Public Works Employees Seek Charter Change for Unionization
At the start of the Monday, September 8 meeting of the Greenbelt City Council, during petitions and requests, Michael Canavan, a 39-year resident of Greenbelt and an employee of Public Works for five-and-a-half years, read a letter from Public Works employees. The letter requests a change to the city charter (section 3, paragraph 22) and […]
PGCPS Report Flags Payments To Absent Board Member, More
Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) Office of Integrity and Compliance (OIC) has released its first report, flagging a handful of significant findings. They include “wasteful” compensation of close to $10,000 to former school board member David Murray, who stepped down after it was discovered he was living out of state and working full-time for […]
Trump Nullifies NASA Unions; GESTA Says Its Union is Strong
Just ahead of Labor Day, President Trump took aim at NASA and a handful of other federal agencies’ unions, seeking to nullify them through Executive Order (EO). It comes at a time of mass layoffs and deferred resignations. The EO, signed August 28, represents “the largest rollback of labor protections for NASA’s employees in history,” […]
City Council Nominations Open Monday; Noncitizens May Run
On Monday, August 18, the period in which to file as a candidate for Greenbelt City Council will begin. Any qualified voter who is at least 18 years of age is eligible to run. Beginning this year, that includes noncitizens. All-Resident Voting In the last election the question of allowing noncitizens who meet residency requirements […]
Seasonal Ground Bees Emerge In Greenbelt, Not Aggressive
Last week we heard from a resident about how ground bees were being treated in Greenbelt, after seeing workers spray a nest with RAID. “While their sudden appearance may have caused alarm, most ground bees are native, nonaggressive pollinators that pose little to no risk to the public,” said the reader. “Unlike wasps or hive bees, ground bees are solitary […]
Former Superintendent’s Payout From PGCPS Totals $877,578.70
Former Superintendent Millard House II received a payout from Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) of $877,578.70, almost $150,000 more than previously known or estimated by news reports. On July 24, the News Review reported that House must have received at least $733,992, which we calculated based on our projections of 24 months of his […]
Fields, Basements Flooded With Intense Runoff to Lake
Extreme weather has continued in Greenbelt over the last week. On Thursday, July 17, an excessive heat warning was issued for our area and the city advised residents of the availability of cooling centers at the Library, Community Center, Municipal Building, Youth Center and Police Station. Then, two days later the city was under a […]
Goddard Director Resigns Amid Space Center’s Uncertain Future
On Monday, July 21, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center’s (GSFC) Center Director Mackenzie Lystrup announced in a message to colleagues that she will be “stepping aside.” The final day for Lystrup, who joined GSFC in April 2023, will be August 1. The announcement comes as NASA faces the prospect of deep cuts should President Trump’s […]
Superintendent’s Total Severance Tops $733,992 but by How Much?
After 30 days exactly, the maximum time allowable by law, the Office of the General Counsel of Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) responded to the Greenbelt News Review’s Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA) request for details of the separation and compensation paid or owed to Former Superintendent Millard House II. PGCPS’ counsel responded by […]
Deep Cuts to NASA Goddard Face Bipartisan Opposition in Congress
President Trump’s budget request would drastically cut NASA – including a 50 percent cut to NASA Science that would remove nearly half (48 percent) of the approximately 1,700 civil servants at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), warned Goddard Engineers, Scientists and Technicians Association (GESTA), the union representing GSFC federal workers. There appears to be broad […]