GREATER CONNECTIVITY Laurel aids outreach with high-tech council chambers. A-5
The Gazette
NEWS: Laurel middle school seeks to have global recognition. A-4
NORTHERN AND CENTRAL PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNT Y
SPORTS: DeMatha soccer turned around when its keeper started playing. B-1
DA I LY U P DAT E S AT G A Z E T T E . N E T
Thursday, Sept. 25, 2014
25 cents
Residents debate FBI sites Greenbelt, Landover among three locations GSA is considering for relocation
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BY JAMIE
ANFENSON-COMEAU STAFF WRITER
A 62-acre site in Greenbelt is one of three vying to become the new FBI headquarters, but some residents think Greenbelt may not be the best site. “For the reasons they argue it could benefit Greenbelt, I think it could benefit Landover, because that’s in the central part of the county, and I think that part of the county needs more facilities,” said Robert Snyder of Greenbelt. “In this area, we already have the USDA facility. Go up further you’ve got the Patuxent Wildlife Refuge, we’ve got Goddard NASA. To our west, we’ve got the University of Maryland, the National Archives, the Federal courthouse. We have a lot of state and federal facilities in this part of the county.” The U.S. General Services Administration, or GSA, the federal agency responsible for managing government
See FBI, Page A-9
GREG DOHLER/THE GAZETTE
Classic car enthusiasts and stepbrothers Gary Horton (left), with his Firebird, and Bucky Friend, with his Monte Carlo, will be displaying their cars Sunday at the Cruising at Riverfest event in Laurel.
Family affair BY
ALICE POPOVICI STAFF WRITER
Residents: S Policing needed for safer plaza
tepbrothers Bucky Friend and Gary Horton still remember the clunky 1956 Chevrolet they took apart and put back together one summer in the late 1960s, not long after Friend’s father married Horton’s mother. For the classic car enthusiasts, who now share a business space in downtown Laurel, the collaboration was characteristic of an easy friendship that began in middle school and continues to this day, even as they prepare their competing entries for Laurel’s 19th annual Riverfest this Sunday. But for Friend and Horton, who grew up together in Beltsville and are such good friends they some-
Park and Planning rolls out plan to slow traffic on East-West, increase pedestrian access n
BY JAMIE
ANFENSON-COMEAU STAFF WRITER
A new plan for Prince George’s Plaza Metro station area in Hyattsville includes tree-lined sidewalks, bicycle lanes and more traffic signals, all efforts aimed at making the area more pedestrian-friendly, but some residents say improving crosswalks won’t matter if efforts aren’t made to improve personal safety. “Everyone I know says they don’t go to these areas because they’re concerned about personal security,” said Sarah Moseley of Hyattsville. Moseley was one of approximately 60 area residents who attended a series of community meetings in Hyattsville from Sept. 17 to Sept. 20 to solicit public input and get feedback on its new transit district development plan for the area around the Prince George’s “Having the second Metro exit would create greater access to the mall, as well as a ground floor for restaurants
See PLAZA, Page A-9
Automotive Calendar Classified Entertainment Opinion Sports
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Oldsmobile, said he mostly keeps his vintage cars in the garage when he’s not driving them to car shows. But Horton — who is taking his 1971 Formula Firebird to the car show — said he drives the car around locally, and sometimes even as far away as Pennsylvania. “That’s what I built it for — to enjoy,” Horton said. Horton said he paid only $100 for the car, but over the last 30 years he’s poured at least $80,000 into it. “I’ve put three motors in. God knows how many transmissions. I’ve painted it two and a half times,” Horton said. He said the one-of-a-kind burgundy car
See BROTHERS, Page A-8
Leaders hope Redskins stay in Landover School system n
FedEx Field provides $10M per year in tax revenue
BY JAMIE
ANFENSON-COMEAU STAFF WRITER
If the Washington Redskins football team leaves Prince George’s, county experts predict millions of dollars could follow them out of the county. Since 1997, the Washington NFL team has called FedEx Field in Landover home, but team owner Dan Snyder said in a Sept. 1 media interview that he is looking for a new home for the team. In the interview posted on Comcast SportsNet Washington’s website, Snyder said he is considering sites in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia. “We love FedEx Field. It’s a great place to feature our home games, but it’s 17 years old now,” Snyder said in the interview. “I think it’s time for us to start looking, and I’m doing it.”
GOING ABOVE THE CALL OF DUTY Hyattsville police reach rooftops for Special Olympics.
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times finish one another’s sentences, rebuilding cars has always been more about camaraderie than competition. “I work on his house; he works on my car,” said Horton, 59, of Laurel, who owns a roofing business just off of Laurel’s Main Street, in the same building as Friend’s auto repair shop. “It’s a passion,” said Friend, 60, of Sykesville. “Blood sweat and tears goes into a car.” Friend said the blue 1984 Monte Carlo he is entering in the “Cruising the Riverfest” car show cost him $300 when he bought it in the late ’90s, but added he has spent at least $30,000 on the car since then, replacing its transmission, repainting it and replacing the motor three times. Friend, who also owns a 1904 “curved dash”
“It’s a great place to feature our home games, but it’s 17 years old now, I think it’s time for us to start looking, and I’m doing it.” Redskins owner Dan Snyder in ComcastSportsNet interview Scott Peterson, spokesman for County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D), said the county receives $10 million in direct revenue from the stadium each year. The overall economic impact of the stadium on the county hasn’t been calculated, but is
estimated to be several million each year, Peterson said. Peterson said the team does not figure into the county’s efforts to relocate the FBI headquarters to Prince George’s County or to build a new regional medical center in Largo. Peterson said team management has not been in discussion with the county about leaving, and noted the team’s lease on FedEx Field doesn’t expire until 2027. Once the lease expires, the team will continue to own the stadium as well as the land, Peterson said. “We look forward to working with the team,” Peterson said in a statement. “They still have 13 years left on their lease with Prince George’s County, therefore we expect to have discussions with them regarding their decisions as they move forward.” M.H. “Jim” Estepp, president and CEO of the Greater Prince George’s Business Roundtable, said he is hopeful the team can be convinced to stay
See REDSKINS, Page A-8
NEWS
INDEX
Stepbrothers set to rev their engines at Laurel’s Riverfest
Volume 17, No. 39, Two sections, 24 Pages Copyright © 2014 The Gazette Please
RECYCLE
MUNICIPAL SCENE
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CFO, wife resign after fraud revealed n External audit sought after couple fined for filing multiple claims on missing wedding ring BY JAMIE
ANFENSON-COMEAU STAFF WRITER
Prince George’s County school leaders are calling for an external audit “in an abundance of caution,” following the resignation of the school system’s chief financial officer and his wife, a school system internal auditor, amid findings of fraud. The Maryland Insurance Administration issued a ruling Aug. 13 that
See FRAUD, Page A-8