The News Review presents highlights from last year’s news stories. The reviews were prepared by Cathie Meetre, Erica Johns, Diane Oberg, Deanna Dawson, Pat Scully and Anna Bedford-Dillow.
Greenbelt Loses Career Firefighters
On June 30, Prince George’s County Fire Department (PGFD) removed career fire and rescue personnel from Greenbelt, Berwyn Heights, Bowie and Bunker Hill as part of its temporary Summer Staffing Plan. Greenbelt’s Fire Chief Thomas Ray said there was potential for no fire and EMS services Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Greenbelt. PGFD estimated response times to Greenbelt would fall within the eight-minute range, which City Manager Josué Salmerón noted meant response times could double.
As a concession, a career-staffed Advanced Life Support unit was stationed at Greenbelt Monday to Friday. A second unit that is staffed and active during peak hours was later added.
Greenbelt, Berwyn Heights and College Park sued to prevent the removal of the career staff but their request for a temporary restraining order was dismissed in July. In October their complaint for a declaratory judgement was dismissed.
Greenbelt has highlighted several concerning incidents since the removal of career personnel, including a delayed response to a fire alarm at Green Ridge House, which led to a PGFD investigation and suspension of personnel. In addition, on Gardenway a man died after suffering anaphylactic shock and waiting at least seven minutes for an ambulance.
The PGFD staffing crisis continues. In December PGFD sent some new recruits back to Bunker Hill and others to Laurel but none are planned for return to Greenbelt. On December 29 Greenbelt was to gain a 24/7 paramedic ambulance and begin housing the Northern EMS Duty Officer.
Problems at Charlestowne North
Trouble had been brewing at the Charlestowne North rental apartments on Lakecrest Drive since their purchase in January of 2023 by the Charlestowne North Holding Company. Poor maintenance, lack of security, understaffing and trash buildup were accompanied, though less visibly, by the complete failure of the holding company to pay state and local taxes and fees. Eventually, disrepair of the aging elevators led to the city pulling the company’s rental license in late 2023 and subsequent legal proceedings culminated in the appointment of Tarantino Properties (based in Texas) as receiver to manage the property – a role, according to its website, that it has played 60+ times. The property was purchased in April at auction by Freddie Mac (which had insured the mortgage). Tarantino remains the property manager.
Problems continue. New elevator cars are not scheduled for delivery until February 2025, leaving residents, especially those with mobility challenges, anxious. Complaints include utility costs being charged separately when they were previously included. Twenty-three residents were recently taken to court for unpaid rent by the bankrupt former owner though all the cases were eventually dismissed.
Knesel Appointed to City Council
On January 24, Amy Knesel was appointed to fill the seat of the late Councilmember Ric Gordon following a divisive and controversial process.
Initially, Mayor Emmett Jordan pushed council to fill the position quickly, setting up a one-week deadline for application. Six candidates applied, but at two listening sessions council was criticized by some residents for the rushed approach. One Franklin Park resident pleaded with council to extend the deadline with another saying that one week was not sufficient to get the information out.
In the end, council extended the deadline, interviewed candidates, then held a special meeting on January 24 where, after extended discussions over process, a mid-meeting closed session and two votes, it appointed Knesel.
In response to this experience, at the year’s final meeting council introduced legislation, proposed by the Board of Elections, to change the process for filling council vacancies.
Students Shot at Schrom Hills Park Gathering
On April 19 during Senior Skip Day, five teenagers were shot at Schrom Hills Park. The gathering of youths there grew quickly to five to six hundred, and Greenbelt police were on the scene for crowd control prior to the shooting. The victims were all male students aged 16 to 18. Two attended Bowie High School, two attended Dr. Henry A. Wise High School and one attended Largo High School. One teenager was in critical condition but all recovered from the shooting. Greenbelt police officers provided aid to the victims as they awaited ambulances.
On April 29, Greenbelt Chief of Police Richard Bowers announced the arrest of a 14-year-old and a 16-year-old, both male and both Bowie High School students. Aisha Braveboy, State’s Attorney for Prince George’s County, was present in Greenbelt for the press conference and stated that the teens would be tried as adults, for attempted homicide. Later their cases were moved to juvenile court.
In late November the first of the teenagers stood trial and was acquitted when he was not proven beyond reasonable doubt to be one of the shooters.
Black History Committee Wins Award
The Greenbelt Black History and Culture Committee had a busy year, again organizing and co-sponsoring, with other community groups, events throughout Black History Month in February. The committee commemorated the Juneteenth national holiday by co-hosting, with the Prince George’s County Lynching Memorial Project, the awards ceremony for the Project’s Racial Justice Essay and Creative Arts contest, in which students from seven county high schools competed. In November, the committee collaborated with Greenbelt Recreation, the Greenbelt Museum and the Prince George’s County Office of Human Rights to present two Maryland Emancipation Day programs: a film screening and a well-attended, thought-provoking panel discussion of reparations, including from a Native American perspective.
The committee’s efforts were recognized in April, when they and Greenbelt Recreation were selected to receive the Maryland Recreation and Parks Association’s Innovative Program Award.
DKFI Move Stirs Controversy
On February 1 the News Review broke the news of Prince George’s County Public Schools’ (PGCPS) plan to move Dora Kennedy French Immersion (DKFI) out of Greenbelt and the building it’s occupied for a decade. It was news that had not been shared with the school’s principal or community but was divulged in Greenbelt City Council’s January worksession with PGCPS Superintendent Millard House II and members of his team. PGCPS planned to move DKFI to Kenmoor Middle School in Landover and then use the Greenbelt building as a swing space for Springhill Lake Elementary while their new school is built.
The PGCPS administration held a virtual town hall in February to belatedly inform the DKFI community. At the end of that meeting, PGCPS administrators, believing the streaming had ended, spoke candidly and Chief Operating Officer Charoscar Coleman said, “I feel like we’re doubling down on a bad decision.” PGCPS later decided to move DKFI to a shared location with Robert Goddard Montessori, off Good Luck Road in Seabrook. DKFI occupied that space previously, when it was known as the Robert Goddard French Immersion School, prior to moving to its own building in Greenbelt in 2014. The school’s move back to Robert Goddard is set to take place in 2026.
Greenbelt High School Now Historic
In May the Prince George’s County Historical Preservation Commission designated the 1938 Greenbelt High School building, today’s Dora Kennedy French Immersion (DKFI) school, as a Prince George’s County Historic Site.
The building has been in poor condition since at least 2007 when it housed Greenbelt Middle School. In January 2024 Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) cited plans to move DKFI in 2026, operate Springhill Lake Elementary School (SHLES) there from 2026 to 2028 and then demolish the building, leading the city to request historic site desig-nation.
The designation will help protect and maintain the building. Challenges remain for DKFI and SHLES since PGCPS plans minimal improvements during their occupancy through 2028.
Greenbelt City Manager Josué Salmerón wrote, “I am hopeful that once the school facility is decommissioned … we will be intentional about repurposing the site for continued use as a community asset, similarly to how the Community Center, originally the city’s elementary school, is now a community asset.”
JEDI Audits, Action Team, Rebuke
Results of a 2023 Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) audit of city government were reported to city council in January, describing employees who feel their work environment is unhealthy, colleagues unwilling to share knowledge or power, resistance to new ideas, little partnership between departments and inefficient processes affecting work-loads.
Council asked city staff to address the findings, resulting in a top-down approach, including educating leaders and supervisors on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and a bottom-up approach, including the creation of the JEDI action team of employees. In April the team formed as an advisory group to aid decision-making on improving the city workplace.
In December, a report of a JEDI audit of residents listed strengths, including a small-town feeling, parks and trails, senior services, community policing, accessible events and challenges including insufficient communication between neighborhoods and a lack of inclusivity. The city released a draft JEDI vision statement and justice, equity, diversity and inclusion definitions for resident feedback.
In August, Councilmember Rodney Roberts questioned a Public Works proposal to pay an automobile dealer to replace a city vehicle engine. He said, “If you’re dumb enough to take that [price quote], then you are.” Employees contacted the JEDI action team, which requested action by council.
Councilmember Kristen Weaver put the issue on council’s agenda in December, following the JEDI action team’s recommendation that Roberts be censured for comments the team deemed “disrespectful, demeaning and abusive.” Several speakers at the meeting defended Roberts and questioned the authority of the team over council. In the end, council voted 5 to 2, with Roberts and Silke Pope opposed, to rebuke (not censure) Roberts.
All-Resident Voting in City
In September, Greenbelt City Council approved all-resident voting in city elections. This followed a November 2023 referendum in which 59 percent of voters approved the measure for noncitizens who meet residency requirements. The city joined other local municipalities in doing so, including Hyattsville, Mount Rainier, Colmar Manor, Cheverly, Takoma Park, Frederick and the District of Columbia.
Residents who spoke at the council meeting cited immigrants’ contributions to the community and the tax base, and that amid national rhetoric marginalizing immigrant commu-nities, “people are easy targets when they don’t have a voice in their political process.”
Noncitizens must register 21 days before an election and show proof of residency or sign an affidavit. Proof might include a driver’s license, a utility bill or a document from the University of Maryland or the State of Maryland with a Greenbelt address.
Mayor Emmett Jordan said, “Today Greenbelt takes an historic step forward in inclusive governance with the passage of all-resident voting. It’s a reflection of our community’s commitment to ensuring that every resident has an opportunity to participate in the process … we reaffirm that in Greenbelt every resident counts.”
Youth Excel in Many Areas
In academic competitions, Aashi Moola and Joshua Herrara Guzman won first place awards in the Eleanor Roosevelt High School (ERHS) History Day event, placed in the state competition and went on to compete in National History Day. ERHS student Yashasri Gouda won the first-place grand award in the Prince George’s Area Science Fair and advanced to the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair. Teams from Dora Kennedy French Immersion and Greenbelt Middle schools placed in the county Middle Grades Math Meet.
In robotics, the Greenbelt Bots team won first prize in the Innovation category in a Maryland FIRST Lego League qualifying event and was invited to compete in the state cham-pionship. The Air Tigers, a community robotics club, won the Engineering Inspiration Award in a FIRST Robotics District Competition and six squads from the ERHS Robotics Club competed in the state championships, with three going on to compete in the VEX Robotics World Championship.
In sports, the Greenbelt Cricket Team again won its league championship and the Barracudas swim team finished second in their division. ERHS teams made it to the state finals in softball and won the county championship in both cross country and girls soccer. Fiona O’Brien won a team medal in the USA Gymnastics National Championship and was named to the Acro National Team, and swimmer Zack Shattuck won a relay team medal in the Paris Paralympics.
Eclipse Enthralls Greenbelters
The solar eclipse on April 8 brought smiles and a sense of wonder to those who viewed the rare phenomenon locally, where the moon blocked 89 percent of the sun.
Nearly 200 people chose the Greenbelt Observatory as a viewing site, using special glasses handed out by the Astronomical Society of Greenbelt or looking at the images captured by the observatory telescope. Others used a variety of devices, including colanders, to cast crescent-shaped shadows as the moon blocked the sun.
Meanwhile, numerous Greenbelters traveled far and wide to view the eclipse in its totality. News Review photographers and Goddard employees Jerry Bonnell and Jeff Jones were in Illinois and Ohio, respectively, to capture stunning photos of totality. Other points along the path of totality that Greenbelters visited were in New York, Ohio and Ontario, Canada.
New Deal Café Has New Vendor, New Look
With continuing financial difficulties threatening the existence of the New Deal Café, the Café’s board of directors ended its contract with the Greenbelt Co-op Supermarket and Pharmacy as food and beverage vendor. The board voted in July to award the contract to restaurant owner and musician Kenny Hilliard, to take effect November 1. The goal, according to Hilliard, is to offer more variety in memorable experiences, food choices with exhilarating flavors and new stage performances. Elements of the Café will remain the same, such as a cozy setting where patrons can connect with friends or enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner or just a cup of coffee.
A new menu, offering a variety of choices for omnivores through vegans, began to take shape in early November, along with new décor and new furnishings, including a big-screen TV in the front room so overflow crowds from the back room can watch the musical offerings on the stage.