How Whole Foods Decides If Your Neighborhood Is Worthy

(Click on the image for the Washingtonian article)

• At the April 13 meeting of the Prince George's County Community Leadership Council, County Council Member Mel Franklin explained why we have a problem getting better retail (like supermarkets) in South Prince George's County. Listen to the 5 minute mp3 audio clip by clicking here.
• The Prince George's County Retail Market Analysis is here.

What you should know before you call 911

(Click on the image for the WTOP article)

• Call 911 to report emergency situations such as any fire, life-threatening situation, a serious crime in progress or serious medical problem that requires immediate response. (Do NOT hang up!)
• Call the county police’s non-emergency dispatch number at 301-352-1200 when you need help from police for a situation that is not an emergency. For example, to report a crime that happened in the past, a nonthreatening suspicious person, car or situation, a parking violation or property damage.
• Call 311 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday with questions, complaints or compliments about county programs and services, questions about impounded cars, snow removal, recycling or trash pickup.
• Call the county police tip line at 1-866-411-8477 to report unusual activity or something that seems out of place, let police know about something that doesn’t require an immediate response, or submit Crime Solvers information. You also can submit a tip online.

Mosquito Repellents That Best Protect Against Zika

Photograph by Sidney Zaratustra

• Watch this 4 minute video by Maryland's mosquito expert.
• The Asian Tiger Mosquito in Maryland (Maryland Department of Agriculture)
• Zika Prevention
• White House Says It Will Cut Ebola Funding To Address Zika (NPR.org)
• Why Can’t We Get Rid of Mosquitoes Entirely? (The New York Times)
• Mosquito Repellents That Best Protect Against Zika (Consumer Reports)
  The most effective products against Aedes mosquitoes were Sawyer Picaridin and Natrapel 8 Hour, which each contain 20 percent picaridin, and Off! Deepwoods VIII, which contains 25 percent deet. They kept mosquitoes from biting for about 8 hours. (The Sawyer product was more effective at repelling ticks than the deet products we tested, making it our top insect repellent overall.)
  [Read the full report here and download the insect repellant ratings here]

Once a week

• Empty water from containers, such as flowerpot saucers, watering cans, and buckets
• Change the water in bird baths
• Empty water that collects in the folds of tarps used to cover woodpiles, boats, pools, etc.
• Position corrugated drainpipes to ensure drainage

Once a month

• Apply a larvicide (an insecticide applied to water to kill mosquito larvae), such as Mosquito Dunks®, to standing water that cannot be emptied or drained.

As necessary

• Clean leaves and debris from roof gutters.
• Recycle old tires
• Be sure water on property flows freely from drainage areas
• Fill-in puddles or areas of your yard that remain wet and soggy for more than a week
• Aerate ornamental ponds or stock the pond with fish
• Apply a barrier spray to vegetation around your home. Products containing the active ingredient permethrin will provide two to three weeks of relief from biting adult mosquitoes. Always follow label instructions.

Don't Be a Victim! - Hide It, Lock It, Keep It

MGM National Harbor casino opens employment center (WMAR)

(Click on the image for the WMAR video)

Job seekers hoping to work at Maryland’s newest casino in Prince George’s County are one step closer to a job.
MGM National Harbor’s Employment Center opened Monday in Oxon Hill inside of the former Thomas Addison Elementary School. The renovated building will offer training programs and job assistance. The casino and resort said it plans to hire nearly 3600 new employees in the coming months.
Interview opportunities begin Monday at 9 a.m. at MGM National Harbor Employment Center located at 7100 Oxon Hill Road. Find more information HERE .

Low-Cost Pet Vaccination Clinic - 1st Thursday of Every Month

• Rabies vaccinations are $15.
• ​​Citizens 65 years of age and older (proof of age required) may obtain two free pet licenses per year provided their animal(s) is spayed/neutered and is up-to-date on rabies vaccination(s).
• The Low-Cost Vaccination Clinic at the Prince George’s County Animal Services Facility is temporarily suspending vaccination services during the months of July and August 2016. Walk-in services will resume on Thursday, September 1, 2016 from 12-2 p.m. Appointments are not required.

RideSmart

(Click on the image for the RideSmart website)

"RideSmart Solutions is your guide to alternative transportation options in Prince George's County. We provide FREE information and benefit programs for bus service, rail lines, carpooling, vanpooling and telecommuting as well as Employer specialized programs. RideSmart provides comprehensive programs backed by the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, your state and local governments and several other transportation organizations, all working together to improve commuting in and around the region.
Prince George's County works closely with the Commuter Connections program to help promote transportation alternatives and connect commuters to jobs, education, shopping, healthcare, and other important destinations, while reducing auto emissions and traffic congestion. We want to make sure you have all the resources needed in order to successfully enjoy making alternative modes of transportation your main source of traveling."

Norm Returns to Vietnam

VIETNAM REVISITED

In March 2016, Norm McDaniel, one of our long time neighbors on Monterey Circle went to Vietnam again.  This time he had a return ticket before he departed.  The first time, the trip was to be a one-year tour flying combat missions over North Vietnam from Takhli Air Base, Thailand starting in Feb, 1966.  However, that one-year tour became a seven-year tour because Norm’s plane was shot-down near Hanoi in Jul, 1966 where he and four of his five other crewmembers were captured and remained Prisoners of War (POWs) of the North Vietnamese until Feb, 1973. One of the six crewmembers of the EB-66C Airplane in which he flew did not survive the shoot-down by a Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM).  

Norm’s return to Vietnam was his first since being repatriated in Feb, 1973 as part of Operation Homecoming.  His return trip was part of a College of the Ozarks’ patriotic history class that provides selected students the opportunity (biennially) to visit a country and sites where U.S. Military Forces have fought.  The College of the Ozarks located in Point Lookout, MO has been conducting such trips for the past 20 years to include such places as England, France, Korea, and Vietnam.  

The group consisted of 12 students, 12 Vietnam War veterans, and six College of the Ozarks staff members (including the class instructor).  Student selection was very competitive because only one out of 10 of those who applied was selected.  Departing from the San Francisco, CA Airport on Mar, 13, the group arrived is Saigon.  During the following two weeks, moving from South to North, the group toured locations and sites (battlefields, buildings, museums, cities, and former U.S. bases) in the former South Vietnam and North Vietnam including Saigon, Tay Ninh, Bien Hao, Cam Rahn, Nha Trang, Ban Me Thuot, Pleiku, Qui Nhon, Da Nang, Hue, Dong Ha, and Hanoi.  In Hanoi, the infamous “Hanoi Hilton” was toured.  The Hanoi Hilton is a name given to the prison complex by captured American flyers held there where they were tortured and exploited. Its formal name is Hao Lao Prison.   At each place visited, the Veteran on the tour who was stationed (or served) in that area briefed the rest of the tour group on what happened during the time he served there, and how the area is now in comparison to the 1960s or early 1970s.  In Hanoi, John Fer and Norm (the two ex-POWs) briefed the group on the Hanoi Hilton, how it was laid out, and what happened to us and the other American prisoners held there.  

The group departed Hanoi, flew to Taiwan, and after changing flights, flew to San Francisco.  At that point, the tour group members dispersed and took flights to their individual destinations, with Norm returning to Washington-Reagan National Airport on 26 Mar, 2016.  Norm’s account of the trip is that it was great, but “There’s no place like home!  It’s truly great, and a real blessing to be a citizen of the United States of America."
(Click here for more about Norm)

Maryland Vietnam War Stories

(Click on the image for previews of the 3 episodes)

• Part 1 - Escalation
• Part 2 - Turning Point (Missing "FKIA" reports cause problems at 8 min. in)
• Part 3 - Draw Down

Neshante' and Chloe Davis Domestic Violence Prevention Task Force

Senator Muse reports: SB 1143 will allow stakeholders from across the state to join forces to study the effectiveness of current intervention strategies and explore new strategies for 'intervention before escalation' of such violence.
Unfortunately, there have been several domestic violence incidents since the deaths of NeShante' and 2-year old Chloe, and several of these tragedies have occurred in Prince George's County. Other victims include Tareeka Jones and Jalisa Walls-Harris (March 2016) and Gladys Tordil (May 2016).
As a community, we're going to have to work hard to address the tough issues that are tearing families apart. It is my hope that SB 1143 will bring advocates and experts from across the state around the table so that together, we can figure out how to address the problem.

Join the Fort Washington Pool!

(Click on the image for the FWPool website)

Maryland State Highway Gives MD 210 a Failing Report Card (Not a surprise!)

(Click on the image for the report)

4th highest arterial volume in state and failing Level of Service (LOS)

The “Vial of Life” speaks for you when you can’t speak or don’t feel well

(Click on the image for the pdf)

If you are having a medical emergency - call 911. Having your medical information on your refrigerator will help EMS take care of you.

How your child’s love for music may be destroying their hearing

(Click on the image for the article)

By Jennifer Graham, March 28, 2016
The lead singer of the Australian band AC/DC says it’s auto racing, not rock music that has brought him to the brink of deafness. But Brian Johnson’s recent withdrawal from a North American tour provides a cautionary tale for anyone who likes their music loud, hearing specialists say.
The singer has been diagnosed with noise-induced hearing loss, a condition the World Health Organization says threatens up to half of the world’s teens. The WHO said last year that hearing can be damaged in as little as 15 minutes when people are exposed to loud sound, and that chronic use of headphones and earbuds put adolescents and young adults at extreme risk of future hearing loss.
For parents, whose own hearing may be compromised from AC/DC concerts back in the 1980s, this presents a challenge: How to regulate their children’s listening habits when there is no clear way to know how loud is too loud.
Related: Hearing Loss Association of America Convention, June 23-26. There's no cost to visit the Exhibit Hall to learn about cutting-edge technology and services.

What to Do If Your Home Contractor Doesn't Complete the Work (News4)

By Tisha Thompson, Ashley Brown and Steve Jones

• A Fort Washington, Maryland, woman told the News4 I-Team she felt cheated by the contractors she hired to help rebuild her home after a fire.
• Homeowners who file a claim can get up to $20,000 if MHIC finds wrongdoing by a licensed contractor, but that protection won't be there if you hired an unlicensed business.

[Video and story here]

Why Plastic Bags Are Not Recycled

(Click on the image for more information)

• The County will no longer accept the plastic bags/film because there is not an end market for the material after it has been collected in a single-stream recycling collection program/process. The plastic bags/film become dirty and contaminated once they are mixed with other recyclables, reducing their quality and value to manufacturers who use and purchase the plastic bags/film for making recycled products such as plastic lumber.
• The County Recycling Facility uses an automated system that sorts and bales the recyclables. Plastic bags jam and clog the machinery causing costly damages and downtime.  Also, contaminated plastic bags end up as trash when mixed with single-stream recycling and account for litter in our community and landfill.
• Recycling facility video here!

How to shop for affordable homeowners insurance

(Click on the image for the Washington Post article)

"To find a low-cost, high-quality company, you can access Checkbook’s ratings of homeowners insurance companies for free through May 31 by" clicking here [asks for your email address to access ratings].

This Is a Big Deal!

(Click on the image for more information)

Meet Your New Best Friend!

Home Renovation Without Aggravation (Consumer Reports)

(Click on the image for the report)

Though the number of remodeling pros has declined, there are still less experienced—and less scrupulous—ones out there, according to a recent survey of 300 general contractors from around the country conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center. Among the shady industry practices general contractors reported are contractors using unskilled laborers to carry out their work, and winning jobs with lowball bids and then jacking up the cost later with “unforeseen problems.”
Our home renovation survey asked the crucial questions you might not know to ask, such as: How much wiggle room is there in the estimate? (Hint: more than you may think.) What are the biggest homeowner mistakes? How long do projects really take?
The answers, along with insights from other design and remodeling professionals, inform this, our home renovation survival guide. Follow our advice and you could save thousands of dollars on your renovation without compromising quality—or losing your cool.