INSIDE Laurel to hand out ‘tickets’ for good behavior. A-3
The Gazette
NEWS: County author advocates parental code of conduct. A-3
NORTHERN 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, June 19, 2014
Drying out
SPORTS: College Park teen tries to live up to the hype of being America’s tennis future. B-1 25 cents
Officials hope to limit fowl play Laurel installing larger duck crossing signs, herding geese
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BY
ALICE POPOVICI STAFF WRITER
GREG DOHLER/THE GAZETTE
Max Ruiz checks water damage in a basement bedroom in his house at 8904 59th Ave. in Berwyn Heights on June 11. Heavy rains the night before caused flooding and extensive property damage to homes in the area.
Orwin Shortt wants drivers traveling along Oxford Drive in Laurel to show a bit more consideration for pedestrians, especially the ones with feathers. The small white sign on Oxford Drive in Laurel reads, “Caution duck crossing,” but Shortt said impatient drivers still don’t give the right of way to the birds that waddle slowly across the road with their ducklings. To slow down the motorists who now speed by, he asked Laurel officials for a bigger, brighter sign — and they agreed. “We live in an area where there’s a lake, and ducks and geese, they’re part of the community,” Shortt, 32, said. “I know one day somebody’s going to run them over just because they have to get to work.” Orwin said another concern is Laurel Lakes neighborhood residents who put their own lives in danger trying to hurry the birds along. “They’ll step into the road and put their hands up,” Shortt said, “because [the ducks] usually take their time.” Soon, bright yellow signs with the figure of a duck on them will
See BIRDS, Page A-6
Berwyn Heights residents recover from flood BY ALICE POPOVICI STAFF WRITER
When Max Ruiz, 46, looked outside his home the morning of June 10 during a heavy rainstorm, he said he saw a river of muddy water rushing down the street like lava. “I thought we were going to be drowned in the water,” said Ruiz, who was at home on 59th Avenue in Berwyn Heights with his 19-year-old son when the flood hit that morning.
He said the water coming down the street and gushing from two manholes in his backyard filled his basement to almost five feet within minutes, nearly trapping him inside. He said he was trying to salvage electronic equipment from a basement bedroom when he realized the water pressure had forced the door shut. “The fire department pulled me from the window,” Ruiz said. The flash flood that hit suddenly during a torrential storm between 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. affected 24 homes in Berwyn
Heights, forcing about 70 people to evacuate to a nearby school, said Mark Brady, a spokesman for the Prince George’s County Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department. Brady said fire department officials rescued about 24 drivers stranded on nearby roads, some of whom had climbed to the roofs of their vehicles to escape the rising water. Carol Terry, a spokeswoman for the county’s Department of Public Works and
See FLOOD, Page A-6
TOM FEDOR/THE GAZETTE
Geese gather near Oxford Drive at Granville Gude Park in Laurel. Residents report the geese cross the road regularly, tying up traffic.
Rent stabilization in College Park expires Bladensburg wants Residents say issues with loud parties, noise remain
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BY
ALICE POPOVICI STAFF WRITER
Despite objections from residents who complained about loud college parties, littering and noise, College Park officials voted 5-3 Tuesday to allow a rent stabilization ordinance to expire. The ordinance, according to the city website, was established in 2005 in an effort to prevent tenants from rent increases and protect the diversity of the community.
The vote will mean the ordinance will sunset on Sept. 1. “The idea was to limit the profit motive for investors who want to purchase owner-occupied properties in the city and turn them into rentals,” said Councilman Patrick Wojahn (Dist. 1), who voted to keep the ordinance. “Now the only thing we can do is redouble our efforts to address these problems in other ways.” Councilman Robert Day (Dist. 3) said that the ordinance is no longer needed because it has achieved its goal. Since 2005, Day said housing on the University of Maryland, College Park, campus has increased by more than 1,500 beds and an
additional 4,300 beds have been added to the city, with about 3,000 more on the way. He said landlords have been meeting with community members to discuss quality of life issues and work on solutions. “I think this law has met its end,” said Day, who voted to let the ordinance expire. Resident Adele Ellis, addressing the council before the vote, said neighborhood problems persist and the number of rental properties continues to rise, which keeps driving families out of College Park. She urged the council to look at recent data and trends before making a decision.
Greenbelt store accepting cards, but many choose to pay with cash BY JAMIE
ANFENSON-COMEAU STAFF WRITER
The Greenbelt CO-OP Supermarket and Pharmacy is once again able to accept credit and debit cards through a new system, but the business is still recovering from a data theft that resulted in fraudulent
charges on over 100 customers’ accounts. Store manager Bob Davis said the store definitely saw a drop in business when the store stopped accepting credit and debit cards, but could not speculate as to how much money was lost as a result. Davis said now that the store can accept credit and debit cards again, business has improved slightly, “But we’re still running somewhat behind.” The new credit/debit card system is not connected in any way to the old system,
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BY IMAN SMITH STAFF WRITER
See FRAUD, Page A-6
See TRASH, Page A-6
FAUX SOUNDS Baltimore-based band with music inspired by gypsy jazz great comes to Greenbelt cafe.
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Officials say making switch from once a week to twice could be problematic
Davis said. As soon as the investigation pointed to the store as a common factor in a recent string of fraud, they stopped accepting debit or credit cards, calling in a security assessment company to investigate the supposed data breach, Davis wrote in a letter to customers. That investigation is still ongoing, according to Greenbelt Police spokesman
See RENT, Page A-6
ENTERTAINMENT Automotive Calendar Classified Entertainment Opinion Sports
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Darrian Allen, 37, said he is ready to see Bladensburg get cleaner much more frequently as trash buildup around his neighborhood, which he attributes to the once-a-week garbage pickup, is attracting the wrong kind of community attention. “People have been telling me that a lot of animals come by and I have five kids,” said Allen, a two-month resident. “I don’t feel safe with them running around the backyard because of that.” And now with the arrival of summer and hot temperatures, the garbage will begin to rot, Allen said. “It stinks up the place the warmer it gets. You can really smell it,” he said. “It’s nasty and unsanitary.” About a year ago, the town switched from a twice-a-week pickup to once a week, which was done to create a one-time pickup that would be more effective for the community, said Town Administrator John Moss. Now the trash is picked up on Wednesdays as opposed to Mondays and Thursdays, Moss said. Returning to twice-a-week collection would cost the town an additional $50,000 to $60,000. The town saved over $40,000 by having a once-a-week pickup, Moss said. Allen said he’s not satisfied with the modification. “With five kids, we create a lot of trash. One trash pickup a week is
More than 100 report credit fraud related to store n
tidier trash pickup
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