03-2023 The Laurel Independent

County passes temporary 3% cap on rent

By Joe Murchison

As of the middle of April, Prince George’s County renters will not be subject to any rent increases greater than 3% for a period of one year.

The county council passed this rent-stabilization law on

Feb. 28, to take effect 45 days after it is signed by County Executive Angela Alsobrooks. She was expected to sign the bill by March 6, according to the office of County Councilmember Krystal Oriadha (District 7), who spearheaded

Fish fries are back for dine-in or takeout

By Katie V. Jones

The grocery list for the Knights of Columbus Patuxent Council 2203’s popular fish fry at St. Mary of the Mills, according to Chris Walker, co-chair of the event and head chef, includes: 35 to 40 pounds of fish, 24 to 30 pounds of French fries, 12 dozen coconut shrimp, 8 dozen orders of shrimp cocktail and 25 to 30 pounds of salmon.

Add soups, coleslaw, green beans, tartar sauce and lots of dedicated volunteers, and you have the Knights’ successful recipe for their 13-year tradition of serving fish every Friday during Lent, which spans the 40 days before Easter. Traditionally, Catholics refrain from eating meat on Friday during this period.

“I wouldn’t miss these fish fries for the world,” said Art Blenkle, a Past Grand Knight who helped start the fish fry tradition. “We have a hard core following.”

This year’s first fish fry, on Feb. 24, also marked the return of inperson dining. During 2021 and 2022, the dinners were offered for drive-up service only. That’s when Stan Potter, who co-chairs the fish fries with Walker, became involved.

“Before that, I was a customer,” said Potter, as he welcomed people to the fish fry and took their orders. “A lot of these people we picked up during COVID[-19]. They like Chris’ cooking.”

Like Potter, Walker started helping with the fish fries during the pandemic and was soon tweaking the menu.

“You have to change it and offer new options,” Walker said. He

Enjoy breakfast and curling at

Gardens Ice House

By Tara Goldstein

Curlers of all ages and experience levels meet at the Gardens Ice House in Laurel on select Saturday mornings in March and April for some breakfast and friendly competition.

While the Potomac Curling Club of the National Capital Area Inc. hosts other events at the rink, its Saturday Morning Breakfast Extravaganza is a fan favorite, organizers said. Registration opens at 8 a.m. and by 8:01, all 32 spots are filled, according to Keith Wood, program coordinator. The event includes 90 minutes of practice followed by socializing over breakfast. Participants are then divided into teams before heading back to the ice around 10 a.m. to play.

“It’s not a league game, so everyone is just there to have fun,” said Kevin White, also a program coordinator. “There’s a lot of enthusiasm among members and

within the community.”

Curling is a sport that involves players sliding stones along a sheet of ice toward a target area marked with four circles. A lot of the curiosity surrounding the sport comes from people seeing it on their televisions during the winter Olympic games. The sport gets even more popular and club memberships tend to go up during Olympic years, according to White.

“It’s a bucket list item for a lot of people,” White said. “But some go once and others keep coming back.”

While most of the club’s spots are designated for members who know how to curl, there are 12 open spots for non-members, and all skill levels are welcomed. The 90-minute practice before breakfast is designed for participants who know nothing and covers different techniques and shots.

The extravaganza, which has been going on for more

SEE CURLING ON 8 

Maureen Rogers wears many hats P. 11

Brian Nist demonstrates proper sweeping techniques to the group of curlers. LAUREN REEDER

Chandra Smith uses Ms. Wheelchair Maryland title to advocate for change

By Jessie Newburn

Chandra Smith, 35, who lives in Laurel, was doing a seven-day water fast for religious purposes when she fainted on Sept. 8, 2021. She had to be medevaced to a hospital where she was given drugs to force blood to her organs to prevent them from shutting down.

This life-saving step, however, caused extreme damage to her limbs and she had to have a triple amputation. A stroke left her remaining limb stiff and difficult to move, and it required 10 surgeries.

She also needed a liver transplant, was in a coma for three weeks, had sepsis, and her lungs collapsed. A year and a day later, on Sept.. 9, 2022, Smith was released from the hospital.

Now, while many people would be devastated, overwhelmed and barely surviving after all she has been through, Smith, instead, is unstoppable. She went back to work, albeit over a year later, with a message and a mission: Accessibility for the disabled means accessibility for all.

Earlier this year, Smith was crowned Ms. Maryland Wheelchair 2023, She won this year’s title during a state-level contest hosted locally by Ms. Wheelchair Maryland and nationally by Ms. Wheelchair America. Winners are selected based on contestants’ advocacy for disability concerns and universal access, along with a recognition of their free spirit and accomplishments as women who use wheelchairs.

“Being disabled is a club anyone, at any time, for any reason can become a member of,” Smith said. “Accessible and universal design benefits everyone, whether that’s for those cur-

rently disabled, for those who may have a short-term disability from, say, an injury or surgery; and especially for the elderly, who often have reduced mobility, dexterity and vision as they age.”

Smith is relentless about advocacy for inclusiveness and wants to create an army of change agents trained to be accessibility advocates. Whether it’s a badge an ally gets when they learn how to remediate online documents for accessibility, or encouraging no-mouse website challenges to see if people with dexterity issues can navigate a website without using a mouse, or having more people actively

Managing Editor Katie V. Jones

Katie@streetcarsuburbs.news

discussing accessibility issues with business owners and others, Smith sees only opportunity. “I know it sounds cliché, but change in the world happens one step at a time,” she said.

She also would eventually like to have an accessibility lab where community members, along with representatives from companies and government agencies, can come try, experience and learn about accessibility technologies.

Smith is an IT engineer in the federal intelligence field. As fate would have it, prior to her medical trauma, she was selected by her employer as the best candidate to start evaluating technol-

Board of Directors

Joseph Gigliotti — President & General Counsel

ogy to make the agency more disability-friendly.

Gabriel Naugher, also an IT engineer and a colleague of Smith’s, said, “A few years ago, she organized a well-attended showcase for national intelligence agency staff to learn about and test new technologies that help people with disabilities be able to do their jobs. I’m not surprised she’s advocating for accessibility now, considering she was doing it even before it personally impacted her. That’s just the kind of person she is.”

Smith’s employer was fairly accommodating when she asked for an alternative work station, speech-to-text software and an option to telework some days. Her coworkers were another story. Some of them simply didn’t know what to say when she came back to work as a triple amputee. Some people just stared, and many people outright avoided her.

“Many of my friends were used to me being spontaneous and up for an adventure,” she said. “I’m still up for an adventure, but I can’t just walk out the door and go.”

Smith now researches places she plans to visit to learn: Do they have a bathroom on the first floor? Is the place accessible from the front? (She once had to enter a restaurant through the back alley where the trash was put, and that was one such experience too many for her.)

But if she encourages even one restaurant owner to install a ramp, then, in her words, “I’ve done my job.”

Smith also volunteers with kids who are disabled. She recently attended A Night to Shine, a prom night in Bowie for kids ages 14 to 17 who have special needs.

“They thought I was one of the kids attending the prom,” she said. Wearing her Ms. Wheelchair Maryland sash and crown, she took photos with the kids and enjoyed crowning each and every participant that evening. Smith’s work is gaining attention and traction. In mid-February, she met with U. S. Representative Glenn Ivey of Maryland’s 4th congressional district. Ivey’s wife was impressed with an article she read about Smith and encouraged her husband to meet her. Ivey gave Smith a Congressional Award, citing her advocacy, determination and perseverance.

In August, Smith heads to Michigan to compete against 35 other contestants in the Ms. Wheelchair America contest;. The organization’s local chapter created a GoFundMe to cover the estimated $10,000 she’ll need for travel there and accommodations. Any additional funds raised and not used will be donated to the Ms. Wheelchair Maryland group, which set up the fundraising site for her.

A community newspaper chronicling the people and events of Laurel, Maryland.

Mailing address: PO Box 132, Hyattsville, MD 20781

The Laurel Independent is published monthly by Streetcar Suburbs Publishing., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. Editors welcome reader input, tips, articles, letters, opinion pieces and photographs, which may be submitted using the mailing address above or the email addresses provided. StreetcarSuburbs.News

Writers & Contributors

Tara Goldstein, Katie V. Jones, Joe Murchison, Jessie Newburn, Lauren Reeder, Bob Reilly, Jimmy Rogers, Helen Woods, Jerlysha Williams

Layout & Design Editors

Ashley Perks, Valerie Morris

Web Editor Jessica Burshtynskyy

Advertising Sales Manager

Amanda Berard

advertising@streetcarsuburbs.news

240.408.0722

Business Manager Catie Currie

Melanie Dzwonchyk — Secretary Stephanie Stullich — Treasurer Gretchen Brodtman, T. Carter Ross, Bette Dickerson, Nora Eidelman, Maxine Gross, Joe Murchison Katie V. Jones, Mark Goodson, Ex Officios

Circulation: Copies are distributed monthly by U.S. mail to every address in Laurel. Additional copies are distributed to popular gathering spots around town. Total circulation is 16,400.

The Laurel Independent is a member of the National Newspaper Association and the Institute for Nonprofit News.

Rather than be discouraged by such experiences, Smith took action. She’s written documentation for the employment office describing ways coworkers can be more inclusive and accepting of people with disabilities. and she’s planning on creating short videos and vignettes helping coworkers and others remember to treat people with disabilities as the person they are and not to focus on their disability. Her recovery story has been highlighted on the agency’s employee intranet.

“My medical trauma and disability has helped me see that when you’re living, really living, you’re doing things that make you happy; you’re challenging yourself and pushing past your limits and comfort levels. Now, I understand my strength in ways I’d never even imagined possible before.”

While her doctors can’t explain how or why all her organs started functioning again, Smith doesn’t need an explanation. She can see her path, and while her own happiness is front and center, the importance of advocating for universal accessibility is a fire in her that only burns brighter by the day.

To contribute to the fundraiser for Smith’s trip, go to gofundme. com/f/jvkae-ms-wheelchairmaryland/donations

Chandra Smith COURTESY OF CHANDRA SMITH

“My medical trauma and disability has helped me see that when you're living, really living, you're doing things that make you happy; you're challenging yourself and pushing past your limits and comfort levels.”

Chandra Smith

Ms. Maryland Wheelchair Maryland

FISH FRIES

FROM PAGE 1

plans to add steamed shrimp with Old Bay to this year’s menu in the upcoming weeks. “We think the food is pretty good. We try to elevate it.”

While there were no signs outside of St. Mary of the Mills directing people where to go, the enticing smell of food led the crowd downstairs, where they found a room filled with people and smoke.

“Oven issues,” Walker said. “Once we get past the first and second fish fries, we’re OK. It’s a lot of work.”

Potter said they planned for about 80 people at the Feb. 24 fish fry. Around 6:30 p.m., an announcement was made that all the cooked fish was gone but more was being prepared.

“We are short staffed, but they do the best they can,” Potter said. “This is a lot of people.”

Profits from the fish fry benefit the Knights’ programs and help fund the church’s Catholic ministry in Africa by supporting seminarians and covering costs of construction projects.

“We had great support before COVID[-19] and didn’t know what to expect,” said Steve Hubbard, a Knights volunteer, as he gestured

to the full room. “We are so appreciative of the support of the community.”

The Knights of Columbus Patux-

ent Council 2203 fish fries will be held every Friday through March 31 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. in the Breen room at St. Mary of the Mills, 114

St. Mary’s Place. The Knights of Columbus Council 14099 also hosts two fish fries on March 17 and 31,

THE MARKET IS MOVING!

from 6 to 8 p.m., in Kitko Hall at Resurrection of Our Lord Catholic Church at 8402 Brock Bridge Road.

The spring market is here and things are heating up - no doubt about it. I listed one of these homes at the end of January and the other at the beginning of February Both went under contract within a week with multiple offers. If you ' ve been holding off on listing your home until the market perks up, now ' s the time to consider your options I offer:

Complimentary Home Staging Professional Photography Custom Brochures

Social Media Promotion 3D Matterport Home Tours

Thinking about your next move? Give me a call. I'm here to help!

Laurel’s State Legislators

We appreciate the opportunity to represent you in the Maryland legislature. And we hope you can join us and other Laurel neighbors Monday evening, March 27, 6 to 8 pm, at Market House at 25 Market Space, near the Annapolis dock for good food and good fellowship.

Join us for dinner in Annapolis March 27!

To RSVP, use our QR Code, go to neartail.com/us/21districtnight or call (240)712-4646 to reserve your seat.

We’ll be joined by other state and local leaders who represent Laurel.

If you'd like to come early, we will arrange a tour of the State House. If you'd like to stay after dinner, you can see the Senate or House in action at 8 pm, just let us know.

And, if you just want to come to dinner by bus with Laurel, reserve neighbors, reserve your seat when you RSVP

Finally, if you have questions, just email 21stDistrictDelegation@gmail.com

We look forward to seeing you!

— Jim, Joseline, Ben and Mary

NATIVE GARDENING WITH JIMMY

Time to plant native plants

By Jimmy Rogers

The last few years have seen a boom in residential native gardening.

It’s an exciting hobby that is also a lifeline for our neighborhood birds, bees and butterflies. After reading through lists of plants and planning their new garden beds, though, many people ask, “Where do I even get these plants?”

It’s tempting to drive over to the nearest big box store or even a traditional nursery when searching for native plants. However, there are many reasons to avoid these retailers.

For one, the plants they have for sale are usually brought in from far away and may be cultivars or hybrids of what is found in nature. These plants introduce foreign genes and traits into our ecosystem that can disrupt the close relationships our insects and birds have with our plants.

Large sellers are also notorious for dousing their plants with broad-spectrum pesticides that not only kill native bees and butterflies on contact, but also soak into the plants long-term. Scientists at the University of Nevada recently found that milkweed treated with pesticides can become toxic to monarch caterpillars.

Fortunately, small, local growers all over our region are preparing for community plant sales which occur each spring and fall, just before the best planting times. Consider going to at least two sales each season, as each will offer a different variety of plants and may only have limited quantities available. It’s also a great opportunity to meet local growers and ask them questions about their practices, and how best to take care of the plants.

Before you head to a sale, take time to look around your garden

and see where you can add new plants. Take note of how much sun (full sun, part sun or shade) and moisture (dry, moist or wet) each area of your yard regularly receives. If you have a patio or balcony, remember that native plants do very well in pots and planters. If you want to do some extra homework, research specific plants and make a wishlist. Some plant sales will have a plant list available online ahead of time to facilitate pre-orders. All plant sales are ready with advice for beginners, too. Ask for recommendations from one of the sellers or read through the descriptions on the tables. Fellow customers may even offer to help as you try to pick the right plants for the right places.

WHAT TO BUY

As a general rule, overinvest in early-blooming groundcover plants (golden ragwort, golden Alexanders, moss phlox) and pick a few plants that will grow tall and flower in high summer

SPRING 2023 NATIVE PLANT SALES NEAR LAUREL

Chesapeake Natives open house sale

Sunday, March 26, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; 9640 Rosaryville Road, Upper Marlboro

This all-native, local-ecotype nursery has a wide variety of herbaceous plants, shrubs and trees for any garden. chesapeakenatives.org

Baltimore native plant sale

Saturday, April 15, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Church of the Redeemer, 5603 N Charles St., Baltimore Buy from multiple vendors who grow their own plants. Not all vendors take credit cards, so bring cash or checks.

(sunflowers, black-eyed Susans and bee balm). This will keep down the weeds and give you more enjoyment throughout the growing season. You can even add plants that bloom in September, October and November (late goldenrod, asters and sneezeweed) to support native bees when food is scarce.

Plant sales can be overwhelming, so I recommend setting a budget based on how much space you want to fill. A lot of native plants can fit into a small patch of garden, as they grow best when packed closely together. Expect to spend about $7 to $10 per square foot. If you want to save a few dollars, look for pots that have more than one plant; these plants can be divided and planted as individuals.

Resist the urge to buy one of everything, as this requires a more complex garden design. Consider mass plantings of fewer species to make your garden look more intentional.

LOOKING AHEAD

If you can’t find every plant you want at the sales this spring, there is an excellent fallback

Native Plant Palooza

Sunday, May 7, Noon to 4 p.m.; Robinson Nature Center, 6692 Cedar Lane, Columbia Vendors will have a wide variety of plants available.

Locust Grove native plant sale

Saturday and Sunday, May 20 and 21, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. both days; Locust Grove Nature Center, 7777 Democracy Blvd., Bethesda Plants are local ecotype (where possible) and organized by garden type, with helpful staff on hand to answer questions. They often have difficult-tofind native plants.

plan. Fall is considered the best planting time for natives, and there are fall plant sales each year. Newly planted spring flowers simply provide instant gratification, so it can be more satisfying for the new gardener.

However you approach your garden, if you choose Maryland natives and make space for wildlife, you’re bringing the fight against climate change and species extinction into your own front yard, back garden or balcony. Recent studies confirm that even a small patch of 70% native plants can provide food and shelter for many native species of birds and insects.

Above all, gardening should be a relaxing way to reconnect with the land and each other, so enjoy plant sale season and remember that your fellow gardeners are rooting for you.

Jimmy Rogers is an avid native gardener who is also a member of the Laurel Environmental Affairs Committee.

Tips for the first time home buyer

By Jerlysha Williams

Owning a home is a part of the American dream and a core building block of stability and wealth. Today’s interest rates and the consumer price index are still trending up as the economy continues to grow. According to the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, January saw a 0.5% increase in all items, along with a strong increase in job growth.

With these rising costs, how is the average American supposed to achieve the American dream formula of owning a beautiful home with a white picket fence? There are a number of creative ways you can save money, get expert advice and, when you’re ready to buy, to find the best deal possible. Here are a few steps to get you started on the journey to homeownership.

Hire a mortgage broker. Shopping around to get the best interest rate can save you thousands of dollars in interest payments, and a broker can help you find a rate that best suits your goals. People generally don’t purchase the first car they test drive. Applying this same logic to mortgage shopping may benefit you greatly in the years to come. Become informed about costs in addition to the purchase price; the down payment, cost of a home inspection and appraisal, and closing costs should all factor into your plan.

Find a realtor you trust. A realtor can be of great assistance on the path to homeownership. They know the local market and sometimes know about hot listings before they even hit the market. Be sure your realtor has a clear understanding of your goals and target price range before signing a contract.

Nicole Marshall, an experienced local realtor, said a realtor should be familiar with a variety of programs that support buyers. The Maryland Mortgage Program and Federal Home Loan Bank grant are two such programs that assist individuals looking to buy in Laurel.

First-time home buyers can turn to the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of American (naca.com) for assistance. NACA offers a program to help buyers get their finances in order and learn how to budget.

The program also assists first-time home buyers cover major expenses when buying a home. Qualified participants can leverage lower mortgage rates than the national average and purchase a home with no down payment or closing costs. The program also allows a participant to purchase a property with up to four units, three of which could be rental units. Search high and low for great home deals. Banks often own foreclosure properties that they are eager to sell. Check out foreclosures.bankofamerica.com and reo.wellsfargo.com

The federal government also owns surplus properties. Both Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have programs for first-time home buyers. Freddie Mac’s homesteps. com and Fannie Mae’s homepath.fanniemae.com aim to sell properties in a timely manner and to preserve property

values within communities.

For-sale-by-owner properties are often listed on Zillow, Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist; local auction houses may handle these sales, as well. Other home search options are homesnap.com, realtor.com and brightmlshomes.com

If you’re ambitious and have the cash and time, you can renovate a property or build a new home. Properties that need work often have a lower price tag. Purchasing a less-than-perfect property not only saves money, up front; renovations to that property can significantly increase equity. A 203(k) home renovation loan will supply you with the funds to purchase and renovate the home.

Building a home could be an expensive option, but there is a local nonprofit development firm, Affinity Community Development Inc. (acdland.com), that is a public charity organization which specializes in custom-built homes, affordable housing and land development. Affinity’s mission is to enhance the community with highquality custom built homes.

“Affinity has developed a custom built home program to help buyers save money on a new construction home, while working to protect the buyers interest in all categories of the process,” said Mateen Adullah, Affinity vice chairman.

Be patient. Sometimes the timing isn’t right. Ian Cruse recently moved from Chicago to Laurel; he’s a multi-state real estate investor and independent stock market day trader. Before moving to Laurel, Cruse analyzed the market and decided to rent rather than purchase a home.

“It's been shocking to see mortgage rates jump from a COVID[-19] low of 2.5% to over 6%. As a result, it now costs much more to borrow money than before, and with the housing market still peaking, I've made the decision to rent until home prices come down,” Cruse wrote in an email. “From a financial standpoint, it just doesn't make sense to borrow expensive money in order to buy an expensive property. Something has to give, and for now, I'm content to continue renting an apartment that fits my needs."

Only you know what is right for you and your family. Take time to speak to other homeowners to learn from their experience and knowledge. Most importantly, make a plan and set a budget.

A real estate agent knows the local market and might know about hot listings before they hit the market. Be sure your realtor has a clear understanding of your goals and price range before you sign a contract.

New Laurel bakery gives back to community

By Tara Goldstein

Nothing Bundt Cakes has officially opened its doors in Laurel, bringing in new customers to try its delicious baked goods while also making an effort to give back to the community.

The store opened in the beginning of January, and the company held an official ribbon cutting ceremony on Feb. 24. The owner, Katheryn Hoerster, attended the event, along with Mayor Craig Moe and other local city council members.

“The whole lobby was packed,” employee Stephanie Bush said, referring to the grand opening event. “People were buying cakes left and right.”

One of the main focuses of the Nothing Bundt Cakes franchise is community outreach. The brand makes an effort to give back to the locals in any way they can.

Along with holding the ribbon cutting, the store donated 10% of the profits they made on Feb. 24 to a local nonprofit, Laurel Advocacy and Referral Services (LARS). The store also offered

Behavior Consultation Training Dogs Of All Ages

Fido Fest! A Tailwagging Fun Day!

Join us for a fun-filled day full of games for you and your dog.

Saturday, May 6, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

For more information, visit socialtailwaggers.com/ fido-fest/

discounts to first responders, educators, veterans and healthcare workers earlier that week.

“It’s always worked out very well for us, being able to support local businesses and schools,” Hoerster said. “We will continue to do that for sure.”

Hoerster explained that partnering with local organizations has multiple benefits. While it is good for marketing, it also is a big help to the organizations themselves, keeps the staff busy during the slower times of the year and creates a sense of community.

Hoerster decided to partner with LARS, which provides assistance to homeless and lowincome families, after meeting Shannon Mouton, LARS executive director, at a December meeting of The Laurel Board of Trade. The meeting allowed different businesses to bring in sample products and display them.

Mouton was instantly impressed by Hoerster’s goods.

“There were these beautiful bundt cakes,” Mouton said. “Just gorgeous.”

The two stayed in touch after Mouton expressed that LARS would love to be the beneficiary

of the grand opening event. The funds will go to the nonprofit’s general operating accounts. which cover a multitude of services including supporting clients, buying groceries for food pantries and providing counseling services and medical appointments, according to Mouton.

This is the first of many plans, Hoerster said, to partner with local organizations and schools. She already has a ton of emails inquiring about future collaborations and has a few more events in the works.

Nothing Bundt Cakes is a national franchise that offers a variety of flavors and sizes of bundt

cakes. The store also sells party supplies and gifts.

The company makes a constant effort to create a welcoming and supportive environment for their employees.

“It’s been one of the best work environments,” Bush said after starting work at the new Laurel location just one week prior to the grand opening.

The new bakery spot is also in a great spot, located to the side of a shopping center along busy Baltimore Avenue. This is Hoerster’s second location; her first is in Silver Spring. The Nothing Bundt Cakes company helps guide store owners to areas that will be profitable and good for business, which is what led Hoerster to choose Laurel.

Already, the new store has received positive feedback from customers. Locals are excited about the new addition, and the city is very supportive of the business, according to Hoerster.

“It makes me feel like I made the right choice,” she said.

Nothing Bundt Cakes is at 13600 Baltimore Avenue. For more information, call 301.323.8606 or go to nothingbundtcakes.com

In addition to the ribbon cutting, Nothing Bundt Cakes donated 10% of the profits on Feb. 24 to a local nonprofit.

FIRE MARSHAL AND PER MIT SERVICES: ALL THINGS SPRING

As the spring/summer months approach, we would like homeowners to be mindful of the property maintenance violations the Code Enforcement Division of the Department of Fire Marshal and Permit Services (FMPS) typically receives during warmer months. Those violations include, but are not limited to, excessive grass, weeds, trash and debris and having home improvement work done without a permit.

Excessive Grass and Weeds April showers, bring May flowers...and tall grass! Grass in the City of Laurel is deemed excessive in Sec. 18-181 of the Municipal Code when the height of the grass is about 8 inches tall. However, we understand that thin grass can act as a home for lawn bees.

As a Bee City, the City will institute the “No Mow April” initiative, Resolution No. 2-2023, which will last from April 1 -30. Citizens who decide to participate in No Mow April must contact Code Enforcement or the City’s Environmental Manager to register for the program and receive a yard sign. For additional information, call 301-725-5300. More

details under the Green Living section of this edition of the Ledger.

Trash and Debris

Sec. 18-182 and Sec. 18184 of the Municipal Code states that allowing large accumulations of trash or allowing pools of foul or stagnant liquids to collect on a property within City limits constitutes a violation. Once a property has been posted with a violation, the City allows three (3) days to correct the violation. If the violation persists beyond this three day period, the City is empowered to correct the situation (i.e. cut the violating grass and weeds) at the property owner’s expense and potentially place a lien and/or levy fines.

To Permit or Not Permit?

We understand the desire to put in a new patio in preparation for the family Easter egg hunt or the urge to get a new deck built. However, to insure public safety and property standards, as well as compliance with the Land Development Code (LDC), contractors and home owners are required, by law, to obtain the required permits before any work begins. For a list of projects requiring permits, visit our website at https://bit.ly/LaurelPermits or call us at

MAYOR’S SUMMER JOB P ROGRAM RETURNS!

Mayor Craig A. Moe has announced that the thirteenth year of the Mayor’s Summer Job Program has been scheduled for the summer of 2023, after being on hiatus due to the pandemic.

The award-winning Mayor’s Summer Job Program is an extremely popular employment opportunity for high school -aged teens ages 1416 as of the first day of the program. Check back in April 2023 for more information on the application process for the Mayor’s Summer Job Program and the date of the first day of the program.

If you would like to learn more about the program, visit our website at www.cityoflaurel.org/baps.

If you have any questions, please contact Lisa Woods, Deputy Director, Department of Budget and Personnel Services, at 301-725-5300 ext. 2235.

301-725-5300 ext. 2238 and a member of our permitting team will be more than happy to assist you.

Life Safety Tip: Smoke Detectors

Smoke Detectors save lives! Are you aware that Maryland Law requires ALL Maryland residents to have 10year lithium battery tamper resistant smoke alarms installed inside every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level of your home? (When replacing your old smoke detector, don’t throw it out. Call Public Works to pick it up for free.) If your smoke detector goes off, remember to get low, get out and meet at your designated meeting place! And test your smoke detectors once a month and keep the dust out of their vents to ensure they remain in good working condition. Finally, did you know you could apply for City of Laurel permits online? That’s right! FMPS has a Permit Portal on our website. To learn more about this process, visit www.cityoflaurel.org. And if you have any questions about permits, code enforcement, inspections or rental licenses, call 301-725-5300 ext. 2238.

MOW APRIL COMING TO LAUREL!

As part of the City’s on-going commitment to environmentally-friendly practices, on February 27th the Mayor and City Council passed Resolution No. 2-2023 declaring April as “No Mow April.” During the month of April, the City of Laurel will relax the enforcement of high -grass rules, allowing Laurel residents to delay or reduce lawn cutting as a way to promote a pollinatorfriendly habitat early in the growing season. No Mow April is a voluntary program for City residents. Participants are asked to register online or inperson and display their City-issued "No Mow April" yard sign in their front yard for the duration of the program.

“No Mow” Registration:

No Mow April is a free, voluntary program. Residents wishing to participate must register no later than March 30, 2023. Resid ents living in an HOA community need to read their HOA by-laws for regulations governing grass height. Any violation of the HOA ’s by-laws that result in a fine are the responsibility of the resident.

In-person registration and signs will be available at our kick -off meeting held at the City’s Laurel Municipal Center located at 8103 Sandy Spring Road on March 20th at 6:30pm and will be available at the Laurel Municipal Center until March 30th. Registration hours and sign pickup hours are 9:00am to 4:30pm, Monday through Friday. Residents needing to pick up their signs at one of o ur community centers may do so by appointment. The registration page and more information about the importance of pollinators an d native plants can be found on the Bee City USA webpage at www.cityoflaurel.org/green. Questions can be directed to greenliving@laurel.md.us. You can also sign up to be a Bee City volunteer at beecity@laurel.md.us. Learn about the importanc e of protecting our pollinators, native plants and correct planting practices.

Green Goals:

Invest In Our Planet! Get Inspired! Take Action! Be a part of the green revolution! Sign up for curbside organics recycling and get FREE compost for your garden – e-mail DPW@laurel.md.us or greenliving@laurel.md.us to get started. Public Works will deliver a kitchen countertop container, a set of starter compostable bags and an outdoor cart with a locking lid. Organics recycling wi ll be collected on the same day as trash and recycling.

Recycle Right!

Reduce! Reuse! Recycle! Repurpose! Not only can you recycle through the City ’s recycling program, but mark your calendars for the Public Works’ spring E-cycling/Paper Shredding event coming Saturday, April 15, 2023, from 8:00am to Noon. Residents can drop off Entertainment Electronics, Paper for shredding, Styrofoam for recycling, and gently -used clothing and household items for repurposing through GreenDrop. This event is for City residents and businesses only. Official IDs with a city address must be presented to enter the drop off site. Visit www.CityofLaurel.org for more information.

We Want to Hear fro m YOU! Sign up for Green Living updates at greenliving@laurel.md.us.

SERVICIOS DEL OFICIAL DE INCENDIOS Y DE PERMISOS: TODAS

PRIMAVERA

LAS COSAS DE

A medida que se acercan los meses de primavera/verano, nos gustaría que los propietarios tengan en cuenta las infracciones de mantenimiento de la propiedad que la División de Cumplimiento de Códigos del Departamento del Official de Incendios y Servicios de Permisos (FMPS) suele recibir durante los meses. Esas infracciones incluyen, pero no se limitan a, exceso de césped, maleza, basura y escombros y trabajos de mejora del hogar realizados sin un permiso. Para obtener más información sobre los permisos necesarios y las infracciones de mantenimiento de la propiedad, visite www.cityoflaurel.org/permits.

Legislation

Listed below are recent actions taken by the Laurel City Council during past Mayor and City Council meetings. For further information on any of these 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

Approved Ordinances/Resolutions:

 Resolution No. 1-2023 - Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee

 Ordinance No. 2004 - M-X-T Concept

Approval-Corridor Center

 Ordinance No. 2003 - Elderly and Veteran Tax Credit

 Ordinance No. 2005 - FY2023 Budget Amendment

Bid Recommendations:

 Bid Recommendation - Phase II of the City of Laurel Multiservice Center - $10,092,663.75

 Bid Recommendation - Non-Destructive Pavement Evaluation - $70,760.00

 Bid Recommendation - Cherry Lane Bikeway Feasibility Study and Preliminary Design$75,285.00

 Bid Recommendation - Compton Avenue Engineering - $60,180.00

 Bid Recommendation - Laurel Avenue Engineering - $87,232.00

Mayoral Appointments:

 Appointment of Douglas Redd, Emergency Services Commission

 Appointment of Ronald Rendle to the Board of Pension Trustees

 Appointment of the Honorable Gayle W. Snyder to the Historic District Commission

 Appointment of Mary-Eileen Leszcz to the Historic District Commission

Gover nment Mee tings

(Da tes and Times Subject to Change)

March 2023 Mayor and City Council Meetings

 March 13th - Virtual Mayor and City Council Meeting (6:00pm)

 March 27th - In-Person Mayor and City Council Meeting (6:00pm)

March 2023 Boards and Commissions

 March14th - Planning Commission - CANCELLED

 March 21st - Historic District Commission (6:00pm)

 March 28th - In-Person Environmental Affairs Committee (6:00pm)

 March 30th - Board of Appeals - CANCELLED

April 2023 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 2023 Boards and Commissions

 April 8th - Virtual Emergency Services Commission (7:00pm)

 April 11th - Planning Commission (6:00pm)

 April 18th - Historic District Commission (6:00pm)

 April 28th - Virtual Environmental Affairs Committee (6:00pm)

 April 27th - Board of Appeals (6:00pm)

City Announceme nts & Events

(Da tes and Times Subject to Change)

 Adult Pickle Ball - Wednesdays, 6-9pm - Robert J. DiPietro Community Center

 Summer Camp Registration Opens - Register at the Robert J. DiPietro Community Center, 7901 Cypress Street:

 March 6th for City Residents

 March 13th for Non-Residents

 Teen Trip“Little Shop of Horrors” - March 23, 2023 at 6:00pm. To register, call 301-725-7800.

 Adult Trip - MGM Resort and National Harbor - March 25, 2023 at Noon. To register, call 301-725-7800.

 Eggstravaganza - April 1, 2023 starts 12:00pm SHARP - Granville Gude Park

 My Time with the Mayor - April 10, 2023 at 4:00pm at the AndersonMurphy Community Center (Laurel Armory), 422 Montgomery Street.

 City Hall in the Park - April 26, 2023 at 6:30pm - Emancipation Park, 8th and West Streets.

 To learn more or register for a Parks and Recreation League , visit www.cityoflaurel.org/parks/adult-sports-activities or call 301-7257800.

TAKE THE PLEDGE! The City of Laurel will participate in the Wyland Mayor’s Water Challenge this April. Sign up to pledge to conserve our local waterways and help you and your neighbors win prizes!

Welcome to March and the month of St. Patrick's Day. But be aware, you can't rely on luck to get you through a disaster. You need to plan and be prepared.

How can you do that? Well first, you need to know your risk for the area where you live and work. Know what disasters and hazards could affect your area, how to get emergency alerts, and where you would go if you and your family need to evacuate. Make sure your family has a plan and practices it often.

Second, you need to make a plan. Your family may not be together if a disaster strikes, so it is important to know which types of disasters could affect your area. Know how you’ll contact one another and reconnect if separated. Establish a family meeting place that ’s familiar and easy to find.

The third step is build a kit, so you are ready. After an emergency, you may need to survive on your own for several days. Being prepared means having your own food, water and other supplies to last for several days. A disaster supply kit is a collection of basic items your household may need in the event of an emergency.

And don’t leave pet preparedness to chance! Have your pet microchipped and keep your address and phone number up-to-date. And be sure to include your pet when building your Emergency Kit!

Learn more about the "It's Not Luck" campaign by visiting www.Ready.gov!

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Send your event information to Katie V. Jones at katie@streetcar suburbs.news

CLASSES

Mat Yoga: Sharon MorrisSmith will lead Assuage yoga in the library on Wednesdays from 6 to 7 p.m. Carroll Baldwin Hall, 9035 Baltimore St., Savage. 410.294.3561

Gottaswing Dance Classes: A beginner/and intermediate class meets on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. Carroll Baldwin Hall, 9035 Baltimore St., Savage. 410.294.3561

ENTERTAINMENT

Laurel’s Got Talent! Skits, dancing, songs, readings and more presented every

Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. through March 12. Laurel Mill Playhouse, 508 Main St. $5-$10. Laurelmillplayhouse.org

Meet the Author and Music: Bob Reilly will talk about his book and perform original harmonic music. March 18, 7 p.m. Ragamuffins Coffee House, 385 Main St. info@ weinotproductions.com

MONTPELIER HOUSE MUSEUM, 9650 Muirkirk Road. 301.377.7817

Women’s History Tea: Learn about women inventors and entrepreneurs from history and today while having tea. $39. March 25, 2 p.m.

Maryland Day: To commemorate the landing of The Arc and The Dove in Maryland, free tours of the house will be offered from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

MONTPELIER ARTS

CENTER, 9652 Muirkirk Road. 301.377.7800

On Kee Jazz Band: Featuring members from Maryland and Massachusetts, the band performs its own mix of jazz. $12. March 16, noon.

Joshua Espinoza Trio: A performance featuring chamber ensemble music, jazz and contemporary music. $25. March 17. 8 p.m.

Dua Sila: An ensemble featuring Amanda Dame on

flute and Christina Manceor on percussion. Free, donations welcome. March 19, 3 p.m.

The String Queens: A performance featuring a range of musical genres. $25. March 31, 8 p.m.

Current Exhibit: Anti-Black Violence and Resistance in the Diaspora: This annual Black History Month exhibit highlights narratives from the history of African Americans in Prince George’s County and surrounding area. Through March 26.

LAUREL HISTORY MUSEUM, 817 Main Street. 301-725-7975.

Main Exhibit: It’s All Laurel: City Limits and Beyond. Through August 2024.

Women’s History Month: Women of Bacontown and Mt. Zion webinar about the community in Anne Arundel County that was established by free and enslaved Black people before the Civil War. Free. March 22, 7 p.m. Register at laurelhistoricalsociety.org

PATUXENT

RESEARCH

REFUGE. Programs are free. Some require advance registration, and all may be subject to change or cancellation due to weather or low enrollment. For more information and to register, call 301.497.5887 North Tract, 230 Bald Eagle Drive.

Riding Bicycles: A 12-mile guided ride. Bring your own bike, helmet, water bottle and SEE CALENDAR ON 9 

the bill.

The law will apply to about one-third of the county’s residents, as the U.S. Census Bureau indicates that 37% of county dwellings are rentals.

The council, which passed the measure on a 9-1 vote after more than 100 people crowded the room for a public hearing that lasted more than three hours, made clear that they intend to spend the coming year crafting another measure to replace it. “We know that this is not a long-term solution,” Oriadha said. “This is to stop the bleeding.”

“People are hurting in our community,” agreed Councilmember Eric Olson (District 3). “So we need to act.”

The one vote against was by Councilmember Mel Franklin (At-Large), who said such rent caps don’t work and were being abandoned by the few jurisdictions across the country that had adopted them. Councilmember Ingrid Watson (District 4) was absent.

Franklin, along with Councilmembers Calvin Hawkins (At-Large) and Sydney Harrison (District 9), had unsuccessfully introduced an alternative anti-gouging bill that would have capped rent increases at 20% and created a rental assistance fund. He said all landlords should not be punished for the exorbitant rent hikes of, in his words, a few “bad actors.”

The new law exempts rental units from the cap during their first five years of use. Apartments that are part of a government affordable-housing subsidy program, such as federal Section 8 would also be exempt.

Dozens of renters from across the county attended the Feb. 28 hearing to testify in favor of the law, many wearing T-shirts emblazoned with Stop Rent Hikes; the shirts were supplied by CASA de Maryland, an immigrant advocacy organization. Most dramatically, Jeanette Kenne, of Chillum, said that she had fallen behind in rent during the pandemic because her

cleaning clients wouldn’t allow her in their homes, and she faces eviction. “Today is the last day for me,” she said. “The property manager asked me to hand in the keys. I don’t know where I will be.” (After Kenne’s testimony, Oriadha came down from the dais and conferred with her quietly as other people continued testifying.)

Calondra Young testified that she and her grandmother had been forced out of their Laurel apartment in 2021 by rent increases, resulting in her being homeless for a year.

Rose Thompson, a 65-year-old Laurel resident, said she had lived in her apartment on 11th Street for 25 years when a new landlord doubled her rent. The landlord later decided to reduce the increase when CASA and two city councilmembers intervened, but that adjustment was only to last a year, she said. “My time is about up. … I’m asking where I can go and how to pay rent, eat, pay gas and electric, and put gas in my car.”

Kia Jefferson, of Laurel, said she had received a notice of an $800 rent hike less than a month before it was due. Again, the landlord agreed to lower the increase for a year, but without longer-term guarantees.

Eddie Mallorca, of Laurel, said he had received a notice for a $370 rent increase. He came to Laurel 20 years ago, after fleeing the poverty and danger of his native country, he said. “Now I’m asking not to have to run again from Prince George’s County.”

Jerome Shipp, an employee of the City of Hyattsville Department of Public Works, said his Bladensburg apartment complex had hit him with a rent increase from $900 to $1,139. “Jobs don’t increase salaries to pay the rent,” he said. He added that his truck was in the shop, he was getting around on a bicycle and was now putting in hours for DoorDash in order to keep up with the rent hike.

Deloris Prioleau told of a $400 to $500 rent hike at her senior apartment complex in Upper Marlboro. “Seniors on fixed incomes cannot afford to pay increases of over 4 to 5%,” she said. Some of the resi-

dents are now turning to food banks for the first time, she added.

Elected officials from three municipalities supported the renters’ pleas.

Hyattsville City Councilmember Danny Schaible (Ward 2) noted that more than half of that city’s residents are renters. “In 2018, 43% of our renters were considered cost-burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on rent.” These renters are “one misstep away from displacement, eviction or homelessness,” he said. Schaible added that the Hyattsville City Council has been working on rentcap legislation of their own.

Bladensburg City Councilmember Jocelyn Route (Ward 1) also urged passage. “My residents have been affected greatly by rent gouging,” she said, telling of an 80-year-old constituent who was evicted after her rent was doubled to $1,500. City officials were able to negotiate a lower increase and return the woman to her home.

Laurel City Councilmember Martin Mitchell (At-large) brought a petition of support signed by 142 residents.

In addition, Shannon Mouton, executive director of Laurel Advocacy and Referral Services (LARS), spoke in favor of the measure. She said LARS was on track to spend $600,000 toward eviction prevention during the year ending on June 30. “Remember, the best way to prevent homelessness is to keep people in the homes they already have,” she said.

People testifying against the bill also numbered in the dozens. Gabrielle Duvall, executive vice president and general counsel of Southern Management Companies, told the council that her countybased business manages 11,027 rental units in Prince George’s County – 1,000 of them in the city of Laurel. She said that the average rent increase for these homes during the past year was only 2.59%. She also noted that 8.9% of its tenants, in 981 homes, were delinquent in rent payments by more than 60 days.

After the hearing, Duvall said that rent caps are counterproductive because they

reduce the supply of rental housing, as investors avoid the jurisdiction and landlords convert apartments to condos or to other uses. She noted that a rent cap in St. Paul, Minn., drove down the number of residential building permits in that city from 1,391 in April 2021 to 200 in April 2022.

Dean Hunter, CEO of the Small Multifamily & Rental Owners Association, said 40% of the county’s rental housing is held by landlords who own fewer than 25 units, and these individuals and families are trying to cope with rising costs of supplies, labor, property taxes and utilities. He said an example of the law’s unfairness was that it would allow him to levy only a $45 rent increase for a unit that he needed to repair after a renter did $1,500 in damage.

Carl Starling, who owns two rental units in College Park, said, “I’m being pushed out of the market because of this legislation.”

Boyd Campbell agreed. The real estate broker, who has served on a number of affordable housing task forces at both the county and state levels, said he owned two rental units to help with his retirement. “I feel I’m being personally attacked by this bill. You’re going to chase people like Boyd Campbell out of the county. I’ll sell everything I have and buy in Charles County.”

Terry Sween testified that his Minnesota-based company, Dominium, which specializes in building lower-than-marketrate housing through contracts with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, would not be able to continue doing business in Prince George’s County under a rent-cap system. Dominium is currently constructing 245 apartments in Landover Hills for which no renter will be charged more than 30% of their income, he said.

Under the new law, landlords violating the cap will be subject to a $500 fine for the first offense and $1,000 for each subsequent infraction. Oriadha noted that if a rent cap is retained after this law sunsets in a year, the county will need to hire personnel to enforce it.

CURLING

FROM PAGE 1

than 10 years, was originally geared more toward members, White said. The program coordinators have been changing the event’s focus to include non-members and connect more with the community, according to White. Emphasis now is on instruction and sim-

ply having a good time. Participants bring different skill levels, with some trying it out for the first time and others having professional experience. Emily Schmidt, from Carol County, was trying curling for only her second time at the Feb. 25 event. Another player, Naomi Huang, from Bethesda, won a world championship playing for an alternate curl-

ing team from Taiwan. Teams include players across skill levels. Schmidt and her husband, Alex Schmidt, who is also a beginner, were on the same team along with more experienced curlers.

The Schmidts have enjoyed the events they’ve attended and plan to keep coming back. They also loved socializing over breakfast and stayed after the game for broomstacking, a curling tradition where the winning team buys the losing team a drink.

“There’s no such thing as a rude curler,” Alex Schmidt noted.

Curling is a friendly sport that involves a lot of comradery, and Potomac Curling Club strives to keep this tradition of broomstacking alive, Tim Leroy said.

Leroy has been a member at Potomac Curling Club for 10 years and describes the community of curlers as extremely friendly, welcoming and supportive. Everyone always seems to get along, he said, and the teams usually fill events with funny stories and laughter.

“There’s never any trash talk. It’s usually just things like ‘what movie have you guys seen?’” Leroy said. “Everyone’s friends. It's just a friendly sport.”

The Saturday Morning Breakfast Extravaganza is volunteer-based, and club members are usually eager to help, according to Beau Dure, who also serves as program coordinator.

Participants' ages vary, with curlers from 12 years to 70 years old playing against each other on the ice. One of the youngest, a 12-year-old, has incredible form and loves coming with her father, Dure said. Dure usually puts together

the teams, and he works to make sure there’s a good mix of personalities. People don’t really care about the scores, he said, and he hopes that everyone has at least some success.

The Potomac Curling Club’s Saturday Morning Breakfast Extravaganza takes place on select Saturdays in March and April at the Gardens Ice House, 13800 Old Gunpowder Road. For more information, go to curldc.org or call 301.362.1116

Coordinator Kevin White provides tips on how to slide the rock down the ice. LAUREN REEDER

snack. March 18, 10 a.m.

Photo-Adventure Scavenger

Hunt: Use clues to hunt for sculptured stones, mystery objects, plants and animals and record them with a camera or phone. March 18 and March 25, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Interactive Nature Hike: Take a hike on the Forest Trail to learn the history of the North Track, the role of pollinators and the ecology and biodiversity within the forest. March 25, 10 a.m.

Woodcock Sky Dance: Learn about the biology and courtship of the shorebird and look for the males doing their courtship dance at dusk. March 25, 6:45 p.m.

South Tract, 10901 Scarlet Tanager Loop.

Welcoming Butterflies and Birds to Your Yard: Learn how to provide basic habitats in your yard for birds and butterflies. March 11, 2 p.m.

Becoming a Citizen Scientist: Documenting Bird and Monarch Migrations: Learn how to document your observations on migrating birds and monarchs and then track them online. March 18, 2 p.m.

Meet an American Kestrel: Informal show-and-tell about this native raptor. March 18, 1 p.m.

Family Fun: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! Hands-on activities, crafts and games teach how you can reduce, reuse and recycle to generate less trash. March 14 and 25, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Early Spring Birdwalk: Focus on sparrows, waterfowl and resident birds as you walk around Cash Lake. March 25, 8 .m.

Tree Treasures: A ranger-led tree treasure hunt for ages 4 to 8 years old. March 25, 2 p.m.

ONGOING

Call for Entries: Laurel Art Guild is accepting entries for its 54th open juried exhibition to be held May 6 through June 4. Six cash prizes will

be awarded. The contest is open to adult residents of the District, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey. Deadline to apply is March 20. For more information, email lagopen@ laurelartguild.org; to apply, go to laurelartguild.org

Bingo at American Legion Post 60. Friday night bingo every week; 23 games with cash prizes, food and drinks for purchase. Doors open at 5 p.m.; bingo starts at 7:30. 2 Main St. 301.725.2302

Every Tuesday Bingo. Hosted every week by the Laurel Friendship Club; admission is free; fee for cards. Doors open at 11 a.m. and bingo starts at noon. Laurel-Beltsville Senior Activities Center, 7120 Contee Road. 301.206.3380

Friday Food Festival: American Legion Post 60 hosts Friday dinners, with Canteen 60 providing meals the first and third Friday of the month and P&G Catering serving up on the second and fourth. 5:30 to 8 p.m. 2 Main St. 301.725.2302

Lose weight. Gain confidence.

If you’re considering weight loss surgery, the multidisciplinary team at Luminis Health is here to help. From your first consultation to keeping the weight off after surgery, our team will support you. At Luminis Health, you will find:

• Nutrition counseling: As your body changes, a dietitian helps create a personalized nutrition plan.

• Physical therapy: We designed a bariatric optimization program to help you prepare for and recover from weight loss surgery.

• Support groups: We offer support groups for patients to share their experiences. There’s no cost to attend.

Laurel Senior Friendship Club meets the second Wednesday of each month in the great room of the Laurel-Beltsville Senior Activities Center on Contee Rd. Doors open at 9:30 a.m. Program includes followed by a business meeting and then either musical entertainment or a speaker. 301.206.3380

BUSINESS

The Laurel Board of Trade Monthly Networking Virtual opportunity to meet and network with local business people; membership is not required. March 16. 12:15 p.m. For more information and meeting link go to laurelboardoftrade.org, email laurelboardoftrade383@gmail. com or call 301.483.0838

FOOD PANTRIES, DISTRIBUTIONS

St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, in partnership with Capital Area Food Bank, offers food distributions on the third Sunday of every month; next distribution is

March 19, 9 a.m. to noon. Sixth and Prince George sts.

Laurel Advocacy and Referral Services, Food pantry is open by appointment only Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Monday evenings from 5 to 7:30 p.m. 311 Laurel Ave. To schedule a visit, call 301.776.0442

Fish of Laurel food pantry, Thursday and Saturday, from 10:15 a.m. to noon, 308 Gorman Ave. By appointment only; call 240.547.9013

Living Hope Church distributions, Tuesdays from 1 to 2:30 p.m. 613 Montgomery St. For more information, call 301.497.6424

St. Mary of the Mills food pantry, Thursdays, 9:45 a.m. while supplies last. 114 St. Mary’s Pl. Call before you come. 301.725.3080

Gospel Assembly Church food pantry, First and third Saturdays, 9 a.m. 8740 Cherry Ln, Suite 12

• Body contouring: If you have excess skin after surgery, we offer body contouring. Our plastic surgery team can remove excess skin and improve the shape of the supporting area.

• Leading technology: We stay at the forefront of bariatric surgery. This includes using robotic-assisted da Vinci® surgery. The benefits of this procedure include shorter hospital stays, less pain, faster recovery and more.

The Luminis Health Weight Loss and Metabolic Surgery program has locations in Annapolis, Lanham and Easton. To sign up for a free webinar with one of our surgeons, visit Luminis.Health/WeightLossSurgery or call 443-481-6699.

Luminis Health is a not-for-profit health system providing care for 1.5 million people in Anne Arundel County, Prince George’s County, the Eastern Shore, and beyond. Our system encompasses nearly 100 sites of care, including Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center, J. Kent McNew Family Medical Center and Pathways in Annapolis, as well as Luminis Health Doctors Community Medical Center and Doctors Community Rehabilitation and Patient Care Center in Lanham.

repatriated to their home colonies by volunteers.

Implementation of this new program was delayed by the pandemic, as the shelter was reduced to skeleton staffing during the shut-down. This reduced staffing required the shelter to develop new intake practices to slow the influx of animals, since the shelter had too few workers to care for animals. The shelter began giving appointment slots to people wishing to surrender animals to slow the influx. This new approach not only proved invaluable to addressing the staffing shortage during the shut-down, but provided the key to solving the shelter’s long-term cat overcrowding problems.

At the urging of Laurel Cats, Best Friends Animal Society and other county cat groups, the shelter opted to maintain this managed intake program even after it fully reopened. By doing so, the shelter has been able to prevent the overcrowding which had been the root cause of euthanasia of friendly cats.

Feline kill rate at county animal shelter plummets

By Helen Woods

Laurel residents have played an integral part of bringing about major positive change for cats at the Prince George’s County Animal Shelter. The shelter, which previously euthanized upward of 1,200 healthy cats every year, euthanized only 50 in 2022. This reform was brought in large part by the hard work and dedication of Laurel residents.

For decades, the shelter was known for its very high cat kill rate. Unsocialized outdoor cats, often referred to as feral cats, were trapped by residents and animal control officers, declared unadoptable and euthanized as soon as they arrived at the shelter.

Friendly cats, picked up as strays or surrendered by owners, were often euthanized in an effort to prevent overcrowding. Lobbying by county residents and even a lawsuit by Prince George’s Feral Friends, a Bowie cat group, failed to bring about change.

In 2012, Laurel residents organized the nonprofit Laurel Cats and made it their mission to show the city of Laurel and county officials that there was a better way to manage cats with-

out spending tax dollars on mass euthanasia. At that time, the city was following county protocol: If a resident complained about a cat on their property, the city animal warden was dispatched to trap the cat and take it to the county animal shelter. If the cat was not friendly, it was immediately euthanized by shelter staff. This was heartbreaking for residents who loved and cared for the cats in the community, and the practice failed to solve the problem as other cats would rapidly replace the cats that were removed.

Residents approached Laurel Mayor Craig Moe and proposed a volunteer-run trap-neutervaccinate-return (TNVR) program as an alternative that would potentially provide a long-term solution to the city’s stray cat problem at no cost to city taxpayers. Moe and his staff tentatively approved the program, and in 2013 the city council officially adopted a resolution endorsing TNVR as the city’s preferred method of population control for stray cats in Laurel.

In the ensuing years, thousands of Laurel and greater Laurel residents have worked to trap, sterilize and vaccinate Laurel’s outdoor cats. Most

of these cats are not friendly enough to be adopted to an indoor home and are returned to the site where they were trapped. Volunteer caretakers continue to provide food, water, shelter and medical care for these cats and participate in an annual census of outdoor cats run by Laurel Cats.

The results of the annual Laurel Cats census, as well as data collected by the Prince George’s

County Animal Shelter for the Laurel zip codes of 20707 and 20708, have been dramatic. The census shows a continuing decline in Laurel’s outdoor cat population; the population is now estimated at about half of what was in 2012. Intake, euthanasia and complaints about cats to the county shelter from Laurel have declined even more rapidly than the cat population itself.

These hard data and positive metrics, especially the decline in complaints about cats from Laurel residents, grabbed the attention of county lawmakers, who were still overwhelmed by complaints about cats from the rest of the county where little or no TNVR was taking place.

In 2019, then-director of the Prince George’s County Department of the Environment Joe Gill worked with the Prince George’s County Council to draft a bill, CB-046-2019, which would officially endorse TNVR as the county’s preferred method of managing outdoor cats, would end the county’s trap-and-kill program, and would create a return-to-field program, where any feral cats that did make it to the animal shelter would be sterilized, vaccinated and then

“During my 28 years as a police officer for Laurel city, people would drop off animals they could no longer keep at the police department, requesting that they be taken to the county animal shelter. I would do my best to warn people not to let their animal end up at the Prince George’s County animal shelter, because it would likely be put to sleep. I was so concerned about this practice that I actually adopted two of these cats that were dropped off at the police department rather than letting them go to the shelter,” said Carl DeWalt, a city of Laurel councilmember (Ward 1) and a volunteer at Laurel Cats. “Laurel Cats has totally transformed this city and how we manage unwanted cats. This makes us a better city and it shows that we are a community that cares.”

The county’s new policies and procedures for feral cats, and its managed intake program for friendly cats has led to a dramatic decline in cat euthanasia at the Prince George’s County Animal Shelter. Only a few years ago, 29% of healthy cats who entered the shelter were euthanized; in 2022, only 2% were. These changes were brought about in large part by the hard work of thousands of Laurel residents who have worked together toward a goal of progressive and humane management to reduce the number of outdoor cats.

Laurel residents should be proud of what they have accomplished. By working together as volunteers, community cat caretakers, donors and supporters, we have not only brought about positive change for cats in Laurel, but for cats in all of Prince George’s County.

Only a few years ago, 29% of healthy cats who entered the Prince George's County Animal Shelter were euthanized; in 2022, only 2% were. ... Laurel residents should be proud of what they have accomplished.

UNSPLASH

THE BEAT OF LAUREL

A person who wears many hats

By Bob Reilly

During many introductory conversations, questions typically arise, such as “What do you do for a living?’’ “Where do you work?”

— or some variation to better understand the person and steer the conversation in the direction of the response. Well, when it comes to someone like Maureen Rogers, a more appropriate conversational door opener might be, “Maureen, what don’t you do?”

Before sitting down with Rogers recently in the Main Street office of The Laurel Board of Trade, I had already done some research on this industrious and gifted woman. We’d crossed paths before.

My first introduction to Rogers was several years earlier. My band was interested in performing at the annual Main Street Festival. As it turned out, Rogers was (and continues to be) the primary point person for vendors, event volunteers and coordinator of activities for this popular community gathering. (This year’s festival is scheduled for May 20).

Although Rogers and I were planning to meet face-to-face at some point in February, our first meeting was actually a stroke of serendipity.

I had just parked my vehicle behind the PNC Bank on Main Street and was headed to a meeting at the Ragamuffins Coffee House, which is next door to The Laurel Board of Trade office at 383 Main St. Guess who was unlocking the office door just as I walked by? I approached the entrance as Rogers was checking the mailbox.

“Hi, are you Maureen? My name is Bob Reilly; I’m with The Laurel Independent.” She stopped, looked at me, and smiled. “Yes Bob, come inside, let’s talk for a few minutes,” she said.

Rogers invited me to sit down next to her desk as she took care of a few items in opening the office up for a new day of business. Within minutes, we began the interview.

I was curious about The Laurel Board of Trade, its purpose in the community, and her role within the organization. Since I was already familiar with the Laurel Main Street Festival, we started there.

Rogers said, “Although I am the

The Laurel Board of Trade, a nonprofit organization, has been building merchant relationships since the 1960s. In partnership with the city of Laurel, Prince George’s County and the State of Maryland , the organization has over 100 small-business members who share the goal of keeping Laurel a hub of commerce.

point person for the annual festival, the event is a massive undertaking involving many players.

Volunteers, Laurel Police Department, parks and recreation, pub-

Our Town to many of us who live here.

Not the play “Our Town,” by Thornton Wilder, of course, but that does lead me to my next discovery about Rogers.

You see, Rogers is not only the artistic director, one of the producers and publicity point person for the Laurel Mill Playhouse, a community nonprofit organization, but she is also a talented actress.

“I started in my 40s, and I knew this was something I loved. My first part was in the stage production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical ’Oklahoma.’

I auditioned with the Laurel Community Theatre for the part, and I got it,” Rogers said.

“Shortly thereafter, one of my daughters wanted to audition with the Burtonsville Players. They were preparing for their production of ‘Anne of Green Gables.’ When we showed up for the audition, my daughter got the part and was asked if I was also going to audition. ‘Mommy do it!’ was her response. So, I did. I ended up doing two roles in the play, and I was absolutely hooked on acting."

The Burtonsville Players acquired the Laurel Mill Playhouse theater, at 508 Main Street, in 2003, and the rest is theatrical history.

Rogers teamed up with Audrey Barnes, director of communications for the city of Laurel, and Joyce Jackson, assistant director of communications, with Laurel TV. Together they do “Curtain Call,” a show featuring interviews with actors, directors, producers and others associated with new plays and events at the Laurel Mill Playhouse.

In February, my wife, Pam, and I attended the final performance of Agatha Christie’s play, “Towards Zero.” Rogers was the play’s producer, and she also played the role of Lady Tressilian. She and the cast were superb, and the production was very entertaining. In a word, “Bravo!”

Bob Reilly is an author, songwriter and rideshare driver living in Laurel.

lic works, fire department, the directors and great team at The Laurel Board of Trade.”

The Laurel Board of Trade, a nonprofit organization, has been building merchant relationships since the 1960s. In partnership with the city of Laurel, Prince George’s County and the State of Maryland , the organization has over 100 small-business members who share the goal of keeping Laurel a hub of commerce.

Another successful community event under Rogers’ area of responsibility as administrative coordinator for The Laurel Board of Trade is the annual Riverfest, which is held on the last Sunday in September. First held in 1996, Riverfest continues to grow in popularity.

I then switched gears and inquired about Rogers’ upbringing.

Rogers was born in Fort Wayne, Ind. Her father was in the U. S. Air Force, and she moved around quite a bit, as is often the case with so-called military brats. She even lived in Japan at one point in her life.

She married Marvin Rogers and was a working mother of three girls, including a set of twins. Her life was quite busy. Well, as fate would have it, Rogers landed in Laurel, a sort of

VOLUNTEER WRITERS WANTED!

Laurel’s new newspaper, The Laurel Independent, has hit the ground writing and reporting, but we need your help to bring home the news every month.

If you have a local story to tell or if you just have a writing itch that needs to be scratched, contact our managing editor, Katie Jones, at Katie@StreetcarSuburbs. News.

Maureen Rogers BOB REILLY