The focus of National Night Out is to enhance the partnership among neighbors, law enforcement, and businesses, to cultivate a true sense of community.  “While Olney already has a good relationship with our first responders, this event provides a great opportunity to thank and engage those who keep us safe,” added Hogan. “It’s also a chance to get out and meet your neighbors, and that truly is what National Night Out is all about.”

Lieutenant Doug Miller, Deputy Commander of the Montgomery County Police Department’s Fourth District, said the police look forward to participating in Olney ‘s NNO event. “National Night Out is a great way to build community partnerships and engage with our Olney residents,” he said. “We enjoy connecting with our citizens, educating the community in crime prevention tips, sharing the best practices to stay safe, and quite simply having fun listening to music and eating delicious food.”


Dozens of Olney families have been displaced due to damage to their homes from storms that came through the area Tuesday evening between 5-7pm. According to Chief Spokesperson for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services Pete Piringer, numerous homes and vehicles in the area were damaged by fallen trees and powerlines, and many residents are still currently without power.  In a video posted to Twitter, Piringer says that damage was likely caused by a tornado based on the twisted wood/trees and the significance of the damage.

No serious injuries have been reported at this time. We will post an update when more information becomes available. Aftermath from the storm below:


Back in March, the  owner/operator of Olney’s Chick-Fil-A restaurant announced that he will be relocating to Georgia to open a new Chick-Fil-A in Savannah. In his letter to the community he wrote that a new owner would be in place by July and that the Chick-Fil-A corporate offices would be running the restaurant from April until then, asking for grace during the transition period. Earlier in the week, the restaurant introduced its new owner/operator, Arlington Duncan while thanking the interim manager who took over for the last 3 months.

The full message from Chick-Fil-A can be seen here: “Chick-fil-A Olney is excited to introduce our new owner/operator, Arlington Duncan. We are so appreciative of our interim manager, Nick, who helped guide our team during these past 3 months. We look forward to sharing more with the community about our new operator in the coming days! If you see Arlington (left) at the store, be sure to say hello and welcome him to Olney!”


In March we let you know that Scratch Kitchen & Bistro will be taking over the location that was formerly home to CB Acai and House of Fortune at 18062 Georgia Avenue in Olney. The new restaurant initially announced on Instagram that it planned to hold its grand opening on Sunday, May 15th, but a few permitting and construction delays pushed things back. Initially hoping to open in June, all permits have been approved and construction is ongoing. The restaurant now hopes to hold a soft opening on July 29th

Scratch Kitchen & Bistro is described as a family-owned bistro and cafe. It will serve breakfast and lunch classics made from locally sourced ingredients. Breakfast will be available all day, according to Scratch Kitchen’s Instagram account. CB Acai, the former tenant of the space, announced in November 2021 that it would be closing the Olney storefront and continue to operate its catering business and food truck. The acai bowl and smoothie spot first opened in July of 2020.


The investigation began on March 31, 2022, when Montgomery County Police – 4th District officers responded to the Marian Assisted Living facility for the report of a theft. The victim’s family discovered that while their family member had undergone surgery and recovery, multiple items of jewelry and a cell phone had gone missing from the secured bedroom.

Through the initial investigation probable cause was developed to identify Maritza Ramirez as the suspect involved in the reported theft.


Stephanie Luna was last seen on Friday, June 24, 2022, at approximately 3 p.m., leaving her residence in the 3100 block of Benton Square Drive.

Luna is 5-feet, 2-inches tall and weighs approximately 135 pounds. She has shoulder length black hair with blond highlights and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a black hoodie with the words “True Religion” written in white lettering on the back, black pants and white Nike sneakers. She also has a nose piercing.  Police and family are concerned for her welfare.


The housing market exploded last year and the trend has continued halfway through 2022. 18632 Woodgate Place, a 7 bedroom, 8 bathroom, 5,915 SF home in Olney, was listed at $2,499,000– and it ended up selling for $2,175,000, making it the highest priced residential listing in Olney history (photos below).

The home beat the previous Olney record of $2,066,986 for 16672 Bridle Ridge Lane, which sold in 2019. The Bridle Ridge house is a Toll Brothers home with 11,182 SF living space with 5 car garage on just over half an acre (0.55 acre), according to our real estate expert Nurit Coombe.


Sherwood High School Junior Amari Allen was named the 2022 All-Met Baseball Player of the Year by the Washington Post after helping lead the Warriors to the team’s second straight 4A Maryland State Championship. He went undefeated as a pitcher (9-0 with 81 strikeouts and an ERA of just .56).

A dynamic pitcher with a 90-plus-mph fastball and a powerful hitter who tied the state record for home runs in a season (13), Allen was a force in earning Sherwood its second straight Maryland 4A title. The Class 4A co-player of the year batted .516 for the season and had back-to-back multi-hit games in a semifinal and final at the state tournament. On the mound, Allen went 9-0 with 81 strikeouts and a 0.56 ERA.


Brew Belly at 18065 Georgia Ave in Olney has announced it will be holding a Cheesesteak Eating Contest on July 4 at 12:00pm. The winner of the contest, which is open to the first 20 people to sign up, will win free cheesesteaks from the restaurant for one year. The $20 entry fee will be donated to K9s for Warriors. In addition to cheesesteaks, Brew Belly boasts of over 250 Maryland-born brews, between its ever-changing (24 tap) beer list, to its well-stocked (12 door), reach-in, self-serve cooler.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CfFLKwCujzy/


Back in September of 2021 we let you know that &Pizza would be coming to Olney’s Fair Hill Shopping Center. At that time, we didn’t have an exact location, noting that it would likely take over a spot that was home to an existing business. It turns out the location will be the storefront that was formerly home to Olney Winery. Olney Winery will soon be moving to Ashton Market, but will remain in the Fair Hill Shopping Center until the Ashton Market location is ready to open. This means that &Pizza would not begin construction until after Olney Winery has moved, so the opening is still many months away, possibly early 2023.

&pizza was founded by Michael Lastoria and Steve Salis (Ted’s Bulletin, Federalist Pig, and Ensemble) in 2012 with their first location on H Street in D.C. The growing chain now has over 36 locations across the east coast including MoCo locations in Bethesda, two in Gaithersburg (Crown and Gaithersburg Square), Germantown, Pike & Rose, and Silver Spring.


On May 18, 2022, at approximately 3:25 a.m., residential surveillance video captured the suspects at a home on Grapevine Way, entering the victim’s vehicle. The suspects did not remove anything from the vehicle.

Between approximately 10 p.m., on May 21, 2022, and 8:30 a.m., on May 22, 2022, the suspects entered a victim’s vehicle at a residence on Moss Side Lane, and stole two bank cards. The suspects then used the banks cards at a Target store.


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