Arts

Gomez Addams (Actor John Astin) is a Maryland Native Who Was Raised in Montgomery County

By MCS Staff

John Astin, 93, who is perhaps best known for starring in the 1960s version of The Addams Family as patriarch Gomez Addams, is a Maryland native who was born in Baltimore and raised in Bethesda. Astin was born in Baltimore to Margaret Linnie (née Mackenzie) and Dr. Allen Varley Astin, who was the director of the National Bureau of Standards, now the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). At that time, Astin and his family resided on Battery Lane in Bethesda. Astin graduated from Johns Hopkins University (also in Maryland) in 1952.  He studied drama while at Johns Hopkins and was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity at Johns Hopkins.

Astin got his start in theater, appearing on Broadway in the 50s. His first big film break came with a small role in West Side Story in 1961. Actor Tony Randall, famous for his role as Felix Unger in The Odd Couple, spotted Astin’s knack for comedic roles, which led to guest starring roles on the sitcoms Dennis the Menace, The Donna Reed Show, and more. During the 1962–63 television season, Astin had his first lead in a television series, the ABC sitcom I’m Dickens, He’s Fenster, co-starring with Marty Ingels. By the time I’m Dickens, He’s Fenster gained a following and started winning its time slot, ABC had already canceled the show after a total of 32 episodes were produced.

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Aspen Hill

Driver Backs Into Building in Stoney Mill Square (Near Korean Korner) Sunday Evening

By MCS Staff

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) have responded to the 12200blk Veirs Mill Rd., near Randolph Rd. (in the area of Korean Corner), for a collision involving a driver backing a vehicle up into the building in the Stoney Mill Square shopping center at approximately 5:30pm.

The vehicle primarily hit the entrance of Quickway and partially hit the entrance of King Pollo. Several units have responded and a building inspector has been requested. One witness has claimed that a driver hit another car before backing into the building. No word on injuries or a cause for the collision at this moment. Featured photo courtesy of Claudia Reyes (@ok_calirey)

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Beyond MoCo

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Intercepts 46 Pounds of Ketamine Concealed in Air Cargo from Cameroon at Dulles

By MCS Staff

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized about 46 pounds of ketamine, an animal tranquilizer abused by users, in an air cargo shipment from Cameroon on October 10 at Washington Dulles International Airport.

According to CBP: CBP agriculture specialists examined a shipment manifested as “Garri and Water FuFu” that was destined to an address in Washington, D.C. Inside the shipment, agriculture specialists found five packages labeled as Water Fufu, a solid porridge made from puree of cassava or other starchy products, and two packages labeled as Garri, flour produced from cassava root.

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Germantown

TOUS les JOURS Now Open in Germantown

By Patrick Herron

TOUS les JOURS is now open inside of New Grand Mart (13069 Wisteria Dr) in Germantown.  The French-Asian Bakery features a variety of breads, pastries, and cakes that are baked in-store daily, as well as a wide selection of coffee/espresso based drinks and teas.  Other vendors inside of the New Grand Mart food court include Noodles & Friends, Gogi Friends Korean BBQ, and Fortune Cha Bubble Tea.

“Since our launch into the United States in 2004, TOUS les JOURS [meaning “everyday” in French] has developed into a reputable neighborhood bakery specializing in French-Asian inspired baked goods, hand crafted beverages and bold, flavorful coffee and espresso made with the finest ingredients. We take pride in sourcing and using carefully selected ingredients and promises to bring freshness and quality to our customers. To date, we have more than 90 locations across the United States, and more than 1,650 worldwide.”

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Restaurants

Mimi’s Handmade Ice Cream Opens First of Two MoCo Locations

By MCS Staff

Mimi’s Handmade ice cream has officially “soft opened” its first Montgomery County location in Federal Plaza at 12274 Rockville Pike Suite E. It has taken over the space previously occupied by Yogi Castle. Yogi Castle closed permanently this spring and Mimi’s Handmade took possession of the space in May. The ice cream shop hoped to open by the end of the summer but had to settle for a beautiful fall weekend.

Mimi’s Handmade will also be opening a second Montgomery County location in The Heights food hall, which is stated to open soon. Mimi’s opened its first location in Arlington in the summer of 2021. Mimi’s is named for one of owner Rollin Amore’s two daughters. He credits his extensive travels over the last 30 years for the unique flavors like roasted banana nut, olive OYL, butterfly pea, maple cashew, and more, offered at the ice cream shop. The shop offers a wide variety of other flavors, including more traditional options.

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MCFRS

MCFRS Respond to Apartment Fire Sunday Morning

By Patrick Herron

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to a fire at 12001 Old Columbia Pike (Columbia Towers) in White Oak on Sunday, October 29 around 11:45am. The fire was located in a 7th floor apartment and has been extinguished. According to Chief Spokesperson for MCFRS Pete Piringer, the fire alarm at the building was not operating and smoke was reported on multiple floors.

There are no reported injuries and the building is now being reoccupied. We will provide an update if additional information becomes available.

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Celebrities

FOX 5’s Erin Como to Step Down From Traffic Anchoring Later Next Month; Will Remain With Station

By MCS Staff

Popular Fox 5 traffic anchor Erin Como has announced she will be stepping away from traffic anchoring in November in a social media post made last week. She will be remaining with fox 5, co-hosting LION Lunch Hour, appearing on Good Day DC & DMV Zone, and adding more feature content. The full statement and more about Como can be seen below:

“It’s been a great ride covering your morning commute around the DMV for the past 8 years. A huge thank you to everyone for the support & love. The time has come for me to ditch the early alarm clock and shift my career focus.

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Bethesda

MoCo’s First Z Burger and Maman Joon Are Now Open

By MCS Staff

Last month we reported that Z-Burger and Maman Joon will be taking over the space that was previously home to Taco Bar and Jerry’s Subs & Pizza at 18100 Georgia Avenue in Olney.  Both restaurants are now open, beating out the Bethesda Z-Burger location as the first in Montgomery County for the DMV-based regional restaurant. The space offers food from both the Z Burger and Maman Joon concepts.

Z-Burger is a local, DMV-based chain that describes itself as “a Washington DC landmark! Home to the area’s most delicious handcrafted burgers with endless toppings, fresh cut fries and 75 varieties of hand spun milk shakes and concretes made with premium Wisconsin custard.” Z-Burger has multiple locations in DC, a few in Northern Virginia, and three in Maryland– with more to come. Its first location opened in Tenleytown in 2008. Earlier this year, its first Montgomery County location was announced. Prior to starting Z-Burger in 2008, founder Peter Tabibian was the general manager at a Jerry’s Subs & Pizza in Maryland.

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Rockville

Message From Rockville Board of Supervisors of Elections Regarding Technical Issue

By MCS Staff

The City of Rockville Board of Supervisors of Elections issued the following statement on Friday, Oct. 27:

Last week, a technical issue arose that prevented voters in the City of Rockville’s 2023 election from using the online tool to track the delivery of ballots to a voter’s home. This technical issue has not affected the integrity of the city’s election process. This issue affected only the ability of voters to track their ballots through the United States Postal Service. The issue had no effect on the actual delivery of ballots.

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Burtonsville

Update on Burtonsville Crossing (Late October 2023)

By MCS Staff

Construction continues at Burtonsville Crossing as new businesses look to join Burger King in the shopping center. Sprouts, the first business announced as part of the renovated shopping center, is hoping to open by the end of this year. A previous opening date of November 10th was floated around by the company, but it doesn’t look likely that It will occur by then. Moby Dick House of Kabob is the most recent tenant to sign on according to the EDENS website.  EDENS also included Ulta , known for its variety of beauty and skin care products, as an upcoming tenant.

They will will be joining the previously announced Domain Fitness & Performance, which is led by a group that includes former NBA player Jason Miskiri. Miskiri also owns several restaurants in Silver Spring, including the Angry Jerk, The Breakfast Club, and Society Restaurant & Lounge. It will be located adjacent to Sprouts. A representative from EDENS also confirmed to us that TJ Maxx will be opening a location in the shopping center in 2024. TJ Maxx will be located across from where the still-open-during-renovations Burger King stands. Creative Outlets Arts Center  announced that they’ll be moving into the shopping center from their previous Montgomery Mall location that closed in Bethesda in the summer.

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