Indecent exposure reported at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Montgomery County police were called to Westfield Montgomery Mall early yesterday afternoon, Thursday, August 22, 2023, to investigate a report of indecent exposure. The incident was reported at the mall at 12:15 PM Thursday. No arrests were made for indecent exposure yesterday, according to Montgomery County data, suggesting the suspect remains at-large.

Will Jawando endorsed by Baltimore, Prince George's officials in Maryland U.S. Senate race

Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando picked up the endorsements of four more Maryland elected officials in his campaign for the U.S. Senate seat of Ben Cardin (D), who will retire in January 2025. Baltimore City Councilmember Kristerfer Burnett, Prince George’s County Councilmembers Krystal Oriadha and Wala Blegay, and Riverdale Park Town Councilmember Karen Mejia all put their support behind Jawando, who is positioning himself as the true progressive in the highly-competitive Democratic primary. Jawando's leading primary opponents are Total Wine founder and Congressman David Trone (D - MD 6th District), and Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks.

Convincing three more Prince George's officials to support him over their own county executive is a coup for Jawando, as Alsobrooks is facing questions about her newfound support for criminal justice reform, relative to her own prosecutorial record and statements during her service as Prince George's County State's Attorney. Jawando is seeking to follow the insurgent path of new Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, who stunned many by blowing past moderate establishment figures like Comptroller Peter Franchot to capture Government House in November 2022. 

“I am honored to receive the endorsement of these four fantastic public servants," Jawando said in a statement Wednesday. "This campaign is based upon the belief that we can build a shared prosperity for all Marylanders, and with their support, achieving this dream is increasingly possible. They represent the next generation of leaders in our state who are stepping up and doing their part to build a better future where no one has to be worse off for their neighbor to do better."

"Over the coming weeks and months, my campaign will continue to expand into both Prince George’s and Baltimore city and county. The race is early, and anyone who tells you they know how things will shake out is mistaken. I have gained a sense from speaking with residents across our state that there is a deep frustration with the status quo, and they are looking for a U.S. Senator who can deliver for their communities. This is what I have done in Montgomery County, and it’s why I am running for the Senate."

Assault reported at Rockville nursing home

Rockville City police were called to a nursing home Tuesday, September 19, 2023, to investigate an assault reported there. The incident was reported at a nursing home in the 1800 block of E. Jefferson Street at 6:45 PM.

Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition to converge on Congressman Jamie Raskin's Washington, D.C. office today

Raskin touring the Moses African Cemetery site
with BACC President Marsha Coleman-Adebayo
earlier this year

Leaders and members of the Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition will converge on the Rayburn Office Building office of U.S. Congressman Jamie Raskin (D - MD 8th District) this afternoon, Wednesday, September 20, 2023 at 3:00 PM. The organization, which advocates for the desecrated Moses African Cemetery now hidden primarily on the Westwood Tower property in Bethesda, says Raskin has ignored the cemetery issue despite being briefed on its history and visiting the site. BACC says it hopes to meet with Raskin during the office visit, and will demand he stop the ongoing desecration of the site, and call for a federal criminal investigation into all crimes committed at the cemetery since it was first disturbed in the 1960s.

Despite his awareness of the cemetery issues, Raskin has said he will continue to defer to Montgomery County officials rather than take action himself, BACC says. "The local officials he is referring to are the same who are responsible for the crimes," BACC argues in a press release. BACC says anyone wishing to participate in this afternoon's visit should meet outside the Independence Avenue entrance of the Rayburn Office Building at 2:30 PM. "BACC will continue to visit Jamie Raskin until it is clear that he will take action," organizers said in a statement.

Rockville mayor to discuss State of the City September 21

Rockville Mayor Bridget Donnell Newton will participate in a discussion of the State of the City tomorrow morning, Thursday, September 21, 2023, at 9:00 AM at Glenview Mansion at 603 Edmonston Drive in Rockville. The discussion is being hosted by the Greater Rockville Chamber of Commerce. Brian Barkley, public policy chair for the Chamber, will lead the discussion and ask questions. Questions may be submitted in advance by emailing marji@rockvillechamber.org. The event is free and open to the public.

Purse snatched at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a purse snatching at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda on Sunday afternoon, September 17, 2023. It was reported at the mall at 3:50 PM. The purse was left unattended, rather than being forcibly grabbed, in this case. Remember to keep an eye on your purse while shopping, as apparently someone else at the mall has an eye on it, too.

Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando introduces bill to eliminate tipped minimum wage

Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando (D - At-Large) introduced a bill today that would eliminate tipped minimum wages in the county by 2028. Restaurant servers, bartenders and other tipped service workers currently can be paid less than the County's minimum wage, because they theoretically will achieve the minimum wage amount through customer tips. Jawando's bill, which is also supported by Councilmember Kristin Mink (D), would phase out the tipped minimum wage over the next five years, and require restaurant owners to pay all staff the current County minimum wage. His U.S. Senate campaign is touting the bill as the latest example of Jawando's progressive leadership on the Council, at a time when his leading progressive opponent, Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, is under fire from a new Intercept article that raises doubts about her past positions on crime and civil liberties issues.

“Even while running a high-stakes and fast-paced campaign for the U.S. Senate, Will is continuing to fight each and every day for his constituents in Montgomery County and embodying the core message of this campaign: to build a shared prosperity that lifts everybody up, no matter who you are or where you come from," Jawando's campaign communications director Benny Stanislawski said in a statement today. "Today’s bill is a perfect example of this, and his tried and true approach to public service. From successfully passing historic rent stabilization, to a pilot guaranteed income program, and community-informed policing in Montgomery County, Will is without a doubt the most effective legislator in the race. Today’s bill will likely become law and completely reshape the lived experience of countless working-class residents of the county."

Similar bills and laws in other jurisdictions have been highly-controversial and divisive. Restaurant owners fear their already-slim profit margins getting thinner, having to boost the wages they pay employees directly by more than $10 an hour each. Some servers and bartenders, who say they now regularly earn more than minimum wage via tips, have even opposed similar laws elsewhere. Their concern has been that word of the law - and the new service charges that restaurants add to customer tabs in the wake of their passage - will encourage customers to cut back or eliminate tipping altogether. Jawando does not believe this will be the case, but says he is proposing a second bill that would ensure service charges go to restaurant workers, rather than to the restaurant owners.