The Montgomery County Council is currently reviewing the Thrive Montgomery 2050 Draft Plan. Following the guidance of the Office of Legislative Oversight (OLO), the Council has begun a comprehensive racial equity and social justice review of the Plan.
Please consider responding to the Thrive 2050 community survey. The survey will be used to inform a racial equity and social justice review of Thrive 2050 and the development of a new racial equity and social justice chapter for the plan.
Back in June, Silver Spring Wings announced it will be opening up a new location this year in the Wheaton Urban District. The restaurant tells us that they are now in the final inspection/licensing stages and are hoping to open in the first week of September. The menu will feature chicken wings, chicken tenders, boneless wings, fried rice, potato wedges, coleslaw, fresh lemonade, strawberry shortcake, double fudge brownies.
According to owner Evan Walton, Silver Spring Wings will also be sharing a space with its sister brand, District Teriyaki. He plans to announce more information, including the exact location and opening date, in the the next couple of weeks. Walton tells us, “I’m super excited to serve Moco again. It’s been a long stressful year and a half but I’m committed to my work and this community.”
Dunkin’ has made significant progress at its latest upcoming location in Cloverly. The store, which is expected to open later this summer, is located at 15509 New Hampshire Ave in the spot that was formerly home to BB&T Bank. This new location will include a drive-thru, which has seemed to be the aim for a lot of the new Dunkin’ locations in the area that are taking over former bank locations. While the outside seems to be nearly complete, there is work left to do inside (photos below).
In late 2020, Inspire Brands announced the completion of its $11.3 billion acquisition of Dunkin’ and Baskin Robbins. With the addition of both brands, Inspire encompasses nearly 32,000 restaurants across more than 60 countries generating $26 billion in annual system sales, making it the second-largest restaurant company in the U.S. by both system sales and locations (behind McDonald’s). Inspire’s family of brands includes Arby’s, Baskin-Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin’, Jimmy John’s, Rusty Taco, and SONIC.
Carnival Nation, an Afro Latino festival, returns to Downtown Silver Spring at the Silver Spring Civic Building at Veterans Plaza (One Veterans Place) from 1-9pm on Sunday, July 31. The free event includes live music, salsa and samba dance lessons, and food vendors. Musicians performing include Zenisa AllStars, Gabbadon, and Jace.
The Afro Latino Festival is this Sunday, July 31st at Veterans Plaza! Featuring authentic foods, music, arts, performances, salsa lessons, and more. 1PM – 9PM https://t.co/pK6CMUkuvP pic.twitter.com/U9PqchnmKs
The Montgomery County man killed in a crash after a Lyft driver terminated the ride and stopped in the middle of the southbound lane on Coastal Highway following a disagreement, demanding all passengers exit the vehicle, has been identified by police as 43-year old Sidney Wolf. A GoFundMe has been set up to support the man’s family as they try to move ahead during difficult circumstances.
Wolf, who was initially reported by Delaware State Police as being from Clarksburg, lived in Gaithersburg with his wife and two children. He was also the campaign manager for Montgomery County Councilmember Sidney Katz’ re-election campaign. In an interview with Fox 5, Katz remembered Wolf as “such a nice young man. He was a family guy, somebody who had a good sense of humor, and fun to be around.” A longtime friend referred to him as selfless and “the nicest guy you’d ever meet…just a good guy.” Wolf’s family also released a statement. “This is an extremely difficult time for our family. The level of shock and pain we feel right now cannot be measured as we continue to grieve. We truly appreciate the outpouring of love and support we’ve received and kindly request that the family’s privacy is respected as we move through this process.” -Wolf/Greenbaum Family
As mail-In/provisional ballots are counted in the Democratic primary for Montgomery County Executive, David Blair has taken the lead over incumbent Marc Elrich by just 134 votes after trailing by 141 votes on Sunday morning, according to the latest update by the Maryland State Board of Elections at 9:16pm on Monday night. David Blair (42,705, 39.33%) holds a lead of 134 votes over Marc Elrich (42,571, 39.20%). David Blair led by 1,191 votes when early voting and Election Day votes were tallied, and has received 13,351 mail-in/provisional ballot votes compared to 14,543 for Marc Elrich. Marc Elrich defeated David Blair by just 77 votes in 2018.
In a presser, @DrZ_ElectionNut
provided some numbers on the count… keep in mind these are all ballots, not just Democratic…
1) 30,218 ballots have been canvassed and sent to state board to post vote results
2) 32,312 mail-in ballots through USPS (more on that in a bit) 🧵
Last week we spoke with a manager at the restaurant who was able to confirm that Miller’s Ale House will be closing permanently in August, but the date has since been updated to September 25th. The restaurant closes after approximately 10 years at 1471 Rockville Pike in Rockville.
The location was previously home to Hooters before it moved across the Pike (and later closed) and Shakey’s before that. Miller’s Ale House is a Florida-based American restaurant and sports bar chain that was founded in 1988. The restaurant serves steaks, chicken, burgers, salads, seafood, and more. Though most of their locations are in Florida (over 50), there are over 30 other locations open across the east coast. Miller’s Ale House has nearby locations in Hyattsville and Sterling, VA locations.
The Sports Wagering Application Review Commission (SWARC) voted Wednesday to approve a set of draft regulations and application forms for prospective mobile and Class B facility sportsbook operators, according to a BizJournals report. The drafts will head next to the Maryland General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive and Legislative Review for emergency approval.
Per Gaming Today, “SWARC hopes to have a decision from the state legislative administrative rules committee by the next scheduled SWARC meeting on Aug. 17. That will start the clock on a public comment period (which is typically 30 days), and move the emergency rules toward final approval. That said, a mobile launch by NFL kickoff on Sept. 8 looks unlikely.”
County residents who identify as Asian American or Pacific Islander, African American/Black or Hispanic are encouraged to share their stories at Minority Voices- Personal Stories. Multiple languages are available by clicking on the drop-down menu at the top of the page. The stories will be collected through Aug.19.
The stories will be combined into a report to highlight both similar and unique challenges in mental health across minority groups.
The preliminary investigation by detectives has determined that a white 2006 Chevrolet Express 2500 was traveling on northbound New Hampshire Ave., when for reasons still under investigation, he crossed the median and struck a blue 2008 Toyota Corolla in the southbound lane. The Corolla was then struck by a Metrobus traveling southbound. The driver of the Corolla and the driver of the Metrobus were transported to an area hospital with minor injuries. The driver of the Express 2500, Ovidio Aroldo Gonzalez Cortez, was pronounced dead on scene.
The Montgomery County Department of Police Collision Reconstruction Unit continues to investigate this collision. Anyone with information regarding this collision is asked to contact CRU detectives at 240-773-6620.
At approximately 3:15 p.m., 1st District officers responded the 15800 block of Frederick Rd. (Derwood) for the report of an armed robbery that just occurred.
The investigation by detectives determined that the unknown male suspect entered the 7-Eleven, went behind the counter and demanded that the victim give him property. The suspect then charged at the victim with a set of pliers and began to punch the victim. The suspect stole property before running out of the store.