Hackers Could Be Using Bot on Your Phone to Do Their Dirty Work

(Click on the image for Susan Hogan's News4 report)

• Instead of using their own computing power to run illicit programs that crack passwords, steal gift cards, scoop up tickets and post spam on social media, hackers dispatch bots to covertly use other people’s data and battery power to help them commit the crimes.
• Four steps for preventing malware, including bots:
  Set a passcode. He said it’s shocking how many people don’t.
  Turn on auto updates, because hackers exploit bugs in old software.
  Only install apps from the official store – never from links.
  Consider buying security software for your phone.

How Prince George’s County was divided and named in colonial times and after independence

(Click on the image for DW Rowlands' post in Greater Greater Washington)

Professor Rowlands goes "all the way back to colonial Maryland to explore how different regions were structured and named."

Recipes from the Maryland Buy Local Cookout

(Click on the image for the cookbook)

Appetizers

• Bacon and Bleu Sausage Patties
• Delmarva Oysters
• Eastern Shore Ham and Cheese Sweet Potato Biscuits
• Maryland Blue Crab and Grilled Corn Gazpacho
• Miss Shirley’s Yellow Tomato Gazpacho topped with Jumbo Lump Crabmeat and Corn Relish
• Salami, Fresh Mozzarella, and Tuna Roll-ups
• Slow-Roasted Pork Belly on Cornbread Crostini with Peach Compote, and Black and Blue Goat Cheese
• Smoke on the Water
• Vegetable Cheesecake
• Wild Green Onion Dip
• Salads/Side Dishes
• Pickled Cherry Tomatoes, Country Green Beans with Albright's Korean-Style Lardons
• Prince George’s Green and Healthy Zucchini and Corn Salad

Entrees

• Beef Tenderloin and Sirloin Skewers
• Caroline Blue Catfish Taco
• Chesapeake Treasure (Fish Stew)
• Corn Crisp Blue Catfish with Lime Cilantro Corn Relish and Maryland YumYum Sauce
• Crab and Tomato Duo (Soft Shell Crab with Crab and Corn Ragu,
• Pickled Tomatoes and Tomato Coulis)
• Dawson’s Lamb T-Bone with Ratatouille and White Bean Gratin
• Yumi Cooks! Kimchi Burger
• Maryland’s Best BBQ Brisket Sandwich
• Maryland’s Best Burger featuring Mountain Pepper Salsa and Fresh Herb Aioli
• Poblano Pork
• Rabbit Cacciatore with Corn Spoon Bread
• Roasted Potatoes, Sausage, and Onions with Rosemary
• Slow Cooked Baby Back Ribs with Berry Bourbon BBQ Sauce
• Slow-Roasted Goat Tacos with Sweet Corn Succotash

Desserts

• Blades Orchard's Fruit Brioche Bread Pudding with Lyon’s Rum Sweet Cream Custard
• Mixed Berry Whole Wheat Flour Olive Oil Cake
• Ricotta Peach Cheesecake Bars

Stop Speeding - Before it Stops You

Transportation–related deaths and severe injuries are preventable and unacceptable.

Human life takes priority over mobility and other objectives of the road system. The road system should be safe for all users, for all modes of transportation, in all communities, and for people of all ages and abilities.

Example Nuisance Abatement Board Agenda

(Click on the image for more information)

• The board shall hear complaints which allege that any premises constitute a public nuisance. Upon receipt of such allegation, the board shall give notice and an opportunity for a hearing to determine whether a public nuisance exists.  If the Board determines a nuisance exists, it will render a decision to immediately cease the activity and may impose a monetary fine. The 1st violation is $500 and the 2nd violation is $1000. The Police Department may issue a criminal violation in lieu of a civil citation.
• The Nuisance Abatement Board was created for residents that experience within a 1-year period on the same property two or more occurrences of disorderly acts that disturb the public peace such as:  Gatherings for which admission/entry fees, cover charges, ticket sales, food or beverage sales or adult entertainment charges (prostitution, human trafficking) result in personal profit to the homeowner or organizer; or Gatherings for the purpose of illegally administering a controlled substance, illegal criminal gang activity or activities which endanger the health, life, or safety - or obstruct the quiet enjoyment and reasonable use - of property or persons in a particular area, and are reported to local, state or County agencies with the authority to cite for non-compliance activity per the County Code. 

Why Don't More of Us Vote?

Source: https://www.princegeorgescountymd.gov/559/Board-of-Elections

• By not voting, you increase the influence of people who do vote.
• “Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters.” ― Abraham Lincoln 

Have a Great Time at National Night Out (NNO): August 7

If your business can support NNO, please contact Cpl. V. Blackwell, 240-695-7505, vablackwell@co.pg.md.us Thanks!

Prince George’s Co. police, residents train together to strengthen relationship

(Click on the image for Dick Uliano's WTOP report)

From Dick's report: Members of the Prince George’s County Police Department and community members have wrapped up a two-day workshop of training and role-playing exercises aimed at improving relations between police and citizens.
“It’s the easiest thing in the world to divide people. What’s difficult is bringing people together,” said Prince George’s County Police Chief Hank Stawinski, one of the 30 participants in the Affinity Project workshop.
The Affinity Project is co-sponsored by the National Law Enforcement Museum and the Illumination Project of Charleston, South Carolina. The goal is to draw together law enforcement and citizens and to help each side understand and overcome inherent biases.
“Implicit bias … is a mental shortcut that our mind makes between two seemingly unrelated ideas,” said Kris Marsh, an associate professor at the University of Maryland, College Park, who provides bias training for the Prince George’s County Police Department.
“We don’t always talk to each other. The citizens talk among themselves [and] the officers talk among themselves. We have different perspectives, but it’s really great to get both entities in the room and start having a really thoughtful conversation,” she said.

See also, Prince George's County Police Proud to be First Police Partner of the National Affinity Project to Make Police-Community Relations Even Stronger

FY 2019 - FY 2021 Local Impact Grant Spending Plan (Revised) - July 2018

Yellow highlights are changes from the previous version. The Rose Valley project is now funded out of the Rosecroft impact fund instead of the MGM impact fund. That provided a $250K increase to Community Impact Grants in FY 2019.

Make Highway 210 Safe for Pedestrians – A grieving family’s plea.

(Click on the image for the petition)

Derrick Patterson started this petition to Prince George's County Councilman 8th District Obie Patterson:

Two and a half months ago, my family became devastated after my sister was killed crossing at the intersection of Kerby Hill/Livingston Road and Highway 210. We believe she could possibly still be here had the intersection she crossed at been safer. My family, Councilman Obie Patterson of Prince George‘s County, Maryland, and the Maryland State Highway Administration strongly agree the crosswalks are in very poor condition. There is a lack of lighting and poorly detailed walkways at not only the crosswalk she was struck at, but also at several other parts of Highway 210. We want to point out that 210 runs through a suburban area, and that the people that live in the areas surrounding the highway, such as Accokeek, Oxon Hill, and Fort Washington, have to cross this dangerous highway on a regular basis. Nobody should have to walk across this road in the poor state its crosswalks are. The total deaths on the highway in the last decade exceeds 60 people. That’s too many lives lost, and the first step to preventing another family from suffering the grief and lost of a lost loved one, is to work to make our crosswalks in Prince George’s County, Maryland safer. Please sign our petition in support of making it safer for our communities to cross 210 in well lit crosswalks, clearly marked walk ways and any other advanced safety measures possible. Thank you!

Video of Derrick and mother, Yasmin Duncan, asking the County Council
for help making MD 210 safer:

Compared to New Tires, Worn Tires Take 40% Longer to Stop on Wet Pavement

(Click on the image for the full report)

Video comparison of new vs. worn tires

Why leasing solar panels may not be a good idea if you’re planning a home sale (Washington Post)

(Click on the image for the article)

By Jill Chodorov, November 17, 2015

"As these solar-powered homes come on the market for sale, unexpected issues are bubbling to the surface. What’s more, almost all of the issues are happening to homeowners who lease rather than own the solar panels, which comprise an estimated range of 60 to 90 percent of the market."

Washington Consumers' Checkbook has advice on selecting a solar contractor.

The Real Cost of Leasing vs. Buying Solar Panels

(Click on the image for the Consumers Report article)

Buying solar panels requires an investment and more decision-making than leasing, but over the long term the benefits of owning your system are hard to beat.
[See also, 'The state of residential solar power']

A Little Kindness Can Change Everything!

Mr. Rogers would agree.

How to Prevent Drowning Tragedies

(Click on the link for the News4 report)

"Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death among children ages 1 to 4 years old and the second leading cause of unintentional death in children ages 5 to 9, according to the CDC. Here are some ways you can prevent tragedies this summer."
From Time: Here's How to Keep Your Kids Safe Around Pools
Many years ago after my entire neighborhood searched for hours, I found a friend's young child floating face down in a pool. I will live with that image for the rest of my life. Please take care. - Ron

Are You Insured for the Next Flood? Probably Not.

(Click on the image for information about the National Flood Insurance Program)

Washington Consumers’ Checkbook advice on Basement Waterproofers:

"If your basement is wet, please, please, PLEASE read the following before you call in a basement waterproofing contractor:

• Most basements get wet when rainwater runs toward the walls of houses from roofs, yards, and driveways. The first step to eliminating the invasion of water is to force it to run away from your home. Repairing gutters, extending downspouts, and/or grading the soil around your house will clear up most problems at a minimal price.
• If these simple fixes don’t work, get an independent opinion from a drainage specialist or home inspector with expertise in drainage issues. You’ll have to pay for an inspection, but a competent inspector’s advice may save you many times the fee.
• Focus on solving the problem from the outside. Many basement waterproofing contractors want to sell costly interior drainage systems with sump pumps—even if you don’t need it. The best solutions prevent water from reaching the walls of your home; interior systems manage water only after it has entered the building.

Don’t ask a basement waterproofing contractor for help until you are absolutely sure you need one.

If you do need to hire a contractor, meet with and obtain proposals from several companies. Many landscaping companies specialize in drainage work. Among basement waterproofing contractors, big differences exist in the quality of advice provided. Avoid companies that use aggressive sales tactics."

Thank You for Helping Kids Entering Foster Care

Many of the about 400 kids under 18 in county foster care will be a little happier thanks to your donations to a 'Bag of My Own'! 

District VII Police and the Civilian Advisory Council (CAC) appreciate your support.

Very Few 20744 Residents Complain about Aircraft Noise

(Click on the image for more information)

The Complaint Dashboard provides easy access to noise complaint data while allowing the public to independently conduct preliminary research to answer:

• WHEN:    Complaints by Date, Complaints by Hour
• WHERE:   Zip Code Heat Map and Statistics Table
• WHO:       Top 10 Individuals, Households & Individuals by Year
• WHAT:     Complaints by Disturbance Type

Only 44 complaints from Zip Code 20744 out of 153,478 total complaints!

Hands off my data! 15 default privacy settings you should change right now

(Click on the image for Geoffrey Fowler's Washington Post report)

• They tout we’re “in control” of our personal data, but know most of us won’t change the settings that let them grab it like cash in a game show wind machine. Call it the Rule of Defaults: 95 percent of people are too busy, or too confused, to change a darn thing.
• Some of their defaults are just bonkers. Google has been saving a map of everywhere you go, if you turned on its Assistant when you set up an Android phone. Amazon makes your wish list public — and keeps recordings of all your conversations with Alexa. Facebook exposes to the public your friends list and all the pages you follow, and it lets marketers use your name in their Facebook ads. By default, Microsoft’s Cortana in Windows 10 gobbles up … pretty much your entire digital life.
• Changing the defaults I list here mean you’ll get less personalization from some services, and might see some repeated ads. But these changes can curtail some of the creepy advertising fueled by your data, and, in some cases, stop these giant companies from collecting so much data about you in the first place. And that’s a good place to start.

How to Get a Home's Permit History

(Click on the image to search on an address)

Example of the results: