INSIDE SELECT EDITIONS
STEPPING UP, STEPPING OUT
A convenient directory of things to do and see in Prince George’s, including activities for kids, arts, entertainment, sports and recreation and special events
ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE 2014
Gazette-Star SERVING SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY COMMUNITIES
DAILY UPDATES ONLINE www.gazette.net
Thursday, April 24, 2014
25 cents
Baker: County can’t rest despite recent success County executive stresses next steps in state of county address n
BY CHASE COOK STAFF WRITER
‘There’s still a need for the
mom and pops’ pops’
Prince George’s independent restaurants work to weather the recession, regulations and rivals
Strengthening public schools, continued focus on reducing crime and tackling the county’s foreclosure problems are the next steps to continue making Prince George’s County the “place to be,” said County Executive Rushern L. Baker III during his State of the County speech. “We have built a foundation that has given us an opportunity to soar,” Baker said. “But our work is far from done.” Baker spoke at a Comfort Inn in Bowie on Wednesday at the State of the County Breakfast, an event sponsored by the Greater Bowie Chamber of Commerce. The chamber holds the event each year as a fundraiser and invites other county leaders to attend, said Kelly Pierce, chamber executive director. During his speech Baker
said he hoped the new Prince George’s County Public Schools CEO, Kevin Maxwell, and a restructured school government would strengthen county schools and bring middle class families back to the public school system. He also said the county had to tackle home foreclosures to help boost the county’s home market economy and said the county must continue to reduce crime to “erase the false perception that Prince George’s County is not safe.” Belinda Queen-Howard of Capitol Heights said she hopes Baker focuses more on the middle and lower class communities. She said she hoped his comments on fixing foreclosure problems mean those communities would be revitalized. “Let’s take some of this money and fix up these houses sitting blank in the community,” Queen-Howard said. “There are a lot of empty houses and it makes south county look bad.” Arthur Turner of Kettering
See COUNTY, Page A-8
n
BY EMILIE EASTMAN STAFF WRITER
T
wenty-nine years ago, Tim and Karen Murray opened their family restaurant, TJ’s of Calverton in Beltsville, with a handful of family recipes and a threeyear-old son in tow. Over the past three decades, the couple has formed friendships with their customers, given them rides, celebrated their triumphs and gone to their funerals. But rising food prices, the increasing
Bowie council OKs Melford Village plans
popularity of fast food restaurants and a new Prince George’s County minimum wage law are threatening profits and making their old-fashioned, small-town approach difficult to sustain, Tim Murray said. “I don’t think, given the circumstances today and all the fees and all the regulations, we could open this business today,” he said. “There’s just no way. The business model would not work.” In 2004, Prince George’s
Residents worry housing influx would cause traffic problems n
BY CHASE COOK STAFF WRITER
Bowie residents who oppose the Melford Village development — which could bring up to 2,500 new housing units to the city — will have to take their arguments to the Prince George’s County Planning Board since the Bowie City Council voted to approve the project in a 6-to-1 vote. “I fervently oppose the intensity and density of the project,” said Genevieve Liang, who lives next to the proposed project. The vote came Monday after months of debate as residents pushed back against a project they said would cause too many traffic problems and not fit the needs of the city. The proposal will now go to the Planning Board for review and approval before making its way to the District Council for final approval. Baltimore-based St. John Properties, the property developer, has requested Bowie of-
See RESTAURANTS, Page A-7
Residents: More fine dining options, please n
Others argue culinary scene offers quality, diversity BY
ALICE POPOVICI STAFF WRITER
At least once a month, Max Sagastizado of Laurel said he takes his family out for a nice dinner at a restaurant in Washington, D.C.’s Penn Quarter or
14th Street neighborhoods. He said he would prefer to support restaurants in Prince George’s County, but when it comes to fine dining, he said there are not many choices. “We would like to see more fine dining restaurants in the area,” said Sagastizado, who had just finished lunch at LongHorn Steakhouse in Laurel on March
See FINE DINING, Page A-7
INSIDE:
UNCLAIMED PROPERTY LIST
Maryland’s annual booklet listing names and addresses of those who have accounts with unclaimed funds will be distributed this week. If you get The Gazette at home and did not get the publication this week or last, email circulation@gazette.net after May 2.
1910241
PHOTOS BY GREG DOHLER/THE GAZETTE
Brian Boileau has operated the Pizza Oven in Riverdale Park since 1957. The restaurant’s walls are filled with sports and political memorabilia and eclectic souvenirs, much of which was given to Boileau by customers. At top: Karen Murray (right), co-owner of TJ’s of Calverton restaurant in Beltsville, checks on patron Caroline Hayes (seated, center) of Adelphi and her dining companions on March 21.
SPORTS
AND THEY’RE OFF Top track athletes face dilemma in training for this weekend’s Penn Relays.
B-5
Automotive Calendar Classified Community News Entertainment Opinion Sports
Please
RECYCLE
ficials approve a plan to bring the housing units, a combination of senior housing, apartments and town homes, along with retail and hotel space, and title it “Melford Village,” St. John Properties officials said. Officials and supporters of the proposal said the mixeduse development would revitalize the current Melford location, which has operated as an office park, but has struggled to attract businesses. Residents who opposed the current Melford Village proposal said they didn’t approve of the density of the project and lamented the traffic problems it could cause. Richard Dodson of Bowie said at the meeting that he thought too many residential units on a site with only one entrance and exit would cause traffic problems on Belair Drive and Robert Crain Highway, which already suffers from congestion, as both roads intersect near the proposed Melford Village. “I think having a second entrance into Melford is the only way to deal with traffic in that area,” Dodson said. “Everything coming in and out of
See DEVELOPMENT, Page A-8
B-8 A-2 B-8 A-3 B-1 A-9 B-5
Check out our Services Directory ADVERTISING INSIDE B SECTION