North Bethesda

Signage is up for No Regrets Pizza Co. at 5454 Nicholson Lane in North Bethesda. The pizzeria/bar will be located on the lower level of the Harwood Flats apartment building. An opening date has not yet been set and we will update with additional information (menu, etc.) when it becomes available. The news of No Regrets Pizza Co. was first reported by Robert Dyer.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cu8ApTIRfgf/


North Bethesda

Coming soon signage is up at the upcoming Chuck E. Cheese at 5238 Nicholson Ln in North Bethesda/Rockville. Chuck E. Cheese will be moving from its current Rockville location at 5270 Randolph Rd in Loehmann’s Plaza (10,500 SF) to the new, larger location (16,331 SF) in White Flint Plaza, taking over the space that was previously home to Retro Fitness. According to a representative at the Randolph Rd Chuck E. Cheese, the new location will feature a trampoline zone and is projecting a September opening. Images of a Chuck E. Cheese trampoline zone below, courtesy of @atlanticterminal on Instagram.

Chuck E. Cheese has an additional Montgomery County location at 1127 University Blvd E in Takoma Park. The children’s indoor entertainment arcade also had a location in Gaithersburg that closed in 2020 after being in business at Gaithersburg Square for over 30 years. Per the Biz Journals report, the new location will “feature a 17-foot digital wall and other technological advances over the older locations. There will still be some Chuck E. Cheese mainstays, including things like skee-ball, air hockey, and, of course, pizza.” The Rockville location has also matched pre-2019 numbers this year, hosting 289 birthday parties.


MCPD

Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police- Missing Persons/Cold Case Unit are asking for the public’s assistance in locating Juan Machado, a missing 18-year-old. Machado was last seen on Wednesday, June 14, 2023, in the 1700 block of Mt. Pisgah Lane in Silver Spring. He is 5’6″, 180 lbs., with shoulder length brown hair and brown eyes.

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


Sponsored

Montgomery County, MD is commonly known as being a suburb of the nation’s capital, but what might surprise some is that it is also home to a thriving biotech ecosystem. With over 350 life sciences companies, including global brands like AstraZeneca, United Therapeutics, and Novavax, Montgomery County anchors the third largest biophama hub in the U.S., behind only Boston and San Francisco.

Running annually in Washington D.C. for over 25 years, World Vaccine Congress attracts an international audience from over 80 countries and convenes more than 3,000 people to learn about the latest trends, research, and technologies in the vaccine industry. This year, Montgomery County took center stage, with a featured session on the extensive Biologics Value Chain in the County, as well as a session during which County Executive Marc Elrich spoke about the extensive resources available to companies here, and an exhibit space showcasing these resources.

A Complete Biologics Value Chain in One Region

One of the defining strengths of Montgomery County is its ability to support the full lifecycle of biologics, all the way from early research to large-scale manufacturing. During the panel discussion, moderated by Dr. Stefanie Trop, Director of Life Sciences at the Maryland Department of Commerce, local leaders emphasized that the region’s strength lies in its network of partners who work collaboratively across discovery, development, testing, and production. Panelists from companies in all stages of the value chain spectrum included Dr. Andrew Lees, Founder of Fina Biosolutions, Benjamin Moutier, Senior Vice-President, Vaccines and Immune Therapies at AstraZeneca, Dr. Helen Sabzevari President & CEO of Precigen, and Dr. Frederick Holtsberg, Chief Scientific Officer of Integrated BioTherapeutics.

This end-to-end capability in close geographical proximity gives companies a unique advantage and is rare to find in other markets, even established ones like San Francisco and Boston. In fact, only a handful of places worldwide offer the combination of infrastructure, expertise, and collaboration found in Montgomery County and if diversity, education and population density are taken into consideration – then Montgomery County standouts even more.

“Gaithersburg is one of the six places in the world where we can do what we’re doing,” explained Benjamin Moutier, Senior Vice-President, Vaccines and Immune Therapies, AstraZeneca. “We have the right partners at every step of the value chain [in Montgomery County].”

A Strong Partnership Network

Biotech breakthroughs rarely happen in isolation. They depend on strong partnerships between private companies, local and state governments, academic institutions, and workforce training organizations. Montgomery County has intentionally cultivated these connections, making collaboration and coordination defining characteristics of its life sciences ecosystem.

Dr. Frederick Holtsberg, Chief Scientific Officer at IBT Bioservices, a full service CRO offering clinical & preclinical contract research services, says the company’s close partnerships between them and local stakeholders have been crucial to its success. “As a Rockville-based company, we’re grateful for the partnership and support from city, County, and state leaders,” explained Dr. Holtsberg. “These programs have helped fuel our growth, and we’re excited about the continued momentum of our community.” (more…)


Burtonsville

WSSC Water has detected high concentrations of blue-green algae, known as a Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB), in the T. Howard Duckett Reservoir. These HABs can cause adverse health effects. The reservoir, located along the Patuxent River in Montgomery, Prince George’s and Howard counties, serves as a drinking water source for WSSC Water and a recreational area for hiking, fishing and boating.

The on-going Health Advisory for the Triadelphia Reservoir remains in effect. WSSC Water’s drinking water is not affected and continues to meet all Safe Drinking Water Act standards. As a precaution, WSSC Water is closely monitoring water quality conditions at its Patuxent Water Filtration Plant. Visitors to WSSC Water’s T. Howard Duckett Reservoir should do the following:


Education

From “best” to “worst,” and everything in between, there are a lot of superlatives high schools include in their yearbooks. In 2007 Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Olney named two students, Tom Kramer and Maureen Giusti, as “Most Likely to Teach at GC.” 16 years later, both of them are teaching at the school.

Tom Kramer has always wanted to be a teacher. He came from a family of teachers who instilled in him the idea of guiding and supporting students through their educational career as a trusted ally. As he enters his 11th year teaching, Kramer is the Director of Bands and Orchestras, and handles all instrumental music at Good Counsel. “We should definitely bring back the white polos, but maybe leave the hair back in ’07!” he said of the the old yearbook photo.


Crime

Montgomery County Police is investigating a shooting on the 9400 block of Hickory View Pl. in Montgomery Village.

According to police, “an adult male was shot and transported to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. No suspects are in custody at this time. The scene is secure and there is no current threat to the public.


Chevy Chase

She was last seen on Wednesday, August 16, 2023, at approximately 9 a.m., in the 4700 block of Essex Avenue in Chevy Chase. Description: 5-feet, 3-inches tall, 130 lbs., brown eyes, shoulder length gray hair. Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Julie Burfield is asked to call Montgomery County Police Non-Emergency (301) 279-8000 (24-hour line).


Uncategorized

Per the Maryland Attorney General’s Office: Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown announced today that the State of Maryland and its subdivisions recently received nearly $24 million as the 2023 installments of payments due under consent judgments that the Office of the Attorney General entered into last year with the three largest pharmaceutical distributors in the United States – McKesson, Cardinal Health, and Amerisource Bergen – and the pharmaceutical manufacturer Johnson & Johnson. The payments are the most recent installments of approximately $395 million that Maryland and its subdivisions will receive from the settlements over the course of 18 years.

The settlements, entered into in 2022, resolved the companies’ liability to the State for illegally marketing and distributing opioids before the settlements’ effective dates. Subdivisions will receive a total of more than $13.6 million from the settlements, including more than $4.8 million in direct payments already distributed and nearly $8.8 million in targeted abatement grants from the State that will be distributed once processed. All funding is committed to abating the opioid crisis. To date, the State and its subdivisions have received more than $84 million in total from the settlements.


Beyond MoCo

Per WMATA: Metro is kicking off the new school year with our first Back-to-School Celebration and School Supply Giveaway. Families across the DMV are invited to join us at the Fort Totten Station on Saturday, Aug. 19, for music, food, games, and free school supplies.

The Metro Transit Police Department’s Community Services Bureau will host the inaugural back-to-school event. School supplies, collected by Metro employees across the region, will be provided to school kids and teens in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. “This is an opportunity for our MTPD officers and employees to support the DMV and create positive relationships with the community,” said MTPD Chief Michael Anzallo. “Metrorail, Metrobus and MTPD help thousands of kids get to and from school throughout the year. In addition to keeping them safe, we want to ensure that every student has the supplies they need to start school.”


MoCo Government

Per Montgomery County: The reggae music of Jah Works will conclude the Wheaton TGIF Friday summer concert series on Friday, Aug. 25, at the Marian Fryer Town Plaza, adjacent to the Wheaton Business Triangle and near the Wheaton Metro Station.

The event will feature live artist demonstrations and beverages from Twin Valley Distillers. The TGIF party will begin on the plaza at 5 p.m. with a DJ set followed by a live concert at 6 p.m. The after-party will rotate to nearby local bars from 8-9 p.m. Parking is available in the building at 2425 Reedie Dr.


MoCo Government

Per Montgomery County: The Montgomery County Department of Housing and Community Affairs (DHCA) has launched a unique, three-pronged approach to neighborhood revitalization by combining State and County funding, along with a financial commitment from local businesses and property owners, to kick-off a community improvement initiative in White Oak.

The White Oak Façade Improvement Initiative is public-private partnership that will combine an estimated $3.7 million to enhance and modernize an aging commercial area along a stretch of Lockwood Drive at New Hampshire Avenue. The goal of the project is to make highly visible improvements that will address physical and economic decline in the area to attract more consumers and foster economic growth.