Beyond MoCo

Lawrence Faucette, a 58-year-old Frederick, MD man with terminal heart disease became the second patient in the world to receive a successful transplant of a genetically-modified pig heart on September 20. In a sad turn of events, the University of Maryland Medical Center announced that Faucette passed away today, nearly six weeks after the transplant. David Bennett, the first person to receive world’s first genetically modified pig heart transplant died approximately two months later.

Per the University of Maryland Medical Center: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Lawrence Faucette, the 58-year-old patient with terminal heart disease who received the world’s second genetically-modified pig heart transplant. Mr. Faucette received the transplant on September 20 and lived for nearly six weeks following the surgery.


MCPS

As the regular season closes its thrilling chapters, the gridiron in Montgomery County has witnessed awe-inspiring performances, historical achievements, and fierce battles. Let’s break down the latest rankings as we head into the high-stakes playoffs:

1. Quince Orchard Cougars (Last Week: 1) – 9-0 The Cougars displayed their dominance in a resounding 64-6 victory over Sherwood, completing another flawless regular season. Quarterback Nino Marzullo orchestrated the symphony with 232 total yards and 4 touchdowns. Quince Orchard’s 4th consecutive undefeated regular season and securing the top seed in the 4A playoffs make them the epitome of excellence. They will receive a bye in the 1st round.


MCPD

Per Montgomery County: “Yesterday, the Montgomery County Council’s Public Safety (PS) Committee held a meeting on juvenile justice, sparked by an increase in some types of juvenile crimes and the identification of a 12-year-old as responsible for multiple bomb threats to Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS).

All panelists present suggested that connecting youth to appropriate services and interventions as early as possible should be the primary goal. Yet Councilmember Kristin Mink’s (District 5) questions to police, the State’s Attorney, and the Department of Juvenile Services (DJS) revealed that diversion opportunities, both pre-arrest and post-arrest, have been significantly under-utilized in Montgomery County.


North Bethesda

The 16-story, state-of-the-art building at 915 Meeting Street in Pike & Rose has officially opened. It features 9,600 square feet of ground floor retail, approximately 25,000-square-feet of flexible floor plates and 700 dedicated parking spaces.

Designed by Gensler, the building incorporates a vibrant architectural design that includes numerous amenities, such as a rooftop conference center with collaborative common areas, WiredScore-targeted connectivity, a fitness center, and resource-efficient, sustainable wellness features. Choice Hotels International, Inc., along with Sodexo, will be relocating their headquarters to 915 Meeting Street. A new steakhouse by the founders of CAVA, Bouboulina, will also be opening in the building.


Event

Online event (see link)

Free Lunch & Learn: The 10 Financial Mistakes New Entrepreneurs Make

Starting a business is exciting, but financial mistakes can create costly challenges at any stage of growth. Join K. Graham Accounting & Advisory, LLC for a free Lunch & Learn designed to help entrepreneurs and business owners build a stronger financial foundation and make more informed business decisions.


MoCo Government

Per Montgomery County: “

The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) will begin its annual leaf vacuuming program on Monday, Nov. 6, and will continue collections through December in specified areas. There will be two collections on each collection district street.


Potomac

Lock 72 has closed permanently after 7 years at 10128 River Rd in Potomac’s Potomac Village shopping center. The restaurant is listed as permanently closed on Google, no longer listed on the RW Restaurant Group website, the phone number is no longer operational, and all of the social media accounts have been deactivated. The restaurant also had a scheduled auction for its contents, which has since been postponed.

The restaurant was purchased by the Robert Wiedmaier group in 2016 when the name changed from The Tavern at River Falls to Lock 72, Kitchen & Bar in 2916. The name Lock72 comes from one of the locks on the C&O Canal, which are numbered 1 through 75. The locks were used to help barges make their way along the canal, which runs from Georgetown in DC to Cumberland, Maryland. Featured photo courtesy of Google Maps.


Celebrities

Actor Sean Whalen who credits his 1993 “Got Milk?” Commercial for changing the course of his life, shared the story behind it on its 30 year anniversary. The actor, who is a Montgomery County, Maryland native and 1982 graduate of Sherwood High School also starred in various television shows including Shannon’s Deal and Grace Under Fire, as well as movies, including The People Under the Stairs and Twister.  The story he shared regarding the milk commercial (as well as the commercial itself) can be seen below:

“30 YEAR ANNIVERSARY: On this day in 1993 a regional milk commercial came out that changed the course of my life. I went into an audition just a few weeks before where they gave me peanut butter and told me to try to answer the question of “Who shot Alexander Hamilton?” With my mouth full. Then they told me to improvise an ending. They said I got the job because everyone else screamed, yelled, got angry, and threw the phone! I was the only one who looked at the phone and essentially said, “My whole life led to this moment, and I failed… “ When I got to the set, they just said… “Do what you did in the audition” and Michael Bay shot it over and over for 12 hours. This job killed my commercial career, branded me as “the milk guy” for years, but was loved by Spielberg which got me the gig in Twister, which gave my theatrical career a huge boost. Less and less people know what I’m talking about when I mentioned it so it is fading out of the zeitgeist. But that’s OK. I really haven’t been able to eat peanut butter since but it was a good trade off.”


Maryland

Per WSSC: “WSSC Water today lifted the recreational water contact health advisory for the Triadelphia Reservoir, which was issued earlier this summer due to high levels of blue-green algae. The end of the health advisory follows two consecutive weeks of extensive monitoring and testing showing algal concentrations and potential toxins well below advisory thresholds.

A recreational water contact health advisory for the T. Howard Duckett Reservoir was lifted earlier this month. Visitors can now safely resume recreational activities at both reservoirs.  To learn about blue-green algae and algal blooms, visit WSSC Water’s Algal Blooms page. 


Germantown

Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Special Victims Investigations Division (SVID) are asking for the public’s assistance in locating Isabella Faith Cardillo, a missing 12-year-old from Germantown. Cardilloesd last seen on Tuesday, October 31, 2023, at approximately 11:50 a.m., in the 15000 block of Broschart Road in Rockville. She is 4-feet, 10-inches tall, 107 Ibs., with red hair, brown eyes, and was last seen wearing glasses, a red hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Isabella Faith Cardillo is asked to call Montgomery County Police Non-Emergency (301) 279-8000 (24-hour line).


North Bethesda

With the official opening of the 915 Meeting Street office building and the recent news that a new steakhouse by the owners of CAVA, Bouboulina,  will open on the building’s street level in summer 2024, Federal Realty announces Upper Muse, its newest neighborhood enhancement at North Bethesda’s Pike & Rose. Construction will begin in January 2024 and will be complete in May 2024.

Per the press release: Upper Muse, an approximately 5,000-square-foot courtyard will be located on Meeting Street, in front of the entrance of 915 Meeting, and will be a place to gather and work. It will feature seating with tables and chairs to dine and/or work, and will be surrounded by lush, native landscaping, as well as lighting. The courtyard will connect patrons through an archway from 915 Meeting to the Owen’s Ordinary and Kusshi Sushi patio located across Trade Street.