KUDOS FOR A COOK The Personal Chef of the Year lives here in Hyattsville. PAGE 3
Where the past is still present By Paula Minaert
On August 24, 1814, American soldiers, sailors and Marines met invading British troops in the town of Bladensburg. The places they fought are familiar to us today: the East Branch of the Anacostia River, Bunker Hill Road, 40th Avenue. Though the American troops outnumbered the British, they were undertrained and poorly equipped. By four o’clock that afternoon, they were forced to retreat and the British marched on to Washington, where they burned the city — the low point of the War of 1812, at least from the Yanks’ perspective. On August 24, 2012, local, county and state representatives gathered at Bladensburg Waterfront Park for the formal opening of the Battle of Bladensburg Visitors Center. It was the culmination of more than two years of work by a coalition of local groups, including town leaders and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. It was also part of a statewide, multiyear celebration of the bicentennial of the War of 1812. Elizabeth Hewlett, chair of M-NCPPC’s Prince George’s County Planning Board, spoke at
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit # 43 Easton, MD 21601
BATTLE continued on page 13
BEAT THE HEAT
PLAYING IT FORWARD
Wait until fall to plant new trees so they get a better start. PAGE 5
At the Coach Brown Memorial Basketball Camp, a legacy lives on. PAGE 6
Hyattsville Life&Times
Vol. 9 No. 9
Hyattsville’s Community Newspaper
DeMatha rocked by road-trip misdeeds Five players dismissed By Paula Minaert
SUSIE CURRIE During an ongoing criminal investigation, postal inspectors discovered that one letter carrier, instead of delivering mail, was depositing it in one of these cluster box units at Arts District Hyattsville.
Mail stashed, trashed by local letter carrier Hundreds notified of criminal investigation By Susie Currie
Hyattsville Life & Times PO Box 132 Hyattsville, MD 20781
September 2012
A criminal probe into missing mail in Hyattsville has uncovered a stash of undelivered envelopes and packages hidden in a parcel locker on the route, according to sources familiar with the investigation. In a two-paragraph letter dated August 27, hundreds of households learned that “mail was recovered by the [U.S. Postal
Service Office of Inspector General] on August 16 & 17, 2012, sealed and contents intact. This mail is being delivered to you without further delay.” Little else has been made public, as the investigation is ongoing. But OIG Special Agent Lisa Aiken did confirm that it centers on one employee “who is no longer on the route” – or, it would seem, on the payroll, although Aiken declined to
elaborate on that or any other aspect of the case. So did Hyattsville Postmaster Prince Jones, Jr., who signed the letter. Sources say that the unidentified female letter carrier had been with the USPS since at least 2008, working for most of that time as a floater who rotated among different routes on the regular carriers’ days off. MAIL continued on page 7
DeMatha Catholic High School is reeling from news that some members of its storied football team allegedly hosted prostitutes while in North Carolina for its seasonopening game. School officials moved to address the misconduct on September 4, when they learned of it. Five players were removed from the team. At press time, two had withdrawn from the school, two had been recommended for expulsion, and one was scheduled to face a disciplinary hearing. DeMatha Principal Daniel McMahon issued a statement on September 7 saying that “the school community is saddened and hurt by the actions of these few who do not reflect the character of the community.” He said the school had sent 18 chaperones for 65 players on the trip and that expectations for behavior were clearly communicated. “As on all field trips, we conducted room checks and monitored hallways. The last bed checks were at 1:30 a.m. Saturday morning and the hallways were monitored until after 4:30 a.m. The incident occurred after 5 a.m. on Saturday morning.” McMahon said he could not comment on any disciplinary matDEMATHA continued on page 12
Included: The September 11, 2012 Issue of The Hyattsville Reporter — See Center Section