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| Pepco crews staging at the 7-Eleven store on River Road in Bethesda this morning |
Southwest Bethesda neighborhoods like Springfield, Sumner, Wood Acres, Bannockburn and Spring Hill are still experiencing significant power outages. Grid resiliency issues reared their head again in the Westbard area long after skies had cleared Saturday night. Residents there who were fortunate enough to retain power after the storm last night report experiencing brownouts at 2:12 AM and 4:32 AM. The 4:32 AM brownout was an extended one, as after a split-second blackout that ravaged appliance motors, light fixtures were shimmering and flickering until all power was lost around 4:45 AM. Power was then restored around 4:48 AM. Interestingly, both brownout episodes reported seem to coincide with brand new power outages in the Westbard and Wood Acres/Searl Terrace areas, which the Pepco outage map indicates were reported at 2:15 AM (Searl Terrace) and 4:53 AM (Westbard Avenue). This morning's brownouts follow three sunny day brownouts in the Westbard area two weeks ago.
In North Bethesda, apartment building residents reported being in the dark Saturday night, and outages persist around Grosvenor, Garrett Park, Tilden Lane, Randolph Hills and the Randolph Road corridor this morning. Things aren't looking much better in the Twinbrook and Rollins Park areas of Rockville.
Aspen Hill is still smarting today with many outages. Fortunately for those without air conditioning, today's high will "only" be 85 degrees, instead of the 99 degree peak experienced last Friday. Outages also persist around Leisure World, Bel Pre Road, Wheaton, Kensington, Kemp Mill, Takoma Park, Hillandale, Colesville and Fairland.
The storm appears to have cut a straight path across Montgomery Village, Goshen, and Laytonsville, judging from the large number of outages there. Outages remain in the Kentlands, Montgomery College-Germantown campus, Olney and Sandy Spring areas.
Marriott HQ's ground-level cafe at 7750 Wisconsin Avenue offered the legendary burger, with a side of chips, for $10.49 Wednesday at 11:30 AM. By 1:30 PM, the burgers had sold out, an employee said yesterday. The cafe plans to offer it again for one day sometime this fall.
Because I was not aware of the Mighty Mo special in advance, I was not able to compare it to the original I used to get at Hot Shoppes in downtown Bethesda. This video may give us an idea, however, because it was filmed at the headquarters this past May.
You'll notice, like the Mighty Mo served at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, D.C., and in the bar at the former Key Bridge Marriott in Rosslyn, the burger patties are thicker than those in the original Mighty Mo. This is probably a concession to modern standards, much as few restaurants would dare to serve the crab cakes of the 70s and 80s that were more cake than crab. The original was closer to a Big Mac patty, and the burgers were well-done, not the medium rare David Marriott asks for in the video. And if you're having a Mighty Mo, onion rings and an Orange Freeze are essential, I might add.
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| You can't get a Mighty Mo in Bethesda, but you can in Sri Lanka! |
Councilmember Mitchell zeroed in on a central Jawando campaign theme in his endorsement statement. “From his work on the County Council to stabilize rents to his commitment to introduce a Universal Basic Income program in the U.S. Senate, it is clear to me that Will Jawando is the only true progressive in this race," Mitchell said. "We need a new generation of leaders in every part of our government — ones that will prioritize voting rights, action on climate change, and a vision of equity for all. That’s why I’m proud to stand by Will in his race to be Maryland’s next U.S. Senator.”
Mayor Casañas also echoed Jawando's effort to claim the progressive lane in the race, which has been left open by the decision of Congressman Jamie Raskin to pass on the 2024 Senate contest. “As a community activist, I know that the only option in this race is Will Jawando," she said. "I have had the honor of working alongside Will Jawando on the Montgomery County Council to promote and advance English literacy in adult communities. Will is a partner in building equity and opportunity for marginalized communities and that’s exactly what he will do in the U.S. Senate.”
Jawando's recent role in the passing of rent stabilization in Montgomery County was mentioned by several of the endorsers, including Councilmember Dewalt. “I’ve spent a career working on behalf of the citizens of Laurel, both as a police officer and now as the Councilmember for Ward 1," Dewalt said. "Will has delivered for his constituents in Montgomery County time and time again; his efficacy as a legislator is unparalleled, look only to his recent success in passing rent stabilization in the largest county in Maryland. I look forward to working with him when he is elected to be our next U.S. Senator.”
“I am so proud to earn the endorsements of Councilmembers Mitchell and Dewalt and Mayors Casañas and Benitez," Jawando said in a statement. While I have been honored to serve on the Montgomery Council Council for the past 5 years, the truth is that there’s so much more to Maryland in addition to Montgomery County – and my expanding progressive coalition spans across the state. Prince George’s County is a beautiful bastion of diversity, economic development, and some of Maryland’s best.
“I intend to win this race by bringing together all the communities that make our state great, spanning across racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and geographic lines. These endorsements today help demonstrate our campaign’s strength in this regard, and over the next few months, I will continue to show that this message resonates with all Marylanders.
“As we continue to expand my coalition, I plan to travel all across the state and take no vote for granted. Our vision for Maryland’s future will lift everyone up, no matter your ZIP Code. I look forward to working alongside all of these excellent public servants between now and election day.”
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| Existing shopping center |
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| Proposed Phase 1 redevelopment with townhomes at left and right |
Staff are recommending delaying permanent closure of 5500 Westbard at River Road until the realigned Westbard Avenue connection to River Road, located on the former Ridgefield Road right-of-way at River, opens to the public this fall. At that time, staff suggest traffic studies be performed on travel patterns in the area under the new configuration. After study results are compiled, staff recommend the following options be considered for the 5500 Westbard/River intersection:
What will set Paint Nail Bar apart from most nail salons is the fume and odor-free environment, nail care products chosen to avoid toxic ingredients, and a heightened focus on cleanliness. All implements will be sterilized in a hospital-grade autoclave after use, and remain in a sealed envelope until your appointment begins. Files and buffers will only be used once and discarded, and LED lamps will be used for gel manicures instead of UV. Instead of whirlpool pedicure thrones that harbor bacteria in their systems, ceramic pedicure basins will be employed, and cleaned after each use.
