Three Dead from Gun Violence Including Local 14-Year-Old

A map of the Franklin Park neighborhood. Three red x's mark the sites of the shootings: in the upper right, middle right, and lower-middle left of the image. The x's are labeled as follows: Upper right is labeled "Shooting 1 - 6150 Springhill Ter." Middle right is labeled "Shooting 2 - 6200 Springhill Ct." Lower-middle left is labeled "Cherrywood Ter and Breezewood Ct." The upper right X is near Springhill Lake Elementary School. At the bottom of the map, a black arrow points down, off the edge of the map. This arrow is labeled "Greenbelt Middle School. Dora Kennedy French Immersion School."

A 25-year-old man and a 14-year-old boy were fatally shot in separate incidents in Greenbelt over the weekend. Meanwhile, another man died Sunday after succumbing to injuries from an earlier shooting. Juan Gonzalez, 25; Carltin Bayong, 14; and Mancel Johnson, 49, were all fatally shot in the Franklin Park area of the city. Gonzalez was […]

City Council Candidate Bios

The News Review has received biographies from Bill Orleans and incumbent Amy Knesel. Candidate biographies are prepared by the candidates and published in the order they are received by the paper.

Bill Orleans

When first permitted to run for council, or from council, as it may be, Orleans’ biography was published in the October 20, 2011 issue of the News Review. It’s archived, and can be read, new and improved at billorleans.com. It is a recitation of a few stories relevant to the construct of his character. He […]

Amy Knesel

When Amy Knesel joined Greenbelt’s City Council in January 2024, she expected to help guide the city through a time of transition. Instead, she quickly found herself immersed in the day-to-day life of local government: meeting fellow officials, learning about the challenges facing the city and listening to countless residents share their concerns, stories and […]

Annual Utopia Film Festival Coming October 18, 19, 20

A night scene, with a split image. In the left half, a man at left holds a conical lighting device. Another man stands to the right, looking toward the right. Behind them is a building with red neon lights spelling out TILE FOR LESS. In the right half of the split image, the words "Dissent is Patriotic" in white light are projected on a light beige building.

From filmmakers in China, Iran and Italy to filmmakers in Greenbelt, Hyattsville and Takoma Park, 39 compelling works from near and far will screen at this year’s Utopia Film Festival, October 18 to 20. Venues include the historic Greenbelt Cinema, New Deal Café and the Greenbelt Firehouse. The Festival, now in its 21st year, is […]

Election 2025: Answers to Question 1

The News Review, as it does for every city council election, asked the candidates to respond to questions. Answers are limited to 150 words. If an answer exceeds the limit, the answer is cut off at that point. Responses will be published in various orders to avoid favoring candidates. Here are the answers we received […]

City Council Candidate Bios

The News Review has received biographies from Frankie Fritz and Kevin Lockhart and incumbents Emmett Jordan and Kristen Weaver. Candidate biographies are prepared by the candidates and published in the order they are received by the paper.

Frankie Fritz

Frankie Santos Fritz is a community organizer and policy analyst for local government who has called the D.C. metro area home since moving here for college in 2013 and has been active in Maryland politics since 2017. Raised by paternal grandparents, a teaching assistant and a United States postal worker, in a union household, Fritz […]

Emmett Jordan

Emmett V. Jordan has served on Greenbelt’s City Council since 2009, completing five terms as mayor.  He is both the city’s first African-American councilmember and its first African-American mayor. Since joining council, Jordan has promoted values of unity, cooperation and sustainability in city life. Raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a Greenbelt resident for 25 years, […]

Kristen Weaver

Kristen Weaver is proud to have served on the city council as mayor pro tem since 2021. Beginning amid the pandemic, she immediately saw the importance of bringing together the strengths of the community, and ways that city leadership can guide and support efforts larger than individuals alone, such as the innovative programs funded by […]