Please Attend J's Cafe Show Cause Hearing -- Wed Mar 14 7 pm

Please attend the P.G. Liquor Board "Show Cause" Hearing on Wednesday, March 14, 7 pm to clearly demonstrate our community's grave concern to stop the shooting murders at nearby J's Sports Cafe.

For a map and directions to the Hearing location, please see http://tinyurl.com/2z3g2f

You need not testify -- your simple presence in large numbers will say volumes.

That night there will also be a show cause hearing for the Jan 28 shooting at Sunrise Restaurant on Rhode Islane Ave in Beltsville. Your attendance will show solidarity with Beltsville citizens trying to stop the same kind of shooting murders at bars in their community.

PG Liquor Board Agenda March 7, 2007 - J's Sports Cafe & Sunrise Sports Bar

UPDATE: March 7

March 7 PG Liquor Board Show Cause Hearings Postponed

The P.G. Liquor Board has postponed the Show Cause Hearings for the shootings at J's Sports Cafe and Sunrise Bar, due to expected dangerous icing conditions this evening (March 7).

The new date is March 14, 7 pm. For directions to the P.G. County services building, see below.

Today and on March 14, check the Liquor Board phone number for possible recorded announcements about the status of Hearings (301) 699-2770.

Please attend the March 14 Hearing to show community concern about the shootings and murders at J's Sports Cafe.


UPDATE: March 4

Here is the Prince George's County Liquor Control Board public "Show Cause" hearing agenda March 7, 2007 7pm regarding the shooting murder at J's Sports Cafe and a shooting at Sunrise Sports Bar both on January 28, 2007 , among other actions.

It is not yet clear if public testimony will be taken at that hearing.

Whether or not you intend to testify -- please attend -- a large turn out by residents will demonstrate our community's serious concern about these bars.

Prince George's County Liquor Control Board
5012 Rhode Island Avenue, Second Floor Hearing Room
Hyattsville, MD 20781
(301) 699-2770


Directions: Take Route 1 south (Baltimore Ave) and continue on RT 1 when it becomes Rhode Island Avenue in Hyattsville.



South of East-West Hwy, turn right onto Farragut St. and then left into the underground parking garage. [Farragut St. is marked One-Way on the map -- but Farragut St. is not one way where you enter from Rhode Island Ave]



Remember your parking space number and use the machine inside the parking garage lobby to pay the parking fee of $ .75 per hour in advance.

INTERACTIVE MAP

Ignore Red Star on Map

When Music Kills in P.G. County

The image of the Browning 9 millimeter Hi-Power handgun is from the Wikipedia article "Pistol".

J's Sports Cafe Closed -- For Now

On Monday, February 12, i noticed a sign on the locked front door of J's Sports Cafe that said:

QUOTE:

"J's Sports Cafe will be closed while undergoing Change of Ownership Process. New J's will REOPEN in Mid-February Thank you for your patronage. Management" END QUOTE

The photo is from a Feb 12 Washington Post article that reported: QUOTE - J's closed temporarily after the incident because of several county code enforcement issues, bar co-owner Alex Kim said. END QUOTE

Reportedly, J's Sports Cafe was shut down on or about Feb 8 because it did not have a valid Use and Occupancy permit at the time of the murder on Jan 28. Their U&O application is pending.

The P.G. Liquor Board has not yet posted a hearing date for reviewing J's Sports Cafe's liquor license in the wake of the 3d shooting homicide there on Jan 28.

Petitions by local residents requesting a hearing to revoke the Liquor License at J's Sports Cafe must be received by the P.G. Liquor Board before March 1. [Liquor Board address and related information]

No More "Do Overs" for J's Sports Cafe After 3 Shooting Homicides

Three Shooting Homicides and They're Out !! As i understand it, after two previous homicide shootings within the past two years associated with violence at J's Sports Cafe, in early January the P.G. Liquor Board provide fairness and due process to the new owner and did approve a Class B(LX) liquor license transfer at J's Sports Cafe, on condition (confirmable with the P.G. Liquor Control Board) that 1) J's Sports Cafe implement a security plan to prevent loitering in the parking lot and violence not only in the "Cafe" but also in the parking lot. 2) No more bands known to draw drugs and violence, as vividly demonstrated last year at Club Amazon on Route 1 Laurel, which was closed down by the county after just ONE shooting.) J's Sports Cafe's county mandated security plan failed when several security guards (uniformed off-duty PG County Police) officers hired by the Cafe were on the scene but were unable to prevent this third shooting death. It is not clear how any security plan could prevent such violence fostered by the Go-Go-style bands that seem to be what attracts violent clientèle to J's Sports Cafe. Whether of not J's Sports Cafe actually violated its liquor license provisions and conditions is a matter for the P.G. County Liquor control Board to determine at a fair hearing - - and soon i hope. It is unclear what, if any, changes at J's Sports Cafe now would actually prevent this unacceptable recurring fatal violence in our community. No More "Do Overs".

Laurel Gas Prices Break Below $2 Per Gallon

Today in Laurel gas dropped below $2/gallon, selling for $1.99/gallon at three different stations. Looking at the above Maryland gas price chart, technical stock analysts might have predicted that.

See Laurel/Beltsville Gas Prices in the News Menu on this site.

Crystal Plaza's Cameron's Seafood

https://www.cameronsseafood.com/seafood-market-locations/?fbclid=IwAR0TZ-o_Y6iy9U4EP4GEfOUd1R6oOe7oUhYiAGYS6xDu6yAIn8onrgr-MZM

Dump Trucks Racing on Muirkirk Rd

UPDATE - Jan 22:
This matter now seems to have been resolved, after Longwood Community Association (on Muirkirk Rd) contacted the relevant development company, who promptly told the dump truck contractor to correct the path of the trucks and stop the speeding. The dump trucks will now travel on RT 1, not the length of Muirkirk Rd as before.

==============================
For the past several days and still continuing there has been a veritable parade of about 15 dump trunks per hour traveling south on Rt. 197 and turning west onto Muirkirk Rd., and racing all day long past the Montpelier Elementary School at well over 50 mph.

So i joined the parade and found out that the trucks are traveling clockwise on the route marked on the map.

They are stopping at two locations:

One stop at "General Shale & Brick" on Muirkirk Rd just east of Route 1, marked B on the map.

And another stop at a construction zone on the west side of the new Laurel Centre at Contee and Route 1, marked C on the map.

And then they continue east on Contee Rd, across Route 1, over the bridge, then south on Route 197, west on Murkirik, and so on, and so on.

Looking again a the map, one wonders why they are driving the very long way around using roads east of Route 1, instead of coming back the way they came on the non-residential roads west of Route 1.

Hmmm?

Citizens Mitigate Dangerous Excavation on Muirkirk

UPDATE Jan 16 8:30 am: Sure enough, the hole was back and two more hubcaps testified to a rough night for drivers. But by 10:30 am WSSC was repairing the valve and the excavation. At 12:30 pm they left the hole filled with more durable asphalt and no valve visible.
UPDATE Jan 15 5 pm: Sometime on the Monday holiday, the excavation was filled with loose aggregate, which by dark had been mostly knocked out by repeated traffic creating three large potholes which together were almost as large as the original excavation. All traffic cones and the DPW&T sign were removed and placed next to a tree on the adjacent verge. In the waning sunlight, some westbound drivers could still see the hole and were swerving left to avoid it, putting them into the on-coming westbound left-turn only lane. Sometime Monday night into Tuesday morning that hole will likely again become as dangerous as it was Saturday night.


====================================================
This is not a "pothole story". This is about someone who created and left a very dangerous situation in our community.

Sometime Saturday, January 13, unidentified workers repairing the road at a fire hydrant's WSSC supply valve in the one and only westbound lane of Muirkirk Road near Rt. 197 left their work uncompleted with no traffic control barriers to prevent cars driving into the 2 foot by 3 foot by 8-inch deep excavation, shaped more like a tank trap than a pothole.

As evidenced by at least 6 hubcaps at the scene, sometime that rainy Saturday night into Sunday morning an untold number of cars hit that uncovered excavation, damaging vehicles (at a minimum wheel alignment), possibly injuring passengers, and risking head-on collision with opposing traffic (see below).
A father and son returning from their jolting experience Saturday night looking in vain for their lost hubcap, said that when they came through there was nothing to warn them about the excavation before they hit it. So the comically tiny traffic cone observed at 1030 Sunday morning January 14 most likely was left by another victim desperately trying to help others avoid the same fate in the dark of night. A passer-by contributed two large safety cones.














Even with citizen-provided warnings in place for the westbound traffic , the most danger was from westbound cars swerving suddenly and unexpectedly around the hazard (else risk being rear-ended by cars following close behind leaving the Rt 197 intersection) and so risk running into cars coming eastbound in the left-turn only lane -- so another two cones were added by a citizen on the yellow line to alert eastbound traffic (without changing their traffic pattern).
Police responded quickly to a citizen call at 1030 Sunday morning to the P.G. Public Safety number 301-352-1200 and assessed the situation. Public Safety called P.G. Department of Public Works and Transportation. DPW&T arrived apparently within an hour or so, putting a sign at the excavation and leaving the citizen-provided cones in place. Reference Public Safety service number: 07-014-0663 Jan 14, 2007

Presumably DPW&T will contact those responsible for the road work (WSSC) to quickly and properly complete it with appropriate traffic safety measures on this and future work -- such as covering excavations with steel plates.

Caribbean Restaurant Coming to Crystal Plaza

Soon the long empty store front of the fondly remembered Chin Tao restaurant will take on new life as a Caribbean Restaurant.

Villas at Laurel Update

At a gathering of South Laurel Community Leaders at the Montpelier Arts Center on Dec 19 with the developer of the planned town house community Villas at Laurel, Mr. Kareem Abdus- Salaam, presented two new alternative plans which supersede all earlier plans.

There was frank and cordial discussion (described below) between the developer and the association leaders present on many still unresolved issues, and no commitments were made by the developer:

The two different schemes presented reflect primarily ongoing negotiations with WMATA, the state and the county about the placement of the bus lot, for purposes of convenient and safe ingress and egress by buses.

Scheme 1

Scheme 2

Both plans have 90 bus lot parking spaces

Scheme 1 will be changed to include a North Exit for residents and buses. That may reduce TH density a little.

Both new plans have now increased to 96 Town Houses

More TH Density: That is 11 more THs than the previous plan of 85.
No Rationale: The developer gave no rationale for this increase in THs & Density Claims Exception: The developer said that his "Transit Oriented Development" (TOD) "luxury townhouse" project allows him to have higher density than a regular Town House community plan (Euclidean?).

Still More Green Space Needed: The developer said that the District 1 County Councilman wants to see still more more green space in the Villas at Laurel plan -- which would consequentially reduce the number of town houses and density.

Scheme 1 has a neo-traditional park

The developer was asked to look at putting social focus centers of green space (picnic areas, etc) in several pockets distributed throughout the Villas. He was referred to an early but still representative conceptual plan (click to enlarge browser image) of the recently approved Montpelier Hills TH completion project.

Adequate Public Facilities for Schools -- The developer said that the county (and MNCPPC) rules calculating the number of public school students to be generated by Villas at Laurel -- for purposes of determining the Adequate Public Facilities for Schools fee he will have to pay -- are not appropriate for his Transit Oriented Development (implying that the total APF fees the developer would have to pay the schools would be lower than a regular TH development) .

Schools are already over capacity: There ensued a lively discussion about this point between the developer and newly elected District 1 School Board representative Rosalind Johnson (present representing Applewalk HoA

Technical Amenities for Near-by Schools
A/V & Computers: The developer has met with the principals of the four nearby public schools (Oaklands ES, Deerfield Run ES, Montpelier ES and Eisenhower MS) and is discussing how best to donate and distribute technical amenities such as computers and networks, Audio-Visual systems, etc.

The Community Center in Villas at Laurel - status unclear -- issues remain

• Will there really be a Community Center? How firm is this amenity in the plan?

• Will it be publicly accessible (such as Seniors at adjacent Park View) or only for Villas at Laurel residents? Where? When asked where the community center was on the plans, the developer pointed generally to the area in the lower center of Scheme 1 where there are two buildings that don't look like town houses.

• Who pays? The developer said that Parks ("Sam Parker" = MNCPPC?) would "maintain and operate public recreational and educational programs at the Community Center -- but nothing is firm yet.

• Villas at Laurel Residents to Pay: The developer said that costs for Community Center maintenance, operation and insurance, etc. would be paid by Villas at Laurel residents through their association fees.
  

• Technical Amenities at Community Center? Unlike the developer's offer of computers etc for the schools, there has been no discussion of such technical amenities for the possible Community Center (a computer center for checking email, web research, etc?) which would be particularly useful since there is no public library in South Laurel.

• A Library Annex? The was no discussion of the Community Center serving as a P.G. County Library Annex, since South Laurel has no public library

Traffic Light - Promised
The developer seems confident that the county and state support his proposed traffic light at Briarcroft Lane and also his proposed intelligent signaling for pedestrian crossing (seconds to go display, etc). The new traffic light is to be synchronized with lights to the south up to Cherry Lane.

The developer said that this traffic light at Briarcroft lane would actually expedite traffic up and down Rt 197 and in and out of Briarcroft Lane (from the west in/out of the Briarwood community and from the east in/out of Park View and the Church. There was some question about that -- which may or may not be adequately addressed in the county's formal traffic required later in the formal approval process after formal site plan submission --- unless citizens participate vigilantly in that study.

Sidewalk - 8-foot wide - Promised
The developer promised an 8-foot wide sidewalk along the east side of Rt 197 along the Villas at Laurel property. He said he is telling State Highway Commission that they do not need to complete their narrower sidewalk in that area because of his plans.

No Pool
A pool was deemed to be too expensive for a small community to pay for.

No Tot Lots
Rationale Unclear: The developer could not yet describe the predominant demographic for buyers of these town houses -- (Dual Income No Kids (DINKs)?. Young families?) He said he wasn't seeking senior buyers (no kids) because of so many other nearby Senior Living communities.

What Children's Recreation? There are no recreational facilities at all, much less for kids. Recreational facilities would increase open space and reduce TH density.

Homeowners Association or Condominium Association? -- Issue not Discussed.
In meetings with the developer to date, the issue has not come up whether the town houses would be owned as fee-simple homes (in a Homeowners Association) or as condominium units (in a Condominium Association) -- so any issues related to such differences have also not been discussed.

Prices & Features:
No elevations (TH exterior designs) are available yet
$450-$500K, 2300 square feet, 3-level, Rear 2-car garage, 4 to 5 Bedrooms

Buy-Down: Developer said that the PG Redevelopment authority may agree to buy-down the selling price of 10% of the units by 25-50% to create "affordable housing". Discussion suggested that Villas at Laurel may or may not qualify for redevelopment funds -- and if so, PG Redevelopment may not buy-down 25-50% for 10% of the units

TH & Guest Parking - no public visitor parking in all of Villas at Laurel. The current plans have a 2-car garage and 4 more parking spaces in each private driveway -- but no other guest/visitor parking spaces. In other words, the only parking in the plan is on private property -- so if you have more than 4 visitors -- there is no place for them park. The developer suggested visitors could use the bus lot -- but it was pointed out that the buses run at night so bus lot spaces are not always going to be available and that only helps a little for THs on the east end of Villas, and is not a very safe option at night in any case. The developer referred to the county's low parking requirements for TH parking (Euclidian?) -- It was pointed out that the current lack of real visitor parking did not constitute "luxury townhouses". The developer promised to redo visitor parking some where other than just private property. That may reduce the TH density.

Green Development
Maybe: When asked, the developer mentioned only generally some environmentally friendly features of his other developments but did not say anything specific about "green" features and options for Villas at Laurel -- such as whether roof-top solar panels would be offered.

Major Transformation of Laurel Mall?

This very informative article from the Just Up the Pike blog is a detailed and comprehensive Special Report on soon to be announced plans for major transformation of the Laurel Mall complete with photos and graphics of the proposed plans.

For a growing compilation of information related to this development project, see the link Laurel Mall under Nearby Development in the sidebar menu of this site.

Montpelier ES Lock-Down, Code Red Dec 12

During the afternoon of Dec 12, 2006 Montpelier Elementary School (and possibly other public schools in South Laurel, such as Oaklands E.S and Eisenhower M.S.) apparently instituted "lock-down (code red)" procedures to ensure student safety, possibly related to the double homicide that NBC News reported occurred earlier in the day 3-miles away on Engleman Dr. in South Laurel.

Liquor Licenses Renewal Hearings & Protest Deadline 2007

P.G. County Liquor Board - OFFICIAL NOTICE

Pursuant to Section 10-302 of Article 2B of the Annotated Code of Maryland, Notice is hereby given that all alcoholic beverage licenses in Prince George's County will expire as follows:

Class A, Licenses expire on April 30th
Class B, Licenses expire on May 31st
Class C, Licenses expire on June 30th
Class D, Licenses expire on June 30th

In order to process a protest against the granting of the 2007 - 2008 License Renewal, a protest notice must be submitted to the Board of License Commissioners no later than March 1, 2007.

Protest of a renewal shall be filed on or before March 1, 2007 at the Board of License Commissioners, Room 204, County Service Building, 5012 Rhode Island Avenue, Hyattsville, MD 20781.

Should you have any questions, please contact the Board's Office at 301-699-2770.

BOARD OF LICENSE COMMISSIONERS
(LIQUOR CONTROL BOARD)
FRANKLIN D. JACKSON, CHAIRMAN
SHAIHI MWALIMU, VICE CHAIRMAN
ARMANDO CAMACHO, COMMISSIONER
EARL J. HOWARD, COMMISSIONER
DAVID DAESOK SON, COMMISSIONER
Attest:
Diane M. Bryant
Administrative Assistant
November 13, 2006

P.G. Board of Education Meetings TV Schedule

Beginning, December 15th, 2006 all School Board Meetings will be rebroadcast on Channel 96 on Friday, Saturday, Sunday at 7 PM and Monday at 2 PM.

This is an important change. The new board wanted the citizens of Prince George's County to have more opportunities to monitor their proceedings on TV, soon after each public meeting.

This information was provided by our newly elected Board of Education local District 1 Representative, Rosalind Johnson.

Tony's Liquor License Hearing Jan 23, 2007

No apparent opposition has arisen against this requested liquor license transfer for continued use at Tony's Liquors in the Crystal Plaza.

QUOTE:

BOARD OF LICENSE COMMISSIONERS
(LIQUOR CONTROL BOARD)
HEARING
JANUARY 23, 2007

A hearing on the [below] application [among others] will be held at the County Service Building, 5012 Rhode Island Avenue, Hearing Room 200, Hyattsville, 20781, 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, January 23, 2007, at which time anyone wishing to testify either for or against the application may attend the hearing. Additional information can be obtained by contacting the Board's Office at 301-699-2770.

Eyaya Arega, President/Secretary/Treasurer for a Class A, Beer, Wine and Liquor License for the use of HCH Liquors, Inc., t/a Tony's Liquors, 12637 Laurel Bowie Road, Laurel, 20708 transfer from Edric, Inc., t/a Tony's Liquors, 12637 Laurel Bowie Road, Laurel, 20708, Sung Joo Kim, President/Secretary/Treasurer, Bo Kan So, Vice President.

Atty: Simon Osnos, Esquire

Opposition: [none]

A Public Hearing is also scheduled for Regular Session/Administrative Voting Session on February 7, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. and Regular Session/Administrative Voting Session on February 14, 2007 at 7:00 p.m., Hearing Room 200, County Service Building, 5012 Rhode Island Avenue, Hyattsville, 20781. At the meeting the Board will consider the agenda as posted that day and any other matters taken under advisement from previous meetings.

END QUOTE:

New Passport Requirements in 2007

City of Laurel

Official Press Release

New Passport Requirements for Travelers in 2007

Mayor Craig A. Moe would like residents to know that, [according to changes in federal law] beginning January 23, 2007, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling by air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda will be required to present a valid passport, Air NEXUS card, or U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document.

As early as January 1, 2008, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda by land or sea (including ferries), may be required to present a valid passport or other documents as determined by the Department of Homeland Security.

Applications for passports are accepted at the Laurel Municipal Building, Passport Office on Mondays and Thursdays, from10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and on Tuesdays, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Applicants will need the following items to apply for a U.S. passport: proof of citizenship, proof of identity, and two passport photos. Please call the Passport Information Line at 301-725-5305 for more details and information.

END QUOTE

Anyone can use the City of Laurel passport office -- not just Laurel residents.

Subregion I Living Areas Public Meeting Nov 18

Marylan Park & Planning Commission
Subregion I Living Areas
Summary Session and Open House
November 18, 2006 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission recently conducted three half-day workshops (October 19th, 21st, and 26th) focusing on the living areas within the Subregion I Master Plan Area. This is the final community meeting regarding the all Subregion I Living Areas. This open house will serve as a wrap-up and summary meeting for the October workshops.

Purpose:

· Present issues and concerns regarding living Areas within Subregion I
· Present preliminary recommendations
· Solicit community input on issues, concerns, and recommendations as they relate to the Subregion I Master Plan and SMA

When: Saturday, November 18, 2006
8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Where: Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School

4545 Ammendale Road, Beltsville, MD 20705

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. You can also visit our web page at http://www.mncppc.org/cpd/sub1background.htm

Kierre McCune
Senior Planner, Community Planning Division
Prince George's County Planning Department
The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
14741 Governor Oden Bowie Drive
Upper Marlboro, MD 20772
Voice: 301-952-3211
Fax: 301-952-4121
kierre.mccune@ppd.mncppc.org

Maryland General Election 2006 Results

This Washington Post report of the 2006 Maryland General Election results is updated daily as the final vote counts become available.

Nov 7 Voter Guides PG County, State, & Federal Elections

I've posted links to Nov 7 Voter Guides from the Gazette, Laurel Leader and Washington Post.

These are not endorsement lists -- just lists of candidates for each office, candidate descriptions and explanations of ballot issues.

Click on "News" in Local Candidates (News) in the sidebar menu.