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

A blue and gray sign reads "National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Goddard Space Flight Center Main Gate. Visitor/Badging Office and Visitor Center", with the circular blue NASA logo. Behind the sign are three flagpoles, bearing the United States flag, the Maryland flag, and a blue flag with the NASA seal. Behind the flags are trees.

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 […]

A Co-operative Pharmacy Battles Big Chains, Vaccine Skepticism

The pharmacy desk area protrudes into the pharmacy area of the co-op. A lighted sign reads "CO-OP Pharmacy" above a window and shelves of bottles of vitamins. Around the corner of the protruding area, a blue sign reads Rx, above shelves of dental hygiene supplies.

Recently government officials from the city of and county of San Francisco reached out to Greenbelt, which is home to the nation’s only co-operative pharmacy, searching for alternative business models and ways the government can support independent pharmacies. Counties nationwide are beginning to confront a growing problem of “pharmacy deserts,” areas where residents lack easy […]

PGCPS Superintendent Pushed Out; Controversial Interim Appointed

A smiling brown-skinned man with short hair, wearing a blue suit and a watch.

On Thursday, June 12, Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) Board of Education met in closed session to discuss the future of Superintendent Millard House II, a meeting precipitated by a vote of no confidence by the Prince George’s County Educators Association (PGCEA) (see page 6 of the June 12 issue). That closed-door meeting resulted […]

Council Discusses Annexation Opportunities in Closed Session

On May 27 Greenbelt City Council met in closed session in council chambers to discuss the topic of annexation. Present for that meeting were city councilmembers, City Manager Josué Salmerón, Planning Director Terri Hruby and the city’s solicitor Todd Pounds (attending virtually). City staff and councilmembers are prohibited from commenting on items from an executive […]

Greenbelt Labelled Sanctuary City by Homeland Security

A chart is titled Violent Crime Offending Rates by Citizenship/ Documentation Status, 2012-2018. The x-axis shows the years from 2012 to 2018. The y axis is labeled Arrest Rates Per 100,000 Persons. The line for "undocumented immigrant" stays on or slightly below the "100 Arrests" level. The line for "documented immigrant" starts at the "200 Arrests" level and varies somewhat, ending at around "175". The line for "U.S. Born Citizen" starts at "200 Arrests" in 2012 and ends at around "225."

On Thursday, May 29, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published on its web site a list of sanctuary cities, counties and states it said were defying the government and endangering America. Among them was Greenbelt. The city responded with a press release, in which it stated that it “complies with all applicable federal and […]

Temporary Space at Armory Will Expand Compost Program

Two low piles of brown mulch, behind a chain-link fence. In the foreground, a parking lot. In the background, verdant green trees. At left, a brown brick building. A bright blue sky.

The city’s curbside composting program currently uses an outpost at Trinity Church on Good Luck Road to process and cure food scraps from 410 homes but will be expanding by utilizing space at the armory site to cure the compost. At its April 28 meeting, the Greenbelt City Council approved this temporary use of space […]

A Weekend of Protests, Rallies, Vigils for Many Greenbelters

A group of people stand on grass in front of the Washington Monument. Their signs include "Hands Off My Future", "Hands Off our economy, our wallets, our rights" and "So bad even the introverts are here."

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 […]