Rockville bicyclist killed in Aspen Hill collision

A 19-year-old Rockville resident died from injuries he sustained when his bicycle was struck by a truck in Aspen Hill last night. Frank Lawrence Towers, of the 13100 block of Beaver Terrace in Rockville, was crossing westbound Veirs Mill Road at Turkey Branch Parkway around 7:25 PM Monday night when he was struck by a silver 2000 Toyota 4Runner.

Towers was transported to a local hospital, but later died from his injuries. Juan Francisco Orellana, 39, of the 12100 block of nearby Selfridge Road in Silver Spring, was the driver of the 4Runner.

The cause of the accident is now under investigation. Investigators are asking anyone who witnessed this fatal collision to contact the Collision Reconstruction Unit at 240-773- 6620. Callers may remain anonymous.

It'sugar opening at Rockville Town Square (Photo)

Despite all the talk of obesity and diabetes, a major new trend in local retail is sugary candy. It'sugar, a new candy boutique opening at Rockville Town Square, doesn't mince words when it comes to treats.

"Bigger is always better," is the chain's mantra, and its products skew in that direction. If you need a 1 lb. Snickers bar, "the world's largest tube of SweeTarts", or a 5 lb. gummy bear, you'll be in luck at It'sugar.

Founded by Jeff Rubin in 2006, It'sugar envisions a world "with fewer rules and more sugar."

Rockville Town Square owner Federal Realty recently added a pop-up candy store at its Bethesda Row property, and Westfield Montgomery Mall just welcomed a similar shop, Lolli and Pops.

Photo courtesy It'sugar

Rockville Mayor elected first vice chair of regional transportation board

Rockville may have more input on regional transportation decisions, as Mayor Bridget Donnell Newton has now been elected first vice chair of the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB). This will be Newton's fourth term on the body when she assumes the FVC role in January. The board makes planning and project decisions that determine federal financial support for local transportation priorities.

Newton is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, and a member at large of the Maryland Municipal League (MML) Board of Directors. She served as president of MML’s Montgomery County chapter from November 2012 through May 2015. Newton also serves as the chair of the MML Legislative Committee.

VisArts moves into another vacant space at Rockville Town Square (Photos)

VisArts is once again making use of a vacant unit in Rockville Town Square. After doing so this year on Gibbs Street, the arts non-profit has now taken over another vacant spot on Maryland Avenue. This one is near the Liquid Blue denim boutique. Federal Realty, the owner of the Rockville Town Square development, is one of VisArts' corporate partners.

Rockville shooting suspect still at large

Scene of Rockville shooting,
the 300 block of Martins Lane

A woman drove up to the Rockville Volunteer Fire Station No. 3 on Hungerford Drive just before 8:00 last night, and reported she had just been shot in the leg while driving a few blocks away. Rockville Police reported receiving calls minutes earlier regarding shots being fired in the 300 block of Martins Lane, where the victim was driving at the time.

The driver's side door of the victim's SUV, which was left in the driveway of the fire station, sported a coin-size hole. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesperson Pete Piringer said the victim was transported Priority 1 to a local hospital. She is expected to recover.

No description of a suspect has been released so far, in what some public safety officials and media have described as a "drive by shooting." This was the second shooting in Montgomery County in 24 hours, following the early morning homicide in Damascus.

Construction begins at Mellow Mushroom in Rockville (Photos)

After months of no activity, temporary wood walls have been erected in front of the future Mellow Mushroom at Rockville Town Square. That's an obvious sign that construction inside, and on the outside facade, are now underway. Mellow Mushroom bills itself as a Southern-style pizza parlor.

As you can see in the photo below, they have their construction permit from the City of Rockville.

Rockville HDC approves County request to move statue to Beall Dawson House

The Rockville Historic District Commission voted 3-1 last night to approve the Montgomery County Department of General Services request to move the Confederate statue from the historic courthouse to the Beall Dawson House. There was actually some drama at last night's meeting.

Commissioner Emily Correll once again recused herself, due to having testified against moving the statue at a public hearing, prior to being appointed to the HDC. That left a quorum of 4. But things got briefly tense when a 2-1-1-1 split emerged among the four commissioners voting.

Commissioner Jessica Reynolds said she favored the recommended spot at the Beall Dawson property. Chair Rob Achtmeyer countered that that site seemed too much like a rededication, and said the alternate location would be less formal. Commissioner Craig Moloney was not pleased about placing the statue in such a prominent place. He said he personally was offended by the statue, and that it is "defiant", not merely a fallen soldier surrounded by angels. Commissioner Anita Neal Powell concurred, saying that placing the statue at Beall Dawson was actually giving it greater prominence and visibility than the current site, where it is hidden.

Reynolds repeatedly made her displeasure with the County Executive known during the hearing, asking city staff what conditions the HDC could place on the approval to require the County to pick up the potentially hefty tab for moving, siting and posting of signage and other materials. She argued city residents shouldn't have to pay when it was the Executive who demanded it be moved.

The motion to approve was made by Reynolds and seconded by Powell. At the last moment, Moloney and Powell joined Reynolds for a 3-vote majority; Achtmeyer cast the lone dissenting vote.

What made for some drama was that earlier split - 2 people in favor (but each preferring different alternative spot), and 2 opposed. Reynolds ultimately sided with Achtmeyer on the alternate spot, setting up a 2-2 tie. A tie would have counted as a rejection of the County's request, potentially delaying the statue's move further.

Now the Mayor and Council will vote to accept or reject the statue at their February 8 meeting.