WHP Global, parent company of Toys “R” Us, has announced plans to open up to 24 Toys”R”Us flagship stores across the U.S. beginning in 2024. In addition to traditional brick and mortar stores, the expansion will also involve opening locations in airports and on cruise ships. According to WHP, Toys “R” Us marked its return in the U.S. when it opened a 20,000 sq ft. location in East Rutherford, NJ in 2021, followed by the launch of 452 Toys “R” Us shops at Macy’s stores in 2022. Exact locations for the upcoming stores have yet to be announced.

The first Toys “R” Us was located in Rockville, MD.  In 1948, Charles P. Lazarus opened a baby furniture store named Children’s Bargain Town in DC. Two years later, in 1950, he introduced a few select toys to his inventory. It didn’t take long for him to realize that toys, unlike furniture, either broke or fell out of favor with kids rather quickly…so he added more toys and cut back on the furniture.


Rockville will honor veterans of our nation’s armed forces with a ceremony at 11 a.m. on Veterans Day, Saturday, Nov. 11. The ceremony is planned for Veterans Park, at the intersection of MD 28 and Rockville Pike. Free parking will be available at Sandy Spring Bank, 611 Rockville Pike.

The ceremony, which is open to the public, will include a wreath laying and a presentation of colors. A reception will follow at American Legion Post 86, at 2013 Veirs Mill Road. For more information, visit www.rockvillemd.gov/veteransday, email [email protected] or call 240-314-8620. For video of past ceremonies, search “Veterans Day Ceremony” at youtube.com/cityofrockville.


The City of Rockville will hold two meetings in October to present a report on community outreach and engagement for the Town Center Master Plan. An in-person meeting will be held from 7-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24 in the Buchanan Room on the second floor of VisArts, 155 Gibbs St. A virtual meeting via WebEx will be held 7-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26. To register, visit engagerockville.com/towncenter.

Rockville staff will present findings from four months of intensive community outreach and engagement on the Rockville Town Center Master Plan. A master plan is a long-range document that establishes a vision for future growth and development. The goal of the master plan is to create a cohesive vision for the Town Center area that meets the city’s goals regarding climate action, bicycle and pedestrian safety, racial equity and social justice, and more.


The Rockville Antique and Classic Car Show, a city tradition for six decades, rolls into Rockville Civic Center Park on Saturday, Oct. 14.

The show’s 60th edition will be held 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at the picturesque park at 603 Edmonston Drive. Home to the historic Glenview Mansion, the hills of Rockville Civic Center Park offer a fall backdrop for collectors and enthusiasts to share memories as they stroll through vehicles from 32 car clubs, from Packard and Plymouth to Fiat and Ferrari. This year’s special display will celebrate 75 years of Lotus.


Per the FTC: The Federal Trade Commission is taking action to stop Lurn, a Maryland-based online business coaching seller, from making unfounded claims that consumers can make significant income by starting an array of online businesses. The company, its CEO Anik Singal, and spokespeople Tyrone Cohen and David Kettner have agreed to court orders that will require them to stop their unlawful practices, and require Lurn and Singal to turn over $2.5 million to the FTC to be used to refund money to consumers they harmed.

“Even after receiving a Notice of Penalty Offenses, Lurn used bogus earnings claims to convince people it would teach them to make large sums of money online,” said Samuel Levine, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “The Commission will continue to pursue aggressively those who prey on people seeking to provide for themselves and their families.”


Staff, students, families and the community are welcome to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Outdoor Environmental Education Program from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14 at the Lathrop E. Smith Environmental Education Center, 5110 Meadowside Lane in Rockville. The event will feature:

Vendors are expected to include: Montgomery Parks, the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection, the Izaak Walton League, Nature Forward, NASA, the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation, the MCPS Division of Sustainability and Compliance, Conservation Nation, the Poolesville High School Global Ecology Program, One Montgomery Green, Meadowside Nature Center and the Montgomery County Forestry Board.


Montgomery County Police responded to an incident involving a man threatening people with a machete on Tuesday, September 26 in North Bethesda. According to MCPD, “The call for a man with a machete was received at approximately 8:55 p.m. Officers responded to the 4800 block of Boiling Brook Pkwy and located an adult male with a machete. He was quickly taken into custody without incident.  No victims were located and no injuries were reported.” We will provide an update if additional information becomes available.

Safety reported Cordell Pugh reported the following on Twitter: “NORTH BETHESDA MACHETE MAN: ~9PM Thursday, shops off Boiling Brook Pkwy East of Parklawn Dr. Security called for Police assistance with a man threatening people with a machete. @MCPnews (@2DCommander) Officers rapidly located suspect & safely detained him without incident.”


Fall is here and the colors around us are about to change. Whether it’s the taste of a warm pumpkin-flavored latte, the cool breeze of a crisp fall morning, weekends full of football, or the yellow glow of the sun on a tall birch tree, autumn is often a contender for MoCo residents’ favorite season (however short it may be). Many locals are looking forward to combining all the best parts of fall and enjoying the foliage outdoors, so we’ve put together a small list of 11 where you can enjoy the foliage across the county:

Agricultural Reserve: A drive through the rural areas that the 93,000 acre Agricultural Reserve encompasses, along with the larger rural communities of Damascus and Poolesville and small crossroad communities such as Beallsville, Sunshine and Dickerson, are sure to give you your fill of fall foliage.


Last November we let you know that Sodexo committed its U.S. headquarters to 915 Meeting Street, a new 276,000-square-foot trophy office building currently under construction at the award-winning mixed-use development of Pike & Rose in North Bethesda, Maryland. Sodexo’s headquarters are currently located at 9801 Washingtonian Blvd in Gaithersburg (next to Rio Lakefront). According to a recent Maryland Newsletters report, the firm pulled a permit toward a $5.59 million fitout of 51,907 square feet at the North Bethesda building.

Sodexo will be taking 52,000 square feet, along with Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH), which signed a long-term lease to occupy 105,000 square feet. Sodexo is a leading global provider of catering, facilities management, employee benefits and personal home services to 100 million daily consumers in 56 countries. It will be moving from its current location in Gaithersburg to Pike & Rose in Spring 2024 (renderings are available below courtesy of Federal Realty).


Peterson Cos. has acquired the 402-unit Huntington at King Farm: Phase II apartment complex in Rockville for $135.5 million, according to a recent BizJournals report. This is the first residential holding for Peterson Cos. in Montgomery County. On the retail side, Peterson Cos. owns Downtown Silver Spring, Milestone Center in Germantown, and Rio Lakefront in Gaithersburg. Peterson Cos purchased the property on September 21st.

“Located at 801 Elmcroft Boulevard in Rockville, Huntington at King Farm: Phase II is a unique multifamily property in the prestigious King Farm neighborhood. The community has a total of 402 rental units, 165 of which are townhomes with private parking garages. Originally built in 2000 with generously sized floor plans of nearly 1,200 square feet on average, the community has benefitted from by long-term institutional ownership that maintained the property to a high level. Since 2011, approximately 342 units have been renovated.


View More Stories