How the School Board Election Will Work

This year's Prince George's County School Board election will be a little complicated. The following explanation is adapted from campaign literature of District 1 School Board Candidate, Rosalind Johnson.

Here is how the school board election will work:

The new elected school board will have 9 members. There will be one member from each of 5 districts and 4 at-large members

Step 1: Primary Election Voting
On September 12th, your ballot will show the candidates who are running in the school board District 1 race and the school board at-large race. You will be voting for 1 candidate in the District 1 Race and for 4 candidates in the at-large race.

Step 2: Primary Election Outcome

The top 2 vote getters in each District race and the top 8 vote getters in the at-large race will compete in the General Election.

Step 3: General Election
On November 7th, your ballot will show a total of 18 school board candidates: 2 Candidates in each of the 5 school board districts and 8 at-large candidates. You will be voting for 1 candidate in each of the district races and four candidates in the at-large race.

There will be 9 winners, who will become the new school board for Prince George's County.

The communities included in the new School Board District 1 are: Berwyn Heights, Glen Dale, Greenbelt, Laurel, Beltsville, New Carrollton, and a part of Good Luck Road at Duval High School that runs along Greenbelt Road into Lanham/Seabrook.

National Night Out Tuesday Aug 1

23rd Annual National Night Out

On Tuesday, August 1, 2006, the District VI Police Station is inviting neighborhoods throughout Beltsville and Laurel to join forces with thousands of communities nationwide for the 23rd Annual National Night Out. National Night Out brings our community together to:

• Heighten crime and drug prevention awareness
• Generate support and participation in local anticrime efforts
• Strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships.

Please join us for this event and cookout from 6pm to 8pm at District VI located at 4321 Sellman Rd in Beltsville. There will be a variety of specialty units such as a K-9 Unit, Helicopter Unit, Fire Department Bomb Robot Unit, Motorcycle and Bicycle Displays, Patrol Vehicle Display and Maryland Park Police Mounted Unit. This will be a night for all communities to stand together to promote awareness, safety and neighborhood unity.

Town Center Face Lift

According to a gaggle of project managers i ran into on the sidewalk in front of the Sapphire Indian resturaunt a few days ago the stores in the Town Center strip mall on Route 197 at Contee Rd. are about to get a "face lift". The encounter was brief, but i assume they meant that they are going to replace or repaint the current blue mansard-style roofs.

Vansville Festival, Sunday, July 16, 1 - 5 pm

Don't miss the Vansville annual Community Day Festival, Sunday, July 16 from 1 pm to 5 pm. At nearby Vansville Park, on Old Baltimore Pike, 1/2 mile south of Muirkirk Rd.

Bottom Dollar Update July 8, 2006

Between now and July 19, when the Food Lion in Crystal Plaza on Rt. 197 at Muirkirk Rd converts to a Bottom Dollar store, they are drawing down their inventory.
Based on signs in the store and answers given by store management, all remaining grocery items are now 30% off until Sunday, July 9. From Monday, July 10 through Tuesday, July 18, remaining grocery items will be 60% off.

Starting with the opening of the Bottom Dollar store on Wednesday, July 19, customers will need a free Bottom Dollar membership card to shop at the store. Customers will not be able to check out without a membership card. Free membership cards will be issed at the front door and at the check-out stations.

Bottom Dollar stores do not participate in Food Lion advertised prices.

Rite Aid Open / Camerons Seafood Coming

Some things are looking up for the Crystal Plaza shopping center on Route 197 at Muirkirk Rd.

The Rite Aid opened today. They have an advanced KODAK self-serve kiosk with USB for printing digital photos from thumb drives, as well as from the usual memory cards and from CD/DVDs.

The new Rite Aid is giving a $20 gift card if you transfer a drug prescription to their pharmacy.

Here is the Rite Aid Weekly Sale Items circular, which is now also listed in the SLNV menu.

A Camerons Seafood market will open in the storefront on the west end of the row that has the Subway in it. It remains to be seen if they will sell prepared foods. http://cameronsseafood.com/

FREE "Club" Wheel Locks Deter Theft of Cars and Air Bags

Bar-style steering wheel locks like "The Club" deter not only car theft, but for some cars they can also deter the increasingly common theft of air-bags.
FREE CLUB STEERING WHEEL LOCK
I just confirmed that P.G. Police District 6 is still offering free Club steering wheel locks for participation in the free Watch Your Car program. For information about Watch Your Car, see http://www.mdautotheft.org/wycprogram.htm but the web site does not offer the free Club steering-wheel lock.

To Register for Watch Your Car and get your free club lock, just drop by the P.G. Police District 6 statioin, 4321 Sellman Rd, Beltsville, MD (interactive map) and ask for Corporal Robison who usually is at the station Monday - Friday 8 am to 4 pm. Or you may call her at the station number 301 937-0910 to make an appointment.

Given what is at stake, even buying a club-style steering wheel lock may be a good investment.

Galaxy Billiards Cafe Eyes Amazon Liquor License

South Laurel News and Views recently learned that the owner of one of the nearby Galaxy Billiards Cafes (which one was unspecified) is in discussions with Club Amazon owners about buying the Amazon's recently relinquished liquor license. It is likely, but not certain, that the license would be used at the Club Amazon location. Earlier, a "Cheese Burger Paradise" had expressed interest in the site and liquor license. Anyone who acquires the Amazon's Class "B" liquor license (for a family restaurant) would be bound by the same conditions imposed on Club Amazon by the P.G. Liquor Board.

Here is a December 17, 2004 article about one of the Galaxy Billiards Cafes in Silver Spring, MD.

[July 31, 2007:
For information about the bar that replaced Club Amazon see link Rio Sports Bar & Grille which is also under NEWS at the South Laurel News & Views Blog.