Latest Voter Data on At-Large Race/Human Trafficking/ Community News & Meetings
Latest Voter Data on At-Large Race/Human Trafficking/ Community News & Meetings
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Voter data reveals that Council Member Chair Jolene Ivey, Democrat, is leading all Democrats in the race for the county’s at large seat. On the other side of the political spectrum, retired police officer and Republican Michael Riker leads his group. Ivey garnered 7,521 mail-in-ballot votes and 1,544 in-person votes.
Riker garnered 446 mail-in-ballot votes and only 32 in-person votes. If Ivey and Riker maintain their leads — the two could face each other in November.
According The Bowie Sun, votes will be certified on August 16.
Note: You can read about the candidates political positions at The Intersection.
Community Meetings
Testify at the PG County School Board Meetings for Solar Schools!
Time: 5 pm
Date: Tuesday and Thursday
Testify at the school board meetings and push solar for schools! August 21st is the budget policy committee meeting and is online. August 29th is the first in-person School Board meeting of the school year.
Link here.
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Community Information Session in English
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Date: August 15, 2024
Info: DPIE hosts quarterly virtual Third-Thursday Community Information Sessions to allow the public to interact directly with agency leadership and staff. Each session focuses on a particular topic and includes a brief presentation, comments by DPIE experts and a Q&A period.
Sessions take place from 11 a.m.–12 noon on the third Thursday of February, May, August and November. The next meeting in English is scheduled for August 15, 2024.
Participants may register in advance and submit questions to dpiepio@co.pg.md.us. We hope to see you at the next virtual meeting!
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Politics & Prose
Time: 7 p.m.
Date: August 9
Location: 5015 Connecticut Ave NW Washington, DC 20008
Info: Marshall Ganz — People, Power, Change: Organizing for Democratic Renewal - with Dorian Warren — at Conn Ave
At a moment when our democratic abilities seem to have eroded, and political, economic, and technological forces have weakened the capacity for collective action, People, Power, Change is a once-in-a-generation book for anyone who wants to create real and lasting change.
Marshall Ganz is one of the world's leading authorities on democratic organizing, and this book is the culmination of his decades of teaching, research, and work. In People, Power, Change, Ganz distills for students, practitioners, and activists the principles he has gleaned over the last half-century of creating collective action.
Ganz explores the forces, craft, and learned skill of organizing and provides an actionable framework for how to actually do it. He focuses the book on the creation and substance of relationships, the fuel of values and narrative, the resources and power of strategy, the necessity of structure, and the accountability of action. Across these five organizing ideas, Ganz weaves in his personal experiences from a lifetime of organizing in iconic social movements and campaigns to illustrate how collective action actually works and to build the practices and skills that must be developed to do it with intention and with success.
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Maryland State Archives
The State House Trust, the Commission on Artistic Property (of the Maryland State Archives), the Department of General Services, and the Maryland Public Art Commission (of the Maryland State Arts Council) are pleased to announce a Request for Qualifications from artists, or teams of artists (hereafter, “artists” shall mean individuals and/or teams of artists) with experience in figurative sculptural artwork to design and create a memorial to honor Black Patriots who served in the American Revolutionary War. Once identified, qualified artists will then be invited to submit proposals to be considered for commissioned work to create a monument that will be located on the grounds of the Maryland State House.
Stipend for artist: $5,000
Application Deadline: Friday, August 9, 2024 (Background info only, no artwork proposals)
To apply: click here How-to-Apply Webinar: Thursday, July 11, 2:00 - 3:00 pm; To register: Click here
To view the site plan drawings: click here
To view the How to Apply Webinar recording: click here
To view the Questions and Answers from the Webinar: click here
Information Sheet: Black Patriots in the Revolutionary War. Prepared by the Maryland State Archives: click here
The monument is to be placed on the exterior southeast lawn in front of the State House, the original 18th-century entrance to the building. The scale of this monument should be appropriately proportioned to respect the historic façade of the building, and not obscure the view onto, or from, the southeast portico. The monument will be located in proximity to the Old Treasury Building (the oldest public building in Annapolis, built 1735-36) as well as to the tree honoring Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., planted in 1984. The Maryland State House was built in the Georgian style. The proposed artwork should take into account the existing landscape and the scale of the building. There must be ADA access to view and experience the artwork. Artwork materials must be durable to withstand the elements and be low maintenance.
For more info - click here
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Community Trash Pick-Up
Prince George's County Council Member At-Large Calvin Hawkins, II for the second installment of the Community Trash Pick-Up series, Saturday, August 31, 2024, 8:00 AM, at John H. Bayne Elementary School.
DATE:
Saturday, August 31, 2024
8:00 AM
LOCATION:
John H. Bayne Elementary School
7010 Walker Mill Road
Capitol Heights, Maryland 20743
In collaboration with C.O.R.E.S. (Community of Re-Entry Services), the Community Trash Pick-Up Event is designed not only as a beautification effort to remove trash in high traffic areas but an assessment of community concerns in the Walker Mill community.
For more information and or to participate, please contact the Hawkins Team at (301) 952-2195 or by email at At-LargeMemberHawkins@co.pg.md.us.
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Step It Up II: Family Fitness Walk
Date: August 14, 2024
Times: 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Location: Fairwood Community Park (located near restrooms)
12390 Fairwood Parkway Bowie, MD 20720
Info: Step It Up II is more than just a walk. It's a movement toward a healthier and happier community. Coordinated by the Prince George’s County Health Department, in collaboration with the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission and the Department of Parks and Recreation, this program brings together individuals, families, schools, sports teams, and community organizations to prioritize health and well-being.
Register now for the 2024 Step It Up II Family Fitness Program.
2024 Walk Schedule:
Download the Step It Up II walk schedule.
2024 Step It Up II Family Fitness Program Schedule_revised.pdf
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Momentum and ePlan Customer Trainings
Date: August 15, 2024
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
DPIE is offering FREE, virtual Momentum and ePlan Training sessions on the third Thursday of every month. The Momentum and ePlan Training explains and demonstrates how to process an online permit application on our Momentum permitting system, and how to upload applications and plans for review in our ePlan system. View the DPIE News page for sign-up information.
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Lunch and Learn - Human Trafficking 101
Date: August 20, 2024
Times: 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
The Prince George's County Office of Human Rights' summer Lunch and Learn continues with Human Trafficking Awareness presented by Prince George’s County Human Trafficking Task Force members, Renée Battle-Brooks, Chair, and Felipe Urquilla, Task Force Administrator. What is human trafficking? Does it happen here? What are the signs and vulnerabilities? How can we get involved? Tune in on August 20th to learn and ask your questions of these two knowledgeable guests, leaders in the fight against human trafficking.
Click here to watch the livestream - https://www.youtube.com/live/txxhK6m5Rvk?si=jKvsrcptaMvqagC2.
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Solidarity Stories - Interior Chinatown
Date: August 20, 2024
Times: 6:30 p.m.
Location: 3809 Rhode Island Ave, Brentwood, MD 20722
Join the Prince George's County Office of Human Rights and the Prince George's County Memorial Library System, in partnership with Mixt Food Hall, for Solidarity Stories, a social justice-themed community book group that meets on the third Tuesday of the month. This month, we discuss Charles Yu's National Book Award winning Interior Chinatown. Borrow a copy from the library (Mt Rainier Branch has put some copies aside just for this!) and join the group at Mixt Food Hall (3809 Rhode Island Ave., Mount Rainier). Learn more and register to participate here: https://pgcmls.info/event/10867307.
Protagonist Willis Wu, a Taiwanese-American actor, dreams of being cast in the leading role of kung fu master, rather than playing one-dimensional background characters on TV and often feels stuck in the roles that Hollywood and American culture have created for Asian-Americans. Through Wu’s character, the novel gives a complete storyline to a background character and gives insight to his experiences, examining themes of xenophobia, racism, national identity, pop culture, and assimilation. Published in 2020, this book was a New York Times best seller and won the National Book Award for Fiction that year.
Big News
Press Release: Prince George's County Becomes First U.S. County to Pass Legislation Aimed at Combatting Human Trafficking in Maryland
Excerpt: LARGO, MD – Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks announced today that the County has taken a major step in combatting sex and labor trafficking with the passage of legislation that prohibits County contractors and subcontractors from engaging in sex and labor trafficking. The legislation, CB-023-2024, was passed unanimously on July 2, 2024, by the Prince George’s County Council making the County the first jurisdiction in the country to pass such a measure.
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Bowie, Upper Marlboro residents share range of reasons for voting in special election
Excerpt: Several Bowie and Upper Marlboro area voters opened up about who they supported or what issues drove them to the polls in the special election primary Aug. 6, which was held to fill the vacant at-large seat on the Prince George’s County Council.
Outside the building formerly known as Tall Oaks Vocational High School in Bowie, some voters said they disapproved of the type of development, quality of services, high taxes and level of crime in Prince George’s County. Others emphasized the need for experienced candidates and the importance of voting.
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NY venture acquires Forestville shopping center for $69M
Excerpt: A partnership of two New York firms has acquired a grocery-anchored shopping center in Forestville for $68.5 million.
DLC Management Corp., which owns and operates open-air shopping centers across 20 states, and institutional real estate investor Meadow Partners announced the off-market acquisition of the Penn Mar Shopping Center in an Aug. 7 press release.
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Prince George's County to distribute free sandbags in anticipation of Debby rainfall
Excerpt: Crews with the Department of Public Works and Transportation (DPW&T) in Prince George’s County will give away free sandbags starting Thursday morning in anticipation of heavy rain from Debby's remnants.
Officials said sandbags will be available Aug. 8 through Saturday, Aug. 10, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the below locations:
Brandywine Facility: 12911 Cherry Tree Crossing Road, Brandywine, Md. 20613 (South County)
Ammendale Facility: 1190 Montgomery Road, Beltsville, Md. 20705 (North County)
D’Arcy Road Maintenance Facility: 8401 D’Arcy Road, Forestville, Md. 20747 (Central County)
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Prince George's County battles illegal dumping with hidden camera traps
Excerpt: If you’re not a fan of industrial-scale litter, these videos just might make you mad.
They’re from one of Prince George’s County’s hidden illegal dumping video traps. It has been catching dumpers in action. Including a man in a Range Rover who rolls up in broad daylight and dumps a toilet. Seemingly not satisfied with his mess he pulls out a hammer and smashes the commode.
“It’s pretty upsetting,” said Andrea Crooms.
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Where DMV rent prices are rising the most, per Post study
Excerpt: The DMV's expensive rental prices continue to creep upwards, especially in Northern Virginia, according to a Washington Post analysis of CoStar Group rent data.
Why it matters: As the area's median home price sits at a record high of $640,000, many would-be buyers are forced to keep renting.
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Mahogany Books Celebrates James Baldwin’s 100th Birthday With Black Books Matter Fest
Excerpt: National Harbor’s Black-owned bookstore Mahogany Books hosted a Black Books Matter Fest commemorating legendary author James Baldwin on Aug. 3. During this event, books by Baldwin, a storyteller whose works have greatly inspired other writers, were spotlighted, while other authors sold their works.
“As a reader, I can see [Baldwin’s] influence in other writings I’ve read. His impact is that his words gave people the permission to be fully free and to experience their Black humanity in full,” said Derrick A. Young, who co-founded the bookstore with his wife Ramunda Young.