White Flint Store Closings — Pottery Barn and Pottery Barn Kids in White Flint Mall will close Jan. 12 and the Mid-Pike Plaza Toys R Us (11840 Rockville Pike) will also close next month. Both properties are set for redevelopment. [Friends of White Flint] [Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row]

Montgomery Might Benefit From State Budget Increase — With growing tax revenues, Maryland’s budget could grow by as much as four percent in the next fiscal year. With that additional money expected to be spent on education, Montgomery County could be the beneficiary. County leaders will push for more school construction funding once the 2014 General Assembly starts up next month. [The Gazette]

Traffic Ebb and Flow, Visualized — A data artist and software developer used traffic speed data to create a map showing the waves of traffic around the region in the week of Thanksgiving. [Mapbox]

Flickr photo by ehpien