WSSC is aware of ongoing water main break on Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda

Water continued to flow in the intersection of Old Georgetown Road and Woodmont Avenue in downtown Bethesda on Wednesday. But water utility WSSC says it is aware of the leak, and has put the location on its list of repairs. "We're coordinating with nearby businesses and apartment buildings to help minimize any water service interruptions," WSSC told me via Twitter. A WSSC crew completed repairs to a major pipe break about a block away on Tuesday, which required a full resurfacing of the block of Wisconsin Avenue in question.

Takumi Japanese Bistro & Bar sets opening date in Bethesda

Takumi Japanese Bistro & Bar has set an opening date for its new restaurant at 4929 Bethesda Avenue in downtown Bethesda. It will debut on Sunday, August 17, 2025. Takumi takes over the former Wang Dynasty space on the "EuroMotorcars/Bethesda Crab House block" of Bethesda Avenue. The owners have an existing location at Columbia Mall in Maryland.

Tumi relocates at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Tumi has moved inside of Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Its previous location on Level 2 of the mall, between GAP and Coach, is now closed and walled off. Signage posted across that storefront is directing customers to the new location. Their new spot is also on Level 2, next to Perfume World in the Macy's Home wing of the mall. The change is so new, it does not yet appear on the mall's website map.

WSSC repairs damage to Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda (Video + Photos)

Water utility WSSC led a major repair effort overnight in Bethesda, to get Wisconsin Avenue back into shape between Old Georgetown Road and Montgomery Avenue. The roadway was damaged by a water main break on Monday. WSSC removed the damaged section of 8' pipe from below the street yesterday, and then made preparations to resurface the road. A WSSC crew, contractors, and the Maryland State Highway Administration were all on the scene Tuesday night into this morning, resurfacing the street in front of the Hyatt Regency Bethesda hotel. 

Montgomery County IG finds 1000s of MCPS employees with access to students haven't been screened

A new report issued by the Montgomery County Office of the Inspector General contains alarming findings about the safety of students in Montgomery County Public Schools. An investigation by IG Megan Limarzi and her office found that thousands of MCPS employees' criminal histories are not being monitored by the school system, about 4,900 employees currently have access to students but have not undergone a Child Protective Services background check, and that MCPS does not ensure that contractors and volunteers undergo a criminal history check before they begin working inside the school system. These are violations of Maryland law and MCPS' own rules, Limarzi wrote in her report.

MCPS Superintendent Thomas Taylor wrote a response to the OIG report's conclusions in which he accepted responsibility for the security failures, but also cast blame on the OIG for slowing the school system's response to the lapses, and for not recognizing the cost of implementing the report's recommendations, which Taylor estimated would be $2 million. Limarzi called Taylor's accusations "perplexing," and said she and her staff are disappointed "by the apparent attempts to transfer blame to this office" for "serious issues that have been well known at MCPS for years and yet have gone unaddressed."

"We appreciate the work of Inspector General Megan Limarzi and her team for bringing this important issue to light and providing the public with an impartial evaluation of the MCPS Background Screening Office," County Council President Kate Stewart and Vice-President Will Jawando said in a joint statement yesterday. They wrote that the Council's Audit Committee will conduct oversight hearings on the matter beginning September 26, 2025. Additional meetings will be held by two other Council committees later in the fall. "[T]he urgency with which these issues must be corrected cannot be overstated," Stewart and Jawando wrote.

This is only the latest revelation about lax security measures at MCPS. Previously, a lack of security cameras - and staff to actively monitor the ones that exist - came to light after violent crime and hate graffiti incidents inside MCPS schools. And a 2016 State of Maryland audit of MCPS uncovered lax cybersecurity protocols that did not adequately shield private student information from those accessing MCPS computer systems from inside - and outside - the organization.

Shibuya Japanese Eatery opening in Friendship Heights

Shibuya Japanese Eatery is coming soon to Friendship Heights. It will be located at 4461 Willard Avenue, on the Maryland side of the border with Washington, D.C. James Beard Award-winning Chef Darren Norris has planned a menu for a fast casual restaurant serving authentic ramen, bento boxes, salads, donburi, curry katsu and more. Norris is hoping to open before the end of the month, but the current construction status inside the space is currently unclear.

Sheepskin Gifts and Alpaca Too returning to Montgomery Mall in Bethesda for 2025

Sheepskin Gifts and Alpaca Too is returning to Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda for its annual extended seasonal run. Few people are thinking about warm clothing as thermometers float between 90 and 100 degrees, but alpaca wool is known for its ability to wick moisture away from the skin during the summer season. The store's prime time is still the holiday shopping season, and the frostier months of the year - and believe it or not, we're less than four months from the start of the Christmas season at 12:00 AM on November 1. Look for Sheepskin Gifts and Alpaca Too on Level 1 of the mall, in the former Tesla space.

Dok Khao Thai Eatery opens at Chevy Chase Lake

Dok Khao Thai Eatery has opened at 8551 Connecticut Avenue, Suite 201, at the new Chevy Chase Lake development. They are working in a soft opening mode, so it is recommended to call ahead to book a table, or to check how long the current wait time for a table will be. Their number is 301-718-8889. Initial operating hours for the restaurant are 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM Sunday through Thursday, and 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM on Fridays and Saturdays.

IT'SUGAR closes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

IT'SUGAR has closed at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The candy store's windows have been covered, and signage has been removed from above the entrance. Montgomery County's moribund economy and the County Council's anti-business policies, have turned the shop's sweet profit margin sour. Heckuva job, Brownie!

In contrast to the closure here, IT'SUGAR is currently in a major expansion mode elsewhere, opening "15 to 20 stores a year," according to a U.S. Chamber of Commerce article touting the chain's success. Openings so far in 2025 include Poughkeepsie and Middletown in New York; Salem, New Hampshire; Mercedes, Texas; and Braintree, Massachusetts. Something for the County Council to ponder: what are we doing wrong, that Braintree is doing right?

Ladurée closes at Bethesda Row

Mon Dieu! Here's a shocker: Ladurée has suddenly closed at 4808 Bethesda Avenue at Bethesda Row. Signage has been removed from above the storefront. The French cafe appears to be the latest victim of the moribund Montgomery County economy, and the flight of the rich to lower-tax jurisdictions in the area, as I can find no news reports of the Paris-based chain engaging in any mass closure of its locations elsewhere. Ladurée opened here in 2022.

Water main break on Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda

There appears to be a water main break at the intersection of Old Georgetown Road and Woodmont Avenue in downtown Bethesda. It has been bubbling up for about a week, and there is enough standing water to create a splash when cars drive through it. As of this writing, water utility WSSC has not yet sent a crew to repair it. Be on the lookout if you are driving or walking in that area.

King Arthur Baking Company opening today in Bethesda

King Arthur Baking Company is opening a pop-up store today, August 2, 2025, at 10207 Old Georgetown Road at the Wildwood Shopping Center in Bethesda. It will be open there through the holidays this year, so it will be ready for your summer and fall baking, as well as your gift-buying needs during the holiday shopping season. The store's inventory includes ingredients, mixes, tools, accessories, and kitchen appliances. Their operating hours will be 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM, seven days a week. King Arthur Baking Company has been in business since 1790!

Paris Baguette sets opening date in Bethesda

Paris Baguette Bakery Cafe has set an opening date for its location at 4925 Fairmont Avenue in the Sophia Bethesda apartment tower. It will open next Friday, August 8, 2025. Operating hours will be 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM, seven days a week. 

"Paris Baguette is your neighborhood bakery cafe bringing expertly crafted baked and brewed goods to the Bethesda community," the chain said in a statement. "Our bakers, cakers, and baristas are serving up handcrafted cakes, freshly baked pastries and breads, delicious Lavazza coffee, and more. Stop by and cozy up with a warm pastry or cool down with a gourmet iced latte. We look forward to bringing joy to your day!" 

Signage installed at 5ense of Thai in Bethesda

Permanent signage has been installed over the future storefront of 5ense of Thai at 5314 Zenith Overlook at Westbard Square in Bethesda. The sign is not yet lit up, and we can't get a sense of the progress on the interior fit-out of the restaurant, as the windows are still covered. 5ense of Thai specializes in the cuisine of southern Thailand. Their signature dishes include Chumphon Pad Thai, Crispy Whole Fish, Seafood Volcano, and Chili Soft-Shell Crab.

As Bethesda apartment supply grows, rents only continue to skyrocket

"Abundance bros." on their book tour should make a stop in downtown Bethesda. Here, as in virtually all of the United States, the housing market is wholly detached from free market forces. YIMBYs and Abundance bros. alike continue to argue their warmed-over Reaganomics theory that simply by increasing the supply of housing, prices will come down. It hasn't happened in 99.9% of cases in America, and it certainly isn't happening in Bethesda, Montgomery County, or Maryland. In fact, two new pricing thresholds have been crossed by the new Hampden House apartment tower at 4700 Hampden Lane: studios in the $2000s, and 1-bedrooms in the $3000s. 

How quaint the dare of the post-"Great Recession" builders to venture well north of $2000 for a 1-bedroom apartment in Bethesda last decade appears now. $2400 was shocking at the time. That now barely gets you into a studio at Hampden House, where those bedroom-less units range from $2,297 (530-square-foot studio) to $2,387 (576 SF studio). And aside from one 1-bedroom floor plan that starts at $2,946, all 1-bedroom units range from $3,016 to $3,653.

Hampden House stands between two other new apartment towers, The Elm (2021), and The Charles (which is expected to welcome its first residents this fall). Thousands of new apartments have come online over the last 11 years in downtown Bethesda, but rents continue to skyrocket. And rather than apply downward pressure on older rentals, the staggering increases simply provide justification for their rents to surge upward, as well. 

This is the same result we see for house prices: the new townhome next to an industrial auto repair facility or parking garage is $1.x million. The duplex (now allowed by the County Council under the false pretense that it would provide "affordable housing," a farcical claim) with front and back yard areas will therefore be $2.x million. At that point, even older colonials in 20816 with large front and back yards and many more bedrooms can justify passing the $3 million mark. The trend line is clear: the more supply is delivered into the market, the higher the rents go.