It makes GOOD SENSE to Hire Veterans!

June 1, 2014 marked the start of Operation Hire: Maryland's 100 Day Veteran Hiring Challenge.  This initiative keeps with the commitment to support veteran employment and is in alignment with the O'Malley-Brown Administration's GOAL of full employment for veterans by the end of 2015. Operation Hire will complement the supportive services already in place for our Maryland veterans.  The campaign is good for our veterans and families, it is good for our communities and for our businesses.

Employers can register to participate by visiting the Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA) website.  In addition, employers can access a number of human resources strategies to boost veteran recruitment.  

Veterans who are seeking employment can also visit the site to see who is participating, as well as to learn about State resources to assist them in finding employment.

Operation Hire will run through September 9.  Upon conclusion of the campaign, employers will be recognized for their participation.  Special recognition will be given to the employer with the most hires and the employer with the largest percentage of hires by workforce size.

Operation Hire, join the campaign today!

For more information please contact:

Dana Hendrickson, Director-Outreach and Advocacy

Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs

dana.hendrickson@maryland.gov

410-260-3842

​Operation Hire: Governor's Press Release :http://www.governor.maryland.gov/blog/?p=10386

Arlee W. Gist

Deputy Director

Minority Health and Health Disparities

Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

201 W. Preston Street,  Room 500

Baltimore, MD  21201

Telephone:  410-767-1052

FAX:   410-333-5100

Email:     Arlee.Gist@Maryland.gov  

Website:  www.dhmh.maryland.gov/mhhd

UPDATE ON SPEED CAMERAS

The never ending discussion on tickets from speed cameras has reached a new high.  Drivers may now have a way to seek justice rather than just pay the ticket while coffers get fatter and fatter.

If you have not read the new law and processes, please check out this link:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dr-gridlock/wp/2014/06/01/maryland-tightens-law-on-speed-cameras/

These are the key provisions:

1. A government must ensure that citations issued using cameras are sworn to by law enforcement officers.
2. The contractors responsible for the cameras can’t receive payments based on the number of tickets issued by their cameras.
3. A contractor must pay damages if more than 5 percent of the camera tickets are issued erroneously.
4. A school zone speed limit must be at least 20 mph to have a camera.
5. Before activating a speed camera, the local jurisdiction must ensure that each sign designating a school zone is near a sign warning of the speed camera’s use. When a camera is installed at a new location and the signs set up, the camera can issue only warnings for the first 15 days of operation.
6. A jurisdiction using speed cameras must designate an employee to act as a sort of ombudsman for people who complain about citations. If the employee determines the ticket was issued in error, the employee can void the citation. (This is in addition to the District Court review, which is still available to people who get speed camera citations.)
7. If this designated employee determines that a person didn’t receive notice of the violation because of an administrative error, then the employee can either resend the citation or void it.
8. The surest way of avoiding a $40 ticket is to obey the local speed limit.

WSSC IS READY TO START PAVING

WSSC is posting signs on 4517 30th St & 2901 Bunker Hill Rd, Mount Rainier for Monday June 2nd - June 4th to get the 2" milling started. 

Also,  31st Street scheduled for after the 2" milling is completed.

EXTRA WORK REQUIRED:  Please note - there is concrete under the road on 31st street which calls for deep mill - we will have to dig out the concrete with gradalls and base to the top. 

HEADLIGHTS REQUIRED 24/7 ON BAY BRIDGE

FREE BASEBALL CAMP

Prince George’s County Police Departments

Police Athletic League & Badges For Baseball

2014 Summer Baseball Camp

The 2014 Summer Baseball Camp is a FREE 5 day program that teams up Prince George’s County Police Officers, volunteers and youth ages 10-14 together!

This CO-ED camp uses baseball to teach the importance of:

ü Healthy Living

ü Staying in School

ü Staying off Drugs

ü Staying away from Peer Pressure, Gangs

and much more!

“Baseball’s just a walk of life. Everything you do in baseball you do in life and everything you do in life you do in baseball”. Cal Ripken Sr.

This FREE baseball camp will be July 14^th, 2014 through July 18^th, 2014 at:

Greenbelt Middle School

6301 Breezewood Drive

Greenbelt, MD 20770

*Limited to first 60 Registrants

For More Information Please Email: Knschnitzenbaumer@co.pg.md.us or contact The Community Services Division at 301-909-7126,    

Cpl. Schnitzenbaumer #2862

Reminder from Delegate Michael Summers

Senior Health and Fitness Day

Top of Form

Date & Time: Wednesday, May 21, 2014 8 am-1 pm Description: Seniors, join us for a fun health and fitness day, especially for YOU! At this event, there will be free health screenings, fitness activities, and a senior resource center featuring over 50 exhibitors. View the flyer for more details! Cost: Free Ages: 60 & better Location: Prince George's Sports and Learning Complex 8001 Sheriff Road, Landover 20785 Contact: 301-449-0490; TTY 301-446-340

Bet you didn't know this!

Call-A Cab Offers 50% Coupons for Disabled Citizens and/or Seniors through County Office of Transportation 

Dear Friends,  

There will be over 50 exhibitors at the Senior Health and Fitness Day this Wednesday, May 21, 2014 at the Prince George's Sports and Learning Complex, 8001 Sheriff Road, Landover, 20785 from 8 am until 1 pm.  The day is sponsored by Maryland National Capital Park and Planning.  Come on out, enjoy the day, and learn about other special programs available for you.

I also wanted to highlight a program, Call-A-Cab, offered through the County Department of Public Works and Transportation.  Seniors and/or disabled residents may purchase up to fourteen $20.00 coupon books every six months and receive a list of participating cab companies and their phone numbers so you may call the cab company of your choice directly and receive a 50% fare reduction.   For more information and an application to apply for coupons call 301-883-5656.

Please share with any citizen you know who is 60 or better!

Regards, Michael G. Summers, Delegate, District 47A

Mount Rainier Peace Parade to Start ONE HOUR LATE

Shawn Hintz, Principal

Please be advised that due to transportation of the Northwestern Band to the Parade, the parade will begin at 10:00 AM not 9:0O AM. We will hold the event rain or shine (modified route if rain) so please bring an umbrella.  

We hope you are still able to join us and we apologize for any inconvenience for the change in time.

Haven't MET the Candidates in our District?

Then come out and meet them on Tuesday, May 13.

There will be a Candidate Forum featuring the two candidates for the District 2 County Council seat that I am running for and the five candidates running for the two District 47A Delegate seats, on Tuesday, May 13th. It will be a good chance to see the various candidates and hear what they have to say.

The Candidate Forum will start Tuesday at 6:30 pm and will be at the Rollingcrest Community Center, 6420 Sargent Road, Hyattsville.

Come and see who is running and what they have to say. The Forum is sponsored by the civic associations in the Chillum area.

Candidate Forum--
Tuesday, May 13th, 6:30 pm,
Rollingcrest Community Center, 6420 Sargent Rd

Maryland's First GUBERNATORIAL DEBATE -- 2014

The FIRST Gubernatorial debate among the Maryland Democratic Candidates is tonight at  MAY 7, 2014 at 7pm.

Watch it live on NBC4, WHAG, and MPT or stream it online at nbcwashington.com.

Meet the Press anchor David Gregory will be moderating the debate hosted by The University of Maryland, NBC4 Washington, and Bowie State University.

TUNE IN to see what the candidates are talking about.  Voting will take place in Maryland at all local precincts.  Check out where you are voting TODAY, and be at the polls for the Primary Election - June 24, 2014

Early Voting for the Primary Election - Thursday, June 12, 2014 through Thursday, June 19, 2014 from 10 am until 8 pm.
General Election - November 4, 2014

Early Voting for the General Election - Thursday, October 23, 2014 through Thursday, October 30, 2014 from 10 am until 8 pm.

Maryland's NEW MINIMUM WAGE -- $10.10

Moments ago, I signed legislation to raise Maryland's minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. 

We brought workers, activists, business owners and faith leaders together and forged consensus to give hundreds of thousands of Marylanders a raise. 

Strengthening Maryland's middle class has been the North Star of my administration, and our work to raise the wage was the centerpiece of a legislative session that saw us expand Pre-K, protect the environment, promote fairness for all Marylanders, and invest in education and job creation. 

Take a moment to celebrate our shared accomplishment by spreading the word about our work to #RaiseTheWage on Facebook and Twitter. 

Share on Facebook | Spread the Word On Twitter


While we celebrate our hard-fought victory in Maryland, there's still work to be done in Washington, D.C. Just last week, Republicans in the U.S. Senate filibustered legislation that would have raised the minimum wage for ALL Americans. 

When workers have more money, businesses have more customers. Raising the wage nationally would create demand for new jobs and reduce spending on those who rely on government assistance to make ends meet. 

More jobs and less spending: that should be something all Republicans and Democrats can agree on. 

Spread the word about our victory on Facebook and Twitter and tell Congress to do the same for all Americans. 

No one who works full-time should be forced to raise a family in poverty. Thanks for joining our campaign to make sure that never happens again in Maryland. 

All the best, 

Martin O'Malley 
Governor, Maryland 

ANNUAL PEACE PARADE -- Mount Rainier Elementary School

Please join us for our annual Peace Day Parade around the Mount Rainier Elementary neighborhood. 

This annual event celebrates the peaceful environment created at Mount Rainier Elementary School and shared with the community

The Peace Parade will take place on Friday, May 16,2014, and will leave from in front of the school at 9:00 AM. 

Show your support for this annual tradition by coming out and supporting our children as they show their school spirit!

BUDGET PREPARATIONS WELL UNDER WAY

Budget Preparations – Mayor and Council are hard at work on FY2015 budget.  Lots of needs and limited funds.  Mayor and Council are struggling to keep and/or increase the level of services to the community while not raising taxes.  This is a very hard task to accomplish when the needs are so great.

Some of the proposals on the table include, not hiring an assistant City manager, hiring an assistant City manager with 60% economic responsibilities and 40% management responsibilities; hiring an assistant City manager with responsibilities for managing code enforcement (certification in code enforcement required); hiring an economic development specialist to concentrate on development of the downtown area, and raising taxes to fund that position.  There is also discussion on the table about raising taxes to generate much needed revenue, and to limit the amount of money that might be used out of the contingency fund to balance the budget and come up with the funds to cover some of the stated needs. No final decisions have been reached, and further discussion is scheduled for the next work session, May 6, 2014.

The Constant Yield Tax Rate hearing was held on Tuesday, April 22, 2014.  No one from the general public attended.  The Constant Yield Tax Rate for 2015 $0.86.  The constant yield tax rate is the tax rate that a jurisdiction would have to impose in order to obtain the same amount of property tax revenue in fiscal year 2015 as it received in fiscal year 2014. If a jurisdiction plans to set a tax rate higher than the constant yield rate, the jurisdiction must advertise the tax increase and hold a public hearing before setting the tax rate for fiscal 2015. Municipalities are exempt from these requirements if maintaining the same tax rate would raise less than $25,000 more revenue in fiscal 2015 than in fiscal 2014. This last sentence does not apply to Mount Rainier.

	7/1/2014	7/1/2014	7/1/2014	7/1/2015	7/1/2014
Jurisdiction	Net Assessable Real Property Base	Tax Rate	Potential Revenue	Net Assessable Real Property Base	CYTR
Mount Rainier	337,420,516	x 0.86 =	2,901,816 ÷	340,586,039	= 0.852

The City is facing the same crisis that all of you are facing with the rising cost of oil, gasoline, electric, health care, retirement, and general maintenance and upkeep.  We are striving to become more energy efficient.  We are going green when we can, and we are pushing composing and recycling as major goals that residents can help us achieve.  (NOTE:  If you need a composting bin, please contact Public Works.  The first batch went quickly, and a new order has been placed.)  These rising costs are also going to impact our budget, and our ability to respond quickly and efficiently to the needs of our City.  

I invite you to take a moment to get a copy of our current budget, to really see what your mayor and council is working with to efficiently and effectively run our City.   Let your Ward representative hear from you and your concerns regarding this year’s budget, tax cuts, tax raises or whatever else you have on your mind.  The window of opportunity will soon be gone, and the new budget will be implemented on July 1, 2014.  At this juncture, the Mayor is opposed to raising taxes to create an economic development specialist or to delete the assistant manager position that has functioned as assistant manager, economic development and overseer for code enforcement and other activities in the City, including road construction, emergencies and other duties as required to meet the needs of the City.

On that note, I am taking this opportunity to thank Mr. Michael Jackson for all of the work that he provided to the City as Assistant Manager for the past six or more years.  Over those years, he wrote grants, served as the City’s IT person, website developer, provided oversight for code enforcement, editor of the City’s Newsletter, and a host of other job functions that were assigned from time to time.  Michael landed a wonderful job at the Smithsonian, and started working there last week.  He will be missed, and no matter what the budget decision is, he cannot be replaced.  Thank you Michael for your hard work and dedication to Mount Rainier.

THE MOUNT RAINIER DAY FESTIVAL

MOUNT RAINIER DAY FESTIVAL -- The Mount Rainier Day Festival is planned for Saturday, May 17.  It is an all-day fun event for families, friends and relatives.  Please mark your calendars and plan to attend.  Our City will once again come alive with activities to celebrate our spirit of community and our cultural diversity. 

The parade will line up at 10:00am.  It will follow a new route this year to give others in the community an opportunity to share in this event.  The lineup will be at the Mount Rainier Nature and Recreation Center.  The parade will leave the Nature Center at 11:00am.  Once through the gates, the parade will turn right onto Arundel Road; left on 30^th Street; Left on Upshur, down Rainier Avenue, right on 34^th, around the circle, down Perry, and finally left on 36 street, and will fall out on Rhode Island Avenue.  We will be joined again this year with the Largo Marching Band. 

Entertainment this year will start with the Military Band.  They will play a few numbers and the MC, Councilwoman Trina Brown from Bladensburg will introduce the bands for the day.  They promise to be hot and a lot of fun.

Vendors will be set up and ready for business by 9:30am.  Please come out and support them.  They come back year after year because of your participation and support.

Our popular children’s section will be up and promises to be excellent.  There will be the moon bounce, cotton candy, popcorn, and a lot more.  We have requested the horses and the race cars, but they have not been confirmed.  Keep your fingers crossed, we just pull it off.  The Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission will be in the house with its Skate Mobile, finger painting and of course Chuzzy the Clown will be in his usual spot painting faces and making animals out of the balloons.

The day is shaping up to be fun for the entire family.  So come out and support this fun filled day!  There will be a free souvenir cup for the first 1,000 participants, so stop by the Mount Rainier Day Festival Committee table for your stadium cup.  When they are gone, they are gone.

To raise fund to support this year’s activities, the Mount Rainier Day Festival Committee will also be holding two raffles.  A $1 raffle for ten (10) $25 gift cards, and a $5 50/50 raffle.  Drawings for the gift cards will be announced and held every hour or so.  The final raffle (1 ticket for $5 or 2 tickets for $8) will be for a 32 inch color television.  You must be present to win for all of the raffles.  Tickets will be drawn until there is a winner present, and the winning ticket must be presented before the prize can be collected.

In addition to the raffles, the City will be providing transportation all day long.  For your convenience and to reduce the need for parking, the City will have the Call A Bus and the Police Van circling the City.  The route for the transportation service will be shared through a flyer, and will be available on cable channels 21 (Verizon), and 71 (Comcast).  Please also check out the City’s website www.mountrainiermd.org for additional information.  Both vehicles will make stops at Kaywood Garden Apartments, Queens Manor, Rainier Manor, Queenstown and 34^th and Bunker Hill Road.  The rides are FREE, so please use them all day long.

The transportation is made possible by our sponsors, Kaywood Garden Apartments through the Kay Management Team; Rainier Manor through the Humphrey Management, Queens Manor, and Queenstown Apartments.  Each of these management teams contributed generously to this event, and we are forever grateful.  Pepsi Cola Company also stepped up to the plate when asked, and made a contribution of fifty (50) cases of mixed sodas and ten (10) cases of water.  So, stop by and join the Pepsi Generation while picking up your stadium cup.  The Mount Rainier Day Festival Committee is happy to have these sponsors for this year’s event, and we hope that they will be our sponsors and partners for years to come.

Just when you thought it could not get any better, the Committee came up with the ideas to support the Mount Rainier Food Pantry, and newly created entity led by Rev. Brian Adam of the Mount Rainier Christian Church.  If you are coming to the Festival, PLEASE bring one or two can goods to share with those most in need in our City.  There will be a collection station in front of City Hall.

Interested in driving the Call A Bus and/or the Police Van?  Got a valid Maryland driver’s license, no points, no criminal record, personal car insurance, know the City and City limits?  Give Mayor Malinda Miles a call (301-237-3889) or email her at mayormiles@gmail.com (emails PREFERRED).  Drivers will be paid up to $25 an hour for eight hours of work.

Finally, Mount Rainier’s downtown business community has been invited to put some of their wares and merchandise out on the street.  That’s right, they will be street vending to showcase what they have in their stores.  PLEASE stop by, introduce yourself, and make a purchase.  They will be glad to see you.

This year’s Mount Rainier Day Committee includes Janis Lomax, Officer Eddie Murphy, and Mayor Malinda Miles.  Volunteers are needed.  Each volunteer selected will be given a Mount Rainier Day Festival T-shirt.  Please contact Ms. Lomax, if you would like to volunteer.  Ms. Lomax can be reached at 301-985-6585, Monday through Friday from 9:00a until 5:00pm.

Check out Writing.com

Visit my Writing Portfolio Online on Writing.Com.

Help OTHERS While We Have FUN!

On Mount Rainier Day, May 17, 2014, I am asking EVERYBODY to bring at LEAST ONE CAN of FOOD to donate to the newly created Mount Rainier Food Pantry!  It is not a FEE.  You will have a great time whether you bring a can or not, BUT you have all asked how can I help?

WELL, this is one way to give back to the community that has served so many of us so well over the years.  Bring a can of something you love.  Check the use by date so it has some shelf life.  Remember, you may be helping a family in Mount Rainier that you grew up with or an old classmate.  You never know!

There will be a drop off place for can goods in front of Mount Rainier's City Hall.  PLEASE HELP to make this effort a MAJOR SUCCESS!

Thank you in advance.

County Pet Foster Family Program needs YOU to Volunteer!

For immediate release:
April 23, 2014

For more information, contact:Linda Lowe
Public Information Officer
Prince George’s County
Department of Environmental Resources
(301) 883-5952 (office)
(301) 836-2115 (cell)

County Pet Foster Family Program needs YOU to Volunteer! 

County shelter seeks volunteers to assist animals in need of a second chance

Largo, MD – Do you love animals and want them to live in a nice home with a loving family?  If so, the Prince George’s County Department of Environmental Resources’ (DER) Animal Management Division (AMD) needs YOU to volunteer in the County’s Pet Foster Family Program. AMD staff will host two free seminars so that prospective volunteers can learn more about this great program on Wednesday, April 23 from 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, April 26 from 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.  Both sessions will be held at the Animal Services Facility located at 3750 Brown Station Road in Upper Marlboro.

“This program helps animals that are too young, injured, recovering from surgery, have other special needs, or in need of a second chance so that they can become more adoptable,” says DER Director Adam Ortiz.  “By opening up your heart and home as an animal foster parent, you can help make a difference in a pet’s life.”

Foster volunteers will report back to the Animal Services Facility on a regular basis.  This will allow the Facility to monitor the animals’ progress and provide any assistance that the foster families may need. At the end of the stay, volunteers are encouraged to find potential adopters who are required to meet the County’s adoption criteria.

For more information on the Pet Foster Family Program, contact Christina Manucy at 301-780-7219, contact County Click at 3-1-1 or visitwww.princegeorgespets4us.com or  http://www.princegeorgescountymd.gov/sites/AnimalManagement/Pages/default.aspx

MD League of Conversation Voters Endorses Michael Summers for State Delegate

Brent C Bolin	4:32 PM (4 hours ago)

Hello Mount Rainier friends,

As many of you know I work at the Maryland League of Conservation Voters, where we are focused on electing conservation minded candidates. As of the 2014 election our district, the 47th, has split into 47A and 47B. Mount Rainier is located in 47A and we will elect two delegates and one senator to represent us in the General Assembly.

Only one incumbent delegate is returning in 47A, Michael Summers, and he has an 88% lifetime environmental score and has been endorsed for re-election by MD LCV. Delegate Summers has served as the lead sponsor on one of my bills and I can say that he fought long and well with us, and was a great legislative partner.

MD LCV is hosting a Mount Rainier open house to meet Delegate Summers this Sunday, April 27, 4-6pm, at 3215 Perry Street. Please drop in for some or all of the event to meet Delegate Summers and hear his vision for environmental issues over the next four years in the General Assembly. There is no cost to attend the event.

Thanks and I hope to see you there!

Brent

PS For those who are wondering, LCV endorsements come out in multiple rounds and other endorsements in the 47th are still pending.

Cultural Arts EXPO

BETTER BLOCK NIGHT RETURNS TO MOUNT RAINIER, MARYLAND

BETTER BLOCK NIGHT RETURNS TO MOUNT RAINIER, MARYLAND

Joe’s Movement Emporium and Art Lives Here team up for and community oriented, arts-centered evening at the intersection of Rhode Island Avenue and 34^th Street

Mount Rainier, MD:  April 25^th from 6 – 10 pm the Mount Rainier Circle and intersecting streets of Rhode Island Avenue and 34^th street will come alive for one evening of music, workshops, parade, performances, open studios, arts activities, and more! This year Better Block will feature Lesole’s Dance Project, Urban Eats, Adinkra Cultural Arts Studio, Beloved Community Mosaics, artist Kenny George and Patrick McDonough’s Chard/Hops spot, a Hoop Jam by Noelle Powers to the body rollin’ tunes of BOOMscat and family friendly arts activities by local organizations.

BetterBlock.org calls the model of Better Block a “demonstration tool that acts as a living charrette so that communities can actively engage” with they spaces they call home. Art Lives Here partners the artist community with local businesses, two community development corporations, four cities, and Prince George’s County to increase regional visibility for the arts district and enliven our two-mile corridor using a mix of temporary and longer term projects to support existing small business, attract commercial in-fill, prepare for a new round of anchor developments, and further strengthen our diverse and streetwise creative communities. Funded by ArtPlace America’s creative placemaking grant, Art Lives Here seeks to empower community organizations and artists as activists for the Gateway Arts District.

For additional information about Art Lives Here, contact Neena Narayanan, Art Lives Here Coordinator, at Joe’s Movement Emporium, at Neena@joesmovement.org or 301-699-1819. Please visitwww.ArtLivesHereMD.wordpress.com and www.myGatewayArts.org to learn more about Art Lives Here and the Gateway Arts District.

#          #          #

Art Lives Here is a community collaboration facilitated by Joe’s Movement Emporium. Planning Partners include Gateway Community Development Corporation, Hyattsville Community Development Corporation, Prince George’s African American Museum and Cultural Center, Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Art Works Now, Red Dirt Studio, Joe’s Movement Emporium and Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council. The initiative is supported by ArtPlace America and Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.

--

Neena Narayanan
Art Lives Here/Marketing Coordinator

Joe's Movement Emporium
World Arts Focus
3309 Bunker Hill Road
Mount Rainier, MD 20712
301-699-1819
www.artlivesheremd.wordpress.com

www.joesmovement.org