Every member of the Montgomery County Planning Board has resigned

Montgomery County has no planning authority at this hour. A scandal that began with Montgomery County Planning Board Chair Casey Anderson has ended today with every commissioner, including Anderson, resigning. The County Council announced the resignations of Anderson, Partap Verma, Carol Rubin, Gerald Cichy, and Tina Patterson in a press release this afternoon.

Despite a series of scandals over the last decade, ranging from Farm Road to the Westbard sector plan, it was a full cocktail bar in Anderson's government office that ended up taking out the board. The County Council initially gave a light slap-on-the-wrist "reprimand" to Anderson and Commissioners Partap Verma and Carol Rubin, for their roles in BarGate. Planning Director Gwen Wright was then fired by the Board, after defending Anderson in press interviews. 

New rumors and leaks about additional bad behavior by commissioners, and an embarrassing article in The Washington Post this week, led the Council to belatedly reconsider its bizarrely-weak initial response. It then announced the resignations today. 

Anderson and the Board should have been removed years ago, over the issues I mentioned above, and for consistently operating under the thumb of developers. All commissioners serve at the pleasure of the Council. But the Council only acted today, after the County had been humiliated for several weeks by the clownish behavior of the commissioners. Only after the situation had become completely untenable, did the Council take action.

 “The Council has lost confidence in the Montgomery County Planning Board and accepted these resignations to reset operations," Council President Gabe Albornoz (D - At-Large) said in a statement. "We are acting with deliberate speed to appoint new commissioners to move Montgomery County forward. We thank the commissioners for their service to our County.”

The Council plans to appoint temporary commissioners by October 25. Montgomery County residents who are interested in filling these temporary acting positions should apply to the Council by October 18 at 5:00 PM. One can only hope that some of those impacted by the scandal will be inspired to share with law enforcement what they know of the inner workings of planning and zoning in Montgomery County.

A look inside the new Rockville Beer & Wine (Photos)

Here's a look inside the new Rockville Beer & Wine store that just opened at 15809 Frederick Road (MD 355), in the Derwood area just south of Redland Road. As you can see, there is an extensive selection. The store also sells lottery tickets. It is located between Wendy's and 7-Eleven, and surface parking is available.

Strong-arm robbery at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a strong-arm robbery at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda early Sunday afternoon, October 9, 2022. The brazen, midday robbery was reported at 12:10 PM. A police "resource room" was opened at the mall in August, after a series of assaults were reported at the popular retail center over the summer.

Rockville Mayor & Council to consider adopting plan to "reimagine" RedGate Park

Rockville's Mayor and Council will consider adopting an updated Master Plan to "reimagine" RedGate Park, a former City-owned golf course at 14500 Avery Road at their Monday, October 17, 2022 meeting. Formulated with input from the public, city staff and elected officials, the latest version of the plan envisions the park as an arboretum. It would include community gardens, an amphitheatre with a deck overlook and a visitor center.

Following a July 18 discussion of the plan by the Mayor and Council, several updates were made. Picnic pavilions were added, as was a dog exercise area for small and large breeds. The layout of pathways was refined, identifying existing ones that will be retained or removed, and the specific routes of new ones. Finally, a more specific location for the visitor center was determined.

With the new changes, the estimated cost of the reimagined park will be somewhere between $16,301,533 and $24,452,299. City staff are recommending adoption of the plan.

Under Armour store is "bigger and better" at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Under Armour has moved back to its original spot at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The sporting goods store gave up its larger, custom-designed storefront on Level 1 for a few months so it could be remodeled, and moved to a smaller space upstairs. Now it has reopened downstairs again, and the updated store is "bigger and better" than ever before, according to the Baltimore-based retailer.

Rockville shooting suspect sought by police

Montgomery County police detectives are asking for the public's help in locating the suspect in a shooting in Rockville last Friday night, October 7, 2022 around 9:20 PM. Minutes later, officers responded to a report of shots fired in the 12900 block of Twinbrook Parkway. The first officer to arrive at the scene saw a black male, approximately 30 years of age, with short black hair. This individual was also wearing a black jacket, blue jeans, and a baseball cap.

The officer noticed the man was allegedly holding a black handgun with an extended magazine down at his side. As the officer exited his unmarked vehicle, the man began to raise his arm to point the gun at the officer. When the officer identified himself, and ordered the man to drop his weapon, the man complied but fled on foot.

Upon examination, detectives determined the gun was a black "Privately Made Firearm (PMF)" with a 30-round extended magazine. County and Rockville City police officers who scoured the area located multiple shell casings.

Anyone with information is asked to call the police non-emergency number at (301) 279-8000 (24-hour line) or the Montgomery County Police-1st District Investigative Section at (240) 773-6084. 

Socks to Be You opens store at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda (Photos)

Socks to Be You has opened at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The sock chain has popped up in malls all over America in the last few years, selling themed and character socks for all ages and nearly all interests. Theme categories currently available include Halloween Socks, Cannabis Socks ("sock" a pair away for Election Night, when Maryland voters are expected to overwhelmingly approve legalization of marijuana in the state), Politics Socks, Outdoor Socks and Mom and Dad Socks. 

All Socks to Be You socks are 80% cotton, "100% odor free," and made with environmentally-sensitive materials. Individual sock pairs include Cookie Monster, Make America Sane Again, Going Country or Going Home and OK Boomer. Look for Socks to Be You on Level 2 of the mall, right across from Auntie Anne's.