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Monday, jun 8
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Wheaton, MD
Business
Claire's Closing Seven MD Stores, 290+ Nationwide After Bankruptcy Filing: See Which Ones
Claire's has revealed nearly 300 of its stores that will be closing as the popular mall brand navigates bankruptcy. The well-known children's jewelry and ear-piercing retailer released a list of the 291 locations that are shuttering in a bankruptcy court filing on Monday, Aug. 25. That includes 71 Claire's and Icing stores across the Northeast. The closures add to the financial pressure facing the mall chain, which filed for bankruptcy earlier in August. Claire's is working to restructure nearly $500 million in debt by December 2026, Bloomberg reported. Columbia, Maryland-based Ames W…
Traffic
Maryland Man Dies Days After Motorcycle Crash That Left Him Critically Injured, Family Says
A Maryland man who suffered catastrophic injuries in a rush-hour motorcycle crash earlier this month has died, leaving behind a heartbroken family and a community rallying to help. Vincent James Rizzo, 35, died on June 20, 2025, ten days after a violent crash at the intersection of Viers Mill Road and Newport Mill Road in Wheaton, according to family members and officials. The crash happened around 8 a.m. on June 10, when Rizzo's motorcycle collided with an SUV in the middle of the intersection. The scene of the crash involving a motorcyclist in Silver Spring. Twitter/@DavidP…
News
‘Should I Smoke Em?’ Maryland Man’s Viral Gun Threat To Cop Blows Up In His Face
A Montgomery County man who pointed a loaded gun at a police officer while recording himself on Instagram—captioning the video “Should I smoke em”—has learned his punishment, prosecutors announced. William Alvarenga, 21, of Gaithersburg, will serve five years in prison as part of a 33-year sentence, with all but five years suspended. He will also be placed on five years of supervised probation when he gets out, according to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office on Friday, May 16. It all started on Nov. 4, 2024, when detectives were tipped off about a disturbing video circul…
Business
Man Opens Fire On Maryland Dick’s Sporting Goods After Shoplifting Ejection: Police
He didn’t just leave angry — he came back with a gun. A suspected shoplifter in Maryland is behind bars days after allegedly firing several rounds into a Dick’s Sporting Goods just hours after store staff booted him for concealing merchandise, according to Montgomery County Police. Damonne Antonio Shayne Martin, 23, of Silver Spring, was arrested on Tuesday, April 15 — eight days after the shooting at the store in the 11100 block of Veirs Mill Road in Wheaton. Officers were called to the scene around 9 p.m. Monday, April 7, for reports of shots fired at the popular sporting goods chain.&nb…
Police & Fire
Floor Collapses During Fast-Moving Fire At Maryland Townhouse
Residents of a Montgomery County townhouse got a scare on Sunday morning when they woke up to the sound of smoke alarms going off in Wheaton, fire officials said. Crews were called at around 2:45 a.m. on Jan. 26 to a home on Lester Street, where they were met by frigid temperatures, smoke billowing from the building, flames showing, and a partial structure collapse. Twitter/@mcfrsPIO Firefighters were quickly able to get the flames knocked down, but not before an electric meter was damaged, leaving several families without power and forcing a temporary evacuation of some residents. …
Business
These Party City Stores To Shut Down In Maryland, Virginia Amid Massive Closure
Dozens of Party City locations in the DMV region are among the hundreds set to be closed as the company announced it is going out of business. Both Maryland and Virginia were hit hard by the reported closure, which will impact approximately 800 stores across the country. Party City was founded in 1986 and is the largest retailer of party goods in North America. In Maryland, there are 19 stores among those set to be shut down in these locations, according to the company's website: Annapolis; Baltimore; Bel Air; Catonsville; Cockeysville; Columbia; Forestville; Frederick; Gaithersb…
Obituaries
Man With Grill Fork Killed By Officer In MD Was Working to Aid, Reunite With Mother In Honduras
A grieving family is seeking the community's assistance as thy hope to send a man to his mother in Honduras after he was killed in an officer-involved shooting when police mistook a grill fork for a weapon in Montgomery County. At approximately 7:45 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21, officers were called to the 3400 block of Janet Road in Wheaton after there was an emergency call placed about an assault in progress. Upon arrival, members of the Montgomery County Department of Police spotted a man, identified as 31-year-old Wheaton resident Melvin Omar Chavez-Paz in a yard holding an object in…
Business
Major Mall-Based Chain To Close 543 Stores After Filing For Bankruptcy
A major retailer primarily located in malls and headquartered in Pennsylvania is set to close all 543 of its stores following its third Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. Closures for all rue21 locations are expected to be completed within the next two months with going-out-of-business sales coming soon. The company, headquartered in Pennsylvania outside Pittsburgh, had first filed for bankruptcy in 2003, and then for a second time in 2017, when it closed around 400 stores. Founded in 1970, rue21 specializes in women's & men's casual apparel and accessories. rue21 has locations in …
News
'Stunning' Sentence Stupefies Prosecutors After Murder Conviction In Maryland
Prosecutors in Montgomery County are up in arms after a convicted murderer received what is being perceived as a light sentence. District resident Tyrone Curtis, 35, was sentenced by a judge on Friday to life in prison, with all but 15 years suspended after being convicted in January of the first-degree murder of 29-year-old Amontae Cunningham on a Metro Transit bus. “The State sought a life sentence in this case and finds an executed sentence of 15 years to be stunning," Montgomery County State's Attorney John McCarthy said. "It is inconsistent with the facts of the case and the verdict re…
News
Family Displaced After Tree Falls On 2-Story Maryland Home
A Maryland family awoke to a tree crashing through the middle of their two-story home before dawn on Friday, March 1. The tree fell on a home on the 2900 block of Collins Avenue in Wheaton around 4:45 a.m., Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service Spokesperson Pete Piringer said. The large, “old growth” tree was in the back of the home and fell through the middle of the structure, knocking out power to several nearby houses and causing a small gas leak, Piringer said. The two adults and two pets escaped the home unharmed. They are receiving assistance from the Red Cross. Parts of Colli…
News
Wrong Stop: Drinking Carjackers Attempt To Steal Ride-On Metro Bus In Maryland, Police Say
Two men who didn't like where their bus was heading took matters into their own hands and tried to take it over in Maryland, police say. Early on Friday morning, Ricko Ford, of Capitol Heights, 29, and 30-year-old Gaithersburg resident Wayne Pitt allegedly sought to a Ride-On Metro Bus in Wheaton in a strange carjacking that was called in overnight. The incident was reported shortly before 12:30 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 11 in the area of Connecticut Avenue and Georgia Avenue. Investigators say that the pair were picked up at the Glenmont Metro Station in Wheaton, when they advised the bus driv…
Lifestyle
Here's When New Maryland Area Code Will Arrive As 240 And 301 Phone Numbers Run Out
Officials in Maryland announced that the “227" area code will soon join the traditional “240” and “301" numbers, which are expected to run out sometime in the coming year. Once those numbers run out, all new businesses and residents will begin getting assigned the “227" area code. Anyone with a current "240" or “301” area code will not be impacted by the change. The change is set to be put into place beginning on Wednesday, June 14, according to the Maryland Public Service Commission, which approved the measure in September last year. Areas impacted by the "240/301/227 area code complex" i…
News
Decapitation Victim's Drunken Maryland Killer Gets Life In Prison
A Maryland man will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars for his role in the murder and near-decapitation of a 21-year-old man in Montgomery County two years ago, the state’s attorney announced on Tuesday, March 28. Jose Lara-Chacon, 26, of Wheaton, has been sentenced to life in prison with all but 40 years suspended after he twice hit Dimer Diaz Martinez with a baseball bat before stabbing him in the neck in 2021, authorities said. Lara-Chacon was convicted of first-degree murder stemming from the Jan. 22, 2021 incident, in an apartment in the 12000 block of Viers Mill Road i…
Police & Fire
Man Sentenced After Carjacking Unsuspecting Woman Putting On Clothes In Maryland Parking Lot
A man convicted of carjacking a woman at gunpoint while she was trying to get dressed was sentenced to 15 years in prison, officials announce. Anthony Millhouse, 40, was convicted of armed carjacking and use of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence back in April 2022 after attacking the unsuspecting woman on March 30, 2021, according to the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office. Millhouse snuck up on the 49-year-old woman as she was putting on a long sleeved shirt she was carrying after she had unlocked her vehicle to put items inside while it was parked in a parking lot …
Police & Fire
Suspects On The Loose After Attempting To Abduct Minor Girl In Maryland: Police
A young girl was nearly abducted by a pair of Spanish-speaking men who attempted to get her into their car in Maryland, police say. Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police Special Investigations Division are investigating an attempted abduction that took place between 4:15 p.m. and 4:30 p.m on Monday, Oct. 3, in the 2000 block of Georgian Woods Place in Wheaton. It is alleged that the girl was walking in the area when a black four-door sedan with tinted windows pulled up behind her. A man got out and approached the minor, speaking in Spanish, instructing her to get in the…
News
Montgomery County "Streeteries" Reevaluated For Fall, Changes Made
Four "Streeteries" in Montgomery County are being reevaluated for fall as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ease, officials say. The Streeteries were created in early 2020 by the county as a temporary concept to support businesses struggling from the economic impact of the pandemic. The concept shut down public streets to cars for residents to gather freely. Streeteries considered in the reevaluation include Newell Street in Silver Spring, Price Avenue in Wheaton, and Norfolk, and Woodmont Avenue in Bethesda. The county has been working with communities to establish a long-term plan for t…
Police & Fire
Wheaton Strip Mall Stabbing: Victim Seriously Hurt, Suspect In Custody (Report)
Montgomery County police were investigating a stabbing at a strip mall in Wheaton, according to reports from 7 News. Officers found the suspect fleeing from the mall around 1 p.m. in the 2319 block of University Boulevard and were able to arrest him a short time later, reports the outlet. The victim was being transported to a hospital with serious injuries. To read the full post from 7 News, click here.
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