april2026_hyattsville_forweb

INSIDE INFO: City spent $500K on software that won't work, P. 5

DENTRO: Dos candidatos para las elecciones del concejo, P. 13

City projects $4 million budget gap

leaves a $4 million budget gap.

By LIAD MUSSAFFI and KIT SLACK

The City of Hyattsville has a budget problem laid out in March council meetings: The city expects to bring in $33 million, but expects to spend $37 million. That

At a March 18 council meeting, city finance staff said that a detailed budget proposal — scheduled to be presented April 8 and 22 — will include recommendations for increasing taxes and reducing expenses.

In the meantime, city staff are drafting an ordinance that would allow the city to raise taxes for some properties and not others.

Properties that may see higher city tax

include those that are vacant, apartment buildings and commercial and industrial sites.

Right now, all properties are taxed at 63 cents per $100 of assessed value, a rate that has remained the same for the past 20 years. City tax revenue has doubled as property values increased and new housing has been built.

Single-family homes, including townhouses, pay 60% of the city’s total tax revenue, commercial properties pay

25%, and apartment buildings pay 16%, according to a March 18 finance department presentation.

Councilmember Joanne Waszczak (Ward 1) expressed concern that higher tax rates for apartment buildings would go against the city council’s desire to stabilize skyrocketing rent.

Other councilmembers were less concerned about that, arguing that the share of an increase in property taxes per individual

By ALEX BURKE

At its Feb. 23 meeting, the Hyattsville City Council proposed allocating $3,000 to buy shovels and fund a volunteer snow removal program to assist elderly and disabled residents.

City code requires property owners and tenants to clear sidewalks within 24 hours after a snowstorm ends or face a warning, which could lead to a $500 citation.

“If the warning is not heeded in a timely manner, a citation will be issued,” the Hyattsville Code Compliance Team states.

“It is possible that the volunteers can be assigned to support property owners who reach out

Graphic novelist Gareth Hinds puts a new spin on old stories

By NIGEL F. MAYNARD

If you meet Gareth Hinds at a dinner party and he tells you he’s a graphic novelist, you might be tempted to envision superheroes in capes — wielding shields, ray guns or magical powers. You’d be right, but you’d also be wrong. Hinds’ work does have heroes and some have weapons, but his novels are primarily adapted from literary classics, such as Beowulf, The Odyssey and The

A community newspaper chronicling the life and times of Hyattsville, Maryland. HyattsvilleLife.com StreetcarSuburbs.News

Submission Information

The Hyattsville Life & Times is published monthly. We welcome reader input, tips, articles, letters, opinion pieces and photographs, which may be submitted to nigel@streetcarsuburbs.news

Managing Editor Nigel F. Maynard nigel@streetcarsuburbs.news

Associate Editor Heather Wright heather@hyattsvillelife.com

Columnists

Imke Ahlf-Wien, Jessica Arends, Victoria Boucher, Paul Ruffins

Writers & Contributors

Alex Burke, Stephanie DeLorenzo, Stella Garner, Michael Murphy, Liad Mussafi

Layout & Design Editors

Valerie Morris, Ashley Perks

Spanish translation by University of Maryland Department of Translation and Interpretation Services

Advertising Information For advertising inquiries, please email catie@streetcarsuburbs.news or call (301) 284-8611

Streetcar Suburbs Publishing

Business Manager Catie Currie Catie@streetcarsuburbs.news

Executive Director Kit Slack Kit@streetcarsuburbs.news

Marketing Director Ashley Perks

ashley@streetcarsuburbs.news

Board of Directors

President: Marta McLellan Ross

Secretary: Melanie Dzwonchyk

Treasurer: Joe Murchison

General Counsel: Michael Walls

Nora Eidelman, Merrill Hartson, Alec Lynde, T. Carter Ross, Stephanie Stullich, Tara Susman-Peña

Ex Officios: Joshua Garner, Nigel F. Maynard, Sharon O’Malley, Kit Slack

The Hyattsville Life & Times is a member of the National Newspaper Association and the Institute for Nonprofit News.

FROM WHERE I STAND

It’s going to get worse: Why Hyattsville must fund emergency immigrant relief

By STEPHANIE DELORENZO

What is happening in Hyattsville right now is horrifying. Neighbors are being ripped from their families during botched U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids with guns drawn and children watching. A mother was taken during an asylum hearing, leaving behind a 1-yearold and a 4-year-old. Families are terrified to leave their homes, even to go grocery shopping. Kids are simply no longer going to school because the risk is too great.

The consequences are real, and they are devastating. Families left behind when a breadwinner is taken often have nothing: no income, no food, no plan. In November 2025, I founded Route 1 (Rt 1) Mutual Aid because I simply couldn’t sit around any longer. Since our founding, we’ve specifically been addressing the growing food insecurity crisis within our immigrant community by collecting grocery donations from neighbors and delivering them directly to families in need through partnerships with local organizations. We do this not because we are righteous or independently wealthy, but because our city and county governments weren't doing anything for the immigrant community. We saw the urgency, and we showed up.

But as the weeks go on, more and more families are impacted, and our scrappy grassroots operation is struggling to keep up. As Rt 1 Mutual Aid has already seen, this crisis continues to get worse for our neighbors. According to estimates from local organizations, Hyattsville has already lost nearly 30 residents to detentions over the past year, and this trend is poised to accelerate. Federal agencies are stockpiling supplies in Baltimore, and ICE

is expanding its footprint right here in Hyattsville at 6505 Belcrest Road. Our city is uniquely vulnerable for what’s to come: More than 37% of our residents are foreign born, according to 2024 census data. While we cannot single-handedly stop federal detentions, we can — and must — support the families left in the wake of these tragedies. Governments at the local and state levels have the power and responsibility to do something about this growing crisis.

Currently, the Hyattsville City Council is debating the creation of a $100,000 emergency fund for impacted families. This money would provide a lifeline for basic needs: keeping the lights on, putting food on the table, and covering the exorbitant legal fees required to bring parents and spouses home from dangerous detention facilities. To ensure efficiency and transparency, the fund would be managed by a trusted local nonprofit. Despite the modest size of this request — representing less than one quarter of 1% of last year’s budget — the city council is shockingly divided. We have heard a litany of excuses: that the fund isn’t large enough to “solve” the whole problem, that families should rely on GoFundMe campaigns or grassroots initiatives like Rt 1 Mutual Aid, or even the false, xenophobic claim that many of those detained may be “serious offenders,” who don’t deserve our help.

Some councilmembers are hiding behind administrative red tape, claiming we cannot approve the fund until every minor logistical detail is finalized. This is a stall tactic. We already have a proven blueprint: Hyattsville made available more than $1 million in COVID-19 relief through similar grants, working alongside experienced organizations like We Are CASA.

Our city staff and local partners are more than capable of handling the finer points of grant administration. We do not need our elected officials to micromanage logistics; we need them to provide the political will to act.

To put this $100,000 request in perspective: It is only one-seventh of what Hyattsville spends on parking enforcement every year. And yet, we are short of the votes needed to pass this. There is no other motion on the table to support our immigrant neighbors. If this fund fails, our city council will have chosen to do nothing in the face of a community-wide emergency. We cannot allow our representatives to abandon our neighbors when they are most vulnerable. If you have felt helpless watching these tragedies unfold, this is your moment to act. We must show the council that we expect them to represent the values of the community that elected them.

• Email your councilmember today: Tell them why this fund matters to you. You can find them at hyattsville.org/834/ Mayor-Council.

• Request a meeting: A phone call or a brief meeting carries significant weight.

• Speak up: Attend the next city council meeting. Public comment happens at the very beginning of the meeting (currently virtual), and you only need two minutes to make your voice heard.

• Support Rt 1 Mutual Aid by donating or volunteering: rt1mutualaid.org. Stand up for your neighbors. Let’s ensure Hyattsville remains the compassionate, diverse and supportive home we all love.

Stephanie DeLorenzo is a resident of Hyattsville and co-founder of Route 1 Mutual Aid.

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501(c)(3) non-profit publisher of the Hyattsville Life & Times, the College Park Here & Now, The Laurel Independent, StreetcarSuburbs.News, and The Streetcar Spotlight.

PO Box 132, Hyattsville, MD 20781

County school system may rename César Chávez school

The county school system is considering renaming César Chávez Dual Spanish Immersion School, on Riggs Road in Chillum, following allegations against the school’s namesake, César Chávez, according to WTOP

On March 18, The New York Times published an exposé detailing numerous sexual abuse allegations against Chávez, a civil rights and labor union activist who died in 1993.

In response, Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) and many other school systems across the U.S. have initiated processes to rename schools bearing Chávez’s name. According to Education Week, at least 86 schools across 14 states, the District and Puerto Rico are named for Chávez.

PGCPS told WTOP that the renaming process includes forming a committee of students, staff, parents and community members, who pass along three names to a naming commission to review. The superintendent then makes recommendations to the county school board, which makes the final decision. The school board estimated that a recent proposal to rename Northwestern High School would cost approximately $1.5 million (the proposal has since been rescinded).

César Chávez Dual Spanish Immersion is an elementary school that encourages bilingualism and biliteracy and serves mostly Hispanic students. Originally named Parkway Elementary when it opened in 1954, the school was renamed for Chávez in 2000 and began its Spanish immersion magnet program in 2015. COMING IN

County’s first specialty running store opens in Hyattsville

By MICHAEL MURPHY

For years, Prince George’s County runners had to travel out of the county to find a running specialty store, until Haraka Run and Walk opened in Hyattsville.

The store, located at 5501 Baltimore Avenue near Busboys and Poets, held its grand opening on Feb. 21 (following a soft launch on Dec. 24, 2025), making it the first running specialty store in the county. While Montgomery County has four such specialty stores and the District has five, the nearly one million residents of Prince George’s County have not had a more local option until now.

Co-owner Jesse Holland explained that “haraka” means “speed” in Swahili, a word his wife and co-owner Carol Holland heard during her travels as a U.S. Navy commander. The name of the store, Jesse and Carol said, was important. They wanted something unique and representative for Prince George’s County.

Jesse made it clear that Haraka Run and Walk is focused on being a part of the county. “It’s important, not just that we're a Black-owned company, but also that we're a Prince George'sowned company,” he said.

“We pay taxes here in Prince George’s County, we contribute to the community in Prince George’s County, and our children go to school here in Prince George’s County.”

Haraka Run and Walk carries all the major running shoe brands, and they offer a variety of running accessories like sunglasses, foam rollers, kinesiology tape and other muscle recovery products. They also have running socks, compression shirts, quarterzips and singlets from multiple brands, and their own logowear.

Perhaps the most unique thing Haraka Run and Walk has to offer is their Volumental 3D foot scanner. Available free to every customer, it measures the length and width of each foot, foot instep height, heel width and arch height and then recommends

certain brands and styles of shoes to fit each customer.

Haraka Run and Walk is already involved in the Hyattsville community, and has been since before the storefront opened. Haraka Run Club’s Wednesday Weekly Walks, which Jesse said started last July, take place every Wednesday at 6 p.m. The walk is three miles along the Rhode Island Avenue Trolley Trail.

Jesse also said that he spoke to an organization of track coaches at the county school system, letting them know about the store and its services, and offering the coaches a store discount.

Hyattsville resident Terence Dobbins said he was excited to find out about Haraka Run and Walk. He said that in the past, he had to order running shoes online and drive to Columbia for pickup. “It’s a great store,” Dobbins said. “My wife and I believe in supporting small businesses, so we’ll come here first before the big stores.”

Carol is a Prince George’s

County native and was the first Black female All-American track athlete at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. She was also an NCAA Division II 800-meter champion at the Naval Academy and is a member of the Naval Academy Athletic Hall of Fame.

Jesse is an associate journalism professor at George Washington University and an award-winning author of seven books. He is also a journalist and was formerly a host of CSPAN’s “Washington Journal.”

He describes himself as the “and Walk” part of Haraka Run

and Walk, saying he does not consider himself a real runner like his wife, but he enjoys participating in 5Ks and is training for his first 10K race.

With Haraka Run and Walk, Jesse and Carol are hoping to bring the Prince George’s County community together around a shared interest — running. Jesse noted, “If you want to go fast, you go alone, but if you want to go far, you go with someone else.”

Michael Murphy is an undergraduate journalism student at the University of Maryland.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Here’s our list of events sponsored by local nonprofits, arts organizations and performance venues, occurring in April; all information is current as of March 26. For events and meetings organized by the City of Hyattsville, see Hyattsville Headlines in the newspaper’s centerfold.

Please send notices of May events to managingeditor@ hyattsvillelife.com by April 23

RECURRING

Riverdale Park Farmers

Market is open every Thursday from 3 to 7 p.m. in the parking lot near the Riverdale MARC Station, 4650 Queensbury Rd. For more information, contact rpkfarmmkt@gmail.com.

Weekly acoustic blues jams, in the Piedmont blues tradition. Listeners welcome! Free. Saturdays, 1 to 5 p.m. Archie Edwards Blues Heritage Foundation, 4502 Hamilton St. acousticblues.com

ONGOING

Curated by Akemi Maegawa in celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the art exhibition “Borderless” explores themes

of identity, migration and cultural fluidity. April 6 to May 30 (with a public reception April 11 from 5 to 8 p.m.). Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Brentwood Arts Exchange, 3901 Rhode Island Ave., Brentwood. 301.277.2863. brentwoodarts@pgparks.com

In the art exhibition “Paper Rhapsody,” Roxana RojasLuzón uses snippets of magazine paper, fabric, photographs, pencil drawings, raw pigments and anything that enriches the texture and color of her images. Through May 17 (with an artist reception April 2 from 6 to 8 p.m.). Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Publick Playhouse, 5445 Landover Rd., Cheverly. 301.277.1710. publickplayhouse@pgparks.com

APRIL

2

Join a naturalist onboard the park pontoon boat to explore all things birds, while cruising down the Anacostia River for this Beaks, Feet and Feathers Boat Tour. $3 county residents, $4 nonresidents. Register at pgparksdirect.com. Noon to 1 p.m. Bladensburg Waterfront Park, 4601 Annapolis Rd., Blad-

ensburg. 301.779.0371. BladensburgWP@pgparks.com

APRIL 4

Enjoy a guided bicycle tour down the Anacostia River Trail. Registration includes free bike and helmet use, or feel free to bring your own! $7 county residents, $10 nonresidents. Register at pgparksdirect.com. 1 to 2:30 p.m. Bladensburg Waterfront Park, 4601 Annapolis Rd., Bladensburg. 301.779.0371. BladensburgWP@pgparks.com

Come to Brentwood Arts Exchange for an egg-citing afternoon of Easter egg dyeing, as we experiment with colors, patterns and fun techniques. Free. Register through pgparksdirect.com. 1 to 3 p.m. 3901 Rhode Island Ave., Brentwood. 301.277.2863. brentwoodarts@ pgparks.com

“The Gospel Ballet: The Blessings That Bloom” brings powerful stories to life through beautiful movements and inspiring gospel tunes. $17.85. Purchase tickets through joesmovement.org. 2 to 4 p.m. Joe’s Movement Emporium, 3309 Bunker Hill Rd., Mt. Rainier. 301.699.1819

APRIL 8

Explore the art of crocheting in this hands-on workshop, “Pins and Needles: Crochet Produce Bags.” Free. Register at pgcmls.info/events. 3 to 5 p.m. Hyattsville Branch Library, 6530 Adelphi Rd. 240.455.5451

APRIL 11

Come tuft, sip and socialize at a DMV Girls Collective Tufting Social. $85 to tuft a medium rug, $12 for just the vibes, no tufting. Purchase tickets at tuftnupstudiosocial. com. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuft’n Up Studio & Social, 5122 Baltimore Ave. 202.327.0531

Stormi & the Blue Skies takes the stage at Streetcar 82 Brewing Co. Free. 7 to 9:30 p.m. 4824 Rhode Island Ave. streetcar82brewing.com

APRIL 12

Jump into spring with a little cosplay costume and some animated magic at Family Dressup and Movie Day: Snow White. Dress up as your favorite royal character, enjoy craft activities and then watch the film “Snow White” (2025, 109 min.). $8 adult, $6 child. Purchase tickets through pgparksdirect.com.

2 to 4 p.m. Publick Playhouse, 5445 Landover Rd., Cheverly. 301.277.1710. publickplayhouse@pgparks.com

APRIL 13

Come to a viewing and discussion of the documentary “Whose Water?” (2024, 65 min.), which tells the stories of communities fighting for safe, affordable water and sanitation in drastically different regions of the U.S. Free. Register at pgcmls.info/events. 7 to 9 p.m. Hyattsville Branch Library, 6530 Adelphi Rd. 240.455.5451

APRIL 16

(girl)band performs Waxahatchee's “St. Cloud” at Maryland Meadworks. Free. 7 to 10 p.m. 4700 Rhode Island Ave., Suite Bee. 301.955.9644. marylandmeadworks.com

APRIL 19

Join Becky Hill for a family square dance at Joe's Movement Emporium, featuring live music by the Hamlin Street String Band. $7 kids, $15 adults, $30 families. Purchase tickets through joesmovement.org. 3 to 5 p.m. 3309 Bunker Hill Rd., Mt. Rainier. 301.699.1819

Hyattsville spent over $500K on software that won’t work

By KIT SLACK

In a Jan. 27 meeting, Treasurer Ron Brooks told the Hyattsville City Council that a five-year effort to update the city’s recordkeeping software must be abandoned and begun again.

The failed effort will cost the city $524,000 in payments to a contractor called BC Systems, Brooks told the Life & Times Moreover, the city spent much more than that on staff time and contract information technology, or IT, services, according to council documents and conversations with former and current staff.

It could be worse. The grocery store chain Lidl once spent €500 million on a similar system it had to abandon in 2018.

Going live when you aren’t ready has consequences, too: Flawed software rollouts around the country have led to multiple lawsuits against counties from people wrongfully jailed.

Brooks said he recalls spending two years fixing errors from a premature rollout during his time as finance director for Cleveland, Ohio, in the early 2000s.

What went wrong, and why did it take 13 years?

Councilmember Joseph Solomon (Ward 5), who works on enterprise resource planning (ERP) software for governments in his day job, says he was surprised to learn, after he was elected in 2013, that the city had no ERP system. He began advocating for one, making a 2013 budget request.

Brooks believes the city selected the wrong contractor. He said he wanted to use Tyler Technologies, which provides the software that his department uses. “I thought the Tyler proposal was the best,” Brooks said, “because it was local government focused.”

In memos to the mayor and council in 2016 and again in 2020, staff included Tyler Technologies as one of two top possibilities, and recommended the alternate vendor, with council approval.

Jim Chandler, the city’s economic development director at the time, said the sourcing and procurement alone was exhaustive, taking years, in part because city management had difficulty settling on what was needed. In the end, BC Systems scored the best on predetermined criteria, and was more flexible and customizable than Tyler Technologies, according to Chandler and memos to council.

Chandler said he was surprised that the system was never im-

plemented. At the time he left Hyattsville in 2022, the city had seemed poised to roll out the first phase of implementation several times and had a new schedule in place for completion.

Solomon explained that when Chandler left, more responsibility for ERP implementation moved to the treasurer’s office.

“This city has a history of asking the treasurer to do too much,” Solomon said. Brooks said that in multiple rounds of testing, the system was not producing results accurate enough to allow the city to go live on the software.

Solomon also posited that, based on his experience in the industry, it is possible that more of the testing and setup should have fallen to the vendor, rather than to Brooks, an end user.

“I don’t think it was ever one person’s top priority,” said Councilmember Emily Strab (Ward 2), who explained that she did not realize that ERP rollout might need council oversight until she began serving as liaison to the city’s audit committee last year.

Brooks insists that, despite his reservations, he was committed to the implementation and did his best to make it work. “I desperately tried to get a win here.” He said the implementation needed buy-in and staff time from each department, which was difficult to achieve. “Nobody likes change.”

Why does the city need an ERP system anyway? ERP systems widen data access across departments, so that everyone gets information faster, and staff don’t have to enter the same data in multiple systems.

“ERP solutions run just about everything that we touch in our daily lives,” said Councilmember Solomon. NBA and NFL statistics, almost instantly updated, are products of ERP systems, he noted.

City Communications Director Cindy Zork said ERP might, for example, speed coordination on residents’ snow-related requests among communications, public works and the police.

A well-designed ERP system, in Brooks’ view, would help maximize city services, in the way ERPs for businesses help maximize profit.

Strab said she has learned as a liaison to the city’s audit committee that having a working ERP is a non-negotiable upgrade for Hyattsville, necessary for efficiency as the city’s budget has grown.

So, what now?

With retirements on the horizon for Hyattsville’s longtime senior accountant, Mary Ellen Harding, and Public Works Director Leslie Riddle, Solomon thinks it may be wise to wait on a new rollout effort until there is more stability in key leadership positions. Audit committee recom-

mendations in the fall anticipated a possible failure in the BC Systems implementation, and targeted a 2027 rollout.

Strab and Brooks say increased staffing in Hyattsville’s chronically understaffed finance department should help with a future ERP rollout, among other priorities. With the addition of Hyattsville’s brand new budget director, Ben Brosch, the department will have six full-time employees going forward. The city is also looking to hire an inhouse IT director.

City council debates ideas for housing affordability

By PAUL RUFFINS

On Feb. 23, the Hyattsville City Council discussed a motion by Councilmember Danny Schaible (Ward 2) to create a revolving $1 million affordable housing lending fund with two goals: incentivize the creation

of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and help officers and civilian employees of the Hyattsville Police Department (HPD) to afford homes in or within approximately 10 miles of the city.

“The state has required the county to allow ADUs, which is a great idea,” Schaible told the

tion (Senate Bill 891) last year that makes it easier for homeowners to build certain types of ADUs to address the state’s acute shortage of affordable housing.

Legal ADUs would need to have their own kitchens and bathrooms, and could be attached, free-standing, in basements or on roofs — but must not exceed 75% of the size of the original structure.

In Prince George's County, ADUs are illegal in areas zoned for single-family detached housing. Under this new state law, all jurisdictions must adopt local regulations allowing ADUs by this Oct. 1.

To comply, the county council formed an ADU task force to present recommendations and guidance to ensure that county-level legislation is “implemented effectively, efficiently and with community input.”

Under Schaible’s proposal, the ADU loans would be interest-free, limited to 75% of the unit’s cost, restricted to owner-occupied properties and subject to many conditions.

Life & Times (L&T). “What I proposed was a loan fund to make it easier for Hyattsville residents to build ADUs and also help employees of the HPD to buy homes here. The programs would also grow the city’s tax base over time.”

The proposals received a mixed reception, with some councilmembers concerned that the ADU proposal would do little to improve affordable housing, while others said the down payment assistance program shouldn't be restricted to HPD employees.

Schaible’s motion comes after Gov. Wes Moore signed legisla-

For example, neither the primary unit nor the ADU could be used for short-term rentals, and if not occupied by a family member, long-term rental ADUs must be affordable — meaning annual rent couldn’t be more than 30% of the annual gross income of a family making 80% of the county’s median income, which was $101,798 in 2024. Therefore, at this time, an ADU couldn't rent for more than approximately $2,036 a month.

The ADU loan would create a lien against the home to be repaid over 50 years through micro tax increment financing. For example, if the owner of a $500,000 property added a $200,000 ADU, the additional property taxes generated on

the additional $200,000 would be used to repay the loan. However, if and when the entire property’s tax value exceeded $700,000, the taxes on the amount over $700,000 would go to the city’s general revenue. After the lien was paid off, the city would receive its share of the property’s entire value.

Councilmembers Greg Barnes and Joanne Waszczak, who both represent Ward 1, were concerned with the provision of Schaible’s that allows immediate family members of a loan applicant, such as their child, to reside in the ADU. “Such an arrangement would do little to increase the current supply of affordable housing in Hyattsville and shouldn’t be subsidized with taxpayer money,” Barnes said. Waszczak also said that, in addition to incentivizing ADUs, some of the city’s housing funds should benefit low- or moderate-income residents, such as when the city helped finance the rehabilitation of Parkview Manor apartments, on 38th Avenue.

Councilmember Kelson Nisbett (Ward 5) said that since many of his constituents lived in rental properties or townhouses, he couldn’t support a program restricted to detached single-family houses.

The police department loans (budgeted at 25% of the $1 million) would provide officers or civilians who had worked at HPD for more than a year with an interest-free loan of up to $25,000 for a down payment on a home. The loan would create a lien against the home to be repaid over time through an automatic 1.5% deduction from the buyer’s salary. (For the liens created by both programs, the city would have first priority on repayment if the owner defaulted or sold

APRIL

25

As part of Route 1 Corridor Conversations, join Montgomery County’s Eric Saul of Saul Architects, College Park’s Robert Thurston and other experts to learn about accessory dwelling units, or ADUs (see p. 6). Attendees can join via telephone or Zoom. Free. Register at hyattsvilleaginginplace.org/ events. 2 to 3:30 p.m.

Cross-eyed Cat Blues Band plays at Maryland Meadworks. Free. 7 to 9 p.m. 4700 Rhode Island Ave., Suite Bee. 301.955.9644. marylandmeadworks.com

APRIL 25 & 26

For nearly 50 years, the Dallas Black Dance Theatre has mesmerized audiences with its spellbinding performances and educational programs that bridge cultures and reach diverse communities. $35 general, $30 seniors and students.

BUDGET

renter would be much smaller than it would be for a single-family homeowner.

Councilmember Danny Schaible (Ward 2) said that apartment buildings are now taxed at unfairly low rates, because owners often succeed in advocating for a tax value lower than the market price.

In discussing raising taxes for commercial properties, councilmembers said they wanted to protect small businesses, but also consider outsized expenses the city takes

Purchase tickets through pgparksdirect.com. Saturday, 8 to 9:30 p.m. Sunday, 4 to 5:30 p.m. Publick Playhouse, 5445 Landover Rd., Cheverly. 301.277.1710. publickplayhouse@pgparks.com

APRIL 26

Join the Riversdale Kitchen Guild over the open hearth as they highlight a spring brunch using 19th-century cooking techniques. Free. Register through pgparksdirect.com. Noon to 3:30 p.m. Riversdale House Museum, 4811 Riverdale Rd., Riverdale Park. 301.864.0420. riversdale@ pgparks.com

APRIL 29

UMD Jazz Jams brings Districtbased saxophonist Elijah Jamal Balbed to perform and lead a community-wide jam! Free. House band starts at 7:30 p.m. Jam starts at 8:30 p.m. Busboys and Poets, 5331 Baltimore Ave. 301.779.2787. busboysandpoets.com

on for policing near the mall. Several councilmembers said they would be interested in taxing vacant properties. “I think it probably makes more sense than any other type because in those properties, they have more code enforcement issues,” Schaible said during the March 23 city council meeting.

$5.9B budget proposed for Prince George’s County

By JOSHUA GARNER

A balanced budget could be on its way to Prince George’s County after County Executive Aisha Braveboy unveiled a proposed $5.9 billion plan for fiscal year 2027 during a press conference March 12.

The proposed budget represents a 2% increase compared with the FY 2026 budget. The proposal also eliminates a $170 million structural deficit that has persisted since FY 2025.

“We were actually able to close our budget gap,” Braveboy said, citing increased tax revenues. “So, at this time, there is a zerobudget deficit in Prince George’s County.”

The budget includes $2.97 billion to fund Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) for the next year — a 0.7% increase from the previous year, but about $20 million less than the school system requested. The majority of the increase comes from additional funding to PGCPS from the state.

Braveboy’s budget proposal includes $84.7 million in pre-K investments, $144.1 million for Prince George’s Community College and $42 million for the Alternative Construction Finance Program, which would build

eight new public schools in the county (the funding of Hyattsville Middle and Hyattsville Elementary School construction projects has come from this public-private partnership, or P3, program).

Braveboy said the county was able to avoid major cuts at a time when funding changes at the federal level have continued to impact the regional economy.

“We did not make any major cuts. We did look at overtime. We wanted to make sure we were getting the best use of the overtime dollars that were being spent,” she said.

Still, the county’s budget took a hit in real estate transfer taxes, or home sales, fueled by higher interest rates that slowed sales over the past year.

“Our transfer taxes went down 16.6% … home sales went down and reduced our revenue,” Angela Fair-Baker, acting director of the county’s Office of Management and Budget, said.

But revenue in other areas of the budget continued to climb over the past year, despite an economic slowdown hastened by federal policy changes.

Property taxes increased by more than $100 million — roughly 9% compared with the

previous year — while income taxes increased by more than $88 million during the same period. Both categories of revenue were revised upward after being understated in previous fiscal years.

Braveboy cautioned that the county could still feel the full impact of reductions in the federal workforce, decreases in federal funding, and higher costs for goods and services related to inflation and tariffs.

“We are cautious, though. We don’t want to overextend our budget at this time because we’re still looking at the impacts of what’s happening at the federal level.”

The proposed budget is now headed to the county council for review and approval by June 1 and would take effect July 1.

County Councilmember Tom Dernoga (District 1) said he is looking forward to reviewing the proposal.

“We’ve only been presented with the budget brief — it looks very positive,” he said. “It’s good to see a budget that we’re not starting with a structural deficit.”

Other highlights from the budget include the following:

• $1.05 billion for public safety and accountability

• $138.9 million for health and human services

• $204.5 million for the environment, including the stormwater management fund

Come celebrate 10 years of Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center

By JESSICA ARENDS

Inside the historic Arcade building on Gallatin Street, you’ll typically find pensive artists quietly bent over ancient letter presses and pulling prints from creaky drying racks — the scents of ink and paper-making pulp in the air. For the past 10 years, this is where the Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center has served as an artistic hub and gallery space for contemporary printmaking, papermaking and book arts in the Arts District since 2016.

But on Saturday, April 25, you’ll greet clones and robots, enter into a “Blade Runner”esque cityscape, hand your futuristic-themed cocktail over the crowd to a friend, and glide onto the booming dance floor to battle it out during a dueling DJ dance-off. Get ready to celebrate Pyramid Atlantic’s 10th anniversary at the “RetroFuturama”-themed annual HyBall fundraising event.

“When you walk in, you walk into this other world,” said Hyattsville resident and artist Rebecca Gitter, who adds that she has attended too many HyBall events to count.

Along with about 500 other participants, Gitter loves attending the annual event to see friends, meet other artists and support the work of the center.

Gitter said she first heard of Pyramid Atlantic when her children took school field trips to its prior location in downtown Silver Spring.

“My kids always came home with interesting things like little books and prints,” Gitter said. “So when Pyramid Atlantic moved to Hyattsville, I needed to know what was inside the building.”

Now she often bikes to the arts center to take workshops and view the gallery exhibits.

In 2024, when the “Intergalactic” HyBall coincided with the Hyattsville Vine Crawl, Gitter and her husband created costumes that could fit both motifs. They went back and forth to each event, adding capes and starred headpieces to their black-and-white minimalist Bauhaus costumes.

"People who attended that particular HyBall sometimes stop Gitter on the street, reminiscing about her and her husband's costumes, Gitter said. “It’s a great way to make new friends.”

Sarah Noreen, a local print-

maker and book binder who has rented an artist studio at Pyramid Atlantic for 10 years, said, “If you go to only one party this year, this is the one to go to.”

Noreen had previously served on the Pyramid Atlantic board and was instrumental in relocating the arts center to Hyattsville in 2016. A new location was needed at that time because the Silver Spring-based building that had housed the arts center since 2003 was being sold and a plan to move to the renovated Silver Spring Library building fell through in 2014.

“At that time there was this effort to develop an arts district in Hyattsville, but where was the art?” Noreen said.

Once settled in Hyattsville, Pyramid Atlantic hosted an opening gala in 2016 to introduce the center to the neighborhood and raise funds. Kate Taylor Davis, who joined the Pyramid team as executive director that year, helped grow the event into an annual fundraiser.

“I know from those who came before me that moving to Hyattsville felt risky to some. Those folks couldn’t have been more wrong,” Davis said. “Over the last decade, this communi-

community member learns screen

ty has shown up for Pyramid in ways no one would have imagined. From the city’s support in getting us here, to the neighbors who take classes and buy art, to the local artists who have made this their home, we are living our best life in this location. This is just the first decade in our forever home.”

According to Noreen, Davis’ artistic vision has been key to the HyBall’s success.

“I’ve known Kate for 10 years,” Noreen said. “She really knows how to throw a party.”

Previous HyBall themes have included “Roadside Attractions,” featuring a giant Paul Bunyan; a “Star Wars”-themed “May the 4th Be With You”; and “PressPlay” with “Price Is Right”themed games, including Plinko.

For the first time, this year’s event will include a costume contest.

“It can be anything,” said Noreen. “‘The Jetsons,’ cyberpunk —

however you want to interpret ‘Retro-Futurama.’”

Each HyBall features makeand-take stations, allowing participants to try their hand at screen printing, bookbinding or using the letter press.

Ideas for this year’s party stations are still forming, but Noreen said there will likely be fortunetelling in the book bindery studio. Noreen also said she heard a rumor that there may be a DeLorean, the car from the 1985 film “Back to the Future,” for photo ops.

Founded in 1981 by Helen C. Frederick, Pyramid Atlantic offers workshops for adults and teens, private artist studios for rent, and artist internships and residencies. According to the center’s website, the mission of the center is to anchor an arts community that recognizes and uplifts the importance of artists, the intrinsic values of working with your hands, and the economy of artist-made work.

The “Retro-Futurama” HyBall will be held from 8 to 11 p.m. on April 25 at Pyramid Atlantic, 4318 Gallatin Street. To purchase tickets, sponsor the event or for more information, visit the event webpage at pyramidatlanticartcenter.org.

Hyattsville Headlines

NEWS FLASHES

Spring Cleaning Events

Time for a refresh! Bring bulk waste like broken furniture, home goods, yard equipment, and bagged trash to the DPW Operations Center, 4633 Arundel Place on Saturday, April 11 from 10 a.m.1 p.m., or until containers reach capacity. ‘Yuck Old Paint’ will be onsite to recycle unwanted latex paint cans at a cost of $5 per can (paint must be wet and in its original container). Details at hyattsville. org/waste

Our new recycling drop-off center will also be open to recycle your old electronics, clothing, Styrofoam, batteries, and more. For a list of accepted items, visit hyattsville.org/recycling

Then, on April 18, stop by the City Building, 4310 Gallatin Street, from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. for a Community Shred-it Day to clear out your old paper documents! Please ensure documents are free from paper clips, staples, binding, and other non-paper materials.

Thank you, Volunteers!

Volunteers help power our City! In honor of National Volunteer Week, April 19 - 25, we would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the volunteers who contribute to City events, park cleanups, tutoring, committee leadership, and more! You make Hyattsville a truly special place. If you have time to give, please visit hyattsville.org/volunteers to learn about the City’s wide variety of volunteering opportunities!

Pick Up! Leash Up!

We love seeing everyone out with their furry friends on these warm sunny days! A reminder to keep our streets clean and safe through responsible pet ownership. Cleaning up your pet’s waste is more than just a courtesy – it’s the law!

Hyattsville City Code requires owners to clean up pet waste on public property or face nuisance fines of up to $200. Pets also must be leashed on walks or kept safe in yards. Owners can also face fines for pets that charge or attack people or other animals. For more information or to report animal control issues, visit hyattsville. org/animalcontrol

Become a Camp Coach this Summer

Hyattsville’s Camp Coach in Training Program (CCIT) provides youth ages 14-17 with service-learning hours and child development experience that can be used for future job opportunities and college applications. Applications for summer 2026 close in May! For more information and to register, visit hyattsville.org/CCIT

HYATTSVILLE HEADLINES

Thank you to the Prince George’s County Maryland Chapter of the Afro-American Genealogical Society and the community that came out to celebrate Black History Month this past month! Participants learned about the importance of sharing black family stories and tools to build your family tree, even when the historical records are hard to trace. More information at aahgs.org/pgcm

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Free Zumba Classes

Mondays & Wednesdays, 4 - 5 p.m. at the City Building!

Seated Exercise Classes

Older adults can join on Wednesdays, 10 - 11 a.m. at the City Building.

Care Partner Support Group

Connect with other caregivers on April 3 & 17, 9:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. at the City Building.

Forest Maintenance / Invasive Vine Removals

April 4, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.: Invasive vine removals in Ward 4, Meet at Heurich Park

April 18, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.: Park clean-up and forest maintenance, Driskell Park. Student service-learning hours are available. You can also request vine removals from your property! More info: hyattsville.org/vine-removal

Free Movie Monday

Older adults can enjoy a classic film at the Old Greenbelt Theatre on April 6 at 1 p.m.! hyattsville.org/seniors

Traffic Calming: 43rd Street

Join staff from the Department of Public Works at a community meeting on April 7 at 6:30 p.m. discuss a traffic calming petition for the 6000 block of 43rd Street. Meet onsite at the intersection of 43rd and Oglethorpe Streets. More information at hyattsville.org/calendar

Digital Literacy Classes

Older adults can sign up for our spring Bilingual Digital Literacy Class, starting April 8 through June 10, 12 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. at the City Building. Registration is required! Call (301) 985-5000 or visit hyattsville.org/seniors

NEW! Older Adult Walking Group!

Take a spring stroll in Driskell Park on April 9, 10 – 11 a.m. Wear comfortable walking shoes and dress for the weather!

Night Owls

Drop off your little one(s) in grades K-5 at the Driskell Park Recreation Center from 6 - 9 p.m. on April 10! Kids participate in fun activities while you get a night out! hyattsville.org/nightowls

Spring Cleaning Events

Bulk waste drop-off & recycling event at DPW Operations Center, 4633 Arundel Place, April 11, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Community Shred, City Building, 4310 Gallatin Street, April 18, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. hyattsville.org/waste

Tenants’ Rights Workshop

April 13, 10 - 11:30 a.m., Free workshop on Tenants’ Rights for older adults with representatives from Maryland Legal Aid at the City Building. Space is limited; registration required. Email seniors@hyattsville.org or call (301) 985-5000

Business Roundtable

The City’s next Business Roundtable will take place on Tuesday, April 14 from 9 - 10:30 a.m. at Miller’s Ale House, 3430 East-West Hwy. Visit hyattsville.org/ roundtable for a list of panel speakers and to register.

Teen Financial Literacy Clinic

Hyattsville students in grades 6-12 are invited to a free workshop on financial literacy on April 14 from 5 – 6 p.m. at the Teen Center. hyattsville.org/teen-center

Teen Center Art Workshops

Hyattsville students in grades 6-12 can attend “In Wellness We Thrive” Expressive Art Classes on Wednesdays through April 15, from 5–6 p.m. at the Teen Center. hyattsville.org/teen-center

CERT Meeting

The next Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) organization meeting is on April 15, 6:30 p.m., at the City Building. hyattsville.org/CERT

Seniors on the Go

Older adults can enjoy a trip to the US Botanic Garden on April 16, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Register: hyattsville.org/seniors or call (301) 985-5000.

Free NARCAN Trainings

Free NARCAN community trainings at the City Building on April 16 at 6 p.m. and April 17 at 10 a.m. Register: hyattsville.org/NARCAN.

Lunch and Learn: Elder Abuse and Fraud Prevention

The City and The Juanita C. Grant Foundation are offering a free workshop on April 20, from 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. at the City Building. Lunch will be provided and registration is required. Call 301-9855000 or visit hyattsville.org/seniors

Older Adult Art Classes

Hyattsville is Home art series with Art Works Now starts April 21 - June 9, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m., Register: hyattsville.org/ seniors or call (301) 985-5000.

Produce Distribution

Pick up bags of free produce on Tuesday, April 21, 12 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church of Hyattsville, 6201 Belcrest Road.

Free Diaper Distribution

April 24, 9:30 - 11 a.m. at the City Building. hyattsville.org/calendar

Drug Take Back Day

April 25, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., FUMC, 6201 Belcrest Road. Info: CAT@hyattsville.org

City Anniversary Festival!

Help celebrate the City’s 140th Anniversary! April 25, 4 p.m. - 9 p.m., Driskell Park. hyattsville.org/anniversary

Free CPR Training

April 28, from 6 – 8 p.m. at the Hyattsville City Building. Registration required. hyattsville.org/CPR

Titulares de Hyattsville

Asunto 458 | Abril de 2026 | Una publicación de la ciudad de Hyattsville

NOTICIAS DE ÚLTIMA HORA

Eventos de Limpieza de Primavera

¡Es hora de hacer limpieza! Traiga residuos voluminosos, como muebles rotos, artículos del hogar, equipos de jardinería y basura en bolsas, al Centro de Operaciones del Departamento de Obras Públicas (DPW), ubicado en 4633 Arundel Place, el sábado 11 de abril de 10:00 a.m. a 1:00 p.m., o hasta que los contenedores se llenen. «Yuck Old Paint» estará presente para reciclar latas de pintura de látex que ya no quieras a un costo de $5 por lata (la pintura debe estar húmeda y en su envase original). Más detalles en hyattsville.org/ waste

Nuestro nuevo punto de entrega del centro de reciclaje también estará abierto para reciclar tus aparatos electrónicos viejos, ropa, poliestireno, baterías y más. Para ver una lista de los artículos aceptados, visita hyattsville.org/recycling Luego, el 18 de abril, acérquese al City Building, 4310 Gallatin Street, de 10 a.m. a 1 p.m. para el Día Comunitario de Destrucción de Documentos y deshágase de sus documentos antiguos. Asegúrese de que los documentos no tengan clips, grapas, encuadernaciones ni otros materiales que no sean de papel.

Conviértete en un Líder de Campamento este verano

El Programa de Entrenamiento para Lideres de Campamento de Hyattsville ofrece a jóvenes de 14 a 17 años, experiencia en desarrollo infantil que puede ser utilizada para futuras oportunidades laborales. ¡La inscripción para el verano de 2026 cierra en mayo! Para obtener más información e inscribirte, visita hyattsville. org/CCIT

¡Recoge! ¡Ponle la correa!

¡Nos encanta ver a todos salir con sus mascotas peludas en estos días cálidos y soleados! Les recordamos que mantengan nuestras calles limpias y seguras mediante una tenencia responsable de mascotas. Recoger los desechos de su mascota es más que una simple cortesía: ¡es la ley!

El Código Municipal de Hyattsville exige a los propietarios que recojan los desechos de sus mascotas en la vía pública o se enfrentarán a multas por molestias de hasta 200 dólares. Además, las mascotas deben llevar correa durante los paseos o permanecer seguras en los patios. Los dueños también pueden enfrentar multas si sus mascotas embisten o atacan a personas u otros animales. Para obtener más información o para reportar problemas relacionados con el control de animales, visite hyattsville.org/ animalcontrol

¡Gracias, Voluntarios!

¡Los voluntarios son el motor de nuestra ciudad! Con motivo de la Semana Nacional del Voluntariado (del 19 al 25 de abril), queremos expresar nuestro más sincero agradecimiento a todos los voluntarios que contribuyen a los eventos de la ciudad, a la limpieza de los parques, a las clases particulares, al liderazgo en los comités y mucho más. Ustedes hacen de Hyattsville un lugar verdaderamente especial. Si tiene tiempo para dedicar, visite hyattsville.org/volunteers para conocer la amplia variedad de oportunidades de voluntariado que ofrece la ciudad.

TITULARES DE HYATTSVILLE

CALENDARIO DE EVENTOS

Clases Gratuitas de Zumba

Lunes y miércoles, 4 - 5 p.m. en el Edificio Municipal!

Ejercicios Sentados

Los adultos mayores pueden participar los miércoles, de 10 a 11 a.m., en el Edificio Municipal.

Grupo de Apoyo para Cuidadores

Conecta con otros cuidadores los días 3 y 17 de abril, de 9:30 a.m. a 10:45 a.m., en el Edificio Municipal.

Mantenimiento Forestal y Eliminación de Enredaderas Invasoras

4 de abril, de 10 a.m. a 1 p.m.: Eliminación de enredaderas invasoras en Distrito 4, reunión en Parque Heurich | 18 de abril, de 10 a.m. a 2 p.m.: Limpieza del parque y mantenimiento forestal Parque Driskell. | Se ofrecen horas de aprendizaje mediante servicio para estudiantes. ¡También puedes solicitar que se retiren las enredaderas de tu propiedad! Más información: hyattsville.org/vine-removal

¡Lunes de Cine Gratis!

¡Ven a disfrutar de una película clásica en el Old Greenbelt Theatre el 6 de abril a la 1 p.m! hyattsville.org/seniors

Pacificación del Tráfico: 43rd Street

Únase al personal del Departamento de Obras Públicas en una reunión comunitaria el 7 de abril a las 6:30 p.m. para debatir una petición para reducir la velocidad del tráfico en la manzana 6000 de 43rd street. El punto de encuentro es la intersección de 43rd y Oglethorpe street. Más información en hyattsville.org/calendar

Clases de Computación Digital

Las personas mayores pueden inscribirse en nuestro curso de computación digital bilingüe de primavera, desde el 8 de abril hasta el 10 de junio, de 12 p.m. a 1:30 p.m. en el Edificio Municipal. ¡Es necesario inscribirse! Llame al (301) 985-5000 o visite hyattsville.org/seniors

¡NUEVO! Grupo de Caminata para Personas Mayores

Da un paseo primaveral por el Parque

Driskell, el 9 de abril, 10 - 11 a.m. ¡Lleve calzado cómodo para caminar y ropa adecuada para el clima!

¡Búhos Nocturnos!

Deje a su(s) pequeño(s) en los grados K-5 en el Driskell Park Rec Center de 6 - 9 p.m. el 10 de abril. Los niños participarán en actividades mientras tú pasas una noche fuera. hyattsville.org/nightowls

¡Eventos de Limpieza de Primavera!

Entrega de residuos voluminosos, Centro de Operaciones del Departamento de Obras Públicas (DPW), 4633 Arundel Place, 11 de abril, de 10 a.m. a 1 p.m. | Servicio comunitario de trituración de documentos, Edificio Municipal, 4310 Gallatin Street, 18 de abril, de 10 a.m. a 1 p.m.. Más información: hyattsville.org/waste

Taller sobre los Derechos de los Inquilinos

13 de abril, de 10 - 11:30 a.m., un taller gratuito sobre los derechos de los inquilinos para adultos mayores con representantes de Maryland Legal Aid en el Edificio Municipal. Las plazas son limitadas; es necesario inscribirse. Envíe un correo electrónico a seniors@hyattsville.org o llame al (301) 985-5000

Mesa Redonda de Negocios

La próxima Mesa Redonda de Negocios de la Ciudad tendrá lugar el 14 de abril de 9 - 10:30 a.m. en Miller’s Ale House, 3430 East-West Hwy. Visite hyattsville. org/roundtable para consultar la lista de ponentes y para inscribirse.

Taller de Educación

Financiera para Adolescentes

Los estudiantes de Hyattsville de 6 a 12 grado están invitados a un taller gratuito el 14 de abril, de 5 a 6 p.m., en el Centro para Adolescentes para aprender educación financiera. hyattsville.org/teen-center

Talleres de Arte en el Centro para Adolescentes

Los estudiantes de Hyattsville de 6 a 12 grado pueden asistir a las clases de arte expresivo “En el Bienestar Prosperamos” los miércoles hasta el 15 de abril, de 5 a 6 p.m., en el Centro para Adolescentes. hyattsville. org/teen-center

Reunión de CERT

La próxima reunión de la organización del Equipo Comunitario de Respuesta a Emergencias (CERT) se celebrará el 15 de abril a las 6:30 p.m. en el Edificio Municipal. hyattsville.org/CERT

Paseos para Adultos Mayores

Los adultos mayores pueden disfrutar de una excursión al Jardín Botánico de EE. UU. el 16 de abril, de 10 a.m. a 2 p.m. Inscríbase en: hyattsville.org/seniors o llame al (301) 985-5000

Entrenamiento de NARCAN

Entrenamientos gratuitos NARCAN en el Edificio Municipal el 16 de abril, a las 6 p.m. y el 17 de abril, a las 10 a.m. Inscribirse: hyattsville.org/NARCAN

Almuerzo y Aprendizaje:

Abuso de Adultos Mayores y la Prevención del Fraude

La ciudad y la Fundación Juanita C. Grant están ofreciendo un taller gratuito el 20 de abril, de 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. en el Edificio Municipal. El almuerzo será proporcionado y se requiere inscripción. Llame al 301-9855000 o visite hyattsville.org/seniors

Clases de Arte: Personas Mayores ¡Este mes comienza la serie de clases de arte «Hyattsville is Home», impartida por Art Works Now! Del 21 de abril al 9 de junio, de 10 a.m. - 12 p.m., Inscríbase en: hyattsville.org/seniors o llame al (301) 985-5000

Distribución de Alimentos

Recoja bolsas de productos agrícolas gratuitos el martes 21 de abril a las 12 del mediodía en la Primera Iglesia Metodista Unida de Hyattsville, 6201 Belcrest Road.

Distribuciónes de Pañales

La próxima distribución gratuita de pañales tendrá lugar el 24 de abril, de 9:30 a 11:00 a.m., en el Edificio Municipal. hyattsville.org/calendar

Recogida de Medicamentos

25 de abril, de 10 a.m a 2 p.m., la Primera Iglesia Metodista Unida de Hyattsville, 6201 Belcrest Road. Información: CAT@ hyattsville.org

¡Fiesta del Aniversario!

¡Ven a celebrar el 140th aniversario de la ciudad! 25 de abril, de 4 p.m. a 9 p.m., Driskell Park. hyattsville.org/anniversary

Curso Gratuito de RCP

28 de abril, de 6 - 8 p.m., en el Edificio Municipal. Es necesario inscribirse. hyattsville.org/CPR

Prudent pruning

Dear Miss Floribunda,

My neighbor's forsythia is blooming, and I recall some advice you gave a couple of years back. You said that when forsythia is blooming, it is time to prune rose bushes. Well, I don’t have any rose bushes, but I do have hydrangeas, azaleas and a mock orange. Is it time to prune them? Those hard frosts left brown leaves, so maybe I should take those off. I have never pruned any of these in the past, but perhaps I ought to, and I’d like to know exactly when.

Biding My Time on Buchanan Street

Dear Biding My Time,

I confess that I play it safe and never prune my own hydrangeas or azaleas, or even my forsythia. They seem to do just fine without pruning.

However, it is true that hydrangeas can get leggy with time, and that some varieties produce larger blooms if pruned.

The time you choose to prune depends on whether your plant is a variety that blooms on old wood or on new wood. Those that bloom on old wood should not be pruned till later in the summer, after blooming ends, and those that bloom on new wood may be pruned in spring.

Almost all azaleas bloom on old wood — but if you have a new hybrid variety, you should check to be sure — so pruning should be delayed for now.

Mock orange and forsythia bloom on old growth and, for the record, so do weigela, deutzia, lilacs, quince, viburnum and spirea. If you have any of these shrubs and think they need shaping, please stay your shears till after they finish blooming, and then do it within a month after they flower.

Plants that bud on new growth and should be pruned in early April include abelia, beautyberry, butterfly bush, roses, boxwood, holly and clethra. If you have hedges of arborvitae or such conifers as

cedar, fir, juniper, pine and spruce that perhaps are getting taller than you like, this is the time to clip them back. Never prune them in autumn; this causes them to put forth new growth that will be killed by frost, rather than encouraging the dormancy they need to survive winter, and the cuts you make will be susceptible to the fungi that are so prevalent in fall.

Hydrangeas are a little trickier than other shrubs because some varieties bloom on old wood, and some bloom on new wood. Mopheads (Hydrangea macrophylla), lacecaps (H. macrophylla, var. normalis), and climbing hydrangeas (H. anomala, subsp. petiolaris) bloom on old wood, and should not be pruned in spring. The reblooming kind, such as “Endless Summer,” will give you a second chance if you make a mistake by pruning too soon, and so prevent a first flowering. Varieties that bloom on new wood are oakleaf (H. quercifolia), such as “Snow Queen”; panicled (H. paniculata), such as “Limelight”; and smooth hydrangeas (H. arborescens), such as “Annabelle.” They should be

pruned now before temperatures become too warm. The panicled hydrangeas grow very tall, up to 10 feet, so consider pruning to control and shape them.

Perhaps you are not sure what variety of hydrangea you have, much less whether or not they bloom on old or new wood. I sought advice from my neighbor Hortensia Hedgeworthy, whose back garden is surrounded by them. She told me it is quite simple: Go outside and look at the stems of your plants. If you see buds beginning to form on their ends, leave them alone. They are oldgrowth hydrangeas and should not be pruned now. If you don’t see buds, or only a few new buds on new green sprouts rather than woody brown ones, then you have a new-wood hydrangea and can prune. However, Hortensia cautions against severe pruning. She prunes her tallest down to perhaps three feet, never lower. She begins at the top, clipping just above the leaf node. This is the time when she removes the dried flower heads she had left intact over winter to give interest to the plant. Then, just as I

advise for pruning rose bushes, she removes small side shoots from main branches to encourage larger blooms, and she cuts at a 45 degree angle to prevent water from settling on stems and encouraging rot.

She and I also agree that watering after pruning is very important. Even though pruning is good for a plant, it is not comparable to a mere haircut or a pedicure. It is, in fact, quite stressful for the recipient. Hydrating the shocked plant helps with healing and with establishing new growth. However, please don’t water so much as to cause root rot!

For commonsense advice from experts in the Hyattsville Horticultural Society, please come to the next meeting on Saturday, April 18, at the home of Virginia Bennett, 4520 Madison Street, Riverdale Park. The 10 a.m. meeting will be followed by a plant exchange.

Miss Floribunda writes about gardening for the Life & Times

You may email her at Floribundav@gmail. com.

Iliad. His source material also comes from Shakespeare’s King Lear, The Merchant of Venice, Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth

“Basically what I do is I take those texts, I read them a bunch of times, from different translations, and then I rewrite them in my own words but try to keep the feeling of the original,” Hinds explained. “And then I illustrate them, trying to keep the mood and evoke all the emotions of the original story.”

The books have been well received. “The original Odyssey by Homer, available to most of us in translation, is an awesome story,” a March 2026 review by the blog Rhapsody In Books said. “The graphic version by Gareth Hinds makes that awesome story much more accessible to a modern audience by substituting more contemporary dialogue for the archaic (even when translated) text of the original, as well as by replacing much of the narrative with appealing and action-packed illustrations.”

Turning a 500- to 600-page text into a 270-page graphic novel might seem daunting because it is, which is why it takes Hinds anywhere from two to three years to deliver a completed manuscript to his publisher, Candlewick Press. “I write the script, then do the rough sketches and then the final art,” he said. “It’s like a storyboard. So when the final drawings are all done, it's the coloring.”

There are many texts to draw

from, but Hinds tends to work from those that he read in high school or college. He is an avid reader, so the breadth of possibilities is wide. “I have a list in my head of books that I've been thinking about, and I sort of ask myself, ‘What am I excited to do? What do I think the market wants?’ Sometimes I’ve gotten fan mail from kids, or I go to teacher conferences, and I know what teachers are asking me for. So I will look at that list and maybe start doing some test pieces for a couple different things, or I’ll start talking to my editor.”

Hinds was born and raised in a small town in Vermont, a nerdy kid who loved reading and drawing. A good student who was fascinated by martial arts, he did illustrations and comics for his high school newspaper, co-edited and illustrated the literary magazine and painted a mural on the wall of one of

the school hallways. He enjoyed math and science, but English was also a favorite subject. “One of my English teachers handed me The Odyssey one day and said, ‘You’re going to enjoy this,’ so she changed my life.”

When the time came to apply to colleges, Hinds toyed with the idea of becoming an engineer, but he decided to pursue art. He did two years at the Rochester Institute of Technology in upstate New York before transferring to the Parsons School of Design in Manhattan.

At Parsons, Hinds dabbled in many types of illustration, and initially thought he would do editorial or book covers. But he was getting good feedback on his comic book drawings, so, for his senior year thesis project, he did an adaptation of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale Bearskin, about a dismissed soldier who makes a pact with the devil.

“I ended up self-publishing that book, and it really taught me a lot about the publishing process and about the publishing world,” Hinds explained. “I decided that I really enjoyed it enough that I wanted to keep doing it and knew enough about the industry to do a little bit more ambitious book, which was Beowulf. And then Beowulf took off not only at retail, but with teachers, which was not something that I had initially set out to.” Beowulf was Hinds’ first book to be picked up by an established publisher. Including Beowulf, Hinds has published 11 books, which are popular with teachers and teenagers. “Often kids are encountering these around the same time that they might start to pick up the originals or they might have in years past,” he said. His books are generally recommended for ages 12 and up, but some of them skew younger. Hinds said he has gotten fan mail from parents of 5- and 6-year-olds who are obsessed with his books. “That is not something I ever expected.”

Hinds is a one-man operation, handling all aspects of his brand from the creative side, as well as the business aspects, conventions and book signings. “I do everything, which maybe is nuts, and I’ve been thinking about whether I need to change that,” he said.

A typical day for the author consists of about four hours of creative time, coupled with three or four hours running the busi-

VIDEO Scan to watch our video feature on Gareth Hinds.

ness. This ratio changes closer to the time a book is due to the publisher. Once all the hard decisions have been made, and the deadline is looming, he might work nine or 10 hours a day, Hinds said. Hinds has lived in Boston, New York and D.C., but he and his wife, Alison, moved to Hyattsville in 2018. He loves the community aspect of the city and the creative energy of the Arts District. And it seems the community loves him back. “When The Iliad came out, we did a launch party at Vigilante,” he said. “It was by far the most successful launch event I’ve ever done. Over 300 people showed up for it.”

It could be the couple’s final move though, “Apparently I’ve been working my way south, but my wife tells me we’re not going any further.”

for assistance after the warning has been received.”

City Councilmember Gopi Dhokai (Ward 3) used the response to the January snowstorm as evidence that a formal volunteer system could help residents.

“There were a lot of neighbors that came out during the last storm and wanted to support each other,” she said during the Feb. 23 meeting. “If we had the ability to partner neighbors ahead of the storm, neighbors could have helped each other when the snow was falling softer.”

City Communications Manager Cindy Zork said the city will begin seeking volunteers for the shoveling program this October. She said that staff will match volunteers with older or disabled residents requesting shoveling assistance. Staff will

also track volunteer hours and record which residents receive services.

Under the previous “HVL Heroes” program, the city’s Volunteer Services Department provided snow shovels, gloves and rakes to residents who wanted to help neighbors, according to Zork. Residents handled their own outreach and assistance without a formal matching system. The proposed program would shift that responsibility to staff and create a more structured process.

During the council meeting, Dhokai recommended that the city purchase a snowblower, raising questions about potential liabilities if residents are injured (see HyattsvilleLife.com for related snowblower story). Zork said the proposal remains in its development stage and staff continue to assess the risks. Leaders have not yet decided whether volunteers may

use personal snowblowers or how they would oversee safety.

During the Feb. 23 meeting, City Administrator Tracey Douglas said that she thinks it is important to assist and support elderly and disabled residents.

“Having those one or two snowblowers on hand for loan would be very helpful,” she said. “We just know there is some work that we’ll need to do in the background.”

The city plans to require volunteers and residents to sign waivers drafted with input from the city attorney. These waivers would release the city from responsibility for injuries or risks related to snow removal, as well as address potential property damage or personal injury claims.

Alex Burke is an undergraduate journalism student at the University of Maryland.

the home before the loan was repaid.)

Councilmember Edouard Haba (Ward 5) objected to the city only making loans to HPD employees and not also to other city personnel. Mayor Robert Croslin explained that he had already been working on a similar plan to help the city attract and retain more police officers because Hyattsville can’t match the hiring bonuses offered by other local departments. However, he said Schaible’s motion was premature because city staff were still working out the details of his own proposal.

At first, Schaible proposed that the loan programs receive funding from a $1 million pay-

ment the city received in 2023 in return for selling the Canvas apartment complex the air rights to a city parking lot to build a parking garage. Hyattsville set aside this payment specifically for affordable housing.

However, because of a misunderstanding over whether the money was still available, Schaible also identified three other possible sources of funding: Hyattsville’s share of the county’s hotel and motel tax (including on short-term rentals, such as from Airbnbs), and its share of the county’s impact development fees, which are meant to offset any additional costs imposed on a locality because of new developments. And, just like a bank, the city would charge loan origination fees for the ADU and HPD pro-

grams, which would help with funding.

Haba later told the L&T that he believed ADUs were a good idea but only if all the details were carefully worked out. “All of us appreciate Mr. Schaible’s efforts to make affordable housing a priority,” he said, but recommended putting the proposal aside until the county’s ADU task force gives its final suggestions and guidelines.

Schaible’s motion did not move forward at the Feb. 23 meeting. The consensus seemed to be that the council should form a work group to consider the loan programs as only one part of a larger plan to address housing affordability. Schaible told the L&T, “We’ve been talking about this for years. I hope we finally can deliver more results.”

Little Theatre of Hyattsville aims to make history

By STELLA GARNER

Hyattville boasts a robust and diverse local arts district, but John D’Angelo IV saw something missing: a community theatre.

“I realized that something was missing from my life, and over time, I realized that it was missing from a lot of people's lives, and that was performing arts, theater,” D’Angelo told the Life & Times. “There's a great community here in Hyattsville that's willing to build it with me. And it's been a great journey so far.”

Originally from Fort Washington, D’Angelo relocated to Hyattsville nearly two years ago looking for a community near his work with the National League of Cities in D.C.

D’Angelo said he came up with the idea for the Little Theatre of Hyattsville after realizing that the area’s closest community theatre programs didn’t fit the niche he was looking for — a larger program with more elaborate productions.

“I decided, after a bit of hunting, I talked to the [city] council, I talked to the Hyattsville Community Development [Corporation], and ended up landing that if it didn’t exist, I was going to try to build it myself,” D’Angelo said.

The Little Theatre is currently trying to hold an event each month — on March 30, as this paper was going to press, the group was set to hold an all-day fundrais-

er at Franklins Restaurant. Just a few days prior, the group held auditions for a musical cabaret to be performed at the Hyattsville Busboys and Poets in late April.

But in the longer term, D’Angelo said the group’s main goal is to find a physical space for hosting shows and community events. His hope is that such a theater space would strengthen community ties and the Arts District through partnered workshops and fundraisers.

“Theater is so much more than just a profession, than just something to do,” D’Angelo said. “I've seen it be a driver of community progress and community eco-

nomic development. I want to get us there.”

The Little Theatre hosted its first two events earlier this year: an interest meeting in January, which drew about 35 locals, and the group’s first official meeting in late February. From there, the board was formed: D’Angelo as president, Ava Knox treasurer and Carrie Heflin secretary. D’Angelo said the connection among the group was immediate.

“The first day, we were all sitting in a circle and talking, and we were looking at various properties in Hyattsville, … and one of the board members goes, ‘You know, $1.3 million is not that much mon-

ey in the grand scheme of things,’ and we all burst out laughing,” D’Angelo said. “But this is the energy we have to have — we need to dream big.”

The members also have expertise within their specific positions: D’Angelo cited his work with the National League of Cities as crucial to his networking and communication skills; as treasurer, Knox said her work as a grant writer for the Armed Services Arts Partnership has informed her approach towards fundraising.

“My whole career has been about sustaining arts organizations that make people's lives richer and more connected, and now I get to do that for the community where my own children are growing up,” Knox said, “so that's exciting.”

But with the group’s goal of procuring a venue comes a pressing question: Which musical comes first? D’Angelo said he put the question to the community early on.

“It was exactly all the ones you're expecting: Phantom [of the Opera], Wicked, Les Miserables,” D'Angelo said. “For me personally, I would love to bring Seussical: The Musical to the stage. It is such a fun show.”

Email lththeatre@gmail.com or visit lththeatre.org for more information about the Little Theatre of Hyattsville.

Stella Garner is an undergraduate journalism major at the University of Maryland.

Candidatos se alistan para las elecciones del concejo

Por SHARON O'MALLEY

Dos candidatos se están presentando a las elecciones para el escaño del Concejo del Condado de Prince George por el Distrito 2, que quedará disponible tras la salida de la concejala Wanika Fisher, quien ha ocupado el cargo durante un mandato. Entre ellos se encuentran un exmiembro de la Asamblea General de Maryland y un profesional especializado en asuntos legislativos.

El Distrito 2 incluye Hyattsville, Lewisdale, Adelphi, Langley Park, North Brentwood, Brentwood, Mount Rainier, Chillum, Buck Lodge, Avondale y Cool Spring. El día de las elecciones primarias es el 23 de junio. Dado que el condado de Prince George es ampliamente demócrata, es casi seguro que las elecciones primarias decidirán quién ocupará los escaños del concejo del condado en el futuro. La concejala Fisher, una demócrata que ha trabajado como miembro del concejo del condado desde 2022, no está buscan-

Hyattsville

gastó

500,000 dólares

Los candidatos Victor Ramírez (izquierda) y Daniel Armando Jones se están presentando a las elecciones para el escaño del Concejo del Condado de Prince George por el Distrito 2. CORTESÍA DE VICTOR RAMÍREZ Y DANIEL ARMANDO JONES

más

de

en un software que no funciona

Por KIT SLACK

En una reunión realizada el 27 de enero, el tesorero Ron Brooks le comunicó al concejo municipal de Hyattsville que debían abandonar el proyecto de cinco años destinado a actualizar el software de gestión de registros de la ciudad y empezarlo de nuevo.

El intento fallido le costará a la ciudad 524,000 dólares en pagos a un contratista llamado BC Systems, según declaró Brooks en una entrevista.

La ciudad gastó mucho más que eso en horas de trabajo del personal y en servicios informáticos, según los documentos del concejo y las conversaciones con antiguos y actuales empleados.

Podría ser peor. La cadena de supermercados Lidl llego a gastar 500 millones de euros en un sistema similar que tuvieron

que abandonar en 2018. Poner en marcha un sistema cuando no se está preparado también trae consecuencias: las implementaciones defectuosas de software gubernamental en los sistemas judiciales han provocado demandas de personas que fueron encarceladas injustamente.

El tesorero Brooks afirmó que recuerda haber pasado dos años intentando corregir los errores derivados de una implementación prematura durante su etapa como director de finanzas para Cleveland, (Ohio) a principios de la década de los 2000.

¿Qué salió mal en Hyattsville y por qué tardó 13 años?

El concejal Joseph Solomon (Distrito 5) explicó que, en su trabajo diario, desarrolla software de

do la reelección porque se está postulando para el cargo como fiscal del condado de Prince George. Anteriormente, fue delegada estatal en representación del Distrito 47B desde 2018 hasta 2023, momento en que dejó su cargo estatal para incorporarse al concejo del condado. El candidato Víctor Ramírez, demócrata de Mount Rainier, fue delegado estatal por el Distrito 47 entre 2003 y 2011, siendo uno de los primeros latinos elegidos para la Cámara de Delegados. Ocupó el cargo de senador estatal entre 2011 y 2019. En 2018, se presentó como candidato a fiscal estatal por el condado de Prince George (el mismo cargo al que Fisher aspiraba en 2026), pero perdió en las elecciones primarias con un 27% de los votos. La ganadora fue Aisha Braveboy, quien pasó a ser fiscal del estado y, posteriormente, directora ejecutiva del condado. En 2022, Ramírez se presentó sin éxito al mismo escaño del concejo del condado del Distrito 2 al que aspira en 2026.

La concejala Gopi Dhokai (Distrito 3) utilizó la respuesta a la tormenta de nieve de enero como prueba de que un sistema formal de voluntarios para despejar la nieve podría ayudar a los residentes. UNSPLASH

Hyattsville estudia la creación de un programa oficial de voluntariado para remover la nieve

Por ALEX BURKE

En su reunión del 23 de febrero, el Concejo de Hyattsville propuso destinar 3.000 dólares para crear un programa de voluntariado para remover la nieve con el fin de ayudar a los residentes de edad avanzada y con discapacidad. El reglamento municipal les solicita a los propietarios e inquilinos despejar las aceras dentro de

las 24 horas después de que una tormenta de nieve haya finalizado o, por el contrario, se les enviará una advertencia que podría dar lugar a una multa de 500 dólares.

“Si la advertencia no se atiende a tiempo, se emitirá una multa”, anunció el equipo de cumplimiento normativo de Hyattsville. “Es posible que se asigne a los voluntarios apoyar a los

La primera tienda especializada en running del condado abre sus puertas en Hyattsville

Por MICHAEL MURPHY

Durante años, los corredores del condado de Prince George tuvieron que salir del área para encontrar una tienda especializada en corredores, hasta que Haraka Run and Walk abrió sus puertas en Hyattsville.

La tienda, ubicada en 5501 Baltimore Avenue, tuvo su apertura oficial el pasado 21 de febrero, convirtiéndose así en la primera tienda especializada para corredores en el condado. Mientras que el condado de Montgomery cuenta con cuatro tiendas y Washington D. C. con cinco, el casi millón de residentes del condado de Prince George no había tenido una opción local hasta ahora. El copropietario Jesse Holland explicó que “haraka” significa “velocidad” en suajili, una palabra que su esposa y copropietaria, Carol Holland, escuchó durante sus viajes como comandante de la Marina de los Estados Unidos. Jesse Holland mencionó que, al elegir el nombre de la tienda, deseaban algo único, pero “también queremos representar un poco de la herencia que llevamos”, además de rep-

resentar al condado de Prince George. Holland dejó claro que Haraka Run and Walk se centra en formar parte del condado. “Es importante no solo que seamos una empresa de afroamericanos, sino también que seamos un negocio del condado de Prince George”, afirmó. “Aquí pagamos impuestos, contribuimos a la comunidad y nuestros hijos van a la escuela”.

Haraka Run and Walk cuenta con las principales marcas de calzado para correr y ofrece una gran variedad de accesorios como gafas de sol, rodillos de espuma, cinta kinesiológica y otros productos para recuperación muscular. También dispone de calcetines para correr, camisetas de compresión, sudaderas con cremallera y camisetas sin manga de múltiples marcas, además de productos con su propio logotipo. Quizás lo más innovador que Haraka Run and Walk ofrece es su escáner de pies Volumental 3D. Disponible de forma gratuita para todos los clientes, este mide la longitud y anchura de cada pie, la altura del empeine, la anchura del talón y la altura del arco; luego recomienda determinadas marcas y estilos

de calzado adecuados para cada persona. Haraka Run and Walk ya forma parte de la comunidad de Hyattsville y lo ha sido incluso desde antes de que se abriera la tienda. Las caminatas semanales del Haraka Run Club, que según Holland iniciaron el pasado julio, tienen lugar cada miércoles a las 6 p.m. La ruta es de tres millas por el sendero Rhode Island Avenue Trolley Trail. Holland también indicó que se ha puesto en contacto con una organización de entrenadores de atletismo del sistema escolar del condado para informarles sobre la tienda y sus servicios, ofreciendo un descuento a los entrenadores.

El residente de Hyattsville, Terence Dobbins, expresó su entusiasmo al conocer sobre Haraka Run and Walk. Indicó que anteriormente debía comprar sus zapatos para correr en línea y luego desplazarse hasta Columbia para recogerlos. “Es una gran tienda”, afirmó Dobbins. “Mi esposa y yo creemos en apoyar a empresas pequeñas, así que vendremos aquí antes que a las grandes cadenas”.

Carol es originaria del condado de Prince

El Little Theatre de Hyattsville busca llevar música y fomentar un sentido de comunidad en el área

Por STELLA GARNER

Hyattsville cuenta con uno de los distritos artísticos locales más sólidos y diversos, en el que están representados una gran variedad de negocios pequeños y artistas. Pero John D’Angelo IV siempre vio que algo le faltaba: un teatro comunitario.

“Me di cuenta de que algo le estaba faltando a mi vida y, con el tiempo, me di cuenta de que a la vida de mucha gente le faltaba algo también, y esto eran las artes escénicas, el teatro”, afirmó D’Angelo. “Hay una gran comunidad aquí en Hyattsville que está dispuesta a construirlo conmigo y hasta ahora ha sido un camino maravilloso”.

Originario de Fort Washington, D’Angelo se mudó a Hyattsville hace casi dos años en busca de una comunidad cercana a su trabajo en la National League of Cities en Washington, D. C. D’Angelo explicó que creó el Little Theatre de Hyattsville tras darse cuenta de la necesidad de un programa de teatro comunitario para la zona, ya que los más cercanos se encontraban al menos a 25 minutos en automóvil.

“Decidí, después de indagar un poco, hablar con el Concejo de la ciudad y con el Comité de Desarrollo Comunitario de Hyattsville,

y al final llegué a la conclusión de que, si no existía, intentaría crearlo yo mismo”, dijo D’Angelo. El Little Theatre of Hyattsville tuvo sus dos primeros eventos al inicio de este año: una reunión informativa en enero y una reunión general a finales de febrero. A partir de ahí, la junta directiva del programa se consolidó: D’Angelo como presidente, Ava Knox como tesorera y Carrie Heflin como secretaria. D’Angelo expresó que la conexión entre los tres en cuanto a los objetivos del grupo fue inmediata.

“El primer día estábamos todos sentados en círculo, charlando y echando un vistazo a varias propiedades en Hyattsville… y uno de los miembros de la junta dijo: “Bueno, 1,3 millones de dólares no es tanto

dinero en el contexto general", y todos nos echamos a reír”, dijo D’Angelo. “Pero esa es la energía que debemos tener; es decir, tenemos que soñar en grande”.

Los miembros también cuentan con experiencia en sus respectivos puestos. D’Angelo destacó que su trabajo con la National League of Cities ha sido fundamental en sus habilidades de creación de redes y comunicación con el Little Theatre. Como tesorera, Knox afirmó que su labor como redactora de solicitudes de subvenciones públicas para la Asociación de Artes de las Fuerzas Armadas ha influido en su capacidad para recaudar fondos.

“Toda mi carrera se ha enfocado en apoyar organizaciones artísticas que enriquecen la vida de las personas y las ayudan a

George y fue la primera mujer afroamericana en ser nombrada atleta All-American en la Academia Naval de los Estados Unidos en Annapolis. También fue campeona de los 800 metros en la División II de la NCAA en la Academia Naval y forma parte del Salón de la Fama Atlético de la academia.

Jesse es profesor en la Universidad George Washington y autor galardonado de siete libros. También es periodista y anteriormente fue presentador del programa Washington Journal de C-SPAN. Se describe a sí mismo como la parte “and Walk” de Haraka Run and Walk, ya que no se considera un corredor de verdad como su esposa, pero disfruta participar en carreras de 5 km y está entrenando para su primera carrera de 10 km. Con Haraka Run and Walk, Jesse y Carol esperan unir a la comunidad del condado de Prince George y compartir un interés común: correr. Jesse señaló: “Si quieres ir rápido, ve solo, pero si quieres llegar lejos, ve con alguien más”.

Michael Murphy es estudiante de periodismo en la Universidad de Maryland.

sentirse más conectadas, y ahora tengo la oportunidad de hacerlo por la comunidad en la que están creciendo mis propios hijos”, afirmó Knox. “Así que es muy emocionante”.

A pesar de su experiencia, los miembros señalan que están buscando incorporar más voluntarios a la junta directiva para ampliar las perspectivas y perfiles del grupo. D’Angelo mencionó su intención de colaborar con las comunidades minoritarias locales y con el Centro Juvenil de Hyattsville.

“Intento esforzarme mucho para garantizar que las voces diversas estén representadas y tengan la oportunidad de expresar su opinión”, afirmó D’Angelo. “De hecho, en los estatutos se deja margen para incorporar más voces a la junta directiva con el tiempo. Se trata de comenzar poco a poco, partiendo de un pequeño núcleo, pero teniendo en cuenta a aquellas personas que potencialmente se quieran incorporar a puestos de liderazgo en un futuro”.

El Little Theatre tiene como objetivo albergar un evento cada mes; el 30 de marzo, el grupo continuará con esta iniciativa celebrando una jornada benéfica en el restaurante Franklin’s. Knox afirma que el grupo espera mantener el impulso con un espectáculo de cabaret dedicado a

canciones de musicales populares durante la primavera.

Sin embargo, a largo plazo, el objetivo principal del Little Theatre es contar con un local físico para albergar espectáculos y eventos comunitarios. D’Angelo afirmó que espera que un teatro comunitario físico pueda fortalecer los lazos locales y desarrollar el distrito artístico mediante talleres y eventos de recaudación de fondos organizados en colaboración con otras entidades.

“El teatro es mucho más que una profesión, más que algo con lo que simplemente se ocupa uno. Puede ser mucho más que eso”, afirmó D’Angelo. “He visto que puede ser un motor de progreso y desarrollo económico para la comunidad. Quiero que lleguemos a ese punto”.

Pero la adquisición de un local plantea una pregunta clave: ¿qué musical debería ser el primero? D’Angelo comentó que planteó la pregunta a la comunidad desde el principio. “Fueron exactamente todos los que habría que esperar: El fantasma de la ópera, Wicked, Los miserables… En lo personal, me encantaría llevar Seussical: The Musical al escenario”, afirmó D’Angelo. “Es un espectáculo muy divertido”.

Las personas interesadas pueden escribir al correo electrónico lththeatre@gmail.com para obtener más información.

Stella Gardner es estudiante de periodismo en la Universidad de Maryland.

NIEVE

VIENE DE PÁG. 13

propietarios que soliciten asistencia después de haber recibido la advertencia”.

La concejala municipal Gopi Dhokai (Distrito 3) utilizó la respuesta a la tormenta de nieve de enero como evidencia de que un sistema formal de voluntariado podría beneficiar a los residentes.

La concejala mencionó durante la reunión del 23 de febrero que “hubo muchos vecinos que salieron durante la última tormenta y se apoyaron mutuamente. Si hubiéramos tenido la capacidad de coordinar a los vecinos antes de la tormenta, podrían haberse ayudado mientras la nieve caía de forma más ligera”.

SOFTWARE

VIENE DE PÁG. 13

planificación de recursos empresariales (ERP) para gobiernos. Le sorprendió descubrir que, tras ser elegido en 2013, la ciudad careciera de un sistema ERP. Así que comenzó a promover su implementación, presentando una solicitud en el presupuesto del mismo año.

Brooks cree que la ciudad eligió al contratista equivocado. Él prefería recurrir a Tyler Technologies, la empresa que provee el software que utiliza su departamento.

“Pensé que la propuesta de Tyler era la mejor”, afirmó Brooks, “porque se centraba en la administración local”.

En memorandos dirigidos al alcalde y al concejo en 2016 y nuevamente en 2020, el personal incluyó a Tyler Technologies como una de las dos mejores opciones y recomendó un proveedor alternativo, con aprobación del concejo.

El director de desarrollo económico de la ciudad en aquel momento, Jim Chandler, mencionó que el proceso de búsqueda y contratación fue exhaustivo y tomó varios años, en parte porque la administración tenía dificultades para definir qué necesitaba. Al final, BC Systems obtuvo la mejor puntuación según los criterios establecidos y ofrecía mayor flexibilidad y personalización que Tyler Technologies, según Chandler y los memorandos enviados al concejo.

Chandler dijo que le sorprendió que el sistema nunca llegara a implementarse. Cuando se marchó de Hyattsville en 2022, la ciudad parecía estar a punto de poner en marcha la primera fase de la implementación en varias ocasiones y contaba con un nuevo cronograma para su finalización.

Solomon explicó que, cuando Chandler se fue, una mayor responsabilidad sobre la imple-

La directora de comunicaciones de la ciudad, Cindy Zork, informó que la ciudad comenzará a buscar voluntarios para el programa este octubre. Mencionó que el personal asignará voluntarios a residentes mayores o con discapacidad cuando estos lo soliciten tras una nevada. Asimismo, el personal llevará un registro de las horas de voluntariado y anotará qué residentes reciben estos servicios.

Bajo el programa anterior “HVL Heroes”, el Departamento de Servicios de Voluntariado de la ciudad proporcionaba palas para la nieve, guantes y rastrillos a los residentes que deseaban ayudar a sus vecinos, según indicó Zork. Los propios residentes se encargaron de la coordinación y la asistencia sin un sistema for-

mentación del ERP pasó a la oficina de tesorería.

“Esta ciudad tiene un historial de exigirle demasiado al tesorero”, afirmó Solomon.

Brooks mencionó que, tras múltiples rondas de pruebas, el sistema no producía resultados lo suficientemente precisos como para permitirle a la ciudad poner en marcha el software.

Solomon también manifestó que, según su experiencia en esta industria, es posible que una mayor parte de las pruebas y la configuración inicial debería haber recaído en el proveedor, en lugar de Brooks, quien es un usuario final.

“No creo que haya sido la máxima prioridad para nadie”, afirmó la concejala Emily Strab (Distrito 2), quien explicó que no se había dado cuenta de que la implementación del sistema ERP podría requerir la supervisión del concejo, hasta que el año pasado comenzó a desempeñarse como enlace con el comité de auditoría de la ciudad.

Brooks insiste en que, a pesar de sus reservas, él estaba comprometido con la implementación e hizo su mayor esfuerzo para que funcionara. “Intenté por todos los medios conseguir un resultado positivo”. Mencionó que la implementación requería el compromiso y tiempo del personal de cada departamento, algo difícil de lograr. “A nadie le gustan los cambios”.

¿Por qué se necesita un sistema ERP?

Los sistemas ERP amplían el acceso a los datos de distintos departamentos, de modo que todos obtienen información más rápida y el personal no tiene que ingresar la misma información en múltiples sistemas. “Las soluciones ERP gestionan prácticamente todo lo que tocamos en nuestra vida diaria”, manifestó el concejal Solomon. Las estadísticas de la NBA y la NFL, que se actualizan casi

mal. El programa propuesto trasladaría esta responsabilidad al personal y establecería un proceso estructurado. Durante la reunión del Concejo, Dhokai recomendó que la ciudad adquiera una máquina quitanieves, lo que generó interrogantes sobre posibles responsabilidades legales en caso de lesiones (ver noticia relacionada). Zork mencionó que la propuesta permanece en su etapa de desarrollo y que el personal continúa evaluando los riesgos. Los líderes aún no han decidido si los voluntarios podrán utilizar sus propias máquinas quitanieves ni cómo se supervisaría la seguridad.

La administradora de la ciudad, Tracey Douglas, dijo durante la reunión que considera importante asistir y apoyar a los residentes de edad avanzada y personas

al instante, son productos de los sistemas ERP.

La directora de comunicaciones de la ciudad, Cindy Zork, dijo que un ERP podría, por ejemplo, agilizar la coordinación de las solicitudes de los residentes relacionadas con la nieve entre el departamento de comunicaciones, así como obras públicas y la policía.

Desde la perspectiva de Brooks, un sistema ERP bien diseñado ayudaría a maximizar los servicios de la ciudad, del mismo modo que los ERP empresariales maximizan la ganancias.

La concejala Strab dijo que, como enlace con el comité de auditoría, ha aprendido que contar con un ERP funcional es una mejora imprescindible para Hyattsville, necesaria para mejorar la eficiencia a medida que el presupuesto de la ciudad ha crecido.

¿Qué sigue ahora?

Ante las jubilaciones de la contadora principal de gran trayectoria en Hyattsville, Mary Ellen Harding, y la directora de Obras Públicas, Leslie Riddle, Solomon considera que lo más prudente es posponer la iniciativa de implementación hasta que haya una mayor estabilidad en estas posiciones de liderazgo. Las recomendaciones del comité de auditoría presentadas en otoño preveían un posible fracaso en la implementación de BC Systems y proyectaban un nuevo lanzamiento para 2027. Strab y Brooks dicen que el incremento del personal en el departamento de finanzas de Hyattsville (que adolece de una falta crónica de personal) podría contribuir a la futura implementación de un sistema ERP, entre otras prioridades. Con la incorporación del nuevo director de presupuesto de la ciudad, Ben Brosch, el departamento contará con seis empleados a tiempo completo. Además, la ciudad busca contratar un di-

con discapacidad.

“Contar con una o dos máquinas quitanieves disponibles para préstamo sería de gran ayuda”, afirmó. “Sabemos que hay trabajo que necesitaremos realizar a nivel interno”.

La ciudad tiene previsto exigir tanto a los voluntarios como a los residentes firmar exenciones de responsabilidad redactadas con la colaboración del abogado municipal. Estas exenciones eximirían a la ciudad de cualquier responsabilidad por lesiones o riesgos relacionados con la limpieza de nieve, así como de posibles daños a la propiedad o reclamaciones por lesiones personales.

Alex Burke es estudiante de periodismo de pregrado en la Universidad de Maryland.

Desde la perspectiva de Brooks, un sistema ERP bien diseñado ayudaría a maximizar los servicios de la ciudad, del mismo modo que los ERP empresariales maximizan la ganancias.

atrasar durante la pandemia y con el cambio de firmas. Brooks está teniendo dificultades para completar la auditoría de 2024 este mes (marzo de 2026), lo que sería un año después de haber entregado la auditoría de 2023. Sin embargo, mencionó que la firma auditora ya empezó a trabajar en la auditoría de 2025, cuya entrega estaba prevista para el otoño pasado.

rector interno de TI (tecnología de la información).

Brooks explicó que en 2013 el departamento de finanzas tenía solo tres empleados, incluido él mismo, además de un archivista que trabajaba medio tiempo.

Cuando se le preguntó si contar con una plataforma ERP ayudaría a la ciudad a ponerse al día con auditorías que acumulan retrasos crónicos, Brooks respondió: “No, la verdad es que no”, y calificó la comparación entre los retrasos en las auditorías y los retrasos en la implementación del ERP como “comparar manzanas con naranjas y peras”.

Según Brooks, es difícil completar más de una auditoría al año debido a la carga de trabajo del personal de finanzas de Hyattsville y al reducido número de firmas auditoras dispuestas a realizar auditorías municipales. Hyattsville ha logrado hacerlo dos veces en la última década, una de ellas con la ayuda de una empresa más grande que ya no acepta clientes municipales, pero se ha vuelto a

“A lo largo de mi carrera en finanzas del gobierno, he sido la persona que llega a buscar soluciones a los problemas en todos los lugares donde he trabajado. He estado en lugares tanto grandes como pequeños”, afirmó Brooks, quien llegó a Hyattsville desde Ohio tras el revuelo que se desató en la ciudad a raíz del retraso de auditorías y la repentina renuncia del administrador y tesorero de la ciudad.

“Es difícil”, mencionó Brooks. “He sido criticado por los mejores a lo largo de los años. Muchas personas no tienen la misma trayectoria que yo y me siento orgulloso, porque es muy difícil mantenerse en este tipo de puestos cuando todo el mundo te ataca y cree que sabe más que tú”.

Aun así, Brooks se muestra optimista y cree que el aumento de personal en su departamento le permitirá mantener el ritmo de crecimiento de la ciudad, independientemente de si continúa o no como tesorero. Hyattsville Life & Times ha presentado una solicitud de información pública bajo la Ley de Acceso a la Información de Maryland a la ciudad de Hyattsville para conocer los montos pagados a todos los contratistas durante los últimos diez años por la implementación del sistema ERP.

Las fechas y horarios de las audiencias presupuestarias programadas para 2026 en Hyattsville están disponibles en Hyattsville.org/budget.

Perdió en aquellas elecciones frente a Fisher, cuyo mandato en el concejo del condado finalizará en diciembre de 2026. Ramírez, que es el entrenador de fútbol de la escuela secundaria Northwestern de Adelphi, dirige el bufete de abogados de Víctor R. Ramírez, conocido en la comunidad como “El Abogado del Pueblo”, con oficinas en College Park y Columbia. El oponente de Ramírez es Daniel Armando Jones, residente en Hyattsville, quien se presenta por primera vez. Jones, también demócrata, trabaja como director de asuntos legislativos en America's Essential Hospitals, una organización nacional que defiende los intereses de los hospitales en comunidades desatendidas.

Jones ha enfocado su carrera en el trabajo legislativo. Fue becario legislativo en la oficina de un representante en la Cámara de los Estados Unidos por el estado de Florida, a través del Instituto del Caucus Hispano del Congreso, donde en su momento ocupó el cargo de especialista en políticas públicas en el ámbito STEM (ciencia, tecnología, ingeniería y matemáticas). También fue asistente legislativo en la oficina del diputado Charlie Crist, de Florida.

En otras elecciones del concejo del condado, ocho candidatos están compit-

iendo por dos escaños de representación general. Los candidatos generales representan a todos los residentes del condado, en lugar de a un distrito en concreto. La actual concejala Jolene Ivey, quien ha sido miembro del concejo durante mucho tiempo y expresidenta de este, se presenta a la reelección para su escaño, el cual ganó en unas elecciones especiales realizadas en noviembre de 2024 para cubrir la vacante dejada por Mel Franklin, quien se declaró culpable de un delito grave de robo relacionado con fondos de campaña.

La otra titular del concejo es Wala Blegay, quien fue nombrada en diciembre de 2025 para sustituir a Calvin Hawkins, quien dimitió para aceptar un cargo en la administración del condado. No se presentará a las elecciones al concejo porque es candidata al escaño del 5.º Distrito Congresional que deja vacante tras la jubilación del veterano representante Steny Hoyer.

Entre los candidatos generales se encuentran:

Sean A. Floyd, de Suitland, quien fundó Nomadic Solutions, una empresa de consultoría especializada en política y gestión de proyectos. Anteriormente trabajó como jefe de gabinete para el asesor principal de la alcaldesa de Washington, D.C., Muriel Bowser, supervisando las operaciones de la agencia.

El perfil de LinkedIn de Laura Gilchrest la describe como una “investigadora, es-

critora, metodóloga y antropóloga médica crítica”, y señala que ha sido profesora contratada en la Universidad George Washington y en la Universidad de Maryland.

Sydney Harrison vive en Cheltenham y ha representado al Distrito 9, en el sur del condado de Prince George, como miembro del concejo desde 2018. Dado que los límites de mandato prohíben a los concejales servir más de dos mandatos consecutivos en sus distritos, Harrison está participando por un escaño de representación general en las próximas elecciones. Antes de asumir el cargo, trabajó durante cuatro años como secretaria del Tribunal del Circuito del Condado.

Jeana Jacobs, quien reside en Upper Marlboro, fue presidenta de la Junta de Educación del condado (BOE) y cuenta con más de 30 años de experiencia en los ámbitos de la educación, el derecho y la seguridad pública. Durante su mandato en la BOE, Jacobs ocupaba el cargo de teniente coronel en el Departamento de Instituciones Correccionales del condado.

La veterana Jennifer Ríos, de Upper Marlboro, es presidenta y fundadora de la Cámara de Comercio Hispana del condado de Prince George. Es directora ejecutiva de tres empresas, entre ellas dos pequeñas empresas propiedad de veteranos con discapacidad, adquirida durante su servicio.

Keith Washington, de Accokeek, es un

antiguo agente de policía y subdirector de Seguridad Nacional para el condado. En 2008 fue condenado por homicidio involuntario, por dos delitos de agresión en primer grado y dos delitos de uso de arma de fuego tras disparar en su domicilio a dos repartidores de muebles, de los cuales uno falleció. Washington cumplió 13 años de una condena de 45 antes de que un grupo de estudiantes de la Universidad de Georgetown le ayudara a conseguir la libertad de manera anticipada. Washington se presentó sin éxito al Congreso en 2022 contra Hoyer. Noah Emmanuel Waters, de Brandywine, exalcalde de Eagle Harbor, ha declarado que le gustaría centrarse en impulsar el turismo en el condado. Waters, que cuenta con un doctorado en Administración de Empresas, es un candidato especializado en finanzas públicas que ha afirmado que no aceptará fondos de grupos de interés ni de comités de acción política.

En los nueve distritos municipales del condado, se inscribieron 31 candidatos para presentarse a las elecciones, además de los ocho candidatos que se presentaron a nivel general. Todos son demócratas, salvo dos republicanos en el Distrito 6 y uno en el Distrito 9. Los votantes pueden elegir a un candidato entre los que se presentan en el distrito en el que residen y a dos candidatos a nivel general.

Conectando a los residentes de Hyattsville a través del idioma y la cultura cada mes, en cada buzón. Para anunciar aquí, contacte a kit@streetcarsuburbs.news