PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY EDITION
Volume 121 No. 41
MAY 18, 2013 - MAY 24, 2013
Outside the Beltway Prince George’s Sees Upswing in Business By Teria Rogers Special to the AFRO
including 201 who died in previous years, were recognized for their sacrifice in a poignant ceremony where United States Attorney General Eric Holder led the lighting of the candles and reading of the names of the fallen officers. As many as 20,000 people were estimated to have attended the vigil. They included officers, law enforcement officials, survivors of the fallen officers and their supporters. The event was shown via live webcast to many thousands more. “Although no words, and no ceremony, can erase the pain we feel at each tragic and untimely loss, my hope is that the families, friends, and colleagues of these fallen heroes can find peace in the certain knowledge that they died doing what they loved,” Holder told the crowd. “They helped to make this world a far better, and safer, place,” he said. “And, despite the fact that these brave officers were taken from us far too suddenly—and far too soon— their legacies, and contributions, will always endure.” Locally, seven officers died in 2012, including Morris, from Prince George’s and Officer Forrest Edward “Dino” Taylor, 44, a 17-year veteran of the Baltimore Police Department. Taylor died
Business is starting to percolate in Prince George’s County’s outer beltway areas with new restaurants and businesses opening while the bidding process for a south county casino moves into the final stages, officials said this week. A major project is expected to be announced by mid May. Aubrey Thagard, an assistant deputy chief administrative officer for Prince George’s County, said the county has attracted “business with good salaries, a good number of jobs.” Details will be released in the announcement, he said. One of the most anticipated projects, a multimillion dollar casino, has moved into final bidding with three companies vying for the opportunity to build the facility. Penn National, which owns Rosecroft Raceway, submitted an offer for a $700 million casino with 500 slot machines at the ailing race track off Brinkley Road. Greenwood Racing, which operates Parx Casino in Philadelphia, has offered to build an $800 million casino with 4,750 slot machines at a site near Indian Head Highway. MGM offered to build an $800 million casino with 3,600 slot machines at National Harbor. The casino cannot open until July 1, 2016 or after a new casino opens in Baltimore, officials said. The state committee that oversees casinos and gaming plans to make the final decision on the winning bid by year’s end. Another potential economic windfall for the county would be the relocation of the FBI headquarters from Northwest Washington to Greenbelt when the agency relocates from the J. Edgar Hoover building in downtown D.C. In February, Prince George’s County Executive Rushern
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National Police Week 2013
Heroes in Blue Honored By Zachary Lester AFRO Staff Writer Officer First Class Adrian A. Morris had been a member of the Prince George’s County Police Department for only two years when he was killed in an automobile accident on Interstate 95 in Beltsville, Md., in August 2012. Morris was among 120 police officers nationwide who died last year who were remembered during National Police Week activities held this week in Washington D.C. The commemoration kicked off with preliminary events the previous week, including the annual Blue Mass May 7 at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Northwest and the Washington Area Law Enforcement Memorial Service on May 10. The big event of the official week, which runs through May 18, was a candlelight vigil on May 13 at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Judiciary Square, near D.C. police headquarters, in Northwest Washington. Morris, who was 23 when he died, was among 321 law enforcement officials from around the country whose names were added to the memorial wall this year. Those men and women,
INSIDE A4
Howard University Cancer Center Dedicates ‘Zora’s Lounge’
B5
AFRO Interview: Actor Eriq La Salle
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Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown Launches Bid to be Md. Governor By Krishana Davis AFRO Staff Writer Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown had thrown his hat into the contest to become the Maryland’s next governor and the first African American to reside in the governor’s mansion in Annapolis. He made the announcement at a May 10 a cookout in Prince George’s County. The event launched a weekend of campaigning that took him to Montgomery County, Frederick and Baltimore. His theme is “Making Maryland Better for All Marylander.” “I’m asking friends and neighbors from across the state to join me, as we build on successes and to take on the next challenges to make Maryland better,” said Brown. Brown, 51, has been endorsed by Gov. Martin O’Malley (D), who has been his political partner at the top of the state’s executive leadership since their election in 2006. Brown said, “Maryland is a great state because of the hard work that we’ve done to invest in new jobs, education and health care, but we still have a lot of work to do to ensure that no family is left behind.” Towson University political science professor John Bullock said that right now Brown is a front-runner and could win the 2014 gubernatorial election. “I think it’s a possibility,” said Bullock. “But I don’t think there’s any one
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In Some Areas
They’re Baaaaaack! By Cathy Allen AFRO Science Writer
The cicadas are coming! Yes, the scary, loud, big-eyed bugs that make an occasional appearance are back for their 2013 showing. Swarms of the Magicicada Brood II, better known as the 17-year locust, are expected to make their grand appearance by the billions in backyards, parks and just about anywhere that is unpaved in some local areas. They have already started to make their presence known in Northern Virginia. They are expected to visit some areas of Maryland in fewer numbers.
Their visit will last four to six weeks, scientists said. While many humans are loathe for the bugs to appear, they will be welcomed by the ecosystem, experts said. “Believe it or not, the Brood II cicada is considered one the jewels of the insect world and ecosystem,” said Corinne Parks, director of the Carrie Murray Nature Center
sky—minus the grease, of course— that is what the cicadas are to our wildlife and our ecosystem.” Even some twolegged creatures are prone to snack on the bugs. “Right now, everything on the planet wants to eat a cicada,” said Photos: Wikimedia Commons Michael Raupp, an entomologist with in Baltimore. “Imagine the University of Maryland. cheese burgers or chicken boxes falling from the Continued on A4
Diversion Programs Offer Youth a Second Chance By Zenitha Prince Special to the AFRO Diversion programs for youth offenders are blooming within area jurisdictions and are having a positive impact on the criminal justice system and on society, some officials and other experts said. “Diversion as an alternative to detention is a concept that has been around for 40 years, and it came about as the result of evidence showing that a young person’s involvement in the juvenile justice system makes things worse,” said Daniel Macallair, executive director of the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, a San Francisco-based nonpartisan nonprofit, whose aim is to reduce the reliance on incarceration. Most diversion programs focus on first-time offenders who have committed misdemeanor crimes. The alternative approach helps them avoid the stigmatization that a criminal conviction
would bring, advocates say. “They were developed to give young people a second chance on the belief that though people may mess up once, they may not mess up gain,” said Andrew Fois, deputy attorney general for the District of Columbia. “It prevents people from becoming chronic recidivists by giving them an incentive to leave the destructive path they may be on and get back on a lawabiding path.” According to a study by the National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies (NAPSA), most diversion screening criteria included prior criminal history, type of charge, substance abuse and mental health history, victim approval, the amount of restitution and arresting officer approval. Standard conditions of diversion participation include drug testing, restitution, community service and counseling. In Washington, D.C., diversion programs are open to any Continued on A4
“Most diversion programs focus on first-time offenders who have committed misdemeanor crimes. The alternative approach helps them avoid the stigmatization that a criminal conviction would bring…”
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