A QUIET SNOW
Noise camera on Adelphi Road in University Park to issue warnings
By KIT SLACK
A new traffic camera on Adelphi Road will measure the noise made by northbound cars at the intersection of Adelphi Road and Van Buren Street, in front of Northwestern High School.
The camera will record license plate numbers and issue warnings to cars with motor noise that is too loud. Under Maryland law, cars can’t be louder than 80 decibels. The camera will issue warnings when
cars reach 85 decibels or more, which is about as loud as a blender.
Prince George’s County police are operating and maintaining the camera under a pilot project established by the Maryland state legislature. A second camera is being set up in National Harbor. Montgomery County has a similar pilot program.
Grant Godfrey, a University Park councilmember representing Ward 6, which borders Adelphi south of Van Buren, said he has gotten a lot of complaints about noise made by
drivers who have deliberately modified vehicles to be louder, and who like to drive up and down Adelphi. He said he is hopeful this will “educate the community to do that in a more appropriate place,” and not on a public road.
Maryland Senator Alonzo T. Washington (District 22) said, “We’ve clearly heard from University Park residents that they’ve had noise issues for a long time on that side of the road.”
DMV mid-winter = time for summer camp signups!
By HEATHER WRIGHT
It’s mid-winter in the DMV, which, oddly, means it’s time to sign up for summer camps
Here’s our guide to local summer camps for your consideration — focusing on those for kids pre-K through eighth grade. When not otherwise specified, prices reflect a basic five-day camp week for one camper with no membership, early-bird, sibling or multiweek discounts, and no application, extended day or transportation fees.
Traditional day camps
Traditional day camps usually offer a mix of activities throughout the day: arts and crafts, sports and swimming, music and drama, education and field trips. Weeks will often have organizing themes (e.g., animals, space exploration, fantasy, etc.), and extended days are usually available to help working parents.
Hyattsville’s Camp Driskell, off of Hamilton Street, will host eight weeklong sessions of day camp, from June 22 to Aug. 14, for elementary school-aged children. Camp registration opens on Feb. 20 at 10 a.m. The city recommends creating a RecDesk account, at hyattsville. recdesk.com, at least one day before registering, as the
La presencia de ICE reestructura la ayuda alimentaria en Hyattsville
Por RYAN ROSS y ZAKA HOSSAIN
Los programas de la iglesia y la ciudad de Hyattsville están adaptando nuevas formas de distribuir alimentos y otros productos esenciales a familias en situaciones difíciles, luego de que voluntarios y funcionarios reportaran que cada vez son menos los residentes que salen a buscar ayuda ante el aumento de la actividad del Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas (ICE).
Pedestrians enjoyed a snowy walk along Gallatin Street, during the Jan. 25 winter storm. See more pics on P. 4 COURTESY OF JULIETTE FRADIN PHOTOGRAPHY
A community newspaper chronicling the life and times of Hyattsville, Maryland. HyattsvilleLife.com StreetcarSuburbs.News
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PO Box 132, Hyattsville, MD 20781
The Life & Times adds Spanish-language news
By JALEN WADE
Starting with this edition, four pages of the Life & Times (L&T) will be published in Spanish (see p. 13).
The insert, Vida e Historias de Hyattsville, will feature news, business and human-interest articles from the English-language pages of the newspaper, translated into Spanish by interpreters at the University of Maryland’s Department of Spanish and Portuguese.
Nigel F. Maynard, managing editor of the L&T, said the Spanish-language insert will help the city's large Spanish-speaking populations better engage with the community.
“We have a large Latino population in Hyattsville, and to be able to reach them with news and information they need and can use is a wonderful thing,” Maynard said. “I think we should also support our fellow neighbors in a moment that can seem hostile toward them. Hopefully, this small gesture can help
NEWS BRIEFS
them navigate the current climate.”
Hyattsville’s sister publication, College Park Here & Now, also will feature a fourpage Spanish-language insert, Aquí y Ahora College Park. Both are part of a pilot project paid for with $8,000 in grants from Prince George’s County Council Vice Chair Eric Olson (District 3) and members Tom Dernoga (District 1) and Wanika Fisher (District 2).
“We want the Spanish-speaking community to be able to read the same news about Hyattsville and College Park as those who read the English-language version of the newspaper every month,” said College Park Here & Now Managing Editor Sharon O’Malley. “So for example, if there's a city election, we would do a story in English about the city election, and then we would translate it into Spanish so that the Spanish-speaking audience also can have that important information.”
The newspapers’ publisher, Streetcar
VISIT STREETCARSUBURBS.NEWS FOR MORE
County police arrest Hyattsvillearea teen in murder of 14-yearold found in College Park
Prince George’s County police have charged four suspects, including a 17-yearold who reportedly lives in Hyattsville, with the apparent gang-related murder of a 14-year-old whose remains were found in College Park on Nov. 3, 2025.
According to police, the victim, Jefferson Amaya-Ayala of the District, apparently was lured into Indian Creek Stream Valley Park on Aug. 2, 2025, and murdered the same day. Police said the victim knew at least one of the suspects.
On Jan. 17, county police named the suspects as Jose Merlos-Majano, 18, Alan Josai Garcia-Padilla, 21, and William Cuellar Gutierrez, 19, all from the District, where Amaya-Ayala was last seen on Aug. 2, 2025, according to the Metropolitan Police Department and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
Police withheld the name of a fourth suspect, the 17-year-old.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that Amaya-Ayala died from multiple injuries.
County police, Metropolitan Police Department officers and the FBI’s Cross-Border Task Force were conducting a joint missing-persons investigation when they discovered the remains in November 2025, according to a news release issued by county police on Dec. 5, 2025.
Law enforcement officials set up operations on Sweetbriar Drive in College Park on Nov. 3, 2025, and told a resident there was no danger to the neighborhood.
Police said two of the suspects are in custody in Prince George’s County and two are pending extradition, one from the District and one from Alexandria.
Queens Chapel Barber Shop celebrates 85 years
Queens Chapel Barber Shop, at 3108 Hamilton Street near the 7-Eleven in West Hyattsville, has been operating for 85 years.
One customer, Melvin Franklin (“Frank”) Key, has been coming for more than 40 years, beginning when his father Melvin Key cut hair there. “I’m like his [Frank’s] daughter, he takes care of the barbershop,” says current owner Tina Nguyen, who has cut hair at the shop for about 30 years herself.
Key helped promote a party Nguyen threw on Friday, Jan. 9, to mark the 85th anniversary of the barbershop. Nguyen’s three adult children and two grandchildren came to celebrate with cake and traditional Vietnamese food, alongside customers and city councilmembers Joshua Solomon and Kelson Nisbett (both Ward 5), as well as Hyattsville Police Chief Jarod J. Towers and Deputy Chief Laura Lanham.
Merrill Hartson, a customer and retired editor of The Associated Press, gave some poetic remarks: “For 85 years, the Queens Chapel Barber Shop has persevered, never short of shears, never at a loss for cheers.” (Disclosure: Hartson is a board member of Streetcar Suburbs Publishing.) He added that, just as in the television show “Cheers,” everyone knows your name at the Queens Chapel Barber Shop. Key, Nguyen and Nyugen’s son spoke, as well, praising the shop’s loyal customers.
Suburbs Publishing, will include the insert in each issue through the summer, according to Executive Director Kit Slack. Slack said the nonprofit publishing company will look for more revenue to allow the section to become a permanent feature in both papers, with its own editor and Spanish-language reporting.
Slack, who speaks Spanish, said being the parent of public school children has made her aware “that there are a lot of recent immigrants who are residents in our city, and they get our newspaper, but it doesn’t currently serve them as well as we could.”
According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest American Community Survey, about 40% of Hyattsville residents consider themselves Hispanic or Latino. At Hyattsville Elementary School, 39% of students are learning English; that proportion is 56% at Edward M. Felegy Elementary School in West Hyattsville, according to 2025 Maryland data.
Hyattsville residents protest ICE shooting of Minneapolis driver
On Sunday, Jan. 11, Hyattsville residents gathered to hold a vigil and demonstration in memory of Renée Nicole Good and read the names of 30 others who they said died at the hands of U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or in ICE detention in recent years.
Organizers estimated that about 350 people gathered at the empty Prince George’s County Services Building along Route 1 near the Hyattsville District Courthouse. The Rapid Response Choir, a local activist choir, performed, as well as Hyattsville musicians Pete Daniels and Lee Cain.
An ICE officer fatally shot Good on Jan. 7 in Minneapolis after officers told her to get out of her car and she attempted to drive away, according to multiple reports.
Indivisible Route 1 Corridor, a local chapter of a national group opposing President Donald Trump’s agenda, organized the event.
“ICE and CBP [U.S. Customs and Border Protection] have endangered our Route 1 communities. Weekly, sometimes daily, we learn of neighbors violently ripped from their families, leaving behind loved ones terrified to go to work, to school, or even the grocery store,” said Laura Usher, a group spokesperson. “We demand justice for the people who have been murdered, and for these families who’ve been ripped apart.”
County Councilmember Wanika Fisher (District 2) was among the attendees.
More teachers hired at Hyattsville schools this fall
By SHARON O’MALLEY
The public schools serving most Hyattsville children have filled teacher vacancies at a high rate this fall, as the county touted dramatic staffing improvements since the start of the school year in August 2025.
Elementary, middle and high schools that enroll most of the city’s students saw a combined 53% drop in vacancies, edging out the 52% countywide reduction rate.
The five elementary schools serving the area have cut their teacher vacancies by 50% since August, outperforming the 48% reduction rate for elementary schools across Prince George’s County.
The pace of filling empty positions for middle schools serving Hyattsville was 45%, lagging behind the district average for middle schools of 55%.
Hiring for high schools serving the area matched the district average, with a 54% reduction in vacancies.
The shift is part of a six-month countywide effort to rebuild the school district’s talent pipeline through aggressive signing bonuses, a new fast-track hiring model and a state law that raised starting teacher salaries to more than $60,000.
“We have cut vacancies in half in just one year, which shows how quickly we can move when systems are aligned and people are supported,” Interim Superintendent Shawn Joseph said in a press release.
In a Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) press release, County Executive Aisha Braveboy noted that fuller
rosters mean
The county is calling the combined 52% reduction in vacancies across all school levels
“historic,” with total vacancies dropping from 900.5 to 434 since this past August.
Vacancy figures are based on an analysis of the PGCPS Priority & School Staffing Vacancy Dashboard as of Jan. 15.
Two Centering Prayer Groups
For details, contact facilitator Donna Chacko at 202-302-2395 or serenityandhealthdc@gmail.com
To learn more about Centering Prayer, visit www.contemplativeoutreach.org/centering-prayer-method or scan the QR code for an in-depth blog by Donna!
The good and bad on Gallatin
Dear Streetcar Suburbs folks,
I enjoyed Paul Ruffins' article in the recent Hyattsville Life & Times about impediments in sidewalks. All of his past articles have been good insights into our local life.
Here are a couple of very local updates on that topic: At our house on Gallatin Street in Hyattsville, we have both good and bad news.
The good: As part of a big Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission project to replace water supply mains along 41st Avenue and Gallatin Street, their crew recently removed the hydrant that was obstructing our sidewalk, and replaced it with a new one that is recessed into the front slope of our yard. Once the final sidewalk repairs
are done, that section of sidewalk will have one less impediment.
The bad: We’ve had a Pepco power pole in our sidewalk on the north side of Gallatin for at least as long as our house has been here (37 years). On Dec. 19, 2022, they installed a second, taller one alongside the old one, and moved the high-voltage cabling and transformer to the new one. They left the old one to await a Comcast crew coming to move their low-voltage cables to the new pole, then the old pole was due to be removed. But it’s been three-plus years now, and both the Comcast cable moving and pole removal have yet to happen.
Flawn Williams Hyattsville
teacher
“our young people are reaping the benefits, including stability in the classroom.”
A sidewalk-obstructing fire hydrant was recently relocated on Gallatin Street (right), but two power poles remain (left).. COURTESY OF FLAWN WILLIAMS
FIRST SNOW OF 2026
SCIENCE OF THE CITY
Can art in the intersection reduce blood in the streets?
By PAUL RUFFINS
According to Zero Deaths Maryland, speeding, distracted driving and other factors drove fatal crashes up 16% between 2019 and 2023 (the latest full year for which data is available). And Prince George's County has the highest accident rate in the state.
One unconventional tool local communities are using to reduce these collisions and injuries is called “Art in the Right of Way.” These are colorful murals and designs painted directly onto roadways, which were traditionally reserved for black asphalt with yellow or white lines, and for a few letters or arrows.
In October 2023, Hyattsville’s Transportation Manager Taylor Robey made a video announcing two projects creating traffic-calming public art outside the Hyattsville Municipal Building on Gallatin Street and in the intersection of Jefferson and 40th streets. “Something like asphalt art is nice to look at, it’s eye-catching,” Robey says in the video. “Studies also show that it increases safety in places where it’s deployed.”
Graham Coreil-Allen, the artist whose studio installed the designs in September and October 2023, told the Life & Times (L&T) that he considers such artwork a form of visual traffic engineering. “By painting bright colors inside the bump-outs on Gallatin, we visually narrow the street, which causes drivers to slow down.” He also explained that drivers are programmed to drive and park in areas that are either black or concretecolored, and usually outlined with white lines. Therefore, other colors and designs help differentiate spaces where cars shouldn’t be, or where people have the right of way. According to Coreil-Allen, art that is directly on the roadway can also help to direct drivers’ eyes and attention back down onto the street, at pedestrians and cyclists who are harder to see than vehicles.
One of the area’s most recent pieces of traffic-calming art was completed last October. “Solstice Glow,” which celebrates native plants, is painted across from Joe’s Movement Emporium on Bunker Hill Road between 34th and 33rd streets in Mount Rainier. For several years, residents had been concerned with drivers using Bunker Hill Road to speed through the neighborhood from Eastern
Avenue to 38th Street to avoid the traffic and lights along Route 1.
Joe’s holds dozens of performing arts classes, and many children and teens attend its afterschool activities, held during afternoon rush hour. Joe’s is towards the middle of the block of Bunker Hill, between 34th and 33rd streets, and the two crosswalks at adjacent intersections are inconvenient for busy families hoping for a quick dropoff or pickup. As a result, many adults park on the north side, while their children cross Bunker Hill Road to reach Joe's front entrance.
Solstice Glow was a collaboration among the community; The Neighborhood Design Center (NDC), which negotiated with the city to obtain the necessary permits and close the street to protect the artists; and the Chalk Riot studio, which designed and installed the artwork. Funding for the $17,000 project came from the Maryland State Arts Council and the Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council, along with other sources.
In June 2025, studio staff drew in a preliminary temporary design and solicited community feedback on it. Between Oct. 20 and Oct. 25, 2025, the street was partially blocked
Artists from Chalk Riot paint asphalt art on Bunker Hill Road outside Joe's Movement Emporium. PAUL RUFFINS
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 Jan. 30 and Feb. 28; all information is current as of Jan. 22. For events and meetings organized by the City of Hyattsville, see Hyattsville Headlines in the newspaper’s centerfold. Please send notices of March events to managingeditor@hyattsvillelife.com by Feb. 19 (We’ve changed our print schedule so that you receive your paper at the beginning of each month.)
Recurring
Riverdale Park Farmers Market is open every Thursday from 3 to 6:30 p.m. in the parking lot near the Riverdale MARC Station, 4650 Queensbury Rd. For more information, contact rpkfarmmkt@gmail. com.
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
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.
Come play board games and more at Just Roll With It the third Sunday of every month. Free. 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Maryland Meadworks, 4700 Rhode Island
Ave., Suite Bee. 301.955.9644. marylandmeadworks.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
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
Ongoing
In the Anika Hobbs-curated exhibition “Offline: Tracing the Source,” Hadiya Williams extends her beloved “Ancestor Index” series into a cyclical form, beginning with handmade works, translating them into the algorithmic space of MidJourney, and bringing them back into physical existence through clay, print and surface design. Through March 6. Wednesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, 4218 Gallatin St. 301.608.9101. pyramidatlanticartcenter.org
Curated by Asha Elana Casey in honor of Black History Month, “Genuine” celebrates the depth, resilience and authenticity of Black artistic expres-
February 14
Celebrate this Valentine's Day at Riversdale House Museum’s “A Sweet History: Chocolate Through the Ages with Joyce White.” Food historian White reveals — with a hands-on activity and tasting — how this beloved treat was prepared and enjoyed through the centuries. $15. Register through riversdale. com or pgparksdirect.com. 10 to 11:30 a.m. 4811 Riverdale Rd., Riverdale Park. 301.864.0420. riversdale@pgparks.com
sion. Free. Through March 14 (with an artist and curator talk on Feb. 21 from 2 to 4 p.m.). Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Brentwood Arts Exchange, 3901 Rhode Island Ave., Brentwood. 301.277.2863. brentwoodarts@pgparks.com
In the exhibition “Glimpses of Heaven,” Mame Ndiaye invites viewers into a dazzling world of mixed media works that sparkle with vibrancy and imagination. Free. Through March 14 (with an artist and curator talk on Feb. 21 from 2 to 4 p.m.). Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Brentwood Arts Exchange, 3901 Rhode Island Ave., Brentwood. 301.277.2863. brentwoodarts@pgparks.com
“Luther Wright: American Dreaming” is a poignant exploration of the complex interplay between pursuing financial freedom and the Black experience in America. Free. Through March 8. Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Publick Playhouse, 5445 Landover Rd., Cheverly. 301.277.1710. publickplayhouse@pgparks.com
January 30
Join us for Jazz Night with the Hyattsville Jazz Collective at Maryland Meadworks. Free. 7 to 10 p.m. 4700 Rhode Island Ave., Suite Bee. 301.955.9644. marylandmeadworks.com
February 4
Come to Lawyer in the Library: Tenants’ Rights and Housing Clinic for free one-on-one legal services on matters related to housing, landlord/tenant disputes and tenants' rights — first
come, first served for eligible individuals. Free. Register at pgcmls.info/events. 2 to 4 p.m. Hyattsville Branch Library, 6530 Adelphi Rd. 240.455.5451
February 6
Annie Stokes performs at Maryland Meadworks. Free. 7 to 10 p.m. 4700 Rhode Island Ave., Suite Bee. 301.955.9644. marylandmeadworks.com
February 9
Bringing to light the hidden and unknown photos shot by African American photographers, the film “Through a Lens Darkly — Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People” (2014, 92 min.) opens a window into lives, experiences and perspectives of Black families that is absent from the traditional historical canon. Free. Register at pgcmls.info/events. 7 to 9 p.m. Hyattsville Branch Library. 6530 Adelphi Rd. 240.455.5451
February 13
The District-based Proverbs Reggae Band will perform at Brentwood Arts Exchange. $20. Buy tickets through pgparksdirect.com. 8 to 10 p.m. 3901 Rhode Island Ave., Brentwood. 301.277.2863. brentwoodarts@ pgparks.com
February 14
Come to an open music share — the Zukulele Collective Valentine's Day Jam. Free 7 to 10 p.m. Maryland Meadworks, 4700 Rhode Island Ave., Suite Bee. 301.955.9644. marylandmeadworks.com
February 17
Join Streetcar 82 Brewing Co. for a Mardi Gras party. Free. 6 to 9 p.m. 4824 Rhode Island Ave. streetcar82brewing.com
Added attractions at HHS seed sale
Dear Miss Floribunda,
I was happy to learn from your column last month that the Hyattsville Horticultural Society will have its annual seed sale again this February. One thing troubled me, however. Although the usual refreshments and baked goods were mentioned, I didn’t see anything about the gardening books and gardenrelated objects that I’ve admired and often bought at past sales. Nor was there any mention of potted plants either. Has this event been radically trimmed down?
Disappointed on Decatur Street
Dear Disappointed,
Please accept my apologies for being remiss. I think you will be relieved to know that if anything the side attractions at the seed sale on Saturday, Feb. 7, have actually increased.
Of course, there will be plenty of interesting and beautiful books, thanks to the generosity of Robert Harper of My Dead Aunt's Books, Wendy Wildflower and Aunt Sioux. You will also be dazzled by flowering plants again, both as centerpieces on the tables and enhancing a lavish display of vases, pots, antique tools, floral-motif needlecraft and artwork. In addition, pots of perennial blue salvia will be offered for sale, ready to plant outdoors as soon as spring arrives.
If you have questions, members of the Hyattsville Horticultural Society (HHS) can be identified by their floral boutonnieres. They will be happy
Get
A table of the goodies available at the February 2025 Hyattsville Horticultural Society seed sale, including baked treats and gardening books. MISS FLORIBUNDA; FLYER COURTESY OF JEAN SMITH
to help you choose the seeds of plants best suited to your needs and the conditions existing in your garden. Of course, they will do their best to address all your gardening concerns. Children can have fun at the table for valentine-making, under the guidance and inspiration of my artistic niece,
Finesse Kraft. She will show them how to make future treasured heirlooms for family and friends, with paints and crayons, cut-outs from calendar artwork, ribbons, lace, sequins and other eye-catching materials. They will be encouraged to make additional valentines for Hyattsville Aging in Place
to distribute to seniors in our community.
The sale will take place in the ground floor multipurpose room of the Hyattsville Municipal Building, on Gallatin Street, on Feb. 7. Although you can pay electronically, the HHS prefers cash or check payments. Doors open
at 10 a.m. and close at 3 p.m. I hope to see you and many other of our neighbors there!
Miss Floribunda writes about gardening for the Life & Times. You may email her at Floribundav@gmail.com.
off, then thoroughly swept and power-washed to remove any dirt or oil. Over the next two days, eight painters completed the design using three layers of a special epoxy paint whose bright colors are formulated to stand up to the rigors of traffic, while not posing a slipping hazard to cars or people when wet.
Chalk Riot CEO Chelesa Ritter-Soronen emailed the L&T, “While regulations prohibit the construction of a new midblock crossing, the art is intended to increase visibility for all road users and remind people to take care with their vehicles because this is a road where community members and kids are living their lives.”
Does art in the right of way actually slow cars or reduce accidents or injuries? According to Ritter-Soronen, the NDC is conducting a traffic study at the Bunker Hill Road and 34th Street intersection to find out. Hyattsville’s Deputy Director of Public Works Hal Metzler wrote that city staffers have observed that the street art and other interventions near Church Place and Gallatin Street have reduced the number of vehicles stopping or parking illegally on Church Place. Metzler added, “The additional parking spaces as well as painted bump-out do have a visible impact on the speed of vehicles. The roadway
decrease in the total crash rate.
appears narrower, causing drivers to slow down to navigate safely.”
In April 2022, Bloomberg Philanthropies, which has funded numerous street art projects, released the Asphalt Art Safety Study, which compared historical crash rates and realtime videotaped observations of the behavior of pedestrians and motorists before and after
17 asphalt art projects were installed across the country. Its historical analysis, which included at least two years of data before and after the projects were installed, found a 50% decrease in the rate of crashes involving pedestrians or other vulnerable road users, such as cyclists; a 37% decrease in the rate of crashes leading to injuries; and a 17%
The safety study’s behavioral assessment indicated a 25% decrease in pedestrian crossings involving a conflict with drivers. It also found a 27% increase in the frequency of drivers immediately yielding to pedestrians with the right of way, and a 38% decrease in pedestrians crossing against the walk signal.
Asphalt art is fun, attractive and has a proven track record of improving safety. But it doesn’t always win out over some other interventions that are uglier and often resented.
In 2023, the Town of Brentwood and the City of Mount Rainier wanted to decrease traffic speeds at several locations, including near Thomas Stone
Elementary School on 34th Street, just a few blocks north of Joe's. At first, their design firm considered colorful bump-outs, speed humps and painting the school’s logo in a nearby intersection.
But in 2025, officials instead chose to install two artificial intelligence-powered stop sign cameras that issue $40 tickets when drivers don’t come to a complete stop. No artwork can generate that kind of revenue. Hyattsville recently announced that it also was exploring the idea of installing mobile AIpowered stop sign cameras at numerous school-zone locations. Perhaps they’ll help pay for more asphalt art.
Paul Ruffins is a citizen scientist and a professor of curiosity.
The next “Science of the City” article will consider some of the technical and political challenges of installing asphalt art.
The city added traffic-calming street art along Gallatin Street near the Hyattsville Municipal Building (above, top right). PAUL RUFFINS
Hyattsville Headlines
Issue 456 | February 2026 | A City of Hyattsville publication |
Equity in Hyattsville
In 2025, the City adopted a Race and Equity Plan, built by the City’s volunteer-led Race and Equity Task Force under the guidance of the City’s Race and Equity Officer, Shakira Louimarre. The plan represents hours of research, stakeholder interviews, and community input and will serve as a guide for City Council and staff to improve equity across City operations. Hear from Ms. Louimarre about the future of the plan, why equity is important to Hyattsville, and how you can participate in building a more equitable community in 2026.
The City has its first Race and Equity Plan! What are the next steps?
We are currently working with a team from Dewberry Engineers to better understand how the City collects and uses data in its operations. This will support more informed and targeted decision-making, which is foundational to the recommendations made in the Equity Plan. Following that, I’ll be working on an equity toolkit to assist staff and Council with considering questions of equity and inclusion.
Why is equity important in the City’s operations and decision making?
Equity isn’t just a buzzword, it’s a core responsibility of government. Equity in Hyattsville means recognizing our diversity and intentionally working to ensure all residents have fair access to opportunities, services, and resources. It also means acknowledging historical and systemic wrongs made by government and actively addressing them. Equity ensures those most affected by decisions, especially residents who have been historically excluded, have a real voice, which data shows helps governments respond more directly to community priorities.
What equity initiatives are already in place?
The City is a participant in the
Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE), a national network of communities seeking to advance equity in government. City staff have used education and resources provided by GARE to address some pressing issues in Hyattsville, like supporting unhoused community members and increasing upward economic mobility for smalland minority-business owners. The City also provides regular opportunities for community education and connection to increase understanding of Hyattsville’s diverse cultures and perspectives.
Please join us on February 5 from 6-7 p.m. at the City Building, 4310 Gallatin Street, for a Community Cultural Conversation focused on the theme of “Stronger Together”. Participants will play ‘Common Ground Bingo’ to bring neighbors together and strengthen community. Additionally, the City will celebrate Black History Month with a presentation on “Preserving Black History Through Genealogy” with the Prince George’s County Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society at the City Building on February 11 from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
How can I help?
Volunteer with us on the Race and Equity Task Force! We are seeking diverse, dedicated voices to continue leading on implementation of the Equity Plan. More information is available at hyattsville.org/committees. You can also be an advocate for equity by showing up for your neighbors in small ways. Consider volunteering for our monthly food or diaper distributions or lend a hand and shovel snow during winter storms!
Learn more about all the City’s equity initiatives at hyattsville.org/equity
NEWS FLASHES
Celebrate Black History Month
February is Black History Month, honoring the significant contributions of Black Americans and their role in shaping our nation. Find local events and resources at hyattsville.org/bhm Celebrate with the City of Hyattsville at “Our Stories, Our Strength”: Preserving Black History Through Genealogy with the Prince George’s County Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, on February 11, 6:30–8:30 p.m. at the Hyattsville City Building, 4310 Gallatin Street.
Presenters will provide guidance on researching and cataloguing family history, and highlight the important work of the Prince George’s County Lynching Memorial Project (PGCLMP), which honors the lives and histories of those whose stories have long been overlooked. Light refreshments will be provided. More information and registration at hyattsville.org/bhm
Presidents Day Service Changes
Hyattsville city offices will be closed on Monday, February 16 for Presidents Day. There will be no yard waste or compost pickup this week. All trash and recycling routes remain the same. For more information, visit hyattsville.org/ trash or call (301) 985-5032.
Spring & Summer Camp Registrations Open Soon!
Spring and Summer camps for K-5th graders open for registration on February 20 at 10 a.m.! An active RecDesk account is required to register. Visit hyattsville.org/youth for info.
Attention Hyattsville teenagersbecome a Camp Coach In Training (CCIT) this summer! Hyattsville’s CCIT program provides youth ages 14-17 with child development experience that can be used for future job opportunities. Registration opens February 20. Find more information and sign-up at hyattsville.org/CCIT
Parent & Child Dance Party!
Children and their parents or guardians are invited to party together on February 21 from 5–7 p.m at the City Building, 4310 Gallatin Street. Enjoy family-friendly music, refreshments, and games!
Tickets are $5 per person, paid at the door, with a maximum of $15 per group. Children ages 2 and under are free. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Registration is required at hyattsville.org/danceparty
La versión en español empieza en la página 3
HYATTSVILLE HEADLINES
We have two mini snow plows here at the City of Hyattsville that need names! These little pals are small but mighty and will help keep Hyattsville’s trails and sidewalks safe during winter weather. Visit hellohyattsville. com to suggest some names!
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Free Zumba Classes
Mondays & Wednesdays, 4 - 5 p.m. at the City Building!
Seated Exercise Classes
Older adults can join on Wednesdays, 10 - 11 a.m. at the City Building.
Free Movie Monday!
Older adults can enjoy a classic film at the Old Greenbelt Theatre on Feb. 2 at 1 p.m.! Register: hyattsville.org/seniors.
Teen Center Art Workshops
Wednesdays, Feb. 4 – Mar. 25, 5 - 6 p.m. Explore your emotions at the In Wellness We Thrive Expressive Arts Workshops using art, music, games, and mindfulness! Register: hyattsville.org/ teen-center.
Community Cultural Conversation
Build community at “Stronger Together: Connecting Community Through Common Ground” at the City Building, Feb, 5 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Explore shared values, hopes, and commitments to a thriving community. Register: hyattsville.org/ equity.
Board Games are Back!
Older adults can connect with neighbors at Board Games with Ladies & Gents on Feb. 5 from 10 - 11:30 a.m.! Register: hyattsville.org/seniors.
Arts and crafts, games, hands-on learning, and plenty of smiles filled this year’s Winter Camp! Interested in enrolling your child in a future camp? Visit hyattsville.org/camps for more information.
Care Partner
Support Group
Connect with other caregivers on Feb. 6 & 20, 9:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. at the City Building.
Night Owls
Drop off your little one(s) in grades K-5 at the Driskell Park Recreation Center from 6 - 9 p.m. on Feb. 6! Kids participate in fun activities while you get a night out! Register: hyattsville.org/ nightowls.
Spanish Immersion Day Camp
New program! Let your kids learn Spanish while having fun! Join us Saturday, Feb. 7, 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. at the Driskell Park Recreation Center for the first Spanish Immersion Mini Camp for children in grades K-3! Register: hyattsville.org/minicamp.
Vine Removal: Ward 3 and Driskell Park
Help remove invasive vines from trees in Ward 3 (meet at Heurich Park) on Feb. 7, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Remove vines from Driskell Park on Feb. 21, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Student service-learning hours are available. Register: hyattsville.org/ vine-removal.
Spring Field Permit Meeting
Groups wishing to use City sports fields this Spring must attend a field permit meeting on Feb. 10, 7–8 p.m. at the City Building. hyattsville.org/fieldpermit
Black History Workshop
Celebrate Black History Month with “Our Stories, Our Strength”: Preserving Black History Through Genealogy with the Prince George’s County Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, Feb. 11, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at the City Building. Register: hyattsville.org/ bhm
Blood Pressure Screenings
Join the Health, Wellness, and Recreation Advisory Committee on Feb. 13, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., at the Hyattsville Branch Library for free blood pressure screenings. No appointment necessary. hyattsville.org/calendar
Early Dismissal Camp
K–5 students can join a Day Camp at Driskell Park on Feb. 13, 10:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m., after the PGCPS early dismissal. Register: hyattsville.org/ minicamp.
Produce Distribution
Pick up bags of free produce on Tuesday, Feb. 17 12 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church of Hyattsville. Drivers and walk-ups welcome.
CERT Meeting
The next Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) organization meeting is on Feb. 18, 6:30 p.m., at the City Building. hyattsville.org/CERT
Seniors on the Go: Baltimore Museum of Art
Older adults can enjoy a trip to the Baltimore Museum of Art on Feb. 19, 12 p.m. - 2 p.m. Register: hyattsville.org/ seniors
Free NARCAN Trainings
Free NARCAN community trainings at the City Building on Feb. 19 at 6 p.m. and Feb. 20 at 10 a.m. Register: hyattsville.org/NARCAN.
Parent & Child Dance Party!
Children and their parents or guardians are invited to party together on Feb. 21, 5–7 p.m. at the City Building, Tickets are $5 per person, paid at the door, with a maximum of $15 per group. Children ages 2 and under are free. Register: hyattsville.org/danceparty.
Age-Friendly Lunch & Learn: Falls Prevention
Attend a free Lunch and Learn workshop at the City Building to discuss fall prevention for older adults on Feb. 23, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Register: hyattsville.org/seniors.
Free Diaper Distribution
The next free diaper distribution will take place Feb. 27, 9:30 - 11 a.m. at the City Building. Proof of the child’s date of birth is required. hyattsville.org/ calendar
Last month, Senator Alonzo Washington joined City Staff for a tour of recent construction updates at the Hyattsville Police Department’s future headquarters at 3505 Hamilton Street.
Titulares de Hyattsville
Equidad en Hyattsville
En 2025, la ciudad adoptó un Plan de Equidad y Raza, elaborado con el Grupo de Trabajo sobre Equidad y Raza de la ciudad, dirigido por voluntarios y bajo la dirección de la responsable de Equidad y Raza de la ciudad, Shakira Louimarre. El plan es el resultado de horas de investigación, entrevistas con las partes interesadas y aportaciones de la comunidad, y servirá de guía al Ayuntamiento y al personal municipal para mejorar la equidad en todas las operaciones de la ciudad. Escuche a la Sra. Louimarre hablar sobre el futuro del plan, por qué la equidad es importante para Hyattsville y cómo puede participar en la construcción de una comunidad más equitativa en 2026.
¡La ciudad tiene su primer Plan de Igualdad Racial y Equidad! ¿Cuáles son los siguientes pasos?
Actualmente estamos trabajando con un equipo de ingenieros de Dewberry para comprender mejor cómo la ciudad recopila y utiliza los datos en sus operaciones. Esto respaldará una toma de decisiones más informada y específica, lo cual es fundamental para las recomendaciones formuladas en el Plan de Equidad. A continuación, trabajaré en un conjunto de herramientas de equidad para ayudar al personal y al Consejo a considerar cuestiones de equidad e inclusión.
¿Por qué es importante la equidad en las operaciones y la toma de decisiones de la ciudad?
La equidad no es solo una palabra de moda, es una responsabilidad fundamental del gobierno. La equidad en Hyattsville significa reconocer nuestra diversidad y trabajar de manera intencional para garantizar que todos los residentes tengan un acceso justo a las oportunidades, los servicios y los recursos. También significa reconocer los errores históricos y sistémicos cometidos por el gobierno y abordarlos de forma activa. La equidad garantiza que las personas más afectadas por las decisiones, especialmente los residentes que han sido excluidos históricamente, tengan una voz real, lo que, según los datos, ayuda a los gobiernos a responder de forma más directa a las prioridades de la comunidad.
¿Qué iniciativas de equidad se han puesto en marcha?
La ciudad participa en la Alianza Gubernamental sobre Raza y Equidad (GARE), una red nacional de comunidades que buscan promover la equidad en el gobierno. El personal municipal ha utilizado la formación y los recursos proporcionados por la GARE para abordar algunos problemas urgentes en Hyattsville, como el apoyo a los miembros de la comunidad sin hogar y el aumento de la movilidad económica ascendente para los propietarios de pequeñas empresas y empresas pertenecientes a minorías. La ciudad también ofrece oportunidades periódicas de formación y conexión con la comunidad para aumentar la comprensión de las diversas culturas y perspectivas de Hyattsville.
Acompáñenos el 5 de febrero, de 6 a 7 p. m., en el edificio municipal, ubicado en 4310 Gallatin Street, para participar en una conversación cultural comunitaria centrada en el tema «Más fuertes juntos». Los participantes jugarán al «bingo de puntos en común» para unir a los vecinos y fortalecer la comunidad. Además, la ciudad celebrará el Mes de la Historia Afroamericana con una presentación sobre «Preservar la historia afroamericana a través de la genealogía» con la Sociedad Histórica y Genealógica Afroamericana del Condado de Prince George en el edificio municipal el 11 de febrero, de 6:30 a 8:30 p.m.
¿Cómo puedo ayudar?
¡Sea voluntario en el Grupo de Trabajo sobre Raza y Equidad! Buscamos voces diversas y comprometidas para seguir liderando la implementación del Plan de Equidad. Para obtener más información, visite hyattsville.org/committees. También puede defender la equidad apoyando a sus vecinos con pequeños gestos. Considere la posibilidad de ofrecerse como voluntario para nuestras distribuciones mensuales de alimentos o pañales, o eche una mano quitando la nieve durante las tormentas invernales.
Obtenga más información sobre todas las iniciativas de equidad de la ciudad en hyattsville.org/equity
NOTICIAS DE ÚLTIMA HORA
Celebrando el Mes de la Historia Afroamericana
Febrero es el Mes de la Historia Afroamericana, en honor a las importantes contribuciones de los estadounidenses afroamericanos y su papel en la configuración de nuestra nación. Encuentre programas y recursos locales en hyattsville.org/bhm
Celebre con la ciudad de Hyattsville en «Nuestras Historias, Nuestra Fuerza»: Preservar la Historia Afroamericana a Través de la Genealogía con la Sociedad Histórica y Genealógica Afroamericana del Condado de Prince George, el 11 de febrero, de 6:30 a 8:30 p.m., en el edificio municipal de Hyattsville, 4310 Gallatin Street.
Los ponentes ofrecerán orientación sobre cómo investigar y catalogar la historia familiar y destacarán la importante labor del Proyecto Conmemorativo de los Linchamientos del Condado de Prince George (PGCLMP), que rinde homenaje a las vidas y las historias de aquellas personas cuyas historias han sido ignoradas durante mucho tiempo. Se ofrecerá un refrigerio ligero. Más información e inscripciones en hyattsville.org/bhm
Cambios en el Servicio por el Día de los Presidentes
Las oficinas de la ciudad de Hyattsville estarán cerradas el lunes 16 de febrero por el Día de los Presidentes. Esta semana no habrá recolección de desechos de jardín o compostaje. Todas las rutas habituales de basura y reciclaje siguen siendo las mismas. Para obtener más información, visite hyattsville.org/trash o llame a (301) 985-5032.
¡Las Inscripciones para los Campamentos se Abrirán Pronto!
¡Los campamentos y programas de temporada para jóvenes y adolescentes abren inscripciones el 20 de febrero a las 10 AM! Debe tener una cuenta activa en RecDesk para inscribirse. Visite hyattsville. org/youth para obtener más información. ¡ Atención, adolescentes de Hyattsville - conviértete en un lider de campamento este verano! El Programa de Entrenamiento para Lideres de Campamento de Hyattsville ofrece a jóvenes de 14 a 17 años, experiencia en desarrollo infantil que puede ser utilizada para futuras oportunidades laborales. La inscripción se abre el 20 de febrero. Para obtener más información e inscribirse, visite hyattsville. org/CCIT
¡Fiesta de Baile para Padres e Hijos!
Se invita a los niños y a sus padres o tutores a una fiesta el 21 de febrero, de 5 a 7 p.m., en el City Building, 4310 Gallatin Street. ¡Disfruten de música, refrigerios y juegos para toda la familia!
Las entradas cuestan 5 dólares por persona, se pagan en la puerta y tienen un máximo de 15 dólares por grupo. Los niños menores de 2 años entran gratis. Todos los niños deben ir acompañados de un adulto. Es necesario inscribirse en hyattsville.org/danceparty
Asunto 456 | Febrero de 2026 | Una publicación de la ciudad de Hyattsville
TITULARES DE HYATTSVILLE
¡Tenemos dos mini quitanieves aquí en la ciudad de Hyattsville que necesitan nombres! Estos pequeños amigos son pequeños pero poderosos y ayudarán a mantener seguros los senderos y las aceras de Hyattsville durante el invierno. ¡Visite hellohyattsville.com para sugerir algunos nombres!
CALENDARIO DE EVENTOS
Clases Gratuitas de Zumba Lunes y miércoles, 4 - 5 p.m. en el Edificio Municipal!
Ejercicios Sentados
Los adultos mayores pueden participar los miércoles, de 10 a 11 a.m., en el edificio municipal.
¡Lunes de Cine Gratis!
¡Ven a disfrutar de una película clásica en el Old Greenbelt Theatre el 2 de febrero a la 1 p.m! Inscríbase en: hyattsville.org/ seniors
Talleres de Arte en el Centro para Adolescentes
Únase a nosotros los miércoles, del 4 de febrero al 25 de marzo, de 5 a 6 p.m., para las clases de arte expresivo «In Wellness We Thrive» (En el bienestar prosperamos). Explore sus emociones a través del arte, la música, los juegos y la atención plena. Más información en hyattsville.org/ teen-center
Conversación Cultural Comunitaria
Fomente el espíritu comunitario en «Stronger Together: Connecting Community Through Common Ground» (Más fuertes juntos: conectando a la comunidad a través de puntos en común) en el City Building, el 5 de febrero, de 6:30 a 8:30 p.m. Explore los valores, las esperanzas y los compromisos compartidos para lograr una comunidad próspera. Inscríbase en: hyattsville.org/equity
¡Los Juegos de Mesa estan de Vuelta!
¡Los adultos mayores pueden relacionarse con sus vecinos en el evento «Juegos de mesa con damas y caballeros», que tendrá
El mes pasado, el senador Alonzo Washington se unió al personal municipal para realizar una visita guiada por las últimas novedades en la construcción de la futura sede del Departamento de Policía de Hyattsville, situada en el número 3505 de Hamilton Street.
¡Artesanía, juegos, aprendizaje práctico y muchas sonrisas llenaron el campamento de invierno de este año! ¿Le interesa inscribir a su hijo en un campamento futuro? Visite hyattsville.org/camps para obtener más información.
lugar el 5 de febrero de 10:00 a 11:30 a.m.!
Inscríbase en: hyattsville.org/seniors
Grupo de Apoyo para Cuidadores
Conecta con otros cuidadores los días 6 y 20 de febrero, de 9:30 a.m. a 10:45 a.m. en el edificio municipal.
¡Búhos Nocturnos!
Deje a su(s) pequeño(s) en los grados K-5 en el Driskell Park Rec Center de 6-9 p.m. el 6 de febrero. Los niños participarán en actividades mientras tú pasas una noche fuera. Inscríbase en: hyattsville.org/nightowls.
¡Campamento Diurno de Inmersión en Español!
¡Nuevo programa! ¡Deje que sus hijos aprendan español mientras se divierten! Únase a nosotros el sábado 7 de febrero, de 9:30 a. m. a 3:30 p.m., en el Centro Recreativo Driskell Park para el primer minicampamento de inmersión en español para niños de jardín de infantes a tercer grado. Inscríbase en: hyattsville.org/ minicamp
Eliminación de Enredaderas: Distrito 3 y Parque Driskell
Ayude a eliminar las enredaderas invasoras de los árboles del Distrito 3 (nos reuniremos en Heurich Park) el 7 de febrero, de 10 a. m. a 1 p.m. Elimine las enredaderas de Parque Driskell el 21 de febrero, de 10 a. m. a 2 p. m. Se ofrecen horas de servicio comunitario para estudiantes. Inscríbase en: hyattsville.org/vine-removal
¡Reunión de Permisos de Campo!
Los grupos que deseen utilizar los campos deportivos de la ciudad esta primavera
4 | Titulares de Hyattsville | Febrero de 2026
deben asistir a una reunión sobre permisos para el uso de campos el 10 de febrero, de 7 a 8 p.m., en el edificio municipal. hyattsville.org/fieldpermit
Taller sobre la Historia Afroamericana
Celebre el Mes de la Historia Afroamericana con «Nuestras historias, nuestra fuerza»: preservando la historia afroamericana a través de la genealogía con la Sociedad Histórica y Genealógica Afroamericana del Condado de Prince George, el 11 de febrero, de 6:30 a 8:30 p.m., en el City Building. Inscríbase en: hyattsville.org/bhm
Exámenes de Presión Arterial
Únase al Comité Asesor de Salud, Bienestar y Recreación el 13 de febrero, de 10 a.m. a 2 p.m., en la Biblioteca sucursal de Hyattsville para realizarse exámenes gratuitos de presión arterial. No es necesario concertar cita. hyattsville.org/calendar
Campamento de Salida Temprana
Los alumnos de K-5 pueden participar en un campamento diurno en Driskell Park el 13 de febrero, de 10:30 a.m. a 5:30 p.m., después de la salida temprana de PGCPS. Inscríbase en: hyattsville.org/minicamp
Distribución de Alimentos
Recoja bolsas de productos agrícolas gratuitos el martes 17 de febrero a las 12 del mediodía en la Primera Iglesia Metodista
Unida de Hyattsville. Se admiten conductores y personas sin coche.
Reunión de CERT
La próxima reunión de la organización del Equipo Comunitario de Respuesta a Emergencias (CERT) se celebrará el 18 de febrero a las 6:30 p.m. en el Ayuntamiento. hyattsville.org/CERT
Paseos para Adultos Mayores: Museo de Arte de Baltimore
Los adultos mayores pueden disfrutar de una excursión al Museo de Arte de Baltimore el 19 de febrero, de 12 p.m. a 2 p.m. Inscríbase en: hyattsville.org/seniors
Entrenamiento de NARCAN
Entrenamientos gratuitos NARCAN en el Edificio Municipal el 19 de febrero, a las 6 p.m. y el 20 de febrero, a las 10 a.m. hyattsville.org/NARCAN
¡Fiesta de Baile: Padres e Hijos! Los niños y sus padres o tutores están invitados a celebrar juntos el 21 de febrero, de 5 a 7 p.m., en el City Building. Las entradas cuestan $5 por persona, se pagan en la puerta y tienen un máximo de $15 por grupo. Los niños menores de 2 años entran gratis. Inscríbase en: hyattsville. org/danceparty
Almuerzo y Aprendizaje:
Prevencion de Caídas
Asista a un taller gratuito de almuerzo y aprendizaje en el City Building para hablar sobre la prevención de caídas en adultos mayores el 23 de febrero, de 11 a.m. a 12:30 p.m. Inscríbase en: hyattsville.org/seniors
Distribuciónes de Pañales
La próxima distribución gratuita de pañales tendrá lugar el 27 de febrero, de 9:30 a 11:00 a.m., en el edificio municipal. Es necesario presentar un documento que acredite la fecha de nacimiento del niño. hyattsville.org/calendar
address verification process can take up to 24 business hours ($155/week for city residents).
Impulse City has half- and fullday options at its Hyattsville and College Park locations for ages 5–12. Weeklong camp sessions will run from June 15 to Aug. 21, with themes like Olympics, Science Spectacular, and Detectives and Mysteries ($320 full-day/week). Impulse City also offers weeklong full-day Big Kids Summer Camp at their College Park location for ages 11–16, focusing on bigger team projects in engineering, visual arts, athletics and performing arts ($300/week).
Friends Community School, a progressive Quaker school on Westchester Park Drive in College Park, is hosting 10 weeklong camp sessions for children 3.5 to 12, from June 15 to Aug. 21 ($345/week).
The Knights of Columbus, a Catholic organization, is hosting nine weeklong summer camp sessions for ages 4–14 from June 15 to Aug. 14 at its Council #2809 location, on Cherry Hill Road in College Park. Please email Director Hilary Beall at hilarytheis@gmail. com for more information. Register at kofccamp.wordpress. com ($275/week).
Barrie Camp is held on the 45acre campus of the progressive Barrie School, located at 13500 Layhill Road in Silver Spring, from June 15 to Aug. 14, for ages 3.5 to 14. In addition to its typical day camp programming, Barrie Camp offers specialty and “super camp” schedules that combine a half-day concentration in a specific interest area, like horsemanship, martial arts or digital video production, with a half-day of traditional camp activities. One of the bus transportation routes now includes a Mall at Prince George’s stop, near Five Below ($575/week).
Camp Sonshine is a Christian day camp with a Silver Spring location, at Living Word Church (16819 New Hampshire Avenue), providing weeklong sessions from June 15 to Aug. 21, for kids pre-K (age 4) to ninth grade. Bus transportation includes a stop at the Safe-
way in Greenway Center, 7595 Greenbelt Road ($367–$523/ week, depending on grade).
Ramah Day Camp is a Jewish day camp, located in Germantown, that will run from June 22 to Aug. 7 this summer. There’s a Classic Ramah Day Camp program (for pre-K to fourth graders), a technologybased track (for pre-K to sixth graders), and a seven-week Hebrew immersion program (for pre-K to first graders). However, registration opened in early November 2025, and most sessions already have a waitlist.
Vacation Bible Schools or Camps (VBS/C) are hosted by Christian churches; they’re usually half-day, run for a week and are very cheap by summer camp standards. VBC at St. Mary of the Mills, in Laurel, will be from July 6–10 for kindergarteners through sixth graders, and registration opens in April. In the past, the First United Methodist Church of Hyattsville and Takoma Park Seventh-day Adventist Church have also hosted VBS weeks ($25–$50/week).
Peace Camp is a Little Friends for Peace program designed to
however, had posted summer 2026 information on pgparksdirect.com, as of press time.
The University of Maryland (UMD) holds its traditional Terp Quest Day Camp in six weeklong sessions from June 22 to July 31 for rising first through seventh graders ($325/week). Terp Quest Adventure Camp affords more outdoor adventures, like outdoor challenge courses and scavenger hunts, for campers ages 10–12 in three weeklong sessions from June 22 to July 10. You’ll need to set up a free CampDoc account, at app. campdoc.com, prior to registration ($350/week). UMD also offers specialty day camps, including three weeks of music camp for rising fifth to 12th graders and a variety of sport camps, such as for gymkana (5–16 years), gymnastics (7–8 years), golf (10–18 years) — and the Physics of Quidditch (rising fifth to seventh graders). (Specialty camps vary in price.)
Smithsonian Summer Camps provide an abundance of specialty weeklong camps, held in the District’s S. Dillon Ripley Center at 1100 Jefferson Drive SW, for rising kindergarteners to ninth graders from June 22 to Aug. 14. Just a few examples: Abstract Artists for grades 3 and 4, Ocean Mysteries for grades 4 to 6, and Climate Custodians for grades 5 to 7. Registration for the general public opens Feb. 13 at 10 a.m., while Smithsonian members have access to earlier registration. The summer camp website notes that 70% of the waitlist manages to get into camp, so don’t lose hope ($495/ week for nonmembers).
Greenbelt Recreation hosts a wide range of summer camps, but had not posted information, as of press time.
SPECIALTY CAMPS
Hyattsville and surrounding areas offer an abundance of specialty camp programs, especially in the visual and performing arts.
teach mindfulness, empathy, anger management, conflict resolution and self-empowerment to children ages 5–14 through art, cooperative games, presentations and peace circles. University Park Church of the Brethren and Greenbelt Community Church are hosting Peace Camp July 13–17 and July 20–24, respectively ($350/ week).
One-stop shopping
County parks and recreation camps, run by the MarylandNational Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), are held from June 15 to Aug. 21 for ages 4–17 in one- and two-week sessions. Registration opens March 7 at 9 a.m. Offerings range from American Sign Language and robotics, to basketball and track and field, to cake decorating and video games. You’ll need to set up a free ParksDirect account at pgparks.com prior to registration; fee assistance is available. Costs vary by camp but are usually reasonable compared with other day camp options. Look for specialty county camps at area sites like the Mount Rainier Nature Center and Riversdale House Mansion. Neither locale,
Although the YMCA Prince George’s County Program Center is not offering summer camps this year, YMCA Silver Spring and YMCA Camp Letts, in Edgewater near the Chesapeake Bay, both offer nine weeks of traditional day camp from June 22 to Aug. 21 for ages 4–12 (Silver Spring: $383/week for program members). Camp Letts offers an overnight camp, as well. Silver Spring’s specialty camps this summer range from Legobuilding to painting to an introduction to the culinary arts. Their dance and sports camps include aquatics, archery, ballet, gymnastics, pickleball, soccer — and more. (Specialty camps vary in price.)
Visual Arts
Art Works Now, at 4800 Rhode Island Avenue, is offering four two-week sessions of art camp for ages 5–8, and four two-week sessions of clay camp for ages 9–12, from June 22–Aug. 14. They are then offering two separate bonus weeklong sessions for ages 5–12, from Aug. 17–28 ($700/two-week session; $350/ bonus week).
The Loft has a Hyattsville location, on Gallatin Street, and one in Takoma Park, on Carroll Avenue. Both offer art camps for rising first through fifth graders. Camp weeks run from June 22 to
The Knights of Columbus, a Catholic organization, is hosting nine weeklong summer camp sessions for ages 4–14 from June 15 to Aug. 14 at its College Park location. COURTESY OF HILARY BEALL
Aug. 14 in both locations and use a blend of media: drawing, painting, printing, collage, sculpture and fiber arts ($495/week).
The Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (CHAW), at 545 7th Street SE, is hosting Jr. Arts Camp for preschoolers and kindergarteners at least 4 years old in six weeklong sessions between June 22 and Aug. 7 ($250/week).
CHAW will also hold an Arts Adventure Camp for rising first through fifth graders in seven weeklong sessions between June 22 and Aug. 14 ($600/week), with an intervening field trip week, June 29–July 2 ($450/week). Registration opens Feb. 10.
Performance Arts
Camp Joe’s at Joe’s Movement Emporium, in Mount Rainier, provides youth ages 5–12 the chance to explore world art traditions through performing and visual arts disciplines, including dance, step, percussion and vocals; students will spend two to four hours in motion each day. Nine weeklong sessions are available from June 22 to Aug. 21 ($290/week).
The Berwyn Ballet School, whose home studio is located on Baltimore Avenue in College Park, provides three weeks of Young Dancer Weekly Camps, for ages 3–7, with half- and fullday options ($199/week and $399/week, respectively). The school also holds one- to fourweek summer intensives for stu-
dents 8+ that take place in June and August ($499/one-week intensive).
The District’s Shakespeare Theatre Company gives students between the ages of 6 and 18 the chance to dive into the world of William Shakespeare. Camp Shakespeare
offers two-week sessions for youth (ages 6–11) and teens (ages 12–18) between June 22 and Aug. 14, each of which culminates with a performance for friends and families. Plays this year include Comedy of Errors, Macbeth and Hamlet ($922/two weeks).
Lumina Studio Theatre, in Silver Spring, offers several one-, two- and three-week Summerstock Camp sessions for select age groups, starting June 22 and ending Aug. 8. Most sessions take place at 633 Sligo Avenue. Each session culminates in a public performance. For example, Folk Tale Camp, for ages 8–11, begins June 22 and ends July 3, with a public performance on July 2 ($450/week).
Imagination Stage offers one-, two-, three- and four-week long summer camps for ages 4–18 in Bethesda, Rockville and Northwest D.C. Camps include early
childhood (e.g., Bluey Bonanza), dance (e.g., Dance Intensive at American University), acting and musical theatre (e.g., Musical Theatre Showcase) and filmmaking. As of press time, a bunch of offerings (e.g., Creative Drama: K-Pop Demon Hunters) already had a waitlist ($595/ week).
For even more District-area theater summer camps, visit dctheaterarts.org.
Music
The School of Musical Traditions, in Takoma Park, will hold five weeks of Let’s Make a Song for rising first through fifth graders, during which campers get into the groove with a rhythm circle, learn to strum a ukulele, write lyrics and melodies, and work on album art. Contact maureen@schoolofmusicaltraditions.com to register ($465/week).
Inspired by African masks, Art Works Now campers let their imaginations run wild, creating playful masks that bring to life everything from aliens in far-off galaxies to a snake-haired woman. COURTESY OF ART WORKS NOW
The District’s Girls Rock! Summer Camp offers two weeklong sessions, July 13–18 and Aug. 3–8, for ages 8 to 18 at the National Public Radio headquarters, 1111 North Capitol Street NE. Campers learn to play an instrument, form a band, write an original song and perform it in concert. Registration is open through March 27 ($0–$600/week, sliding scale).
Sports and athletics
JTCC Tennis camp at Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park will host 11 weeklong camp sessions from June 8 to Aug. 21 for ages 4–18. Children ages 4–8 have half-day and full-day options ($569/full-day week for nonmembers). Early bird registration, for 10% off, ends Jan. 31.
Jr. Wizards and Washington Mystics Basketball Camps are designed for athletes ages 6–14 of all skill levels. Their Catholic University of America site, on Michigan Avenue in D.C., hosts a Jr. Mystics camp for girls the week of June 22 and three weeklong sessions of Jr. Wizards camp for girls and boys from July 6 to 24 ($375/week). Early bird registration, through Feb. 15, saves $50.
In prior years, DeMatha Catholic High School has run a DeMatha Soccer Academy for boys and girls from late June to early August. Junior camps, for ages 6–8, have run for half days (2025: $275/week), while Junior Advanced, for ages 9–11, and Advanced camps, for ages 12–13, have been full days (2025: $375/week).
DeMatha has also previously run a week of chess camp, a week of chess and magic camp, and
one called Brains and Brawn, for chess and wrestling — each available for either half or full days (2025: $300/full-day week). As of press time, most DeMatha 2026 summer camp information hadn’t been posted.
Summers at Seton, sponsored by Elizabeth Seton High School in Bladensburg, offers mostly one-week sessions in sports like basketball (ages 7–13), soccer (ages 7–17) volleyball (ages 10–16), and flag football (ages 7–17), as well as a weeklong session in Taekwondo (ages 7–17) and one half-day camp in dance (rising seventh through 12th graders). Costs vary by camp, but most are $250/week.
Interested in horseback riding?
Morningside Stables’ Columbia Horse Center, in Laurel, offers four two-week sessions of camp from June 15 to Aug. 21 ($1,200/two-week session). Woodland Horse Center, on New Hampshire Avenue in Silver Spring, offers nine weeks of
Pony Pals Camp, for ages 5–7, from June 22 to Aug. 21 ($695/ week), along with five twoweek sessions of Horsemanship Camp, for ages 8–16, from June 22 to Aug. 28 ($1,450/two-week session). Meadowbrook Stables, on Meadowbrook Lane in Chevy Chase, hosts nine weeks of summer camp from June 8 to Aug. 14: half-day summer camp for ages 6–9 ($675/week) and full-day summer camp for ages 10–13 ($825/week).
Wanting to take a stab at something more unusual? DC Fencers Club, in the Forest Glen neighborhood of Silver Spring, provides seven weeks of summer fencing camps from July 6 to Aug. 21 for ages 7–16. Camps are open to beginner through intermediate fencers, and equipment and uniforms are provid-
ed. Register online at dcfencing. com/camp ($435/week).
And in case you were wondering: Yes, there is a ping pong summer camp in the area! Washington DC Table Tennis Summer Camp is hosting 12 weeklong sessions from June 9 to Aug. 29 for all levels, age 9+. Sessions are limited to 20 players, and equipment is provided ($500/week).
STEM/Nature-oriented
The George E. Peters Adventist School, located at 6303 Riggs Road in Chillum, is offering two weeks of Camp Invention: Sparks for rising kindergarteners through sixth graders. The camps are run by the National Inventors Hall of Fame, invent.org, for young in-
novators to dive into STEM opportunities to imagine, experiment and create ($285/week).
Ancestral Knowledge (AK) runs a fully outdoor camp in Greenbelt filled with forest exploration, games and hands-on projects geared towards kids ages 7–13 and 13–17. Weeklong camps run from June 15 to Aug. 21. In AK Woods Wise Day Camps, campers learn ancient and practical skills, becoming more aware and comfortable in forests. In AK Advanced Skills for Teens, campers learn to work with natural materials like wood, stone, bone and leather, and practice skills like natural camouflage and advanced tracking ($325/week).
Nature Forward’s Camp Woodend takes place on a 40-acre nature sanctuary in Chevy Chase. One- and two-weeks sessions, from June 22 to Aug. 21, are offered for campers entering kindergarten through 12th grade. Themes include Reptile Mania & Bat Camp, Cold Blooded Creatures, and Earth Shakers & Fossil Hunters ($635/week nonmembers).
The National Building Museum in D.C. is providing two summer camps, Brick City and Building One-oh-fun, for rising second through fifth graders. Each camp is one week long and will be offered from June 22 to Aug. 21 ($500/week for nonmembers). Family-level museum members save $100.
Have a summer camp your children love that’s not on this list? Please email heather@ hyattsvillelife.com.
Hyattsville’s Camp Driskell, off of Hamilton Street, will host eight weeklong sessions of day camp, from June 22 to Aug. 14, for elementary school-aged children. COURTESY OF THE CITY OF HYATTSVILLE
February 19
Nervous about an upcoming interview? Don’t be! Prepare with us at Job Seekers: Job Skills Improv, using ice-breakers and role-playing games to put your best foot forward. Free. Register at pgcmls.info/events. 4:30 to 5;30 p.m. Hyattsville Branch Library, 6530 Adelphi Rd. 240.455.5451
February 22
Watch Riversdale Kitchen Guild volunteers prepare foods popu-
lar among enslaved communities in 19th-century Maryland at Plummers’ Kitchen. Discover the stories of Adam Francis Plummer and his family during self-guided tours. Free. Register through riversdale.com or pgparksdirect.com. Noon to 3 p.m. 4811 Riverdale Rd., Riverdale Park. 301.864.0420. riversdale@ pgparks.com
February 25
UMD Jazz Jams brings District-based saxophonist Elijah Jamal Balbed to perform and lead a community-wide jam. Free. House band starts at 7:30 p.m. Jam starts at 8:30 p.m. Busboys and Poets, 5331 Baltimore Ave. 301.779.2787. busboysandpoets.com
February 28
As part of Route 1 Corridor Conversations, join Hyattsville-based author Lonnae O’Neal for a discussion of her recent book, Bibb County, in which she explores relationships entangled with enslavement, resistance, sexual violence, survival — and lettuce. Attendees can join via telephone or Zoom. Free. Register at hyattsvilleaginginplace.org/ events. 2 to 3:30 p.m.
CAMERA
Hyattsville City Councilmember Kareem Redmond (Ward 3), who represents Hyattsville residents who live west of Adelphi, said he has heard occasionally from Hyattsville residents about the noise, though more often from University Park residents across the street. He said some of his
constituents are advocating for a traffic light at Adelphi and Van Buren where there is a crosswalk in front of the school.
Officials involved in advocating for the camera posed for a photo on Jan. 7, as the noise camera began operation.
In the future, the data collected by the camera could be used to issue citations or require vehicle repair. The pilot program will end June 30, unless the state extends it.
From left to right: Hyattsville Councilmember Kelson Nisbett (Ward 5), Hyattsville Police Chief Jarod J. Towers, Hyattsville Councilmember Kareem Redmond (Ward 3), Maryland Senator Alonzo T. Washington (District 22), Hyattsville City Administrator Tracy Douglas, University Park Town Administrator Debi Sandlin, University Park Councilmember Grant Godfrey (Ward 6), Maryland Delegate Ashanti Martinez (District 22) Maryland Delegate Nicole Williams (District 22), University Park Police Chief David Coleman KIT SLACK
Residentes de Hyattsville protestan por el tiroteo de ICE a conductora en Minneapolis
Por KIT SLACK
El domingo 11 de enero, residentes de Hyattsville se reunieron para realizar una vigilia y manifestación en memoria de Renee Nicole Good y leer los nombres de otras 30 personas que, según indicaron, también murieron a manos del Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas de Estados Unidos (ICE, por sus siglas en inglés) o en sus centros de detención en los últimos años.
Los organizadores informaron que cerca de 350 personas se reunieron frente al Edificio de Servicios vacío del Condado de Prince George en la Ruta 1, cerca del Tribunal de Distrito de Hyattsville. Durante el encuentro se presentaron The Rapid Response Choir, un coro activista local, así como los músicos de Hyattsville Pete Daniels y Lee Cain. Un agente de ICE disparó mortalmente a Nicole Good el 7 de enero en Minneapolis, luego de que los oficiales
le ordenaran salir de su vehículo y ella intentase huir, según múltiples reportes.
El evento fue organizado por Indivisible Route 1 Corridor, una sección local de una organización nacional que se opone a la agenda del presidente Donald Trump.
“ICE y CBP (Oficina de Aduanas y Protección Fronteriza de Estados Unidos) han puesto en riesgo a nuestras comunidades de la Ruta 1. Semanalmente, y a veces a diario, nos enteramos de que
un momento que puede percibirse como hostil hacia ellos. Ojalá este pequeño gesto pueda ayudarlos a sobrellevar el contexto actual”.
Por JALEN WADE
A partir de la edición de febrero, cuatro páginas de Hyattsville Life & Times (L&T) se publicarán en español. El suplemento Vida e Historias de Hyattsville incluirá noticias, artículos sobre negocios y temas de interés originalmente escritos en inglés, los cuales serán traducidos al español por traductores del Departamento de Español y Portugués de la
Universidad de Maryland. Nigel F. Maynard, editor jefe del L&T, mencionó que el suplemento en español ayudará a las comunidades hispanohablantes de ambas ciudades a integrarse mejor en la comunidad.
“Tenemos una numerosa población latina en Hyattsville y poder llegar a ellos con noticias e información útil es algo muy positivo”, afirmó Maynard. “También creo que debemos apoyar a nuestros vecinos en
College Park Here & Now, la publicación hermana de Hyattsville Life & Times, también incorporará un suplemento de cuatro páginas en español, titulado Aquí y Ahora College Park Ambos forman parte de un proyecto piloto financiado con 8,000 dólares en subvenciones otorgadas por el vicepresidente del Concejo del Condado de Prince George, Eric Olson (Distrito 3), y los concejales Tom
vecinos han sido apartados violentamente de sus familias, dejando atrás a sus seres queridos aterrorizados de ir al trabajo, a la escuela o incluso al supermercado”, declaró la vocera del grupo, Laura Usher. “Exigimos justicia para las personas que han sido asesinadas y para estas familias que han sido destrozadas”.
La concejala del condado Wanika Fisher (Distrito 2) estuvo entre los asistentes.
Más maestros en las escuelas de Hyattsville este otoño
Por SHARON O'MALLEY
matriculan a la mayoría de los estudiantes de la ciudad, registraron en conjunto una reducción de 53% de las vacantes, superando la tasa de reducción de 52% en todo el condado. Las cinco escuelas primarias que atienden al área han reducido sus vacantes de maestros en 50% desde agosto, superando la tasa de reducción de 48% registrada en las escuelas ESPAÑOL / 14 ESCUELAS 14
Las escuelas públicas que atienden a la mayoría de los niños de Hyattsville han cubierto las vacantes de maestros a un ritmo elevado este otoño, ya que el condado ha anunciado mejoras drásticas en la dotación de personal desde el inicio del año escolar en agosto.
Las escuelas primarias, intermedias y secundarias que
El 11 de enero, los residentes de Hyattsville realizaron una protesta frente al edificio vacío de los Servicios del Condado de Prince George a lo largo de la Ruta 1 en memoria de Renee Nicole Good, quien fue asesinada a tiros por un agente del Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas de Estados Unidos el 7 de enero en Minneapolis. CORTESÍA DE ZADYN HIGGINS
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Voluntarios y autoridades locales indican que la presencia de ICE ha generado temor entre los residentes que necesitan comida, alimentos frescos y pañales, lo que ha llevado a las iglesias y a la ciudad de Hyattsville a modificar sus métodos de distribución. Los cambios se producen en medio de un incremento de operativos por parte de ICE en el condado de Prince George y de una solicitud federal presentada este otoño para disponer de nuevas oficinas de ICE cerca de Hyattsville.
“Empezamos a notar una ligera disminución después de que ICE empezara a actuar”, afirmó la directora del ministerio de alimentación Manos que Ayudan de la Primera Iglesia Metodista Unida de Hyattsville, Cindy Harding. Añadió que en uno de los puntos donde se entregan almuerzos, la asistencia cayó cerca de 80%. “Aquí se nota que la gente tiene miedo”.
Autoridades municipales afirman que observan reacciones similares entre los residentes que dependen de los programas de asistencia municipal, lo que ha llevado a la ciudad a adaptarse.
“Por la presencia de ICE, hemos recibido muchos mensajes privados de familias pidiendo que llevemos los suministros directamente a sus casas”, señaló la directora de Servicios y Programas Comunitarios de la ciudad, Sandra Shephard.
Cindy Harding se unió a la Iglesia Metodista Unida en 1998 y ahora ayuda a dirigir el ministerio, el cual provee alimentación a las personas sin hogar de Hyattsville. El ministerio,
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que cumple su cuarto año, prepara almuerzos para llevar todos los martes. Cada almuerzo incluye un sándwich, una botella de agua, fruta, papas fritas y galletas. Los voluntarios cargan los alimentos en una camioneta de la iglesia y se dirigen a diferentes puntos donde suelen reunirse trabajadores y otras personas necesitadas.
El descenso en el número de personas que solicitan ayuda ha sido notorio en algunas paradas, dijo Harding. En una de las paradas de la autopista East West, que antes era el primer punto de distribución del ministerio, los voluntarios alcanzaban a distribuir por lo menos 20 almuerzos. En su visita más reciente, solo se repartieron cuatro.
“Ahora estos chicos se están escondiendo… tienen miedo”, dijo la secretaria de la iglesia, Donnalee Sanderson.
El ministerio continúa visitando otros puntos, aunque la asistencia sigue disminuyendo.
“Las personas se muestran reacias incluso a hablar, porque no están seguras de a quién le están hablando”, dijo Harding, resaltando que el pastor de la iglesia acompaña a los voluntarios e intenta interactuar con los beneficiarios; sin embargo, muchos de ellos se mantienen alerta.
El programa de distribución de productos agrícolas de la ciudad, que se organiza el tercer jueves de cada mes en la Primera Iglesia Metodista Unida, suele atender alrededor de 400 personas, indicó Shephard. El programa, abierto a todas las personas de la comunidad que lo necesiten y sin ningún tipo de registro previo, se lleva a cabo mediante un contrato con
Dernoga (Distrito 1) y Wanika Fisher (Distrito 2).
“Queremos que la comunidad hispanohablante tenga la oportunidad de acceder a las mismas noticias sobre Hyattsville y College Park que quienes leen la versión en inglés del periódico cada mes”, señaló Sharon O’Malley, editora ejecutiva de College Park Here & Now. “Así, por ejemplo, si hay elecciones municipales, los reportajes en inglés los traduciríamos al español; de esta manera, la audiencia hispanohablante también tendría acceso a esta información tan importante”.
La editorial de los periódicos, Streetcar Suburbs Publishing, incluirá el suplemento en cada edición durante todo el verano, según confirmó la directora ejecutiva, Kit Slack. Slack explicó que la organización sin fines de lucro buscará subvenciones adicionales que permitan que este suplemento se convierta en una sección permanente en ambos
Voluntarios y autoridades locales indican que la presencia de ICE ha generado temor entre los residentes que necesitan comida, alimentos frescos y pañales, lo que ha llevado a las iglesias y a la ciudad de Hyattsville a modificar sus métodos de distribución.
el Capital Area Food Bank y proporciona productos frescos, así como alimentos proteicos, tales como carne y huevos.
Ahora la ciudad ofrece tanto citas individuales como eventos tradicionales de distribución para programas de apoyo, incluidos los de pañales y alimentos frescos, dijo Shephard.
El aumento de la actividad de ICE en Hyattsville también se ha observado en otras partes de Maryland, según reportes periodísticos y comunicados de prensa de la agencia.
Las detenciones realizadas por ICE en todo el estado pasaron de un promedio de 3,7 arrestos al día en 2024 a 9,8 por día hasta junio de este año, según un informe de Maryland Matters.
periódicos.
Slack, quien habla español, mencionó que su experiencia como madre de hijos que asisten a escuelas públicas le ha ayudado a entender que “hay muchos inmigrantes recientes que viven en nuestra ciudad y reciben nuestro periódico, pero actualmente no les resulta tan útil como nos gustaría”.
Según la más reciente Encuesta sobre la Comunidad Estadounidense (ACS) de la Oficina del Censo de Estados Unidos, cerca del 40 % de los residentes de Hyattsville se consideran hispanos o latinos. En la Escuela Primaria Hyattsville, 39 % de los estudiantes están aprendiendo inglés; esta proporción es de 56 % en la Escuela Primaria Felegy, ubicada en West Hyattsville, de acuerdo con datos de 2025 del estado de Maryland. Para leer la edición inaugural de “Hyattsville este Mes”, revise su buzón de correo durante la semana del 26 de enero.
La editora jefa Sharon O’Malley colaboró en la elaboración de este artículo.
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A finales de octubre, la Administración de Servicios Generales (GSA) publicó una solicitud de propuestas competitivas para alquilar oficinas dentro de un radio de cinco millas de los límites de Hyattsville, con el fin de apoyar operaciones federales de seguridad. Un vocero de la GSA se negó a identificar qué agencia solicitó el espacio y se limitó a decir que “la entidad se enorgullece de apoyar a todos nuestros aliados federales en el cumplimiento de la ley”. El condado de Prince George ha registrado varias detenciones de alto perfil por parte de ICE a lo largo de 2025, que involucran a personas con antecedentes que van desde infracciones de tránsito hasta delitos violentos graves, según comu-
primarias del condado de Prince George. El ritmo de ocupación de las vacantes para las escuelas intermedias que atienden a Hyattsville fue de 45%, por debajo del promedio distrital que fue de 55%.
La contratación para las escuelas secundarias que prestan servicio en la zona coincidió con el promedio del distrito, con una reducción de 54% de las vacantes.
Este cambio hace parte de un esfuerzo iniciado hace seis meses en todo el condado para reconstruir la reserva de talento del distrito escolar mediante bonos de contratación agresivos, un nuevo modelo de contratación acelerada y una ley estatal que aumentó los salarios iniciales de los maestros a más de 60.000 dólares.
“Hemos reducido las vacantes a la mi-
nicados de prensa de la agencia. En enero, representantes de ICE anunciaron la detención de un presunto miembro de la pandilla MS-13 de 19 años en Hyattsville, quien tenía cargos penales pendientes por posesión de arma de fuego cargada y municiones. En abril, la agencia detuvo a un hombre con cargos pendientes, entre ellos homicidio, después de que las autoridades penitenciarias del condado lo liberaran a pesar de una solicitud de detención, según el comunicado de ICE. Medios locales han documentado otros incidentes en la zona que han afectado a transeúntes. En septiembre, agentes de ICE derribaron a un hombre en la intersección de Hamilton Street y Queens Chapel Road. Un video publicado por Hyattsville Life & Times mostró a un oficial dejando caer su arma de fuego antes de apuntar a quienes se encontraban en el lugar. Informes posteriores revelaron que el hombre detenido había grabado un video viral de otro arresto de ICE la semana anterior y que en 2024 había sido arrestado por agresión con arma blanca. El perfil de los arrestos realizados por ICE ha cambiado desde 2024, cuando el 43 % de los arrestados en Maryland no tenía condenas penales. Esta cifra aumentó al 60 % en 2025, según un estudio de The Baltimore Banner.
ICE no ha respondido a las solicitudes de comentarios enviadas por correo electrónico para este reportaje.
Ryan Ross y Zaka Hussain son estudiantes de posgrado en periodismo en la Universidad de Maryland.
tad en tan solo un año, lo que demuestra la rapidez con la que podemos avanzar cuando los sistemas se alinean y las personas cuentan con apoyo”, afirmó el superintendente interino Shawn Joseph en un comunicado de prensa.
En otro comunicado de prensa emitido por las Escuelas Públicas del Condado de Prince George (PGCPS, por sus siglas en inglés), la ejecutiva del condado, Aisha Braveboy, señaló que una plantilla con más maestros significa que “nuestros jóvenes están cosechando los beneficios, incluida una mayor estabilidad en el aula”.
El condado calificó como “histórica” la reducción combinada de 52% en las vacantes en todos los niveles escolares, al pasar de un total de 900.5 vacantes a 434 desde agosto.
Las cifras de vacantes se basan en un análisis del Panel de Control de Vacantes de Personal Escolar y Prioritarias de PGCPS, actualizado al 15 de enero.
SAMMY LIU
La policía del condado captura a un adolescente de Hyattsville por el asesinato de un joven de 14 años hallado en College Park
Por SHARON O'MALLEY
La policía del condado de Prince George ha acusado a cuatro sospechosos, entre ellos un joven de 17 años residente de Hyattsville, por el aparente asesinato relacionado con pandillas de un adolescente de 14 años de edad, cuyos restos fueron encontrados en College Park el pasado 3 de noviembre de 2025.
Según la policía, la víctima, Jefferson Amaya-Ayala, residente del Distrito, aparentemente fue atraído al parque Indian Creek Stream Valley el 2 de agosto y asesinado ese mismo día. Las autoridades indicaron que la víctima conocía al menos a uno de los sospechosos.
El 17 de enero, la policía del condado identificó a los sospechosos como Jose Merlos-Majano, de 18 años; Alan Josai Garcia-Padilla, de 21; y William Cuellar Gutierrez, de 19, todos residentes del Distrito, donde Amaya-Ayala fue visto por última vez el 2 de agosto, según el Departamento de Policía Metropolitana y el Centro Nacional para Niños Desaparecidos y Explotados.
La policía no reveló el nombre del cuarto sospechoso, un joven de 17 años.
La Oficina del Médico Forense determinó que Amaya-Ayala falleció por múltiples lesiones.
La policía del condado, agentes del Departamento de Policía Metropolitana y del Grupo de Trabajo Transfronterizo
del FBI llevaban a cabo una investigación conjunta sobre personas desaparecidas cuando encontraron los restos en noviembre de 2025, según un comunicado de prensa emitido por la policía del condado el 5 de diciembre.
Las autoridades establecieron operativos en Sweetbriar Drive, en College Park,
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el 3 de noviembre, e informaron a los residentes que no existía peligro para el vecindario.
La policía afirmó que dos de los sospechosos están bajo custodia en el condado de Prince George y que los otros dos están a la espera de ser extraditados, uno desde el Distrito y otro desde Alexandria.
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¡Presentamos su periódico comunitario galardonado, ahora en español!
Conectando a los residentes de Hyattsville a través del idioma y la cultura cada mes, en cada buzón.
Para anunciar aquí, contacte a kit@streetcarsuburbs.news
La policía ha acusado a cuatro sospechosos del asesinato de un adolescente encontrado en una zona boscosa del parque Indian Creek Stream Valley. De izquierda a derecha, los sospechosos Alan Josai Garcia-Padilla, Jose Merlos-Majano y William Cuellar Gutierrez. Falta un cuarto sospechoso, un joven de 17 años de Hyattsville, cuyo nombre no ha sido revelado aún. CORTESÍA DE LA POLICÍA DEL CONDADO DE PRINCE GEORGE
Residente de College Park nueva presidenta de la Cámara de Delegados de Maryland
Por SHARON O’MALLEY
La exconcejala de la ciudad de College Park, Joseline PeñaMelnyk, prestó juramento el 16 de diciembre como la presidenta número 109 de la Cámara de Delegados de Maryland y presidió su primera sesión legislativa el 14 de enero.
Peña-Melnyk, representante demócrata que se convirtió en la segunda mujer presidenta y la primera afrolatina en ocupar este cargo, reside en College Park Woods y ha servido como delegada del Distrito 21 desde que asumió funciones en enero de 2007.
“He vivido en Maryland durante más de 30 años”, dijo Peña-Melnyk durante su discurso de aceptación ante un gran recinto en Annapolis. “Este estado me ha moldeado tanto como mis experiencias me han moldeado a mí”.
Peña-Melnyk reemplaza a la presidenta saliente Adrienne A. Jones, del condado de Baltimore, quien ocupó esta posición durante casi siete años y dejó la presidencia en diciembre. Jones, primera mujer y primera afroamericana en ese puesto en la historia de Maryland, es delegada desde 1997 y conservará su lugar en la Cámara.
Durante su discurso, PeñaMelnyk describió a Jones como “firme, valiente y con un compromiso inquebrantable con el pueblo de Maryland”.
Peña-Melnyk también recordó a sus colegas y a otros testigos de la ceremonia que “mi viaje no comenzó en estas cámaras. Comenzó en la República Dominicana, en una pequeña casa de madera con techo de hojalata, con agujeros por donde entraba la lluvia. Cuando llovía, mi familia colocaba ollas y sartenes alrededor de la casa para recoger las gotas que caían”.
“Este momento no solo me pertenece a mí, sino a cada niño que recoge agua lluvia en una olla”, añadió.
Peña-Melnyk, quien se presentó sin oposición para el cargo de presidenta, se definió a sí misma como una líder “inclusiva”.
“La fortaleza de esta Cámara nunca ha dependido de los acuerdos unánimes”, dijo, resaltando su intención en colaborar tanto con demócratas como con republicanos.
La presidenta saliente del Co-
mité de Salud y Operaciones
Gubernamentales de la Cámara de Representantes, Peña Melnyk, abogada, trabajó como asistente del fiscal del distrito para la Fiscalía General de los Estados Unidos. En 2003, ganó su escaño en el Municipio de College Park, donde prestó servicio hasta que se convirtió en miembro de la Asamblea General en 2007.
Peña-Melnyk ha trabajado junto al senador estatal Jim Rosapepe y el delegado Ben Barnes, ambos también obtuvieron su cargo en 2007, y con la delegada Mary Lehman, que representa al Distrito 21 desde 2019.
El Distrito 21 incluye a College Park, Beltsville, Adelphi y algunas partes de Laurel y Greenbelt, así como también parte del condado de Anne Arundel. Lehman, quien nominó a Peña-Melnyk para el puesto de presidenta, describió a su colega como una “servidora pública incansable que ha entregado el 100 % en su labor como delegada durante casi 20 años”.
Peña-Melnyk animó a Lehman, quien en su momento se desempeñó como su jefa de gabi-
nete, a postularse para un cargo público.
“Ella ve en los demás lo que ellos mismos no alcanzan a ver y los impulsa a ser lo mejor de sí mismos”, dijo Lehman. “Qué gran recorrido para quien se describe a sí misma como una isleña de la República Dominicana”.
Peña-Melnyk fue la única candidata a la presidencia tras el retiro de sus tres posibles contendientes, lo que dejó el camino libre para su elección.
Uno de ellos fue Barnes, quien también reside en College Park y que afirmó que la nueva presidenta “pone alma y corazón en todo lo que hace y considera a sus votantes como familia, y así mismo lo hace con las personas de esta Cámara de Delegados”.
Peña-Melnyk resaltó que uno de los principales desafíos de la Cámara en la próxima sesión, que empezó el 14 de enero, será abordar “los serios retos de presupuesto, los cuales enfrentaremos con honestidad y disciplina”, y “proteger a las familias trabajadoras… Mi experiencia me guiará con compromiso y equidad. Lucharé por todos, sin importar de dónde vengan”.
¿Cuáles son sus principales prioridades para esta sesión legislativa?
Mis principales prioridades son la asequibilidad, la responsabilidad y la oportunidad. Las familias en todo Maryland están bajo una gran presión — por el aumento de la renta, los costos de la atención médica y las facturas de servicios públicos, así como por la pérdida de empleos y los recortes federales. Estamos enfocados en asegurar que la gente pueda permitirse vivir aquí, que el gobierno use los fondos de manera responsable y que todas las familias — sin importar de dónde vengan — tengan una oportunidad justa de construir una buena vida en Maryland.
Al mismo tiempo, estamos comprometidos a proteger a nuestras comunidades de acciones federales dañinas que crean miedo e inestabilidad, especialmente en las familias inmigrantes.
¿Qué asuntos específicos del distrito planea abordar?
En el Condado de Prince George’s y el sur de Maryland, las familias trabajan duro, pero siguen luchando con el alto costo de la vivienda, el cuidado infantil, el transporte y la atención médica. Las familias inmigrantes también enfrentan miedo e incertidumbre sobre su seguridad y estabilidad.
Seguiré luchando por:
• Vivienda asequible para que las familias puedan quedarse en sus comunidades
• Escuelas públicas sólidas que sirvan a todos los niños
• Transporte confiable para que las personas puedan ir al trabajo y a la escuela
• Acceso a atención médica
• Políticas que aseguren que todos los residentes — sin importar su estatus migratorio — puedan vivir con dignidad y sin miedo
¿Cómo debe la legislatura estatal abordar el aumento del costo de vida, especialmente las facturas de servicios públicos?
Las facturas de servicios públicos no deberían sentirse como una apuesta cada mes. Las familias no deberían tener que elegir entre pagar la calefacción, comprar comida o comprar medicinas.
Vamos a:
• Evitar que las compañías de servicios públicos pasen costos innecesarios — como bonos ejecutivos o gastos corporativos — a los consumidores
• Fortalecer las protecciones al consumidor
• Ampliar herramientas como la facturación presupuestada y los programas de asistencia
• Invertir en energía limpia y almacenamiento de baterías para que los costos de energía sean más estables y asequibles con el tiempo
• Nuestro objetivo es simple: facturas de energía justas y predecibles que las familias puedan planificar.
¿Cómo debe la legislatura abordar el financiamiento escolar este año?
Nuestras escuelas públicas son el corazón de nuestras comunidades. La educación fue la clave que me abrió muchas puertas, y sé de primera mano lo poderosa que puede ser para formar el futuro de un niño. Por eso, incluso en un año presupuestario difícil, estamos comprometidos a proteger la educación para que cada estudiante tenga la oportunidad de salir adelante.
Seguiremos revisando el presupuesto en los próximos años, pero por ahora nuestra prioridad es la estabilidad para los estudiantes, los maestros y las familias, para que nuestras escuelas sigan siendo lugares de oportunidad, crecimiento y esperanza.
La residente de College Park, Joseline Peña-Melnyk, exconcejala municipal, es la nueva presidenta de la Cámara de Delegados de Maryland. SHARON O'MALLEY