Gaithersburg

Montgomery County’s first Sheetz, located at 751 Progress Way in Gaithersburg, will hold its grand opening on Thursday, August 24. According to Sheetz, “One lucky customer will win Sheetz for a Year* (*$2,500 Sheetz Z-Card)!” The event will run from 1-3pm and feature a ribbon cutting ceremony, giveaways, and a non-perishable food drive. Full details below:

Sheetz is a gas station/convenience store that offers made to order food and has over 650 locations throughout Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. In May we reported that Sheetz will also be opening a location in the Walnut Hill shopping center in Gaithersburg sometime in 2024. Sheetz rival Wawa has also recently ramped up the construction on its upcoming Gaithersburg store. Featured image courtesy of Sheetz on Facebook.


Bethesda

Paris in Town, a Florida based French bakery and Café at 4903 Cordell Avenue in Bethesda has closed. The café opened in April 2022 and was located in the spot that was formerly home to Smashburger and Fuse Taco. According to a listing by Capital Online Auctions, the “one year young café has shut its doors and is making a complete and urgent liquidation.” Items up for auction include convection ovens, tables, chairs, and an ice machine.

According to a report by Robert Dyer, last month the restaurant posted a message on its front door which stated, “We will be back to serve you after a short summer break.”  The report also states that Paris in Town was also scheduled to have a hearing on August 4th at District Court in Rockville due to unpaid rent.


Education

On Friday, August 11, the Washington Post released an article alleging that Paint Branch High School principal (previously Farquhar Middle School principal) Dr. Joel Beidleman had been reported to Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) 18 times in seven years and detailed alleged sexual harassment, workplace bullying, and other inappropriate conduct at multiple schools, spanning over a decade. The article states that Beidleman was placed on leave by MCPS and that the school system will launch an “independent, external investigation.” Earlier today, MCPS Superintendent Dr. Monifa McKnight sent a letter to the Farquhar Middle School community. The letter can be seen in full below:

Dear Farquhar Middle School Staff, Students and Families,


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Maryland

Per the State of Maryland: Governor Moore today announced the launch of the Maryland Serves application portal. The portal offers a pathway to new service opportunities, both for eligible adults to earn a living wage and receive professional development and mentoring; and for organizations that are interested in serving as host partners for program participants.

“The Maryland Serves application portal offers an unprecedented opportunity for Marylanders to explore career pathways that allow their talents and purpose to come together to serve their community,” said Gov. Moore. “Service has impacted my life in immeasurable ways, and our Maryland Serves programs will allow us to build a stronger, more compassionate, and competitive state.”


Education

The Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA) President, Jennifer Martin, has released a statement in response to the allegations made against an MCPS principal. The full statement by the head of the teacher’s union can be seen below:

“The recent exposure of allegations against a principal in MCPS shines a light on the school system’s failure to fulfill its fundamental duty of protecting staff, students, and the school community from bullying and harassment. When members raised their concerns to us, I met with them, and provided guidance and assistance from union staff to again bring their complaints to MCPS management’s attention.


MCFRS

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to the 1100blk of Grandin Ave in Rockville on Monday, August 11, for the report of a fire. According to MCFRS Battalion Chief Jason Blake, crews arrived to find a small bedroom fire. All occupants of the home are accounted for and there were no injuries reported.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. We will post an update if additional information becomes available.


MCFRS

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to the 19000 block of Crested Iris Way in Montgomery Village for the report of a vehicle driven into a townhome. The incident occurred around 5pm on Monday, August 14. There were no injuries reported and no patients were transported. Montgomery County Police are currently on scene.


Ashton

At approximately 2:25am early Friday morning, The Kill Devil Hills Fire Department in North Carolina responded to a report of a structure fire. According to the city’s public information officer, Rachel Tackett, crews contained and extinguished the blaze, which had fully engulfed an Outer Banks rental home and damaged two neighboring properties. Unfortunately, three people were killed and three others were injured due to the fire.

The deceased were identified on Monday as 64-year-old Colleen Cohan and her husband William Deeg, 68, of Ashton, Maryland, and 13-year-old Sienna Farr of Silver Spring, Maryland. The three people injured were 48-year-old Laura Volk, 16-year-old Sadie Farr and 55-year-old David Brewer, all of Silver Spring. Volk is Sienna and Sadie’s mother, and the girlfriend of Brewer, per Kill Devil Hills officials. Various reports state that Volk and Brewer remain hospitalized in the burn unit, while Farr has been released. According to wric.com, “A family member’s social media post indicated that recovery for Volk and Brewer could take several months, and they will eventually be transferred to a hospital closer to their home in the suburbs of Washington.” More, per the Town of Kill Devil Hills below:


MCPS

On Friday, August 11, the Washington Post released an article alleging that Paint Branch High School Principal Dr. Joel Beidleman had been reported to Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) 18 times in seven years and detailed alleged sexual harassment, workplace bullying, and other inappropriate conduct at multiple schools, spanning over a decade. The article states that Beidleman was placed on leave by MCPS and that the school system will launch an “independent, external investigation.”

Montgomery County Council President Evan Glass released the following statement on Monday, August 14: “I am deeply disturbed by the Washington Post’s detailed reporting alleging an MCPS principal created a hostile and unsafe workplace. The public needs to know who was aware of this information and why it was not promptly investigated. As we prepare for a new school year, we must ensure that students and teachers feel safe, welcome and respected in the classroom.”


Gaithersburg

Rio Lakefront in Gaithersburg was included in a list of the “Top 10 Retail Experiences” in the country in 2022. With a beautiful lake/boardwalk and long-time favorites like the AMC theaters, Dick’s, Guapo’s, Target, and others still going strong, the retail area has recently welcomed new additions and plans to welcome more in the coming months. Below is a list of newer stores and restaurants as well as some that are coming soon.

Auntie Anne’s Cinnabon: Auntie Anne’s/Cinnabon combination restaurant is now open at 220 Boardwalk Place in Rio, taking over the location that was recently home to Lilly Magilly’s– as the cupcakery is still preparing for a move to a new location. The two brands, popular for their presence in malls, are co-branding to open locations across the country. In recent years, Cinnabon left then returned to Montgomery Mall. There’s also an existing Cinnabon location in Wheaton Mall. Auntie Anne’s has locations at the outlets in Clarksburg, Ellsworth Place Mall, Montgomery Mall, and Wheaton Mall in MoCo.


Education

In 2022, after seeing a similar Facebook group in Frederick County reach over 3,000 members, MCPS teachers Jennifer Wilson and Kate Stone decided to create a Montgomery County version that allows community members to “adopt” an MCPS teacher and support them buy purchasing items for the teacher off of the teacher’s Amazon wishlist. “People have always want to donate to teachers, so we just wanted to make it easier for them to be able to do it.” Wilson told us. In less than three days, the Facebook group had over 1,000 members. The group is still going strong with almost 4,000 members and thousands of dollars in donations to local teachers.

Here’s how it works: Teachers create and share their public wishlist in a post, making sure to include the wishlist link in a post. Teachers are encouraged to include information about themselves and the school they teach at. Community members then have the option to purchase one or more items from any wishlist they choose to support. Community members are encouraged to let the teacher know they purchased something from the wishlist. If they choose to, multiple people can adopt one teacher and one person can adopt multiple teachers. Everyone is encouraged to be nice to each other.