Per the City of Gaithersburg: Most City of Gaithersburg facilities & offices are closed on February 20, 2023, in observance of Presidents Day, with the exception of the following:
The collection of recycled materials will take place as scheduled. Bulk pick up is unavailable. Note that the Mayor & City Council Regular Session will take place on Tuesday, February 21, 2023. See City of Rockville Presidents Day closures here.
Gaithersburg native, Grammy Award nominated, and platinum selling musical artist Logic is gearing up to make a splash in 2023 with a little help from his friends, including local rappers C Dot Castro, Big Lenbo, Fat Trel, and Adé on the track named “Gaithersburg Freestyle” off of his upcoming album College Park, which is set to drop on Friday, February 24 (album cover below). It follows the June 2022 release of his album Vinyl Days, which peaked at number 12 on the Billboard 200.
Logic was born and raised in the West Deer Park neighborhood of Gaithersburg. Logic attended Gaithersburg High School and his ties to the area are still strong with a lot of his family still living in MoCo. The rapper also worked at Joe’s Crab Shack, located in the current True Food Kitchen space in Rio, and performed there a few times when he started off (including the video below):
Malick Boly is among the first Peace Corps volunteers to return to overseas service since the agency suspended its global operations and evacuated nearly 7,000 volunteers from more than 60 countries in March 2020. Boly grew up in Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso in West Africa before moving to Gaithersburg in 2011, where he attended Lakeland Park Middle School and Northwest High School (Class of 2016) in Germantown. Boly graduated from UMBC with a bachelor’s degree in cultural anthropology and will serve as an English literacy volunteer in Samoa.
“My mother was a volunteer in Gabon during the early 80’s,” said Boly. “Her decision to join Peace Corps sent her on a thirty plus year humanitarian journey that culminated in the creation and management of multiple schools and a happy family of five. I am proud to follow in her footsteps.”
Isaac’s Poultry Market at 12167 Darnestown Rd in Gaithersburg, the former site of Pizza Hut, is scheduled to open the week of February 20th. The restaurant is being opened by Rob Gresham, a lifelong MoCo resident and the former Director of Operations at CAVA. The restaurant will feature American roasted chicken, wings, sandwiches, and salads. You can view the full menu here.
Gresham tells us that everything they sell will be made from scratch and that the menu will feature plenty of healthy options. Isaac’s will also feature frozen custards, slushies, juice, and a variety of baked goods and desserts.
On Feb. 3, DuFief Elementary School in North Potomac welcomed Montgomery County Chief of Police Marcus Jones to speak to students on community leadership. The school is celebrating Black History Month by looking at ways to serve the community through leadership.
Along with the parent community and the DuFief Diversity Committee, the month will include guest speakers, including Robert Frost Middle School students and students from the Thomas S. Wootton High School Minority Scholars Program. Featured photo: Montgomery County Police Chief Marcus Jones speaks to students at DuFief Elementary School.
Kabongo pleaded guilty to two counts of Second-Degree Rape and two counts of Sexual Abuse of a Minor for the abuse of four female victims who rode the bus he drove for Montgomery County Public Schools. One of the victims came forward after an incident in July of 2018 and a Montgomery County Police investigation resulted in the discovery of school bus surveillance footage of multiple incidents involving three additional victims. Two of the girls were minors at the time and the other two were both 18-years old.
The defendant had maintained that he was not criminally responsible due to an alleged mental disorder, but today the jury found he is indeed responsible for these crimes. Kabongo faces up to 40 years in prison. A sentencing hearing is set for March 30th 2023.
“To our Loyal Companion community,
With a heavy heart, we want to inform you that we’ve made the tough decision to close our Loyal Companion stores. We have loved serving the community and supporting you on your pet wellness journey.
According to a report by WTOP, Pepco stated “it completed repairs on the tower and overhead lines on Feb. 3, 68 days after the shocking plane crash and rescue of the two inside. Pepco added that the Gaithersburg transmission tower is back to working normally.” Repairs on the transmission tower and power lines that were damaged after a private plane crashed into them on November 27 began on Monday, January 16. The crash occurred near the intersection of Goshen Road and Rothbury Drive in Montgomery Village and resulted in an outage to approximately 85,000 customers across the county. The pilot and passenger of the plane suffered non-life threatening injuries. On December 6, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released its preliminary report on the incident.
Montgomery Parks’ recognized Park Manager Tom Baker at a Montgomery County Planning Board meeting for his heroic efforts in helping the people involved in the plane crash. Baker, who has worked for Montgomery Parks for over 18 years and manages 29 parks in the Rock Creek region of the county, was presented with a certificate of appreciation. He was dispatched to the scene the evening of the crash and was put in charge of communications with the pilot, to keep him calm and informed of the recovery efforts. “This went on for approximately seven hours until they were rescued,” said Baker, “I was relaying information about their status to the medical command officer so he could keep the paramedics informed. In all my 27 active years as a volunteer, I have never responded to such a call. This is in fact a once in a lifetime incident.” The pilot and passenger were both rescued and are recovering.
The City has launched Retool Gaithersburg, a comprehensive initiative to update the City’s Zoning Code. The update aims to modernize the zoning ordinance to better reflect the needs of the community today & ensure that zoning regulations accommodate & implement the City’s vision & goals of a vibrant & innovative Gaithersburg. A new website dedicated to the project can be found at www.RetoolGaithersburg.com. The first stage of the zoning update process consists of two virtual kick-off meetings on February 23, 2023, at Noon & 7 p.m. to introduce the project. All members of the public are invited to attend. The presentation will outline the scope of the project & timeline, and will give participants the ability to ask questions about the initiative. Sign up to participate here.
Per the City of Gaithersburg: Why Retool Gaithersburg? The last comprehensive update to the City’s Zoning Code was in 1965, a time when Gaithersburg was mostly agricultural. Since then, the types of businesses, housing, and industrial uses have changed. Updating the zoning rules will support policies to improve quality of life, prepare for new and innovative businesses and construction methods, and address the future demands of the City. Retool Gaithersburg also seeks to enhance usability for residents so the Zoning Code is easier to navigate & understand. Retool Gaithersburg is expected to take up to 18 months to complete in order to offer as much engagement & public input as possible. For project updates, timeline, background information, and public engagement opportunities visit www.RetoolGaithersburg.com.
Permanent signage is up at Kobe Japan Hibachi & Sushi, which will be located at 19226 Montgomery Village Ave, next to Moe’s Southwest Grill in the Montgomery Village Center. Kobe Japan has additional locations at 1163 University Blvd E in Takoma Park and 13623 Georgia Ave. Suit A in Aspen Hill. According to their website, the menu features sushi, sashimi, spring rolls, bento boxes and hibachi. Construction is currently ongoing on the interior of the restaurant and no opening date has been announced.
Last week, BooBoo Pho opened at 19230 Montgomery Village Ave, also in the Montgomery Village Center. The restaurant is currently offering a grand opening special of 15% off orders through March 3. Menu items include spring rolls, Pho (noodle soup), sandwiches, vermicelli bowls, salads, and stir fry. BooBoo Pho is open Monday-Saturday 10am-8pm and Sunday 11am-7pm.
African International Market will be opening soon in the Festival at Muddy Branch shopping center on Muddy Branch Rd in Gaithersburg. The store is being opened by the family that owns the African market at 13011 Wisteria Dr. in Germantown, which opened back in 2021. The store will sell international items from Africa, Latin America, and the Carribbean, including the “best of fresh Ghana yams, ripe and green plantains, smoked goat meat, beef, fresh fish, halal meat, kenkey, shitto, fried fish, agege bread, and a lot more.” Grand opening information will be announced soon.
The Festival shopping center is currently home to Family Dollar, Lotte Market, Matthew’s Grill and Planet Fitness.