Bethesda
A total of $483.1 million was waged in Maryland during the month of October through online/mobile and in-person sportsbooks, which generated $5,812,245 in contributions to the state . Montgomery County’s first sportsbook opened at Sports & Social (11800 Grand Park Ave) in Pike & Rose opened in September. Full details below courtesy of the Maryland Lottery:
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A petition was started on Thursday to save the McDonald’s restaurant located at 11301 Seven Locks Rd in the Cabin John Village shopping center in Potomac, Maryland.
Winston Churchill High School field hockey player Laura Jablonover founded Project Happy Feet, a nonprofit that offers people living in low-income communities equal access to athletic equipment. The organization started by collecting more than 80 pairs of shoes, which were recycled by a third-party charity. Project Happy Feet has received donations and is collecting shoe donations at Churchill and at Thomas S. Wootton High School.
Earlier this school year, Churchill’s Athletic Coordinator Jesse Smith shared the following: “How can we make athletic opportunities more accessible to student-athletes in low-income areas?” Winston Churchill field hockey player Laura Jablonover wondered after attending a summer camp in Washington, DC, where she saw several schools in low-income districts. Laura, determined to help fix the problem, founded Project Happy Feet, a nonprofit that offers low-income communities equal access to athletic equipment. Over the summer, Project Happy Feet collected over 80 pairs of shoes, which were then recycled by a third-party charity. Project Happy Feet will also receive more than $90 to donate to schools in the following week. Additionally, Project Happy Feet has placed boxes in the main offices of Winston Churchill High School and Thomas Wootton High School for students to contribute and donate shoes. Boxes will soon be added to places such as gyms and sportsplex. However, if you are not looking to donate shoes, Project Happy Feet is holding a bake sale this week to gather funds for advertisements and boxes. Laura aims to grow Project Happy Feet and give a great number of student-athletes equal opportunities to play the sports they love.
Brio’s Chicken has announced it will open a location at Westfield Montgomery Mall (7101 Democracy Blvd) in Bethesda. The restaurant will be located in the space previously occupied by Tara Thai, which closed this past spring. Menu items at Brio’s will includes Peruvian charbroiled chicken, empanadas, paninis, steaks, and seafood. Brio’s plans to be open daily from 8am-9pm and will offer Sunday brunch (full menu below.) No opening timeframe has been announced.
Brio’s Chicken was scheduled to open a location in the Kentlands but after several years of delays and issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the restaurant never materialized. Brio’s Chicken previously had a location in Aspen Hill in the Aspen Manor shopping center, where Outback is located, but that location is under new ownership and is now known as Gio’s Chicken.
Montgomery Parks is inviting dog owners to leash up their pups and jump into the holiday season at the Holiday Barket at Cabin John Regional Park (7400 Tuckerman Lane, Bethesda, MD 20817) on Saturday, November 18 from 11am until 2pm. The Barket will feature live music, refreshments for sale, a canine photo booth with the Grinch, and plenty of pet-themed shopping.
Guests are encouraged to bring blankets or chairs and relax as they listen to rock music from the band Capital Effect at the amphitheater stage. They can also visit the dog park at Cabin John Regional Park where dogs can romp off-leash or take a stroll on the Cabin John Trail, which includes a loop around the event site. Providers of pet-related services such as adoption, training and grooming will be on site with information about their offerings. And Maryland-based businesses will be selling pet-themed gifts for pet lovers, as well as gifts and treats for pets.
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A driver struck a pedestrian at approximately 5:30pm on River Rd. at Newbridge Drive in Potomac on Monday evening, according to our public safety reporter Cordell Pugh. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services PIO Pete Piringer tweeted the following at 5:37pm, “River Road and Newbridge Drive, collision, involves pedestrian”.
According to Pugh, the pedestrian has been “transported to an area Trauma Center with serious injuries. Scene being held with River Road closed.” Alert Montgomery sent out the following Severe Traffic Alert at 6:32pm: “Collision reconstruction investigation closes both directions of River Rd (MD 190) at Newbridge Dr. This may be an extended incident. Expect significant delays. Seek an alternate route.” Featured photo courtesy of Google Maps.
Westfield Montgomery has announced details for this year’s ‘Home for the Holidays Celebration’ taking place on Saturday, November 18th. The event will be hosted by The Holderness Family (The Amazing Race, YouTube) and feature performances by the Gay Men’s Chorus of DC’s, the Maryland Youth Ballet, and Rockapella. Full details below courtesy of Westfield Montgomery:
“Westfield Montgomery Mall is getting into the seasonal spirit with their Home for the Holidays Tree Lighting Celebration in support of Children’s National Hospital on Saturday, November 18. Award-winning content creators and best-selling authors, Penn and Kim Holderness of The Holderness Family will host the free celebration that welcomes the winter holidays. With over one billion views across social media, The Holderness Family will bring their signature brand of family comedy and joy to Bethesda, Maryland for the day. The duo are best known for winning Season 33 of The Amazing Race and chronicling their marriage and family life through hilarious videos for their eight million followers.
Per MCPD: Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Major Crimes Division are investigating an armed bank robbery that occurred on Tuesday, October 31, 2023, in the 9800 block of Falls Rd. in Potomac. Detectives have released surveillance photos of the male suspect and asking for the public’s assistance in identifying him. At approximately 11:05 a.m., 1st District officers responded to the location for the report of a bank robbery.
The investigation has revealed that the suspect entered the bank, approached the teller windows, displayed a black handgun and demanded money. The tellers handed over an undisclosed amount of money to the suspect who then left the scene. Detectives reviewed the bank surveillance video and obtained a description of the suspect.
Avenel Equestrian Center supporters have started a petition to save the facility and barn that they consider central to the Avenel neighborhood’s identity. According to the petition, which has garnered over 1,600 signatures as of November 6th, “WSSC has terminated the longstanding lease with the Equestrian Operator, effective December 1, 2023. The continuation of the Equestrian Facilities was contemplated and addressed in various recorded agreements since WSSC took ownership of the property. In good faith, and despite receiving no formal notice from WSSC relating to the lease termination, The Avenel Community Association, and Natelli Communities (successor to Rock Run, Avenel’s original developer) corresponded and met with WSSC officials, requesting that they reconsider their position and delay termination of the lease. Such a delay would provide the opportunity for constructive discussions between interested parties to identify a path forward that preserves the continued use of the Equestrian Facilities.” The full petition can be seen below:
“Please consider joining efforts to preserve the use of the Equestrian Facility and Barn that is central to Avenel’s identity and a significant historic feature in Potomac. To the Residents of The Avenel Community, Residents of Potomac, Maryland and other Interested Parties Concerning the Termination of the Lease for the Equestrian Facility by WSSC: The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) is the owner of approximately 170 acres of property within the Avenel community.
HESS construction has made plenty of progress at the upcoming Woodward High School at 11211 Old Georgetown Rd in Rockville, which will be used as a holding school/facility for current Northwood High School while their new high school building will be built between September 2024 and August 2027. Charles E. Woodward High School originally opened in 1966 and closed in 1987, when the decision to merge with Walter Johnson High School was made. Tilden Middle School moved into the previous building in 1991, where it remained until the new school opened a few years back. Photos of the progress of the new building, per HESS construction, can be seen below. The completed Woodward High School will officially reopen as its own school in September 2027, following a boundary study to determine which students will be attending the school.
On March 28, 2023, the Board of Education approved the boundary study scope to create the service area for the reopening of Charles W. Woodward High School. The scope of the boundary study includes the following high schools: Bethesda Chevy-Chase, Montgomery Blair, Albert Einstein, Walter Johnson, John F. Kennedy, Northwood, Wheaton, and Walt Whitman. The scope also includes the following middle schools: Argyle, Eastern, A. Mario Loieder- man, Newport Mill, North Bethesda, Parkland, Thomas W. Pyle, Odessa Shannon, Silver Creek, Silver Spring International, Sligo, Takoma Park, Tilden, and Westland. No elementary schools are included in the boundary study. The boundary study process (community meetings, option development, feedback) is scheduled to take place between early 2024 and fall 2024. The boundary study report is scheduled to be released in early 2025, and the superintendent’s recommendation is scheduled to be released in winter 2025, followed by Board of Education work sessions, public hearings, and action on the superintendent’s recommendation.