Council Reschedules Charter Meeting, Supports Police Tech
The Greenbelt City Council meeting on February 27 was short but informative. In attendance were Mayor Emmett Jordan and Councilmembers Judith Davis, Colin Byrd, Silke Pope and Rodney Roberts. A discussion with School Board Member Jonathan Briggs is in a separate story on page 7. Charter Amendment Due to an omission by the city from […]
Women’s History Spotlight on Rachel Zephir
Women’s History Month In observance of Women’s History Month, the News Review will run articles about Greenbelt women of significant accomplishments whose stories are not well known. The series is being coordinated by Anna Bedford-Dillow. Rachel Zephir has been the director of bands at Eleanor Roosevelt High School (ERHS) since 2015. She is a […]
Rally in Greenbelt to Build Schools with Union Labor
On February 15, At-Large County Councilmember Mel Franklin hosted a north county meeting in Greenbelt to discuss the progress of the public-private partnership to build six new Prince George’s County Public Schools (see Deb Daniel’s article in the February 23 issue). The meeting was so well-attended that the 80 handouts prepared reached only two-thirds of […]
Greenbelt Police Compliance With City Reform Resolution
In December, Police Chief Richard Bowers gave an update on Greenbelt Police Department’s compliance with Resolution 2096-2, passed by the Greenbelt City Council on January 10, 2022. Council’s resolution responded to public concern about police conduct, and incorporated revisions of the Fair and Just Policing Act first proposed to city council by then-mayor Colin Byrd […]
Food Pantry Needs Increase As Many Lose SNAP Benefits
Starting March 1, many people currently receiving the federal government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are scheduled to lose extra payments or have their payments stopped completely due to changes in the income guidelines that will make them ineligible. Benefits had been increased and income limits changed during the pandemic, which allowed more families […]
Winter Oasis Concert by Relic Delights Full House at the Café
Winter Oasis, by the Baroque music ensemble Relic, is a wonderful production. Enthusiastically and flawlessly performing works by Handel, Bach, Vivaldi and other composers, this group is entertaining, inspiring and educational. Over 80 people packed the New Deal Café for a lunchtime concert on Monday, February 20 to hear these 10 musicians play. This was […]
School Replacement Program Explained at Packed Forum
Over 140 people gathered in the Greenbelt Library meeting room on February 15 to learn about the BluePrint Schools program (also known as P3) which has started to rebuild Prince George’s County Public School (PGCPS) buildings. Mayor Emmett Jordan spoke first to the packed meeting room about how Greenbelt loves books, with the Greenbelt Library […]
Attendees Celebrate Black Culture: Music, Drumming, and Spoken Word
On Sunday afternoon February 19 at the Community Center, a room filled with Greenbelt patrons of the arts and their guests danced, clapped and listened raptly as poetry, drumming and jazz filled the air. Each part of the program was so beautifully presented that no one part commanded the spotlight and all parts were enjoyable […]
City Receives Composting Grant, Looks at Proposal for Car Wash
At its February 13 regular meeting, the Greenbelt City Council received multiple presentations, including one on a federal compost and food waste grant received by the city and a recirculating car wash pilot program. Council accepted a donation to CARES and several committee reports and presented one proclamation. School Board Representative Jonathan Briggs’s presentation was […]
Amid Violent Crime Spike Police Saturation Nets Guns
The Greenbelt Police Department seized seven illegal firearms during its December crime suppression operation in Franklin Park, an area of Greenbelt where the annual number of aggravated assaults confirmed by police has almost tripled over the past decade. The 52 aggravated assaults that the department reported to the FBI for the area over the course […]