Jacob Hernandez, 29, of Los Angeles; Khobe David, 24, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland; Dustin Wetzel, 23, of Woodbridge, Virginia; Chance Clark, 25, of Waldorf, Maryland; James Young, 23, of Hyattsville, Maryland; and a sixth person whose name is redacted in the filing were after a grand jury returned the 15-count indictment.

U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro said it’s possible more than 100 cars were stolen from D.C. and more than 30 from Prince George鈥檚 County, Maryland. They would be taken to one of two garages 鈥� one located on 70 I St. SE in the Navy Yard and another at a Marriott Hotel in Maryland. There, the license plates would be switched out, the vehicle identification number was sometimes changed and GPS devices were reset.

鈥淔rom there, they are loaded onto shipping containers that are labeled ‘furniture’ as opposed to ‘cars,’ because there will not be as much scrutiny,鈥� Pirro said. 鈥淭hen, the shipping containers are sent across the ocean to Africa, where they get top dollar on the black market. This is a sophisticated ring turning everyday cars into international cargo.鈥�

Pirro said demand for the vehicles in Africa is 鈥渟ky high鈥� 鈥� with buyers paying more than the cars would be sold for in the U.S. because the vehicles are so difficult to obtain, thanks to high tariffs.

鈥淚n this indictment, we’ve identified over 20 cars with an estimated street value of just under $1 million,鈥� Pirro said. 鈥淏ut law enforcement is continuing to investigate the fact that this ring may be involved in the theft of more than 100 vehicles in D.C. and more than 30 more vehicles in Prince George’s County, Maryland 鈥� that is valued at up to $4 million.鈥�

Targeted vehicles included Corvettes, Camaros and several Hondas, including Civics, which Pirro said have additional value because their parts can be used with other vehicles. She said the thefts date back to at least February 2025, with the indictment saying late January of that year may have been when the first vehicle was stolen.

鈥淰ehicles were moved through at least three ports up and down the East Coast, including Savannah, Georgia, Baltimore, Maryland, and Newark, New Jersey,鈥� said Interim D.C. Police Chief Jeffery Carroll. 鈥淰ehicles that were stolen here in D.C. were located as far away as Western Africa.鈥�

How it happened

Pirro laid out the simplicity of the scheme when she opened her news conference Wednesday, calling it 鈥渢he new world of car theft.”

鈥淭hey don’t need keys and they don’t need hot wiring. No smashed windows, no drama 鈥� just a sleek electronic device called an Autel,鈥� Pirro said. 鈥淚n under a minute, the car’s brain is rewritten. The car is gone in 60 seconds.”

Those Autel devices can be bought online by anyone for just a few hundred dollars, something Pirro said needs to change.

鈥淚 don’t think there’s any question,鈥� she said when asked whether there should be more regulation surrounding ownership of the devices.

鈥淵ou shouldn’t have that, unless you have a legitimate reason. If you’re in the business of making sure of registering cars or licensing cars or repairing cars, that’s one thing. But to be able to buy this on your own, I think there definitely has to be some kind of legislation or registering,” she said.

Carroll offered some advice for vehicle owners to help keep their car from getting stolen.

鈥淔olks who have the key fobs, use a Faraday bag,鈥� Carroll said. 鈥淚t’s a bag that prevents the electronic from emanating from the key.鈥�

But even when key fobs were protected, thieves could also plug the Autel into a port in the vehicle and take it over that way, which is why he suggested using a device commonly known as 鈥渢he club鈥� on their steering wheels.

鈥淓ven if you have an Autel device, you won’t be able to drive that car,鈥� Carroll said. 鈥淚 know a lot of people think those things are outdated, but they’re not. They are good devices that prevent vehicles from still being driven.鈥�

He also suggested putting AirTags inside vehicles to help police track them down if they do get stolen, especially since the in-vehicle GPS systems are sometimes disabled by thieves.

Pirro said at least another 100 stolen vehicles could be connected to this conspiracy, adding she believes this will end up being a 鈥渕uch bigger case.鈥� The investigation will look at whether anyone involved in the shipping of vehicles knew that the containers marked as “furniture” weren鈥檛 actually furniture.

鈥淭he issue is whether or not these guys who were stealing the vehicles are the ones who are labeling the containers, and what role the people who are actually shipping the containers have in terms of the labeling,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot more peeling of the onion that we have to do, but if we think that they’re part of it, we’ll go after them as well. There’s no question.鈥�

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source

The final vote Tuesday was 8-5 in favor of the curfew, enough to pass a permanent curfew but short of the votes needed to extend the curfew on an emergency basis. That means the new curfew won鈥檛 take effect until the fall.

鈥淲e needed the council to act yesterday, they decided to punt on the legislation,鈥� Bowser said. 鈥淭here will be a gap between when my 15-day emergency runs out, and they can, they can act again. I think what we’re seeing is that there is not a debate over the merits. Now, it’s all political, and I think that people need to put their political ambitions to the side and do their job.鈥�

That was as fiery as the mayor got, but D.C.’s top prosecutor seemed more agitated.

鈥淭he police chief is doing everything that he can. The mayor is doing everything that she can. The D.C. Council doesn’t take this stuff seriously enough,” said Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for D.C.

鈥淯ntil the D.C. Council gets their act together 鈥� and the mayor was very kind, the way she put it, I’m not as kind as the mayor is 鈥� they’re not doing their job.”

Pirro also said the city should do more to hold parents accountable.

鈥淭here can be penalties against the parents who know about the kids’ involvement in these teen takeovers,鈥� Pirro said. 鈥淐ontributing to the delinquency of a minor is a statute that might be looked at involving the parents. We also have to leverage juvenile court authority over the parents. And until we do that, this is going to continue.鈥�

Interim D.C. Police Chief Jeffrey Carroll said that, in many cases, teens end up becoming crime victims when large gatherings get out of hand. He also said the teens are given ample warnings when they鈥檙e gathered into special curfew zones, with police preferring not to arrest anyone.

鈥淚t requires so many police resources that we’re drawing from other areas, and it puts the children in more conflict with the police,鈥� Bowser said.

Source

The legislation sponsored by Council Chair Krystal Oriadha imposes a new $5,000 use and occupancy permit on all county liquor, gun and tobacco stores, as well as self-storage facilities.

Row after row of the council chambers were filled with people, many of them of South Asian descent, who were there against the bill. They鈥檙e worried not just about the fee itself, but the fact that it also goes up on an annual basis.

鈥淚 am the son of two Indian immigrants who came here with nothing,鈥� said Aalekh Kaswala, of Bowie. 鈥淢y dad used to sell roses on the median. Then, he was a pizza delivery guy.鈥�

Eventually, Kaswala’s father bought a liquor store on Marlboro Pike, which is now owned by Kaswala鈥檚 sister, who lives in District Heights.

鈥淭his industry is almost entirely immigrant-owned and operated,鈥� he said. 鈥淓ach one of these licensees is a family, and the way I believe that we’re being spoken about, we’re being demonized.鈥�

Also in Largo to testify against the measure was Bruce Bereano, a lobbyist hired by the storage industry against the bill.

鈥淭his bill, on its face, is so blatantly unconstitutional and illegal by discriminatory classification of certain businesses,鈥� Bereano said.

鈥淭hese businesses are here legally and lawfully through the zoning power and authority of the county council and the county government.鈥�

He argued there was no truth to many of the 鈥渨hereas鈥� clauses in the arguments in the bill.

Bereano called it outrageous and slanderous during his public testimony.

“‘Whereas self-storage facilities, as known as consolidated storage facilities, pose several risks to the public health and safety, primarily stemming from their improper storage of hazardous materials, poor sanitation, potential illegal and unsafe and criminal activities,'” he said. 鈥淎ll of this is lies, these whereases are absolute lies and unsubstantiated facts.鈥�

Bereano also said it would prove again that the county is anti-business.

The long list of those who testified during the public hearing on the legislation also generally spoke out against the bill. However, Oriadha argued it鈥檚 more about choosing the right businesses.

鈥淲e deserve better. Our residents deserve better,鈥� she said during the hearing, after half a dozen business owners spoke out against the bill.

鈥淭here’s also a reality of the types of businesses we want to continue to attract and the ones we don’t,鈥� Oriadha added in an interview with 草莓传媒.

鈥淎nd I think that’s wildly agreed to by every person actually lives in Prince George’s County.鈥�

She said it comes down to deciding what types of businesses the county wants to attract and which ones it wants to dissuade.

鈥淚f you say, 鈥楬ey, I want better,鈥� then you’re anti-business,鈥� Oriadha said.

鈥淎nd that’s the furthest thing from the truth. I have had so much pro-business, pro-Black and brown business set aside legislation. So I’ve been here for the last three years in a real thoughtful way. So it’s not anti-business, but is that what we deserve?鈥�

As the council hearing on the issue continued, most of the testimony came from liquor store owners 鈥� many of whom were of South Asian descent. Some connected their immigration stories with those serving on the council, though it didn鈥檛 go so well when they did that.

At times, the hearing was combative, with council members pressing store owners about where they live and how they contributed to the community, including by asking for the names of community leaders they work with.

In the end, the council voted to pass the bill 9-2, with Council members Jolene Ivey and Sydney Harrison voting against the bill over concerns about the legality of it. But the council鈥檚 office of law vouched for the legislation as being legally sound.

Bereano said that assertion would be tested in court.

Source

Charles Hart Middle School鈥檚 gym was filled with cheers, music and a whole lot of dancing as about 100 girls got a visit from the Washington Mystics, the Wizards鈥� dance team and Monumental Sports.

The vibe was so strong, the gym felt like a dance party and the theme of the afternoon was “girls who play become women who lead.”

The celebration centered on one key piece of equipment that organizers said many girls in sports are missing: sports bras that fit.

The sports bra giveaway from the Mystics and Monumental Sports, through a new nonprofit called , gave away three free sports bras to every girl at Hart Middle School. There was also assistance there to make sure each student could find the right fit 鈥� with help measuring and specific instructions on how the bras should fit.

鈥淓quipment is so essential to us performing well 鈥� and sports bras are no different than any other equipment that we need for our sports,鈥� said Alycen McCauley, chief business officer for the Mystics.

According to McAuley, only 52% of D.C. girls play sports, compared to about 72% of boys 鈥� the largest gender gap in youth sports participation in the country.

Organizers said they hope the new EquipHer program will help break down that barrier.

In total, Monumental Sports and the Mystics are giving away more than 13,000 sports bras to D.C. Public Schools students at 39 schools. Each girl on a sports team roster will receive three, along with extra inventory that will go to schools so athletic directors and physical education teachers have them on hand. Each kit also included a link to a video tutorial on finding the right fit.

鈥淲hen girls play, they become phenomenal leaders,鈥� McCauley said. 鈥淪ports is the unique classroom that teaches girls the opportunity to learn teamwork, resiliency, coming back from defeat, understanding how to excel in a team environment. 鈥� If we want a strong community in D.C., we need our girls to become those leaders of tomorrow.鈥�

Londyn Campfield, an eighth grade track athlete and Hart Middle student government member, said getting the right equipment matters.

鈥淚f you don鈥檛 have good equipment, then you鈥檙e not going to be able to do your best if you don鈥檛 have the right stuff for the sport,鈥� Campfield said.

Monumental Sports President of External Affairs Monica Dixon said this simple, and perhaps underrated step, has the potential to make a big impact on the girls later in life.

鈥淣inety-four percent of women in C-suites across business played sports growing up,鈥� Dixon said. 鈥淕etting girls out to be with each other, build relationships, learn how to collaborate, learn how to be there when a teammate is struggling, is key to work in an office and any business environment. You鈥檝e got to know how to work with people that you’re pulling for.鈥�

草莓传媒/John Domen

草莓传媒/John Domen

(1/2)

Share This Gallery:

• Share This:
• share on email
• print

Source

are working on a new biodegradable plastic wrap designed to keep food fresh longer, and they鈥檙e using artificial intelligence to help perfect it.

The plastic cling wrap used to cover leftovers and place them into the fridge can help extend the life of food for a short time. But once it’s tossed, the plastic can linger in landfills for decades 鈥� or longer.

鈥淧lastics are made for a few minutes use,鈥� said Abhishek Sose, one of the researchers involved in this project. “They persist in the environment for like 500 to 600 years or so. But we want these plastics to go away as soon as we are done using them.”

Sose said those plastics aren鈥檛 going away anytime soon.

鈥淭hey are persistent,鈥� he added. 鈥淭hey have already entered our food chain 鈥� the water has been polluted, soil has been polluted through these plastics.鈥�

But Sose, along with his partners Tram Le and Peter Chung, is using all-natural materials to formulate a new type of cling wrap.

The main ingredients include cellulose, which comes from trees, plus gelatin and chitosan, which is usually sourced from crab and shrimp shells or mushrooms. Because they鈥檙e natural ingredients, Le decided to test how they behave once discarded.

“By three weeks, you can’t even find the sample anymore,鈥� she said.

The sample of cling wrap had decomposed, breaking down into the soil.

鈥淭his is made from nature, so it just comes back to nature. We don’t use any toxic chemicals in the process making our bioplastic,” she said. 鈥淪o if you throw it in your garden, totally fine.”

Of course, no one is going to buy it if it doesn鈥檛 work.

To test performance, the researchers compared their wrap with commercially available plastic using two cucumbers. After one week, the difference was clear.

鈥淭he veggies that were available in our wrapped plastic film was sustaining longer, in terms of shelf life in the refrigerator. Those that were in the cling wrap 鈥� in the commercially available wraps 鈥� those were more squishy and they had a fungus growing on them,鈥� Sose said.

鈥淭he material that we have developed has shown 鈥� the shelf life for these veggies are 1.5 to two times (longer),鈥� he added.

Before it can be widely used at home or by grocery stores, the material needs to better resist water and oil. Moisture from steam or condensation, for example, could weaken the wrap in its current form.

That鈥檚 where artificial intelligence comes in.

Think about when you bake a cake: All of the ingredients you combine together 鈥� the sugar, butter, eggs and flour 鈥� work together to create just the right taste and texture. Change them around a little bit, and the cake itself will be different.

The same holds true here. Le, Sose and Chung are using AI to help them better predict how those different changes in the formula will impact the wrap they鈥檙e making.

Solve the water and oil resistance problem, and then they鈥檒l focus on figuring out how to scale this product up for broader commercial use. The hope is that within the next couple of years those issues will be solved and it will be available for purchase at grocery stores.

In the long term, Sose said the process could help guide scientists replace other harmful chemicals used in everyday products.

鈥淚t’s just a proof of concept that we have shown for the bioplastics, but it could be transferable to other materials as well, which are impacting our health,鈥� he said.

Source

Drivers speeding down Fairfax County Parkway or making risky lane changes on Route 28 have a heightened risk of coming face-to-face with police this week.

Fairfax County police are rolling out extra patrols all across the county as part of the 2026 Road Shark campaign, officials said during a news conference Monday. Acting Assistant Chief Dalton Becker said drivers should expect to see more officers, flashing blue lights and traffic stops, especially in areas that see more crashes and deaths.

Some of the roads cited include a stretch of Fairfax County Parkway near Route 29 and Monument Drive, as well as stretches of Route 28, though enforcement won鈥檛 just be limited to those roads.

鈥淲e鈥檙e data driven, so we look at where the crashes occur, and then we try to put officers on those hot spots to hopefully prevent further crashes,鈥� Becker said.

The campaign, which launched in 1999, teams up Fairfax County police and Virginia State Police with the goals of cutting down crashes and saving lives. Becker said this week marks the first wave of four enforcement weeks on the schedule this year. Last year, this campaign led to police issuing about 50,000 citations or warnings 鈥� a big jump from 2024, when police handed out about 35,000.

Officers will be watching for violations that commonly contribute to crashes, such as speeding, distracted driving and driving under the influence.

鈥淲e see the same things you all see being on the roadways every day,鈥� Becker said. 鈥淲e can’t drive to the grocery store without seeing someone drive in a reckless manner 鈥� it seems like 鈥� in 2026.鈥�

Becker said enforcement ramps up in the spring because warmer weather means more people on the roads.

鈥淎ny time you have the higher heat, you know, folks are out, and for some reason want to press down on that accelerator a little bit harder, turn the music up,鈥� Becker said. 鈥淪o that’s definitely why we were strategic in doing it at this time of year.鈥�

Source

Police Chief George Nader told 草莓传媒 that it can take up to six months to hire an officer. By packing several tests and an interview into a one-day event, he’s hoping to make police department hiring a two- or three-month process.

Registration for this Saturday鈥檚 event is already full, but Nader said participants can still get a spot on the standby list.

He also said he doesn鈥檛 think everyone who registered will show up, and even if they do, he has a lot of openings to fill.

鈥淧eople that have preregistered, they’ll get here at 7 a.m.,鈥� Nader said. “We’re going to do multiple phases of the hiring process, which typically takes a month or so. We’re going to do it all in one day.鈥�

That includes the written and physical tests, plus the initial interview and prequestionnaire.

What happens if you pass all that?

鈥淵ou鈥檙e going to walk away with the conditional offer of employment, and we’re going to immediately start your background鈥� check, Nader said.

鈥淥ne of the main priorities we have here is to increase our hiring,鈥� he added. 鈥淚 want to hire 150 officers a year at a minimum. So part of that is to increase the process and make it a better experience.鈥�

Right now the department is averaging between seven and eight retirements a month. By having three academy classes with at least 50 officers in each, he said he thinks he can stay on top of those retirements, and also grow the size of the force again.

鈥淚f we keep this up, within three years, we’ll be at full staffing,鈥� Nader said.

Online registration, including the standby list, .

鈥淚f you show up at 7 o’clock, we’ll put you in a standby mode,鈥� Nader said. 鈥淚 don’t want to discourage people from coming out, because even if they come out, there’s still likelihood that they’ll be able to participate in the event, and at a bare minimum, they’ll be able to apply and start that process.鈥�

Source

The county wants to boost that number even higher.

The Prince George’s County Fire and EMS Department is hosting its , a special summer camp for girls aged 15-18, as a way to encourage more future firefighters.

鈥淚nitially, when the girls come, they are very nervous and a little shy,鈥� said Allison Plater, human resources specialist with the department. 鈥淏ut as the camp goes on, they typically warm up, and some of them definitely realize that this is a career that they’re interested in. We’ve had a few of our campers actually end up applying for our department.鈥�

They apply knowing exactly what they鈥檙e getting into, thanks to a weekend full of hands-on experiences.

鈥淲e do forcible entry, how to put on your gear,鈥� Plater said. 鈥淲e throw ladders, we do EMS training.”

The girls learn skills that translate beyond the fire department, too.

鈥淚t’s also an opportunity to build teamwork, leadership skills and also provide them with mentorship,鈥� she said.

The camp started four years ago, and the initial class of campers was limited to 20 teenage girls. With more than 100 applicants to the camp every year, they quickly had to expand to 40. Even then, that means not everyone who tries to sign up is able to get a spot.

The will close Monday.

鈥淥ur goal here is to engage the future generation of potential female firefighters, EMTs and paramedics,鈥� Plater said.

The kind of girls who go to the camp are the same kind Plater said she hopes get through the hiring process. If all goes well that weekend, 鈥渟ome of the participants of this camp end up as members of our department,鈥� she added.

Source

Not much in life is free, but at least you can count on free parking around the D.C. area on Sundays. Now, even that could be changing, at least in Alexandria, Virginia.

As , the new budget being proposed by the Alexandria City manager would begin activating parking meters on Sundays, primarily in the Old Town area. If it鈥檚 approved by the city council, it鈥檚 estimated it would generate about $700,000 a year in new revenue.

But city leaders said they aren鈥檛 doing it for the money.

鈥淲hen we charge for parking, it ensures that we have more turnover and availability,鈥� said Hillary Orr, deputy director of transportation in Alexandria. 鈥淪undays are some of our busiest times in our commercial areas, so when parking is free, the spaces fill up and they stay occupied, making it harder for customers to find that convenient parking.鈥�

Beth Poindexter and Tamara Embrey, who don鈥檛 live in Old Town, said the change could dissuade people from visiting Alexandria on Sundays.

鈥淚t actually makes me feel like the city doesn’t really want us to visit here,鈥� Embrey said. 鈥淚 go down for lunch in D.C. The parking is free on Sunday, and it’s nice.鈥�

Embrey said she used to work in Old Town and was constantly moving her car every two hours. She worries it will become another hassle for others who have less flexibility too.

鈥淚 don’t know if anybody’s thinking about all the people working in all the stores and restaurants,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 guess they don’t want them to park here either.鈥�

鈥淢aybe it will hurt the people in the long run, like in the winter months, when the tourist season is not that great,鈥� Poindexter added.

But the city doesn鈥檛 think so.

鈥淧eople come on Saturdays and they pay for parking,鈥� Orr told 草莓传媒. 鈥淚 think Alexandria is really unique, and the people that 鈥� are coming to our unique restaurants and our unique businesses. So, it’s not that they want to go to D.C., it’s that they want to be in our downtown district.鈥�

She also pointed out certain blocks already have meters in operation on Sundays.

From a resident鈥檚 perspective, it might increase convenience for those who live in Old Town.

鈥淎ny way to kind of deter people from coming in out of town to take up all the parking spaces is better,鈥� Lindsey Reed said. 鈥淧lus, I think we have a great Metro system. So, if you are going to come to the area, I think honestly driving less and having more traffic around here would be ideal.”

Reed doesn鈥檛 have a car, so it wouldn鈥檛 impact her much. But the current situation causes problems for people she knows.

鈥淚 can see the frustration of friends and people that live in the area when they come home and they have a bunch of groceries and they have to park three blocks away from their own house,鈥� she said.

Still, Reed agreed the extra costs might deter people from visiting on Sundays, though she expressed hope more visitors would take a train or a bus instead.

Most of the region offers free parking on Sundays, and multiple city council members have stated they weren鈥檛 inclined to change that. The city council will take up the budget at the end of the month.

Source

One bill would define exactly what a detention facility is in order to close any potential loopholes that can be exploited. The other requires that the county deny any permits, including certificates of occupancy, to any facility used for detentions.

Right now, there鈥檚 no indication that ICE is planning to detain any immigrants in Prince George鈥檚 County. But county leaders said recent efforts to build and house detainees in Howard and Washington counties are leading them to be proactive on the matter.

The legislation from at-large council member Jolene Ivey goes through the county鈥檚 zoning code to define a detention center as any space used to 鈥渋nvoluntarily confine鈥� someone ahead of a legal proceeding, even if that facility isn鈥檛 necessarily called a detention center, and then prohibits it unless it鈥檚 a county-owned facility. She said the legislation was drafted in part because of concerns over how ICE might use increased office space it鈥檚 looking to acquire in Hyattsville.

鈥淲hen they expand into bigger space, they say it鈥檚 for office space, but we’ve seen it happen just in Baltimore, where they’ll have office space and suddenly that’s packed with people being detained,鈥� Ivey said. 鈥淲e want to make sure that doesn’t happen in Prince George’s County.鈥�

Ivey said the bill was drafted weeks ago and she鈥檚 waiting for Council Chair Krystal Oriadha to put it on the agenda. She doesn鈥檛 know why Oriadha, who has said she would back any anti-ICE legislation, has been holding this bill from going forward.

Oriadha said she鈥檚 not aware of Ivey鈥檚 bill. If she puts it forward, Ivey said she believes her bill would easily pass the county council and become law. Oriadha said she hasn鈥檛 seen the bill yet, though the two also don鈥檛 have a great working relationship with each other.

A bill that was introduced this week came from the council鈥檚 other at-large member, Wala Blegay. Her bill would prohibit the issuance of a building permit or certificate of occupancy for any privately owned building used for detention purposes. Blegay said she鈥檚 not aware of any efforts by the federal government to procure space for more detention facilities in the county, but she doesn鈥檛 want to take that chance.

鈥淲e have a lot of space in industrial areas 鈥� more than any other area 鈥� and so those are usually the places they use for those type of detention centers,鈥� Blegay said. 鈥淪o one of the things we’re concerned of is that with a private detention center, they could do an NDA with 鈥� somebody that owns industrial area, and that could be something that they do that might slip past us.”

She added she wants “to make sure we close every door possible.”

Source

It鈥檚 happened multiple times since last September, with more than $27 million moved by the county council into other areas of the budget.

To some, it was questionable enough that a member of the county鈥檚 delegation told 草莓传媒 it should be taken as a sign that state lawmakers are watching.

The state also told the county planning board to stop doling out grants, amid concerns about transparency. Shortly after the budget was signed, Del. Nicole Williams, who chairs the Prince George鈥檚 County delegation, explained the rationale behind the move.

鈥淚t’s not illegal for them to do it. I think we just feel as though it should take place during the regular budget process and not outside of that, just like we would do here on the state level,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淪o I think it’s just a measure in good governance and transparency.鈥�

The Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission is funded by property taxes that come from county residents, and the money used is supposed to fund the agency鈥檚 operations and programming. County council member Sydney Harrison has voted against the transfers, and said he鈥檚 had concerns about the process behind them. He鈥檚 glad state lawmakers put that provision in the budget.

鈥淚 did not feel comfortable voting for something like this, and if we were to attempt to do this, that we should send proper notification to our state partners in the legislature outlining everything of how this money shall be used, and getting approval from our state delegation if it’s OK to do this,鈥� Harrison said.

County Council Chair Krystal Oriadha defended the transfers, saying nothing happened behind closed doors and that the transfers were in line with the commission’s mission.

鈥淲e were requested and asked to move the funds by Park and Planning, and we honored that request to move the funds,鈥� she said.

Harrison disputed that.

鈥淲hen this came up, I never heard from the park and recreations director, nor did I hear from the chairman of Maryland National Capital Park and Planning,鈥� he said.

鈥淪o here we are. The council is doing budget transfers, and there’s no testimony from the leadership of Maryland National Capital Park and Planning. So I thought that was very odd,鈥� he added. 鈥淭hen I knew that, because it’s governed by state law, I thought that there would have to be proper notification, written letters from the council suggesting and requesting these funds and what they shall be used for.鈥�

He said that never happened either.

Oriadha said the money has gone to help fund mission-aligned projects in the southern end of the county 鈥� areas she feels have traditionally been overlooked for services.

鈥淢y community and a lot of communities in the southern part of the county have gotten zero dollars. Zero. Right? Not one dollar for decades,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd the reality is that it I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t advocate for my community to get their fair share, and I’m unapologetic about that. These organizations do amazing work.”

But without the letter outlining where the money was spent, and council leadership excluding him from those discussions, Harrison said he doesn鈥檛 know where the money has gone or how it was used.

鈥淢y position has always been that this is supposed to be used for the mission and the purpose and the premise of Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission, and because it’s not outlined or with written notification to our state delegation, it creates ambiguity and it creates uncertainty,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o I cannot necessarily understand how and where they were used.鈥�

Regardless, Oriadha said the new law won鈥檛 have much impact on things in the county and how the council allocates funding.

鈥淲e’re still going to focus on making sure that the most underserved communities get the resources that they need, and we’ll still have the ability to do it,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o it doesn’t functionally really change anything that we do.鈥�

Source

Est猫ve beat out eight other candidates, including two of his colleagues on the city council. He began the day by diving into city budget planning, since that process begins the day he鈥檚 sworn in.

鈥淢y promise to folks was that I would be a mayor who would show up, who would do the job in front of him, who would listen, who would make sure folks understood what the city was doing and why we were doing it and who wouldn’t shy away from hard choices,鈥� Est猫ve said.

He said hard choices are what will be greeting him and the rest of the city council as the budget process gets underway.

鈥淲e’re not promising people the world, and I’m not even promising that I’m going to be able to fix all the problems,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 don’t paint a rosy picture. I tell people what I think is true, what I’ve been telling folks for a while is that all the easy choices, they’re in the rear view mirror.”

Est猫ve replaces Tim Adams, who was recently appointed to the Prince George鈥檚 County Council. The campaign for mayor lasted just over a month, and the term only runs through next year.

Est猫ve said during the campaign sprint leading up to the special election that the common concerns and desires he heard from residents dealt with public safety, overdevelopment, business quality, litter and aging infrastructure.

As an incorporated city in Prince George鈥檚 County, Bowie offers twice weekly trash pickup and weekly recycling and yard waste collection. It鈥檚 also responsible for its own roads and sidewalks. Maintaining that, while also expanding the police force, is a tricky challenge.

鈥淎 town our size could easily have 122 law enforcement officers. We’re operating with about 66,鈥� he said. 鈥淎 trash truck that cost $120,000 just a few years ago costs almost $280,000 today. Retention for public works workers, trash workers, recycling pickup guys is much, much, much harder. Those guys used to stick around for years, and now they stick around for months. I think residents are starting to see and notice that.鈥�

Day-to-day operations of the city are overseen by a city manager, a job that鈥檚 also vacant at the moment. Est猫ve鈥檚 job as mayor will be to lead the city council to guide the budget and work with those who run the city鈥檚 various departments. He said Bowie can continue to provide the services residents have come to expect, but warns some things might come with a cost.

He said he believes his honesty about the situation will be appreciated by residents, some of whom stood in line for more than an hour to vote even after the polls closed Tuesday night.

鈥淚 think people are tired of generations of politicians who tell them what they want to hear and make promises they know they cannot keep,鈥� he said. 鈥淚’m a big believer in telling people the truth.鈥�

Source

Details of the purchase price are not yet known.

鈥淲e are excited about the vision, energy, and opportunity this new ownership team brings to the former Six Flags site,鈥� County Executive Aisha Braveboy said in a news release. 鈥淭his is a major step forward for Prince George鈥檚 County and a meaningful opportunity to elevate this property into a destination development that reflects the expectations of our residents and strengthens economic development in our County.鈥�

Braveboy announced Wednesday that Durant’s and a real estate investment firm based in Atlanta, will redevelop the property.

The 500-acre site will not be operating as an amusement park in the future. Instead, redevelopment plans around the future of the site will focus more on entertainment and mixed-use development.

Prince George’s County Council At-Large member Wala Blegay said it would be a “destination that will include input from the community, and could include something that will cater to all ages.”

Blegay said that should there be some sort of amusement experience, it “wouldn’t be amusement alone.”

“There was some ideas of something that could be somewhat amusement but not your traditional Six Flags, but it could be something similar,” she told 草莓传媒.

Things are still in the very early stages of development, and sources told 草莓传媒 that the investors buying the land said community meetings will be planned in the future.

A source said the total size of the redevelopment, including the potential number of homes, hasn鈥檛 been determined yet.

“They are committed to doing some sort of destination. What that looks like depends on the feedback that they get,” Blegay told 草莓传媒.

‘We’re really excited’

Prince George鈥檚 County leaders have long maintained that whatever will replace Six Flags will be something that generates more tax revenue than the amusement park that used to stand there.

鈥淵ou’re talking about, what was it, $3 million, compared to how much property they’re sitting on,鈥� said Council Chair Krystal Oriadha on Tuesday, before anyone knew who the buyer was. 鈥淪o what’s really important to us as a council, and I know the county executive, is doubling that. We don’t want to get an undervalued project there.鈥�

The announcement comes just a day after the council announced a package of bills that aim to lure more and better businesses in the county. The legislation includes bills to address a long- complained about permitting process, with reduced permitting fees for sit-down restaurants.

鈥淥ur largest tax base, when it comes to commercial development, is the National Harbor,鈥� Oriadha said on Tuesday. 鈥淚t’s in hospitality, entertainment, restaurants, and so I think that we have to diversify what we focus on.鈥�

She told 草莓传媒 that county leadership is excited about the opportunities it might bring to residents and the local economy.

“They said that they are willing to hear from the community and work hand in hand with the leadership of the county, the residents to develop a plan,” she said. “So instead of them just having their own ideas of what exactly it should be and could be, that they’re leaving space to hear directly from the residents about what’s important to them.”

Oriadha noted that there’s lots of room for economic development with the potential investments from 35V and the TPA Group.

“If we’re going to go the route of commercial and retail and restaurants, then it needs to be quality. … That was the same vision that they had; that whatever this project is, it’s a legacy project,” she said.

She said if the project has a residential aspect, it would need to be one part of the mixed-use plan and it would need to receive the support of the community: “That is not what we’re envisioning as a council or the vision of the county executive, or a vision for this project, either.”

Braveboy said she will host several “engagement events” to give residents the opportunity to provide input on the future of the Six Flags site.

鈥淥ur residents deserve to be part of what comes next,鈥澛燘raveboy said. 鈥淲e look forward to working with the new ownership team and with the community to help create a destination and attraction that residents can enjoy, experience, and take pride in for years to come.鈥�

Source

The permitting process in the county has long been a complaint, and past efforts at reform haven鈥檛 had the intended impact.

On Tuesday, a majority of the Prince George鈥檚 County Council announced a package of new bills that aims to make it easier to lure more restaurants to the county, and make it easier for county residents to open and operate their businesses where they live.

The first part of the introduced package is a resolution that would create a task force aimed at figuring out why the permitting process in the county is so much slower than anywhere else in the region.

鈥淥ne of the things that we hear all of the time is that we do it slower than everywhere else,鈥� Council Chair Krystal Oriadha said. 鈥淏ut there’s a reality that we do want a fast process, but we don’t want a process that cuts out the community.鈥�

The task force will be made up of residents and business interests in the hopes of finding ways to improve efficiency in that department. Oriadha said large-scale redevelopment projects at the site of Six Flags and the Commanders stadium in Landover are opportunities to go big that can鈥檛 be slowed down by red tape.

鈥淥ne of the things we hear all the time is, 鈥業t’s going to take us twice as long to develop a project here than it is in neighboring jurisdictions,鈥欌�� she said.

鈥淪o part of what we’re doing right now is preparing for us to be competitive, to get the best possible projects when it comes to economic development.鈥�

Other bills aim to slash permitting fees for restaurants that have a dining room and provide more money from the Economic Development Incentive Fund to lure nice restaurants inside the Beltway.

鈥淭his is an area that wasn’t a priority for past leadership of the Economic Development Corporation,鈥� Oriadha said.

鈥淲e lose so much revenue to Virginia and to D.C. around restaurants and entertainment. Then we look at our largest tax base, when it comes to commercial development, is the National Harbor. It’s in hospitality, entertainment, restaurants and so I think that we have to diversify what we focus on.鈥�

Two other bills aim to bolster county-owned small businesses by giving them a 5% advantage on county contracts, and requiring 20% of all county government construction contracts to go to locally-owned and operated businesses.

鈥淎 lot of the complaints have been that our MBEs have the opportunity to be subcontractors, but they rarely have the opportunity to be prime contractors,鈥� Oriadha said.

鈥淪o what we’re doing, for the first time, is looking at actual set asides percentage to evaluate our ability to move into allowing for us to see more Black and brown contractors as prime contractors here in the county.鈥�

The bills were introduced Tuesday morning and passed an initial vote of the whole council later that afternoon.

Source

In a Maryland county with a sizable immigrant population, members of the county council acknowledged it could invite more retaliation and an aggressive response.

The five new laws that were quickly signed by Council chair Krystal Oriadha would prohibit U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from staging on certain county-owned properties, ban the use of facial coverings by law enforcement officers and require county police to intervene and verify ICE agents are who they say they are, if someone sees ICE detaining another person.

The last bill, which may not even be legal, prohibits anyone who was working for ICE or Customs and Border Protection anytime after June 30 of last year from becoming a county police officer.

That last bill is similar to state legislation introduced in the House of Delegates, where it hasn鈥檛 made it out of committee. An opinion from Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown鈥檚 office said 鈥渢he bill is not clearly unconstitutional, though its constitutionality might be challenged.鈥�

鈥淚 think it’s very important that we are clearly stating that if you are a sworn officer that intentionally went to work for this administration and enact the things that they are doing, that you will not have a badge and gun and have the ability to police Prince George’s County,鈥� Oriadha said.

The council acknowledged that these actions could draw pushback from the Trump administration, including in the form of even more immigration arrests.

鈥淭here is a fear across the country if you do anything, but the reality is that that’s a tactic,鈥� Oriadha said. 鈥淚t’s a tactic that they’re using to win, and it’s a responsibility for us to fight even when scared.”

She acknowledged the council’s legislation could also face legal challenges.

鈥淲e are going to fight this administration tooth and nail,鈥� she added. 鈥淲e know that there might be opportunities where they’ll take us to court. They’ll push back, but we understand that history is going to write what happens in this moment, and that we are going to be on the right side of history.鈥�

At the same time, at-large Council member Wala Blegay argued the county has already long been under attack by this administration, whether it鈥檚 through immigration enforcement or job losses, and even the reversal of the relocation of the FBI鈥檚 headquarters to Greenbelt.

鈥淲hat else are they going to take? They’re already terrorizing our community,鈥� Blegay said. 鈥淪o we have to push back.”

Source