Author: MCS Staff

Kensington

Stella Point Grille Opening Soon in Kensington

By MCS Staff

Stella Point Grille is coming very soon to 3739 University Blvd in Kensington. Graham Gursky, joined in ownership with Stephen Lee, the principal owner of China Gourmet, have rebranded as Stella Point Grille and will offer what they call “elevated American bar fare.”

Gursky assured us that the food will be competitively priced, “We won’t be selling $20 chicken wings or $10 Miller Lites.” he said. Gursky also praised local Kensington restaurants Knowles Station and Talia’s Cuzina, telling us that there are great restaurants in Kensington but that he hopes to fill the void of something lacking in the area. Stella Point Grille will be a restaurant where you can enjoy a nice meal and is also a sports bar with 17 televisions ranging 55 to 85 inches. They’ll offer event nights like karaoke, trivia, etc. along with signature food specials created by Chef Leonel Merlos throughout most of the week.

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Sponsored

STEM in MoCo: UMD Cyber-Physical Systems Engineering Promotes Engineering for All Ages (sponsored)

By MCS Staff

From elementary to high school, the UMD Cyber-Physical Systems Engineering program in Rockville, Maryland, will most certainly continue their public engagement initiatives and do everything they can to inspire others about STEM.

This program is a great option for Montgomery College graduates looking to transfer but if you or someone you know is interested, whether they’re looking for a job in industry or to further their education, the CPSE program provides the knowledge and skills they’ll need to succeed.

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Bethesda

DMV Burger Restaurant, Z-Burger, to Open First MoCo Location

By MCS Staff

Z-Burger has signed on to take over the space that was previously home to BGR at 4827 Fairmont Ave in Bethesda. BGR closed its Bethesda location in 2022 after 14 years. Z-Burger is a local, DMV-based chain that describes itself as “a Washington DC landmark! Home to the area’s most delicious handcrafted burgers with endless toppings, fresh cut fries and 75 varieties of hand spun milk shakes and concretes made with premium Wisconsin custard.”

Z-Burger has multiple locations in DC, a few in Northern Virginia, and three in Maryland– with more to come. Its first location opened in Tenleytown in 2008. This will be its first Montgomery County location. Prior to starting Z-Burger in 2008, founder Peter Tabibian was the general manager at a Jerry’s Subs & Pizza in Maryland. He is also behind Persian restaurant Maman Joon, which has a Tenleytown location in DC and two in Northern Virginia. An opening timeframe for the burger restaurant is not yet available.

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Events

Rockville’s Pride Celebration Returns on June 24th

By MCS Staff

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning Plus (LGBTQ+) Pride Month is celebrated in the United States to commemorate the Stonewall Riots, which occurred at the end of June 1969. The commemorative month also recognizes the impact LGBTQ+ individuals have had on history—locally, nationally, and internationally. The City of Rockville has issued proclamations declaring LGBTQ+ Pride Month since June 2017.

Event Info: Rockville celebrates Pride Month in June. The City of Rockville’s Human Rights Commission will celebrate the seventh annual Rockville Pride in Rockville Town Square on Saturday, June 24, 2023.

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Education

Board of Education Seeking Comment on School Counseling Policy

By MCS Staff

The Montgomery County Board of Education is seeking comments on proposed amendments to Board Policy IJA, School Counseling, to help the public understand the programs, services and professionals responding to the social-emotional and mental health needs of students.

The policy will be available for comment through Monday, Sept. 4. It has been available for comment since April 26, 2023. The draft amendments propose—

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Education

17 Distinguished Service Awardees Honored By Board of Education

By MCS Staff

The Montgomery County Board of Education honored 17 recipients during a celebration of the 26th Annual Awards for Distinguished Service to Public Education on May 9. The awards were established by the Board to recognize and show appreciation for exemplary contributions to public education and to MCPS. Check out a photo gallery from the event.

This year’s Distinguished Service Award winners are:

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Chevy Chase

The Heights Food Hall To Open This June

By MCS Staff

The upcoming The Heights Food Hall at Wisconsin Place in Chevy Chase has announced via social media that it will be opening in June. The new food hall will be opening in the space formerly occupied by Anthropologie and PF Chang’s on the 5400 block of Wisconsin Ave. The food hall will offer both indoor and outdoor patio dining and will be open seven days a week from 11am-Midnight. 

The Heights will include one full-service restaurant (Urbano), a full-service bar (The Heights Bar), a speakeasy (The Turncoat), and eight local food stalls, including one stall picked from Urbano’s “Stall Wars” competition. We expect the following culinary partners at this anticipated culinary space:

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MCPS

Antiracist Audit Action Plan Presented to Board of Education

By MCS Staff

Per Montgomery County Public Schools: MCPS is pleased to share the Antiracist System Action Plan that was presented to the Board of Education during its business meeting on Thursday, May 11. The plan addresses the findings and recommendations in the Antiracist System Audit.

The district’s action plan is designed to address five critical areas to achieve a racial equity vision as outlined by the audit: coherence, accountability, equity-centered capacity building, continuous data collection and relational trust. It serves as a roadmap to holistically implement policies, practices and structures necessary to eliminate racial disparities and remove barriers that impact the district’s most marginalized groups. The Antiracist System Action Plan includes action steps and timelines, and is organized into three sections:

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MCFRS

Car Driven ~30 Feet Into ‘Sniffers Doggie Retreat’ in Rockville Thursday Afternoon

By MCS Staff

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to a call for a “vehicle into a building” on Thursday afternoon. For reasons unknown at this time, a driver and their car ended up approximately 30 feet into Sniffers Doggie Retreat at 7300 Westmore Rd (opposite side of Montgomery College on 355) in Rockville around 4:30pm Thursday afternoon.

According to MCFRS Chief Spokesperson Pete Piringer, there were no injuries, but a dog ended up getting loose following the crash. No word at this time on when or if the dog was found. A building inspector was notified and the area has been closed off.

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Celebrities

Blair Alumnus Chick Hernandez Named to The Commanders Pre-Season Broadcast Team

By MCS Staff

The Washington Commanders have announced that Chick Hernandez, who grew up in Montgomery County and graduated from Montgomery Blair High School in 1981, will be joining former Washington players Brian Mitchell and Logan Paulsen as part of the new Preseason 2023 TV Crew.

Hernandez was born at Providence Hospital, but grew up in Silver Spring and graduated from Montgomery Blair High in 1981. While at Blair, Hernandez was a three-sport athlete, excelling in football. He even went on to play for one year at Montgomery College- Rockville. Following his time at MC, he enrolled at the University of Maryland. While Hernandez was still in school, fellow MoCo native Larry Michael (Northwood alumnus) offered him a job as a weekend producer with Mutual Radio in 1987. Hernandez went on to become the sports director at Georgia’s WRDW TV before coming back home to join FOX 5 as a sports anchor for seven years. He later worked for Comcast SportsNet/NBC Sports Washington for 17 years.

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Beyond MoCo

Beyond MoCo: New 126,000 SF Indoor Water Park Opens June 14

By MCS Staff

Great Wolf Lodge in Perryville, MD, will open on June 14, 2023, according to the indoor water park’s website. Great Wolf Lodge Maryland will be the company’s 20th resort in North America, and their largest. It will offer 700 family-friendly suites, a 126,000-square-foot indoor water park, a 57,000 square-foot entertainment center, and 12,000 square-feet of conference space. Perryville is about 70 miles and a little less than an hour and a half away from most parts of MoCo.

Per Great Wolf Lodge: Careening down slides, jumping over waves, floating down a lazy river, and getting drenched by a thousand gallons of water cascading from a giant tipping bucket are a few of the water-filled adventures families will discover at the all-new Great Wolf Lodge Maryland. The indoor water park is the marquee attraction at Great Wolf Lodge, and the water park planned for the company’s Maryland resort will be the largest Great Wolf Lodge has ever built. The water park at Great Wolf Lodge Maryland will offer more than 128,000 square feet of enclosed fun with slides, pools and water play for all ages, and a cozy 84-degree temperature year-round.

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