The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) has updated the air quality forecast to a Code Orange air day for the metropolitan Washington region today: Monday, August 21 due to ozone pollution. Code Orange levels mean the air is unhealthy for sensitive groups, including older adults, children, and people with heart or lung disease. COG advises the following health precautions:
Residents can check current air quality conditions on COG’s website or the Clean Air Partners website.
On Thursday, August 31st, Montgomery Goes Purple will host its annual Resource Fair starting at 5pm at Memorial Plaza (101 Monroe St. Rockville, MD). The Kick-Off Event begins at 6:30 and will include food trucks and more. At 7:30pm a candlelight ceremony vigil will be held. Per the City of Rockville: The opioid crisis is a national public health emergency. Rockville Goes Purple is an awareness campaign alongside our county and state partners that seeks to shine the spotlight on the impact of opioid addiction and educate our community about the epidemic. In 2018, the Mayor and Council formally joined other state and local jurisdictions to take legal action against drug manufacturers and distributors for their role in the nationwide opioid crisis.
According to the Maryland Department of Health Data-Informed Overdose Risk Mitigation 2021 Annual Report, in 2020, there were 2,799 overdose-related fatalities, the highest annual total in the State of Maryland’s history to date. Additionally, there continues to be a growing disparity in overdose-related deaths in the Black community. Between 2016 and 2020, overdose deaths among non-Hispanic Black Marylanders rose by 64.5% as compared to deaths in the non-Hispanic white community, which increased by 15.3% over the same period. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that deaths from drug overdoses reached 107,622 nationwide in 2021, an increase of nearly 15% from the 93,655 deaths estimated in 2020, and 108,500 in 2022, “a staggering record that reflects the crisis and the continued spread of the synthetic opioid fentanyl in the illegal narcotic supply,” the proclamation states.
According to Montgomery County Police, “On Sunday, August 20, 2023, at approximately 10:30 p.m., Montgomery County Police Officers responded to the 19800 block of Beatriz Ave. in Poolesville for the report […]
Green Bamboo Asian Bistro, located at 5751 Fishers Ln in Rockville since 2010, is available for sale according to a business listing on BizBuySell. The restaurant is described on its Google listing as a “relaxed, family-run restaurant with contemporary decor offering Japanese, Chinese & Thai cuisine” and is available to purchase for $320K. Green Bamboo is also popular amongst many for its weekend special that offers sushi at 50% off. The reason provided for the sale is the impending retirement of its owners.
Per the listing, “Great location and reasonable rent. Turnkey operation. This cozy authentic Sushi restaurant is local favorite. It has 4.4 star online reviews. Beautiful set up & high income area. Owner built & operated since 2010. Great opportunity, due to retiring owners need to sell this successful business. This restaurant positioned right to do much better when offices are back to normal. Pre-pandemic sales volume was over $1.4 million. Most employees would stay if new owner desires. Seller will help with training for 2 weeks.” The restaurant has a 4.3/5 rating on Google with over 560 reviews and a 4/5 star Yelp rating with over 350 reviews.
With Women’s Equality Day around the corner and the U.S. ranking as only the 43rd best country for gender equality, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2023’s Best & Worst States for Women’s Equality, with Maryland coming in ranked 17th. Maryland middle-of-the-pack rankings in the categories ‘Workplace Environment’ and ‘Political Empowerment’, but a 1st place ranking in the ‘Education & Health’ category.
In order to determine where women receive the most equal treatment in American society, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 17 key metrics. The data set ranges from the gap between female and male executives to the disparity in unemployment rates for women and men.
Last month we let you know that Dream on Me, the New Jersey-based company that recently purchased Buy Buy Baby’s brand and digital assets for $15.5 million and was a supplier for the store, was the successful bidder for 11 store leases at a bankruptcy auction for about $1.17 million. Buy Buy Baby’s sole Montgomery County location, at 1683 Rockville Pike in Rockville’s Congressional Plaza, closed its doors on Sunday, July 30th, but will be one of 11 stores that will reopen. The store may reopen as early as this fall.
According to a CNBC report, “The group that bought Buy Buy Baby’s intellectual property at a bankruptcy-run auction in June, the owners of baby goods retailer Dream on Me, plans to reopen 11 stores in the Northeast as soon as this fall.” The Montgomery County location in Rockville, which is Buy Buy Baby’s first ever location is included in the openings. The report goes on to say that there is an “ambitious plan to return the brand to its glory years, with 100 to 120 stores over the next one to three years.”
Stephen Marley’s Old Soul, the new album from the 8x GRAMMY Award winning singer/songwriter/producer and son of the legendary Bob Marley, will be released digitally on September 15, 2023. The album boasts an array of special guests including Eric Clapton, Bob Weir, Jack Johnson, Ziggy Marley, Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley, Buju Banton and Slightly Stoopid. In celebration of the announcement, new single “Cool As The Breeze” is now playing everywhere and the Old Soul Tour Unplugged 2023 tour runs from this Sept 8 – Oct 22, with a stop in Montgomery County. Marley will be performing at The Fillmore in Silver Spring on Wednesday, October 18.
Additional information from the album website: Stephen Marley’s highly anticipated fifth solo album Old Soul, his first full-length project since 2016, comes as a complete revelation. With his well-earned reputation as a studio perfectionist, “Ragga” as he’s known to friends and family, is a consummate live performer with a knack for spontaneity. Old Soul leans into those strengths, and opens up the artist as never before.
With MCPS teachers reporting back to school on Monday, August 21st for pre-service week, DMV car wash spot Mr. Car Wash is offering free car washes to teachers, school staff, and administrators at any of its 10 locations across the DMV until August 31st. Just mention your role at the school to any of the team members and you will receive your free wash. Mr. Wash has two Montgomery County locations, at 7996 Georgia Ave. in Silver Spring and at 3817 Dupont Ave. in Kensington. Participating locations also include:
Glen Echo Park is still reeling after suffering serious damage due to severe storms that rolled through the area a few weeks back. According to a FOX5 report, “Park officials say about 15 trees went down, damaging some of the historical components of the park that have kept generations of families coming back for years. Some of the horses and benches on the carousel were damaged and they’re blocked off with caution tape right now. The organ that plays the music is normally a real organ that is self-playing but the organ was damaged, so they’re playing a recording in the meantime.”
The Park has put together a funding campaign that states the following, “Glen Echo Park Partnership’s programs and events add to the vibrancy of our community, inspiring joy and creativity every day. Thank you for supporting our “Lift Us Up” campaign to recover over $50,000 in losses from storm damage.”, and has raised over $24,000 with a goal of $50,000 to help with repairs.
Eater DC recently released a list of “17 Sandwiches to Try Around D.C. Right Now” and two sandwiches available in Montgomery County have made the list. While there are classic Montgomery County sandwich spots/delis like Twinbrook Deli in Rockville and Filippo’s (formerly Marchone’s) in Wheaton, and newer places that are highly regarded for their sandwiches like Full On Craft in the Norbeck area (technically Rockville) near Olney, and Gemelli’s in Gaithersburg, among others, Eater DC tends to stick to places much closer to D.C.
The first MoCo sandwich listed is the “Chip-wich”, available at The Girl and The Vine in Takoma Park (7071 Carroll Ave). Per Eater DC, “Takoma Park’s adorable cafe and wine shop counts the “Chip-wich” hoagie as one of its most popular orders since day one. The sandwich hides house kettle chips inside for a surprise crunch in every bite, joined by smoked turkey, smashed avocado, pepper jack cheese, bacon, sprouts, and dijonnaise.” The Girl & The Vine, a neighborhood wine, food market and bar located in the heart of the Takoma Park community opened in March 2019. The neighborhood market features a wide selection of food and beverages including wine, beers, cocktails, coffees and teas, as well as sandwiches, salads, bread, meats and cheeses, and more.
While there are many wonderful restaurants in Montgomery County that offer high quality and tasty sushi, Eater DC put together a list of restaurant the website considers to have standout sushi in the D.C. area and has included just one Montgomery County restaurant on its list. Hinata, located at 4947 St. Elmo Ave in Bethesda, is a Japanese grocery store that was opened in the mid 90s by Owner Waka Sakita who once worked at Tokyo’s famous Tsukiji wholesale seafood market. The carryout sushi is a longtime favorite for many local residents, but somewhat of a hidden gem for those who don’t frequent the Downtown Bethesda area.
Eater DC describes Hinata as a “cozy, family-run carryout in Bethesda” that’s “a local favorite for made-to-order rolls and fresh sashimi at an affordable price point. Call ahead or shop for grocery items from Japan while waiting for takeout orders.” With groceries like Japanese candy, tea, dried mushrooms, soy sauce, vinegar, packaged ramen, and more available inside, the sushi counter offers fresh and reasonably priced sashimi, nigiri and rolls. Hinata has a 4.7/5 Google rating with 163 reviews and a 4.5/5 Yelp rating with 161 reviews. Featured photo courtesy of Google Maps.