Welcome Back/ Big News/ Community News
Welcome Back/ Big News/ Community News
I appreciate your support.
I have some good news. A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to the Black Food Black Farmer’s event/workshop on Friday and Saturday. The event will be held on Oct. 6 and Oct. 7. The event is free to the public. It is centered on food desserts and food insecurity in Prince George’s County. You can RSVP here.
I will be there as a vendor on Saturday morning talking to people about The Intersection’s journalism. Again, thank you for all your support.
Also, The Intersection’s New Article: “Early screening for learning disabilities ‘would make a huge difference”
Excerpt: Frank Pinckney wonders what his life could have been like if his parents and teachers had believed what he now believes: that as a child he had a learning disability, attention deficit disorder (ADHD) and suffered from trauma after a sexual assault.
As it turned out, none of these problems were diagnosed, which may help explain why Pinckney’s life spiraled into crime and mental illness, and substance use disorder.
Community Notes
This week, the Prince George’s County Board of Education passed a labor agreement for contractors. Read the article here.
Christianne Marguerite, director of communication for Progressive Maryland, wanted to share a behind-the-scenes commentary on the passing of the agreement.
Progressive Maryland’s 7/10 Black Workers Center was instrumental in helping to secure a commitment to raise the work standards of school construction in Prince George’s County. First and foremost, the support for this comes after many years of electoral work to put progressive working-class champions into local office in Prince George’s County on both the County Council and the Board of Education.
These victories resulted in a lot of support for workers on both local governing bodies that made it clear to all parties involved that no P3 deal would happen without the assurance that workers had the protection of a Project Labor agreement.
In addition, the 7/10 Black Workers Center made thousands of calls, and knocked on thousands of doors urging residents to contact the County Executive, Angela Alsobrooks. We demanded she support strong provisions in the agreement that would lead to increased local hiring and union jobs for residents. These calls resulted in behind-the-scenes support from the Alsobrooks, which aided with moving the school system towards supporting the demands of workers.
Our work also helped to elevate the stories of workers who had experienced wage theft during the first phase of the P3 school construction project, which demonstrated the need for urgent action to ensure that adequate protections for workers were a part of the next phase of the school construction program.
Thanks to all of these factors and more, the 7/10 Black Workers Center was able to achieve a major victory, which sets a powerful precedent for community-focused economic development. Now, the organization is positioned well to continue the fight for Black workers and all working-class people to have higher labor standards in the construction industry.
Community Meetings
Listen. Learn. Lead With Prince George’s County Superintendent
Locations:
Oct. 10 - Oxon Hill High School, 6-8 p.m.
Oct. 18 - Charles H. Flowers High School, 6-8 p.m.
Oct. 23 - Virtual Town Hall Meeting, 6-7:30 p.m.
Pink Ribbon Rally Hosted and supported by Luminis Healthcare
location: Luminis Health Doctors Community Medical Center, Greenbelt, MD
Time: Friday, October 6, 8:00 am-3:00 pm
Registration Is Required.
Indigenous Peoples Day
Local Government - Closures
Waste & Recycling
Closed/No Collection
Animal Services Facility & Adoption Center (3750 Brown Station Road)
Bulky Trash Collection (White goods/appliances and scrap tires, by appointment only) (Regularly scheduled collections resume Tuesday, October 10)
Electronics Recycling Acceptance Site (Located at the Brown Station Road Sanitary Landfill; (Only open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday)
Household Hazardous Waste Acceptance Site (Located at the Brown Station Road Sanitary Landfill; (Only open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday)
Open/Regular Collection
Brown Station Road Public Convenience Drop-off Center
Brown Station Road Sanitary Landfill
Curbside Bulky Trash Collection in County-Contracted Areas (Regular collections occur Tuesday, October 10 through Friday, October 13)
Curbside Recycling Collection in County-Contracted Areas (Regular collections occur Tuesday, October 10 through Friday, October 13)
Curbside Trash Collection in County-Contracted Areas (Regular collections occur Tuesday, October 10 through Friday, October 13)
Missouri Avenue Solid Waste Acceptance and Recycling Drop-off Center
Prince George’s County Materials Recycling Facility (1000 Ritchie Road)
Prince George’s County Organics Composting Facility
Residential Food Scraps and Yard Trim Collection (Regular collections occur Monday, October 9)
Transportation
The Bus
TheBus, (a public transit service operated by the Prince George’s County Department of Public Works and Transportation),
will operate on Monday, October 9, 2023.
except Route 51X, which operates only in downtown Upper Marlboro during peak periods when the Courthouse is open. Regular operations on Route 51X will resume on Tuesday, October 10, 2023.
Call-A-Bus and PGC Link services (including dialysis transportation)
will not operate on Monday, October 9, 2023.
Regular operations of the Call-A-Bus and PGC Link services will resume on Tuesday, October 10, 2023.
Permitting, Inspections, and Enforcement
will be closed on Monday, October 9, 2023.
Regular business hours will resume on Tuesday, October 10, 2023.
PGC311
will be closed on Monday, October 9, 2023.
Residents can still submit service/issue requests online at www.pgc311.com
Regular operations will resume on Tuesday, October 10, 2023.
Human Rights Commission Meeting
Date: October 23, 2023
Time: 5:30 PM
Location: The Human Rights Commission is currently meeting virtually. The Zoom link can be found on the agenda.
Address: Upper Marlboro, MD 20772
Email (if you have questions): OHRstaff@co.pg.md.us
Big News
Politics
HEALTH DEPARTMENT RECEIVES MORE THAN $7 MILLION IN GRANTS TO EMPOWER COUNTY YOUTH
Excerpt: Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks and the Prince George’s County Health Department announced today that the Health Department’s Behavioral Health Division is the recipient of two vital grant awards from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Healthy Transitions grant and the System of Care grant. The funding from these grants totals $7.75 million over a five-year period and will support behavioral health needs and improve outcomes for children, youth, young adults, and their families.
DC area needs more housing. So why might Prince George’s Co. cap new permits next year?
Excerpt: A proposal is moving through the Prince George’s County Council that would limit residential building permits in 2024 — and more severely in areas beyond the Beltway and designated transit areas.
The resolution is being sponsored by Council Chair Thomas Dernoga and is backed by four other members of the Council. If approved, it would cap the number of new building permits that could be issued in 2024 at 2,800 dwelling units total. But 2,100 of them would have to be inside the Beltway, or within a mile of Interstates 95 and 495.
Excerpt: It’s happened in D.C. and other parts of the country, and now Prince George’s County, Maryland, is joining Montgomery County in an effort to increase the tipped minimum wage at its restaurants.
Under a plan introduced Tuesday, the county would see tipped minimum wage of $3.63 per hour gradually go up to $13 an hour to equal the standard minimum wage. The legislation currently phases the increase in over five years, but an amendment is likely to speed that up to three years.
County Council Moves Virtual Attendance Option Out of Committee
Excerpt: With eight Councilmembers supporting and three abstaining, the Prince George’s County Council advanced CR-78 out of committee on Tuesday, Sept. 26 and moved it to a final vote. This proposal would allow virtual attendance and voting in the event of absence due to medical emergencies.
Moore: Ongoing violence cannot be allowed to stand
Excerpt: Gov. Wes Moore (D) offered words of condemnation following a shooting on the campus of Morgan State University that left five people injured.
Moore, speaking Wednesday at the start of the Board of Public Works meeting, said more must be done to stem the tide of violent crime and the ease with which firearms are accessed and used against people.
“Unfortunately, we are having to open up another Board of Public Works meeting, acknowledging the fact that there is a very real violence problem building out in our society,” said Moore, who has made similar comments at previous meetings about a mass shooting in Brooklyn Park and another on the Eastern Shore.
Senate Debate Delayed, Dueling Endorsements Debuted
Excerpt: The Latino Democrats of Prince George’s County planned a debate among the three leading Senate candidates to be held at Elizabeth Seton High School, but the debate has been delayed to Sunday, Dec. 3rd due to scheduling conflicts with Rep. David Trone (D-Md.) and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks.
The debate will now coincide with the one-year anniversary of The Latino Democrats of Prince George’s County’s founding, and businessman Juan Dominguez will be invited to the forum.
Health
Department of Labor approves wage rate to fund paid family, medical leave for workers in Maryland
Excerpt: The Maryland Department of Labor announced the first step in providing a state plan for Maryland workers to receive partial paid family and medical leave to help ailing family members, look after a newborn baby or spend time with a family member before military deployment.
On Sept. 29, the department approved the initial contribution rate for the Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) state plan. The contribution rate will be 0.90% of covered wages divided equally (at 0.45% each) between the employer and employees at businesses with 15 or more workers.
COVID-19 numbers in Maryland and region surge amid decline in preventive measures
Excerpt: Maryland is seeing a surge in COVID cases that mirrors national trends — and experts say it might continue as the state heads into respiratory disease season and as some residents take lax approaches to preventive measures.
The rate of reported COVID-19 cases in the state saw an uptick during September. Sept. 11 saw the highest recorded case rate last month in Maryland, with 6.64 cases per 100,000 people. Case rates have seen a gradual decline since then, but are still sitting above rates during the summer months.
Excerpt: Thousands of Kaiser Permanente workers across the United States began a strike against contract negotiations that strikers say are not being done “in good faith” and fail to adequately address the “unsafe staffing levels” within the major medical organization.The contracts for several thousand Kaiser Permanente workers expired Sunday evening, including contracts for about 400 pharmacists and optometrists out of Virginia and Washington, D.C., kicking off the nationwide strike of Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers and technicians, according to a written statement from The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions.
Tech
Yes, Buses Are Slower And More Crowded. Metro Says It Might Get Worse
Excerpt: Sorry, I’m late – the bus was late.”
It’s a refrain that’s become almost as familiar in D.C. as the buzz of cicadas or nightly summer fireworks. While it’s never been perfect or as fast as rail, bus service is a vital mode of transportation for the region’s residents, especially when reaching areas lacking a Metro stop. It’s also flat fare and has not been subject to similar fare evasion crackdowns as the rail system.
But more and more often, otherwise consistently scheduled buses appear to be arriving later or sporadically. More and more often, WAMU colleagues, whom I trust not to betray their journalistic integrity by lying, blame their morning tardiness on a bus that came later than usual. My own once reliable H2 trips to the newsroom have, in recent months, become unpredictable.
Seeking solutions for the Anacostia's toxic hot spots
Excerpt: A group of people standing knee-deep in the marshy muck of the Anacostia River might have been mistaken for mussel foragers on an early August morning, except for their hazmat-like clothing. And the footlong mud-covered spikes they pulled out of a highly contaminated stretch of the river that day were not for consumption.
The 63 plastic spikes had spent a year in the riverbed absorbing PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls. Now they could be removed, taking the toxic contaminants with them — and out of the Anacostia ecosystem.