Maryland

DHS Announces Extension of REAL ID Full Enforcement Deadline

By Patrick Herron

Per the Department of Homeland Security: Today, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced its intent to extend the REAL ID full enforcement date by 24 months, from May 3, 2023 to May 7, 2025. Under the new regulations published to execute this change, states will now have additional time to ensure their residents have driver’s licenses and identification cards that meet the security standards established by the REAL ID Act. As required by the law, following the enforcement deadline, federal agencies, including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), will be prohibited from accepting driver’s licenses and identification cards that do not meet these federal standards.

“DHS continues to work closely with U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories to meet REAL ID requirements,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “This extension will give states needed time to ensure their residents can obtain a REAL ID-compliant license or identification card. DHS will also use this time to implement innovations to make the process more efficient and accessible. We will continue to ensure that the American public can travel safely.”

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Beyond MoCo

Beyond MoCo: Kusshi Ko Soft Opening Now in Tysons

By MCS Staff

Kusshi has opened its first Fairfax County location as Kusshi Ko is currently in its soft opening phase at 8365 Leesburg Pike at Pike 7 Plaza in Tysons. The restaurant opened its first location in Pike & Rose in 2018 as an offshoot of its sister restaurant, Hanaro Sushi in Bethesda. Kusshi Sushi first opened at Bethesda’s Pike & Rose shopping center before expanding to Pentagon City in July and then in Downtown Silver Spring in October. The restaurant group also has Poke Dojo in Bethesda Row, which opened in the summer of 2019.

The Tysons location is named Kusshi Ko because it is smaller version of the current Kusshi restaurants. It is taking over a 1,500 SF location that was previously home to Manhattan Pizza and will not have a full bar, but still still have the sushi favorites offered at other Kusshi locations. For discount promotions you can @KUSSHIKO on Instagram, as they’ll be offering discounted promos for all of December. Kusshi Ko is located at 8365 leesburg pike Vienna VA 22182 571-777-1997

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MDLottery

Rockville Man Nearly Throws Away $50,000-Winning Powerball Ticket Won at Sunoco

By Patrick Herron

“I have never won more than $4 before so I thought the machine was not working. I am glad that I didn’t throw it in the trash,” he said, laughing.

The business owner said he remained calm about the win. He plans to use the money to pay off bills and will put some of the windfall back into his business.”

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Bethesda

Kalaii Griffin II (Walter Johnson, Class of 2013) and his Company ShredSkinz Make Shark Tank Appearance (SPOILERS)

By MCS Staff

Kalaii Griffin II is a 2013 graduate of Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda where he was a two sport letter winner in football and wrestling. He went on to the University of Texas at El Paso, where he played Division I football and earned his B.A. in Communications. Now Griffin is the founder and CEO of ShredSkinz, the world’s first and only single use & recyclable sauna suit, and his company made an appearance on Shark Tank earlier this week (spoilers below). ‘

Kalaii explained that he created his ShredSkinz sauna suits in a way that is convenient for those using them. He has added elastic to the bottom and the wrist area and a draw string on the hood to allow those working out in a ShredSkinz suit to maximize how much they sweat. He goes on to clarify that this is not marketed as a way to lose weight, but rather as a convenient way to maximize workouts by increasing the amount of weight, ideal for cutting weight for a fight, etc. Griffin mentions his success on TIkTok, primarily due to videos of ShredSkinz users showing their sweat fall out of the suit.

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Event

Closing Reception at “Inspired!” Art Show & Sales

BlackRock Center for the Arts

12901 Town Commons Drive

Germantown, Maryland 20874

Website Contact Social

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:

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Maryland

Rocket Launch Will Be Visible (Weather Permitting) on Friday, December 9th

By MCS Staff

Per NASA: NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility will support the launch of Rocket Lab USA’s first Electron rocket from Virginia at 6 p.m. EST, Friday, Dec. 9.

The mission, named “Virginia is for Launch Lovers,” will deploy radio frequency monitoring satellites for HawkEye 360. The 59-foot-tall Electron rocket will lift off from Launch Complex 2 at Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island. The launch window for the mission is 6 to 8 p.m. The backup launch days are Dec. 10 to 20.

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Beyond MoCo

Beyond MoCo: Maryland State Police Investigating Fatal Pedestrian Hit-And-Run Crash on I-95

By Patrick Herron

Per the Maryland State Police: Maryland State Police are investigating a fatal pedestrian hit-and-run crash that occurred this morning in Prince George’s County.  Shortly after 9:50 a.m., troopers from the Maryland State Police College Park Barrack responded to the area of southbound I-95 and the Intercounty Connector for a report of a pedestrian who had been struck on the road. According to a preliminary investigation, the victim, Ceasar Alfred Charles Burke, 23, of Columbia, Maryland and a female were parked on the shoulder of the road and having a discussion outside of their vehicle.

During the course of the conversation, the female, for unknown reasons, entered I-95 and Burke attempted to pull her back from the road.   While in the roadway, Burke was stuck by a black or grey Nissan Altima, which fled the scene.  While Burke was laying in the road, an unknown tractor-trailer also struck him and did not stop, either.  After that, a third vehicle, a Honda CRV, struck Burke, but that driver pulled over to the shoulder and called 911.

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Arts

2022 MCPS Latin Dance Competition Results

By MCS Staff

Student Latin Dance groups from 15 high schools participated—Bethesda-Chevy Chase, James Hubert Blake, Clarksburg, Damascus, Albert Einstein, Gaithersburg, Northwest, Northwood, Quince Orchard, Rockville, Seneca Valley, Sherwood, Springbrook, Watkins Mill and Wheaton. A video highlighting the event can be seen below. The Best In Show groups for the two divisions are listed below:

Junior Division (schools competing four years or less) Best in Show:

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Gaithersburg

Two Injured in Gaithersburg Collision on Sunday Evening

By MCS Staff

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) were called to the scene of a collision with entrapment on Quince Orchard Road and Sioux Lane in Gaithersburg at approximately 5:20pm on Sunday evening, according to MCFRS Chief Spokesperson Pete Piringer.

Upon arrival crews found two vehicles involved in the collision with one adult patient trapped inside of a vehicle. That patient was extricated and taken to a nearby hospital with priority 1 trauma (life-threatening injuries). Another patient was transported to the hospital with minor injuries. Some lanes are blocked in the area as of 5:55pm.

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North Bethesda

Caruso’s Grocery (Italian Cuisine) Officially Opens on Wednesday in Pike & Rose

By MCS Staff

Caruso’s Grocery in Pike and Rose is taking reservations starting this Wednesday, December 7th. The restaurant is located at 11820 Trade St. in the dining room space that was home to Owen’s Ordinary and currently home to the recently rebranded Owen’s Tavern and Beer Garden.

The restaurant has rebranded from Owen’s Ordinary with the bar and patio becoming Owen’s Tavern and Beer Garden (launched last month) and the dining room making the change to Caruso’s Grocery. Both Caruso’s and Owen’s are operated by Neighborhood Restaurant Group.  Chef Matt Adler previously told Washingtonian Magazine that Owen’s dining room was never as busy as its  bar and patio so it made sense to repurpose the underutilized space.

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Uncategorized

Rockville’s MLK Day to Celebrate ‘Boldly Imagining Our Future’

By Patrick Herron

Per the City of Rockville: Rockville will celebrate the life and legacy of a civil rights leader with the city’s 51st annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration on Monday, Jan. 16. The celebration, which is free and open to all, will be held from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in the auditorium of Richard Montgomery High School, 250 Richard Montgomery Drive. The program begins at 10:30 a.m. It is sponsored by the city’s Human Rights Commission and will feature performances, awards, a keynote speaker, interactive booths from community organizations and a continental breakfast, while supplies last.

The celebration’s theme of “Boldly Imagining Our Future” invites courage, creativity and curiosity as our community considers the work before us. It asks us to consider what lessons we can bring from the civil rights movement into the advocacy of today, as millennials and Gen Z have ushered in a new era of disruption and activism for racial, economic, social, gender and disability justice.

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