The Takoma Park Police Department has issued a notice of a missing person it deems “critical.” Eighty-year-old Hector Ray Robinson, who the department also describes as “vulnerable,” was last seen in the 7600 block of Maple Avenue.
Lidl will hold a grand opening of a new store in Takoma Park on Wednesday, Dec. 9, according to the company’s website. The operators will cut the ribbon at 7:15 a.m. at its location on 6881 New Hampshire Ave., the former home of a Shoppers Food Warehouse. The doors will open at 8 a.m. and the first 100 customers will receive a gift card worth anywhere from $5 to $100 each.
Holiday shoppers and gift givers now can buy the Shop Takoma e-Gift Card for use at area businesses, according to an announcement from Main Street Takoma. The e-cards are currently accepted at more than 20 restaurants, shops and service businesses in Takoma Park and the Takoma neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
A county police officer with the Holiday Task Force stopped three men on Nov. 29 after a traffic violation in the Takoma Park area who were then charged with offenses including driving under the influence and handgun possession. The officer observed the incident in the area of University Boulevard East and Merrimac Drive.
Great Shoals Winery Tasting Room, which opened in Takoma Park in 2018, will close at the end of the year and the space taken over by a shop featuring bubble tea, according to an announcement from Main Street Takoma. Leandra Nichola, a longtime Takoma Park resident, will open Main Street Pearl at 7050 Carroll Ave. serving bubble tea and other “bubble” drinks including beer, wine, cider, kombucha and scratch soda.
The Takoma Park Police Department has been accepted into a program to train officers in strategies and tactics to help law enforcement officers prevent misconduct and reduce officer mistakes, among other goals. The Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement Project, an initiative of Georgetown University’s Law Center, includes more than 60 other law enforcement agencies, along with statewide and regional training academies chosen to participate in the ABLE Project’s national rollout.
The Takoma Park Police Department is accepting applications for the 2021 Community Police Academy, which will be held virtually due to the pandemic. The academy is designed to help residents 16 years of age or older understand how officers go about doing their jobs. The classes will begin via Zoom on Tuesday, Jan. 5 and will be a 14-week long program of one class a week from 7 p.m.–9:30 pm.
Takoma Park’s Olive Lounge, and its neighboring sister restaurant Middle Eastern Cuisine, will combine operations and offer a single menu that will be available all day, according to a post from earlier this week on Olive Lounge’s Instagram account.
Local filmmakers will share the virtual spotlight this weekend during the free-to-watch Community Stories Film Festival from Docs In Progress and The City of Takoma Park.