HOUSE FIRE IN BETHESDA IN KENWOOD NEIGHBORHOOD (PHOTOS)

A small fire in a home in the 5300 block of Oakland Road in Kenwood just before 9 PM this evening drew a large response from Montgomery County Fire and Rescue services. According to scanner reports, the fire was in the kitchen, and firefighters are checking for any potential spread of fire to the rest of the home. The home is being ventilated of smoke, and MCFRS spokesperson Pete Piringer confirms there are no injuries reported at this time. Departments responding included the Glen Echo and Cabin John Volunteer Fire Departments.

While this was happening, an apparently false report of a shooting in the 5300 block of Cromwell Drive was made to police, a report that was eventually dismissed by MCPD as a false alarm.

Stay tuned for further reports on the house fire as needed.

CHRISTMAS DECORATION DONATIONS NEEDED AT FISHER HOUSE IN BETHESDA

The Fisher House Foundation operates a network of homes nationwide where military spouses and families can stay free of charge, while family members are being treated at medical facilities. Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda has 5 Fisher House homes.

Two of the smallest homes still need to be decorated for the holidays, and that's where you can help.

Donations of Christmas decorations are greatly needed to accomplish this task, and bring the holiday spirit to families staying there this month. Help families far from home who are enduring an often-stressful situation here in Bethesda have some semblance of a normal Christmas, by giving extra decorations you have, or purchasing some to donate.

Items that would be most helpful include tree ornaments/tinsel/holly berries (they already have the trees to put them on), small wreaths so they can put one on every door (8) in each house, reindeer, stockings for the fireplaces, and Santa hats and scarves.

If you have items to contribute, please email Megan Jones A.S.A.P. They are hoping to have all of the supplies by December 15. 

Share this article on Twitter and Facebook if you can, to help spread the word. For more information about the Fisher House Foundation, visit their website.

GOV.-ELECT HOGAN ADDS 31 TO TRANSITION TEAM

Maryland Governor-elect Larry Hogan expanded his transition team by 31 yesterday. "The individuals standing beside me today will round out what is a strong, diverse, and bipartisan team," Hogan said at a press conference at the Maryland Department of Budget and Management in Annapolis.

Notables names from Montgomery County on the list include Gary Mangum of Bell Nursery, a business that goes all the way back to the 1920s in Silver Spring; developer Bryant Foulger of Foulger-Pratt; and Rose Li, a Bethesda resident who was a 2014 Republican candidate for the Maryland House of Delegates.

Boldface names from around the state added to the team include Hugo Decesaris of homebuilding giant K. Hovnanian, Maryland State Senator Anthony Muse (D-Prince Georges), Maryland Senator David Brinkley (R-Frederick), Delegate Justin Ready (R-Carroll), and political strategist Kevin Igoe.

Among the appointees who reflect Hogan's push for diversity are Chong Nak Son, of Son’s Quality Food Company, who sits on the board of advisors of the Korean Community Service Center of Greater Washington; the Reverend Eric Barksdale, Pastor of St. Charles Baptist Church in the District, and President of the National Capital Baptist Convention; Sharon Pinder, director of Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s Office of Minority and Women-Owned Business Development, and a statewide advocate for minority-owed businesses, as well as CEO of the Pinder Group, LLC; and Roger Campos, former executive at the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, and now the first President and CEO of the Minority Business RoundTable.

The emphasis on accomplished leaders and bipartisanship comes as the state's fiscal situation has been revealed to be more dire than previously thought.

BETHESDA CONSTRUCTION UPDATE: 7770 NORFOLK LUXURY APARTMENT TOWER (PHOTOS)

The 17-story 7770 Norfolk luxury apartment tower continues to make progress at the corner of Norfolk and Fairmont Avenues in downtown Bethesda. Some of the first glass is being installed on the lower floors right now. You can see corner balconies that look almost livable right now, minus their necessary railings, of course. 7770 Norfolk is being developed by The JBG Companies.

ARCLIGHT CINEMAS BETHESDA OPENS TODAY (VIDEO)

Today is the official grand opening of the new 16-screen Arclight Cinemas at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. You may have attended already during the cineplex's "soft opening" over the last couple of weeks. If so, please post a comment on your experience below.

If you haven't gone, it's not too late to order tickets. Curious about what ArcLight has to offer compared to other theaters within driving distance? Watch my video review for a preview of the ArcLight experience, and hear about the concept and dining options directly from ArcLight employees themselves. See the largest-screen auditorium, learn some technical specs, and hear about the brand's selling points - like no advertising before the movie!

Interstellar is the big movie there this weekend, as well as Big Hero 6 - which is not a sequel, despite the title.

AMERICAN GASTROENTEROLOGICAL ASSOCIATION PONDERING FUTURE OF ITS BETHESDA PROPERTY (PHOTOS)

The American Gastroenterological Association is considering its future options for its property at 4926 and 4930 Del Ray Avenue, in downtown Bethesda. It made its thoughts public via the Montgomery County Planning Department's new property owner map for downtown Bethesda.

Expansion and modernization are both being considered for the existing building, which serves as the group's national headquarters. The group has been around since 1897, believe it or not, and has 16,000 members around the world.

NEW ZIPCAR BY REDDZ TRADING IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

A new Zipcar space has appeared on Woodmont Avenue near Norfolk Avenue, in front of clothing boutique Reddz Trading. The space is active on the Zipcar website, and was occupied last evening by a Zipcar Subaru named, "Eisenhart." Yes, the Zipcars now have names to make them more personable. This new Zipcar at 7805 Woodmont Avenue should be convenient for residents of Fairmont Plaza, and the future 7770 Norfolk apartments.

Meet Eisenhart

HILLANDALE ROAD NOW ENTIRELY CLOSED NEAR LITTLE FALLS PARKWAY IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

The portion of Hillandale Road between Little Falls Parkway and Willett Parkway is now closed indefinitely in both directions. A recent partial collapse of a culvert pipe below the road had caused the inbound lane to close. Now that section of the road is entirely closed, and drivers are being asked to use Arlington Road to detour around it. A statement from Montgomery County Government says that the road section will remain closed "for an undetermined amount of time." 

FIRST LOOK: ARCLIGHT CINEMAS ENTRANCE AND LOBBY IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

The escalators leading up to the soon-to-open ArcLight Cinemas were running this past weekend, and that provided an opportunity to bring you this sneak peek at the entrance and lobby of the state-of-the-art 16-screen cineplex. ArcLight opens November 4 at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda.

Lobby

Panoramic shot of the new
Dining Terrace from the
ArcLight balcony
(click to enlarge
for full detail)

MOCO'S MILLENNIAL PROBLEM: BLAME COUNTY'S WEAK JOB GROWTH, SAYS DEVELOPER OF BETHESDA CONDOS

One of the big puzzles (for some) in Montgomery County is, how can more millennials be attracted to live and work here? Two panelists at Bisnow's Montgomery County Boom! event last week at the Marriott North Bethesda Conference Center managed to dodge the popular myths, and hit the nail on the head.

Stephen Alfandre of Toll Brothers City Living, which is currently building the Hampden Row luxury condos in downtown Bethesda, got it right. Alfandre argued "poor job growth in Montgomery is holding [attraction of millennials] back," according to Bisnow. His examples of locations where efforts have been more successful - Arlington County and DC's 14th Street - both share one thing in common: proximity to high-wage government, defense and government contracting jobs. If Montgomery County can add more of those type of jobs, it will provide the same draw for young professionals.

Rich Jordan of The JBG Companies identified another major draw - affordable housing. Although, one could argue, if there were enough new high-wage jobs, that would increase the spending power of millennials for housing. If you look where the studies show millennials are currently located in downtown Bethesda, they are clustered most in the Battery Lane and Bradley Boulevard corridors. With demolitions of several older apartment buildings already approved for Battery, that street will have a net loss in affordable units. We're hearing more and more rumors about redevelopment (a.k.a. demolition of existing housing) in the Bradley area, as well. Those ideas will have to be reversed, if Montgomery really is serious about retaining the millennials it has now, much less attracting new ones.

I give both of these guys credit for cutting through the nightlife/"vibrant places" baloney. Millennials vacation and party in Las Vegas, but they sure as heck aren't moving there like they are to DC, Rosslyn, Pentagon City, Clarendon, etc. to start their professional careers.

KIEHL'S TO OPEN STORE IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

What started in 1851 in New York's East Village is now coming to Bethesda. Kiehl's, a legendary name in skincare, is opening this winter at Westfield Montgomery Mall. The chain sells products for men and women, and counted Andy Warhol among its celebrity fans. Expect them to get involved in the Bethesda community, as such philanthropic efforts are central to the brand.

What will you find when they open at the mall? Get ready by checking out their customers' 10 favorite Kiehl's products.

MURAL BEING ADDED TO BOLD BITE BUILDING IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

Are those windows real? This building-size mural is being added to the side of the Fairmont Avenue building currently home to Bold Bite. The Woodmont Triangle is now getting its third public art addition in a month, after local artist Jordann Wine completed murals on Del Ray and Rugby Avenues.

$150,000 REPAIRS PLANNED FOR WESTFIELD MONTGOMERY MALL PARKING DECK (PHOTOS)

A parking deck outside of Macy's at Westfield Montgomery Mall has been closed since Friday, September 26. Westfield provided the following statement when I inquired as to the reason for the closure:

"The southeast edge of the one-level parking deck adjacent to Macy’s is temporarily closed for maintenance work. All other parking facilities remain operational/available for the use of shoppers and mall employees during regular business hours."

A permit has now been filed with Montgomery County's Department of Permitting Services for $150,000 worth of repairs on the garage structure. The area in question is blocked off to the public, and a heavy mall security presence is patrolling around it. Parking did not seem to be an issue when I stopped by, as plenty of spaces were available in other lots and garages. Although a date has not yet been given for completion, I would suspect they'd like to get this done before the Black Friday crowds arrive in late November.

WAR ON PEDESTRIANS CONTINUES IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

If you've tried navigating downtown Bethesda on foot this year, you know that pedestrian safety has been more of an afterthought than a priority. The Montgomery County Council is now finally discussing the issue of illegal sidewalk closures at downtown Bethesda construction sites - four-and-a-half months after I first reported it on here, and nearly as long since citizen complaints were filed regarding the closures on Fairmont Avenue. Norfolk Avenue, St. Elmo Avenue, Old Georgetown Road, Arlington Road and Bethesda Avenue are just some of the places where sidewalks closed (or remain closed) for extended periods, in violation of county code.

But there's an additional pedestrian safety problem now at the intersection of Old Georgetown Road and Battery Lane. Would you believe...there are no controls or crossing signals for pedestrians to cross Battery Lane at this intersection?

Walk? Don't Walk?
Hello?

"Press button to cross?" There is no button to press! And no signal to tell you when to cross, even if there had been.

Button? What button?

The new controls are at the intersection, but they remain in their packaging! Your taxpayer dollars at work. How about less poster ads of teens with tread marks on their faces, and a little more breaking out the old tool box and installing the dang signals?

While developers have been responsible for the majority of sidewalk closures in Bethesda, this problem is strictly a government one. As a state highway, Old Georgetown Road falls under the jurisdiction of the State Highway Administration.

What's the explanation here?

See the box tied around
the pole at right? The
pedestrian controls are
in there

This is a busy, state highway
intersection

HSBC BANK ELIMINATING SATURDAY HOURS IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

At a time when banks are popping up all over town - and when one of them, TD Bank, is boasting about its expanded hours - HSBC Bank is taking the opposite approach. Starting Tuesday, October 14, its branch inside the Lionsgate condominiums is changing its hours - and dropping Saturday hours altogether. The bank will then be open only from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday - Friday. Previously, the bank had been open on Saturdays from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM.

Ironically, TD Bank will be opening directly across Old Georgetown Road from HSBC, on the site of the current Shell gas station.

HSBC Bank

7637 Old Georgetown Road

JS AUDIO-VIDEO STORE RENOVATING IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

Renovations have closed the showrooms at JS Audio-Video on St. Elmo Avenue temporarily. However, the store's lobby remains open during the remodeling, which is expected to take about a month. JS Audio Video specializes in high-performance audio and video systems, and home theater installation.

JS Audio-Video

4919 St. Elmo Avenue

301-656-7020