No Regrets Pizza opens in White Flint

No Regrets Pizza Co. has opened at 5454 Nicholson Lane, Suite 180, in the ground floor of the Harwood Flats apartments in White Flint. In addition to handcrafted artisan pizzas in New York and Roman styles, the pizzeria turns into a dinner and cocktail bar destination. Early patrons appear to have no regrets, as No Regrets currently has a 4.8 out of 5 rating on Google Reviews, and a 4.5 average on Yelp. Operating hours are 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM seven days a week.

Bong truck travels the streets in White Flint & Rockville (Photos)

Have you spotted the bong truck on the streets of White Flint (a.k.a. "North Bethesda") and Rockville? It's a mobile advertisement for Pure Virtue Glass, which has just relocated to 12005 Nebel Street, by Liberty Cannabis. It even lights up, if you spot it at night. Pure Virtue Glass sells premium glass blown products and smoke accessories.

Montgomery County blocked revival of Rockville retail center; now it could be demolished for apartments

Pike Center has been a fixture at 12137 Rockville Pike for decades, surviving several waves of economic tumult and retail trends, and even boasting a movie theater from 1964 to 1988. When it faced its biggest challenge yet after the 2008 "Great Recession," the shopping center's ownership thought it had found a solution to revitalize the property: welcoming Walmart as its new anchor tenant. The Montgomery County Council stepped in and aggressively blocked the Walmart plan, ultimately deep-sixing the ubiquitous big box store's expansion plans in the County, which would have begun with superstores at Pike Center and in Aspen Hill. Instead of reversing its decline and filling empty storefronts via the incredible foot traffic Walmart would have generated, Pike Center saw some of its longest-standing tenants exit, the most-recent being stalwart Goodyear. Now Pike Center's years may be numbered, as the newest proposal for the property's future would replace the strip mall with a 760-unit apartment development.

A virtual public meeting has been scheduled for the proposed redevelopment of Pike Center for June 24, 2024 at 6:30 PM. You can call in by phone at 301-715-8592 and use passcode 584842, or join by internet at http://tiny.cc/fpq9yz and use passcode 815 6544 6741. 

The new development proposed by property owner Kimco Realty would have 760 residential units, with 15% Moderately-Priced Dwelling Units (MPDUs), and up to 90,000 gross floor area of retail and restaurant space. You can't say Pike Center didn't try to stick with retail, as business would have been booming there today if their original Walmart plan hadn't been blocked by the County Council. Now Pike Center will likely be demolished, and the proposed Aspen Hill Walmart site remains an abandoned property a decade later. The shopping centers of Rockville Pike are the largest generator of commercial revenue in the State of Maryland, but that revenue will decline as more and more of them are redeveloped into housing, which generates more new costs than revenue for the County. Heckuva job, Brownie!

Ann Taylor closes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Ann Taylor has closed at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. This store managed to survive the 2017 purge of Ann Taylor store closures, as well as the pandemic, so it's surprising to see it go now. Yet Ann Taylor stores in more-business-friendly and economically-vibrant Tysons, Pentagon City, Fair Oaks Mall, and Dulles Town Center remain open. 

It's tough to remain a going concern when the local economy is stagnant, and ever-increasing taxes and fees eat away at already-slim profit margins. Ann Taylor appears to be the latest victim. All the store workers now find themselves unemployed. Let's say it together: "Moribund Montgomery County."

Goodyear closes on Rockville Pike (Photos)

Goodyear has closed its tire and auto service center at 12103 Rockville Pike at the Pike Center in Rockville. The space is being cleared out. Goodyear is putting a positive spin on the closure. In a message to customers, it invites them to its Gaithersburg location at 457 N. Frederick Avenue. There, the company says, it has "combined facilities" and "expanded services" offered.

Indecent exposure at Rockville library

Rockville City police were called to the Rockville Memorial Library at 21 Maryland Avenue late Thursday afternoon, June 13, 2024, to investigate an indecent exposure incident. The incident was reported at the library at 5:47 PM Thursday. An individual was also accused of disorderly conduct and obstructing a criminal investigation in the same incident. The adult male suspect was arrested and faces all three charges, which are all misdemeanors.

Local UFCW unions endorse Alsobrooks in Maryland U.S. Senate race, Trump embraces critic Hogan

Three local United Food & Commercial Workers unions endorsed Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (D) in the race for Ben Cardin's Maryland U.S. Senate seat yesterday. UFCW Local 400, UFCW Local 27, and UFCW Local 1994 MCGEO represent over 30,000 members who are registered voters in Maryland. Those members work in a wide variety of fields, including grocery stores, retail, health care, food processing, meatpacking, chemical processing, cannabis, and gaming, as well as in the public sector. UFCW Local 1994 represents many Montgomery County government employees, for example.

UFCW Local 1994 MCGEO President Gino Renne

“Angela Alsobrooks is a champion for working families, and a relentless advocate for justice and equity,” UFCW Local 1994 MCGEO President Gino Renne said in a statement Thursday. “Her commitment to the people of Maryland and her proven track record of leadership make her the ideal candidate for the U.S. Senate. I am proud to endorse Angela Alsobrooks, confident that she will fight tirelessly for our rights and our future.”

Alsobrooks receiving the endorsement of
local 1199 SEIU union in February

The choice of labor to support Alsobrooks is not necessarily a surprising development in the general election contest, which pits the Prince George's leader against former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) in a statewide election that may determine which party controls the U.S. Senate. Alsobrooks has already garnered many union endorsements in the race, including several local SEIU unions, and the Amalgamated Transit Union. Thursday's endorsements give her the backing of 13 labor organizations, based upon the list on her campaign website.

Former Gov. Larry Hogan receiving endorsement
of Ocean City and Worcester County firefighters in
Ocean City

Hogan has received six union endorsements himself, many representing first responders in the state. Among those supporting the Republican are the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association (M.E.B.A.), the nation’s oldest maritime labor union representing officers of the United States Merchant Marines, Ocean City Career Firefighter Paramedics Association IAFF Local 4269, Worcester County Professional Firefighters IAFF Local 4916, the International Union of Police Associations, the State Law Enforcement Officers Labor Alliance (SLEOLA), and the International Longshoremen’s Association Local 333. The latter represents more than 2,000 maritime workers at the busy Port of Baltimore.

One endorsement Hogan didn't necessarily expect was that of President Donald Trump, whom the former governor has heavily criticized for years. But he got it anyway Thursday, only a week after Trump surrogates declared Hogan's Senate hopes dead, after the Marylander asked his fellow Americans to respect the verdict in Trump's New York trial. 

Trump's habit of embracing even his harshest critics at the drop of a hat can be seen by some as shrewd, and by others as nonsensical. But Trump's transactional relationship style has served him well for decades in business and politics, making his endorsement of Hogan not entirely shocking. On balance, the Trump nod may even help Hogan, if "Lockdown Larry"-averse MAGA voters end up begrudgingly following their leader's directive.

Photos courtesy Alsobrooks for Senate, UFCW Local 1994, Hogan for Maryland, Inc.