Wednesday, May 16, 2012
The Washington D.C. music scene lost a titan today. How did Brown's music impact your life?
Update: 6:30 p.m. - Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker has issued a press release expressing his condolences over the passing of local music legend Chuck Brown. The statement reads in full: “My thoughts and prayers go out to the family, friends and countless fans of Chuck Brown. It is a sad day for so many in Prince George’s County, the Washington region, and throughout the world. Chuck Brown left an indelible mark on our hearts and minds with his very distinctive voice and incredible genre of music that he created, Go-Go. He was an icon whose music inspired so many and become the sound that defined modern-day Washington, DC and Prince George’s County. He will be missed, but we are so fortunate that his music will be with …
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Hyattsville Patch editor argues that entering closed session to discuss recently raised budget issues would violate Maryland's Open Meetings Act.
Members of the Hyattsville City Council should vote against any plan which would shut the public out of discussions surrounding a contentious budget discrepancy which reared its head at the most recent council meeting. For those unaware, a bit of a recap is in order. You see, during Monday's city council meeting, Police Chief Doug Holland protested newly discovered changes to police employee classifications called for in the city's omnibus 2013 budget ordinance. He was critical of a new budget provision which would have designated two corporals in the police department as acting positions, as opposed to permanent positions. Mayor Marc Tartaro responded to Holland's comments, saying that the public did not have the full story behind the …
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
A NY Times article explores the era of the $250 baseball bat
Have you bought a baseball glove for your little leaguer lately? Did you pay more than $100 for it? How about $250 for a bat? A New York Times story headlined "Big Price Tags Attached to Even the Littlest Leagues," looks at the big business of equipping youngsters for participation in youth baseball and softball leagues, quoting those costs and more. "A batting helmet protects tiny heads for $39.99," the Times reports. "A pair of Nike Jordan Black Cat cleats will make your child fast and fashionable at $51.99 until he or she outgrows them." So what do you think? Has the cost of bats and gloves taken kids too far from the simpler days of sandlot and playground ballgames? Or have you had better luck finding more modestly-priced equipment for…
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Letter to the Editor: Longtime Hyattsville resident calls for restructuring of City Council.
The Hyattsville city government has the second highest number of City Council members–10–in the State of Maryland, second only to Baltimore. I call that “too many cooks in the kitchen.” Is it any wonder there is so much bickering and difference of opinions on the council bench, the trickle-down effect of which has contributed to the recent resignation of several key department heads, including the City Administrator? These department heads are pulled in so many directions by the mayor and City Council members they don’t know which way to turn and are confused as to their roles on payroll. The city has so many “acting” department heads and administrators that Hyattsville residents don’t know who to contact when issues arise. How many …
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
City leaders need to work towards common goals in a transparent manner, says city council member.
- OPINION
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Wednesday, March 21
By City Councilor Candace Hollingsworth (Ward 1) Monday night’s Council meeting was no shining moment for our great city of Hyattsville. It was the culmination of three major issues that have plagued the council since the May 2011 elections: disparate views on transparency, consensus building, and organizational structure. In what should have been a two-hour meeting to discuss a $10 million capital improvement plan, employee pay raises, technology upgrades, and new policies under development, we failed to make it out of the gate. Why? Put simply, we could not agree on an agenda—we couldn’t decide where we were going. Our state elected officials want to invest in what will likely be a multi-million dollar parking garage so that visitors to …
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Disciplining children doesn't mean putting them over your knee, but it's your job as a parent to teach your children how to behave respectfully.
Family members often tell me how well behaved my children are. Typically, I roll my eyes and say something along the lines of: “Except when they are pushing each other and whining about something or other…” A scene from the hit television show Sex and the City pops into my head, where Miranda runs into an old friend on the street and they each make jokes about the circumstances of their lives; Miranda is single and her friend has no kids. They do this to compensate for how they think people are viewing them. But the truth is… it isn’t until I am around other people’s children, for long amounts of time, that I realize how well behaved my children actually are. On a recent trip to visit family I spent a good portion of the weekend biting my …
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
A parenting lesson in high heels and a short skirt.
A moment that I had thought about, prepared for, dreaded, and denied for the better part of 20 years arrived this weekend when Barbie crossed our threshold in her 1/4” stilettos clutched by my 3-year-old daughter’s hands. We have a "marble jar" system in our house to remind me and my husband to use positive reinforcement whenever possible. The kids get a marble every time they do something we’d like to see continue (e.g., share, get dressed, not kill each other), and when the jar is full, they are entitled to something of their choosing. After months of working toward their goal, they proudly topped off their jars last week, so my husband took them to Target over the weekend for their big reward. When they got home, my daughter rushed …
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Making the choice to be a stay-at-home parent or work-at-home parent doesn't guarantee you'll get the appreciation you deserve.
“It’s not fair,” whines the six-year-old as I inform him it’s time to brush his teeth and get ready for school. I exhale, louder than I anticipate, and reply: “I know it’s not fair that I care so much about your teeth and your education. It must be difficult to have such a caring mom … Now go brush your teeth.” I reach over and give him a tickle while trying to corral him up the steps. He drops to his knees and says again with a hint more of frustration, “No, it’s not fair that we don’t see Daddy!” I stop in my tracks. Clearly this is not a power struggle about the morning routine and instead a bigger issue. Even though we are running five minutes behind schedule, I sit on the step and reply, “I don’t understand? You see Daddy every other …
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Transplant urges Gary, Ind. officials to study Hyattsville's downtown revitalization efforts.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
How to keep a toddler's "to do" list on track is often as simple as figuring out what they value.
When our toddler learned the word "no" (which they tend to do fast) I tried to find ways to get her to do the things that we still needed her to do, like brushing teeth, taking baths and eating the occasional vegetable. I asked other friends what their methods were and most of them centered around some kind of responsibility chart or reward system. When I first embarked on this idea a few months ago, I felt a "true" responsibilities chart (like the kind you buy in a store with chores and magnets that correspond to the chore) might have been a little over her head. One friend who had such a chart said she would often catch her daughter moving the magnets around in any random order, thus defeating the purpose of doing the things on the …
Reggie Smith
12:36 pm on Thursday, May 17, 2012
Big Reg May god bless his family and relatives, for what Chuck has done over the years with his music he could never be replaced. (you wiil truly be missed)!!!!! more ›