Laurelgaz 080113

Page 1

TWISTED LOVE

&

Romance takes many turns in Bowie Playhouse’s ‘Much Ado.’ B-1

The Gazette SERVING NORTHERN AND CENTRAL PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY COMMUNITIES

DAILY UPDATES ONLINE www.gazette.net

Thursday, August 1, 2013

25 cents

Fire chief: County needs volunteers n

Fire officials say position selection is imminent BY

AMBER LARKINS STAFF WRITER

Finding enough volunteers for the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department has become so difficult, officials are hoping to hire a fulltime volunteer firefighter recruiter. “We’ve got to get to a point where as chief I can guarantee service to the cities,” Fire Chief Marc Bashoor said. Mark Brady, spokesman for the department, said there are between 1,500 and 2,000 volunteers in the county. Brady said it was difficult to put an exact number to what was needed because volunteers don’t have a specific amount of time they have to volunteer. The county has about 740 firefighters currently and the county has 45 fire stations, which responded to a total of 135,000 calls for service last year, Brady said. “It would probably take about 2,000 career staff the way we’d like to see it,” Brady said. “At some point in the future we may realize that as the volunteer numbers continue to dwindle ... and it becomes necessary to hire career staff to fill in those needs.”

TOM FEDOR/THE GAZETTE

Arleshia Ferrine (left), 16, and Rony Tobar, 17, both from Bladensburg, chant as they participate in the Walkers Wear White at Night pedestrian safety march and rally Saturday along Annapolis Road.

PORT TOWNS YOUTH

IN STEP More than 100 join rally for walker awareness n

Annapolis Road was packed with people wearing white shirts as more than 100 residents marched through Bladensburg on Saturday for the Walkers Wear White at Night pedestrian safety rally. Participants walked from Bladensburg High School on 57th Avenue to the Peace Cross veterans memorial on Annapolis Road. Members of the Port Towns’ Wellness Ambassadors, which led the rally, said they want to encourage safe driving as part of an effort to provide greater access to healthy food and active living.

TO IMPROVE PEDESTRIAN SAFETY BY

ERIC GOLDWEIN |

“If pedestrians don’t feel safe to walk and bike, they’ll be discouraged to go out and exercise,” said Wellness Ambassador president Erick Vargas, 17, of Hyattsville. Wellness Ambassadors is an offshoot program of Riverdale-based nonprofit End Time Harvest Ministries and is comprised of Port Towns youth — from Bladensburg, Colmar Manor, Cottage City and Edmonston — ages 10-17 who are trained to educate and empower their peers and others to advocate policies that promote healthy eating and active living in the Port Towns, according to the ETHM website. For this effort, the youth are working with officials from Bladensburg and the Pedestrian Safety Workgroup of the Prince George’s

See RECRUITER, Page A-6

Largo, Landover battle for new $645M hospital

STAFF WRITER

Healthcare Action Coalition, a communitybased group that assists with health planning and activities, to develop strategies that would add walkable and bikeable pathways around the Route 450 corridor. “It’s a big initiative that we’re trying to start in the town of Bladensburg, and we hope it can expand to all of Prince George’s County,” said YWA member Demilade Adebayo, 17, of Lanham. Last September, the Wellness Ambassadors presented several health and safetyrelated recommendations to the Bladensburg council and in April, selected to prioritize pedestrian safety.

Both sites offer strong advantages, officials say

n

BY JAMIE

Department. Lowndes said 664 citations were issued by the two cameras during the affected time period, but due to the lack of certification, those tickets have been voided. Drivers who paid their tickets will be reimbursed by Brekford, Lowndes said, since the police department does not collect speed camera fines. Citation payments are made directly to Brekford, Lowndes said. Unpaid tickets will be voided and any related Motor Vehicle Administration records will be cleared, according to a Greenbelt Police Department news release. Lowndes said he was advised by Brekford that notifications would be sent by mail to af-

Landover Mall and a site near Largo Town Center are the two properties left in the running for a new $645 million hospital, according to the Dimensions Healthcare System Board of Directors. The site selection for the new 280-bed hospital is expected to be made by the end of August, with construction expected to begin in 2017, said Dimensions Healthcare System spokeswoman Erika Murray. Prince George’s County officials have long sought a new medical center as older facilities suffered from outdated equipment and financial challenges caused by a large number of uninsured patients. Dimensions currently operates Prince George’s Hospital Center in Cheverly, Laurel Regional Hospital, the Bowie Health Campus and Glenridge Medical Center. The Largo site consists of 70 acres of land owned by Oak Brook, Ill.-based Retail Properties of America Inc., and several adjoining properties under private ownership, and is adjacent to the Boulevard at Capitol Centre shopping center and the Largo Metro station. The Landover Mall property consists of 80 acres, owned by Rockville-based Lerner Enterprises. The mall closed in 2002 and demolition was completed

See CAMERA, Page A-7

See HOSPITAL, Page A-7

See SAFETY, Page A-7

Speed camera company reimbursing drivers, Greenbelt n

Certification lapses caused citations to be voided BY JAMIE

ANFENSON-COMEAU STAFF WRITER

More than $26,000 in speed camera tickets issued in Greenbelt are being voided, and drivers who paid fines are being reimbursed, according to the Greenbelt Police Department. The Greenbelt Police Department issued a statement saying a speed camera in the 7700 block of Hanover Parkway had not been properly certified from Dec. 27 to Jan. 27 and another speed camera in the 5900 block of Cherrywood Lane was not properly certified from Jan. 19 to Feb. 19.

NEWS

PATH OF THE PURPLE LINE

Maryland law requires the radar calibration on each camera be certified as accurate. “Under state law, every 12 months, every camera needs to be certified by a third party. These cameras were not properly certified within that time period,” said Greenbelt Master Police Officer Jonathan Lowndes. Speed cameras are devices that capture a photo of the license plates on vehicles traveling at least 12 mph over the speed limit. Owners of the vehicles are sent a $40 citation. Lowndes said the department was notified of the expired certifications on May 23 by Hanover-based Brekford Corp., the company that maintains and calibrates the speed cameras. A Brekford representative said the company declined to comment for this story and referred all questions to the Greenbelt Police

ANFENSON-COMEAU STAFF WRITER

SPORTS

MAKING THE CALL

Transit officials say more than 100 regional families and businesses will be displaced.

State high school athletics office looks for ways to improve quality of officiating.

A-4

A-9

Automotive

B-7

Calendar

A-2

Classified

B-6

Community News

A-4

Entertainment

B-1

Opinion

A-8

Sports

B-9 Please

RECYCLE

Check out our Services Directory ADVERTISING INSIDE B SECTION

1889687


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.