Melashops, a south Asian fashion market, is opening today (Saturday, April 1) at Montgomery Mall. Melashops, which originally opened in Lakeforest Mall in 2019, offers Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi apparel, jewelry, and accessories. “We have managed to grow our business over the years, even as the rest of Lakeforest was shutting down. Our new Montgomery Mall store, located on the first floor of the Nordstroms wing and across Urban Outfitters, represents the culmination of years of market feedback and optimization.” owner Bobby Mozunder tells us.

“We are in effect, a mall-within-a-mall and the only multi-vendor shopping destination for South Asian apparel in the DMV area.” Their vendors provide the full spectrum of South Asian clothing, including sarees, dresses, menswear, kids wears, high-end bridal wear, fancy Bollywood party dresses, casual wear, as well as lots of detailed jewelry. Some vendors are permanently located at the store and other vendors attend as their schedule permits. Holidays such as Eid and Diwali can be especially packed and busy. The shop also has an experienced tailor on-site available for alterations and  to make custom matching blouses and dresses as needed. The stores hours of operation will be:


The workshops are funded in part by an Arts in Education Grant from the Maryland State Arts Council.For more information contact Clotilde Puértolas at [email protected].


Dog Haus Biergarten is now offering 24/7 delivery service out of all three of its Montgomery County locations (Gaithersburg, Bethesda, and Silver Spring,) making it one of the only non-fast food restaurants offering 24-7 delivery service in the area.  Dog Haus’ virtual brands, including Bad Ass Breakfast Burritos, Plant B (All plant base food) Impossible Shop, Bad Mutha Cluka and Jail Bird (all chicken options), are also available 24-7.

The first Dog Haus opened in Pasadena, CA in 2010.  The company opened its first east coast location in Bethesda (7904 Woodmont Ave) in 2018, followed by Gaithersburg (644 Center Point Way) in January 2020 and Silver Spring (933 Ellsworth Dr.) in December 2021.


According to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, “In the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, MD, the Honorable John Maloney sentenced defendant, Carlos Zackery, 26, of Washington, D.C., to 100 years in prison suspend all but 26 years and five years of supervised probation upon release. The sentence was handed down on Tuesday, March 28, 2023. The defendant pleaded guilty in this case in September 2022 to six armed robberies, nine first degree assaults, and two conspiracy to commit armed robbery charges.

A codefendant in this case, Zackery’s half-brother, Dionte Taylor, 25, of unknown address, was sentenced on January 20, 2023 to 65 years with all but 12 suspended, and five years of supervised probation upon release. He had plead guilty to 13 counts related to the armed robberies.


Per Montgomery County Public Schools: The Board of Education approved the following administrative appointments:

Robert Sinclair Jr., currently Principal, James Hubert Blake High School, as Consulting Principal, Department of Professional Growth Systems, Office of Human Resources and Development, Office of the Chief Operating Officer


Jersey Mike’s, which has eight locations in Montgomery County, will be donating 100% of their sales nationwide to charity on Wednesday, March 29th. The promotion is a part of Jersey Mike’s “Month of Giving” and sales are expected to be over $20 million for the day. According to Jersey Mike’s, “Day of Giving is Jersey Mike’s busiest day of the year. Each location prepares by staffing up and ordering extra food, ensuring there is plenty of meat, cheese, bread, onions, lettuce, tomatoes, and bacon to meet the high demand. The more you order, the more Jersey Mike’s gives. Whether in-store, through Jersey Mike’s app or through third-party delivery partners, proceeds from every single sale this Wednesday — including subs, chips, drinks, and catering orders — will go to local charities.”


The public is encouraged to take a brief online survey to share their suggestions. Montgomery Parks, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, is seeking ideas for a new park in downtown Bethesda and is encouraging the public to share suggestions by taking a brief online survey.  Comments from the survey will be used in developing concept plans for the park, which will be presented to the public in May. “This green space will be a gathering place for people across the county to recreate, relax, and gather in an urban setting,” said Linda Komes, project manager and landscape architect. “We are really interested to hear from the public about what they’d like to see here because there are so many opportunities to make it a unique destination.” 

 The Bethesda Market Park project will repurpose two parking lots adjacent to the historic Montgomery Farm Women’s Cooperative Market. When completed, the park and the adjacent Elm Street Urban Park will provide approximately four acres of urban park space in downtown Bethesda. The parks department hosted two in-person meetings on March 15 and 16 to present details about the project. A recording of the presentation is available on the project webpage. 


Residents can stop in anytime during the two-hour clinics to take a test ride and learn about how to use electric scooters. Participants must have a valid driver’s license or ID. No registration is required to attend a clinic and walk-ups are welcome. Check tinyurl.com/cycleclss for cancelations due to inclement weather.


Turbulence has been ruled out as the cause of Montgomery County woman’s death earlier this month after pilots told investigators they did not encounter turbulence on the flight, providing an update to the early statements from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) from a preliminary assessment the day after the crash. According to FOX5, “investigators said Friday that a passenger on a business jet was fatally injured in early March when the aircraft violently bucked up and down after pilots disconnected a system used to stabilize the plane.”

The flight took off from New Hampshire and was destined for Leesburg, VA before making an emergency landing in Connecticut. Dana Hyde, of Cabin John, was transported via ambulance to Saint Francis Medical Center, in Hartford, Connecticut after suffering blunt-force injuries. Hyde worked in the Clinton and Obama White Houses and was counsel on the 9/11 Commission, which investigated the September 11th terrorist attacks.


Westfield Montgomery has announced the signing of an expanded lease with Liljenquist & Beckstead. According to a press release, “The luxury boutique, housing exquisite collections of Swiss timepieces and stunning jewelry from around the world, will soon be home to a Rolex corner and storefront, along with an expanded selection of David Yurman offerings. The boutique will be built upon the existing location and expand into the former Lush and Swarovski spaces with Swarovski and Lush relocating nearby.”

Stuart Amos, Senior General Manager said: “we are honored to welcome the exciting expansion of Liljenquist & Beckstead. The Rolex boutique and expanded David Yurman offerings will be a welcome addition to our guests and speak to Westfield Montgomery’s evolution as an iconic shopping destination.”


Earlier today, two Walt Whitman High School students found a swastika that had been carved into a wooden stool in the school’s science lab. Back in December, the words “Jews Not Welcome” were written on Walt Whitman’s sign and multiple Whitman staff members received antisemitic emails. Incidents of anti semitic graffiti have been found this year at several other MCPS schools, prompting the school system to release a community message asking parents for help with the ongoing problem. Whitman High School principal Robert Dodd wrote the following in a message to the Whitman community:

Yet again, I have to write and let our community know about another instance of behavior that is antisemitic. We have done so much as a school community to call out this type of activity and to educate our students while still addressing and healing from past incidents of antisemitism. Subsequently, having to write another letter is very distressing for me and profoundly upsetting for our Jewish community. While it feels like a gut punch to find another example of antisemitic hate, we remain undeterred and will forge ahead with our efforts. Unfortunately, the increase in incidents we’ve experienced at Whitman are on par with a disturbing trend in Maryland. An audit released today by ADL shows a 98% increase in antisemitic incidents in Maryland in 2022.


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