Dawson's Market closing at Rockville Town Square

Dawson's Market is closing at 225 N. Washington Street at Rockville Town Square. The grocery store, which threatened to shutter before until the City of Rockville (a.k.a. you, the taxpayer) stepped in to provide a financial subsidy, will close at the end of June, owner Bart Yablonsky told The MoCo Show in a statement yesterday. I noticed the store was selling off a lot of kitchen equipment and cafe seating back in February (in fact, the auction listing remains online). When I messaged Dawson's Market on February 7 about the reason for liquidating so many items, the store declined to respond. The auction went forward on February 12, and the store remained open. No closure announcement has been posted on the Dawson's Market website or social media accounts as of this writing.

The departure of Dawson's is yet another blow to the struggling Rockville Town Square and Town Center, though the grocery store part of the development was troubled from the beginning. Major supermarket chains balked at the space that the original developer had built on spec with a grocery tenant in mind, finding it too small and hidden at the back of the property. Perhaps now that chains like Aldi, Lidl and Trader Joe's are in major expansion mode, and utilize smaller store footprints than Giant or Safeway, a bigger-drawing brand name will be willing to take another look at this opportunity. The typical Aldi is 22,000-square-feet, while a Trader Joe's can be only 10,000-15,000 SF.

Despite the fact that Dawson's wasn't what the original developer had in mind for this space, the unique selection of products and prepared foods, and events like wine tastings, helped it build a loyal-if-not-financially-sustainable customer base. Morguard, the new property owner of Rockville Town Square, now has the grocery store space and the long-vacant and large former American Tap Room, CVS Pharmacy, and Gordon Biersch spaces to fill. The company having its base in Canada probably isn't doing a Maryland property any favors, but Morguard doesn't even list the vacant RTS storefronts on its Leasing page.

Insurers are price-gouging Maryland residents: Why they're getting away with it

Maryland residents are paying outrageous premiums for health insurance, auto insurance and homeowner's insurance. It is price-gouging, pure and simple. But Maryland lawmakers recently concluded their 2024 legislative session without taking any action to protect their constituents from these predatory premiums. And now we know why.

Insurance companies are among the biggest financial contributors to our elected officials in Annapolis. As a result, a Democratic-controlled general assembly is treating insurance firms the way our Montgomery County Council treats the real estate development industry: with a hands-off, libertarian-Republican, brass knuckle capitalist approach that Ayn Rand and Ronald Reagan could endorse.

Most of us expected that the more years we drove while maintaining a good driving record would lower our insurance costs. Instead, premiums continue to skyrocket to record heights. In the case of auto insurance, we have been twice-victimized by our elected officials. Not only have they failed to protect us from premium price-gouging, but their soft-on-crime approach has given insurers a handy excuse to claim that all of the stolen vehicles are costing them money.

Here's a look inside the insurance companies' checkbooks, and your governor's, legislative leaders' and Montgomery County legislators' campaign treasure chests. The contributions listed below are only a portion of the donations made, and primarily cover the period from 2022 to 2024. Elected officials listed are A) Governor Wes Moore, B) State Senate President Bill Ferguson, C) Speaker of the House Adrienne Jones, D) Gov. Moore/Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller's Inaugural Committee, and E) Montgomery County delegates and state senators.

Liberty Mutual

2022:

$500 Eric Luedtke

$1500 Jeff Waldstreicher

$1000 Will Smith

$1000 Brian Feldman

2021

$250 Nancy King

$750 Will Smith

$250 Brian Feldman

GEICO

2021

$250 Jeff Waldstreicher

$250 Ben Kramer

$250 Brian Feldman

State Farm 

2023

$1000 Bill Ferguson

2022

$750 Bill Ferguson

$250 Will Smith

 

2021

$500 Brian Feldman

2020

$1000 Bill Ferguson

$2000 Will Smith

Carefirst Blue Cross

Since 2022

$1000 Wes Moore

$1000 Will Smith

$2000 Brian Feldman

$500 Marc Korman

$500 Jheanelle Wilkins

$250 Ben Kramer

$6000 Bill Ferguson

$30,000 Moore-Miller Inaugural Committee

$500 Bonnie Cullison

$2000 Democratic Senate Caucus Committee

$500 Kumar Barve

$500 Eric Luedtke

Nationwide 

Since 2020

$3500 Will Smith

$1000 House Democratic Caucus Committee

Farmers

$30,000 Moore-Miller Inaugural Committee

$6000 Brian Feldman

Erie Insurance

$1750 Jeff Waldstreicher

$2000 Adrienne Jones

$1500 Will Smith

$5000 Wes Moore

$500 Ben Kramer

$750 Brian Feldman

USAA 

Since 2020

$250 Jeff Waldstreicher

$500 Will Smith

$1000 Adrienne Jones

Cigna 

Since 2022

$750 Bonnie Cullison

$750 Ariana Kelly

$3000 Wes Moore

$1500 Adrienne Jones

$750 Brian Feldman

United Healthcare

$30,000 Moore-Miller Inaugural Committee

Indecent exposure at Rockville laundromat

Patrons at a Rockville laundromat saw something they shouldn't have while trying to complete their laundry chores late Tuesday morning, May 21, 2024. Rockville City police responded to an indecent exposure report at the laundromat, which is located in the 2100 block of Veirs Mill Road. The incident was reported at 11:28 AM Tuesday.

Dino Safari coming to Montgomery Mall in Bethesda in July

It won't be confused with Jurassic Park, but Lumino City is bringing its interactive Dino Safari attraction to Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda for a full month this summer, from July 4 to August 4, 2024. The show has a new theme this year, "Volcanic and Ice Age." Attendees will walk through a world dominated by animatronic life-size dinosaurs as high as 46 feet tall. Other attractions will include an Oviraptor Ride, a Jurassic Fossil Hunt, Dino Spin-a-Saurus, Safari Kids Oasis, T-Rex Thrill Chair, Dino Speedway Ride, Dino Paradise Bounce, and Sandy Creek Mining. 

Tickets are available for purchase online. Here's a video that shows the most extensive footage of what's featured in this season's show, to give you an idea if this is worth the money for you or your family. It appears that the light show aspect may enhance the experience for those attending after dark. Lumino City says the lights are activated at 7:00 PM nightly. Food will be available from vendors on-site, and Lumino City is promising it will be "gourmet." Life finds a way!

"Westlife Montgomery Mall?"

Red Lobster closes in Rockville as chain files for bankruptcy (Photos)

Red Lobster has closed at 15700 Shady Grove Road. The seafood restaurant chain announced late Sunday night that it is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. "This restructuring is the best path forward for Red Lobster," CEO Jonathan Tibus said in a statement. "It allows us to address several financial and operational challenges and emerge stronger and re-focused on our growth. The support we've received from our lenders and vendors will help ensure that we can complete the sale process quickly and efficiently while remaining focused on our employees and guests." As part of its bankruptcy filings, Red Lobster will close some locations, sell some - or potentially all - of its assets, and sell its business to a new entity "formed and controlled by its existing term lenders."

This is especially sad news for residents of the Upper Rock neighborhood. The closure removes one of the main dining options within walking distance of the apartments there. Can we get an Olive Garden or Texas Roadhouse into this empty building? Montgomery County may be the only jurisdiction of its size in America to have neither. The machinations of the Montgomery County Council against those brands, Walmart, Cracker Barrel, and modernity in general are truly bizarre! Believe it or not, your constituents want unlimited bread sticks, and to be able to buy beer and wine at Giant and CVS!

Rockville police searching for suspect in stabbing

Rockville City police are seeking the public's help in identifying and locating a suspect in the May 10, 2024 stabbing of a customer at a business in the Rockville Town Center area. The male suspect "suddenly stabbed a visitor to a business" in the 300 block of N. Washington Street at 5:13 PM, police allege. Police describe the suspect as a thin Black male, somewhere between 20 and 35 years of age, with "a dark complexion." He was wearing a dark brown or camouflage puffy jacket, dark pants, and a black hat. If you have any information on this suspect or incident, you are asked to call police at 240-314-8900.

Montgomery County has 2nd-biggest increase in homeless in Washington, D.C. region

Montgomery County is finally near the top of a list again - but it's not one you want to be high on. The County experienced the second-biggest increase in homeless population in the entire Washington, D.C. region since 2023, according to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. Washington, D.C. itself was number one on the list. COG reported that Montgomery County's arch rival, Fairfax County, was the only jurisdiction in the area to enjoy a decrease in unhoused residents.

Of course, Fairfax County has many more high-wage jobs than Montgomery County, which helps one to afford housing. Politicians often tout MoCo's low unemployment numbers, without mentioning that most of the jobs our residents are employed at are not located within Montgomery County. Fairfax also has a lower total tax burden and cost-of-living than Montgomery County. Property taxes are set to rise again in the FY-2025 budget nearing approval by the Montgomery County Council, in a jurisdiction where property taxes are becoming a second mortgage for many residents as it is. And that's just one part of the total tax and fee burden for MoCo residents.

Rents and home prices, despite relentless construction and delivery of new housing units, only continue to skyrocket in Montgomery County. And thousands of existing affordable housing units are being demolished to clear the way for more overpriced "luxury" housing. A ridiculously-high cost-of-living combined with some of the lowest job creation and job growth numbers in the region are a recipe for increasing poverty and homelessness. Montgomery County has failed to attract a single major corporate headquarters in a quarter century, as company after company has chosen to locate or flee to Northern Virginia over that long, dry period of moribundity. As a result, more jobs, and more high-wage jobs, are created every year in Fairfax County than in Montgomery County - in fact, the numbers aren't even close.

Montgomery County has dropped off of so many top ten lists - Forbes' Top Ten Richest Counties in America, Top School Systems in America, etc. - that it's almost a positive feeling to be on any top ten list. Almost. Perhaps the Montgomery County cartel can create some new slogans: "Montgomery County: We're Number Two in Unhoused Population - We Try Harder (To Make It More Expensive to Live Here)." Or, "The Number of Montgomery County's Unhoused - Rising Almost as Fast as County Councilmembers' Salaries!"