Women attacked, one by gang of 5 men, in latest assaults at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

The summer's eighth and ninth assaults at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda this week targeted women, according to people familiar with the incidents. A 2nd-degree assault reported to Montgomery County police at the mall this past Sunday evening resulted in a female victim being transported to the hospital with serious injuries, including a concussion. On Tuesday night, August 23, 2022 at 8:02 PM, a mall worker called 911 after witnessing a group of five male teenagers or young men attacking a woman on the top level of a mall parking garage. 

In a separate incident, a customer of the currency exchange kiosk at the mall reported that he was being watched by three teenagers as he counted the foreign currency he received at the counter. The male teens followed the customer throughout the mall. When he finally exited the mall, they began to close in on him. They fled only after the customer shouted at them, and began taking their pictures using his phone.

Montgomery County's elected officials and police chief have not publicly spoken about the trend of violent assaults at the mall this summer, nor provided more details about the incidents, which began May 18. The issue is clearly on their radar, and the mall operator's, as the police department has announced plans to open a "resource room" at the mall.

Mall patrons, particularly if shopping alone, should be aware of their surroundings. If what you see prompts concern about your safety in a given situation, contact mall security or the information desk, and request an escort to your vehicle. Call 911 if it is an emergency or immediate threat.

Marc Elrich victory confirmed as Montgomery County Executive election results are certified

The Montgomery County Board of Elections certified the results of the July 19, 2022 gubernatorial primary election yesterday. A full recount in the Democratic Montgomery County Executive primary race confirmed the victory of incumbent Marc Elrich over second-place finisher David Blair. Final results showed Elrich with 55,504 votes, and Blair with 55,472 votes, a difference of only 32 votes.

Elrich will face Republican Reardon Sullivan in the November general election. While the lengthy counting and recount provided a final result more than a month after the primary, the small change in votes produced by the recount does help to boost confidence in the integrity of the vote-counting process in Montgomery County.

President Joe Biden to speak at rally in Rockville on Thursday, August 25

President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden will appear at a Maryland Democratic Party rally on Thursday, August 25, 2022 in Rockville at Richard Montgomery High School, located at 250 Richard Montgomery Drive. The rally, which will also feature Democratic gubernatorial nominee Wes Moore and Maryland comptroller nominee Brooke Lierman, will run from 4:00 to 8:00 PM. Doors will open at 4:00 PM, and the official event page says attendees should be there no later than that time for an orderly check-in. 

Biden will arrive in Rockville tomorrow with a full head of steam politically. Over the past few weeks, the strong belief by many pundits that Republicans would gain full control of Congress in November's election has appeared increasingly doubtful, particularly in the Senate. Whether the President was responsible for gas prices falling or not, the issue of fuel costs is no longer a daily topic in the mainstream media. Biden scored one legislative victory after another this summer, steamrolling over seemingly-prone Republicans in Congress, and then took out an al-Qaeda leader for good measure. Polls within the last 24 hours show Biden's previously-dismal approval rating is rising from the mid-30s to the low-to-mid 40s, with plenty of runway ahead between now and Election Day.

Maryland supporters of President Donald Trump and Maryland GOP gubernatorial nominee Dan Cox appear to have more energy than the Republicans in Congress. They announced they will hold a "Freedom Rally" outside the Rockville Biden event tomorrow, and are asking fellow supporters to bring "flags and yard signs" to wave. "Show Joe Biden and Wes Moore that Maryland is a FREE state," the event flyer reads.

Car stolen from home in Rockville

Montgomery County police are investigating the theft of a vehicle from outside of a home in Rockville. The vehicle was reported stolen at 8:27 PM Sunday night, August 21, 2022. It was parked in the 4400 block of Muncaster Mill Road, near Norbeck Road.

Office work, transit use aren't recovering in Montgomery County, new data show

New Google Mobility data for Montgomery County show that transit use has only picked up by 1% since spring 2022, and that fewer workers are toiling in on-site offices than were this past spring. The data use a five-week period just before the pandemic hit the United States, January 3 - February 6, 2020, as the baseline. In reports I've posted over the last two years, numbers for office and transit use have been poor, as expected. But we've also seen some surprising shifts in behavior, which continue in the latest period examined here, from June 23 - August 4, 2022.

For starters, with the overwhelming message from governments and the media being to drop precautions and go back to business as usual, it's intriguing that there's been no significant increase in transit use in Montgomery County since President Joe Biden's State of the Union address. And would you have expected that the number of residents going into an office in Montgomery would actually decline by 12 percentage points since then, as well? Time spent in offices of employment in spring 2022 was 30% less than the pre-pandemic period; this summer it was 42% less than early 2020. The return of vacation travel may have been a factor - but not entirely, as summer 2021 office use was only 2 percentage points higher at 44% below the pre-pandemic period.

Use of public parks in Montgomery County has bounced back since spring. This summer, residents were 19% more likely to be in a park than they were during the pre-pandemic period of 2020. Shopping in stores and supermarkets has picked up since spring, too. The percentage of people going into retail stores compared to this past spring has doubled, but still remains 16% below pre-pandemic shopping levels. Residents' patronage of grocery stores is up 5% from spring 2022, but is 1% less than the pre-pandemic period. 

Montgomery County residents this summer are spending 10% more time at home than they did in the January-February 2020 period, the new data show. The data collected by Google is limited to those users who have opted in to allowing the tech giant to track their phone's location. It measures both the frequency of visits, and the amount of time those users stay in the places categorized in the results, such as grocery stores, transit stations and parks.

Assault at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, 8th reported there since May 18

Once again, Montgomery County police were called to Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, after another 2nd-degree assault was reported there last night, August 21, 2022. The assault was reported at the mall at 6:37 PM Sunday. This was the eighth 2nd-degree assault at the mall since May 18. The Montgomery County Police Department announced earlier this month that it would be establishing a "resource room" at the popular retail destination.

Assault at Twinbrook Metro station in Rockville

Rockville City police were called to the Twinbrook Metro station on Saturday afternoon, August 20, 2022, after an individual reported being the victim of a 2nd-degree assault there. The assault was reported at 3:00 PM Saturday.