🌱 COVID-19 Emergency Expired + Redistricting Plan Redrawn

Alexis Goring
Updated ·6 min read

Morning, people of Laurel! Alexis Goring here with the latest Laurel Daily.

First, today's weather:

Cloudy and warmer. High: 51 Low: 31.

Here are the top three stories in Laurel today:

  1. A 73-year-old man bought a Pick 5 lotto ticket at Fairwood Wine & Spirits in Bowie, not far from Laurel, and ended up winning $25,000! According to the Maryland Lottery, there remains several Pick 5 winning tickets yet to be claimed at the $50,000 level. (Patch)

  2. Prince George’s County’s COVID-19 emergency declaration expire Wednesday. The county’s current positivity rate as of March 7 is 1.7%, and the weekly case rate per 100,000 residents is 28.37. County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said, “Thanks to the hard work of Prince Georgians, we have seen a substantial decrease in our case rate since the surge of the Omicron variant, so we are comfortable with this decision." (City of Laurel)

  3. When six members of the Prince George’s County Council surprised their colleagues and the public with a redistricting plan in November, residents immediately objected. The efforts to stop the controversial map recently prevailed when the Maryland Court of Appeals upheld a lower court decision that killed the council’s map and ordered Prince George’s to use boundaries drawn by an independent three-member commission instead. (WTOP)

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Today in Laurel:

  • Laurel Dutch Country Farmers Market—Open on 9701 Fort Meade Road (9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m)

  • Manna For Moms—Study the Bible with other Moms. We can share our struggles and celebrate our joys together. We meet every Thursday. Right now they are meeting on Zoom, but they hope to resume their meetings at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Laurel when it is safe to do so! Contact the church to get connected. (10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.)

  • Smooth Sounds for Seniors: Bliss Ananda at Montpelier Arts Center—Charles “Bliss the Violinist” Tolbert, aka Bliss Ananda, has been performing with his electric violin for over 30 years. Whether performing solo, with an ensemble, or a 10-piece jazz band. His keen musical style encompasses jazz, rock, R&B/soul, and down-home blues (12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.)

  • Thursday Happy Hour at 5 Sisters Restaurant in Laurel (4:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.)

  • Improv for All! Workshop at Petworth Library in NW DC—Washington Improv Theater is dedicated to sharing the ideas and spirit of improv with all of DC. WIT’s free introductory Improv For All workshops are high-fun, low-stress classes designed to show you how improvisers create spontaneous, off-the-cuff theater. You don’t need theater experience. You don’t need to be a “funny person.” Just come in ready to have a good time. (6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.)

  • Scents by The Company: Happy Hour Candle Workshop in Bethesda—Enjoy this special happy hour sip and pour candle workshop. Enjoy wine while creating your own scented candle. Feel free to bring your own food and bring your own wine. This candle workshop will provide all of the material needed to make your own scented candle. (6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.)

  • Marisa Monte in concert at The Strathmore in Bethesda—Marisa Monte stormed onto the music scene in her native Brazil in the late 1980s and has remained center stage ever since. Monte’s 2022 US tour celebrates the release of the singer’s newest project Portas. Recorded across multiple continents during the pandemic, the album is Monte’s first solo release in a decade. (8:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

  • PGCPS: Check out our amazing recruitment team at @millersvilleu today sharing the many reasons to #TeachWithUs with future educators! Learn more about careers with PGCPS and stay tuned for upcoming recruitment events: pgcps.org/teachwithus (Instagram)

  • City of Laurel - Government: Join us in congratulating City of Laurel Emergency Management Specialist Haley Cifizari. The Central Maryland Chamber of Commerce has selected her as the Public Safety Officer of the Year! (Facebook)

  • City of Laurel - Government: Here is the information about the memorial services for former councilman H. Edward Ricks to be held on Saturday, March 12, at Laurel Volunteer Fire Department. Viewing: 10:00 a.m., FD Service: 12:00 p.m., Procession: 1:00 p.m. (Facebook)

  • City of Laurel Department of Economic and Community Development: ARPA grants are still open! Apply today: https://www.cityoflaurel.org/e... (Facebook)

  • Associate Commissioner, Consumer Education & Advocacy Joy Hatchette, Maryland Insurance Administration: Are you a homeowner or renter and need assistance? On Thursday, join our friend MIA as she hosts Maryland’s Office of People’s Counsel, Maryland Department of Housing and other special guests. (Nextdoor)

  • Citizen Services Specialist Jorhan Santana, Prince George’s County Government: Our Animal Services Division is offering qualifying residents of Prince George’s County the opportunity to receive FREE spay and neuter services. (Nextdoor)

  • Social Media and Digital Marketing Specialist Kevin Wegman, Prince George’s County Government: We’re looking for talented people to work in a variety of seasonal and part-time positions. Bring your resume and sign up here for a 15 minute slot to tell us more about yourself! (Nextdoor)

  • Maryland Office of People's Counsel, Director of Consumer Services, Brandi Nieland, State of Maryland: Want to receive our newsletter? Whether you're a residential consumer or an area organization, we have a newsletter geared to you. (Nextdoor)

  • Prince George's County Planning Department Carly Brockinton, Prince George’s County Government: We're forming a community advisory group for the Countywide Masterplan of Transportation 2035. (Nextdoor)

  • Nextdoor Neighbor, Leishear Village: Cadbury is holding a contest to benefit the ASPCA. My daughter's hedgehog, Maple made the finals! The more votes that are cast, the more Cadbury donates to the ASPCA. Please forward this link to animal lovers. (Nextdoor)

  • Nextdoor Neighbor, Hammond Hills: Receive 15% off of mulch services when booked during March (rendered by April 30). Call Green Dreams Landscaping at 240-583-0050. (Nextdoor)

  • Nextdoor Neighbor, Laurel Highland: You are invited to our African Diaspora March Meeting. Our topic is Marketing For Small Business. This event is free and open to the public.(Nextdoor)

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You're all caught up for today! I'll catch up with you bright and early tomorrow morning with another update.

— Alexis Goring

About me: My name is Alexis A. Goring. I'm a Bowie area resident with a pulse for people, news and feature stories! I've worked as a freelance writer/editor/proofreader in the media industry for 15 years. I'm also a published author, experienced blogger, and founder of Writer at Heart Editorial Services. Visit my website for more details about me and my work. Here's the link: https://alexisagoring.jimdofree.com.

This article originally appeared on the Laurel Patch