The Laurel Independent

10/09/2025

Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy says she has the utmost confidence in her nominee to run the county’s Department of the Environment, even though he was terminated from the department in 2014 for “gross negligence.” A group of environmental and community activists in the county is not so sure. And they’re likely to be on hand Thursday when Samuel Belsham Moki’s nomination comes up before a County Council committee....

Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy says she has the utmost confidence in her nominee to run the county’s Department of the Environment, even though he was terminated from the department in 2014 for “gross negligence.” A group of environmental and community activists in the count...

10/08/2025

10/02/2025

In just 66 days on the job, interim Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) Superintendent Shawn Joseph has identified top priorities, including special education and multilingual learners; mathematics and literacy; and chronic absenteeism. He is also interested in expanding internships and providing more resources for dual enrollment students. “What I'm working to do is making sure parents have the tools that you need to be able to help hold us accountable across the system,” Joseph told about 200 students, parents and educators at a listening session held on Sept....

In just 66 days on the job, interim Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) Superintendent Shawn Joseph has identified top priorities, including special education and multilingual learners; mathematics and literacy; and chronic absenteeism. He is also interested in expanding internships and ...

10/01/2025

Rockville High School senior Blakely Pfaff is the 33rd Miss College Park. Seventeen-year-old Pfaff, a Montgomery County resident, won the crown at the College Park American Legion on Sept. 28 over seven competitors. She replaced Madelyn Bronk, Miss College Park 2025. The competition’s $2,000 scholarship prize motivated her to participate, Pfaff said, adding she is looking forward to the community involvement that will accompany her new title....

Rockville High School senior Blakely Pfaff is the 33rd Miss College Park. Seventeen-year-old Pfaff, a Montgomery County resident, won the crown at the College Park American Legion on Sept. 28 over seven competitors. She replaced Madelyn Bronk, Miss College Park 2025. The competition’s $2,000 schol...

09/30/2025

When Hyattsville native Blake Sloane left to attend Binghamton University in upstate New York, he fully intended to study music and one day work in Hollywood, scoring, arranging and assembling pieces to produce something greater than the sum of its parts. Along the way, though, he found something he loved just as much as music: woodworking. Today, Sloane is the owner of…...

When Hyattsville native Blake Sloane left to attend Binghamton University in upstate New York, he fully intended to study music and one day work in Hollywood, scoring, arranging and assembling pieces to produce something greater than the sum of its parts. Along the way, though, he found something he...

09/25/2025

The We Are America March stopped in Laurel Sept. 17, spending the night at the Laurel Presbyterian Church before embarking on their penultimate march to Silver Spring on Thursday morning. The marchers began in Philadelphia on Sept. 6 and ended in Washington on Sept. 19, marching around 160 miles in total. According to the march website, the march protested authoritarian overreach by the Trump administration....

The We Are America March stopped in Laurel Sept. 17, spending the night at the Laurel Presbyterian Church before embarking on their penultimate march to Silver Spring on Thursday morning. The marchers began in Philadelphia on Sept. 6 and ended in Washington on Sept. 19, marching around 160 miles in....

09/25/2025

Residents reported seeing three Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Hyattsville early during the Wednesday morning commute. Between 8am and 9am, local photographer Raphi Talisman took a video of an arrest ICE arrest in the middle of Hamilton St at its intersection with Queens Chapel, posted to facebook. In the video, a man repeatedly yells "Help, it's ICE," "I live in America, I love you America," "police!" and "let me go" in English and Spanish as he is pinned to the ground....

Residents reported seeing three Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Hyattsville early during the Wednesday morning commute. Between 8am and 9am, local photographer Raphi Talisman took a video of an arrest ICE arrest in the middle of Ha...

09/22/2025

In 1897, Mark Twain responded to a mistaken report that he had died, “The report of my death was an exaggeration.” I was guilty of a similar exaggeration in the September issue of The Laurel Independent, reporting that one of Laurel’s military heroes, George T. Schaab Jr., had died in 1968. In fact, George Schaab is very much alive today at the age of 96....

In 1897, Mark Twain responded to a mistaken report that he had died, “The report of my death was an exaggeration.” I was guilty of a similar exaggeration in the September issue of The Laurel Independent, reporting that one of Laurel’s military heroes, George T. Schaab Jr., had died in 1968. In...

09/18/2025

What are all those people doing? Why are they singing? What are they carrying? These are some questions Hyattsville locals might have asked one another on Sunday if they found themselves near St. Jerome’s Catholic Church. The local parish, which was established in 1886, organized a procession during their Sunday church service. Parishioners came out of the church and walked around the block in a long line while joyfully singing hymns....

What are all those people doing? Why are they singing? What are they carrying? These are some questions Hyattsville locals might have asked one another on Sunday if they found themselves near St. Jerome’s Catholic Church. The local parish, which was established in 1886, organized a procession duri...

09/17/2025

Police have arrested two Laurel residents in the past month and charged them with murder in two separate incidents. Laurel police arrested Kevin Raymond Nicholas Green, 34, of Laurel Oaks Lane, Aug. 12 and charged him with fatally stabbing one housemate and cutting another housemate with intent to kill. The slain victim was Terrence Smith Jr., 51, and the other victim was his son, Aiden Smith, 20....

Police have arrested two Laurel residents in the past month and charged them with murder in two separate incidents. Laurel police arrested Kevin Raymond Nicholas Green, 34, of Laurel Oaks Lane,  Aug. 12 and charged him with fatally stabbing one housemate and cutting another housemate with intent to...

09/17/2025

My family lives in a culturally diverse neighborhood here in West Laurel. We also have easy access to some of the area’s most popular and sought-after restaurants. Last month, I wrote about my family’s favorite cheap eats, and this month, I’m highlighting some of the international restaurants we bring out-of-town guests to, favorites where we also celebrate special occasions like anniversaries and birthdays....

My family lives in a culturally diverse neighborhood  here in West Laurel. We also have easy  access to some of the area’s most popular and sought-after restaurants. Last month, I wrote about my family’s favorite cheap eats, and this month, I’m highlighting some of the international restaura...

09/16/2025

If you’re taking the plunge into native gardening, you may find yourself adrift in a sea of new information, some of it questionable. A variety of common myths tends to surface when one does a Google search or hears native plants discussed in popular culture. This month, I’ll try to clarify where some of those myths come from and offer some tips to use in your own garden or when you discuss native plants with friends....

If you’re taking the plunge into native gardening, you may find yourself adrift in a sea of new information, some of it questionable. A variety of common myths tends to surface when one does a Google search or hears native plants discussed in popular culture. This month, I’ll try to clarify wher...