Police called after aggravated assault at Rockville school

Rockville City police were called to a school after an aggravated assault was reported there early Friday afternoon, May 17, 2024. The assault was reported at a school in the 600 block of Great Falls Road at 1:45 PM Friday. Julius West Middle School is located at 651 Great Falls Road.

Robbery, assault at Marshalls in Rockville

Montgomery County police were called to the Marshalls department store at 12051 Rockville Pike at Montrose Crossing at 5:05 PM on May 8, 2024. A male suspect entered the store, assaulted a Marshalls employee, and fled with an undisclosed amount of merchandise. Police describe the suspect only as a Black male of unknown age. Anyone with information regarding this suspect or incident is asked to visit the Crime Solvers of Montgomery County, MD website at www.crimesolversmcmd.org, and click on the “www.p3tips.com” link at the top of the page, or call 1-866-411-8477. 

New sign of progress on Wegmans-anchored development in Rockville

Another "sign" of the future Wegmans-anchored Twinbrook Quarter development has appeared on Rockville Pike. An interior street of the Saul Centers-developed property is now being established at its connection with the Pike (MD 355). It is named Festival Street.

Festival Street, located at the north end of Phase 1 of the project, now has traffic signals in place, and cross-street signage, over its intersection with Rockville Pike. When activated, the new signals will also regulate traffic from an entrance to Congressional Plaza across the street. Wegmans is scheduled to open next year at the development.

Walnut Hill Shopping Center remodeling going full steam, including Gaithersburg-themed mural

The massive makeover of the venerable Walnut Hill Shopping Center at 16529 S. Frederick Avenue in Gaithersburg is going full tilt. We can now see the distinctive storefront facade of the future Aldi grocery store emerging outside the former Weis Markets. All tenants are getting remodeled fronts and new signage. 

What stands out the most at the moment is a new piece of public art. Unlike some of the abstract murals that have popped up around Montgomery County in recent years, this one is 100% Gaithersburg-themed. The Baltimore & Ohio - now CSX - railroad tracks lead off into infinity, if not Chicago. On the right side is the Bowman Bros. Mill, known today as the Granary Row shopping center. There's the clock that stood diagonally across from Diamond Drugs.

Women assaulted by suspect shouting "You support genocide!" in Rockville

A female suspect allegedly confronted two women on Rockville Pike, and shouted, "You support genocide!" She then splashed one of the victims with a red drink, Rockville City police said. Police have not yet identified the victims as Jewish, but stated that they were "wearing jewelry with ethno-religious iconography" at the time of the assault. The alleged assault took place in the 1600 block of Rockville Pike at 1:30 PM on April 28, 2024, and was reported to police on May 7.

There is a significant Jewish community living in the vicinity of that block of Rockville Pike, and this is not the first time an incident that could be classified as a hate crime has been committed in that area since the Hamas attack on Israel last October 7, and the launch of the ensuing war in Gaza. Police describe the suspect in this April 28 incident as a "heavy-set" White female with glasses, short pink wavy hair, and black-and-white tattoos.

If you have any information about the suspect or this incident, or if you believe you have been a victim of a hate crime in the City of Rockville, you are asked to call 240-314-8900. If it is an emergency, call 911. 

Hogan launches Democrats for Hogan in Maryland Senate race; Alsobrooks responds with video, Clinton endorsement

Former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan (R) formalized his outreach to Democratic voters in the blue state, a day after winning the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate seat of the retiring Ben Cardin (D). He turned to former Democratic State Senator Bobby Zirkin (MD-11) to lead "Democrats for Hogan," a coalition voters can join that will spearhead the popular former governor's effort to win with bipartisan support in November. 

Hogan enjoyed such support during his two terms as governor, and with his attacks on Donald Trump, reporters and pundits pointed out that polling showed him more popular with Democrats than in his own party at times. Some Republicans took to calling Hogan "Lockdown Larry" for his response to the pandemic, but he received high marks for his handling of the Covid-19 crisis from a majority of voters.

"I’ve been a lifelong Democrat, and as a Democrat, I’m excited to vote and support and work for Larry Hogan for the United States Senate. He is exactly the leader we need," Zirkin said in a video released by the Hogan for Maryland campaign. "I encourage all of my fellow Democrats to really review the record of Governor Hogan, to look at things like fracking and criminal justice reform and cyberbullying, and the way that he was able to hold the line on taxes and still invest in things that are important like education and the Chesapeake Bay. Maybe most importantly, for those of you who believe like me from both parties - but I’m talking to the Democrats right now - that the hyper-partisanship in Washington is not what we should expect from our leaders. That we should expect them to work together. And if you believe that like I do, then I would encourage you to come out and support Larry Hogan for the United States Senate."

Not so fast, Hogan's Democratic opponent, Angela Alsobrooks said with her postings on social media today. Alsobrooks tweeted a video in which she emphasizes Hogan's identity as Republican rather than bipartisan. She retweeted an endorsement from Hillary Clinton, in which the former U.S. Senator wrote of the current Prince George's County Executive, "Maryland, help this extraordinary public servant become your next Senator!" Not surprisingly, the overarching theme of Alsobrooks' output today was abortion. So far, the campaign and all of its surrogates are laser-focused on the pro-choice message, which Democrats have found to be a winning one since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

The topic was also on Hogan's agenda today. Referring to his record at the state level, he tweeted, "As governor, I protected the rights of Maryland women to make their own reproductive health decisions. I will do the same in the Senate by restoring Roe v. Wade as the law of the land. No one should come between a woman and her doctor."

He followed up his Democrats for Hogan announcement with a new video of prominent Democrats praising him compiled from TV and radio reports broadcast in recent years, featuring current Governor Wes Moore, former president Bill Clinton, President Joe Biden, Senator Chris Van Hollen and...Angela Alsobrooks.

"To my Democratic and Independent friends, you know me and you know my proven track record of reaching across the aisle to find common ground for the common good," Hogan said in a statement. "I will continue to be the same strong independent leader for Maryland that I always have been. You know that I have the courage to put people over politics and to put country over party. If you are completely fed up with the divisiveness and dysfunction and want a strong, independent leader who will stand-up and fight to clean up the mess in Washington—then join our cause."

Photos courtesy Hogan for Maryland (top), Alsobrooks for Senate (bottom)

MCPS Countywide Art Show at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda (Photos)

Here are some of the exhibits displayed during the recent Montgomery County Public Schools Countywide Art Show at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The schools represented at the show included Ashburton Elementary School in Bethesda, Candlewood Elementary School in Derwood, and Germantown Elementary School. MCPS uses the annual art show to represent student talents, and illustrate the goals of its Visual Arts curriculum. "The visual arts promote the core competencies - Academic Excellence, Creative Problem-solving, and Social Emotional Learning - identified by MCPS as essential to prepare students for success in the 21st century," the school system explained in a description displayed alongside the artwork.