Thursday, January 26, 2012
After a court order, Prince George's County allows water and sewage plan to move forward for planned church.
A decade-long battle to build a controversial church in West Laurel could be nearing an end after the Prince George’s County Council this week approved a water and sewer plan that is a crucial component of the development. Reaching Hearts International Inc. plans to build a 72,000-square foot church on 17 acres at 6100 Brooklyn Bridge Road in West Laurel. Since 2003, the church has been battling the county council over zoning rights and sued the county for religious discrimination. In 2008, the congregation won a $3.7 million judgment in federal court. Last month, a U.S. District Court judge ordered the county to vacate its denial of the water and sewer service category change and process the request within 60 days. On Tuesday, the county…
Monday, January 23, 2012
Man collapses at Gardens Ice House after going into cardiac arrest.
A member of the D.C. Fire Department collapsed during a hockey game Sunday afternoon in West Laurel after going into cardiac arrest, according to Prince George’s County Fire/EMS. The incident happened around 5 p.m. at the Gardens Ice House along the 13800 block of Old Gunpowder Road. According to Fire/EMS officials, the man, said to be in his 30s, was playing ice hockey when he went into cardiac arrest. Players from both teams initiated CPR and used a defibrillator on the victim, according to Mark Brady, a Fire/EMS spokesman. Firefighters and paramedics arrived and initiated advanced life support measures and transported him to a nearby hospital where he was stabilized and transported to another hospital with cardiac specialty care, …
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Residents take to completed ICC in commuter race.
It was a roadway showdown of sorts -- to mark the opening of the next section of the Inter County Connector. Residents and officials from local regional transportation groups challenged each other to drive the different routes between Gaithersburg and Laurel, both using the new highway and not using it. The section that opened today will allow commuters to drive quickly from I-370 in Montgomery County to I-95 in Prince George's County. All that remains to be built of the 18.2-mile highway is a small stretch connecting I-95 to Route 1. That section is set to begin construction later this year or early next year. Members of the Suburban Maryland Transportation Alliance created a challenge to see who could reach the ICC’s end point near West…
Monday, October 24, 2011
Patch's roundup of some of the area's top headlines over the past week.
City Officials Give BG&E Low Marks on Hurricane Irene Peformance During a briefing with city officials earlier this month, representatives from Baltimore Gas and Electric received low marks from the city council on their peformance during Hurricane Irene. City officials blasted the company for lack of communication between utility representatives and local emergency responders during and after the storm, and the slow removal of trees throughout the city that were downed, reports the Laurel Leader. Officials from BG&E told the council that they were overwhelmed with service calls during the hurricane. "In Laurel, 23 percent [1,574] of the city's customer base lost power, compared to 65 percent of most counties, and 70 percent of Laurel …
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Prince George’s Council blasts BG&E officials, gives high marks to Pepco.
Members of the Prince George's County Council complained to Pepco and Baltimore Gas and Electric Tuesday about the utilities' performance during Hurricane Irene, but the worst criticism went to BG&E. While council members said Pepco made noticible improvements in customer service and numbers of outages from storms earlier this year, BG&E was blasted for lack of communication to customers and poor planning. Tuesday's meeting was the first time since the hurricane that companies addressed the council on their performance. Councilwoman Andrea Harrison (D-Dist. 5) complained that one school in her district was closed for five days due to power outages. Harrison said she’s been a BG&E customer all of her life and can never recall such bad …
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Flooding has caused Prince George's County to close several roads in Laurel area.
Flood waters have closed 12 roadways in Laurel and throughout Prince George's County. The Department of Public Works and Transportation has closed the following roads due to flooding: Currently, the State Highway Administration is reporting the following high water: Click here for a list of closures in Howard County.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Here's a look at news happening around town.
State and Local Leaders Converge on Laurel for Back to School State and local schools leaders were on hand at the Laurel bus lot of Cherry Lane to kick off back-to-school week in Prince George's County today. Schools Superintendent William R. Hite Jr., and Prince George's County Schools Chief of Supporting Services Michael Dodson showed their support to their staff as they greeted and talked with workers at the Laurel bus lot. Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown, Bernard J. Sadusky and District 1 Board of Education Member Rosalind A. Johnson also made appearances greetings students. Prince George's County Named to Most Digital List Is Prince George's County one of the most digital counties in the nation? According to an annual Digital Counties …
Monday, July 18, 2011
Here's what's been happening around town this past week.
Maryland Paranormal Society Takes On Ghosts of Snow Hill Manor What do you do if you're the supervisor of a manor home dating back to the 18th century that is plagued by supernatural activity? If you're Mary Schiappa, you call the local ghost busting group to investigate. The Greater Maryland Paranormal Society, a not-for-pronift paranormal investigation group, took to Snow Hill Manor in South Laurel on Friday to investigate claims by staff at the manor that the home is ripe with supernatural activity. Armed with high-tech electro magnetic gear that detects energy signatures of paranormal activity, the group set up shop in the home from late Friday into early Saturday. Stay with Laurel Patch all week for our coverage of the event including…
Monday, July 4, 2011
A Laurel man has spent the last 16 years building a model replica of the city--and he's not quite done yet.
In 1995, James Ladenburg of West Laurel began researching and constructing a scale model of Laurel Factory, the mill that inevitably lead to the founding of the city of Laurel. For the past 16 years, Landenberg has dedicated much of his free time to a project that, despite its historical significance, has gone relatively unnoticed by much of the Laurel community. Ladenburg, now 57, is an accomplished carpenter with over 40 years of experience. His modest apartment is littered with hand carved wooden statues and signs that tell remarkable stories of a man who spent his life using his imagination and hands to create stunning works of art out of nothing more than hunks, blocks and slabs of wood. “Since I was 8 years old, I’ve built stuff,” …
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Crowd wants answers from Councilwoman Mary Lehman, County Executive Rushern Baker.
More than 100 Laurel, College Park, Adelphi, Beltsville and Calverton residents packed a District 1 town hall meeting this week, demanding answers about development, water rates and infrastructure from Prince George's County officials. Councilwoman Mary A. Lehman (D-Dist. 1) organized the meeting Wednesday night in Beltsville that included County Executive Rushern Baker and officials from county agencies. Residents peppered officials with questions about the approval of environmentally hazardous developments, increasing Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) rates, funding for infrastructure on county roadways and over-development in rural areas. Lehman presented the crowd with a roundup of what was accomplished in the county for …
Henry Rice
7:04 pm on Monday, May 14, 2012
Don't believe in god, but thank whoever for saving this guy more ›