The City of Takoma Park will be holding its Independence Day celebration starting with a parade at 10am on Tuesday, July 4th followed by an evening celebration in the form of an evening street party from 6pm to 9pm. Additional information, per the City of Takoma Park below:
Evening Celebration: EVENING STREET PARTY
On June 26 at approximately 11:11 am, Takoma Park Police responded to the 7300 block of Piney Branch Road for the report of a strong arm robbery and assault that had just occurred.
According to police, “An unknown suspect struck the victim’s vehicle’s bumper with his vehicle. When the victim got out of her vehicle and attempted to call 911 on her cell phone, the suspect got out of his vehicle, forcefully removed the cell phone from the victim’s hands and fled in his vehicle, striking the victim with his vehicle. The victim was not seriously physically injured.”
Mid-County Sparkles, one of Montgomery County’s Independence Day celebrations, will take place on Saturday, July 1st. Live music begins at 6 pm and fireworks begin at 9:15 pm. No alcohol or pets are permitted. Time is approximate and may change due to weather and additional information will be available closer to the event date. This event will be held at Newport Mill Local Park.
Westfield Wheaton Mall will be offering complimentary parking and round trip shuttle bus transportation from the mall parking lots to Albert Einstein High School (11135 Newport Mill Rd, Kensington, MD) starting at 5:30pm on Saturday, July 1 (Westfield Wheaton Mall,11160 Veirs Mill Rd, Wheaton, MD) for the region’s popular, annual firework and live music festival.
People’s Book, a woman-owned general purpose bookstore, has announced it will be opening at 7014-A Westmoreland Ave in Takoma Park on Tuesday, June 27. According to People’s Book, “the store will have a diverse selection of over 12,000 books, with a special focus on children’s literature, local interests, new releases and independent magazines. The inventory will also include book-themed gifts. Locally roasted drip coffee, kombucha, and other beverages and treats will be available.” The store plans to announce an official grand opening celebration at a later date.
“We’re so excited to provide readers of all ages opportunities to explore, learn, and connect with their neighbors,” said Megan Bormet, store owner and former elementary school educator. “Helping kids and adults find books they love is what I like to do best, and I’m thrilled that we can do this at People’s Book.”
On Saturday, June 24 at approximately 4:30 pm, Takoma Park police responded to the 7000 block of New Hampshire Avenue (Grace United Methodist Church) for a burglary, according to a press release by the Takoma Park Police Department.
Per Takoma Park Police: “Unknown suspect(s) broke into the church sometime on June 22 and damaged an equipment cabinet and ransacked a private area of the church. It is unknown at this time if any property was stolen. The investigation continues under case #230030269. Anyone with information about this crime is asked to please call us at 301-270-1100.” Featured photo courtesy of Google Maps
Per MCPD: Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – 3rd District Investigative Section are asking for the public’s assistance in locating Kevin Stewart, a missing 36-year-old from Silver Spring.
Stewart was last seen on Friday, June 23, 2023, at approximately 7 p.m., in the 12300 block of LaPlata St. He may be driving a Black 2022 Honda Accord with Maryland registration 9FC5345. Stewart has brown eyes and brown hair. It is unknown what he was last seen wearing. Police and family are concerned for his welfare.
Coming soon signage is up for Wiseguy Pizza in the Wheaton Mall food court. The restaurant will be located in the space that was previously occupied by Angel’s Pizza. Wiseguy serves stone-deck oven baked pizza by the slice that’s made with imported ingredients from Italy, homemade sauces, and dough using a special water filtration system. Pizza options include Cheese, Pepperoni, Paneer Tikki (House Masala, Paneer, Mozzarella, Onions, Tomato, Green & Chili Peppers, Cilantro, Jalapeño Sauce), Nashville Hot Chicken, Chicken Parmesan, and Whitestone (Garlic, Ricotta, Mozzarella, Parmigiano, Oregano, Oil from Tuscany Italy.)
According to the Metro Transit Police Department, on Tuesday, June 20th, a passenger boarded the train at the Silver Spring Metro Station and at some point in time, managed to get on top of the train to ride it. The passenger was
Per a FOX 5 report, “Around 4:37 p.m., rail operators advised that a person was possibly on the tracks. The train was stopped at Rhode Island Ave. and the operator got out of the train to look. It was confirmed then that a victim was underneath the train.” The victim showed no signs of life and was pronounced dead at the scene at 5:23 p.m.
Per Montgomery County: After tenants of Westchester West Apartments were informed that their building was going to be sold, they worried that rents would rise even more than they already had and so they worked with the community organization Action in Montgomery (AIM), to ask the County to intervene, which it is allowed to do under the County’s Right of First Refusal (RoFR) law. County Executive Marc Elrich, in agreement with Councilmember Natali Fani-Gonzalez, asked the Department of Housing and Community Affairs (DHCA) to find a partner who could preserve the affordability for the long term. This naturally occurring affordable housing rental property includes a large number of three-bedroom or “family-sized” units. After working with non-profit housing organization Enterprise Community Development (ECD), on June 8, 2023, Montgomery County’s DHCA purchased Westchester West Apartments, a residential property with 345 units located at 3214 Hewitt Avenue in Aspen Hill, Md., from Westchester Gardens LLC., for $67 million.
After purchasing the apartment building, DHCA immediately sold the rental housing property to ECD Westchester Apartments, LLC, an ECD affiliate, who will carry out the long-term plan for the property. This includes preserving affordability, curing deferred maintenance, and improving operations and services for residents. When transferring the property to ECD Westchester, the County also provided a $5 million loan for immediate rehab work to address deferred maintenance.
Planet Fitness has announced it will be opening new locations at 6881 New Hampshire Ave. in Takoma Park and 2201 Randolph Rd. in Wheaton (Glenmont). Construction is scheduled to begin soon and both locations are expected to open by the end of the year. The Glenmont location will be next to the existing Lidl.
According to Planet Fitness, “Both locations will offer state-of-the-art cardio machines and strength equipment, a 30-Minute Express Circuit, fully equipped locker rooms and numerous flat screen televisions. They also will feature a PF Black Card® Spa area with HydroMassage beds, massage chairs, tanning, a RelaxSpace Wellness Pod (where members can relax, reset and focus on their mental health for up to 15 minutes) and a Recovery Lounge offering a multi-sensory experience combining hot, cold and compression therapy.