MY TWO CENTS
96-year-old pharmacist is thankful for Hyattsville. P. 2
GAS STATION ROBBERIES Police still searching for culprits of gas station robberies. P. 10
The park formerly known as Magruder? City asks citizens to reimagine park
ARTS & ALES
Relive the arts festival through photos. P. 16
Life&Times
Vol. 15 No. 10
Hyattsville’s Community Newspaper
October 2018
By Kit Slack
On the evening of Wednesday, Sept. 26, down at Magruder Park, about 100 kids ages 4 to 14 took advantage of a break in the rain to get in a short soccer practice before another thunderstorm broke and turned the grass into marsh. Meanwhile, inside the park’s concrete bunker-style rec center, two dozen Hyattsville residents, including three members of the city council, talked together about how they used the park, MAGRUDER continued on page 14
Despite delays, city library thriving in temp location By Ben Simasek
Reconstruction of the Hyattsville branch of the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System (PGCMLS) has been delayed as the county has sought to secure sufficient funding and select a contractor. Now expected to open in late 2020 at the earliest, the new library will be a 40,000 square-foot, onestory facility with additional study rooms, community meeting spaces and parking. The Hyattsville library is one of 10 construction/renovation projects slated for the county library system, for which $63.8 million has been budgeted LIBRARY continued on page 15
COURTESY OF THE HYATTSVILLE VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT Dave Hang joined the Hyattsville Volunteer Fire Department in 1994, became its chief in 2005 and retired from this position on Sept. 3.
Hang retires after 13 years as Hyattsville fire chief
By Elliott Davis
After more than 23 years with the Hyattsville Volunteer Fire Department (HVFD), including 13 years as the department’s third longest-serving fire chief, Dave Hang retired from his position on Sept. 3. According to the department, Hang spent his last shift celebrating with fellow HVFD
members, alumni and friends. “I was completely blown away on my last shift at the firehouse with all the meals prepared by the duty crew, all the visitors, phone calls, [text] messages and [Facebook] postings,” Hang said in an email. “The support I have received over the years have truly made this job memorable.” The HVFD Board of Directors selected Mitchell Kannry as the
interim fire chief. Kannry, a former deputy chief and 17-year veteran of the department, assumed the position upon Hang’s retirement, according to HVFD Vice President Dave Iannone. Thomas Falcone, HVFD president, said that a new chief will be elected by HVFD members at the end of the year. Hang accomplished a lot during his tenure. He oversaw a
full replacement of the HVFD’s fleet, the development of its Advanced Life Support program and growth of the department’s overall recruitment, according to the HVFD website. Falcone, who served with Hang for over 20 years, said that he will miss his leadership and considers him “a lifelong friend.” HANG continued on page 12
CENTER SECTION: OCT. 9, 2018 ISSUE OF THE HYATTSVILLE REPORTER — IN ESPANOL TOO! HYATTSVILLE MD PERMIT NO. 1383
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