MoCo Government

Per Montgomery County: The Economic Development (ECON) Committee will meet on Monday, Oct. 9 at 9:30 a.m. to discuss business retention strategies and receive a briefing from the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) on second quarter Montgomery County economic indicators in 2023.

The members of the ECON Committee include Chair Natali Fani-González, Councilmember Marilyn Balcombe, Council President Evan Glass and Councilmember Laurie-Anne Sayles.


MoCo Government

Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County made another bold move to expand its number of affordable housing units by providing funding for the construction of Park Montgomery West, a new 76-unit rental apartment building to be built at 8856 Piney Branch Road in Silver Spring. Conveniently located along the developing Purple Line Corridor, Park Montgomery West will help preserve and meet the increasing demand for transit-oriented affordable housing in one of Maryland’s most populated counties.

Montgomery County’s Department of Housing and Community Affairs (DHCA) facilitated $10.6 million in financing, along with a Payment in lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreement with Enterprise Community Development, Inc. (ECD) to support the construction of the 76 new apartments and the renovation of 141 existing units. The PILOT agreement waves County real estate taxes for ECD on its affordable units.


Restaurant

Nick’s Diner at 11199 Veirs Mill Rd in Wheaton has announced that its water supply has been restored and the restaurant is back open for business. The restaurant had posted the following message on its social media pages on Saturday morning: “Attention valued patrons, due to a water main break, Nick’s Diner is temporarily closed. Stay tuned for updates. Thank you for understanding.”

Nick’s recently celebrated its 40th anniversary and serves diner classics like pancakes, French toast, omelets, hot & cold sandwiches, chili, souvlaki, and gyros. Featured photo courtesy of Nick’s Diner on Instagram.


Maryland

Former Maryland State Senator Jennie Margaret Meador Forehand, who represented Montgomery County for over 35 years,’passed away on October 3, 2023, at age 87, after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s Disease according to an obituary posted  on orileybranson.com

Per the obituary, “Jennie was born in Nashville, TN and grew up in Charlotte, NC where she met her husband Bill in 7th grade. She graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill, married in 1958 and moved to Maryland in 1961.  After Jennie’s retirement from public service in 2014, she and Bill moved to Indianapolis, IN.


Beyond MoCo

Sugarloaf Mountain, a Stronghold property, has been closed since an attempted break-in at the Strong Mansion on August 19th. Stronghold Inc., the non-profit that owns and operates the property, has announced that it will be reopening the property with notable changes. “The Stronghold property will be open to the public under these conditions beginning on October 10th.  Please enjoy the property respectfully.” The changes, per Stronghold, can be seen below:

Notable Changes: Visitors will no longer be allowed to park in the crossroads or “square”. This change will keep the intersection clear of inappropriately parked vehicles, eliminate late night loitering, and stop after hours entry onto the Stronghold property. This change will also provide a needed staging area for all EMS vehicles during emergencies.


Gaithersburg

Montgomery County police has issued a brief summary of events regarding a fatal pedestrian collision that occurred on Saturday, October 7: “At approximately 9 p.m., Montgomery County Fire Rescue and MCPD responded to the 8200 block of Snouffer School Road, just before Bonanza Way, for a pedestrian struck.  Upon arrival, they found an adult male, who was pronounced dead at the location.  The driver of a Hyundai Elantra remained on scene.  The Montgomery County Department of Police – Collision Reconstruction Unit is investigating this fatality. More information will be released when it is available, including the name of the deceased, following proper notification of next of kin.”  

We will provide an update when additional information becomes available. Featured image courtesy of Google Maps.


MoCo Government

Per Montgomery County: A variety of fall harvest festivals and Halloween-themed happenings highlight Montgomery County Recreation’s calendar of special family-friendly events in October. The events will include “Glow-in-the-Dark” pickleball, swimming with pumpkins and haunted houses.

The festivals and events will be hosted at community recreation centerssenior centers and aquatic facilities across the County. Registration for events can be completed online at ActiveMONTGOMERY.org. Not all events require registration. Registration for fall programs is also currently underway. Winter program registration begins Monday, Nov. 13.


Bethesda

Chef Mitsuhisa Nishio, or “Michu” to his family members and friends and Chef Ninja to many of his followers across social media, is opening Zuma By Chef Ninja in the space that was previously home to Brickside at 4866 Cordell Ave in Bethesda. The restaurant opened on October 6th and has been sharing posts on social media of dishes being enjoyed by various diners.

About “Michu”/Chef NinjaMitsuhisa Nishio, better known to the public as “El Ninja”, is a world-renowned chef who specializes in Asian-Latin fusion cuisine. Despite being of full Japanese descent, Chef Ninja was born and raised in Constanza – a lovely town in the Dominican Republic. There is no doubt that Ninja takes pride in both of his co-cultures. This sense of pride is displayed through his art where he fuses traditional Japanese foods with the savory, full of taste ingredients of Dominican cuisine. Although the food of said cultures are so different, Chef Ninja has found a way to perfectly bridge the gap between his two nationalities through his eccentric dishes. What’s more Japanese-Dominican than a sushi roll with sweet plantains placed on top?


Events

The Kensington Volunteer Fire Department will be hosting its family-friendly open house on Sunday, October 8th at 10620 Connecticut Ave from 11am-3pm. The event will offer experiences for the entire family, including firefighter and EMS demonstrations, a DJ with music, clowns, temporary tattoos, balloon animals, gift basket raffle, blood pressure checks, fire prevention, fire hose station, fire safety bounce house, station tours, apparatus showcase, and more. Additional information in the flyer below.

Brief History of the KVFD: On October 26, 1899 a large fire was discovered around 6:00 AM. The bell at St. Paul’s M. E. Church was vigorously rung to alert the town citizens to the disaster. There was little that could be done however, and the fire destroyed the Montgomery Press office and the Town Hall. Realizing that the town needed protection from fire, the citizens met that night at the town library. Mr. Leslie W. Maxson was elected chief of the Kensington Fire Company and was instructed to organize a fire company immediately.


MCFRS

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to a call for a fire at a two-story single family home on the 12000 block of Coldstream Drive, near Victory Lane, in Potomac late Saturday evening into Saturday night.

According to MCFRS Chief Spokesperson Pete Piringer, the fire was out by approximately 8pm and one patient was evaluated for minor injuries. That person refused transport and all three occupants of the home were able to get out safely. The fire originated in the basement of the home, but a cause has not been made available. Three adults and two pets have been displaced. Featured photo courtesy of Google Maps.


DC Sports

The Washington Spirit drew, 0-0, with OL Reign in a thrilling contest. A record-setting 34,130 fans attended the match, becoming the largest crowd in NWSL history. The Spirit played their home games in Germantown full-time from the team’s first season in 2013 until the 2018 season. For the next two seasons, the team split its time between various stadiums including its current home stadium of Audi Field.

Former USWMNT player Megan Rapinoe was honored before and after the match in what was the final regular season home match of her career. Even though the Spirit rallied late with several near-goals, the score remained level after 90 minutes. Following the pregame ceremonies, the nationally televised bout between the Spirit and Reign began without much affair. The first 25 minutes of play saw both teams jockeying for chances without success. In that time, there were no shots on target and the Spirit was statistically outplayed. OL Reign controlled over 60% of possession, doubled the Spirit’s passes and logged ten touches in the opponent’s box compared to the Spirit’s one.