CROSSFIT HYATTSVILLE
The latest workout craze comes to Hyattsville. P. 3
Mead staged to make a quite literal historic comeback By Scarlett Salem
The meteoric rise of craft brews over the past few years has laid the groundwork for a return of mead, which may arguably be the world’s oldest alcoholic drink. And while it has gained traction nationwide and is set to storm the Washington, DC region, most people have never even heard of it. “People say ‘I saw it [the bottle] said Charm City... I bought it, I love it, I don’t know what it is,’” said Hyattsville resident and cofounder of the Baltimore-based Charm City Meadworks, Andrew Geffken. “It’s the world’s oldest alcohol and was relegated to the sidelines and we are trying to bring it back a bit,” he said. Although the drink’s popularity has waned since the advent of beer and wine which are less expensive to produce, it has been a constant presence at Renaissance Festivals and recent online data has shown a recent uptick in meaderies opening nationwide. Made with honey, water and fermented yeast, mead falls into a distinct class of its own, not traditionally considered a beer, cider, or wine. A substantial amount of honey is needed to create mead because of its higher
OURHYATTSVILLE INSTAGRAM
The handle has posted a year's worth of the city's diversity. P. 6
FORTY THIRD PLACE
One person's trash is this wood-worker's treasure. P. 10
Life&Times & &Times
Vol. 13 No. 2
Hyattsville’s Community Newspaper
SNOWZILLA VS. HYATTSVILLE
NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID EASTON MD PERMIT NO. 43
Property assessments skyrocket By Rebecca Bennett
possible because the symptoms are similar to the common cold. Once the cancer is detected it spreads fast. When neighbors learned about Michael’s condition they decided to come together and help the Sipe family with Johnna Schmidt leading the effort. “A friend told me about Michael's diagnosis. I knew that if people in the community also knew about the situation they would want to help,” said Schmidt. Schmidt organized a community meeting at her home, which gathered 25 concerned volunteers. “It really made me grateful to live in my neighborhood,” she said.
When City of Hyattsville residents received their residential property assessments for 2016, many were shocked at the value the Maryland Department of Assessment and Taxation placed on their homes. Those assessments — some residents say they were double the previous assessments — went up not only for the City of Hyattsville, but for many of the surrounding neighborhoods. At a community meeting she organized on the subject, Prince George’s County Councilmember Deni Taveras (District 2) said it’s a good thing that property values have gone up. She said county real-estate property tax will not increase much initially, but increased assessments will raise stormwater, trash, and Maryland National Capital Parking & Planning fees. Hyattsville City Treasurer Ron Brooks said the increased assessments don’t necessarily mean that residents will pay higher taxes. “It all depends on how the city reacts after the assessment,” he said. According to Brooks, the county sends the city an estimated revenue and a constant yield rate, which prevents city residents from being double taxed. The city then has the option to keep the rate, lower the rate or raise the rate. The city’s current tax rate is 63 cents per $100 of assessed value, which is where it has been since 2005, even though the city saw a great decline in 2013 property assessments. For next year, city staff will submit the budget on
CANCER continued on page 11
PROPERTY continued on page 13
MEAD continued on page 12
KEPA & SELYCE FREEMAN On Jan. 17, the Sunday after the blizzard, a line of cars was snowed in on Hamilton Street near Magruder Park.
Community offers support to family of toddler with stage 4 cancer By Maria D. James
Hyattsville Life & Times PO Box 132 Hyattsville, MD 20781
February 2016
Michael Sipe was a very active 2 year old. So when he suddenly became lethargic and stopped eating last year his mother, Tiffany Sipe, grew concerned. “I took him the doctor three times and each time I was told he just has a cold, or it was normal for a toddler to not want to eat, but we knew something wasn't right,” said Sipe. A visit to Children's National Medical Center confirmed her suspicions. Michael was diagnosed with stage four Neuroblastoma, which is a form of cancer where tumorous growths develop from a gland above the kidneys. Unfortunately, early detection is nearly im-
CENTER SECTION: FEBRUARY 10, 2016 ISSUE OF THE HYATTSVILLE REPORTER — IN ESPANOL TOO!