Pickleball firm JOOLA begins construction of retail store in Rockville

JOOLA has begun construction on its first retail store at 917 Meeting Street at Pike & Rose. The pickleball and table tennis equipment manufacturer recently relocated its Rockville headquarters to Pike & Rose, the latest of many corporate HQs poached from the City of Rockville by the newer Federal Realty development in unincorporated Rockville, with Choice Hotels being the most prominent. With completion of the new store, JOOLA will have the opportunity to sell its products directly to the rapidly-growing number of pickleball players in the area. 

Subway to return on Rockville Pike (Photos)

Subway will make a comeback at 1402 Rockville Pike in Rockville. The sandwich shop vacated the premises there last December, and left no message whatsoever about the closure for customers. Subway's website stated this location was "closed," and all signage was removed from the building. However, the interior is now being renovated, and new Subway graphics are visible on the wall inside, as well as a Subway-branded "Open" sign in the window. They really owe us a $5 Footlong for this!

Anti-drug carnival at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda May 2-11, 2025

A carnival with an anti-drug message for children has set up in the parking lot at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. L.E.A.D Fest, an initiative produced by the organization Law Enforcement Against Drugs, will be at the mall tonight through Sunday May 11, 2025. A parent or guardian must accompany children under 18, some rides require a parent to also ride along, only clear bags will be allowed into the carnival area, and no face coverings are allowed, unless required for a medical reason. 

Tickets can be purchased online. It's intriguing to have an anti-drug event in a county and state whose leadership are strongly pro-drug, both legal and illegal. Worth contemplating, is why your elected officials want you to be zonked out on mind-altering drugs. Just say no!

Assault at Rockville High School

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a 2nd-degree assault at Rockville High School on Wednesday, April 30, 2025. The assault was reported at 9:16 AM. No further information is available at this time.

Shelves cleared at Chocolate Moonshine Co. at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

The shelves are empty at Chocolate Moonshine Co. in the Dining Terrace food court at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Packing boxes are visible inside the space. There was no sign indicating what is going on; the candy business has relocated inside the mall once before. However, I notice that Chocolate Moonshine Co. no longer appears on the mall's official website.

Dave's Hot Chicken opening in Rockville

Dave's Hot Chicken is coming soon to Rockville Pike. It will be at 11564 Rockville Pike in Rockville. That was a McDonald's restaurant until recently; McDonald's is moving into a newly-constructed building on the former Arby's site at 11710 Rockville Pike. Before expanding to Montgomery County, Dave's Hot Chicken was best known to Marylanders as the fast food company that promoted itself via influencer videos on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. One location is already open in White Oak, but it looks like the Waldorf restaurant in Charles County has opened before the Rockville location.

Rockville resident surprises burglars in bedroom

A Rockville resident disrupted a midday burglary in her home on Monday, April 28, 2025, Rockville City police report. The two female suspects had already picked up items from bedrooms in the home in the 500 block of S. Horners Lane, and then entered the victim's bedroom at 12:30 PM. When the victim surprised them, the two women ran out of the home with the stolen valuables, and fled in a dark-colored Chevrolet Suburban. 

The victim had earlier locked the front door, she told police, but officers determined that the suspects had still been able to break in through the door despite the lock. They were apparently not aware that the victim was at home at the time.

Police describe the two suspects as White women with "noticeably thick accents," approximately 40 to 50 years in age, heavy-set, 5'4" to 5'7" in height, with long, black hair. They were wearing "long robe-style dresses" and white shoes. If you can assist detectives in identifying either of the suspects in this case, call police at 240-314-8900.