Baltimore’s Ekiben is set to open its first location outside the city in Frederick, according to the Baltimore Banner. Founder and Quince Orchard High School alumnus Steven Chu shared two photos on Instagram– a view of a building’s interior and a floor plan for a commercial kitchen accompanied by the caption “#4.” The upcoming Frederick restaurant will occupy 500 N. Market Street, a space that formerly housed Affiliated Barbershop and, prior to that, a State Farm branch. No opening date has been announced.

Founded in 2014 by Ephrem Abebe, Steve Chu, and Nikhil Yesupriya, Ekiben began as an Asian fusion fast-casual stand selling unique takes on Asian and Ethiopian cuisine from a hotdog cart at the Fells Point Farmers Market. Since its inception, the restaurant has grown to operate three brick-and-mortar locations in Baltimore– in Fells Point, Hampden, and South Baltimore– and a catering operation.


Jon Thompson, a Montgomery County native and Clarksburg High School graduate, has been in the restaurant industry since he was 16. In 2020, he created Fifty Fifty– a burger concept featuring patties made of half beef and half bacon– currently located inside Olde Mother Brewing at 526 N Market St in Frederick, MD. This innovative recipe has attracted diners from across Maryland and beyond (photos below).

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Governor Wes Moore this afternoon declared a State of Emergency to strengthen the state’s coordinated response to historic flood damage in Western Maryland. The governor announced the State of Emergency declaration during his visit to Allegany County to survey the major damage incurred as the result of Tuesday’s statewide storm activity.

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Attorney General Anthony G. Brown announced an independent audit of Maryland’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, finding that more than half of reviewed cases had differing determinations of manner of death, including several from Montgomery County that were reclassified as homicides.

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The father of 5-year-old Gibson Rivera Theimer, who was severely injured in a lawn mower accident on Saturday, May 10, in Olney, has provided an update on his condition. He shared that Gibson’s injuries are far more extensive than initially reported, affecting his entire right leg from upper buttock to foot. While Gibson is now out of immediate danger, he faces multiple surgeries, a long rehabilitation process, and will ultimately require a prosthetic. Over $40,000 has been donated so far to a GoFundMe campaign supporting his recovery. (more…)


Today, Governor Wes Moore, Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller, Treasurer Dereck Davis, Comptroller Brooke Lierman, House Speaker Adrienne Jones, and Senate President Bill Ferguson released the following statement on Moody’s Credit Rating. Moody’s downgraded Maryland’s bond rating from AAA to Aa1 for the first time since 1973, a move that could increase borrowing costs despite recent state budget reforms and deficit reductions.

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