MCS Staff, Author at The MoCo Show

D.C. Defenders Prepare to Play in XFL Championship Game on Saturday; QB Jordan Ta’amu Named XFL Offensive Player of the Year

Published May 8, 2023 at 7:29AM

The D.C. Defenders will face the Arlington Renegades in the 2023 XFL Championship Game. The 2023 XFL Championship Game will be played at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT Saturday, May 13 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas and will air nationally on ABC.

D.C. Defenders quarterback Jordan Ta’amu has been named the 2023 XFL Offensive Player of the Year. Ta’amu helped lead the Defenders to a 9-1 regular season record and a berth in the XFL Championship Game. All of the 2023 XFL awards were voted on by each team’s respective head coach and/or Director of Player Personnel.

Bethesda

Andy’s Pizza Moves Closer Towards Opening First MoCo Location

By MCS Staff

Published May 8, 2023 at 7:24AM

Last summer we let you know that Andy’s Pizza, the 2021 winner of the International Pizza Challenge™, is coming to Montgomery County with an upcoming location at 4600 East West Highway– the former site of sandwich shop Booeymonger in Bethesda. In January, a representative from Andy’s let us know the restaurant is “approximately six months away from opening”, which makes an early summer opening likely. In addition to progress with construction, the restaurant also has its hearing with Montgomery County’s Alcoholic Beverage Services (ABS) on Thursday, May 18 at 10am.

Andy’s Pizza currently has locations in Adams Morgan, NoMa, Navy Yard, and Shaw in DC, with an additional NoVa location at Tysons. Another upcoming location is planned for Old Town Alexandria. Owner Andy Brown, who grew up in Bethesda, stated that he had been looking in the area since his restaurant began expanding. According to Business Journal, “The Bethesda location will also have more space than average — its other locations run roughly 1,800 square feet — to accommodate larger parties.”

Education

MCPS Celebrated ‘Bike to School Day’ Last Week

By MCS Staff

Published May 8, 2023 at 7:18AM

Rock Creek Valley Elementary School (Rockville) students joined students across Montgomery County and around the world to participate in Bike & Roll to School Day today, May 3. Montgomery County Council President Evan Glass, County Councilmember Natali Fani-Gonzalez and Chris Conklin, director of the Montgomery County Department of Transportation, participated in the event, which promoted biking and walking to schools as a healthier, greener travel alternative. Watch the video.

Bike & Roll to School Day is a global event that encourages students to walk, bike or scooter to school. The initiative focuses on active lifestyles and the benefits of walkable communities. The event was organized by the Montgomery County Department of Transportation’s (MDCOT’s) Safe Routes to School program as part of the Vision Zero plan. MCDOT and Vision Zero staff were on site distributing safety education materials and giveaways. Students also met Zeal, the Traffic Safety Zebra, and Sparky, the Fire and Rescue Dog.

Bethesda

Greek Aroma Closes After Six Months in Montgomery Mall

By MCS Staff

Published May 8, 2023 at 7:06AM

Greek Aroma Grill has closed the Montgomery Mall location the restaurant opened back in the fall of 2022. The restaurant was located in the food terrace and offered items that included, dolma, gyros, kababs, salads, souvlaki, and baklava. Greek Aroma has additional location/ at 177 D Thomas Johnson Dr. in Frederick, MD and at 4555 Woodberry St, in LeFantome Food Hall (Riverdale, MD).

According to Greek Aroma, “every dish is created using only the freshest and finest ingredients. We serve only the finest meats, freshest vegetables, and desserts that are baked fresh daily. Our authentic menu and atmosphere create a truly enjoyable dining experience. Every dish is made to order.” For a full list of what’s new and what’s coming soon at Montgomery Mall, check out our recent update here. The news of Greek Aroma’s closing was first reported by Robert Dyer.

Education

Argyle Middle School Re-Dedicates Media Center to Dr. Judith Docca

By MCS Staff

Published May 8, 2023 at 6:56AM

On May 2, Argyle Middle School, in Silver Spring, re-dedicated and renamed its media center after Dr. Judith Docca, its former principal. The school held a ceremony honoring the former Board of Education member.

Argyle Principal James Allrich offered opening remarks, and other spoke on her life and legacy. Dr. Docca spent 38 years with MCPS—as a teacher, human relations specialist, assistant principal at Montgomery Blair High School and principal at Argyle Middle School. She was elected to four four-year terms on the Board of Education.

Burtonsville

Burtonsville ES Students Win First Place in State Destination Imagination Tournament

By MCS Staff

Published May 8, 2023 at 6:51AM

Last month, two groups of students from Burtonsville Elementary School participated in the Maryland State Destination Imagination Tournament at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Students worked hard during the year preparing for their performance and tournament challenge.

The Burtonsville Sharks, made up of fourth and fifth graders, won first place in their division and will head to Kansas City, Mo., later this month, for the Destination Imagination Globals’ competition. Team members are: Evan Fernandes, Eduardo Gutierrez, Carter Etienne, Nicolas Ostroff, Makenzie Mina, Askale Girma and Nathan Fernandes. Team managers are Alex Fernandes and Nichole Fernandes.

Education

MCPS: Longview Students Compete in TRYathlon

By MCS Staff

Published May 8, 2023 at 6:48AM

For the third year, students at Longview School, in Germantown, participated in the TRYathlon, a whole school event celebrating the hard work and dedication of its students with complex physical and intellectual disabilities. Sixty-six students cycled, walked and performed other mobility skills with the help of their adaptive equipment, teachers, therapists and support staff. Longview also welcomed many parents and students from nearby Spark M. Matsunaga Elementary School, who celebrated the great work and dedication of students. The event concluded with a medal ceremony.

Longview was originally built in 1950 in Gaithersburg, MD. It opened as one of the first all black schools in Montgomery County and was named the Emory Grove Consolidated Colored Elementary School. The renaming committee selected Longview to represent the “long” distance traveled by the students and the beautiful view seen from the school (Sugarloaf Mountain off in the distance). The school housed a general education population until 1961 when Longview became a special education school for children with disabilities. The original building is still in use and is now known as the Emory Grove Center. In 2001, Longview moved to its current site in Germantown, Maryland.

DMV

Yellow Line Train Service Has Resumed

By MCS Staff

Published May 8, 2023 at 6:41AM

Over the bridge and through the tunnel, trains on the Yellow Line are ready to go. Service resumed on Sunday, May 7, Yellow Line across the Potomac River, following an eight-month, on-time and anticipated to be under budget rehabilitation project to repair the deteriorating 1970’s tunnel and bridge. The reopening, announced last month, will provide a faster, more direct connection for customers between Virginia and downtown DC, including travel to/from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Per WMATA: Yellow Line trains will initially operate every eight minutes weekdays from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m. for the first month between Huntington and Mount Vernon Square, and every 12 minutes all other times and on weekends, a 60 percent increase in train service than before the closure last fall. In June service will improve to eight minutes all day, seven days a week.

Gaithersburg

Vine Alley Reopens in Kentlands With New Partners and Updates

By MCS Staff

Published May 7, 2023 at 12:21PM

Vine Alley, located at 114 Market St. in Gaithersburg’s Kentlands neighborhood, has reopened after a very brief closure (video below). The wine bar and restaurant has added new partners Ken and Rebecca Smondrowski to the original restaurant group, which is the same one that owns Brew & Barrels (also located in Kentlands), Royal Tandoor (820 Muddy Branch Rd, Gaithersburg), and Creek Lodge Bar & Grill in Rockville.

Vine Alley originally opened in February 2022 in the location that was home to Wine Harvest, which closed in June of 2019 after 23 years. The Park Potomac Wine Harvest closed back in November 2020. The menu has been updated with a variety of wine and full bar, as well as small bites that can be seen in the video from this weekend’s grand reopening:

Ashton

One Transported to Hospital Following Single-Vehicle Collision in Ashton Sunday Morning

By MCS Staff

Published May 7, 2023 at 8:11AM

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to a collision in the area of New Hampshire Avenue and Ashton Road in Ashton-Sandy Spring at approximately 4:15am on Sunday morning.

According to MCFRS Chief Spokesperson Pete Piringer, the vehicle went off the road in front of the Exxon station at 17840 New Hampshire Ave and overturned. A patient was extricated from the vehicle and transported to the hospital. There is currently no word on the cause of the crash or the condition of the patient.

Rockville

Wegmans/Twinbrook Quarter Update in Rockville

By MCS Staff

Published May 7, 2023 at 7:58AM

Back in February, Clark Construction announced that it topped out (bringing the project to full height) Twinbrook Quarter, a 12-story mixed-use tower in Rockville, that will be the home of an 80,000 foot Wegmans store. Once complete, the transit-oriented project will feature 452 residential units, approximately 30,000 square feet of retail space, in addition to the grocery store. A recent update, per Twinbrook Quarter, is available below:

“We have started work on the building façade. Constructing the façade is done in layers, starting with steel framing, followed by blueboard sheeting, black weatherproofing and window frames. The crew will start laying the exterior brickwork in a few more weeks, beginning with the portion of the building that will face the extended Chapman Avenue. This phase is a big step forward in the construction process that will make the structure come “alive.” Approximately 400 crew-members are working on site.