PSAC Completes Its Report On Mayor’s Police Reform Bill
The Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC) has released its report on Mayor Colin Byrd’s Fair and Just Policing Act, a process that began in October 2020 at the Greenbelt City Council’s request. PSAC made recommendations to specific general orders, which direct the Greenbelt Police Department’s (GPD) day-to-day operations, with no recommendation for an ordinance. PSAC […]
Recreation Budget Session Demonstrates Resilience
The pandemic forced Greenbelt Recreation to “reinvent ourselves,” said Recreation Director Greg Varda, as programs quickly transitioned to a primarily on-line approach. With the easing of Covid-19 restrictions, Recreation is starting to slowly offer more in-person programming. Varda and his colleagues, including Assistant Director Anne Oudemans, Greenbelt Aquatic & Fitness Center Supervisor Stephen Parks and […]
New Charging Stations Open For Plug-in Cars in Greenbelt
In response to the rise in numbers of plug-in electric vehicles (EVs) in Greenbelt, now at 119, the city has installed six new charging stations at the Municipal Building, Schrom Hills Park and the Springhill Lake Recreation Center (SHLRC). Information for this article was provided by John Lippert, chair of GreenACES and the Greenbelt Green […]
New State Legislation Brings Changes to Local Policing
On April 10, Maryland became the first state to repeal the Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights (LEOBOR) as well as to enact new legislation concerning use of force by police and the investigation and discipline process for officers, among other things. This was done by the Democratic-majority state legislature in an overriding of Governor […]
Propietarios de apartamentos discuten planes para el fin de la moratoria de desalojos
Con la moratoria sobre los desalojos que va a finalizar el 30 de junio, el Ayuntamiento de Greenbelt el 6 de abril dio la bienvenida a representantes de varios de los complejos de apartamentos de la ciudad a un diálogo sobre sus planes sobre cómo responderán a esta posible crisis, que podría resultar en que […]
Local School Music Programs Adapt to Virtual Instruction
Music is one area where being together in person is an integral part, as performers connect to each other and an audience. Music teachers at Greenbelt Middle School (GMS) and Eleanor Roosevelt High School (ERHS) have endeavored, like all teachers and students dealing with the social restrictions of the pandemic, to keep their programs alive […]
Joint Report Proposes Balance For Gardens, Forest Preserve
A spirited discussion was had at the Greenbelt City Council meeting on March 1 concerning a recent report issued jointly by the Forest Preserve Advisory Board (FPAB) and the Greenbelt Community Gardens Club (GCGC). The report is an analysis and prescriptive proposal on how best to address the issue of shading that the Forest Preserve […]
One of First Residents of Color Remembers Early Years Here
Angie Bass Williams and her husband Rivers were among the first people of color to live in Greenbelt. On February 25, Angie Williams was interviewed by Councilmember Emmett Jordan, on behalf of the Greenbelt Museum and the Greenbelt Black History and Culture Committee, giving her a chance to recount her and her family’s experience in […]
Public Hearing on Police CBA Sparks Citizen Involvement
On February 17, the Greenbelt City Council held a public hearing to allow residents a chance to weigh in with their concerns and suggestions for a forthcoming Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the Greenbelt Police Department, using the current CBA as a springboard to possible changes. The final CBA will be the result of review, […]
County Schools to Reconfigure, Offer Hybrid Format for Spring
Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) are planning to reopen in April using a hybrid combination of in-person and continued virtual learning, PGCPS CEO Monica Goldson announced on February 17. The plan to is have two days of in-person and three days of virtual learning, as well as students who will have all virtual learning. […]