have fresh batteries, and that your phone is fully-charged. Bring any objects that could become airborne inside from yards and balconies. Move to a lower level or interior room if a thunderstorm warning is issued for your area.

Map courtesy National Weather Service

Flood watch issued for Montgomery County, Central Maryland, Washington, D.C. region

The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch for large portions of the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore metropolitan areas. A possibility of severe thunderstorms during the late afternoon and early evening hours tonight, along with potential rainfall rates of 1-2" per hour, may cause flash flooding between 4:00 PM and midnight. Jurisdictions under the flood watch include Montgomery County, Prince George's County, Washington, D.C., Arlington County, Alexandria, Fairfax County, Loudoun County, Prince William County, Bowie, Anne Arundel County, Howard County, Carroll County, Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Harford County.

Rockville celebrates high-pressure infrastructure milestone

A public works project nearly fifteen years in the making is finally crossing the finish line in the City of Rockville. Susan Hoffmann was mayor when the city began replacing its low-flow fire hydrants, which were considered inadequate for fire safety needs. Sixty-seven hydrants were determined to have water flow rates of under 500 gallons per minute, an insufficient amount of water pressure for fire-extinguishing needs. The last hydrant was on Beall Avenue, where city officials and public works employees gathered to celebrate the milestone.

The hydrant upgrades were only part of a larger water system project that is expected to go on until 2108. It will take that long to replace every mile of pipe in the city's water system, which is the project goal. Since 2008, the city has already replaced 22 miles of water main pipe. “This last hydrant being removed out of the city’s system should be highlighted as an achievement and a testament to the Mayor and Council funding the water main rehab program,” John W. Hollida, the city’s engineering supervisor for capital projects, said in a statement.

Photos courtesy City of Rockville

Assault on Hungerford Drive in Rockville

A 2nd-degree assault was reported on Hungerford Drive Saturday night. Rockville City police responded to the assault in the 500 block of Hungerford at 10:00 PM. That is in the vicinity of office buildings just north of Rockville Town Square, the Rockville Volunteer Fire Department, and Walgreens.

Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin endorses Marc Elrich for Montgomery County Executive

Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin (D - 8th District) has endorsed incumbent Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich for reelection in this Tuesday's Democratic primary contest. Raskin made the announcement at a get-out-the-vote canvassing event yesterday, standing side-by-side with Elrich. “I had quite a week defending democracy against the coups, and the insurrections, the political violence, and the attempt to usurp the will of the people,” Raskin told the crowd, "so I thought I would just swing by to tell everybody that I'm voting for Marc Elrich, who is making democracy work here in Montgomery County."

Raskin and Elrich have a long history together. Both are from the highly-politically-active Takoma Park community, where Elrich served on the City Council, before being elected to the Montgomery County Council (At-Large) in 2006. “I have known Marc for most of my life," Raskin said yesterday. "He's always the same Marc. You know what you're going to get with Marc Elrich. We can count on him, and we counted on him through COVID-19, where Montgomery County became one of the leading counties in America to get people vaccinated and promote public health, And for that reason alone, we owe you a debt of gratitude."

COVID-19 has been a hot topic in this year's election, as some parents and businesspeople have organized behind Elrich's opponents on the very issue of pandemic policies that were instituted or proposed during his term in office, such as school closures, intervention in private school operations, and lockdowns of businesses. Others felt Elrich's policies were on-target, and have praised him for limiting the impact of the virus on the community before vaccines were widely available.

Raskin also saluted Elrich's successful efforts to raise the minimum wage, and his support of abortion rights. “There are two kinds of politicians out there," Raskin said. "There are power politicians, and there are justice politicians. Marc Elrich has always been the quintessential justice politician."

The endorsement comes at a key moment in a contentious race at the top of the County ballot. Elrich is facing three opponents in the July 19 primary: businessman David Blair, County Councilmember Hans Riemer and businessman Peter James. Blair has poured millions into his two campaigns, and Riemer has a campaign chest of grassroots donations and public matching funds that top $1 million.

Raskin has never had more name recognition among the public than today, thanks to his high-profile TV role in the impeachments of President Donald Trump, and on the January 6 Select Committee in Congress. The voters who support his work on those committees are very much in play in this Tuesday's election, giving Elrich a needed last-minute boost from another progressive who has the ear of his target voter.

“I am honored to have Congressman Raskin’s support in our campaign for re-election; he has been a fearless defender of democracy at the national level, and tireless in helping his constituents back home,” Elrich said in a statement this afternoon. “I thank Congressman Raskin for his relentless defense of democracy. I am grateful for his vote and support. I look forward to continuing our work together on behalf of Montgomery County residents.”