Music-blasting mohawk man nets Walgreens shoplifting haul in Rockville

A mohawk-sporting man stole "a large quantity of merchandise" from a Walgreens drugstore "while playing loud music," Rockville City police say. The man allegedly filled two reusable shopping bags and a shopping cart at the Walgreens store at 430 Hungerford Drive before fleeing the business at 10:40 AM on April 5, 2024.

Police describe the suspect as a Black male of thin-to-medium build, approximately 25 to 35 years old, with a light complexion, a mohawk and a full beard. If you have any information about this incident or the suspect, contact Rockville City police at 240-314-8900.

Larry Hogan sets fundraising record for a Maryland U.S. Senate candidate

The unexpected chance to flip a U.S. Senate seat was expected to boost the inflow of campaign cash into the Maryland this year, but former Gov. Larry Hogan (R) has exceeded expectations, by setting a fundraising record for a U.S. Senate race in the heavily-Democratic state. Hogan has raised more than $3.1 million since his surprise last-minute entry into the contest on February 9, his campaign announced yesterday. That total marks the most raised by a Senate candidate in any quarter in state history, and outpaced the campaign of Democrat Angela Alsobrooks by $1 million in half the time. Alsobrooks is locked in a contentious Democratic primary race with billionaire David Trone, who is self-funding his campaign, and spending big on advertising.

Hogan greets a voter in
Leonardtown, Maryland yesterday

“Our team is incredibly humbled and grateful for the overwhelming amount of support and positive reception we have received across the state since announcing mid-February, and we are just getting started,” Hogan said in a statement Thursday. “In a race where we are likely to face either the billionaire trying to buy the election or the candidate of the Democratic machine, there is no doubt we are the financial underdog too. Every day, our focus is on getting our message out to Marylanders who are fed up and frustrated with politics as usual. It’s time to get back to work, fix the broken politics, and send a message to Washington!”

Hogan delivers fresh Dunkin' Donuts
to volunteer firefighters in
Prince Frederick, Maryland yesterday

Hogan is in the middle of a ten-day bus tour of the state. The tour coincides with the start of mail-in balloting in Maryland, as voters begin to receive their primary ballots in the mail this week.

Photos courtesy Hogan for Maryland, Inc.

Montgomery Mall 2024 assault numbers have already equaled total for all of 2023

The latest assault reported at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda brings the total number of assaults this year to five. That's the same number of assaults that were reported over the entire year of 2023 at the busy retail center. Montgomery County police responded to the latest incident at 3:10 PM on April 6, 2024, when an individual was allegedly the victim of a 2nd-degree assault. Should assaults continue to be reported at this pace, the 2024 number could be at least 15 assaults, which would exceed the record of 12 assaults set by the mall in 2022.

Woman attacked with hammer in Rockville Town Center

A woman was assaulted by a hammer-wielding man in the Rockville Town Center area early in the morning on April 7, 2024. The victim told Rockville City police that she was visiting the 200 block of N. Washington Street, and was approached by an unknown male subject at 3:25 AM. He suddenly produced a hammer, and struck her "on the face" with it, she said. 

The suspect then fled in a black SUV. No tag number for the getaway vehicle has been released, nor has a physical description of the alleged attacker. If you have any information about this incident or the suspect, contact Rockville City police at 240-314-8900.

Thief racks up $10,000 in tolls after stealing EZ-Pass from Rockville business

A thief has taken an expensive joyride after stealing an EZ-Pass toll transponder from a business in Rockville. The business has now received a bill for about $10,000 in toll charges from highways and bridges, according to Rockville City police. They say the EZ-Pass was stolen from a business in the 200 block of N. Stonestreet Avenue way back in December 2021. The charges apparently only came to the attention of the business recently, and they reported the theft to police on April 2, 2024.

Peter Chang opens in Gaithersburg

One of the D.C. area's top chefs chose an auspicious day to open the latest addition to his growing restaurant empire. Peter Chang's new Gaithersburg location at 637 N. Frederick Avenue celebrated its grand opening last night, following a rare solar eclipse. This is Chang's first tapas-style small plates concept. The restaurant also offers a Dim Sum menu. 

During the final countdown to Monday's opening, an artist worked to complete a colorful mural on the exterior of the building. The Gaithersburg venture joins Chang's other successful Montgomery County restaurants in downtown Bethesda, and at Rockville Town Square.

Poll finds Maryland voters nostalgic for the Larry Hogan era

A new poll conducted by the University of Maryland and The Washington Post had good news for U.S. Senate candidate Larry Hogan (R). The results indicated that registered Maryland voters were much more pleased with the direction of the state under former Gov. Hogan than they are during the current term of his successor, Gov. Wes Moore (D). At the end of Hogan's first four-year term in 2018, 63% of Maryland voters thought the state was moving in the right direction. Only 46% believe Maryland is moving in the right direction as of March 2024. 

In 2018 under Hogan, 29% of voters said Maryland was "on the wrong track." In 2024, 44% now believe the state is moving in the wrong direction. The poll was conducted between March 5 and 12, 2024, and surveyed 1004 registered Maryland voters. Legislators returning to their pre-Hogan ways of raising taxes, along with ongoing inflation pressures and suddenly-shaky state finances, may explain some of the nostalgia for the former Republican governor's era. A FY-2025 budget proposal from the Maryland General Assembly has proposed $350-$450 million in new taxes and fees, which Hogan contrasted on Twitter with his record of cutting taxes in each of his eight years in office, totaling $4.7 billion in tax relief.

The poll results shed more light on why Hogan is currently leading Democratic frontrunners David Trone and Angela Alsobrooks in polling for the U.S. Senate race. Hogan's late entry into the contest, and his lead in the polls, have moved Maryland from the irrelevant column nationally into one of the most-watched states as the November election approaches. Maryland could well determine whether Democrats or the GOP control the U.S. Senate in 2025.