AMC Montgomery 16 theater to add recliners at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

AMC's acquisition of the former ArcLight Cinemas at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda came with great hopes that the cineplex chain would upgrade some of the outdated elements of the theater, now known as AMC Montgomery 16. That's finally about to happen. AMC says it is moving forward with a plan to replace the fixed, cloth seats in the 16 auditoriums of the complex with its current recliner model. 

The company says it will spend nearly $3 million on the seats, and some other minor updates to the cineplex, which are expected to begin early next year. AMC notes that the addition of recliners will reduce the total number of seats in each auditorium. The renovation plan tells us that AMC is committed to keeping this theater open for a long time to come.

Cellaxs Phone Repair opening at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Cellaxs Phone Repair is coming soon to Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Signage has been installed at its future space, which was once home to The Fix, on Level 2 near the food court. Cellaxs repairs screens, buttons, speakers and water damage on your phone. Battery replacement, tablet repairs and free diagnosis of your phone's problems are among the other services offered by the device repair chain nationwide. 

Knife-wielding robber strikes at Rockville convenience store

Montgomery County police responded to a report of an armed robbery at a convenience store in Rockville late Monday afternoon, November 20, 2023. The robbery was reported in the 1200 block of E. Gude Drive at 5:15 PM Monday. A knife was the weapon used in the robbery.

Contents of Rockville restaurant to be auctioned off next month

The contents of a Pakistani restaurant in the White Flint area will be auctioned off next month. While the restaurant is not named in the online auction listing, the interior photos look like TooSso Pakistani Kitchen, which closed earlier this fall at 5290 Randolph Road at Loehmann's Plaza. Among the items up for grabs to the highest bidder are TooSso's menu board, a decorative antique door, a tandoori oven, and even the restaurant's broom and dustpan. To register and place a bid, see the online auction listing. The auction begins closing December 15, 2023 at 10:07 AM.

Montgomery County Board of Elections votes to not follow anyone on social media

Montgomery County Board of Elections
President David A. Naimon

The Montgomery County Board of Elections voted unanimously yesterday to not follow anyone on social media, part of a new social media policy the board passed via that vote. While the board encourages residents, voters and political candidates to follow its accounts on social media, commissioners decided that its own accounts should not follow anyone, and should not "like" social media posts. The board said it made the policy change to emphasize its commitment to free and fair elections, and equal treatment of all candidates and ballot question debates. 

“As a non-partisan organization, the Board must ensure that all candidates, political parties and voters are treated fairly and that no candidate or supporter or opponent of a ballot question receives or is perceived to receive preferential treatment,” Board President David A. Naimon said in a statement after the vote. “The mission of the Board is simple - - free, fair, and transparent elections for all candidates and voters.”

For official information about the 2024 elections, including how to register to vote and/or volunteer to serve as an election worker, follow the Montgomery County Board of Elections on X at @777vote (https://twitter.com/777vote), on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/777vote/, or on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/777vote/. Information also continues to be available on the BOE website at www.777vote.org, and by phone at 240-777-8500.

Police called after assault at Rockville restaurant

Montgomery County police were called to a restaurant in Rockville Sunday afternoon, after an individual was allegedly the victim of a 2nd-degree assault there. The assault was reported at a restaurant in the 9900 blovk of Key West Avenue at 4:54 PM Sunday, November 19, 2023. That is at the Shady Grove Professional Center at Key West and Darnestown Road.

Menorah display stolen outside CVS Pharmacy at Cabin John Village

The Chanukah portion of the outdoor holiday decor at CVS Pharmacy at 7955 Tuckerman Lane at Cabin John Village in Potomac was stolen sometime between Saturday night, November 18, 2023 and Sunday morning, November 19. A reader forwarded these before-and-after photos, which show the inflatable menorah gone on Sunday. The Christmas-themed inflatables remained untouched. A torah scroll holder was recently ripped off of a resident's door in the Congressional Plaza area of Rockville. Like this area of Potomac on the border with Rockville, that is also a community with a large Jewish population.