Route 1 Reporter (https://route1reporter.com/page/2/)
Hyattsville will be buying a new garbage truck. Normally. that’s not really Route 1 Reporter newsworthy. But this garbage truck is electrically powered, making Hyattsville something of a pioneer in the still-burgeoning field of electric utility vehicles.
The city of Mount Rainier has launched its own emergency assistance fund to help residents affected by the coronavirus pandemic and its economic disruptions to buy groceries and pay rent and utility bills, at least while supplies last. The programs were unveiled at Mount Rainier’s Aug. 19, 2020, City Council meeting by City Manager Latasha Gatling. Under the program, approved residents can receive a one-time payment of up to $1,000 to help pay off overdue rent or utility payments, paid directly to the landlord or utility company. Applicants must prove they reside in the city of Mount Rainier and must show evidence of need, and must demonstrate that the need for assistance was related to the coronavirus pandemic. Further, applicants must provide copies of bills or late-notices for rent or mortgage delinquencies.
At a special Aug. 19, 2020, meeting, College Park City Council received a briefing on a community feedback effort designed to help guide city policymakers develop a five-year strategic plan for the city.
Hyattsville city officials want to rename the Prince George’s Plaza Metro Station to Hyattsville Crossing. The move would be the culmination of a years-long effort by city officials to develop a more cohesive identity for the neighborhood anchored by the Metro station.
Mount Rainier City Council appears favorably disposed to make an official request to Hyattsville city officials for body camera footage from the 2019 police shooting that killed Leonard Shand.
College Park City Council officially took a side in a forthcoming Supreme Court case that asks if religious beliefs exempt organizations from civil rights laws.
Developers will soon be able to get tax breaks if they build affordable housing in Hyattsville. While many municipalities offer tax credits to lure developers, Hyattsville is believed to be the first of Prince George’s County’s 27 municipalities to tie these tax credits to the production of affordably-priced housing units.
Hyattsville City Council will soon launch an official effort to solicit a new name for Magruder Park, but the details still need to be hammered out.
Several Prince George’s County residents say they were recently denied free coronavirus tests from the county Department of Health because of a little-known rule limiting free tests to one-per person.
College Park set aside $1.7 million to assist residents and businesses dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. But so far, few have availed themselves of the grant program.