6 minute read
Prince George's County
Maryland Gubernatorial Nominees Square Off
Richard D. Elliott WI Contributing Writer
Maryland’s gubernatorial nominees, Wes Moore (D) and Dan Cox (R) faced one another on Oct. 12 in their first general election debate, presented on Maryland Public Television (MPT).
Both candidates met the qualifying criteria including receiving 10% or more of the vote in a nonpartisan poll. Polling has shown that the major issues on the minds of voters include the economy and taxes, threats to democracy and crime.
The debate served to be the only one of this election cycle.
The campaign of Wes Moore declined to appear in a FOX 5 debate in late September, saying it did not want to give Cox a platform to amplify his far-right views including his presence on January 6 during the insurrection and his opposition to vaccines.
The first MPT debate of this cycle, held during the primary election race on June 6, featured eight of the 10 active candidates for governor. At least 117,000 viewers watched the MPT debate between Republican Governor Larry Hogan and Democratic nominee Ben Jealous in 2018, and at least 99,000 viewers watched the 2014 general election debate between then-Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown and Republican nominee Larry Hogan.
Recent polling has Wes Moore
5 Democratic nominee for Maryland Governor, Wes Moore (Robert R. Roberts/ The Washington Informer)
with a 32 point lead, more than double Cox’s polling numbers. At last report, Moore also held a 10to-1 fundraising advantage.
Vote by mail ballots have already been sent to voters with early voting being held from Oct. 27 to Nov. 3. Election Day will be Tuesday, Nov. 8. Following a recent court ruling, mailed ballots will be counted before Election Day. WI
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Richard D. Elliott ARETHA WI Contributing Writer
Route 210, running from Indian Head north to Forest 5 Prince George’s County MD 210 traffic committee cut the ribbon for a new interchange project that is expected to improve safety and reduce roadway-related deaths. (Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer)
210 Safety Coalition Celebrates a Victory
Heights and into Washington D.C., estimate over 80 traffic fatalities in holds a notorious reputation. Coun- the hundreds of accidents that have ty Executive Alsobrooks labeled 210 occured on 210 since 2007. as “a death trap” in a 2019 press brief- The MD 210 Traffic Safety Coming, and state transportation officials mittee has been working since 2017 with local elected officials, the Prince George’s County Police Department, and the Maryland State Highway Administration to address safety concerns on Route 210 and through the efforts of the Committee and a host of support from a wide range of groups and individuals, three speed cameras and several improvements were made on Route 210 in 2019.
Tamara Davis Brown, Reverend Dr. Robert L. Screen, Pastor Stephanie Bynum, all members of the Traffic Safety Committee, gathered this weekend with Senator Obie Patterson, Delegate Kris Valderrama, Council Chairman Calvin Hawkins, Deputy Chief Administrator Floyd Holt, and leaders from Fort Washington and Accokeek to cut the ribbon on the recently completed Interchange Project.
The newly-completed Interchange Project replaces an intersection of 210 at Kerby Hill Road and Livingston Road with an interchange and access ramps that improve safety, mobility and alleviate travel congestion by controlling merging traffic onto MD 210, both northbound and southbound. The Maryland State Highway Administration removed two traffic signals, one at Wilson Bridge Drive and the other at the intersection of Kerby Hill and Livingston roads. SHA also installed new traffic signals on the overpass.
Other enhancements to improve safety and traffic management on 210 include aligning Kerby Hill Road, new outside shoulders and a new service road parallel to southbound MD 210 that will serve area residents and transit. SHA also will remove the median crossover south of Alcoa Drive and build a rightin/right-out turn movement connecting to the northbound MD 210 service road.
When Traffic Safety Committee member Tamara Davis Brown was asked what her future goals for the coalition are, she said “renewing the speed camera legislation, increasing the fine for excessive speeders and repeat offenders, increasing the number of cameras, and additional funding for more improvements”.
WI
Prince George’s Goes Pink For Breast Cancer Awareness
Richard D. Elliott WI Contributing Writer
Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks held a press conference on Oct. 7 outside of Cherry Blossom Intimates, a local business operated by Jasmine Jones and Dr. Regina Hamilton in Woodmore Town Center, to announce the launch of the Prince George’s Goes Pink Initiative in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
The initiative seeks to raise awareness of the dangers of breast cancer and of programs and resources available for those impacted by the disease.
After losing her grandmother to cancer, Jones has made it her life’s mission to bring a positive impact to women who face breast cancer. Jones, the CEO of Cherry Blossom Intimates, noted that breast cancer will affect 13% of women in America during their lifetime. In addition, she asserted that breast cancer remains more prevalent in Prince George’s than in the U.S. as a whole.
“Bringing something that brought survivor’s dignity, in my hometown, has been very important to me,” she said.
She recommended that Black women get mammograms by age 40 but noted that self-checks count equally as important for early detection of potential issues. Details on how to do a self-check can be found on the Cherry Blossoms Intimates website. Myya. Com provides telehealth and virtual consultation to ensure that women across the country have access to resources and support, much of which is covered by insurance that’s handled in-house.
One example of greater support for breast cancer survivors includes their now being guaranteed lifetime coverage for some expenses under the Congressional Women’s Health and Patient Rights Act of 1998 which helps protect women from excessively large medical bills.
When asked what lawmakers can do, she said they should amplify the message of the resources and programming in Prince George’s.
5 A gathering hosted by the County Executive to announce the Prince George’s County Goes Pink Initiative. (Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer)
“Even some of our consumers are unaware of the resources and programs available,” she said. “We have helped over 13,000 customers at this point, nearly 4,000 of whom have been breast cancer survivors. If you know of a survivor, please share our story with them and we’ll take it from there. We will love them as though they were our own family.”
WI
Justin Fairfax Clearing Name From #MeToo Scandal with FBI’s Assistance
Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
For the past four years, former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax said his accusers avoided investigations into their sordid claims – accusations that forced him, his wife and their children to live with the indignity of him being labeled a sex offender.
With an active FBI investigation into Old Dominion political figures that has reportedly uncovered nefarious payouts by Fairfax’s rivals to the women, the one-time and would-be governor believes his name has finally been cleared.
“There are some real truth-tellers who cut through the political sensationalism and what is the truth,” Fairfax said. “I would be the only African-American governor in the United States today had it not been for what now appears to be false allegations.”
5 Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax. (Photo courtesy Lauren Burke via Wikimedia commons)
“This resulted in large part because they wanted to smear me. We have a 400-year history of FAIRFAX Page 17
The Prince George's County NAACP is holding its 2022 Election on November 26, 2022, between the hours of 12:00 Noon and 6:00 PM.
The election process is electronic, and members must have their membership paid 30 days before the election. We are asking that you update your email address so that you might receive a ballot.
