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 […]
Chef Lou Makes Plans to Reopen His Bakery Soon
Greenbelt’s very own baker extraordinaire, Chef Lou Parker expects to have a grand re-opening in a few weeks. His late wife, Denise (Niecey) Parker, will become part of the store’s name. Parker hopes to fill the store with Denise’s nurturing and kind spirit, making it an inviting place for customers to frequent in the community […]
Josué Salmerón Selected New Greenbelt City Manager
On Wednesday, August 2, Greenbelt City Council announced the selection of Josué Salmerón as the new Greenbelt city manager. After a year-long nationwide search, Salmerón was one of three finalists that also included Interim City Manager Tim George and Assistant City Manager of College Park Bill Gardiner. Salmerón will be coming to Greenbelt from Yellow […]
A Community Concerned: Police Search for Teacher
Mariame Toure Sylla, a Greenbelt resident and beloved teacher at Dora Kennedy French Immersion school went missing on Saturday, July 29. She was last seen by her son around 8 p.m. on Saturday when she left her home in the 6500 block of Lake Park Drive in the apartment complex across from Schrom Hills Park. […]
Greenbelt Bamboo Heads to Smithsonian’s National Zoo
The next time you visit the elephants at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C., they might be eating bamboo from Greenbelt. As a new Greenbelter who has joined others across the city in removing bamboo – an aggressive, non-native invasive plant that deprives other plants and wildlife of the space and nutrients they need […]