EARLY START Kindergartners enroll in Spanish language immersion. A-3
Gazette-Star
NEWS: Bowie day care celebrates 50 years in business. 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 28, 2014
25 cents
Busy Bowie intersection still in dark
Wal-Mart standoff continues Bowie campaign escalates after two similar efforts stall n
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Traffic light project could be delayed another two months, city officials say
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EMILIE EASTMAN STAFF WRITER
In spite of the promise of jobs and economic revitalization, some Bowie residents hope to send Wal-Mart executives shopping for a new superstore location instead of the proposed site at the Duvall Village shopping center. Opponents of the proposed store say the cancellation of two nearby Wal-Mart projects this month gives them hope, while Walmart representatives say the projects are not connected. On Aug. 6, a Prince George’s County zoning hearing examiner denied a proposal for a Wal-Mart in Oxon Hill following community pushback. WalMart canceled another project in Aspen Hill in Montgomery County on Aug. 12, citing they were unsure of the length of the zoning process. “[These examples are] definitely encouraging because it shows how powerful people can be when they get together and stand up and speak with one voice,” said Jennifer Dwyer of Bowie, an organizer of the group opposing the Duvall WalMart. “We can even stand up to the world’s largest corporation.” Dwyer and some of her neighbors opposing the new Wal-Mart have collected around 500 petition signatures and are planning a second petition Saturday to voice their concerns about traffic, crime and other issues they link to the corporation. But Wal-Mart representatives and several local businesses are emphasizing the community benefits of a new superstore, including the addition of jobs and increased traffic at the largely vacant shopping
See WAL-MART, Page A-9
SPORTS: McNamara quarterback leads Mustangs into Saturday’s season-opener. B-1
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EMILIE EASTMAN STAFF WRITER
Bowie residents waiting for the green light to turn out of Evergreen Parkway onto one of the city’s busiest highways could be waiting up to two months longer, according to city officials. While dormant traffic light and crossing signal infrastructure at the Evergreen Parkway intersection near the Bowie Town Center suggests drivers and pedestrians will soon be able to exit onto Md. 197 more safely, utility company Baltimore Gas and Electric still needs to install an electric meter, which means it could be months before the light is active, said city manager David Deutsch.
See INTERSECTION, Page A-9 GREG DOHLER/THE GAZETTE
Principal LaChon Winston offers words of encouragement Tuesday to students lined up for the start of classes at Waldon Woods Elementary School in Clinton.
A ‘mom away from home’
Waldon Woods principal to become county administrator in September
derstand the impact you have on a community until such a time as this,” Winston said. Winston, 44, of Fort Washington said she hesitated to accept the new position because she could not see herself working outside of a school. Before becoming principal at Waldon Woods in 2007, she worked as a teacher, regional instruction specialist and an assistant principal. “When I was called and congratulated on the position, immediately my heart fell into my stomach,” Winston said. “I got the position, but I had to leave my children.” The candidate to replace Winston will go before the board of education on today, said Max Pugh, the acting communications director for the county school system. Winston said there were “a
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KIRSTEN PETERSEN STAFF WRITER
Waldon Woods principal LaChon Winston spent her first day back to school just like she has for the past seven years — greeting returning students, helping lost children find their classrooms and giving information to new parents. But in two weeks, the administrator some students have called their “mom away from home” will be leaving the Clinton school to become a human resource senior partner with Prince George’s County Public Schools. “You don’t see or know or un-
lot of tears” when she broke the news to her staff, but she said she recognized the position would be a stepping stone that would help her grow and allow her to make an impact. “I feel like if I get the opportunity to put the best teachers in front of children, I think it is as important as being in a building,” Winston said. Parent NaDora Stewart said she saw Winston when she dropped off her daughter Naila for the first day. She said Winston affirmed her devotion to Waldon Woods by starting the new year with her students. “It showed us parents she cares about making sure the first day of school and the first week of school runs as smoothly as it has,”
Kettering barbers cut up as men meet n
Weekly gathering takes on relationships, healthy communication BY
KIRSTEN PETERSEN STAFF WRITER
Sean White, a barber at the Kettering Barbershop, said Tuesday nights at the shop are funny, serious, emotional and wholesome, but not because he’s giving haircuts. From 7 to 8 p.m., he joins 15 men from Kettering and Mitchellville to talk money, relationships and community outreach in a gathering at the shop called the Men’s Meeting. “It’s laughter. It’s some reality. It’s a little pain be-
See ROLE, Page A-9
See BARBERS, Page A-9
Bowie school reopens after 40-year wait Tulip Grove Elementary takes over former Meadowbrook site
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EMILIE EASTMAN STAFF WRITER
EMILIE EASTMAN/THE GAZETTE
Heather Segredo, a first-grade teacher at Tulip Grove Elementary School, prepares her classroom Monday.
INDEX Automotive Calendar Classified Entertainment Opinion Sports
For the first time in nearly 40 years, seven bright yellow school buses pulled up to the front of the old Meadowbrook Elementary School in Bowie on Tuesday, depositing students for their first day of school. Meadowbrook, which closed as a school and has been hosting community groups like the local YMCA chapter since the early 1980s, will be the temporary home of Tulip Grove Elementary School for the next two
NEWS B-9 A-2 B-7 B-4 A-11 B-1
TAKING ACTION County groups gather in the fight against domestic violence.
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years while Tulip Grove’s old building undergoes renovation. The transition means Tulip Grove staff and county school officials had to do a little extra to prepare for the new school year, said Tulip Grove principal Jaime W. Coffen. A new crosswalk was placed near the front of the school and the school’s interior received new paint, flooring, she said. Coffen said the move was seamless and Tulip Grove families seemed excited about the new building. Coffen said one of the few downsides of the new space is the small parking lot, which means parents will have to park on the street if they wish to walk their children into the building.
Volume 17, No. 35, Two sections, 24 Pages Copyright © 2014 The Gazette Please
RECYCLE
“We’ve done a lot with the city of Bowie and the county to make sure the flow of traffic keeps moving,” she said. “We are encouraging parents to allow their children to ride the buses because we don’t have enough parking.” Fourth-grade teacher Chris Taylor said Tulip Grove staff and educators were eager to settle into the new classrooms, which he said are larger than the classrooms at the school’s previous location. “We’re definitely ready and super excited,” he said. “I’m really excited we got to stay in Bowie. That was part of the stress.” Lorie Castillo of Bowie said her two sons,
See SCHOOL, Page A-9