MCS Staff, Author at The MoCo Show

Germantown’s HealthWell Foundation Opens New Financial Assistance Fund for People Diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes

Published August 1, 2023 at 6:13PM

The HealthWell Foundation^®, an independent non-profit headquartered at 20440 Century Blvd. in Germantown that provides a financial lifeline for inadequately insured Americans, is proud to announce that it has opened a new fund to provide financial assistance to individuals living with type 2 diabetes. Through the new fund, HealthWell will provide up to $1,000 in medication copayment assistance to eligible patients with annual household incomes up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level for the management of their disease.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes and develops when the cells in the body do not respond well to, or make enough insulin, a hormone produced in the pancreas. If not treated, people with type 2 diabetes will have high blood glucose (blood sugar) levels which, over time, can lead to serious health problems including heart disease, stroke, blindness, and kidney failure. Over 37 million people in the U.S. have diabetes and type 2 diabetes accounts for approximately 90-95% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes in the U.S.

Business

Gaithersburg-Based Adventist HealthCare Provides $60,000 Scholarships to Four D.C. Area Nursing Students

By MCS Staff

Published August 1, 2023 at 6:07PM | Updated August 3, 2023 at 6:54AM

Gaithersburg-based Adventist HealthCare has presented four exceptional D.C. area nursing students with 2023 Lucy Byard Scholarships totaling $60,000. Adventist HealthCare launched the scholarship in 2022 to honor Lucy Byard and to help address economic, educational, and healthcare disparities. The 2023 Lucy Byard Scholarship recipients are:

All four students have overcome tremendous obstacles to achieve their dream of helping others and giving back to their communities through a career in healthcare. The Lucy Byard Scholarship will help ease the financial burden on the students as they complete their nursing training. After successfully completing their studies and passing a licensing exam, Adventist HealthCare offers the scholars the opportunity to join its caregiving team.

Gaithersburg

Gaithersburg Planning Commission Recommends Approval of Annexation of Walnut Hill Shopping Center

By MCS Staff

Published August 1, 2023 at 3:43PM

During its July 19, 2023 meeting, Gaithersburg’s Planning Commission recommended the City Council approve the annexation of the Walnut Hill Shopping center. The Montgomery County Planning Board reviewed the annexation at their July 13, 2023 meeting. The subject properties to be annexed are located northeast of MD Route 355 and include the Walnut Hill Shopping Center (plans available here) at 16531 South Frederick Avenue, a restaurant at 8941 North Westland Drive, a vacant parcel at 8939 North Westland Drive, and a portion of the right of way of North Westland Drive.

The Applicant, Granite Partners, has submitted Annexation Petition X-9510-2023, proposing to annex three parcels that currently abut the City boundary, along with a portion of the North Westland Drive right of way. The Annexation Plan proposes several changes to the existing Walnut Hill Shopping Center, including constructing a new freestanding convenience store with accessory gasoline pumps, demolishing an existing small freestanding building on the south side of the property, renovating the exterior of the main shopping center building, and making improvements to the parking lot and landscaping. No changes are proposed for the other two properties included in the Annexation Petition.

Restaurants

Kantutas Restaurant Has Officially Opened in its New, Larger Location

By MCS Staff

Published August 1, 2023 at 2:14PM

Kantutas Restaurant Bar & Grill, a Wheaton staple serving Bolivian, other South American, and Latin American cuisine, has moved from its previous location at 2462 Ennalls Ave to its new, much larger location at 2400 University Blvd W (video below). The new location was previously home to New Kam Fong, which moved from DC to Wheaton and became Eastern Gourmet before closing last year.

Kantutas’ new space comes with a more modern look and a lot more seating than the previous location. The new restaurant also has a new bar and the same menu that those who are familiar with the restaurant are used to. A video preview of the new location can be seen below:

Burtonsville

TJ Maxx Prepares to Begin Work on its Fifth Montgomery County Location

By MCS Staff

Published August 1, 2023 at 1:49PM

Back in April we let you know that TJ Maxx, the discount department store that sells clothing, shoes, jewelry, and home décor would be one of Burtonsville Crossing’s new tenants in the revamped shopping center. TJ Maxx currently has four other Montgomery County locations in Germantown, Olney, Rockville, and Silver Spring.

According to Maryland Newsletters, Onyx Creative has pulled a permit for $2 million in tenant work for TJ Maxx at its upcoming 23,790 SF location at 15709 Old Columbia Pike. TJ Maxx will be located in the space that’s as previously home to Dress Barn and Sassafras before that. It was also home to Spirit Halloween following the Dress Barn closure.

MoCo

NBC Washington Highlights MoCo Lite Being Named The Best Light Beer in the Country

By MCS Staff

Published August 1, 2023 at 10:01AM

MoCo Lite, the collaboration between The MoCoShow and Lone Oak Farm Brewing Co. in Olney was recently named the Best Light Beer in the Country by Wine Enthusiast. NBC Washington’s Jummy Olabanji came out to Olney to speak with the team behind the beer.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CvZ2QcKgg5E/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Education

Maryland Has the 3rd Best Early Education System in America, According to Study

By MCS Staff

Published August 1, 2023 at 9:09AM

With only 11 states currently offering universal pre-K education, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2023’s States with the Best & Worst Early Education Systems, with Maryland coming in 3rd overall. Maryland came in 1st in the income requirement for State Pre-K eligibility category, and was ranked as the 8th best school system overall in a study released by WalletHub last week.

In order to determine the best early education systems in America, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 12 key metrics. The data set ranges from share of school districts that offer a state pre-K program to number of pre-K quality benchmarks met and total reported spending per child enrolled in pre-K. Quality of Early Education in Maryland (1=Best; 25=Avg.):

Bethesda

Vuori’s First DMV Location Now Open

By MCS Staff

Published August 1, 2023 at 7:59AM

Vuori has opened its first location in the DMV at 4820 Bethesda Ave, in the space that was previously home to BIBIBOP at Bethesda Row in Bethesda. Vuori makes premium performance apparel inspired by the active Coastal California lifestyle — an integration of fitness, surf, sport, and art.

Vuori draws inspiration from the active California lifestyle—an integration of fitness, yoga, surf and life. “We make products that stand the test of time and hope to inspire others to live healthy, extraordinary lives. Vuori is much more than a brand. It’s a way of life.”

Rockville

New Traffic Pattern Coming to Rockville Town Center in August

By MCS Staff

Published July 31, 2023 at 11:19PM

The city of Rockville’s contractor is planning final pavement markings on North Washington Street and East Middle Lane in early August.

As early as the week of Aug. 7, new traffic patterns are expected on North Washington Street and East Middle Lane as the city’s contractor reallocates the existing motor vehicle travel lanes to create bike lanes. The two existing motor vehicle travel lanes will be reduced to one lane in each direction. New bike lanes and new on-street parking spaces will be added. The work is expected to last one to two weeks, depending on the weather.

Gaithersburg

Megamart Moves Closer Toward Opening New Gaithersburg Store at Former Golden Bull Location

By MCS Staff

Published July 31, 2023 at 8:42PM | Updated August 1, 2023 at 8:57AM

MegaMart appears to be close to opening at the former site of iconic MoCo restaurant, The Golden Bull. The Golden Bull closed its doors on February 17th, 2017. In 2019, construction crews began the demolition of the building to make room for the new 26,600 SF Megamart grocery store that will be moving across the street from its location at 401 N Frederick Ave in the Hudson Trail Center. After delays to to Covid, a lot of progress has been made (photos below).

Megamart is a regional grocery chain specializing in Latin items with about a dozen locations in the DMV. Some Megamart stores have additional services, such as gold sales, mobile phone repair, and sporting goods. An opening date is not yet available, but the exterior of the new store looks ready to go and Megamart trucks were parked outside. One major change for the new Gaithersburg store is that it will have its own dedicated parking lot– taking care of the parking issue that has often been brought up regarding the location across the street.

Kensington

New Name For Upcoming Kensington Shopping Center That Will Feature at Least Three New Restaurants

By MCS Staff

Published July 31, 2023 at 7:20PM

Construction began earlier this year at the upcoming Kensington Crossing shopping center, which is located at 10619 Connecticut Avenue (at Plyers Mill Road). Recently, a decision to change the name from Kensington Crossing to ‘Crossroads in Kensington.’

Since plans were approved, Crossroads at Kensington has also signed M&T Bank, Buffalo Wild Wings GO, Mezeh, and Marathon Deli for the upcoming shopping center. M&T Bank, which currently has a Kensington location on Howard Avenue, will move once construction of the new space is complete. Buffalo Wild Wings GO is a scaled-down version of the traditional BWW restaurant that focuses on the to-go and delivery format. Mezeh is a fast-casual eatery with a buffet-style of offerings that include rice and salad bowls, wraps and a variety of sauces and toppings. Marathon Deli, a staple of College Park and life at the University of Maryland for decades, is the most recent to sign on, and one more space remains available in the shopping center.