STAYING AFLOAT Fort Washington aquatic center plans move forward. A-3
NEWS: Youth crack Glassmanor case in crime investigation made for teens. A-4
The Gazette SERVING PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNT Y
SPORTS: High Point wrestlers enjoy being overlooked as the Eagles keep on winning. B-1
DA I LY U P DAT E S AT G A Z E T T E . N E T
Thursday, January 8, 2015
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Legislator aims for alternative to suspensions High school students would serve community service instead n
BY JAMIE ANFENSON-COMEAU STAFF WRITER
JAMIE ANFENSON-COMEAU/THE GAZETTE
Hyattsville resident Sarah Leonard, 15, speaks in favor of lowering the voting age in Hyattsville to 16 during the Jan. 5 City Council meeting.
Sweet sixteen Hyattsville likely to lower voting age requirement BY JAMIE
ANFENSON-COMEAU STAFF WRITER
Hyattsville has taken a major step towards becoming the second municipality in the country to extend voting rights to 16- and 17-year-olds after approving a charter amendment at Monday’s council meeting. “This is truly an historic day for Hyattsville,” said Councilman Patrick Paschall (Ward 3), who sponsored the measure. “This puts Hyattsville on the map and demonstrates to the entire metropolitan Washington area that we are an innovative, exciting, eclectic and cool place to live.”
The city council voted 7-4 Jan. 5 to amend its charter to allow 16 and 17-yearolds to vote in municipal elections. A second and final vote on the measure will take place Jan. 20. “It’s more of a formality. I’ve never heard of anyone switching their vote between a first and second reading, and I think they would have a lot of questions to answer from their constituents if they did,” Paschall said. The amendment would take effect 50 days later, in time for the May 5 elections for mayor and City Council. The measure will make Hyattsville the second municipality in the country to extend voting to 16- and 17-year-olds. The
first city to lower its voting age is also in Maryland — Takoma Park, which lowered its voting age to 16 in 2013. Turnout in the 2013 municipal election was 9.8 percent of registered Hyattsville voters, and Paschall said he hopes lowering the voting age will help spur conversations and interest in voting amongst all ages. The measure was passed following an hour-long public hearing, during which 24 people testified. Approximately 80 people attended the standing-room only hearing. Hyattsville resident Sarah Leonard, 15, said that at 18, many students go off
Prince George’s high school students may be assigned community service as opposed to suspension or expulsion under a proposed pilot program. “I went to school in Prince George’s County,” said Del. Alonzo Washington (D-Dist. 22) of
Hyattsville who proposed the alternate suspension program. “I’ve seen the numbers, I’ve talked to principals, I’ve talked to students, I’ve talked to parents, and we need another solution.” During the 2013-14 school year, 13,846 students were suspended or expelled from Prince George’s County Public Schools, more than half — 7,463 — for insubordination or disruption, according to information from the Maryland State Department of Education.
See SUSPENSIONS, Page A-5
Bowie sees county’s highest fire fatalities n
Prince George’s fire chief visits city to emphasize safety education
BY
EMILIE SHAUGHNESSY STAFF WRITER
Three of the five fatal house fires in Prince George’s County this year took place in Bowie, and none of the three homes had working smoke alarms, said county Fire/EMS Chief Marc Bashoor. Bashoor attended a Bowie council meeting Monday night to discuss the three fatalities — two
of which took place last month — and what the city could do to further encourage fire safety and working smoke alarms. An 83-year-old Bowie man lost his life in a Christmas Eve fire and a 26-year-old died several weeks earlier on Dec. 7, Bashoor said. “It has been a troubling holiday season for the fire/EMS department,” he said. “Obviously we’re not doing enough. I wouldn’t have people dying in fires without smoke alarms if we were doing enough.” Bashoor said total fire fatalities were down 70 percent across the
See FIRE DEATHS, Page A-6
See VOTING, Page A-6
Food bank loses delivery van, still serving Record number of applications for vacant Suitland pantry meets holiday demand with community help Bowie council seat n
BY
KIRSTEN PETERSEN STAFF WRITER
During the holidays, volunteers at the Sistas United Community Food Bank in Suitland drive to the Capital Area Food Bank as many as three times a week to pick up meal supplies for their clients. But when the engine of their 2000 Ford Winstar gave out in early November, Sistas United feared its ability to feed families would give out too. Instead, the food bank kept going, thanks to help from private citizens and volunteers from churches, sororities and businesses. “We hear a lot, it takes a village to raise a child,” said Wessita McKinley, 49, of Capitol Heights, the founder of Sistas United. “We were really blessed. The village came
See FOOD BANK, Page A-6
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Nearly 40 residents apply for temporary position BY
EMILIE SHAUGHNESSY STAFF WRITER
GREG DOHLER/THE GAZETTE
Sistas United founder Wessita McKinley (center) of Capitol Heights and members Vickie Coates of Clinton (left) and Helen Belt of Clinton pack food boxes Jan. 2 at the community food pantry that they operate in Suitland.
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BRINGING DREAMS TO LIFE Hyattsville company is sole county act to perform with Baltimore Ballet. A-5
RECYCLE
See VACANCY, Page A-5
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Volume 17, No. 54, Two sections, 16 Pages Copyright © 2014 The Gazette Please
A record number of Bowie residents have lined up to fill a City Council seat vacated by former councilman Todd Turner and will be interviewed for the position this weekend. Turner was elected to the District 4 County Council seat and formally resigned from his City position last November. According to the Bowie City Charter, the remaining City Council members
must choose a resident to take his place until the next election this November, said Una Cooper, the city’s communications coordinator. City Manager David Deutsch said the number of applicants — 36 — far exceeds the amount who would normally run in a City Council election. “In 2013, there were only two council seats that had challengers,” Deutsch said. “Certainly it’s a lot more than the number of people who go through the electoral process.” Deutsch said he believes the
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