MoCo Government

Per Montgomery County: The Emmy award-winning campaignLa Abuelina” is joining the Vision Zero Initiative’s pedestrian safety team to educate residents throughout July and August about how to safely navigate the newly installed pedestrian hybrid beacons (PHBs) located across the Montgomery County. After the animated character “La Abuelina” was used to urge Spanish speaking residents to get COVID-19 vaccinations, she will now be featured in English and Spanish social media posts and pop-up events located at PHBs to help explain how the traffic control devices offer extra protection to drivers and people walking, biking and rolling across the street.

“La Abuelina’ was created during COVID-19 and was a great way to communicate with our Spanish speaking communities about prevention, testing and vaccinations,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “The campaign helped achieve high testing and vaccination rates and earned national and international media recognition. Due to this success, I requested her character be copyrighted by the County and used in other important public health and safety messaging. I am glad that she will now be a part of our Vision Zero efforts to promote pedestrian safety on our roads. With this new campaign, Abuelina is helping spread the word about new pedestrian hybrid beacons, so our


Gaithersburg

Doki Toki Dessert is currently closed in Downtown Crown. The bakery and dessert shop, which is located at 202 Ellington Blvd in Gaithersburg’s Downtown Crown, opened in May of 2022. Google currently lists the store as permanently closed and Kite Realty has the space available to lease, but management tells us that they are currently in negotiations with the landlord, so Doki Toki’s future remains to be seen.

Doki Toki offers soft serve ice cream, mochi donuts, bubble tea and more.


Bethesda

Per MCPD: Jorge Rueda Landeros, the murder suspect who fled to Mexico after allegedly killing a Bethesda woman, has been extradited to Montgomery County. Rueda Landeros was wanted in connection to the 2010 homicide of 52-year-old Sue Ann Marcum, an American University accounting professor.

Rueda Landeros, now 53-years-old, is accused of killing Marcum in her home in the 6200 block of Massachusetts Avenue on October 25, 2010. The Medical Examiner determined Marcum’s cause of death to be blunt force trauma and asphyxiation.


Restaurants

Hello Vietnam! a new restaurant by the people who brought Vietfood/Viet Kitchen to Pike Kitchen, is now open at 2200 Veirs Mill Rd in the Twinrbook Center in Rockville. The new restaurant has taken over a 1,500 SF space that was previously occupied by Asia Market and is currently in a soft opening phase. Various pictures and menu items can be seen below.

The Twinbrook Center is located at 1902 Veirs Mill Rd, Rockville, MD 20850, and is currently anchored by Lotte Mart and previously by CVS, which closed last summer. Other tenants include Twinbrook Deli, Don Pollo, Dunkin’, Little Caesars, and more.


DMV

Updated to reflect that Kevin Hsieh graduated from Gaithersburg in 2013.

Washingtonian Magazine writes that “Food influencers love to promote restaurants as “hidden gems” to the TikTok and Instagram masses.” so the magazine put together a list of “The DC Area’s Best “Hidden Gem” Restaurants, According to Food Influencers”. Montgomery County’s Bao Bei was the only MoCo restaurant to be listed.


Crime

On July 25 at approximately 11:26 pm, Takoma Park Police responded to the 6700 block of Prince George’s Avenue, Takoma Park, Maryland, for the report of an armed carjacking.

According to Takoma Park Police, “The victim was sitting in his parked vehicle when the suspect approached on foot to his driver’s side window and ordered the victim out of his vehicle at gunpoint.  The victim complied and the suspect fled with his vehicle.  The suspect did not get far before losing control of the vehicle and crashing into another unoccupied truck parked in the street.  The suspect fled on foot in an unknown direction.  The vehicle was towed.


Maryland

Per the Maryland State’s Attorney’s Office: Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today joined a coalition of six Attorneys General in submitting a comment letter in support of the Biden administration’s development of a national Ocean Justice Strategy. Certain communities (“ocean justice communities”) have been historically excluded from ocean policy decisions – including Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities as well as people with disabilities, low-income communities, and the youth and elderly – and ocean justice aims to address those disparities.

In submitting the letter, Attorney General Brown joins the Attorneys General of California, the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Michigan, and New York.


Health

Per Montgomery County: The County’s Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security has issued a Heat Emergency Alert from 11 a.m. on Thursday, July 27 until 9 p.m. Saturday, July 29 due to the National Weather Service forecast for extremely dangerous temperatures and heat index values. A Heat Emergency Alert is declared when the temperature or heat index is forecast to be 105℉ or higher for a period of two days or more.  While nighttime temperatures will be lower, they still pose a health threat with extended exposure.

Extreme heat affects the body’s ability to regulate temperature, which can create dangerous conditions if appropriate safety measures are not taken. Heat may affect air quality, especially in urban areas, and may have a stronger impact on the elderly, children and sick persons.


Bethesda

After twelve years on the run, murder fugitive Jorge Rueda Landeros was arrested in Mexico and charged in connection to the 2010 murder of Sue Marcum, of Bethesda. In December 2022, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office received information that Rueda Landeros was likely living in Guadalajara, Jalisco. The FBI – Baltimore Field Office coordinated with Mexican authorities to extradite Rueda Landeros. He was returned to Montgomery County on Tuesday, July 26 and is scheduled to appear in a Rockville courtroom later this afternoon.

At first, it appeared the case was a robbery as Marcum was found dead in the basement of her home. Later, it was reportedly discovered that Landeros was the beneficiary of Marcum’s $500,000 life insurance policy, which police believed played a role in the murder. DNA that did not belong to Marcum was also found on the murder weapon. Investigators discovered Landeros, who was in Mexico and communicating with police through email, would occasionally cross the border to visit family. Montgomery County Police detectives requested that border patrol stop Landeros on his next trip to Texas and take a DNA sample from him. That sample matched DNA found on the murder weapon in Marcum’s home and Landeros was charged with first-degree murder the next say.


Beyond MoCo

Maryland had several big winners for last night’s Mega Millions lottery drawing. A $1 million ticket was sold at Pine Liquors (9231 Oxon Hill Road) in Prince George’s County and a $40,000 Mega Millions Megaplier ticket was sold at Giant (8100 Loch Raven Boulevard) in Towson.  Last night’s winning numbers were 3, 5, 6, 44 and 61. The Mega Ball number was 25 and the optional Megaplier number was X4. This Friday’s drawing now has an estimated jackpot of $910 million, with a $464.2 cash option.  Additional details below:

“The last Mega Millions® jackpot offered in July will be a massive one, as the estimated prize for the next drawing on Friday, July 28, is a whopping $910 million ($464.2 million cash). The jackpot is on the verge of $1 billion, a level it has surpassed four times in the past, most recently last January. The big prize rolls after no ticket matched all six numbers drawn Tuesday night – the white balls 3, 5, 6, 44 and 61, plus the gold Mega Ball 25. Friday’s drawing will be the 29th in this current  roll, which began after the jackpot was last won in New York on April 18.