Frederick Maryland Online

Just in case you got the forward about gangs in Frederick flagging motorists down and stealing their cars and yadda yadda yadda. It’s a hoax. Unlike this forward from a while back that ended up being true.

~Guy~

From the Frederick News-Post:

What the future holds for the Antietam Village Center on Opossumtown Pike in Frederick is unclear even as workers begin clearing debris from the building’s burned-out shell.

Tuesday, drivers on nearby Heather Ridge Drive were glancing at the workers who were using an excavator and other equipment to gather up wreckage from the building’s interior, depositing it in large red trash containers.

The building burned Feb. 19, when 30-year-old Frederick resident James C. Douglas set it on fire after attempting to rob Jim’s Liquors.

Douglas, who died of smoke inhalation related to the fire, was the only person injured in the fire.

Mayor Jeff Holtzinger said if the center’s owners want to rebuild, the city remains willing to assist them navigate the city’s planning process, which has changed since the center was built in the 1980s.

If any decisions have been made about what the plans are for the site, though, Holtzinger said he isn’t aware of them.

Charles Boyd, the city’s planning director, said that to the best of his knowledge, no plans had been filed with his office for redevelopment of the shopping center.

I’m glad to hear they are tearing the wreckage down, it’s sad to see it every time I pass it.

~Guy~

Cara Huether isn’t taking the theft of her garden gnome lying down.

Huether’s gnome, which she named Charlie, has been gone from her garden for a year and it’s time the prank ended and Charlie came home, she said.

She’s posted signs around Frederick asking if anyone has information about the garden gnome. She posted the signs about 2 feet tall — the height of her missing gnome, and put photos of her gnome on the sign.

Charlie is wearing a red shirt, blue pants and blue hat, and has a beard. He’s holding a lantern. He’s made of concrete, and probably weighs about 15 pounds, Huether said.

“I thought when he first disappeared that some kid would send me some pictures of him traveling around, but he was taken a year ago,” she said.

I saw the signs while I was doing the March of Dimes walk and I thought it may have been a cool joke/street art, but apparently it’s the real deal.

If anyone know’s the Huethers please let them know I would post their wanted poster or a picture of the kidnapped gnome on this site if they wanted. Just contact me with the info.

~Guy~ 

I’m not sure if there is data available on the pets to people ratio in Frederick, but I think it would be pretty high. That’s why I thought you all would be interested in some Frederick pet links.

• The new pet store that has opened in the FSK mall has some animal lovers concerned.
• On May 12th, grab your dog and head out to Baker Utica District Park for the 1st Annual Bark in the Park event.
• Even non-pet owners will be saddened after reading this story about a punch drunk pooch.

~This post was written by Guy~

For this edition of the Friday Free-for-all I wanted to get a little serious. A recent FNP article indicates that crime is up in the County. Frederick has also been in the news for some tragic events over the last couple of months.

Does this shatter the perception of Frederick being a sleepy little town? Are these incidents and crime statistics just part of being one of the fastest growing counties in Maryland?

More importantly how does this news make you feel? Do you lock your doors as night and think about moving somewhere safer? Or do you still think of Frederick as a safe place to live and raise a family?

~This post was written by Guy~

I think it’s unbelievable what happened yesterday, although I am surprised we don’t hear about this sort of thing more often.

Fortunately, I don’t have to commute on 270 anymore, so I was spared most of the traffic yesterday.

How about you ?  Any inside scoop on yesterday’s incident?  How about your favorite Road Rage story?

~LizFrog ~

Some random Frederick links for your enjoyment.

• A review of Los Trios from the Gazette.
• The stolen Adamstown lion statue has been located.
• Google Maps tracks traffic, including the DC area.

I was wondering how many of you all use del.icio.us to save your bookmarks? If there are some of you out there maybe we can share links about Frederick by tagging them Frederick-Maryland? Just a thought.

~This post was written by Guy~

You can watch Fox 5’s report on yesterday’s incident. The link to the video is under the “Side Bar” heading.

They do mention that they believe the person who started the blaze died in the fire and that it looks like the whole shopping center is destroyed.

Also, FNP has coverage and photos.

~Guy~ 

Jim’s Liquors on Opposumtown Pike was robbed this afternoon and is currently in flames.

Jim’s Liquors at 1595 Opossumtown Pike in the Antietam Village Shopping Center is burning, with heavy flames coming from the building, according to the Frederick Police Department and eyewitness accounts. The fire started around 2 p.m. An hour earlier, police said the store was robbed by a man with a gun.

Police are looking for looking for the suspect, who is believed to be armed.

Also, Motter Avenue is closed at Route 15.

Ruth Westman, an employee at Frederick Uniform, across Opossumtown Pike in Rose Hill Plaza, said it appeared the blaze started at a shop in the middle of the upper floor of the two-story shopping center about 2:00 p.m.

“The whole mall is in flames,” she said about 2:20.

That sounds just unbelievable, and very scary!

Lizfrog 

It’s time for another Frederick news round-up. Yee-haw!

Traffic
The FNP did a survey on the traffic woes of the area and forund that ” … 49 percent want to extend Metro’s Red Line from Shady Grove to Frederick, and 19 percent believe adding more lanes and expanding the current HOV lanes would solve the problem. “

Some of Frederick’s reps have tried to address the horrible traffic with legislation …

Delegate Galen Clagett, a Democrat from Frederick, wants to allow public-private partnerships to fund state bridges and roads. The bill won’t have its first hearing in front of the House Environmental Matters Committee until March, but Clagett said it has the potential to solve congestion problems on Maryland highways.

“I’ve already been approached by one company to build the third lanes on 270,” Clagett said. “And they’re very anxious to do this because some of the companies … have their offices in the counties (this would affect).”

Another way to beat traffic is to have more jobs in Frederick and a company just spent gobs of cash to buy some land to build offices on. “St. John Properties, which runs Center@Monocacy and Riverside Technology Park, has acquired 104 acres near Md. 85 and I-270. The $40 million business park will consist of 11 buildings that could support more than 400,000 square feet of flexible office space.”

Snow
My hood is still digging out after the snowpocalypse this week. The snow and ice was so heavy that “Snow removal equipment failed several times. Plow blades broke under the snow’s weight …”

Stuff to Do
Some family fun tonight …

Asian New Year Blowout It’s the Year of the Pig, and the Frederick nonprofit Learning Institute for Enrichment & Discovery is celebrating with a multiculti bash featuring Chinese, Malaysian, Indian, Vietnamese and fusion dancers, martial arts demonstrations, food and exhibitors. $6; age 3 and younger, free. 6:30-8:30 p.m., Governor Thomas Johnson High School auditorium, 1501 N. Market St., Frederick. 301-788-2870 or http://www.lifeanddiscovery.com.

Sign up for Frederick’s MS 5K Walk …

Frederick County will host a walk beginning at 10 a.m., April 22, at West Frederick Middle School, located at 515 W. Patrick St., Frederick.

Those interested in participating may register online at www.marylandmswalk.org, call 1-800-FIGHTMS or 443-641-1200.

The Mysterious Skull
And finally, “Skeletal reconstruction has put a face on a human skull found by a hunter Nov. 10, 1989, about 900 feet off Righthand Fork Road, according to the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office.” See the pictures of the face here.

~Guy~