Restaurants

Trapezaria, which opened at 11 N Washington Street in Rockville in the summer of 2013, has announced that today (Saturday, March 11) will be its last day before closing permanently. The restaurant announced that it will not be renewing its lease in Rockville Town Center. The full announcement can be seen below:

“We would like to inform all of our loyal customers over the last 10 years that Trapezaria Greek Kuzina will no longer be in Rockville and will will not be renewing our lease. Our time has come to an end and we would like to invite you for our last Saturday brunch and Dinner today March 11th, 2023. We will have a special food & drink menu to show our appreciation to you!!! Thank you and looking forward to seeing you all.


Highways / Interstates

Transurban has announced that Accelerate Maryland Partners (AM Partners) has decided not to proceed with the Maryland Express Lanes Project and as a result has today submitted a notice to terminate to the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) in regard to the preferred developer agreement. Additional information below, per the Transurban press release:

AM Partners was originally selected in February 2021 as Maryland’s preferred developer for Phase 1 of the project. Since that time, extensive work has been undertaken on the project and draft concession agreement in partnership with MDOT. However, the project continues to face challenges including significant delays to environmental approvals, changing political landscape and environmental lawsuits that remain unresolved. Following extensive good faith negotiations by AM Partners, agreement with MDOT on the form of the concession agreement has not been reached and a committed section proposal will not be submitted by the deadline of 21 March 2023.


Bethesda

The Organic Butcher has opened its Bethesda location at 7925 Old Georgetown Rd, taking over the space previously occupied by French restaurant Le Vieux Logis. Modeled after the old-fashioned English butcher shops, The Organic Butcher is a full-service, traditional butcher shop with its first shop located in McLean, VA.

Per the Organic Butcher, “Walk into our quaint setting and you’ll be engulfed by fresh meat, seafood and local produce. You will also find an accompaniment of boutique wines, artisan cheese, and unique grocery items. Enjoy the old world-influenced, traditional butcher-shop atmosphere while knowing that the goods you take home are free of antibiotics and hormones. We offer certified organic as well as sustainably sourced meat and poultry much of which is locally sourced. There is always an experienced butcher behind the counter to help you select the perfect cut of meat, game, poultry or seafood as well as provide you information on our farms and cooking tips on how to best prepare your purchases in your own kitchen.”


Bethesda

Back in February we let you know that Bethesda favorite Raku will open Rakugaki at the Shops at Wildwood. Many have noticed some movement inside the restaurant and even customers coming in and out for friends and family events the last couple days. The restaurant has announced its soft opening starting Saturday, March 11 (hours are currently listed as “11am-close”). Full menu available below.

The 2,188-square-foot restaurant is located at 10223 Georgetown Road near Sarah’s Handmade Ice Cream. Raku’s Bethesda and Cathedral Heights locations as well as Rakuya at Dupont Circle remain open. When deciding on a new location, co-owner Marcel The said, “We love the Bethesda community which we have served for the past 25 years. We feel that Wildwood is the perfect choice for our newest restaurant where we will feature favorite menu items as well as introduce new offerings.”


Crime

A Takoma Park man previously charged for vandalism after spray painting the word “groomer” on the exteriors of two Prince George’s County libraries, is now being charged with possessing child pornography. Charles Sutherland faces at least seven charges of possessing child pornography, according to a charging document

According to a WUSA 9,  the charging document says “officers found numerous diapers, children’s dolls, and a child-sized doll in Sutherland’s bed. According to Sutherland, he has no children or nieces or nephews, the documents say. He also admitted he had child pornography on a laptop in his home. In January, a digital forensics examination of the laptop was completed and found seven files of child pornography.”


Education

Montgomery College has earned the number one spot in the state of Maryland in Niche’s community college rankings for 2023. The school was also ranked 77th out of 906 eligible colleges across the country, putting it in the top 15% nationwide.

The Best Community Colleges ranking is based on rigorous analysis of academic, financial, and student life data from the U.S. Department of Education along with millions of reviews from students and alumni. The list includes public junior colleges, public technical schools, and all other public 2-year colleges. This year’s rankings have reduced the weight of ACT/SAT scores to reflect a general de-emphasis on test scores in the college admissions process.


Arts

The Winston Churchill High School Jazz Ensemble won second place at the annual Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival’s High School Band Competition last month.

Twelve high school bands from across the East Coast competed in the prestigious event, with the top three bands performing in a final round to determine the overall winner. This was the first time the Churchill ensemble has placed in the finals, and they were the only school from the state of Maryland to advance to the final round.


Education

Michelle Djemu, former student at Cold Spring Elementary School in Potomac, collected children’s books and distributed them to children in her hometown in Bandenkop, Cameroon.

Michelle, now in the fourth grade, moved to Cameroon in the summer of 2021 after finishing second grade at Cold Spring. As a schoolwide project, the school community donated about 1,500 books that Michelle and her sister Louise gave to children in the family’s village of Bandenkop. The school plans to continue its partnership with the Djemu family to provide needed supplies to Bandenkop students.


Arts

By Andrew Italia. Italia is a Quince Orchard High School graduate and MoCo resident. When he was in college at the University of Maryland, he was the movie critic for The Maryland Diamondback. During his time as the movie critic, he began making Oscar predictions for all 24 categories. His all-time record is 21 out of 24, but he usually falls in the 18-20 range. Below is his Top 12 movie list for 2022. For more movies on Twitter, see @Italia_budo

Mark Twain once mused that history might not repeat itself, but it sure did rhyme.  In that spirit, we found ourselves sipping on gin and nostalgia last year, as what was once old was new again.  The Terps brought back Juan and Gary for a celebration.  Putin brought back the Cold War for an invasion.  The Fresh Prince got in one little fight (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myjEoDypUD8), his mom got scared (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TG6r6H5iZM), and he had to move back to Bel Air (https://www.peacocktv.com/stream-tv/bel-air).  McDonald’s Cheese Danish triumphantly returned after 40 years.  Shackleton’s Endurance returned after 107.  Johnny Depp performed again (on the witness stand), Mike Tyson fought again (on a JetBlue flight), and Bennifer got engaged again (in a bubble bath).  Lizzo felt it was about damn time to play a 200-year-old flute once owned by James Madison (rap name “J Mads”).


Gaithersburg

The Housing Element public hearing draft has been released by the City of Gaithersburg for public comment and can be viewed here. Comments on the public hearing draft may be submitted in writing to the Planning & Code Administration, 31 S. Summit Ave. Gaithersburg MD, 20877, or by email to [email protected]. A joint public hearing is anticipated for June 5, 2023. To ensure that your comments will be included in the public hearing materials packet for consideration by the Council and Planning Commission, please submit them no later than May 9, 2023.

Background: Land Use Article of the Maryland Annotated Code requires municipalities to adopt a comprehensive, or “master” plan composed of various elements, such as Land Use and Transportation, which are intended to guide future growth and development of the City.  In 2019, the State legislature passed HB 1045 requiring all master plans to include a new Housing Element. This new Element is required at a minimum to address the need for affordable housing, including both workforce and low-income housing. The Element may also discuss other facets of housing. The City, over the next several months, will begin working on this new Housing Element, which will include goals and recommendations meant to address future housing needs in the City. Please continue to check this project page for background information, status updates, and engagement opportunities.


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