08-2023 Hyattsville Life & Times

By Heather Marléne Zadig

In a reversal from an announcement made earlier this month, Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) stated in a July 31 email to families that a new mandatory clear backpacks policy will only apply to high schools in the district; most middle schools will now be exempt.

The new superintendent of PGCPS, Millard House II, previously said at a July 11 press conference that clear plastic backpacks would be required at both middle and high schools this fall to deter weapons on campus. An additional security measure of weapons detectors at all high schools and eventually several middle schools will still be phased in throughout the fall, as announced earlier.

At the July press conference, House cited security efforts at sports stadiums as his rationale behind supporting the measures, adding that “these types of security enhancements are nationwide, and I think they make sense.” The district communications office said guidelines related to clear backpacks have not yet been finalized, but thousands of backpacks are being made available to families in need, and updates can be found at pgcps.org.

Lisa Pfueller Davidson, parent of a rising 11th grader at College Park Academy, told the Life & Times she’s concerned about the lack of padding in clear backpacks for expensive, required laptops, especially while riding bikes to school. She also called the policy “a show of security theater” that seemed ineffective. “It projects a terrible image for our public schools,” Davidson said.

The two most recent high-profile incidents involving guns in PGCPS did not appear to involve backpacks. In May, three suspects with a gun were charged with attempted

By Freddy Wolfe

Members of the Hyattsville community came together on July 22 to restore and enhance the asphalt art at the intersection of Jefferson Street and 40th Avenue following its June vandalization.

On June 29, at about 5:50 p.m., SEE VANDALISM ON 11 

By Paul Ruffins

This is the third article in this series examining the high rate of traffic fatalities in Prince George’s County.

Between 2018 and 2022, pedestrians in Prince George’s County were more than twice as likely to die in traffic accidents compared to pedestrians in Montgomery

FREDDY WOLFE

LIFE & TIMES RECEIVES NATIONAL COMMUNITY JOURNALISM AWARDS

The 2023 National Newspaper Association (NNA) Better Newspaper Contest recently recognized the Hyattsville Life & Times with three awards. The

NNA Better Newspaper Contest recognizes the best in community journalism across the country.

The Life & Times won second place for Best Local News Coverage, competing with daily and nondaily newspapers with circulations of 6,000 or more.

(The Life & Times circulation is 9,300.) About a dozen volunteer writers contributed stories to the two editions that earned this award. “This paper offers [a] complete package of locally produced news,” the judge commented. “Best headlines of the entries!”

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The Life & Times took third place in the same division for Best Environmental Story for “How mussels are cleaning the Anacostia” by Hunter Savery and Johnathan Donville.

Finally, the Life & Times won honorable mention for Best Reporting on Local Government for its coverage of school building endeavors with “Middle school muddle, bus route bungle” by Josie Jack and Kit Slack and “Hyattsville Elementary in proposed school builds list” by Sophie Gorman Oriani.

For this award, the Life & Times was competing with nondaily newspapers with circulations between 6,000 and 14,000. “Nice job of tying together the concerns over school building projects,” noted the judge.

This year, there were 1,507 entries in the contest. A total of 602 awards were won by 92 member newspapers in 33 states. This year’s winners will be recognized during the NNA’s 137th Convention and Trade Show on Sept. 30 in Washington, D.C.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Re: “County school bus drivers blame shortage on low pay” by Mark

Betancourt

City fails to submit timely audits

By Claire Panak Tombes

Dear Editor,

GREAT article. I applied for a driver job in 2022, when I was informed of the low pay and the fact that I had to pay for four things: my FBI background check, my Department of Transportation physical, my drug test, my tuberculosis test — four out-of-pocket expenses, and I was told they only guarantee five hours of work per day; you get more, but only five hours were guaranteed. I stopped the application process. Thank you,

David Keith Walker Hyattsville

To submit a Letter to the Editor, email managingeditor@ hyattsvillelife.com. Submissions should be 250 words or less and may be edited for clarity.

The City of Hyattsville recently released its fiscal year 2020 audit, dated June 12, 2023. The city’s annual financial statement audit and uniform financial report for that year were due on Oct. 31, 2020, to the state. The city is also overdue on its FY 2021 and FY 2022 audits, which have not been completed. Since FY 2009, every city audit has been dated at least one year after the state filing deadline.

In the most recent Review of Local Government Audit Reports, an annual report by the Office of Legislative Audits (OLA), Hyattsville was one of four local governments to have two or more outstanding audits. Hyattsville has had at least one outstanding audit in every annual OLA report since the 2009 report on FY 2008.

Since the FY 2013 audit presentation in 2015, the city has not had a public presentation of audit findings by its auditors. Other nearby cities, such as College Park and Takoma Park, have public presentations by the auditors at open city council meetings, and the city’s 2019

request for proposals (RFP) for auditing services states “the partner on the audit engagement will present the auditor’s report to the Mayor and Council on an annual basis.”

Mayor Robert Croslin, however, told the Hyattsville Life & Times (HL&T) that he is not in favor of auditors giving public presentations to the city council. Rather, he said, “Any information should go through the treasurer to the city administrator and then come to the council, and it’s up to the treasurer and the city administrator to make a public presentation on what the findings are.”

City Treasurer Ronald Brooks previously told the HL&T that the audits were delayed by “pandemic era staffing issues,” but for FY 2014, the first fiscal year for which Brooks was treasurer, through FY 2019, the last fiscal year before the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual audit was dated an average of 640 days after the state deadline.

According to documents obtained by HL&T, auditors reported to the city council that the city was failing to complete “timely and accurate financial reporting” since at least the FY 2017 au-

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dit and that “the City’s ability to provide reliable interim financial reports is inhibited by current accounting practices.” The auditors also reported that they encountered difficulties in completing the FY 2018 and FY 2019 audits due to the city not producing needed records and documentation “in a timely manner.”

In September 2013, as previously reported by the HL&T, City Treasurer Elaine Stookey resigned after then-City Administrator Jerry Schiro — who had been hired on a one-year contract in May — and the city council learned that the city was almost two years late on the FY 2011 filing. Brooks was hired in September 2013 and promoted to city treasurer in November 2013 after the revelation and

Stookey’s departure.

CohnReznick has been the city’s auditor since the FY 2010 audit, dated July 2012. The firm recently ceased municipal audits, and the city has hired Lindsey + Associates to complete its required FY 2021, 2022 and 2023 audits, which Brooks told the state in a Feb. 27 email would “cause a slight delay” from the estimated date previously given, and that he “anticipate[d] completion in the end of April 2023.”

At the June 5, 2023, city council meeting, Brooks projected that the FY 2021 and FY 2022 audits would be done by “early fall.” As previously reported by the HL&T, the city lost its credit rating in August 2022 because the city had not completed the FY 2020 audit.

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For ants, antlions are the pits

By Rick Borchelt

You’ve probably seen them in the sand or loose soil under roof overhangs, beneath playground equipment or even right out in the open in the fine dust of baseball diamonds — alienlooking conical pits in the dirt, up to an inch wide and half an inch deep. They’re interesting to us — but deadly to ants. These pits are the home of antlions, appropriately named pint-sized predators with massive jaws that lie in wait at the bottom of those pits, hidden in the sand with only the end of their massive jaws visible. Woe be to the ant that gets too close to the edge of a pit and slips in; the steep sides and fine grains of dust offer no leverage, and the hapless ant tumbles to the bottom. Its frenzy to escape only brings more sand down on top of it and alerts the waiting antlion that there is prey in its trap. The antlion quickly uses those long jaws to inject poison and solvents into the hapless

prey to dissolve its internal organs.

Antlion pits are marvels of engineering. While they may appear to be uniform funnels of dirt to the casual observer, one side is always steeper than the

others. It’s a perfect balance between collapse and stability; an ant that approaches the rim almost invariably causes the wall to collapse. If the ant doesn’t fall all the way in, the antlion uses its abdomen to flip a few

grains of sand at the struggling victim, further destabilizing the wall and bringing the ant to the waiting jaws below.

While antlions have fearsome jaws, they don’t actually have a mouth — those long jaws consist of a fused mandible and maxilla, mouthparts that are usually distinct in most other insects. In antlions, this fusion creates a drinking straw with which they suck out the liquefied contents of their ant prey.

(They don’t have an anus either, since all their food is liquid.) When the meal is finished and all that is left is the dried ant husk, the antlion simply flings it out of the pit, smoothes the walls and buries itself again at the bottom.

A common colloquial name for antlion larvae is doodlebug, and this moniker comes from how they move about. Antlions can only move backwards; all their powerful digging apparatus is in the muscular back end and legs. They travel just at or under the surface of the soil looking for an appropriate spot

to dig a pit: usually in the shade and often under a surface that provides some protection from rain. Their wanderings leave seemingly random tracks in sand or dust — the doodles that give doodlebugs their name — tracks that begin to coalesce into a spiral and eventually a pit once the construction site has been selected.

Growing up in the Ozarks, I learned a chant from my grandfather that kids are taught to lure antlions into revealing themselves. While waving a very thin straw or grass blade in circles around the edge of the pit, we’d say, “Doodlebug, doodlebug, come and get your corn!” The straw would inevitably touch the side of the pit, or our breath would disturb the sand, rousing the antlion into thinking there was a struggling ant. It would reveal itself by throwing sand up the side at the fake ant and could then be plucked out of its pit.

Larval and adult antlions could not be less alike. Antlions adults are delicate, winged creatures related to lacewings. The female flies about on calm, late afternoons looking for loose soil

An adult picture-winged antlion in St. Mary’s County. COURTESY OF TYLER BELL

WHAT THE HYATTSVILLE?

How did Hyattsville become such a playground desert?

By Heather Marléne Zadig

Right off the bat, let’s acknowledge that the City of Hyattsville has a variety of park options, including a respectable amount of undeveloped green space like woods and greenways. Unfortunately, parks do not equal playgrounds. And when playgrounds are far from residents or difficult to see and access (and therefore underutilized, like Dietz Park), children and families suffer.

Especially for the thousands of Hyattsville children living in apartment complexes, there are often no backyard jungle gyms to compensate, and playground deserts can be miserable indeed.

The U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child establishes the right to play as a fundamental human right. Its children’s agency UNICEF asserted in 2018 that “play is one of the most important ways in which young children gain essential knowledge and skills,” such as vital motor skills, critical thinking, and social and emotional skills, and called it a “basic human need.”

The data show that Hyattsville has just eight public playgrounds (not including those on school grounds, which are usually only open on weekends) — nine if you include Robert J. King Memorial Park on Gallatin Street that’s currently closed for renovation — all serving roughly 21,000 residents. That’s just 1.9 playgrounds per 5,000 people, and almost all are toward the far periphery of city boundaries (see map).

For comparison, Riverdale Park’s playground ratio is triple Hyattsville’s, at 5.5 per 5,000. Takoma Park has 4.6 per 5,000 residents, according to city directories (and a close-up review of Google Maps), and Mount Rainier has 4.25.

There are no full-sized public playgrounds in all of Ward 1, two playgrounds in Ward 2, and none within the primarily residential neighborhoods of Ward 3 — Heurich Park is behind Home Depot, the Duck Pond playground to the far north is past the housing there, and while the Prince George’s Plaza Community Center playground is in the vicinity of a couple of condo and apartment towers, its closest neighbors are a giant parking lot, a forest and government office buildings.

Ward 4 has access to Heurich Park but is bound by major thor-

oughfares, and the northeast part of the ward has almost no access to playgrounds at all. Ward 5 has the most playgrounds: at Kirkwood, Hyatt and 38th Avenue parks, which will be crucial to meeting the demands of the 1,153 new housing units planned there (per the city’s redistricting committee report).

So, what’s contributing to Hyattsville’s public playground shortage? For starters, there are some publicly owned properties that simply don’t have playgrounds on them (yet). There’s ample green space around the Hyattsville Justice Center, off Rhode Island Avenue, but it’s up for bids for potential redevelopment, so no playgrounds there anytime soon.

The city-owned space known as The Spot, just south of the Yes! Organic Market parking lot, has potential and is undergoing a complete redesign. While the city did just hold a promising and engaging event on June 10 for community input, the workshop focused on creating an attractive gathering and entertainment space — a park — with the only mention of play features being hypothetical “kid games,” like giant chess and Jenga, in lieu of a playground.

But what about all the privately owned public areas we have now

for dining and entertainment?

There’s nothing for kids in the Busboys and Poets EYA business complex, just a paved patio facing heavy traffic (and exhaust) on Route 1. The public areas of the massive Hyattsville Canvas Apartments going in across from Busboys are going to have — wait for it — a couple of paved courtyards, yet again facing heavily congested Route 1. The Riverfront at West Hyattsville? Courtyards and promenades. The Edition? The newer complexes at Prince George’s Plaza? Residences at The Six? Empty green space — courtyards, courtyards, courtyards.

The lack of playgrounds at such developments exacerbates the problem twofold: Not only is it a wasted opportunity for adding de facto public playgrounds, but those new residents have nowhere to play, thus adding stress to our overtaxed public playgrounds.

If you’re wondering whether the city could just require those developments to include playgrounds, the answer is no — they can’t. The county zoning ordinance supersedes anything the city might require. The county code does require open space set aside as “active recreational areas,” but the code’s definition of these areas can mean, basically,

Most public playgrounds in Hyattsville are concentrated around the edges of city boundaries rather than interspersed throughout residential areas. Wards 1 and 4 are especially impacted by low playground density. HEATHER

MARLÉNE ZADIG

land with grass. Unsurprisingly, developers opt for the cheapest route to compliance, setting aside parks, aka land, with little to no requirement for improving it, or worse — paying a fee to fund parks elsewhere in lieu of adding green space.

So, how could the city improve its playground equity? Conceivably, it could establish guidelines for play structures and require such structures for an apartment complex license. The Hyattsville Department of Code Compliance issues these licenses and inspects

apartment complexes. And who knows? Maybe there are some city-owned properties that could use a second glance with respect to placing playgrounds where people actually are — in public spaces where people live (and dine, shop and gather). Especially for kids who have nowhere else to play.

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Heather Marléne Zadig writes about Hyattsville happenings for the Life & Times

ECO City Farms aims to sustain and train

By Imke Ahlf-Wien

Hyattsville resident Margaret Morgan-Hubbard, founder and CEO of ECO City Farms (short for Engaged Community Offshoots, Inc.), meets me on a humid summer day in front of the vibrant entrance mural at their 2-acre Edmonston location to show me operations there. Later we’ll head to their 4.5-acre farm in Bladensburg. (Their third location, the Urban Farm Incubator at Watkins Regional Park, in Upper Marlboro, opened this year.)

It’s the second day of the SEED 2 FEED Summer Youth Program, and the Edmonston location is buzzing with people. Twelve students from Bladensburg High School are spending six weeks among fruit trees, vegetable beds and hoop houses to learn about farming, cooking and food justice outreach. Food justice is the “right to grow, sell, and eat healthy food,” according to ECO City’s website.

When Morgan-Hubbard and I peek into the kitchen — a bright space with a big stove in the middle — we are greeted by the delicious scent of coconut curry with garden-fresh collard

Simple Coconut Okra Curry

(serves 4)

The moment I smelled the curry and coconut in the ECO City Farms teaching kitchen, I knew which recipe to include in this column. But since collards are not in season in August, okra will have to do. This fascinating vegetable that enslaved people brought from West Africa to the Americas can get slimy when the pods are cut into smaller pieces. But the mucilage acts as a thickener here and will contribute to the creamy texture of the sauce.

Ingredients:

1 medium onion

2 cloves garlic

1-inch piece fresh ginger

1 quart okra

2 large Roma tomatoes

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 teaspoon each: ground cumin, ground coriander, ground turmeric, chili powder and paprika powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

13.5 oz can coconut milk

Directions

Peel and mince onion, garlic and ginger. Remove the ends from the okra, and cut into ½-inch pieces. Stem and core the tomatoes, and dice into ½-inch chunks. Heat the coconut oil over medium heat. Add onions, garlic and ginger. Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once these start to brown, add the spices, and simmer for another minute. Add the okra, and simmer for another 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt and coconut milk. Mix well, and let come to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 25 minutes until the okra is soft. Serve with rice of your choice.

greens that several students are preparing under the supervision of Deputy Director Kayla Agonoy. Others are tending the vegetable beds outside.

According to Morgan-Hubbard, ECO City Farms was founded in 2013 as an offshoot of Master Peace Community Farm — the county’s very first urban farm — which MorganHubbard established in 2010, while working at University of Maryland’s Engaged University, an effort to link the campus with the lives of local people.

ECO City Farms, a nonprofit, subsists mostly on grant money. Sustainability and thriftiness are both ethical goals and necessities. Morgan-Hubbard explains that they use recycled material wherever possible. An old shipping container serves as the processing kitchen where the produce gets rinsed in a large sink and is made ready for sale. An old washing machine has been repurposed as a salad spinner to dry leafy vegetables.

Due to stringent county regulations, urban farming can be an uphill battle. According to Morgan-Hubbard, several county laws had to be changed for ECO City Farms to become the flourishing place it is today. Previously, for example, areas zoned residential and multifamily did not allow farming and converting shipping containers into coolers would have been impossible.

At our next stop, ECO City’s Bladensburg farm, I walk through the vegetable beds and the native plant food forest with its pawpaw and persimmon trees — it’s hard to imagine that a mere 34 years ago, three multifamily houses

and a parking lot occupied this space.

The farm’s success primarily relies on creating the most nutritious soil possible by adding homemade compost. Local food scraps, wood chips and leaves are used for both hot composting, during which the material breaks down using an aerobic process and can reach up to 130 F, and for vermicomposting, which uses worms to break down the organic matter. The end product is a fine, earthy-smelling material that doesn’t even stain my hands. And the produce is thriving on it: During the summer, garlic and onions, tomatoes, peppers and eggplants, summer squash, string beans and okra, as well as several herbs and greens like bitter leaf that are commonly grown in West Africa, are available.

In addition to growing produce and educating the next generation of urban farmers, ECO City Farms also supports regional food security efforts through donations to organizations including Hyattsville Aging in Place and Meals on Wheels College Park.

From July 13 to mid-November, you can find their produce every Thursday between 4 and 6 p.m. at their Bladensburg farm stand (6100 Emerson Street) or by signing up for a seasonal CSA share that can be picked up every Thursday between 3 and 5 p.m. at the Edmonston farm (4913 Crittenden Street).

Imke Ahlf-Wien is a nutrition educator with a passion for fresh, locally procured foods.

THE CITY OF HYATTSVILLE

The Hyattsville Reporter

Issue 425| August 2023

COMPOST TOTERS HAVE ARRIVED!

The City recently delivered 35-gallon green compost toters to all households that are serviced by Hyattsville City waste services. Composting pick-ups take place Mondays – simply leave the bin curbside by 6 a.m. If you’re new to the composting world, below is a list do’s and don’ts to help you get started. For a more comprehensive list, visit hyattsville.org/compost.

Do Compost

• Fruits & vegetables

• Bread, pasta, and rice (no raw dough)

• Meat & bones

• Coffee grounds & fliters

• Soiled paper napkins & boxes (recyle if possible)

• Dairy products

• Yard waste (container must be able to close)

Do NOT Compost

• Trash or recyclable items

• Fats, oils, and grease

• Pet waste

• Soil or construction waste

• Styrofoam

• Plastic, metal, or glass containers & utensils

¡LOS CONTENEDORES DE COMPOSTAJE HAN LLEGADO!

La Ciudad recientemente entregó contenedores de compostaje verdes de 35 galones a todos los hogares que reciben servicios de basura de la Ciudad de Hyattsville. Las recogidas de compostaje toman plazo los lunes - simplemente deje el contenedor en la acera antes de las 6 a.m. Si eres nuevo en el mundo del compostaje, a continuación hay una lista de cosas que hacer y no hacer para ayudarte a comenzar. Para obtener una lista más completa, visite hyattsville.org/compost.

Puede Compostar

• Frutas y vegetables

• Pan, pasta y arroz (sin masa cruda)

• Carne y huesos

• Residuos y filtros de café

• Servilletas y cajas de papel sucias (recicle si es posible)

• Productos lácteos

• Residuos de yarda (el contenedor debe poder cerrarse)

NO se Puede Compostar

• Basura regular o artículos recicables

• Grasas y aceites

• Desechos de animal

• Tierra o desechos de construcción

• Poliestireno

• Contenedores y utensilios de plástico, metal o vidrio

ANNOUNCEMENTS | ANUNCIOS

CELEBRATE BLACK BUSINESS MONTH

The City is proud to celebrate August as Black Business Month and encourages residents to support Hyattsville’s Black-owned businesses and entrepreneurs!

Learn how you can certify your business as Black- or minority-owned by attending a free webinar hosted by Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation Small Business Manager Kimberlee Andrews on August 24 at 10 a.m. A recording will be made available for those unable to attend. Learn more about Black Business Month and register for the webinar at hyattsville.org/bbm.

FREE NATIVE TREE PLANTINGS

We’re still accepting applications from Hyattsville City residents for FREE native tree plantings on private property! This includes homeowners, businesses, apartment complexes, churches, etc. Visit hyattsville.org/ trees to learn more and complete the form.

JOB & VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES

The City is seeking to fill various positions for our community services, police, human resources, and public works departments. View our open positions and apply today at hyattsville.org/jobs!

Not looking for a job but still want to support the City? Many of the City’s volunteer advisory committees and boards have vacant seats! The City has a variety of volunteer-led committees that provide recommendations to Hyattsville’s City Council on topics like education, the environment, and public safety. Most committees and boards meet virtually once a month. Committee members are also eligible to receive a $40 stipend per meeting attended! Find the right fit for you at hyattsville.org/committees.

WATER BILL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS

WSSC has extended its Water Bill Amnesty Program through August 31, 2023, to assist customers with delinquent water and sewers bills avoid service disruption. Households that meet the income guidelines may qualify for bill credits and waived late payment fees and charges. Apply by visiting wsscwater.com/getcurrent or calling WSSC at (301) 2064001.

The State of Maryland recently launched a Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) for WSSC customers that are behind on 30 days or more on their water and sewer bills. Applicant’s name must be listed on the bill and live at the address to apply. Applications can be submitted through September 30 online at dhs.maryland. gov/OHEP or in person at the Prince George’s County Dept of Social Services, 425 Brightseat Road, Landover, MD. Questions? Call the Department of Social Services at (301) 909-6300.

¡CELEBRA EL MES DE LOS NEGOCIOS AFROAMERICANOS!

La Ciudad se enorgullece de celebrar agosto como el Mes de los Negocios Afroamericanos, y anima a los residentes a apoyar a los negocios y empresarios Afroamericanos de Hyattsville.

Aprenda cómo puede certificar su negocio adueñado por un Afroamericano o minorista asistiendo a un seminario web gratuito organizado por Kimberlee Andrews, Gerente de Pequeñas Empresas de la Corporación de Desarrollo Económico del Condado Prince George’s, el 24 de agosto a las 10 a.m. Una grabación estará disponible para aquellos que no puedan asistir. Obtenga más información sobre y regístrese para el seminario en hyattsville.org/bbm.

PLANTACIONES GRATUITAS DE ÁRBOLES NATIVOS

Todavia estamos aceptando solicitudes de residentes de la Ciudad de Hyattsville para plantaciones de arboles nativos gratuitas en propiedades privadas! Esto incluye propietarios, negocios, complejos de apartamentos, iglesias, etc. Visite hyattsville.org/trees para obtener más información y completar el formulario.

OPORTUNIDADES DE EMPLEO Y VOLUNTARIADO

La Ciudad está buscando llenar varias posiciones para nuestros departamentos de servicios comunitarios, policía, recursos humanos, y obras públicas. Vea nuestros puestos vacantes y solicite en hyattsville.org/jobs.

¿No buscas trabajo, pero quieres colaborar con la Ciudad? Muchos de los comités y juntas consultivas de voluntarios de la Ciudad tienen puestos vacantes. La Ciudad tiene una variedad de comités dirigidos por voluntarios que proporcionan recomendaciones al Concejo Municipal de Hyattsville sobre temas como la educación, el medio ambiente y la seguridad pública. La mayoría de los comités y juntas se reúnen virtualmente una vez al mes. Además, los miembros de los comités pueden ser elegivles por un estipendio de $40 dólares por cada reunión que asistan. Encuentra el comité que mejor se adapte a ti en hyattsville.org/committees.

PROGRAMAS DE ASISTENCIA EN LA FACTURA DEL AGUA

El WSSC ha extendido su Programa de Amnistía hasta el 31 de agosto de 2023, para ayudar a los clientes con facturas de agua y drenaje atrasadas a evitar la interrupción del servicio. Los hogares que cumplen con las pautas de ingresos pueden calificar para créditos de facturas y cargos por pagos atrasados exentos. Solicite visitando wsscwater.com/getcurrent o llamando a WSSC al (301) 206-4001.

El Estado de Maryland recientemente lanzó un Programa de Asistencia de Agua para el Hogar de Bajos Ingresos (LIHWAP) para los clientes de WSSC que están atrasados 30 días o más en sus facturas de agua y drenaje. El nombre del solicitante debe estar listado en la factura y vivir en la dirección para aplicar. Las solicitudes pueden presentarse hasta el 30 de septiembre en línea en dhs.maryland.gov/OHEP o en persona en el Departamento de Servicios Sociales del Condado de Prince George’s, 425 Brightseat Road, Landover, MD. ¿Preguntas? Llame al Departamento de Servicios Sociales al (301) 9096300.

CALENDAR | CALENDARIO

FREE ZUMBA CLASSES

Wednesdays from 4 - 5 PM at the Hyattsville City Building! Details at hyattsville.org/wellness.

FALL FIELDS PERMIT MEETING

A virtual fields permit meeting will be held on August 10 at 7 PM. Organizations interested in using the sport fields at Driskell Park, Melrose Park, and 38th Avenue Park are required to attend. Register at hyattsville.org/calendar.

HMS BLOCK PARTY

Come see the newly constructed Hyattsville Middle School on August 12 from noon to 4 PM at 6001 42nd Avenue! There will be a school supply giveway, community resources, and family fun activities!

SENIORS ON THE GO!

Check out our upcoming trips for Hyattsville seniors! Reserve a space by calling (301) 985-5000 by 2 PM the day before the scheduled trip.

• August 14, 9 AM - 2 PM: Walmart & Amish Market at Laurel August 21, 9 AM - 3 PM: Smithsonian American Art Museum

FRESH PRODUCE DISTRIBUTION

The City is hosting a fresh produce distribution on August 15 at noon at First United Methodist Church.

CERT TRAINING

The next Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) organization meeting is August 16, 6 - 8 PM, at the Hyattsville City Building. Register at hyattsville.org/ cert.

INTERGENERATIONAL OUTING

Seniors and Camp Staycation participants can enjoy a field day and cookout on August 17 from 11 AM - 1 PM at Driskell Park. Seniors can register by contacting (301) 985-5000 or seniors@hyattsville.org.

SUMMER JAM

Come celebrate Hyattsville’s diversity at our internationalthemed Summer Jam on August 18 from 5:30 -8:30 PM at (NEW LOCATION) Heurich Park! Details at hyattsville.org/summerjam.

INVASIVE REMOVALS

Help remove invasive plant species from Melrose Park on August 19 from 10 AM - 2 PM. RVSP by emailing environment@hyattsville.org.

NARCAN TRAININGS

Free NARCAN community trainings at the City Building on August 24 at 10 AM and 6 PM. Register at hyattsville. org/calendar.

WARD 3 COMMUNITY MEETING

Join Councilmembers Jimmy McCllelan and Kareem Redmond for a community meeting at Miller’s Ale House on September 9 at noon. Details at hyattsville.org/ calendar.

INVASIVE VINE REMOVAL TRAINING

Invasive vine removal trainings are back this fall! Join us September 9 from 9 AM - noon at University Hills Duck Pond Park. Learn more and register at hyattsville.org/ enviro-education.

BACK 2 SCHOOL JAM!

The City is helping local students gear up for school with a Back 2 School Jam on August 26, 1 – 3 p.m., now at Heurich Park! Families can pick up donated school supplies while enjoying good music, food, and familyfriendly activities. Donated school supplies and volunteers are needed! Learn how you can help at hyattsville.org/ back2school.

CLASES DE ZUMBA

Cada miércoles de 4 - 5 PM en el Edificio Municipal de Hyattsville. Detalles en hyattsville.org/wellness.

REUNIÓN PARA USO DE CAMPOS

Una reunión virtual de permisos de campo se llevará a cabo el 10 de agosto, a las 7 PM. Organizaciones interesadas en usar los campos este otoño en Driskell Park, Melrose Park y 38th Avenue Park deben asistir. hyattsville.org/calendar.

FIESTA DE HMS

¡Venga a ver la recién construida Escuela Hyattsville Middle el 12 de agosto, 12 PM - 4 PM, en 6001 42nd Avenue! ¡Darán útiles escolares, recursos comunitarios y actividades divertidas para la familia!

VIAJES PARA LA TERCERA EDAD

¡Vea nuestros próximos viajes para personas de la tercera edad de Hyattsville! Reserve un espacio llamando al (301) 985-5000 antes de las 2 PM del día anterior al viaje programado.

• August 14, 9 AM - 2 PM: Walmart & Amish Market at Laurel

• August 21, 9 AM - 3 PM: Smithsonian American Art Museum

COMIDA GRATIS

La Ciudad organizará una distribución de productos agricolas el 15 de agosto al mediodía en la Primera Iglesia Metodista Unida.

EQUIPO CERT

La próxima reunión de organización del Equipo de Respuesta a Emergencias Comunitarias es el 16 de agosto, 6 - 8 PM, en el Edificio Municipal. Regístrese en hyattsville.org/cert.

SALIDA INTERGENERACIONAL

Las personas mayores y los participantes de Camp Staycation pueden disfrutar de un día de campo y comida el 17 de agosto de 11 AM. a 1 PM en Driskell Park. Las personas mayores pueden registrarse comunicándose con (301) 985-5000 o seniors@ hyattsville.org.

SUMMER JAM

¡Venga a celebrar la diversidad de Hyattsville en nuestro Summer Jam de temá internacional el 18 de agosto de 5:30 PM a 8:30 PM en Heurich Park! Detalles en hyattsville.org/ summerjam.

PLANTAS INVASORAS

Ayude a eliminar las especies de plantas invasoras de Melrose Park el 19 de agosto, 10 AM - 2 PM. Reserve su espacio con environment@hyattsville.org.

ENTRENAMIENTOS NARCAN

Entrenamientos gratis de NARCAN en el Edificio Municipal el 24 de agosto a las 10 Am y 6 PM. Regístrese en hyattsville.org/calendar.

REUNIÓN COMUNITARIA

Únase a los concejales Jimmy McCllelan y Kareem Redmond para una reunión comunitaria en Miller’s Ale House el 9 de septiembre al mediodía. Detalles en hyattsville.org/calendar.

ENTRENAMIENTO PARA REMOVER VIDES

¡Los entrenamientos de remoción invasiva de enredaderas están de regreso este otoño! Únase a nosotros el 9 de septiembre de 9 am a mediodía en University Hills Duck Pond Park. Detalles en hyattsville.org/enviroeducation.

¡FIESTA DE REGRESO A LA ESCUELA!

¡La Ciudad está ayudando a los estudiantes locales a prepararse para la escuela con un Evento de Regreso a Clases el 26 de agosto, 1 - 3 p.m., ahora en Heurich Park! Las familias podrán recoger material escolar donado mientras disfrutan de buena música, comida y actividades para toda la familia. Se necesitan voluntarios y material escolar donado. Aprenda cómo puede ayudar en hyattsville.org/ back2school.

Photo courtesy of Rapael Talisman Hyattsville Police Officer Nasir enjoys an ice cream with a community member at Driskell Park’s National Night Out on August 1.

El Oficial de Policía de Hyattsville, Nasir, disfruta de un helado con un miembro de la comunidad en la Noche Nacional en Driskell Park el 1 de agosto.

New Ward 4 councilmember emphasizes community

By Sophie Gorman Oriani

Michelle Lee is one of the new faces on the Hyattsville City Council, representing Ward 4 alongside long-time councilmember Eduoard Haba.

In a June 22 interview with the Hyattsville Life & Times, Lee said she was born and raised in Prince George’s County. She grew up primarily in Riverdale and attended Bladensburg High School, but has lived in Ward 4 for 10 years. “I have a love for P.G. County,” she said.

Love for community echoed repeatedly throughout the interview. Lee said she has met many of her neighbors through walking her 5-year-old Shih Tzu, Lew.

TRAFFIC

County. This high number of casualties results from a complex interplay between the county’s demographics, road characteristics, and the national trend of people speeding and driving trucks and SUVs.

Prince George’s and Montgomery counties cover close to the same geographic area, and each averages two vehicles per household. They also share several major roads — the Beltway, East-West Highway and University Boulevard — and both are governed by the same Maryland traffic laws.

According to the Maryland Department of Transportation’s Zero Deaths Maryland Crash Data Dashboard, however, in 2022 Prince George’s County had 122 traffic fatalities, while Montgomery County, which has approximately 105,000 more residents, had 48. There is a similar difference between the counties when it comes to pedestrian deaths. In 2022, Prince George’s County tallied 36 pedestrian fatalities, while Montgomery County had 14.

One reason for the differences may stem from the fact that Prince George’s and Montgomery counties have notably different demographics. According to the 2020 census, residents of Prince George’s County were 59% Black, 21% Hispanic or Latino, 11% white and 4% Asian. In that same census, Montgomery County’s population was 40% white, 20% Hispanic or Latino, 18% Black and 15% Asian.

A 2022 national study conducted by Harvard and Boston University (BU) found significant differences in rates of traffic fatalities that were drawn along racial lines. It reported that Black Americans died at more than four times the rate per mile when they were cy-

cling than white Americans. Per mile traveled, Black pedestrians and drivers were about twice as likely to die in traffic related accidents than white people. The fatality rates for Hispanic Americans were slightly lower than for Black Americans, but still much higher than the rates for white or Asian Americans. Data in the study was not broken down on a state or local level.

Authors of the Harvard/BU study noted that structural racism in the country has historically led to minority communities having fewer sidewalks, less public transportation and more liquor stores. Other studies have found that Black and Hispanic people are less likely to wear helmets while bicycling or to buckle their seat belts while driving than white or Asian people.

Prince George’s County also has substantially more traffic than Montgomery County does.

The Maryland Department of Transportation tallies vehicular miles of travel (VMTs) to quantify and understand road use patterns throughout the state.

In 2021, drivers logged 25% more VMTs on roads in Prince George’s County than they did in Montgomery County. More significantly, Prince George's County also tops Montgomery County with 316% more VMTs on major urban arteries, which are inherently more dangerous than limited access highways like the Beltway or I-270. Drivers on Route 310 or Martin Luther King Highway often reach highway speeds, even as these roads have stop-light controlled intersections and pedestrians frequently walking on the shoulder.

The most notorious of these arteries is Indian Head Highway (Route 210). At 23 miles long, it represents only about 1% of the county’s approximately 2,000 miles of state-maintained roads.

According to the Route 210 Traffic Safety Committee, 13% (5 out

The human-to-human connection involved in local politics is important, Lee said. “You’re not gonna see President Biden at Giant,” she joked. “You may see me at Giant.”

Lee works as an executive administrative assistant. When she's not working or walking Lew, she enjoys gardening, spending time with her family, doing crafts and volunteering.

Lee said that Ward 4 is unique because it doesn’t have very many businesses, but instead consists of houses and apartments. It’s a very connected area, Lee said, noting that many of her neighbors live down the street or around the corner from their family members. How-

ever, many residents struggle to feel connected to the City of Hyattsville itself, she noted.

“I’ve always been a community-oriented person,” Lee said. While on council, she is excited to learn about the behindthe-scenes aspects of city government. She also wants to focus on listening to constituents and helping Ward 4 residents feel connected to the broader Hyattsville community and become more engaged in the city’s civic life.

Lee encouraged Ward 4 residents to reach out to her with any concerns at mlee@hyattsville.org. “I will never say I have all the answers,” she said — but that won’t stop her from trying to get them.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reported that SUVs and pickup trucks are about three times more likely to injure or kill a pedestrian than a sedan traveling at the same speed.

2019. One theory regarding this suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic cut commutes for many, resulting in fewer drivers on the roads, and those who were still driving did so at higher speeds.

Regardless of the pandemic's impact, certain roads in Prince George’s County are notorious for speeding and street racing. In 2008, eight pedestrians were killed while they were watching an illegal race on Route 210. In recent years, residents along St. Barnabas and Ritchie Marlboro roads have also reported an uptick in speeding vehicles.

injury or death.

For almost a decade, sales of SUVs and pickup trucks have outnumbered car sales across the country. In 2020, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) reported that SUVs and pickup trucks are about three times more likely to injure or kill a pedestrian than a sedan traveling at the same speed. In 2023, IIHS reported that SUVs and pickups moving at any speed posed twice the risk of death for cyclists and caused 60% more serious head injuries than an accident involving a smaller vehicle.

of 36) of the county’s pedestrian fatalities and about 8% (10 out of 122) of the total traffic deaths occurred on this road in 2022. National Safety Council data show that injuries and deaths related to speeding have been increasing nationwide since

As part of its participation in the Zero Deaths Maryland traffic safety program, the county reported that driver and passenger fatalities related to speeding doubled from 10 in 2019, to 20 in 2021. Because of improvements in seat belts and air bags, accidents at moderate speeds, 35 mph for instance, may leave drivers and passengers unharmed, but the risk goes up significantly in high-speed accidents. For pedestrians, being hit by cars moving at even modestly higher speeds can mean serious

“SUVs tend to knock riders down, where they can also be run over, rather than vaulting them onto the hood of the vehicle,” said IIHS statistician Sam Monfort. “That’s probably because the higher front end of an SUV strikes the cyclist above their center of gravity.”

Paul Ruffins is a citizen scientist and professor of curiosity.

Michelle Lee is the new Ward 4 city councilmember. COURTESY OF MICHELLE LEE

Between 2018 and 2022, pedestrians in Prince George’s County were more than twice as likely to die in traffic accidents compared to pedestrians in Montgomery County. PAUL RUFFINS

MISS FLORIBUNDA

Mulling over mulch

Dear Miss Floribunda,

Because of a dry spring season and now long stretches without sustained rain, I’m using a lot of mulch on my garden. I’ve found from bitter experience that wood chips just compact the soil, steal nutrients as they decompose, and, ironically, keep moisture from reaching the roots of my plants. This year I’ve used the lighter shredded wood mulch, but I’m finding that while some seedlings I’ve planted got smothered, plenty of weeds are doing just fine.

I’m thinking of saving fallen leaves this coming autumn, mowing them, and using them as mulch. However, a large part of my garden is on an incline, which is the reason I’ve replaced certain portions of grass that became too difficult to mow with a few small shrubs. I wonder if the leaves wouldn’t blow or slip away. I’ve also heard of “green” groundcovers that create a protective carpet composed of other plants, but wouldn’t that compete with the plants I have? I’d appreciate some guidance here.

Mulch Obliged on Oliver Street

Dear Mulch Obliged, I have turned for advice to my groundcover guru, Kathy Jentz: publisher and editor of Washington Gardener magazine;

editor of The Azalean, Water Garden Journal and Fanfare; coauthor of The Urban Gardener; and most recently author of Groundcover Revolution. (The following interview was edited for brevity.)

Floribunda: Ms. Jentz, what do you think Mulch Obliged should do?

Jentz: I advise using groundcover plants as green mulch. Once they are in the ground, you don’t have to worry about replacing them again — as opposed to the twice-yearly chore of mulching with wood chips or shredded bark. Green mulch suppresses weeds, holds in moisture and moderates the soil temperature — keeping soil cooler in summer and warmer in winter — at least as well or better than non-living mulch.

F: Would these compete with the plants already in place?

J: That should not be an issue. Most groundcovers combine well and can be layered in the same bed with perennials, bulbs and shrubs, plus trees.

F: What do you think of using fallen leaves as mulch?

J: I think it’s a great idea, and inexpensive, but one large thunderstorm can wash it away, especially if there is a slope. Also, think of the labor involved in that and other kinds of conventional mulching. People don’t always calculate the price of their own labor when comparing costs.

F: Doesn’t the cost of purchasing plants add up a bit? How would you compare the expense of acquiring plants with buying mulch twice a year?

J: It's true that upfront expense is greater with green mulch. In time, however, you save money as well as effort. Once the plants are established, they never have to be replaced.

F: What are some of the best plants to use as ground covers instead of grass?

J: Carex is the groundcover that most resembles turf grass, but I’ve provided 40 profiles in my book to help gardeners make an informed choice. Some groundcovers are good in sun, others in shade. Some thrive in boggy spots with poor drainage, while others do well in dry spots. Some spread quickly, others more slowly. Some tolerate clay and even somewhat salty soils. Many are native and attract pollinators, and the list goes

make quick reference easy, I’ve provided detailed charts as well.

F: Personally, I'd like to know what to plant in my garden under a large tree with prominent roots where nothing will grow. I think this is a fairly typical example of what a lot of homeowners encounter.

J: You are probably contending with dry shade, and so I’d recommend epimedium. I would advise getting small plugs rather than plants in larger pots grown in nurseries because you don’t want to damage the tree roots when you dig. Also, nursery-grown plants take longer to acclimate to a new situation, and they don’t naturalize as well.

F: I am hoping that you can find time to come to Hyattsville to give a talk about this topic in the near future. In the meantime, what in general would you like my readers to know?

J: The trend today is to replace most turf grass with groundcovers. Along with the many ecological advantages, such as lower water use and the elimination of the need for chemical fertilizers and weed killers, they require much less maintenance and are less expensive in the long run. Visually, they are much more interesting.

F: Yes, indeed. Thank you very much for giving me your time.

Please check the Hyattsville Horticultural Society’s website, hyattsvillehorticulture.org, for information about upcoming events.

Miss Floribunda writes about gardening for the Life & Times. You may email her at missfloribundav@ gmail.com.

Wood mulch may not be the best choice for your long-term garden plans. PEXELS

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Our list of events sponsored by local nonprofits, arts organizations and performance venues, occurring between Aug. 8 and Sept. 12; all information is current as of Aug. 4. For events and meetings organized by the City of Hyattsville, see the Hyattsville Reporter in the newspaper’s centerfold.

Please send notices of events that will take place between Sept. 13 and Oct. 9 to managingeditor@ hyattsvillelife.com by Sept. 7.

RECURRING

Busboys and Poets hosts an open mic for poets every Thursday. $5. 8 to 10 p.m. 5331 Baltimore Ave. 301.779.2787. Busboysandpoets.com

Weekly acoustic blues jams, in the Piedmont blues tradition. Proof of vaccination required. Listeners welcome! Free. Saturdays 1 to 5 p.m. Archie Edwards Blues Foundation, 4502 Hamilton St. Acousticblues.com

Sharpen your drawing skills in a relaxed, informal setting at Hyattsville figure drawing group's drop-in drawing sessions at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center. Bring your own art supplies; drawing boards and chairs provided. $20/session or $75/5-session punch card or $15/session for Pyramid Atlantic members. Tuesdays, 6 to 9 p.m. 4218 Gallatin St. hyattsvillefiguredrawing@ gmail.com

AUGUST 11

Join Lux choir for “Legacy,” a concert celebrating the 150th birthdays of Max Reger and Sergei Rachmaninoff and the legacies of their contemporaries Amy Beach and R. Nathaniel Dett. Paywhat-you-wish: $40 suggested, $15 minimum. Tickets online at choirlux.concerto.website/ events/29. 7 p.m. St. Jerome Catholic Church, 5205 43rd Ave. 301.927.6684

ONGOING UNTIL AUGUST 24

Hyattsville’s Education Advisory Committee (EAC) is calling on neighbors and friends to help make sure students are equipped to succeed in school and overcome pandemic learning loss. Help the EAC distribute free school supplies before school begins on Aug. 28.

The school supply drive will run until Aug. 24, with the goal of meeting the needs of at least 500 Hyattsville students: amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/K7FEXDYEJFI0?ref_=wl_share. Please send supplies to the Education Advisory Committee, 4310 Gallatin St., Hyattsville, MD 20781.

AUGUST 12

Come tour the new Hyattsville Middle School! Noon to 4 p.m. 6001 42nd Ave. Questions? Email chanita.stamper@pgcps. org.

AUGUST 17

Bring your kids and enjoy Blue Sky Puppet Theatre’s “Pig Tales,” with a guest appearance of “2 Billy Goats Ruff,” presented by the Hyattsville Preservation Association. Free. 7 p.m. The large pavilion at Driskell Park off of 40th Ave. and Hamilton St. hpahyattsville@hotmail.com

AUGUST 19

The authors of Is This Autism? will be signing books and hosting a neuro-inclusive Sensory Food Bar so attendees can learn more about the sensory aspects of foods they love. 7 p.m. My Dead Aunt’s Books, 5132 Baltimore Ave. Mydeadauntsbooks.com

AUGUST 26

The ‘80s and ‘90s rock band Totoro plays at Streetcar 82 Brewing Co. Free. 7 to 9 p.m.4824 Rhode Island Ave. Streetcar82brewing.com

SEPTEMBER 10

The sixth annual Hyattsville Porchfest, sponsored by the Hyattsville Preservation

Tel 301-779-0522

Fax 301-927-1815 M-Thu

Association, features a whole lot of neighbors playing music and performing on a whole lot of neighborhood porches. Free. 2 to 6 p.m. Details will be posted on preservehyattsville.org when available. 301.699.0440

RE-WILDING

FROM PAGE 4

in a likely location — probably using chemical cues to make sure there is an ant colony nearby — and broadcasts her eggs on top of the dust or sand.

Depending on the antlion species and how good their supply of ants is, the larval stage can last a few months or over winter. The mature larva spins a silk cocoon — very similar to the cocoons of moths — at the bottom of its pit. A winged adult emerges from this cocoon.

Our most common antlion is the spotted-winged antlion (Dendroleon obsoletus), whose pit traps you can often see in sandy soil along river banks and in abandoned sandboxes, among other places. But perhaps our most beautiful antlion doesn’t build pits at all. It’s the aptly named picture-winged antlion (Glenurus gratus), whose dazzling pink-and-black wings resemble stained glass.

The larva is an ambush preda-

tor at the bottom of dry tree holes, burying itself in the accumulated debris and grabbing passing prey. The largest antlion in Maryland is the giant antlion (Vella americana). In Maryland, it’s only found on beaches in Worcester County, around Assateague Island, where it also forgoes digging pits in favor of lying in wait to ambush prey. Look for their trails across sandy paths in the dunes.

Antlions also have a firm place in the cinematic history of the Star Trek universe: They’re the model for the alien parasite that Khan puts in Chekov’s ear to render him biddable in the film “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan”! (youtube. com/watch?v=3i42Smtbmeg)

Have questions for Rick about the world of nature in and around the city, or suggestions for future “Re-wilding Route 1” columns? Drop him a note at rborchelt@gmail.com.

homicide of a fourth student on a school bus, but surveillance footage suggests they were wearing hoodies, and not backpacks. On July 10, a loaded gun was safely confiscated from a student’s waistband at a Central High School summer program.

PGCPS board member for District 3, Pamela BoozerStrother, offered a statement to the Life & Times over email, saying security was a “top level concern” and that PGCPS will be monitoring the new security measures for effectiveness.

A similar clear backpacks rule in Broward County, Fla., recently led to a swift parent backlash, with parents arguing the backpacks violated student privacy, were a waste of funds, and would not make students safer, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel The rule was then quickly reversed in June.

The other new PGCPS security policy involves installing Opengate AI weapons detectors in a four-phase rollout at all high schools and several middle schools over the next year, costing an estimated $4.09 million total, with $2.07 million coming from grant money. The district will pilot the units at six high schools right away and aims to install them in all high schools by October, then in some middle schools at a later date.

Boozer-Strother said the decision to introduce weapons detectors was made by the previous superintendent but that board members encountered the CEIA Opengate systems last year at association conferences.

Opengate’s intended target is

“high caliber assault weapons and other large mass casualty metal threats,” according to a CEIA press release. In an interview with Campus Safety magazine, a CEIA representative acknowledged the company does not consider pocket knives and other smaller weapons to be a mass-casualty threat. He noted that if the sensitivity were set that high, there would be frequent false alarms such that students “would no longer be able to carry a backpack full of stuff.”

When asked about this issue, county schools spokesperson Raven Hill said, “We can let students know what to remove prior to screening.”

Recent local and national data involving guns in schools indicate that most shootings occur outside in areas not subject to screening, like parking lots, bus stops and ball fields. A Life & Times analysis of recorded gun incidents at

Managing Editor Griffin Limerick griffin@streetcarsuburbs.news

Associate Editor Heather Wright heather@hyattsvillelife.com

Layout & Design Editors

Ashley Perks, Valerie Morris

Streetcar Suburbs Web Editor Sophie Gorman Oriani sophie@streetcarsuburbs.news

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Writers & Contributors

Imke Ahlf-Wien, Rick Borchelt, Victoria Boucher, Paul Ruffins, Kit Slack, Claire Panak Tombes, Freddy Wolfe, Heather Marléne Zadig

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301.531.5234

PGCPS campuses from January 2022-present (from news reports and national databases) found just four out of the 20 documented gun incidents involved attempted or actual shootings; of those, none occurred inside school buildings. Additionally, county district data of incidents involving school resource officers (SROs) in 2017-20 show a tiny fraction involved firearms — 0.1% of all SRO incidents, while the sum of all physical attacks, bullying and other personal threats made up 46.6% of SRO disciplinary situations. Data from Hyattsville’s Northwestern High School from 2017-22 classified zero incidents as involving firearms, with 3.3% involving other weapons, and physical attacks/ personal threats making up 21.5% of discipline events.

When presented with Life & Times data showing outdoor locations for recent shootings and the largely weapons-free

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Board of Directors

President: Stephanie Stullich

Vice President & General Counsel: Michael Walls

Treasurer: Joe Murchison

Secretary: Melanie Dzwonchyk

Bette Dickerson, Nora Eidelman, Joseph Gigliotti, Maxine Gross, Merrill Hartson, Marta McLellan Ross, T. Carter Ross

Ex Officios: Katie V. Jones, Griffin Limerick, Elizabeth Shirley

Circulation: Copies are distributed monthly by U.S. mail to every address in Hyattsville. Additional copies are distributed to libraries, selected businesses, community centers and churches in the city. Total circulation is 9,300.

HL&T is a member of the National Newspaper Association and the Institute for Nonprofit News.

We hid various weapons, including a Glock 27, three pocket pistol-sized toy guns, a long knife, three box-cutters, two tactical knives, and a hacksaw, in a student’s clear backpack using only basic school supplies.

HEATHER MARLÉNE ZADIG

nature of violence in PGCPS schools, Hill said, “We view the security screeners as another tool in our toolbox and believe training and evaluating best practices will make all members — students and staff — of the PGCPS community safe.”

Most research on metal detectors in schools, including a comprehensive 2011 U.S. government meta-analysis, suggests that they have little to no impact on school safety and may actually make things worse. According to the U.S. Secret Service and the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, improving school

culture and climate has the biggest impact on reducing school violence, along with threat assessment and targeted prevention and counseling.

Boozer-Strother highlighted the district’s continuation of the Hazel Health online portal offering free teletherapy to all PGCPS students. County schools spokesperson Meghan Gebreselassie noted over email that the district is spending $1.8 million to expand school wellness centers (which offer physical healthcare). She also cited grant funds for mental health training and supports, parent support centers and community schools partnerships, among other areas.

A review of the proposed 2024 PGCPS budget shows that several offices tasked with supporting school climate and student mental health had either significant decreases or only negligible increases over the previous year’s estimate: community schools (-41.7%), family and school partnerships (+0.1%), and student services (-29.4%). There were no requested staffing increases for psychologists, social workers, therapists or guidance counselors in the proposed 2024 budget. The proposed budget does request an additional 11 fulltime security personnel from 2023 estimated levels, for a total of 21 new security staff since 2022. The district’s safety and security office has one of the largest increases in requested 2024 funding of any office, at +7.4%.

CORRECTIONS

May’s "Science of the City" column incorrectly stated that the 2022 rate of pedestrian fatalities in Prince George’s County was approximately 12 per 100,000 residents. That rate was for total traffic fatalities. Based on data from the Maryland Department of Transportation, Prince George’s County had a pedestrian fatality rate of 3.8 per 100,000 residents in 2022.

Our July article “County school bus drivers blame shortage on low pay” originally stated that late buses caused students to miss “200 hours of instruction time per week.” The correct figure is “200 minutes of instruction time per student per week.”

Seeking Volunteers

The University of Maryland’s Legacy Leadership Institute on Public Policy, in partnership with the state of Maryland, is looking for volunteers age 50+ to serve as volunteer legislative leaders during the 2023-2024 legislative session of the Maryland General Assembly.

Part 1: 12 week course, 8/29/2023 - 12/5/2023

Part 2: Volunteer hours, 1/10/2024 - 4/8/2024 (2 days/week)

For more information or an application, contact Wesley Queen at wqueen@umd.edu

Hyattsville police officers responded to a report that an individual was seen spray-painting the recently completed street art.

Witnesses told the officers they observed a man fleeing the scene in a dark blue Toyota Camry, which was later identified as carrying a falsified tag.

Officers continued to patrol the area and observed the suspect return at 10 p.m. and begin to spray-paint the art again. Officers stopped the suspect and identified him as Kenny Antonio Guevara. While talking with officers, Guevara stated that he spraypainted over the art because he thought it represented gay pride.

Guevara was arrested and charged with malicious destruction of property and a hate crime.

“We are very disappointed to see this new amenity defaced by someone motivated by hate,” Hyattsville Mayor Robert Croslin said in a press release. “I want to reassure the community that we will not tolerate acts of hate in the City of Hyattsville and we are working to restore the artwork as quickly as possible.” The spray paint was removed by the city shortly after the incident.

The art piece, named “Quilted Crossing,” was installed less than a week before the vandalism and was not originally inspired by the pride flag.

“One of the neighbors brought it to our attention that there’s a really strong fiber arts community in Hyattsville,” said Graham CoreilAllen, the artist behind “Quilted Crossing” and the founder of Graham Projects, a Baltimore-based design-build agency that creates public art pieces aimed at pedestrian play and safety.

Coreil-Allen said the main intent of the artwork was for traffic

calming.

Traffic calming is a system of design and management strategies that aim to balance traffic on streets with other uses. “When we introduce these really bright colors, … it really jumps out visually, so that car drivers are a little more aware,” said Coreil-Allen.

“This art helps to say, ‘This is a place, not just a space.’”

Some of the other traffic calming methods that the city has used in the area are retrofitted stop signs with blinking lights, speed bumps, bicycle markers and curb extensions (curb extensions visually and physically narrow the roadway, creating safer and shorter crossings for pedestrians).

The city’s Community Paint Day at the Community Quilt Street Art event on July 22 invited Hyattsville residents to join the artist in restoring and expanding the art piece. Dozens of neighbors and community members painted the sidewalk alongside artists from Graham Projects. “We’re happy that when we advertised this event, the community really came out, and all of the spots that we had were filled,” said Taylor Robey, a city public works employee.

“The community was upset, you know — it kind of struck our ideals of diversity and inclusion, and that it happened during gay Pride month was particularly offensive to many,” said City Councilmember Danny Schaible (Ward 2) at the community repainting day.

“I heard from many constituents; our local listserv was lit up on this

topic. And there was just a desire by the community to do something to kind of reclaim the space.”

Coreil-Allen emphasized how integral pride culture is to his practice, noting that several of his team members were a part of the LGBTQ community. “When this was interpreted as an explicit pride flag and then attacked as such, that was disheartening,” he said, “but it was very uplifting to see the community's positive response and coming together today to help extend that artwork even further out.”

Freddy Wolfe is an intern with the Life & Times.

On July 22, dozens of Hyattsville residents joined artists from Graham Projects to restore and expand the street art piece, “Quilted Crossing,” at the intersection of Jefferson Street and 40th Avenue after it was vandalized in June. FREDDY WOLFE

Meet the new PGCPS superintendent

By Kit Slack

When Millard House II started work as superintendent of Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) this summer, he put more than 500 miles on his car in about two weeks, getting to know the different neighborhoods where the county’s 130,000 students live.

“There are major equity issues in the community,” he said at a July 11 press conference, held in Upper Marlboro. “We all know students come to school bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and ready to learn, but they can’t help their zip code. … They can’t help what experiences they are coming with — or without.”

House, 51, began his 27-year career in education as a PE teacher in Tulsa, Okla. A local principal recruited him from a barbershop after she noticed that students seemed drawn to him, according to the Houston Chronicle.

At the July press conference, House emphasized the importance of students “having a loving adult who wants them at school, needs them at school, and wants to see them succeed.”

House said he became inter-

ested in the job at an event in the District this past spring, after a huddle with two former heads of the county school system: Monica Goldson (2018-23) and William Hite (2008-12).

This will be House’s third time addressing pandemic learning loss as the head of a school system: He was the superintendent of the Clarksville-Montgomery County School system in Tennessee for four years ending in 2021, and of the Houston school system for the past two years.

“Now is too late,” he said of the need to intervene quickly to improve student achievement in Prince George’s County.

House said he plans to deliver, by mid-August, a 90-day plan showing what he will focus on

during his first three months.

While he declined to give details on the plan, House referred reporters to a similar plan he used for his first three months in Houston.

“I’m not going to reinvent the wheel,” he said.

Goals of the Houston plan included improved academic achievement for third graders, improved college and career readiness, and improvements in reading for children receiving special education services.

During House’s tenure in Houston, the number of schools failing to meet state standards dropped from 40 to nine, according to Houston Public Media. House left Houston this spring after a court approved a state takeover of Houston Public Schools — that takeover was being litigated when House accepted the Houston job.

When asked, during a June 7 event, what attracted him to the county, House mentioned personal family ties, a lack of partisan political conflict, and the county’s focus on innovation.

Prior to holding the top role at school districts in Tennessee and Texas, House rose through the ranks in Tulsa, Okla., schools, serving first as a public school

principal, then as the founder and leader of a middle school that was part of the KIPP charter school network, and eventually as a deputy superintendent.

House’s father was a history teacher who helped lead desegregation in the Tulsa school district, and his mother was a first grade teacher who became a school counselor.

In Tulsa, House has a reputation as “firm, fair, and unflappable,” according to an extensive 2021 profile by Jacob Carpenter of the Houston Chronicle

Pamela Boozer-Strother, the elected county school board representative for District 3, which includes Hyattsville, referred to House as a middle school specialist. She said that House was enthusiastic about the new Hyattsville Middle School set to open this fall, and that he’d join her there for the opening celebration event on Aug. 12 (see Calendar, p. 9).

Boozer-Strother’s work on the school board has focused on school construction and the PGCPS climate change action plan passed last year, which she said House supports and embraces.

When asked in press conferenc-

es about his plan to address longstanding school board infighting, House has said he intends to spend time with school board members outside of public meetings to build relationships and establish shared expectations.

“Students don’t move forward until adults are working toward a common goal,” he emphasized.

House's administration in Houston was popular with teachers’ unions: He negotiated an 11% raise for teachers. He said in an early June press conference that 95% of Houston teachers were staying in their jobs for the coming year.

In Prince George’s County, as of early July, 10% of teacher positions remained unfilled, about the same as in 2022.

County Executive Angela Alsobrooks announced House’s appointment on June 7. Following a process laid out in state law, Alsobrooks chose House from three finalists selected by a three-person committee appointed by the governor. That committee included former Hyattsville Mayor Candace Hollingsworth, state board of education member Warner Sumpter, and retired PGCPS teacher Oretha Bridgwater-Simms.

Superintendent Millard House II in Upper Marlboro last month KIT SLACK