Creating a Jubilee County: Prince George's Co., MD

I found this video on YouTube of Prince Georgian youth telling their stories:

Check it out at the Monoblogue site. There are some very interesting posts - several on history, including history that took place in Prince George's Co. There are also 2 posts on the oil problem. Michael has an interesting way of weaving all of these posts together.

Thanks, Michael! And thanks to the Maryland Blogger Alliance and our leader, Attilla, for sponsoring the Carnival of Maryland.

To keep up on Prince George's Co. news click here and Prince George's Co. bloggers here. If you'd like to help "seed" news on the newsvine or if you want to be added to the list of county bloggers, please contact me at joyce(dot)dowling(at)comcast(dot)net with the subject line: PGCares _________ and whatever you'd like - "Volunteer", "Question", "Blogger", etc.

Well, the summer doesn't seem to slow things down any more. There's a lot going on, especially with education and politics.

Civic association groups are concerned about the law suit the county has whereas an aggrievement issue could redefine the ability of citizens to be able to have a voice in zoning issues. There are some documents on the bottom of the federation's site to help educate people on the issue and there may be more there later.

There's a lot of hot crime news - the gangs are active and some of the churches and other initiatives are working to deal with these issues. Also, we have some crimes of politicians in the news as well. How do we teach our kids to stay honest when our politicians are such bad models for honesty? Crime News

There's a lot of news about Education, too - funding, scholarships, special programs, and more - some not so good, but a lot of good news, too. Education News

Other news includes stories with videos courtesy of the Maryland Gazette on fundraising for performing arts with legislators dancing; a scout project in an outdoor educational center; and swimming classes. See an array of news here.

Also, many county residents are active in helping with the Obama campaign which generates a lot of excitement. The Walk4Change in Sept. is one of many events they're working on.

More News & Views from bloggers and discussion groups here.

Please help spread the word - see below.



More information here including links to PDF flier & poster and a t-shirt transfer.

Sign up here.

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!

The following was forwarded to me by an active, caring citizen, though I couldn't fine it on the web site:

The Council is trying to take away our right to appeal zoning decisions unless we can actually “see” the property from our own — see the Gazette letter to the editor below. We need to let the Council know this is not acceptable:

( council email addresses here )

County Council Asks High Court to Take Away Citizen Rights to help Developer Contributors: The Court of Appeals has agreed to hear a case in which the County Council asks the Court to take away the rights of citizens and civic associations to file appeals in zoning cases. Gosain v. County Council (No. 26 Sept. Term 2008).

In 1994, the General Assembly gave broadened appeal rights to citizens and civic associations so that they could appeal the County Council's abusive zoning decisions that favor their developer campaign contributors. The 1994 law removed a requirement that an appellant had to be "aggrieved" in order to have "standing" to file an appeal. Aggrievement means that to appeal, you have to be able to literally SEE the property being developed or rezoned from your property. Courts have been very tough on citizens about being aggrieved, and abusive zoning decisions often could not be appealed.

The "aggrievement" requirement was removed in 1994, so that the political deals between the developers and the County Council would have to stand up in court. Developers and the County Council have bristled about this law for years, and the Council's lawyer has tried many times to get it overturned in court but has failed. Earlier this year, the developers and the Council got Delegate Joe Vallario to sponsor a bill (HB 927 (PG/MC 119-08)) to do the same thing - take away citizens rights to appeal zoning decisions by putting back the requirement that citizens be "aggrieved" in order to have "standing".

Vocal citizen opposition killed HB 927. Now, the Council has gotten Maryland's highest Court to hear its argument to strip citizens of their hard won rights.

Write your Council member and demand to know why they want to take away your rights. Write and demand honest government. And, tell your neighbors what their Council member is up to and get them to write or call.

We should also let our Delegates know that we appreciate their protecting our rights by killing HB 927 in the last session and alert them to the fact that the Council is trying to bypass the Delegate’s decision by going to the Court of Appeals.
( delegate email addresses here )

Get the latest news and discussions from bloggers in Prince George's County here.

If you know of a family earning less than $ 60,000 a year with an honor student graduating from high school soon, Harvard University wants to pay the tuition. The prestigious university recently announced that from now on undergraduate students from low-income families can go to Harvard for free...no tuition and no student loans!
To find out more about Harvard offering free tuition for families making less than $ 6 0,000 a year visit Harvard's financial aid website at: http://www.fao.fas.harvard.edu/ or call the school's financial aid office at (617) 495-1581.

SEND TO SOMEONE WHETHER THEY CAN USE OR NOT. THEY JUST MIGHT KNOW SOMEONE WHO CAN.

If you live in Maryland's Congressional District Four, your Representative in U.S. Congress is being chosen tomorrow, June 17th. Please learn about the candidates and go vote for the one that you personally believe would achieve good results for our country, if elected.

You can find out whether you live in District Four using your 9 digit zip code, your city name, or a map. If you are a registered voter, find your polling place.

See video statements from all the candidates at Montgomery Community Television, then read issue positions of all the candidates on the ballot, side by side.

Turnout for this special election will likely be low, so each vote counts more than ever.

I appreciate your attention to this important matter,

Thibeaux Lincecum
Libertarian for U.S. Congress
Maryland District Four
http://www.lincecum.us/2008/

Hosted by Maryland Blogger Alliance of which this blog is a part.

My post from Prince George's County for this article is Change is in the air... something you can always count on. Changes include Jews & Muslims finding common ground, other local news stories, an upcoming national March for Change, and an alternative to driving with these higher gas prices. Feel free to check this entire blog while you're visiting by clicking on prince_georges. Here are the entries for today's carnival:( Read more... ) Submit your blog article to the next edition of carnival of maryland using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.


Courtesy of Stan Modjesky

Technorati tags:
carnival of maryland, blog carnival.

They say 2 things you can always count on: death and taxes, well there's a third: CHANGE!

There's a lot of changing going on. Read the local news stories and you see the Jews and Muslims speaking to each other and finding Common Ground. There's certainly a lot of change in our neighborhoods with more trees being bulldozed down & developments going in, in spite of people not being able to afford to pay their mortgages. The Parks and planning is still working on the Master Plans to protect some areas and build on others. The Patuxent River is less murky than last year, but a lot more than 6 yrs. ago, or so the sneaker test shows.

Sometimes change means going back to the way things were, such as our 9 school districts with candidates only having to campaign in their own district and not all over the county. It finally passed and was signed by the governor.

Even history can change, as the county historical society moved their library to a new home in the lower level of the Greenbelt library with a celebration that followed. Also their web site has a new design.

The change I'm most interested in now is the March for Change. I hope you will join us Sept. 13.

And last but not least, we all know THE GAS PRICES ARE CHANGING! With gas prices well over $4 per gallon now, try some local events instead of traveling out of town for entertainment. Go to PGParks.com for a list of local events.

BTW, HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Don't forget to catch the Prince George's Bloggers here.

This Sunday from 2:00pm – 3:00pm tune into 1450AM WOL for Survival In the Trenches – www.survivalinthetrenches.com where discrimination and disparities in the mortgage industry will be discussed.

Since I've posted so much today, I'll just link to the information on another LJ: pg_race_matters

Remember to check News & Views from Prince George's Bloggers

Bowie State University will host the Exxon-Mobil Bernard Harris Summer
Science Camp, an all-expense-paid, residential program for Prince George's
County public school students, July 6-18.

The program is designed to help students strengthen their math and science
skills and give them a taste of college life. Students will take classes
taught by certified classroom teachers and university faculty, who will
focus on problem-solving, studying and researching.

The students also will conduct experiments, learn about engineering and
other science related careers, go on field trips and explore writing and
communication skills related to biology, chemistry, physics and design
concepts.

To be eligible, students must be entering the 6th, 7th or 8th grade in the
Prince George's school system and they must have an interest in math and
sconce.

Applicants also must have at least a B average in math and science, score at
the medium to superior level in standardized math and science tests and be
recommended by math and science teachers.

To apply, visit www.bowiestate.edu/about/events or call 301-860-3875. The
applications must be sent by June 20th to Elaine J. Davis, Model
Institutions for Excellence, Computer Science Building, Suite 308, 14000
Jericho Park Road, Bowie, MD 20715.

Please share the above with your friends and relatives who have kids in the
PG school system who meet the requirements.

The next strategy planning session will be held:

Tuesday, June 17, 2008 at 6:30pm – 9:00pm
Oxon Hill Library (Meeting Room)
6200 Oxon Hill Road
Oxon Hill, MD 20745

A request has been made under the Maryland Public Information Act for any
and all records pertaining to the National Harbor project currently in
possession of the Prince George’s County government. This request was
sent to the County Executive, County Council members, and all county
agencies involved in the National Harbor project. By law these
agencies must respond by June 10, 2008, which will be the end date of
the allotted thirty-day (30) period. There also has been a petition to the
County Council to withhold any further Special Hotel Occupancy Tax
disbursements to the Peterson Companies until a thorough investigation
into local and minority contracting at National Harbor is completed.

RSVP no later than June 15, 2008 by calling (301) 292-3621 or by
e-mail to jerry[at]mathisrealtors.com

Reusing is the best form of conservation - better than recycling since it uses so little energy and resources. So check out your local yard sale and thrift stores.

I just came back from helping out at my church's yard sale set-up and there are a lot of really nice things for sale there at very low prices. I couldn't resist buying a few things myself last night (a perk of membership & volunteering). They don't officially open until 9 AM today (Sat., June 7). They're also serving lunch.

It's just a couple miles west of Andrews Air Force Base, 1/4 mi. from Allentown Rd., which is also not far from either exit 4A & 7A on the beltway in Camp Springs. Here's a link for a map and directions.

Hosted by Maryland Blogger Alliance of which this blog is a part.

The latest Maryland Blog Carnival is at Baltimore History Examiner by Mark Newgent. It includes one of the posts from this blog, too.

I'll be the next host for the carnival. Submit your Maryland-oriented blog posts here.

See the latest Prince George's County blogger posts here.

John Crestwell recently produced 2 more interview programs: Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller and State Delegate Tom Hucker.

He says, "My conversation with the President of the State Senate, Mike Miller, shows you why he's lasted for so many years. He's personable and genuine. However, I did ask him his rationale behind supporting slot machines in Maryland." Also, "District 20 State Delegate, Tom Hucker of Montgomery County, MD, stopped by to tell us about his eclectic background of public service." "Listen in..."

I put "clinton is winning" into the Google News search today after hearing that this is what's being said by many and I got "Results 1 - 25 of about 30". Different stories have different reasons why they think Clinton is winning, but I think this web site (Real Clear Politics) is keeping pretty good track of the numbers. Obama has more delegates and pledged superdelegates. They've got a good reading on the polls, too, including links to their sources. They've also got the Popular Vote counts. Looks like Obama is pretty strong to me.

We have some very influential Marylanders who could make a difference in this election, but I'm not sure what could move them which way:

"Uncommitted delegates in Maryland such as Susan Turnbull, Rep. Steny Hoyer and Rep. Chris Van Hollen have it somewhat easier. Their positions among the Democratic leadership-Turnbull is vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, Hoyer is the House Majority Leader and Van Hollen is chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee-make it mandatory in Turnbull's case and preferred in the latter's that they remain neutral.

"I have not committed at this point in time [and] I don't have a when," Hoyer said, giving away nothing. My decision "may or may not be public," he added.
- from "Superdelegates enjoy being courted" in louisianaweekly.com

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I also found this article (or something similar being run in several papers: "Filmmaker sparks discussion in African American community" "Annapolis resident Robert Eades talked about what's ailing his community and what needs to be done to heal it. He spoke yesterday during filming for an upcoming feature movie by an Annapolis film maker."... ""This film is about racism and the psychological effects on the African American community, particularly black men," Mr. Parker said." Read more here.

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Don't forget to check out the Barbershop Radio Show. His latest interview is with Tender Warrior Association --Saving our Youth Founder and CEO: Jeff L. Robertson. He has several audio interviews of politicians and influencial people in Prince George's on this audio site.

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Continue to take a look at the latest posts from Prince George's bloggers and discussion groups here.

Also check out pg_race_matters and the latest news in Prince Georges's from many sources.

The County Council raised taxes in spite of the law (Section 813. Approval of New or Additional Taxes by Referendum. - Put 813 into this search site), and raised taxes without voter approval. There's an article about it in the Washington Post today. The issues of the charter are on page 2 of the article. Few knew that the vote was being held at this meeting or could attend even if they knew.

I have created a poll to see what you think about this issue. Anonymous votes are not allowed in polls due to security reasons & fairness in voting (no one can vote twice, for instance), which means that people without LiveJournal accounts cannot vote in polls; they will need to create their own accounts before voting. If you don't have an account, you can still comment to this post.

Poll #1191837 Prince George's County Tax Increases
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

Should the County Council be allowed to raise taxes without public input?

Should all tax increases be brought to the voters before they are implemented?

Is there apathy about having a race dialog?

If you're not apathetic, please vote in the Poll on Race Conversations.

New shows featuring Delegates Benson, Bronrott, and Reznik.

The shows are:

Health Care and Mental Health with Senator Rob Garagiola
Senator Robert J. Garagiola of District 15 in Montgomery County discusses health care and mental health concerns for the state in our breakfast conversation today.

Diversity chat with State Delegate Victor Ramirez
District 47 State Delegate Victor Ramirez and I discuss the growing diversity in the county in our monthly conversation at the shop.

Environment, Education and Taxes with Senator Paul Pinsky
District 22 Senator of Prince George's County, Paul Pinsky, and I discuss the reality of why environmental concerns should be at the top of our state and federal priority list. We also talk about the tax burdens on the middle class, and we end our chat with some conversation around an educational concern.

Visit http://www.barbershopradioshow.com and click on SHOWTIME!