&
SUMMER of THE
SUPERHEROES
The season assembles with Free Comic Book Day, box office blockbusters and local guy-turnedterminator J. August Richards as the cyborg Deathlok in “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”
The Gazette SERVING NORTHERN AND CENTRAL PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNT Y COMMUNITIES
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Thursday, May 1, 2014
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City police force eyed by residents in College Park
Tough shot
Budget talks include plan for animal shelter study, crosswalk signal, camera
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BY
EMILIE EASTMAN STAFF WRITER
As College Park residents gathered to discuss the proposed fiscal 2015 budget, one long-standing question resurfaced: Should the city have its own police force? Currently, College Park does not have its own police department and contracts officers through Prince
GREG DOHLER/THE GAZETTE
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DeMatha makes call for timely help
After one resident’s allegations of nepotism and questionable hiring procedures, Laurel officials enlisted the help of retired judge to investigate the city’s employment policies. Carl DeWalt, a former Laurel police captain who has lived in the city for around 30 years, challenged the qualifications of a new Laurel Police Department employee during a City
ERIC GOLDWEIN STAFF WRITER
n GREG DOHLER/THE GAZETTE
Jariel Jordan (left) of DeMatha appeared to be in pain as he finished the final stretch of the 4x100 during the Penn Relays in Philadelphia on April 25. Jordan was limping on his right leg after the race and had to be helped off the track. with his father and godfather on Saturday morning. “The thing about DeMatha is we’re going to help each other. We’re a family,” McFarland said. “I had to come out here and help my team get this win.” DeMatha finished .26 seconds ahead of second-place Bowie (Justin Beatty, Antonio Coleman, Maxwell Willis, Jonathan George, 42.30).
Police say 34-year-old man wanted in connection with death of girlfriend may be in Mexico.
Ultimate frisbee becomes a professional sport with the Breeze.
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EMILIE EASTMAN STAFF WRITER
When Margaret Boozer was commissioned to create a public art sculpture for outdoor display in her town, she decided to literally get her hands dirty. The Brentwood-based artist personally dug around 700 pounds of local clay for an 18-foot-long sculpture called “Frost Weathering” that will be unveiled outside the
See PENN RELAYS, Page A-8
NEW HORIZONS
Gateway Arts District celebrates 10 years of open house event BY
“When I feel somebody coming on me, you know, my coaches and my dad tell me to push. Push,” McFarland said. The Stags improved on Friday’s 42.72 finish, unfazed by the 49,103 in attendance in the final day of the 120th annual event. “This one means that we know that
SPORTS
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Council meeting on Feb. 10, saying the January hire amounted to nepotism. “It falls into the field of public corruption,” he said. Laurel mayor Craig Moe and City Council president Fred Smalls objected to DeWalt’s presentation during the meeting and Moe later said he believed the accusations were broad and unfounded. “My administration has always been open. It’s been transparent and in our hiring process we follow the law,” Moe said. “I feel confident that we didn’t break any laws or any
See HIRING, Page A-8
Artists open doors for multicity studio tour
NEWS
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EMILIE EASTMAN STAFF WRITER
Penn Relays: Stags win large schools relay; Bowie comes in second place
GREENBELT HOMICIDE
Mayor recruits former judge as mediator BY
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DeMatha Catholic High School track and field freshman Anthony McFarland Jr. was walking to the trainer’s room on Friday, when he got a surprising message from teammate Deon Haraway. “He came to me and said ‘we need you to come out to Penn tomorrow,’” McFarland said. “I was like ‘huh?’” Deon’s brother, Darryl Haraway Jr., and the Stags’ 400-meter relay team had qualified for the large schools championship at the Penn Relays earlier that day, but had to move forward without its injured anchor, Jarriel Jordan (hamstring). So they called up McFarland to replace the senior, and hours after his arrival in Philadelphia, he was crossing the finish line with a first-place time of 42.04 seconds, in one of the biggest events in America’s oldest and largest track and field competition. “I knew he was going to do something great,” said Darryl Haraway, who joined Kordell Williams, Darryl Marshall Jr. and McFarland to set a team record. McFarland, a speedy running back on the Stags’ football team, said he asked for permission from his football coach before driving to Philadelphia
See POLICE, Page A-8
Laurel to investigate city hiring policies
Roman Zentek, 7, of College Park tries to throw a ball through a hoop while attached to a bungee cord during the 16th annual Maryland Day on Saturday at the University of Maryland, College Park.
BY
George’s County police. Resident Mary Cook told City Council members during a budget discussion April 23 that she helps lead the Cherry Hill neighborhood watch committee and believes police officers do not evenly patrol city neighborhoods. “I’m not getting any bang for my buck,” Cook said. “I don’t think the resources we have are being evenly distributed. If we are all going to be paying the same amount of money for police enforcement, we should
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RECYCLE
Gateway Arts Center in Brentwood as part of the 10th annual Gateway Open Studio Tour. From noon to 5 p.m. on May 10, around 100 local artists like Boozer will open their studios to the public throughout the Gateway Arts District, which is comprised of the neighboring municipalities of Brentwood, North Brentwood, Mount Rainier and Hyattsville. Visitors will be able to explore studios at around 17 venues, view art pieces and talk with the artists. Boozer said “frost weathering” is a term for the freezing and thawing process that can change the
See ARTISTS, Page A-8
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