Mr. Smoothie closes in Rockville

Mr. Smoothie has closed at 33-G Maryland Avenue at Rockville Town Square. The shop was fairly popular, and had made improvements under new management in recent years, so it's unclear why it has now gone out of business.

Car stolen from Rockville parking lot

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a stolen vehicle in Rockville Sunday afternoon, January 16, 2022. The vehicle was taken from a commercial parking lot in the 500 block of Hungerford Drive at 4:10 PM, according to crime data.

Armed robbery at Rockville Shell station

Montgomery County police rushed to the scene of an armed robbery at a Rockville Shell gas station this past Saturday afternoon, January 15, 2022. The robbery occurred at the Shell station at 1911 Rockvile Pike at Rollins Avenue at 4:13 PM, according to crime data. MoCo PG News on Twitter reported that the suspect implied that he had a gun, and escaped with $500-600 in cash before police arrived. A resident on a local listserv said that the clerk was able to signal his distress to customer at the station, who then called police.

Photo courtesy Google Street View (gas is about $1 more now)

Pedestrian struck on Rockville Pike

A pedestrian was struck in Rockville at 10:55 AM this morning. The collision occurred at the intersection of Rockville Pike and Thompson Avenue, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson Pete Piringer. There is no word on the condition of the victim at this time.

Image courtesy Google Maps

Developer seeks to convert Rockville office building to residential

The already-weak office market in Montgomery County hasn't been helped by the pandemic. Now a developer is seeking to convert a Rockville office building to residential apartments, and then add 17 townhomes to the surrounding property. A virtual public meeting on the proposal for 22 W. Jefferson Street has been scheduled for January 18, 2022 at 7:00 PM. 

To participate in the event, join the meeting at that time and enter Meeting Number (access code): 2633 580 7334 and Meeting Password: Y6MySgEaZ88. You can also join by phone (or for those joining by computer without a microphone) by dialing +1-408-418-9388 United States Toll, and entering Access Code: 2633 580 7334.

Pupuseria Mama Emilia opening in Rockville

Pupuseria Mama Emilia is coming soon to Rockville. The Salvadoran restaurant will be opening at 785-H Rockville Pike, in the Ritchie Center, where the sign is already up and lit. This space was previously home to Dokiya Ramen. Pupuseria Mama Emilia is a new venture from the owners of Pupuseria La Familia in Beltsville, which also features the recipes of Mama Emilia.

Water main break at New Mark Commons in Rockville

There is a water main break at 138 New Mark Esplanade, in the New Mark Commons community of Rockville. Thirty-five nearby homes will be impacted by water outages during the repairs, which the City of Rockville says are now getting underway. A city public works crew is now on-scene to excavate the water main.