MCS Staff, Author at The MoCo Show

Sportrock Climbing Centers is Coming to Rio

Published July 21, 2022 at 10:36AM | Updated July 21, 2022 at 11:26AM

Sportrock climbing centers is coming to Rio, taking over part of the space that was previously occupied by Sport & Health (Dave & Buster’s now occupies the other part of the space). Sportrock opened the first commercial climbing gym in the DC metro area approximately 28 years ago in 1994, when it opened its Rockville. That location closed in 2006, but Sportrock has continued to operate successfully in Alexandria, Virginia. Now, it’s bringing rock climbing back to Rio, where many remember the much smaller walls that were a part of Sportland in the 90s.

The Sportrock founders met while training together at Zich’s (pronounced Zeke’s) Garage, a handmade climbing gym in Washington, DC. When Zich was 19 he was looking for a place to train in the wintertime. Zich convinced his supportive parents to let me build a DIY climbing space in their freestanding car garage. When the demand outgrew the space, Sportrock founders broke off and formed Sportrock’s first location in Rockville (14708 Southlawn Ln) so they would continue to have a place to climb and train together.

MoCoSnow

July Heat Wave Continues With Temperatures Approaching 100 Degrees Over the Weekend

By MCS Staff

Published July 21, 2022 at 9:18AM

Hot and humid conditions are expected today, according to the National Weather Service. High temperatures will reach the mid to upper 90s today and the Heat Index will be around 100 degrees. Scattered showers and thunderstorms are possible the closer you get to Washington, D.C. this afternoon, but the biggest concern for strong to severe storm with damaging winds remains south of DC.

Friday is expected to be similar to today, with temperatures again reaching the mid 90s and feeling like its 100 degrees. The weekend will bring even hotter temps, with actual highs in the upper 90s and the heat index nearing 105 degrees. The state of Maryland sent out the following message yesterday:

Maryland

Maryland has the 8th Lowest Job Resignation Rate in the U.S., According to Study

By MCS Staff

Published July 21, 2022 at 8:34AM

With Americans quitting their jobs at record rates during the so-called “Great Resignation,” even in the face of rising inflation, WalletHub today released its report on 2022’s States With the Highest Job Resignation Rates. WalletHub ranked the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on how frequently people are leaving their places of employment, and Maryland has the 8th lowest resignation rate in the United States. Below, you can see highlights from the report.

Maryland Job Resignation Stats

Restaurants

Rockville Town Square’s Èkó House Announces Grand Opening Weekend

By MCS Staff

Published July 21, 2022 at 8:04AM

Èkó House, a modern Pan-African restaurant located in Rockville Town Square announces its grand opening weekend on July 29 and 30, 2022. Èkó House, which celebrates Nigerian culture with fusion cuisine, art, and entertainment, has been open since February, but will have its ribbon cutting ceremony and celebration next weekend. “With exquisite cuisine, carefully curated interior, and exciting ambiance, each moment transports you to the vibrant city of Lagos. “

Attending Friday’s ribbon cutting ceremony at 5 p.m. will be: Will Jawando, Montgomery County Council Member; Marji Graf, President & CEO, Rockville Chamber of Commerce; Ricky Barker, Director, Community Planning and Development Services; and Cindy Rivarde, Director, Rockville Economic Development Inc., among others. On Saturday, July 30, SIMI, the Afrobeats singer/songwriter, Isaac Gerald and the Ayo Band will perform from 7:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m. Tickets start at $75 and can be purchased in advance here. “As one of the few Nigerian restaurants in the DMV, we are excited to share the richness of Nigeria’s culture and cuisine with the Rockville community,” said Yomi Ajao, co-founder, Èkó House. “We want the community and the greater region to experience Èkó (Lagos), here in Rockville, Maryland. Rockville Town Square offers an array of culinary offerings, and we are thrilled that Èkó House is now an option.”

Montgomery Parks

Park Police Ask Man to Leave Before Music Could Be Played Through His Speaker System

By MCS Staff

Published July 21, 2022 at 7:44AM

In one of the most interesting stories of the week, Montgomery County Park Police asked a man to leave before the man could play music through his very impressive sound system at Sligo-Dennis Local Park in Silver Spring on Tuesday evening. According to Park Rules & Regulations, Chapter IV: Prohibited Activities and Conduct; Section 12: Amplified Sound and Noise: “No person shall operate any device to amplify sound or otherwise create excessive noise so as to disturb the peace and public enjoyment…”, but a lot of people were still left wondering what it could have sounded like.

Montgomery Parks

Montgomery Parks Celebrates Graduates of Inaugural Trail Ambassador Program

By MCS Staff

Published July 21, 2022 at 6:47AM | Updated July 21, 2022 at 4:33PM

New program provided opportunities for teenagers to help build and maintain natural surface trails across Montgomery County.

Montgomery Parks is aiming to increase diversity in the mountain biking community with a recently launched Trail Ambassador Program. A group of nine teenagers graduated from the program on July 5, 2022, after spending two weeks helping build and maintain natural surface trails in parks around Montgomery County. In exchange for their hard work, participants received a mountain bike, helmet, bike lock, and certificate. The mountain bikes, a big incentive for participants, were made possible through funding from the Montgomery Parks Foundation.

MoCo Government

Hans Riemer Concedes County Executive Democratic Primary; David Blair Narrowly Leads Marc Elrich With Mail-In/Provisional Ballots Not Yet Counted

By MCS Staff

Published July 20, 2022 at 9:51PM

Hans Riemer has officially conceded in the still-to-be determined Democratic primary for Montgomery County Exefutive. Riemer received 14,911 (20.4%) votes, coming in third behind David Blair (28,961, 39.63%) and incumbent Marc Elrich (27,770, 38%) with all 258 Election Day precincts reporting. The mail-in and provisional ballots still have to be counted. Riemer’s message can be seen below:

Earlier today I conceded

MoCo Government

David Blair Maintains Narrow Lead in Montgomery County Executive Democratic Primary on Wednesday Evening

By MCS Staff

Published July 20, 2022 at 6:39PM | Updated July 20, 2022 at 7:15PM

Wednesday, July 20 (6:35pm) Update:

With 246 of 258 election day precincts reporting, David Blair (28,961, 39.63%) holds a slight lead over incumbent Marc Elrich (27,770, 38.00%) in the Montgomery County Executive Democratic primary. Hans Riemer is currently in third (14,911, 20.40%) and Peter James in fourth (1,445, 1.98%). Reardon Sullivan (6,840, 63.58%) leads the Republican primary over Shelly Skolnick (4,949, 36.42%). Mail-In/Provisional Ballots still also have to be counted.

Arts

MoCo Rapper ‘Joony’ Makes His First Appearance on Billboard’s Hot 100

By MCS Staff

Published July 20, 2022 at 4:12PM

Billboard congratulated Montgomery County native ‘Joony’ via social media for the rapper’s first appearance on the Hot 100 this week. Joony, who is from Silver Spring and attended Springbrook High School, entered the list after being featured on Brent Faiyaz’s “FYTB.” The Billboard Hot 100 features the week’s most popular artists across all genres.

Faiyaz is from Columbia in neighboring Howard County, and rose to prominence after he was featured on the GoldLink single “Crew” alongside another local rapper, Shy Glizzy, in 2016. The song was certified 5× Platinum by the RIAA, and earned him a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.

Restaurants

Miller’s Ale House to Close in September After a Decade in Rockville

By MCS Staff

Published July 20, 2022 at 3:13PM | Updated July 25, 2022 at 8:52PM

Updated to reflect an updated closing date of September 25th

A manager at the restaurant was able to confirm that Miller’s Ale House will be closing permanently in August (the date has since been updated to September 25th) after approximately 10 years at 1471 Rockville Pike in Rockville. The location was previously home to Hooters before it moved across the Pike (and later closed) and Shakey’s before that. Miller’s Ale House is a Florida-based American restaurant and sports bar chain that was founded in 1988. The restaurant serves steaks, chicken, burgers, salads, seafood, and more. Though most of their locations are in Florida (over 50), there are over 30 other locations open across the east coast. Miller’s Ale House has nearby locations in Hyattsville and Sterling, VA locations.

MoCo Government

Maxwell Uy Leads Robert Bass in MoCo Sheriff’s Race

By MCS Staff

Published July 20, 2022 at 2:31PM

With 246 of 258 Election Day precincts reporting, Maxwell Uy leads Robert Bass in the race to become Montgomery County Sheriff. As of 1:57pm on Wednesday, Uy had 20,654 (53.52%) votes compared to 18,332 (46.48%) for Bass. The winner will take over for outgoing Sheriff Darren Popkin, who has served in the position since 2010 and announced last year that he will not seek re-election. Prior to his election on November 2, 2010 and re-election in 2014, Sheriff Popkin was the Chief Deputy, second-in-command of the Sheriff’s Office for twelve years.

Uy currently serves as Chief Deputy Sheriff for Montgomery County, in charge of the day to day operations of the Sheriff’s office on behalf of Sheriff Darren Popkin. Per his campaign website, he “worked his way up the ladder after gaining experience in the Criminal Section, Domestic Violence Section (both as a Deputy and supervising Sergeant), and Court & Transportation Section. His experience extends further as a former Montgomery County Public Safety Academy Sergeant and Training Coordinator cooperating with the Montgomery County Police Department.”