Maryland

Per Montgomery Planning: Green Montgomery County by planting native trees on your property. Download our Reforest Montgomery coupon to receive a $50 discount on any qualifying tree with a retail value of at least $75 from one of the participating nurseries or garden centers below. Adapted to the unique environmental conditions of Montgomery County, these native trees may need less maintenance and offer high quality habitat that supports pollinators and other local wildlife.

This $50 coupon can be combined with the State of Maryland’s $25 Marylanders Plant Trees coupon for $75 off the price of a tree that qualifies for both programs. View trees that qualify for the Marylanders Plant Trees program. Note: This program was formerly known as Leaves for Neighborhoods.


Downtown Silver Spring

Basketball Tournament, Pop-up Skate Park, Live Painting, DJ & More!

Buckets and Beats: The Silver Spring Block Party will take place on Friday, September 22 from 2pm-7pm at 1 Veterans Plaza in Downtown Silver Spring. Montgomery County Councilmember Kate Stewart and the Silver Spring Regional Services Office will include a variety of activities for youth, such as a 3 v 3 basketball tournament, a pop-up skatepark, and arts activities. There will also be a number of youth programming stakeholders in attendance, sharing opportunities for youth to get involved. To tie it all together, we will have a DJ to truly make this a block party.


MoCo Police

The Rockville City Police Department is offering a free Fair and Impartial Policing training for community members who would like to understand more about bias-free behavior in community policing. This event will be held on Saturday, September 9, 2023 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Social Hall at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre. Light refreshments will be served.

This training will give community members the tools needed to better communicate with police officers so that community members and police can work together and make their community safer and more resilient. An FIP national instructor will lead a roundtable discussion session specifically designed for community members, covering the following topics:


DMV

Toosso Pakistani Kitchen has announced that it has closed its Rockville restaurant in Loehmann’s Plaza after 8 years. The restaurant was previously located at 1596 Rockville Pike near the old Pizza CS and Fuddrucker’s restaurants, but had to move due to the development of Twinbrook Quarter. It opened in its recent location at 5290 Randolph Rd in November 2020.

The restaurant left the following message on social media, inviting customers to its Sterling, Virginia location. “Restaurant closed. To our valued customers: Toosso Pakistani kitchen (Rockville) has closed its doors after 8 years. It has been a pleasure to serve the community. Thank you for your patronage and friendship that made us a success. We will miss you all. Please don’t forget to visit our Sterling location 20921 Davenport drive Sterling VA 20165.


Education

A letter was sent home by Rosemary Hills Elementary School principal Rebecca Irwin Kennedy informing the school community of a mask requirement for one class at the Silver Spring school. The letter stated that three or more individuals tested positive for COVID-19 In the past 10 days and that the school is taking the steps to keep the school environment as safe as possible, including the requirement of masks for the one class. Per the letter, “Additional KN95 masks have been distributed and students and staff in identified classes or activities will be required to mask while in school for the next 10 days, except while eating or drinking. Masks will become optional again following the 10 day period.”

MCPS spokesperson Christopher Cram that there are four reported cases in one Pre-K class and per CDC guidance for an outbreak there will masking in that one classroom until the end of this week. Cram also sent us the following, from the MCPS Medical Officer:


Restaurants

Denizens has announced that its Silver Spring taproom will close permanently on Sunday, October 22nd. The announcement was made via a video shared on social media by Denizens co-founder and owner Julie Verrati. Denizens opened at 1115 East-West Highway in Silver Spring back in 2014.

“Our ten year lease has come to an end and that’s the end of an era for us, an end of a chapter. It’s been an incredible ten years in Silver Spring and we’re so grateful for the community here. We’re still making the same high quality beer, high quality service, high quality food that you can grab right here in Riverdale Park, Maryland.” Verratti said in the video, which can be seen below.


Damascus

The inaugural Maryland Cider Festival is taking place this Saturday, September 9th at Two Story Chimney Ciderworks (7115 Damascus Rd. Gaitherburg, MD 20882) from 11am until 4pm. Though the event has a Gaithersburg address, it’s north of Laytonsville closer to Damascus. This event will showcase hard cider makers from across the Old Line State. You’ll also find local artisans, craft vendors, live music, and food trucks. Whether you’re an aficionado who knows their cider, cidre, or sidra, or you’re just looking for a refreshing change of taste this is the place to be. Come join us for a celebration of Maryland craft makers.

The festival will feature ten local cideries showcasing their best hard ciders, from dry to sweet, still to sparkling, modern to heritage, and everything in between. Ciders of all styles and types will be in glass for you to sample and take home, and you’ll get to learn more about the cider-making process from the experts. The festival will also have food trucks serving up delicious bites to pair with your cider, live music from local musicians for your enjoyment, and local craft vendors selling their unique and handmade products.


Gaithersburg

Spirit Halloween is coming to 2210 Veirs Mill Rd., the former CVS location in the Twinbrook Center in Rockville. This is a different location than the nearby Pike Center (where TGI Friday’s is on Rockville Pike) where Spirit Halloween has set up shop in recent years.

The store also recently announced its new Gaithersburg location at the former Pier 1 location (30 Grand Corner Ave) in Rio. Last year, Spirit had an additional Montgomery County location in Burtonsville. During the Halloween season, Spirit operates over 1,400 stores in North America. The Spirit Halloween website is open year-round, offering its in-store products online. The store usually open 30-60 days prior to Halloween.


Bethesda

Andy’s Pizza has opened its first Montgomery County location at 4600 East West Highway– the former site of sandwich shop Booeymonger in Bethesda. Our very own Mr. MoCo stopped by during opening week to buy a few slices and support one of MoCo’s newest businesses. The video and more information can be seen below.

The pizza dough at Andy’s undergoes a 72-hour cold ferment and is cooked in a New York deck oven. The process creates a crispier crust with a chewy interior, and a hint of a sour flavor. Andy’s Pizza will also offers salads, wings, fries, and more. In 2021 Andy’s got 1st place in the International Pizza Challenge™, which has evolved and grown in stature and prize money to become one of the most prestigious pizza-making competition in North America.


DMV

Chefs from Estuary, Money Muscle BBQ, dLeña, and 101 Hospitality Group Face Off During DC Central Kitchen’s Baddest Night of Doing Good at The Anthem

Capital Food Fight returns to The Anthem on Thursday, November 9th for the 19th installment of DC Central Kitchen’s raucous night of fighting hunger. The event will feature Montgomery County resident José Andres and Money Muscle BBQ/All Set/Fryer’s Roadside’s Ed Reavis. Tickets to this year’s event, presented by Instacart, go on sale Tuesday, September 5th at capitalfoodfight.org.


Crime

Maryland State Police arrested a man Wednesday on charges he solicited sex from an undercover law enforcement officer who was posing as a child over a smartphone app in Anne Arundel County. Luis Esteban Borunda, 65, of Essex, Maryland, is charged with one count of sexual solicitation of a minor. He is being held without bond at the Anne Arundel County Detention Center. Borunda served in Maryland’s State Department during the Hogan and Ehrlich administrations and was named the deputy Secretary of State in 2015.

According to a preliminary investigation, on August 22 Borunda engaged in an inappropriate text chat who he believed was an underage female. Borunda was actually chatting with a special agent with the Fort Meade Army Criminal Investigation Office posing as a 13-year-old female online.


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