Should You Spray Your Yard for Mosquitoes and Ticks?

(Click on the image for Jeneen Interlandi's article in Consumer Reports)

If you’re considering spraying your yard to ward off mosquitoes and ticks, you’ll have no shortage of companies to choose from. As the list of mosquito- and tick-borne diseases grows (thanks in part to the 2016 Zika outbreak), the insect-control business is booming.
“There’s been a proliferation of companies that are doing mosquito control,” says Stanton Cope, former president of the American Mosquito Control Association. “But some of them are much more professional than others.” Some companies may spray without proper licensing, experience, or equipment.

Prince George's executive hopes to see NFL team stay in the county, but isn't a fan of Oxon Cove site

(Click on the image for Alex Koma's Washington Business Journal report)

• Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks is optimistic Washington’s NFL team won’t be leaving her county anytime soon — but she’s less confident about the team’s prospects for staying put in FedEx Field for the long term.
• In a recent interview with the WBJ, Alsobrooks reiterated her desire to see Dan Snyder’s team stick around somewhere in Prince George’s, rather than fleeing back to its original home in the District when 2027 rolls around and the team's lease on FedEx expires
• But Alsobrooks, a Democrat, cautioned that her desire to see the team stay local does “not necessarily” mean she favors the Oxon Cove site once pitched by Gov. Larry Hogan. 
• The Republican pitched a complex plan in December to acquire a 300-acre parcel adjacent to the MGM National Harbor resort for the stadium, converting federal park land into space for a 60,000-seat venue in the process. But that move irked state and local officials alike, and he publicly cut off negotiations with Snyder in February.
• Some earlier reporting suggested that Alsobrooks and other county officials would then take the lead in brokering a deal with the team instead to keep hopes at Oxon Cove alive. Yet Alsobrooks firmly threw cold water on the idea that the county is looking to pick up where Hogan left off.
• “That land doesn’t even belong to us yet,” Alsobrooks said. “That land is federally held, so there will be lots of things left to happen at this point. The community would have to decide if Oxon Cove is a place where they’d be interested in adding that use or some other use. It’s very valuable land, it’s a beautiful location and we would not make that decision without significant public input on how that land is used.”

May 19th is Prince George's County Family and Friends Day!

(Click on the image to register)

Join us for the biggest free community event of the year!  May 19th is Prince George’s County Family and Friends Day. This annual countywide festival and showcase of our local business community will be guest hosted by talented WPGC 95.5 Radio Host DJ Flexx and feature a Battle of the High School Bands, a special tribute to Prince George’s County veterans, over 100 local businesses, nonprofits, and public agencies, and local R&B sensation Nasim Siddeeq.

Keeping Prince George's Environment Clean

(Click on the image for Pat Lawson Muse's interview with Joe Gill)

County Executive Angela Alsobrooks's Beautification Effort is changing people's behavior.

Donuts not Volcanoes

(Click on the image for the reason)

Tick-Proof Your Yard Without Spraying

(Click on the image for the Consumer Reports article)

• Keep Your Grass Short
• Make a Mulch Moat
• Trim Tall Grass and Weeds
• Eliminate Tick Habitat
• Consider a Targeted Approach
• Tickproof Yourself

Prince George’s County wants you to know what’s coming to the neighborhood

(Click on the image for  Bryan Barnett-Woods' article in Greater Greater Washington)

• At planning board hearings, it’s common to hear outrage from citizens about how the first they’re learning about a development is at the hearing to approve or deny it. In these cases, much of the opposition (not necessarily all of it though) stems not from the project itself, but from the process. To some it seems like decisions that affect the neighborhood are made in a black box, but a new provision in the county's ongoing zoning update could help address this.
• In Prince George’s County, if a development project is on the Planning Board agenda, the builder is required to send a mailed notice to adjacent property owners, civic associations, and people of record. (A person of record is given notice of upcoming meetings, of actions and decisions at certain stages of the zoning application process, and of relevant appeals procedures.)
• Developers must also publicize the notice in the local newspaper of record and post a sign on the property with contact information. The public can also sign up for an automated message to inform them if a development project near them will be heard at the Planning Board.

Community conversations aim to broaden visitor experience at Piscataway Park

(Click on the image for Whitney Pipkin's Bay Journal report)

• In the heavily wooded acres of Piscataway Park, on Maryland’s shore of the Potomac River, is a popular collection of cattle, sheep, hogs and plants — with breeds and varieties commonly found on local farms in the 1700s. Along with costumed interpreters, they bring to life a recreated colonial farm established there in 1958, complete with a farmhouse and tobacco barn.
• “We want to listen to the rhythm of the land and the river and listen to the various stories of the land,” said Gene Roberts, one of the nonprofit’s board members, during a conversation the foundation hosted on March 31.
• The discussion about the “complicated story” of conservation was the first of three this spring that aim to incorporate a diversity of perspectives into the site’s interpretation.
• “This series,” explained Shemika Berry, Accokeek’s interpretation coordinator, “is designed to honor the voices of those who were here on this land before us, and those who still live here.”
• The Piscataway people inhabited the riverside area for thousands of years before the English explorer John Smith encountered them in the early 1600s. Their communities suffered violence and disruption as colonists came to control the landscape. Farms and plantations grew, — depending greatly on the work of enslaved people — and changed over time. In the 1700s, George Washington lived in the Mount Vernon mansion directly across the river. The land at Piscataway Park was preserved from development in the 1950s to protect the tree-lined view from that estate.

Accokeek’s Land and River Series continues with two more sessions this spring. Both take place in the visitor’s center at 3400 Bryan Point Road, Accokeek, MD.

• “Reciprocity: Humans and the Environment” from 2 to 4 p.m. on April 28
• “Interconnectedness: Heritage, Traditions, and History” from 2 to 4 p.m. on May 5

Officer Green, Our New COPS Officer

Officer Green is our new Community Oriented Policing Services officer. A COPS officer is the modern-day cop on the beat, the one you know and the one who knows you. Officer Green's goal is to solve community problems before they spiral into crime.
Officer Green is also keeping us safe on MD 210 by stopping the speeders and shoulder drivers. Give him a smile as you go by at 55 MPH!
Contact Officer Green at TDGreen1@co.pg.md.us or at the District VII Station at 301-292-5300.

The Conservancy of Broad Creek Thanks the Tantallon Citizens Association

Spring Clean Up Day Report

From Jamie Crist: Despite the rain the day before which threatened to interfere with our clean-up on Saturday, April 6, we had a good turnout.  Thanks to the following volunteers who helped to keep our community clean:  Jacque & Ed Akselrad, German Cruz & Jose Javier Samayoa, Patti Holcomb, Diane Miceli, Eunice Theobalds, Henrieta Dzurikaninova, Jo Ann Davis, and Charles Walton and his son.  This is a picture of some of our crew.

A Guide to Getting Your Student Loans Forgiven

(Click on the image for the Consumer Reports article)

• Two-thirds of college graduates leave school with student loans averaging $29,000, and many struggle to pay that debt back. But while millions of borrowers could qualify for loan-forgiveness programs to erase some or all of what they owe, only a fraction of those eligible take advantage of them.
• Too many students "aren’t aware that these programs even exist," says Betsy Mayotte, president of The Institute of Student Loan Advisors (TISLA), a nonprofit that provides free one-on-one counseling for student loan borrowers.
• The 12-year-old federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness program (PSLF) is one of the bigger programs. Under PSLF you can wipe out your remaining student debt after making 10 years' worth of on-time payments if you work in a qualifying public-sector job.
• But there are more than 100 federal and state-based programs, though smaller or more specifically targeted, that can help you shed debt faster. There are also a number of special situations in which you can get your loans discharged without penalties.

Spring Community Partners' Briefings

(Click on the images for the briefings)

$5 Cat Adoptions in April!

Recycle Your Household Hazardous Waste and Electronics

(Click on the image for a short video on what you can recycle)

• Looking to dispose of those conventional cleaners? Cooking oil? Propane tanks? Old TV or computer screen? Look no further! The Brown Station Road Sanitary Landfill will accept them free of charge, for all County residents! 
• Did you know that you can dispose of latex paint in your curbside trash collection as long as it has been dried out/hardened and placed in a plastic bag?

More information HERE.

April Meetings & Events of Interest

Earth Day - Every Day

Former Oxon Hill office building now The Oxford luxury apartments

(Click on the image for Jeff Clabaugh's WTOP report)

• The Oxford, at 6009 Oxon Hill Road near National Harbor, includes 187 one to three bedroom apartments ranging from about $1,700 a month to $2,700 a month.
• Amenities include a training and fitness center, cyber cafe, pet spa, dog run, club lounge and a 10th floor observation deck, that includes a game room, lounge, and perhaps one of the best views in the D.C. area, spanning from Tysons Corner in Virginia to Silver Spring, Maryland.

Powerful Chairman Gets Feisty at Hearing on Controversial Utility Legislation

(Click on the image for  Josh Kurtz's Maryland Matters report)

• House Economic Matters Chair Dereck E. Davis (D-Prince George’s) on Thursday gave a spirited, almost caustic defense of his legislation to change the way electric utility companies in Maryland request rate increases.
• Under current Maryland law, the Public Service Commission reviews utility companies’ costs from the previous year to determine what rates to set for the upcoming year.
• But the legislation allows for different ways to calculate ratepayer costs – including looking ahead to the strength of energy markets, the utilities’ financial stability, and even external forces like weather and climate.