Cathie Meetre | Article Author |

26 Oct 2022

Cooperative Roots Run Deep For GHI and News Review

by Cathie Meetre

In this third episode of our Co-op Month story, the largest co-op in Greenbelt (or at least the one with the most square-footage) and the only worker cooperative get their share of the limelight. Greenbelt Homes, Inc. GHI is … Read More

19 Oct 2022

Greenbelt’s Consumer Co-ops Are Crucial to Local Lifestyles

by Cathie Meetre

Every cooperative organization in Greenbelt and elsewhere is governed by a board and any member can run for election to it – each is a grass-roots democracy. Decisions are made by the board and the management carries out those decisions. … Read More

19 Oct 2022

Do Greenbelt Road Bike Lanes Add to City’s Bike Friendliness?

by Cathie Meetre

Cyclists and drivers be warned. The Maryland State Highway Administration, apparently without consultation with the city, has painted bike lanes on Greenbelt Road heading west from the intersection with Kenilworth Avenue. They run from the intersection, past Dora Kennedy French … Read More

13 Oct 2022

Greenbelt Shares Cooperative Roots with Early U.K. Activists

by Cathie Meetre

October is Co-op Month and Greenbelt has perhaps the largest concentration of cooperatives per capita anywhere in the U.S. With seven varied co-ops, the city epitomizes the cooperative spirit. City cooperatives include the Greenbelt Co-op Supermarket & Pharmacy, Greenbelt Federal … Read More

5 Oct 2022

Council Looks at ARPA Funds, Signatures, Pumpkins, SPACE

by Cathie Meetre

On Tuesday, September 27, Greenbelt City Council presented a proclamation to representatives of five of the city’s seven cooperatives, reaffirming council’s support at the start of Cooperative Month, and also recognized Hispanic Heritage Month and the city and library activities … Read More

14 Sep 2022

Labor Day Festival for 2022 Revives a Joy Thought Lost

by Cathie Meetre

The News Review last week gave this city the big stories of the Festival – Outstanding Citizen Maggie Cahalan and the overall spirit of the weekend. This week, and possibly in coming weeks, some of the niche elements that make … Read More

14 Sep 2022

On Losing Queen Elizabeth II: Home Thoughts from Abroad

by Cathie Meetre

Oddly, given that more than two-thirds of my life has been lived away from England, in the last few days people have felt compelled to offer their condolences to me on the loss of the queen. And unexpectedly, given my … Read More

31 Aug 2022

Bands, Booths, Bikes, Bingo, Burgers: It Must be Labor Day

by Cathie Meetre

The Parade itself arrives on Labor Day Monday morning. It sashays down Crescent Road from Greenhill to Southway, spits and polishes off with the police color guard, scoops up a pipe and drum corps, flourishes a frenzy of fire trucks, … Read More

24 Aug 2022

Greenbelt Labor Day Festival Jumps Back into Full Swing

by Cathie Meetre

The reappearance of an almost-normal Labor Day Festival is a heartwarming step in the journey back from two weird years. This year’s Festival re-establishes almost all the favorite traditions so, true to form, Friday evening sees the announcement of the … Read More

11 Aug 2022

Space Foundation Celebrates Greenbelt’s Innovative Fischer

by Cathie Meetre

James (Jim) Fischer, a 50-year resident of Greenbelt, was recently lauded during the induction of Beowulf Computing into the Space Foundation’s Hall of Fame. Fischer, who worked at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center from 1974 to 2014, is the co-creator … Read More