At least one lane is blocked coming off of the ramp at Montgomery Village Ave (exit 11) with traffic backed up onto northbound I-270, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) Chief Spokesperson Pete Piringer.
Piringer warns that driving conditions are less than desirable after MCFRS has responded to numerous crashes today, including the one pictured on the Montgomery Village Ave off ramp. One adult is being treated for non-life threatening injuries.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation surprised Rachel Carson Elementary School fifth grader Aubrey Campbell with a trip to Hawaii, where she will swim with dolphins and ride horses.
Aubrey, who has an autoimmune disease, was surprised with the trip in front of her classmates, family and Make-A-Wish representatives on Jan. 25. Her doctor, Dr. Sangeeta Sule, and Dr. Kurt Newman, president and CEO of Children’s National Hospital, and Principal Mindy Reeves were also there for the presentation.
More than $116,000 in funds have been distributed to families affected by the catastrophic November 26 explosion and fire at the Potomac Oaks Condominium in Gaithersburg through a collaborative effort involving governmental agencies and nonprofits, including Making Homes Possible (MHP). The dedicated relief fund, which totals more than $138,000 thanks to generous donors, is being managed by MHP. One hundred percent of donations are going to affected families to cover costs and damage resulting from the explosion/fire.
Ten people were transported to the hospital, two with critical injuries and eight (4 adults/4 children) with mild/moderate injuries following the explosion and fire. Dozens of residents from 24 different units across four buildings were also displaced. It was announced that the body of the deceased recovered from the wreckage on Thursday had been positively identified as 36-year-old Juan Pablo Marshall Quizon. The manner of death was ruled a suicide and the cause of death was smoke inhalation and burns. MHP anticipates closing the Potomac Oaks relief fund by the end of February. Those interested in contributing to the fund should complete their donations by February 28. You can donate here.
Ava Piedrahita, a 2022 graduate of Damascus High School has been named Penn State student-athlete of the week. Ava, a native of Gaithersburg, also attended John T. Baker Middle School in Damascus. According to her website, Ava started gymnastics because her sister Kaitlyn was in gymnastics back in 2007 and she was just tagging along running around in the waiting room. She started with recreational classes for a couple of years then was invited to team at Hill’s Gymnastics in Gaithersburg.
Penn State on Ava: “In the first Big Ten meet of her career against No. 16 Minnesota, Piedrahita shined with three career-highs in a fantastic all-around competition for the freshman. The freshman started off her night with a 9.800 on bars as one of four Nittany Lions to post a 9.800-or-better on the apparatus. She continued with a career-best 9.875 on vault, which led the team in the event and became Penn State’s best mark on the apparatus this season. Her career-best 9.775 on the balance beam closed out the night for her and helped her set a new lifetime best 39.225 in the all-around to claim second place in the meet. The score also became Penn State’s best all-around mark in the 2023 season. In a tough Big Ten road environment, the freshman rose to the occasion and performed extremely well for the Nittany Lions”
Each year the Maryland Municipal League (MML) & the Maryland Mayors Association invite 4th grade students throughout Maryland to participate in a statewide essay contest. This is a great opportunity for students to learn about local government and to showcase their creative writing talents. The digital entry form with instructions is available here. The 2023 submission deadline is midnight on March 31. Additional information below.
The City takes the MML Mayor’s Essay Contest one step further by selecting a winner specifically from our own community, a winner who will be named Gaithersburg’s Junior Mayor for a year.
On Monday, Roaming Rooster announced that its newest location at 511 Quince Orchard Rd in Gaithersburg will now be open 11am-10pm daily. The restaurant is located in the space previously occupied by Duck Donuts in the Firstfield Shopping Center. Last week, we reported that Roaming Rooster was holding its soft opening and would be open daily from 11am-4pm. The restaurant has an official grand opening celebration and ribbon cutting scheduled for February 15. Roaming Rooster is known for its variety of buttermilk fried chicken sandwiches that vary in heat depending on the diner’s preferences – mild, medium or hot. In addition to its free-range, grain-fed, antibiotic-free and Halal chicken. Roaming Rooster also offers wings, chicken tenders and hand-cut fries.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CnxZ6iKu2fZ/
In December, we let you know that Dunkin’ is continuing its massive expansion across the country and in MoCo, with an upcoming location coming to the Traville Village Center in Rockville. We have since learned that it will be taking over 1,500 SF in the back half of the building that was previously home to Capital One Bank building at 9761 Traville Gateway Drive (rendering available below). The location will also have a drive-thru. 1,700 SF on the front side of the building is still available to lease.
Since Inspire Brands acquired Dunkin’ and Baskin Robbins in late 2020 for $11.3 billion, the company has been opening in former bank locations that allow for easy installation of a drive-thru window. Dunkin has also aimed for non-traditional development that includes opening in airports and on college campuses, including the University of Maryland.
Planners release report on current conditions, community input for master plan focused on communities along I-270 Corridor
The Montgomery County Planning Department presented the Great Seneca Plan: Connecting Life and ScienceExisting Conditions Report to the Planning Board Thursday, January 19. The Great Seneca Plan is a comprehensive update to the 2010 master plan for communities in the heart of the I-270 Corridor that border the cities of Gaithersburg and Rockville, and includes the Universities at Shady Grove, Adventist Healthcare Shady Grove, and surrounding areas. The Existing Conditions Report evaluates the status of the plan area and provides critical community input and data that inform the Great Seneca Plan going forward. The final plan will make recommendations for land use, zoning, urban design, transportation, environment, and community facilities, as well as incorporate countywide initiatives and policies.
My name is Alex Tsironis, also known as “Mr. MoCo”, founder of The MoCoShow. In the early days of the show, I loved to discuss my favorite foods in the area and one of my favorite things to eat has to be steak and cheese subs. I love cheesesteaks in Philly, but I grew up here eating steak and cheese from Jerry’s with tomatoes…so I usually prefer that and mayonnaise on my steak and cheese subs. Everyone’s an expert on what they like, regardless of where they’re from, etc. and that’s why I like to make it clear that this is just my top 5. I really like a lot of steak and cheese subs that aren’t in my top 5 and I’m well aware that someone else’s list would likely look pretty different, but I love the discussion that comes with sharing…so check it out below:
Just missed: Bulgogi Cheesesteak from Cheesesteak Mike’s in Hillandale: Marinated rib-eye, grilled onions, lettuce, tomato, mayo, provolone cheese. If you’re fan of bulgogi, you would probably like this sub. I like the way the grilled onions work on this one.
Sweetgreen at 299 Copley Place Suite D100 in Gaithersburg, which held its soft opening this past weekend, will hold its official grand opening on Tuesday, January 24. According to Sweetgreen, “for every bowl sold on opening day, we will donate a bowl to Manna Food Center to fight hunger in Montgomery County through food, education, and advocacy. The 2,530 sq ft location will accommodate 20 diners outside and 28 diners inside through their expansive banquet seating. The restaurant will also feature a designated pick-up entrance close to the building’s parking spaces for seamless pickup. Store hours are 10:30am to 10pm, seven days a week.
Sweetgreen has also commissioned DC-based artist Christine Cover to create an acrylic and oil stick piece for the restaurant and will be giving away a print of the artwork to the first 150 customers. Sweetgreen currently has three additional MoCo locations, in Bethesda, Downtown Silver Spring, and Pike & Rose. Downtown Crown has been without a fast-casual salad restaurant since Chopt closed in early 2020 and has since moved that location to the Kentlands neighborhood
The Montgomery County Department of Police will be holding cannabis intoxication impaired driving labs later this week at the Montgomery County Public Safety Training Academy in Montgomery Village. According to MCPD, “Montgomery County Department of Police’s Cannabis Intoxication Impaired Driving Labs are unique employee training programs that promote community engagement, increase citizen participation in understanding police activity, and work to enhance traffic safety while aiming to deter impaired driving.