Mirchi Dhaba is now in its soft opening phase at 18280 Contour Road in Montgomery Village Plaza in Gaithersburg, taking over the former Chopathi Indian Kitchen space next to Patel Brothers Farmers Market.

The restaurant is operated by Neel Kamal of Spice Holdings LLC, who also owns Royal Tandoor, and features a menu of North and South Indian street food along with a lunch buffet that will begin on Friday, April 10. The full menu can be seen here.

Montgomery Village Plaza is home to several other dining options including America’s Best Wings, Crisp & Juicy, Dona Bessey Pupusas, and Mickey’s Chinese Restaurant.

Mirchi Dhaba’s sister restaurant, Royal Tandoor, has gained a reputation for its design and dining experience.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded Tuesday morning to a house fire in the Olney Square neighborhood involving solar panels on the roof of a two-story single-family home in the 4400 block of Thornhurst Drive.

According to MCFRS, the fire was contained to the solar panels with no extension into the home. Crews extinguished the fire quickly, and no injuries were reported. Officials said the family is able to re-occupy the home.

MCFRS also highlighted the successful use of a newly acquired tool known as “PVStop,” a handheld unit that applies a deactivating liquid to photovoltaic (PV) systems. The agent was used in place of traditional tarps to safely shut down the energized solar panels during the incident.

Update – Thornhurst Dr, Olney Square neighborhood, 2-sty sign-family house, fire involved solar panel on roof, no extension, fire out, no injuries, family can re-occupy, @mcfrs effectively deployed ‘PVStop’ agent (in lieu of tarps) in order to deactivate solar panels https://t.co/ZwprUqNFDL pic.twitter.com/HlnlqtMdSS

— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) April 8, 2026

Maryland continues to rank among the most environmentally friendly states in the country, according to a new 2026 report from WalletHub released ahead of Earth Day.

The personal-finance company evaluated all 50 states across 28 key metrics tied to environmental health and sustainability, including air and water quality, energy use, and green building practices. The report comes as the U.S. experienced $182.7 billion in damage from weather and climate disasters in 2024, underscoring the growing importance of environmental protection efforts.

Maryland ranked 6th overall in the nation, placing it well above average and among the top tier of “green” states. The state’s strongest showing came in green building infrastructure, where it ranked 1st in LEED-certified buildings per capita, highlighting a significant investment in sustainable construction and design.

Other rankings for Maryland include:

• 14th in air quality
• 20th in soil quality
• 15th in water quality
• 9th in energy consumption per capita
• 16th in gasoline consumption per capita

The report reflects a mix of strengths and areas for improvement, with Maryland excelling in environmentally conscious development while landing closer to the middle of the pack in natural resource quality metrics.

For the full report, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/greenest-states/11987