Kensington

Gorilla Statue Stolen; Reward of up to $10,000 Offered for Information That Leads to Arrest of Suspect

By Patrick Herron

Per MCPD: Officers from the Montgomery County Department of Police – 2nd District Patrol Services are investigating a theft of a gorilla statue that occurred on Wednesday, January 4, 2023, at Design Emporium Antiques in the 4000 block of Howard Ave. in Kensington. Detectives have released video of the male suspect and are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying him.

The investigation has revealed that at approximately 3:18 a.m., the suspect arrived at the store in an older model Chevrolet Colorado Z71, got out of the vehicle and approached the statute. The suspect then cut the cable that was locking the statue to the front of the store, loaded it into the truck and left the scene.  Officers reviewed the surveillance cameras of the store and obtained a physical description of the suspect.  The suspect is described as a White male, approximately 5-feet, 10-inches tall, medium build, wearing a dark colored hooded sweatshirt, light gray sweatpants and light-colored shoes.

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Antisemitic Flyers Left at Homes in Kensington Over the Weekend

By Patrick Herron

Antisemitic flyers were found in the yards of several homes in Kensington on Sunday morning. According to a report by WUSA9, the flyers were placed in Ziploc bags that contained rice, and several of the homes targeted had mezuzahs (parchment inscribed with Hebrew verses from the Torah) displayed. Montgomery County Police has not released any information regarding the incident or suspects. In a statement on Monday, County Executive Marc Elrich said, “These attacks are meant to instill fear to weaken and divide our communities, but these are generating more support for our Jewish neighbors. We are united and are showing those who are pedaling hate that these antisemitic attempts at community disruption won’t be tolerated.”

Over the weekend it was reported drawings of a swastikas were found on desks at three Montgomery County Public Schools, including Silver Creek Middle School in Kensington on Thursday. In a statement released Saturday night, MCPS and the Board of Education said, “In each case, students and the staff addressed the vile impact of the hateful images, worked to immediately remove the drawings, and in each case, appropriate discipline in alignment with the MCPS Student Code of Conduct was assigned. More important than disciplinary action, however, is what we do in response. As we fight these repeated acts of hate, we must challenge one another to learn and understand what antisemitism, hatred, and racism are and the harm they cause.”

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Drawing of Swastika Found at Middle School

By Patrick Herron

A drawing of a swastika was found on a desk at Silver Creek Middle School at 3701 Saul Rd in Kensington on Thursday. The school sent out the following message to the community on Friday:

Our highest priority is the safety and security of our students. As a No Place for Hate school, we find this behavior to be unacceptable and against the core values we embrace at Silver Creek. As such, students who engage in this type of behavior will be given appropriate disciplinary actions aligned with the MCPS student code of conduct.”

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Update: Student Charged With Bringing Brass Knuckles, Knife, and Marijuana to School

By Patrick Herron

MCPD released the following updated summary of events with new information regarding the lockdown and subsequent arrest of a student at Albert Einstein High School this afternoon. The original news release stated that the student taken into custody during the investigation was not being charged criminally.

“At approximately 1:54 p.m. today, Montgomery County Police received a report of a student with a gun inside of Albert Einstein High School, located at 11135 Newport Mill Rd. in Kensington.

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Police Release Additional Information on Friday’s Lockdown at Albert Einstein High School; BB Gun Located by Officers

By Patrick Herron

Updated at 9:20PM: MCPD released the following updated summary of events with new information regarding the lockdown and subsequent arrest of a student at Albert Einstein High School this afternoon. The original news release stated that the student taken into custody during the investigation was not being charged criminally.

“At approximately 1:54 p.m. today, Montgomery County Police received a report of a student with a gun inside of Albert Einstein High School, located at 11135 Newport Mill Rd. in Kensington.

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Under Armour Names Marriott’s Stephanie Linnartz New President and CEO

By MCS Staff

Under Armour, founded by MoCo native Kevin Plank, announced that Marriott’s Stephanie Linnartz will join the company as President, Chief Executive Officer, and member of its Board of Directors, effective February 27, 2023. Her appointment follows a thorough and deliberate search led by a committee of independent members of Under Armour’s Board of Directors. Linnartz currently serves as the president of Bethesda-based Marriott International, Inc., the world’s largest hospitality company, with a portfolio of nearly 8,200 properties across 138 countries and territories and 30 brands, including The Ritz-Carlton®, St. Regis®, Marriott Hotels®, W® Hotels, and Westin® as well as the industry’s most extensive customer-loyalty program, Marriott Bonvoy®, which has 173 million members.

Per the press release: “As a 25-year veteran of one of the world’s most respected global companies, we are thrilled to welcome Stephanie to the brand,” said Kevin Plank, Under Armour Executive Chair and Brand Chief. “She is a proven growth leader with a distinguished track record of brand strategy, omnichannel execution, talent acquisition and development, and passion for driving best-in-class consumer connectivity, experience, and brand loyalty.”

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$50,000 Winning Lottery Ticket Sold in MoCo Remains Unclaimed

By Patrick Herron

A $50,000 winning Powerball lottery ticket sold on  Thursday, December 15 at the 7-Eleven located at 10594 Metropolitan Avenue in Kensington remains unclaimed as of December 20.  Other recent winners of note include a $100,000 winning scratch off purchased at the Cash, Latino Market & Jewelry (2505 Ennals Ave) in Silver Spring and a $1,000,000 winning scratch-off purchased in Hyattsville, MD.  Additional information on winners across the state of Maryland below, courtesy of MD Lottery:

Winners of prizes larger than $25,000 must redeem their tickets at the Maryland Lottery Customer Resource Center in Baltimore, which is open by appointment only. Prizes of up to $5,000 can be claimed at any of more than 400 Expanded Cashing Authority Program (XCAP) locations. All Maryland Lottery retailers are authorized to redeem tickets up to and including $600. More information is available on the How To Claim page of mdlottery.com.

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China Gourmet, a Kensington Staple, to Close After 35 Years; Replacement Announced

By MCS Staff

China Gourmet, located at 3739 University Blvd for the last 35 years, has announced earlier this month that the restaurant will be closing permanently at the end of December. The restaurant cites the retirement of “key personnel” as the main reason, stating that it “just would not be China Gourmet” without them. What’s next for the space? The owners also announced that they’ll be remodeling and reopening as an “American sports-themed restaurant” in the future. Full message by China Gourmet below:

“To Our Loyal Patrons and Friends,

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Two Dogs Rescued and Resuscitated After Postal Worker Calls 9-1-1 Tuesday Morning

By MCS Staff

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) were called to the scene of a fire in Kensington when a postal worker called 9-1-1 after smelling smoke and hearing fire alarms going off in a home on Dewey Rd Tuesday morning, according to MCFRS Chief Spokesperson Pete Piringer.

Per Piringer, there were no humans home at the time of the fire, but crews found two unconscious dogs that they were able to resuscitate and take to a nearby vet. Unfortunately, three cats did not survive the fire. There was approximately $75K in damages to the home.

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Montgomery Parks to Modify Open Parkways Schedule on Beach Drive  

By MCS Staff

The entirety of Beach Drive in Montgomery County will remain open to vehicles on Fridays beginning Friday, December 16, 2022. Portions will continue to remain (closed to cars) and open to pedestrians and cyclists on Saturdays and Sundays. 

Montgomery Parks, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, is modifying its open parkways schedule to reopen portions of Beach Drive to vehicles on Fridays. Beach Drive will remain open to pedestrians and cyclists (closed to vehicles) on Saturdays and Sundays. The change will go into effect on Friday, December 16, 2022. The modification is being made in response to analysis of traffic data showing a substantial increase in vehicle traffic on neighborhood streets on Fridays.

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