Rockville

City of Rockville Looking to Move Forward With New Branding and Tagline

By MCS Staff

In June 2022, the Rockville Mayor and Council awarded the city branding initiative contract to the marketing firm Medium Giant to serve as a branding consultant to develop a new citywide brand. Since then, a team from the Public Information Office and from Medium Giant worked together to come up with two viable options for the city’s new brand. Staff recommends that the Mayor and Council approve one of the branding concept/systems presented by the marketing/branding consultant Medium Giant to be adopted as the city’s official brand. The process of developing the final two branding concepts was done in four phases:

Phase One: Discovery – The PIO Team met with Medium Giant to lay a foundation of expectations and understanding of what the city brand should be.

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Bethesda

Guapo’s Bethesda Temporarily Closed for Renovations; Aiming to Reopen This Weekend

By MCS Staff

Popular local restaurant chain Guapo’s has temporarily closed its Bethesda location at 8130 Wisconsin Avenue for renovations. A representative from the restaurant let us know that they hope to reopen on Saturday, but to call ahead to make sure. Guapo’s has a second Montgomery County location in Gaithersburg at Rio Lakefront.

Late owner Hector Rincón, originally from Colombia, opened the original Guapo’s in Tenleytown in DC in the early 90s. Per Guapo’s, the Rincon family arrived in Virginia in the late 1970’s. All four children graduated from Fairfax County schools and universities and continued to invest in their community. They believed that their businesses should provide opportunity and pride to demonstrate the dedication to their hometown and the metropolitan area. Now their children continue the same aspirations as their grandparents did when they arrived over 30 years ago. Featured photo courtesy of Google Maps.

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Bethesda

Six Suspects Ranging From 13 to 28-Years-Old Arrested for Stealing $49,000 Worth of Merchandise From MoCo Retail Stores

By Patrick Herron

Per MCPD:  Six suspects involved in a string of retail store pack thefts have been arrested. The six suspects; two adults and four juveniles, all from Washington, D.C., are accused of entering retail stores in groups and stealing large amounts of items from eleven Montgomery County stores between April 28 to June 15, 2023.

They are also suspected of pack thefts in D.C., and Anne Arundel County. During each of the thefts, the suspects used vehicles that were stolen or carjacked from D.C. The first of the two adults, 28-year-old Shaquille Pittman, is being held without bond. He is accused of stealing from Target on Western Ave (4/29/23), Ulta in the Congressional Shopping Center (5/8/23) and (6/15/23), Sephora in Pike and Rose (5/31/23), and The Nike Store on Arlington Road (6/8/23).

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Sponsored

Check out the Anne Arundel Asian American Festival or the Annapolis Irish Festival!

By Sponsor
Image from Check out the Anne Arundel Asian American Festival or the Annapolis Irish Festival!

It’s Asian American Pacific Islander Month, and what better way to celebrate the culture than to immerse oneself at the Anne Arundel Asian American Festival outside of Annapolis on May 31st?

Or didn’t get enough Irish last month? Two of the biggest Irish acts returns to the stage with Gaelic Storm and Carbon Leaf. See below for more details and information!

All events are family-friendly, packed with food, live music, interactive experiences, and now even more ways to get active.

To kick things off, you can save 20% on tickets with code MOCOSHOW (valid through May 31 for general admission tickets).

2026 Festival Lineup

Annapolis Irish Festival

May 29 & 30

Experience the spirit of Ireland right here in Annapolis with two days of live music, great food, and high-energy performances. Headlined by internationally recognized acts like Scythian, Gaelic Storm, and Carbon Leaf, the Annapolis Irish Festival blends traditional Irish culture with modern rock festival vibes.

Haven’t heard of Gaelic Storm? Are you sure? They were the band in James Cameron’s Titanic and went from local stars to national powerhouses. We are lucky to have them right here in Maryland so don’t miss out!

Enjoy Guinness, Irish whiskey tastings, craft beverages, local vendors, and nonstop entertainment in a setting that brings thousands together to celebrate Irish heritage.

Anne Arundel Asian American Festival

May 31

Celebrate culture, community, and cuisine at the Anne Arundel Asian American Festival, a vibrant showcase of food, performances, and traditions from across Asia!

Come hungry and enjoy authentic dishes from a wide range of vendors, cultural performances throughout the day, and interactive experiences for all ages. This family-friendly event highlights the diversity and energy of the Asian American community during AAPI Heritage Month.

Food vendors include:

Namit Filipino, Ekiben, Bun’d Up, E-San Thai, MD Brad Butcher and Central Asian dishes, Thai Pinto, Pho Wheels, and The Sister House! (more…)

Beyond MoCo

La Casita to Open New Location in Laurel

By MCS Staff

La Casita, founded in Montgomery County when the Silver Spring location opened in 2002, has announced an upcoming location in nearby Laurel. La Casita Pupuseria currently has locations serving Germantown, Gaithersburg, Nationals Park & Union Market District.

Per La Casita on social media, “We have a very special announcement to make (and please pardon our dust 👷🏽‍♂️)…a brand new La Casita Pupuseria is coming to Laurel, MD! Yes, we are super excited to finally be able to reveal after a long project that hopefully by Fall 2023 we will be able to serve the greater Laurel area right on Baltimore Ave.”

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Celebrities

MoCo Native Sofia Harrison Leads the Philippine Women’s Soccer Team At The 2023 Women’s World Cup

By MCS Staff

Montgomery County Native Sofia Harrison will be playing in the 2023 Women’s World Cup for the Philippines in the country’s first World Cup Appearance (men or women), as they begin their quest for the Cup on Friday, July 21st against Switzerland.

The Philippine women’s football team last year booked a ticket to the FIFA Women’s World Cup by defeating Chinese Taipei in a penalty shootout in the quarterfinal round of the Women’s Asian Cup in India to make it to the semifinals and qualify for the World Cup. No Philippine football team, men or women, has ever qualified for the World Cup until now.

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Highways / Interstates

Governor Wes Moore Announces Nearly $1 Million in Maryland Highway Safety Grants

By Patrick Herron

Per the State of Maryland (7.12.23): Governor Wes Moore today announced the distribution of nearly $1 million in state highway safety grants to 33 organizations and law enforcement agencies for initiatives to promote pedestrian and bicyclist safety and local strategic highway safety plans. Funds will be dispersed by the Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration’s Highway Safety Office.

“These highway safety grants are instrumental in building a transportation system that works for all Marylanders,” said Gov. Moore. “We all must make safety for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians a top priority while empowering communities to work at the grassroots level to improve access and save lives.”

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Beyond MoCo

Joint Statement from Governor Wes Moore and the Baltimore Orioles Regarding Camden Yards

By Patrick Herron

Governor Moore and Orioles Chair and Managing Partner John Angelos released the following joint statement regarding Camden Yards:

“The last four months have been exciting on and off the field. Baltimore City and the State of Maryland all have Orioles fever. We’ve laid the groundwork for success, and progress is also being made on our vision to expand and revitalize the Camden Yards campus.

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Crime

Update: Montgomery County Police Investigating Restaurant Parking Lot Shooting

By Patrick Herron

Per MCPD: Several people were injured and transported to area hospitals following an early morning shooting in Layhill. Montgomery County Department of Police 4th District officers responded to the rear of the Sole D’italia restaurant in the Norbeck-Layhill community at approximately 12:15 a.m., after multiple reports of shots being fired.

Investigators learned that there was an argument inside of the restaurant that spilled into the parking lot, where shots were fired. Investigators are working to determine who was involved in the shooting. This is an active investigation.

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MCPD

Boy Scout Builds New Agility Equipment for MCPD K9 Unit

By Patrick Herron

Montgomery County Police tweeted the following on Thursday, Iuly 9: “The K9 Unit has new agility equipment thanks to Boy Scout Kage Tupa. For his Eagle Scout Service Project, Kage planned, proposed, built and replaced agility equipment that was more than a decade old.

He completed all the logistical work and got the necessary materials. Over two weekends, Kage built the equipment with the help of the K9 Unit, MCP Cadets, numerous parents and about 30 Boy Scouts from Trip 1094.

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Bethesda

Target Offering a 20% Off Deal For Teachers and College Students

By MCS Staff

Target is kicking off its back-to-school and back-to-college season, announcing deep savings events and season-long deals to make back-to-school shopping easy and affordable for its guests. New this year, Target is also expanding its popular Teacher Appreciation Event to give teachers a one-time 20% discount on an entire shopping trip and bringing back a one-time 20% discount on an entire shopping trip for verified college students through Target Circle, the retailer’s free-to-join loyalty program. With deals starting at under $1 and most under $15, Target is offering even more ways to save as students and teachers prepare to return to school.

“Our back-to-school and back-to-college assortment features a broad range of essentials that are priced right for all families. From on-trend Cat & Jack outfits and fun and functional Room Essentials dorm décor, to supplies of all kinds from Mondo Llama and top national brands, Target has everything to help students from pre-K to college start the school year in affordable style,” said Jill Sando, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer, Target. “We’re also pleased to expand our 20% teacher discount across the entire store and on Target.com, to provide teachers with even greater value on the items they need for their classrooms. Both teachers and students can count on Target for all their school-year gear at great prices.”

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