‘HORRORS,’ with laughs
&
2nd Star Productions takes on twisted musical
B-1
The Gazette SERVING NORTHERN AND CENTRAL PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY COMMUNITIES
DAILY UPDATES ONLINE www.gazette.net
Thursday, September 26, 2013
25 cents
Officials may serve up calorie counts
‘We wanted the best candidate’
Menu-labeling is part of county effort to trim high obesity rate
n
BY SOPHIE PETIT STAFF WRITER
People might see more numbers on the menu when they eat out in Prince George’s if the county passes a law requiring chain restaurants to list calorie contents next to items on all their menus. Restaurants with five or more locations in the county would have to list calorie and salt content for “permanent” menu items — those offered for at least 30 days a year — or face a $100 fine, according to the bill, CB-74-2013, that County Councilman Eric C. Olson introduced Sept. 17.
GREG DOHLER/THE GAZETTE
Leslie Lowe (left), the new principal of Beltsville Academy, visits Friday with pre-kindergarten student Joselyn Castillo, 4, of Beltsville at the school.
Beltsville principal gets online support BY JAMIE
ANFENSON-COMEAU STAFF WRITER
When the principal position at Beltsville Academy became available, parents took matters into their own hands and started an online petition to get longtime educator Leslie Lowe hired. “We wanted the best candidate, and we felt that was Leslie. She’s been here a very long time, and she’s got a fantastic relationship with the staff, and she is an excellent organizational leader,” said Andrew Hammond, president of the academy’s Parent Teacher Organization. Lowe, 47, of Anne Arundel County,
was hired to take the helm Aug. 26. At the time she was named to the post, the petition had 170 signatures. Lowe is entering her 25th year at the school, rising from a substitute teacher in 1989 to an assistant principal in 2004. She said this was her first time applying for the principal’s position, and explained that taking the reins is easier as she has been at the school so long. “As a ‘new’ principal, I don’t have the added demands of learning a school I’ve never been at, or learning a community I’m unfamiliar with. All of those demands I already know,” Lowe said. After former Principal Rashida Ed-
wards left for Rosaryville Elementary School in Upper Marlboro, parents became concerned a new principal would be appointed without their input, Hammond said, so the online petition was launched. Lowe said she appreciates the effort parents made on her behalf, even if it didn’t affect her selection. Prince George’s County Public Schools spokesman Max Pugh said the school system gets feedback through leadership surveys and not through blogs and petitions. But Lowe said the
See SEARCH, Page A-8
“Over 70 percent of restaurants in Prince George’s are fast-food restaurants so this will capture the vast majority of restaurants in the county,” said Olson (D-Dist. 3) of College Park. The bill is in response to the county’s disproportionately higher diabetes and obesity rates — the highest in the state — and is part of the 2010-2014 health improvement plan, a blueprint for making Prince George’s healthier, Olson said. The bill will affect a lot of fastfood restaurants, which Olson said are one of the primary sources of restaurant food in the county and he thinks that will help residents make healthier decisions. About 71 percent of Prince George’s County residents are obese or overweight, according to
See CALORIE, Page A-8
Candidates differ on Laurel speed cameras Challenger hopes to win rematch from 2011 councilman-at-large election n
BY JAMIE
ANFENSON-COMEAU STAFF WRITER
Youth services advocate Adrian Rousseau said for the Nov. 5 election, he doesn’t want anyone to think Laurel’s councilman-at-large race is in the bag. “I had a lot of people tell me they didn’t come out to vote because they thought I had it well in hand,” said Rousseau, 50, who works as a security consultant and contractor. In 2011, Rousseau lost the at-large race with 41 percent of the vote. In the 2011 election, 13.4 per-
n College Park mayor and two council members facing challengers in the Nov. 5 elections. n Nine candidates vying for seven at-large Greenbelt district council seats.
See stories, Page A-5 cent of Laurel’s registered voters came to the polls, which city clerk Kim Rau said is high for Laurel municipal elections, where turnout has generally been in the single digits. Once again, Rousseau will square off in a rematch for the council seat held by Michael Leszcz, 66, who is seeking his ninth term in office. In addition to Laurel’s at-large
See CANDIDATES, Page A-8
Hyattsville savings effort sparks electric-car plan City gets grant to buy vehicles to cut fuel costs n
BY
ERIC GOLDWEIN STAFF WRITER
Paying $3,000 per year to fuel a parkingenforcement vehicle doesn’t make sense financially or environmentally, said Jim Chandler, Hyattsville’s director of community and economic development. So, the city put a new plan into gear. For the past three months, officials worked to reduce the gas costs of its government vehicles. They determined that by replacing a 1999 Ford Taurus, which was driven about 10 hours per day, they could significantly cut costs by using battery-powered vehicles.
As part of the Maryland Smart Energy Communities program administered by the Maryland Energy Administration, Chandler said, the city applied for a grant to fund electric vehicles that cost about $15,000 and don’t require gas. The city is expected to receive $59,113 from the Maryland Energy Administration to fund three Polaris GEMs electric vehicles, Chandler said. Rockville uses a Polaris GEM for parking operations, Chandler said. At the Sept. 16 Hyattsville City Council meeting, the council voted to purchase three electric vehicles at a cost not exceeding $52,362, anticipating the funds from the Maryland Energy Administration. Two vehicles will be used for parking compliance. The third, equipped with a storage container, will be used to conduct property
SPORTS
A NEW APPROACH
Oxon Hill’s football team bucks a trend in the county with a nohuddle, spread offense.
A-10
and rental inspections. The cars are expected to be on the road by mid-November. The third vehicle replaces a 1995 Chevrolet S-10, a compact pickup truck that cost about $2,500 per year in fuel, Chandler said. Maintaining the new cars will require about $100 per year, and additional costs, such as vehicle charging, will be “minimal,” he said. Twenty-six Maryland municipalities are enrolled in the Maryland Smart Energy Communities program, said MEA spokeswoman Devan Willemsen. To receive funding, municipalities must adopt a set of policies specified by the Maryland Energy Administration. “We’re very pleased to see Hyattsville
See ELECTRIC, Page A-8
Automotive
B-11
Calendar
A-2
Classified
B-9
Community News
A4
Entertainment
B-1
Opinion
A-9
Sports
A-10 Please
RECYCLE
MUNICIPAL SCENE
Advertising Supplement
POLARIS INDUSTRIES
Hyattsville will add three eco-friendly vehicles as part of a city initiative to reduce petroleum consumption. Pictured above is a 2014 Polaris GEM eL, one of the vehicles the city will use starting in November.
Check out our Services Directory ADVERTISING INSIDE B SECTION
1906627