04-2023 The Laurel Independent

Arsonist’s twisted trail

By Joe Murchison

Computers and cell phones can be very helpful tools — unless you’re a revenge-obsessed arsonist who once served as Laurel’s police chief. In that instance, they might send you to prison for the rest of your life.

David Michael Crawford, 71, a police veteran of more than three decades who served as the Laurel chief from 2006 to 2010, was convicted March 9 of having set fires at three Howard County homes in 2017 and 2018 based on evidence from his digital devices.

After the weeklong trial, a Circuit Court jury found Crawford guilty of eight counts of attempted first-degree murder, based on how many people were in the homes in the earlymorning hours when he used gasoline to set them ablaze. Each count carries a possible life sentence. Crawford’s sentencing is scheduled for June 27.

As if that weren’t enough legal jeopardy, Crawford faces more. He is charged with setting fires at five other houses in Prince George’s, Montgomery, Frederick and Charles counties from 2011 to 2020. The

Prince George’s County charges involve the Laurel homes of Rich McLaughlin, Crawford’s successor as city police chief,, and Martin Flemion, the city’s deputy administrator at the time Crawford served as chief,. Both McLaughlin and Flemion testified in the Howard County trial. A trial on the Laurel arsons is scheduled for July 10 in Prince George’s County Circuit Court.

Crawford has been in jail since being charged with all these crimes in March 2021. The charging document filed at that time spells out in great detail the crime trail and Crawford’s apparent motivations. It also tells how Crawford became the suspect: He was caught on a surveillance video during the

APRIL SHOWERS BRING EASTER SMILES

Laurel mayor will not seek re-election in November

By Melanie Dzwonchyk

Longtime Laurel Mayor Craig Moe has announced he will not seek a sixth term in this November’s mayoral and city council elections.

In a letter shared with constituents, Moe said he was announcing his decision now to allow potential candidates time to campaign for the office before the Nov. 7 election.

“I’ve enjoyed it,” Moe said of his 21 years as Laurel’s mayor, adding it’s

Fido Fest offers fun, challenges for dogs and their owners

By Tara Goldstein

Dogs and their owners can expect a day of games, obstacle courses and competitions at Fido Fest on May 6. Hosted by local Laurel business Social Tailwaggers, the event will be both fun and challenging for the dogs, according to Jody Broughton, owner of Social Tailwaggers and event organizer. “I’m trying to get people to understand and see what they can do with their dogs,” Broughton said. “I want everyone to relax and have fun with their dogs.”

Broughton has wanted to host an event like this ever since she opened

SEE FIDO FEST ON 4 

A little rainfall didn’t dampen the fun at the city of Laurel’s Department of Parks and Recreation and the Laurel Lions Club’s annual Eggstravaganza event at Granville Gude & Lakehouse on April 1. COURTESY OF CARMEN CANO/CITY OF LAUREL

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS

Lachlan Blubaugh earned a Master of Science in computer science from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. The following residents were named to the University of Maryland Global Campus’ fall 2022 dean’s list: Jaime Villatoro, Princess Fenner, Gertrude AHEY, Tiffany Curry, Philip Constantino of Henisha Patel, Harsh Patel, Basil Nwanonyiri, Taylor MacDonald, Gurpreet Kakar, Geoffrey Thornton Sheriff Kargbo, Suhaib Munim, John Bengel, Nusrat Bhatti, Julia Castellon, Samantha Cole, Evan Downey, Anna Fisher, Dimitri Girlie, Lundon Gross, Billy Horn, Juliet John, Davonte Johnson, Jeffrey Layne, William Massey, Jacob Meade, Dillon Means, Sabrina Mikell, James Morton, Lawrence Obern, Olawale Oguntoye, Jose Pacheco-Negrete, Jacqueline Paz, Mattie Powell-Taylor, Camila Quinteros, Brian Reinhard, Jayson Singer, Dazjon Ward, Krystal Ballew, Avery Blizzard, Kenneth Boachie, Tina Chase Fomukong, Kiara Cintron, Michael Cryan, Delise DeFreitas, Seth Frimpong, Robert Fleig, William

Hess-Sparrow, George HoweCole, Viktoria Kinsler, Ritchy Laguerre, Karina Lebron, Katie Miller, Akeem Odupeyin, Jesse Palmer, Joseph Pendell, Cheyenne Propst, Olivia Reckner, Michael Robb, Vivian Strange, Cecilia AkotoSomiah, Safath Ahmed, Taiwo Adeleke, Justice Aidoo, Oladipupo Bamisaiye, Destinee Berrian, Elleni Bishaw, Elizabeth Bloss, Eveline Bobga Tatong, Brian Burdett, Tiffany Cusick, Felicia Davis, Brandon Davis, Jessica Deal, Mayra Diaz Delgado, Jocef Dorsey, Monet Drake, Meagan Ellis, Hayden Farrand, Tyler Ferrer, Caleb Flores, GeMelle Fowler, Rahel

Gemtessa, Colby Geris, Sarah Gibson, Erika Goodwin, Jennifer Gray, Mayra Hernandez, Deja Heslop, Jasmine Jefferson, Katelyn Johnson, Umair Khan, Venus King, Abdu Kiyaga, Pemon Kouadio, Matthew Latham, Sheniqua Lee, Gaetano Lehn, Arlette Mayi, Ndape Mesame, Alexander Miinty, TaYon Morgan-Jones, Jeniffer OBrien, Ibidunni Olusanya, Timothy Pixley, Kaitlyn Plasencia, Damon Sanders, Kelvin Justice Sarfo-Mainoo, Joseph Savage, Laurie Sesay, Mohitpal Singh, Joyce Taylor Moten, Austin Thornton, Ni-

cole Webster, Jaffar Zaidi, Sania Zaidi, Iman Hussain, Roylanda Merrick

The following students were named to the fall 2022 dean's list at Rochester Institute of Technology: Xander Cikanek, Carson Collier, Kay Onobiyi and Zoraa Victor.

Sarah Shaner was named to the fall 2022 dean's list at Grove City College in Pennsylvania.

Zhane Hughes graduated with a bachelor's degree in information technology from Frostburg State University.

Alayna Munoz was named to the fall 2022 dean’s list at York College of Pennsylvania.

Chisom Agwamba graduated with a bachelor’s degree in engineering and management from Clarkson University, New York.

Amanda Rowland received a MSN degree in nursing from Wilkes University in Pennsylvania.

Second-year Shenandoah University Doctor of Physical Therapy student, Alisha Ladenburg, was selected by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) as a 2023 APTA association leadership scholar.

Taylor Denny earned the fall 2022 dean’s list honors at the University of Tampa.

Amanu Pressley was named to the fall 2022 dean’s list at Dean

CITY LAUNCHES ‘NO MOW APRIL’ CAMPAIGN

The city of Laurel is living up to its Bee City USA designation by holding a No Mow April campaign.

The campaign encourages people not to mow their lawns in the month of April to allow lawn flowers to bloom and feed hungry native bees and other pollinators emerging from hibernation when other flowers are scarce.

The city’s website says the campaign will help the environment in these other ways:

Reducing mowing frequency will save water

Help lawns become more resilient to drought

Cut down on pollution by reducing emissions from gas-powered lawn equipment

The City Council passed a resolution in February to relax the enforcement of long-grass rules during the month.

—Joe Murchison

Managing Editor Katie V. Jones

Katie@streetcarsuburbs.news

VOLUNTEER RECOGNIZED FOR HER SERVICE

Rosa Maher received the Public Safety Volunteer of the Year Award from the city of Laurel for receiving a Central Maryland Chamber of Commerce (CMC) Spirit Award for her outstanding contributions to the Laurel community through her work with Laurel’s Office of Emergency Management Canteen Committee.

The CMC awards recognize the accomplishments of the region’s civil servants and chamber members/ volunteers, according to a press release, and the contributions and service of these individuals to their communities to make them a better place.

College in Massachusetts.

Samantha Paskill was named to the fall 2022 dean’s list and Karis Turner was named to the president's list at Coastal Carolina University in South Carolina.

Yoshiko Slater was named to the fall 2022 dean’s list at Emerson College in Massachusetts.

Nyah Doe was named to the fall 2022 dean’s list at Seton Hall University in New Jersey.

Gottlieb Bright and Darryl Villard were named to the fall

2022 dean’s list at Widener University in Pennsylvania.

Kaleice Janae Green graduated with a Master of Science in criminal justice at winter commencement ceremonies held in December 2022 at Radford University in Virginia.

Rebecca Ackah was initiated into Phi Kappa Phi, an alldiscipline collegiate honor society. Ackah was initiated into the society at University of Michigan.

Laurel High School students’ art work is on display at Towne Centre Laurel. COURTESY OF THE LAUREL ARTS COUNCIL

Adding bling to traffic light boxes

By Tara Goldstein

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

Associate Editor Nancy Welch

Nancy@streetcarsuburbs.news

Writers & Contributors

Catie Currie, Melanie Dzwonchyk, Tony Gentilcore, Tara Goldstein, Katie V. Jones, Joe Murchison, Jessie Newburn, Bob Reilly, Jimmy Rogers, Paul Ruffins

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

Board of Directors Joseph Gigliotti — President & General Counsel Melanie Dzwonchyk — Secretary Stephanie Stullich — Treasurer Gretchen Brodtman, T. Carter Ross, Bette Dickerson, Nora Eidelman, Maxine Gross, Joe Murchison Katie V. Jones, Mark Goodson, Griffin Limerick, 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.

Traffic box art does not mean artists are just painting pictures of traffic lights. This trend involves printing images on vinyl and wrapping them around traffic light boxes — and the Laurel Arts Council is all in on this creative and fun way to introduce more public artwork in the city.

“We asked for artwork that contributes to the aesthetic and cultural atmosphere of the city of Laurel and the location of the traffic box,” council representative Kayleigh De La Puente said.

The council received 15 submissions during a contest they held in March. Members are designating a jury to select four designs that will be installed in the city.

According to De La Puente, the images will be printed on high-

quality, graffiti-resistant vinyl wrap.

Traffic box art wraps benefit the community in a number of ways. They provide lively visual interest and even prevent graffiti, De La Puent said. The council’s project is giving local artists a chance to have their artwork displayed publicly, too.

The Laurel Arts Council has enhanced other locations in the city, too. One of their recent projects involved hanging Laurel High School student artwork in previously empty windows at Towne Centre Laurel.

“The final result is stunningly beautiful and better than we could have imagined. There is so much artistic talent in our local school community, and it is wonderful to find alternative venues to display this talent,” said De La Puente, of the window art.

Maher is a life member of the Laurel Volunteer Fire Department (LVFD). She has served as the LVFD’s treasurer and on the LVFD Auxiliary.

Lawn signs promote No Mow April. JOE MURCHISON

THE BEAT OF LAUREL

Amazing signs and wondering on the road

By Bob Reilly

As a professional driver over the past seven years, and driving since I was 16 years old, I have seen some oddly interesting things on the road, starting right here in our hometown of Laurel and across this nation. At this point in my life, many of these ridiculously astonishing things are what drivers, pedestrians and other vehicular contraptions do while on our local roads and highways. Most would become instant viral memes if I could grab a picture of the event.

However, aside from the absurd behavior of people on the road, one of the more interesting and often humorous observations I’ve made while driving across the region are the bumper stickers, car stickers and customized license plates.

As a marketing and branding person, I’m often baffled at road signs and their intended audience. Here are a few examples of some local road signs that I found to be humorous, confusing, interestingly juxtaposed with the surroundings, commonsense defying or all of the above.

Use Crosswalk. I took a picture of this particular sign because of a clever juxtaposition. The picture was taken during one of the frequent political events on the streets of Washington, D.C. It shows a street theater person dressed in some kind of orthodox religious garb, draped in crosses, gripping a large cross in both hands and pointing it at people driving by as if to perform some kind of exorcism. He was standing on the median in the middle of a crosswalk. Walk This Way. No, not the song by Aerosmith, or the hip hop mashup of the song they did with Run DMC. This sign was at an intersection with a symbol of a pedestrian walking across the street. Fine. Except that this particular sign was upside down, and some confused people were trying to figure out how they could walk across the intersection on their heads.

Trucks. Don’t Park on the Grass. I understand our society is hoping to one day have autonomous vehicles dominating the highways and byways, however, I’m not sure if artificial intelligence vehicles are the norm. Who is the intended audience here? Trucks? Come on people!

Let’s consider license plates

for a moment. Like me, I would guess quite a few readers have tried to figure out exactly what those combinations of letters and acronyms on license plates mean. It can be fun pondering and debating your speculations with others in the car. It can be an enjoyable, brain-teasing moment just wondering “Could it be (fill in the blank)?” A game, of sorts.

But, as most games tend to go, some might argue, there must be winners and losers.

Now, I would suggest that the license plate game be played with people comfortable with multiple possibilities as to what a license plate might be saying, not multiple truths. Unless you actually know what the license plate owner is saying in the coded lettering, there is no truth, only speculation.

For example, I recently saw a vehicle ahead of me on Route 1 with the license plate CTLVR. Now imagine if four people were in a vehicle looking at the same vehicle with the same letters on the plate. You’re likely to get a range of possibilities as to what each person thinks the letters mean. One person may say, “It means cat lover, duh.” Another person in the car may respond, “No way man. It means CT Lover. The person is a radiologist.” The third person will chime in, “Come on people!

CT means Connecticut. It clearly means Connecticut Lover.” The fourth individual laughs at their input and sets them all straight by shouting, “Wrong, wrong, wrong. You’re all wrong. It means Cute Lover.”

Well, in this day and age, it’s often not enough to have fun simply speculating on what a string of letters (and often numbers) could be. Individual speculation easily bleeds into individual truth, a hill of combat and a personal commitment to stand one’s ground. Lobbying others to agree with your truth and doing everything in your power to ensure the correct answer is Cute Lover. Period. So, lighten up folks, and have

a little fun just pondering and wondering. Let the ideas fly and laugh a bit. Life is short. And if the person who owns the CTLVR plate is reading this column, please let us know the meaning of that letter combination so we can put this major controversy to rest.

How about bumper stickers (and other stickers) folks slap on their vehicles?

I personally find these personalized statements the most interesting — sort of like tattoos for your vehicle. Not quite as difficult to remove as a real tattoo, but not necessarily an easy task, for sure, as evidenced by fading election stickers for Bernie, Bush, Hillary and others from days gone by.

Car stickers are personal statements or beliefs made public, like advertisements of how people self-identify. Emblems supporting sports teams, social-justice advocacy, animal welfare (and all those dog breeds!), organization affiliations, country-of-origin pride, family life and business logos, to name a few. Most often, especially in our region, the stickers are political in nature.

For every pro sticker, you will find an anti sticker expression. For example, pro-choice and anti-abortion. Pro-Biden, antiTrump. You get the point. Some of the stickers are humorous, or

at least attempt to be.

Some cars are literally covered with stickers, and in some cases, all those stickers can be a cosmetic improvement.

Recently, I approached a car heading out of Laurel on Route 216. The car was plastered with stickers emphasizing a goddess theme, stickers reading Caution: Goddess on Board, Goddess Rules, I Am a Goddess: Bow Before You Say Hello, and so forth. Well, out of my deep well of curiosity, I pulled up alongside the vehicle to catch a glimpse of the occupants.

The driver appeared to be a slightly nervous middle-aged male. He was grabbing the steering wheel for dear life and nodding his head as if to say, “Okay, yes, okay, yes, I’m listening, okay, okay.” Next to the driver, in the passenger seat, was a woman with blue-green hair who appeared quite animated, moving her lips rapidly as if to say, “Do you hear me?” while pointing toward the ramp exit onto I-95 North.

I’m not 100% certain, but I think I identified the goddess.

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

Car stickers are personal statements or beliefs made public, like advertisements of how people self-identify.

Celebrating businesses owned by women

By Tara Goldstein

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Maryland has one of the highest percentages of womenowned businesses in the U.S. In Laurel alone, there are many incredible businesses run by powerful, independent women. While March, which is Women’s History Month, is over, there are many ways to continue celebrating women and their success. One of the easiest ways is to support local women-run businesses.

LAUREL MANOR HOUSE BED AND BREAKFAST:

LISA EVERETT

Looking for the perfect place for a staycation to get your mind off work while enjoying delicious home-cooked meals? The Laurel Manor House Bed and Breakfast is the perfect place to visit. Owned by Lisa Everett and her husband, Dave Everett, the established business was actually one of the first registered bed and breakfasts in Princes George’s County when they opened in 2018.

To establish her business, Everett did everything from scratch, from getting the right permits to open, to setting up the website and figuring out the menu. While these challenges may seem overwhelming, she enjoys the luxuries of running her own business and seeing her vision come to life.

“I love that I make it what I want it to be,” Everett said.

Opening up a bed and breakfast is something that Everett had always wanted to do. She and her husband have stayed in many

FIDO FEST

FROM PAGE 2

Social Tailwaggers in 2016. A former real estate agent, Broughton started the business after taking a dog training class. While she was expecting to learn how to teach a dog to sit and stay, she quickly became fascinated about the psychology behind dog behaviors. Now, Broughton teaches group classes and provides one-onone home training. She focuses on positive reinforcement techniques that reward dogs when they respond appropriately to commands.

Broughton’s main goal for both her business and the upcoming Fido Fest is to show others that training dogs is much more than just giving commands for them to follow. Dogs need both mental and physical exercise to tire them out, Broughton said. Walking

bed and breakfasts, and she always took note of her experiences. When it comes to her own business, Everett pays attention to small details and does her best to make the space feel homey. Everett has always loved to cook and has been collecting recipes her whole life. She makes breakfast from scratch for the guests and loves planning menus.

Everett loves her business and plans to stay in the house until she no longer can.

Laurel Manor House Bed and Breakfast is at 1110 Montgomery Street For more information, go to laurelmanorhouse.com

MORE THAN JAVA CAFÉ: TABITHA CLARK

Since opening its doors in 2015, More Than Java Café has offered coffee, sandwiches and baked goods. Owner Tabitha Clark opened the business so she could follow her passions for people and cooking. She describes the café as her “vision of love” and enjoys being able to apply her passion to provide for her family, friends and community.

Clark started the business herself, and while the pandemic presented one of the biggest challenges she’s had to face, the business was able to survive, even under circumstances that overwhelmed so many other businesses.

“I have a saying in my family that I was born to be an entrepreneur. In my years on Earth I have always had a business of some kind,” Clark said.

More Than Java Cafe is at 358 Main Street.

dogs can offer both mental and physical exercise, and engaging dogs in a variety of games can also stimulate them to think and even solve puzzles. .

For Fido Fest, Broughton has designed a spoon race that involves the owners holding a treat on a spoon as they walk their dog. If they drop the treat, the dog may eat it, but they then have to start the course over again. There will also be puzzles for the dogs to solve, including a sniff course with hidden treats and an obstacle course that leads to Grandoggy’s House.

There will also be a group of rescue dogs available for adoption and a few vendors attending the event, Broughton said.

Fido Fest will take place on May 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at American Legion Post 60, 2 Main Street. For more information, go to socialtailwaggers.com.

WRITERS WANTED! Laurel’s community 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.

Chido's in Laurel thrives

By Tony Gentilcore

In the spring of 2021, the National Restaurant Association estimated that 90,000 restaurants and pubs had permanently closed in the United States due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Pizza outlets increased by about 2,000 carryout establishments.

Why did Chido's Tex-Mex Grill not only survive but thrive?

In 1995, the restaurant chain Texas Lone Star opened in a new eaterie overlooking Laurel Lake. A steakhouse serving Western hospitality along with several types of beer, the establishment played music and had wooden floors that saw a lot of line dancing. It was not a typical restaurant — it was a Western saloon experience.

Late 2007 saw the start of the Great Recession, which led to the shuttering of the Texas Lone Star chain of restaurants, including the one in Laurel. The Don Pablo Tex-Mex chain took over the location, but two years later, the new owners closed the chain.

"Originally, Chido's Tex-Mex Grill opened in Owings Mills, however, the timing was just slightly pre-pandemic; the lease was up, numbers were down and rumors of some mysterious virus were spreading, Chido's Tex-Mex Gill decided not to renew their lease,” said general manager Horacio Romero. “After scouting various locations and the virus situation settling down, Fidel Rincon chose the present site.”

Keeping some of the Don Pablo interior intact saved Chido's Tex-Mex Grill thousands of dollars in renovating costs. The new owner, Rincon, president of the El Tenampa restaurant chain, remodeled the entire bar and kitchen areas for better flow to make dining an authentic culinary experience.

The business was thankful for its patio during the pandemic, as it could handle large groups of people for birthday parties and after-sports activities, Romero said. The restaurant’s indoor seating is limited, though, which can lead to long wait times, especially if the weather isn’t ideal for patio seating.

Not wanting to give outdoor seating up completely, the restaurant hired an architect to help bring outdoors elements in-

MAYOR

the community in Laurel that “makes city hall work, makes things happen.”

A Laurel native and graduate of Laurel High, Moe was first elected to the city council in 1990 and served 12 years, including two years as council president. He was elected mayor in 2002 and has served continuously since then.

There are no term limits for the offices of mayor or councilmember in Laurel. The mayor serves a four-year term and councilmembers serve twoyear terms.

Beyond his stint at city hall, Moe has been a member of the Laurel Volunteer Fire Department for 47 years, serving as both president and fire chief. He also

doors, Romero said. The city granted the restaurant’s request to enclose part of the current patio and build a new one. Construction is expected to be completed by late spring.

For Jack Lindsey, of Silver Spring, the ambiance, aroma and sizzling sounds of fajitas and oversized stuffed burritos — and portion sizes — have made him a loyal Chido’s customer. Jackie Young, who lives in West Laurel, threw down the gauntlet by declaring that Chido’s has the best frozen margarita in town.

“Fresh foods are delivered daily, and with authentic ingredients. We use our recipes in food preparation. Everyday chips are made in-house using natural ingredients of high quality,” Romero said. “Chido's Tex-Mex Grill delivers a unique taste of sophisticated flavors that will make you travel to the origins of our cultures in all our recipes. They will make you want to come back. Our food is a culinary art. You will never see a truck unloading prepackaged food from some service industry.”

The restaurant is also proud of its staff.

"Every employee has a function of attentiveness to each customer. With such attentiveness, our table turnover is faster, and [there is] less of a waiting period for others to wait. We also have plenty of parking,” Romero said. "We take care of our staff. We also take care of our cutlery, and our knives glide while slicing, and people remember that.”

When asked about providing live entertainment on weekends, Romero said that it would be difficult to do so at the present time. The property is not zoned for live entertainment, and rezoning would be a complex and expensive venture calling for a number of special exceptions and fees required by the county.

A group of young adults on a recent weekday raved about Chido’s: “The staff is bilingual, so that you can order in English or Spanish. You can come in wearing any apparel without being looked down upon by others. Listen to the noise inside. It is laughing and a festive and positive atmosphere. We can walk here too. It is close and convenient for fresh, healthy food at an affordable price,” they said.

served as president of the Prince George’s County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association and was elected president of the Maryland Municipal League in 2009.

In 2015, Moe led the city’s response when Dimensions Healthcare announced plans to downsize and close Laurel Regional Hospital, co-chairing the Laurel Strategic Planning Work Group.

In 2018, Moe ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination to the District 1 seat on the Prince George’s County Council.

In his letter, Moe wrote he has “given 100% to my office I swore to uphold” and that he will continue his work as mayor through the end of his current term.

“Serving as your mayor has been one of the most important endeavors I have been honored to hold,” Moe wrote.

ARSONIST

McLaughlin incident in March 2019 and was recognized by some family members when the video was released to the public. Police executed a search warrant at Crawford’s Ellicott City home in January 2021, found a profusion of incriminating evidence on his devices and arrested him two months later.

Reached for comment, McLaughlin said he couldn’t talk about Crawford until after his Prince George’s County trial in July. Flemion could not be reached for comment.

Laurel city officials asked Crawford to vacate his position as police chief in late 2010, according to the charging document.

Mayor Craig Moe, who was Crawford’s boss while he was chief, declined to go into specifics about why he asked Crawford to leave. He did say, “I saw changes in performance and things that didn’t get done that I had asked him to do, and decided to make some changes.”

Former Laurel police Lt. Carl DeWalt, now a city councilmember, was more expressive. He said Crawford was a “bully. … He used to yell at the other (police) commanders. … The people in our community didn’t like him, and the officers definitely didn’t like him.”

Here is the story as told by the charging document:

In the early-morning hours of May 28, 2011, someone poured gasoline and set afire two cars parked at 1139 12th Street, the home of Deputy Administrator Flemion. A neighbor who heard the commotion witnessed the arsonist catch his pants on fire before he fled.

Investigators found a target list on Crawford’s cell phone that included the name Martin. Crawford’s email account showed that he had posted to an online medical forum 17 days after the fire, noting that he had suffered a burn on his calf two weeks prior. After his arrest, Crawford was found to have a burn scar on his calf.

In September 2016, the garage door of a town home in Clarksburg, Montgomery County, was set on fire at about 5:33 in the morning. Almost exactly a year later, a second fire was set at the house. The owners of the home, Justin and Mariam Scherstrom, then moved to a new home in Clarksburg, and it was set on fire on Nov. 17, 2020. Justin was Crawford’s stepson (the son of Crawford’s wife, Mary). The charging document says, “The relationship between Crawford and the Scherstrom family is described by Justin and Mariam as being strained. … There have been a multitude of heated arguments.” The target list on Crawford’s phone included the name Justin followed by the number 3. Also, an Apple Health app on the phone showed that Crawford was active the early morning of the third fire.

In an early morning in March 2017, a car in front of a home in Ellicott City was set on fire. The owner of the car, Erica Byrne, was a trainer of volunteer court-appointed special advocates, and Mary Crawford had attended one of her classes the previous fall. Mary Crawford afterward wrote a letter to a Howard County judge complaining about the use of the term white privilege during the training. Byrne later removed Mary Crawford from the program. Crawford’s target list

included the term white privilege.

On a morning in June 2017, at 4:19 a.m., a home in Elkridge was set on fire. The owners, Russell and Veronica Antico, were both chiropractors who had given Crawford a series of 19 treatments for a back injury — the last being six months before the fire. Crawford’s Google Map and Facebook searches, along with his Apple Health data, were incriminating. Crawford’s target list included the word chiro. The Anticos testified at the trial that they did not know of any ill will that Crawford harbored related to his treatments

On Dec. 19, 2017, at about 3:17 a.m., a home in Ellicott City was set ablaze. Almost a year later, on Sept. 22, 2018, when repairs had been completed but the house was still unoccupied, it was set on fire a second time. Scott and Evelyn Henderson owned the house. Evelyn was head of a neighborhood association committee that Crawford joined and tried to control. Evelyn recalled Crawford’s displeasure when she once made changes to a PowerPoint presentation he had prepared. Crawford had made Google Map searches of her home before the first fire, and his target list included the name Evelyn followed by the number 2.

In April 2018, a house in the town of Jefferson, Frederick County, was set on fire. The owner was a former Prince George’s County deputy police chief, Clark Price, under whom Crawford had worked as a major and who had not suggested Crawford for promotion to a top position in the department. In March 2019, a truck parked at a house in Waldorf, Charles County, was set

on fire. The house was owned by Alphonso Hawkins, whose father (of the same name) had served as interim Prince George’s County police chief and who also had not recommended Crawford for promotion. In both cases, Crawford had made computer searches of their addresses and had incriminating Apple Health data. Crawford’s target list included the names Price and Hawkins.

On March 16, 2019, someone poured gas on two cars in a West Laurel driveway and made a trail of gasoline to the garage, then lit the gas. The cars, garage and house were soon on fire. Surveillance video captured images of the arsonist. The house was owned by Rich McLaughlin, who served as Crawford’s deputy chief and succeeded him as chief. “McLaughlin advised that there was definite animosity between Crawford and McLaughlin,” the charging document stated. Investigators found a PowerPoint on Crawford’s device that listed McLaughlin’s address, aerial views of his home and other personal information. Crawford had a calendar entry on his phone for the day of the fire titled “McLaughlin Fire.” His target list included the name McLaughlin.

Since the revelations of Crawford’s trail of revenge, DeWalt’s thoughts have turned to three unsolved crimes in Laurel. In 2012, someone fired a bullet through a window of the home of Kristie Mills, who was Laurel’s city administrator — Martin Flemion’s boss when Crawford was told to leave. Two parks also were torched within eight days of each other in March 2013. Could Crawford have had his hand in these?

“You can’t make this stuff up,” DeWalt said.

OFFICE OF THE MAYOR: SPRING ARRIVES AND FUN FLOURISHES!

The City of Laurel will be jumping right into it this spring, so check out what we have planned for the upcoming months!

City's Pilot Program - Speed Humps & Raised Crosswalks

City of Laurel’s Department of Public Works has started a pilot program for three locations around the City, one on Irving Street, which has a crosswalk in the raised section, the second speed hump is located on Olive Branch and the third is located on Sandy Spring Road. We will be gathering feedback to see if they are working to slow cars down. Once complete, a policy will be established on speed humps and raised crosswalks. Please let us know what you think of them.

Laurel's Farmers Market Returns

Happy to announce that the Laurel Farmers Market, 378 Main Street, will re-open for the season on May 11th from 3pm to 7pm! The Market will run every two weeks until September 28th. If you're a local farmer/ artisan and would like to participate in the market, please contact ecd@laurel.md.us.

T. Howard Duckett Community CenterStream Restoration Project Announcement

The project will treat the runoff from the adjacent roadways and ballfields that becomes concentrated causing significant erosion and the formation of an entrenched channel into the Rocky Gorge Reservoir. As water quality is of critical importance, especially for drinking water reservoirs, this project will help in treating the runoff into the reservoir by reducing sediments into the reservoir by 322 tons per year and restoring 56.7 of impervious acres towards the County’s NPDES Permit. DoE will commence the construction phase in Fall 2023 and anticipates completing construction operations by February 2024. Landscaping will be completed in Spring 2024.

City Hall in the Park

We are looking forward to getting back to the meetings in the Parks. The 2023 CITY HALL IN THE PARK will begin in April. All meetings start at 6:30 pm and go until 8:00 pm. Come and visit with the Mayor and members of this Senior Management Staff and let us know your concerns or issues.

The dates and locations are listed below.

Wednesday, April 26th

Emancipation Community Park

Wednesday, May 24th

Discovery Community Park

Wednesday, July 26th

Overlook Community Park

Wednesday, August 23rd Greenview Drive Pool and Park

Wednesday, September 27th

Centennial Community Park

Look forward to seeing you in the Park on April 26th!

Community Clean-Up Kits

The Departments of Parks and Recreation and Economic and Community Development are working together to encourage environmentally minded citizens to CLEAN UP AND GREEN UP around the City. Individuals, families, or friends wishing to clean up litter in their own neighborhood or local park can contact the Department of Parks and Recreation at 301-7257800 and request a COMMUNITY CLEAN UP KIT. Kits will contain supplies that you can use to sponsor your own clean up activity.

The Department will arrange for the collected debris to be picked up. Events can be one day or an ongoing effort. Reducing litter helps control the rodent population, promotes a safer and healthier habitat for wildlife and improves the quality of life in our community!

APRIL 19TH

Check Out Woodland Job Corps

The Woodland Job Corps Center in Laurel, MD, operated by Education and Training Resources, and teamed with MINACT, Inc., is an Equal Opportunity Employer actively seeking to recruit, hire and promote qualified applicants. Learn more about their job openings at https://woodlandjcc.applicantpool.com/ jobs. For more information regarding their qualifications, job description, salary, etc. is available by contacting HR Manager Mrs. Ann Butler-Jackson at 301-362-4404.

Please note, only applicants who meet the minimum qualifications will be considered for interviews. Qualified applicants will not be discriminated against due to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, GINA or other attributes protected by federal, state or local EEO laws. MINACT, INC., a federal contractor, desires priority referrals of veterans, and reserves the right to limit the interview pool based on review of requirements and number of applications submitted.

Learn what Volunteer Opportunities your local Government has to offer and attend our Volunteer Fair , from 6 - 8pm at the Laurel Municipal Center, 8103 Sandy Spring Road!

Whether you want to sit on a Board or Commission, have some office skills one of our Departments could utilize or just need Community Service Hours, this is the Fair for you!

AND speaking of Community Service Hours, if you are still in need of some hours, then you'll DEFINITELY need to stop by because we are going to need YOUR help assembling Emergency Kits! Make sure to bring your Service Hours form so we can sign it!

Plus there will be raffle prizes of One-Day Passes to the Laurel Pool and Free Paddle Boat Rides! And refreshments will be available, along with some goodie bags!

CELEBRATE EARTH DAY IN APRIL!

Seeds of Change: Connecting Laurel with its Native Plants - Saturday, April 22, 2023, 1pm to 3pm – a community event held at our newly renovated Farmer’s Market Lot (378 Main Street). Residents are invited to join our City of Laurel staff to learn about the importance of native plants, how to correctly plant your natives and hands -on experience by joining together to plant native pla nts at our Farmer’s Market Lot. Come and be part of a lasting change to our Market Lot landscape. Light refreshments will be served and extra plants are available for volunteers to take home for their own gardens. Event is free, but registration is required. To register or get more information about the City’s Green Living resources, visit www.cityoflaurel.org/green

Green Goals: Water Conservation

Water is the most important natural resource that living things need. But at the same time, it has also been misused and wast ed. This month, and every month, be aware of how you use water and how you can help conserve it! Simple everyday activities we do with out a second thought may contaminate our water sources or compromise the sustainability of our water usage. What can you do to help conserve water? Check your toilet for leaks; take shorter showers; install water -saving shower heads or flow restrictors; turn o ff the water while brushing your teeth and/or shaving; don't let the faucet run while you clean vegetables; keep a bottle of drinking wate r in the refrigerator so that you always have cool water to drink, if you wash dishes by hand, don't leave the water running for rinsi ng; and plant drought-resistant trees and plants.

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 Ecycling/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 repurp osing through GreenDrop. This event is for City residents and businesses only. Official IDs with a city address must be presented t o enter the drop off site. Visit www.CityofLaurel.org for more information.

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

OFICINA DEL ALCALDE:

LO QUE ESTA PASANDO EN LAUREL

¡La Ciudad de Laurel se lanzará directamente a esto esta primavera, así que vea lo que hemos planeado para los próximos meses! El Departamento de Obras Públicas de Laurel ha iniciado un programa piloto para reductores de velocidad en Irving Street, Olive Branch y Sandy Spring Road. ¡Háganos saber lo que piensas! ¡Feliz de anunciar que Laurel Farmers Market, 378 Main Street, volverá a abrir para la temporada el 11 de Mayo de 3:00pm a 7:00pm! Y la serie 2023 City Hall in the Park comenzará el 26 de Abril a las 6:30pm en Emancipation Park. ¡Con tantas cosas sucediendo, visite nuestro sitio web, www.cityoflaurel.org, para ver todos los eventos que estan sucediendo en Laurel!

LAUREL POLICE

MONTHLY CRIME REPORT

FEBRUARY 2023

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:

• Ordinance No. 2007- Chapter 18 Amendment - to update the permit requirements for sediment and erosion control plans - Approved 03/27/2023

• Resolution No. 4-2023 - Accepting No-Kill Community Animal Shelter Task-Force Report - Approved 03/27/2023

• Resolution No. 5-2023 - Setting date, time and polling location of Early Voting for November 2023 - Approved 03/27/2023

• Charter Amendment Resolution No. 177to reflect the creation of a new Department entitled the Department of Community Resources and Emergency Management and adding Sect. 469, Director of the Department (Emergency Manager) ***NOTE: The date of adoption of this Charter Resolution is the 27th day of March, 2023, and that the amendment to the Charter of the City as herein adopted, shall be and become effective on the 16th day of May, 2023 unless on or before the 6th day of May, 2023, a Petition for Referendum on this Charter Resolution is filed in writing with the Mayor or City Administrator, pursuant to the provision of Title 4, Subtitle 3 of the Local Government Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland.***

Bid Approvals:

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Gover nment Mee tings

April 2023 Mayor and City Council Meetings

 April 24th - In-Person Mayor and City Council Meeting (6:00pm)

April 2023 Boards and Commissions

 April 11th - Planning Commission - CANCELLED

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

 April 25th - In-Person Environmental Affairs Committee (6:00pm)

 April 27th - Board of Appeals - CANCELLED

May 2023 Mayor and City Council Meetings

 May 3rd - Virtual Mayor and City Council Work Session (6:00pm)

 May 8th - Virtual Mayor and City Council Meeting (6:00pm)

 May 31st (Wed) - In-Person Mayor and City Council Meeting (6:00pm)

May 2023 Boards and Commissions

 May 9th - Planning Commission (6:00pm)

 May 16th - Historic District Commission (6:00pm)

 May 17th - Emergency Services Commission (7:00pm)

 May 23rd - Virtual Environmental Affairs Committee (6:00pm)

 May 25th - Board of Appeals (6:00pm)

City Announceme nts & Events

(Da a tes and Times Subject to Change)

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

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

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

 Black Maternal Health Week - April 15, 2023 at 1:00pm at the Robert J. DiPietro Community Center (See flyer)

 City of Laurel Government Volunteer Fair - April 19, 2023 at 6:00pm at the Laurel Municipal Center, 8103 Sandy Spring Road. Join us and learn of volunteer opportunities within your local government. ***Earn Community Service Hours and help us assemble Emergency Kits.***

 Earth Day - April 22, 2023: Lake Cleanup at Granville Gude Park starting at 10am; Seeds of Change - Connecting with Native Plants at 378 Main Street at 1pm.

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

 Lakefest - May 6, 2023 at Granville Gude Park, 8300 Mulberry Street, from 11am - 3pm.

 May 29, 2023 - City/Passport Offices Closed In Observance of Memorial Day. Visit www.cityoflaurel.org for adjusted collections. Page 3

As the weather shifts and winter makes room for spring, there will be the potential to see more rain move into the region. No w is the time to start preparing and planning for the threat of flooding. By definition, flooding is a temporary overflow of water onto land t hat is normally dry. Floods are the most common disaster in the United States and failing to be prepared can lead to injury or death.

Floods can come from rain, snow, storm surges and overflows of dams and other water systems. They can develop slowly or quick ly and flash floods can come with no warning. When it floods, it can cause power outages, disrupt transportation and damage buildings.

How can you prepare for a flood? Start by signing up for our Emergency Alert Notifications at https://www.cityoflaurel.org/em / preparedness/stay-informed. Live in a flood zone? Purchase/renew a flood insurance policy. Homeowner's insurance policies do not cover flooding automatically, so check with your insurance company for a flooding rider or check with the National Flood Insurance Program to see if you are eligible. Due to Laurel's participation in the Community Rating System, Laurel residents can receive a 15% discount! Make a plan for your family and be sure to include your pets. Make sure everyone knows what to do, where to go and what will be needed for at least three days. Clean out gutters and clear debris away from drains and if needed, have a battery-operated sump pump. Also important, keep important documents in waterproof containers.

Learn more about Flood Preparedness by visiting www.Ready.gov!

Preventing car crime

By Catie Currie

My husband and I were walking out of our apartment with our 2-year-old and infant, excited that we could take our toddler to his favorite store, when our lives were turned upside down. We were stunned to find our reserved parking spot empty. After the initial shock and having to explain to our toddler that he wouldn’t get to go on the trip he’d been asking about for days, reality started to set in. We had many immediate concerns on the surface. My husband was starting a six-day work week schedule the next day and would need his car to commute, and our medically complex toddler had multiple appointments in the coming week that I would need to take him to. Our kids’ car seats were in the car, so we were still in a bind, even if we could find a ride. Our financial situation is precarious, making it difficult for us to replace car seats, much less a car. And our living situation is far from ideal, too; we need every penny we’ve saved to move when our lease is up.

All of these overwhelming concerns came to mind first, of course, but after that first day of panic and conversations with insurance adjusters and police, deeper losses began to surface. I drove that car to my first date with the man I would end up marrying, and I drove it to my wedding. Both of my babies came home from the hospital in that car. It was with me for all of the most significant moments in my life — and now it’s gone. My toddler's special car toy and my baby’s favorite teether were both in that car. But the loss that’s been hitting me hardest is the loss of the stack of projects we had just picked up from our toddler’s art class. I prioritized bringing in the groceries and left that artwork on my dash, assuming I would be able to grab those treasures the next morning. The project at the top of the pile was this lopsided owl that I wanted to hang in my son’s play area. It may be silly, considering how significant the other concerns are, but I’ve been missing that owl every day.

My toddler’s traumatized, too, which breaks my heart and fills me with rage. A few days ago,

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he started crying, saying, “We have to turn around, we can’t go home, they took our home away.” His whole world feels unstable, and I can't figure out how to love that kind of anxiety away, no matter how much I try. Overall, I'm thankful for our safety. Carjacking is common in my area and I’ve been very anxious about what I would do in that kind of situation.

I reached out to retired police

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sergeant Kevin McSwain to learn more about how to protect myself against this type of crime. According to McSwain, there are practical steps we can take, including using anti-theft devices such as a steering wheel or brake lock, or a car alarm. A brightly lit area can deter thieves, and security cameras may offer added protection. McSwain also said community, itself, can play an important part. When people are out and about, watching out for each other, crime rates are typically lower.

McSwain walked me through what police do when a car is reported stolen. The vehicle’s VIN and plate number, along with a description, are entered into a database that will alert the police if the car gets towed or shows up in a routine traffic stop. The police use tag readers — devices that alert police officers on the road if a stolen car is located in their vicinity.

McSwain added that the vehicle recovery rate depends upon the purpose of the theft. Some people steal cars to go on joy rides or commit other crimes and leave the vehicles when they’re done. If a vehicle’s stolen for parts, though, recovery’s a longshot.

McSwain emphasized that one should not engage with a

perpetrator. Property can be replaced; personal safety is paramount.

McSwain had strong advice about carjackings, too, which typically occur when a driver’s alone and distracted — say in a parking garage, loading things into the trunk. He said to be especially aware of surroundings and to note large objects, like dumpsters, or dark areas in a covered lot that could give someone a spot to hide. He noted that it’s wise to ask a friend or neighbor to watch out for you as you’re heading to your car.

If you do end up in a carjacking situation, McSwain advised to remember two words: cooperation and communication. The most important thing is to ensure that the perpetrator feels that they are in control; McSwain underscored that you have a better chance of being safe if they feel calm. Never attempt to fight the perpetrator, and cooperate with them to the extent you safely can.

As I reflect on my conversation with McSwain, I keep thinking about how much he emphasized vigilance. I plan on being much more aware of myself, my loved ones and my vehicle. And I hope that my story helps you become more aware and learn how to be safer, too.

According to retired Prince George's County Police Department police sergeant Kevin McSwain, community can play an important part. When people are out and about, watching out for each other, crime rates are typically lower.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

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

EVENTS

Pollinator Printmaking

Workshop: Learn about pollinators and their role in the environment while making a cardboard relief print or a rubber stamp print. April 30, 1 and 3 p.m. Laurel Municipal Swimming Pool, 901 Main Street. Sponsored by the Laurel Arts Council and Laurel for the Patuxent. laurelartscouncil@ gmail.com

Savage Blossoms Paint

Afternoon: A painting session with local artist Andi Lecha.

May 7, 2 p.m. Carroll Baldwin Hall, 9035 Baltimore St., Savage. $15. 410.294.3561

ENTERTAINMENT

DJ Swing Dance: Free dance lesson followed by a dance hosted by Gottaswing. April 16, 5 p.m. Carroll Baldwin Hall, 9035 Baltimore St., Savage. $10. 410.294.3561

“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”: Six youth vie for the spelling championship. Laurel Mill

Training inspired by kindness, informed by science, & designed to be fun!

Puppies:

Jen Boyd-Morin

CPDT-KA, PMCT, FFCP www playandtraindogs com info@playandtraindogs com 240 583 1887

All

Playhouse, 508 Main St. April 28, 29, May 5, 6, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20 and 21. Times vary. laurelmillplayhouse.org

Bridges: A Multi Faith Music Event: A call to prayer by Imam Ismet, of the Islamic Society of Baltimore, followed by music performed by musicians from Common Ground on the Hill, Steve Bloom and friends, and Daryl Davis, a bluesman, author and lecturer. April 28, 7 p.m. Carroll Baldwin Hall, 9035 Baltimore St., Savage. $5. 410.294.3561

MONTPELIER HOUSE

MUSEUM, 9650 Muirkirk Road 301.377.7817

Fighting Destiny Walking Tour on Slavery and Resistance at Montpelier, in Maryland and Beyond: Learn about slavery and resistance on this guided tour around the Montpelier grounds. $5. April 15, 1 to 3:30 p.m.

Hidden Spaces Tour: Get a behind-the-scenes tour of Montpelier and learn how it has been preserved and restored. $20. April 16, 3:30 p.m.

Montpelier Festival of Herbs, Tea and the Arts: Celebrate spring with live music, children’s activities, vendors, arts and crafts, and picnic teas.

April 29, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

MONTPELIER ARTS CENTER, 9652 Muirkirk Road 301.377.7800

Current Exhibits

Maggie Gourlay: Wallpapers for the Warming World. Exhibit runs through May 13. Wallpaper patterns that look at patterns in the environment.

Julie Polt: Momento Mori. The exhibit explores the concept of remembering our mortality and the fragility of life. Through May 14.

Events

Smooth Sound for Seniors: Shirletta Settles and friends entertain with her band. $12.

April 13, noon.

Live!@Montpelier: Sue Matthews performs jazz. $25. April 14, 8 p.m.

Classical Recital: Jin Kim, an award-winning Korean pianist, in concert. Free. April 29, 1 p.m.

LAUREL HISTORY

MUSEUM: 817 Main Street 301.725.7975.

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

Archaeology in Laurel: 9th Street Tenant Houses. Virtual program. Laurel Historical Society Executive Director Ann Bennett will discuss the excavations and research behind the project to document two houses prior to their demolition on the campus of Pallotti High School April 26, 7 p.m.

Annual Meeting: Historical society members and the public are invited to attend the society’s annual meeting featuring the year-in-review and the election of officers. Laurel Municipal Swimming Pool Room, 901 Main St. May 4, 6:30 p.m.

Children’s Day: May 7, 1 to 3 p.m. Explore the new exhibit and enjoy activities.

SEE CALENDAR ON 10

Laurel is one stop along the way for four generations of chiropractors

By Jessie Newburn

“Like father, like son,” some say. Though in the case of the McAuliffes’ four-generational lineage of chiropractors, it’s more like grandfather, like son, like two daughters and two sons, and then like two more sons as well as two nieces and a nephew.

Following in the footsteps of Arthur McAuliffe Sr., ten members of the family have become chiropractors. That’s quite a lineage and quite a story for McAuliffe Chiropractic Office, which recently celebrated its 30th year in Laurel.

Arthur McAuliffe’s son, Terence McAuliffe, had been working in his dad’s chiropractic office in Columbia, Ill., when he felt the itch do his own thing. A friend had encouraged the younger McAuliffe to come and stay with him in Maryland, and within a month of getting married, McAuliffe and his new bride, Rebecca, packed up and made the trip east.

“We knew nothing about the area,” McAuliffe said. “We’d get one of those grid-based map books people used before GPS, pick a grid and drive to it.” When they drove along Main Street in

Laurel on one of their map-grid explorations, they immediately fell in love.

“We liked that the town had character and a sense of community to it,” he said. The Laurel Lakes area had recently opened up, and the combination of the city’s charm plus the lake, nearby walking paths and plentiful parking made it easy for them to say yes to the move.

That was 30 years and a doubling of office space ago.

McAuliffe Chiropractic Office, on Cherry Lane, has become a long-established business and contributor to the health and wellness of the Laurel residents and the nearby community.

McAuliffe and his team actively participate in community health events, such as the Walk with a Doc program with the Prince George’s County Seniors, where specialists in different fields walk with seniors and answer their health-related questions. They volunteer at the Prince George’s County Senior Health Symposium, where they help with balance training, posture screenings and fall prevention. They also do health screenings at Laurel’s Main Street Festival.

McAuliffe Chiropractic Office has held food drives to support the Laurel Advocacy & Referral Services and the Elizabeth House with their holiday meals, collecting about 1,500 items a year. They coordinate with First Baptist Church of Laurel to collect shoes, coats and other items to donate to the Winter Shelter Program. They’ve run supply drives for the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter and have fostered dogs through Pitties and Purrs Rescue. McAuliffe has also served on the Laurel Lakes homeowners association for two decades.

While these annual and short-term activities are nice, McAuliffe's commitment to community health is evident by the health talks he’s offered at his office nearly every Tuesday for 25 years. Subjects covered include neck pain, goal setting and shopping for healthy meals, which was taught by his daughter, who got her MBA in nutrition and education.

As much as McAuliffe has helped others learn how to support their health, he’s a sponge for learning himself. He became a board-certified chiropractic neurologist, a challenging and intense

program from which about only 40% of chiropractors pass.

McAuliffe and his siblings grew up in what he calls “a chiropractic lifestyle,” which included positive thinking, giving thanks, getting some exercise in and eating well. He also pointed to a perk of being in the family: “We all got adjusted once a week,” he said.

“Chiropractors need to walk their talk and live a healthy lifestyle,” McAuliffe added. “Our profession’s approach is that the body doesn’t need any help, such as drugs and surgery; it just doesn’t need any interference.”

All five of McAuliffe’s children worked at the office as young teens, answering phones, greeting clients and learning basic office skills and how to engage professionally with others. Two of his sons, both of whom got their start in the office, have continued the family’s chiropractic lineage. One son has since moved to Atlanta, Ga., where he works as a chiropractor, and the other has been working in the Laurel office for the past nine years.

One of McAuliffe’s sisters, along with her daughter, now run the chiropractic office originally established by his grandfather

in Illinois. One of his brothers established a chiropractic practice in Gaithersburg, and one of his sisters, along with her husband, established a practice in Ellicott City. He has a niece and nephew who are also chiropractors.

A few years ago, McAuliffe encouraged the president of Life University, where he and others in his family trained, to create a generations wall with plaques dedicated to families with multiple members in the profession. With 11 biologically related family members in the profession, the McAulliffes got a family plaque, but Terence McAuliffe said this phenomenon of chiropractic families is a bit of a “thing.” He knows a family with 50 members, between the husband and wife’s families, in the field. A second family bested them with 51. Though his dad, who died about a decade ago, didn’t live to see all his grandchildren following in his footsteps, Terence McAuliffe (now Terence Sr., himself, with a Terence, Jr., in the family) said, “I get happy tears when I think of my dad’s influence on me and our family. He and my grandfather would be happy to see our whole family thriving.”

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It’s time to speak up, reach out and break the stigma about mental health.

4 and up. No matter what you’re dealing with, we’re here to help.

SCIENCE OF THE CITY

are a pothole on road to recycling

By Paul Ruffins

In December 2022, an environmentalist discovered that nearly a thousand scrap tires had been dumped from Interstate 295 down into Anacostia Park. As of press time, no one knows who made the toss, but two local Maryland cases provide clues as to why they may have done it.

In April 2022, Jonathan Meadows, of Riverdale, pleaded guilty to illegal transportation of scrap tires and littering. He had rented a truck and dumped scrap tires in the woods behind a commercial property in Upper Marlboro at least five times. “Meadows chose to ignore the law in favor of illegally pocketing a few bucks,” stated then-Attorney General Brian Frosh. Under Maryland law, commercial businesses disposing of scrap tires must use a licensed hauler, and those haulers must dispose of the tires at a licensed facility. Illegal haulers try to skirt the law by simply dumping them and pocketing the fees they collect.

In May 2019, a licensed scrap tire hauler pleaded guilty to a similar violation. At the time, Thomas Okoronkwo, of Glenarden, owned auto repair and tire shops in Brentwood, Suitland and Capitol Heights. Okoronkwo admitted that he was dumping tires at a Midas service center in Upper Marlboro to avoid being fined for storing too many at his own locations. Why do tires get dumped? While the scrap metal and parts in used cars have the highest recycling value of any consumer product, tires stack up in a very different category. The physical properties that make modern tires strong enough to survive potholes also

CALENDAR

FROM PAGE 8

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

Photo-Adventure Scavenger Hunt: Use clues to hunt for sculptured stones, mystery objects, plants and animals and record them with a camera or phone. April 15, 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. April 29, 10 a.m.

Biking the Refuge: A 12-mile guided ride. Bring your own

make them uniquely difficult and expensive to recycle. And there are a lot of them; the Maryland Department of the Environment estimates that the state amasses almost 6 million scrap tires annually.

THE ECONOMICS OF DISPOSAL

At Prince George’s Brown Station Road Sanitary Landfill, residents can drop off up to five tires a year for free. Businesses, which are charged $25 a ton to dump scrap steel, pay a whopping $400 a ton to dump tires, in part because those tires can’t go into landfills in Maryland — this restriction holds in 37 other states, as well. Instead of being disposed of, tires are sent for processing, which is paid for by the hefty dumping fee at the landfill. A compact SUV’s tires weigh approximately 30 pounds each, and tires on large SUVs and pickup trucks can weigh as much as 60. Assuming an average of 40 pounds per tire, then, 50 tires weigh in at a ton. Work the math: A commercial tire hauler would currently pay about $8 to dispose of each tire at the landfill, not factoring in their own hauling costs. They could probably save money by selling them to a company that recycles tires, but those companies can be hard to find.

WHY ARE OLD TIRES

SO HARD TO HANDLE?

Once they’re no longer useful on the road, tires present significant challenges. They’re noncompressible, and their shape makes them tend to rise to the top of ever-shifting landfills. They hold water, making them a perfect breeding place for mosquitoes and other pests. And they present a considerable

bike, helmet, water bottle and snack. April 15, 10 a.m.

South Tract, 10901 Scarlet Tanager Loop

Family Fun: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! Hands-on activities, crafts and games teach how you can reduce, reuse and recycle to generate less trash. April 14 and 15, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Meet an American Kestrel: Informal show-and-tell about this native raptor. April 15, 1 p.m.

Welcoming Butterflies to Your Yard: Learn how to provide basic habitat in your yard to attract butterflies and birds. April 15, 2 p.m.

Easy Pollinator-Habitat Gardens: Learn how to start your own backyard wildlife refuge by planting native plants. April 22, 2 p.m.

ONGOING

Savage Paint Out: Artists of all ages and abilities are invited to

fire risk. In October 1983, a tire fire in Mountain Falls, Va., sent toxic smoke across four states. The fire burned for nine months and consumed some 5 to 7 million tires, and cleanup cost $11.8 million. In 1996, a tire fire destroyed a portion of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia; a similar fire laid waste to Interstate 85 in Atlanta in 2017. Because of this fire risk, many states strictly limit the numbers that can be stored at a single location.

CAN TIRES BE REUSED?

Worn-out passenger car tires are rarely reused on vehicles. According to Consumer Reports, it was common to retread passenger car tires when bias-ply tires only lasted 10,000 to 20,000 miles. This practice became obsolete when the gas crisis of 1973-74 led to the widespread adoption of steel-belted radial tires, which get better fuel mileage and can last 60,000 to 80,000 miles. On the other hand, commercial truck or rear bus tires, which can cost as much as $400 each, can safely be retreaded three or four times.

HOW ARE TIRES RECYCLED?

Recent data from the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association gives us a glimpse into how tires are recycled. In 2021, 32% of America’s scrap tires were used to manufacture tirederived fuel, 32% for ground rubber, 17% were landfilled (but only in states that allow this), and 6% were used for civil engineering projects. The remaining 13% went to unspecified uses.

Tire-derived fuels. Tires produce approximately the same energy per ton as coal and oil, so many tires are simply shredded and burned to help power cement kilns and steel mills. While burning tires does

paint outdoors within Savage’s boundaries through April 21. On April 22, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., a public art showcase and awards ceremony will take place. For more information, go to: savagemill.com

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 Rd. 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

conserve other fuels (and keeps tires out of landfills in states with restrictions), there is concern that using tires as a supplement to other fuels produces more toxic pollution than burning coal alone. Fortunately, the percentage of scrap tires being burned has dropped from about 48% a decade ago to 32% in 2021. (A process known as pyrolysis turns tires into diesel fuel, but it’s rarely used in the U.S.)

Ground rubber, which is simply rubber from scrap tires that’s separated from the steel wire and shredded, is combined with asphalt to improve pavement performance and reduce noise. Ground tire rubber is also used to give spring and durability to athletic fields and running tracks. Used as fill between railroad ties, it absorbs sound and vibrations. In civil engineering, whole tires can be used to build retaining walls and underlay concrete roadbeds or septic drain fields. Shredded tires are often used as a backfill dirt equivalent, in part because the material is often cheaper than soil. Tires are also used as soundproofing, as blasting mats to buffer controlled explosions and as bumpers on loading docks.

Even as tires can be put to good use after their road years are over, we still burn or landfill about 125 million tires every year in the U.S. You can help bring this number down by buying quality tires, keeping them properly inflated and rotating them regularly to make them last as long as possible.

Paul Ruffins is a citizen scientist and professor of curiosity.

Laurel Senior Friendship Club meets the second Wednesday of each month in the great room of the LaurelBeltsville Senior Activities Center on Contee Rd. Doors open at 9:30 a.m. Program 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; BOT membership is not required. April 20, 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 April 16, 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

Tires

NATIVE GARDENING WITH JIMMY

Planning your native garden

By Jimmy Rogers

Do you look at your garden and wish it had more verdant energy?

For generations, American gardens have placed a high value on order, consistency and predictability. This brings to mind dense mulch, clean rows of hedges and wildlife only present in designated areas. Now, a new generation of gardeners is exploring a more nature-inspired approach with native gardening.

Native gardens focus on planting local species that were not introduced by humans. These plants have deep relationships with our wildlife, especially insects, birds and small mammals. Native plants also require no fertilizers or pesticides, and need little watering after the first few months in the ground.

On an aesthetic level, native gardens tend to be lusher, with plants growing tightly against one another. Their appearance also changes more frequently throughout the year. A wellcurated native garden will have a bloom time from April to October, with a new type of flower opening every three weeks or so. Instead of seeing the same, static plants month after month, imagine a constantly changing landscape of colors, shapes and heights. Plus, butterflies, bees and birds will almost immediately begin visiting your oasis for food and shelter.

DESIGN FOUNDATIONS

If this is your first native gardening project, start small. Choose one or two beds that you can realistically prepare, plant, water and maintain during the first season. A small number of square feet will keep your budget low and prevent mid-project burnout.

Next, create a vision. How will this part of your garden function and how will it bring you enjoyment? For instance, will you see it every day when you step out of your front door? Think about how you want to feel. Your vision can be practical, too. If you’re trying to reduce garden maintenance or fix a problem area, take note of that, as you may want to keep the complexity of the design low.

Before starting plant selection, consider how you will get around the garden. Paths not only allow access through and around a garden bed, they also make maintenance easier. Closely-spaced plants will form a significant barrier in high summer, so make sure you have

NATIVE PLANT OPTIONS

Full sun, part sun — dry

Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea), 1-2’ with yellow flowers, groundcover, host for swallowtail butterfly caterpillars

Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis), 2-5’ with white flowers, groundcover, a favorite of native bumblebees

Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), 1-5’ with pink flowers, summer interest, leaves smell like mint when crushed

Zig-zag goldenrod (Solidago flexicaulis), 1-4’ with yellow flowers, late season interest, host plant for many native insects

Full sun, part sun — wet

Golden ragwort (Packera aurea), 0.5-2’ with yellow flowers, groundcover

Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), 4-6’ with pink flowers, host for monarch butterflies

Swamp rose mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos), 3’-6’ with large white or pink flowers, native hibiscus flower

New England aster (Symphyotrichum novaeangliae), 1-6’ with purple flowers, late season interest, forms a huge mount of flowers

Part sun, shade — dry

Creeping phlox (Phlox stolonifera), 0.5-1.5’ with purple flowers, groundcover

an edge or a path no more than a few feet from any point in your bed. Additionally, paths signal intentionality in your design by giving the eye a clean dividing line to focus on. Your choice of path materials, such as natural stone, cement pavers or wood chips, will add a unique personality to your garden.

If you are particularly interested in birds, consider adding a small water feature. A birdbath in view of a window will give you a moment of joy the first time a feathered guest stops for a drink or a splash. Migratory birds par-

Hoary mountain mint (Pycnanthemum incanum), 3’ with white-purple flowers, attracts a wide variety of pollinators all summer

White wood aster (Eurybia divaricata), 0.5-3’ with white flowers, late season interest

Part sun, shade — wet

Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia), 0.5-1’ with white flowers, groundcover, showy early flowers

Wild bleeding heart (Dicentra eximia), 2’ with pink flowers, blooms most of growing season

Blue mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum), 1-4’ with purple flowers, summer interest

Sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale), 2-6’’ with yellow flowers, late season interest

All Sites

Broomsedge (Andropogon virginicus), 1-3’ grass, can grow alone in bunches to shelter wildlife or companion with tall meadow plants, dark red winter interest

Support small growers and dedicated native nurseries. A list of reputable plant sales and nurseries can be found at mdflora.org/nurseries.html

ticularly appreciate fresh water after a long flight. You’ll need to commit to refilling it regularly, so make sure it’s near a water source. Solar-powered bubblers are inexpensive and will keep the water moving and free of mosquito larvae.

PLANTING IN LAYERS

Novice native gardeners often worry that their garden will look too messy in the eyes of their neighbors, or simply get out of control. The key to success is designing with layers to drive good practices and an in-

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/

tentional look.

The first layer is the structural layer, including anything that makes an impact on the look of the garden all year round. Take note of any trees or shrubs in place already. If you want a denser look, add more shrubs or even build the bed around a new understory tree like a flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) or a serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.). If you’re not sure about making changes yet, it’s ok to leave the structural layer alone on your first project.

The next layer is the groundcover layer. For a new garden, this is the most important layer, because bare ground invites weeds. Native groundcovers such as golden ragwort (Packera aurea) or golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea) will spread across a new bed over the course of one year and prevent weeds from germinating. Most native groundcovers bloom at the start of the growing season (March or April) and this provides essential food for hungry bumblebee queens forming the year’s nests. The last layer is probably the most familiar to novice gardeners: seasonal interest. These are showy plants that flower from May through November. Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis), black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta) and goldenrod (Solidago spp.) are good examples. They will happily coexist with groundcover species, first growing deep roots, then shooting up and pushing the groundcover into dormancy. Seasonal interest plants may only bloom for a month each year, so the key to a lively garden is a succession of

different plants blooming one after the other. That said, if you have a larger bed, consider mass plantings of only a few species, as this will show passers-by that your garden was designed with purpose.

A good planting density is one to one and a half plants per square foot. This is higher than in a traditional garden, which relies on annual applications of mulch to prevent weeds. When in doubt, focus on establishing ground cover first, as there will always be time to squeeze in seasonal interest plants later. After the first year, your garden will likely crowd out any weeds and you can focus on thinning or moving any overzealous plants.

SELECTING PLANTS

Once you have a vision, paths and a sense of your layers, you can begin plant selection in earnest. For some, this will be the most fun part. For others, diving into plant lists can be overwhelming. We have included some recommended plants to get you started.

Recent studies show even tiny patches of 70% native plantings make a measurable difference in species diversity. Whether your first native garden is one square foot or 100, you’re making space for local wildlife and restoring the land.

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

Jody Broughton CPDT-KA (240) 882-4765

www.socialtailwaggers.com

socialtailwaggers@gmail.com