Beyond MoCo

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized about 46 pounds of ketamine, an animal tranquilizer abused by users, in an air cargo shipment from Cameroon on October 10 at Washington Dulles International Airport.

According to CBP: CBP agriculture specialists examined a shipment manifested as “Garri and Water FuFu” that was destined to an address in Washington, D.C. Inside the shipment, agriculture specialists found five packages labeled as Water Fufu, a solid porridge made from puree of cassava or other starchy products, and two packages labeled as Garri, flour produced from cassava root.


Germantown

TOUS les JOURS is now open inside of New Grand Mart (13069 Wisteria Dr) in Germantown.  The French-Asian Bakery features a variety of breads, pastries, and cakes that are baked in-store daily, as well as a wide selection of coffee/espresso based drinks and teas.  Other vendors inside of the New Grand Mart food court include Noodles & Friends, Gogi Friends Korean BBQ, and Fortune Cha Bubble Tea.

“Since our launch into the United States in 2004, TOUS les JOURS [meaning “everyday” in French] has developed into a reputable neighborhood bakery specializing in French-Asian inspired baked goods, hand crafted beverages and bold, flavorful coffee and espresso made with the finest ingredients. We take pride in sourcing and using carefully selected ingredients and promises to bring freshness and quality to our customers. To date, we have more than 90 locations across the United States, and more than 1,650 worldwide.”


Restaurants

Mimi’s Handmade ice cream has officially “soft opened” its first Montgomery County location in Federal Plaza at 12274 Rockville Pike Suite E. It has taken over the space previously occupied by Yogi Castle. Yogi Castle closed permanently this spring and Mimi’s Handmade took possession of the space in May. The ice cream shop hoped to open by the end of the summer but had to settle for a beautiful fall weekend.

Mimi’s Handmade will also be opening a second Montgomery County location in The Heights food hall, which is stated to open soon. Mimi’s opened its first location in Arlington in the summer of 2021. Mimi’s is named for one of owner Rollin Amore’s two daughters. He credits his extensive travels over the last 30 years for the unique flavors like roasted banana nut, olive OYL, butterfly pea, maple cashew, and more, offered at the ice cream shop. The shop offers a wide variety of other flavors, including more traditional options.


MCFRS

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to a fire at 12001 Old Columbia Pike (Columbia Towers) in White Oak on Sunday, October 29 around 11:45am. The fire was located in a 7th floor apartment and has been extinguished. According to Chief Spokesperson for MCFRS Pete Piringer, the fire alarm at the building was not operating and smoke was reported on multiple floors.

There are no reported injuries and the building is now being reoccupied. We will provide an update if additional information becomes available.


Event

Join Us for StoryBox Comics Fair, a two-day festival celebrating local and independent comics authors!

Day 1 – Saturday, June 27th, 11-5pm @ DwightMess compound (805 Silver Spring Ave): Events are open to the public, admission is FREE. Featuring Special Guest Artists, gallery exhibitions, workshops, artist talks, a modeling session (suggested donation) and exhibitors, you can dig in to indie comics and also tour the compound, which features an extensive comics collection, a rare video collection, Risograph and screenprinting studios.


Celebrities

Popular Fox 5 traffic anchor Erin Como has announced she will be stepping away from traffic anchoring in November in a social media post made last week. She will be remaining with fox 5, co-hosting LION Lunch Hour, appearing on Good Day DC & DMV Zone, and adding more feature content. The full statement and more about Como can be seen below:

It’s been a great ride covering your morning commute around the DMV for the past 8 years. A huge thank you to everyone for the support & love. The time has come for me to ditch the early alarm clock and shift my career focus.


Bethesda

Last month we reported that Z-Burger and Maman Joon will be taking over the space that was previously home to Taco Bar and Jerry’s Subs & Pizza at 18100 Georgia Avenue in Olney.  Both restaurants are now open, beating out the Bethesda Z-Burger location as the first in Montgomery County for the DMV-based regional restaurant. The space offers food from both the Z Burger and Maman Joon concepts.

Z-Burger is a local, DMV-based chain that describes itself as “a Washington DC landmark! Home to the area’s most delicious handcrafted burgers with endless toppings, fresh cut fries and 75 varieties of hand spun milk shakes and concretes made with premium Wisconsin custard.” Z-Burger has multiple locations in DC, a few in Northern Virginia, and three in Maryland– with more to come. Its first location opened in Tenleytown in 2008. Earlier this year, its first Montgomery County location was announced. Prior to starting Z-Burger in 2008, founder Peter Tabibian was the general manager at a Jerry’s Subs & Pizza in Maryland.


Rockville

The City of Rockville Board of Supervisors of Elections issued the following statement on Friday, Oct. 27:

Last week, a technical issue arose that prevented voters in the City of Rockville’s 2023 election from using the online tool to track the delivery of ballots to a voter’s home. This technical issue has not affected the integrity of the city’s election process. This issue affected only the ability of voters to track their ballots through the United States Postal Service. The issue had no effect on the actual delivery of ballots.


Burtonsville

Construction continues at Burtonsville Crossing as new businesses look to join Burger King in the shopping center. Sprouts, the first business announced as part of the renovated shopping center, is hoping to open by the end of this year. A previous opening date of November 10th was floated around by the company, but it doesn’t look likely that It will occur by then. Moby Dick House of Kabob is the most recent tenant to sign on according to the EDENS website.  EDENS also included Ulta , known for its variety of beauty and skin care products, as an upcoming tenant.

They will will be joining the previously announced Domain Fitness & Performance, which is led by a group that includes former NBA player Jason Miskiri. Miskiri also owns several restaurants in Silver Spring, including the Angry Jerk, The Breakfast Club, and Society Restaurant & Lounge. It will be located adjacent to Sprouts. A representative from EDENS also confirmed to us that TJ Maxx will be opening a location in the shopping center in 2024. TJ Maxx will be located across from where the still-open-during-renovations Burger King stands. Creative Outlets Arts Center  announced that they’ll be moving into the shopping center from their previous Montgomery Mall location that closed in Bethesda in the summer.


Education

More Maryland students will have access to fresh fruits and vegetables during the school day through a $4.7 million federal grant program. The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) is distributing funds to 213 elementary schools statewide from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP), up from 196 participating schools during the 2022-23 academic year.

According to MSDE: The program provides a variety of produce at no charge and shows students that fresh fruits and vegetables can be a healthy and delicious snack. Additionally, the program enhances school-based nutrition education initiatives “Improving access to fresh fruits and vegetables helps to create healthier school communities,” said Dr. Carey M. Wright, Interim Superintendent of Schools. “Healthy minds start with healthy bodies. With more schools participating in this program, we can introduce more students to the benefits of smart eating and help establish the foundation for a lifetime of overall wellness.”


Maryland

Former United States Vice President has announced that he will be ending his bid to become President in 2024. According to the Associated Press, Pence said “It’s become clear to me: This is not my time,” at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual gathering in Las Vegas. “So after much prayer and deliberation, I have decided to suspend my campaign for president effective today.” He went on to call his bid an “uphill battle, but I have no regrets.”

Former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan commented on Pence’s decision via social media, calling him a “man of integrity, a traditional Republican, and a true conservative, who has devoted his life to public service.” Hogan went on to write “Since we served as governors together, I have been proud to call him a friend. As he enters this next chapter, I know he will continue to fight for what he believes in.” Pence has not yet endorsed another candidate for next year’s primary election.