Greenbelt Labor Day Festival Kicks Off Friday, September 1
This year’s Labor Day Festival features most of the Greenbelt favorites, from the Outstanding Citizen award to carnival rides, booths, Bingo and more. Come for the spectacle, the community, the fun and the food. Here are highlights of the Festival for the first two days. Friday Happenings The Festival opens Friday, September 1 at 6 […]
Prince George’s County Schools Will Open Monday, August 28
Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) has a back-to-school guide available online at pgcps.org/about-pgcps/back-to-school. What follows is a collation of available information relevant to Greenbelt families. New Superintendent Millard House II was appointed superintendent of PGCPS, effective July 1, by Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks. (The position was recently renamed superintendent at the end […]
Stronger Summer Storms Highlight Grid Vulnerability
Tornado warnings on August 7 led to early closures of federal offices, the University of Maryland and other workplaces in the metro area. But it was a series of summer storms the weekend of July 28 and 29 that interrupted moviegoers, swimmers and the postal service in Greenbelt. Pepco posted on July 30 on the […]
Council Election Is Coming: Time to Register to Vote Is Now
Any resident of Greenbelt, age 16 and over, can participate in the November City Council election ‒ by signing a candidate’s petition or voting, or running for office if over 18. But doing any of those things requires being registered to vote at a residence address that lies within the boundaries of the City of […]
Peace Builders: Teaching To Manage, Solve Problems
Peace is a skill that can be learned. This is one of the take-home messages from the Little Friends for Peace Camp held at Greenbelt Community Church, United Church of Christ, during the week of July 24. Camp counselors worked with 36 students, ages 5 to 14, from Greenbelt and Lanham. Each day of camp […]
Senior Kathy Labukas Joins Top Swimmers Across the U.S.
Kathy Labukas grew up in Greenbelt and swam with its first swim team, the Sharks, which formed in 1957. The coach, Al Castaldi, had contacted her parents saying he needed a 6-year-old girl to complete the team, which led to her winning many events and becoming one of the top swimmers in the Princemont League […]
Byrd Resigns from Council 2.5 Months before Election
On Monday, August 14, near the conclusion of the city’s regular council meeting, Councilmember Colin Byrd announced his resignation. He is in his third term on the council. He was first elected in 2017 and was elected mayor in 2019. The City of Greenbelt elects a new council every two years, with the next election […]
Search for Missing Teacher Continues, Without Leads
“Madame Sylla is our dear sister, she is our dear colleague, as you can see exemplified by all the people that love her here,” said Dora Kennedy French Immersion (DKFI) principal, James Spence, at a vigil and canvassing event at Schrom Hills Park on Friday. The park was the last-known destination of Mariame Toure Sylla, […]
City Police Report Auto Theft Surge But Less Violence
At the quarterly update to the Greenbelt City Council on Monday, July 31 (main story published separately, see page 7), Police Chief Richard Bowers and Interim City Manager Tim George updated council on city policing. On a lighter note, George began by stating that e-bikes are now in service, though the photograph presented to council […]
Teens Come Up with Big Ideas For Achieving Greater Social Justice
On Friday, July 14, Greenbelt Library’s auditorium was full of youths sharing their ideas on how to impact big societal issues to achieve greater social justice. They had project ideas that ranged from creating mentor programs, battling misinformation, addressing inequality in education and how schools are funded, to increasing Black representation in anime, fighting mass […]