Evening MARC Commute Disrupted By Downed Tree Near Gaithersburg

Three Brunswick Line trains are cancelled for Thursday evening.

A downed tree along the MARC train's Brunswick Line near Gaithersburg will prevent three trains from running their normal evening route, the Maryland Transit Administration announced Thursday. The following trains will not operate this afternoon: Train 877 (4:55 p.m. departure) will operate through to Martinsburg and Train 881 will make all stops between Washington and Martinsburg, according to the MTA. The downed tree lies about 50 yards north of the Washington Grove station, WUSA 9 reported. State transit officials said more than 800 MARC passengers were delayed for several hours Thursday morning. Passengers on the three affected trains were transported by bus to the Shady Grove Metro station to continue their commute into Washington, DC…

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Rockafellas Bar and Grill To Close After Super Bowl

The Gaithersburg restaurant will be replaced by a medical facility, owner Bill Tempchin said.

Gazette: Avalon School Nixes Move to Clarksburg

The private school for boys will stay in Gaithersburg

Due to financial woes, The Avalon School will not move forward with plans to build a new campus in Clarksburg, school officials told The Gazette. The Avalon School, a Catholic private school for boys, will continue to operate out of First Baptist Church of Gaithersburg. In 2007, the school was granted a special exception to build on a 10-acre site on Frederick Road (Rt. 355). The site would have been composed of four buildings to accommodate 600 students, according to county planning records. But a sharp drop in enrollment and the failure to secure a construction bond made it "impossible" to repay a $2.2 million loan, school president Richard McPherson reportedly told The Gazette. Foreclosure proceedings were initiated in May 2011; …

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Snow Scene: Photos from Around the County

What did you see outside your window Wednesday morning? Share your snow photos with Patch.

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TV Actress from Germantown Does Charity Show in Gaithersburg

Kiersten Lyons -- who has appeared on 'Mad Men' and has a recurring role on 'The Neighbors' -- will perform 'Crushed' at The Arts Barn on Thursday and Friday; proceeds will go to Reece’s Rainbow

Television actress Kiersten Lyons, originally from Germantown, is bringing her one-woman show "Crushed" to Gaithersburg on Thursday and Friday to help raise money for a nonprofit that helps children with Down syndrome find adoptive homes, The Gazette reports. Lyons will perform at The Arts Barn in Gaithersburg. Proceeds from Friday’s show will go to Reece’s Rainbow, an organization based in Gaithersburg, and two families who are adopting disabled children, according to The Gazette, which offers the full story on its website, Gazette.net. Reece’s Rainbow is an advocacy group and foundation involved in helping orphaned children with Down syndrome find homes, according to the organization’s website, ReecesRainbow.org. The organization, which …

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Suspect Arrested For Armed Robberies of Gaithersburg, Germantown Subway Restaurants

Timothy Luke Howell was charged for five armed robberies of Subway restaurants that have occurred since November.

Montgomery County police have arrested a suspect in connection with five armed robberies of Subway restaurants that have occurred in the Gaithersburg and Germantown areas since November. Police said Timothy Luke Howell, 24, of no fixed address, is charged with the following armed robberies : Police said investigators believed all the robberies were committed by the same suspect. "In all of these robberies the suspect entered a Subway restaurant in Germantown or Gaithersburg, displayed a handgun, and demanded cash from the register," police said in a statement. Howell was arrested on Dec. 7, police said. At the time of his arrest, Howell was found to be in possession of a loaded, 9mm Beretta. Howell was transported to the Central Processing…

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Tainted Trader Joe's Frozen Chicken Dinner Recalled

The frozen dinners are thought to have been sold in Silver Spring, Rockville, Bethesda and Gaithersburg, among other locations along the East Coast.

  The U.S. Department of Agriculture is assisting Canada's food inspection agency with the recall of nearly 5,000 pounds of possibly tainted chicken sold in frozen chicken and rice dinners at Trader Joe's groceries. The affected products, which were imported from Canada, were pulled from shelves. No actual cases of illness have been reported. The recalled product: 12.5 oz boxes of Trader Joe's Butter Chicken with Basmati Rice with product code 2012-10-31 and lot code 30512. USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) said the dinners may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, bacteria that causes listeriosis, an infection that produces flu-like symptoms. Older adults, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are …

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News Nearby: Man Found Dead in Gaithersburg Apartment Monday

Gaithersburg Patch: Police are investigating the death of Cesar Smith, 45, of Gaithersburg, as a homicide

UPDATED—A dead man found in a Gaithersburg apartment early Monday after an apparent home invasion has been identified as Cesar Smith, 45, of Gaithersburg, Gaithersburg Patch reports. Montgomery County police said detectives are investigating the death as a homicide. The cause of death was "undetermined," police said in a news release. According to inital report police posted on its news blog late Monday Morning: “Shortly after midnight, officers from the Gaithersburg Police Department and the Montgomery County 6th District responded to a report of a shooting on Whetstone Drive in Gaithersburg. … Officers first on the scene were directed to an apartment where they found an unresponsive adult male suffering from trauma to his body.  Fire/…

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