&
PERSONALTASTE
Brûlée serves up a menu of musical blends. B1
The Gazette SERVING NORTHERN AND CENTRAL PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY COMMUNITIES
DAILY UPDATES ONLINE www.gazette.net
Thursday, August 15, 2013
25 cents
Officer time-sheet system under fire n
Concerns raised over letting Cottage City police sign in from remote sites BY
ERIC GOLDWEIN STAFF WRITER
Cottage City residents are concerned that a new system designed to increase efficiency in the police department could also lead to a decrease in accountability. In July, town commissioners passed a motion exempting the department from the town’s electronic clock-in system, which requires Cottage City employees to electronically sign in and out at the Town Hall at the beginning and end of their workday. Now, officers only use the Records Management System, an electronic service that tracks and organizes police data, and allows of-
‘THE NEED FOR FOOD
NEVER TAKES A HOLIDAY’
Four appointed school leaders have wholistic take on jurisdiction n
Laurel-area pantries face summer shortages; needs include packaged foods, easy-prep items n
BY JAMIE
ANFENSON-COMEAU STAFF WRITER
Prince George’s County parents will have more contacts for assistance on the Board of Education in the 2013-2014 school year with the addition of four appointed members this year, officials say. “The four appointed members function as at-large board members,” said Christian Rhodes, County Executive Rushern Baker’s III (D) education advisor. “Their constituency is anyone in the county, the entire school district.” New legislation passed in April added four appointed board seats to the board, which includes nine district elected members and a stu-
ANFENSON-COMEAU STAFF WRITER
Laurel-area food pantries say supply stocks are down this summer, even while demand remains high. “Summer is a difficult time as donations are usually down, as people are busy with other activities,” said Alan Ramsey, a member of the board of directors for Fish of Laurel, a nonprofit assistance group. “But the need for food never takes a holiday.” Along with Fish of Laurel, officials from the Laurel Advocacy and Referral Services Food Pantry and the newly opened Beltsville Adventist Community Center,
See FOOD, Page A-7
See SYSTEM, Page A-7
New board members seen as at-large representatives
PHOTOS BY GREG DOHLER/THE GAZETTE
Alan Ramsey, a board member of Fish of Laurel, stands Friday in the food pantry, which he said has been difficult to keep stocked.
BY JAMIE
ficers to sign in from a remote location. Officers’ hours are verified by the police chief, said Councilman Richard Cote (Ward 1). “It’s more accurate and better at being able to keep the records that they have,” Cote said of the new system. Officials said officers frequently attend court hearings at the district courts in Hyattsville and Upper Marlboro, and signing in at Cottage City’s Town Hall before heading to hearings was an inconvenience. Police Chief Robert Patton did not return repeated calls for comment. The department has five officers, not including the chief. Some residents expressed concern about the new system, which gives Patton primary responsible for verifying work hours of police department employees.
Fish of Laurel provides food for those in need at Elizabeth House in Laurel.
dent member. “With the nine elected board members, their area of concern is often their own district,” Rhodes said. “This is an opportunity to have board members who are able to look beyond a single district.” Curtis Valentine, the council’s parent appointee, said that as he was appointed by unanimous vote of all nine County Council representatives, he viewed himself as an atlarge representative. “And although I am a parent of two public school students and a former middle school educator in our system, I represent the interests of not solely the students, parents and teachers but of all those who rely on the school system to produce the next generation of competent and compassionate leaders, and that’s all of us,” Valentine said.
See BOARD, Page A-7
Greenbelt clinic to serve low-income community n
Nonprofit to offer medical, dental and behavioral health care BY JAMIE
ANFENSON-COMEAU STAFF WRITER
Health care access soon will get easier for Greenbelt residents. Community Clinic Inc., a Silver Spring-based nonprofit organization that operates three medical clinics geared toward low- and middle-income families in Montgomery County, is opening a new clinic in Franklin Park, a residential apartment community of about 6,000 people in Greenbelt. Jose Luis Diaz, CCI’s marketing and communications strategies director, said
NEWS
JUST DANCE
the clinic will be ready to open to patients by Monday. A grand opening ceremony was held on Aug. 7. Seventy percent of the children in Franklin Park receive free and reduced meals in school, as part of a federal program to provide meals to children of low-income families, said Maria Tildon, senior vice president of public policy and community affairs for CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, one of several financial contributors to the $2.3 million project. Tildon said low-income families tend to have less access to medical care. “This facility is going to provide huge, huge support to the people living in this community,” Tildon said. Diaz said the clinic would provide another option for uninsured and under-
insured residents who currently travel to CCI’s facilities in Silver Spring, Takoma Park and Gaithersburg. Additionally, the Greenbelt clinic will be the first CCI to provide medical, dental and behavioral health in the same facility. “That’s one of the things we’re really excited about,” Diaz said. “This is the first site to have collocated services. It really makes sense to offer all these services under one roof.” The 7,600-square-foot building includes 12 examination rooms, three dentist chairs, two laboratories, and offices used for counseling and administrative services. County Executive Rushern L. Baker III
GREG DOHLER/THE GAZETTE
Kathleen Knolhoff (front, right), chief operating officer of Community Clinic Inc., gives a tour of the new clinic at Franklin Park to Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (front, left) on Aug. 7 during a grand opening ceremony.
See CLINIC, Page A-7
SPORTS
A FRESH START
Seniors line up for popular Glenarden line-dancing class.
Princeton Day starts football team from scratch, changes its name.
A-4
A-9
Automotive
B-8
Calendar
A-2
Classified
B-6
Community News
A-4
Entertainment
B-1
Opinion
A-8
Sports
B-1 Please
RECYCLE
Check out our Services Directory ADVERTISING INSIDE B SECTION
1889693