A Weekend of Protests, Rallies, Vigils for Many Greenbelters
It was a weekend filled with protests and rallies for Greenbelters, beginning with a vigil outside the U.S. District Courthouse on Friday, April 4. There, a vocal group of over 30 turned out to sing songs, raise signs and support Kilmar Abrego Garcia of Beltsville and his family. Garcia’s deportation to the Terrorism Confinement Center […]
Brush Fire Burned Across Acres Of BARC Fields Behind GES
At 3:16 p.m., on Sunday, March 30, Prince George’s County Fire Department (PGFD) responded to a large brush fire reported to be outside 162 Research Road, one of the homes on Research Road that back onto the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center’s (BARC) fields and the woods there. Residents reported the fire was spreading in fields […]
Measles Cases in County, School; Vaccination Rates Declining
This month two cases of measles have been confirmed in Prince George’s County. This is not necessarily an outbreak, however, because to be considered such there need to be three or more related cases. The two cases in Prince George’s County arose in individuals who had travelled internationally, returning through Dulles International and Reagan National […]
Indoor Pool Will Close April 7; Outdoor Pool Might Open May 5
Greenbelt’s indoor pool is scheduled to close on Monday, April 7, for repairs (see the January 30, 2025, issue). The current projected reopening date of the indoor pool is Monday, September 29. The city hopes to be able to keep the outdoor pool open past the usual Labor Day weekend until the indoor pool reopens. […]
DOGE Members Roam NASA HQ As Another Agency Braces for RIF
According to Census Bureau data, Greenbelt is home to over 1,350 federal workers. That’s estimated to be over 14 percent of residents, according to 2023 data. In addition to those civil servants, a lot of residents are government contractors. Many of those work at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), considered to be in Greenbelt. […]
Trump Vows to Stop FBI HQ From Coming to Greenbelt
The FBI headquarters relocation to Greenbelt faced a new challenge and potential grinding halt on Friday when President Donald Trump announced his intention to keep the Bureau in downtown Washington, D.C. “We’re going to stop it. I’m not going to let that happen,” said Trump about the move to Greenbelt. Speaking at the Justice Department, […]
Probationary Federal Workers Among First Hit by Mass Firings
Greenbelt is a city brimming with federal workers and government contractors, who are feeling the impact of the Trump administration’s onslaught of executive orders and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts targeting them. While many federal workers in Greenbelt are now uncertain of their job security, those who were probationary workers – one or two […]
Grocery Costs, Tariffs, Federal Funding Cuts Loom Large for Meals on Wheels
Like many others, Lisa Ealley is noticing the rising cost of eggs, among other things. She’s chair of Meals on Wheels in College Park, and as the cost of groceries rise, the organization is simultaneously bracing for tariffs to increase costs further and for a federal funding freeze and impending cuts to their budget, about […]
USAID Update: Greenbelt Workers Hit by Mass Firings, Recalls, Leave
On Friday, February 21, U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, who was appointed by Donald Trump during his first term and halted the administration’s action on USAID earlier this month, lifted the temporary restraining order. It enabled and indeed heralded the beginning of mass firings, the recall of overseas workers and the dismantling of the once […]
What Did You Do Last Week? Federal Workers Under Threat
From the start of his second term, President Donald Trump has targeted the federal workforce, largely through Executive Orders and actions of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), established by executive order on Inauguration Day and headed by Elon Musk. The administration has sought to dismantle USAID, an agency Musk called “criminal,” offered “deferred resignation” […]