Coronavirus

Letter from the Editor: Coronavirus and Route 1 Reporter

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As regular readers may have noticed, Route 1 Reporter is making major changes to its newsgathering operations in the face of a global coronavirus pandemic which is now spreading rapidly in Prince George’s County. The goal of these changes is to serve as a reliable source of freely-accessible information for all of Prince George’s County’s communities about this rapidly-evolving and deadly-serious viral outbreak. 

The first duty my newsgathering efforts will be to convey and amplify the messages from official government agencies bearing new information about the hyperlocal, county, state and federal impacts of the coronavirus outbreak. The second duty of my newsgathering efforts will be to highlight the complications, controversies, and implications of our governments’ and our communities’ response to the pandemic. 

Both parts are needed. Emergency management and government officials in Maryland and beyond are actively using local journalism reports – where available – as critical parts of their feedback loops to develop or modify policies and direct government action. Those reports will sometime lead to uncomfortable questions for government officials about this deadly pandemic.

Development

Reporter’s Notebook: Hyattsville, College Park get down to business; Technical difficulties

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Technical difficulties affect some subscribers

Route 1 Reporter would like to apologize to subscribers who may have had difficulties accessing our content Feb. 1, and Feb. 2, 2019. Patreon, the company which provides both my paywall and the plugin to set up the paywall on Route 1 Reporter, encountered its own technical difficulties over the weekend relating to payment processing. Patreon’s work to fix that issue, involved putting its servers into maintenance mode several times this past weekend.

Berwyn Heights
A small storefront is seen at night, it features a column of rainbow-colored bricks. The inside is brightly lit, seen through large windows next to a far door.

Reporter’s Notebook: Good news for Mt. Rainier library; College Park fee review; Berwyn Heights tweaks charter

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I hope you all had a warm and wonderful snow-filled weekend. Here’s hoping it doesn’t put too much of a damper on your early-week plans. Word on the street is most Route 1 communities reported few issues with snow clearance. It always helps matters when the snowstorm is on a weekend. From Route 1 Reporter’s world headquarters in Berwyn, crews were seen at all hours working city and state roads alike.

Government

Reporter’s Notebook: Government gets down to business

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Thanks again for your continued support of Route 1 Reporter! It’s getting busy out there, so let’s dive in. Now that the Christmas season is officially behind us, the local governments of Prince George’s County are diving back into their business. With a new year, comes new reflections on the future, too. Several local governments have annual council retreats scheduled. 

For instance, the Prince George’s County Council will be hosting its annual retreat on Jan.

Letter from the Editor
Seen extremely close up, crystals of frost cling to a sprig of grass on a frosted tree trunk laying on its side in a shaded meadow.

Reporter’s Notebook: Holiday edition

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Hello everyone; Happy holidays to all! NEWS ROUNDUP

Our most-read story published this past week was an update on University of Maryland’s search for new intramural fields. Administration officials had proposed to locate the fields on the campus golf course, a move bitterly contested by some nearby residents and golfers. Before that plan could move forward, the school’s Facilities Council would have had to sign off on it. However, they asked administration officials to more-fully study alternate proposals.  The move gives course preservationists some breathing room to organize their efforts.

Homepage Featured

Reporter’s Notebook: Busy December so far!

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Once again, I can’t do it without you guys, so a big hearty thank you for your continued support of Route 1 Reporter! You give dignity to my work, and for that I am grateful. 

This Reporter’s Notebook is going to be a quick one. Last week was heavy on the news, with several big stories advancing down the pike. For instance, College Park residents are awaiting word of the decision of the University of Maryland Facilities Commission as to whether or not it will recommend building athletic fields on the campus golf course, Hyattsville saw a new police chief sworn in, Berwn Heights has a new Mayor, and a major new bike path extension will connect Beltsville (and beyond) to the regional trail network. 

This week, we have meetings of the Hyattsville City Council and the Mount Rainier City Council. Also be on the lookout for the results of that facilities commission meeting!

Letter from the Editor
A partly-cloudy winter sky hovers over Riverdale Park Station at dusk, seen looking west from the Van Buren Street overpass. In the foreground, the concrete bridge platform curves away from the viewer, leading the eye to an unadorned concrete structure in the center of the photograph. This is the parking garage. It is flanked by rows of townhomes. A white sports utility vehicle is seen on the bridge, driving eastbound.

Reporter’s Notebook: Big development news last week

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It may be repetitive, but once again, I start another Reporter’s Notebook with a big hearty thank you to all of Route 1 Reporter’s subscribers! Last week was a busy one on the news front, especially if you are into development. For starters, Route 1 Reporter was the first news outlet to report on new development activity at Riverdale Park Station, where hundreds of new apartments are either about to start construction or enter the development review pipeline. In all, more than 850 apartment units are planned for the development on parcels closest to the CSX tracks. More on this story below.

Government
The modernist facade of Prince George's County's Administration Building in Upper Marlboro.

Reporter’s Notebook – New month, new dawn for Prince George’s

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As November fades into December, thanks again for your continued support of Route 1 Reporter. There will be some changes as we head into the new month. For one, Prince George’s County will have a new County Executive in Angela Alsobrooks and a new, larger County Council, this time with two at-large members. They will all be sworn in today in Upper Marlboro, and Route 1 Reporter will be in attendance to cover the ceremonies and gather comment from our new county leadership. It’s the first excursion of a new and expanded focus on policymaking at the county-wide level.