inside:
Hyattsville Life&Times
Vol. 6 No. 2
earLY votING
Hyattsville’s Community Newspaper
February 2009
No tears in these beers
Early voting ballot counting not likely in city due to cost. PAGE 3
by Dan Coogan
D mINIvaN maN
Columnist Tim Hunt loses all credibility by buying a minivan. PAGE 4 PHOTO BY DAN COOGAN (L-R) Andrew Bradley, Dan Coogan and Justin Smith check out Rubber Chicken Red, the newest brew at Franklin’s Restaurant.
raising Cain
espite being a beer drinker, I feel detached from the increasingly sophisticated world of beer. While connoisseurs compare the delicacy of the India Pale Ale (IPA) and the Oatmeal Stout, I select a 30-pack of Bud because of price, not palate. Seeking to learn the finer points of the pale ale, the session beer, and the stout, I created a research team consisting of two friends, Andy Bradley (taster #1) and Justin Smith (taster #2), and myself (taster #3) to judge the merits of Franklin’s microbrewed beers. I chose Andy and Justin, drinking partners for more than a decade, because they also share my ignorance – an ignorance that precludes us from praising the “temperament of the malts,” “the effusiveness of the barley,” or “a hoppiness that conjures Beer continued on page
SNOW DAY
Residents, authorities dispute over Hamilton Street house addition
ParKING Wars
Rt. 1 is in need a facelift - and better parking for visitors. PAGE 3
by Paula Minaert & Sarah Nemeth
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Hyattsville Life & Times PO Box 132 Hyattsville, MD 20781 PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit # 43 Easton, MD 21601
n what has become a multi-jurisdictional torrent of he-said, shesaid, Gerard and Makenda St. Michel continue to find themselves embroiled in a seven-year dispute over the construction of an addition to their Hamilton Street house. And it is likely that even if county officials grant them an exception for their addition – which does not comply with county code – the couple will still find themselves in a jumble that has city, county and regional officials scratching their heads. Adding to the difficulty, the St. Michels – who have four children living at home – must untangle the process while living in a small apartment outside Hyattsville. In February of 2008 the city declared their house at 4002 Hamilton unfit for human habitation and they had to move. Makenda St. Michel, who has been doing most of the construction herself, quit her job to finish the work. Gerard, who was laid off from his job, recently found other work but at half the salary, he said.
“this has been a real hardship because we’re paying both the rent [at the apartment] and the mortgage.” — Makenda St. Michel homeowner
“This has been a real hardship, because we’re paying both the rent [at the apartment] and the mortgage,” Makenda said. “And now they want us to pay for all these changes.” On Feb. 4, the Prince George’s County Board of Zoning Appeals delayed a decision on granting the variance. The hearing was the latest in a long series of permit applications, permit revisions, inspections, complaints, phone calls and meetings about the
PHOTOS BY SARAH NeMeTH Residents shovel snow after an ice/snow storm hit the city last month.
HouSe continued on page 10
Included: The February 11, 2009 Issue of The Hyattsville Reporter—See Center Section
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Hyattsville Life & Times | February 2009
FromTheEditor How to attend a presidential inauguration by Sarah Nemeth
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attended the inauguration of President Barack Obama on Jan. 20 and took mental notes just for you, our readers, in case you decide to attend an inauguration four years from now. tHe WeeK BeFore: I planned. Plotted my route from home to the National Mall via the Metro. Got invited to an “anti-Inauguration party,” complete with comfort food (I didn’t vote for the guy); sent my roommate and her friends to DuPont Circle for a “sage burning” where people were also gathered to pitch their shoes at an inflated George W. Bush doll. tHe morNiNG oF: Left my house at 9:15 a.m., parked at the
A community newspaper chronicling the life and times of Hyattsville Mailing address: Po Box 132, Hyattsville, MD 20781 Hyattsville Life & Times is published monthly by Hyattsville Community Newspaper, Inc., a 501c(3) nonprofit corporation. Interested reporters should send their e-mail addresses to the editor to be reminded of deadlines and receive internal news. Articles and news submitted may be edited. The deadline is the last week of the month for the following month’s issue. Letters to the editor and opinions are encouraged. For all e-mail correspondence with HL&T: news, features, tips, advertising and business write to hyattsvillelifeandtimes@gmail.com. To submit articles, letters to the editor, etc. , e-mail Hyattsvillelifeandtimes@gmail.com. For inquiries re advertising rates or to submit ad copy please email to Hyattsvillelife@Yahoo.com. Sarah nemeth: executive editor 240.354.4832 betweensundays@gmail.com Production: electronic ink Writers & Contribtors: Colleen Aistis John Aquilino Keith Blackburn Steve Clements Michael Martucci Hugh Turley Board of Directors: Christopher Currie Matthew McKnight Tim Hunt Bert Kapinus Sarah Nemeth Circulation: Copies are distributed monthly by U.S. Mail to every address in Hyattsville. Additional copies are distributed to libraries, selected businesses, community centers and churches in the city. Total circulation is 7,500. HL&t is a member of the national newspaper Association.
West Hyattsville Metro station, bought ticket and waited in cold for train. Wondered how far I would have to walk since some train stations were closed because 68-yearold woman had fallen onto the tracks at Gallery Place/Chinatown station (She’s OK BTW). aN HoUr BeFore: Got a pamphlet with facts about inaugurations from a member of Jews for Jesus/ McLean Bible Church at the Federal Triangle station. Got picture taken with street preacher wearing a shirt saying, “Trust Jesus”; giggled at the fanatics screaming into bull horns, calling for Obama to “repent”; shoehorned myself onto a teeny slice of the Mall amidst millions of folk. momeNts BeFore: Talked to people from Georgia and Colorado, who became the newest contributors of DNA to my body; got press pass and digital camera ready; Decided was much warmer inside human bounce house than on the fringes; and should stay crushed inside it so I could watch the happenings on Jumbotron. riVeted to tHe sCreeN: Shifted body weight at least 12 dozen times during the processional
alone. Grew genuinely tired when finally Diane Feinstein, the emcee, stepped to microphone and introduced Rev. Rick Warren to pray over the new president. People around me, mostly with bowed heads, giggled as Warren over-emphasized names of Obama’s children “ma-LEEEah, and “sssssssssSAH-sha.”And I was probably PHOTO BY SARAH NeMeTH lone Bush American flags wave as Barack Obama is sworn in. supporter in crowd, and while in- Head ‘em UP, Herd ‘em get downstairs. Some cried after a spired by Obama’s inau- oUt: Understandably, National fight over the elevator broke out. guration speech, was also Mall was cordoned off with desig- Some smelled. Some shouted. a bit disheartened at the nated ingress and egress. But after disrespect he piled onto Obama’s speech, many of the open- aLmost Home: My “nighta man sitting less than ings that had been there before the mare” didn’t end when I got to five feet away from him. ceremony were blocked off. Took West Hyattsville station. Lost I decided to keep quiet, an hour just to get off the Mall. I driver’s license and bank card genuinely worried for walked up and down Jefferson, up and could not purchase my way my safety just because I Independence, all over L’Enfant out of parking lot (signs said you didn’t whoop and holler as Michelle Plaza, back down Jefferson, across had to use a Smart Card and no Obama appeared from the Capital the Mall, and finally a police officer cash was accepted). Couldn’t bear (great outfit, wasn’t it?), so wasn’t said we had to walk down two miles the thought of walking all the way about to take chances by cheering before we could exit the Mall on the down Hamilton just to get home for Bush. Besides, time to move on, west side. It was like the Twilight and didn’t have any money for a time to support new guy. Time to Zone, a nightmare, or maybe 1984. taxi. Prayed. Metro guy told me hope he succeeds and, vicariously I finally made it to 18th Street and the price to park was only $4 that through him, that America succeeds. walked another couple miles to Far- day, and that if I hadn’t paid on my And folk seemed happy ...dancing in ragut West station. It took about way in, I didn’t have to pay upon 30 minutes for the crowd to just leaving. Joy! the streets happy.
COMMENTARY AND OPINION ON HISTORY & POLITICS
Hugh’sNews Time to break the silence by Hugh Turley
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he inauguration of President Obama was called Martin Luther King’s dream fulfilled, and images of the two men appeared on souvenir posters and shirts. David Gergen compared Obama’s speaking ability to King’s. Television footage showed familiar images of King’s struggle for desegregation in Birmingham, Ala., voting rights in Selma, Ala. the march on Washington, D.C. in 1963, and finally at the motel where King was assassinated in 1968. But we hear nothing from the
last years of King’s life, from 1965 to 1968. His speeches during that time were as unacceptable then as they are today. By 1967 King was an opponent of American militarism, and he supported “an all-embracing and unconditional love for all men.” On April 4, 1967, exactly one year before his assassination, he delivered a speech, “A Time to Break Silence,” at New York’s Riverside Church, where he said that those who questioned his opposition to war did not really know him. “I could never raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the
greatest purveyor of violence in the world today – my own government,” King said. “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.” King preached that the good news of Jesus Christ was for all men, and he spoke for those designated as our enemies. “We are called to speak for the weak, for the voiceless, for the victims of our nation and those it calls enemy, for no document from human hands can make these humans any less our brothers,” said King who quoted from the first epistle of St. John. “Let us love one another;
for God is love and everyone that loveth is born of God and knoweth God … If we love one another God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.” Time magazine called the speech “demagogic slander.” The Washington Post said, “Many who have listened to him with respect will never again accord him the same confidence. He has diminished his usefulness to his cause, to his country, and to his people.” The NAACP decried King’s stand against the war, adopting a resolution declaring that it was not a peace organization but a HugH’S neWS continued on page 11
Hyattsville Life & Times | February 2009
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PHOTO BY SHARMINA MANDAHAR A city parking lot adjacent to Franklin’s Restaurant on Baltimore Avenue offers free parking for patrons of local restaurants and shops.
Route 1 in need of a facelift by Sharmina Mandahar
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very morning before he opens Arrow Bicycle shop on Baltimore Avenue, Chris Militello goes out with a broom and bucket and sweeps outside his store. He sweeps outside a vacant lot next door and picks up empty soda cans, pieces of food and plastic bags. Militello then pays a private company to take the trash away. “Ever since I co-opened my store last May, I haven’t seen a city sweeper cleaning the streets in the area,” Militello said. He also said that when he informally spoke to Hyattsville city officials about the issue, he found out that since U.S. Route 1 is a state highway, the State Highway Administration, not the city, is responsible for Route 1. Militello has however never called the city to officially complain. “I know it’s not the city’s fault, but we as a whole need to do more on this part of Hyattsville,” Militello said. “We need to make this area look more appealing and give people a reason to come down here.”
Militello’s thoughts are shared by Shante Robinson, owner of Runway Studios Salon and Boutique at 5106 Baltimore Ave. “This area is known as the gateway to Arts District Hyattsville,” Robinson said. “It would be nice to keep the area clean and have benches and flowers to make it more beautiful.” According to Hyattsville City Administrator Elaine Murphy, even though the city is not responsible for Route 1, it can still help resolve the issues. “Identification of the issues that are causing concerns and sharing that information with the city would be the best place to start,” Murphy said. “We work with many levels of county and state government and have developed good working relationships.” Another concern of some local business owners is the lack of parking for customers. SHA spokesperson Kimberly Frum said that the administration has worked in the past with the city to allow parking for businesses during non-peak travel hours. route 1 continued on page 11
Election policies, ballot counting discussed for muncipal elections by Sarah Nemeth
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tate election law now provides for early voting, but the Hyattsville City Council does not think that option would be best for the registered voters within the municipality. In October, the state General Assembly passed a proposed amendment to the Maryland Constitution removing legal barriers to early voting. The measure became law after the November general election, when 72 % of Maryland voters cast ballots in favor of it. According to the state Board of Elections, there were 1,574,480 yes votes and 623,220 votes against early voting. But for Hyattsville, with a population of 14,733 – according to the 2000 U.S. Census – the measure likely would be cost-prohibitive. Offering an early day for residents
to vote at polling places would cost about $4,000, said Lisa Pineda, supervisor of Hyattsville’s Board of Election Supervisors. Here’s the breakdown of that amount, according to Pineda: • Machines and the company providing them – $2,810 • Judges – $600 • Dinners for poll workers on the designated early voting day – $200 At a Jan. 12 public hearing, the council also discussed election procedures, including a new state provision that no longer requires voters to provide a reason for submitting absentee ballots. Elections Supervisor Anna Frankle said there were many absentee ballots presented at the November general election. “Our thinking is if we advertise
“If we advertise [absentee ballots] even more clearly this time around, that would [take care of the need] for early voting.” — Anna Frankle Elections Supervisor
[absentee ballots] even more clearly this time around that would [take care of the need] for early voting,” she said. Prince George’s County election officials have to be on hand at city votes because there are questions that the local election judges do voting continued on page 11
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Hyattsville Life & Times | February 2009
FromTheHills U Hills man buys minivan, loses all credibility by Tim Hunt
“M
r. Hunt, I don’t know where you are getting your numbers from. The only thing I know is that you are a hard working man who is trying to get your wife this van so that she can drive around the kids. That’s why I’m working for her.” The first time the sales manager said that, I dared not even look at Karen as I tried to maintain my stern negotiating face. By the third or fourth iteration of that remark, I almost felt compelled to set the record straight. Though he is someone whose livelihood depends on pop-psychoanalysis in order to squeeze the most money out of customers, he was playing the wrong game. The truth of the matter is that the minivan was mostly going to be for me to drive the kids around. After negotiations ran their
course and stalled, Karen and I left and laughed the whole way home. Since fate and financial sensibility allowed me a career with my kids, I had not yet attained super dad nirvana. But with this very significant purchase, that goal drew closer. My old, used Honda Civic, which had carried me through 11 formative years, had finally made her last journey days before and she, rest her soul, was the farthest thing from my mind. Halfway through my second beer that night, I could barely contain myself. The next evening, after a difficult afternoon of negotiating, the Divine intervened as I spoke to the sales manager of another dealership over the phone. “Sir, you are truly blessed to live in this area,” he said. The proximity of many dealerships allowed me the good fortune to negotiate MinivAn continued on page 11
Ross meets with U Hills residents sCHooL sitUatioN State Delegate Justin Ross attended the University Hills Area Civic Association meeting on January 28th to offer his support of the desire of University Hills residents to remain with University Park Elementary School. During a Ward 3 meeting in September, representatives – including Council members Krista Atteberry and Anthony Patterson (Ward 3), state Senator Paul Pinsky, Ross and Mayor William Gardiner – were asked if they would support residents of University Hills in their desire to remain with University Park Elementary as opposed to the proposed 800-student school adjacent to Nicolas Orem MidroSS continued on page 11
MissFloribunda dear miss Floribunda, My yard is a mess because I was informed that it was against city regulations to let my sump pump empty into the alley. With icy conditions now, I can understand this and I certainly wouldn’t want any
of the dog walkers who go by to slip and fall. I was glad to comply and diverted the water to my own lawn. However, it is disheartening to look out my window now and see either a skating rink or a bog. My yard isn’t big enough for a dry well. Can you think of any solution to my problem? Discouraged on Decatur Street
dear discouraged, I have good news for you. A rain garden is your solution and an acknowledged expert on this topic will be giving a special presentation on “Rainscaping” at 7:30 p.m. tonight at City Hall, 4310 Gallatin St. We expect a good turnout because rain gardens and bioretention are hot topics in our environmentally progressive community. Our inspiring speaker’s name is Zora Lathan and she is the executive director of the Chesapeake Ecology Center. I met her when I attended a workshop she gave at the U.S. Botanical Gardens last summer. To get a preliminary idea of what rain gardens involve and the many benefits they offer visit www.chesapeakeecologycenter.org.
By improving soil tilth, following the natural contours of the land, selecting grasses, shrubs and flowers with different moisture needs (to plant wherever these contours provide appropriate moisture) you can achieve a beautiful and very easily maintained garden. In addition, you will also be doing the environment a great favor, most especially Maryland’s own endangered Chesapeake Bay. Rain gardens keep rain in the soil where it is beneficial, rather than allowing runoff contaminated by chemical fertilizers, pesticides and road paving to flood into our waterways and the bay. If you wish to learn more about rainscaping as well as other fascinating aspects of Bioretention – green roofs, permeable paving, rainwater-collecting barrels and irrigation – be sure to come hear Lathan speak tonight. You are also invited to the next meeting of the Hyattsville Horticultural Society at 10 a.m. on Feb. 21. It will take place at 5300 42nd Ave, the home of Dr. Pacificus Carro-Antiguo. Miss Floribunda is the collected wisdom of the Hyattsville Horticultural Society compiled and edited by Victoria Hille.
Hyattsville Life & Times | February 2009
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TO HELP YOU NOURISH A TRANQUIL LIFE
LifeNotes Zesting love by Cassandra Johnson
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nce a month I look forward to a dinner date with my husband. It’s a fun ritual and there’s always a magical side to it. Date night might take us to a new restaurant or to a familiar favorite where they know us well. If we’re joined by friends and family we welcome it, but most of the time it’s just the two of us — getting reacquainted. I remember a hilarious Chris Rock routine poking fun at new couples: “During the first three months of the relationship, my representative is talking to your representative.” Of course time eventually reveals us – warts and all – in high-definition. The question is whether or not a couple can survive the revelations. Like most veteran couples, we’ve found exposure to one another challenging at times. We’ve been lucky, though. For us love has remained strong and steady. Now “strong” and “steady” are very comfortable words. But they don’t have a whiff of romance to them and there’s absolutely no way to say them passionately. That’s what’s so great about date night. It can’t rival the intensity of dates 20 years ago. But when we walk to the restaurant door hand-in-hand, it’s a sweet reminder of the bond we share. And during dinner conversation, when I’m listening to my husband’s always unique and often very funny take on the subject at hand, I think of how magnetic this side of his nature was and still is to me. It’s not far from there to other “that’s why he swept
me off my feet” moments. Date night is a chance to look at my husband like I did when love and his name first became one thought. The things that make him special to me can get lost in daily work, responsibilities and the occasional argument. But on a delightful Friday evening, when we’re absolutely caught up in each other, I think to myself that this is what a happy union looks like. And that’s what I call magic. Some other ideas to give zest to the relationship: • “Ooh Baby, Baby!” Write terms of endearment. Post your loving thoughts around the house or in your honey’s briefcase, tote or pocket. • It’s “Just Because” Day. Surprise your one and only with a special gift uniquely suited to him or her. • Time to get away. Have a just-the-two-of–us weekend getaway. Plan B: If not a weekend, an overnight stay in a hotel or bed and breakfast. • Salsa, anyone? Channel your inner Fred Astaire or Ginger Rogers and go dancing. • Dora the Explorer (grownup style). Learn something new together — gourmet cooking, a foreign language or dance lessons if you don’t know how to channel Fred and Ginger. Explore whatever sounds like fabulous fun. • “I do. I do.” Renew your marriage vows and tell your spouse that after all the up close and personal years, you wouldn’t hesitate to do it again. Cassie Johnson is a Reiki Master/Teacher. Contact her at cassie_reikienergy@verizon.net.
AroundTheCity What would archeologists think? by Paula Minaert
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spend a lot of time walking around the city. The Dog Whisperer says dogs need the exercise, and I know I do, too. I see all kinds of objects lying in the roads and on the sidewalks and, just to amuse myself, started an inventory of them. The inventory makes for a sampling of what Hyattsville residents and visitors throw away or lose. It’s an unscientific sampling, because I haven’t covered all the city’s streets and I haven’t gone at all hours of the day and night. But it’s interesting all the same. Mostly, I see food containers. Snack food boxes and wrappers: BreakfastBreaks, Snickers bars, Lays’ potato chips, animal crackers. Fast food bags and cups – A & W, McDonald’s, Starbucks. I don’t see much healthy food detritus, unless you call a Fisherman’s Net Maine Sardines can healthy. Or juice and water bottles. Oh, wait — I did find one tea bag wrapper, Bigelow’s green tea. That’s health food. I also see a lot of alcohol contain-
ers. The great majority are beer bottles and cans. Some are still in their brown paper bags. Some bottles are green, some brown. Most are unbroken. And most of them lie in the grassy area above the stream right at the northeastern intersection of Hamilton St. and Queen Chapel’s Road. Wine bottles rarely show up — I wonder if that means anything? Hard liquor doesn’t put in an appearance often, either, just a lone vodka bottle and two of those tiny bottles, Gordon’s Dry Gin. Tobacco and its accessories show up, too. As well as the obvious — cigarette butts — I see cigar bands, disposable lighters and used Little Trees, those scented green cardboard pine trees that hang from car rear-view windows. I found some other, more individual items. An ID card from Hyattsville Middle School (since returned). Two pieces of costume jewelry (a charm and a necklace; if you’ve lost anything and can tell me what it is, I’ll give it back). I saw a child’s coat hung on a railing, many gloves, and one hat. I also saw a pair of boxers,
large, hanging from a fence. A story there? Yet another story, to me a sad one, lies in the empty condom wrapper I saw next to Magruder park. I saw evidence of other activities. I found receipts from ATM machines (Chevy Chase Bank), a phone card, and an airline luggage ticket. I wonder what archeologists hundreds of years in the future would make of all this?
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2009: A year for-giving by John Aquilino
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his year, 2009, is cloaked in chaos at virtually every level – financial, political, military. But most questions focus on self, family and the means to make it through the next day, week and month. Tightened school district budgets are a real cause for concern. Another, virtually ignored, is the plight of private schools. Most parents of children in public schools could care less about non-public schools of every stripe. That’s understandable, yet the future of pri-
climate, private schools, and Catholic parish schools in particular, are experiencing a marked decline in enrollment. That does not bode well for area public schools. Students leaving private schools migrate to overcrowded classes in the public system. One area school, St. Jerome School, is determined to stay the course without asking for state aid, but through the support and generosity of its parents and parishioners. Kelly Ivey, a St. Jerome School Advisory Board member from Greenbelt, offered a simple way for parents of children in non-public schools to help keep these schools open. It’s what he preaches to his children when they ask how much to put into the Sunday collection basket. “It’s simple,” he says. “You just set aside one hour when you’re working for God. I guarantee it will be the best, most productive hour you’ll work. Whatever your pay rate per hour is what you give.” Starting with the New Year, St. Jerome School parents and parishioners will be asked to pledge “an hour for God (and the children)” per month for a year. That brings us to the “forgiving” part of this article. Change comes in many forms. One change is to stop promoting negative feelings towards those who disagree or are disagreeable. In state and national politics, hostile words, thoughts and relationships fester simply because parties disagree. Rev. James Stack, St. Jerome’s pastor, cast a somewhat startling solution to the problem after a penitent burdened with a relationship problem sought his counsel. Fr. Stack’s advice was to pray for 40 days for forgiveness. For Catholics, 40 days of forgiveness just might entail yet another devotional tradition that could make 2009 a year of real change.
Change comes in many forms. One change is to stop promoting negative feelings towards those who disagree or are disagreeable. vate schools can and may affect the public school system in a way parents and politicians alike have not considered. According to Maryland Department of Education statistics, Montgomery County leads the state in educational dollars spent per individual student with $13,536. Prince George’s County comes in 7th at $11,189 per student. That’s $23 below the state average of $11,212. Montgomery County is wealthier than Prince George’s, but interestingly it also has a greater number of non-public than public schools (205 public vs. 259 non-public). Prince George’s is just the opposite, with 215 public and 174 non-public schools. Certainly the formula dictating the dollars spent per student per jurisdiction is complex. But a plausible argument can be made that private schools provide at least a modicum of stress relief for public schools and may free up considerable cash that then provides additional funds for the local public schools. In today’s uncertain economic
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Hyattsville Life & Times | February 2009
A colorful splash by Sharmina Manandhar
Get Cozy with Yarn Hours: Tuesday–Friday 11–7, Saturday 11–6, Sunday 1–5 Closed on Monday
301-779-3399 5200 Baltimore Ave. (Rte. 1), Hyattsville, MD 20781 Across from Franklin’s, entrance on Gallatin Street www.atangledskein.com
W
ith a belief that in times of change, good art and artists speak the loudest and clearest to society, Hyattsville resident Erica Riggio teamed up with her former professor Nancy Evans to open the doors of a new art gallery on Route 1. The Design Studio Art Gallery, located at 5702 Baltimore Ave., in Arts District in Hyattsville, celebrated its grand opening last month by showcasing the creativity of six local artists including Demont “Peekaso” Pinder, a young artist who paints while Grammy-nominated R&B artist Raheem DeVaughn performs on stage. “Even though art is the last thing people buy during economic downturn, it can be the most important thing,” Riggio said. “In times when everything needs to be examined carefully, good art illustrates what’s happening in the community.” The concept of art depicting life was well portrayed in the gallery with Pinder’s “The Vision,” a fabric paint and acrylic on canvas depiction of Presidents Barack Obama and John F. Kennedy, Edward Underwood’s “Yes We Can,” a photograph of a portion of the Wall of Hope erected in front of the Lincoln Memorial after Obama won the election. The gallery also hosted a book signing with Tray Chaney of HBO’s hit series “The Wire” for his newly released autobiography “The Truth You Can’t Be Tray.” According to Riggio, the gallery strives to promote and facilitate original thought provoking local art that makes a statement. The gallery is dedicating the entire month of February to celebrate
photo by sharmina manandhar Erica Riggio, owner of Design Studio, a new installment in Arts District Hyattsville, adjusts a painting displayed in her art gallery. Pinder’s flair for art and creativity as part of Black History Month with the artist’s first solo exhibit – “Thousands of Words.” Pinder will discuss his work and answer questions about his art, inspiration and motivation from 7-11 p.m. tonight at the gallery. “His work is vibrant, but uniquely captures subject matter that is personal, political, and of the time,” states a press release from the gallery. “He marks history with his paint and coins himself as a ‘moment catcher.’ The environment where he paints is where he draws his energy.” According to Riggio, Pinder, who came across the gallery as he was walking along U.S. Route 1 in
Hyattsville, came in to introduce himself to Riggio, who then invited him to be a part of the mix-show at the gallery. “Pinder painted live in the opening reception of the gallery and added a unique effect to the gallery with his energy,” Riggio said. Riggio, who had a love for arts and literature from a young age, says that co-owning an art gallery is the best of both worlds, with an opportunity to make a living and be creative at the same time. Nervous at first about the idea of opening a gallery, Riggio believes that everything is a cycle and “if you help others, you will be helped.” “There’s no clear bulleted plan for the gallery,” Riggio said. “We are open to new ideas and hope that our artists get the exposure.” Riggio holds a master’s degree in architectural and interior design from George Washington University and owns Riggio Design Consultants. Another chance happening at the gallery was Brian Newell of College Park. Newell was driving along Route 1 with his friend on their way to Franklin’s Restaurant, and decided to stop by the gallery when they noticed a crowd there. “We enjoyed seeing the wonderful local art and meeting the artists as well as the very friendly owners, Nancy and Erica, so much that we never even made it to Franklin’s,” Newell said. The gallery has a great aesthetic value and he looked forward to seeing more pieces there, he said. “In these economically difficult times, it is hard to put aside money for such ‘extras’ as art, however all of the art featured was reasonably priced and unique, and I could see how a collector could easily rack up a treasure trove of pieces,” Newell said.
Hyattsville Life & Times | February 2009
Page 9 Fighting Monkey Professional Services strives to help you with all of your business needs:
‘Hystory’: the past five years 2008
The City Council approved the appropriation of $30,000 for the installation of parking meters at University Town Center.
2007
Chad Williams-Bey, a student from Howard University in Washington, D.C., filed a lawsuit with the Hyattsville City Police Department after he was hit several times with a Taser while police were breaking up a party on Jan. 21 in the Towers at University Town Center. Williams-Bey was charged, jailed and presented to a District court commissioner.
He was released with a May 7 court date.
2006
Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (DMd.) presented the City of Hyattsville and the Housing Initiative Partnership, Inc. with $250,000 to build affordable housing for the artistic community. Renaissance Square is now open on Jefferson Street.
2005
Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., Lt. Gov. Michael Steele and Victor l. Hoskins, state secretary for the Legacy Award, presented checks to city initiatives. A $410,000 check was given to the City of Hyattsville and
Beer
continued from page 1 memories of Prague” (in fact, I need Google to find Prague on a map, and I think Justin believes Prague is the name of a Klingon in Star Trek). Now, you could ask, “Why taste if you have so little experience?” Because, like so many beer drinkers, my research team knows the watery base of Coors Light and the dry aftertaste of Budweiser, but has neither the time nor interest to examine the robustness of more cosmopolitan beers, like an Altbier or a Saison. With this in mind, I conducted a beer drinker’s beer tasting. As the first NFL playoff game began, we chose three stools in the corner of Franklin’s bar. We ordered the “taster”— a collection of the house microbrews served on a wooden tray with numbers designating each beer. To meet testing criteria, I required that each of us sip water between beers to cleanse the palate. And, I prohibited taster #2 from ordering whiskey during the evaluation. As the moderator, I feared Maker’s Mark might dilute his taste. The first beer, Rubber Chicken Red, was — as the name suggests — red, and praised by taster #2 for “its appropriate heaviness.” We selected it as a top beer. Next, tasters #1 and #2 compared the smoky golden “Bombshell Blonde,” the lightest beer on the menu, to a Hefeweizen (a German wheat beer). Tasters #1 and #3 praised beer three, the “Twisted Turtle,” for smoothness and a subtle fruity aftertaste. Taster #2 dissented: “It’s a beer for rookies.” Then came “Anarchy Ale.” Taster #2 approved of “its thick and hardy nature” and its strong aftertaste. After four beers I was pleased with our progress. Tester #2 had yet to request a mid-tasting whiskey, and the sluggish offenses of the Baltimore
PHOTO BY DAN COOGAN Andrew Bradley (L) and Justin Smith try out some beers at Franklin’s Restaurant Ravens and Tennessee Titans kept attention on beer, not football. We applauded the strong and slightly bitter taste of beer five, the golden brown “Sierra Madre Pale Ale.” Next, the “Private I.P.A.” featured the strongest aftertaste and taster #2 commended it for “[hitting] me a little bit. It’s a punch in the face.” All tasters approved of its strength, noting that it contained the highest alcohol by volume of Franklin’s pale ales. In contrast, beer seven, “Mission Impossible,” our first session beer (a beer with lower ABV, like Bud Light or Miller Light) was a disappointment. Taster #1 moaned: “It felt like someone poured wine in my beer.” Not ones to sulk over this (we, of course, drank all of it) we then forged on to beer eight, “Imperial Stout.” True to stout beer (e.g., Guinness), it was viscous, coffee-dark, and tasted nutty and chocolaty. Taster #2, the most medieval of our team, appreciated the “throwback to a dark and strong mead.” We approved of beer nine, “Wrecked Sleigh,” which combined smoothness with a high ABV. Our final beer (beer #6) was the “Private I.P.A.” poured through Franklin’s nitrogen system. It was exceptionally smooth. Unfortunately, the tasters felt it lacked something. Taster #1 lamented, “It starts off great but there’s no finish.” Pleased with having completed the tasting, and in recognition of
a $15,000 check was given to the Hyattsville Community Development Corporation.
2004
The City Council held a public hearing on Feb. 17 to discuss the creation of a special taxing district, to be known as the “University Town Center Special Taxing District.” The HL&T is taking suggestions for a name for our newest feature. The winner will receive a gift certificate to a restaurant in Arts District Hyattsville. Please send submissions to hyattsvillelifeandtimes@gmail.com
the limited potency of beer, I immediately lifted the prohibition against whiskey. However, committed to our work, we remained on our bar stools tasting and retasting to confirm our verdicts. We agreed that “Rubber Chicken Red” was best, and that “Mission Impossible” was to be avoided. Debates ensued over what was second-best. Was it the “Bombshell Blonde”? Or the “Private I.P.A.”? What about the “Twisted Turtle”? Unable to compromise, we considered more research. But with Saturday night upon us, and comfortable in drink, we abandoned our bar stools to taste new beers elsewhere.
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Hyattsville Life & Times | February 2009
house
continued from page 1 addition. “My most recent tax assessment went down after a visit [to her house],” said Margot Nassau, of 4000 Hamil-
ton St. “The [St. Michels’] house has long been an embarrassment to the city and county.” Nassau said homeowners should be able to make improvements to their house as long as they are within building code.
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“These people have taken advantage of this,” she said at a January City Council meeting. Other residents declined to comment, some for fear of retribution. The major problem facing the St. Michels is that the county determined in 2008 that current construction does not conform to the initial plans the couple submitted. About the same time the county realized that M-NCPPC – which reviewed the plans – previously had failed to notice a lot coverage violation, which would require a variance, said Mayor William Gardiner. St. Michel said the county initially told him to remove a garage and replace it with a patio to hand the lot coverage problem. “At that point if they said no, we wouldn’t have done it,” he said. The BZA said at its Feb. 4 meeting that it needed “technical assistance”
photo by sarah nemeth Makenda St. Michel describes her plans for the house at 4002 Hamilton St., onto which she and her husband Gerard have been building since 2002. The addition does not fall within Prince George’s County code regulations nor the City of Hyattsville’s variance request specifications. — specifically a history of inspections at the site — to help with their deliberations.
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And even if the BZA grants the variance, a series of inspections still would be needed in order for the addition to stand, said William Soper, of the county’s Licenses and Inspections Division. It is still possible that the addition would have to be razed. The whole process began in 2002 and still is not over. It involves, among other offices, the county’s Department of Environmental Resources, the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Hyattsville’s Office of Code Enforcement and the City Council. The city received complaints about the cleanliness of the site and the duration of the project, Gardiner said, adding that the city asked the county to inspect the property. Gerard St. Michel said he and his wife got the necessary permits and county inspectors checked on the project at every stage of the process. “Someone has something confused,” he said. The framing, drywall and insulation in the walls can’t be inspected now because the walls are closed, Soper told the City Council. But Makenda St. Michel said a county inspector told her to close the walls and that she has a signed document to prove it. Soper said that no one from his office would have signed off on such a closure. Even if a mistake is made by planners, the requestor is responsible for bringing the structure to code, not M-NCPPC or the county, according to Soper. And Jerry Hampton, director of the city’s Office of Code Enforcement, said that the builder is responsible for getting all needed permits and required inspections. The City Council voted Feb. 2nd to send a letter to the BZA stating that it does not support the variance request. It added that if the variance is denied and the family must tear down the addition, then the county and/ or M-NCPPC should pay to bring the house back to code. Soper declined comment immediately after the BZA meeting.
Hyattsville Life & Times | February 2009
ross
continued from page 4 dle. With the exception of Patterson, who stated his support, the others did not commit.
Homestead Tax Credit Because of legislation passed in 2007 – starting with property assessments mailed to residents of one-third of the Prince George’s County on Dec. 30 – homeowners will have to apply for the Homestead Tax Credit – which places a limit as to how much property taxes can increase on one’s principal residence in any given year. Until now, the credit was automatically given unless the property owner indicated that the home was not their primary residence. The legislation was changed because a large number of residents neglected to do this which resulted in a loss of legitimate revenue. Once an application is filed the credit will be given automatically in subsequent years. Although applications will be mailed to residents with their next property assessment, Ross recommended filing the application with the state early. The University Hills Area Civic Association block captains will distribute the form and an explanation to all area residents this month.
voting
continued from page 3 not have answers to, Frankle said. County election officials could not immediately provide the number of registered voters in the city nor the number of absentee ballots cast in November’s general election. According to City Clerk Douglass Barber, county officials will not be available for early voting on the Saturday before the general election date – which was the day the council considered. In a draft update to the city charter, City Attorney Richard Colaresi removed a provision for emergency absentee ballots due to the change requiring voters not to give a reason for voting in absentia, he said. Resident James Groves – who ran for a Ward 2 seat on the council in 2006 – said he does not see the need for early voting if residents no longer must give a reason for casting an absentee ballot. But paving the way for more absentee ballots could cause hiccups in the transparency and timeliness of the vote counting process, Colaresi said. With a limited number of persons counting the ballots – which cannot be opened until 8 p.m. the day of an election – officials would have to be available longer and results likely
Page 11
HUGH'S NEWS
continued from page 2
civil rights organization. On April 30, 1967, King said, “There’s something strangely inconsistent about a nation and a press that will praise you when you say, ‘Be non-violent toward [Selma’s segregationist sheriff] Jim Clark,’ but will curse and damn you when you say, ‘Be non-
minivan
continued from page 4 a good price for a minivan, he said. Needless to say, the deal was done the next day. A few years ago, when the first of our good friends to have a family of four gave in and bought a minivan, good humor was plentiful. I can’t remember if I ever said I’d “never” get a minivan, but the sentiment was certainly there. Today, I look back to when I was stifling giggles as my friend explained the virtues of large compartments, cup holders
route 1
continued from page 3 “Although Route 1 is a main thoroughfare, SHA must balance the need for maintaining traffic operations, motorist/pedestrian safety, and serving the needs of the surrounding community and adjacent businesses,” Frum said. “However, if traffic volumes are too heavy along a state roadway, unfortunately SHA has to restrict all parking at all times, which leaves parking along side streets.” According to Murphy, the city is looking into structured parking and is considering several possible locations and financing options. There are parking spaces available in a structured lot below the County Court Building, on Gallatin Street across from City Hall, at the bridge lot next to Franklin’s Restaurant at 5121 Baltimore Ave., on-street parking on several side streets adjacent to Route 1 and on Route 1 during offpeak hours. But lack of proper signage pointing toward the bridge lot, which was recently resurfaced and re-striped by the city, is confusing customers in the area. “My customers have told me that they thought that it was Franklin’s private parking lot,” Militello said.
would be published later than usual, said Councilmember Krista Atteberry (Ward 3). Starting the process earlier could also make the process more opaque, since not all personnel would be available to observe counting. “Once you begin counting one thing, the election can be controlled, even if only by a rumor,” Colaresi said.
violent toward little brown Vietnamese children.’ There’s something wrong with that press!” There is something wrong with a nation and a press that will use King to elevate President Obama, but time and again will suppress the truth about the nonviolent man of peace. If King were alive today, would he support sending troops into Afghanistan and bombing Pakistan?
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and the fact that everything was designed to be exactly where it needed to be. Now I recognize that he was on to something. While driving to the MVA to return the tags from my old car, it seemed that every other car on the road was a minivan. Had all these people suffered the same identity crisis my wife and I faced? After all, we could have gotten an SUV. Did they also acquiesce as easily as we did? It’s hard to say. The only thing I know is that Karen loves driving the kids around in it. That is, when she can pry the keys from my hands.
Murphy said that the city is willing to work with SHA to identify and consider locations for signage to encourage the use of the bridge lot. “The size and placement of signage impacts visibility of shops and restaurants,” Murphy said. “We will need to assure that all parties participate in such discussions.” According to Frum, no local business has contacted SHA about installing signs to point drivers to local parking. “In this case they would normally make the request by working through the City of Hyattsville, especially when it involves public parking off of a state roadway onto a side street,” Frum said.
Helping Sell Hyattsville And Our Neighboring Community Ann Barrett, Realtor©
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As we go to print this month I have 5 sellers preparing their homes to place on the market soon. Please call me for the inside scoop on Hyattsville Real Estate. If you are contemplating a move or know someone who is, I would love to be of assistance to you!
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Page 12
Hyattsville Life & Times | February 2009
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