Frosh loses police endorsement to Republican Wolf in AG race

Republican attorney general
candidate Craig Wolf

Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh has lost the endorsement of the Maryland State Fraternal Order of Police he had in 2014. Maryland's police instead chose to endorse Republican Craig Wolf of Howard County in the attorney general race, Wolf announced Thursday.

MD Attorney General Brian Frosh (D)

Craig has been a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice, and Assistant State's Attorney in Allegheny County. He has also been President & CEO of the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America for more than a decade. Craig enlisted in the U.S. Army at age 40 after the 9/11 attacks, and counts the Meritorious Service Medal and Bronze Star Medal among his commendations, after serving in Operation Enduring Freedom.

It's unusual for a sitting Attorney General to lose the support of law enforcement officials. Wolf suggests the reason may be that Frosh is "more focused on partisan politics in Washington than he is on the public safety issues in our state." Frosh has attempted to take a leading role in the "resistance" to President Trump since 2016, joining or filing multiple legal actions against Trump and his administration.

Rockville construction update: Funeral home turning into retail center (Photos)

Construction workers continue their effort to put the fun back in funeral home. A remodeling of the former funeral parlor at 1170 Rockville PIke aims to bring new life to the old building, by turning it into a retail center with some office space. Bassett remains open during the construction.

Rockville construction update: Aldi (Photos)

Construction of Rockville's newest grocery store continues at the Congressional North shopping center on Rockville Pike. Aldi has promised to open by the end of 2018. Do you think they can do it?

Robin Ficker releases first ad in County Executive campaign

Attorney Robin Ficker has released his first campaign ad in the Montgomery County Executive race, entitled, "This is Our Election." A former state delegate, the Republican has the best chance to win of any GOP candidate for executive in decades. Ficker is the only executive candidate who did not vote for the highly-unpopular Westbard sector plan.

Ficker touts his role in getting term limits on the ballot, which MoCo voters - including a majority of Democrats - overwhelmingly approved in 2016. He also reminds voters that his property tax cap ballot victory years ago was defied by the Council in 2016, when they used the unanimous-vote loophole in the law to pass a record property tax increase that made property taxes a second mortgage for many County residents.

Mostly, Ficker presents himself as a reasonable advocate for good government, tax relief and change, in the mold of the very-successful Gov. Larry Hogan. He also zeroes in on another very weak spot in his opponents' long records - failure to fix I-270, which he correctly notes would help spur economic development in the currently moribund Montgomery County.

BurgerFi, The Offices at Pike & Rose post coming soon signage

More signs of the future are popping up at Pike & Rose. BurgerFi, the gourmet burger chain that uses 100% Angus beef, has posted coming soon signage on its construction wall along Grand Park Avenue. Developer Federal Realty is also beginning to market leasing space at 909 Rose, branded as The Offices at Pike & Rose. Also coming in Phase 3 are 900, 910 and 915 Meeting Street.

Nike to close Rockville Factory Store

A second sporting goods retailer has failed to last in a prime corner spot at Pike & Rose. The Nike Factory Store will close this Friday, August 24, 2018. City Sports held the spot when the development opened, but closed when the chain fell into bankruptcy.

There's no indication the failure is the fault of Federal Realty; I was at Pike & Rose Saturday night, and the development was the most crowded I have ever seen it so far. To me, the "Factory Store" brand seemed a mismatch for an upscale development, but foot traffic has grown tremendously on Grand Park Avenue over the time the store has been open.

Police release composite sketch of suspect in Rockville sexual assault

Montgomery County police detectives have released a composite image of the suspect in an August 13 sexual assault in Rockville, in hopes that the public can help identify him. Officers responded to an apartment in the 200 block of Rollins Avenue around 11:00 PM that night, after a caller reported a sexual assault.

Detectives say the pantless suspect approached the female victim as she was sitting outside the apartment complex, and grabbed her shirt. He then attempted to pull down her pants. The victim fought back, and the suspect fled on foot in an unknown direction.

Police describe the suspect as a "husky" Asian male in his mid-30’s, approximately 5′ 7″ tall. He has a "broad face with a wide jawline," acne on his cheeks, black hair, and brown eyes. The suspect was wearing a tan baseball cap, a tan T-shirt, and was not wearing pants.

Detectives are asking anyone with information about this incident or the suspect to call the Special Victims Investigations Division at 240-773-5050. Those who wish to remain anonymous may call Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). Crime Solvers will pay a cash reward of up to $10,000 for information provided to them that leads to an arrest and/or indictment of the suspect.