3rd places serve as home away from home
By OLIVER MACK
When University of Maryland (UMD) freshman Ashna Balroop is in College Park taking classes, she spends most of her time in two places: her on-campus dorm room and the classroom.
But she also has a third place: Casey’s Coffee on Campus Drive, where she likes to hang out when she has free time.
“I’ll just be looking at other people and people-watching,” Balroop, a journalism major, said. “I just love the human condition. I just love seeing what other people order to figure out what my next order for coffee is going to be.”
Balroop isn’t the only one who enjoys spending time in what has become known as “third places”—coffee shops, public plazas, churches and shopping centers, for example—to meet friends, study, scroll on their phones or relax.
Around College Park, coffee shops like Vigilante Coffee, Compass Coffee and Starbucks, or shops that allow customers to linger, like Shop Made in Maryland, are third places for a growing number of busy students and residents who are making these venues their home away from home.
Other locations that attract people looking for somewhere to go besides home and work are the College Park Woods Clubhouse, Lake Artemesia, McKeldin Library, Paint Branch Trail and Proteus Brews, inside of the Proteus Bicycles store, according to residents.
Another hangout is The Board and Brew on Baltimore Avenue, where resident Dennis Zhao, whose family lives in College Park, likes to spend his free time. Zhao, who graduated from UMD with a computer science degree in May, said the city needs
SEE 3RD PLACES ON 10
Feds name College Park, Hyattsville as ‘sanctuary jurisdictions’
By SHARON O’MALLEY
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on June 1 removed from its website a list of states, counties and cities—including College Park and Hyattsville—that it had identified as “sanctuary jurisdictions.”
The list, published on May 29, included
500 jurisdictions nationwide, including eight counties and 10 cities in Maryland, as well as the state. In a press release from DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, the agency threatened to deny federal funds to those on the list.
During an appearance on Fox’s Sunday Morning Futures, Noem said removing the list was a response to blowback from “some of the cities. They think that because they don’t have one law or another on the books that they don’t qualify but they do qualify.”
The National Sheriffs’ Association accused DHS of creating the list without input from law enforcement and called on the agency to “publicly denounce” the report.
No universally accepted definition for
College Park Here & Now celebrates 5th anniversary
By RHIANNON EVANS
College Park’s monthly newspaper is celebrating its fifth anniversary this year at a time when local news organizations are closing in record numbers.
College Park Here & Now, operated by the nonprofit Streetcar Suburbs Publishing, sends a 16-page printed newspaper to every address in the city and publishes a digital edition and a weekly newsletter.
“I think that local news, local journalism, is more important now than ever,”
Sharon O’Malley, the newspaper’s man-
aging editor since February 2024, said.
“There’s a lot of activity at the federal level right now, and we need to know all of that. But more important for us is, how does that affect College Park?”
Still, according to the Medill Local News Initiative’s 2024 report from Northwestern University, more than 3,200 local news organizations across the country have ceased operation since 2005. Despite this trend, O’Malley said College Park residents have let her know the newspaper is important to them.
COLLEGE PARK’S AWARD-WINNING
University of Maryland student Evan Kim spends time at Compass Coffee, a College Park coffee shop that some consider a “third place.” LILLIAN GLAROS
Council considers raising fines for violations of city ordinances
By MADI EADES
The fines residents pay for violating the city’s noise ordinance, building codes and other laws are likely to increase this fall.
At a College Park City Council work session on June 3, councilmembers agreed that it’s time to review the city’s list of more than 1,000 fines, which for the most part have not increased since the 1990s.
“We need to make sure that, you know, our fines are at a level where, when a code enforcement officer gives a municipal infraction, it has a sting,”
Councilmember Maria Mackie (District 4) said. “Hopefully, one time will be enough to deter that behavior.”
A state law that will take effect on Oct. 1 allows municipalities to raise fines from the current maximum of $1,000 per offense to $5,000.
Director of Public Services
Jatinder Khokhar said many of the city’s fines are less than $1,000 per offense and that violators sometimes “just write us a check and they don’t take that seriously.”
Mackie agreed.
“It would be great if everybody followed the rules and we didn’t have to give fines,” Mackie said.
“That would be great, but that’s
not the world we live in, and we have to get our fines up to date.”
Councilmember John Rigg (District 3) said some landlords in his district, which is close to the University of Maryland, have “persistently problematic, noisy residences [and] sort of figure into the cost of doing business one or two $1,000 fees per year.”
Councilmember Ray Ranker (District 3) echoed Rigg’s remark.
“We all know of these places in our districts that just continue to, you know, flip their nose at the kind of city that we want to be, and the way to treat your neighbors and be in a community, and aren’t following these provisions,” Ranker said.
City attorney Stephanie Anderson noted that the city is not required to raise fines to $5,000; that is the new ceiling. City officials may raise fines, if they choose, to any level up to that maximum.
Khokhar called the new state law “definitely one of the stronger tools in our toolbox to be able to handle all of these scenarios with a different type of enforcement than we are doing.”
Khokhar recommended that the city increase fines for failing to obtain business permits, and for violating fire safety codes,
housing regulations, occupancy limits, and noise and public nuisance ordinances, among others.
Fine hikes will “enhance safety and the quality of enforcement of these ordinances,” Khokhar said.
Councilmembers identified noise violations as a key concern for the city and suggested that they could warrant better enforcement and higher fees. Noise complaints in College Park increased by 60% from April 2024 to April 2025, according to the Prince George’s County Police Department, Hyattsville Division.
Some councilmembers said they favor a tiered approach to fines, so repeat offenders pay more than first-time violators.
Ranker said a resident in his College Park Estates neighborhood pays a $1,000 fine again and again for continuously dumping construction materials in the back yard.
The next step for councilmembers and staff is to come up with a plan for reviewing current fines and deciding which ones to increase. The City Council will hold a second work session about fines before Oct. 1.
Students study potential 15-minute neighborhoods
By CHARLOTTE KANNER
University of Maryland graduate students have come up with a proposal to make four College Park neighborhoods more walkable, connected and inclusive. Twenty-four students in an urban planning course studied the College Park communities of Old Town, Lakeland, Calvert Hills and Hollywood and found that some residents struggle to access fresh food and essential services like healthcare and safe transit with-
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out relying on a car, professor Riem Elzoghbi said.
“College Park is a conglomeration of very specific, unique neighborhoods that all have their beauty and they’re wonderful, thriving neighborhoods,” Elzoghbi said.
During a May 6 presentation to the College Park City Council, seven of the students outlined a model to reduce car dependence, improve quality of life and support healthier, more sustainable communities. The model, called
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the 15-minute city, is based on an urban planning concept that would locate grocery stores, doctors, employers and other daily services within a 15-minute walk, bike ride or public transit trip from any point in the community.
Miriam Bader, the city’s director of planning and community development, said she suggested that the students explore the 15-minute city concept when Elzoghbi offered her class for a city project. The school project is part of the university’s Partnership for
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Board of Directors
President: Marta McLellan Ross
Vice President & General Counsel: Michael Walls
Treasurer: Joe Murchison
Secretary: Melanie Dzwonchyk
Bette Dickerson, Nora Eidelman, Joseph Gigliotti, Maxine Gross, Merrill Hartson, T. Carter Ross, Stephanie Stullich
Ex Officios: Katie V. Jones, Griffin Limerick, Sharon O'Malley, Kit Slack
Circulation: Copies are distributed monthly by U.S. mail to every address in College Park. Additional copies are
Action Learning in Sustainability program, which engages students with practical experience working on projects with government agencies, Elzoghbi said.
Elzoghbi said the course builds on work started last spring, when students identified the four communities as already having some components of a 15-minute neighborhood, like access to public transportation, making them prime candidates for the model.
The students collaborated with the Lakeland Civic Association, the North College Park Civic Association, and the city’s Senior Advisory Committee and Department of Planning and Community Development.
Bader said the 15-minute neighborhood concept reflects a shift away from older urban planning practices that separated residential, commercial and industrial zones.
“Recent planning is to mix uses so that way, a person could live, play, work, all within a 15-minute walk,” Bader said.
Hollywood residents complained that poor street lighting, traffic congestion on Rhode Island Avenue and Edgewood Road, and a lack of protected bike lanes make walking and biking
difficult, Elzoghbi said.
“We actually had a site visit at night, and that was the first thing students noticed—the lack of lighting and how unsafe it felt,” Elzoghbi said.
Lakeland faces different challenges. Residents expressed frustration with limited public transportation, few grocery options and concerns about being excluded from development decisions, student George Chen said during the presentation. Many also said they worry about preserving their neighborhood’s history.
“Residents want a digital archive that captures their full history all in one place,” student Brandi Cypress, who worked on the Lakeland portion of the project, said.
Calvert Hills faces zoning barriers that limit new development, the students learned. Because many homes there were built before 1942, the area’s historic designation makes redevelopment difficult, student Thomas Suchecki said during the presentation. While grocery options improved with the addition of Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods, healthcare remains limited and few businesses operate within the neighborhood, Suchecki added.
College Park City Councilmember Maria Mackie (District 4) says increasing fines for violating city ordinances could “deter that behavior.”
GIUSEPPE LOPICCOLO
City to install stop sign cameras
By EVONY SALMERON
The College Park City Council on June 3 approved the installation of stop sign cameras in five locations.
The cameras will operate at the intersections of Edgewood Road and 52nd Place; College and Yale avenues; St. Andrews Place and Davidson Street; Rhode Island Avenue and Lakeland Road; and Calvert Road and Rhode Island Avenue.
“This is an accountability measure that can help keep not only pedestrians safe, but also bikers safe, and, I mean, even just motor vehicle operators,” Councilmember Jacob Hernandez (District 1) said at an Oct. 8 council workshop about the cameras.
The state in March 2024 authorized cities in Prince George’s County to install stop sign cameras in school zones and issue tickets to violators.
The Prince George’s County Council passed enabling legislation in December.
The cameras will operate in school zones near the University of Maryland and Hollywood, Paint Branch and Cherokee Lane elementary schools.
Including College Park, seven of the county’s cities have installed or are testing the cameras. Dhruv Maheshwari, president of Obvio, which collected data for College Park during a trial run last fall, said in a press release that cameras in Morningside have cut stop sign violations in half and in Colmar Manor, by 38%.
In September, College Park installed cameras at nine locations for three weeks to record cars as they stopped or drove through stop signs. The AI-based cameras showed up to 400 violations a day and found that between 61% and 91% of cars did not come to a full stop across all locations. In one video, a driver swerved around another car to run a stop sign.
“This culture has to change,”
Councilmember Alan Hew (District 1) said at the October meeting.
“We just noticed that this was actually a huge problem [countywide],” Maheshwari said at the meeting, noting, “There’s not enough officer enforcement [so] people feel that they can just cut through these different streets.”
Each driver who runs a stop sign will pay a $40 fine. The vendor, which will pay to install the solar-powered equipment, will keep almost 50% of the ticket revenue, while the city retains the rest, which, by law, must be invested in public safety.
Councilmember Maria Mackie (District 4) said the motivation behind the city ordinance allowing stop sign cameras is safety, not profit.
Mackie said educating the public about the purpose of the cameras might help the city avoid misunderstandings.
Mayor Pro Tem Denise Mitchell (District 4) agreed, noting that when the city installed six speed-enforcement cameras, “everybody was taking videos
on [Metzerott Road] and … accused us of being a revenue-generating city council. … I think the education piece is going to be beneficial.”
Mark Schroeder, who chairs College Park’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, said he supports the move to install cameras but raised a concern about capturing images of pedestrians walking near stop signs. The county council must approve the locations before the city can install stop sign cameras.
CAMERA LOCATIONS
• Edgewood Road and 52nd Place
• College Avenue and Yale Avenue
• St. Andrews Place and Davidson Street
• Rhode Island Avenue and Lakeland Road
• Calvert Road and Rhode Island Avenue
NEWS BRIEFS
New budget. The College Park City Council on May 20 approved a $29.8 million budget for fiscal year 2026 that will add three full-time staff members to City Hall and does not include a property tax hike.
The balanced budget—which means expenditures do not exceed income—is “good news” for College Park, Mayor Fazlul Kabir said at the May 20 council meeting. “The state and county, they are going through deficits, but in College Park, we … have a very healthy reserve. We are not touching that.”
The approved budget is less than 1% higher than last year’s, which raised residential property taxes by 11% and came in at 10.8% higher than the fiscal year 2024 budget.
The new budget year begins July 1.
Ker-mencement. The beloved Muppets character Kermit the Frog delivered the commencement address to the University of Maryland’s Class of 2025 on May 23, dressed in puppet-sized academic regalia and offering a message of helpfulness.
“Life is not a solo act. No, it’s not,” Kermit said from the podium. “It’s a big, messy, delightful ensemble piece, especially when you are with your people. … Life
is better when we leap together.”
The creator of the Muppets, Jim Henson, who died in 1990, graduated from UMD in 1960. Kermit, voiced by puppeteer Matt Vogel, concluded his speech by comparing life to a movie and advising the 13,500 graduates to “write your own ending, keep believing, keep pretending,” before inviting the audience to sing “Rainbow Connection” along with him.
No more hazing. An investigation into hazing at fraternities and sororities at the University of Maryland has ended with a report that recommends “a complete reimagination of fraternity and sorority life.”
The investigation was prompted by accusations involving students who were burned with cigarettes, paddled by their peers and forced to eat live fish, among other initiation dares.
An outside firm hired to investigate the claims interviewed 175 students and recommended a program of anti-hazing education, more transparency around claims of misconduct and an update of university policies around hazing.
Grand opening. Taqueria Habanero officially opened in its new location at 7410 Baltimore
Ave. on May 9. Before moving to downtown College Park, the casual Mexican restaurant had relocated to a food truck in North College Park when its former home in Campus Village Shoppes closed in October 2023 to make room for a student housing complex.
Fly-by. Newly acquired Washington Commanders cornerback Jonathan Jones literally flew into the College Park Airport in Maryland on May 27, where he greeted a few dozen fans gathered at the aviation museum.
The point was to inspire people, especially young people, to become pilots.
(CASA)
MORE INFORMATION: www.pgcasa.org 301-209-0491 volunteer@pgcasa.org
Jones, 31, has been flying for three years and is a private pilot capable of flying on instru-
ments. He uses the discipline he has learned from playing football while flying.
“I can remember the first time they let me take the controls. It was a feeling like I should have been here before … so I just fell in love with aviation at that point,” Jones said. “There’s a lot of pressure [playing football]. There’s a moment that you have to block all of that out and focus.”
—Courtesy of WTOP
Star-studded. Rapper Cardi B visited College Park on June 7 to accompany her boyfriend, New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who was on the University of Maryland campus for his annual Diggs Day youth football camp.
Local boys and girls ages 6 to 16 to attended the two-hour
camp to practice football drills and listen to some motivational words from Diggs.
Diggs played for the Terps from 2012 until he was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 2015.
Convicted. For the second time, College Park resident Keith Dougherty was convicted in federal court on May 14 on one count of threatening to assault and murder U.S judges in an effort to intimidate and retaliate against them. He also was convicted of three counts of mailing threatening communications, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
His first conviction, for the same offense at a different time, was in 2021.
Dougherty faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.
COLLEGE PARK HERE & NOW
5TH ANNIVERSARY EVENT
Join the editors and staff of College Park Here & Now and Streetcar Suburbs Publishing for a free anniversary celebration including a panel discussion about challenges and opportunities for local news. CPHN Managing Editor Sharon O’Malley will lead a conversation about local news in Prince George’s County with local news leaders, including:
• Catherine Hollingsworth, founder of The Bowie Sun
• Delonte Harrod, publisher of The Intersection Magazine
• Anna Bedford, managing editor of the Greenbelt News Review
• Monique Hayes, news director at the commercial radio station WTOP
• and Marta McLellan Ross, president of Streetcar Suburbs.
June 14 | 4-7 p.m. Church of the Brethren, 4413 Tuckerman St., University Park
Beloved Muppets character Kermit the Frog delivers the commencement address to the University of Maryland’s Class of 2025. COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
Food4MD moves into College Park
By JALEN WADE
A non-profit food delivery service will take up residence in Flats at College Park by the end of the year.
Food 4 Maryland, also known as Food4MD, will move from its Beltsville location to the street level of Flats, a new, 317-unit affordable apartment building that partially opened in May at 9113 Baltimore Ave. (See related story on Page 9.)
“We were just focused on having a nonprofit in there that was going to create a beneficial impact to the community, and we weren’t going to charge them any rent,” said Danny Copeland, vice president of RST Development, which is building the complex.
“We were going to give them the space for free, so long as that’s what they did, was create a positive impact. So it turned out to be Food 4 Maryland.”
Meals on Wheels of College Park, another food delivery service, was slated to move into the 3,000-square-foot space with a grant from the city. But that organization found the space “would not be a good fit for us,” Chapter Chair Lisa Eally told College Park Here & Now in December.
Meals on Wheels of College Park is located in Riverdale Park.
Food 4 Maryland, which has no clients in College Park yet but is collecting applications from seniors and residents with special needs and disabilities, has delivered food in Greenbelt and Montgomery County since October. Clients can receive breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with frozen entrees and groceries, including perishables like
SCHOOL’S OUT SUN’S UP LET’S ROW •Youth program •Beginner classes
team •Come join in! BEGINNERS WELCOME!
milk and produce, and pantry items like spaghetti and soup.
The meals range from baconand-egg breakfasts, to hot dinners with meat or fish, vegetables and starches, to cold sandwiches and pasta salad.
“We’re just trying to make an impact, to exceed expectations and put smiles on people’s faces that never really know how they’re going to survive this economic disaster, or how they’re going to be able to feed them or their families,” Mark
Boulis, who is in charge of partnership development for Food 4
Maryland, said.
Clients who qualify for Medicaid or have other forms of health insurance are eligible to have meals delivered to their homes. The insurer determines the frequency of deliveries, Boulis said.
The service also receives funding from the Montgomery County government and Medicaid.
Food 4 Maryland, whose board chairman, Phil E. Sardelis, cofounded Sardi’s Peruvian Chicken, relies on the restaurant chain and others, like Gordon Food Services in Aberdeen and Spec-
trum Foods in Landover, for food donations. Sardi’s, along with local nursing homes and churches, arranges for drivers and meal assemblers.
Sardis and Food 4 Maryland are separate entities.
Because of those partnerships, Boulis said, the service relies on volunteers recruited from the community “sparingly.” He said the group does not have any paid employees.
“We’re figuring out ways to partner up with apartment complexes, churches, methadone clinics, any place that
Food 4 Maryland has no clients in College Park yet but is collecting applications from seniors and residents with special needs and disabilities.
there’s vulnerability, and have them help us deliver the meals,” Boulis said, “because, you know, when you’re looking at the cost of groceries on what food is, you know, and trying to find volunteers that are committed and stay reliable, it’s a hard bar to get, so to speak.
Jervado Carrington, general manager of the Sardi’s restaurant in Bowie, makes deliveries for Food 4 Maryland.
“We interact with who we’re handing the food out to,” Carrington said. “I think that’s the beautiful part of what we do.”
College Park City Councilmember Susan Whitney (District 2), an affordable housing advocate, said Food 4 Maryland will be “a huge asset to the city. … Even if food prices stay reasonable, it’s possible that, you know, tariffs that are in place make other things that people need more expensive and take money away from their food budget.”
Nonprofit food delivery service Food4MD will move its headquarters to Flats at College Park later this year. Shown, trays of dinners prepared for the service’s clients. COURTESY OF MARK BOULIS, FOOD4MD
Purple Line stations get artistic touches
By OLIVER MACK
The Purple Line station on the University of Maryland (UMD) campus at Stamp Student Union is the first of 21 shelters to incorporate colorful artwork as part of its structure.
The 85-feet-by-12-feet stop features a gradient of yellow, red and purple panels on an overhead canopy that will signal which direction the train is traveling and protect future riders from the weather as they wait for the light rail.
“The reflected color field constantly changes with the sun and sky, from a stark landscape on a cloudless day at noon to a softer, blurred hue on an overcast day,” Kenneth Forsythe, deputy director of communications for the Purple Line, wrote in a statement. “The whole structure becomes a projector using varying ambient light from the sun and sky.”
The UV-protective installation, called “Chroma Zone,” was designed and proposed by Legge Lewis Legge, a collaborative art group based in Austin and New York.
The Purple Line, which is scheduled to start operating in 2027, will have five stops in College Park or nearby: Adelphi Road at University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC); Cam-
pus Drive at Stamp; Baltimore Avenue near Reckord Armory; the College Park Metro station; and Riverdale Park.
The artwork, which will be different at each station, is intended as a “device to communicate [a] sense of place,” University of Maryland professor Ronit Eisenbach, a member of the art selection committee, said. “There’s
both the way that the Purple Line connects all these different places, but also that they celebrate their individuality and can become destination places.”
Art installations at other Purple Line stations are under construction after the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) received more than 700 proposals from artists from
all over the country. The Campus Drive installation was completed in October.
WMATA’s Art in Transit program will celebrate aspects of the communities surrounding the stations, Eisenbach said.
The installation at the College Park-UMD Metro station will feature red-and-white checkered pylons that represent and honor
the nearby historic College Park Airport.
The Adelphi Road station will feature several colorful, metal leaf structures, sized proportionally to represent the number of UMD and UMGC students from various regions of the world.
One of the goals of the Art in Transit program is to individualize each of the stations with its own personality, Eisenbach said. Sheila Somashekhar, director of the Purple Line Corridor Coalition, said the Art in Transit program will help ensure that the Purple Line is not just a transit project, but also a project to transform communities for the better.
“The Purple Line is quickly transforming from a construction site to an actual vision for new mobility in our region, to new ways of getting around and getting to places,” Somashekhar said. “The art will create interest and attract people to the Purple Line, but also help establish all these different places along the line. All these different stations are places you can stop.”
The Purple Line Corridor Coalition is an independent collaborative focused on harnessing the opportunity the light rail brings to communities, Somashekhar said. One of its goals is fostering vibrant and sustainable communities by honoring and representing the people in the communities near the stations.
Purple Line officials wrote in a statement that the program is intended to make public art an “integral” part of the transit project and enhance the stations.
A yellow, red and purple canopy covers a shelter at the University of Maryland Stamp Student Union, where the Purple Line light rail trains will stop once the line opens in 2027. OLIVER MACK
COLLEGE PARK POST
Immigrant Her age Month
June is Immigrant Heritage Month
Recognizing and celebrating the contributions of immigrants in our community and country
As proclaimed by the City of College Park Mayor and City Council, June is Immigrant Heritage Month!
The City joins communities across the nation in recognizing the contributions of immigrants in our country, state, and City. This month, we celebrate our origins as a nation of immigrants. Welcoming people to our shores is a central American value, and a notable influence in our individual ancestry.
Immigrants have been leaders in securing rights and access to equal opportunity, creating a more just and fair society for all Americans. Generations of immigrants from every corner of the globe have built up our country’s economy, culture, and character.
Immigrants continue to strengthen our economy and provide unique social and cultural influences, fundamentally enriching the
extraordinary fabric of our nation.
It is important to shed light on the valuable role that immigrants have played in the success of our nation. Our City is committed to inclusivity and appreciation for the diverse backgrounds that make our community special. From newcomers to long-established families, every story adds meaning to the collective identity of College Park.
As we celebrate Immigrant Heritage Month this June, we reaffirm our dedication to fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment for all residents!
FINDING SUPPORT: MENTAL HEALTH AND IMMIGRATION RESOURCES
The recent federal policy changes may have created feelings of uncertainty and concern. We want to assure you that the City remains dedicated to our diverse
community. We will continue to help our community’s wellbeing, supporting resident needs, and ensuring a welcoming environment for all. We are proud to be a welcoming community that celebrates diversity and fosters inclusion.
During the January 21 Council Meeting, Mayor Kabir read and signed the One College Park Proclamation, which affirms the City’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. This proclamation is a declaration that we are committed to creating a welcoming environment for everyone—regardless of race, ethnicity, gender identity, socioeconomic status, or any other characteristic.
In line with this commitment, we are sharing a list of resources that may be of help to you, a neighbor, a family member, or a friend. Here are some resources that may help:
• Prince George’s County Public Schools created a list of immigration resources and help for the community. Learn more about their commitment to safe and supportive schools and helpful resources here: https://www.pgcps.org/ offices/superintendent/ messages/our-commitmentto-safe--supportive-schools.
• The City’s partnership with Care Solace can connect those experiencing food/ housing insecurity, medical needs, stress, and mental health issues to a variety of resources confidentially. Visit caresolace.com/ md-collegepark.
• Prince George’s County Council has a list of resources for immigrants in the region at https://pgccouncil.us/756/ Resources-for-ImmigrantCommunity.
A TASTE OF COLLEGE PARK
RESTAURANT WEEK: JULY 21-27, 2025
Pollinator Week
Join the Bee City at the Hollywood Farmers Market 6/21 Pollinators — including bees, butterflies, moths, bats, beetles, and hummingbirds — are the unsung heroes behind the food we enjoy and the beauty that surrounds us. Pollinator Week (June 16-22) is an annual celebration initiated by Pollinator Partnership in support of pollinator health.
Stop by the Bee City table at the Hollywood Farmers Market on June 21st from 10am to 2pm for native plants, coloring books, and other resources to help make our community pollinator friendly.
PLANT FOR POLLINATORS!
Be sure to:
• Use local native plants.
• Choose various flower colors.
• Know your soil type and use appropriate plants.
• Plant in clusters to create a “target” for pollinators
• Plant large trees in addition to flowering perennials to support a diverse ecosystem
• Control weeds using nonchemical methods.
• Plan for continuous blooms.
• Leave fallen leaves and material from dead branches and logs for pollinators to use as nesting sites.
• Reduce mulch to allow some patches of bare ground for ground-nesting bees.
Juneteenth
Commemorating Freedom Day on June 19
The City of College Park officially recognizes Juneteenth —June 19th— as a significant day in U.S. history. Also known as Freedom or Emancipation Day, the holiday commemorates the end of slavery in the US.
We are proud to join the nation in celebrating Juneteenth. All City offices will be closed on June 19.
The holiday marks the day when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas with the news about the Emancipation Proclamation freeing enslaved people, issued by President Lincoln more than two years prior in 1863.
Let us all commemorate this important day, reflect on the nation’s history of slavery, and continue to work to eliminate and address ongoing racial disparities in wealth, safety, and quality of life.
To learn more about Juneteenth:
• Visit the National Museum of African American History and Culture or their website at nmaahc.si.edu/ explore/moments/ juneteenth
• Check out these events: visitmaryland.org/list/ maryland-juneteenthcelebrations
Celebrating Pride Month
Traveling Exhibition and Pride Event at City Hall in June
The City of College Park officially proclaims June 2025 as Pride Month, recognizing the contributions and rights of LGBTQIA+ individuals.
The proclamation emphasizes equality, freedom, and the importance of fostering a safe, inclusive, and supportive community. It calls on residents to eliminate prejudice and promote justice, liberty, and diversity for all.
During the month of June, the City of College Park, in collaboration with the Stonewall National Museum, Archives, & Library, will host the Stonewall Uprising History Traveling Exhibition at City Hall (7401 Baltimore Avenue).
The June 1969 riots at the Stonewall Inn, in New York’s Greenwich Village, are generally cited as the starting point of the LGBTQIA+ rights movement. However, the facts are considerably more nuanced and even disputed.
Media coverage immediately after the Stonewall uprising was minimal. Yet within a year, the first gay pride marches had taken place and gay activist organizations had sprung up. The era of LGBTQIA+
liberation was about to dawn.
The 16-paneled exhibit highlights the Stonewall riots and it’s role in the movement to secure equal rights for LGBTQIA+ Americans.
Browse the exhibition on weekdays from 8AM - 5PM to learn the details of those June nights and better understand how the Stonewall riots ignited a movement to secure equal rights for LGBTQIA+ Americans.
Join us on June 13 for a special Pride edition of Friday Night LIVE from 6:30-8:30pm at City Hall (7401 Baltimore Ave.).
This free, family-friendly event will feature live music from the dynamic band, Honest Lee Soul. The event will also feature a variety of activities suitable for all ages, including children’s performers, arts and crafts, and engaging entertainment. Local food vendors and beer selections will be available for purchase.
Free parking is available at the Downtown Parking Garage (corner of Yale Ave. and Knox Rd.). Let’s celebrate with great music featuring Honest Lee Soul, good vibes, and great community fun!
Continuing Education for College Park Seniors
From Age Friendly College Park
Did you know about the University of Maryland College Park (UMDCP) Golden ID Program? This program makes a selection of academic programs available to eligible College Park seniors. Enroll in up to three onsite or online courses for approximately $330.50 a semester!
The Golden ID Program is available to residents in the State of Maryland who are 60 or older and retired. Semi-retired Maryland residents 60 or older can also participate, provided they’re not engaged in paid employment for more than 20 hours a week.
If you qualify, you may enroll as a degree-seeking or a non-degree seeking undergraduate or graduate student. While tuition and some fees are waived, Golden ID students are responsible for certain fees. Students will be issued UMCP ID cards, allowing you to ride the Shuttle UM Bus and access Stamp Student Union & Recreational Buildings.
Applications for admission must be submitted to the Office of Admissions by the regular deadlines for each semester. Registration for courses is on a space-available basis.
You are treated as a regular undergraduate or graduate student and expected to follow UMCP protocols. Noncontinuous enrollment, i.e. skipping a semester, requires re-enrollment.
There is an informal Golden ID student group that meets monthly during the academic year and can help you navigate the intricacies of the program.
For additional information or if you have questions, please email registrar-help@umd.edu with the subject line, “Golden ID.”
If you’ve been wanting to go back to school, but didn’t have the time until retirement, the Golden ID program may be right for you!
City residents must join the Alumni Association as a community member, then submit proof of City residency for discount qualification.
City Announcements & Events
More information: www.collegeparkmd.gov
JUNETEENTH HOLIDAY
CLOSURE NOTICE
All City of College Park offices will be closed on Thursday, June 19, 2025 in observance of the Juneteenth holiday.
Special collections for brush and bulky items will only be scheduled for Friday, June 20, of this holiday week.
Call 240-487-3590 or email publicworks@collegeparkmd.gov to schedule a pickup before setting your items out to the curb.
INDEPENDENCE DAY
HOLIDAY CLOSURE
All City of College Park offices will be closed on Friday, July 4, 2025, in observance of the Independence Day holiday.
Special collections for brush and bulky items will only be scheduled for Thursday of this holiday week.
CITY OF COLLEGE PARK
PASSES FY2026 BUDGET
The City is pleased to announce that during the May 20th City of College Park Mayor and Council Meeting, the Council passed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Budget unanimously. Introduced in March, the new budget will go into effect when the new fiscal year begins on July 1, 2025. Learn more at collegeparkmd.gov/budget.
MOSQUITO CONTROL
Warm spring weather can cause mosquito larvae to become active, producing adult mosquitoes. The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) will begin applying mosquito larvicide control products to standing water in known breeding areas to prevent the development of larvae into biting adult mosquitoes.
West Nile and Zika virus are both transmitted by mosquitoes. To help control the mosquito population in your community, remember to tip anything that holds water on a weekly basis (birdbaths, old tires, plastic children’s toys, tarps, pet dishes etc.)
For permanent areas of standing water (ponds, rain barrels, etc.), mosquito “torpedoes” slowly and continuously release an insect growth regulator into the water that prevents larval mosquito
development into adults for up to 2 months. The City offers mosquito torpedoes for residents – visit the Department of Public Works for more information.
The adult spray portion of MDAs program is scheduled to start in late May/early June and run through September to trap and control mosquito populations. Our scheduled day for spraying is Wednesday. More information can be found on our website www. collegeparkmd.gov/mosquito.
FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE
MAY 9 | JUN. 13 | JUL. 11 | AUG. 8
6:30PM | City Hall
Friday Night LIVE is College Park’s favorite summer concert series! On select Fridays from May through August, live bands will take the stage with bold beats from diverse musical genres. This June, we’re celebrating Pride Month with great music featuring Honest Lee Soul, good vibes, and community fun!
Kids can enjoy hands-on activities and games while adults indulge in delicious food and beer for purchase. Parking will be available for free at the Downtown Parking Garage at the corner of Yale Avenue and Knox Road. Learn more at collegeparkmd.gov/FNL.
CAR SHOW
June 21 | 10AM - 1PM | City Hall
Join the City for a Classic Rock and Car Show! Browse our classic car lineup while enjoying food trucks and live music. Car plaques and trophies will be awarded. There will be a craft station for kids and fun giveaways while supplies last. Register cars at collegeparkmd. gov/carshow.
PUBLIC SAFETY MEETING
July 7 | 7PM - 8:30PM | Zoom
Stay safe and stay informed! The Public Services Department is hosting their next hybrid public safety meeting to share important safety tips and hear from local public safety officials.
Join us in-person in the City Hall Community Room (7401 Baltimore Avenue College Park, MD 20740) or via zoom.
Register at collegeparkmd.gov/ publisafetymeeting.
Jack Perry Award
Recognize a College Park resident for their extraordinary participation in civic affairs
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. Through the years, he volunteered on numerous associations, boards, coalitions, task forces and committees at the neighborhood, city, county, and state levels. 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 the City 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: From May 15 to July 15 each year, any resident, neighborhood association or organization in the City may submit a nomination for the Jack Perry Award.
Nominations should be submitted in writing to the City Clerk for the City of College Park, 7401 Baltimore Avenue, Suite 201, College Park, MD, 20740, or by e-mail to cityclerkoffice@collegeparkmd. gov. Nominations will be reviewed by a Committee that includes a member of the Perry family.
This non-monetary award will be presented by the City Council in the fall.
New student liaisons start with city council
By RHIANNON EVANS
Two University of Maryland (UMD) students started their terms as student liaisons to the College Park City Council on June 1.
Nick DiSpirito, a junior public policy major, and Amira Abujuma, a junior computer engineering and public policy double major, will serve as student liaison and deputy student liaison, respectively, replacing Erica Otte and Anna-Kaye McDonald.
“Even though they’re not elected [and] they cannot vote, they contribute a lot,” Mayor Fazlul Kabir said about the student liaisons. “I look forward to working with them.”
DiSpirito and Abujuma will attend council meetings and serve on subcommittees, representing UMD’s Student Government Association (SGA). Although they can’t introduce legislation, they will work with councilmembers to offer a student perspective on issues, according to DiSpirito.
One of DiSpirito’s main goals for his term is to encourage more
student involvement in city government through internship opportunities with the city. He also said he hopes to create an advisory council of UMD students to work with the student liaisons.
“Giving students more opportunities to build their resumes and also participate in local government is really important to me,” DiSpirito said.
Abujuma said the liaisons’ vision for the advisory council would be to create 10 to 15 unpaid positions for students to gain work experience through policy research, social media management and event planning.
“It’s just a really good way to get more students engaged in the city council,” Abujuma said, explaining, “We’ll just have so many more people who can help us out. We can achieve so much more in a year.”
“This is a fantastic idea,” Kabir said. “We can get the student community more engaged, and it can empower our student liaison and deputy liaison more so that they can contribute more.”
The formation of an advisory
council would need the approval of the city council, Kabir said.
Both DiSpirito and Abujuma have policy and committee experience.
DiSpirito served as the Residential Housing Association president for one of the campus’s housing communities, interned for Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen (District 8) and helped with former deputy student liaison Gannon Sprinkle’s unsuccessful campaign for a vacant District 3 city council seat in March.
Abujuma served as the student
member of the Howard County Board of Education in high school and is the president of the College Park Tenants Union.
Kabir said those qualifications are a large part of why DiSpirito was selected by a five-member committee that included the mayor, the incoming SGA president, an SGA representative, Councilmember Alan Hew (District 1) and Mayor Pro Tem Denise Mitchell (District 4). Kabir and DiSpirito, in turn, chose Abujuma as deputy liaison.
“They were fantastic candidates,” Kabir said. “They have
years of experience, even though they’re pretty young.”
Dhruvak Mirani, the incoming SGA president and the 2023-24 student liaison, said Abujuma and DiSpirito will be proactive about becoming involved with the council and will go above and beyond what’s required of them.
DiSpirito agreed.
“If I can do something to leave a positive impact on the community that benefits everyone, that would be a job well done,” he said. Mirani added, “I couldn’t be more excited to work with both of them.”
Deputy Student Liaison Amira Abujuma (left) and Student Liaison Nick DiSpirito attend a June College Park City Council meeting. CALEB WINTERS
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Our calendar includes many events and meetings sponsored by the City of College Park and local nonprofits, including arts organizations and performance venues, occurring between June 10 and July 9. For additional events and meetings organized by the city, see the College Park Post newsletter in this paper’s centerfold. Find more local events all month long in our new, continuously updated online calendar, streetcarsuburbs.news/events. Please send notices of events that will take place between July 10 and Aug. 13 to jalen@ streetcarsuburbs.news by July 1.
JUNE 14
Night at The Museum Rock Concert. Close out Trolley Trail Day with an epic wrap party at the College Park Aviation Museum. Slade Band will open the concert with an electrifying journey through blues, gospel and funk. Then, rock and indie cover band Laundry World will be joined by the College Park Chorale for special one-night-only iconic hits. Free. 5-8 p.m. College Park Aviation Museum (1985 Corporal Frank Scott Dr.). For more information visit https://tinyurl. com/35vxe8ne.
Rock-a-Sonics and the Crayfish Sisters. Come see these two groups perform vintage country, rock and pop music. Music and dancing at 8. $15. Cash bar and dinner at 7 p.m. College Park American Legion (9218 Baltimore Ave.). For more information visit https://tinyurl.com/u9ahu99e.
This year’s Trolley Trail Day, on June 14, will fill the trail between North College Park and Hyattsville with events and activities. BODE RAMSAY
Trolley Trail Day. The City of College Park is participating in Trolley Trail Day. Events will occur all along the Trolley Trail from North College Park to Hyattsville. Events occur at locations throughout the city. Free. 9 a.m. For more information on locations and events visit https://tinyurl. com/3yz2nh7d.
JUNE 17
Book Club on Zoom. Join a book club reading of “The Orphans of Davenport: Eugenics, the Great Depression, and the War over Children’s Intelligence,” by Marilyn Brookwood. July’s book is “Bag Man: The Wild Crimes, Audacious Cover-up & Spectacular Downfall of a Brazen Crook in the White House,” by Rachel Maddow and Michael Yarvitz. Free. 7-8:30 p.m. For more information visit https://tinyurl. com/bpbxf5b7.
JUNE 21
Classic Rock & Car show. Browse a lineup of classic cars while enjoying food trucks and live music. If you have a
car you want to show, you can register it. Car plaques and trophies will be awarded to winning cars. There will also be a craft station for kids and fun giveaways while supplies last. Free. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. City Hall Plaza (7401 Baltimore Ave.). For more information visit https://tinyurl.com/ bdcnk5k3.
JUNE 20
Cub Corner. Explore the evolution of flight from slow-moving hot-air balloons to supersonic jet engines and faster-thansound flight. Join the College Park Aviation Museum for a reading of “How People Learned to Fly” by Fran Hodgkins, learn about the world of supersonic flight, and bring home your very own paper jet. $5. 10:30-11:30 a.m. College Park Aviation Museum (1985 Corporal Frank Scott Dr.). For more information visit https:// tinyurl.com/22a9wjbt.
JUNE 21
Spark! Lounge Conversation. Join University of Maryland School of Music faculty member Will Robin for an interview with composer Jasmine Barnes. Free. 6:30 p.m. Clarice Center for the Performing Arts Pavilion (8270 Alumni Dr.). For more information visit https:// tinyurl.com/3nf8wx2d.
JUNE 22
June Herbs: Salves and Soaks in College Park. Learn the basics of oil infusions, salve-making and herbal bath blends—and take home fresh herbs and a handmade salve. $49.87. 9:3011:30 a.m. (4912 Berwyn Rd.). For more information visit https://tinyurl.com/yt84v923.
JUNE 25
ing, lawn games and more as they start the season in style. Explore a day filled with creativity, entertainment and local vendors offering treats and goodies for the whole family. This program is ideal for children ages 5-13, but all are welcome. Students are $2, adults are $4 and seniors are $5. College Park Aviation Museum (1985 Corporal Frank Scott Dr.). For more information visit https://tinyurl. com/3rttm3zj.
JUNE 26
Chamber Music 2.0. NOI+F Fellows will perform their own creative takes on diverse works for chamber ensembles. Free. 7 p.m. Clarice Center for the Performing Arts Pavilion (8270 Alumni Dr.). https://tinyurl. com/53334xt6.
JUNE 27
Auxiliary Beach Wagon Ra e - Over $300 in Summer Fun. Enter the Beach Wagon Raffle–packed with over $300 worth of summer essentials, such as sandcastle tools, mini beach balls, a beach umbrella and more beach goodies. All proceeds support Auxiliary Unit 217 and its community programs. $5. 9 p.m. College Park American Legion (9218 Baltimore Ave.). For more information visit https://tinyurl. com/yc2bf82r.
JUNE 28
purchase. Free. Noon-1 p.m. College Park Aviation Museum (1985 Corporal Frank Scott Drive.). For more information visit https://tinyurl. com/26bd7647.
NOI+F SPARK! Lounge: Live Jazz. Enjoy some smooth jazz in the Clarice Performing Arts Center. Free. 9:15 p.m. Clarice Grand Pavilion (8270 Alumni Dr.). For more information visit https://tinyurl. com/4kmmpy2d.
REPEATING Story Time for Children. Storytelling session geared to infants and older. Free. Every Wednesday. 9:30-10 a.m. College Park American Legion (9704 Rhode Island Ave.). For more information email bokays100@juno.com.
College Park Community Library Book Club. Meets on the second Thursday of each month, 7-8:30 p.m. at the College Park Community Library, Church of the Nazarene, (9407 Rhode Island Ave.). June 12 - “The Black Echo” by Michael Connelly. July 10 - “Girl Abroad” by Elle Kennedy.
Line Dance. Jessie’s Soul Line Dancers offers a class with step-by-step instruction, and students then perform dances to soul, gospel and pop music. Free. Every Friday from 10-11 a.m. Zoom. For more information and the registration link email info@cpae.org.
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Offering:
Traditional Funerals Memorial Events Life Celebrations Caskets, Vaults, Urns Memorial Services Event/Meeting Center
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School’s Out, Wheels Up Family Day. Kick off summer with the College Park Aviation Museum. Enjoy face paint-
Runaway Rhythms: Ni Dembaya. Get your feet tapping during our annual summer courtyard concert series with the West African sounds of Ni Dembaya, an ensemble promoting empowerment, healing and self-awareness through traditional African and African-inspired music and dance. Picnics, picnic blankets and lawn chairs are welcome, and light refreshments will be available for
Friday Night Live! The City of College Park hosts a series of free concerts over the summer. Upcoming dates are June 13, July 11 and Aug 8. Free. 6:30-8:30 p.m. City Hall (7401 Baltimore Ave.). For more information visit https://tinyurl. com/4s6tu7un.
NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION
MEETINGS
North College Park Civic Association. Second Thursday of the month. 7:30-9 p.m. Davis Hall (9217 51st Ave.). For more information email NCPCivic@ gmail.com.
Berwyn District Civic Association. BDCA meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month. 7:30 p.m. For more information email bdcaboard@myberwyn.org.
Lakeland Civic Association. June 12. 7 p.m. On Zoom. For more information email lakelandcivic@gmail.com.
Flats opens in N. College Park
By JALEN WADE
Flats at College Park, which will rent out 317 affordable housing units once construction is finished, opened 78 apartments on May 5.
The nearly finished complex, located on Route 1 between Delaware and Cherokee streets, offers two- and three-bedroom apartments with monthly rents based on income.
Max Neiderbach, a physics graduate student at the University of Maryland who toured the building, said he is looking for an apartment that he can afford.
“So it helps kind of dilute poverty and as well as just provide affordable housing for everyone, which I feel is really important, especially since I don’t make that much money,” Neiderbach said.
Tenants who qualify for Flats apartments have incomes of between 50% and 80% of the
area’s median income (AMI).
“So you have a wider socioeconomic group of potential residents,” Danny Copeland, vice president of the complex’s developer, RST Development, said. “But it all blends across the 317 units.”
College Park City Councilmember Susan Whitney (District 2) said the complex fills an affordable housing gap in College Park, “providing true workforce housing, which was missing in the city, and I think it really has a lot of good amenities at the building. It’s in a great location. I’m thrilled. I can’t wait to see it full and to have a bunch of new residents who hopefully will join committees and vote and … also help support our local businesses.”
Copeland said the building is opening in two phases. The first phase included 78 apartments. The next phase will stagger the opening of 239 units between August and December, two
floors at a time.
The apartments contain finishes like stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and tile backsplashes, which Copeland called a “market-rate deal.”
“There’s a really nice high-end lighting package in the units, wood-look floors, so we’re building it to a very high standard of finish,” Copeland said.
The developer is planning outdoor amenities, including a pool and courtyard area with lounge seating, grilling areas and game space. A secondary courtyard will have a playground. A dog park, a business center and a state-of-the-art fitness center will round out the amenities.
One potential tenant, substitute teacher Abena Nimako, said she is reconsidering whether to move in after the rental office overestimated her price for rent and her initial move-in date was delayed several times.
Airport museum hosts Community Day
By JALEN WADE
Dozens of children spent the day on May 17 crawling in and out of huge model airplanes at the College Park Aviation Museum during its fifth annual Community Day.
The museum, located next to the College Park Airport’s airfield near College Parkway, filled with more than 300 visitors—mostly families and small children ranging from toddlers to early adolescence. Children ran around the various exhibits looking at antique planes and parts, coloring images of Snoopy dressed as an aviator and spinning miniature plastic plane propellers.
“So, you know, this being the oldest continuously operating airport in the world, you got people in the community who either are like ‘Hey, I didn’t know you guys were there at all,’” John McCaskill, the museum’s public program manager, said.
During Community Day, officials from the museum promoted the facility to residents and tourists, McCaskill said.
Parents took photos of their children, who got to sit inside large-scale mockups of small planes to pretend they were in an actual cockpit. Another station offered miniature Lego sets for the little ones to build with, and some sat outdoors for a reading of the children’s book, “The Museum of Everything.”
Robert Pesapane, a father from Brentwood, said Community Day was a chance to educate his 3-year-old son about aviation.
“I think it’s great that they offer Community Day and invite the community in to understand and appreciate aviation,” Pesapane said. “And so it’s a very kid-friendly place and it’s great to expose the kids to aviation and learn all different things about flight, and so it’s exciting.
Educational displays during the event included one where museum workers demonstrated the mechanics of a Wright brothers’ plane.
College Park Airport opened in 1909, when it was founded by the Wright brothers, according to the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), which owns the airport. The airport houses a replica of a Wright brothers aircraft.
Visitors who scanned QR codes on some of the displays could view 3D photographic models of planes, mechanical gears and the aviator caps worn by pilots in the early 1900s. Outside, at the back of the museum near the airfield and airport building, children rode on toy versions of planes.
McCaskill said one of the goals of the event was to reach the city’s Spanish-speaking residents, so some of the displays
“I’d rather them just say, ‘Yeah, we’re not ready for anybody to move in,’” Nimako said, “instead of telling me, ‘Yeah, you can move in Monday,’ and then on Monday, tell me I’m moving Friday, and then on Friday tell me to get a call Tuesday. That’s the frustrating thing.”
The ground floor of the building will house the food service group, Food 4 Maryland.
Councilmember Jacob Hernandez (District 1) said the city gave a $150,000 grant to
the developer as part of its business attraction and retention effort.
“I’m really excited about being able to partner and just grow our commercial footprint … in North College Park,” Hernandez said. “But I myself am just excited that there’s going to be a space where we’re going to be able to introduce new residents into the city and hopefully bring in some more new voices that could potentially be civically involved.”
had QR codes leading to Spanish-language explanations.
Roberto Rodriguez, a Riverdale resident who was born in Mexico and attended the event, said Community Day was inclusive.
“I think that it invites and it welcomes people to check out these spaces and to see them as part of the community,” Rodriguez said. “Actually, we were planning to come back later on. We really like the space. It’s pretty inclusive, pretty welcoming for families, for kids. So again, when you have the little ones, it’s important to have safe and welcoming spaces.”
Rodriguez said he planned to eat lunch at a tent at the event featuring food from one of his favorite restaurants, Cocineros Modern Latin Eatery. “I’m a big fan of them,” Rodriguez said of the Hyattsville-based restaurant.
University of Maryland students staffed a table at the event that invited parents to sign up to participate in infant and child studies research. MNCPPC offered a photographer to shoot professional photos of families attending the event.
Throughout the museum, musicians from Riverdale Park Arts demonstrated how to play percussion instruments and the trumpet, violin and clarinet.
Patrick Bain, the musician running the percussion table, said the event was a “musical petting zoo” to encourage kids to take an interest in music.
The Flats at College Park opens 78 of its planned 317 affordable housing units. JALEN WADE
3RD PLACES
more third places where customers do not feel obligated to spend money.
“It’s a little bit pricey to go there if you’re just going to go to hang out with some people,” Zhao said.
Zhao said College Park lacks third places, especially for people who do not drink alcohol and don’t spend their free time in bars.
Mike Meadow, who lives in the city’s Old Town neighborhood, said the city was home to more third places when he was growing up here in the 1990s and early 2000s.
“[Third places] are being reduced and the people that need to use them are sort of being shut out of those spaces,” Meadow said.
Meadow, who ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the College Park City Council during a special election in March, said he attributes the lack of third places, in part, on residents who would prefer that teens and college students don’t hang out in their neighborhoods.
“That’s sort of an unfortunate loss, because as we remove them from these areas for places to socialize, we actually give them nothing to do,” Meadow said. “And they’ll find something to do, and it’s generally something worse than what we tried to prevent.”
Still, destinations where people can gather outside of the home are part of the fabric
SANCTUARY
“sanctuary jurisdiction” exists, but the term generally refers to a city, county or state that refuses to cooperate with federal efforts to deport residents who are immigrants.
College Park officials have not declared the city as a sanctuary jurisdiction. A May 30 statement from the city called “the news of this designation … surprising.”
The statement noted that College Park does not have its own police department, jail or court system and has never received a request from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain immigrants suspected of living in the U.S. illegally.
“College Park has and will continue to be a welcoming and inclusive community,” according to the statement, which was released after Mayor Fazlul Kabir and mayors from other local cities named on the DHS list met with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore on the morning of May 30. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to the safety and well-being of all our residents.”
The statement said the city has not received any formal notification from DHS about its inclusion on the list.
“The City of College Park complies with all laws and treats all residents justly and equally,” the statement said.
Takoma Park voluntarily became the state’s first sanctuary city more than 30 years ago. Hyattsville became the second in 2017, when it adopted a law prohibiting city officials from using government resources “to support federal civil immi-
of city life, city leaders said.
College Park Mayor Fazlul Kabir called third places “very important” to any community.
“We want to have a connected community so that they can work together, they can talk to each other, exchange ideas, and bring those ideas to us so that we can make changes,” Kabir said.
Robert Thurston, president of the Lakeland Civic Association, said third places, like coffee shops and churches, are “essential” to communication and community development. He said he would like to see community spaces be used for socializing outside of scheduled events.
“It’s a very important thing to have some type of comfort level with not only your immediate neighbor, but the surrounding community, as well as the city as a whole, to be able to come together and appreciate similarities and differences,” Thurston said.
Thurston said the need for third places spiked especially after isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said he hopes the development and discussion of third places will continue.
Meadow, who spoke widely about third places during his campaign, said the city has done a good job of promoting the construction of third places, but there is still room for growth.
“It’s important for the city to recognize the need for these areas and the benefit that they provide socially and from a safety perspective, too,” Meadow said.
College Park and Hyattsville are among 10 Maryland cities the federal government says are “obstructing the enforcement of U.S. immigration laws.” The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has removed a list from its website that included 500 jurisdictions nationwide.
ADOBE STOCK PHOTO
gration enforcement operations or activities” and police from arresting or detaining anyone solely because of suspected violations of federal immigration laws.
At that time, President Donald Trump, in his first term, had already threatened to deny federal funding to sanctuary jurisdictions.
Then-City Councilmember Patrick Paschall, the Hyattsville bill’s primary sponsor, said officials there wanted immigrant residents to know they did not have to fear local police, according to The Washington Post
At the April 21 Hyattsville City Council meeting, Mayor Robert Croslin reaffirmed the city’s commitment to its sanctuary city policy.
“We don’t ask about immigration sta-
tus,” City Administrator Tracey Douglass said at the meeting, which included a lengthy discussion of the March 12 arrest of Beltsville resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia in the parking lot of the College Park IKEA. Abrego Garcia, who was deported to El Salvador, had previously been arrested in 2019 outside of the Hyattsville Home Depot on East-West Highway. Abrego Garcia returned to the U.S. on June 6 and faces criminal charges.
In the May 29 press release, DHS characterized the jurisdictions it named as “deliberately and shamefully obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws, endangering American communities.”
Aside from College Park and Hyattsville, the list included the cities of An-
Aside from College Park and Hyattsville, the list included the cities of Annapolis, Baltimore, Cheverly, Edmonston, Greenbelt, Mount Rainier, Rockville and Takoma Park. Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Charles, Howard, Montgomery, Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties joined Prince George’s County on the list.
napolis, Baltimore, Cheverly, Edmonston, Greenbelt, Mount Rainier, Rockville and Takoma Park. Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Charles, Howard, Montgomery, Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties joined Prince George’s County on the list.
“These sanctuary city politicians are endangering Americans and our law enforcement in order to protect violent criminal illegal aliens,” Noem said in the press release.
College Park and others have released statements saying they “will continue to work with our partners at the county, state and federal levels.”
Kit Slack, executive director of Streetcar Suburbs Publishing, contributed to this article.
Coffee shops are popular hangout spots for College Park residents and students seeking a third place after home and work or school to spend downtime. OLIVER MACK
ANNIVERSARY
Mark Goodson, who served as College Park Here & Now’s first managing editor from May 2020 to June 2023, said readers have been supportive since the beginning.
“These [residents] care about their neighborhood,” Goodson said. “They are active. They are involved. … It didn’t take me too long to understand how valuable a newspaper would be to the residents.”
The publication’s nonprofit business model is another factor in its success, according to O’Malley.
“Our board of directors is all volunteer, and our reporters are all volunteers,” she said. “You know, in College Park, I’m lucky to have University of Maryland (UMD) students who can get [class] credit for working for the newspaper, but I think that we can attribute a lot of our success to our business model.”
Starting a newspaper during the pandemic wasn’t easy, Goodson said. He credited Mayor Fazlul Kabir, then a member of the College Park City Council,
other councilmembers and former Streetcar Suburbs Publishing Vice President Chris Currie, an administrator at St. Jerome Academy in Hyattsville, for getting the paper off the ground. Goodson noted that the city continues to show its support through a four-page advertising insert in each print edition. “I don’t think there are too many cities in America [where] you could say that would work,” he said.
Still, he noted, “It’s [the community] that deserves the credit for [the newspaper’s] being what it is because it’s a very unique place where a print newspaper could launch during a pandemic.”
Another key element of the publication’s success is its hyperlocal focus, said UMD graduate O’Malley, who noted that every article has a clear connection to the city.
“You can get the big stories
about College Park from The [Washington] Post or WTOP radio, but the really local, everyday stuff, they’re not going to cover that. We are,” said O’Malley, who has lived in College Park’s Yarrow neighborhood since 1998.
Associate Editor Jalen Wade, who joined the staff in September, said interacting with College Park residents is the best part of the job.
“I really love being at an event,
Local group opposing Trump policies grows
By LILLIAN GLAROS
Membership in a local group that started in February to oppose the policies of President Donald Trump has swelled to more than 300.
Indivisible Route 1 Corridor is part of the nine-year-old national organization Indivisible, which has more than 2,000 local, autonomous groups and millions of members around the country.
Laura Usher, a co-leader of Indivisible Route 1 Corridor, said she joined because she wants to be able to tell her son that she did as much as she could to protect democracy.
“I wanted to show him that we don’t just sit home alone and feel hopeless, that we take action,” Usher, who lives in Hyattsville, said.
While the Route 1 Corridor group accepts members from all areas, it focuses on Route 1 communities, from the District border to Beltsville, including College Park, with some members from Silver Spring and Laurel.
“I can’t tell you how many people, when you ask them why they joined Indivisible, the first thing that they’ll say is ‘because it’s better than
yelling at my TV,’” said member Laura Rogers, who lives in College Park’s Hollywood neighborhood.
The group’s biweekly meetings are in Hyattsville. Those wishing to attend can learn how by joining the group’s mailing list.
“I think people are feeling very deeply personal connections to what is happening in the Trump administration, and [are] wanting to find a way to survive this period of time, and also to fight back and support the democratic principles that we all believe in,” Usher said.
Rogers agreed.
“When I realized that we were in a deep, deep, deep pile of trouble, I had to do something,” Rogers said.
Indivisible members attend protests, contact elected officials to advocate for legislation and support Democrats running for office in the midterm elections, Usher said.
The members are learning canvassing, phone banking and other skills important for campaigning in order to prepare for the midterms, and have started using those skills in other races, Usher added.
Rogers leads a group in
charge of working on the midterm elections in collaboration with Swing Left, a political advocacy group. The advocates said they hope the elections will unseat at least three Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives, which would result in a Democratic majority in the House.
Many in the organization said they are concerned about
Trump’s efforts to downsize the federal government by firing employees and with its immigration policies, Usher said.
“I’m extremely concerned across all fronts,” local member Jimmy Acevedo, who lives in College Park, said. “Part of the reason why I needed to reach out to others is there is such a baffling and dazzling array of assaults on values that I hold important.”
interviewing someone, and telling them what paper I’m with, and they go, ‘Oh, I get that. I receive your paper. I think I read a few of your stories,” Wade, a UMD graduate, said.
Kit Slack, Streetcar Suburbs Publishing’s executive director, said she expects College Park Here & Now will continue to evolve and hopes it eventually will deliver the news in both Spanish and English.
Part of her job, Slack said, is to keep the nonprofit, which also publishes Hyattsville Life & Times and The Laurel Independent, in business.
“We do want to grow other sources of revenue so that we can offer people the kind of in-depth journalism that comes from the sustained attention of paid journalists over time,” Slack said.
College Park Here & Now will celebrate its five-year anniversary with a free panel discussion about hyperlocal news on June 14 at 4 p.m. at the University Park Church of the Brethren, located at 4413 Tuckerman St. in University Park, followed by a reception. Panelists will include representatives from the area’s local news media.
Mark Goodson, left, was the managing editor of College Park Here & Now from 2020-2023. Sharon O’Malley has served in the same role since February 2024. This year marks the newspaper’s fifth anniversary. RHIANNON EVANS
Laura Usher, a co-leader of the progressive group Indivisible Route 1 Corridor, stands in her Hyattsville front yard with a sign thanking U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, who ruled on June 4 that attorneys for Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador, may seek sanctions against the government. LILLIAN GLAROS
Tennis center to add 10 courts
By OLIVER MACK
The tennis center on Campus Drive will break ground later this year on an expansion that will add 10 courts and a public cafe.
The Junior Tennis Champions Center (JTCC) is planning to add four outdoor and six indoor courts, along with administrative spaces, locker rooms for athletes and significantly more parking.
“It’s another hub for people to live, work and play here in College Park as the Discovery District continues to expand and grow, and development around the Metro station continues to grow,” Joe Wilkerson, JTCC’s chief operating officer, said. “We’re hoping to be a big part of that and play a part in making College Park a more desirable place to live and work.”
The planned expansion still needs to make its way through approvals by the Prince George’s County Council and Planning Board.
“I think we’ve kind of crossed most of those hurdles, and we’re kind of on our way now,” Wilkerson said.
The space for the expansion used to house a restaurant, 94th Aero Squadron, and is on land owned by the MarylandNational Capital Park and Planning Commission, which uses it for storage.
City Councilmember John Rigg (District 3) said the expansion will be a “net gain” for the community because the land there is unused.
“JTCC is an asset to the community,” Rigg said of the center, which is in his district. “It’s produced several high-profile and many professional tennis players, and I know that it’s a local attraction as well.”
Notably, Hyattsville native Frances Tiafoe, the first American tennis player of Sierra Leonean descent to be ranked in the Top 10 by the Association of Tennis Professionals, has trained at the center since he was a child.
The new facilities will allow the club to accommodate more people as the center continues to grow its programs and partnerships with other organizations countywide, Wilkerson said.
“We’ve kind of filled our facil-
ity and we are at capacity, and have been at capacity for the last couple years, and we’ve got a lot more ability to reach and help more people in the community and get more people involved in the sport,” Wilkerson said. “And this expansion gives us the opportunity to grow the base of tennis players in the community.”
JTCC is partnering with the University of Maryland (UMD), which will help fund the proj-
ect. The university’s women’s tennis team will practice on the new courts.
“UMD partnerships have been pretty good to very good all over our community,” Rigg said. “And I anticipate this will be another one. … It’s a smart connection for them to make, and it’s another good example of University of Maryland being good partners and good neighbors.”
Eric Cohen, a coach and player who has been a member of
the tennis center for more than a decade, said he has been waiting for the expansion since the conversation began a few years ago.
Cohen, who lives in College Park’s Yarrow neighborhood, said he hopes the expansion will draw more local players. “I look at tennis as one of these activities that people can do for a long time in their life,” Cohen said. “It’s social as well as fitness.”
The Junior Tennis Champions Center on Campus Drive has plans to expand. OLIVER MACK