Kelly's Cajun Grill temporarily closed at Montgomery Mall due to gas problem

Kelly's Cajun Grill had to temporarily close yesterday at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Located in the Dining Terrace food court, the restaurant cited a "gas supply interruption" as the reason for the closure. A specific day or time for reopening was not given, but it promised to "reopen as soon as possible," so it could reopen as early as today. It's always best to call ahead in this situation, if this is the only reason you are going to the mall. The gas issue did not seem to impact the other tenants around it in the food court last evening.

Man charged in Rockville double homicide

Montgomery County police have arrested a man in connection with a double homicide that took place in the early morning hours of Friday, January 17, 2025 in Rockville. The shocking incident first came to the attention of law enforcement when a County police officer was driving along Shady Grove Road at 3:16 AM, and noticed a vehicle stopped in the intersection with Research Boulevard. Inside the white BMW, the officer found Marcell Jordan Hebron, 26, of Rockville. The officer determined that Hebron was deceased. Bullet holes were visible in the windshield of the BMW.

About four hours later, at 7:40 AM, Rockville City police received a call from a nearby parking lot at 2 Research Court. The caller advised there was a dead body in the parking lot. Rockville officers arrived at the scene to find Leilani Marroquin, 27, of Rockville. Marroquin was also deceased. Officers noted she had suffered gunshot wounds, and recovered shell casings in the immediate vicinity.

Montgomery County police detectives investigating both deaths determined they were homicides. They identified Kaloyan Dimov Stoev, 25, of no fixed address, as the suspect in both homicides. By noon on Friday, detectives had located Stoev at an unspecified location in Rockville, and placed him under arrest. Stoev was transported to the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit, where he was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, and additional handgun related charges. He is being held without bond. A GoFundMe fundraiser has been established to pay funeral expenses for the victims and their families.

Trump Metro commemorative inauguration farecard sells out in Montgomery County

Democrats may hold every elected office in Montgomery County, but a collectible Inauguration of Donald Trump Metro farecard sold like hotcakes at its subway stations last week. By Saturday, the Trump SmarTrip cards had sold out at every station selling them within Montgomery County. WMATA has now announced that the Trump card has sold out at all D.C.-area Metro stations, but the transit agency will make a limited new batch of them available at the Metro Center station on Monday, Inauguration Day - again, while supplies last.

It appears most buyers intend to hold onto their cards as keepsakes, as relatively few are being listed on eBay for resale. At the time of this writing, resale prices on the site are running from $17.50 to $470. Trump grew his voter support significantly in Montgomery County in 2024, over his results in 2020 and 2016.

The President-Elect, Melania Trump, and their son Barron Trump arrived in the D.C. area last night, deplaning in total darkness, apparently for security reasons, before enjoying a fireworks display at Trump's golf club in Northern Virginia. Donald Trump must surely also be enjoying word of his farecard selling out in far-left Montgomery County. Trump places great importance on TV ratings, poll numbers, sales, and other measures of success in each of his ventures.

In remarks at the golf club, Trump gave shout-outs to Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, whose Amazon HQ2 is located in Northern Virginia. Tenor Christopher Macchio performed the aria "Nessun Dorma," which always generates a buzz on social media when Trump requests it, due to its use in the climactic scene of the political conspiracy film The Sum of All Fears.

Rockville's newest neighborhood under construction (Photos)

Rockville's newest neighborhood, the Farmstead District, is now well under construction on the former site of King Buick GMC at 16200 Frederick Road and adjoining lots. A sales center is open, and offering tours of completed model homes. Two developers have partnered at the Farmstead District: EYA, which is constructing luxury townhomes with available elevators, and Pulte, which is offering 2-level condominiums and 4-level townhomes. "The Barn," a community center inspired by the barn at the historic adjacent farmstead, is also visible and taking shape now at the site. Among its amenities for residents to enjoy will be a fitness center, seasonal pool, fire pit, and multiple seating areas.

"The Barn" community center

RealPage rent collusion scandal spreads to Maryland

Word of landlords allegedly using RealPage software to collude with competitors to fix rent prices elsewhere in the region led many to wonder if the gimmick had any role in Montgomery County's skyrocketing apartment rents. Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown now suggests it does, and has filed suit against the firm and several prominent landlords. Despite the openings of many new apartment buildings across the county, rents have only continued to rise amidst all of the new "competition." This violates the basic laws of supply and demand, and Brown says the Realpage software gave landlords a loophole to make collusion possible, by having the company fix the rents across the board.

“RealPage and the named landlords worked together to raise the cost of their apartments, making it hard for Maryland renters to put a roof over their heads,” Brown said in a statement. “Our Office is committed to holding landlords accountable so Marylanders can afford their rent.”

The firms Brown is accusing of using RealPage for the purpose of "colluding to illegally raise rents" for Maryland apartment dwellers are Morgan Properties Management Company, LLC; Bozzuto Management Company; Greystar Management Services, LLC; AvalonBay Communities, Inc.; UDR, Inc.; and Highmark Residential, LLC. Brown is seeking monetary damages for renters who were allegedly gouged by the use of RealPage, monetary damages for the State of Maryland, cessation of the alleged use of RealPage to fix apartment rents, and the appointment of a corporate monitor to ensure compliance by RealPage and the accused firms.

Roofer retaliates with hammer after Rockville homeowner rejects his quote

Rockville City police are seeking the public's help in identifying and locating a roofer they say damaged a home after the owner rejected his repair quote. The roofer, who police say told the homeowner he worked for Fairfax Roofing and Construction, inspected the chimney of the home in the 1000 block of Scott Avenue early on the afternoon of January 10, 2025. He then gave the homeowner a quote for how much the necessary work would cost. After hearing the estimate, the homeowner declined to hire the roofer.

Around 2:00 PM, neighbors called the homeowner to tell her a man was currently smashing her chimney with a hammer. The suspect was identified as the roofer who had earlier made the rejected estimate. Police say visible damage to the chimney was caused by the hammer attack.

The suspect is described by police as a White male with an Irish accent, 5'8" in height, and weighing approximately 280 pounds. He was driving a black pickup truck. If you can identify the suspect, you are asked to call police at 240-314-8900.

Mykonos restaurant under construction at Cabin John Village in Potomac (Photos)

Construction continues on the new Mykonos restaurant at 7965 Tuckerman Lane at the Cabin John Village shopping center in Potomac. The Greek restaurant's newest Montgomery County location has been in the works since 2023. Mykonos had a hearing to obtain its liquor license from Montgomery County yesterday, January 16, 2025. The existing Mykonos Grill is located at 121 Congressional Lane at the Congressional North shopping center in Rockville.