Residents press Maryland comptroller on rising energy costs, affordability Prince George’s County residents sought answers from Maryland’s comptroller on affordability and rising energy costs during a meeting Thursday evening at the Laurel-Beltsville Senior Activity Center. Comptroller Brooke…

Youth basketball league keeps winning on and off the court On any given Saturday morning during the winter, you can walk into a community center in the City of Laurel and see gyms filled with young athletes playing basketball. It’s a familiar sight across the city — kids learning the game,…

Police identify suspects in Laurel stabbing, shooting incidents Police have identified suspects in separate stabbing and shooting incidents at a shopping center in Laurel that left five people wounded. The Laurel Police Department has charged Shon Juan Cook Jr., 26, of Howard County, in connection…

3 shot, 2 stabbed near Laurel shopping center At least three people were shot and two others stabbed in two separate incidents near Amigos Mexican Grill in Laurel on Tuesday night, according to the Laurel Police Department. The incidents occurred in the 13600 block of Baltimore Avenue at the…

Will county lose its way on ag research? I’m guessing it’ll be early April. No, that last warm snap makes it more likely for late March. Scratch that, the cold blast pushes it to early April again. Oops, the sun just popped out this morning. OK, they’re peaking — get down to the Tidal Basin NOW to…

Laurel Main Street Festival continues to draw a crowd Few traditions in Laurel have endured like the annual Main Street Festival. Since 1981, the event — organized by the Laurel Board of Trade to spotlight local businesses — has continued to draw crowds as large as 100,000. Jean McCants, 70, of…

County government takes on student attendance The county announced April 27 that it is launching a new program to help tackle one of education’s most persistent problems. More than a third of county high schoolers are chronically absent, defined as missing more than 10% of school days. The problem…

Let’s Eat Laurel: Olive On Main continues to charm Since opening in 2014, the Mediterranean-American restaurant has become a staple on Main Street in Laurel. With a warm atmosphere, equally warm staff and fresh, out-of-the-oven pita bread, Olive On Main has charmed its way into the hearts of…

Thousands visit College Park for Maryland Day Thousands of visitors roamed the University of Maryland (UMD) campus on April 25 for the 28th annual Maryland Day. Cynthia Martinez, senior director of brand marketing for UMD, called the event “a campuswide open house.” “We welcome everyone from the…

Parents, principal join to save immersion program The principal and parents at Paint Branch Elementary School have devised a plan to save the school’s Chinese immersion program, which the Prince George’s County Board of Education (BOE) had designated for extinction. The strategy would make…

College Park Metro station takes ‘tap’ payments The College Park-University of Maryland Metro station on April 30 became the seventh in the subway’s system to allow riders to tap a credit card or phone instead of a SmarTrip card to exit the garage or parking lot. The contactless payment method,…

From Where I Stand: Let’s push for a financially stronger Hyattsville, starting with the small steps On April 8, the City of Hyattsville released its proposed budget for fiscal year 2027. The next day, I started transcribing that budget into a Google sheet, an interactive tool for my neighbors to…

Who has the money in the county council primaries? Candidates for Maryland’s June primary had to file campaign finance statements Apr. 21, if they had not already filed in January. Here’s a look at the filings of county council candidates competing to represent residents of the three cities we…

Laurel bets big on small business ahead of Preakness The Preakness Stakes has found a temporary home in Laurel. For the first time in the race’s 151-year history, the Preakness Stakes will gallop into Laurel Park on May 16. Its usual venue, Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, is undergoing…

Councilmember objects to candidate’s use of quote Two local legislators have accused a candidate for Prince George’s County Council of misleading voters into believing they have endorsed him. In an April 17 joint letter to Streetcar Suburbs Publishing, County Councilmember Tom Dernoga (District 1)…

Who has the money in the county council primary? Candidates for Maryland’s June primary had to file campaign finance statements April 21 if they had not already filed in January. We took a look at the filings of county council candidates seeking to represent Hyattsville residents. Victor Ramirez,…

Prince George’s County launches mobile ‘library’ for career help Prince George’s County residents now have a free resource to aid them in a job search — the Library2Go: Career Connector. The initiative from the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System (PGCMLS) comes in the form of a 38-foot…

Dairy plant closure signals strain in states dairy industry North Laurel is saying goodbye to one of the few dairy plants left in Howard County. By the end of the year, the Maola Local Dairies plant will shut down production. The plant, which sits on 91 acres at 8321 Leishear Road, has been in…

Letter to the Editor: Change vs. more of the same My historic candidacy for District 1 County Council clearly has the establishment, who want to control this seat, running scared. The two incumbents who have held this seat for the last 24 straight years wrote a deceptive editorial alleging that I…

Decades in the making, North Laurel pool opens to public The North Laurel Community Center just wrapped up a major expansion with the completion of two indoor pools that will expand public swimming access across Howard County. The $22 million renovated space opened for public use in March with a…

Letter to the Editor: No endorsement for Mitchell Contrary to what Martin Mitchell wants you to believe, we have not endorsed him for County Council. Nor has he been endorsed by a host of other officials listed on his website. We did say something positive about him when he ran for Laurel City…

Former Here & now staffer gets Diamondback job A former College Park Here & Now associate editor is the new editor-in-chief of University of Maryland’s (UMD) student newspaper, The Diamondback. Sam Gauntt, a UMD junior who served as editor-in-chief of his community college newspaper, A former…

Cyclists take over Old town for Rt. 1 Rampage More than 218 cyclists, including 15 from the University of Maryland (UMD) Club Cycling Team, raced through College Park’s Old Town neighborhood on April 19 during the 11th annual Route 1 Rampage. The UMD team hosted the daylong event for collegiate…

Inner Space Column: Citizen science can strengthen Laurel’s future As the nation focuses on the yearlong celebration of its 250th birthday, the Laurel community is seeking a meaningful contribution on a local scale. That calls for not only looking at what we learned from the past, but also how…

District 1 Candidates Court Voters During Laurel Forum Prince George’s County Council District 1 candidates made their case to voters Thursday night, outlining plans to tackle school overcrowding, affordable housing and community engagement in what is shaping up to be the district’s most…

Tenants at Laurel apartment building have no hot water Tenants at The Seasons apartments in Laurel report they have had no hot water since April 10. Emails from management obtained by The Laurel Independent confirm that there has been a need for repair to the water system of 9620 Barrel House Road…

Couple urges churches to fill foster-care need Maryland has about 3,800 children needing a foster care placement, but not enough foster families to take them, according to state and local officials. Jason and Jen Float of Laurel have launched a nonprofit to work with churches to help fill that…

Appeals court requires hearing on any new townhouses by Driskell Park This March, a Maryland appeals court said the county council would have to hold a public hearing for any further townhouse development on contested land near Driskell Park.  Werrlein Properties owns land on the hillside above…

District 1 Candidates to Pitch Voters at Laurel Forum The Laurel Independent and Streetcar Suburbs Publishing will host a Prince George’s County Council District 1 candidate forum this evening at the Laurel Boys and Girls Club at 7 p.m. District 1 includes the City of Laurel, West Laurel, South…

Letter to the Editor: The Laurel City Council needs a lesson in basic economics The Laurel City Council needs a lesson in basic economics The reporting by Kit Slack, “Laurel City Council requires builders to sell homes for less,” (March 2026) provides a clear explanation of the issues involved.…

Council’s 1st-ever student liaison resigns from Congress Eric Swalwell, the California congressman who resigned on April 14 amid allegations of sexual misconduct, got his start in politics in College Park, where he was the first University of Maryland (UMD) student liaison to the city council in…

Laurel Police Seek Suspects in Town Centre Burglaries Laurel Police are asking for the public’s help to identify a group of individuals involved in a string of break-ins and burglaries at businesses at the Town Centre at Laurel on April 13. The incident happened along the 14800 block of Baltimore…

Laurel Golf Center tees up major renovation under new owner A new owner is helping a local golf establishment swing in a new direction. The Laurel Golf Center, a 34-year-old recreational golf facility along Route 198 on the edge of the city, is undergoing a $2 million renovation after being…

Mayor touts growth in State of the City address College Park is seeing "energy, progress and pride" following a year of expanded services and new business growth, Mayor Fazlul Kabir announced in his State of the City address on April 7. "You can feel it across our city," Kabir said. "This past…

County exec ‘gets fiscal house in order’ Prince George’s County eliminated a $170 million structural budget deficit in eight months by renegotiating contracts and cutting vacant positions, County Executive Aisha Braveboy announced at a town hall meeting in Beltsville on April 9. Braveboy told the…

New exhibit explores Laurel’s diverse past and present The Laurel Historical Society’s new annual exhibit explores how Laurel’s diverse communities understand and celebrate freedom. “Beyond the 4th: Stories of Laurel’s Freedom Celebrations” examines how residents marked major American…

Hyattsville Considering Program for Snow Shoveling Volunteers 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…

Former Laurel High guard leaps into college game Amadou Kaloga was a key piece of Laurel High School’s basketball championship run in March 2025. This past season, he completed his freshman year of college basketball at Bowie State University — one defined less by numbers and more by steady…

Help Save Local News in Laurel Laurel’s mayor, in planning the city’s $45 million budget, has told us he will reduce funding to our local news nonprofit from $50,000 to $20,000 per year starting July 1. We contract with the City of Laurel to print and mail a city newsletter, written and designed…

Task force finds ‘crisis-level’ affordable housing gap College Park faces a shortage of 1,265 affordable units for its lowest-income renters, a situation the city’s Affordable Housing Task Force has labeled a "crisis-level policy issue" that disproportionately affects essential workers, seniors…

District 1 candidates vie for County Council seat The race for Prince George’s County Council District 1 is heating up after three candidates entered the race in hopes of winning this year’s election, which will result in the district’s first nonincumbent council member in years. Michelle Garcia,…

Community survey names crime prevention as top priority In separate surveys, College Park residents said the city’s greatest priority should be crime prevention and public safety. The 510 residents who responded to the city’s biennial community survey also named land use, police services, economic…

History-maker Olivia Crosby rises with girls wrestling Stuck between the sweat-stained mat and her male opponent for almost all of the Prince George’s County wrestling tournament semifinal match, Olivia Crosby, 17, refused to yield. After a speeding escape forced Amari Points into a technical…

Price of Easter candy hops If your Easter basket isn’t full, it could be because candy inflation has outpaced your budget for peanut butter-filled chocolate eggs and Cadbury bunnies. A price analysis of Target’s five top-selling Easter candies from 2020 to 2026 showed prices have risen 67%, while…

Residents, councilmembers oppose planned new high school College Park residents told Prince George's County Councilmember Eric Olson (District 3) in March that they object to the building of a new Northern Adelphi Area High School just outside of the city. The proposed 2,600-student school is…

Calvert Hills Playground reopens after upgrades An upgrade of the school-age section of Calvert Hills Playground and Athletic Field was completed in early March after two years of planning. The playground on Calvert Road has a new swing set and other play structures as part of a larger project to…

Wellesley homeowners object to new sidewalk A representative of College Park’s public works staff on March 11 offered residents who live on and near Wellesley Drive in the College Park Estates neighborhood the option of locating a new sidewalk on the north or south sides of the street but ran into…

Transition from snow to spring with yard, home inspections The shovels are finally back in the garage after a January of heavy snow and lingering ice, but for College Park homeowners, the real work is just beginning.  Local experts say now is the critical window to inspect yards and homes for…

Cutting Keeps Garden Edges Appealing Many turn toward native gardening with the hope of reducing their yard work. In my experience, a well-designed wildlife garden eventually eliminates most annual maintenance. After establishment, there is no mulching, no fertilization, no repurchasing of annuals…

It’s going to get worse: Why Hyattsville must fund emergency immigrant relief What is happening in Hyattsville right now is horrifying. Neighbors… https://streetcarsuburbs.news/its-going-to-get-worse-why-hyattsville-must-fund-emergency-immigrant-relief/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social