It has been a year since we formally launched BethesdaNow.com and we hope it has served you well.
Our goal is to bring you local news in a timely and informative manner. We’ve seen a steady increase in readers and gotten to know many of you personally, whether it’s before a Citizens Advisory Board meeting, during a restaurant opening or over a cup of coffee.
We appreciate the support and are always looking for news tips and ideas to make the site better.
As always, drop us a line at desk@bethesdanow.com or get in touch anonymously. Please spread the word. You can follow us on Twitter or get updates on Facebook. Don’t forget about our Afternoon Update, an email with all of the day’s news packaged into a daily newsletter.
Follow the jump for the most read posts of the last year and a few of our personal favorites:
1. Group Says Gym Ad Is Sexist, Demand Gym Take It Down (18,192 views | July 1, 2013): This one got some play on a few popular news aggregation sites, but it was a popular local story in its own right. The gym has since taken the controversial ad down, though it said it planned to anyway. The windows remain bare.
2. One Dead, One Rescued In Mall Parking Garage Collapse (4,057 views | May 23, 2013): A construction worker died and another was injured when a piece of concrete at a Westfield Montgomery Mall parking garage fell. Police shut down a whole section of parking at the complex as rescuers worked to free the injured worker, who was trapped for almost four hours. The incident stopped construction on the garage, which will be part of the mall’s expansion.
3. Driver Kills Himself On I-270 In Bethesda During Traffic Stop (3,922 views | January 18, 2013): A man shot himself during a police traffic stop on I-270, causing a large police and fire response.
4. Bethesda ‘Most Educated’ Place In America (3,701 views | June 24, 2013): You sure like reading about how smart you are! Bethesda’s highly-educated population went a long way toward earning this distinction.
5. Police Say Teen Was Killed By Falling Tree In Rock Creek Park (3,894 views | June 11, 2013): Josh Davis, a 15-year-old from Chevy Chase, was killed while riding his bike through Rock Creek Park when a tree fell and struck him. Davis was about to finish his sophomore year at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School.
6. State Voters Pass 3 Major Ballot Questions (3,366 views | Nov. 6, 2012): At least locally, the November ballot provided more interest than just the Presidential race. In Maryland, most chose to uphold the state’s same-sex marriage law (thanks in large part to Montgomery County voters), approve the Dream Act and allow expanded casino gambling in the state.
7. Shot Fired At Walter Reed Entrance Gate (3,260 views | Oct. 23, 2012): A bizarre cross-state police chase (in which police say a mentally disturbed woman behind the wheel was seen eating soap) resulted in a base security officer firing his weapon. No one was hurt by the shot. One officer sustained minor injuries after busting out the driver’s window in an attempt to get her to stop the vehicle.
8. White Flint Sketch Plan Shows Scope of Development (3,137 views | Oct. 24, 2012): Development is always big news, and the redevelopment of White Flint Mall is one of the most important projects around. Since the sketch plan came out, progress has been slow. Lord & Taylor, the longtime department store anchor, sued the mall because it says the redevelopment plan violates its lease. White Flint Mall filed a countersuit. The Mall’s owners say Lord & Taylor’s goal was to reach a financial settlement.
Some other favorites: Homelessness is a bigger problem in Bethesda than you might know. This bachelor party prank went wrong when a witness told police it looked like a kidnapping. A Bethesda woman and hobby breeder of dogs was found dead in her home. Should somebody have stepped in to help her and her dogs? The Bus Rapid Transit debate will gear up again this month. Can Montgomery County entice enough people to ditch their cars for mass transit? Studies suggest no.
