PacSun closes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

PacSun has permanently closed at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Signage has been removed from above the storefront. PacSun, a.k.a. Pacific Sunwear, started as a small surf shop in Seal Beach, California in 1980. It had a long run at Montgomery Mall. The closure is the latest sign of a moribund Montgomery County economy, as PacSun has recovered from its 2016 bankruptcy filing, and more recently has been opening or remodeling stores rather than closing them. 

Assault in Rockville townhome community

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a 2nd-degree assault on a residential street in a townhome community off of Shady Grove Road Thursday evening, October 26, 2023. The assault was reported in the unit block of Travilah Crest Terrace at 9:00 PM Thursday. That is in the Travilah Station community.

Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition to protest Maryland governor, congressman at Potomac fundraiser

BACC President Marsha Coleman-Adebayo at
a 2017 protest regarding Moses African Cemetery

The Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition will protest outside a Maryland Democratic Party fundraiser in Potomac today, an event Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) and Congressman Jamie Raskin (D - 8th District) are expected to attend. Leaders of the BACC are demanding Moore and Raskin take action to end the desecration of the Moses African Cemetery in Bethesda, and force the release the over 200 bone fragments that were exhumed on a construction site adjacent to the graveyard for testing, to determine if they are human remains. Those remains were trucked out of state to a Virginia warehouse, and neither Montgomery County nor the private developer of the site has agreed to make them available for independent testing. Raskin visited the graveyard site in-person, and was asked to act at the federal level to address the cemetery issues, but later said he would defer to Montgomery County officials on the matter and ceased correspondence with BACC.

Today's protest will take place between 12:15 and 2:30 PM outside 9400 Persimmon Tree Road in Potomac. This appears to be a private mansion. According to the website of the Montgomery County Democratic Party, the "Afternoon of Elegance" event will be held from 2:00 to 4:00 PM today.

Route 666, the real-life Highway to Hell, is in Montgomery County

Montgomery County Halloween Countdown

Did you know there is a real Route 666, and it is located in Kensington, Maryland? The Satanic-numbered Maryland highway designation was given to Armory Avenue, a portion of Howard Avenue, and St. Paul Street, when they served as the original route to cross the Baltimore & Ohio (now CSX) Railroad tracks in Kensington. Today, the newer Connecticut Avenue serves that purpose to the west, with a grade-separated bridge crossing. The controversial 666 route number was removed in 1958, but you can still drive the real-life "Highway to Hell" today. However, the only way to travel the entire length continously is on foot, by using the pedestrian crossing at the Kensington railroad station. 

Police called after assault at school in Derwood

Montgomery County police were called to a school in Derwood yesterday afternoon, October 26, 2023, after a 2nd-degree assault was reported there. Officers responded to a school in the 5900 block of Muncaster Mill Road at 4:13 PM Thursday. Col. Zadok Magruder High School is located on that block.

The creepiest license plate in Montgomery County

Montgomery County Halloween Countdown

Today on the Montgomery County Halloween Countdown, we have the creepiest license plate you're likely to find in MoCo. "Casket" is the vanity tag for a Chrysler 300 sedan staff vehicle at the Robert A. Pumphrey Funeral Home in downtown Bethesda. The black car also features the flashing emergency lights for funeral processions that have become standard on most funeral home hearses in recent years. Don't expect an actual casket to fit into a Chrysler 300, despite the spine-chilling tags.

Police arrest 2 after assault at Rockville Town Square

Rockville City police responded to a report of a 2nd-degree assault at Rockville Town Square early Sunday morning, October 22, 2023. The assault was reported in the 100 block of Gibbs Street at 2:40 AM Sunday. Officers arrested a male and a female suspect at the scene.