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Prince George's County
Cory Booker Encourages Maryland’s Democrats to ‘Stay Faithful’
William J. Ford WI Staff Writer
For the first time in two years, the Maryland Democratic Party hosted its annual gala in hopes of boosting enthusiasm for the upcoming primary election which they consider critical in their goal of regaining control of the governor’s mansion.
This year’s gala also marked the first time it has been held in Prince George’s County since 2015.
As of April, the state Board of Elections shows the majority Black jurisdiction has the state’s highest number of Democrats at 462,550.
“Energy is very high and people are excited about being together again,” Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said Thursday, May 26 at the Camelot by Martin’s in Upper Marlboro.
“All of the other issues that are emerging across the country are also causing Democrats to come together to be united and very motivated to get our residents to the polls to make sure our agenda and our values are on the ballot,” she said.
And while Democrats outnumber Republicans in the state by a 2-to-1 ratio, the majority of voters chose Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, whose final year in office ends in January 2023, for two consecutive terms.
5 Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (center) poses for a picture with Maryland gubernatorial candidate Wes Moore (right) and his wife, Dawn. (Robert R. Roberts/The Washington Informer) Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (center) poses for a picture with Maryland gubernatorial candidate Wes Moore (right) and his wife, Dawn. (Robert R. Roberts/The Washington Informer)
His upcoming departure from office serves as the reason that nine candidates have emerged with hopes to secure the Democratic Party’s endorsement. The candidates, each of whom spoke briefly during the gala, included: retired research scholar Jerome Segal; Comptroller Peter Franchot; former U.S. Education secretary John King, Jr.; former President Barack Obama administration official Ashwani Jain; former U.S. Labor and state labor secretary Tom Perez; former Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler; former nonprofit executive and military veteran Wes Moore; former nonprofit executive Jon Baron; and former Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker III.
When King took the stage, more than a dozen supporters cheered and hoisted signs showcasing his name and that of his running mate, Michelle Siri.
King said the party “needs to stop acting like Hogan Democrats . . . and replace the era of status quo with an era of hope, ambition and real progress.”
Party leadership invited Sen.
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5 A Metro shuttle bus at the New Carrollton Metro station May 28. The free service will be provided for commuters while platform work gets conducted there and at four other Orange Line stations. (Robert R. Roberts/The Washington Informer)
By William J. Ford WI Staff Writer
Tijan Glover’s shift at 4:30 a.m. as a barista at Starbucks often provides him a less crowded ride on Metro’s Orange Line train in Prince George’s County, Maryland. However, the 22-year-old college student of Lanham will join other commuters forced to use alternate routes because three Metrorail stations in Prince George’s and two in D.C. will be closed through Sept. 5 as workers conduct renovations along and near station platforms. Metrorail service stopped Saturday, May 28 at New Carrollton, Landover and Cheverly in Prince George’s and Deanwood and Minnesota Avenue in the District. “I don’t have many problems when going on the train. It has a homey feel to it,” said Glover, who will divert his
Orange Line Closure Forcing Commuters to Change Course
“train riding” on the Green Line starting at the Greenbelt station. “[Metro] should’ve done this during quarantine when no one was riding. During the summer, a lot more people are going to be moving around.” Fortunately, commuters can park for free at those stations and receive free shuttle bus service between New Carrollton and Stadium-Armory in southeast D.C. No Metrorail Service will be offered on Saturday and Sunday on the Blue, Orange and Silver lines between Benning Road and Stadium-Armory. All commuters can ride on shuttle buses and travel on those lines west of Stadium-Armory. The transit agency, formerly called the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), marks this work as the final phase of METRO Page 13
Cory Booker (D-New Jersey) to help boost confidence as campaigning efforts begin to hit their peak less than two months before the state’s July 19 primary election.
In March, Booker gave passionate remarks during the Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing for now U.S. Supreme Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. His words brought Brown Jackson to tears.
Although his fellow Democrats in Upper Marlboro didn’t cry, many applauded, cheered and waved their hands throughout Booker’s 24-minute speech which had elements that bore striking similarity to a minister’s sermon.
“We stand up for women’s rights. We stand up for Roe v. Wade. We’re the party of compassion. We’re the party of love. We’re the party that looks out for one another. We’re the party of we and not the party of me,” Booker said.
Even after Tuesday’s elementary school shooting in Texas and the unprecedented cat fights between members of Congress that have emerged along party lines on Capitol Hill, Booker urged Maryland Democrats to remain diligent.
An additional six candidates, also seeking the Maryland governor’s seat, include four Republi-
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cans, a Libertarian and a registered Independent ahead of the Nov. 8 general election.
Republican Gov. Larry Hogan has thrown his support behind former Department of Commerce secretary Kelly Schulz.
Del. Daniel Cox, who represents parts of Carroll and Frederick counties, has received support from former President Donald Trump.
The other two Republican candidates include former state Del. Robin Ficker of Montgomery County and Joe Werner of Baltimore County.
Because only registered Democrats or Republicans can vote in the primaries, two other people will be on the ballot for the general election: Libertarian candidate David Lashar of Annapolis and Independent candidate Kyle Sefcik from Montgomery County.
But Maryland’s Democrats have made it clear that they want a member of their party to lead the state and follow in the footsteps of Martin O’Malley, who served from January 2007 until January 2015.
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its platform improvement plan.
Metro identified 20 stations in need of repair such as Addison RoadSeat Pleasant that reopened after three months of work in May 2021 with brighter LED lights, slip resistant tiles, large digital screens to provide real-time travel information and outlets to charge cell phones and other devices.
“It would be a worthy project [for people] to charge cell phones…while waiting to ride the train,” said Andres Urbina, 34, who has special needs and commutes from the New Carrollton station to his job as an usher/ticket taker at the Warner Theater in Northwest.
While recovering last week after being diagnosed with COVID-19, Urbina said he may have to spend money on the Lyft driving service “which could be pretty expensive for me.” He works two to three days a week.
“Closing the Metro stations will not only affect me, but everyone else who has to work, especially on weekends,” he said.
Meanwhile, Metro officials will have other station maintenance, elevator and escalator work to correct based on a safety audit released by the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission.
The audit highlights water problems throughout various stations in the D.C. region.
For instance, auditors observed water seeping in escalator and elevator areas at Pentagon City in Northern Virginia that services the Blue and Yellow lines. Although Metro issued work orders to temporarily remove water, it didn’t have a “long-term fix to address the cause of the water intrusion.”
At the Glenmont station in Montgomery County, which runs on the Red Line, a bucket caught water possibly dripping from a system in the elevator machine room.
The transit agency provided the commission a list of 11 stations with known water problems: Tenleytown-AU, Woodley Park, Stadium-Armory, McPherson Square, Anacostia, Shaw-Howard U and Georgia Ave-Petworth in D.C.; Medical Center, Bethesda and Forest Glen in Montgomery County, Maryland; and Largo Town Center in Prince George’s County.
One of the nine corrective measures required by Metro to complete under its Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan (PTASP): “develop and implement a comprehensive water intrusion and remediation program for stations, elevators and escalators that identifies and mitigates hazards and evaluates those mitigations.”
The commission did note WMATA has some “positive practices” such as the Metrorail Elevator and Escalator apprenticeship program providing a pipeline for future journeymen, implementation of a structural inspection manual and long-term funding plans to replace and refurbish escalators and elevators.
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WASHINGTON NATIONALS PLAY BALL & SUMMER READING EVENT
SATURDAY, JUNE 11 10 AM–NOON WALKER MILL REGIONAL PARK
8001 Walker Mill Road, Capitol Heights, MD 20743 AGES 5–12
BASEBALL & SOFTBALL ACTIVITIES SUMMER READING KICKOFF
BOOK, BAT & BALL GIVEAWAY!
