Maryland Governor candidate Ed Hale vows to cut vehicle registration fees, gas tax

Baltimore resident Ed Hale, running for governor of Maryland as a Republican, is proposing a significant reduction in the state's vehicle registration fees. The fees, massively increased recently by current Governor Wes Moore and the Democrat-controlled state legislature, are now so high that the state has been forced to offer a payment plan to residents already cash-strapped by high housing and grocery prices. "The cost is ridiculous," one resident complained in a video released yesterday by the Hale campaign. "They wanted me to pay almost $400!" "It's awful," a vehicle owner at the Reisterstown Road Motor Vehicle Administration office in Baltimore said. "Who can afford it? It's too much money."

The skyrocketing fees are "just another way to grab money from you," Hale said at a press conference outside the MVA office. Hale has vowed to cut vehicle registration fees back to the level they were before Moore hiked them. He is also proposing to reduce the state's gas tax, as well as Moore's tire tax.

"We know you have to get to work," Hale said. "We know you have to get the kids to school and to practice. The tire tax, gas tax, registration fees and vehicle emissions fees are outrageous and I'll bring this situation under control."

Bethesda vacant properties hit with more code violations by Montgomery County (Video + Photos)

The vacant retail buildings associated with the long-stalled Artena Bethesda redevelopment project have been hit with another round of code violations by Montgomery County. Just a month after the Virginia-based developer was cited for failing to clear sidewalks in front of the properties at 7938-8008 Wisconsin Avenue, and 8011-13 Woodmont Avenue, code inspectors have issued multiple code violations for rubbish, dead limbs, computer components, electrical cords, dinnerware, and even a portable grill. The violation notices warn of fines and further consequences for "repeat offenders."

Meanwhile, the developer has just requested another extension for the project from the Montgomery County Planning Board. Incredibly, in a 69-page staff report, no mention is made of the ongoing code violations, vandalism and entry by vagrants and the homeless over many years, and the impact on the surrounding community of this decade-spanning eyesore. And the report shows only the 8008 Wisconsin lot being redeveloped with a single building, leaving the other parcels between that and the 8001 Woodmont apartment tower as they are...for how many more years? The staff report doesn't say. What are the taxpayers even paying these planners for?

Our Marxist-totalitarian-left County Council, which stymied original 8008 Wisconsin developer Douglas Development by demanding a Communist-style seizure of land by the government to the point that Douglas gave up and sold the property to Toll Brothers, is fully content to have these dilapidated structures greet those entering downtown Bethesda on Wisconsin Avenue from the north. The Council doesn't give a damn about you, or downtown Bethesda - even while smugly running for re-election, and in some cases, a promotion to County Executive. It's outrageous.

Robbery at knifepoint in Bethesda

Montgomery County police responded to a report of an armed robbery in the Montgomery Mall area of Bethesda Saturday night, March 7, 2026. The robbery was reported in the 7100 block of Democracy Boulevard at 9:02 PM. It took place in a commercial parking lot on that block. A knife was the weapon employed in the robbery.

Saks Fifth Avenue to close in Chevy Chase, opening potential major redevelopment opportunity

Saks Fifth Avenue will close its store at 5555 Wisconsin Avenue in the Friendship Heights area of Chevy Chase by the end of May. The high-end department store chain announced it will close 12 stores as part of its ongoing bankruptcy woes. This includes the Tysons location, as well as landmark stores on Chicago's Magnificent Mile, on Long Island, and at South Coast Plaza in Orange County, California. Saks' Chevy Chase outpost has been just such a landmark since it opened in 1964, as the grand department stores slowly realized the future - and their customers - were in the suburbs.

The departure of Saks will open a potentially huge redevelopment opportunity for property owner CCLC. With Amazon Fresh also having closed at the Collection at Chevy Chase development, the company is free to seriously consider knocking most or all of the retail and office structures down, and build a mixed use "town center" that would fall somewhere on the scale between their Chevy Chase Lake project and Federal Realty's Pike & Rose. The current Collection retail center was constructed at a time when community input and civic associations had a much greater role in development, leading to the low-density project that resulted.

Fast forward to 2026, and the zoning and density restrictions are wildly more liberal. Montgomery County government no longer listens to public input, civic associations, or even the once-decisive powers like Kenwood or the Columbia Country Club, having paid no price whatsoever at the ballot box for defying public or power-player opinion on matters like the Westbard sector plan, the Little Falls Parkway road diet and the Purple Line.

If you haven't noticed yet, the County has abandoned all of its "Smart Growth" propaganda pablum. Planners no longer regale attendees at community meetings with high-minded platitudes like "transit-oriented development," "quarter-to-half-a-mile from Metro," "eyes on the street," and "activate the streetscape." In 2014, the County said it just wanted the shopping centers for redevelopment. "We won't touch the neighborhoods." Ten years later, it announced it wouldn't just touch, but bulldoze the neighborhoods, with the County Council passage of Thrive Montgomery 2050. 

No more dancing around. No more apologies.

Yet, at the Collection, there is not only the land to do something big, but the property is literally at a Metro station. And thanks to the County Council driving the rich to move to lower-tax jurisdictions in the region, Friendship Heights is in decline. As a result, CCLC would actually have a pretty solid basis upon which to argue for an ambitious revitalization project. It doesn't mean CCLC will do it. But the potential is there to go big, and ask for even bigger. It's not 2006 anymore, and the obstacles of public opinion and community that bedeviled developers then have been utterly vanquished over the succeeding two decades.

Montgomery County Animal Services shelter reaches critical capacity for large dogs

The Montgomery County Animal Services and Adoption Center (MCASAC) is issuing an urgent appeal for community support as the shelter faces an unprecedented space crisis. In a span of just three days—from March 4 to March 6—the facility took in 29 dogs, pushing the total canine population over 100 and exceeding the shelter’s capacity for care. The situation has reached a tipping point, threatening the shelter's long-standing commitment to animal welfare, and avoidance of euthanasia based solely on space limitations.

With dogs arriving faster than staff and volunteers can safely place them, available kennels have become extremely limited. MCASAC is calling on residents who are able to adopt a large dog to visit the shelter as soon as possible. Adoptions are completed on a first-come, first-served basis, and interested individuals should be prepared to take their new pet home the same day. Visitors are asked to bring a leash and collar to facilitate the process.

If you can take a big dog in for a short stay until the crisis is over, residents can join the MCASAC temporary foster program at no cost. The shelter provides all necessary supplies to those willing to open their homes to a large dog temporarily.

Visiting hours at the shelter are 12:00 PM to 7:00 PM Tuesday through Friday, and 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM on Saturdays and Sundays. The shelter is closed on Mondays. MCASAC is located at 7315 Muncaster Mill Road in Derwood.

Operated by the Office of Animal Services, MCASAC is Montgomery County’s only open-admission municipal shelter. It provides 24-hour emergency response and promotes responsible pet care through education and outreach. For more information on the adoption process or to view available animals, visit www.montgomerycountymd.gov/animalservices.

Renovations ahead for Equinox at Bethesda Row

A makeover is in the works for Equinox at 4905 Elm Street at Bethesda Row. This phase of the project will be limited to the ground level of the upscale fitness facility. The existing reception area will be replaced with a lounge. Work is anticipated to begin before summer.

Char'd opens at Pike & Rose, offering Ramadan specials

Char'd has opened at 11881 Grand Park Avenue at the Pike & Rose development on Rockville Pike. The fast-casual burger restaurant is also welcoming those breaking their Ramadan fast each evening. Through the end of Ramadan on March 19, the restaurant is offering complimentary dates and tea during Iftar hour, and will stay open until midnight each night. The Char'd menu is halal, including the grass-fed beef.

Daily Provisions opening Bethesda location this year

The Charles apartment tower has seen neighbor Hampden House's The Food Market, and is raising a Danny Meyer concept in response. Daily Provisions, an all-day dining concept from the Shake Shack founder, has signed a lease for a ground floor space in The Charles at 7340 Wisconsin Avenue. The restaurant will open this year. Meyer launched Daily Provisions in 2017 around the idea of what Manhattanites would want to buy on a daily basis, as opposed to a regional dining destination.

An initial three daily necessities Meyer identified were rotisserie chicken, breakfast sandwiches, and good coffee. Whole roasted Amish chicken became Daily Provisions' signature item, and the Bacon-Egg-and-Cheese and coffee have earned praise. But as often happens in business, an unexpected menu addition threatened to overtake even the chicken. Crullers baked at the original Gotham location became a viral sensation, drawing in donut lovers from far beyond 19th Street.

Daily Provisions will be the third Danny Meyer concept in downtown Bethesda by my count. Dig provides a similar dine-in/take-out bakery-restaurant model at 4733 Elm Street. Shake Shack is now under construction at the Element 28 apartment tower about three blocks from The Charles. Charles developer Greystar has successfully replaced an eyesore abandoned gas station with 310 apartments, and the dark blue exterior and hand-painted white font of Daily Provisions.

Silk Route to replace Tia Queta in Bethesda

The building that long housed Tia Queta at 4839 Del Ray Avenue in downtown Bethesda has been sold. But it is not going to be part of any redevelopment project in the near future. A new restaurant tenant, Silk Route, has just leased the building, and is hiring staff. The new restaurant already has a liquor license hearing scheduled for April 9 at 2:30 PM.

According to Maryland real estate records, the property sold for $2,100,000. The new owner is a shell company, Nimi China, LLC. Their address is a Dover, Delaware company that provides a Delaware address to foreign entities, and is used by over 100,000 overseas businesses.

Maryland Governor candidate Dan Cox proposes property tax limit

Dan Cox, a Republican candidate for Maryland Governor, has proposed placing a limit on property taxes in the state. The proposal would prevent the assessed property value calculated by the state from increasing above the price the current homeowner paid for the house at the time of purchase. Cox's running mate, Rob Krop, announced the platform plank on social media yesterday. "We need to stop taxing families out of their homes," Krop said. 

Coffee Republic "coming soon" to downtown Bethesda (Photos)

Coming-soon signage has been installed in the windows of the future Coffee Republic coffee shop, which will be in the ground floor of the Bethesda Place apartments at 7701 Woodmont Avenue. The shop be connected to the adjacent Lidl grocery store. All of Coffee Republic's globally-sourced beans are roasted at its flagship Mooresville, North Carolina location. In addition to signature coffee drinks, their shops also serve a variety of baked goods, wraps, quiche, and breakfast burritos. Construction is now underway, as evidenced by the Tyvek wrap on the storefront.

Assault at hotel in Friendship Heights

Montgomery County police were called to a hotel in the Friendship Heights area of Chevy Chase last night, after someone was allegedly assaulted there. The 2nd-degree assault was reported in the 5500 block of Wisconsin Avenue at 8:20 PM Tuesday, March 3, 2026. A Courtyard by Marriott hotel is located at 5520 Wisconsin.

Reardon Sullivan to launch Montgomery County Council District 1 campaign March 5

Reardon "Sully" Sullivan, a Republican from Bethesda, will officially kick off his campaign for the District 1 seat on the Montgomery County Council tomorrow, March 5, 2026, at an event from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM in downtown Bethesda. WMAL radio host and Town Hall editor Larry O'Connor will emcee the event. The exact location will be provided to attendees upon registration for the event.