VOLUNTEER HONORED
Chair of the Residential Parking Committee selected as 2016 Volunteer of the Year. P. 2
NEW COLUMN DEBUT
Hyattsville Preservation Association pens new column, “Then & Now” P. 4
Hyattsville woman celebrates 100 years
HAPPY HOLIDAYS! FROM THE HL&T
Life&Times
By Helen Lyons
Ms. Geraldine E. Smith has seen a lot of change in the U.S. over the last century — from the passage of women’s suffrage in 1920 to the nomination of the first female candidate in a major party for president just last year — but if you ask her what has changed just outside her front door, the longtime Hyattsville resident will tell you, “Not much!” Smith, or “Gerry” to her friends and family, lived on 39th Avenue in a charming Sears and Roebuck prefab house with a red door and red shutters for 67 1/2 years until she moved into Sacred Heart Home on Queen’s Chapel Road. On Nov. 26, Smith celebrated her 100th birthday. “People knew our house as the ‘fairytale’ house or the ‘storybook’ house,” said Smith’s daughter, Claudia Smith, agreeing with
Hyattsville’s Community Newspaper
December 2016
Council unanimously passes noncitizen voting amendment By Scott Gelman
After a long series of debates, non-U.S. citizens living in Hyattsville will be able to vote in local elections starting in 2017. The amendment to the Hyattsville Charter passed unanimously, despite previous opposition by some councilmembers. The change, which will take effect in May, when one representative from each of the city’s five wards will be up for re-election,
enables voters who have lived in Hyattsville for at least 30 days to participate in city elections. On Dec. 5, the city council unanimously passed the amendment, which also allows for same-day voter registration for Hyattsville elections starting in January, 2019. Giving noncitizens the right to vote could have a role in Hyattsville’s becoming a sanctuary city, a city that doesn’t prosecute immigrants for violating immigration laws,
which Councilmember Patrick Paschall (Ward 3) discussed at the Nov. 21 council meeting. “I don’t expect a huge influx of noncitizens to vote or cast a ballot,” Paschall said. “I expect it to send a message to the immigrant community that they have a place in the community. Their views are valued by the community.” About 35 percent of Hyattsville residents were born outside of the U.S., according to 2014 cen-
sus data, and immigrants compose about 15 percent of the city’s population, according to CASA de Maryland, an organization that works to “organize, advocate for, and extend opportunities for Latino and immigrant people in Maryland.” Hyattsville is the first city in Prince George’s County to pass noncitizen voting. Six other Maryland cities have passed VOTING continued on page 12
HYATTSVILLE MD PERMIT NO. 1383
NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID
SMITH continued on page 3
Vol. 13 No. 12
MARIA D. JAMES Shoppers walk into H&M inside the Mall at Prince Georges. The clothing retailer officially opened at the mall on Dec. 2.
Hyattsville Life & Times PO Box 132 Hyattsville, MD 20781
Mall at Prince Georges welcomes H&M DSW, ULTA Beauty coming soon By Maria D. James
The Mall at Prince Georges typically open around 9 a.m. However, that didn’t stop anxious
customers from lining up as early as 8 a.m. on Dec. 2. Their reason? The long-awaited grand opening of clothing retailer H&M. The ribbon-cutting ceremony started at noon, after which customers poured into the store to take advantage of grand-opening sales and to use their 30 percent
off discount coupon postcards mailed out to Hyattsville residents days prior. New employee Ezekiel Lewis loves his new job and appreciates the growth opportunities within the company. “I’ve wanted to work for H&M since I was 16,” said Lewis,
who is now 18 years old. “I love H&M because they always want people to grow in the company.” Lewis and other store associates trained at the H&M location at Wheaton Mall prior to coming to the Mall at Prince Georges MALL continued on page 10
CENTER SECTION: DECEMBER 13, 2016 ISSUE OF THE HYATTSVILLE REPORTER — IN ESPANOL TOO!