Greenbelt Moments 2021

The following short reflections address the wide diversity of activities, programs and celebrations that took place during 2021 throughout the city. They speak of community, tolerance and generosity. Thanks to the original contributors whose stories provided material for this selection: Matthew Arbach, Deanna Dawson, Amy Hansen, Lois Rosado, Brittany N. Gaddy, Jon Gardner, Kyla Hanington, […]
Your New Year’s Resolution Can Support the News Review
Many organizations send out last-ditch pleas for money at the end of the year. But this newspaper doesn’t bludgeon readers for their hard-earned cash – instead it asks for their time. We want your help, your expertise and your commitment. (Though we’ll take your money too, if you insist.) Key Needs We had several retirements […]
Accolades Follow Decades Of Service as Sterling Retires

Director of Public Works Jim Sterling has retired after 37-and-a-half years as an essential part of the City of Greenbelt. During that time, he has played many roles and applied his expertise in myriad ways especially in the areas of construction, planning and code enforcement. Sterling characterized his career as “a good ride” and was […]
Covid-19 Omicron Rampages Through the County and State
Data for the 20770 zip code specifically are still not yet available due to the Maryland state data security breach that affected Covid data sets. Some numbers have emerged at the county level to give a partial indication of what may be happening here and nearby – and there’s no doubt the county is solidly […]
Top Stories of 2021 The News Review presents highlights of the past year.
The reviews were prepared by Matt Arbach, Donna Hoffmeister, Cathie Meetre, Diane Oberg and Pat Scully. Vaccine Site at Metro The Greenbelt Metro Station became a mass Covid-19 vaccination site, operated by FEMA in conjunction with the State of Maryland and staffed by Air Force and Coast Guard workers. The site distributed more than 116,000 […]
Green Ridge House Opens Waiting List
Green Ridge House, the City of Greenbelt’s HUD Section 8-202 apartment building, will open its waiting list from Tuesday, January 18 through Friday, January 21 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Green Ridge House is an independent living apartment building located at 22 Ridge Road. Applicants must apply in person at Green Ridge House during […]
Find Your Greenbelt Roots In the GNR Digital Archive
The News Review celebrated its 84th birthday on November 24, and completion of the paper’s digital archive project was surely the highlight of the year. The last batch of newly digitized issues was uploaded to the News Review server in mid-October, and the complete set of issues can now be viewed at greenbeltnewsreview.com/archives. The Greenbelt […]
Greenbelters Help an Afghan Family Create a New Home
During the week before Christmas, my husband Ian got an extra day off, so I knew it was time to spring into action and deliver donations from Greenbelt to Afghans setting up an apartment in Northern Virginia. Two different people had offered couches, and the Afghan family had chosen the larger couch. Fortunately, we could […]
Tim George Named Acting City Manager, Replacing Nicole Ard
On Saturday, December 18, the city posted an announcement that City Manager Nicole Ard’s last day was that same day. A series of worksessions, starting in August, had been held by the Greenbelt City Council to discuss Ard’s tenure, but as closed sessions relating to employment, these sessions had resulted in no public information except […]
December Days Videos Laud Greenbelt Diversity and Talent
A rich tapestry, a holiday sampler or a smorgasbord of Greenbelt life are all apt descriptions for the series of videos woven together and available for viewing online. Known as December Days, the videos were filmed and produced as a response to the cancellation of Greenbelt’s traditional tree lighting ceremony. Chris Cherry, the performing arts […]