MCFRS responded to a two-vehicle crash that resulted in Toyota Corolla on its roof on Northbound MD-355, just past Ridge Road in Germantown at approximately 11:15AM on Wednesday morning. Only minor injuries occurred, per our safety reporter Cordell Pugh. The crash caused some delays in the area.
Featured photo courtesy of Instagram user @javyaquino20
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 is now up, but there is plenty of work left to do on the interior of the restaurant (photo below). An opening date is not yet available.
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.
Lakeforest Mall closed permanently to the public on March 31st, after almost 45 years. The mall first opened on September 12, 1978. At that time, the mall’s anchor stores were JCPenney, Sears, Woodward & Lothrop, and Hecht’s. The mall was one of the first in the United States to feature an indoor ice skating rink on the lower level, in the “H section”, along with being the biggest indoor shopping mall in the county at the time of grand opening. The ice skating rink was replaced by a NTI Theaters movie theater in 1984, later renamed Cineplex Odeon Lakeforest 5, then by a food court, which now occupies the space. The mall was built on top of Lake Walker, a park on the property prior. The mall opened with approximately 30-50 stores, with some of the first stores being relocated from the then nearby indoor Village Mall (now an outdoor strip mall called Montgomery Village Center since 1991) and absorbed onto the property.
It’s Asian American Pacific Islander Month, and what better way to celebrate the culture than to immerse oneself at the Anne Arundel Asian American Festival outside of Annapolis on May 31st?
Or didn’t get enough Irish last month? Two of the biggest Irish acts returns to the stage with Gaelic Storm and Carbon Leaf. See below for more details and information!
All events are family-friendly, packed with food, live music, interactive experiences, and now even more ways to get active.
To kick things off, you can save 20% on tickets with code MOCOSHOW (valid through May 31 for general admission tickets).
May 29 & 30
Experience the spirit of Ireland right here in Annapolis with two days of live music, great food, and high-energy performances. Headlined by internationally recognized acts like Scythian, Gaelic Storm, and Carbon Leaf, the Annapolis Irish Festival blends traditional Irish culture with modern rock festival vibes.
Haven’t heard of Gaelic Storm? Are you sure? They were the band in James Cameron’s Titanic and went from local stars to national powerhouses. We are lucky to have them right here in Maryland so don’t miss out!
Enjoy Guinness, Irish whiskey tastings, craft beverages, local vendors, and nonstop entertainment in a setting that brings thousands together to celebrate Irish heritage.
Anne Arundel Asian American Festival
May 31
Celebrate culture, community, and cuisine at the Anne Arundel Asian American Festival, a vibrant showcase of food, performances, and traditions from across Asia!
Come hungry and enjoy authentic dishes from a wide range of vendors, cultural performances throughout the day, and interactive experiences for all ages. This family-friendly event highlights the diversity and energy of the Asian American community during AAPI Heritage Month.
Food vendors include:
Namit Filipino, Ekiben, Bun’d Up, E-San Thai, MD Brad Butcher and Central Asian dishes, Thai Pinto, Pho Wheels, and The Sister House! (more…)
Last November we let you know of the impending arrival of an Auntie Anne’s/Cinnabon combination restaurant at 220 Boardwalk Place in Rio, set to take over the location that was recently home to Lilly Magilly’s– as the cupcakery is still preparing for a move to a new location. We stopped by earlier this week and saw that interior construction looks to be almost complete (photo below). The location is still awaiting exterior permanent signage.
The two brands, popular for their presence in malls, are co-branding to open locations across the country. In recent years, Cinnabon left then returned to Montgomery Mall. There’s also an existing Cinnabon location in Wheaton Mall. Auntie Anne’s has locations at the outlets in Clarksburg, Ellsworth Place Mall, Montgomery Mall, and Wheaton Mall in MoCo.
Beautiful venue; great art, gifts and hand-crafted items; refreshments; and meet the award-winning painters, photographers, mixed media artists, ceramicists, fiber artists, and more – some 40 artists in all. It’s an extraordinary array of framed wall works, 3-d media including sculpture, ceramics, jewelry, and fiber pieces, and unframed prints.
Among them, you’ll see:
A new Dunkin’ is coming to 2 Wisconsin Circle, the Chevy Chase Metro building in Chevy Chase. It is slated to take over suite 100, which was recently home to Karin’s Cafe (currently listed as temporarily closed on Google).
According to the rendering for the new location (seen below), it appears that it will have electronic ordering boards and a walk-up window for customers to pick up their orders. This is the second announced upcoming Chevy Chase location, with another Dunkin’ coming to 8500 Connecticut Ave. Opening dates for both Chevy Chase locations are not yet available.
Beginning July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024, the Rent Stabilization Allowance is 3.7%. Landlords are required to comply with Takoma Park’s Rent Stabilization law and cannot increase the rent on occupied units any higher than this allowance.
Multi-family rental units and rental condominium units are subject to Rent Stabilization. Rent increases are limited to the percentage change in the Consumer Price Index published by the Department of Bureau of Labor Statistics for the period of March 2022 through March 2023.
Dalia’s Falafel is scheduled to open its first brick and mortar location at 7750 Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda on Tuesday, July 11. Dalia’s opened up as a pop-up restaurant at 4223 Howard Avenue in Kensington back in August 2020 serving falafel pita sandwiches and falafel bowls. New items on the menu will include radishes, french fries, rice, and Moroccan beef kabobs (full menu below.)
Dalia’s Falafel will be open Tuesday-Saturday 11am-7pm and Sunday 11am-2:30pm. The Kensington pop up will close once the Bethesda location opens. Last year, the local “Yelp MD Burbs” part of Yelp released its list of “Top 25 Places to Eat in MD Burbs” list and 15 of the 25 restaurants on the list are in Montgomery County, including Dalia’s Falafel, which came in at #21. Yelp is a popular company that publishes crowd-sourced reviews about businesses with a major focus on restaurants.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to what was described as a heavy fire on the 15100 block of Rosecroft Rd., off of Georgia Avenue, in Rockville at approximately 10:45pm on Tuesday night. According to MCFRS Chief Spokesperson Pete Piringer, the residents were home when the fire started and were first alerted by an explosion outside where they discovered a fire.
There were several reports of explosions, both before and while crews operated to extinguish the fire. Fire Investigators found several camping style propane tanks that had obviously exploded in the area of origin. The origin/cause was revealed to be a plastic bag full of discarded fireworks (purchased out of county) that ignited the cardboard/plastic fireworks and then spread to nearby shrubbery and other exterior combustibles and the siding of the home. Damage is estimated to be about $1.25M. Three adults, one child, and one pet have been displaced. One firefighter suffered a non-life threatening injury.
We have received several reports of a vehicle being fully engulfed in flames near exit 6 on I-270. According to several different community members, the car is in the local lanes of northbound I-270 and was fully engulfed at 11:45pm on Tuesday night. We are currently awaiting additional information, but we recommend avoiding the local lanes for now with other delays possible due to rubbernecking.
Update: Bag Full of Discarded Fireworks Cause Major Fire in Rockville Tuesday Night
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) are currently responding to what is being described as a heavy fire on the 15100 block of Rosecroft Rd., off of Georgia Avenue, in Rockville. According to MCFRS Chief Spokesperson Pete Piringer, the fire is at a three-story home and all occupants were able to get out. Update here.
Tylasia was last seen on Tuesday, July 4, 2023, at approximately 12 p.m., leaving her residence on Aberstraw Way in Germantown. Tylasia is approximately 5-feet, 1-inches tall. She was last seen wearing glasses. Police and family are concerned for her welfare.
Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of locating Tylasia Claudia Russell is asked to call the police non-emergency number at (301) 279-8000 (24-hour line). Callers may remain anonymous.