Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – 2nd District Investigative Section are asking for the public’s assistance in locating Michael Andrew Yau, a missing 18-year-old from Potomac.

Yau was last seen walking in the area of Riverwood Court, at approximately 6:45 p.m., on Wednesday, January 4, 2023.  Yau is approximately 5-feet, 11-inches tall and weighs 150 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a gray top and beige pants. Police and family are concerned for his welfare.


In the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, Judge Christopher Fogleman has sentenced defendant, Herbert Randall, 19, of Potomac, to nine years in prison and five years of supervised probation upon release for charges of Armed Carjacking and Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Crime of Violence. Randall had pleaded guilty to both counts in November 2022. He used a Privately Manufactured Firearm (PMF) or ‘ghost gun’ in commission of this crime. Judge Fogleman is recommending Randall be admitted to the Patuxent Youthful Offenders Program while incarcerated.

The sentence was handed down yesterday by Judge Fogleman and the breakdown is 25 years suspend all but 9: Count Two- Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Crime of Violence, 10 years suspend all but five years, with credit for 207 days of time-served and five years of supervised probation and on Count One- Armed Carjacking, 15 years consecutive to Count Two suspend all but four years, and five years of supervised probation. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant State’s Attorneys Peter Larson and Daniel Kroepsch. There are three co-defendants which are being processed in juvenile court. This stems from an incident on June 10th, 2022. Summery of events as adapted from court documents can be seen below:


Joel Pollack, owner of Big Planet Comics at 7939 Norfolk Ave. in Bethesda, has retired.   Pollack tells us his love of the comics medium was a driving force in Big Planet’s creation, but it was the wonderful people he met through his business that sustained him all of these years. The comic shop has been purchased by longtime employee and partner, Nick Liappis, and will remain in business.

According to Pollack, “The business started on the second-floor of 4865 Cordell Ave. In 1991, we moved to 4908 Fairmont Ave. When the wrecking ball came for the Fairmont store in 2012, we high-tailed it to 4849 Cordell where we spent eight glorious years until Covid struck. We were forced to seek radically lower rent which we did by moving to a second-floor location at 7939 Norfolk. So I started on a second-floor and finished on a second floor. Funny, the same family owns both of those buildings.”


At approximately 9 p.m., 2nd District officers responded to the 4800 block of Fairmont Avenue for the report of a residential burglary that occurred earlier.


 

In July 2021 we let you know that New York based Mexicue, which has a nearby location at 1720 14th St NW in DC, would be coming to 4733 Elm St. in Bethesda, the former site of Gusto Farm to Street. The Mexican restaurant opened on Tuesday, June 7th with a menu featuring tacos, bowls, shareable platters, margaritas and weekend brunch. Just over six months later, the restaurant has closed permanently.


As 2022 ends, we’re sharing a few of our most-read stories of the year, from March: Amazon announced on Wednesday that it plans to close all 68 of its brick-and-mortar bookstores, pop-ups and shops carrying toys and home goods (including Amazon 4 Star) in the United States and United Kingdom, per Reuters. Amazon has an Amazon 4 Star location in Montgomery Mall in Bethesda and one that was planned for Germantown, with signage at that location recently going up. A call to the Bethesda Amazon 4 Star location led to a message stating the store was temporarily closed until tomorrow. The Germantown location is no longer going to open.

Amazon also has an Amazon Books location in Bethesda, which is closed on Wednesdays. Exact dates for closures will vary by location, and Amazon stated it would help affected employees find roles elsewhere in the company. We will have closing dates for all Montgomery County location as soon as they are available. The company also stated that it would continue its focus on Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods Market grocery chains. An Amazon Fresh grocery store recently opened in Chevy Chase and one is planned for Gaithersburg. It was recently announced that an Amazon grocery store is in the plans for White Oak Town Center as well.


Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) were called to the 10400 block of Heathside Way in the Glen Club neighborhood of Potomac for a fire on the second floor of a townhouse at approximately 3pm on Friday.

According to MCFRS Chief Spokesperson Pete Piringer, the fire extended to the attic but the occupants of the home were able to get out of the home. A cat that was in the home was also able to escape. Per piringer, the fire started when a 2nd floor bathroom fan (vent) caught nearby combustibles on fire. There were no injuries, but approximately $100k in damage (~$75k structural and ~$25k contents). Three adults and the cat have been displaced and the Red Cross is assisting.


As 2022 ends, we’re sharing a few of our most-read stories of the year, from April 2022: In March of 2021, it was reported  that Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) planned to sell all of it’s US holdings in 2022. This would include Montgomery Mall and Wheaton Mall (Westfield Montgomery and Westfield Wheaton), both located in Montgomery County. Chief Executive Jean-Marie Tritant told investors last week that Unibail wants to shed most of its U.S. properties by the end of 2023, according to a Wall Street Journal report, which pushes things back about a year.

Shopping malls, which were already hurting due to the rise of online shopping, were hit especially hard during the COVID-19 pandemic. Per the report, “Unibail’s exit from the U.S. after only four years shows that executives have concluded that even high-quality, marquee American malls aren’t worth holding on to as the Paris-based company works to slash its debt and to refocus on its flagship properties in Europe.” With White Flint gone and Lakeforest on its last legs, Montgomery, Wheaton and Ellsworth Place malls are the last three remaining in Montgomery County.


Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to a call at 7170 Woodmont Ave, the Flats at Bethesda Ave apartment complex, for a fire on the fourth floor of the residential apartment building at approximately 7am on Friday morning.

According to MCFRS Chief Spokesperson Pete Piringer, a small fire on the stove top of a fourth floor apartment activated the sprinkler system. The fire was extinguished by the sprinkler and the firefighters that arrived on the scene cleared smoke from the area. There was minor extension of the fire and some water damage on the floors below, but no injuries.


If you’ve been to Cabin John Regional Park in the last half century or so you’ve probably seen a bizarre, miniature house-like structure that has a pig face with its mouth wide open on one side. That’s Porky. You can feed him paper and cardboard and soft drink cans, but you can’t feed him bottles or broken glass…glass gives him a tummy ache.

Porky has been there since 1966, making his debut one year after Billy the Litter Eater over at Wheaton Regional Park. “I still have nightmares of my arm getting sucked into this thing” commented Richard Schaffer as he shared a picture of the famous trash dispenser. Creepy Basement, a popular website that is comprised of creepy highlights from across the world, refers to Porky as an “eternally hungry demon pig that commands children to feed him with his creepy 1950s radio voice.”


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