James Giese | Article Author |

18 Jan 2024

The Impact of the 1950s Red Scare On Greenbelt: Chasanow and East

by James Giese

The five-volume set of transcripts for the McCarthy hearings of 1953-1954 were kept sealed for 50 years. They are now available online at https://www.senate.gov/about/powers-procedures/investigations/mccarthy-and-army-mccarthy-hearings.htm. Two prominent Greenbelters, Abraham Chasanow and Sherwood East, were among the casualties of McCarthy and his … Read More

11 Feb 2021

Congress Requests GSA Plan For New Larger FBI HQ

by James Giese

According to recent press accounts, the proposal to relocate the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) headquarters to a new site, halted in 2017 by the Trump Administration, is back on track. The recently enacted omnibus spending bill requires the General … Read More

26 Nov 2020

Cómo Buddy ayudó a los residentes de Greenbelt a salvar el Día de Acción de Gracias

by James Giese

(Recuerdos de las fiestas 🙂 (español) A principios de la década de 1960, Greenbelt todavía era un pueblo muy pequeño. La gente se conocía de hacer compras en la cooperativa, ir a reuniones de la PTA y de la ciudad … Read More

18 Nov 2020

How the Lake Trail Was Built: Ingenuity, Donations, No Budget

by James Giese

The wonderful photo of the Greenbelt Lake trail in autumn glory by Melanie Gaschick in the November 5 issue got me to thinking how lucky it was that the trail got built in 1963 and the debt of gratitude Greenbelters … Read More

21 Aug 2019

The Roosevelts in Greenbelt

by James Giese

(This is the first of a two-part story and deals primarily with President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s involvement with constructing the utopian town of Greenbelt. The second part will deal with Eleanor Roosevelt’s involvement.) When I meet new people and tell … Read More

15 May 2019

City Budget Gets Big Bucks For Capital Improvements

by James Giese

A whopping $6,453,000 is proposed to be spent in the next fiscal year on capital projects within the city, substantially more than the $1,846,500 expected to have been spent this year. Mayor Emmett Jordan asked why there was such a … Read More

25 Apr 2019

City Council Reviews CARES: Space, Budget, Achievements

by James Giese

CARES is a youth and family counseling service provided by the city. Many of its professional counselors are volunteers. Another part of CARES is Greenbelt Assistance in Living (GAIL) which provides help to seniors to enable them to stay in … Read More

25 Apr 2019

Violent and Property Crimes Decrease in 2018, Police Say

by James Giese

This information was included in the Public Safety section of the City of Greenbelt Proposed Budget for Fiscal Year 2020. In 2018 serious, or Part I, crime in Greenbelt decreased 9 percent, down from 920 reported incidents to 840. Serious … Read More

17 Apr 2019

Museum Launches Fund Drive As Volunteers Provide Support

by James Giese

The January government shutdown was not all bad. Two furloughed professional archivists employed at the National Archives II in College Park volunteered with the Greenbelt Museum and processed a backlog of items that were incorporated into the museum’s archives. The … Read More

30 Jan 2019

Concejo discute sobre crimen y recreación en Franklin Park

by James Giese

(Este es el segundo artículo de la serie sobre la reunión de partes interesadas representantes de la ciudad de Greenbelt con representantes de Franklin Park). El 19 de diciembre, el Concejo de la Ciudad de Greenbelt se reunió con seis … Read More