Chop Robinson, a 6’3, 253 pound Defensive End for the Penn State Nittany Lions, watched his current team beat his previous team as Penn State rolled through Maryland 51-15 on Saturday. Robinson, a Quince Orchard High School graduate and Gaithersburg native who owns his high school’s sack record, was injured two weeks ago against Ohio State, and wasn’t able to play in the last two games, including Saturday’s game against Maryland. The now-Penn State standout is having a great season for the 8-1 Nittany Lions, with five tackles for loss, three sacks, and a forced fumble on the season, and hopes to return next week against Michigan. Many analysts and draft experts currently have Robinson going in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Last year, Robinson was selected All-Big Ten honorable mention by the coaches and media, named a Pro Football Focus All-Big Ten second team selection, and earned the team’s Reid Robinson Outstanding Defensive Lineman Award with Adisa Isaac. Appearing in 12 games as a sophomore, he posted 26 tackles (19 solo), 10 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, two pass breakups, three quarterback hurries, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble. Prior to the start of this season, Robinson earned preseason second-team All-American honors and was named to the Bednarik Award, Lombardi Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch lists prior to the start of the season.


Howard County Executive Calvin Ball and Recreation & Parks Director Nicholas Mooneyhan today broke ground on the COVID-19 memorial and sculpture at Meadowbrook Park and Athletic Complex in Ellicott City. The memorial will consist of three main elements: a grove of native birch trees, a seating area surrounding a water fountain, and a sculpture.

Forty-two birch trees were selected due to their symbolism of new beginnings and growth. They are native, attractive, and easily adapt to Maryland’s environment and various soils. The trees are fast growing, have beautiful, curling bark, and their spreading limbs provide excellent shade.


Last November, we let you know that New York‘s Chip City will be opening its first Maryland location at the Shoppes of Bethesda, replacing Fancy Cakes By Leslie at 4939 Elm St. Fancy Cakes by Leslie closed in October 2022. The new store opened to plenty of fanfare, as customers and social media influencers alike have been posting their experiences at the new shop.

Five years ago, cookies were a side hustle for Theodore Gailas and Peter Phillips. Since then, they’ve opened over a dozen Chip City cookie shops in and around New York with plans to expand outside of the area. Chip City is expected to rapidly expand, with over 20 stores expected to open in 2023. According to Forbes, The rollout plan will be supported by the founder of fast casual restaurant Shake Shack, Danny Meyer, who recently invested $10 million in the cookies.


Recently, “Harry” and his brother were in the Mt. Airy area, where “Harry” is planning to buy a farm, and they stopped at 7-Eleven #28890 located at 1610 Ridgeside Drive in Mt. Airy. “We were having a bad day,” he recalled, “so I said, ‘Let me try the 50 Years! scratch-offs.’”

The winner’s brother was busy buying convenience store items and “Harry” called him over to show him he won $100,000. “He didn’t believe me at first,” the accountant recalled. Their excitement spilled over and soon everyone knew what had happened. “We were loud about it! We celebrated with everybody in the store.”


Per the State of Maryland: “Governor Wes Moore today toured the AstraZeneca site in Gaithersburg and joined BioHub Maryland to announce a new skills training agreement with the Dublin, Ireland-based National Institute of Bioprocessing Research and Training, a global leader in biopharmaceutical manufacturing training and research. The partnership makes BioHub Maryland the exclusive training partner in the National Capital Region, enabling Marylanders—including veterans and members of disadvantaged communities—to learn a unique brand of skills required to work in the life sciences industry.

“Today, we’re not just here to celebrate this new BioHub partnership. We’re here to celebrate a new direction for Maryland’s economy and workforce,” said Gov. Moore. “We are ready to win. We are ready to grow and we are ready to show the entire country what we’re made of.”


Per the Maryland State Police: “As the weather begins to get colder, and as the holiday season approaches, it is more important than ever that motorists take proper precautions to reduce the chances of becoming a victim of vehicle theft. This warning from the Maryland State Police and the Maryland Vehicle Theft Prevention Council comes at a time when vehicle thefts are on the rise nationwide. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, nearly 500,000 vehicles were reported stolen nationwide in the first half of 2023, which represents an increase of more than 2 percent compared to the same period in 2022.

Consider the following:


Per the Maryland Department of Natural Resources: Blink and you might miss it. Peak fall color that is. Some reports out of western Maryland this week describe past peak conditions, and foresters and park rangers in other regions of the state also report rapid changes, with tree canopies transforming from mostly green to brilliant shades of yellow, orange and red often in as little as 48 hours.

Watershed Forester Bob Schwartz reports from along South Mountain in western Frederick County this week: “We were around peak prior to the rainfall over the weekend, which caused a lot of leaf-drop and pushed the mountainsides from vibrant yellows to mottled colors in a matter of days. However, there is plenty of burnished gold and blue sky left to see, particularly in the mountain coves or other sheltered areas that experienced less direct impact from the storms. Hopefully the return to cooler weather means we get an elongated end of season color flush.”


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