Karaoke Fridays start January 8 at American Tap Room in Rockville

DC-area "KJ" David Gaines (a.k.a. Dave the Karaoke Guy) is bringing his microphone to American Tap Room in Rockville Town Square next Friday, January 8. That will be the launch day for the bar's new Karaoke Fridays, which will be held there from 9:00 PM to 12 midnight.

You can submit song requests in advance through Dave's website.

American Tap Room

36-A Maryland Avenue

Montgomery County Council helping their billionaire sugar daddy evade taxes

Councilmember Hans Riemer, a
leading recipient of campaign
donations from billionaire
under investigation for tax evasion

Senate Finance Committee

investigating museum scheme

Most of the controversy surrounding Potomac billionaire Mitch Rales' Glenstone museum has related to its private operation, its addition of a sewer line, and his sugar daddy status to members of the Montgomery County Council, to whom he has donated tens of thousands of dollars. Now a U.S. Senate Finance Committee investigation is looking into another question - is Glenstone actually an art museum, or simply an easy way to avoid personal, capital gains and estate taxes through its Glenstone Foundation?

Councilmember Roger Berliner has received at least $27,000 from Rales, according to blogger Eric Hensal. The second-biggest recipient of money from Rales, a pioneer in outsourcing American jobs to China, has been Councilmember Hans Riemer. 

Riemer has used a mysterious out-of-state bounty of cash from a rogue's gallery of Wall Street scoundrels, banks, mortgage sharks, and lobbyists - who together caused the "Great Recession" - to win two council elections. Yet, he has faced no media scrutiny of his unusual campaign finances. 

Rales' Danaher Corporation wrested 140 jobs away from Hanover, Maryland alone, in a four-state liquidation of factories, as the linked video demonstrates. Is it surprising that Riemer would support a Wall Street outsourcer in evading taxes right here in Montgomery County? After all, Riemer also took a fat campaign check from Mitt Romney's Bain Capital, another pioneer in closing factories, and outsourcing jobs to overseas countries. And, while receiving funds from anti-Obamacare lobbyists, Riemer endorsed dropping the public option from the Affordable Care Act in 2009, creating a huge payday for the insurance companies.

Both councilmen, and several other colleagues who received Rales booty, delivered a series of votes that enabled the expansion of Glenstone in recent years.

While they spoke of Glenstone as a public amenity, it is actually private, not open to just anyone to visit during set hours, and located on Rales' Potomac estate, nowhere near public transit infrastructure. Glenstone has already denied access to visitors, including reporters who have dared to criticize it.

The Senate Finance Committee has heard enough, and is now investigating whether Glenstone - enabled by the County Council - is violating IRS rules and evading taxes. While the New York Times accepted Glenstone's visitor numbers at face value, fortunately, the City Paper actually did the research and found just how few visitors there have been over the years in relation to similar facilities elsewhere - and that no visitor records are publicly available for the past two years.

Meanwhile, the City Paper found that Rales is stashing away more than $360,000,000 in Danaher stock in Glenstone, and another $26 million from his Janalia Corporation. Can you get into Glenstone? City Paper reporter Kriston Capps has been rejected from visiting twice. That's not a public museum.

Aside from determining whether tax evasion has occurred (gee, you think?) with the aid and abettance of the County Council, there is another possible benefit to the Senate-level investigation. Investigations tend to turn up more than what they start out looking for. Montgomery County has a false reputation as an ethical jurisdiction primarily because there have not been federal investigations here. In a federal probe, a lesser member of a political machine can be threatened with jail time - until he or she starts talking about the bigger scandal going on higher up, in exchange for leniency or immunity. 

Farm Road, the Silver Spring Transit Center, the Council-connected nonprofit that "lost" $900,000 in taxpayer money? In every case the politicians themselves were able to control what passed for an "investigation", and declare the case closed. While the feds seem to be in constant pursuit of African-American officials in the District and Prince George's County, our white Montgomery County and Maryland politicians continue to evade scrutiny.

That has to change.

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.