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IN YOUR COMMUNITY
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City
of Greenbelt is a Recipient of a Keep Prince
George’s County Beautiful
Award
On December 14, 2008, Keep Prince George’s
County Beautiful held its annual awards program at
Prince George’s Community College. An award
was presented to the City of Greenbelt Public
Works Department for outstanding contributions in
the areas of recycling, resource recovery, litter
pick-up and community clean ups.
Congratulations City of
Greenbelt.
Free Tax Preparation Available For County
Residents
Free tax preparation is available to assist
county residents with basic income tax returns,
including free electronic filing. Services
begin February 10-April 4, 2009 on Tuesdays from
6-9 pm and Saturdays, 9 am- 12 pm in the Center
for Advanced Technology, formerly the High
Technology Center on the main campus of Prince
George’s Community College. For more
information, please dial Earlene Dowell at
301-322-0157.
Benjamin Tasker Middle School
Earns A Hard Fought Victory Over Sidwell Friends
School in Basketball
On January
11, 2009, the Benjamin Tasker Boys 7/8 A
basketball team earned a hard fought victory over
Sidwell Friends School at the “Dreamakers
Public-Private School Showcase. The game
was tied at the end of regulation and had to be
decided in overtime. However,
Benjamin Tasker was able to secure a 46-42 victory
to the delight of the faithful and jubilant fans
that traveled along to support them.
Ivy Community Charities to
award Scholarships To High School Seniors
The Ivy Community Charities of Prince
George’s County, Inc., is awarding scholarships to
high school seniors who are planning to attend a
two-year or four-year college or university on a
full-time basis upon graduation from high school.
To be eligible to apply for the scholarship, the
student must currently be residing and attending
high school in Prince George’s County, MD. All
applications must be postmarked no later than
February 25, 2009. For more
information you may contact Cynthia Poteat at
202-582-2247 or by email at crpoteat@verizon.net
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Anti-Truancy Initiative Is A
Success
Last
school year (2007-2008) the Average Daily
Attendance for Prince George’s County Public
Schools, for the first quarter was 79.64%. The
Average Daily Attendance for the first quarter of
school year (2008-2009) is 91.15%. Council
Member Ingrid M. Turner commends Prince George’s
County School Board Member Rosalind Johnson and
the rest of the Prince George’s County School
Board, and the community, for their efforts. We would
especially like to thank the community for
participating in the walks putting up of signs and
calling 301-333-4000 to report truant
students.
Together our work has paid
off.
National Anthem And “Voice of Bowie”
Auditions
On
Saturday, February 28, 2009, the City of Bowie
will hold auditions for individuals or groups to
perform the National Anthem at City special
events, and for individuals interested in being a
stage announcer or “Voice of Bowie” at these
events.
Auditions will be held in the TV Studio at
Bowie City Hall located at 2614 Kenhill Drive,
Bowie, MD.
20715. National
Anthem auditions begin at 12:00 pm. “Voice of
Bowie” auditions begin at 2:30 pm and candidates
will be asked to read a script. For more
information or to schedule an audition, please
contact Matt Corley, Special Events Coordinator,
at 301-809-3078 or mcorley@cityofbowie.org.
Parents Assisting Teachers
Training Available At Bowie
City
Hall
Prince
George’s County Public Schools, Department
of Family and Community Outreach provides
parent workshops designed to “engage parents in
schools and improve communication between home and
school.” Parents/guardians and
community
members who are interested in
volunteering in schools to “assist
teachers in the educational/instructional
process,” are invited to attend PAT workshop, on
Saturday, February 21st , from 9 am
until noon, at Bowie City Hall in the Multipurpose
room. Application forms are available at City
Hall, in the Department of Community Services,
Room #203. Applications may also be requested by
emailing Sharon Breeden, Sharon.breeden@pgcps.org,
or Leni Stern, lstern@cityofbowie.org .
The Parent Liaisons at neighborhood schools have
applications as well. Applications must be
completed and returned by fax or email (following
instructions on the form) or dropped off at City
Hall, by February 20th. (If space is available,
applications will be accepted prior to 9 am on the
day of the training.)
For
more information please contact Sharon Breeden,
Parent Liaison at Whitehall Elementary School,
301-805-1000, sharon.breeden@pgcps.org
or Bowie Education Committee liaison, Leni Stern,
301-809-3068 or
lstern@cityofbowie.org.
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 Gorgeous Prince
George's County!
Dear
District 4 Residents:
These are challenging times for our nation, our
state and our county. I have never
known Prince
George’s County to be as
challenged financially as we are today, because of the
global economic downturn we are currently
experiencing.
This budget cycle will be one of the most
challenging in the County’s
history.
Prince
George’s County
citizens have never needed more than they do today. Our neighbors
are searching for ways to pay their mortgages and rents;
put food on the table; pay for childcare; and provide
recreational activities for our young people. Like many
of us in our households, our government is also
struggling to find ways to provide the basic services
our citizens need and expect, especially during these
trying times. While County
leaders have taken proactive steps and had the foresight
to commit to find ways to do more with less, a dollar
only goes so far.
The $2.7 billion needed to repair our aging
schools is not getting smaller. Next year that
number will be larger.
Over the last 2 years, my colleagues and I on the
County Council, have made tough choices while standing
firm on our priorities that include better schools,
safer streets, a larger economic development base, and
more job opportunities in Prince George’s County. The amount
and frequency of violent crime in Prince
George’s County has gone
down. The
schools in the State of Maryland are now ranked #1 and
this is in large part due to the tremendous effort we in
Prince
George’s County have made. We have also
established the Center for Minority Enterprise
Development to help local, small, and minority-owned
businesses, and we continue to invest in the hospitality
training arena to ensure more job opportunities are
available for the citizens of Prince
George’s
County.
On Monday, March 16th, the County Executive will
submit his Fiscal Year 2010 budget proposal to the
County Council for review and adoption. Unlike the
Federal government, the County must have a balanced
budget by June 1st. We must evaluate
what additional programs and resources we can cut. I will be
focusing on what cuts can be made without jeopardizing
the upward trend we are making in our educational system
and a continued reduction in crime. The residents of
Prince
George’s County must feel safe in
their homes and on the streets they walk. I will also be
advocating for resources to help struggling
families.
Hardworking citizens need access to resources and
services to help them make it through these tough
times. I
know tough times won’t last forever, but I realize it is
even more important today for local government to
advocate and work to help bridge gaps and continue to
work cooperatively with other government officials at
every level to address the growing needs of our
citizens.
I
hope you will join me as an advocate for our District
Four community and its citizens and residents. TOGETHER, we can
accomplish much.
Our neighbors are depending on us.
Working Hard for
YOU,
Ingrid M.
Turner
District
4 Website
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Crime
Statistics Are The Lowest In 20
Years
Prince George’s County Executive Jack
Johnson and Acting Chief of Police Roberto Hylton
announced that total crime was at the lowest levels in
Prince George’s County in 20 years. Since 2005
violent crime is down 32 percent and overall crime is
down 25 percent.
Additionally, firearm seizures have increased 13
percent and arrests have risen 37 percent. In 2008, violent
crime dropped 8.9 percent, including a 7.1 percent
decline in homicides. All of the crime
reductions are attributed to improved community
partnerships and a renewed vigor and commitment under
Acting Chief Hylton. “We have a
renewed energy about the coming year and we’re involved
in a very aggressive crime prevention campaign”, Acting
Chief Hylton
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Prince George’s County Police Community Policing
Institute to offer Protection
Course
The
Prince George’s County Police Departments’ Community
Policing Institute will offer a course on Citizens’
Personal Protection on March 4, 2009. This two hour
training session will provide community members with
information and techniques that will promote safety,
crime prevention, and threat awareness. This course will
take place at:
Community
Policing Institute
4380
Forbes Blvd.
Lanham,
MD
20706
For
more information and to RSVP please contact Cpl. Aubrey
C. Thompson at 301-794-1119 or at acthompson@co.pg.md.us . You must RSVP by
February 27, 2009.
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DISTRICT 4 SHOWCASE
EVENTS
Council Member Ingrid
Turner congratulates a participant in
thePrince George’s County
Calendar Contest Awards Ceremony on January 14,
2009
Council Member Turner presents
2008 Teacher of the Year Beth Novick, a
6th grade teacher at Greenbelt
Elementary School, with a proclamation. Beth
Novick was recognized on January 13, 2009 as the
2008 Teacher of the Year for the United States
eastern region as part of the Positive Promotions
“I make a difference”, Teacher of the Year
contest.
Positive Promotions will feature Ms. Novick
and other winning teachers in their 2009
publications and focus on their innovative
projects in the classroom. Ms. Novick
received a $500.00 award check to be spent on
classroom
supplies.
Council
Member Turner is pictured with members of the
Bowie MLK Jr. Commemoration Committee, who
sponsored the Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration
for the Bowie area. Pictured
from left to right are Alberta Stith, Denise
McKenney, Council Member Turner, Joan Christian,
Samuel Hutchinson, Esq. Shirley Branch and Milly
Hall.
Other Commemoration Committee members not
pictured are Donald Christian, Thomas Johnson,
Iredia Hutchinson, Nathania Branch-Miles, Maurice
Branch, Gregory Holmes, Deneen Lyles, Sandra Cook
and Steve Cook. This photo
was taken by Marion
Shipman.
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Digital Television Conversion
Delayed
Congress
has voted to delay the DTV transition until June
12, 2009.
The President is expected to sign the bill
into law.
Whenever the transition takes place, analog
televisions that are not connected to cable or a
satellite dish will no longer be able to receive
over-the-air signals without a converter box. Converter
boxes are now available at most electronic
stores.
The government is offering a $40.00 rebate
coupon.
Information on the rebate can be found at
http://www.dtv.gov/ . For more
information on the conversion process, go to www.ntia.doc.gov or call
1-888-388-2009.
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Pepco Unveils New Web
Site Outage
Maps
Pepco
customers will now have the ability to locate an
outage with greater accuracy with Pepco new
interactive outage maps. By placing
a cursor over a location, users will view details
such as the number of customers awaiting power
restoration, zip codes affected and crew status
information.
To view the new maps, go to www.pepco.com and click
on View Outage Maps.
BIZ 2009 Cancelled Due to
Economic Concerns
I
extend my thanks to all who supported BIZ 2009: A
Summit and Showcase for Young Entrepreneurs.
I especially thank the students who
diligently submitted their applications to
participate in the conference.
Unfortunately, due to the current economic
situation I have decided to cancel BIZ 2009.
I am inspired by each student’s willingness to
take a risk to become or aspire to become an
entrepreneur. Again, thank you for your
support.
Greater Bowie Chamber
Of Commerce To Host 2nd
Annual
Business Recognition
Program
The
Greater Bowie Chamber of Commerce, in partnership
with the City of Bowie, is sponsoring the
2nd Annual Business Recognition
program.
Nominations are sought in the following
categories:
Small
Business of the
Year Entrepreneur
of the Year
Business
of the
Year Community
Service Award
Members
of the community are encouraged to submit the name
of a local business, along with a one page
narrative describing why the business is being
nominated.
Nominations must be received no later than
Friday, March 20, 2009, and should be sent to the
City of Bowie, Department of Economic Development,
2614 Kenhill Drive, Bowie, MD
20715. Inquiries
may be directed to the Economic Development
Director at jhking@cityofbowie.org.
Businesses selected will be honored at a luncheon
at the Belair Mansion on Friday, May 1, 2009. Tickets
for the event will be available from the Greater
Bowie Chamber of Commerce. For more
information, you may contact Kelly L. Pierce,
Executive Director, Greater Bowie Chamber of
Commerce, at 301-262-0920 or by email at www.bowiechamber.org.
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If
you would like to be included in our future E-News
mailing or hard copy
newsletters, please forward your name, address, and
email to LCFerguson@co.pg.md.us. Please
pass this information on to other concerned
citizens.
Remember, as a team working together, much can be
accomplished. |
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