The Junior Tennis Champions Center (JTCC) is trying to give purpose to unused land adjacent to College Park Airport’s active runway.
Brad Frome, who sits on JTCC’s advisory board, commended the center’s team for their work in increasing membership, growth which has made expanding its
A few days after his May 16 inauguration, Mayor Fazlul Kabir woke up at 5:30 a.m., attended the city’s Bike to Work Day event at city hall, then rode back to his home office in North College Park and started his day job with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Kabir’s show of energy and community engagement won’t come as a surprise to city residents who already know him. Kabir has been eagerly connecting with residents since he joined the North College Park Civic Association (NCPCA) in 2006, three years after he moved to the city.
“I’m a very hyper-local person. The thing I enjoy most is talking to a neighbor on his or her porch and talking about
some problems or some issues and see[ing] how to solve them or get things done. Just to see some kind of smile on my neighbor’s face, that’s the kind of thing I really enjoy,” Kabir said during an interview with the Here & Now. “I don’t consider myself a career politician; I like the public service part of it. That’s the reason I’m here,” he added.
In October 2009, Kabir launched a blog (kabircares.org) to inform residents about issues and events in the city and ran for the District 1 seat on the city council. He lost that election but ran again in 2011, winning the seat by two votes. “I’m glad I made that decision, because once I became a city councilmember, I’m very fortunate and very grateful
By Chris McManes
Damon Brooks Jr. is a model of resolve, perseverance and resilience. For the past 11 years he has fought to overcome a traumatic injury, and this spring Brooks earned a journalism degree from the University of Maryland (UMD).
Brooks’ work ethic and positive outlook inspired his classmates to elect him to deliver the student speech at the university’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism commencement. He received two standing ovations.
“Sometimes you can’t control what knocks you down in life; staying down is a choice,” Brooks said during his May 22 speech. “But what we can control is our attitude, our impact on others and our ability
"I don’t consider myself a career politician; I like the public service part of it. That’s the reason I’m here.”
Fazlul Kabir
For more than two years, the College Park United Methodist Church has been serving up good food and goodwill in an effort to address food insecurity in the community. Amy Caruso, minister of outreach at the church, launched the program, Who is My Neighbor?, in 2020 to help local immigrant and refugee families.
"We had a lot of Hispanics in the community who lost their job[s] in the restaurant industry. And we also know they have problems with food security. We have a large refugee community," Nora Eidelman said. Eidelman, who serves as administrator at United Methodist, said that the church had partnered with the Al-Huda School, a private Islamic school in College Park, to reach local refugee communities.
"Thursday is strictly halal food, mostly Afghan. And so we thought, 'What a great opportunity to bring some Afghan ladies from the Afghan refugee communities and use their cooking skills,'” Eidelman said. “They will come in, and we will provide them with training on how to use a commercial kitchen and give them a stipend."
The program typically attracts residents from Greenbelt, New Carrollton, Lanham and Beltsville to College Park. Helen Catalan, who cooks for the program, noted that community meals are essential because "they help many mothers and children. There are also many elderly who may struggle to cook for themselves."
The community meals are one way the church creates a stronger sense of community.
Eidelman said the church invites community members to get to know one another and reach across social, economic, and cultural lines. The next event will be on July 20 from 6 to 8 p.m.
College Park United Methodist offers a range of other community services and events, too. Earlier this year the church hosted a holistic spa retreat for the mothers to address physical, mental, and spiritual health. There is an after-school program for Hollywood Elementary School students, as well.
“We want to create a safe place where people feel respected or celebrated. A place where we can talk about the art, connecting local leaders to community members, neighbor helping neighbors,”
Managing Editor Mark Goodson mark@streetcarsuburbs.news
Eidelman said.
"We want to make it as inclusive as possible. We want to focus on the community, and everybody is affected by this," Moreno said. "I like to keep in mind what propels us as College Park United Methodist Church to choose something like this. Well, it's love. … What that means is caring for each other, whether it be through food, sharing, or providing words of hope."
College Park United Methodist Church is hosting a fundraiser on June 27 at Franklins Restaurant, Brewery, and General Store, with 20% of all restaurant purchases made between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. going to support the church’s community meals program. Franklins is at 5123 Baltimore Avenue, in Hyattsville.
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I want to spread the word about a wonderful and affordable preschool option for College Park families, just down the road in Greenbelt. Greenbelt Nursery School, at the Greenbelt Community Center, is a parent cooperative – an organization in which members pool their resources for mutual benefit. Parents participate in all aspects of the school’s operation, from governance, financial management and administration, to fundraising, housekeeping and assisting in the classrooms.
Families pay less tuition than for a typical preschool and make up the rest through their involvement. A key component of a parent’s involvement in the school includes assisting in their child’s classroom.. Full co-op families, those who volunteer in the classroom two to three mornings per month, pay the lowest tuition. Limited co-op families volunteer in the classroom one morning per month and pay a higher tuition. Families who don’t volunteer in
My wife and I enrolled our oldest child at Greenbelt Nursery School in 2018, when we were looking for a preschool close by with a good reputation, and where we didn’t have to pay an arm and a leg for quality and peace of mind. The first time we visited the school, we just got a good feeling about it and thankfully trusted our instincts. We quickly grew to cherish Greenbelt Nursery School and are thankful for what it has provided for our two kids — a great start to their educational journeys in which we got to participate. We really got to know their teachers and staff, and classmates and their families — a true sense of community. With our youngest child finishing his last year at the school now, I feel compelled to spread the word about this wonderful place!
Sincerely,
Mike Loveless College Park Woodsfacilities necessary to accommodate more tennis players. Seventy-three percent of the players using JTCC facilities are local to Prince George’s County, and the proposed construction plans would increase the tennis facility’s overall capacity by 33%.
The center has proposed two buildings for the site; together, they would add six indoor tennis courts, office spaces and locker rooms, as well as a new workout area and café. JTCC Senior Vice President Joe Wilkerson described the proposed architecture as an “homage to the airport,” with windows in the café facing the runway and a metal roof intended to match the airport terminal’s own roof.
Based on existing airport runway data and elevations provided by the College Park Airport to the Maryland Aviation Administration (MAA), though, both proposed buildings exceed airspace height restrictions, one by 8 feet and the other by 26 feet.
According to the MAA, if a structure
FROM PAGE 1
that I started to earn the trust from the community and the neighbors and the residents,” he said.
Kabir, who grew up in Bangladesh, has undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Manchester, in the United Kingdom. He, his wife and their two sons moved to College Park in 2003. His 20 years here have allowed Kabir to connect to the city in meaningful ways. “[College Park] is very diverse and very inclusive and welcoming. People are very friendly,” he said. “This is a place that I can call home.”
Kabir credits the NCPCA for much of his early community engagement — helping his neighbors with community cleanups, winter clothing drives, snow removals and yard work.
“So I was a little busy,” he laughed.
The NCPCA also gave Kabir opportunities to work with city and community leaders and served as a springboard for his years with the city council. “It was a … natural transition for me to move to a city council position. Because the thing that I was more interested in doing was getting in touch with the community and serving them,” he said.
Kabir’s considerable experience campaigning served him
well in his run for mayor. “I really enjoy campaigning. The part I really enjoy is door knocking and talking to the people one on one,” he said. “It’s a wonderful experience.” During his campaign, Kabir visited every street in every neighborhood in the city. He underscored that rebuilding community trust in city leadership is a key part of his mission.
To that end, he has continued to do what comes natu-
exceeds height regulations, it might restrict the airspace necessary for safe takeoff and landing. If the facilities were built in violation of regulations, they would also place the historic airport in violation of the Code of Maryland Regulations, which could result in the airport losing government grants and even its license.
Wilkerson explained that according to tennis regulations, for an indoor space to meet court requirements, the ceiling must be 40 feet high at the court’s center post. In the proposed location, any building JTCC might construct to meet tennis codes would block at least 7 feet of the adjacent airspace.
The parcel JTCC would like to build on is a strip of dirt between the center’s outdoor tennis courts and the airport runway. It has been largely unused for at least 5 years.
Established in 1909, the College Park Airport was used by the Wright Brothers as a military demonstration and training site. It is the world’s oldest continually operating airport and currently serves general aviation pilots.
While the city does live with constant
rally to him: being available to any resident who wants to talk. “I’m not missing any of the community events … I’ll be keeping in touch with the community every day and also meeting with the community leaders,” he said. Kabul plans to meet with university leaders as well as county, state and federal officials. He will attend the annual national conference of mayors and the Maryland Municipal League Conference,
both in June.
development, the College Park Airport Authority (CPAA) has concerns about permitting the JTCC plans to move forward. “It sets a precedent of obstruction creep in the local area near the airport,” said a CPAA authority who asked to remain anonymous. “They're doing a lot of building around here; everybody’s going to creep a little more,” he added.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is currently conducting a study to assess the risk the proposed buildings would pose to pilots’ takeoff and landing range. Both the airport and JTCC hope to see results of the study by late June.
On May 2, the MAA requested an action plan from JTCC addressing the MAA’s concerns, but as of May 30, the MAA had not received a response.
Pending FAA approval, Wilkerson said that JTCC would hope to break ground by the end of 2023, with the new facility projected to open in 2025. Wilkerson noted that any alternative to the currently proposed plan would be significantly more costly to the JTCC, which is a non-profit organization.
Kabir is looking forward to opening the city’s new community meeting center in College Park Woods and breaking ground for the renovation of Duvall Field. He aims to launch a free, online tutoring program for College Park students from kindergarten through twelfth grade. He is also focused on the city’s long-term strategic goals targeting education, senior services, traffic and the environ-
ment. “We are in the middle of the [current] five-year cycle. We have our performance evaluation guidelines and the performance measures and the numbers,” he noted.
And there’s one more thing College Park residents can expect from the new mayor: He will continue to update his blog and send out news and updates. To join his email list, go to kabircares.org.
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If the facilities were built in violation of regulations, they would also place the historic airport in violation of the Code of Maryland Regulations, which could result in the airport losing government grants and even its license.
Testudo, the half-ton bronze University of Maryland mascot outside McKeldin Library, isn’t going on walkabout anytime soon — though he might like to. That big boy is a diamondback terrapin, the state’s official turtle and the only turtle species in the U.S. that lives in brackish water. Not much of that on campus; you can bet Testudo is feeling a bit testy, high and dry up there on his pedestal. But early summer is the prime time for finding Maryland’s flesh-and-blood turtles basking in the sun or ambling across local roads.
Most of the turtles we see out and about are females looking for a soft, often sandy spot to dig a hole and lay eggs. This wandering phase is when turtles are their most vulnerable — subject to being squished on the road by cars or snatched for the pet trade. Raccoons, skunks and foxes eagerly snack on turtle eggs, and hatchlings are on just about everybody’s menu. But if those young turtles make it through the first few years, they may well live for decades if their habitat isn’t paved over or converted to town homes.
Turtles have been around for almost 300 million years. They
have one distinct feature in common: Their ribs grow sideways and fuse together into a bony dome (carapace) and a hard bottom plate (plastron). While the earliest turtles didn’t always have complete shells — and some even had teeth! — turtles from a hundred million years ago would look right at home in a local pond or stream today.
Maryland has 19 kinds of native turtles, plus a couple of nonnatives that have escaped the pet turtle trade and now make their homes in local waters.
Five of these native species are sea turtles that come to sandy ocean beaches only to lay their eggs; all of these are rare, at-risk species and receive federal protections under the Endangered Species Act. Five more non-marine turtles are also rare enough to require active state or federal conservation efforts. Of the remainder, the ornately patterned and high-domed Eastern box turtle, snapping turtles and the various pond turtles we see so often may be the most familiar to you.
Eastern box turtles (Terrapine carolina) may be the most familiar turtle to many of us, but they’re increasingly rare in our area. And while each individual box turtle usually only occupies
a home territory of an acre or two for its entire life, that territory needs to be in a rich, mixed woodland-field habitat with some water. Ideally it won’t be near to or bisected by a road, either — adult box turtles are frequent road-kill casualties as they move back and forth in their wild homes. Cars are about the only things besides disease and habitat loss that kill adult box turtles — their habitat is increasingly fragmented and depleted, largely due to residential and commercial development.
The most common native pond turtle in our local patch is the Eastern painted turtle (Chrysemys picta picta); a close look-alike Maryland native is the Northern red-bellied cooter (Pseudemys rubriventris). Both are medium-sized (up to the size of a large dinner plate) aquatic turtles with brightly colored markings on their heads and shells (although their shells darken with age, which can make identification tricky).
We also have red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans) in Maryland, a semi-aquatic species that looks a lot like Eastern painted and Northern red-bellied cooters. The slider is nonnative and ended up in local waterways when some number of them outgrew their small ter-
rarium homes and their owners decided that dumping was easier than upgrading to bigger tanks.
Snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) are our biggest local freshwater turtles. Starting out the size of a silver dollar, these turtles can grow to 75 pounds with a shell the diameter of a basketball hoop and can live for a century or more. Unlike box turtles, snapping turtles are wide-ranging travelers, albeit slow ones, and they regularly go on expeditions overland — and over roads — to new ponds, lakes, rivers and streams.
On land, snapping turtles are famously aggressive, and their large jaws can do serious damage to hands and fingers of the unwary handler. The species name for snapping turtle, serpentina, reflects this turtle’s ability to whip its snake-like neck around and bite in all directions (except directly above its head). Snapping turtles frequently feast on young ducklings and goslings; a lot of local ducks and geese hobble around on one leg as evidence of that.
Being reptiles, all turtles are cold-blooded, so they need to find some way of handling our winter temperatures. They don’t hibernate, per se; they brumate. Their metabolism slows to a bare minimum, and they burrow into mud or soil, often at the bottom of a pond, to wait out the cold. But it’s a lighter state than mammalian hibernation, and if we get a warm
winter day, we might see pond turtles basking in the sun on top of ice. Snapping turtles do it one better; in our region, they can be active underwater all winter long, even under ice, because they don’t need to breathe through their nose. Snappers can directly exchange oxygen through membranes in the mouth and throat, bypassing their lungs altogether.
Many of the ponds and slowmoving rivers around here give ample opportunity to observe turtles. One particularly fun spot to hang out is the footbridge over Lake Artemesia’s turtle superhighway. On a recent late afternoon, I stood on that bridge and counted six different species, from hatchling painted turtles to behemoth snappers — almost a hundred turtles in all. I could see them moving between the two parts of the lake to find mates and feed among the aquatic plants. If you’re curious about turtles, too, you can check your ID skills with this handy online field guide from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources at tinyurl.com/2s3tdzev
Have questions for Rick about the world of nature in and around the city, or suggestions for future College Park Wild columns? Drop him a note at rborchelt@gmail.com.
During a June 6 meeting, the College Park City Council voted unanimously to raise annual compensation for the mayor and councilmembers. The vote came after a brief public hearing on the matter.
The mayor’s salary will increase from $10,500 to $15,000, and councilmembers compensation will go from $7,000 to $10,000. The ordinance sets salary for the mayor pro tem at $12,500. This marks the first salary increases for the mayor and council since 2014.
Public data from nearby municipalities with similar population sizes and budgets supports increasing these salaries, according to a report filed by Teresa Way-Pezzuti, the city’s director of human resources. Assistant City Manager Bill Gardiner says city staff looked at nine neighboring municipalities in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties before making their recommendations about compensation. Budget, population and land area were some of the factors considered identifying these municipalities
as comparable to College Park.
“Greenbelt, Hyattsville, Laurel and Takoma Park were considered comparable to College Park. The compensation for College Park elected officials is pretty much in the middle of these local peers,” Gardiner said in an interview.
Gardiner noted that compensation for mayor and councilmembers has not been increased in almost ten years. Although elected officials serve for reasons other than financial compensation, city staff don't want low compensation to be a barrier preventing residents from running for office, Gardiner said.
“Someone seeks office mainly to perform a civic duty and to support their community. However, financial compensation was always a lower-ranking criterion for running for office. The Mayor and Councilmembers work many hours, sometimes averaging hours that equal a full-time job conducting city business and political and public engagement,” wrote Mayor Fazlul Kabir in a May 13 blog post.
Mayor pro tem Denise Mitchell (District 4) said she serves the
residents of her district without regard to compensation, but suggested that compensation could be a factor for potential councilmembers. “They’re considering things like, ‘If I’m giving up my time, how much will I be compensated for that?’” she said.
Mitchell expressed her gratitude to the council and city staff for introducing a separate compensation increase to the position of mayor pro tem.
“In addition to supporting the mayor and representing them in their absence, the role of mayor pro tem is an appointed position that is more similar to that of a vice mayor. The compensation should be fitting for the work that is being done,” she added.
City residents were informed of the public hearing in a May 31 email and were invited to pose questions and share concerns about the ordinance.No residents voiced their opposition to the ordinance at the hearing.
Councilmember Stuart Adams (District 3) thanked city staff for drawing up the ordinance and the residents of his district for supporting the salary increase. During the public hearing, Adams noted that these residents “recognize the dedication that it takes to be on council and to be a mayor, and though they understand that we don't do it for the funding, it does take away time from our families and takes away time from vacation.”
Kabir underscored that raising salaries is a complex issue and process for city leaders. “Mayor and council should not be the ones responsible for directly raising their salary, even though eventually they'll need to vote because it's an ordinance. There's a change in the city charter. And only the mayor and council can afford to make the change. So in the end, they need to do it, but I think it has to be done through advisory committee recommendation,” he said in an interview, adding, “As an elected official, I don’t think it feels right to raise our own salaries.”
Kabir did predict, though, that an advisory committee would have also recommended these increases, based on the data from other municipalities that staff used to draft the ordinance.
Gardiner noted that the council intends to form a compensation review committee to evaluate possible changes going forward. Designating this committee would be done through a separate resolution.
The salary increases will take effect after the Nov. 5 general election.
In 2009 we helped pass a state law allowing the County to cut property taxes for senior citizens, starting at age 65.
We’re pleased to report that Prince George’s Councilmen Tom Dernoga and Eric Olson and their colleagues voted to use this law to create a new tax credit for seniors (65 and over) if they’ve lived in their home for at least ten years and its value is no more than $500,000.
The mayor’s salary will increase from $10,500 to $15,000, and councilmembers compensation will go from $7,000 to $10,000. The ordinance sets salary for the mayor pro tem at $12,500.
Getting little to no sleep, or sleeping poorly takes a toll. Many, if not most of us know how it goes; instead of easing into slumber, we toss and turn, staring up at the ceiling, hashing over all we didn’t get done or will have to face in the morning. And life gets in the way — your newborn, a dog with an itch, a cat walking over your head, a late night out with friends. Sleep is as essential as food and water, though many of us don’t prioritize healthy sleep, instead putting it on the back burner until that toll is too severe.
Research shows that getting good sleep, and enough of it at the right times, is vital for our health (both mental and physical), our quality of life and even
our safety. Too little sleep is linked to many chronic health problems, including heart and kidney diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, obesity and depression.
There are steps you can take to ease more reliably into the good sleep we all need. Here are some tips to up your Zzzs.
- Make your room as dark and cool as possible.
The ideal sleeping temperature for most of us is 62 to 68 degrees. Your bedroom should feel chilly; use as many blankets as you want, but be sure to keep room temp on the cool side.
Use blackout shades or curtains, cover up any lights from electronics, or use an eye mask. Contoured eye masks are good if you have sensitive or dry eyes.
- Get direct morning sunlight for at least 10 minutes.
Getting bright light first thing in the morning reinforces your body’s natural circadian rhythm, balancing important neurochemicals that will energize you in the morning (norepinephrine) and help you sleep at night (melatonin). Ten minutes of direct morning sunlight on a bright day will do the trick. (If it's overcast, shoot for 20 to 30 minutes.) College Park’s trolley trail is my go-to for a quick morning walk. In general, the more sunlight you can get before noon, the better your sleep will be.
You can also use a bright therapy light to help maintain your circadian rhythm; use it first thing in the morning, just as if you were out in sunlight. Look for a 10,000 lux, full spectrum light; you’ll find many inexpensive options online.
- Don’t eat for at least two to three hours before going to bed. Eating revs up your digestive system, and putting it to work right before you go to bed interferes with your body's natural
sleep rhythms. You’ll sleep better if you eat your last meal or snack two to three hours before you hit the sack.
Alcohol makes many of us feel sleepy, but it isn’t your friend through the night — even a single drink can lead to tossing and turning, and you might find yourself awake again at 2 a.m. If you do drink alcohol, try and have your last drink at least 6 hours before heading to bed.
- No caffeine after noon.
Caffeine leaves the body slowly; that cup you had at breakfast doesn’t fully clear your system for 12 or more hours. Caffeine does offer health and brain benefits, so if you enjoy that kick, there’s no need to hold back as long as it's not interrupting sleep. Aim to have your last cup before noon, though, and consider cutting caffeine altogether if you struggle with sleep.
- Move in the morning (and throughout the day).
Move your body often throughout the day — ideally in ways that bring you joy! — and avoid strenuous exercise four hours before you hit the sack.
- Avoid screens and lower the lights in the house 1 to 2 hours before bed.
If you need to be on a screen or simply want to watch TV, use blue-light blocking glasses (the kind with the dark orange/red tint) and ignore comments about how ridiculous they look!
- Keep your wake-up time as consistent as possible.
Waking up at about the same time every day, even on week-
ends, helps regulate your circadian rhythm and trains your sleepinducing neurochemicals to fire off at the right time every day.
Eager for more ideas on how to improve sleep quality? Here are a few bonus tips!
- Create a shutdown ritual to mark the end of your day. Pick a time that you want to stop working (at your desk, around your house, with kids’ homework, training the dog) and create a ritual to help you relax a few hours before bed. Think about things that help you slow down — reading, listening to music, doing gentle stretches, cuddling with that dog. Build your personal ritual. Some families create rituals they do together to unwind before bed. Experiment and create ways to slow down that work for you.
- Try a white noise machine. White noise machines drown out ambient noise. Many machines can be set to sounds of rain or wind, music, or true white noise that cancels out other noises. It might take a night or two to get used to using one, then you won't want to sleep without it.
- Try meditating.
Meditation can calm a tense body, relax a busy mind and boost one’s energy and outlook. If you’ve never meditated before, I recommend Insight Timer, a free app that has good meditation options, including some created specifically for sleep.
- Take a hot shower or a bath with Epsom salt about an hour before bedtime.
SEE SLEEP ON 7
Get out and enjoy the city this summer! Whether searching for sweet treats, good eats, or fun activities, College Park has something for everyone.
Our list of Summer Spots will make it a staycation to remember – start checking off your summer bucket list today!
1. Cool off at Ellen Linson Pool and Splash Park! Families and individuals can beat the heat at their outdoor pools and recreational areas. Ellen Linson will be open on weekends from May 27 to June 13; advance reservations are encouraged.
2. For sweet treats, visit ice cream parlors such as Rita’s on Route One or Coldstone Creamery in Downtown College Park. For more sweet treats, check out our directory of local restaurants at www.collegepark.life.
3. The City’s 38-acre Lake Artemesia is easy terrain for walking, biking, fishing, or bird watching. The scenic views are Instagram-worthy, and scattered gazebos and rest areas make perfect picnic spots. The park even has a butterfly garden!
4. Run off your pup’s zoomies at the Hollywood Dog Park! The park is located on the east side of the 9300 black of 51st avenue, between Indian Lane and Fox Street. The area is open from dawn until dusk and has areas for small and large breed dogs.
Plan your next staycation in the City of College Park
5. At the College Park Community Center, you can take classes through M-NCPPC, engage in a pick-up basketball game, or work up a sweat in the fitness room! The facility is equipped with a community lounge, dance room, fitness center, and gym. There is even an art exhibit honoring the history of the Lakeland neighborhood.
6. Hit the links this summer and hone your throwing skills at the Paint Branch Community Park Disc Golf! This 18-hole course is free of charge on a first-come, firstserve basis. Discs are available for purchase at the College Park Aviation Museum. If traditional golf is your game, check out the University of Maryland Golf Course! This 150-acre course has a full 18 holes to practice your swing.
7. Get outside this summer on the City’s many hiking and biking trails! These connected paths can transport you to nearby towns like Greenbelt, Hyattsville, and North Brentwood. All trails connect to the Anacostia Tributary Trail System, which also gives easy access to Washington, D.C.
8. Did you know College Park is home to the world’s oldest continuously operating airport? North Carolina may claim to be the first in flight, but the College Park Airport has an active airstrip that has been in use since 1909 when it was founded by the Wright
Brothers. While visiting the Airport, check out the adjacent College Park Aviation Museum’s collections of vintage airplanes and memorabilia on Tuesdays through Sundays from 10AM to 4PM. Admission for adults is $5; children’s admission is $2 and kids under one year old are free.
9. Tucked behind a partition is a Pinball Parlor at MOM’s Organic Market! These vintage games from the 1970s and 1980s provide unlimited entertainment for a cost of about 50 cents per game. There is even a competitive pinball club!
10. Find fresh produce and fruits for your summer meals at the City’s several farmers markets, including the Hollywood Farmer’s Market! The Hollywood Farmer’s Market is open on Saturdays from 9AM to 1PM at the Hollywood Shopping Center. The market features local produce and meat, a variety of craft and food vendors, sweet treats and more.
11. On select Fridays throughout the summer, the City of College Park will host Friday Night LIVE! This live concert series will highlight bands like Starlight Anthem, The Real Genius’s, and Groovalicious. Join us at City Hall Plaza from 6:308:30PM on event dates. For details, visit www.collegeparkmd.gov/ FNL.
12. Come and join us for a fun and free Night at the Movies. On
Friday, July 29, “Minions: The Rise of Gru” will be shown at Duvall Field. On August 26, “Super Mario Bros Movie” will be shown at Calvert Athletic Field. Bring your picnic baskets, lawn chairs, and blankets and enjoy a movie with the whole family under the stars. The event will feature fun activities like a moon bounce, face painting, games and more! There will also be sno-cones and popcorn. Showtime is at sunset.
14. The National Orchestral Institute and Festival (NOI+F) returns to The Clarice at the University of Maryland for another summer! Listen in on open rehearsals led by skilled conductors and SPARK! dialogues that foster in-depth conversations. Explore the lineup at https://theclarice.umd.edu/ series/2023-national-orchestralinstitute-festival.
15. Check out the City’s many parks and playgrounds for a place to play! Find a list of parks and playgrounds on our website at www.collegeparkmd.gov/parks.
16. See sights outside of the City’s limits using the College Park Metro Station or the Greenbelt Metro Station! Although the metro stations will be closed from July 22 to September 4 (details at www.collegeparkmd.gov/ GreenLineSummer23), WMATA has announced travel alternatives for the green line. Amtrack trains also leave this station headed to cities along the east coast.
Following a City Council ordinance passed earlier this year, College Park businesses will no longer be able to distribute plastic bags for most items beginning on September 1, 2023. Plastic bags are a scourge on the environment-they get into our waterways, breaking into tiny pieces and absorbing dangerous chemicals. Marine and terrestrial animals can eat them, causing injury or death.
College Park is among a growing number of municipalities that have adopted plastic bag bans, including Laurel, Takoma Park, and Westminster. Currently, Prince George’s County is considering a similar ban.
How can you prepare for the upcoming Better Bag Ordinance?
Bring reusable bags with you when you go to the store--keep
reusable bags in your car, in your purse or backpack, or even on your keychain! The City of College Park will be giving away reusable bags to help residents with the transition. You can also make your own reusable bag from an old t-shirt (no sewing required) and it’s easy to wash! Check online for tutorials on how to do this.
From the City’s Committee for a Better Environment
Exemptions include bags that:
• package bulk items
• contain or wrap frozen foods, meat, or fish
• contain or wrap flowers, plotted plants, or other damp items
For a full list of exemptions, please visit www.collegeparkmd.gov/ BetterBag.
City Elections will be held on Sunday, November 5, 2023
City Elections will be held on Sunday, November 5, 2023. Read about the changes planned for this year’s election!
The City of College Park will hold its general election for the office of Mayor and all eight district Councilmembers this fall.
Election Day is Sunday, November 5, at the College Park Community Center. All voters regardless of district may vote at the Community Center on Election Day.
Early Voting will be available two weeks prior to the election at Davis Hall and City Hall. Details will follow.
Voter Registration: Voter registration for this election will close October 21.
Vote By Mail: You have two options if you want to vote by mail:
• Permanent Vote By Mail list: Did you know that the state has a Permanent Vote By Mail list? To sign up, use the state’s website here: https://www. elections.maryland.gov/voting/ absentee.html and submit before September 15. If you are already on the state’s Permanent Vote By Mail list, you will automatically receive a ballot for this election.
• You may request a mail-in ballot for the City’s general election without signing up for the state’s Permanent Vote By Mail list. Applications will be posted on the City website and available at all City buildings beginning September 1.
Are you interested in running for office? College Park uses a petition process to qualify candidates for elected office. To run for Mayor, candidates must collect the signatures of 20 qualified voters from each Council district. To run for Councilmember, candidates must collect 25 signatures from the qualified voters in their district. Candidacy packets with the petition forms and other required paperwork will be available from the City website on July 15, 2023, or by appointment in person at City Hall.
For more information about running for office, or voting in the City, please contact the City Clerk, Janeen S. Miller, at 240-487-3501 or jsmiller@collegeparkmd.gov.
Stay tuned for regular updates on the fall election in The Municipal Scene, the College Park Here and Now newspaper, and at www. collegeparkmd.gov/Election.
In February 2013, the College Park City Council established an award in recognition of Councilman John Edward “Jack” Perry. Councilman Perry served on the College Park City Council from 1979 to 1983 and from 1989 to 2011, for a total of 26 years. From the time he moved to College Park’s Berwyn neighborhood in 1969, until his death in 2012, Jack was deeply committed to serving his community, which he demonstrated by spending many hours working to improve the quality of life for all who lived and worked in College Park. This Award will recognize a member of the community who emulates Councilman Jack Perry’s legacy of public service.
Eligibility: To be eligible for the award, a person must be at least 18 years of age and a registered voter or legal resident of College Park.
Criteria: The Jack Perry award will recognize a College Park resident who has participated to an extraordinary degree in neighborhood, civic, or municipal affairs within the City in a manner that improves public spaces, fosters community cohesion, eradicates blight, informs discussion of public issues, provides leadership, and/ or furthers the best interests of the City as a whole.
Nominations: Until July 14, any resident, neighborhood association, or organization in the City may submit a nomination for the Jack Perry Award.
Submit in writing to the City Clerk, City of College Park, 8400 Baltimore Avenue, Suite 375, College Park, MD, 20740, or by e-mail to cityclerkoffice@collegeparkmd. gov no later than September 29, 2023.
All City offices will be closed on Monday, June 19 in observance of the Juneteenth holiday. Refuse and recycling will occur one day later than normal during this holiday week:
• Monday collections will occur
Tuesday, June 20
• Tuesday collections will occur
Wednesday, June 21
• Wednesday collections will occur Thursday, June 22
Special collections for brush and bulky items will only be scheduled for Friday, June 23, of this holiday week.
You must call 240-487-3590 or email publicworks@collegeparkmd.gov to schedule a pickup before setting your items out to the curb.
All City offices will be closed on Tuesday, July 19 in observance of the Juneteenth holiday. Refuse and recycling will occur as follows:
• Monday collections will occur
Monday, July 3
• Tuesday collections will occur
Wednesday, July 5
• Wednesday collections will occur Thursday, July 6
Special collections for brush and bulky items will only be scheduled for Friday, July 7, of this holiday week.
You must call 240-487-3590 or email publicworks@collegeparkmd.gov to schedule a pickup before setting your items out to the curb.
FREE summer parking in the College Park Downtown Parking Garage has begun!
Parking in the Downtown College Park Garage is free after 5pm on weekdays and all-day on Saturdays starting May 27 until August 12 (Sundays are already free!). Visit your favorite restaurant or shop, or try out a new one!
The City of College Park is pleased to announce the passing of the City’s Fiscal Year 2024 (July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024) Budget during the May 23 Mayor and Council Meeting by a unanimous vote of 7-0. The FY2024 General
Fund budget totals $24.8 million, is balanced, and does not raise the residential tax rate. “This budget provides for a high level of municipal services, planned growth and improvements to the City’s infrastructure and operations, while meeting the needs of our residents and businesses,” said Kenny Young, City Manager.
Read more on our website at www. collegeparkmd.gov/news.
The City would like your feedback on the new No Mow April initiative that helps provide needed resources for early spring emerging pollinators.
Please take this short 5-minute survey before to share your thoughts, whether you participated or not. Feedback from the survey will help guide the future development of this initiative.
Take the survey at https:// www.surveymonkey.com/r/ NoMow2023.
The Hollywood Farmer’s Market is open on Saturdays from 9AM to 1PM at the Hollywood Shopping Center. The market features local produce and meat, a variety of craft and food vendors, sweet treats, and more. Be on the lookout for Farmers Market Coupons at the City’s upcoming events!
The City speed cameras on Rhode Island Avenue from Greenbelt Road to Paducah Road will now issue violations 24/7/365— previously these cameras issued violations Monday through Friday, from 6:00 am until 8:00 pm.
There will be an initial warning period until June 30, 2023 for violations during the new enforcement hours only.
Beginning on July 1, 2023, the City will issue speed camera violations with $40 fines 24/7/365 for vehicles traveling 12 or more miles per hour (MPH) above the posted speed limits on Rhode Island Avenue. With this change, all City speed cameras operate 24/7/365.
Learn more about the City’s Speed Enforcement program by visiting www.collegeparkmd.gov/dps.
More information: www.collegeparkmd.gov/events
FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE!
July 14, August 11 and September 8 | 6:30 - 8:30PM| City Hall Plaza, 7401 Baltimore Avenue, College Park, MD 20740
The City of College Park hosts a series of concerts over the summer and you are invited! Join us on the City hall plaza on select Fridays for Friday Night LIVE!
The events will feature a variety of musical genres and performers and includes something for everyone- music, food, beer, and entertainment. There will be children’s performers, a bounce house, kids activities, and crafts.
All concerts will be held at City Hall Plaza (7401 Baltimore Avenue) between May -September from 6:30 to 8:30PM. Parking will be offered for free at the Downtown College Park parking garage at the corner of Yale and Knox.
Local food and beer will be available for purchase during the event!
TOWN HALL
June 24 | 10:00AM | City Hall Council Chambers, 7401 Baltimore Ave.
Join the Mayor and Council for an open town hall to discuss Citywide issues! This meeting is open to the public.
June 17, 2023 | 10:00AM - 1:00PM | City Hall Plaza
In honor of Father’s Day, Join the City of College Park on Saturday, June 17 from 10AM-1PM for a Classic Car Show! Browse our classic car lineup while enjoying BBQ, Beer, and live music from The Rockets.
Car plaques will be awarded. This family-friendly event is free and open to the public.
For more information or to register your vehicle, email events@ collegeparkmd.gov.
FESTIVAL
June 17 | 1:00-4:00PM | University of Maryland, The Clarice
Join the City of College Park’s Bee City Committee for the kickoff of Pollinator Week with a free film and pollinator resource festival at the University of Maryland, The Clarice. The film “My Garden of a Thousand Bees” will be shown and followed by a Q&A session. Find out how you can help protect and support our pollinators! At this Fair, attendees will have the opportunity to meet with Bee City/ Campus USA affiliates from the region, biodiversity organizations, and local native plant nurseries and resources.
When you’re falling asleep, your body naturally cools itself by about a degree. Taking a hot bath will raise your body temperature and kickstart that cooling process.
- Try herbal teas.
A cup of warm herbal tea can be soothing, and some teas contain herbs that promote relaxation and sleep. Two of my favorites are Nighty Night Extra Valerian Root Tea and Soothing Caramel Bedtime. Chamomile tea. Even better, consult with the incredibly helpful folks at Smile Herb Shop (4908 Berwyn Road), who can assist with choosing teas to suit your unique preferences.
- Use an acupressure mat
Acupressure mats stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system and create deep relaxation. Lie on it for about 30 (or more) minutes before bed.
If you continue having problems sleeping and are fighting daytime fatigue, talk to your medical provider to determine if you have an underlying health condition that might be getting in the way. A host of things can affect sleep, including food sensitivities, thyroid problems, menopause and some hormonal conditions, sleep apnea, and chronic pain or mental health issues. Sleep well, College Park!
Mary Daniel is a certified nutrition health coach living and working in College Park. To read more about her, go to youronepreciouslife.com
In April, the University of Maryland (UMD) joined a host of other universities across the country as a Bee Campus USA affiliate, one step along the way to ensure a safe and healthy environment for pollinators in College Park. The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation launched Bee Campus USA in 2015 to parallel their Bee City USA initiative. College Park is a Bee City USA affiliate, as are University Park, Berwyn Heights, Greenbelt and Laurel.
Bee Campus USA strives to help colleges and universities protect pollinators through a robust program that can be tailored to any campus. Participants in the program commit to reducing pesticide use and planting gardens with native species, moves that provide the food and shelter so critical for pollinators throughout the country. The program also encourages community outreach to spread the word about the importance of pollinators — the many species of birds, bees, butterflies, bats, beetles and small mammals whose work helps deliver fresh produce to our plates. Almost every state in the country now has a Bee Campus USA affiliate.
The university has been actively pushing
to protect pollinators for at least a decade.
UMD’s Honey Bee Lab launched PollinaTERPS, a group of students, staff and faculty who have banded together with local scientists and other community members to promote a pollinator-friendly campus. Members campaigned to qualify UMD through the Bee Campus USA program.
“What interests me the most about this topic is the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on pollinator conservation and inspire others to take action on and off campus, and hopefully inspiring families, other communities, and other campuses to join in on pollinator and native plant conservation initiatives,” Michael Ellis, coordinator of the university’s Bee Campus USA initiative, wrote in an email.
Ellis has worked hard to bring students, staff and faculty into the initiative. As a Bee Campus USA affiliate, UMD will have to meet certain standards for annual recertification.
Mike Hunninghake is program manager with Sustainable Maryland, an organization that promotes environmentally responsible actions throughout the state and certifies jurisdictions that meet program
requirements. (Sustainable Maryland is a collaborative effort between the university’s Environmental Finance Center (EFC) and the Maryland Municipal League.) He is a strong supporter of the university’s efforts to qualify as a Bee Campus USA affiliate.
“I think the university is doing and needs to continue to do all of the things that it can to address the environmental issues of our time. Fostering a more pollinator-friendly habitat is sort of part of that. And so they, in addition to building green buildings … They also need to think about the landscape that people and creatures occupy on the campus,” he said.
In an effort to increase local involvement in protecting pollinators, Hunninghake is working with 10 local communities along Route 1, from Laurel to Mount Rainier, to establish a corridor of pollinator-friendly habitat.
“Pollinators are what are integral to our food supply,” he noted, adding, “Most of the agricultural products that we rely upon are the result of pollinators, and they have recently, due to various reasons, been in decline. So there is a big push to provide more pollinator-friendly habitats."
June is National Pollinators Month, and the university’s Office of Community Engagement and the city’s Bee City Committee are hosting a resource festival on June 17 at UMD's The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.
Biohabitats Inc., a Baltimorebased company that specializes in ecological restoration, has completed an initial survey of the Sentinel Swamp Sanctuary, which is located behind Columbia Avenue in Old Town College Park. “We’re still in the very early stages of this project,” said Erik Valentine, community development planner for the City of College Park. “It’s just concept design and ideas. We don’t have concrete next steps because it’s still in the very early stages, but we can see that there is a lot of potential there. This one is unique because of all its history.
“Biohabitats is really excited about the work and provided basic concept designs ,” Valentine added. Biohabitats identified not one but two nontidal wetlands in their assessment. The first is an area of slightly over 1,000 square
Biohabitats Inc. offered three recommendations as part of their report to the city, two of which included a raised boardwalk through portions of the sanctuary. The third recommendation called for a viewing platform in the adjacent playground. Plans also call for clearing vegetation to make the sanctuary more inviting.
feet and is not technically part of the Sentinel Swamp Sanctuary, but lies a bit to the west of the sanctuary, Valentine said. The second wetland area covers close to a half-acre and is within the sanctuary. American elms, and buttonbush and Japanese honeysuckle shrubs are dominant species in the sanctuary. A long row of Callery pear trees, a non-native classed as invasive in many areas, runs along the east side of the sanctuary, adjacent to railroad tracks.
“There are still 13 invasive species that still have to be removed,” Valentine noted.
An important aspect of conducting the evaluation was to determine for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that any plans would not be in danger of affecting the northern long-eared bat and the monarch butterfly. They found that neither species has critical habitat in the sanctuary. But they will have to check back every 90 days to make sure there are no “refuge lands or fish hatcheries.”
Because the property is
within the Old Town Historic District, Biohabitats coordinated their work with the Maryland Historical Trust. The trust indicated that the restoration project will have no adverse effects on historic properties.
Biohabitats offered three recommendations as part of their report to the city, two of which included a raised boardwalk through portions of the sanctuary. The third recommendation called for a viewing platform in the adjacent playground. Plans also
call for clearing vegetation to make the sanctuary more inviting. Valentine suggested that interpretive signage, paths and native plants could be included in the restoration, as well.
The city allocated $150,000, which was covered by Program Open Space funds. This funding is funneled from the state to Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning and then to the city. The city allocated an additional $50,000 for the project, as well, to cover expenses as the project moves forward. According to Valentine, funding for the project will be ongoing. “Additional money from the city will be available every year through Program Open Space,” he said.
A new playground is slated to replace the current playground next to the sanctuary. Valentine said that the playground will feature a frog element and suggested that the playground and surrounding area would likely be called Frog Park.
“It’s nice that the playground specialists included a frog piece as a nod to the Sentinel Swamp Sanctuary,” he added.
SAVE THE DATE
Classic Rock and Car Show College Park will host a car show and a classic rock concert on Fathers Day. Food and beverages available for purchase. June 17, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at City Hall, 7401 Baltimore Ave. For more information or to register, email events@collegeparkmd.gov.
Musicivic Baroque Concert
Join a trio from Pennsylvania at their Maryland debut with works by Stradella, Bach, Biber and more. Free. Saturday June 17, 7:30 p.m. at the Old Parish House. For more information, go to cpae.org
Family Concert: Peter & The Wolf. Join Peter as he makes friends and faces a ferocious gray wolf at UMD’s The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. Free. June 18, at 2 p.m., with a performance in Spanish at 4 p.m. For more information, email tickets-theclarice@umd.edu
Virtual Book Club. The College Park Arts Exchange will lead virtual discussions of Finding the Mother Tree, by Suzanne Simrad, on June 20 and The Neuroscience of You, by Chantel Spring Prat, on July 18. Virtual sessions from 7 to 8:30 p.m. To join either/both Zooms, email info@cpae.org
College Park Community
Library Book Club. The club will discuss The Magnolia Palace, by Fiona Davis, on August 10 at 7:00 p.m. Lower level of the College Park Church of the Nazarene. New members welcome! 9704 Rhode Island Ave. For more information, email Carol Munn at donkinc@msn. com
Food Forests & Foraging Along
Route 1. Join a virtual discussion about foraging for native foods in our area with Hyattsville Aging in Place. June 24, from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. For more information, go to HyattsvilleAgingInPlace.org/ events
Support Community Meals Program June 27. Franklins is donating 20% of June 27 sales to the Community Meals Program of the College Park United Methodist Church. 11:00 a.m to 9:00 p.m. 5123 Baltimore Ave, Hyattsville. For more information, call 301.345.1010
Kayak with a Ranger. A rare opportunity to kayak on Lake Artemisia. July 1, from 10 to 11:15 a.m. $7 resident; $10 non-resident. To register, go to pgparksdirect.com and search using activity code 22627 Free Craft Night. Held on the
1st Wednesday of each month from 7 to 8:30 p.m. July 5, origami; August 2, Perler fuse beading. (Please bring scissors, a magazine and a glue stick to the June 7 session.) Sessions at the College Park Community Library, lower level of the College Park Church of the Nazarene, 9704 Rhode Island Ave.
Friday Dance Workshops
Join instructor Karen Stewart, of Jessie’s Soul Line Dancers, every Friday from 10 to 11 a.m. for step-by-step instruction and dance along to soul, gospel and pop music. For more information, go to cpae.org
Yoga in the Parks. Free yoga sessions at Lake Artemesia every Saturday this summer, starting on June 10. Hour-long sessions start at 9:15 a.m. For more information, including registration details, email wellness@pgparks.com
Saturday Tap Dance Workshops. Free virtual tap workshop with instructor Elizabeth Gardner every Saturday from 10 to 11 a.m. For more information and to register, email info@cpae.org.
Ballet Classes. Creative dance (ages 3-6), primary dance (ages 5-7), and 8+ children's classes will be offered on Tuesdays throughout the summer. Adult classes Thursday mornings.Old Parish House, 4711 Knox Rd. For class times, registration and fees, go to berwynballetschool.com
Community Meals. Each Tuesday and Thursday, College Park United Methodist Church’s kitchen staff cook healthy and delicious meals for all who are
The
interested. You can reserve meals in advance and also donate a meal. For every meal donated, the church gives a meal to a family in need. Pick up reserved meals at 9601 Rhode Island Ave., between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m. For more information, call 301.345.1010
College Park Community Library Story Time. Story time with Micki Freeny every Wednesday June through October from 9:30 to 10:00 a.m. The group meets in the courtyard of the College Park Church of the Nazarene, Rain re-location to the Blue Room on the lower level of the church. 9704 Rhode Island Ave.
Produce Available Every Third Thursday. Sponsored by Community Connect Calvert Hills. Make your reservation by emailing your contact information (your name, street address, email and phone) to connectporfavor@ gmail.com at least one day in advance of distribution. You can register for a duplicate order and share with others in need. Deliveries available to homebound residents. Pickups after 2:30 p.m. at a central location. For more information, or to volunteer to deliver, call 301.864.5267
4TH OF JULY GUIDE
Takoma Park's 4th of July Parade. Festive and fun, this parade features dancers, dogs, lawn mower drill teams, old cars, and lots of fans, young and old, along the route that snakes through town. July 4, 10
a.m. For more information, visit takomapark4th.org
Greenbelt Drum Circle. Join Drumming for Wellness for an experience of group drumming at Buddy Attic Park. Children and beginners are welcome; drums and other instruments provided. July 4, 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. For more information, visit katygaughan.com
Washington D.C. Temple Visitors’ Center. Celebrate America’s birthday with performances by a barbershop quartet, the Washington D.C. Temple Choir, a String Quartet, and more at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints July 4, 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. 9900 Stoneybrook Dr, Kensington. For more information, call 301-5870144
Rockville’s Independence Day Celebration. Enjoy live music and a 20-minute fireworks display at Mattie J.T. Stepanek Park in King Farm. July 4, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. 1800 Piccard Dr, Rockville. For more information, email specialevents@ rockvillemd.gov
Six Flags America. Extended hours from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m July 1, 2 and 4 with fireworks at 9:30 p.m. each evening. 13710 Central Ave, Bowie. For more information, go to sixflags.com/ america/events
COLLEGE PARK CIVIC ASSOCIATIONS
Yarrow Civic Association Membership is free. For more
information, email Wendy Kelley at wendybird85@yahoo.com
College Park Estates Civic Association. For more information, email Ray Ranker at rayranker@gmail.com
West College Park Citizens Association. Membership is open to all residents of West College Park age 18 and over. For more information, email Suchitra Balachandran at cp_ woods@yahoo.com
Berwyn District Civic Association. The next meeting will be on June 15 at 7:30 p.m. Location to be determined. for more information, visit myberwyn.org. To register, email president@myberwyn.org.
North College Park Community Association. The NCPCA will meet on July 13 at 7:30 p.m. For more information, go to myncpca.org
Lakeland Civic Association For additional information, please email lakelandcivic@ gmail.com
Old Town College Park Civic Association. For more information, email Kathy Bryant at kdbryant20740@gmail.com
Calvert Hills Citizens Association. The next regular meeting will be held September 13 at 7 p.m. For more information, please email the board at calverthillscitizensassn@gmail. com
to keep pressing forward despite the circumstances.”
Brooks’ life changed dramatically on April 20, 2012, just two days before his 19th birthday, when he was hurt in a dorm room tussle with one of his roommates. He landed on a concrete floor and suffered three misaligned cervical vertebrae and a bruised spinal cord.
Surgeons at UMD’s R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, in Baltimore, stabilized his neck with pins and rods and removed bone spurs. He was put on a ventilator to assist his breathing.
Brooks faced the possibility of being a quadriplegic and unable to talk. According to a story in Maryland Today, he was released from the hospital on May 8, 2012 and transferred to Baltimore’s Kennedy Krieger Institute for six months of rehabilitation.
Today, after five surgeries and countless hours of physical, occupational and other therapies, Brooks speaks clearly and can use his hands and arms. He gets around with a wheelchair.
Prior to his injury, Brooks loved to play basketball. As a junior at Springbrook High School in Silver Spring, he helped the Blue Devils win the 2010 4A state championship. He was a starter his senior year and continued his career at Goucher College in Towson.
As a freshman guard in 201112, Brooks averaged 7.7 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists. He shot 40.1 percent from the field. In what turned out to be his final game, he scored a seasonhigh 20 points.
While he was undecided on a major during his freshman year, in September 2013 he decided to combine his love of sports
and writing to become a sports journalist. He knew he would need a positive attitude to help him on his long and difficult journey to fulfill that dream.
“For my road to success, I knew I couldn’t go to school with a bad attitude or feeling sorry for myself or with any negative emotions,” Brooks said in a phone interview. “I said, ‘you have to find a way to overcome this, to process your anger peacefully and successfully.’ So I made a conscientious effort to make sure I was focused mentally, that my mind was sharp.
“Once I started school, I wasn’t going to stop until I reached my goal.”
Brooks transferred to Montgomery College in Rockville and earned his associate degree in general studies in 2019. He began at UMD the following year, calling it his dream school. He covered the Terrapin women’s basketball and field hockey teams for Testudo Times, produced podcasts and wrote about several other sports.
Brooks began a summer internship in The Washington Post sports department on June 5. He had previously interned for USA Today. He said he does 95% of his writing on his iPhone.
“I always have a computer in front of me whenever I write with all my stats [and] everything,” Brooks said. “But as far as being efficient and concise and being on deadline, it’s faster for me to write from my phone.”
Michael Howes, who just completed his freshman year at Merrill, remembers how he and Brooks covered field hockey games.
“He couldn’t go up to the press box like the rest of us, and he had a hard time getting
on the field to interview people after the game,” said Howes, who writes for Terrapin Sports Central. “But he didn’t let that stop him from doing his job; he was still pumping out articles.”
Brooks said he enjoys writing more than podcasting.
“I like writing because it’s so challenging; there are so many different ways you can say things,” he said. “The creativity with it is unmatched. I’m so intrigued by it. I love the challenge and the thought process. It’s an art, and not everybody can do it.
“I really have a great fascination for it. I love everything about it. It’s something I have a deep passion for, and I’m really thankful that I found it.”
Howes saw Brooks frequently at Knight Hall, home to UMD’s
journalism school.
“I found that seeing him every day and how dedicated he is to his craft was really inspiring,” Howes said. “I’m glad he got to be the commencement speaker. He was most deserving.”
Brooks, who minored in leadership studies, agreed that the lessons he learned playing sports have helped him battle through adversity.
“Never give up,” he said. “Everybody has hardships in life. We’re all gonna get knocked down. I like to equate things to boxing. You have to be able to take a punch. If you get knocked down, just make sure you get back up.”
Chris McManes (mick-maynz) covers sports for the College Park Here & Now.
Notice of Applications Received for a Forest Conservation Plan Approval and the Opportunity to Provide Written Comment or Request an Information Hearing
Issue Date: June 01, 2023
The Forest Service is reviewing the following applications for a Forest Conservation Program Plan Approval. The applications and related information are on file at the Central Region Office of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Forest Service, 2 South Bond St., Bel Air, MD 21014. Arrangements may be made for inspections and copying of file materials.
Opportunity is afforded to interested parties to provide written comments on the lists application(s), or to be placed on the interested persons list for a specific application. If requesting to be placed on the interested persons list, please clearly state this request in written form. Any request for a hearing must be in writing and provide the following information:
2) The identity of any other person(s) the requestor is representing; and
1) Name, Address and Telephone Number of the person making the request;
3) State specifically the issue proposed to be considered at the hearing. If a hearing is scheduled, sign language interpreters and other appropriate accommodations for individuals with disabilities will be provided upon request.
Written comments, requests to be placed on the interested persons list, or requests for a hearing must be received on or before June 30, 2023 (30 days). Correspondence should be addressed to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources-Forest Service, State Forest Conservation Program, Tawes State Office Building E-1, 580 Taylor Avenue, Annapolis, MD 21401.
Any further notices concerning actions on the following applications will be provided only by mail to those persons on the interested persons list.
Applications received: University of Maryland ballfield renovation to their Throwing Event space on their College Park Campus, Prince Georges County, affecting 0.0 acres of existing forest, as part of a Forest Conservation Plan requesting submitted to the State of Maryland Forest Conservation Program. Information about this project may be obtained by contacting the Central Region State Forest Conservation Program Coordinator at (410) 836-4568.
Rafael Lorente has been named dean of the University of Maryland’s (UMD) Philip Merrill College of Journalism. Dean Lucy Dalglish steps down on June 30, and Lorente assumes the position the next day.
Lorente received his masters in journalism from UMD in 1998. He then worked as a Washington reporter for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, where he covered a number of high-visibility events including the 9/11 attacks, U.S.Cuba relations and two presidential elections. He has been a full-time faculty member at the university since 2005 and has served as associate dean of the journalism school since 2015, working with Dean Dalglish for the last eight years of her 11-year tenure. He also directs the school’s master’s
program.
“Rafael is very well thought of by our faculty and he has been the associate dean for academic affairs, so he's very accustomed to working with the faculty and with our students,” Dalglish said.
As associate dean of the school, Lorente worked to expand the curriculum and adapt the program to meet evolving industry standards in the digital age.
“What I've been able to watch as associate dean is not only the changes in the industry, but the way the faculty have responded [to these changes] … [and] jumping in to teach online during COVID[-19] and then taking lessons from that,” he said.
Lorente credited Dalglish for elevating the school’s reputation and acknowledged that he has big shoes to fill.
“She took over a college 11
years ago that, you know, isn't doing great … and 11 years later, we are unquestionably one of the top journalism programs in the country,” he said. “So by the standard of ‘Is the place better when you leave than when you arrived?’ she's been wildly successful. My job now is to take it to the next level.”
And Lorente intends to do exactly that. He is setting his sights on revamping elements of the school’s approach, with an emphasis on the value of community journalism. He is also eager to boost enrollment at the school and says he intends to recruit students from broadly diverse backgrounds.
His commitment to diversity is backed by statistics, which show UMD’s graduate student cohorts having an average of 40% students of color during his tenure, according to a university press release.
“Journalism has to speak … [it] will listen to and speak for everyone,” he said. “And we need a more diverse newsroom. We need a different kind of culture, a different level of openness and willingness to listen to our audience.”
Can you believe the Joneses called their mullions muntins? Did you SEE the cornice returns on that thing? I just can't get anyone to work on my mansard … Yes, I am speaking in another language. It's the language of architects, who have a name for everything about a house, inside and out. These terms trickle down to us in many languages from the most beautiful buildings in the world, and they can be fun to learn. Having a basic vocabulary can also come handy when you’re communicating with contractors; it can set the tone for your interaction and signal that you're no dummy. And once you know what That Thing There is called, you'll see every house that has one of them, think about why it's there, and grow your own sense of style. Without further ado, here are 10 of the house parts people most commonly ask home inspectors about:
- Plinth. In its simplest form, a plinth is the square or rectangular block at the base of a column.
If you have a pedestal sink in your bathroom, it may have a plinth at the base. Some doorways have them at the base as a decorative element, too.
- Lintel. This is the main support across the top of a door or window. In a brick house, the lintel is often steel; in a wood house, it’s typically a sturdy beam.
- Sill. The horizontal board at the base of a window. Walls are constructed with a sill, too, which is also called a plate.
- Gable. The triangular top of an exterior wall where two slanted roofs form a peak.
- Dormer. A dormer is a window that projects out from the rest of a sloped roof. Dormers have their own small roof that juts out perpendicular to the main roof.
- Pilaster. A vertical cosmetic element, like a column, only rectangular in shape, and attached to a wall.
- Cornice. It's a fancy trim at the top of either an interior or exterior wall. It can be a simple board covering the top row of brick or ornately embellished or sculpted trim.
Directed by founding Artistic Director Christopher Dwyer, this 1980s-infused tale follows Prospero, who is stranded on a deserted island, as he decides whether to enact revenge on his brother who has just washed up on shore. Complete with magic, faeries, and physical storytelling, this fast-paced 90-minute outdoor adventure is perfect for the entire family. Bring your lawn chair, a picnic, and enjoy the Bard under the stars.
For up-to date information and rain dates, visit pgparks.com and search “The Tempest tour.”
For more information call 301-446-3238 or email megan.merchant@pgparks.com.
- Cantilever. A horizontal structure that juts out past supports. If you have a deck that extends horizontally past the posts below, you have a cantilever. Cantilevers have to be carefully engineered to ensure proper support and balance; you don’t want your deck to be a seesaw.
- Corbel. An element protruding from the wall, like a bracket; a corbel can be functional, supporting a structure above it, or simply decorative — think cherubs and acanthus leaves. Rakes. Unlike the eaves, the low edges of your roof where gutters hang, the rakes are the roof edges that extend out and run up to the peak of the gable. They're tough to keep painted so people often clad them with metal.
That didn't hurt too much, right? Your homework is to use one of these terms talking with someone you know this week, so when they look at you sideways, you know the look I get just about every time I open my mouth. In the meantime I’ll be in the kitchen, with a glass of cold lemonade, just leaning on the window sill.
Sunday, June 25 Fairwood Community Park
Thursday, June, 29 Patuxent River Park
Friday, June 30 National Harbor, Plaza Stage
Saturday, July 1 Fort Washington Park
Wednesday, July 5 Riversdale House Museum
Thursday, July 6 Montpelier House Museum Grounds
Saturday, July 8 Meadowside Nature Center
Sunday, July 9 Brookside Gardens
Wednesday, July 12 North Four Corners Local Park
Friday, July 14 Watkins Regional Park
Saturday, July 15
David C. Driskell Community Park
Sunday, July 16
Prince George’s Publick Playhouse
The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission is supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council (msac.org)
For more information, please email Customer Service at arts@pgparks.com or call 301-699-2255; Maryland Relay 7-1-1 for customers who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability. Our front desk staff has access to an over-the-phone interpretation service and can help in over 150 languages. Please ask for assistance when you call or visit us. The Department of Parks and Recreation encourages and supports the participation of individuals with disabilities. Register at least a minimum of two weeks in advance of the program start date to request and receive a disability accommodation.
Prince George’s County Public Schools is not sponsoring, endorsing, or recommending the activities announced in this flyer/material.