Big News: Gov. Wes Moore on protecting history/ The 2024 PG County Budget/ Community Meetings
Big News: Gov. Wes Moore on protecting history/ The 2024 PG County Budget/ Community Meetings
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Gov. Wes Moore had the opportunity to be the commencement speaker at Moorehouse College graduation. There, Moore took the time to speak about the current attack on parts of American history. The Intersection Magazine republished an article from The Black Wall Street Times, a news organization that covers Tulsa, Oklahoma.
An excerpt:
“What is happening now with our history is just the beginning,” Moore said. “I fear we are watching the early decay of a deep rot,” he continued.
Moore said this rot “threatens to hollow out our future by eliminating our past.”
The governor told the men of Morehouse he came to deliver a simple message: “our history is our power.”
Active attempts across the country by far-right politicians to ban the teaching of Black history are endangering communities, Moore said.
“This is not just a threat to our history, it is a threat to our strength.”
“When politicians ban books and muzzle educators, they say it’s an effort to prevent discomfort and guilt,” the governor said. “But we know that’s not true.”
“This is not about a fear of making people feel bad, it is about a fear of people understanding their power.”
The Council passed the 2024 Budget
Here is the brief on the passing of the budget.
You can read the remarks to budget here.
Here is the budget portal, where you access all the documents.
Here is the full draft of the Council’s news release. See below
PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY COUNCIL ADOPTS $5.4 BILLION FY 2024 COUNTY BUDGET
The Prince George’s County Council, convening on Thursday, May 25, 2023, adopted a balanced $5.4 billion Operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2024.
The adopted General Fund totals $4.5 billion, with the largest portion of General Funds, nearly $2.8 billion or 62%, directly supporting the Board of Education for Prince George’s County Public Schools. Nearly 20% of General Funds support public safety, and the remaining 18% support the rest of County Government operations.
The County’s new spending plan takes effect with the Fiscal Year that begins July 1, 2023.
Prior to budget adoption, District 8 Council Member Edward Burroughs III, introduced an amendment allocating $250,000 in Non-Departmental funds to the State’s Attorney’s Office to support the Emerging Adults Program. Developed to reduce recidivism among young men and women between the ages of 18 and 26, the mission of the Emerging Adults program is to support young people who have become involved with the criminal justice system and assist them with becoming gainfully employed, productive members of the community, who are less likely to re-offend.
“This budget amendment is about reducing crime and saving lives. This amendment is about creating a safer Prince George’s County for our children, for our seniors, and for our families,” said Council Member Burroughs prior to the Council vote. Following Council debate, the measure was favorably considered, and the County Budget was adopted.
Prince George’s County Council Chair Council Tom Dernoga, noting the impact of a $60 million revenue shortfall, thanked his Council colleagues and residents for their engagement during the budget process, but ultimately expressed disappointment that the final budget package failed to fund important parts of People’s Agenda legislation.
“Over the last few months, guided by the core tenets of the People’s Agenda, Council Members, as a body and in our respective districts, have been digging in to ensure Council priorities – your priorities – were reflected in the final spending plan. With disappointment, and despite our best efforts, we are approving a County Budget with serious concern that so many of these priorities were not addressed.” Council Chair Dernoga noted that the Administration did not directly support the Council’s Guaranteed Basic Income pilot program, the Healthy Restaurants Program, or various public programs aimed at reducing violence in the County.
Among some of the Council-initiated enhancements:
The addition of $1.3 million for more firefighters; funding for public safety officials’ disability training; support for the Police Explorers; and a $250,000 investment in the Office of the Sheriff for recruitment and replacement of weapons.
Council Member Krystal Oriadha secured $250,000 to support the Private Security Camera Incentive Program, also known as the Jayz Agnew Law, named in honor of 13-year-old Jayz Agnew, who was fatally shot in front of his home while raking leaves. The program allows businesses and homeowners to purchase and install cameras to support law enforcement in their efforts to address and solve crime within Prince George’s County communities.
The Council also responded to residents, who for years have advocated for safer streets, accessible pathways, and road improvements, with an allocation of $2.1 million for additional streetlights and traffic signals, along with $4.5 million for curb and road rehabilitation.
Additional Council investments include increased funding for noise enforcement and the Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council; an additional $3 million for grants to support community organizations; and $275,000 for United Communities Against Poverty (UCAP) to support Shepard’s Cove Emergency Shelter for women and children.
In bi-county budget action earlier this month, Prince George’s and Montgomery County lawmakers unanimously adopted new FY24 spending plans for the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC); the bi-county portion of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC); and the Washington Suburban Transit Commission (WSTC). Both Councils approved the WSSC FY 2024 Operating and Capital Budgets of $1.6 billion, reflecting an increase of 7-percent for water and sewer customers.
Community News
District 7 State of the Schools Forum
Join Prince George's County Council Member Krystal Oriadha for "State of the Schools", a community conversation regarding school safety, student performance, programming, extracurriculars and after-school programs.
DATE:
Wednesday, May 31, 2023
6:00pm
LOCATION:
Suitland Elementary School
4650 Towne Park Road
Suitland, MD 20746
Advance registration is encouraged. Register HERE.
For more information, please contact the Council District 7 office at (301) 952-3690 or email councildistrict7@co.pg.md.us.
Council Member At-Large Franklin to host 1000 Fathers Rally for Peace in Prince George's County
Prince George's County Council Member At-Large Mel Franklin invites 1000 Fathers to stand up to be a part of the solution to end violence in our neighborhoods.
The 1000 Fathers Rally For Peace on Sunday, June 11, 2023, 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m., at the Show Place Arena. The 1000 Fathers Rally for Peace in Prince George's County will provide resources like job placement, expungement and legal assistance, physical and mental health services, small business support, social services, and much more.
Registration is strongly encouraged. To register, please visit https://tinyurl.com/1000-fathers-rally-2023.
Register HERE.
Prince George's County Council Members to Co-Host the 2023 MML Summer Conference Breakfast
Prince George's County Council Members Eric Olson (Council District 3), Ingrid Watson (Council District 4), and Jolene Ivey (Council District 5) will co-host the 2023 MML Summer Conference Breakfast on Wednesday, June 28, 2023, beginning at 8:00 AM.
The Dough Roller
(Near Convention Center)
4103 Coastal Highway (41st Street & Coastal Highway)
Ocean City, MD 21942
Prince George's County Council members will join hundreds of Maryland city and town officials at the 2023 Maryland Municipal League Summer Conference to learn about and discuss municipal issues and network with fellow city and town officials.
For more information, please contact your respective Council member's office.
Disability Blind Community Forum
Join Prince George's County Council Member At-Large Calvin S. Hawkins, II in shining a light on blindness at the Disability Blind Community Forum.
DATE:
Friday, June 23, 2023
LOCATION:
First Baptist Church of Highland Park
6801 Sheriff Road
Landover, Maryland 20785
The Disability Blind Community Forum is designed to create a dialogue between various organizations and our community of people with disabilities to address critical issues facing individuals who are blind and ways to enhance their overall quality of life.
Attendees will be eligible to win door prizes from exhibitors and will be provided with boxed lunches. This is a no-cost event.
Advance registration is required. Register HERE.
For more information, please email At-LargeMemberHawkins@co.pg.md.us or call (301) 952-2195.
Big News
Visitors at the Tina Turner Museum recall her strength and talent
Excerpt: BROWNSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Standing in a Tennessee museum, near exhibits of shimmering dresses worn by Tina Turner, Lisa Lyons wiped tears from her cheeks as she remembered the impact the singer and actor had on her life.
Lyons recalled watching Turner’s performance in the film “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome” as Auntie Entity, the tyrannical leader of a post-apocalyptic civilization.
“She was fierce, and she was strong, and she was powerful, and that has stayed with me,” said Lyons, who, like Turner, is Black. “As a little girl of color who didn’t have that type of role model in real life, it has stuck with me all these years.”
Three years later George Floyd Square remains a work in progress
Excerpt: In the three years since the murder of George Floyd and the protests that followed, not much has changed at the intersection of Chicago and 38th Street. The memorial in front of Cup Foods (rebranded Unity Foods) at George Floyd Square (GFS) serves as an ever-present reminder of the tragedy. The wooden barricade next to the memorial, etched with unfamiliar and familiar names like Philando Castillo and Jamar Clark, along with the “Peoples way” mural across the street bear witness to the Black and Brown lives lost before and after George Floyd.
Occasionally, tour guides can be seen leading sightseers up Chicago towards GFS, nervously trying to navigate the site of Black trauma, all the while turning tragedy into commerce.
Recently, however, the Graves Foundation announced plans to redevelop the building across the street from GFS on Chicago, purchasing it for just over $1 million. City Council President Andrea Jenkins has asked the state legislature for $25 million to help develop the area.
Major Blue Line Projects Aim To Transform Prince George’s County. Residents Hope It’s For The Better
Excerpt: Marshe’ Edwards has been a resident of Capitol Heights her whole life. She remembers going to the Boulevard at Capital Centre, an open-air mall filled with chain stores as well as local designers, a hopping movie theater, and plenty of restaurant options.
“[The Boulevard] was the place to be for high schoolers, for couples, for the older people, and then it’s right off the train,” Edwards says. But the Boulevard, which opened in 2003, didn’t stay popular for long. Malls in general began to decline, including the Boulevard, which was partially demolished in 2019.
$5.4 billion Prince George’s Co. budget approved. What’s in, what’s out?
Excerpt: "The county council in Prince George’s, Maryland, passed a $5.4 billion budget for fiscal year 2024 on Thursday. While many of County Executive Angela Alsobrooks’ priorities remained in it, others didn’t receive funding.
An initiative that will pay for security camera vouchers for county homeowners and businesses is among the programs moving forward.
As part of the Jayz Agnew Law, enacted following the deadly shooting of a 13-year-old while he raked leaves outside his home last year, $250,000 will go toward providing up to $100 for security cameras subscriptions and $200 for cameras."
Linda Harllee Harper, D.C. Bureaucrat Who Fought Against Gun Violence, Dies at 58
Excerpt: Linda Harllee Harper, the District director of gun violence prevention and the executive director of the Office of Neighborhood and Safety Engagement, died Friday at the age of 58.
Harllee Harper’s cause of death hasn’t been announced.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser expressed her sorrow regarding Harper’s death.
“Our hearts are broken by the loss of Linda Harllee Harper,” said Bowser. “Linda was beloved in the community and within D.C. government. Linda loved D.C., she loved and believed in Washingtonians. She dedicated her career and life to our young people and our community, and when she had a seat at the table, she was bringing someone with her—always listening to and empowering people closest to the communities she was working to help.”
Church Hosts Statewide Reentry Fair
Excerpt: "On May 18, the First Baptist Church of Glenarden hosted the Maryland Statewide Reentry and Justice-Involved Conference, a free, one-day event for anyone who is or was involved in the criminal justice system along with businesses and non-governmental organizations.
Collaborating partners for the event included My Covenant Place’s Alpha Project, the Maryland Statewide Alliance for Returning Citizens, Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Aisha Braveboy (D), Maryland Division of Parole and Probation and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland’s Reentry and Community Outreach Program. Diversion programs, best practices in law enforcement and juvenile justice, and the unique challenges women face during reentry were some of the topics discussed during the day."
Commentary: How to create a strong, connected, and prosperous future for Prince George’s County
Excerpt: In her recent State of County Budget Address, County Executive Angela Alsobrooks speaks to Prince George’s County’s “future proof budget.” In fiscal year 2024, nearly 82 percent of the county’s $5.4 billion budget will go to education, public safety and policing.
While these investments will undoubtedly make our community stronger, there is a less obvious way that we can improve both education and public safety—and help safeguard Prince George’s County’s future: upgrading communications infrastructure that we all rely on for broadband.
Online learning continues to persist even after the height of the pandemic. Furthermore, 45 percent of teens who live in households earning less than $30,000 a year say they sometimes rely on their cellphone to finish their homework or research projects. The next generation of wireless connectivity, called “5G,” promises speeds up to 100 times faster than the 4G standard, and will have the ability to connect up to 100 times the number of devices. As a result, 5G will give those who rely on a smartphone to get online even better access, offering one pathway to addressing digital inequities for our students.
Comptroller Lierman completes first 100 days in office
Excerpt: "Comptroller of Maryland, Brooke Lierman (D), was sworn into office on Jan. 16 as the first woman to serve in an independent, statewide office in the state of Maryland. In a one-on-one interview with the AFRO, Lierman discussed her career and path to the Comptroller’s Office, her experience during her first 100 days in office and her goals for the future.
The Office of the Comptroller acts as the elected chief financial officer of the State of Maryland, and accounts for every dollar in and out of the state. There is no other statewide elected financial officer like it in the nation in terms of the breadth of its duties."
Bowie State student’s class project turns into Maryland state law
Excerpt: A graduate student’s class project got a real-world application and was turned into state law that will go into effect starting July 1 across the University System of Maryland schools.
Bowie State University student Jakeya Johnson needed to come up with a “policy solution to a public problem” for an assignment in her graduate program in public administration and policy.
In recent years, Johnson has become a staunch advocate for reproductive rights and freedoms, so that’s where she turned.
The search for a new state election’s director narrowed to three finalists.
Excerpt: The population of Maryland and the United States is skewing older, new 2020 census data shows. Maryland’s median age of 38.8 — the same as the national median — is eight-tenths of a year higher than it was in 2010.
The figures come from 2020 census data released Thursday. The Demographic Profile and Demographic and Housing Characteristics data, the third set of numbers released from the 2020 census, expands upon redistricting data released in 2021, including a more detailed look at age, sex, families, households and housing.