Developer begins trash removal at vacant properties in Bethesda

The developer of the stalled Artena Bethesda project has begun removing trash and debris at the vacant properties at 7938-8008 Wisconsin Avenue, and 8011-13 Woodmont Avenue, in downtown Bethesda. Computer components, a portable grill, and other sizeable items are gone. Scattered trash and broken glass remain. The Virginia-based developer was cited for multiple code violations at the site earlier this month, and the eyesore properties have repeatedly been broken into by vagrants and the homeless. It has been a near-square-block size dead zone that is dark at night, hardly a safe and welcoming stretch for solo pedestrians along three major downtown streets, but a situation the Montgomery County Council is content to allow indefinitely. Heckuva job, Brownie!

Bethesda under severe storm threat Monday

The latest forecast from the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center portends trouble for the Washington, D.C. suburbs and central Maryland tomorrow, Monday, March 16, 2026. Many meteorologists are saying the NWS prediction is showing the highest chance of a tornado or derecho event they've seen in many years. The NWS predicts there is a 15-29% chance of a tornado in Montgomery and Frederick Counties Monday. The "moderate" designation means "widespread severe storms are likely," with severe weather most likely between 3:00 PM and 9:00 PM.

Such a forecast underscores the importance of monitoring weather forecasts and NWS bulletins over the next 36 hours. Make sure to bring indoors or secure any objects in your yard or on your balcony that could be lifted by high winds. Replace batteries in flashlights and transistor radios as needed tonight, try to fully charge your cellphone, and ensure you have at least half a tank of gas. A few days' supply of non-refrigerated snacks and water bottles can't hurt. Finally, have a plan for all occupants of your home to quickly move to the basement or lowest level of your house if you receive a Tornado Warning on your phone.

Public meeting scheduled for redevelopment of Bethesda Crescent buildings

Residents and other stakeholders are invited to weigh in on the proposed redevelopment of the Bethesda Crescent buildings at 7475 Wisconsin Avenue at a required pre-submittal meeting on Thursday, March 26, 2026. The meeting will be held in the first floor conference room of Montgomery Towers at 4550 Montgomery Avenue in Bethesda at 7:00 PM. If the proposal is approved, the existing office buildings would be demolished to make way for 439,000 square feet of mixed-use development, with 420 apartments and 11000 SF of retail. 17.6% of the apartments would be Moderately-Priced Dwelling Units.

Sneak peek: Coffee Republic in Bethesda (Photos)

Coffee Republic looks like it could open any day now at 7701 Woodmont Avenue in the ground floor of the Bethesda Place apartments. Seating is in place, or stacked in some cases. In terms of decor, neon artworks join a painting of Jesus Christ as Superman on the interior walls. No opening date has been announced yet for the coffee shop, which connects to the Lidl grocery store in the building. Coffee Republic has two locations in Washington, D.C. and one in Rockville. Their Crystal City shop abruptly closed on March 5, but the chain told ARLnow that it is finalizing a deal to move into another space nearby. Back here in Bethesda, here is a sneak peek inside:

Joy by Seven Reasons closes in Friendship Heights; contents to be auctioned off

Joy by Seven Reasons has closed at 5471 Wisconsin Avenue at the Collection at Chevy Chase in Friendship Heights. The contents of the restaurant will be auctioned off beginning on March 25, 2026. Conceived as a more-affordable spinoff of Seven Reasons in Washington, D.C. to better match the sinking median income level and stagnant economy of Friendship Heights, online reviewers noted that prices were still too high for their wallets, and that the restaurant was not exactly packing in the crowds. 

With empty storefronts ticking upward again at the Collection, and Saks Fifth Avenue departing by summer, property owner CCLC could look to reimagine this massive and prime site as a mixed-use "town center" development. As the Montgomery County Council damaged the area once known as "Montgomery County's Rodeo Drive" by encouraging the very wealthy to flee to lower-tax jurisdictions in the region, high-end retail and restaurants suddenly began vanishing in Friendship Heights. The collapse would give CCLC an argument to go big with a redevelopment plan, likely starting with the Saks end of the property.

MacBook Neo sells out at Bethesda Row Apple Store (Photos)

The MacBook Neo has arrived at the Apple Store at 4860 Bethesda Avenue at Bethesda Row, and quickly sold out. Initially listed as available for pickup purchase at the store, by last evening, in-store availability was updated to "April 6." Designed to be more competitive with the Google Chromebook, the $600 fanless laptop appears to have met a strong demand in a downtown Bethesda where average incomes have dropped in recent years. Renters being placed into vacant luxury apartments at contract rates below the advertised market rate may be enjoying a subsidized upscale pad, but still can't afford the top-of-the-line MacBooks, not a rare circumstance in a nation gripped by an affordability crisis. Enter the Neo, which employs an iPhone chip instead of the M chips that power its high-end brethren. 

Ed Hale endorsed by boilermakers union in Maryland governor race

Dan Weber of Boilermakers Local 45 (left) with
Republican candidate for Maryland Governor Ed Hale

Baltimore businessman Ed Hale, a candidate for Maryland Governor, has been endorsed by the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers and the Boilermakers Local 45 Zone #193 unions. "Your efforts to support unions in our fight for good jobs and a just economy help our members and the millions of workers who depend on a strong labor movement," IBB Director of Government Affairs Cecile Conroy wrote in a letter informing Hale of the coveted labor endorsement. "As always, we thank you for your friendship and support of working families."

"Maryland was built by WORKERS — not politicians," the Republican candidate said in announcing the endorsements yesterday. "I’m very grateful for their endorsement. These skilled tradesmen build the ships, power plants, and infrastructure that keep our economy running. As Governor, I’ll always stand with the men and women who build things."

Hale began his career at Bethlehem Steel in Dundalk, where he joined the Ironworkers Union. After moving to another job at the Port of Baltimore, he founded Hale Intermodal Trucking Company, and Port East Transfer. The latter company became the largest employer at the port, and laid the groundwork for the Hale Companies, a trade and logistics firm that incorporated barge and additional truck companies under its umbrella. The Hale Companies also built 343 buildings. 

Hale's massive success in business gave him the ability to win a proxy battle for control of the Bank of Baltimore. His $1.4 million investment led to his appointment as CEO of the bank. Hale parlayed his banking experience into the founding of his own financial institution, 1st Mariner Bank. By 2011, his new bank sported 24 branches, and $1.2 billion in assets. He then purchased the Baltimore Blast soccer team, and has invested millions in revitalization projects in Baltimore, including Canton Crossing, which boasts the only Target in the City of Baltimore and a Wonder food hall. The 20-acre development replaced a brownfield left behind by an ExxonMobil oil refinery, and has won multiple awards.

Incumbent Governor Wes Moore (D) by contrast, has so far fallen flat in economic development and job creation in his first term, despite having been touted as a Wall Street-connected business genius by the local and national press. A budget surplus he inherited from his GOP predecessor Larry Hogan quickly vanished and became a structural deficit under Moore's leadership. Amid gathering fiscal storm clouds, Moore refused to abandon the massive cash-burning Blueprint for Maryland school funding initiative. As a result, the state lost its coveted AAA bond rating. 

Moore hiked taxes and fees, and introduced new ones, including a massive tech tax that has failed to raise the revenue expected because many companies left the state rather than pay it. His vow to quickly rebuild the Key Bridge, destroyed by an out-of-control ship, has spiraled into a fiasco of inaction and skyrocketing cost overruns. Moore has spent the majority of his first term attempting to raise his national profile for a presidential run by attacking Donald Trump, which severely backfired when Trump yanked away the planned Maryland FBI headquarters, the federal blank "100%" Key Bridge construction check promised to Moore by Joe Biden, and the state's National Guard air wing in retaliation.

The inertia, malaise, and affordability woes hammering Marylanders have created an opening for a successful businessman like Hale to make a compelling case to voters. Those voters are also receiving the highest monthly energy bills in the nation, a result of Moore's acquiescence to the Democrat-controlled forced closure of 8 power plants in the state, mandates of clean power purchases, and a massive EmPOWER surcharge added to electric and gas bills. Moore had recently approved an increase in that surcharge so large that utility companies sent written notice to customers to inform them that the charge was coming from the state, not the utilities. Hale has said he would reopen the shuttered plants and expand nuclear energy capacity in the state.

Capital Crescent Trail tops list of best urban cycling trails in America

The Washington, D.C.-to-Silver Spring Capital Crescent Trail has received national recognition by Momentum magazine, which just placed it atop its list of 10 Amazing Urban Cycling Trails for Exploring Cities. Starting in Georgetown, the trail winds through Bethesda, Chevy Chase, and Lyttonsville before terminating in Silver Spring. The CCT beat out trails in much larger metropolises such as San Francisco and Chicago for the top spot. Momentum correctly noted that the trail route follows the Georgetown Branch of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad, however, trains continued traveling its rails even after the B&O was absorbed by CSX, which ultimately abandoned the line in the 1980s.

Johnnie-O "coming soon" to Bethesda Row

Johnnie-O has just posted coming-soon signage in the windows of its future storefront at 7243 Woodmont Avenue at Bethesda Row. The Southern California firm targets a preppy demographic and offers a signature line of golfwear. Headquartered in the Golden State for over 20 years, Johnnie-O carries premium apparel, footwear, and accessories for men, women and boys. Collections include polos, button-downs featuring their patented “Tweener Button,” bottoms, swim, outerwear, performance activewear, and licensed gear from the NFL, NHL, MLB, and the NCAA. Johnnie-O fills the space just vacated by Anine Bing.

New signs exhort dog owners to "scoop the poop" in Bethesda

The ongoing war against dog waste in downtown Bethesda has been joined by new signs erected in the Woodmont Triangle. "Scoop the poop," they remind insensitive dog owners who don't always do that. Logos for Montgomery County, Bethesda Urban Partnership, Bethesda Green, and the Chesapeake Bay Trust are emblazoned on the signs, which so far can be found at the corner of Norfolk and Cordell Avenues, and at Veterans Park. 

Dog waste bag dispensers are located beneath the signs. Beyond being disgusting and a public health hazard, dog waste also attracts rats. As if the disease-spreading rodent vermin weren't utterly revolting enough already, in recent years they've wanted to make it widely known that they also literally eat dog feces. "Get 'em the hell out."

Montgomery County government enters the grocery business before Zohran Mamdani

Montgomery County's Marxist County Council has beaten Zohran Mamdani at his own game. Before the New York City mayor could even acquire a site for his first government-run grocery store, his fellow travelers on the Montgomery County Council are poised to launch a government-run grocery wholesale business. It's a two-part scheme. 

Part 1 involves the County awarding one lucky bidder $550,000 in taxpayer funds to build, stock and operate a wholesale grocery warehouse. The government-funded wholesale operation would sell to "schools, senior centers, hospitals, food banks and correctional facilities," according to a press release from Councilmember Andrew Friedson.

Part 2? Friedson is taking a victory lap in proclaiming Montgomery County will be the first jurisdiction in the region to join the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) Local Food Procurement Challenge. Activating the Montgomery County Anger Translator, we can convert that word salad program name into the English language: The County will mandate the purchase of local farm produce by its "departments and agencies" with "public dollars" on the basis of geography, rather than stretching tight "local dollars" (a.k.a. taxpayer funds) by purchasing the cheapest products from anywhere.

The move continues two longstanding Council trends: socialism, and jacking up the cost of government by continually reducing the number of suppliers of a product or service. These include numerous laws mandating the preference or outright mandate that all bidders or sellers must be minority-owned, woman-owned, or veteran-owned. Likewise, some of the laws have excluded bidders or service providers who do not meet a particular ideological or politically-correct profile determined by the Council.

It doesn't take a Harvard economist to tell you that when you reduce the number of bidders, the cost of the winning bid automatically increases. It's called market economics, and it's only one small reason the County budget has doubled in just the last decade. Equally obvious is that the more public dollars funneled into the grocery business by the County, state, and federal government, the more local grocery prices increase. Heckuva job, Brownie!

Sarah's Handmade Ice Cream sets opening date in Chevy Chase

The newest location of Sarah's Handmade Ice Cream at 8551 Connecticut Avenue at Chevy Chase Lake now has an opening date. It will start scooping on Saturday, April 4, 2026. To celebrate, a Grand Opening Block Party & Community Maker’s Market will be held from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM on the 4th and 5th that weekend. "We’re curating the best local makers, music, family activities, and plenty of ice cream specials as we turn the plaza into a neighborhood celebration," the local mother-daughter chain announced on Instagram yesterday.

Sarah's will also offer the following grand opening specials that weekend:

✨ Buy 1 Get 1 Free Sarah’s Signature 6-Flavor Ice Cream Flights

✨ Buy 3 Get 1 More Free Pints

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."