MARKETING MOGULS Bowie State students hone skills with businesses. A-3
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NEWS: Bowie Railroad Museum on track with long-awaited repair plans. A-4
SPORTS: Surrattsville football looking to build on last year’s region championship. B-1
SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNT Y DA I LY U P DAT E S AT G A Z E T T E . N E T
Thursday, July 3, 2014
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Former county executive Curry dies at 63 From NFL stadium to better housing, leaders say he transformed county n
BY JEFFREY LYLES AND EMILIE EASTMAN STAFF WRITERS
Wayne K. Curry, the former Prince George’s County execu-
tive, who many leaders credit with transforming the image of the county, died Wednesday. Curry, 63, served as county executive from 1994 to 2004. During his tenure, Prince George’s experienced a surge in growth and prosperity, said county leaders. Curry, a New York native, announced in April that he was diagnosed with lung cancer.
While in office, Curry argued for upscale development, shopping centers like the Bowie Town Center and other large developments. He is credited with luring the NFL’s Washington Redskins from Washington, D.C., to a new stadium in Landover and convincing thenowner Jack Kent Cooke to build the team’s new home using state funds instead of county dollars.
“All that you see, everything you see from National Harbor, the new shopping centers, the grander-scale housing came from the seeds he planted,” said David Harrington, president of the county’s Chamber of Commerce. “All the nicer restaurants, shopping and new schools really started with Wayne Curry. While he wasn’t in office to see all of it nor will he see some of the fin-
ishing touches, he planted the seeds for all of it.” After leaving office, Curry continued to use his influence to help move the county forward, lending his support to the county’s effort in 2012 to bring gambling to Prince George’s. Lillian K. Beverly, 85, who from 1995 to 2007 served as
2001 FILE PHOTO
Former Prince George’s County Executive Wayne Curry.
See CURRY, Page A-6
Bowie couple plans wildlife center City launches n
alert system
Founders of ‘animal ambassador’ program to expand operation BY
Bowie program will send updates with emergency, nonemergency information n
EMILIE EASTMAN STAFF WRITER
The garage annex of Echo and Michael Uzzo’s Bowie residence is home to more than tools or garden equipment. It is inhabited by about 60 amphibians, mammals and insects who regularly tour the state as part of lessons about wildlife and nature conservation. The Uzzos started their nonprofit — Echoes of Nature — in 2010 and estimate that they’ve given “animal ambassador” presentations at several hundred schools, day cares, senior centers and special events each year. The couple has around five dozen animals living in an addition at their home — including turtles, rabbits, a chinchilla, a hawk and an owl — that are mostly adopted rescues. They are hoping to expand their operation by creating a wildlife discovery center in the Bowie area that would feature indoor and outdoor animal exhibits as well as educational programming, Michael Uzzo said. “We kept getting asked where our center was,” he said. “The idea is for [the center] to be a place not only for schools but also for families to go in and experience the rich wonders of Maryland wildlife.” Christin Vare is the director of the summer camp program at St. Mathew’s Early Education Center in Bowie and said a local nature center would offer good field trip opportunities. “That would be really exciting to know we have another option for a field trip that is local that we could support,” she said. Vare said Echoes of Nature has presented at St. Matthew’s summer camp for about six years and that the children look forward to the visits each summer. “The kids really love it. They’ve very excited to see nature brought inside where they can get a hands-on experience,” Vare said. “They’re always excited to see animals they wouldn’t nor-
BY
EMILIE EASTMAN STAFF WRITER
Bowie residents are now able to access the city’s new resident communication system that will send emergency alerts as well as relevant community information directly to subscribers’ phones or email inboxes. Bowie is one of the first municipalities in Prince George’s County to pioneer the new notification system, which will replace the program used by several
See ALERT, Page A-6
GREG DOHLER/THE GAZETTE
Echo Uzzo of Echoes of Nature points out features on a red-eared slider turtle during a presentation June 26 at KinderCare in Bowie. mally see in their own backyard.” Bowie KinderCare director Yuna Crockett said the children at her day care center were anticipating an Echoes of Nature presentation on June 26, which featured a live display of insects, a turtle and a chinchilla. “They knew they were going to see insects, so they were excited about it,” Crockett said. “It’s something new.” The Uzzos have been running their program since 2002, but formed their nonprofit eight years later partly to become eligible for grant
“When I was working at the zoo, I never saw kids from our area. I wanted to teach kids about wildlife.” Echo Uzzo, Echoes of Nature
Schools adopt new cellphone policy n
Students may keep devices for instructional purposes
BY JAMIE
ANFENSON-COMEAU STAFF WRITER
Prince George’s County Public School students will be allowed to use cell phones and other electronic devices under specific circumstances during the school day, beginning next school year. On June 26, the school board unanimously approved a new policy permitting the use of portable electronic devices, or PEDs, including cell phones,
See WILDLIFE, Page A-6
See CELLPHONE, Page A-6
Bowie to assemble children’s drum circle at Allen Pond Park n
Musical playground to offer creative play opportunities BY
EMILIE EASTMAN STAFF WRITER
This summer, children visiting Allen Pond Park in Bowie will be able to dance to the beat of their own large, colorful plastic drums. Bowie officials are planning to install musical playground equipment designed as a colorful children’s drum circle this summer.
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The structure will cover an area measuring 18 feet by 20 feet and include about 18 musical instruments, including drums and bells, said Annette Esterheld, Bowie’s arts and education specialist. The playground equipment and installation, which will cost approximately $11,000 are being funded through the city’s public arts fund as outlined in Bowie’s Public Art Master Plan. Esterheld said the drum circle was recommended by the city’s arts committee, which is composed of nine local visual and performance artists.
“One of the [recommendations] was a musical component at one of the city’s playgrounds,” she said. “It’s public art. People could get at it 24/7 and it would encourage kids to do something with music.” Margaret Suddeth, a watercolor artist from Bowie and volunteer member of the arts committee, said the committee discussed the drum circle project for about a year. “We were looking for our next project and we wanted to do something with kids,” she said. “The drum circle seemed like a great idea. It’s a rela-
tively active area so we knew it would be used.” Suddeth said the committee felt it was especially important to provide an artistic outlet for area children who might not be receiving much training in art or music at school. “[The drum circle] gives a creative activity that the kids can take control of,” she said. “It’s not like a class where somebody is guiding them. They can just have fun and create music, and I feel that’s the start of creativity.” Esterheld did not have a specific date for the circle’s construction, but
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said she hopes it will be installed before the end of the summer beside the playground near the Allen Pond boathouse. Nicole Bartels of Bowie said she and her children occasionally visit a park in Mitchellville that has musical playground equipment and that she thinks the drum circle will be a popular addition to the park. “I know my kids always tend to gravitate toward the [musical playground equipment] because they love music and it’s another way for them to
See DRUM, Page A-6