Man arrested in alleged sexual assaults at L.A. Fitness in Rockville

Montgomery County police have arrested a man who allegedly sexually assaulted two women showering in the women's locker room at L.A. Fitness at 11416-A Rockville Pike last Friday, October 21, 2022. Samba Dieng, 18, of Silver Spring has been charged with Second-Degree Rape, Fourth-Degree Sex Offense, and two counts of Second-Degree Assault. He was taken into custody Wednesday at his home without incident. 

Detectives discovered that Dieng had been to multiple L.A. Fitness locations in Montgomery and Prince George's County. They are concerned that there may be other victims. Anyone with information regarding this suspect or additional victims is asked to call the Special Victims Investigations Division at 240-773-5050.

Armed carjacking in Rockville

Montgomery County police responded to a report of an armed carjacking in Rockville Tuesday night, October 25, 2022. The carjacking was reported in the 15200 block of Shady Grove Road at 10:42 PM Tuesday.

Lovisa to open boutique at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Lovisa is opening a boutique at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The fast-fashion jewelry brand was founded in Sydney, Australia by billionaire Brett Blundy in 2010. Since then, Lovisa has grown to a chain of over 400 stores worldwide. Lovisa will be on Level 1, next to Journeys, and is now hiring (use the QR code in the picture at bottom to apply).

Wendy's closes for major renovations in Derwood (Photos)

Wendy's at 15807 Frederick Road in Derwood has temporarily closed for major renovations. This isn't just a cosmetic makeover. The entire interior of the fast food restaurant has been gutted and will be rebuilt. 

An increased focus on takeout and drive-thru orders, and on mobile ordering, is at the heart of what the hamburger chain calls its Global Next Gen restaurant design. The new interior layout will also streamline operations, company CCO Kurt Kane said in August. It will also feature a new generation of technology throughout the ordering and cooking processes, including a new grill, and the ability to handle more mobile orders. Annual energy costs will be reduced by 6%.

Vera Bradley closes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Vera Bradley has closed at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Their space has been cleared out. Vera Bradley opened here in June 2012. That's an impressive run, but apparently not enough to survive the moribund Montgomery County economy that has claimed so many victims in recent years. 

LaserAway to open Rockville location

LaserAway is opening a location in Rockville at Pike & Rose. It will be in the former Taylor Gourmet space in the Canopy by Hilton hotel at 926 Rose Avenue, off Rockville Pike. LaserAway is a laser hair removal practice with locations in 24 states and the District of Columbia. They also offer botox treatments, tattoo removal, photofacials, dermal fillers, Thermage skin tightening, Coolsculpting fat removal, Clear + Brilliant laser treatments and other skincare services. 

Rockville Wegmans construction update (Photos)

With the excitement for the new Amazon Fresh store on Shady Grove Road now on hold until next year, attention returns to the construction site of the future Wegmans at the corner of Rockville Pike and Halpine Road. Wegmans will be the anchor retail tenant in B.F. Saul's Twinbrook Quarter development, and will be in the ground floor of the Phase 1 building of that massive project. Twinbrook Quarter is the most highly-anticipated real estate project in Rockville since Rockville Town Square, nearly two decades ago, and Wegmans is the jewel in the Twinbrook Quarter crown as far as Rockville residents are concerned.

Concrete pouring continues for the third level slab, and a new covered walkway will protect pedestrians on Halpine Road through the end of construction in late 2023. The Rockville Wegmans opening date will likely be sometime in early 2024 at this point.