Gaithersburg

In January we let you know that Poke Bros will be opening its first Maryland location in Gaithersburg’s Kentlands neighborhood. The restaurant, which opened its first location in 2016 and has since expanded to over 75 restaurants across the country, will be taking over the space that was previously home to Next Day Blinds at 107 Market St W until 2020. Permanent signage went up earlier this summer, and now interior work is nearing completion (photo below). An opening date is not yet available, but it appears that it will be open this fall.

More bout Poke Bros: After the founders were introduced to the Hawaiian staple on a trip to California. The appeal of this fast and casual—while healthy—concept immediately inspired the founders to begin thinking how they could bring this unique dish to the midwest. From its inception, we were confident the foodies of Columbus would love the poké concept, but wanted to provide an inexpensive and accessible product in the larger market. After some intense research and trial and error, the Poké Bros founders developed their own brand of poké bowl flavor they are proud to share and call their own. Modeling similar assembly line casual dining concepts, we developed a unique way to build your “sushi in a bowl” and have fun doing so! As the poké movement has caught on, Poké Bros has rapidly expanded into multiple states across the Midwest and East Coast, offering the same fresh and authentic cuisine to a wider range of customers. We will continue to stick to our roots, as Poké Bros continues to grow, and offer only the best fresh ingredients that fill you up but don’t slow you down.


Maryland

Per the Maryland Attorney General’s Office: “Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown has joined a coalition of 49 Attorneys General announcing a $10 million settlement with payment processor ACI Worldwide over a 2021 testing error that led to the attempted unauthorized withdrawal of $2.3 billion from the accounts of mortgage-holders. The settlement includes injunctive relief designed to prevent a similar incident in the future.

ACI Payments, a subsidiary of ACI Worldwide Corp., is a payment processor for a variety of third-party clients, including mortgage servicers. Nationstar Mortgage, known publicly as “Mr. Cooper,” offered ACI’s Speedpay product to its customers so they could schedule and electronically pay their monthly mortgage payments through the Automated Clearing House (ACH) system. On April 23, 2021, ACI was testing the Speedpay platform when it erroneously attempted to withdraw mortgage payments from hundreds of thousands of “Mr. Cooper” customers on a day that was not authorized or expected. In many cases, consumers were subjected to the attempted withdrawal of multiple mortgage payments from their personal bank accounts. The Attorneys General allege the April 2021 incident was due to significant defects in ACI’s privacy and data security procedures and technical infrastructure related to the Speedpay platform.


Maryland

Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando announced today that he is dropping out of the U.S. Senate race. Jawando announced in May that he was launching a campaign for the U.S. Senate after Senator Ben Cardin, Maryland’s senior senator and Chair of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, announced that he would not seek re-election at the end of his term. Jawando’s full statement can be seen below (including a video):

“We are all living through such uncertain times. War is raging in the Middle East and Ukraine. Everyday Americans are not sure whether they can afford to keep a roof over their head or food on the table. Our Congress is meeting crisis with chaos and is paralyzed by far-right extremists. MAGA Republicans keep trying to elevate hard right election deniers to Speaker all while marching lockstep behind Donald Trump, a man who is running for president on a platform of revenge in a party that welcomes that with open arms. Now more than ever we need strong Democratic voices in the Senate. That’s why I got into this race.


MCPD

Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police, Silver Spring Investigative Section are looking for 41-year-old Freddy Hernandez Flores. Hernandez Flores was last seen on Thursday, October 19, 2023, at approximately 1:53 p.m. in the on the 8700 block of Geren Rd in Silver Spring. He is 5’07”, 170 lbs, with short brown hair, brown eyes, and was last seen wearing a red shirt with long, gray sleeves and gray pants.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Freddy Hernandez Flores is asked to call Montgomery County Police Non-Emergency (301) 279-8000 (24-hour line).


Maryland

Per the State of Maryland: “In an effort to reinforce the administration’s commitment to ensuring the safety of Marylanders of all faiths, Governor Wes Moore and Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller today met with Muslim community leaders, educators, parents, and students at the Islamic Society of Baltimore. Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski, Jr. and Islamic Society of Baltimore President Hasan Hammad joined the governor and lieutenant governor. Last week, Lt. Gov. Miller visited the Beth El Congregation of Baltimore to attend evening Shabbat service and meet with congregation members. 

“In Maryland we do not—and we will never—tolerate hatred. Not toward Muslims. Not toward Jews. Not toward Christians. Not toward anyone. Now is the time for us to stand together in love and community.”


MCPS

Below you’ll see the most recent updates or final scores of the 2023 week 8 MCPS football games. The scores will be updated as we receive them. If a score isn’t listed, it’s because we haven’t yet received a report from the game that we can confirm. An ‘F’ signifies the score is confirmed as being final.

Thursday’s Games:


Education

1. Upcoming Operating Budget Forums on Oct.19, Oct. 25 and Nov. 14 : MCPS is hosting a series of forums to learn more about the process for the 2024–2025 operating budget. Join us for a discussion with MCPS leadership and an opportunity to engage in breakout sessions. Events will be held on the following dates:

2. Applications for High School Regional/Countywide Special Programs: Grade 8 students can apply to Regional/Countywide Special Programs using the high school common application found in ParentVUE. Additionally, students in Grades 9-11 may apply for career readiness programs. Information sessions will be available for students and families, and all dates can be found on the special programs webpage.


MCFRS

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) and Montgomery County Police responded to a collision involving a school bus and a pedestrian on Thursday, October 19 in Silver Spring.

According to police, “At approximately 3:54 p.m., MCP officers responded to the area of East West Hwy and Grubb Rd. for the report of a collision. The preliminary investigation has revealed that a school bus struck an adult male pedestrian who was transported to an area hospital in critical condition. A child inside the school bus sustained minor injuries and was transported to an area hospital.” We will provide an update if additional information becomes available.


State’s Attorney

Today, the State’s Attorney’s Office for Montgomery County unveiled a “data dashboard,” a publicly available resource designed to provide the community with access to information about case referrals, outcomes, and performance indicators. The Montgomery County Prosecutorial Dashboard was created by the nonprofit agency, Prosecutorial Performance Indicators.  The Office of the State’s Attorney states that they are pleased to be able to provide a clearer view into the work of our office and how the criminal justice system operates in our community.  This is the result of a two-year grant funded study commissioned by State’s Attorney John McCarthy. It is the first of its kind in the state of Maryland.  

As part of this project, we received the Final Report on Racial Justice in Prosecution in Montgomery County from Brian Johnson, PhD, a professor of Criminology at the University of Maryland in collaboration with Towson University and George Washington University. It is published within the dashboard under the heading “Data Stories.” “Data and transparency lead to greater access to justice. This is a starting place, and we will now be able to monitor trends over time to understand what’s working and where there are opportunities for improvement,” said State’s Attorney John McCarthy. A link to the dashboard is now available via the State’s Attorney’s Office website and it will be updated regularly. “We thank State’s Attorney John McCarthy for his leadership and willingness to commit to building a data culture within his office and promoting transparency in prosecution,” said Melba Pearson, Esq., Co-Manager of the PPIs and Director of Prosecution Projects, Florida International University