Democratic primary for county executive results, P.2
LARS hosts successful movie premiere, P.5
Jeffery Mills seeks Prince George’s County seat, P.9
Tensions arise over election law review
By JOE MURCHISON
A Laurel City Council review of proposed election law changes has exposed tensions between two councilmembers.
Disagreement about the proposed changes prompted Councilmember Jeffrey Mills (Ward
2) to go on social media last month to say he had been bullied by Councilmember James Kole (Ward 1) and the LGBTQ+ community, with which Kole identifies.
The council reviewed proposed election law changes at a Feb. 5 work session. The changes had
been proposed by the city’s Board of Election Supervisors, aided by Council Clerk Sara Green and Bruce Marcus, an attorney consulting with the board. “We’ve cleaned up and modernized the existing code,” Marcus said at the work session, noting that many changes would bring city rules
into conformity with state election law.
Mills spoke out against two of the proposed changes: that a candidate could not serve as his own campaign treasurer, and that a candidate seeking reconsideration of a decision of the city elections board would have to appeal to Circuit Court rather than the city’s board of appeals. In his 2023 election, Mills was his own campaign treasurer, and he also successfully went before the board of appeals to overturn an elections board decision. The board had deemed
Hutchinson returns home to play hoops in college
By DAVID DRIVER
After two years at Florida’s IMG Academy (IMG), a preparatory school known for sports training, Jacoi Hutchinson has returned to the DMV to begin his college basketball career.
The guard, who grew up in Laurel, didn’t end up at the signature hoop program in his home state — but Hutchinson, now in his sophomore year at the George Washington University (GW), is close by. After being courted by the University of Maryland’s Terps, along with Virginia Tech and James Madison University, Hutchinson opted to play for the Revolutionaries on the GW campus. He joined the program in time for the second season under head coach Chris Caputo, who joined GW in 2022, after a long tenure as a top assistant coach at University of Miami, in Florida.
New exhibit showcases trains and trolleys
By QUINN MULLER
The Laurel Museum has reopened its doors with a new exhibit exploring the history of trains, trolleys and railroads. The exhibit, “Laurel Rides the Rails: Tales of Trains and Trolleys,” opened in early February and will run through mid-December. It features stories highlighting Laurel’s history on the rails.
“I want them first to read everything, learn the stories, learn about the history,” Luis VacaSoto, the interim director of the Laurel HIstorical Society (LHS), said. “But I also want people to participate in it, to look at things and say, you know, how does this affect me?”
The exhibit focuses on the B&O Railroad stops in Laurel and a trolley that ran down Main Street. Various panels depict
LAUREL’S
Jacoi Hutchinson, who grew up in Laurel and played at DeMatha Catholic in Hyattsville, has been one of the top scorers this season for the basketball team at the George Washington University. COURTESY OF GEORGE WASHINGTON ATHLETICS
Federal worker supports DOGE cost-cutting e orts
By JOE MURCHISON
Last month, The Laurel Independent ran a story about the reaction of a federal worker to the efforts of President Donald Trump and his advisor, billionaire Elon Musk, to slash the federal workforce. Another federal employee called in response to that story to give his own reaction, which is presented here.
Douglas Dribben has worked for the federal government for 46 years, most of that time as a military and civilian lawyer. An Odenton resident who works at Fort Meade, he has taken the buyout offered by the Trump administration and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the non-federal agency that Trump created under the
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Last month’s piece, “A Federal Worker’s Story,” got me thinking.
I have lived in the Laurel area most of my adult life, but whether you have lived here all your life, or just recently moved here, you are probably being affected by things the new administration is doing with regard to the federal workforce and proposed budget cuts. My own daughter was fired from her federal job. My husband and I live on Social Security and are concerned about noises the administration is making about cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. With these changes going on all around us, it can be really scary. But life is not as scary if you get together with others in the community to share information and to support each other. Meeting and taking action together can help you feel the power we have as citizens, exer-
A community newspaper chronicling the people and events of Laurel, Maryland. Mailing address: PO Box 132, Hyattsville, MD 20781
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leadership of Musk.
“It’s a great program for the American public because it’s cutting the fat,” Dribben said of the buyout offer and other administration cost-cutting measures. “We have too many people doing too little, and so the government is simply saying, ‘We want to get rid of some.’ … There’s a lot of bloated bureaucracy, there’s a lot of duplication.”
The buyout offer, presented by Musk under the auspices of DOGE to most federal employees in a January email titled “Fork in the Road,” allows workers to be placed on administrative leave after they are approved for the buyout. They have been told they will receive full pay through Sept. 30 or, if they are putting in for retirement, through as late as
cising our Constitutional rights to speech and assembly.
In Laurel itself, we have Laurel Resist, led by Amy Knox. Laurel Resist has a presence on Facebook and meets regularly at Saint Philip’s Episcopal Church on Main Street.
There is also an active Indivisible group in Howard County and a new Indivisible group in Prince George’s County. You can find a group near you at Indivisible. org and click on “Join the Movement,” then “Find a Group.”
Actions taken by Resist and Indivisible groups range from postcard-writing campaigns to attending Congressional town hall meetings, to protests in D.C. and elsewhere, but their biggest value, to me, is the community they provide. There is truly strength in numbers.
Barbara LaValle Laurel
Managing Editor
Katie V. Jones
Katie@streetcarsuburbs.news
Associate Editor
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Columnists
Rick Borchelt, Agnes Pasco Conaty, Jimmy Rogers
Writers & Contributors
Agnes Pasco Conaty, David Driver, Katie V. Jones, Quinn Muller, Joe Murchison, Sharon O’Malley, Aiesha Solomon, Helen Woods
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Dec. 31. Dribben is among some 75,000 employees who have taken the buyout. He said he has been informed that his administrative leave should start sometime in March.
Dribben approves of Trump’s and Musk’s desire to trim the federal workforce by 10%. “Ten percent is probably a manageable number, if not more,” he said. He also said Trump and DOGE should easily be able to cut $1 trillion from government expenditures during Trump’s four-year term. “I’m amazed, and I think the vast majority of Americans are amazed, at what we have been spending money on and to whom we have been giving that money,” he said. “We’ve been feeding Afghan Taliban people, for example. It’s all out there. There are websites that list all that.”
While he thought Musk and DOGE could have been more, in his words, “respectful” in some of their communications with federal workers, Dribben said criticism aimed at them was often overwrought. Musk, he said, “is the richest man in the world.
He’s doing this for free, and he has no authority. He can’t fire a single person; he cannot make a single decision. To act, it goes to President Trump. Now, President Trump has delegated him a lot of authority to figure out how to find this stuff [fraud, waste and abuse], but he’s just passing on this info to the president.
“All those people who think this unelected richest man in the world is the acting president and has the power and want to steal their Social Security number for some reason, it’s ludicrous,” he added.
Dribben said the administration’s attempts to fire most probationary employees, who have been at their jobs for less than two years, makes sense, because these workers haven’t gained enough expertise and institutional knowledge to be key employees. “I’ve had several of these people at my command who have left, and we didn’t notice. … We can replace them fairly easily.”
Staffing adjustments probably will need to be made at the end of the layoffs, he suggested. “I think there’s going to be a bigger cut, perhaps, than most people thought necessary or wanted, and then we’re going to come back from that cut a year from now and rehire selectively.”
Longer-term federal workers who have shown their value
shouldn’t be intimidated by the firings and layoffs, Dribben said. “If you’re an employee who is afraid of this, you probably have a good reason to be. … If you’re competent and you’re confident in your competence, the government’s not going to fire you.”
As enthusiastic as Dribben is about cost-cutting, he said he wasn’t entirely satisfied with DOGE’s approach. “If I were running DOGE, I would have targeted [for firing] … those people who, after a quick analysis, had jobs that could be streamlined, automated or who had a history of not performing well, based on reviews by your supervisors. I would not have offered [the buyout] to people like me … who have performed well.”
Dribben added that what he called DOGE’s “chainsaw approach rather than scalpel approach” had negative effects on his own office, where 10 employees have worked at the headquarters of the Army Claims Service at Fort Meade. These employees have a huge workload adjudicating claims against the U.S. military around the world — claims filed by people employed by or associated with the military. Three of the 10 took the buyout, Dribben said, adding, “I’m 100% certain we’re going to hire new attorneys next year.”
Democratic primary for county executive election results
By SHARON O’MALLEY
Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy won the Democratic primary for county executive on March 4.
Braveboy, 50, will run in the June 3 special election against the winner of the Republican primary, Jonathan White, who won 37% of the vote and edged out Jesse A. Peed, who took 34.34%, according to unofficial results as of press time from the Maryland State Board of Elections.
Braveboy took more than 46% of the vote. In second place as
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President: Marta McLellan Ross
Vice President & General Counsel: Michael Walls
Treasurer: Joe Murchison
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polls closed was Rushern L. Baker III, with 19% of the vote, followed by Calvin S. Hawkins Jr., with 16.5%, according to the unofficial results.
Nine Democrats and three Republicans were on the primary ballot. Prince George’s County voters typically elect Democrats, making Braveboy the presumed front-runner ahead of the June 3 special election.
The Upper Marlboro resident told Streetcar Suburbs Publishing, The Laurel Independent’s publisher, that she will devote her first year in office to strengthening the
county’s finances, expanding its commercial tax base, supporting local businesses and retaining residents.
She also said she will confront the county’s $171 million budget deficit without raising taxes. If Braveboy wins the June 3 general election, she will replace Angela Alsobrooks, who won a seat in the U.S. Senate in November after serving as county executive since 2018 and as county attorney for eight years before then. Alsobrooks left her post two years before the end of her term.
To celebrate International Women’s Month, the city of Laurel’s Parks & Recreation Department hosted a Women & Vision Ladies Meet-up event on March 7 at the Mansion at Laurel. While sipping drinks from a demonstration on making cocktails and mocktails, the women made vision boards, a collage of images and words that represent one’s goals and dreams. COURTESY OF THE CITY OF LAUREL
RECOGNIZING INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S MONTH
The Laurel Independent is a member of the National Newspaper Association and the Institute for Nonprofit News.
Betty Compton, Laurel Historical Society’s founding member, remembered
By KATIE V. JONES
While enjoying rides around the city of Laurel, Betty Compton would tell her friend Gayle Snyder what each building was and its history.
“I never met anyone like her,” Snyder, a former three-term Ward 1 Laurel councilmember, said. “She taught me so much.”
Ann Bennett, Laurel Historical Society’s (LHS) former executive director, called Compton “a visionary leader and forward thinker in the museum community.”
“It was because of Betty that the museum serves not only as an 1840s historic house, but also as the home for Laurel’s history on a variety of topics allowing LHS to take deep dives into the stories of Laurel’s past,” Bennett wrote in an email.
Elizabeth “Betty” Miles Compton passed away on Feb. 12.
The cofounder of LHS and the Laurel Museum, Compton was born on April 8, 1926 in Laurel and attended both Laurel El-
ementary School and Laurel High School.
During World War II, she studied at Women’s Hospital School of Nursing in Baltimore City, where she met and married J. Richard “Dick” Compton, a brigadier general with the U.S. Army. The couple would go on to live in Colorado, Arkansas, Kentucky, North Carolina and Japan before settling in Laurel. The couple had two sons, Gregory Alan Compton and Peter Miles Compton.
“I went on a job interview and she hired me,” Snyder, who worked for Compton and her husband at his private medical practice on Main Street, said.
“We were just very close friends. I loved her from the very beginning,” she added.
When Compton and her husband moved to a retirement community in the District, the two remained close, with Snyder visiting weekly in later years.
“We would sit on her sofa,
STAFFING CHANGES AT LAUREL HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Ann Bennett, Laurel Historical Society’s (LHS) director for the past seven years, accepted a new position as executive director of the Howard County Historical Society. Her last day at LHS was Feb. 28.
Luis Vaca-Soto, museum administrator for LHS, is currently serving as interim director until a new director is hired.
LHS education and outreach coordinator Abby
have a cocktail and have some great conversation,” Snyder said.
This year marks LHS’s 50th anniversary. Bennett said plans were in the works to recognize Compton for her role in both the society’s and museum’s beginnings.
“Although I am very sad that she is no longer here to champion our work, I echo her words in
Carver accepted a new position as a private school teacher. Her last day was also Feb. 28, Vaca-Soto said.
Maria Gonzales Jackson, the society’s volunteer services coordinator, is taking on additional responsibilities to help with the changes, Vaca-Soto said.
He stated that the staffing changes had no effect on the new exhibit.
— Quinn Muller
her last email to me: ‘I will not say goodbye’ because I know her lasting legacy and love for her hometown and its people will be felt for generations,” Bennett wrote.
“I am profoundly grateful to have known her and even more blessed to have worked with her over seven years on her ‘favorite subject’ — Laurel,” Bennett wrote.
Elizabeth “Betty” Miles Compton with her husband Dr. J. Richard “Dick” Compton COURTESY OF THE LAUREL HISTORICAL SOCIETY
County Council aims to reduce ER wait times
By QUINN MULLER
In a move to address life-threatening emergency room wait times in Prince George’s County hospitals, a county council committee voted unanimously to expand a task force studying the issue.
The resolution, which was in-
troduced by Councilmember Wala Blegay (District 6), was passed by the Health, Human Services and Public Safety Committee on Feb. 20. It will add two new members to the Task Force to Address Hospital Emergency Room Wait Times, which currently has 17 members. The resolution also extends the task
force’s reporting time, setting a Nov. 14 deadline. The county’s task force works in cooperatively with a parallel task force at the state level.
A March 2024 report released by the Maryland General Assembly details that the state holds the longest emergency room wait times in the coun-
try; the average ER wait is four hours and 10 minutes. In Prince George’s County, which has nine hospitals, that number jumps to four hours and 52 minutes, the longest in the state.
Wait times at UM Laurel Medical Center are among the longest in Maryland hospitals, according to a 2022 study by Adventist HealthCare. Patients waited more than an hour, on average.
.Jeffrey Cooper, a Prince George’s County resident and a member of the task force, said factors including housing instability, transportation barriers and limited access to primary care contribute to the demand for emergency services.
causes of wait times and make recommendations to the county council, according to the resolution. The extension will allow the task force to submit a more complete report. The report is due Nov. 14.
“By extending the emergency room task force, we are not simply reducing wait time, but laying the foundation for a comprehensive long-term solution to emergency care disparities,” Cooper said.
Representatives from the Prince George’s County Police Department and the county’s Office of the Sheriff will join the task force, which currently includes community members, local medical professionals and county council members.
“These are not merely hospital issues but communitywide problems that require a coordinated response,” Cooper said. “Without addressing these fundamental concerns, no hospital expansion or incoming staff will create a sustainable solution to overcrowding ERs, excessive wait times and poor patient outcomes.”
The task force was created in 2023 to investigate root
“[I] see this as a great opportunity, not just to tackle the issues that we have here in Prince George’s [County], but to have Prince George’s [County] be a leader and set an example that other jurisdictions can follow from the work that’s ultimately done here,” John Erzen, the deputy chief of staff with the Office of the County Executive, said.
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LARS hosts movie premiere to raise community awareness
By AIESHA SOLOMON
Laurel Advocacy and Referral Services (LARS) premiered “No Address” at Regal Laurel Towne Centre on Feb 27. The sold-out event, which raised $8,500 for LARS, aimed to shine a light on the struggles of individuals without homes. City of Laurel elected officials, LARS board members and featured speakers attended the event, which included a VIP reception.
Produced by Robert Craig Films, “No Address” tells the story of a fictional character named Lauren, played by Isabella Ferreira, who loses her home. She connects with other unhoused people, and forms a tight-knit community. They support each other, face challenges and reach for success.
“One of the things the movie does really well is show the myriad of reasons why [people become unhoused] … It’s not the stereotype. They’re not the drug addict. They’re not
the prostitute. They’re not in a gang. This truly does show that homelessness can happen to anybody and so, for us, that’s what we wanted to convey,” Shannon Mouton, executive director for LARS, said in a video interview.
Mouton learned about the film through a listserv she follows. Robert Craig Films was supporting film screenings by donating 50% of the net profits from the film and related initiatives.
Profits from the premiere and Robert Craig Films’s donation are earmarked for services LARS provides to the city’s unhoused community.
The nonprofit offers basic supplies, clothing and home furnishings to clients enrolled in LARS’ permanent and transitional housing programs.
Audrey Vaught, LARS permanent supportive housing program manager, described these two programs in a video interview. “One is for people who have long-term experience with homelessness and
do not have the ability to change their housing status on their own, and the [transitional housing] program is for people experiencing very temporary, short term [housing needs].”
Vaught was one of the speakers at the Q&A session following the film. Two LARS staff members, an unhoused individual and a moderator participated in the session, which explored a range of topics related to issues raised in the film. Mouton aimed to drive home the critical circumstances these individuals face.
“I wanted to make this real. So often, especially when you’re in suburban communities, you don’t necessarily see homeless people, [which is] different than being in a major city — DC, New York, Baltimore, Seattle — where you’re walking around, and you see them,” Mouton said. She noted that Laurel has an unhoused population.
Jeffrey Bingham, a program manager with LARS, experienced being unhoused, himself. In a video interview, he supported Mouton’s interests in premiering the film and said it was important to shine
a spotlight on this issue.
Ross Hughes has been a LARS client for about 10 years.
“I always like to support the people that are homeless because I’ve been there … and also it’s a privilege to help out LARS because they helped me so much,” he said, in a video interview.
Vaught underscored that sudden, unexpected circum-
LAUREL SQUIRREL
stances can leave an individual without a home. “We need people to understand that there is no one face to homelessness. Homelessness could be you, it could be me, it could be your best friend or your neighbor,” he said. “So many people are one traumatic experience or one bad day or one missed paycheck away from homelessness.”
By Agnes Pasco Conaty
“I tried running for Prince George’s County Council, but apparently ‘free acorns for all’ isn’t a real platform.”
THE LAUREL INNER SPACE
Mentoring matters
By Agnes Pasco Conaty
In my work at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, I have the fortune of seeing early career researchers being mentored by senior scientists. And as a college professor, this kind of coaching comes naturally to me — I grab every opportunity to mentor young students who may need a push, some encouragement, even help finding a direction in life.
Offering this kind of guidance can be a rewarding two-way street, too. I had the opportunity to mentor a summer intern at Goddard in 2023 who was an excellent Python programmer. She inspired me to go beyond my comfort zone in writing computer codes, and I learned every bit as much from her as she learned from me.
Mentoring is not a new concept, of course. In the Middle Ages, young artisans apprenticed with older, more experienced masters. And this was common practice in Europe for centuries; teenagers, especially youthful boys, frequently apprenticed with a skilled craftsman who taught them a
trade in exchange for help with day-to-day work.
While we often think of a mentor as someone outside our family circle, vast amounts of mentoring happens, often less formally, at home. Kids learn by watching grandparents, parents and older siblings. When I was growing up in the Philippines, my maternal grandparents lived with us, and they passed down family recipes and cooking techniques, sewing know-how and a host of other skills. And along with all that sharing, teaching us grandkids valuable life lessons.
Here at home in Laurel, mentoring is my family’s way of life. Over the years, my husband taught our son how to ride a bike, change a tire, wear a tie and pump gas in the car. When my family was home during the pandemic, I taught my son how to cook, do the laundry and garden. My mentoring gave my son some of the most rewarding life skills he’s learned from his parents.
What does it take to be a mentor? Some of the main ingredients are time (and often a willingness to commit to a
schedule), an eagerness to share yourself and your knowledge, and the ability to collaborate with someone whose life may appear to be different — maybe even very different — from your own.
As you and your mentee get to know each other, you may find that unexpected skills come into play — those fly fishing lures you made years ago? Maybe you and your new partner will both grab poles and end up talking about life down by the river. Or you might find yourself becoming a parent figure for a young person who is trying to navigate a complicated world without one.
As advanced technology and digital media increasingly influence our lives, we need to look out even more for our youth. We can turn to YouTube for an astonishing array of information, but there are important ingredients in life — acquiring communication and basic social skills, learning how to cook a simple meal, becoming financially literate — that call for us to be teachers.
And you certainly don’t have to be a NASA scientist like me to do this. A mentor might be a professor who sees beyond a student number or a test score — or that one person in the neighborhood
who knows every kid’s name and teaches them how to plant a garden. And those parents in the local soccer team who go the distance beyond being carpool volunteers and field trip chaperones? Mentors! The best mentors I’ve met are ordinary people with a caring heart and a generous soul.
Right here In Laurel, we have a number of ready-made opportunities that will help you support young people by becoming a mentor yourself.
The Laurel Boys and Girls Club (tinyurl.com/bdfhjmbk) has been serving young people in our community since the mid1950s. The organization provides an array of after-school sports programs and activities that foster teamwork and leadership.
The club serves about 3,400 kids each year.
4-H Youth Development, Prince George’s County (tinyurl. com/8nf8dre7), is a volunteerdriven program under the auspices of the University of Maryland Extension. The program relies on mentors to teach basic STEM skills, including robotics, outdoor education and agriculture, camping, public speaking and leadership.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the
National Capital Area (bbbsnca. org) is the largest mentoring program in the DMV. Through the program, youth who need positive role models are paired with mentors who support them with academics and personal growth.
First Generation College Bound (fgcb.org), which is based in Prince George’s County and has a center in Laurel, supports high school students who are interested in continuing their education after graduation. Volunteer mentors help them apply to colleges and make career choices.
In the words of Maya Angelou, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” When you give a part of yourself to someone else, the reward you get is real: You help make someone’s world a much better place.
Agnes Pasco Conaty is a college math and environmental science adjunct professor who also works as senior research scientist and science lead for the GLOBE Observer Program at NASA/ Goddard Space Flight Center.
THE LAUREL LEDGER
OFFICIAL NEWS FROM THE CITY OF LAUREL, MARYLAND
FIRE MARSHAL AND PER MIT SERVICES: PREPARING FOR SPRING CLEANUP!
After a long and snowy winter, it’s finally time to start prepping for going outdoors, hosting summer barbecues, and slightly obsessing over those home improvement projects that need to be finished before your barbecue or vacation.
Fire Marshal and Permit Services (FMPS) is charged with enforcing City Codes and Ordinances relating to building and property standards. These standards ensure the protection of the public health and safety. So, as you are prepping for the spring, please keep in mind a few tips from FMPS when tackling spring cleaning:
1. Test and change the batteries in your smoke detectors. Smoke detectors should be checked once every month to make sure they are functioning properly. You should also make sure your smoke detectors are not expired. The manufacture date for your smoke detector will be listed on the back of the detector. If your smoke detector was manufactured on or before 2015, it’s time for a replacement.
2. Clean your dryer vents! This service should be performed annually. If you have noticed that your dry clothes are coming out of the dryer damp it may be time to grab the vacuum, gloves, and dryer vent kit and get
busy. This annoying task will go a long way towards ensuring your family’s safety.
3. Change your air filters! This service should be performed once every 3 months. This service will not only keep your family safe but will also help keep your HVAC systems running smoothly.
4. Speaking of, check your HVAC system! The best time to prepare for heat waves is before the heat wave. As we approach the summer months, you must take steps to ensure your protection from inclement weather amid heat waves and poor air quality. The best time to do so is during your spring cleaning.
5. Cut the grass. Grass in the City of Laurel is deemed excessive when the height of the grass is about 8 inches tall. However, for citizens who choose to enroll in the City’s No Mow April, you will not be required to Mow your yards until May 1. If you are interested in enrolling in this program, please be sure to reach out to our Sustainability Manager, Ms. Michele Blair.
6. Fill out a permit application! Before any work can begin on any property, the home -
owner/business owner MUST submit a permit application. All permit applications are reviewed by FMPS for compliance with all applicable zoning and property ordinances, building, fire, and life safety codes and regulations. This process can take up to 30 business days. Complicated or extensive projects, including those for properties in the Historic District, may take longer.
For more information about the type of work permits that are needed for your project, visit www.cityoflaurel.org/permits.
And remember, before you take on a project that may begin to feel overwhelming or if you have any questions about a future project, we are here to help. Have all of your information ready when you call, whether that be your permit number, full address, or a full description of work. Having your ducks in a row allows us to provide seamless service. For more information about our Department, call 301-725-5300 ext. 2238.
Over 36 years ago, a proud new graduate named Joanne earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Recreation with a Therapeutic Specialty from Frostburg State University. And with that new degree, she embarked on her journey by accepting roles with Virginia and Fairfax County, firmly establishing her career centered on utilizing Parks and Recreation to foster connections within the community.
Fortunately for us, in 1989, this journey led her to the City of Laurel’s Department of Parks and Recreation. Collaborating closely with her Parks colleagues, she played a key role in developing the vibrant and diverse Parks and Recreation programs we enjoy today. Her hard work and commitment to the citizens of Laurel culminated in her becoming the Director in 2016!
In her pursuit of ensuring the best for both citizens and employees, she took on the role of Deputy City Administrator in 2022. Throughout her tenure with the City, she has been at the forefront of our community's remarkable growth, overseeing park upgrades, playground construction, beautiful native plantings, and the completion of our newest facility, the Craig A. Moe Laurel Multiservice Center, among countless other initiatives (Be sure to catch more about Joanne’s illustrious career on Laurel TV)!
The City of Laurel owes much of its thriving community spirit to Joanne’s expertise. Thank you for all the wonderful memories, Joanne. Wishing you a long and joyful retirement! Page 1
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Help Our Pollinators to Thrive: Early spring is a time where floral resources are often limited for pollinators, especially in urban and suburban landscapes. The City’s No Mow April initiative allows residents to pause mowing their lawns during the month of April to allow flowering plants to help provide food for pollinators. If you live within the City limits of Laurel, register online at https://www.cityoflaurel.org/green for No Mow April and collect your yard sign from the Laurel Municipal Center (8103 Sandy Spring Road) 9am - 5pm, Monday through Friday; the Laurel Armory (422 Montgomery Street) 9am - 9pm, Monday through Friday, Saturday 9am - 5pm, and Sunday 10am - 4pm; and the Robert J. DiPietro Community Center (7901 Cypress Street) 9am9pm, Monday through Friday and Saturday, 9am - 5pm. Contact greenliving@laurel.md.us if you have any questions. Registration and yard signs are FREE, but you MUST register to participate, so sign up today!
Farmer’s Market News: Are you as ready for the new season as we are?! The Laurel Farmer’s Market will be back starting Thursday, May 1st, at 378 Main Street, and will run through October 16th, 3pm - 7pm. Many of your favorite vendors will be returning and you will see some new faces. Residents can enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables from our local farmers and bakers, locally sourced meat and poultry, organic handmade skin care products, candles and more! Music and cooking demonstrations are just a few of the special activities we have planned for our 2025 market season. If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a vendor for the 2025 season, e -mail greenliving@laurel.md.us. Follow us on Facebook at @TheLaurelQuillLot and the Green Living web page for updates and a list of market vendors.
Recycle Coach: Do you have questions about what can go into your blue cart? Not sure when the next yard debris or special pick up is? Sign up for Recycle Coach! You can type in your question (what do I do with batteries? Plastic containers? When is my collection day?); you can download our digital calendar right on your phone; you can set up reminders about collections, holiday schedules and special pickup days! It is free and easy! Find the app on the City’s web site at https://www.cityoflaurel.org/green, download it and start using the Recycle Coach app today!
Want to get the most recent information about the City’s sustainability initiatives. Follow us on Facebook at @SustainableLaurel. This is a place where we can share ideas, highlight upcoming events and residents can stay informed on all things Sustainable. Also check out the new upcoming look of the Green Living web page at www.cityoflaurel.org/greenliving!
¡GRACIAS POR LOS RECUERDOS!
Hace más de 36 años, la joven Joanne recibió su recién firmada Licenciatura en Ciencias en Especialidad Terapéutica y Recreativa de la Universidad Estatal de Frostburg. ella hizo algunas paradas en Virginia y el condado de Fairfax, consolidando su trayectoria profesional llevando diversión a las familias. Y por suerte para nosotros, en 1989, ese camino la llevó al Departamento de Parques y Recreación de la ciudad de Laurel. La ciudad de Laurel no sería la comunidad próspera que es hoy sin la experiencia de Joanne. Gracias por tantos recuerdos maravillosos, Joanne. ¡Nostras deseo una larga y feliz jubilación!
LAUREL POLICE MONTHLY CRIME REPORT
JANUARY 2025
List of Laurel Police Crime Reports can be found at www.cityoflaurel.org/1896/LPDCrime-Reports.
Legislation
Listed below are recent legislative actions taken, if any, by the Laurel City Council during the past month of Mayor and City Council meetings. For further information on any of these legislative actions, please feel free to contact the Office of the City Clerk at 301-725-5300 x2121 or at clerk@laurel.md.us. For the full agendas, visit www.cityoflaurel.org
Adopted Legislation:
• Resolution No. 3-2025 - declaring support for the Preservation of the Federal Tax Exemption of Municipal Bonds.
Bid Recommendations:
• No Bid Recommendations in February.
Appointments/Reappointments:
Nadol Hishmeh (Appointment) - Master Plan Committee - 2/10/25 - 2/10/27
Tanéa Brown (Appointment) - Senior Residents and Persons with Disabilities CAC - 2/24/2025 - 2/24/2027
Yolanda Pearson (Appointment)Juneteenth Executive Committee
Parks and Recreation offers a wide range of programs for you and your family, covering health, lifestyle, and so much more! Explore all the options available online at www.cityoflaurel.org/ parks.
If you have a holiday party, bridal shower, wedding or company retreat, and you are looking for the perfect venue, call 301-725-7800 and ask about the Mansion at Laurel!
Scan the QR Code for the online volunteer application and start to get involved in your community today!
March 2025 Mayor and City Council Meetings
March 5th - Virtual Mayor and City Council Work Session (6:00pm)
March 10th - Virtual Mayor and City Council Meeting (6:00pm)
March 24th - In-Person Mayor and City Council Meeting
March 2025 Boards and Commissions
March 11th - Planning Commission (6:00pm)
March 18th - Historic District Commission (6:00pm)
March 25th - Master Plan Committee (6:00pm)
March 27th - Board of Appeals (6:00pm)
April 2025 Mayor and City Council Meetings
April 5th - Virtual Mayor and City Council Work Session (6:00pm)
April 10th - Virtual Mayor and City Council Meeting (6:00pm)
April 24th - In-Person Mayor and City Council Meeting - (6:00pm)
April 2025 Boards and Commissions
April 15th - Planning Commission (6:00pm)
April 22nd - Historic District Commission (6:00pm)
April 24th - Board of Appeals (6:00pm)
April 29th - Master Plan Committee (6:00pm)
Patuxent River Cleanup - April 5th - 10am, Riverfront Park, Avondale Street, Picnic Pavilions. Community Service Hours available - 301-725-5300 x2109.
Eggstravaganza - April 12, 2025 - 12:00pm SHARP! Granville Gude Park, 8300 Mulberry Street. Free event.
Ecycle/Paper Shredding Event - April 19, 2025 - 8a - 12p, Public Works Complex, 1st Street. City Residents ONLY! Details at www.cityoflaurel.org.
Earth Day Cleanup - April 19, 2025 at 10am, Gude Park, 8300 Mulberry Street. Community Service Hours available - 301-725-5300 x2109.
Volunteer Laurel Fair - April 30, 2025 from 6 - 8pm, 204 Fort Meade Road. City and Local Volunteer Organizations on hand to discuss opportunities!
Lakefest - May 3, 2025 from 11am-3pm at Gude Park, 8300 Mulberry Street.
Main Street Festival - May 10, 2025 from 9am - 4pm, Laurel’s Main Street. Parade, Vendors, Music and Family Fun!
To learn more or register for Parks and Recreation activities , visit www.cityoflaurel.org/parks or call 301-725-7800.
In the February 2025 edition of the Laurel Ledger, the calendar misdated the start of Ramadan as March 28, 2025, when it actually should have listed Ramadan as starting on February 28, 2025. The correction has been made to our online calendar. We apologize for the incorrect date. Page 3
Welcome to March, the month of St. Patrick's Day! However, remember that relying on luck won't help you navigate a disaster. Planning and preparation are essential.
How can you achieve this? It is vital to know the types of disasters that could occur in your area. First, assess the threat and hazard risks in your residential and work areas and how they can impact you. Identify ways to stay informed, which includes signing up for emergency alerts. If necessary, identify safe locations for evacuation.
Second, it is important to develop a clear plan for your family, and practice it regularly. In the event of a disaster, your family might not be together. Establish communication methods to reach each other, and create a designated family meeting spot that is both familiar and easy to locate.
Finally, build an emergency kit to ensure your readiness. After a disaster, you may need to rely on yourself for several days , so it’s crucial to have sufficient food, water, and supplies. An emergency supply kit should include essential items that your household may req uire during an emergency.
And don't forget about your pets! Ensure they are microchipped and that your contact information is current. Include your pet s in your emergency kit preparations as well!
It’s been said that “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity, ” so make your own luck and ensure you and your family are prepared!
FROM WHERE I STAND
e sadness and success of the passing of O.J.
By HELEN WOODS
As part of our ongoing work to reduce Laurel’s outdoor cat population through spay and neuter, the nonprofit Laurel Cats conducts its annual Cat Count, a census of Laurel’s outdoor feral cat population, every January. This year, more than 260 known active feral cat caretakers (down from over 400) were contacted to determine the number of free-roaming cats in Laurel and identify any abandoned house cats that needed to be placed in foster care.
One of the first responses was from a caretaker of the colony located behind the Target Laurel Store. She called to let us know that O.J., a large orange feral tabby, had passed away this
fall. O.J. was the last cat in the Target colony.
When we began organizing Laurel Cats in 2012, the Target colony consisted of over 36 cats. This out-of-control colony
NATIVE GARDENING WITH JIMMY
began with only one pregnant cat just five years before. Subsequent freely breeding generations created a nuisance for both Target store managers, who had cats on their load-
Reduce my lawn and get a check?
By JIMMY ROGERS
When suburbia began to blossom across America in the 1950s, the mowed front lawn cemented itself as a part of the residential landscape. Now, new homeowners often tell me they look out of their front doors and wonder, what is it for?
Here in the greater Laurel area, rebate programs are springing up to help residents redefine their front yards to better suit their own vision of a beautiful, functional and sustainable landscape. The Prince George’s County Rain Check Rebate program, which is a collaborative initiative between the county and the Chesapeake Bay Trust (CBT), has added a new option called conservation landscaping, which offers a rebate for reducing your lawn and planting natives.
Backing up a little bit, why would the government pay people to plant gardens? As climate change makes our weather more extreme and as we replace absorbent forests and wetlands with buildings and roads, our storm water systems must take on more and more water during each severe storm. This causes roadways and low-lying areas to flood and fills waterways with silt from erosion. For most local governments, the cost of upgrading storm water systems is prohibitive, and few jurisdic-
tions can keep up with the pace of development. Some local groups, including Laurel for the Patuxent, have called for halting new construction that destroys forests or wetlands, as this only worsens the source of the problem.
Instead, counties hungry for new construction are funding a group of best management practices, or BMPs, that slow down storm water, reduce flooding and limit erosion. While civil engineers have a large family of BMPs to choose from, homeowners tend to divert water from storm drains by either collecting rainwater in rain barrels or creating places where the water can soak into the ground.
Rain gardens accomplish the latter by catching water and storing it in a shallow landscape depression until it can soak in. These gardens can be challenging to install, as they require both special drainage conditions and deep soil amendment to make sure water drains away over the following day.
What many homeowners may not realize is that most native gardens are also a form of conservation landscape. When native plants dig their roots into the soil, they open tiny crevices that water can follow. Over time, our deeper-rooted natives make the ground more porous, so that it will absorb the rain that falls directly on it and gain the capacity to take
ing dock and in storage units, and the neighboring apartment complex that periodically rounded up many of the cats to have them euthanized.
Laurel Cats was in its infancy at the time, but we convinced Dr. Kate Howard of Spay Now to set up a branch operation in Laurel. With some seed money and trap loans from Alley Cat Allies, we successfully trapped, neutered and returned the cats to the Target colony. It was the first of many, many trapping events conducted by Laurel Cats in our community.
While we are saddened by O.J.’s passing, we celebrate the success of Laurel Cats epitomized by the extinction of the Target colony and many other colonies throughout Laurel. Today, we are no
longer seeing cat colonies averaging 30 cats, but an average colony size of three. Because the people of Laurel have worked together to support this program, the remaining feral cats in Laurel are living out their final days well cared for by their caretakers. The outdoor cat population is plummeting, and newly abandoned cats are being taken off the street and placed in loving indoor homes. While there is still work to do, today we are closer than ever to realizing our vision of a day when every Laurel cat has a good indoor home.
To support our work or join our team, please go to LaurelCats.org
The views expressed in this column belong to its author. The Laurel Independent reserves the right to edit “From Where I Stand” submissions for brevity and clarity.
on additional water from other areas. Compared to other BMPs, conservation landscaping has few formal requirements, since the plants do most of the work, and is relatively easy to implement.
If you’d like to get a rebate for planting a conservation landscape at your Prince George’s County home, you’ll first need to identify an area for planting that is at least 250 square feet, ideally a spot that receives storm water but does not flood. The new planting needs to replace turf grass or invasive species (such nandina and barberry bushes). If it’s along the front edge of your property, your design must include some kind of visual cue, such as a mown strip of grass, low-growing plants, a hedge or a fence. This will communicate your intentionality to passersby, and ensure that plants won’t spill into the sidewalk. Next, you’ll need to create a planting plan and species list to present to the CBT program manager who administers the program for the county. All of the plants must be native to the mid-Atlantic. The new Commercial Maryland Native Plants List from the University of Maryland Extension (tinyurl. com/3ec4shb8) is a great resource for plant information. You can also include edible plants, such as native blueberry or blackberry bushes, and even incorporate nonnative, non-
invasive edible plants, such as asparagus, in up to 25% of the square footage. It’s important to hold off on starting your project until CBT has made an initial site visit and approved your plan. If everything goes well, the whole process takes about six weeks. Once your plan has been approved, you can remove (or smother) the turf grass and existing plants, then purchase new plants and plant them according to your plan. CBT will make a follow-up visit, and you’ll be able to turn in your receipts. Right now Prince George’s County offers rebates for up to $5 per square foot, with a lifetime property maximum of $6,000 for all rebates combined. The rebate will cover most of your material costs. If you’re looking for some help with the planning, plant sourcing and planting, I recommend visiting the Chesapeake Bay Landscape
Professional directory (https:// certified.cblpro.org/) to find a contractor, as they are specifically trained to build conservation landscapes and other BMPs. Based on past project budgets I’ve seen, the rebate might cover half the cost of a professional job.
There are many more details about the rebate program, so be sure to visit the rain check rebate website (tinyurl.com/e88fvc7n) and take a look at the conservation landscape fact sheet.
This spring, if you have the space and the inclination, I hope you’ll take advantage of a conservation landscaping program.
Jimmy Rogers is an avid native gardener in the city of Laurel.
O.J. in his prime in 2012. COURTESY OF GREG BOYD
Moles on the move
By RICK BORCHELT
“Home! That was what they meant, those caressing appeals, those soft touches wafted through the air, those invisible little hands pulling and tugging, all one way!”
So thought Mole, the first character one meets in Kenneth Grahame’s children’s novel, The Wind in the Willows. Mole had clambered aboveground from his earthen tunnels for the first time in his young life, but the scents of home were calling him back underground.
In stereo, as it happens. More on that in a moment.
While Mole of The Wind in the Willows was a European mole (Talpa europaea), the Eastern moles (Scalopus aquaticus), common across Maryland, might be having the same experience this March. Having spent the winter alone in leaf- or grass-lined nests in a burrow one or two feet deep, our hamster-sized moles are beginning to stir in search of mates. Moles have an exquisite sense of
smell that leads them to those potential partners, to the earthworms and grubs that make up the bulk of their diet, and to fresh new lawns and pastures in which to tunnel.
Since our moles seldom venture aboveground, most of us come to know them by the tunnels they dig in search of food and new homesites. The tunnels at the surface can be simply long, narrow and meandering raised bumps in a yard or field, or they can be a series of fresh soil mounds dotting the lawn (the source of the term molehill). Moles are prodigious diggers; in loose soil, they can tunnel almost 20 feet in an hour. These tunnels serve as mole highways, certainly, but they are also effective earthworm and grub traps as helpless prey fall into the waiting chasms.
Moles are supremely adapted for this subterranean lifestyle. They have enormous, spade-like front feet angled outward from their body that make digging fast and efficient. They have no eyes to speak of, so there’s no chance of getting dirt in them, and their
ears are tiny and covered with fur. The fur itself is short, soft and velvety, and can be brushed in any direction, offering little resistance to the soil. When a mole wants to turn around in a tunnel, it simply does a quick somersault and reverses direction.
Their frenetic tunneling keeps moles alive. They are voracious eaters and if deprived of food typically expire in less than a day. They eat their weight in earthworms and insects almost daily, a rate of consumption that totals 50 pounds or more a year. To keep up this feeding pace they seldom sleep, taking short naps every couple of hours before returning to their tunneling.
How moles find their prey in these earthen runs — in the darkness and with limited hearing — was long a mystery to naturalists. Scientists at Vanderbilt University have discovered one of the moles’ secret weapons: They can smell in stereo. Each nostril operates independently, with the two inputs giving a very precise signal to the whereabouts of a prey item. Moles whose noses were experimentally clogged couldn’t tell there was any food around at all; if only one nostril was clogged, they could tell there was food but couldn’t find it.
Another adaptation to their subterranean lifestyle: Moles also have a high tolerance for breath-
EXHIBIT FROM PAGE 1
train wrecks, fires and special train promotions to bring people to Laurel Park for the races.
The historical society drew on archives of The Laurel Leader and the Baltimore Sun for background, and museum researchers also turned to the
ing in carbon dioxide at levels that would prove fatal to most mammals.
Eastern moles aren’t the only moles that call our region home. Star-nosed moles (Conduylura cristata) are not as common or widespread as Eastern moles, but can be found in many places across Maryland where there is water and mostly sandy soil.. They have a longer tail than Eastern moles do, and their eyes, while still quite tiny, are at least functional.
Impressive as the Eastern mole’s olfactory senses are, starnosed moles put them to shame. Around their nose is a ring of super-sensitive, fleshy appendages packed with epidermal receptors that collectively are called the Eimer’s organ. With this adaptation, it appears they can even smell underwater.
While Eastern moles carry the species name aquaticus, they’re almost entirely terrestrial, though they can swim well if pressed. Star-nosed moles, on the other hand, spend as much time in the water as in their tunnels. On land, they hunt the same prey as Eastern moles but supplement their diet with small fish, tadpoles and other foodstuffs hunted underwater. A starnosed mole will locate aquatic prey partly by searching around for it using its Eimer’s organ. But
Library of Congress. The B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore provided information, particularly about the poorly documented role African Americans played in building the rail system, Vaca-Soto said.
Throughout the research, there were some surprises. The historical society learned about Theresa Blue-Brown, an African American woman who worked on the Railway Express from 1942 to 1960. She attended St. Vincent Pallotti High School, and her son later attended Laurel High School, though both schools were thought to be segregated at the time, according to Vaca-Soto.
its real trick is breathing bubbles out through its nostrils, then breathing the bubbles back in. Those incoming bubbles carry scent molecules that the mole sniffs in stereo just like its landlubber cousins do. (Go to tinyurl. com/9rsvbfvs to see this watery spectacle).
Moles seldom get the respect they deserve. Our moles are far more beneficial than they are pestilent, both because they eat underground insect pests and because they aerate the soil with their tunneling tactics.
But golf course managers and lawn lovers routinely make mountains out of the molehills they discover, railing against the unsightly runs and fresh piles of dirt. Gardeners wage war on them unjustly in the belief that moles tunnel into vegetable patches in search of carrots, potatoes and radishes. The real garden culprit, though, is another small mammal, the vole, that uses the extensive mole superhighways to navigate to the vegetarian diet it craves.
Rick Borchelt is a botanist and science writer who gardens and writes about natural history at his home in College Park. Reach him with questions about this column at rborchelt@gmail.com.
Vaca-Soto noted that the exhibit showcases many donations from city residents, local businesses and churches. He hopes to expand the exhibit with additional information panels and a train garden.
“It’s more engaging, more fun, more accessible rather than just like throwing history straight at you,” Vaca-Soto said, of the new exhibit. He said his biggest hope is that visitors share their perspectives and histories with him about the stories that the museum tells.
“I want the community to come in ,... to tell us what they want from us and what we could do,” he said.
LHS, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, will host its annual gala at the Great Room at Savage Mill in April. The event will also honor LHS cofounder, Elizabeth Compton, who died in February.
The Laurel Museum is at 817 Main Street and is open Friday through Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.
Laurel Historical Society opened its latest exhibit Laurel Rides the Rails: Tales of Trains and Trolleys at the Laurel Museum in February. It will run through mid-December.
COURTESY OF LUIS VACA-SOLO
“The main thing for me was coach Caputo and the position he had for me in the program,” Hutchinson, who grew up in Montpelier and has family in Laurel, said. “Of course, I wanted to play in front of my family, but another main thing was being part of starting something and leaving my legacy here with other DMV guys, and other guys from the area, and put them back on the map. That stood out for me. I wanted to be part of that.”
Hutchinson was the highestranked player on a national scale for GW’s program since J.R. Pinnock committed to GW in 2003. Hutchinson was a Capital Classic All-Star and McDonald’s All-American nominee in 2023.
Now he is back home again.
When GW played at home Feb. 19 against Saint Joseph’s University (SJU), Hutchinson knew many of the spectators.
“My parents, my three sisters, my uncle and teammates from the area,” Hutchinson said, listing off those who attended the game, along with a crowd of 1,810 other fans. At halftime, lo-
“The hardest part for me was being away from family, since I am very family-oriented. I am all about that. It was like an opportunity … as a kid growing up, you always see those schools playing at the national level.”
Jacoi Hutchinson
Laurel
resident playing basketball
in
his sophomore year at the George Washington University
cal players from the same travel club Hutchinson played for as a youth participated in a scrimmage.
In high school, Hutchinson played for the DC Warriors and for DeMatha Catholic, where he learned about Caputo. Caputo was assistant coach when George Mason University
(GMU) made its historic Final Four run in 2006. GMU is now in the Atlantic 10 and is a GW rival.
“I knew of [Caputo] from Miami, because one of my closest friends, Earl Timberlake, was there at Miami,” Hutchinson said.
Hutchinson helped DeMatha win the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title in 2019. But after two seasons with DeMatha’s Stags, the guard headed to Florida for his last two years of high school.
“I wouldn’t say it was a hard decision,” Hutchinson said, of leaving DeMatha for IMG. “The hardest part for me was being away from family, since I am very family-oriented. I am all about that. It was like an opportunity … as a kid growing up, you always see those schools playing at the national level.”
While at IMG, Hutchinson was teammates with future NBA players and others now in the Division I level in college, including Noah Batchelor, of Frederick, at the University of Buffalo, and Khani Rooths, who is at the University of Louisville.
As a GW freshman, Hutchinson played in 32 games, with 10 starts. He averaged 27.7 min-
ird Prince George’s County Council candidate announces
By JOE MURCHISON
A third candidate has announced his intention to run next year for the District 1 Prince George’s County Council seat. The district includes Laurel, Beltsville and part of College Park.
Jeffrey Mills, a member of the Laurel City Council (Ward 2) since 2023 and current president pro tem, said serving on the county council would be “a much bigger, broader avenue … to be able to take ideas and concerns of the constituents and really implement it.”
Mills joins two other announced Democratic candidates: Michelle Garcia, chief of staff to County Councilmember Tom Dernoga (District 1), and Martin Mitchell, a political and public affairs consultant and former city councilmember. Dernoga is prohibited by term limits from running for reelection.
Mills is owner of the CDL Book Club, a Laurel company that offers online and inperson training for people seeking commercial driver’s licenses and those wanting to start their own transport companies. He grew up in Seat Pleasant, where his father served on the city council. He recalled working with his father to combat an epidemic of crack cocaine use in that commu-
nity in the 1970s and ‘80s.
Mills said he was concerned about the Trump Administration’s push to fire federal workers and deport immigrants.
“We have parents who are stressing, we have children who are stressing,” he said. He suggested that Prince George’s County could join with other counties to provide job fairs for laid-off federal workers and to offer entrepreneurial training for those interested in starting their own businesses.
Mills also expressed concern about school safety and attendance. “Time after time I ride past the high schools in the area and 50 or more children are walking away from school when they are supposed to be walking into the schools,” he wrote in a list of campaign issues. He suggested talking to students about what would “enhance their desire to be in school” and to help them find jobs to develop their sense of responsibility. He also wrote that the county should fight juvenile crime by fining the parents of youthful offenders.
Mills said he is advocating for a number of proposed laws before the Maryland General Assembly that would maintain diversity programs, uphold immigrants’ protections, lessen some criminal sentences and safeguard the safety of youth with disabilities.
The Prince George’s County Council election primary is in June 2026, with the general election the following November.
utes, 7.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists per contest.
In his first 26 games this season with the Revolutionaries, Hutchinson started 13 contests and averaged 24.3 minutes and 6.4 points per contest — good enough to place sixth on the team.
His 62 assists and 36 steals ranked second in each category for GW, which was 17-10 overall and 6-8 in the tough Atlantic 10 Conference following the 79-68 loss at home to SJU on Feb. 19.
Hutchinson played 19 minutes in that game and was held scoreless. “We picked a bad day to have a bad defensive day,” Caputo told Byron Kerr, of Monumental Sports Network, after the game. “You have to do better.”
In a December loss to American University, Hutchinson had his best game of his college career to date, scoring 20 points. “[Hutchinson] battled, he really battled with his back against the wall; he’s got good spirit and good fight to him,” Caputo told reporters after the game. “He’s a tough dude.”
GW will play in the Atlantic 10 tournament, which begins March 12 at Capital One Arena.
The top two teams in the conference in late February were GMU and Virginia Commonwealth University, in Richmond. “We are still playing for a lot,” third-year coach Caputo said. “That is going to be amazing. Every day I get text [from family or friends] to remind me to get tickets,” Hutchinson said, of the Atlantic 10 tourney.
HOOP NOTES
Another player from Laurel playing close to home is Josh Odunowo, who is a graduate student at University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) after transferring from Columbia University in New York. He was averaging 11.2 points per contest this season when he missed his first game of the year on Feb. 22 as UMBC won at home 9591 over New Jersey Institute of Technology. “Josh got hurt in the last game [on Feb. 20 at University of Massachusetts Lowell] and he could not play today,” UMBC coach Jim Ferry said Feb. 22. “He is just an unbelievable kid.” Ferry was not sure when Odunowo would return to action. The 6-foot-6 forward had made 16 of his last 20 shots from the field, including 10 of the last 11, when he got hurt.
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Find more local events all month long in our new, continuously updated online calendar at streetcarsuburbs.news/events.
Please send notices of events taking place between April 8 and May 6 to nancy@streetcarsuburbs. news by March. 28.
MARCH 13
Ameya Taylor: A Tribute to Aretha Franklin. Montpelier Arts Center celebrates Women’s History Month with a tribute to Aretha Franklin’s career as a singer, songwriter and pianist. $15. Noon to 1 p.m. 9652 Muirkirk Rd. Go to tinyurl.com/ yb9ur3xa
MARCH 14
“Romeo & Juliet.” William Shakespeare’s play about doomed lovers runs through April 6. Tickets and times vary. Laurel Mill Playhouse, 508 Main St. For more information, call 301-617-9906
MARCH 15
Scientific Illustration: Putting the ‘A’ in STEAM. Join Smithsonian scientific illustrator Vichai Malikul to learn about secrets of illustration and the use of color. Free, 1 to 2 p.m. Patuxent Research Refuge South Tract, 10901 Scarlet Tanager Loop. 301.497.5772
MARCH 20
The Women of Laurel Park. Join staff of the Laurel Historical Society and Laurel Park for a virtual celebration of the women, past and present, who helped make Laurel Park an iconic racetrack. 7 p.m. To register and receive Zoom link, go to tinyurl. com/mue6p2wx
MARCH 22
Artists on the Rise: Juried Teen Exhibition Public Reception. Public reception for the opening
We Train Dogs Of All Ages
of this annual exhibition showcasing the talents of visual artists ages 13 to 18 from the D.C. area. Free. 1 to 3 p.m. Montpelier Arts Center, 9652 Muirkirk Rd. 301.377.7800
Roles of Women in WWII. The Laurel Chapter of the American Rosie the Riveter Association celebrates Women’s History Month with a presentation by Greenbelt’s Donna Peterson, who is well-known for her talks on women in the Civil War, WWII and the Wild West. 11 a.m. 424 Main St. Call Pat Farmer at 240-762-3895
MARCH 28
Leigh Pilzer’s Seven Pointed Star. New jazz group featuring jazz women performing Pilzer’s original songs, selections from the Great American Songbook and jazz standards. 8 to 10 p.m. Montpelier Arts Center, 9652 Muirkirk Rd. 301.377.7800
APRIL 4
First Friday Film: “My Garden of a Thousand Bees.” Patuxent Research Refuge hosts Dr. Sam Droege, a naturalist and bee expert, for a Q&A following the film. 5 to 7 p.m. 10901 Scarlet Tanager Loop. 301.497.5772
APRIL 5
Patuxent River Clean-up. Volunteer to remove trash along the river’s shoreline coordinated by the Patuxent Riverkeepers. 10 a.m. to noon. Staging area at
Riverfront Park, 22 Avondale St. 855.725.2925
Patuxent’s Hollingsworth Gallery Opening Reception. Meet photographer Matthew Westbrook, whose images of North American wildlife range from birds and insects to mammals, reptiles and amphibians, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Patuxent Research Refuge, 10901 Scarlet Tanager Loop, 301.497.5772
ONGOING
March at the Hollingsworth Gallery. Exhibit features Christine Brennan Schmidt’s wildlife/nature photographs. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Patuxent Research Refuge South Tract, 10901 Scarlet Tanager Loop. 301.497.5772
A Tribute to the Queen of Rock & Roll Tina Turner. Quilts interpreting Tina Turner’s songs, movies and lifestyle done in a variety of quilting styles and techniques. Free. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Through April 28. Montpelier House Museum, 9650 Muirkirk Rd. 301.377.7817
RECURRING
Kids’ Discovery Center. March: crafts, puzzles, games about snails, slugs and worms. For ages 3 to 10. Wednesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon. Patuxent Research Refuge South Tract, 10901 Scarlet Tanager Loop. 301.497.5772
Ready to Read Storytime. Mondays at 10:30 a.m. (ages 2 to 3), Wednesdays at 7 p.m. (ages 3 to 5) and Thursdays at 10:30 and 11:15 a.m. (ages 0 to 2). Laurel Branch Library, 507 7th St. 240.455.5451
Early Bird Serenity Al-Anon. Support for friends and families of alcoholics based on the Twelve Step program. Free, all are welcome. Virtual meetings every Thursday from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. ET. For information and Zoom link, email ebsalanon@ gmail.com
Family Fun at Patuxent. Birds! Learn about our feathered friends and what makes them special through hands-on activities, games and crafts. Ages 3 and up. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays; registration not required. Patuxent Research Refuge South Tract, 10901 Scarlet Tanager Loop. 301.497.5772
Game Day. Play the board game “Wingspan” and learn about birds. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 14 and 22. No experience needed. Games provided (personal sets welcomed). Registration required. Patuxent Research Refuge South Tract, 10901 Scarlet Tanager Loop. 301.497.5772
Italian Club. Weekly meetings on the second Wednesday of each month. All are welcome.
6:30 p.m. St. Mary of the Mills Church, 114 St. Marys Pl. For more information, call Jo Saunders at 301.490.8237
Chess. All levels welcome. Thursdays at 2 p.m. Laurel-Beltsville Senior Activity Center, 7120 Contee Rd. Call Mike Farmer at 240.302.9133.
Every Tuesday Bingo at Laurel Elks Lodge #2283. Twenty games with cash prizes; food and drinks available for purchase. Doors open at 5 p.m., and bingo starts at 7 p.m. 8261 Brock Bridge Rd.
Every Tuesday Bingo at the Laurel Senior Friendship Club. Free admission; fee for cards. Doors open at 11 a.m. and bingo starts at noon. LaurelBeltsville Senior Activities Center, 7120 Contee Rd. 301.206.3380
Every Friday Bingo at American Legion Post 60. Friday night bingo every week; 23 games with cash prizes; food and drinks available for purchase. Doors open at 5 p.m. and bingo starts at 7:30. 2 Main St. 301.725.2302
Friday Food Festival. American Legion Post 60 hosts Friday dinners, with Canteen 60 serving on the first and third Friday of the month
and P&G Catering on the second and fourth. 5:30 to 8 p.m. 2 Main St. 301.725.2302
Laurel Senior Friendship Club. Meets the second Wednesday of each month; program includes a business meeting and musical entertainment or a speaker. Doors open at 9:30 a.m. Laurel-Beltsville Senior Activities Center, 7120 Contee Rd. 301.206.3380
Beltsville Young at Heart. Meets the third Thursday of each month; entertainment, speakers, trips. Ages 55 and up. 10:30 a.m. Beltsville Community Center, 3900 Sellman Rd, Beltsville 301.498.9736
Jim Whitney Toastmasters Club. Meets the second and fourth Monday of each month. 7 p.m. St. Phillips Episcopal Church, 522 Main St. For more information, email contact-1063187@toastmastersclubs.org
MBC Toastmasters Club. Learn communication skills in a supportive environment. Virtual meetings on the second and fourth Wednesday of every month, 7:15 p.m. For more information, email mbctoastmasters@ metropolitanbaptist.org
Prince George’s County Women’s Bureau Toastmasters Club. Virtual meeting the second Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. Registration is
required. For more information and to register for the Zoom link, go to https://tinyurl.com/8m53udw6
FOOD PANTRIES, DISTRIBUTIONS
St. Philip’s Episcopal Church. Food distributions in partnership with Capital Area Food Bank. Third Sunday of every month, from 9 a.m. to noon. Sixth and Prince George sts.
Laurel Advocacy and Referral Services. Food pantry is open by appointment Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Monday evenings from 5 to 7:30 p.m. 311 Laurel Ave. For an appointment, call 301.776.0442
Fish of Laurel Food Pantry. Thursdays and Saturdays, from 10:15 a.m. to noon, 308 Gorman Ave. Call 240.547.9013
Living Hope Church Distributions. Tuesdays from 1 to 2:30 p.m. 613 Montgomery St. Call 301.497.6424
St. Mary of the Mills Food Pantry. Thursdays, 8:30 a.m. while supplies last. Kessler Center, 114 St. Mary’s Pl. Call 301.725.3080
Gospel Assembly Church Food Pantry. 8740 Cherry Lane, Suite 12. For dates and times, call 301.605.3756
Local news...
ELECTION LAW
that he was not eligible to run due to late payment of fees for failing to file a finance report in a previous election. Kole spoke in favor of both changes.
Following the Feb. 5 meeting, Mills posted to Laurel MD Connect!, a public Facebook page that is unaffiliated with the city’s government. Mills’ post said in part, “It has come to my attention that, in recent times, there have been instances where I felt threatened, harassed, or bullied, both within the LGBTQ+ community and by certain government officials. I want to make it clear that I will not stand by quietly in the face of such treatment, nor will I allow anyone, from any group or position of power, to intimidate, silence, or undermine me.”
In an interview, Mills said he was referring to Kole when speaking of “certain government officials” and in citing the LGBTQ+ community. Kole has been open about being gay and introduced the council resolution that established Laurel’s annual Pride Day celebration in 2022.
In an interview, Kole said of Mills, “He had a problem with one councilmember and decided to make it about a whole community. … Apparently my views are bullying because they don’t agree with his.”
At the Feb. 24 council meeting, Amy Dunham, a member of the city’s Pride Day Committee, offered similar thoughts. “It was very disappointing to see a member of the council posting on social media that the LGBTQ community is bullying him,” she said, adding, “There is no evidence as to why this minority community is called out. … This is a dispute between two elected officials. There is absolutely no need to bring in a minority population.”
Mills said the administrators of Laurel MD Connect! took down his post sometime in February.
Council President Kyla Clark (Ward 2) said further discussion of the election law changes would occur at another work session that had not been scheduled as of press time.
