Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Laron Scarlett is asked to call the police non-emergency number at (301) 279-8000 (24-hour line) or the Special Victims Investigations Division at (240) 773-5400. Callers may remain anonymous.


Students in the Montgomery County Students Automotive Trades Foundation (ATF) and Information Technology Foundation (ITF) will sell used cars and computers they have refurbished on Saturday, Dec. 10, at Gaithersburg High School, from 9–11 a.m. The school is located at 101 Education Blvd. in Gaithersburg. The cars and computers are refurbished and reconditioned by the students as part of their classroom and lab studies. The sales provide students with the opportunity to practice their sales skills, earn Student Service Learning hours, and develop a deeper appreciation for community involvement.

The ATF is still seeking car donations, which will help high school students learn how to evaluate, repair and restore used cars. The ATF accepts donations year-round between 8 a.m.–3 p.m. Monday through Friday at Damascus, Gaithersburg and Seneca Valley high schools, at Thomas Edison High School of Technology and at the Shady Grove Bus Depot. Donations may be tax deductible. Future sales are coming up:


The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its preliminaries report on the plane crash that occurred in Gaithersburg on Sunday, November 27th and left the pilot and passenger trapped inside the plane that was stuck in an electrical tower for many hours. The full report can be seen below:

NTSB report: On November 27, 2022, at 1729 eastern standard time, a Mooney M20J, N201RF, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Gaithersburg, Maryland. The private pilot and passenger were seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight.


Anytime Fitness has closed its Rockville location (9725 Traville Gateway) permanently, according to a representative from the Germantown location. We were told the 24-hour gym closed its doors in late November after over a decade in the location.

Anytime Fitness has additional Montgomery County locations in Germantown (18319 Leaman Farm Dr.) and Kensington (4265 Howard Ave). There is no word on a replacement in the Traville Gateway shopping center. Featured photo courtesy of Google Maps.


Last year, John-Paul “JP”  Flaim of The Sports Junkies announced his new book Still Barking on the show this morning over at 106.7 The Fan. The book tells the story of how The Sports Junkies came together over 25 years ago along with all of the memorable experiences the crew has had since then. JP, a MoCo resident, is having an appearance at Burton’s in The Kentlands on Wednesday, December 7th between 5pm and 7pm, where he’ll chat with local sports fans and have 10 copies of his book for sale for anyone interested.

“For the past year, I have worked on the story of four childhood friends chasing a dream with heart, humor and soul. Though it dives into radio and our career, the overarching theme is one of brotherhood and friendship. I wish my Mom could have seen the final product but alas she is not here, but without her spirit, I couldn’t have worked as hard as I did to complete this project.” Flaim said about his book.


Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) were called to the scene of a collision with entrapment on Quince Orchard Road and Sioux Lane in Gaithersburg at approximately 5:20pm on Sunday evening, according to MCFRS Chief Spokesperson Pete Piringer.

Upon arrival crews found two vehicles involved in the collision with one adult patient trapped inside of a vehicle. That patient was extricated and taken to a nearby hospital with priority 1 trauma (life-threatening injuries). Another patient was transported to the hospital with minor injuries. Some lanes are blocked in the area as of 5:55pm.


MOD Pizza, a fast-casual pizza restaurant with over 500 locations nationwide, has temporarily closed its Kentlands location (145 Commerce Square Place in Gaithersburg), with brown paper covering the restaurant’s windows, according to several readers. The reason for the temporary closure is currently unknown, but the MOD Pizza website has the location reopening on Monday.

The acronym “MOD” in the company’s name stands for “Made on Demand” and the company has three locations in Montgomery County– Downtown Silver Spring, Kentlands, and Montrose Crossing in Rockville. MOD Pizza offers individual, customizable pizzas made with organic dough using King Arthur Flour. Customers specify which ingredients they want included on their order, and watch the preparation process, though the restaurant also offers recommended combinations. Pizzas are then cooked in three minutes using stone ovens at 800 °F.


The All-Big 12 Conference football teams and individual award winners have been announced and Montgomery County’s very own Johnny Hodges has earned two awards. Selections are made by the league’s 10 head coaches, who are not permitted to vote for their own players.

Hodges, a 6’2, 240 pound junior linebacker from Darnestown, who graduated from Quince Orchard High School in 2019, is a starting linebacker for the TCU Horned Frogs– currently ranked 3rd in the country. He has been named to the 2022 All-Big 12 Second Team and won the award for “Defensive Newcomer of the Year.” Hodges was also recently named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the week after he had a team-best and season-high 11 tackles, more than double the next-closest Horned Frog, to lead a strong defensive effort in then No. 4 TCU’s 17-10 win over then No. 18 Texas. The junior LB had 1.5 tackles for loss as part of his 11 stops and combined on a tackle for no gain on a 4th-and-1 Bijan Robinson rush on Texas’ opening series to set the tone for the game.


Torrid, “the destination for Trendy Plus-size fashion and accessories”, will close its Rio location permanently according to a representative from the retailer. The store, located at 35 Grand Corner Ave in Gaithersburg, will close towards the end of January, according to the representative from the store. It took over the space that was previously home to Ono-Asia Pacific, a restaurant that served various Asian and Hawaiian cuisine, about a decade ago. There is no word on what the replacement will be at this time.

Torrid is an American women’s retail chain formerly owned by Hot Topic. While it is still owned by Sycamore Partners, owners of Hot Topic, in 2015, the company branched off to become Torrid, LLC. The store offers plus-size clothing and accessories for women size 10-30. Torrid began operations in April 2001. The first location opened in the Brea Mall in Brea, California. As of 2020, Torrid has over 600 stores in operation across 36 states in the United States. Torrid opened its first store in 2001, and an international store in Canada (Toronto) in August 2015. In July 2021, the company went public on the New York Stock Exchange, under the symbol CURV.


The initiative examines the inclusivity of laws, policies & services with respect to the LGBTQ+ community.

The City of Gaithersburg earned a score of 100 points in the 11th annual Municipal Equality Index, an initiative of the Human Rights Campaign that examines the inclusivity of laws, policies & services with respect to the LGBTQ+ community. The City’s score in 2021 was also 100. The Index used 49 different criteria to rate 506 cities across the country. The average score nationally was 68, up one point from 2021 and marking the fifth consecutive year of national average increases.


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