Bus driver assaulted by passenger in Rockville

Rockville City police responded to a report of an assault on a bus driver on the morning of February 23, 2024. According to police, a bus was stopped at the intersection of Rockville Pike and Wootton Parkway around 10:00 AM, when a passenger "became enraged." The passenger spat on the bus driver, and then repeatedly attempted to punch the driver. No description of the suspect was given by police.

Monumental Sports Network to broadcast Old Glory DC pro rugby matches for 2024 season

Monumental Sports Network has reached an agreement to broadcast 13 of Old Glory DC's Major League Rugby matches during the 2024 season. Old Glory DC plays its home games here in Montgomery County, at the Maryland Soccerplex in Germantown. The season and broadcast schedule will begin with Old Glory DC's road opener against the New Orleans NOLA Gold this coming Saturday, March 2 at 4:00 PM EST. The games streamed by Monumental Sports Network can be watched through your Pay TV subscription on cable TV, on monumentalsportsnetwork.com, or by downloading the Monumental streaming app on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV, and using an "eligible TV Everywhere log-in."

"Monumental Sports Network is the ideal partner to carry Old Glory and bring all the action, intensity and elegance of professional rugby to the entire Greater Washington Region," Old Glory DC Chairman Chris Dunlavey said in a statement Wednesday. "Rugby is the greatest team sport in the world, and Monumental is bringing it to your living room."

“We are thrilled to welcome Old Glory to the Monumental Sports Network family,” Monumental Sports Network VP of Content & Programming Caitlin Mangum said. “We are happy to bolster our live programming lineup and offer D.C.-area sports fans the chance to enjoy this exciting and quickly growing sport.”

The schedule for Old Glory DC matches on Monumental Sports Network will be as follows:

Saturday, March 2 at NOLA Gold at 4pm

Saturday, March 9 at New England Free Jacks at 2pm

Saturday, March 16 vs. Chicago Hounds at 4pm

Saturday, March 23 vs. San Diego Legion at 4pm

Saturday, March 30 at Charlotte Rugby at 6pm

Saturday, April 6 vs. RFC Los Angeles at 5pm

Saturday, April 20 vs. Houston Sabercats at 5pm

Saturday, May 11 at Chicago Hounds at 6pm

Friday, May 24 at Seattle Seawolves at 10:30pm

Saturday, June 1 vs. Charlotte Rugby at 7pm

Saturday, June 8 vs. New England Free Jacks at 7pm

Saturday, June 22 at Miami Sharks at 7:30pm

Saturday, June 29 vs. NOLA Gold at 7pm

Aldi construction begins at Walnut Hill Shopping Center in Gaithersburg

Excitement is in the air at the venerable Walnut Hill Shopping Center at 16529 S. Frederick Avenue in Gaithersburg. Contractor HBW Construction of Rockville has begun work converting the former Weis Markets space for new anchor tenant Aldi. Renovations to update the shopping center's appearance are also underway at the property, as you can see below. 

Continue to patronize your favorite businesses at the center, as despite the tarps and scaffolding, all tenants remain open during the renovations. A second Gaithersburg location of Sheetz will add to the buzz at the shopping center in the future. The City of Gaithersburg recently approved the annexation of Walnut Hill into the city, in large part to secure the agreement with Sheetz. That Sheetz deal became a critical linchpin in Walnut Hill's plan to revitalize the property. Walnut Hill's ownership said the revenue from the Sheetz would finance the renovations to the center, property upgrades that Aldi had required as a condition of its lease. Sheetz opened its first Gaithersburg store last year, and shortly thereafter declared it was "highly-impressed with the performance" of the location.

Tatte Bakery & Cafe opening in Rockville

Tatte Bakery & Cafe will open a Rockville location later this year at 12232 Rockville Pike, at Towne Plaza. This will be the Boston-based chain's third location in Montgomery County, following its opening at The Wilson in downtown Bethesda in 2021, and its recent lease-signing at the new Westbard Square development in southwest Bethesda. 

Give Towne Plaza credit for always trying to stay relevant in the local dining conversation. Over the years it has hosted the great Houston's, Five Guys and Chef Geoff's; tried to keep Boston Market in the area before the chain backed out; and briefly counted the unique Vietnamese cafe Bambu Che as a tenant. Tatte Bakery has been a coveted tenant in recent years, so this is quite a score for Towne Plaza. When it opens, look for Tatte next to Comfort One Shoes.

Menu screens activated inside Wawa opening soon in Gaithersburg

The opening of the first Wawa in Montgomery County is that much closer today, with the activation of the animated flatscreen menu boards inside the convenience store at 405 S. Frederick Avenue in Gaithersburg. Through the windows, the screens could be seen cycling through menu items and promotional messages. 

Outside the building, fresh asphalt has been laid down on part of the parking lot area, and striping has been painted for parking spaces and crosswalks. Gas pumps have been in place since last November, and remain taped off for now. Wawa continues to show no dates for this, or any other new Wawa store, on the "Store Grand Openings" page on its website as of this writing.

Assault at Wootton High School in Rockville

Montgomery County police were called to the campus of Thomas S. Wootton High School at 2100 Wootton Parkway in Rockville this past Saturday morning, February 24, 2024, after someone reported being assaulted there. The assault was reported on an athletic field at the school at 9:10 AM Saturday.

Police called after assault at Rockville sporting goods store

Rockville City police responded to a report of unsportsmanlike conduct at a sporting goods store Friday morning, February 23, 2024. A 2nd-degree assault was reported at a store in the 1600 block of Rockville Pike at 10:51 AM. Dick's Warehouse Sale is located on that block. At least one person was also accused of shoplifting in the incident.