MCS Staff, Author at The MoCo Show

Tuesday Morning Recount Update for Montgomery County Executive Democratic Nomination; Certification Scheduled for Wednesday, August 24

Published August 23, 2022 at 6:44AM | Updated August 23, 2022 at 7:50AM

The Montgomery County Board of Elections certified the 2022 Gubernatorial Primary Election on Saturday, August 13, 2022. Marc Elrich lead David Blair by 35 votes and a petition was filed by Blair for a recount of all votes cast in the contest for the Democratic Party’s nomination for the office of Montgomery County Executive. The petitioner, David Blair, requested a manual recount of all voted paper ballots ( Maryland State Board of Elections Recount Guide ).

Montgomery County Board of Elections began the recount on Friday August 19, 2022, at the Germantown Community Recreation Center (Gym), 18905 Kingsview Rd, Germantown, MD 20874. Below you will see an update by the Montgomery County Board of Elections:

Bethesda

Little Sesame Will Not Open Bethesda Location After Deciding to Focus on Hummus Distribution

By MCS Staff

Published August 23, 2022 at 6:29AM

Around this time last year we let you know that Little Sesame, a restaurant that offers freshly spun hummus and seasonal pita sandwiches, would be opening its first location outside of D.C. at 7118 Bethesda Lane in Bethesda Row. On Monday, the company announced that after a successful run of hummus production and distribution, it would be consolidating restaurant operations to its Golden Triangle shop, located at 1828 L St NW, and closing its Chinatown location on Thursday August 25. When asked if the statement meant that the Bethesda location would not be coming after all, Little Sesame replied “Sadly yes. Sticking to just one location for the time being.” The full statement can be seen below:

Nick & Ronen here with a little update:

Downtown Silver Spring

DSW To Open in Ellsworth Place on August 25th

By MCS Staff

Published August 23, 2022 at 6:15AM

Back in December we let you know that DSW (Designer Shoe Warehouse) would be closing its location at 910 Ellsworth Dr on January 22 and opening a new location in Ellsworth Place at 8661 Colesville Rd. taking over the space formerly occupied by Guitar Center. Originally expected to open on March 24th, delays didn’t make that possible. Ellsworth Place has recently announced via Instagram that DSW will be opening on August 25th, as first reported by Source of the Spring. The Silver Spring Guitar Center closed back in January of this year, while the Rockville Guitar Center at 12401 Twinbrook Pkwy remains open.

https://www.instagram.com/p/ChkexReubKU/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Bethesda

Fresh Baguette Adds New Production Facility in Germantown

By MCS Staff

Published August 23, 2022 at 5:59AM

Fresh Baguette was founded in 2013 in Bethesda by Florent de Felcourt, a former French naval officer. Since opening the Bethesda location, Fresh Baguette has expanded with bakeries across the DMV located in Rockville, Georgetown, Alexandria, and McLean opening soon. Soon, the bakery will move its primary production facility to a recently leased building at 19548 Amaranth Drive, off of Middlebrook Rd. in Germantown. The bakery will still keep its present facility at its Rockville location at 804 Hungerford Drive, according to Maryland Newsletters.

Their kitchens feature a stone oven imported from France and, with a cold dough process and homemade “levain,” yields “a baguette that is light, airy, with just the right crunch,”according to the company. Per the Maryland Newsletters article, “Opportunities Inc. sold the building on 19548 Amaranth Drive in Germantown to investment group Sun Peak Partners for $5.325 million, but signed a leaseback deal for a smaller portion of it. Sun Peak also brought in Fresh Baguette, which will first move into the remaining space and then gradually occupy all of it.“

Business

Zen Leaf Dispensary in Germantown is the Latest Cannabis Workplace in Maryland to Unionize

By MCS Staff

Published August 22, 2022 at 9:26PM

Per UFCW Local 400: Today, workers at Zen Leaf cannabis dispensary in Germantown, Md. announced they have officially unionized with United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 400.

“The biggest driving factor for us was that management always said the cannabis industry is a new and better world and we’re building it from the ground up, but we didn’t see any of that improvement happening for the workers,” said Ginko Spinel, a patient care advisor who has worked at Zen Leaf for a year and a half. “Now that we have a union, we have a voice on the job and we can contribute to making that vision a reality. I couldn’t be more excited for us to negotiate our first union contract.”

East County

Construction to Begin Soon at White Oak Town Center

By MCS Staff

Published August 22, 2022 at 8:39PM

Developers Bernstein Management and Finmarc Management have pulled the first permits that will allow for construction to begin on the upcoming White Oak Town Center (12345 Columbia Pike), according to a report from Maryland Newsletters. In February, BizJournals reported that “Amazon has reached a deal to open a new supermarket at a long-planned Silver Spring redevelopment fewer than three miles from the Food and Drug Administration’s campus”, referring to White Oak Town Center. “The team behind the White Oak Town Center has swapped a 41,000-square-foot Amazon-branded market, likely an Amazon Fresh, in for what had been a roughly 16,000-square-foot Trader Joe’s.” While a date for construction to start has not been set, there isn’t anything else currently standing in the way.

Last year we shared preliminary plans for the upcoming White Oak Town Center that included updated renderings (available below). In the renderings there was a noticeable change in the grocery store that was depicted. In earlier drawings, the grocery store designs resembled Trader Joe’s, but the updated renderings resembled Amazon Fresh. White Oak Town Center will be located at 12345 Columbia Pike, in the northeast quadrant of the intersection of Prosperity Drive and Industrial Parkway. Below you’ll see some bullet points about what to expect, along with the renderings from our July update:

Maryland

Governor Hogan Announces Maryland Manufacturing 4.0 Grant Program

By MCS Staff

Published August 22, 2022 at 7:20PM

From the office of Governor Larry Hogan: Governor Larry Hogan today announced the launch of the Maryland Manufacturing 4.0 grant program, a new Maryland Department of Commerce initiative that provides grants to small and mid-sized Maryland manufacturers to invest in Industry 4.0 technologies to modernize their operations. This pilot program is funded by $1 million in the fiscal year 2023 budget, which focuses on continuing the state’s strong economic recovery.

“Manufacturing and innovation have played a critical role in our incredible economic turnaround,” said Governor Hogan. “We are excited to launch the new Maryland Manufacturing 4.0 program as another tool to help our manufacturers stay competitive in a rapidly changing environment and to revolutionize how they do business.”

Bethesda

Statement From Dr. Anthony Fauci Announcing He Will Step Down After Decades in Public Service

By MCS Staff

Published August 22, 2022 at 5:51PM

Full statement from Dr. Anthony Fauci: I am announcing today that I will be stepping down from the positions of Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and Chief of the NIAID Laboratory of Immunoregulation, as well as the position of Chief Medical Advisor to President Joe Biden. I will be leaving these positions in December of this year to pursue the next chapter of my career.

It has been the honor of a lifetime to have led the NIAID, an extraordinary institution, for so many years and through so many scientific and public health challenges. I am very proud of our many accomplishments. I have worked with — and learned from — countless talented and dedicated people in my own laboratory, at NIAID, at NIH and beyond. To them I express my abiding respect and gratitude.

Bethesda

Montgomery County Provides Updates on Four ‘Streeteries’ for Fall

By MCS Staff

Published August 22, 2022 at 5:07PM

Four “Streeteries” that were created in early 2020 by Montgomery County as a temporary concept to support businesses struggling from the economic impacts of COVID-19 and allow residents to gather freely on public streets closed to cars are now being reevaluated for fall as the pandemic continues to ease. The County’s Streeteries include Newell Street in Silver Spring, Price Avenue in Wheaton and Norfolk and Woodmont avenues in Bethesda.

The County has been working with communities around each location to establish a long-term plan for each space. The Streeteries will continue in some fashion, although some will change their concept. The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) has managed the closing of streets to vehicles as part of the Streeteries plans. The closed streets have allowed residents and businesses to use public spaces for in-street activities such as biking, walking, outdoor dining and retail activity. Management of the spaces and collection of community feedback has been led by the County’s respective Regional Service Centers (RSCs).

Crime

Gaithersburg Woman Indicted on Vehicular Manslaughter and Homicide Under The Influence of Alcohol Charges

By MCS Staff

Published August 22, 2022 at 1:13PM | Updated August 22, 2022 at 3:13PM

Per MCPD: 34-year-old Jeniffer Vallecillo of Gaithersburg has been indicted on vehicular manslaughter and homicide while under the influence of alcohol charges, following a fatal two-vehicle collision at Midcounty Hwy and Saybrooke Oaks Blvd. on Monday, November 29, 2021.

Vallecillo was driving a 2021 Toyota Camry when her vehicle collided with 49-year-old Anupom Ghosh of Gaithersburg, who was driving a 2018 Honda CRV. The vehicles collided in the intersection of southbound Midcounty Hwy, and Saybrooke Oaks Blvd. Ghosh was transported to an area hospital, where he later died.

Montgomery Parks

Montgomery Parks to Host Annual Fall Native Plant Sale Starting August 24, 2022

By MCS Staff

Published August 22, 2022 at 1:07PM

Montgomery Parks  and Locust Grove Nature Center will host its annual fall native plant salebeginning on Wednesday, August 24, 2022. The department’s Native Plant Program began ten years ago at Pope Farm Nursery to bolster native vegetation for native pollinators. The plants help create habitats that are necessary for pollinators’ survival and support the local ecosystem.

The native plants will be available for purchase online via ActiveMONTGOMERY and in-person at Locust Grove Nature Center.