Switchblade-wielding juvenile threatens cineplex employee in Gaithersburg

Movie theater workers have it hard enough, sweeping up spilled popcorn and mopping up sticky soda after every screening for modest pay. Monday night at Rio Lakefront in Gaithersburg, they also had to deal with a violent customer. According to Montgomery County police, a patron at the AMC DINE-IN Rio Cinemas 18 pulled out a switchblade at 9:37 PM Monday, and threatened a theater employee. The juvenile suspect apparently escaped arrest. 

Facebook Marketplace seller turns home invader in Rockville

A planned Facebook Marketplace transaction turned scary fast in Rockville on May 20, 2026. According to Rockville City police, a seller had arranged online to bring items to the victim's residence for purchase. When the seller arrived at the victim's home in the 1300 block of Piccard Drive at 8:00 PM, they attempted to use physical force to enter the residence, causing property damage in the process. After failing to gain access, the seller fled.

Police have not released a description of the seller as of this writing. But this is a good reminder that the Rockville City police offer the use of their police station parking lot for such transactions. The parking lot is located at 2 W. Montgomery Avenue, is open 24 hours and seven days a week, is well-lit, and is monitored by constant video surveillance. When a shady character finds they are pulling up outside a police station, shenanigans such as the victim experienced in this case are unlikely to unfold.

Ed Hale racking up endorsements in Maryland governor race

Baltimore businessman Ed Hale has picked up the endorsement of several prominent Maryland Republicans as the June 23 primary election rapidly approaches. Delegate Kathy Szeliga (R - District 7a) and her district colleague Ryan Nawrocki (R) announced they are backing Hale at a press conference. Nawrocki picked up on one of Hale's signature issues, lowering utility bills, by noting that Governor Wes Moore's electric bill relief plan provides less than $13 a month to ratepayers. "Not even the price of a gumball," Nawrocki said.

Hale has also pulled off something of a coup in earning the endorsement of his biggest primary rival's own 2022 running mate. Gordana Schifanelli ran for lieutenant governor that year on a ticket with Dan Cox, who is running again this year with a different running mate, Rob Krop. Schifanelli not only isn't running alongside Cox this time, but has come out in support of Hale. An attorney from Queen Anne's County, Schifanelli retains a significant statewide following from that high-profile 2022 race and her own independent activism. 

At a separate press conference, Schifanelli touted Hale's "wisdom, his experience, his knowledge in business." Referring to Hale's rags-to-riches success story, and the moribund state of the Maryland economy, Schifanelli responded to the biggest critique of Hale by his primary opponents: his recent party switch from Democrat to Republican. "I don't care if he was a Democrat, or if he's a Martian, for that matter, if he has experience to fix this economic disaster," she said. Szeliga also took that attack line head-on, recalling that Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump were once Democrats.

Customer assaulted at grocery store in Rockville

Rockville City police responded to a report of an assault at a grocery store early yesterday afternoon, May 25, 2026. The assault took place shortly after 12:30 PM at the Aldi supermarket at 1501 Rockville Pike at the Congressional North shopping center. While shopping, an adult male customer was struck in the face by an unknown individual, leaving him with minor lacerations. The suspect was ordered to leave the store by management, and left the scene before officers arrived.

The suspect is described as a tanned White male approximately 50-60 years of age, bald, and 5'8" in height. If you have any information about this incident, call police at 240.314.8900. Let's note once again this troubling 2026 trend of violent crime taking place during daylight hours in Montgomery County.

EUG Apparel closes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

EUG Apparel has closed at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The sportswear and streetwear boutique launched a thousand discussions about its name, which appeared as Embrace Ur Greatness on the storefront, but which Westfield listed as EUG Apparel in its directories. Was the latter simply 3 initials - and if so, what did they stand for? - or a Trumpesque "Yuuuuuuuuge"? But as Jesse Jackson once declared, "The question is moot." The signage is gone, the space is cleared out, and the storefront windows are now blacked out. EUG opened here for the holiday shopping season in November 2024, and that's a pretty impressive run to last almost two years in Montgomery County's anti-business climate and moribund economy.

Pop Mart "coming soon" to Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Pop Mart is "coming soon" to Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, according to signage posted across its future storefront. Specifically, the massively hyped and viral Labubu and blind box toy retailer is coming this fall, the signage promises. It will be located on Level 1 of the mall, next to Bath & Body Works. And there's nothing Bono Vox's attorney can do about it!

Kokosh relocates at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Kokosh has moved within Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The cosmetics boutique debuted in the Macy's wing next to Purple back in December of 2023. It has stayed on Level 2, but now it is across from Uniqlo, next to LensCrafters. Carrying many of the top skincare products from South Korea has been a recipe for success for Kokosh at the mall, at a time when that country has become the standard for beauty and skincare across the globe. Kokosh also carries a line of jewelry reflecting the latest minimalist K-fashion trends in Seoul.