Sunday, February 16, 2025

Signage installed at Mon Ami Gabi at Bethesda Row


Here's a "sign" that the reopening of Mon Ami Gabi is not far away at Bethesda Row. Construction walls and barriers have been removed from the front of the French restaurant at 7239 Woodmont Avenue. A new sign has been installed above the main entrance. Last night, it was already hooked up and lit. Mon Ami Gabi has been undergoing a major renovation, as well as expanding into an empty storefront behind it.



Assault reported at Pyle Middle School in Bethesda


Montgomery County police were called to Thomas W. Pyle Middle School early Friday afternoon, February 14, 2025, after someone reported an assault there. The incident was reported to police at the school, which is located at 6311 Wilson Lane in Bethesda, at 12:40 PM Friday. 

Saturday, February 15, 2025

Bethesda Row Giant posts message on egg prices, availability


The Bethesda Row Giant at 7142 Arlington Road has posted a message regarding the impact of avian influenza, a.k.a. bird flu, on the shelves of the egg section at the store. This message states, "You may notice a variance in price and availability of eggs at this time due to recent Avian Influenza outbreaks." Elevated prices were certainly evident across the shelves. However, there was no shortage of eggs at the time of my visit - there were plenty of eggs available to purchase.

Maryland AG's lawfare case against United Gun Shop dismissed by judge

Attorney Dan Cox represented the Rockville
gun shop that prevailed in the case

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown was handed his first loss in his lawfare crusade to bankrupt gun shops in the state yesterday. Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Ronald B. Rubin dismissed Brown's case against United Gun Shop of Rockville with prejudice. "With prejudice" means that the case is permanently dismissed, and cannot be reopened. Brown's lawfare effort against United Gun Shop and two other Rockville gun stores is a partnership that includes the Attorney General of the District of Columbia, and anti-gun organization Everytown Law, which is backed by billionaire Michael Bloomberg. The unstated goal of this lawfare crusade is to bankrupt all gun stores in Montgomery County - and ultimately, all gun shops statewide - via expensive legal fees to defend themselves.

In his 19-page opinion, Rubin advised the plaintiffs that the gun sales in question were completely legal, and that they would have to seek changes to the existing gun laws if they wanted to prevent such sales. The current Designated Collector statute in Maryland law permitted the purchaser to make repeated purchases of the same gun from United Gun Shop, and the other dealers in Rockville, Rubin wrote.

Attorney Dan Cox represented United Gun Shop in the case, in which he faced off against twenty attorneys well-funded by the multiple plaintiffs. "It was political, and the judge even called that out," Cox said after the dismissal Friday. "We thank God for this victorious outcome," he said in a statement issued by his office. "It sends notice to those wishing to crush innocent Americans with unfounded false accusations that we will not shrink, we will not falter, we will not fail to fight for the truth under law."

Cox is favored by many in the state to be named as the next U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland by President Donald Trump. The U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, Erek L. Barron, resigned on February 12. Cox is also representing the mother of Kayla Hamilton, a 20-year-old Maryland woman murdered by an MS-13 gang member from El Salvador, who was allowed to enter the United States illegally, live in Maryland, and attend public school in Harford County during the Biden adminstration.

Hamilton's mother and Cox joined newly-sworn-in U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi at a press conference on February 12, at which Bondi announced the filing of charges against the State of New York, NY Governor Kathy Hochul, NY Attorney General Letitia James, and NY Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Mark Schroeder for issuing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants in the Empire State. In addition to being on Bondi's radar, Cox was previously endorsed by Trump when he ran for Maryland governor in 2022. Cox supporters have started emailing petitions to urge President Trump and the U.S. Department of Justice to consider appointing Cox as the next U.S. Attorney for Maryland.

Friday, February 14, 2025

Valentine's Day flavors at Dolcezza at Bethesda Row


Dolcezza
at 7111 Bethesda Lane has two romantic flavors for Valentine's Day at Bethesda Row. Red Velvet Cake features red velvet cake batter gelato with slices of red velvet cake, and swirls of cream cheese frosting. Passion Fruit Mousse is a fluffy passion fruit gelato made from whole fresh passion fruit, with drizzles of passionfruit coulis. Both flavors will be available for the rest of February.

Photo courtesy Dolcezza

Valentine's Day specials at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda


Westfield Montgomery Mall
in Bethesda is offering several special offers for Valentine's Day 2025.  The mall's AMC Theatres Montgomery 16 cineplex is giving you $2-off tickets for screenings after 4:00 PM today through Sunday, February 16. Use the promo code MONTGOMERY2OFF to redeem the offer. California Pizza Kitchen on Level 2 has a specially-priced 4-course meal for two for Valentine's Day, starting at $55. Love is in the air aboard the Dream Aero Flight Simulator, with 14%-off flights today through Sunday. And today only, Purple is taking an extra 10%-off on any mattress purchase.

Transformer explosion knocked out power to several businesses in Bethesda (Photos)


A transformer exploded in the Woodmont Triangle area of Bethesda early last evening, knocking out power to several businesses, among other Pepco customers. Residents in the area reported hearing a loud explosion shortly after 6:00 PM Thursday. Among the businesses that went dark following the explosion were 7-Eleven at 7820 Wisconsin Avenue, the CVS Pharmacy across the street, Z-Burger, Tastee Diner, Starbucks (which is currently closed for remodeling), and Dog Haus Biergarten. The traffic signal at the intersection of Woodmont and Norfolk Avenues also went out.


Pepco restored power to CVS Pharmacy and 7-Eleven by late evening. Montgomery County police directed traffic at the dark intersection. Power was restored to the rest of the affected customers by this morning. 





Upscale/Resale shopping event this weekend at Woman's Club of Chevy Chase


The Woman's Club of Chevy Chase
(WCCC) is hosting its second annual Upscale/Resale event this weekend, Saturday, February 15th, and Sunday, February 16th, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. It will be held at the WCCC clubhouse, which is located at 7931 Connecticut Avenue.

Shoppers will find a variety of items for sale, including art, collectibles, home decor, clothing, furniture, silver, crystal, jewelry, housewares, and more. All proceeds from the sale will go towards funding WCCC scholarships. These scholarships are awarded annually to local high school seniors, and adult students returning to school.

Free parking is available behind the clubhouse, and is accessible from Dunlop Street. For more information, please visit wcccmaryland.org or call 301-652-8480.  The Woman's Club of Chevy Chase is a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization.

Thursday, February 13, 2025

Signage installed at District Dabble Lab at Westbard Square in Bethesda


Permanent signage has been installed at District Dabble Lab, opening soon at 5312 Zenith Overlook at Westbard Square in Bethesda. The arts and crafts studio will also host classes, workshops, and parties. All ages will be accommodated. District Dabble Lab will be located between Sense of Thai and Starbucks on the ground level. 




69% of Montgomery County voters oppose bag tax hike - but County Council passed it anyway


Over two-thirds of registered voters in Montgomery County oppose raising the bag tax to ten cents, a Washington Post/University of Maryland poll found, but the Montgomery County Council unanimously passed it anyway on Tuesday. The poll found that 69% of voters oppose the tax increase on paper bags, and that a minority 47% of voters support the plastic bag ban that was passed alongside it Tuesday. But, as the Council has done increasingly since defeating the Columbia Country Club with its 2009 Purple Line vote that brought no electoral consequences, the Council put its legislative steamroller in gear and floored the accelerator.

Interestingly, the Post declined to print the results of its bag tax/ban poll questions until the day after the Council voted, despite having taken the poll in late January, a clear attempt to tamp down opposition ahead of the Council vote. Tuesday's vote spoke deafening volumes about the deepening radical political trends in Montgomery County, trends that suggest the moribund jurisdiction is on-track for further and accelerating economic decline in the years ahead.

Montgomery County has acquired an international reputation as an anti-business jurisdiction. Not surprisingly, it has failed to attract a major corporate headquarters in over 25 years. Since the last decade, it ranks at or near the bottom by every relevant measure in economic development and job creation in the D.C. region, based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. It has long ago fallen out of the Forbes Top Ten Richest Counties in America list, as the wealthy flee to lower-tax jurisdictions in the region. In 2010, stores like Target and Magruder's in Rockville turned their interior lights down, posting apologetic signs explaining it was due to the County's new Energy Tax.

Tuesday's decision won't change the world's perception of us.

According to Wednesday's Post article, Councilmember Marilyn Balcombe (D - District 2) demanded Tuesday that the County begin to go after businesses "more aggressively" if they don't comply with the new ban and tax collection, despite the even-more-complicated regime of mandates imposed by the new law.

Okay, the Council is going to hound your business "more aggressively." But if you're thinking of starting a business, or moving it to Montgomery County, surely you can trust that the local Chamber of Commerce will have your back against the tinfoil dictators of the County Council, right?

Wrong.

The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce supported the Council's vote. Yes, you read that right. "We worry about Montgomery County being in a position that it's not competitive with surrounding jurisdictions [and] that's not what this bill does," Chamber spokesperson Brian Levine told the Post. 

That's nice, but it's actually false, as Washington, D.C., Arlington County, and Fairfax County do not have bans on plastic bags, and only charge 5 cents per bag, not 10 cents. So putting us in a position that's "not competitive with surrounding jurisdictions" is exactly "what this bill does."

Imagine paying dues to a Chamber that kneecaps you in order to keep political favor with the County Council when the rubber meets the road. This isn't the first time. How many Chamber members wanted this bag law to pass? The Chamber's written testimony goes so far as to declare the organization "applauds the sponsor and co-sponsor for proposing this commonsense policy change." Applauds?! Such kowtowing to an rabidly-anti-business Council is embarrassing for a business organization. Yet again, we cede competitive economic growth territory to Northern Virginia and D.C.

It's bad enough that this is yet another tax hike, at a time when a majority of Montgomery County taxpayers are struggling with already-outrageous grocery prices, and Maryland is about to raise taxes and fees at the state level. But it's also another example of our megalomaniacal elected officials, who have a psychological need to control other people. Council President Kate Stewart (D - District 4) said the new bag law will "change behavior." Voters didn't elect you to "change behavior." They elected you to execute the basic functions of government in a competent manner, foster a favorable climate for business, provide necessary infrastructure and a functioning transportation system, and enforce the laws to protect the safety of the public - - all things this Council hasn't been able to do in this century. 

Wednesday, February 12, 2025

Angel Reese meal now available at McDonald's in Bethesda


McDonald's'
latest celebrity meal veers from the music world to the WNBA. The Angel Reese meal includes the new BBQ Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese. "Featuring an unapologetically bold and smoky BBQ sauce with crispy bacon, this breakout QPC® is taking it to the next level," McDonald's promises. "Each BBQ Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese is cooked when you order with a 100% fresh beef+ quarter pound patty, seasoned with just a pinch of salt and pepper, and sizzled on our flat iron grill. It’s smothered in smoky BBQ sauce and layered with crispy bacon, two slices of melty American cheese, slivered onions and tangy pickles all on a soft and fluffy sesame seed hamburger bun."


Reportedly, the BBQ sauce is a new recipe, and not the one used for McNuggets or the McRib. The Angel Reese Special also includes a medium fries, and Hi-C Orange is the recommended beverage pairing.(or other soft drink) round out the roster and has 1230 calories. Speaking of local basketball stars...here in Washington, we are looking forward to the Cooper Flagg Meal, if the NBA doesn't cheat us out of the #1 draft pick again.

More Piccoli Piatti signage added at Westbard Square in Bethesda


The Piccoli Piatti pizzeria isn't open yet at Westbard Square in Bethesda, but more signage has been posted around the development for it. One is a permanent wayfaring logo applied to the wall inside Level 1 of the parking garage. The other is an additional "coming soon" banner.


Promising "the best Neapolitan pizza in Maryland," the Italian restaurant has an existing location at the Wildwood Shopping Center. Ingredients used include flour imported from Italy, and Bertozzi cheese. If that's not enough, their tomatoes are grown in San Marzano, below Mount Vesuvius. A selection of appetizers, pasta, and mussels rounds out the main menu.



Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Bethesda Medical Building being marketed for sale


The venerable Bethesda Medical Building at 8218 Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda has hit the market for sale. Currently only 50% leased, the 1954 commercial office structure is managed by Bethesda-based The Donohoe Companies. The asking price in the investment sale is $8,000,000, according to the online listing

In the short term, there is growth potential in adding more healthcare tenants. For example, a doctor on one floor can send a patient to a specialist or lab on another floor. Longer term, the greatest value of this property would be assembling it with the adjacent gas station and Monocle Building for redevelopment as a high-rise.

Strong-arm robbery in downtown Bethesda


Montgomery County police responded to a report of a strong-arm robbery in downtown Bethesda early Sunday morning, February 9, 2025. The robbery was reported in the 4800 block of St. Elmo Avenue at 3:00 AM Sunday. It took place inside a parking garage.

Monday, February 10, 2025

Cornucopia closed until Friday in Bethesda


Cornucopia Specialty Food Market
at 8102 Norfolk Avenue in downtown Bethesda is temporarily closed. It will reopen this Friday, February 14, 2025. The shop is temporarily closed due to the owner having to make an unexpected trip to Italy. 

Cornucopia sells fresh-prepared Italian foods, as well as a wide variety of groceries and goods from Italy. It is one of the "if you know, you know" hidden gems in the Woodmont Triangle. So if you are planning a romantic Italian dinner for Valentine's Day, there's no need to worry: the market will be open just in time Friday.

Police increase visibility at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda after robbery wave


Police were more visible at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda this past weekend, following a string of robberies at the popular retail center. In one instance, as seen above in the Dining Terrace food court, a uniformed police officer joined a mall security guard making the rounds of the property. Montgomery County police recently responded to three robberies in a nine-day period at the mall, on January 26 and 27, and on February 4. In the January 27 robbery, the victim was a business inside the mall.

Last year, assaults - not robberies - were the primary type of violent crime taking place at the mall. Eleven assaults were reported at the mall in 2024, up from five in 2023. The last assault was on November 12, 2024. A new leadership team was brought into the mall by parent company Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield ten days later. No assaults have been reported at Montgomery Mall so far in 2025. 

There's no question that a visible police presence can not only deter criminals, but also make mall patrons feel safer. A sense of lawlessness, such as thieves being permitted to escape with large armfuls or bags of merchandise, only attracts more serious criminals as word spreads of easy pickings. TV news reports of New York City Police Department officers on subway platforms and trains, as that city's mayor announced that at least two officers would patrol each train during overnight hours, would give passengers a high degree of confidence in riding the MTA system. 

The newly-deployed NYPD officers are in addition to the existing ones patrolling MTA stations and platforms. Meanwhile, back in Maryland, the Montgomery County Council has defunded the police since 2020. Heckuva job, Brownie!