Ming’s, a new restaurant serving Chinese cuisine, is coming soon to 800 Pleasant Dr. Suite 120 in Rockville’s King Farm neighborhood. Permanent signage is up and the restaurant is currently making interior improvements as it prepares to open in the space that was previously home to Imperial Chinese Gardens. An opening date has not yet been set and we will update with additional information (menu, etc.) when it becomes available.
The lucky player plans to enjoy his prize with his wife and kids. He also plans to keep playing scratch-offs. Congratulations, also, to the lucky Lottery retailer. Daro’s Beer & Wine located at 2501 Ennalls Avenue in Montgomery County will earn a $500 bonus from the Lottery for selling a $50,000 top-prize winning scratch-off.” Featured photo courtesy of Google Maps.
With Americans struggling financially due to high inflation and a year of community college nearly three times less expensive than a year at a public four-year college, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2023’s Best & Worst Community Colleges, with Montgomery College coming in #10 in the country out of over 650 schools included. Last year, Montgomery College was ranked 7th in the country.
Montgomery College was officially founded in 1946 as Montgomery Junior College. The earliest start date that can be contributed to Montgomery College is October 15, 1893, when the Bliss Electrical School began. Bliss was absorbed by the current college in 1950 and became the electrical program for the school. The college has three campuses; Germantown, Rockville (largest campus), and Takoma Park/Silver Spring.
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…)
Last October, Kroger and Albertsons Companies announced that they’ve entered an agreement that will merge the two companies. Kroger operates in Montgomery County as Harris Teeter while Albertsons operates as Safeway. Kroger will be acquiring Albertsons in the merger. The office of the Maryland Attorney General is looking for feedback regarding how Maryland residents feel about the merger; they released the following:
“Two of the biggest national supermarket companies – Kroger, which operates chains like Harris Teeter; and Albertsons, which owns Safeway – are seeking to merge, which could have an enormous impact on Marylanders. Are you concerned about what this may mean for you? Let us know about your concerns by completing this quick survey. Your voices matter.”
Program Overview
This 6 week Saturday tennis clinic is designed for middle school players who want to learn and improve their tennis skills in a fun and supportive environment. Players will build confidence on the court while developing strong fundamentals and enjoying the game with other students.
We must not allow any gaps in our laws that could leave Marylanders vulnerable to discriminatory practices in the workplace. Every Marylander, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, deserves respect and protection on the job. It’s a promise we must keep.”
On Monday, the Washington Post reported that Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) had retained the Jackson Lewis law firm to investigate the alleged misconduct of Principal Joel Beidleman. We reached out to MCPS spokesperson Christopher Cram, who provided the following statement:
“The Washington Post investigation published Friday, August 11, revealed significant allegations of harassment and bullying involving one of our principals, and we thank them for that work. We immediately began an aggressive response, starting the immediate placement of Principal Joel Beidleman on Administrative leave, which removed him from further impact on students and staff. We also instigated an external, independent investigation with the law firm of Jackson Lewis and robust communication with county partners, including the county executive, county council members, state senators and delegates representing Montgomery County and, of course, the MCPS Board of Education.
Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Ernestine Patrica Stokes is asked to call Montgomery County Police Non-Emergency (301) 279-8000 (24-hour line).
Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – 3rd District Investigative Section are asking for the public’s assistance in locating Ernestine Patricia Stokes, a missing 86-year-oldhttps://t.co/6LX533KMMy#mcpnews #MCPD #missingperson #missing pic.twitter.com/xb5gSfFJRq
Montgomery County’s first Sheetz, located at 751 Progress Way in Gaithersburg, will hold its grand opening on Thursday, August 24. According to Sheetz, “One lucky customer will win Sheetz for a Year* (*$2,500 Sheetz Z-Card)!” The event will run from 1-3pm and feature a ribbon cutting ceremony, giveaways, and a non-perishable food drive. Full details below:
Sheetz is a gas station/convenience store that offers made to order food and has over 650 locations throughout Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. In May we reported that Sheetz will also be opening a location in the Walnut Hill shopping center in Gaithersburg sometime in 2024. Sheetz rival Wawa has also recently ramped up the construction on its upcoming Gaithersburg store. Featured image courtesy of Sheetz on Facebook.
Paris in Town, a Florida based French bakery and Café at 4903 Cordell Avenue in Bethesda has closed. The café opened in April 2022 and was located in the spot that was formerly home to Smashburger and Fuse Taco. According to a listing by Capital Online Auctions, the “one year young café has shut its doors and is making a complete and urgent liquidation.” Items up for auction include convection ovens, tables, chairs, and an ice machine.
According to a report by Robert Dyer, last month the restaurant posted a message on its front door which stated, “We will be back to serve you after a short summer break.” The report also states that Paris in Town was also scheduled to have a hearing on August 4th at District Court in Rockville due to unpaid rent.
On Friday, August 11, the Washington Post released an article alleging that Paint Branch High School principal (previously Farquhar Middle School principal) Dr. Joel Beidleman had been reported to Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) 18 times in seven years and detailed alleged sexual harassment, workplace bullying, and other inappropriate conduct at multiple schools, spanning over a decade. The article states that Beidleman was placed on leave by MCPS and that the school system will launch an “independent, external investigation.” Earlier today, MCPS Superintendent Dr. Monifa McKnight sent a letter to the Farquhar Middle School community. The letter can be seen in full below:
Dear Farquhar Middle School Staff, Students and Families,
Per the State of Maryland: Governor Moore today announced the launch of the Maryland Serves application portal. The portal offers a pathway to new service opportunities, both for eligible adults to earn a living wage and receive professional development and mentoring; and for organizations that are interested in serving as host partners for program participants.
“The Maryland Serves application portal offers an unprecedented opportunity for Marylanders to explore career pathways that allow their talents and purpose to come together to serve their community,” said Gov. Moore. “Service has impacted my life in immeasurable ways, and our Maryland Serves programs will allow us to build a stronger, more compassionate, and competitive state.”