LANDSLIDE AFTERMATH Fort Washington homeowners agree to partial buyout. A-5
Gazette-Star
NEWS: Bowie fathers step forward to impart lessons of manhood. A-4
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, August 14, 2014
25 cents
NON-LEVEL PLAYING FIELD
Prince George’s spending trails Montgomery Low funds and outdated facilities hold back county athletics n
BY
SPORTS: Former rivals, now teammates, two of county’s NFL players return to Landover. B-1
PRINCE J. GRIMES STAFF WRITER
It’s happening slower than most have hoped for, but Prince George’s County’s public high school’s are showing some progress when it comes to improving their athletic facilities. It’s hard to tell when you look at the relatively quick progress being made in neighboring Montgomery County, Each school gets but Prince George’s County P u b l i c in Prince George’s for athletics. Schools Director of Interscho- Each school gets lastic Athletics Earl Hawkins in Montgomery said you for athletics. can’t compare the two counties. “We don’t operate the same,” Hawkins said. “We really don’t operate the same, and financially, I don’t know how they stack up to us, but I think they have more resources right now in terms of money.” Montgomery County does have more financial resources than Prince George’s. MCPS allocated $7.8 million last fiscal year to its athletic programs,
n
The murder of a 39-year-old man in the peaceful, well-manicured neighborhood of Balk Hill at Regent Park in Bowie has left neighbors and law enforcement asking the same question: “why?” Prince George’s County police are not reporting any leads on the homicide of Amir Ali, Jr., who recently moved to the area and kept to himself, according to neighbors. Ali was found shot July 31 in his home on Chessington Way, just outside the incorporated city of Bowie. Police believe the homicide was drug-related and are searching for two suspects, but investigators have not released additional information or case documents, said county police spokesman William Alexander.
See HOMICIDE, Page A-10
FOOTBALL FACILITIES
BY
INSIDE
ERIC GOLDWEIN STAFF WRITER
On a late July afternoon, the Crossland High School football team walked across the school’s concrete track, and onto an uneven grass field for an informal summer practice. Referred to as “the dust bowl” and “the prison,” the field will be its home for the next four months. The
n Title IX helped some schools upgrade. A-9 n Schools struggle to find enough practice space. A-9
T G G G G
Y Y Y Y Y
N N Y Y N
N N N N N
Thomas S. Wootton Walt Whitman Walter Johnson Montgomery Blair Richard Montgomery
4,000 3,500 3,500 3,200 3,200
T G T T T
Y Y Y Y Y
Y Y Y Y Y
Y Y Y Y Y
Fairmont Heights Gwynn Park Frederick Douglass Potomac Suitland
750 800 1,000 1,000 1,000
G G G G G
Y Y N Y Y
N N N N N
N N N N N
Rockville Albert Einstein Bethesda-Chevy Chase John F. Kennedy Sherwood
1,500 1,900 2,000 2,000 2,000
G G G G G
Y Y Y Y Y
Y Y Y Y Y
Y Y Y Y Y
Prince George’s
Cap acit y Fiel d (T u Con rf or G ras ces s) Res sions troo Ligh ms ts
Lack of funds, equipment puts schools at disadvantage, coaches say
5,000 4,000 3,000 2,800 2,500
Montgomery
Oxon Hill High School is the first public school in the county with an artificial turf field, making its debut this fall.
Oxon Hill Parkdale Northwestern Henry A. Wise Crossland
Prince George’s
GREG DOHLER/THE GAZETTE
High school
Montgomery
Comparing the five largest and smallest in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties.
n
n School officials often maintain their fields. A-8
DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE
Crossland High School coach Stephen Powell stands on the 50-yard line of the program’s football field on July 30.
Schools struggle to raise money for basic needs
The Gazette analyzed athletic facilities at the 47 public high schools in its coverage areas of Prince George’s and Montgomery counties.
EMILIE EASTMAN STAFF WRITER
$65,000
IN DEPTH
Neighbors say victim kept to himself BY
$17,000
See FACILITIES, Page A-8
Homicide stirs shock in Bowie
Bowie resident circles back to county schools New principal aims to increase graduation rate at Upper Marlboro’s Douglass High n
BY
KIRSTEN PETERSEN STAFF WRITER
After more than a decade of rising through the ranks at schools in Anne Arundel County, Baltimore County, and most recently, New York, a former Prince George’s teacher has returned to lead Frederick Douglass High School in Upper Marlboro. In his first year as principal, Eddie Scott, 44, of Bowie said he plans to focus on student development. Scott said his goals include increasing the number of students moving from ninth to 10th grade, continuing the growth in the 12th grade
See MONEY, Page A-9
See SCHOOLS, Page A-10
Kettering community activist uplifted by support from residents n
Family and friends raise $7k for recovery fund BY
KIRSTEN PETERSEN STAFF WRITER
For more than 20 years, Arthur Turner, 56, of Kettering has volunteered at homeless shelters, advocated for economic development in Prince George’s
INDEX Automotive Calendar Classified Entertainment Opinion Sports
County and negotiated with landlords to help families facing eviction. Now, the well-known community activist faces home and health issues himself, and the community he’s helped serve have organized a fundraising campaign to come to his assistance. “When you see someone who has done as much as he has to help others, a selfless giver, you ought to do what you can to help them when they’re down,”
said Terry Speigner, who launched a GoFundMe campaign for Turner. Turner said he began to step away from his leadership positions with the Towns of Kettering Home Owners Association and the Coalition of Central Prince George’s County Community Organizations last year when he learned a tumor on his adrenal gland, which regulates hormones, had enlarged and needed to be removed.
He was advised to lower his blood pressure before the surgery, but a series of unexpected events only caused his blood pressure to spike, Turner said. “I’ve been stressed,” Turner said. “I’ve been tested, but God helps those who remain strong in faith.” His town home suffered fire, smoke and water damage from his neighbor’s house fire in April and the following month he learned the tumor was can-
NEWS B-10 A-2 B-7 B-4 A-11 B-1
A CHANGE IN PLANS School system shakes up start date, orientation.
A-3
Volume 17, No. 33, Two sections, 24 Pages Copyright © 2014 The Gazette Please
RECYCLE
August 21, 2014 1934323
cerous. Turner said the time spent away from work caused him to lose his job as a county liquor inspector and along with it his health insurance. And in the morning of June 9, Turner woke up to discover his leg was severely swollen, possibly from an insect bite, Turner said, and he was admit-
See ACTIVIST, Page A-10