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legacy still shines bright at Hyattsville’s firehouse
By JADE TRAN
The nickname came early, not from school or sports, but from the back of an ambulance. Fresh out of high school, Donald Moltrup delivered three babies in his first week riding with the Hyattsville Volunteer Fire Department (HVFD). That was in 1962. The name “Doc,” naturally, stuck.
More than 60 years later, that legendary nickname remains firmly stamped on the hearts of the Hyattsville community.
Chief Emeritus Donald “Doc” Moltrup, a Hyattsville institution and nationally recognized fire service leader, died this summer after a brief illness.
“Doc’s legacy is the Hyattsville Volunteer Fire Department,” said current HVFD Chief Henry Sullivan. “Without him, our department would exist mainly in name only.”
Moltrup’s contributions spanned decades, but few of those contributions compare to the legacy of
HVFD’s live-in program, which is one of the first of its kind in the nation. Created by Doc, the program allows college students to live rent free at the station while attending school, pulling full shifts and gaining frontline experience as volunteer firefighters and EMTs. Many students come from around the world and are enrolled in nearby schools, including George Washington University and The Catholic University of America.
Today, the program is paramount to how the department is staffed. Many of the HVFD’s current officers, including Sullivan, are former live-ins.
“I learned more about firefighting, life, leadership and myself than I could have ever imagined during my years as a live-in,” Sullivan said. “Doc’s leadership allowed this experience to be a part of thousands of young men and women’s lives, and those lucky enough to have lived in his firehouse have gone on to help shape and change not only
City council weighs surveillance tech, school security concerns
By FAITH GILLETT WILSON
At its Aug. 5 meeting, the Hyattsville City Council reviewed proposals to share data and camera feeds with two surveillance providers. The council also addressed concerns over unsecured student records and supplies left inside the old Hyattsville Elementary School building slated for demolition.
Council weighs new surveillance tech Councilmember Joanne Waszczak
(Ward 1) motioned to discuss the risks and benefits of the Hyattsville Police Department (HPD) entering into an agreement with a cross-jurisdictional database called the Accurint Virtual Crime Center, operated by LexisNexis.
“We have a Fourth Amendment right to privacy in this country," said resident Daniel Broder during the public comment period, “and any item that gives the police, whether it’s Hyattsville, Prince George’s or
SEE
Chief Emeritus Donald “Doc” Moltrup retired from the Hyattsville Volunteer Fire Department in 2005; he died this summer after a brief illness. COURTESY OF THE HYATTSVILLE VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT
County data center task force revs up
By ZEPHAN MATTESON
Prince George’s County has formed a task force to shape a new county policy for data centers. That task force is now trying to inform local communities about what data centers are, while also asking for feedback from residents on policy.
Data centers are buildings or complexes containing the computers and servers that store and process internet data for businesses and organizations. In recent years, the demand for data centers has soared because of their importance in developing artificial intelligence, or AI, models.
The increased building of data centers has come with some controversy, though. Data centers require an enormous amount of power, which means that, in many cases, the electrical infrastructure has to be improved and increased in size. Centers also require a tremendous amount of water to cool their systems.
In some places in the country, people have already seen their electricity bills increase due to the power demands of data centers, according to recent reporting from The Washington Post
This spike in electricity bills has coincided with a rise in the cost of buying energy capacity from power plants for utilities companies. Thirteen states, including Maryland, operate in what’s called the “capacity market,” most of them on the East Coast, and make bids to buy capacity every year.
This April, the county council created the Qualified Data Center Task Force to evaluate the potential risks and benefits
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data centers pose to Prince George’s County after a bill meant to streamline the process for approving data centers failed last year. The task force is also supposed to craft a report that recommends potential locations for data centers and policies around approving locations.
According to James Hunt, deputy director of operations for the county’s planning department — which is itself part of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) — the task force is made up of data center stakeholders, from county councilmembers to community business leaders.
“Task force members have been very engaged,” Hunt said. “They want to know more [about data centers] because
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they do realize how important this topic is to the county.”
The task force held three community meetings in July to get residents' feedback on potential data center policy, according to Hunt. The meetings were held in Riverdale Park on July 17, Landover on July 24, and Fort Washington on July 26.
The M-NCPPC worked with the San Francisco-based architecture and design firm Gensler — the largest architectural firm in the world — to organize the meetings. Gensler will also write up a study for the task force to present to the county in November that will incorporate community feedback from the meetings, and advise the county on what data center policy should look like, according to Hunt.
At the beginning of each meet-
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ing, members of the county planning department emphasized that the purpose of the task force was not to plan a new data center, but to craft policy for potential construction.
One purpose of the meeting’s overview was to describe the four different sizes of data centers: edge, enterprise, colocation and hyperscale.
Edge data centers are the smaller, building- or roomsized data centers. Enterprise and colocation are larger data centers that can store data for multiple companies. Hyperscale centers are the enormous complexes built by big tech companies, like Google or Amazon, that are 350,000 square feet or more.
The overview then covered potential benefits of data center construction, such as job creation and tax revenue, as well as potential issues like power usage, water usage and noise pollution.
The roundtable discussions, moderated by Gensler and county representatives, gave community members a more personal setting to discuss potential data policy, comment on benefits and concerns, and ask questions.
“The intent here is to pull the information from the community, so the policy makers, such as our county councilmembers, can make an informed decision on their end,” Hunt said. Hunt noted that the task force wants the community’s input on the whole process — from where the data centers should be going if they are built, to what the design of the buildings should look like.
Residents were particularly interested in water usage, according to Hunt.
“A lot of the community members have raised concerns because they really want these data centers to utilize gray water or potable water on site, as opposed to having a huge impact on to the water grid that we have here in Prince George’s County,” he said. (Gray water is relatively clean waste water from household sources like sinks and washing machines.)
“The community meetings have been very successful,” Hunt said. “The community really had a lot of input and insight into this, and gave us a lot of great feedback.”
Corey Cason, a 20-year county resident who currently lives in Bowie, attended the July 17 Riverdale Park meeting after seeing an online announcement.
“I'm fairly familiar with data centers as a whole, but today was definitely helpful to get a better understanding of what direction the county is going,” Cason said.
Herbert Jones, president of the Tatallon North Area Civics Association, also attended the Riverdale Park meeting. He said that he thought the engagement with the community was great, but that the task force’s final report will be more important than the community meetings themselves.
“The final analysis will come in their report, the data center task force report to the county council, and what they have in there as recommendations,” Jones said. “Because, I believe, to address some of these issues, we're gonna need some legislative initiatives.”
Jones said the biggest issue he sees with data centers is zoning.
“The zoning issue is big because right now, currently, the zoning allows for a data center to be in a residential community. So that's a problem for me as the association president,” Jones said.
The task force is currently holding data center meetings every second Wednesday of the month, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the planning department headquarters in Largo. These meetings are open to the public, according to Hunt, and will happen every month until the task force presents its report to the county council in November.
Zephan Matteson is an undergraduate journalism major at the University of Maryland.
The increased building of data centers has come with some controversy: Data centers require an enormous amount of power, which means that, in many cases, the electrical infrastructure has to be improved and increased in size. Centers also require a tremendous amount of water to cool their systems. UNSPLASH
Local leaders break ground on the new Hyattsville Elementary
By ZEPHAN MATTESON
A groundbreaking ceremony for the new Hyattsville Elementary School was held Aug. 5, at the site of the former 43rd Avenue school building, now set to be demolished. The new Hyattsville Elementary, which was approved by the county planning board this spring, will be one of eight new secondround schools constructed in the county using an alternative funding method that engages in a public-private partnership, often referred to as P3.
Richard McKee, principal of Hyattsville Elementary, was one of the first speakers at the ceremony.
“With today's groundbreaking, we aren’t just turning soil,” McKee said, “we’re laying the foundation for the next century of learning, of leadership, and of love in this community.”
County Executive Aisha Braveboy and county school district interim Superintendent Shawn Joseph also made remarks.
“This is what progress looks like,” Joseph said, in reference to the construction. “Elected leaders, our schools, our private sector partners, working together as one team to reimagine the future for our students.”
Paul Pinsky, director of the Maryland Energy Administration, highlighted how the new elementary school will be a “net zero school,” meaning that the school should produce enough clean energy to run itself without fossil fuels. Pinsky said that he hopes there will soon be 10 to 12 carbon net zero schools statewide.
The new two-story building will be built in the exact same location as the old school, and will be able to accommodate 650 students, compared to the old building’s capacity for 421 students. The roof of the new building will also feature several new amenities, including a small garden and several outdoor classrooms. The construction plan includes a two-story parking garage, as well.
Construction will begin in the
fall, and is scheduled to conclude in time for the 2027-28 school year. In the interim, students will be attending St. Mark’s School, on Adelphi Road, as a swing space.
Following the groundbreaking, Hyattsville City Councilmember Joanne Waszczak (Ward 1) told the Life & Times that the building of the school is more than a mere construction project.
“It's not just demolition, construction and ribbon cutting,” Waszczak said. “It's also thinking about, where do all the Hyattsville Elementary School students go for two years, and how do we make that a smooth experience, a successful experience?”
Waszczak noted that the Hyattsville Education Facilities Task Force — a task force made up of local parents and experts — had done amazing work in the planning of the construction, and would be important going forward, as well.
Zephan Matteson is an undergraduate journalism major at the University of Maryland.
A groundbreaking ceremony for the new Hyattsville Elementary School was held Aug. 5, at the site of the former 43rd Avenue school building, now set to be demolished. ZEPHAN MATTESON
Third draft of West Hyattsville-Queens Chapel Sector Plan fuels new community backlash
By JADE TRAN
The Prince George’s County Planning Board released the third draft of the West Hyattsville-Queens Chapel Sector Plan this spring, aiming to set a 25-year vision for housing, transportation and development around the West Hyattsville and Hyattsville Crossing Metro stations.
But for some residents, the newest draft raises more questions than answers, reigniting concerns about how community voices are being included in the conversation.
Approved for public release in April, the draft expands zoning changes to promote “missing middle” housing, encourages growth near Metro transit hubs and scales back environmental protections included in earlier versions. The sectional map amendment tied to the plan proposes 38 zoning changes meant to bring zoning in line with the county’s long-term land-use goals. One of the biggest changes would rezone 1,455 lots from RSF65, which allows only singlefamily homes, to RSF-A, which
permits attached housing like townhouses and duplexes on lots as small as 5,000 square feet.
According to planning board documents, the third draft increases the RSF-A zone by over 200 acres and reduces the RSF-65 zone by more than 250 acres. It also scales back earlier proposals to protect flood plain areas and introduces new zoning overlays near transit and commercial corridors, such as Chillum Road.
Hyattsville resident Daniel Broder submitted detailed written testimony after the county council announced they were accepting public comments via a portal until July 21, outlining implementation gaps in the plan, particularly around housing affordability, environmental risks and flood plain development.
“My motivation is that the inclination of developers and governance bodies in [Prince George’s] County is to haphazardly build gentrifying developments without any consideration for the environment, green spaces, the utilization of public transit and affordable
The
surprise inclusion of Avondale — a group of unincorporated communities spanning Queens Chapel Road, west of Mount Rainier, and bordered by Eastern Avenue and the Northwest Branch of the Anacostia River — in the third draft has also become a flashpoint for residents
who say they were excluded from the planning process.
housing,” Broder wrote.
He pointed out that while the second draft of the plan had proposed a ban on flood plain development, the third draft removed that ban entirely. A provision that would have required the county to acquire properties in the Northwest Branch flood plain for green space was also dropped due to “cost and time.”
Broder urged the county to at least prohibit redevelopment along the Chillum Road streambank, where runoff and flooding have long been a concern.
“I hope this plan will learn from the mistakes and lack of execution in other sector plans,” he wrote. “Our communities are often reflective of our values. I want to see my children (and others) grow up in a community that reflects their value to our world.”
The surprise inclusion of Avondale — a group of unincorporated communities spanning Queens Chapel Road, west of Mount Rainier, and bordered by Eastern Avenue and the Northwest Branch of the Anacostia River — in the third draft has also become a flashpoint for residents who say they were excluded from the planning process.
“We, the Avondale/North Woodridge Community, wholeheartedly oppose this rezoning,” wrote Pat Padua, president of the Avondale/North Woodridge Citizens Association, in a statement submitted to the planning board. “This will irreparably alter the character of our community.”
about it,” Padua said. “No one from the neighborhood that we know of had asked to be added.”
Many Avondale residents said they didn’t even know about the rezoning until a letter showed up in mailboxes around May 12, giving just a few weeks’ notice ahead of the July 1 hearing, at which the county council discussed the third draft. Padua and others tried to get answers quickly, meeting with county planning department staff twice before the hearing. But residents said no one could explain how or why Avondale ended up in the plan.
Beyond the planning process itself, Padua also raised concerns about the destruction of the character of the county, with reference to the type of commercial development already taking place near the shops around Chillum Road, which borders Avondale.
“There’s a strip club, a dispensary and a 24-hour convenience store where one of my neighbors was appalled to find you could buy brass knuckles,” he said. “The Lidl grocery store opened up in the (Shops at Queens Chillum), and that's been an asset to the community, definitely, but is a cannabis shop?”
The first two drafts hadn’t proposed any policy changes that affected the Avondale neighborhoods. But after the October 2024 public hearing, zoning changes in Avondale and North Woodridge appeared, without explanation, in the new rezoning map.
“That was the first we’d heard
Avondale residents are now exploring other avenues to push back, including pursuing historic designation for their neighborhood. The Avondale Grove and Avondale Terrace subdivisions were developed in the 1940s by the prolific Washington real estate magnate Harry Wardman, and the area has retained much of its original charm and layout, according to Padua. He said a 2007 survey determined Avondale could meet criteria for both county and federal historic preservation, something residents now see as a potential shield against redevelopment.
REWILDING ROUTE 1
A straight-laced predator
By RICK BORCHELT
One of the pleasures of doing this column is that readers sometimes write to me with natural history questions. Recently, Susan, in College Park, sent a picture of small white blobs atop hairlike stalks on the leaves of her butterflyweed. The stalks, she said, were about an inch long, and the blobs at the end the size of the glass beads on top of dressmakers’ pins. She also noted that the butterflyweed was covered in aphids. Could the blobs be aphid eggs? Eggs, yes, but not aphid eggs. Rather, the eggs belonged to one of the aphids’ deadliest enemies — green lacewings — and they were deposited with care by the female lacewing near a ready supply of prey for her young. It’s hard to imagine a less likely candidate for a fearsome aphid menace than the gauzy green adult lacewing, delicate and fragile as the lace from which it takes its name. Not so the lacewing larva — a tiny crocodilian terror with long jaws they use to impale their aphid snacks and suck the lifeblood out of them. Lacewings belong to the large insect order Neuroptera, loosely translated as “netwings,” from the Greek “neuro” (nerve or net) and “ptera” (wing). The 6,000 or so species worldwide are characterized by their mostly transparent wings with a fine, net-like tracery of wing veins. Neuroptera also include antlions and owlflies — and popular as fly fishing models — the fishflies,
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alderflies and dobsonflies.
Lacewings, though, are the fashion plates of the order. Here in the DMV, they come in two broad categories: green lacewings and brown lacewings. Green lacewings comprise the insect family Chrysopidae, derived from the Greek “chrysos” (gold) and “ops” (face) — a nod to their stunning beauty. Our most common green lacewing, the golden-eyed lacewing (Chrysopa oculata), sports brilliant golden eyes to complement its diaphanous green wings. There are 20 or so green lacewing species in our area; adults average about an inch long, not including another half inch of antennae. Green lacewings aren’t always green, however; they can also be pinkish, yellowish, or — confusingly — brown.
The dozen species of brown lacewings in our area (family Hemerobiidae) are always brown and usually have wings that are less translucent than their more jewel-hued cousins. They’re also smaller, about a half-inch or so long, with antennae only about half the length of their bodies.
Both brown and green lacewing adults are capable fliers, and we often see them at night on screened windows and doors, or around porch lights. They are active from early spring until the first frosts
of autumn. They’re quite common, and you’re much more likely to see lacewing adults than you are the larvae.
During the day, lacewing adults are often seen on flowers, where they feed on nectar and pollen and meet up with potential mates. Once she’s mated, a female lacewing goes in search of aphids — she has very sophisticated olfactory senses that can detect the scent of aphids and, even more intriguingly, the scent given off by plants in distress from an aphid infestation. She homes in on that chemical signature and picks a leaf or twig near this ready food source on which to lay her eggs.
Lacewing eggs are a marvel in their own right. The female first draws a long, very thin strand of silk from her abdomen, as long as her body, and at the top of the stalk places a single pearly egg. She may “plant” a garden of dozens of these stalked eggs. Why the high-altitude egg pedestals? First, they reduce cannibalism. Lacewing larvae are voracious predators, and if a sibling happens to be nearby when one hatches, it’s likely to become big brother’s or big sister’s first meal.
But even more importantly, the long stalks loft the eggs out of reach of ambling ants. And where there are aphids, there are almost always ants. Many
aphids produce a syrupy sweet liquid from their butts that ants find irresistible, and in exchange for this sweet treat, the ants protect aphids from roving lacewing larvae. Lacewing larvae are such effective predators of aphids and other small insects that the eggs are sometimes sold as a biological control in lieu of chemical pesticides.
Up close, lacewing larvae could be diminutive doppelgangers for the bloodthirsty main characters of the “Alien” movie franchise. Their jaws are massive, relatively speak-
ing — sometimes a third of the body length — and wicked sharp, lined with jagged teeth that grab and impale hapless aphids. For all its heavy armament, that jaw is hollow, and for good (and rewarding) reason: It both pumps the victim full of a cocktail that dissolves its insides, and then reverses flow to suck out the resulting aphid smoothie.
Some species of lacewing larvae even affix the grisly husks of their recent dinners to spines along the lacewing’s back and sides, fashioning an effective
Our most common green lacewing species, the jewel-like golden-eyed lacewing (Chrysopa oculata) COURTESY OF ADRIENNE VAN DEN BEEMT
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Find more local events all month long in our continuously updated online calendar at StreetcarSuburbs.News/events
Here’s our list of events sponsored by local nonprofits, arts organizations and performance venues, occurring between Aug. 14 and Sept. 11; all information is current as of Aug. 7. 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. 12 and Oct. 9 to managingeditor@hyattsvillelife. com by Sept. 4.
RECURRING
Weekly acoustic blues jams, in the Piedmont blues tradition. Listeners welcome! Free. Saturdays, 1 to 5 p.m. Archie Edwards Blues Heritage Foundation, 4502 Hamilton St. acousticblues.com
Riverdale Park Farmers Market is open every Thursday from 3 to 7 p.m. in the parking lot near the Riverdale MARC Station, 4650 Queensbury Rd. Live music every week from roughly 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. (Aug. 14: Magic Ray Jazz; Aug. 21: Sadia; Aug. 28: Peggy Brennan; Sept. 4: The Glen Echoes; Sept. 11: Spice Cake). For more information, contact rpkfarmmkt@ gmail.com.
Sharpen your drawing skills in a relaxed, informal setting at the Hyattsville figure drawing group’s drop-in drawing sessions at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center. Sessions consist of several short warm-up poses and a single sustained pose for the duration of the session. 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
Early Bird Serenity Al-Anon. Support for friends and families of alcoholics based on the 12-step program. Free, all are welcome. Virtual meetings every Thursday from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. For more information and Zoom link, email ebsalanon@ gmail.com.
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
ONGOING
The “Inside Out” exhibition features 14 artists who work inside Pyramid Atlantic Art Center studios. Through Aug. 31. Free. Wednesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. 4218 Gallatin St. 301.608.9101. pyramidatlanticartcenter.org
AUGUST 16
Learn kayak paddling skills from a certified instructor on the Anacostia River. Boats, paddles, and life jackets provided. Ages 11+. $30 resident, $39 nonresident. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Register at pgparksdirect.com. Bladensburg Waterfront Park, 4601 Annapolis Rd., Bladensburg. 301.779.0371. BladensburgWP@pgparks.com
Meet the artists, mingle with fellow art enthusiasts, and enjoy free refreshments during the closing reception of "Peculiar Matters.” This group exhibition dives into a world of found objects, reflections of time and
space, and awkward landscapes. Free. 2 to 4 p.m. Brentwood Arts Exchange, 3901 Rhode Island Ave., Brentwood. 301.277.2863. brentwoodarts@pgparks.com
Pan Masters Steel Orchestra headlines this edition of Joe’s Summer Series ‘25, where you’ll also find other performers, craft and food vendors and hands-on art activities for kids. Pay-what-you-wish starting at $0. 5 to 8:30 p.m. Joe’s Movement Emporium, 3309 Bunker Hill Rd., Mt. Rainier. 301.699.1819. joesmovement. org
AUGUST 20
Explore the beautiful scenery of the Anacostia River on a Golden Hour Kayak Tour Ages 11+. $25 county residents, $33 nonresidents. 6:30 to 8 p.m. Register at pgparksdirect.com. Bladensburg Waterfront Park, 4601 Annapolis Rd., Bladensburg. 301.779.0371. BladensburgWP@pgparks.com
AUGUST 21
Teresa Jiménez & Wiley Gaby perform at Maryland Meadworks. Free. 7 to 10 p.m. 4700 Rhode Island Ave., Suite Bee. 301.955.9644. marylandmeadworks.com
AUGUST 23
As part of Route 1 Corridor Conversations, join Rasheed Plummer from the Prince George’s County Office of Homeland Security for a presentation on emergency preparedness, “Are You Ready for an Emergency?” Attendees can join via telephone or Zoom. Free. 2 to 3:30 p.m. Register at hyattsvilleaginginplace.org/ events.
The Hollow Truths play at Streetcar 82 Brewing Co. Free. 7 to 9 p.m. 4824 Rhode Island Ave. streetcar82brewing.com
AUGUST 24
Join the Riversdale Kitchen Guild over the open hearth as they highlight a seasonal fruit or vegetable of the historic gardener’s choice using 19thcentury techniques. Free. Noon to 4 p.m. Register at pgparksdirect.com. Riversdale House Museum, 4811 Riverdale Rd., Riverdale Park. 301.864.0420. riversdale@pgparks.com
AUGUST 27
Have fun crafting and creating magnetic mini paintings to display on your fridge or any magnetic surface! Free. 3 to 5 p.m. Register at pgcmls.info/ events. Hyattsville Branch Library, 6530 Adelphi Rd. 240.455.5451
AUGUST 29
Delicate Cycle: Laundry World Goes Acoustic at Maryland Meadworks. Free. 7 to 10 p.m. 4700 Rhode Island Ave., Suite Bee. 301.955.9644. marylandmeadworks.com
SEPTEMBER 6
Learn indigo dyeing techniques with Sarah Matthews. $173. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Purchase tickets through pyramidatlanticartcenter.org. Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, 4218 Gallatin St. 301.608.9101
Wild Anacostias perform at Streetcar 82 Brewing Co. Free. 7 to 10 p.m. 4824 Rhode Island Ave. streetcar82brewing.com
SEPTEMBER 8
Whether you’re a beginner looking to learn the basics or an experienced player wanting to sharpen your skills, the chess club offers friendly matches and strategies in a welcoming environment. Free. 4 to 5:30 p.m. Register at pgcmls.info/events. Hyattsville Branch Library, 6530 Adelphi Rd. 240.455.5451
SEPTEMBER 10
Come listen to the Bowie State University Choir with Brandon Feldar, as part of Riversdale House Museum’s outdoor fall concert series. Free. 6 to 7 p.m. Register at pgparksdirect.com. 4811 Riverdale Rd., Riverdale Park. 301.864.0420. riversdale@pgparks.com
THE CITY OF HYATTSVILLE
The Hyattsville Reporter
Residents met their neighbors and had an amazing time with food, music, and dancing at the City of Hyattsville’s “Backyard BBQ” summer jam! Learn more about the summer jam series at hyattsville.org/summerjam and save the date for the final Jam on September 19 at Hyatt Park! | ¡Los residentes se reunieron con sus vecinos y disfrutaron de un momento increíble con comida, música y baile en el evento “Backyard BBQ” de verano de la Ciudad de Hyattsville! Obtenga más información sobre la serie de eventos Summer Jam en hyattsville.org/summerjam y reserve la fecha para el último Jam el 19 de septiembre en Hyatt Park.
August is 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! Visit hyattsville.org/lovelocal for lists of local business directories. In addition, learn how your business can receive Minority Business Enterprise certification and take advantage of additional funding opportunities at Hyattsville.org/bbm.
SCHOOL SUPPLY DRIVE ENDS AUGUST 15!
Help local students start the year right! The City of Hyattsville, in partnership with Prince Hall Mason Lodge #139 and UM Capital Region Medical Center, is accepting donations of school supplies until August 15. Supplies may be delivered or dropped off in person at the City Building, 4310 Gallatin St., Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. For a list of suggested supplies, visit Hyattsville.org/back2school.
A list of local back to school events within and around Hyattsville that will be distributing things like backpacks, school supplies, and more has also been compiled at Hyattsville.org/back2school.
¡Agosto es el Mes de los Negocios Afroamericanos!
La ciudad se enorgullece de celebrar agosto como el Mes de las Empresas Afroamericanos y anima a los residentes a apoyar a las empresas y emprendedores afroamericanos de Hyattsville. Visite hyattsville.org/lovelocal para obtener listas de directorios de empresas locales. Además, descubra cómo su empresa puede obtener la certificación de Empresa Minoritaria y aprovechar oportunidades de financiación adicionales en Hyattsville.org/bbm.
¡LA COLECTA DE ÚTILES ESCOLARES TERMINA EL 15 DE AGOSTO!
¡Ayuda a los estudiantes locales a empezar el año con buen pie! La ciudad de Hyattsville, en colaboración con Prince Hall Mason Lodge #139 y UM Capital Region Medical Center, está aceptando donaciones de útiles escolares hasta el 15 de agosto. Los útiles se pueden entregar o dejar en persona en el edificio municipal, 4310 Gallatin St, de lunes a viernes, de 8:30 a.m. a 5 p.m. Para ver una lista de los útiles sugeridos, visite Hyattsville.org/back2school.
También se ha compilado una lista de eventos locales de regreso a clases en Hyattsville y sus alrededores donde se estarán distribuyendo mochilas, útiles escolares y más. Visita Hyattsville.org/back2school para más información.
ANNOUNCEMENTS | ANUNCIOS
FREE BUS FARE PROGRAM
Starting June 30, 2025, trips on Prince George’s County’s TheBus, PGC Link, and Call-a-Bus are now free for everyone! There are no eligibility requirements. Visit dpwt.mypgc.us for more information.
SEWER WORK: WEST HYATTSVILLE
WSSC has scheduled sewer work this fall that will impact streets within Wards 3-5. Sign up at WSSCwater.com/CNS for alerts about work in your area that may affect your service or daily routine.
SIGN UP FOR NIXLE SAFETY ALERTS
Are you registered for our Nixle Emergency Alert system? The Hyattsville Police Department uses Nixle to send out alerts concerning public safety, road conditions, and other police notifications by email or text message. Stay informed by signing up at Hyattsville.org/alerts.
HPD STEERING WHEEL LOCK GIVEAWAY
Keep your car safe! Lock your doors, take your keys, and don’t leave valuables in sight. Hyattsville Police Department also wants to help you out by giving away free steering wheel locks to Hyattsville residents. Email CAT@ Hyattsville.org to arrange a time to get yours while supplies last!
COMPOSTING BEST PRACTICES
Pet waste or pizza boxes? Bamboo or chicken bones? Do you know what can and can’t be composted here in the City of Hyattsville? Visit Hyattsville.org/compost for more information and the full list of what to compost.
THRIVE GRANT OPENING SOON
Hyattsville’s Thrive Grant is designed to fund initiatives created by individuals, organizations, and businesses that encourage healthy lifestyles in the Hyattsville Community! Look for the 2025 Thrive Grant application in early September with an expected deadline in early October. Visit Hyattsville.org/grants for more information and to see past winners.
JOIN A CITY COMMITTEE!
We’re recruiting for City Committees! Public involvement is crucial to the City’s decision-making process and our volunteer-led advisory bodies are an important and valuable part of Hyattsville’s government. Find a list of all committees and the link to apply at Hyattsville.org/ committees.
SUMMER STAYCATION!
Don’t let these last few weeks of Summer slip away…have a Summer Staycation right here in Hyattsville! Shop, dine, and love local by celebrating all the City has to offer. Visit Hyattsville.org/lovelocal for business directories and Summer Staycation ideas!
LABOR DAY SERVICE CHANGES
City of Hyattsville offices will be closed on Monday, September 1 in observance of the Labor Day holiday. There will be no compost or yard waste pick-up that week. County recycling routes will move from Monday to Tuesday; Tuesday to Wednesday; Wednesday to Thursday; Thursday to Friday and from Friday to Saturday. There are no changes to the City’s trash collection schedule. More information at Hyattsville.org/trash.
PROGRAMA DE PASAJE GRATIS EN AUTOBUSES
A partir del 30 de junio de 2025, ¡los viajes en TheBus, PGC Link y Call-a-Bus del Condado de Prince George’s serán gratuitos para todos! No hay requisitos de elegibilidad. Visite dpwt.mypgc.us para más información.
TRABAJOS EN EL ALCANTARILLADO: HYATTSVILLE OESTE
WSSC ha programado trabajos en el sistema de alcantarillado para este otoño que afectarán calles dentro de los Distritos 3 al 5. Regístrate en WSSCwater.com/CNS para recibir alertas sobre trabajos en tu área que puedan afectar tu servicio o rutina diaria.
SUSCRÍBASE A LAS ALERTAS DE SEGURIDAD DE NIXLE
¿Está registrado en nuestro sistema de alertas de emergencia Nixle? El Departamento de Policía de Hyattsville utiliza Nixle para enviar alertas sobre seguridad pública, condiciones de las carreteras y otras notificaciones policiales por correo electrónico o mensaje de texto. Manténgase informado registrándose en Hyattsville.org/alerts.
CERRADURA DE VOLANTE GRATUITO HPD
Cierre las puertas con llave, lleve sus llaves y no deje objetos de valor a la vista. El Departamento de Policía de Hyattsville también quiere ayudarle ofreciendo bloqueos de volante gratuitos para residentes de Hyattsville. Envíe un correo a CAT@Hyattsville.org para coordinar una hora para recoger el suyo, ¡hasta agotar existencias!
BUENAS PRÁCTICAS DE COMPOSTAJE
¿Desechos de mascotas o cajas de pizza? ¿Bambú o huesos de pollo? ¿Sabe qué se puede y qué no se puede compostar en la ciudad de Hyattsville? Visite Hyattsville.org/compost para obtener más información y la lista completa de lo que se puede compostar.
LA SUBVENCIÓN THRIVE SE ABRIRÁ PRONTO
¡La subvención Thrive está diseñada para financiar iniciativas creadas por personas, organizaciones y negocios que fomenten estilos de vida saludables en la comunidad de Hyattsville! Esté atento a la solicitud para la subvención Thrive 2025 a principios de septiembre, con una fecha límite prevista para principios de octubre. Visite Hyattsville.org/grants para obtener más información y ver a los ganadores anteriores.
¡ÚNASE A UN COMITÉ MUNICIPAL!
¡Estamos buscando miembros para los comités municipales! La participación ciudadana es fundamental para el proceso de toma de decisiones de la ciudad, y nuestros comités asesores, dirigidos por voluntarios, son una parte importante y valiosa del gobierno de Hyattsville. Encuentre una lista de todos los comités y el enlace para presentar su solicitud en Hyattsville.org/committees.
¡VACACIONES DE VERANO!
¡No dejes que estas últimas semanas de verano se te escapen!
¡Disfruta de unas vacaciones de verano sin salir de Hyattsville! Compra, cena y apoya lo local celebrando todo lo que nuestra ciudad tiene para ofrecer. Visita Hyattsville.org/lovelocal para ver directorios de negocios e ideas para tu Summer Staycation.
CAMBIOS EN LOS SERVICIOS POR EL DÍA DEL TRABAJO
Las oficinas de la Ciudad de Hyattsville estarán cerradas el lunes 1 de septiembre en conmemoración del feriado del Día del Trabajo. No habrá recolección de composta ni de desechos de jardín durante esa semana. Las rutas de reciclaje del condado se moverán de la siguiente manera: las del lunes pasarán al martes; las del martes al miércoles; las del miércoles al jueves; las del jueves al viernes; y las del viernes al sábado. No habrá cambios en el calendario de recolección de basura de la Ciudad. Más información en Hyattsville.org/trash.
CALENDAR | CALENDARIO
FREE ZUMBA CLASSES
Get your groove on with the City’s free Zumba fitness class on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4–5 p.m. at the City Building, 4310 Gallatin St.! Drop-ins are welcome—invite your neighbors and friends. Learn more at hyattsville. org/wellness.
SEATED EXERCISES
Older adults can join on Wednesdays, 10 - 11 AM. at the City Building. Register: hyattsville.org/seniors or 301-985-5000.
FREE PRODUCE DISTRIBUTION
Pick up bags of free produce on Tuesday, August 12, at the First United Methodist Church, 6201 Belcrest Rd., starting at noon.
FALL FIELD PERMIT MEETING
Organizations interested in applying for permits to use the playing fields this fall at Driskell Park, Melrose Park, and 38th Avenue Park are required to attend our in-person Fall Field Permit Meeting on August 13 at 7 p.m. in the City Building Multipurpose Room, 4310 Gallatin St. More information at hyattsville.org/fieldpermit.
INVASIVE REMOVAL & FOREST MAINTENANCE
Volunteer to remove invasive plants and help with forest maintenance at Driskell Park, 3911 Hamilton Street, Saturday, August 16 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.! Student service learning hours are available. RSVP to environment@hyattsville.org to be notified of any weatherrelated cancellations.
BIKE RODEO
Ready to ride? Join the City of Hyattsville’s Health, Wellness, and Recreation Advisory Committee, Hyattsville Police Department, M-NCPPC Park Police, and Arrow Bicycle for a bike rodeo on August 16 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Driskell Park, 3911 Hamilton Street! This family-friendly event will offer bike skills and safety training, bike and helmet fittings, and a bike repair station. Details at hyattsville.org/calendar.
CERT MEETING
Learn how to support emergency responders during disasters at the Gateway District CERT training on August 20, 6:30–8:30 PM, at the City Building. All are welcome! hyattsville.org/cert.
FREE NARCAN TRAININGS
Learn how to recognize an opioid overdose and safely administer NARCAN, a life-saving drug used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, by attending our FREE community training on August 21 at 6:00 p.m. or August 22 at 10 a.m., at the City Building. Registration is required at hyattsville.org/ NARCAN.
CARE PARTNER
SUPPORT GROUP
Meet with other caregivers on August 22, 9:30 - 10:45 AM at the City Building. Register: hyattsville.org/ calendar.
WARD 3 WALK & TALK
Join Ward 3 Councilmembers and City staff to walk through new construction projects and discuss community issues on August 27 at 6 p.m. Details at hyattsville.org/ calendar.
LABOR DAY
City Offices will be closed on September 1 for the Labor Day holiday. Find waste collection changes at hyattsville.org/trash.
HYATTSVILLE HEALTH FAIR
First United Methodist Church of Hyattsville, 6201 Belcrest Rd., is holding their annual Hyattsville Community Health & Wellness Fair on September 6 from 10am2pm. Meet with local health & wellness providers and get free health screenings! For more info, contact the First United Methodist Church at 301-927-6133 or email church@fumchy.org
INTERNATIONAL CELEBRATION SUMMER JAM
Save the date! Come celebrate Hyattsville’s diversity at our International-themed Summer Jam on September 19 from 5:30 –8:30 p.m. at Hyatt Park!
Join us for live music, delicious food, drinks, and much more! hyattsville.org/ summerjam.
CLASES GRATUITAS DE ZUMBA
¡Ponte en forma con las clases gratuitas de Zumba de la ciudad los Lunes y Miércoles de 4 - 5 p.m. en el Edificio Municipal, 4310 Gallatin St.! Todos son bienvenidos, invita a tus vecinos y amigos. Más información en hyattsville. org/wellness.
EJERCICIOS
SENTADOS
Los adultos mayores pueden unirse los miércoles, 10 - 11 AM. en el Edificio Municipal. Inscríbase: hyattsville.org/seniors o 301-985-5000.
DISTRIBUCIÓN DE ALIMENTOS GRATIS
¡Únase a nosotros martes 12 de agosto en la Primera Iglesia Metodista Unida, 6201 Belcrest Road, a partir del mediodía para nuestra distribución de alimentos GRATUITOS! Tanto conductores como personas sin cita son bienvenidos. Los productos embolsados se distribuyen por orden de llegada.
REUNIÓN DE PERMISOS DE CAMPO DE OTOÑO
Las organizaciones interesadas en solicitar permisos para usar los campos de juego este otoño en Driskell Park, Melrose Park y 38th Avenue Park deben asistir en persona a nuestra reunión de
permisos de campo de otoño el miércoles 13 de agosto a las 7 p.m. en la sala de usos múltiples del edificio municipal, 4310 Gallatin St. Más información en hyattsville.org/fieldpermit.
ELIMINACION DE INVASORAS Y MANTENIMIENTO DE BOSQUES
¡Sea voluntario para eliminar plantas invasoras y dar mantenimiento al bosque en Driskell Park, 3911 Hamilton Street, sábado 16 de agosto de 10 a.m. a 2 p.m.! Hay horas de aprendizaje disponibles de servicio estudiantil. Confirme su asistencia con environment@hyattsville.org para recibir notificaciones sobre cualquier cancelación relacionada con el clima.
RODEO EN BICICLETA
¿Listos para rodar? ¡Únete al Comité Asesor de Salud, Bienestar y Recreación de la Ciudad de Hyattsville, el Departamento de Policía de Hyattsville, la Policía de Parques M-NCPPC y Arrow Bicycle para un rodeo ciclista el 16 de agosto de 11:00 a. m. a 2:00 p. m. en el Parque Driskell, ubicado en la calle Hamilton 3911! Este evento familiar ofrecerá capacitación en seguridad y habilidades ciclistas, ajuste de bicicletas y cascos, y un taller de reparación de bicicletas. ¡Trae una bicicleta y un casco o pide prestado uno por la mañana, hasta agotar existencias! Más información en hyattsville. org/calendar.
REUNION CERT
Obtenga habilidades para ayudar a los socorristas a salvar vidas y proteger lapropiedad en una emergencia en la reunión CERT del Distrito de Gateway el 20 de agosto de 6:30 - 8:30 p.m., en el Edificio Municipal, 4310 Gallatin St. ¡Todos son bienvenidos a asistir! Para más información, visite hyattsville.org/cert.
ENTRENAMIENTO DE NARCAN GRATUITO
Aprenda a reconocer una sobredosis de opioides y a administrar de forma segura NARCAN, un medicamento que salva vidas y que se utiliza para revertir los efectos de una
sobredosis de opioides, asistiendo a nuestra formación comunitaria GRATUITA el 21 de agosto a las 6 p.m. o el 22 de agosto a las 10 a.m., en el edificio municipal. Es necesario inscribirse en hyattsville. org/NARCAN.
GRUPO DE APOYO PARA CUIDADORES
Reunirse con otros cuidadores el 22 de agosto, de 9:30 - 10:45 AM en el Edificio Municipal. Inscríbase: hyattsville.org/calendar.
CAMINATA Y CHARLA POR EL DISTRITO 3 Únase a los concejales del Distrito 3 y al personal de la Ciudad para recorrer algunos de los nuevos proyectos de construcciones y conversar sobre temas comunitarios el 27 de agosto a las 6 p.m. Más detalles en hyattsville. org/calendar.
DÍA DEL TRABAJO
Las oficinas municipales permanecerán cerradas el 1 de septiembre con motivo de la festividad del Día del Trabajo. Consulte los cambios en la recogida de residuos en hyattsville. org/trash.
FERIA DE LA SALUD DE HYATTSVILLE
La Primera Iglesia Metodista Unida de Hyattsville, situada en 6201 Belcrest Rd., celebrará su feria anual de salud y bienestar Comunitario de Hyattsville el 6 de septiembre, de 10:00am a 2:00pm. Conozca a proveedores locales de salud y bienestar y obtenga exámenes de salud gratuitos! Para más información, comuníquese con la Primera Iglesia Metodista Unida al 301-927-6133 o envíe un correo electrónico a church@ fumchy.org.
FIESTA DE VERANO: CELEBRACIÓN INTERNACIONAL
¡Reserve la fecha! Venga a celebrar la diversidad de Hyattsville en nuestro Summer Jam de temática internacional el 19 de septiembre de 5:30 a 8:30 p.m. en Hyatt Park. Únase a nosotros para disfrutar de música en vivo, deliciosa comida, bebidas, ¡y mucho más! Más información en hyattsville.org/summerjam.
HIGHLIGHTS | LO DESTACADO
Smiles, sirens, and strong community vibes! Thanks to everyone who came out for National Night Out! It was a night full of connections, laughter, and neighborhood pride. Here’s to building safer, stronger communities together! | ¡Sonrisas, sirenas y un gran ambiente comunitario! Gracias a todos los que participaron en la Noche de Acción Nacional. Fue una noche llena de conexiones, risas y orgullo vecinal. ¡Brindemos por construir comunidades más seguras y fuertes juntos!
The City website has gotten a new look! Head on over to Hyattsville.org and see all the changes! | ¡El sitio web de la ciudad tiene un nuevo diseño! ¡Visite Hyattsville.org y vea todos los cambios!
Commercial burglary increased during 2025’s first half
HPD catches up on crime reports; Hyattsville crime spiked in 2023
By HEATHER WRIGHT
Although overall violent crime in the City of Hyattsville decreased during the first half of 2025, the city saw an uptick in burglary — especially commercial burglary — and theft, according to online Hyattsville police crime reports.
2025 sees increase in burglary and theft
In the first half of 2025 (January to June), most violent crime declined, when compared to the first half of 2024. Robberies, carjackings and assaults all declined. There were no recorded homicides in the City of Hyattsville in either the first half of this year or the first half of last year. Rape was one category of violent crime (or crimes against persons) that did increase in the first half of 2025 (1 in 2024, 4 in 2025).
Burglary and theft — considered crimes against property — both increased during the first half of 2025. In a July 30 interview with the Life & Times, Hyattsville Police Chief Jarod Towers described burglary — especially commercial burglary — and theft as two of the main thorns in his side. Burglary is when someone specifically breaks into and enters a building to steal something, which is why burglary is also known as breaking and entering, or B&E.
Commercial burglary increased by almost 47%, from 15 incidents in the first half of 2024 to 22 in the first half of 2025. Residential burglary increased almost 42%, from 12 incidents to 17.
Although, according to Towers, the increase in commercial burglary has been a regional trend, Hyattsville has seen a sharper increase than many county municipalities, perhaps because of the Mall at Prince George’s.
“The only thing I can think of is we're the municipality with the mall,” Towers said. “If somebody breaks into the mall after hours and breaks … into four of those [small business] carts, that counts as four businesses being burglarized.”
Theft increased by 24%, from 234 incidents in the first half of 2024 to 291 in the first half of 2025. The majority of thefts occurred in Ward 3, where the Mall at Prince George’s, Hyattsville Crossing Metro station and Northwestern High School are
Commercial burglary increased by almost 47%, from 15 incidents in the first half of 2024 to 22 in the first half of 2025. Residential burglary increased almost 42%, from 12 incidents to 17.
located; in the first half of 2025, 200 of the 291 thefts occurred in Ward 3.
Towers described several Hyattsville Police Department (HPD) responses to these trends. To address commercial burglary, Towers and a representative from the city’s Community and Economic Develop-
ment department are visiting city businesses — starting with burgled ones — with a twoprong approach. First, Towers or his designee discusses burglary prevention tips, along with how to request a Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, or CPTED, survey. Then, the Community and
Economic Development representative talks about how to apply for a façade-improvement grant, which can improve security by helping pay for features like upgraded locks, cameras, and lighting, according to Towers.
To address residential burglary, the HPD has posted a
safety tip sheet on social media, which gives suggestions like installing motion lights and exterior cameras. Towers notes that residents can also contact the department’s Community Action Team, or CAT (cat@hyattsville.org), to conduct a CPTED survey of
SCIENCE OF THE CITY
Maryland needs a stronger infrastructure for recycling
By PAUL RUFFINS
This series was partly supported by an Environmental Solutions Journalism Fellowship from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The first four articles focused on keeping food waste out of landfills to prevent the creation of methane, which accelerates global warming. This final piece considers food waste in the context of Maryland’s overall recycling infrastructure.
On paper, Maryland appears to have numerous options for disposing of food waste, including through feeding it to animals, incineration, landfilling, anaerobic digestion and composting. However, given the growing challenges in handling all the rest of our solid waste, only the last two options seem sustainable.
Incineration is dying because there has been continuous political pressure to shut down the waste-to-energy incinerators in Baltimore City and Montgomery County, and it is unlikely that new ones will be built. Activists charge that these incinerators are as polluting as coal-fired power plants. The Maryland legislature
recently made them ineligible for renewable energy credits.
Landfills face at least three factors restricting their use.
First, starting in 2023, Maryland required many large producers of food scraps to divert those scraps from landfills if, among other factors, those producers were within 30 miles of an appropriate composting facility or an anaerobic digester.
Second, the tipping fees at Maryland’s county-owned landfills can exceed $100 a ton, and that price is expected to continue rising. Finally, the state is simply running out of landfill space.
In February, while basically supporting legislation to hold packaging producers more responsible for recycling or disposing of their products (Senate Bill 901), Maryland’s Department of the Environment (MDE) noted, “Maryland faces a landfill crisis, with only 22-35 years of permitted capacity that is not fully built and very localized.”
Food scraps and other organic materials can also be processed in anaerobic digesters, which produce compost and biogas for heating or producing electricity (see the May “Science of the
City” column). However, BioEnergy Devco’s plant in Jessup is the only utility-scale anaerobic digester in the entire state, so digesters’ potential environmental benefits have largely been limited to agricultural areas, where feeding some food scraps to animals also makes sense.
Composting has great potential for handling food waste. As of this past January, MDE had issued 24 permits for composting facilities operated by local jurisdictions or private companies; however, only 21 were operational, and of those, only six handled food scraps.
To view Maryland’s solid waste challenge in perspective, consider that Prince George’s County is one of the rare jurisdictions to own all the facilities that will sustainably process its solid waste for the next three to five decades. This includes a landfill with space to expand, an organics composting facility (OCF) that accepts food scraps, and a materials recycling facility (MRF) to sort and market the materials from its curbside recycling programs.
In contrast, Baltimore City has no publicly owned MRF, and Montgomery County relies
on Prince George's County to compost most of its food waste. Montgomery County composts organics like grass and yard trim, but due to a legal dispute, it can’t compost any food until it agrees to close its Dickerson incinerator. Owning its own facilities gives Prince George's County several advantages over other jurisdictions, which have to pay tipping or hauling fees to have their waste removed. The OCF usually sells enough LeafGro and LeafGro Gold compost to offset the cost of processing food waste. This is also true for the county MRF in Capitol Heights. According to the facility’s Senior Environmental Planner Desmond Gladden, “It’s not every day, but most of the time, our facility sells its materials at prices high enough to pay for itself.”
In 2025, aluminum cans have sold for as much as $1,700 a ton, and the best quality plastic scrap
(usually from water bottles) reached $2,500 a ton in 2024. Cardboard, mixed paper, other plastic containers, and steel cans sell for much less but remain in steady demand. Local MRFs can sometimes get significantly more than national scrapyard prices because they provide very large quantities of cans or plastic bottles that are already baled, and are conveniently located close to Baltimore’s large port.
The Prince George’s County MRF Operations Manager Michael Bell revealed that another plus to the county owning its OCF, MRF and landfill is that these facilities can exchange materials and services. “In this area, there is very little demand for used commingled glass, and it’s too heavy and expensive to truck it to glass factories in the Midwest, where prices are higher,” Bell said. “So, we send it to the landfill for free, and they save by using it as daily cover.” He explained that “daily cover” is the various materials landfills use to cover new trash each day to reduce vermin or fires. Despite these advantages, Prince George's County still faces hurdles to increasing its food recycling rates and reducing methane emissions. According to David Brosch, a Sierra Club activist and member of the Prince George’s County Solid Waste Advisory Commission, some of the problems involve faulty infrastructure. The county landfill is supposed to have a system to capture the methane it produces and use it to help heat the county’s jail and prison in Upper Marlboro. “But,” Brosch noted, “the gas pipe between the two facilities has been broken for years, and the gas is just flared off and wasted.”
Brosch also faults local jurisdictions for their failure to work together to buy equipment and supplies at lower rates or to share them. During the supply chain problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, his town of University Park struggled to obtain enough organic recycling carts, while several thousand were left unused at the OFC as replacements for the households already served by the county’s
At the Prince George’s County Materials Recycling Facility, in Capitol Heights, bales of cans, paper and plastic containers await sale to the highest bidder. PAUL RUFFINS
Leapin’ leafhoppers! Don’t be naive about native plants
Dear Miss Floribunda,
Is it possible for a native plant to get a weird disease like the one you wrote about for roses last month? My coneflowers have developed something that looks a little like the witch's broom on that photo of a diseased rose I saw last month in your paper (see attached coneflower photo). You wrote that native roses don't get this disease, so I just assumed that other native plants wouldn't get it either. What is causing this? What can I do about it?
Cone-fused and Cone-cerned on Kennedy Street
Dear Cone-fused and Conecerned,
Cousin Moribunda had no trouble identifying the disease that has attacked your coneflowers: It is called aster yellows. It attacks plants in the Asteraceae family, which includes coneflowers, coreopsis, marigolds, daisies and sunflowers. Aster yellows also attacks carrots, lettuce and celery.
Despite the fact that the symptoms do look similar, the pathogen is not the Rose Rosette Disease virus (Emaravirus rosae) carried by a microscopic eriophyid mite (Phyllocoptes fructiphilus), but Candidatus phytoplasma bacteria transmitted by an insect called a leafhopper (Macrosteles quadrilineatus). Although coneflower rosette mites actually do exist, they cause much less damage to the plant.
Only in early stages could you mistake the two. The less
virulent mite does not stunt the growth of the plant, and removing affected flowers is enough to control the disease. In contrast, aster yellows is so devastating that your only recourse is to uproot and dispose of your plants.
You might want to take a look around your yard to hunt for and weed out the common host plants for this insect. These include wild carrot, aka Queen Anne's lace; wild asters; wild chicory; broadleaf plantain; dandelion; and several thistles.
Despite the beauty of Queen Anne's lace and the blue flow-
ers of wild chicory, as well as the fact that all these plants are loved by beneficial insects, this invasion means that we must pull them all up, bag them, and throw them out. Again, please don’t leave your coneflowers in the ground, hoping for recovery. Should your coneflower survive, it would become a host plant for next year's leafhoppers and help spread the disease.
Please don’t resort to insecticides, as you don’t want to kill potential predators of leafhoppers. These predators include many spiders, lacewings, ladybugs, assassin bugs, minute pirate bugs and parasitic wasps. Even neem oil is problematic: If you apply it to plant leaves and stems, you should avoid spraying the oil on the actual flowers, because visiting bees and butterflies will ingest it along with the nectar and pollen.
It is indeed disheartening that popular native plants can be susceptible to this disease. I wonder if you made the mistake of fertilizing them. The possibility of disease in native plants is heightened by fertilization, and most native plants — including coneflowers — don’t need fertilizer anyway.
You might consider planting petunias with your coneflowers, as Moribunda claims they repel leafhoppers. Although nasturtiums are recommended as a trap plant for leafhoppers, she thinks it foolish to grow anything else that might attract these pests to your garden.
It occurs to me that because our large nation comprises areas with radically different
growing conditions, it is not entirely reasonable to assume that a plant native to the Great Plains — such as the coneflower — would necessarily be well suited to Hyattsville. Prairie plants like a hot, dry, windy environment.
Even without a leafhopper invasion, our muggy microclimate encourages mildew and other fungal diseases in prairie favorites.
I asked Wendy Wildflower what she grows successfully in her pollinator garden. She told me it is now lush with the tall summer-blooming phlox (Phlox paniculata) native to our East Coast, bee balm (Monarda), wild Carolina petunia (Ruellia caroli-
niensis), nodding onion (Allium cernuum), obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana), mountain mint (Pycnanthemum) and a number of native grasses she terms “gorgeous.” These are all native to our region.
Please check the Hyattsville Horticultural Society website (hyattsvillehorticulture.org) to find out when the next meeting will take place. All plant lovers are welcome.
Miss Floribunda writes about gardening for the Life & Times. You may email her at Floribundav@gmail.com.
REWILDING
camouflage against ant patrols. Other lacewing larvae pile bits and pieces of lichen, dead leaves and other debris onto their backs — what looks like a lichen on the move across a tree trunk is likely a lacewing on the hunt!
Lacewing larvae aren’t afraid to punch well above their weight for potential meals, either. They’ll even take a nip
out of an unsuspecting human arm if they happen to stumble across one, although they can’t really draw blood or inflict any harm beyond an annoying pygmy pinch!
Rick Borchelt is a local botanist and science writer who gardens and writes about natural history. Reach him with questions about this column at rborchelt@gmail.com.
A garden of eggs “planted” by a green lacewing near an aphid colony COURTESY OF KARZ09
Coneflowers afflicted by aster yellows COURTESY OF JEAN SMITH
any other department, access to our data should be done in a public manner and with a robust discussion.”
Hyattsville’s access to Accurint would be funded through the Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD) participation grant. The software links billions of public records to agency-provided data, according to city meeting documents. If the initiative is successful at the city level, Gov. Wes Moore plans to implement Accurint statewide.
“This is a resource to our officers and our detectives to allow us easier, more efficient access to information,” Hyattsville Police Chief Jarod Towers explained. Currently, local police departments operate with firewalled databases, limiting information-sharing between jurisdictions.
Safeguards exist within Accurint’s auditing process: Employees are prompted to justify each information request, and an audit trail is maintained for random checks and investigations into any misuse allegations.
Councilmember Kareem Redmond (Ward 3) questioned the potential for government overreach. “What’s to stop a federal agency from pulling information out of this system to target people in our community?” he asked.
Towers assured the council that the HPD will not be sharing immigration status information with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. Mayor Robert Croslin added that the state governor's office is “doing everything they can to protect our immigrant community.”
Waszczak, speaking on behalf of a constituent, questioned who can access data through Accurint. While Towers acknowledged that the database
extends well beyond Hyattsville, he said he did not have a full list of agencies with access. Further concerns emerged around data-sharing policies and third-party access. Councilmember Greg Barnes (Ward 1) asked about a license provision that allows Accurint to share information with third parties.
Councilmember Emily Strab (Ward 2) questioned whether all participating jurisdictions follow a standard conduct policy.
Towers requested that the council table the discussion so he could gather more information from the state governor’s office. He said he would provide updates at the council’s September meeting. The council approved the request.
Council approves police video sharing through Fusus system
The council approved the sharing of HPD live video feed with PGPD through Axon Fusus. According to city meeting records, videos will only be accessed for “proactive monitoring for criminal activity, during a criminal incident or emergency at a City location.”
The county is encouraging communities and businesses to integrate their cameras with Fusus. The FususCONNECT Donor Site Initiative will transmit alerts and video to law enforcement from cameras at apartment complexes, housing communities, schools, restaurants and small businesses.
Towers, responding to a query from Waszczak, said that law enforcement will use available live feeds to make decisions on issuing expedited responses in true emergencies or delaying the deployment of police cars to a scene.
Existing partners with Fusus Axon include the Maryland State Highway Administration, Washington Metropolitan Area
Chief Jarod Towers said that law enforcement will use available live feeds to make decisions on issuing expedited responses in true emergencies or delaying the deployment of police cars to a scene.
Transit Authority, Maryland Highway Safety Office, and two unspecified Hyattsville businesses, according to Towers.
Fusus continues its nationwide effort to enter into agreements with cities and counties.
In 2023, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit civil liberties organization, reported that Fusus had contracts with nearly 150 jurisdictions. A database of these agreements has been compiled and can be found at tinyurl.com/5n8hp3zpre.
Last December, the Nashville Metro Council narrowly rejected a Fusus agreement by one vote. According to the Nashville Banner, the decision was influenced by concerns from activists and councilmembers about the potential for Fusus to target immigrants and other marginalized communities.
Concerns about student records and supplies
In June, student records and equipment were found in the Hyattsville Elementary School building scheduled for demolition. In late July, The Washington Post reported that an unsecured room contained binders full of private
records about students, including financial information and emergency contacts. Thousands of dollars’ worth of school supplies were also found in the building.
Waszczak asked what has been done since then to secure individuals’ personally identifiable information and to distribute leftover materials to other schools. County public schools representatives Shawn Matlock and Roger Prince led the responses to public concerns about records security and waste management.
School relocations happen in two phases, Matlock explained. First, the existing program and essential supplies are moved to a temporary location. In the second phase, other departments transfer materials, including HVAC systems and kitchen equipment, to the warehouse.
Some items, like rented copiers or servers, must be removed by third-party vendors, a process arranged by the equipment owners. At the time parents entered the building, those removals had not yet been scheduled.
“That can’t be done when you have teachers and people walking around the building,” Matlock said.
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With a county council vote expected this fall, community members like Padua say the community has stepped up to fill the gap of elected officials.
Matlock noted that supplies can accumulate over time, especially in a school that’s been around for almost a century, like Hyattsville Elementary. “It’s just stock that piles up, and it can’t be used in other programs because it’s no longer relevant,” he said.
Prince, along with county schools Project Manager Taylor Powell and Custodian of Records Gayle Huggins, reinspected the elementary school building after the July article came out. Prince confirmed that all records, both archival and active, are securely stored in appropriate facilities.
“We’ve taken this opportunity to look at our practices in preparation for future moves,” Prince said, referring to privacy and record security, “making sure that nothing is there that can create a sense of discomfort or erode trust that the community may have in the school system or in the process that we put in place.”
According to the construction schedule, site work for the new elementary school is set to begin this Sept. 15, with full completion projected for July 15, 2027. During construction, students will use St. Mark’s School, on Adelphi Road, as a swing space.
introduced themselves to residents and appeared surprised by the backlash. They offered to meet with the residents, but not until three weeks later.
“If it weren’t for myself and other neighbors advocating for the neighborhood and going door-to-door in the hottest weeks of the month of the summer … they wouldn’t know about it,” he said. “None of that outreach came from our district councilmember, whose job, you’d think, would be to represent and advocate for residents.”
After the hearing, County Councilmember Wanika Fisher (District 2) and her chief of staff
“There just seems to be such a lack of self-awareness,” Padua said. “If you go to your councilmember and say, ‘Please listen to us,’ and they give you a meeting date three weeks later, that doesn’t feel like representation.”
At the July 1 hearing, Fisher acknowledged the community’s concerns and said she hoped the plan was nearing its final draft. She also referenced House Bill 1466 — a new state law about accessory dwelling units, which includes a requirement that counties study zoning near transit areas — in defense of the new draft.
the HVFD, but the entire fire service nationwide.”
Moltrup became HVFD chief in 1970 and served for 35 years until his retirement in 2005. Under his watch, the station transformed from a local firehouse into a training ground for generations of firefighters. He was also instrumental in Prince George’s County Fire and Emergency Medical Services, serving as one of the first volunteer battalion chiefs and later becoming the county’s first volunteer deputy chief.
Even after stepping down as HVFD chief in 2005, Doc never really left. He moved to Ocala, Fla., but remained a presence in Hyattsville — returning for board meetings, mentoring new members, and showing up with the same passion and curiosity he’d brought as a teenager.
“By the time I joined, Doc was chief emeritus,” said Nick Seminerio, HVFD’s vice president and an operational lieutenant. “A lot of our older members don’t stay as active and engaged, as [is] to be expected, but every time he was up here, he’d email the whole department and be at the firehouse. He was involved with our apparatus committees; he was still part of everything.”
Seminerio said that, even during his retirement, Doc made himself available at all hours. “You could pick up the phone and call him anytime, and he’d be there with advice,” he said. “The fire service was really in his blood.”
Born with a curiosity for the work, Moltrup grew up reading Fireman magazine and idolizing the profession. He studied electrical engineering at the University of Maryland but spent his weekends sleeping at the station, drawn to the unpredictability and purpose of the job, according to the HFVD’S 1996 archival newsletter.
Moltrup lived among the constant buzz of emergency radio scanners in his home, typically keeping around no fewer than three at a time. “I guess I have trouble saying no,” he noted in a
1996 interview for the newsletter.
Still, he made time for family. And over the years, HVFD became part of that family.
According to the HVFD, Doc’s wife, Carole; his son, Dale; and his brother, David, have all earned “life member” status.
Doc’s reputation stretched far beyond Hyattsville. He received citations from multiple Maryland governors, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and former President George W. Bush. In recent years, Doc was inducted into both the Maryland Fire Chiefs Association Hall of Fame and the National Fire Heritage Center Hall of Legends, Legacies and Leaders — one of the highest honors in the U.S. fire service, according to the HVFD.
But for those who knew him, it wasn’t the plaques and accolades that made Doc a legend.
“Doc was a bit like a collective grandfather of the HVFD,” Sullivan said. “He may have forgotten a few fires he responded to, but he remembered everything about the hundreds — maybe thousands — of young folks he watched over.”
And they remembered him.
“Without people like Doc who started those programs way back when, I think the volunteer fire service would not be where it is today,” Seminerio said. “He was passionate, he was engaged, and above all, he was a good human.”
Even now, Doc’s presence lingers in the rhythm of the sta-
tion, in the stories passed down to recruits, in the bunk beds occupied by today’s live-ins, in the trucks he helped design and the values he instilled.
“We have high school members who’ve gone on to become career firefighters, doctors, law-
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food scrap recycling program. Michelle Blair, Laurel’s sustainability manager, reported similar difficulties.
And, because local jurisdictions have different recycling and composting policies, it’s hard to conduct effective education programs. Bell reports that even though Prince George’s County has had single-stream recycling since 2011, many people still don’t realize that everything plastic shouldn’t go into the recycling bin. “Plastic bags are our biggest problem,” he said, “but hoses can also get wound up in our equipment. Then we have to shut that line down until a worker can go in and safely cut out all that stuff that should never have been there in the first place.”
Expanding our recycling capacity for all materials and edu-
OUR HOURS
Under Donald "Doc" Moltrup's leadership, the Hyattsville fire station transformed from a local firehouse into training grounds for generations of firefighters.
COURTESY OF THE HYATTSVILLE VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT
yers, nurses,” Seminerio said.
“Just a lot of good people doing great things, and a lot of that’s a testament to Doc.”
Jade Tran is an undergraduate journalism major at the University of Maryland.
cating citizens to use it properly will cost millions at a time when budgets are tight. However, a lot of that funding may come from the Maryland Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program for packaging, which Gov. Wes Moore signed into law in May. EPR laws are common in Europe, and as of this June, various versions of EPR laws for packaging have been adopted in five other states.
The bottom line is that starting in 2028, the companies that produce most types of packaging sold in Maryland, such as cans and plastic bottles, will be responsible for 50% of the cost of cleaning up or recycling these materials, with that percentage rising to 90% of the costs by 2030.
According to the MDE, the bill will increase the packaging recycling rate from 35 to 50%, capture $53 million more in valuable materials, reduce over 1 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions, and
“Without people like Doc who started those programs way back when, I think the volunteer fire service would not be where it is today. He was passionate, he was engaged, and above all, he was a good human.”
Nick
Seminerio
Hyattsville
Volunteer Fire Department vice president and operational lieutenant
create 2,075 new jobs.
“Maryland is suffering from a deluge of plastic, cardboard and all kinds of food packaging,” said State Senator Malcolm Augustine (District 47), who co-sponsored SB 901 — the Senate version of the EPR legislation. “Right now, too many of those materials can’t be reused, or aren’t being recycled because there’s no market for them, and the financial burden of collecting and disposing of those materials falls on local governments. Our bill will shift more of the costs onto the companies that make and sell these products. But, I hope that they will also save money by finding ways to use less packaging, or only using materials that can be profitably recycled.”
before
Paul Ruffins is a citizen scientist and a professor of curiosity.
the residence and give recommendations about a home’s locks, lighting, surrounding bushes and more.
To address city crime, in general, Towers said that, within the last few years, the department has added a crime analyst position and an extra detective position to the city’s criminal investigation section. However, although the city council voted to fund the crime analyst position, the authorization to actually hire the analyst has been put on hold. And, the department has not had sufficient staffing to fill the extra detective position.
Towers noted how the city, with the help of several grants, is investing in technology to help against crime, like CCTV and an LPR system. CCTV, or closed-circuit television, uses video cameras to send signals to a specific set of monitors for surveillance and security purposes. An LPR, or license plate recognition, system allows computer software to identify vehicle license plates.
Towers noted how the city has often had to be reactive in responding to incidents that involve a stolen vehicle, like the 2021 shooting near Busboys and Poets or the July 20 traffic stop that ended up in a car crash and recovery of a BB gun. With CCTV and an LPR system, according to Towers, the HPD would receive notice that there’s a stolen vehicle entering the city and could then respond proactively, likely preventing a more serious crime.
Hyattsville five-year crime statistics comparison (2020-24)
According to Hyattsville’s 2024 crime statistics report, overall crime committed within city boundaries rose markedly in 2023 (see “Total”). Robberies and car thefts (see “Stolen Vehicles”) were two of the crime categories that notably increased in 2023.
Hyattsville currently up-to-date with crime reports
As of July 2025, HPD crime statistics reports were up to date. By mid-July, HPD had posted its 2024 annual crime report, along with quarter 1 (January to March) and quarter 2 (April to June) 2025 crime reports on the city’s website. Monthly
reports were also up to date.
For several years, at least since April 2022, HPD crime reports have often been out of date. For example, at the end of May 2024, the most recent monthly crime report available on the city website was for March 2023, and recent quarterly and annual reports weren’t posted.
In a July 30 email, Towers said that the improvement in timely crime reports resulted from a department reorganization “to ensure the workload was shared across four commanders instead of three.”
Crime spiked in 2023
According to Hyattsville’s 2024 crime statistics report, overall crime committed within city boundaries spiked in 2023, and declined in 2024: There were 960 crime incidents across all categories in 2020, 793 in 2021 (think pandemic lockdowns), 925 in 2022, 1,250 in 2023, and 910 in 2024.
Robberies and car thefts both increased dramatically in 2023. Robberies surged 160%, from 51 incidents in 2022 to 133 in 2023. Car thefts jumped 171%, from 116 incidents in 2022 to 314 in 2023. Towers said that both trends were regional, and that coming out of the pandemic, juvenile and young adult crime was rampant, cars sat around unused longer than pre-pandemic, and there was a decrease in public transportation. “Along with that juvenile crime and lack of transportation,” Towers said, “we saw a significant increase in vehicle crimes — all carjackings and stolen vehicles.”
While the incidents of both robberies and car thefts decreased in 2024, the number of 2024 incidents (robberies: 76; car thefts: 158) were still higher than those in each of the three years preceding 2023.
