Top Stories of 2024
The News Review presents highlights from last year’s news stories. The reviews were prepared by Cathie Meetre, Erica Johns, Diane Oberg, Deanna Dawson, Pat Scully and Anna Bedford-Dillow. Greenbelt Loses Career Firefighters On June 30, Prince George’s County Fire Department (PGFD) removed career fire and rescue personnel from Greenbelt, Berwyn Heights, Bowie and Bunker Hill […]
City Perseveres with Legal Fight Over Withdrawal of Firefighters
At the December 9 Greenbelt City Council meeting, City Manager Josué Salmerón spoke about the city’s renewed legal efforts to challenge the removal of career firefighters from the Greenbelt Fire Department in June. Salmerón also shared the news that the city will now have a paramedic ambulance 24/7 effective December 29 (for more on the […]
PGFD Update: Greenbelt Gains EMS Duty Officer, Ambulance
More fire department staffing changes are coming on December 29, said the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department in a memo released Friday, December 6. Of the four stations that lost career staff as part of the summer staffing plan (Greenbelt, Berwyn Heights, Bowie-Belair and Bunker Hill) one, Bunker Hill, will see some return. In addition, […]
Teen Charged in Skip Day Shooting Acquitted; Second Teen Awaits Trial
One of the teenagers charged with shooting five other teens at a “Senior Skip Day” event at Schrom Hills Park in April has been acquitted. The second awaits trial this month. The Senior Skip Day event on April 19 drew a crowd of hundreds of Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) students, from a variety […]
Fire Chief Presents Reallocation Need; Local Leaders Respond
On Thursday, November 14, the Prince George’s County Council held a public meeting on the June 2024 county fire services reallocations. The seats in the chamber of the Wayne K. Curry Building were filled, with press standing at the back and some attendees at the sides. Greenbelt residents turned out in force, along with City […]
Man’s Death Follows Dispatch Difficulties; PGFD Violates PIA
(Editor’s Note: The News Review had hoped to be able to report on this incident with access to official documents. Following our Public Information Act (PIA) request, the Prince George’s County Fire Department (PGFD) was required under the Act to provide records or respond with a decision about them within 30 days. Despite our further […]
Mail-In Ballots Not Yet “Received” Cause Concern for Greenbelters
One Greenbelter visited the News Review office to share their concern about a returned mail-in ballot the day before the election. Others tracking the status of their mail-in ballots sent from Greenbelt are concerned they still haven’t been marked as “received” weeks later. A representative from the Prince George’s County Board of Elections says that […]
City’s JEDI Team Calls for Action Over Councilmember’s Behavior
On August 29, the Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Action Team – a group of city employees that has 13 members, with all departments represented – sent a memo to City Manager Josué Salmerón. The memo was titled, “Addressing Adverse Behavior from Council Members During Council Meetings.” In opening, the team said they were […]
Fire Department Update: Litigation Dismissed; Response Times Increase
On Monday, October 21, Greenbelt was dealt another blow in their battle to see career firefighters return to the city’s station. A circuit court judge granted Prince George’s County (et al.) their request for a dismissal of the complaint filed by Greenbelt, Berwyn Heights and College Park on June 28. The complaint was for a […]
PGFD Will Not Return Career Staff to Greenbelt Fire Dept.
Twenty-four career firefighters were pulled from Greenbelt station on June 30 as part of what was called a “summer staffing” plan to meet staff shortages exacerbated by scheduled summer vacation leave and unscheduled callouts. After dodging questions about when the reassessment promised for October would take place and what metrics it would use, Prince George’s […]