Montgomery County Police responded to an armed carjacking on Wednesday, September 27 in Silver Spring. According to police, “At approximately 9:49 p.m., MCPD responded to the 8300 block of Garland Ave. for the report of an armed carjacking. The suspects stole the victim’s vehicle and fled the scene. No injuries have been reported. There are no suspects in custody at this time. This is an active and ongoing investigation.”
According to public safety reported Cordell Pugh, the vehicle stolen was a red 2016 Kia Sorento with Virginia plates. We will provide an update if additional information becomes available. Featured image courtesy of Google Maps.
Per MCDOT: Due to property repurposing, starting this Friday, Sept. 29, Ride On Bus Routes 17 and 18 will no longer be able to access the Adventist Hospital property in Takoma Park. Both routes will temporarily detour using Flower Ave. to Maplewood Ave. to return to their normal route on Maple Ave. Stops 26950, 26952, 26954, and 26956 will be discontinued. Riders should use alternate stops 22332, 22274, 23854 and 23856. This will become a permanent change with our next service change in January 2024.
The DMV Chocolate & Coffee Festival is coming to Montgomery County on November 7 & 8, 2026, at the Adventist HealthCare Fieldhouse in Germantown, Maryland. Get ready to sip, sample, shop, and enjoy a full weekend of family-friendly fun!
Sip, Sample & Shop
Get ready to explore a festival floor filled with top chocolate makers, coffee roasters, bakeries, specialty food vendors, artisan brands and small businesses from across the region and beyond. Sample new flavors, meet the people behind the products and shop directly from the talented makers and businesses who created them.
Experience Chocolate History
One of the highlights of this year’s festival is a large-scale chocolate sculpture of George Washington on horseback, created by award-winning chocolate artist Paul Joachim.
The sculpture will be part of a special exhibit exploring chocolate’s place in early American history. Guests can see the sculpture up close, sample colonial-style drinking chocolate, and shop the exclusive Collector’s Heritage Box inspired by the historic drink. It’s a unique opportunity to experience chocolate through art, history, and taste all in one place.
Seminars, Demonstrations & More
Visit the Sip & Share Seminar Classroom for educational sessions and demonstrations throughout the weekend, all included with your festival admission. Explore topics ranging from ancestral cacao in the Ecuadorian Amazon and the realities of starting a coffee business to craft chocolate and festival trivia. Learn directly from experts and makers as they share their knowledge, demonstrate their craft and offer a closer look at how their products are made.
Fun for All Ages
The DMV Chocolate & Coffee Festival offers an experience the whole family can enjoy. Kids under 12 receive free admission with a ticketed adult and can get creative at our complimentary kids’ craft tables. Festival mascots Chunk & Bean will also be on-site for meet-and-greets and photo opportunities throughout the weekend. Families can even shop for Chunk & Bean plushies, children’s books and other kid-friendly items.
Whether you’re a serious chocolate lover, a coffee enthusiast, a foodie or simply looking for a fun fall outing, there’s something for everyone to see, taste, shop and enjoy.
Save on Tickets
The DMV Chocolate & Coffee Festival Maryland Edition takes place November 7 & 8, 2026, at the Adventist HealthCare Fieldhouse in Germantown, Maryland.
MoCo Show readers can use code MOCO10 at checkout to save 10% on online festival tickets. Grab your tickets and get ready to sip, sample and shop at one of the sweetest weekends of the fall!
Despite the growing number of states who have legally authorized, regulated cannabis businesses, including Maryland, cannabis remains classified as an illegal substance under the federal Controlled Substances Act and certain federal banking statutes. Because cannabis remains classified as an illegal substance, banks providing services to state-licensed cannabis dispensaries and related businesses are at risk for criminal and civil liability. This risk has significantly inhibited the ability of financial institutions to provide services to regulated cannabis operators and leaves those businesses struggling to find financing. The lack of access to banking services creates both barriers to entry into the industry and instability for existing businesses. In addition, the current banking restrictions constrict state agencies’ effort to collect taxes and conduct oversight. Further, as too many states have seen, when regulated businesses can only conduct business in cash, employees and customers are at greater risk of violent crime in pursuit of that cash.
“Legal cannabis businesses should have access to funding that provides them opportunities equal to other industries to grow, contribute to the economy, and create new jobs. This is particularly important for small, minority-owned, and women-owned businesses, which have faced disproportionately high barriers to accessing funding,” said Attorney General Brown. “Just like any other business, the cannabis industry cannot operate safely, transparently, or effectively without access to financial services. Without the SAFER Banking Act, we are setting up these businesses to fail, and opportunities for Marylanders will be lost.”
Per the Maryland Attorney General’s Office (9.27.23): Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today joined a multistate coalition of 19 Attorneys General in filing an amicus brief opposing a state law in Indiana that severely blocks the ability of transgender youth to access critical, lifesaving gender-affirming care. The plaintiffs in K.C. v. Indiana are suing to block Indiana’s Senate Enacted Act (S.E.A.) 480, which prohibits healthcare professionals from providing gender-affirming care to transgender youth.
“Access to evidence-based, gender-affirming healthcare is critical to the health and well-being of transgender people,” said Attorney General Brown. “Youth, in particular, have better health outcomes when providers can address and treat gender dysphoria early, without interference from unlawful state bans on these life-saving health care services.”
Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a time for commemorating our ancestors. Rather than a period of mourning, it is an occasion for celebrating with family—both living and dead—and honoring the cycle of life. Learn about La Catrina and her joyful view of life and mortality. Enjoy family-friendly activities throughout the day, including dance performances, coloring activities, and paper marigold and mask making. Visitors are invited to leave photos and mementos of their loved ones on the ofrenda (altar) or commemorate them by writing their names on a butterfly to attach to the memorial arch.
Bring your family and friends to our free , all-day outdoor Oktoberfest celebration. These will be an outdoor craft fair featuring local artisans and professional woodworkers, a chainsaw carving, woodworking and tool demonstrations by Festool, Montgomery Wood Turners and Carvers. There will also be lots of delicious food provided by El Parente Tacos, El Jeffe Wood-fired pizzas, Bruster's Ice cream and seasonal craft brews from Saints Row Brwsing Company.
Staff, students, families and the community are welcome to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Outdoor Environmental Education Program from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14 at the Lathrop E. Smith Environmental Education Center, 5110 Meadowside Lane in Rockville. The event will feature:
Vendors are expected to include: Montgomery Parks, the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection, the Izaak Walton League, Nature Forward, NASA, the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation, the MCPS Division of Sustainability and Compliance, Conservation Nation, the Poolesville High School Global Ecology Program, One Montgomery Green, Meadowside Nature Center and the Montgomery County Forestry Board.
Red Ribbon Bakeshop, a Filipino bakery chain, opened its new Wheaton location last Saturday, September 23 at 9am just as heavy rains moved through the area with Tropical Storm Ophelia. That didn’t stop hundreds of customers from showing up to support the bakery’s first Maryland location– arriving as early 3:30am. One customer, Mr. Eugie Ariaga of Rockville, became Red Ribbon’s first-ever Maryland customer. He won “one year of sweetness”– a Mango Supreme Cake every month for a year.
The bakery is located at 2501 University Blvd W, right next to the Anchor Inn sign that still stands. Currently, Red Ribbon Bakeshop has over 200 locations across the Philippines and 39 in the United States. In 2005 it was acquired by Jollibee Foods Corporation, which opened its first D.C. area Jollibee location at Wheaton Mall in 2021.
Per Montgomery County: The Montgomery County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council (DVCC) is urging residents to “Know the Signs” of domestic violence. That is the theme as October will be recognized as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The Montgomery County Council will present a proclamation on Tuesday, Oct. 3, recognizing Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Throughout October, visitors to the Silver Spring Civic Building at Veterans Plaza will notice a display of several dozen yard signs containing warning signs for those experiencing domestic violence and information about available resources.
People in need of assistance or having concerns for a friend or family member should call the Montgomery County Family Justice Center at 240-773-0444, the Montgomery County Crisis Center at 240-777-4000 or email [email protected]. More information about Domestic Violence Awareness Month and how to know the signs of domestic violence is available at www.tinyurl.com/mocodvam.
The Education and Culture (EC) Committee will meet on Thursday, Sept. 28 at 9:30 a.m. to review initial report findings and processes for investigations of employee misconduct in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS). The members of the EC Committee include Chair Will Jawando and Councilmembers Gabe Albornoz and Kristin Mink. The joint EC and Public Safety (PS) Committee will meet at 1:30 p.m. to receive an update on school bus and traffic safety. The members of the PS Committee include Chair Sidney Katz and Councilmembers Dawn Luedtke and Mink.
More detail on each agenda item is provided below.
Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich is applauding the County Council’s passage of Bill 18-22, which will phase-out the sale and use of gas-powered leaf blowers and leaf vacuums. The Council voted10-1 to enact the bill, which is an amended version of the legislation County Executive Elrich sent to the Council last year. The bill will be signed into law by the County Executive and is the latest step in the County’s continued efforts to reduce noise pollution.
For more information on Bill 18-22, including the Sept. 26, 2023, County Council staff report, click here. The final approved version of the bill is not yet available online. It should be posted online later this week. To watch the Council session, click here.
Per MCPD: Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Major Crimes Division are investigating an attempted armed robbery that occurred at the Boston Market in the 3800 block of Aspen Hill Road in Silver Spring on Sunday, September 17, 2023. Detectives have released surveillance video of the suspect and are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying him.
At approximately 8:16 p.m., the suspect entered the Boston Market, approached an employee at the counter and demanded money. When the employee failed to comply with the suspects demands, the suspect sprayed the employee in the face with pepper spray and then ran from the restaurant. Detectives reviewed the surveillance cameras and obtained a suspect description. The suspect is described as an unknown race male, approximately 20-years-old and 5-feet, 10-inches tall. He was wearing black goggles, a black mask, grey hooded sweatshirt, black pants, and black and white Nike sneakers.
Mackie’s Barbecue is now open at 5500 Olney Laytonsville Rd in Olney (most recently Umberto’s). The restaurant is in its soft opening phase with a limited menu for dine in, takeout, and delivery via DoorDash, Ubereats, and GrubHub. A preview and first look video is available below.
Per Mr. MoCo, “The restaurant features a beer cave, similar to the ones found at Shoppers grocery stores, and a wall of retail wine that features local vendors (a wide variety of beer and wine is coming soon, with some already there). The restaurant will also eventually have a full bar.
