Assault at Rockville grocery store on Christmas

Now that's not the Christmas spirit! Rockville police were called to a grocery store Christmas Day after an individual reported being the victim of an aggravated assault. The incident was reported at a supermarket in the 600 block of Hungerford Drive at 2:06 PM, according to crime data. There is a Giant store on that block.

Armed robbery in Rockville

Rockville police responded to a report of an armed robbery Thursday evening, December 23, 2021. The robbery was reported in the 100 block of Congressional Lane at 5:05 PM, according to crime data. A knife was the weapon used in the robbery.

Montgomery County sets new record for homicides

Montgomery County tied its 1994 homicide record of 34 this week, with the brutal stabbing death of a man in a stairwell at the Shops of Wisconsin in Bethesda. Last night, the County's record was broken with a homicide reported at 6:35 PM in the 19300 block of Circle Gate Drive in Germantown. The record was smashed just as it was revealed that the County police force has shrunk by 56 officers since February 2021. Response times have suffered, and the annual number of police traffic stops plunged from 106,075 in 2019 to only 39,412 in 2020.

Defunding of the police department by the County Council accounts for only 27 of the 56 lost officer positions. The others have resulted from retiring officers not being replaced, and from reduced morale. Perhaps the only relief for County officials who have to own the new record of 35 homicides, is that there are only seven more days in 2021.

Rockville City Hall reopening delayed due to omicron variant

The City of Rockville will delay the planned January 3, 2022 reopening of City Hall to the public, due to the omicron variant of the coronavirus. City Hall has been closed since March 14, 2020. The Mayor and Council will consider the timeline for reopening again at their January 10, 2022 meeting.

Retro Burger King logos installed at Rockville location

The main sign at the temporarily-closed Burger King at 16004 Shady Grove Road features a more-recent burger king logo. But the renovated restaurant will also display retro BK logos. Several have now been installed, as well as the structure that will hold the drive-thru menu. 

Striping and arrows have been applied to the drive-thru lane. Burger King announced last January that it planned to switch back to the logo the chain used during its most successful era.

Shake Shack opens at Montgomery Mall

Shake Shack opened yesterday at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The burger chain continues to favor the I-270 corridor over downtown Bethesda or Rockville Town Center. A third Shake Shack is planned for the Kentlands in 2022; an existing location is open now at Cabin John Village in Potomac. Look for Shake Shack in the Dining Terrace food court near Cinnabon.

Galito's Flame Grilled Chicken opening in Rockville (Photos)

Galito's Flame Grilled Chicken is coming to 15918 Shady Grove Road in early 2022. "Coming soon" signage has been posted on the storefront. Galito's will serve piri-piri-style chicken, a famous flavor of Portugal, Brazil and South Africa. The restaurant will be located next to Argos Optical in the Shady Grove Center, on the border of Rockville and Gaithersburg.

Photo: Robert Dyer/ Rendering at top courtesy Galito's Flame Grilled Chicken