State’s highest ranking woman says top job is still about helping
By SHARON O’MALLEY
Before she was the speaker of Maryland’s House of Delegates and before she was a member of the College Park City Council, Joseline Peña-Melnyk was a stay-at-home mom in College Park Woods, a community she calls “beautiful.”
So when the University of Maryland and the state in 2001 proposed a road connecting I-95 with the University Boulevard entrance to the campus—via Metzerott Road—Peña-Melnyk realized the plan would cut through the urban forest bordering her neighborhood. She went door to door to collect 447 signatures from neighbors to block the project.
She also picked up dozens of white T-shirts from Target and wrote “Stop the Road” on each one. She led a group of neighbors to Annapolis—where she had never been before—to testify before the state Legislature about the road’s potential “to destroy that beautiful community of College Park Woods.” “I decided to organize the community and we fought hard,” Peña-Melnyk, who at the time had three small children at home, tells College Park Here & Now.
That’s when former Mayor Anna Owens, the only
County proposes limits
woman ever elected to serve as College Park’s mayor, convinced her to run for city council.
And she did, winning a District 4 seat in 2003.
Nine days after she was sworn in, Peña-Melnyk, armed with her 447 signatures and accompanied by Owens, testified before the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board in opposition to the connector road.
The connector was never built.
“We killed the road,” Peña-Melnyk says.
Almost 23 years later, with three years on the city council and 19 as a District 21 state delegate under her belt, Peña-Melnyk says the scope of her job, now that she is speaker, has changed. Still, she says, it’s the same at its core: “It’s really just finding resources to help” people with problems.
“We have 23 counties and Baltimore City, 23 different local governments, and they have different issues,” she says. “However, they all have problems that you have to try to solve. … The job that I have here is to make government work for people.”
Peña-Melnyk attributes her people-first mindset and her political drive to a childhood spent in the Dominican Republic in a wooden home with a met-
to Chinese
immersion
program at Paint Branch Elementary School
By SHARON O’MALLEY
In response to fierce opposition from parents, faculty and former students, Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) officials on Feb. 19 offered an alternative to their plan to end the 12-year-old Chinese immersion program at Paint Branch Elementary School in College Park. If the Board of Education (BOE) votes to accept the pro-
posal, the immersion program, in which all Paint Branch Elementary School students currently participate, will convert to a model that requires parents who want to enroll their children to apply for one of 25 seats at each grade level. If the school receives more than 25 applications, it will hold a lottery for the seats.
The original plan, unveiled in late January, would have dis-
continued the immersion program before the start of the next school year in August.
The proposed cuts are part of an effort by interim Superintendent of Schools Shawn Joseph to shave $150 million from the fiscal year 2027 public schools budget. This comes during a year when the county is facing a budget gap of at least $58.3 million—originally projected at
MOM’s employee asks for 2nd vote on mandatory union dues
By SHARON O’MALLEY
An employee of MOM’s Organic Market at the Hollywood Shopping Center has asked the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to throw out the result of a Jan. 13 ballot that failed to stop the local union from collecting mandatory dues and allowing the store to fire those who refuse.
In a Jan. 27 filing, employee Nora Ricse alleged that a union
official tried to intimidate her co-worker, J-quan Tingling, into joining United Food and Commercial Workers Local 400 by cornering him in a store bathroom while he was cleaning it. In a separate complaint on Jan. 23, Tingling said the official claimed he would not be allowed to keep his job if he refused to sign a union membership and dues checkoff card on the spot.
COLLEGE PARK’S AWARD-WINNING COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
Joseline Peña-Melnyk, who lives in College Park Woods, says her new job as speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates will not stop her from interacting with her College Park constituents.
COURTESY OF JOSELINE PEÑA-MELNYK
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Affordable senior housing to open on Branchville Road
By SHARON O’MALLEY
The College Park City Council agreed Jan. 27 to recommend that Prince George’s County amend a parking ordinance that would allow a developer to build a fourstory, 87-unit apartment building for older residents on Branchville Road.
Development of the 2.2-acre site at 4810 Branchville Road has been approved twice before: in 1987 for a 96-unit building and in 2020 for a seven-story, marketrate complex with 81 apartments.
The latest iteration “emphasizes aging in place,” said Matthew Tedesco, a lawyer representing Cruz Development Corp. That includes elevators, social spaces and amenities that appeal to senior citizens, Tedesco said.
The new Branchville Crossing apartments will be “a scaled-down, senior affordable project that we believe fits not only the needs of the city but of the county,” Tedesco said.
The project will require an amendment to a county zoning law to allow the developer to exceed the maximum number of parking spaces by 18, making room for 54 spaces rather than 36.
City councilmembers agreed that because the complex is for residents 62 and older, most tenants will be living independently and many may own and regularly drive cars.
Tedesco said county zoning for the
site bases the number of spaces on what would be needed for a nursing home or assisted living facility with dependent living services, which Branchville Crossing will not offer.
The 47-foot-tall building will be financed using a 4% federal low-income housing tax credit, or LIHTC.
“It’s the financial engine that makes this project possible,” Carlos Nunes, a senior planner with the city, said, noting the tax credit has “strict strings attached.”
For one, the developer may not charge market-rate rents and instead will base rent on 60% of the area median income, meaning each tenant’s monthly charges
will depend on the resident’s income. Tedesco estimated tenants of Branchville Crossing, which will include 78 one-bedroom and nine two-bedroom units, will pay between $1,100 and $2,000 a month. Second, tenants must be 62 or older.
“There is a real need for senior housing in College Park,” Councilmember Kelly Jordan (District 2) said at the meeting. “We’re very happy this is being brought before us. We can definitely see that the developer has listened to the residents … to see what would fit here, what’s needed here.”
The county Planning Board’s review of the developer’s site plan is scheduled for Feb. 26.
Council weighs change to grass height limit
By LIAD MUSSAFFI
The College Park City Council on Feb. 10 discussed a proposal to do away with a long-standing 12-inch height limit on lawns to accommodate residents wishing to replace their grass with pollinator gardens that attract bees and other insects.
Members of the Committee for a Better Environment and the local chapter of Bee City USA have raised concerns about the 12inch rule, claiming pollinator plants are naturally taller.
“The city is inclined to have more environmentally friendly policies,” Councilmember Jacob Hernandez (District 1) said. “For the record, I am in favor of leaving the space for environmentally inclined pollinator gardens to be one in between nine perfectly manicured yards.”
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Hernandez added: “If it’s on your yard, it’s on your yard. That’s your property, baby.”
While pollinator plants coincide with College Park’s sustainability efforts, the existing code was meant to restrict the height of traditional turf, according to Councilmember Dan Oates (District 3).
Mayor Pro Tem Maria Mackie (District 4) noted that waiving the 12-inch height rule could lead to chaotic growth and neglected properties.
“We also don’t want to give license to people to not care for their lawns, because it’s not fair to your neighbor if you’re not caring for your lawn,” Mackie said.
She added: “We live in a community, and we need to be mindful of our neighbors and [be] considerate of them. We don’t want to have our plants growing where they could trip over them.”
Jonathan Nagelvoort, assistant director of the city’s Department of Public Works, said he supports keeping the 12-inch rule for turf and allowing pollinators as an alternative to traditional lawns.
Nagelvoort said the city can achieve both by requiring residents who wish to plant pollinators to register with Public Works.
“We’d like to be able to have a set list map that identifies these properties that say, ‘We are a pollinator,’” Nagelvoort said. “So they will be easily identifiable to code enforcement.”
If enforcement officers know which lawns are registered as pol-
linators, they won’t mistake habitat for neglect, Nagelvoort said. Still, Hernandez said he does not want to regulate which kinds of plants homeowners can grow.
He said he is, however, concerned about plants encroaching on public spaces like sidewalks.
“If your … vegetation is hanging over and blocking the sidewalk … to the point where you have to adjust yourself as a pedestrian, I think that’s where you’re crossing into the public [space],” Hernandez said. Otherwise, he said he is “hesitant as a government to touch your property.”
Councilmember Alan Hew (District 1) said he is firmly pro-pollinator gardens and supports No Mow April, a month when the city allows residents to ignore the 12-inch rule.
Still, Hew said he wants to keep the 12-inch height limit on turf during the rest of the year.
“Scaping needs to be intentful,” Hew said. “It’s intentful practices with clear borders, not impeding on line of sight for vehicles, [and] being able to see safely around these plants.”
Councilmembers typically do not vote at workshops but appeared to support keeping the 12-inch limit and creating a recognition program.
A developer plans to construct an 87-unit affordable apartment building on Branchville Road for tenants at least 62 years old. COURTESY OF CRUZ DEVELOPMENT CORP.
Allowing grass and wildflowers to grow tall in the spring affords food and protection to bees, bugs, butterflies and some birds when resources are scarce and pollinators are at their most vulnerable. COULEUR FOR PIXABAY
Town Center Market to face county liquor board
By SHARON O’MALLEY
The Prince George’s County Board of License Commissioners is challenging the right of Town Center Market, a popular liquor store and gathering place in the heart of Riverdale Park’s historic town center, to sell beer and cocktails for customers to drink on site.
The commission will hold a hearing on March 11 for the market’s owner to show cause as to why the county should not restrict on-site alcohol consumption at the 14-yearold business, which features an outdoor patio that attracts a steady stream of patrons from College Park, Hyattsville, the District and beyond.
The hearing was originally scheduled for Feb. 11. A representative for the commission said Town Center Market’s attorney requested the postponement. In a letter to commission Chair
Oretha Bridgewaters-Simms in support of the market’s ability to allow on-site consumption, Prince George’s County Councilmember Eric Olson (District 3) called the business “much more than a beer, wine and liquor store. With the addition of on-premises consumption, they have become a gathering place where all are welcome.”
The commission contends that the Class B+ liquor license the market holds allows for on-site consumption of alcohol only in “the restaurant portion of your business,” according to a letter to market owner Jim Spiropoulos from commission Director Terence Sheppard, which has circulated on local listservs. “Now that the restaurant portion of your business has closed … your business is no longer eligible for on-premises consumption.”
However, the market, located at 4705 Queensbury Road, never included a full-service res-
taurant, according to Spiropoulos and others familiar with the market’s history.
Instead, it qualified for an exception to the food requirement under a change to a state law, which permitted a limited number of Class B+ licensees to run both a package store and serve alcohol for on-site consumption.
Olson quoted the law in his letter to Bridgewaters-Simms: “If the permit is issued to a holder of a Class B license with an off-sale privilege, the holder need not comply with any restaurant or food requirement.”
Spiropoulos has estimated that over the years, his family has sunk more than $2 million into the market, which started as a small corner store with three employees. The business employs 18 today.
Patrons are encouraged to buy food from nearby restaurants to eat at the store’s outdoor tables with the beer and alcohol they purchase from the market.
Ijeoma Opara contributed to this article.
Council adopts early lease ordinance
By SHARON O’MALLEY
The College Park City Council on Feb. 3 unanimously approved an ordinance that will prevent landlords from asking tenants to renew a lease sooner than 180 days from the end of the current lease.
The so-called early lease ordinance, overwhelmingly supported by students renting apartments in high-rise buildings on or near Route 1, was introduced in September. The issue drew comments from more than 20 tenants who attended a November public hearing.
Students lined up again on Feb. 3 to share stories about landlords who approached them as soon as a month after move-in, threatening to substantially raise the rent or replace the occupants with other tenants unless they renewed their leases as far in advance as 10 months before their yearlong contracts were set to expire.
Sami Saeed, a public policy major at the University of Maryland (UMD), said his former landlord contacted him four weeks after he moved in with a
report of offers of “thousands of dollars per month” more than Saeed was paying in rent, “and that I had to decide by the end of the week or someone else was going to take our house.”
Saeed added: “The stress that that caused me … trying to find anyone to live with for next year. I had to call 50 people. … That is the situation renters are
faced with. That is the situation I was faced with. It happened to me.”
The council vote was for an amended ordinance that changed the timeframe when landlords are allowed to offer lease renewals from the original proposal’s suggested 180 days after the start of the lease to 180 days before it ends. The
amendment had been offered in December by Councilmember Holly Simmons, who pointed out that for leases longer than 12 months, counting from the end instead of the beginning ensures that tenants do not have to make decisions for the following year far in advance of the expiration of their leases.
The ordinance promises to
fine landlords $500 the first time they violate the new law and $2,500 for subsequent offenses.
Two landlords spoke against the ordinance at the Feb. 3 meeting.
College Park resident David Dorsch, who said he has been in the rental business for half a century, said the law is unnecessary, as landlords and tenants understand when they sign a lease what the terms are.
He called the ordinance “B.S. … I don’t see any way that this helps anything other than it causes a lot more paperwork.”
Landlord Richard Biffl warned the council that because the city held a public hearing on the proposal in November before three councilmembers were replaced in December, it must hold a second public hearing before voting.
Mayor Fazlul Kabir responded that the city charter allows for one council to adopt a measure proposed and put up for a public hearing by an earlier council.
Nick DiSpirito, UMD’s student liaison to the City Council, also had a message for landlords: “This ordinance has been adopted,” he said near the end of the meeting. “If you are going to continue to do predatory practices as a landlord, we will hold you accountable, full stop.”
The two University of Maryland students who serve as liaisons to the College Park City Council were instrumental in the adoption of an ordinance to tamp down high-pressure landlord tactics. CALEB WINTERS
It’s scammer season: Beware
By KATHERINE SCHUTZMAN
Verification and trusting your gut are the keys to avoiding digital and in-person scams this spring, College Park experts said.
Residents should be skeptical of requests for personal information over email, text or social media, or in person, especially when money is involved, according to Prince George’s County Police (PGPD) spokesman Brian Fischer.
“If it seems too good to be true, it is,” Fischer said. “You don’t know these people, and it could be a formula for disaster.”
The PGPD Financial Crimes Unit receives reports about financial scams from residents every day, Fischer said.
As summer approaches, locals should be wary of scammers impersonating home repair workers who claim they will fix weather-related damage to their yard or house.
Fischer said these fakers will often request a down payment for their work and then disappear once they have the money. He said the best course of action if someone claiming to be a contractor knocks on your door is to keep it closed and call the police if the person refuses to leave.
Throughout the spring, tax scams and fake IRS calls may start, according to Soren Anderson, a sophomore at Georgetown University. Anderson is the director of external affairs for Justice for Fraud Victims, a nonprofit that trains students to offer free assistance to financial fraud victims.
However, although scammers may tailor their schemes to tax season or the holidays, Anderson said most revert to sending urgent texts, emails or social media messages requesting money or personal information.
“No one legitimate is ever going to ask you to give them a gift card,” Anderson said. “No one legitimate, like an official business, is going to ask you to Venmo them. … If you can’t pay by [traditional] means, that probably means that it’s a scam.”
Although scammers may present you with some of your personal information to gain credibility, things like full names and addresses are publicly available, Anderson said, and therefore should not be taken as a sign of legitimacy.
Identifying both digital and in-person scams requires verification and caution, according to University of Maryland (UMD) senior lecturer Samuel
UMD associate professor Jui Ramaprasad said people should be wary of building trust with online connections and verify the identity of any stranger trying to start an inperson or digital relationship.
Handwerger.
Handwerger, who oversees Justice for Fraud Victims, said he urges people to ask for identification from supposed city or government workers who request money. He also suggests calling the relevant city department or company the person claims to represent to confirm the authenticity of the request.
In fact, the City of College Park has sent out warnings about scammers pretending to be curbside leaf collection crew members and asking residents to pay for the service. Others have said they are planning city events and request a fee from those wanting to attend.
Communications Director
Ryna Quiñones said city crews wear city-issued uniforms, drive marked city vehicles and carry city identification.
“If anything seems suspicious and/or you don’t see official markings or communications, please do not engage or respond,” Quiñones said in an email. “You can always contact city departments with any questions.”
As more people get used to digital cons, scammers are returning to in-person scams — and that’s catching victims off guard, Handwerger said.
“They just go back to what the memory won’t recall, and do it the same old-fashioned way, which is a little bit more
tedious, but could be effective,” he said.
Fischer said pigeon-drop scams are becoming increasingly common in Prince George’s County.
A pigeon drop is a street swindle by criminals who trick people into handing over their own cash in exchange for a share of money or valuables that the scammer pretends to have found, according to Fischer. Senior citizens are the most common targets for pigeon-drop scams, he said.
And according to UMD associate professor Jui Ramaprasad, people seeking companionship or who are unfamiliar with technology tend to be likely targets for digital and in-person scams.
Ramaprasad said online scammers tend to target anyone who uses email or social media, regardless of age or gender. However, tricks like romance scams on dating apps rely on vulnerable people looking to make a connection and who feel inclined to trust their match, she said.
She said people should be wary of building trust with online connections, educate themselves about common scams and verify the identity of any stranger trying to start an in-person or digital relationship.
“Given just the sheer amount of online scams, maybe we understand that they exist and we’re more willing to ask questions,” Ramaprasad said. “Why don’t we take it in the offline world when we’re meeting people as well?”
Senior citizens are among the most common targets for digital and in-peson scams, experts say VITALY GARIEV/UNSPLASH
City celebrates Lunar New Year
By JALEN WADE
More than 100 College Park families visited a crimsontinged City Hall on Feb. 21 to celebrate Lunar New Year.
The city’s second annual Lunar New Year festivities featured music, food and crafts from Asian cultures. Ryna Quiñones, communications and events manager, said the event celebrates the city’s diversity. (See related story, Page 7)
“We’re showcasing so many different traditions that happen during Lunar New Year,” Quiñones said, “especially for our Asian American and Pacific Islander community.”
Red and gold paper lanterns and fans covered railings, staircases and hallways. Along the windows were images of golden horses representing the Year of the Fire Horse, the theme of the festivities. Outside the council chambers was a fortune cookie dispenser shaped like a lion’s face and a table with picture books about Lunar New Year.
More than 100 people stopped by the celebration to hear music, watch dance performances and see a tai chi demonstration.
The Alice Gu-Zheng ensemble, a nonprofit music group,
used the Chinese zither to perform a medley of Chinese pieces and “America the Beautiful.”
The group Dancing in Silence gave a tai chi demonstration.
The University of Maryland Terp Lion Dancers, some wearing a gold lion costume and others a red one, performed a dance.
The final show was a performance by the Somapa Thai
Dance Company.
Children and their parents made paper fire horse decorations at the College Park Arts Exchange table.
Chipo Hatendi, a resident of Graduate Gardens in College Park, visited the station with her 4-year-old and infant daughters and said she came to the event to expose them to a different culture.
“It’s so they can learn new cultures and different people,” Hatendi said. “New Year’s happens at different times for other people, and it’s not just the New Year’s they are used to.”
In the community room, children attempted to create origami cranes after watching a demonstration.
Naoko Kamioka, an origami YouTuber and instructor, said
the event was a way for her to introduce Japanese and Asian culture to the community.
“Origami is a very joyful activity,” Kamioka said. “All you need is just a sheet of paper.”
Li-Chun Cafe, located on the ground level of City Hall, offered guests free bubble tea, cookies and milk buns.
City Councilmember Alan Hew (District 1), who is half Chinese, said he is honored that the city celebrates Lunar New Year.
“The Asian Pacific Islander community is a rather large community, not just here in College Park, but globally,” Hew said. “And to see us embrace this is a real honor to be part of. I’m proud to be part of this.”
More than 100 people gathered at City Hall on Saturday to celebrate Lunar New Year. JALEN WADE
Students of Mandarin celebrate Lunar New Year
By JALEN WADE
Children sang in Mandarin and performed traditional Chinese dances during a Lunar New Year celebration in Paint Branch Elementary School’s gymnasium on Feb. 12.
The celebration, which the school has put on every year for a decade, served as a way for students to showcase their understanding of Chinese culture, according to Pei-Hsuan Liu, academic dean of the school’s Chinese immersion program.
“They are really passionate about showcasing their Chinese through singing, dancing, Chinese yo-yo and Kung Fu Fan,” Liu said. Kung Fu Fan is a classical dance routine.
All Paint Branch students are enrolled in the immersion program, in which children learn the Chinese language, math and science in classes conducted in Mandarin. They take English, health and social studies in English.
Prince George’s County Public Schools has proposed discontinuing or substantially reducing the Chinese immersion programs at Paint Branch, Greenbelt Middle School and Largo High School. (See related story on Page 1.)
“As I was walking, coming to school today, it’s a mixed feeling,” Liu said. “But at this time, during the [proposed] budget cut … it just put me to … feeling … not very certain. Will this event continue next year due to the budget cut?”
At the Lunar New Year event, a group from the Chua Martial Arts school in Gaithersburg assisted with the presentation.
Adam Chua, the school’s own-
er and a martial arts master, gave a brief lesson on the role of lions in Chinese folklore before guiding assistants from his school who donned a Chinese lion costume and performed a dance.
“And they also bring a lot of educational components to help students to understand the culture,” Liu said.
The event opened with children sitting in rows before the kindergarteners and first- and second-graders were called up to sing or dance. Next, the thirdthrough fifth-graders performed for approximately three dozen teachers and parents, who busied themselves snapping photos of the children. District 2 College Park City Councilmembers Kelly Jordan, whose child attends the school, and Holly Simmons also attended.
Anabel Carino-Aguado Ian, the mother of a fourth-grader, said it’s fun for the kids to see the performances and participate in them as well.
“Kids are also learning about the culture, not only about the language,” she said.
This year’s performance was about more than celebrating the new year, Liu said, noting she hoped the event would garner support to keep the Chinese immersion program alive.
Ana Martinez De Rodriguez, also the mother of a fourthgrader at the school, said it’s important for the children to learn Chinese.
“It’s such a complicated language to learn, especially the writing,” she said. “But kids are like sponges. If they start learning early enough, they will absorb all the knowledge.”
“They are really passionate about showcasing their Chinese through singing, dancing, Chinese yo-yo and Kung Fu Fan.”
Pei-Hsuan Liu academic dean of Paint Branch Elementary School’s Chinese immersion program
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!
Students of Paint Branch Elementary school participate in a Lunar New Year celebration in the school’s gymnasium. JALEN WADE
NEWS BRIEFS
Leaving town. Barely a year after opening at 4210 Knox Road, Compass Coffee has closed.
The casual upscale coffee spot sat on the street level under Hub College Park, a luxury high-density student housing complex. It was the 25-store chain’s first Maryland location.
The College Park cafe is one of 10 locations that closed after the District-based company filed for bankruptcy, reporting between $10 million and $50 million in liabilities.
Seven others were in the District and two were in Virginia.
CEO Michael Haft wrote on LinkedIn that the closed cafes suffered from a lack of foot traffic that started during the pandemic.
“Like many local restaurants and cafes,” he wrote, “we reached a moment where we had to confront that honest reality.”
Small crowd. Only four people spoke Feb. 17 at a College Park City Council listening session designed to solicit input from residents about the city’s next annual budget.
Mayor Fazlul Kabir said the council typically reaches out to the public for comments after city staff submits a proposed budget in March.
“This is the first time we’ve done this session so early in the season,” Kabir said, noting the council has scheduled a second listening session for March 4 at 7 p.m. in council chambers.
The 6 p.m. meeting ended at 6:25 p.m.
City Manager Kenny Young said residents also will have a chance to weigh in on the budget proposal after it is published March 20.
Among those who spoke at the session, Mark Schroeder, chair of the citizen-led College Park Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, asked the council to consider funding more than three “complete street” projects a year.
A complete street project upgrades roads to make them accessible to pedestrians and bicyclists in addition to drivers and transit riders.
Longtime College Park resident David Dorsch suggested the council could raise money by selling property it owns on Calvert Road.
“The city does not need that property,” Dorsch said. “They should not be in the housing business. It’s a crime to let that property sit there for this amount of time.”
Dhruvak Mirani, president of the University of Maryland’s Student Government Association and a former SGA liaison to the city council, asked that the council fund a need-based subsidy program for student tenants that it approved in 2024.
The council did not renew the $150,000 subsidy in its fiscal year 2026 budget.
Finally, College Park landlord Richard Biffl said he opposes rent subsidies, saying, “It’s better to look at the state to help the [affordable student housing] problem.”
Annexation legislation. The Greenbelt City Council has scheduled a March 9 public hearing on that city’s plan to annex 2,262 acres of land occupied by the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC), the Goddard Space Flight Center and the Greenbelt railyard.
At its Jan. 12 meeting, the council began the legal process of bringing three large swaths of property into the city limits by introducing three resolutions to expand its boundaries.
College Park City Manager Kenny Young in September had proposed that this city annex parts of BARC, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture has said eventually will close, despite pushback from members of Congress, which allocated $6 million to be spent this year on renova-
tions and construction.
Young presented 17 options for potential annexation to the College Park City Council, which has not voted on the proposals.
Greenbelt Mayor Emmett Jordan told Greenbelt News Review that annexation would not mean the city would own the property but rather would bring it into the city limits and make it subject to local regulations.
Full stop. Drivers who run stop signs at any of five College Park intersections equipped with cameras will pay $40 per violation starting March 16.
The cameras, which began operating in mid-February, will continue to trigger warnings rather than fines until then.
Stop sign cameras are active at Edgewood Road at 52nd Place; St. Andrews Place at Davidson Street; Rhode Island Avenue at Lakeland Road; College Avenue at Yale Avenue; and Calvert Road at Rhode Island Avenue.
Before installing the cameras, which will be funded by the fines, the city placed solar-powered cameras on nine stop signs for three weeks to learn how frequently drivers failed to stop. The results showed that between 61% and 92% of drivers did not come to a full stop across the nine locations.
Car crime. Crimes in College Park declined slightly in January—except those involving cars—according to Prince George’s County Police.
James Keleti, District 1 deputy chief, told residents who attended a February public safety meeting that officers reported 13 auto thefts in January, mostly near Ikea and in College Park’s Hollywood neighborhood.
“They’re right there at the Beltway,” Keleti said. “They can jump on the Beltway and be back in Montgomery County. So we’re going to have to increase our patrol to that area.”
The 13 incidents included eight stolen vehicles and five thefts of tires and rims.
Top tier. The University of Maryland, College Park, is the 95th best university in the world, according to a ranking by Time Magazine.
Johns Hopkins University topped that score, coming in 12th place on the list of 500 universities. The University of Maryland, Baltimore, ranked 436. At the top of the list was the University of Oxford, followed by Yale University and Stanford University in second and third places. Seven of the top 10 schools are in the United States.
Compass Coffee, which opened on Knox Road in January 2025, has closed. Shown, University of Maryland student Evan Kim spends time at the cafe. LILLIAN GLAROS
COLLEGE PARK POST
Young explorers (ages 10 & under) hunt for prize-filled treasures at 10:30 AM or 11:30AM
Enjoy live music Cocoa & cookies Photos with Peter Co ontail!
Scan the QR Code to register collegeparkmd.gov/egghunt26
Egg Hunt Egg-stravaganza!
A spring celebration for families on March 21 at Calvert Park
Spring is just around the corner, and the City of College Park invites families to join us for the Egg Hunt Egg-stravaganza! on Saturday, March 21, 2026, from 10am–12pm at Calvert Park (4807 Drexel Road).
This beloved spring celebration promises a lively morning filled with laughter, color, and community spirit. As the weather begins to warm and flowers start to bloom, the Egg Hunt Egg-stravaganza! offers the perfect opportunity for families to gather outdoors, enjoy fresh air, and celebrate the season together. Children up to 10 years of age are invited to participate
in age-organized egg hunts, ensuring a safe, structured, and exciting experience for everyone involved
To provide flexibility and a smooth event flow, families may select one of two scheduled egg hunt times at 10:30am or 11:30am. Each hunt will feature prizefilled eggs scattered throughout the park, creating a fun and memorable adventure for young participants.
MORE THAN JUST AN EGG HUNT
While the egg hunt is the highlight of the morning, there will be plenty of additional activities
for families to enjoy. Live music will set a festive tone throughout the event, adding energy and excitement to the celebration. Guests can warm up with hot cocoa and cookies while taking in the cheerful atmosphere.
Children will also have the opportunity to participate in make-and-take crafts designed especially for the season. These hands-on activities allow kids to get creative and bring home a special keepsake from the day. Families can also capture the moment with a photo alongside Peter Cottontail — a perfect way to commemorate the occasion and create lasting springtime memories.
Events like the Egg Hunt Eggstravaganza! reflect the City’s ongoing commitment to creating welcoming, family-friendly experiences that bring neighbors together. Whether you’re a longtime resident or new to the community, this celebration offers a wonderful chance to connect, celebrate, and enjoy a shared moment of seasonal joy.
Admission is free; however, pre-registration is required as space is limited. Visit www. collegeparkmd.gov/egghunt26 to reserve your spot today and ensure your family doesn’t miss this egg-citing start to spring in College Park.
Calvert Park, 4807 Drexel Road
Stop Sign Enforcement Begins March 16
New school zone safety program supports Vision Zero efforts
To promote bicycle and pedestrian safety, the City of College Park has implemented an Automated Stop Sign Enforcement Program. With crossing guard shortages, strategically placed stop sign cameras in school zones will help deter violations and protect children traveling to and from school. This initiative supports Prince George’s County’s Vision Zero Program, which aims to eliminate traffic fatalities and severe injuries by 2040.
Improving compliance at stopcontrolled intersections is a key part of the City’s broader traffic safety strategy. School zones experience high levels of pedestrian activity, particularly during arrival and dismissal times, and ensuring drivers come to a complete stop helps create a safer environment for students, families, and crossing guards.
Prince George’s County recorded 91 traffic fatalities last year, the highest in the state. To address this issue, the City conducted a pilot study in September 2024 that measured more than 3,000 stop sign violations per day in College Park, many occurring during school hours. In May 2025, City Ordinance 25-O-02 was adopted to authorize stop sign camera enforcement.
This program targets stop sign violations in school zones. Five enforcement locations were selected:
• Edgewood Rd & 52nd Pl –Hollywood Elementary School [District 1]
College Park Earns Bronze Bicycle Friendly Status
Supporting safer, more connected transportation options
The City of College Park is proud to announce it has been designated a Bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists — the first time the City has received this recognition. This designation highlights communities that are making meaningful progress toward safer, more accessible bicycling for residents and visitors alike.
Advisory Committee to support the development of policies and infrastructure that improve safety and accessibility. The City continues investing in projects that make biking a practical option for commuting, recreation, and everyday travel to local destinations
• College Ave & Yale Ave –University of Maryland College Park Foundation [District 3]
• St Andrews Pl & Davidson St
– Cherokee Lane Elementary School [District 4]
• Rhode Island Ave & Lakeland Rd – Paint Branch Elementary School [District 2]
• Calvert Rd & Rhode Island Ave – University of Maryland College Park Foundation [District 3]
The program became operational in February. A warning period began February 16, 2026, and citations will be issued beginning March 16, 2026. Under Maryland Traffic Law (Code 21-707), drivers are required to come to a complete stop at the stop line when approaching a stop sign.
All proceeds from the program will cover operational costs and support public safety improvements. The initiative is a coordinated partnership between the City of College Park, Prince George’s County Police, and the vendor, Obvio.
Similar to the City’s Speed Enforcement program, stop sign citations will be mailed to the registered vehicle owner. These are civil citations, not moving violations, similar to parking tickets, and hold the registered owner or lessee responsible. Recipients may pay the assessed fine or request a court appearance to contest the citation. Failure to pay may result in additional penalties from the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration, including a flag on the vehicle registration.
College Park joins Rockville, Annapolis, Frederick, Ocean City, and Salisbury among Maryland communities earning Bronzelevel status. The recognition reflects years of coordinated effort to expand interconnected hiker-biker trails, improve roadway crossings, enhance bike lanes, and strengthen overall route connectivity throughout the City.
Bicycling and walkability remain important priorities for the community. In 2023, the Mayor and Council established the Bicycle and Pedestrian
The Bicycle Friendly Community designation is awarded through the League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly America program, which evaluates communities nationwide on infrastructure, education, encouragement, evaluation, and equity for cyclists. Designations are valid for four years and require renewal to ensure continued progress and alignment with best practices. College Park’s Bronze designation is valid through 2029. This milestone reflects the City’s ongoing commitment to building a safer, healthier, and more connected transportation network for all.
Older Trees Are Worth Protecting
How residents can help preserve College Park’s tree canopy
Mature trees are one of College Park’s most valuable community assets. They provide shade that cools homes and streets, store carbon, reduce stormwater runoff, support wildlife, and enhance neighborhood character. As trees age, they become more sensitive to environmental stress, making proper care especially important.
Signs of aging — such as cavities or dead branches — are not always indicators of decline and can support local biodiversity. Large trees also improve air quality and stabilize soil, especially during heavy rains and storms. Their canopies create cooler, more comfortable neighborhoods during the summer months.
During dry periods, water trees slowly and deeply to encourage healthy root growth. Apply two to three inches of mulch around
the base (keeping it away from the trunk) to retain moisture. Remove dead or damaged branches when necessary, and consult a Maryland licensed tree expert for large or hazardous pruning. Monitoring for thinning canopies or early leaf drop can help address concerns early.
Avoid damaging tree roots during home projects by limiting heavy equipment, soil compaction, and excavation near the base of mature trees. Protecting the root zone is essential for long-term tree health. Taking preventive action today can help extend the life of these important community resources.
Protecting mature trees is an investment in a healthier, cooler, and more resilient College Park.
Brought to you by the City of College Park Tree and Landscape Board. Learn more at www. collegeparkmd.gov.
City Announcements & Events Report Issues with College Park Connect
More information: www.collegeparkmd.gov
PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNITY MEETING
Monday, March 2, 2026 | 7:00–8:30 PM | Hybrid
Residents are invited to attend the City of College Park’s upcoming Public Safety Meeting on Monday, March 2, 2026. These meetings provide a forum for community members to stay informed about public safety efforts, hear updates on ongoing initiatives, and engage in conversation about neighborhood concerns.
City representatives will be present to share information and respond to questions. Additional details, including meeting time and participation options, will be announced soon. Residents are encouraged to visit the City’s website for updates.
SUMMER CAMP SCHOLARSHIPS
The City of College Park’s annual summer camp scholarship applications are now open!
Youth (rising K–12) who reside in the City of College Park are eligible to apply. Scholarships are awarded up to a maximum of $400 per student.
Students may receive a scholarship for one camp session only. Priority is given to youth who did not receive a City of College Park scholarship in previous years.
The scholarship may be used for camps hosted by:
• University of Maryland
• Prince George’s County Department of Parks & Recreation
• Prince George’s Community College
Some organizations are still finalizing summer camp details. Updated camp information may not yet be available, so families are encouraged to check individual websites frequently for the most current information. Apply by March 14 at collegeparkmd.gov/ summercamp2026
For more information, contact Youth & Family Services at 240-487-3550.
STAR GAZING UNDER THE NIGHT SKY
Friday, March 27, 2026 | 8:00–10:00 PM | Calvert Hills Playground & Field (4601 Calvert Road)
Experience an unforgettable evening of astronomy as the City of College Park welcomes the National Air and Space Museum for a special night sky program.
Museum educators will bring professional telescopes and equipment, offering guided viewing and interactive demonstrations for participants of all ages. Learn how to spot planets, stars, and other celestial features while gaining insight into the science behind what you see above.
Outdoor sky viewing will take place at Calvert Hills Playground & Field. In the event of unfavorable weather, activities and demonstrations will move indoors to City Hall so the program can continue. Dress warmly and plan for cooler evening temperatures.
This event is free and open to the public. For more information, email events@ collegeparkmd.gov.
SPRING STREET FAIR RETURNS
Friday, May 17, 2026 | 12:00–4:00 PM | Davis Hall 9217 51st Ave
The City of College Park is now accepting vendor applications for the 2026 Spring Street Fair, taking place on Sunday, May 17, 2026.
Arts & Craft vendors, Community Exhibitors, and Food Vendors are invited to apply and be part of this vibrant community event. The Spring Street Fair draws residents and visitors for an afternoon of food, entertainment, and familyfriendly activities — offering a great opportunity to showcase your products, services, or organization. Participating vendors gain valuable visibility while connecting directly with the College Park community.
Interested vendors are encouraged to apply online at: www. collegeparkmd.gov/415/SpringStreet-Fair.
A simple way to stay connected and request City services
See a concern in your neighborhood? The City of College Park encourages residents to report non-emergency issues through College Park Connect, the City’s resident reporting system designed to provide a direct line of communication with staff.
College Park Connect makes it easier than ever for residents to request services and notify the City about issues that impact their daily lives. Whether it’s a pothole that needs repair, graffiti that needs removal, litter in a public space, streetlight concerns, or animal-related issues, the system helps ensure requests are routed quickly to the appropriate department for review and response. Timely reporting helps City crews address concerns efficiently and maintain safe, wellkept neighborhoods for everyone. By working together, residents and City staff can respond more quickly to issues and improve overall service delivery.
Through the College Park Connect website and mobile app, residents can submit reports, track the status of their requests, and stay informed about City updates. The platform also provides convenient access to City news, website links, and upcoming events, making it a helpful tool for staying engaged and connected with what’s happening in the community.
HOW TO SUBMIT A REPORT
To report a non-emergency issue online, visit www. collegeparkmd.gov/tellus. Residents may also download the free “College Park Connect” app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for easy access on their mobile device.
For those who prefer to call, nonemergency concerns — including noise complaints — can be reported to the City’s 24/7 Hotline at 240-487-3588. For police, fire, or EMS emergencies, call 9-1-1 immediately.
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Find more local events all month long in our online calendar at
Our calendar includes many events and meetings sponsored by the City of College Park and local nonprofits, including arts organizations and performance venues, occurring between March 1 and March 30. For additional events and meetings organized by the city, see the College Park Post newsletter in this paper’s centerfold. Find more local events all month long in our new continuously updated online calendar, streetcarsuburbs. news/events.
Please send notices of events taking place between April 1-30 to jalen@streetcarsuburbs. news by March 20.
March 3
CPAE Arts Club. Spend your evening creating art with friendly neighbors. Bring your own art project and materials. Adults only. Free. 7:30 p.m. Old Parish House (4711 Knox Rd.). For more information visit https://tinyurl.com/3ucj2cad.
March 4
Senior Social Events. Seniors can use this event as an opportunity to engage in mentally and physically active programs, socialize and meet new friends. Join fellow seniors for socializing, light refreshments and community games. Free. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. College Park Woods Clubhouse (3545 Marlbrough Way.). To RSVP, call 240-4873614.
Yoga. A gentle flow yoga class for all levels that focuses on building strength, flexibility and balance through movement synced with the breath. $10. 7-8 p.m. Old Parish House (4711 Knox Rd.). For more information visit https://tinyurl. com/5dftrh9v. Repeats every Wednesday.
March 12
Nature’s Healing Power: A Grief Support Group Series. This Chesapeake Life Center offering is a free, natureinformed program that will include immersive walks in nature, time spent focusing on the cycle of the seasons and working with natural objects to contain and express the grief experience. Free. 11 a.m.1 p.m. Lake Artemesia Natural Area (8200 55th Ave.). For more information visit https:// tinyurl.com/tw2zcxuc. Registration is required and can be completed by calling 888-5017077 or emailing griefinfo@ chesapeakelifecenter.org.
March 6
Macbeth. In this bold retelling of Shakespeare’s masterpiece, Lord Macbeth and his wife will stop at nothing to fulfill a prophecy and ascend to power, but the consequences of their ambition threaten everything.
$30. 7:30 p.m. Kay Theater (8270 Alumni Dr.). For more information visit https://tinyurl. com/54xe3nbt.
March 8
Richard Goode, Piano. Richard Goode’s recital at The Clarice offers a look into the many facets of his prismatic career. Price Zone 1: $55, Zone 2: $40, Zone 3: $25. 3 p.m. Dekelboum Concert Hall (8270 Alumni Dr.). For more information visit https://tinyurl. com/3e9va3jt.
March 12
Iranian Student Foundation Chahar Shanbeh Soori. Chahar Shanbeh Soori is an annual Iranian celebration that marks the end of the year. Celebrate outdoors, light small bonfires and celebrate with friends and family. $21.79. 6-9 p.m. (3841 Campus Dr.). For more information visit https://tinyurl. com/3jhpyw8d.
College Park Community Library Book Club. Meets on the second Thursday of each month,
7-8:30 p.m., at the College Park Community Library (9704 Rhode Island Ave.). March 12: “The Thursday Murder Club” by Richard Osman. April 9: “James” by Percival Everett.
March 14
Children Arts Drop-in, Bean Mosaics. Drop-in features fun, materials-based activities for children ages 3-8 with their caregivers, led by Ian Blackwell Rogers, a local artist and early childhood educator with 30 years of experience. Free. 12:30-2 p.m. Old Parish House (4711 Knox Rd.). For more information, visit https://tinyurl. com/3t4whv6k.
March 20
College Park Seniors Art Show & Reception. The Art Exhibit and Reception brings seniors together to celebrate their art and to build a more robust and lively community in College Park. Bring friends and family. Show and reception open to all. *To display your artwork, fill out the application form. Free. 4-7 p.m. UMD Catholic Student Center (4141 Guilford Dr.). For more information visit https://tinyurl. com/ytz8ju8c.
March 21
Teddy Bears Picnic. An indoor picnic with stories, songs,
dances and activities for your little one to share with a favorite plushie friend. Free. 3-4 p.m. Old Parish House (4711 Knox Rd.). For more information visit https://tinyurl.com/2zwfcadk.
March 31
CPAE Arts Club. Spend your evening creating art with friendly neighbors. Bring your own art project and materials. Adults only. Free. 7:30 p.m. Old Parish House (4711 Knox Rd.). For more information visit https://tinyurl.com/3ucj2cad.
April 1
Senior Social Events. Seniors can use this event as an opportunity to engage in mentally and physically active programs, socialize and meet new friends. Join fellow seniors for socializing, light refreshments and community games. Free. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. College Park Woods Clubhouse (3545 Marlbrough Way.). To RSVP, call 240-4873614.
April 13
North College Park Community Clean-up. Celebrate Earth Month! Join your neighbors in North College Park for its annual clean up day. Free. 9-11 a.m. Hollywood Street Scape (9901 Rhode Island Ave.). For more information visit https:// tinyurl.com/4kd9nrpx.
Repeating Events Story Time for Children. Storytelling session geared to infants and older children. Free. Every Wednesday. 9:3010 a.m. College Park Community Library (9704 Rhode Island Ave.). For more information, email bokays100@ juno.com.
Jessie’s Line Dance. Jessie’s Soul Line Dancers offers a class with step-by-step instruction and students then perform dances to soul, gospel and pop music. Free. Every Friday from 10-11 a.m. on Zoom. For more information and the registration link, email info@ cpae.org.
Neighborhood Association Meetings
North College Park Civic Association. Second Thursday of the month. 7:30-9 p.m. Davis Hall (9217 51st Ave.). For more information, email NCPCivic@ gmail.com.
Berwyn District Civic Association. Regular meetings of the BDCA are held on the third Thursday of each month at 7:30 p.m. from March to May and September to November. For more information, email bdca-board@ myberwyn.org or visit www. myberwyn.org.
Al-Anon.org
in Al-Anon.
TOP JOB
al roof and a latrine—a hole— and toilet paper fashioned from dry corn husks and newspapers.
“When you grow up that way, you have that fire,” she says. “You don’t ever want to go back there. … I wanted to get out of poverty and make a difference. So I organized the community.”
Peña-Melnyk left the Dominican Republic as a child and lived with her mother and sister in Washington Heights, a neighborhood in Manhattan, until leaving in 1983 for Buffalo State College and later the University
at Buffalo Law School. She worked at the Defender Association of Philadelphia
before moving to the District, where she worked as a defense attorney and a federal prosecutor. She later moved to Hyattsville, where she lived for seven years with her husband and eventually her two daughters and son.
The family moved to College Park Woods in 2001, and PeñaMelnyk progressed from community activist to city councilmember to state delegate by 2007.
Her College Park colleagues use words like “hard worker,” “fantastic,” “dynamic” and “dedicated” to describe her.
Prince George’s County Councilmember Eric Olson (District 3), who served alongside her on the city council, says she “has a huge heart.”
He recalls several occasions when she sat with a constituent at the hospital “or she’s been at someone’s house into the wee hours of the night dealing with something that the family needs help with. She’s handson. She goes above and beyond. She’s just always ready to go to do the right thing for the community.”
Peña-Melnyk says her status as speaker isn’t going to change that.
“We get so many calls,” she says. “People have a lot of needs. … That’s not going to change because I’m speaker … I’m not going to neglect my district.”
Former College Park Mayor Steve Brayman, whose terms overlapped with Peña-Melnyk’s city council service, says he’s not surprised his former colleague has become the state’s most powerful female politician.
“She’s been working her way up,” Brayman says. “Looking back on it, she’s a perfect pick for that position.”
State Sen. Jim Rosapepe (District 21), who lives in College Park’s Berwyn neighborhood, points out Peña-Melnyk’s success in co-founding the Maryland Legislative Latino Caucus in 2014 and organizing the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines for Latinos through Latino grocery stores and laundromats. As a member and later chair of the House Health and Government Operations Committee—on which she served during her entire tenure as a delegate— Peña-Melnyk partnered with Rosapepe to require Maryland doctors and hospitals to keep digital medical records.
“We wound up with one of the strongest medical records bills in the country,” Rosapepe said, even before the Obama administration imposed stiff penalties on health care providers who did not keep digital records.
But Rosapepe’s warmest words for Peña-Melnyk came when he described her work on one of his pet projects—the revitalization of Route 1, College Park’s
de facto Main Street. In another grassroots effort, she rallied her city council colleagues and the community to press the state to fund safety improvements.
Peña-Melnyk organized a walk from downtown College Park to Cherry Hill Road early in her city council career to protest unsafe conditions that led to a cluster of deaths of pedestrians, including two University of Maryland students, crossing the state highway, which had few sidewalks at the time. City officials, students and residents joined in.
Since then, the city has pushed for sidewalks, bike lanes, better lighting and other improvements along the state-owned road. The first phase of that project, from south College Park to Greenbelt Road, finished in November 2024. The next two phases will improve the highway from Greenbelt Road to the Beltway exit.
Peña-Melnyk says that project is one she would like to see finished.
“You can tell the differences in College Park right now,” she says. “It feels like a college town. People can cross Route 1 safely and not risk their lives.”
She adds: “I want it to be a walkable, vibrant community. When Route 1 is fixed and the Purple Line is finished, we will see a difference. We can already see a difference.”
Peña-Melnyk says she plans to stay in College Park.
“I love College Park, and you can tell,” she says. “My kids grew up here. That’s where we live with our dog. We love our community, our neighbors. It’s such a diverse community. It’s like America. It’s beautiful.”
House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk says growing up in poverty started a fire in her that led her into politics. BRIAN P. SEARS/COURTESY OF MARYLAND MATTERS
$91.6 million—and is unlikely to fund public schools above the minimum mandated by the state.
“To just put it simply,” Shavonne Smith, director of PGCPS budget and management services, told more than 100 parents and others who attended a Feb. 3 Zoom meeting to discuss the county’s original proposal, “our expenses are growing more than twice as fast as our funding. … We can’t continue to operate business as usual.”
PGCPS also proposed that the Chinese immersion program at Greenbelt Middle School would phase out once the eighthgraders already enrolled in the program graduate. Incoming sixth-graders would no longer be admitted.
That proposal has not changed. However, PGCPS Chief Academic Officer Judith White said the county would add a world language teacher to Buck Lodge Middle School, where many former Paint Branch students transfer for sixth grade.
Likewise, Largo High School will phase out its Chinese immersion program once the school’s current ninth-graders graduate.
According to PGCPS, the county spent $1.9 million on Chinese immersion programs during the 2024-25 school year. The Paint Branch program ac-
counted for $1.2 million of that total, while Greenbelt Middle School’s effort cost $525,000 and Largo High School’s cost $169,000. Program administration totaled $10,000.
If the proposed changes are adopted, Paint Branch’s program would cost approximately $493,000, according to White.
White said Paint Branch’s costs have been high because it is a boundary school; that is, it must admit all students from the neighborhoods it is zoned to serve. That means children who move into the area when they are in grades higher than kindergarten must be brought up to speed in Mandarin before they can join their already fluent classmates in classes taught in Chinese.
“We have to staff twice as much as other programs be-
cause children are coming through at various times,” White said, noting that because not all students start Mandarin lessons together in kindergarten, two teachers are needed in some classrooms.
She noted that “it’s very hard to find teachers to teach Chinese … so every year we’re changing the model to try to provide a rich program for students in a way that it was not designed for.”
The original proposal recommended that the schools transition from immersion programs to world language classes, which typically are taught in English and offered for 45 minutes once or twice a week. Paint Branch students would have taken Mandarin as stand-alone language instruction.
Conversely, in the immersion
model, all Paint Branch students take Chinese language classes taught in Mandarin, along with math and science lessons taught in Chinese. In addition, they learn English, social studies and health from English-speaking teachers.
White told parents on the Feb. 3 Zoom that the Paint Branch class would look different from language courses at other schools because all the students have already learned Mandarin.
Multiple parents of current and former Paint Branch students objected to the superintendent’s plan to dismantle the school’s immersion program during the Feb. 3 Zoom meeting and at PGCPS meetings in early February and again during the Feb. 19 meeting, at which White introduced the alternative plan.
“We specifically moved here for it,” Dawn Bott, a lead parent advocate at Paint Branch, said. “This is uniquely upsetting, very disruptive to my family.”
In an interview with College Park Here & Now, organizer Alexandra “Sasha” Tyukavina, another Paint Branch parent whose children speak Russian, Chinese and English, said the county representatives presented the world languages option “as though this is a great thing for you. No … this replacement program they’re proposing, it’s just not adequate.”
The existing setup, Tyukavina noted, “is valuable.”
Tyukavina has started a petition to “use as a bargaining chip” as BOE prepares for a Feb. 26 vote on the superintendent’s proposed budget.
Paint Branch parents “understand that there is a budget shortfall,” College Park City Councilmember Kelly Jordan (District 2), whose four children participated in the Chinese immersion program at Paint Branch, said in an interview. “But we would like this program to continue. We would like to see a program for the students to continue learning Chinese in an immersion setting.”
A few parents at the meeting objected to mandatory participation of all Paint Branch students in the immersion program, noting that they would prefer voluntary enrollment that gives parents the choice to opt out.
Largo High School’s French and Spanish immersion programs also are phasing out, as is Central High School’s French program. The Spanish immersion program at Capitol Heights Elementary School, also targeted in the superintendent’s $3 billion proposed budget, would convert to a 25-seat-per-grade cohort, chosen from parent applications, and become a lottery if applications exceed the number of available spots.
The proposals to limit or cut programs do not apply to nonboundary schools with lottery programs.
Ricse has asked the NLRB to rerun the election, noting in her brief that the alleged conduct of the union official compromised the integrity of the Jan. 13 election, which resulted in 19 votes to eliminate mandatory dues and four to keep them.
The measure failed, however, because federal law says a majority of all union-eligible employees—in this case, 21 out of 40—would have had to vote to do away with mandatory dues.
“There is a possibility that other employees” acted on the belief that union officials could carry out their threats, Ricse said in a press release from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, which represents her in the case.
The two challenges headline the latest chapter in a three-year saga that started with employee claims against MOM’s, which employs approximately 40 non-management staffers, of low wages, understaffing and a lack of safety training. In December 2022, employees voted 17-4 to unionize.
Two weeks later, MOM’s, a chain with 20-plus locations at that time, announced raises for all of its employees except those working in College Park. A union complaint to the NLRB resulted in a formal settlement that required MOM’s to pay $17,302.67 in back pay to 74 current and former employees.
Still, in October 2023, MOM’s employees and community supporters picketed the College Park store and accused MOM’s management of firing at least one union organizer and limiting employees’ paid time off, sick leave, pay raises and safety training.
Yet by November 2024, negotiations between the store and the union had not yielded the first contract, and employees had not received the pay raises or benefits they apparently expected when they formed the union. A group of frustrated employees, backed by the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, successfully petitioned for a decertification vote in an effort to get rid of the union.
Those employees lost; the decertification tally was 22-9 in favor of keeping the union. At that time,
union supporters said they believed contract negotiations were near the finish line. They also expressed satisfaction with the union’s role in winning back pay for the College Park employees.
That payment was made in February 2025.
In late 2025, after three years of bargaining, employees rejected the contract offered by the store. The union ratified it anyway, calling it the “last, best and final offer” from MOM’s and indicating that without an employee strike, the store was not going to offer anything better.
The contract included a clause requiring employees to pay union dues—$10 a month for full-timers and $8 for part-time workers. That led to the January 2026 deauthorization vote, which would have scrapped mandatory dues and forbidden the store from firing employees who did not pay them. That is the measure that failed before Tingling and Ricse filed their claims.
The NLRB has not ruled on those claims.
A spokesman for the union did not respond to requests for comment for this article.
Jing Shen teaches a class in Mandarin at Paint Branch Elementary School in 2022. COLLEGE PARK HERE & NOW ARCHIVES
Former nurse wins environmental award
By MAYAH NACHMAN
From lobbying for the passage of statewide environmental policies to stocking reusable paper towels in her home, Lily Fountain, a resident of College Park’s Berwyn neighborhood, carries her commitment to the environment into almost everything she does.
College Park’s citizen-led Committee for a Better Environment has honored Fountain with its Green Award. Committee Chair Todd Larsen said he nominated Fountain because of her preservation work and involvement in the Prince George’s County chapter of the Sierra Club, an environmental advocacy organization.
“I just always bump into Lily whenever I do environmental work in College Park,” Larsen said. “She’s always there. She’s always active. She’s a presence here.”
Fountain joined the Sierra Club in 2019 after retiring from her 20year career teaching nursing and midwifery as a professor at the University of Maryland (UMD). Fountain quickly became involved in the group and was eventually selected to be chair of the Natural
Places Committee within the organization’s Maryland chapter.
As part of the committee, Fountain testified to help pass state legislation to protect the environment, put on educational seminars and advocated to preserve Maryland’s natural lands.
“I was very interested in getting some laws to pass because I feel that, you know, people need constraints,” Fountain, who has lived in Prince George’s County since she was 7 years old, said. “I wanted people to understand about nature so that they could better
take care of it so that we all have a place to live.”
Fountain, 70, said she is most proud of helping pass state legislation that established procedures to limit the spread of invasive plants and another bill aimed at reducing tree loss during commercial development.
In College Park, Fountain pushed to pause a development project in 2021 that would have deforested Guilford Woods, a small forest area near the UMD campus. She has also participated in Maryland Day, where
she shared information about the Sierra Club and environmental issues.
Fountain’s mother worked as a secretary for a U.S. senator, a career that made Fountain politically aware and helped inspire her path into environmental advocacy, she said.
Fountain’s interest in environmental activism began soon after she graduated from high school, when she held an internship with the National Parks Conservation Association.
“I just think it’s so funny because now I’ve worked for years saving parks,” Fountain said. “It’s really been a strand woven through my whole life in different ways and all the different things came together.”
Fountain has lived in College Park since attending UMD as an undergraduate student in the 1970s. She said while the city has changed significantly over the years, she has noticed a shift in students’ becoming more environmentally conscious.
Over the course of her career, Fountain earned degrees in political science, international relations
and nursing, as well as a doctorate in educational psychology.
Fountain’s love for the environment has been present throughout her life.
While she was a registered nurse and midwife, she promoted environmental justice as a member of the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, an organization that advocates for environmentally friendly practices in healthcare. She also spent time outdoors with her family, camping and bird watching.
Fountain said she wishes people knew more about the types of plants and animals in the world around them so they would feel a greater responsibility to protect them.
“I spent a lot of time with natural places trying to do two things,” Fountain said. “Educate myself and educate the public about ecology and how things are connected. We can’t just do whatever we want. We have to understand the systems and be mindful because our lives, as well as the lives of all the other life on the planet, depend on it. And to some extent, the planet itself.”
Lily Fountain of Berwyn is the recipient of the Committee for a Better Environment’s Green Award. MAYAH NACHMAN
El 19 de febrero, funcionarios locales realizaron una manifestación contra el Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas de Estados Unidos (ICE) en Hyattsville, cerca de un edificio de Belcrest Road donde, según se informa, ICE está ampliando sus oficinas. CORTESÍA DE KRISSI HUMBARD
El concejo aprueba una ordenanza sobre contratos de alquiler anticipados
Por SHARON O’MALLEY
El pasado 3 de febrero, el Concejo de College Park aprobó por unanimidad un decreto que impedirá que los propietarios soliciten a los inquilinos la renovación de su contrato con más de 180 días de anticipación al vencimiento del arrendamiento actual.
La denominada ordenanza sobre renovación anticipada, apoyada ampliamente por estudiantes que alquilan apartamentos en edificios de gran altura ubicados en la Ruta 1 o cerca de ella, fue presentada en septiembre. El tema suscitó comentarios de más de 20 in-
Las autoridades locales doblan sus refuerzos contra ICE
Por JALEN WADE, SHARON
O’MALLEY
y KIT SLACK
El representante estadounidense Glenn Ivey (Distrito 4 de Maryland), los legisladores estatales y algunos concejales del condado de Prince George están impulsando nuevas leyes para restringir la forma en que los agentes federales de inmigración operan en el estado y el condado.
El gobernador de Maryland, Wes Moore, firmó una ley el 17 de febrero, la cual prohíbe a los agentes de policía locales llegar a acuerdos para hacer cumplir la ley de inmigración civil para el gobierno federal.
Esta ley fue patrocinada por la delegada de Maryland Nicole Williams, quien representa al Distrito 12, que incluye a Hy-
attsville. Williams ha estado defendiendo esta iniciativa desde la primavera pasada.
En reuniones separadas realizadas en febrero, otros líderes locales calificaron la presencia del Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas de Estados Unidos (ICE) como un peligro para los residentes.
El pasado 5 de febrero, Ivey se dirigió a 14.000 personas durante una asamblea virtual, señalando que los agentes de ICE deben seguir las mismas normas que la policía local.
En concreto, Ivey indicó su deseo de que todos los agentes de ICE utilicen cámaras corporales. Además, afirmó que no se les debería permitir usar máscaras ni ocultar sus identidades y que deben estar obligados a contar con órdenes judiciales
antes de iniciar su búsqueda en cualquier área.
“Los agentes de ICE intentan permanecer cubiertos y lo más discretos posible”, mencionó Ivey. “Tenemos que cambiar esto”.
Los líderes del condado han presentado por lo menos seis propuestas legislativas destinadas a defender a los residentes del condado de ICE, todas copatrocinadas por la presidenta del concejo, Krystal Oriadha. El concejal Eric Olson, que representa el Distrito 3, el cual incluye a College Park, trabaja junto con Oriadha en una legislación que busca prohibir que los agentes de ICE se cubran el rostro, promover la verificación policial del condado de las identidades de estos agentes y ICE / 15
quilinos que asistieron a una audiencia pública celebrada en noviembre.
Los estudiantes se reunieron de nuevo el 3 de febrero para compartir historias sobre propietarios que los contactaron tan solo un mes después de mudarse, amenazándolos con incrementar sustancialmente el alquiler o reemplazarlos por otros inquilinos, a menos que renovaran el contrato con hasta 10 meses de antelación antes de la fecha de expiración.
Sami Saeed, estudiante de políticas públicas de la Universidad de Maryland (UMD), mencionó que su anterior arrendador lo contactó cuatro semanas
después de haberse mudado, informándole que había recibido ofertas de “miles de dólares al mes” más de lo que Saeed estaba pagando de alquiler, “y que tenía que decidir antes de que terminara la semana o alguien más se quedaría con la casa”. Además, Saeed añadió: “El estrés que esto me causó… intentando encontrar con quién vivir el próximo año. Tuve que llamar a 50 personas… Esta es la situación a la que se enfrentan los inquilinos; esa es la situación a la que me enfrenté yo. Me sucedió a mí”.
La votación del Concejo fue a favor de una ordenanza enmendada que cambió el plazo en el que los propietarios pueden ofrecer renovaciones: de los 180 días sugeridos en la propuesta original después del inicio del contrato, a 180 días antes de su vencimiento en la versión aprobada. La enmienda fue presentada en diciem-
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El condado propone límites a la inmersión china programa en la escuela primaria Paint Branch
Por SHARON O’MALLEY
En respuesta a la fuerte oposición de padres, profesores y ex alumnos, los funcionarios de las Escuelas Públicas del Condado de Prince George (PGCPS) ofrecieron el 19 de febrero una alternativa a su plan de poner fin al programa de inmersión chinea de 12 años en la Escuela Primaria Paint Branch en College Park.
Si la Junta de Educación (BOE) aprueba la propuesta, el programa de inmersión, en el que participan actualmente todos los alumnos de la Escuela Primaria Paint Branch, se convertirá en un modelo que requiere que los padres que deseen matricular a sus hijos soliciten una de las 25 plazas disponibles en cada grado. Si
la escuela recibe más de 25 solicitudes, se realizará un sorteo para las plazas.
El plan original, revelado a fines de enero, habría interrumpido el programa de inmersión antes del inicio del próximo año escolar en agosto.
Los recortes propuestos forman parte de un esfuerzo del superintendente interino de escuelas, Shawn Joseph, para recortar $150 millones del presupuesto de las escuelas públicas del año fiscal 2027. Esto ocurre en un año en el que el condado enfrenta un déficit presupuestario de al menos $58.3 millones (inicialmente proyectado en $91.6 millones) y es poco probable que financie las escuelas públicas por encima del mínimo exigido por el estado.
IMMERSIÓN 14
EL PERIÓDICO COMUNITARIO DE COLLEGE PARK, GANADOR DE PREMIOS, AHORA EN ESPAÑOL.
Temporada de estafadores: Tenga cuidado
Por KATHERINE SCHUTZMAN
Verificación y confiar en el instinto son las claves para evitar estafas digitales y en persona esta primavera, dijeron expertos de College Park.
Los residentes deben desconfiar de solicitudes de información personal por correo electrónico, mensaje de texto, redes sociales o en persona, especialmente cuando hay dinero de por medio, según Brian Fischer, portavoz de la Policía del Condado de Prince George’s.
“Si parece demasiado bueno para ser verdad, es porque lo es,” dijo Fischer. “Uno no conoce a esa gente, y puede ser una receta para el desastre.”
La Unidad de Delitos Financieros del Departamento de Policía del Condado de Prince George’s recibe reportes sobre estafas financieras de residentes todos los días, afirmó Fischer.
A medida que se acerca el verano, los vecinos deben estar atentos a estafadores que se hacen pasar por trabajadores de remodelación del hogar y afirman que repararán daños causados por el clima en el patio o la casa.
Fischer dijo que estos impostores suelen pedir un anticipo por su trabajo y luego desaparecen una vez que tienen el dinero. Señaló que la mejor manera de actuar si alguien que dice ser contratista toca a su puerta es no abrir y llamar a la policía si la persona se niega a retirarse. Durante la primavera también pueden
IMMERSIÓN
VIENE DE PÁG. 13
“En pocas palabras”, dijo Shavonne Smith, directora de servicios de presupuesto y gestión de PGCPS, a más de 100 padres y otras personas que asistieron a una reunión por Zoom el 3 de febrero para discutir la propuesta original del condado, “nuestros gastos están creciendo más del doble de rápido que nuestros fondos… No podemos seguir operando como siempre”.
PGCPS también propuso que el programa de inmersión en chino de la Escuela Intermedia Greenbelt se eliminara gradualmente una vez que los estudiantes de octavo grado ya inscritos en el programa se gradúen. Ya no se admitiría a los estudiantes de sexto grado que ingresan. Esa propuesta no ha cambiado. Sin embargo, White afirmó que el condado añadiría un profesor de idiomas extranjeros a la Escuela Intermedia Buck Lodge, donde muchos antiguos alumnos de Paint Branch se transfieren a sexto curso.
Asimismo, Largo High School eliminará gradualmente su programa de inmersión en chino una vez que los estudiantes actuales de noveno grado de la escuela se gradúen.
comenzar las estafas relacionadas con los impuestos y llamadas telefónicas falsas del IRS, según Soren Anderson, estudiante de segundo año en la Universidad de Georgetown. Anderson es director de asuntos externos de Justice for Fraud Victims, una organización sin fines de lucro que capacita a estudiantes para ofrecer asistencia gratuita a víctimas de fraude financiero.
Sin embargo, aunque los estafadores pueden adaptar sus esquemas a la temporada de impuestos o a los días festivos, Anderson dijo que la mayoría recurre a enviar mensajes de texto, correos electrónicos o mensajes en redes sociales de carácter urgente solicitando dinero o información personal.
“Ninguna persona legítima le va a pedir que le dé una tarjeta de regalo,” dijo Anderson. “Ninguna entidad legítima, como una empresa oficial, le va a pedir que le transfiera dinero por Venmo. Si no puede pagar por medios tradicionales, probablemente es una estafa.”
Aunque los estafadores podrían darle algunos de sus datos personales para ganar credibilidad, información como nombres completos y direcciones es de acceso público, dijo Anderson, por lo que no debe tomarse como señal de legitimidad.
Identificar estafas, tanto digitales como en persona, requiere verificación y cautela, según Samuel Handwerger, profesor titular de la Universidad de Maryland. Handwerger, quien supervisa Justice for Fraud Victims, dijo que urge a la gente a pedir identificación a supuestos funciona-
Según PGCPS, el condado gastó $1.9 millones en programas de inmersión en chino durante el año escolar 2024-25. El programa Paint Branch representó $1.2 millones de ese total, mientras que la iniciativa de la Escuela Intermedia Greenbelt costó $525,000 y la de la Escuela Secundaria Largo, $169,000. La administración del programa ascendió a $10,000. Si se adoptan los cambios propuestos, el programa de Paint Branch costaría aproximadamente $493,000, según la directora académica de PGCPS, Judith White.
White afirmó que los costos de Paint Branch han sido elevados debido a su ubicación en una escuela de barrio; es decir, debe admitir a todos los estudiantes de los barrios a los que está asignada. Esto significa que los niños que se mudan a la zona cuando cursan grados superiores al kínder deben aprender mandarín rápidamente antes de poder unirse a sus compañeros que ya lo dominan en clases impartidas en chino. “Tenemos que dotar de personal el doble que otros programas porque los niños llegan en distintos momentos”, dijo White, señalando que como no todos los estudiantes empiezan juntos las clases de mandarín en el jardín de infantes, se necesitan dos pro-
rios municipales o gubernamentales que soliciten dinero. También sugiere llamar al departamento municipal o a la empresa que la persona dice representar para confirmar la autenticidad de la solicitud.
De hecho, la Ciudad de College Park ha emitido advertencias sobre estafadores que se hacen pasar por cuadrillas municipales de recolección de hojas en la acera y piden a los residentes pagar por el servicio. Otros han dicho estar organizando eventos de la ciudad y cobran una cuota a quienes deseen asistir.
La directora de comunicaciones Ryna Quiñones señaló que las cuadrillas municipales usan uniformes emitidos por la ciudad, conducen vehículos oficiales identificados y portan credenciales de la ciudad. “Si algo parece sospechoso o no ve identificaciones ni comunicaciones oficiales, por favor no interactúe ni responda,” dijo Quiñones en un correo electrónico. “Siempre puede comunicarse con los departamentos de la ciudad si tiene alguna pregunta.”
A medida que más personas se acostumbran a las estafas digitales, los estafadores están volviendo a los engaños en persona — y eso está tomando a las víctimas desprevenidas, dijo Handwerger.
“Simplemente regresan a lo que la memoria no recuerda, y lo hacen a la vieja usanza, que es un poco más tedioso, pero puede ser efectivo,” dijo.
Fischer dijo que las estafas de “pigeon drop” —o el timo del billete encontrado— son cada vez más comunes en el
fesores en algunas aulas.
Señaló que “es muy difícil encontrar profesores que enseñen chino… así que cada año cambiamos el modelo para intentar ofrecer un programa enriquecedor para los estudiantes de una manera para la que no fue diseñado”.
La propuesta original recomendaba que las escuelas pasaran de programas de inmersión a clases de idiomas extranjeros, que suelen impartirse en inglés y se ofrecen durante 45 minutos una o dos veces por semana. Los estudiantes de Paint Branch cursarían mandarín como asignatura independiente.
Por el contrario, en el modelo de inmersión, todos los estudiantes de Paint Branch toman clases de chino en mandarín, junto con clases de matemáticas y ciencias en chino. Además, aprenden inglés, estudios sociales y salud con profesores de habla inglesa.
White dijo a los padres en la reunión por Zoom del 3 de febrero que la clase de Paint Branch sería diferente a los cursos de idiomas de otras escuelas porque todos los estudiantes ya aprendieron mandarín.
Varios padres de estudiantes actuales y anteriores de Paint Branch se opusieron al plan del superintendente de desmantelar el programa de inmersión de
Condado de Prince George’s. Este engaño callejero consiste en que los delincuentes convencen a las personas de entregar su propio dinero a cambio de una parte de un supuesto hallazgo de dinero o artículos de valor que el estafador finge haber encontrado, según Fischer. Las personas mayores son los blancos más frecuentes de este tipo de estafa, señaló. Y según Jui Ramaprasad, profesora asociada de la Universidad de Maryland, las personas que buscan compañía o que no están familiarizadas con la tecnología suelen ser blancos fáciles tanto de estafas digitales como presenciales. Ramaprasad dijo que los estafadores en línea tienden a apuntar a cualquier persona que use correo electrónico o redes sociales, independientemente de su edad o género. Sin embargo, trucos como las estafas románticas en aplicaciones de citas se aprovechan de personas vulnerables que buscan hacer una conexión y que se sienten inclinadas a confiar en su pareja virtual, dijo. Señaló que las personas deben ser cautelosas al construir confianza con contactos en línea, informarse sobre las estafas más comunes y verificar la identidad de cualquier desconocido que intente iniciar una relación, ya sea en persona o digital. “Dado el gran volumen de estafas en línea, quizás entendemos que existen y estamos más dispuestos a hacer preguntas,” dijo Ramaprasad. “¿Por qué no aplicamos esa misma actitud en el mundo presencial cuando conocemos a alguien?”
la escuela durante la reunión de Zoom del 3 de febrero y en las reuniones de BOE a principios de febrero y nuevamente durante la reunión de PGCPS del 19 de febrero, en la que White presentó el plan alternativo.
“Nos mudamos aquí específicamente por esto”, dijo Dawn Bott, defensora principal de padres en Paint Branch. “Esto es sumamente disruptivo y muy perturbador para mi familia”.
En una entrevista con College Park aquí y ahora, la organizadora Alexandra “Sasha” Tyukavina, otra madre de Paint Branch cuyos hijos hablan ruso, chino e inglés, dijo que los representantes del condado presentaron la opción de idiomas internacionales “como si fuera gran cosa para usted. No… este programa sustituto que proponen simplemente no es adecuado”.
La configuración actual, señaló Tyukavina, "es valiosa".
Tyukavina ha iniciado una petición para “utilizarla como moneda de negociación” mientras la BOE se prepara para una votación el 26 de febrero sobre el presupuesto propuesto por el superintendente.
Los padres de Paint Branch "entienden que hay un déficit presupuestario", declaró en una entrevista la concejala de College
Park, Kelly Jordan (Distrito 2), cuyos cuatro hijos participaron en el programa de inmersión en chino en Paint Branch. "Pero nos gustaría que este programa continuara. Nos gustaría ver un programa para que los estudiantes sigan aprendiendo chino en un entorno de inmersión".
Algunos padres presentes en la reunión se opusieron a la participación obligatoria de todos los estudiantes de Paint Branch en el programa de inmersión, señalando que preferirían una inscripción voluntaria que les dé a los padres la opción de optar por no participar.
Los programas de inmersión en francés y español de la Largo High School también se están eliminando gradualmente, al igual que el programa de francés de la Preparatoria Central. El programa de inmersión en español de la Capital Heights Elementary School, también contemplado en el presupuesto de $3 mil millones propuesto por el superintendente, se convertiría en una cohorte de 25 plazas por grado, elegidas a partir de las solicitudes de los padres, y se convertiría en un sorteo si las solicitudes superan el número de plazas disponibles. Las propuestas para limitar o recortar programas no se aplican a las escuelas que no tienen zona de
restringir el acceso de ICE a los edificios, parques y bibliotecas del condado para aplicar leyes de inmigración civil.
La concejala del condado, Wanika Fisher, que representa al Distrito 2, que incluye a Hyattsville, patrocina un proyecto de ley, el cual obligaría al condado a trabajar con una organización sin ánimo de lucro para elaborar una lista de residentes del condado potencialmente bajo custodia de ICE, con el fin de proteger sus libertades civiles.
Tom Dernoga, concejal del condado que representa al Distrito 1, que incluye a Laurel y parte de College Park, anunció en febrero que tiene la intención de presentar un proyecto de ley para impedir que las personas empleadas por ICE después del 30 de junio de 2025, puedan acceder a puestos de trabajo en el gobierno del condado.
La propuesta de Dernoga se alinea con una iniciativa más amplia a nivel estatal conocida como la ley “ICE Breaker de 2026”, patrocinada por el delegado estatal Adrian Boafo (Distrito 23). El proyecto de ley prohibirá permanentemente que cualquier persona que se haya incorporado a ICE
como agente juramentado después del 20 de enero de 2025 pueda ocupar en el futuro un puesto en cualquier agencia estatal de orden público en Maryland.
Oriadha mencionó que su equipo está revisando la legislación relacionada con ICE en todo el país y afirmó que quiere proteger a los residentes incluso si las nuevas leyes propuestas enfrentan impugnaciones legales.
“Les dije que, incluso si esta legislación pudiera ser impugnada legalmente, vamos a llevarla tan lejos como podamos”, afirmó Oriadha.
Ivey argumentó que el estado debería procesar a los agentes de ICE por delitos, señalando que esto es importante porque un presidente no puede indultar a personas por delitos estatales.
“Creemos que, si hay mayor responsabilidad, habrá una mejor conducta”, concluyó Ivey.
En una tercera reunión celebrada el 5 de febrero, el comandante de la policía del condado de Prince George, James Keleti, de la División 1 de Hyattsville, le recordó a un pequeño grupo de residentes de College Park que la policía del condado no se encarga de hacer cumplir las leyes de inmigración.
“Esa es la responsabilidad del gobierno federal”, afirmó Keleti.
El 19 de febrero, funcionarios locales realizaron una manifestación contra el Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas de Estados Unidos (ICE) en Hyattsville, cerca de un edificio de Belcrest Road donde, según se informa, ICE está ampliando sus oficinas. CORTESÍA DE
Connecting
Conectando a los residentes de College Park a través del idioma y la cultura cada mes, en cada buzón. Para anunciar aquí, contacte a
KRISSI HUMBARD
La mujer de más alto rango en Maryland dice que su trabajo sigue siendo ayudar a la gente
Por SHARON O’MALLEY
Antes de ser la presidenta de la Cámara de Delegados de Maryland y antes de ser miembro del Concejo Municipal de College Park, Joseline Peña-Melnyk era una madre en casa en College Park Woods, una comunidad que describe como “hermosa.”
Asi que cuando la Universidad de Maryland y el estado propusieron en 2001 una carretera que conectaría la I-495 con la entrada de University Boulevard al campus a través de Metzerott Road, Peña-Melnyk se dio cuenta de que el proyecto atravesaría el bosque urbano que bordea su vecindario. Fue de puerta en puerta para recolectar 447 firmas de sus vecinos y bloquear el proyecto.
También recogió docenas de camisetas blancas de Target y escribió en cada una: “Stop the Road” (Paren la Carretera). Llevó un grupo de vecinos hasta Annapolis —donde nunca había estado— para testificar ante la Legislatura estatal sobre el potencial del proyecto de “destruir esa hermosa comunidad de College Park Woods.”
“Decidí organizar a la comunidad y luchamos con fuerza,” que en aquel entonces tenía tres niños pequeños en casa, cuenta Peña-Melnyk a College Park Here & Now
Fue entonces cuando la exalcaldesa Anna Owens —la única mujer elegida alcaldesa de College Park— la convenció de postularse al Concejo Municipal.
Y así lo hizo, ganando un escaño por el Distrito 4 en 2003.
Nueve días después de asumir el cargo, Peña-Melnyk, armada con sus 447 firmas y acompañada por Owens, testificó ante la Junta de Planificación de Transporte de la Región de la Capital Nacional en oposición a la carretera conectora.
El conector nunca se construyó. "Hemos matado la carretera", dice Peña-Melnyk.
Casi veintitrés años después, con tres años en el Concejo Mu-
Joseline Peña-Melnyk, quien vive en College Park Woods, dice que su nuevo trabajo como presidenta de la Cámara de Delegados de Maryland no le impedirá interactuar con sus electores de College Park. BRYAN P. SEARS/CORTESÍA DE MARYLAND MATTERS
nicipal y 19 como delegada estatal del Distrito 21 a sus espaldas, Peña-Melnyk reconoce que el alcance de su trabajo ha cambiado ahora que es presidenta de la Cámara. Aun así, dice, su esencia sigue siendo la misma: “En el fondo es simplemente buscar recursos para ayudar” a las personas con sus problemas.
“Tenemos 23 condados mas la Ciudad de Baltimore, 23 gobiernos locales distintos, con problemas diferentes,” señala. “Sin embargo, todos tienen problemas que hay que tratar de resolver. El trabajo que tengo aquí es hacer que el gobierno funcione para la gente.”
Peña-Melnyk atribuye su vocación de servicio y su ímpetu político a una infancia en la República Dominicana, en una casa de madera con techo de zinc, letrina —un hueco en el suelo— y papel higiénico hecho de hojas secas de maíz y periódico.
“Cuando uno crece así, lleva ese fuego adentro,” dice. “Uno no quiere volver jamás a eso. Quería salir de la pobreza y hacer una diferencia. Por eso organicé a la comunidad.”
Peña-Melnyk salió de la
13
bre por la concejala Holly Simmons, quien indicó que, en los contratos de más de 12 meses, contar el plazo desde el final en lugar del inicio garantiza que los inquilinos no tengan que tomar decisiones con mucha antelación a la expiración de sus contratos.
El decreto establece multas de $500 a los propietarios que infrinjan por primera vez
República Dominicana de niña y vivió con su madre y su hermana en Washington Heights, un barrio de Manhattan, hasta que en 1983 partió hacia Buffalo State College y luego a la Facultad de Derecho de la Universidad de Buffalo.
Trabajó en la Asociación de Defensores de Filadelfia antes de mudarse al Distrito, donde se desempeñó como abogada defensora y fiscal federal. Más tarde se mudó a Hyattsville, donde vivió durante siete años con su esposo y posteriormente, con sus dos hijas y su hijo.
La familia se trasladó a College Park Woods en 2001, y Peña-Melnyk fue ascendienda de activista comunitaria a concejala municipal, hasta convertirse en delegada estatal en 2007.
Sus colegas de College Park la describen con palabras como “trabajadora incansable,” “fantástica,” “dinámica” y “dedicada.”
El concejal del Condado de Prince George’s, Eric Olson (Distrito 3), quien trabajó junto a ella en el concejo municipal, dice que ella “tiene un corazón enorme.”
Recuerda varias ocasiones en que ella se quedó acompañando
esta nueva ley y de $2,500 por reincidencia. Dos propietarios se manifestaron en contra de esta ordenanza en la reunión del 3 de febrero.
El residente de College Park David Dorsch, quien indicó que ha estado en el negocio de alquiler de viviendas durante medio siglo, manifestó que la ley es innecesaria, ya que tanto propietarios como inquilinos entienden cuáles son las condiciones cuando firman un contrato de alquiler.
a un vecino en el hospital, “o ha estado en casa de alguien hasta altas horas de la madrugada ayudando a una familia con algo que necesitaba. Es muy práctica. Da más de lo que se le pide. Siempre está lista para hacer lo correcto por la comunidad.”
Peña-Melnyk dice que su cargo de presidenta no va a cambiar eso.
“Recibimos muchísimas llamadas,” afirma. “La gente tiene muchas necesidades. Eso no va a cambiar porque sea presidenta de la Cámara. No voy a descuidar mi distrito.”
El exalcalde de College Park Steve Brayman, cuyos mandatos coincidieron con el período de Peña-Melnyk en el concejo, dice que no le sorprende que su antigua colega se haya convertido en la política más poderosa del estado.
“Ha ido escalando peldaños,” dice Brayman. “Mirando hacia atrás, es la candidata perfecta para ese cargo.”
El senador estatal Jim Rosapepe (Distrito 21), vecino del barrio Berwyn de College Park, destaca el éxito de Peña-Melnyk al cofundar el Caucus Legislativo Latino de Maryland en 2014 y organizar la distribución de vacunas contra el COVID-19 para la comunidad latina a través de supermercados y lavanderías. Como miembro y luego presidenta del Comité de Salud y Operaciones Gubernamentales de la Cámara —en el que participó durante toda su trayectoria como delegada— Peña-Melnyk se asoció con Rosapepe para exigir a médicos y hospitales de Maryland llevar registros médicos digitales.
"Al final obtuvimos una de las leyes de historiales médicos más sólidas del país", dijo Rosapepe, incluso antes de que la administración Obama impusiera fuertes sanciones a los proveedores de salud que no llevaran registros digitales.
Pero las palabras más emotivas de Rosapepe para Peña-Melnyk llegaron cuando describió su tra-
Calificó el decreto como “una tontería… no veo de qué manera esto pueda ayudar; lo único que causa es que haya más papeleo”.
El propietario Richard Biffl advirtió al Concejo que, dado que la ciudad celebró una audiencia pública sobre la propuesta en noviembre antes de que tres miembros fueran sustituidos en diciembre, debía realizarse una segunda audiencia pública antes de la votación.
El alcalde Fazlul Kabir respondió que
bajo en uno de sus proyectos más queridos: la revitalización de la Ruta 1, la calle principal de facto de College Park. En otro esfuerzo de base comunitaria, ella convenció a sus colegas del concejo y a la comunidad para presionar al estado y financiar mejoras de seguridad.
Peña-Melnyk organizó una caminata desde el centro de College Park hasta Cherry Hill Road al inicio de su carrera en el Consejo para protestar por las condiciones inseguras que habían causado una serie de muertes de peatones, entre ellos dos estudiantes de la Universidad de Maryland, al cruzar esa carretera estatal que en aquel entonces tenía pocas aceras. Se sumaron funcionarios municipales, estudiantes y residentes.
Desde entonces, la ciudad ha impulsado la construcción de aceras, ciclovías, mejor iluminación y otras mejoras a lo largo de la carretera estatal. La primera fase del proyecto, desde el sur de College Park hasta Greenbelt Road, concluyó en noviembre de 2024. Las dos fases siguientes mejorarán la carretera desde Greenbelt Road hasta la salida al Beltway.
Peña-Melnyk dice que ese es un proyecto que le gustaría ver terminado.
“Ya se puede notar la diferencia en College Park,” señala. “Se siente como una ciudad universitaria. La gente puede cruzar la Ruta 1 sin arriesgar la vida.” Y agrega: “Quiero que sea una comunidad peatonal y vibrante. Cuando la Ruta 1 esté terminada y el Purple Line esté funcionando, veremos una gran diferencia. Ya podemos ver el cambio.”
Peña-Melnyk dice que tiene planes de quedarse en College Park.
“Amo College Park, y se nota,” dice. “Mis hijos crecieron aquí. Aquí vivimos con nuestro perro. Amamos nuestra comunidad, nuestros vecinos. Es una comunidad muy diversa. Es como América. Es hermosa.”
los estatutos de la ciudad permiten que un Concejo adopte una medida propuesta y sometida a audiencia pública por un Concejo anterior. Nick DiSpirito, estudiante de la Universidad de Maryland vinculado al Concejo de la ciudad, también envió un mensaje a los propietarios: “Este decreto ha sido adoptado”, dijo casi al final de la reunión. “Si continúan realizando prácticas abusivas como propietarios, los haremos responsables, punto”.