By D. Kevin McNeir
Special to the AFRO
ATM bandits strike again, this time in Bowie, Md.
It took less than five minutes for police officers to arrive on the scene after a burglar alarm was triggered at T&T Liquors in Bowie, Md., on Monday morning, June 10. But that was long enough for thieves to get through the metal gate covering the doors, break a heavy padlock and get away with an ATM, scratch-off lottery tickets, alcohol and cigarettes.
According to police, the getaway vehicle, a red pickup, was found on Route 50 near the exit for Interstate 295 less than one hour after the robbery.
So far, police have not caught those responsible for the crime, nor have they determined if this latest robbery counts as the efforts of a group of individuals who have been targeting ATMs in Prince George’s County, or if this break-in was committed by copycat thieves.
Lt. John Knott, commander of investigative services with the Bowie Police Department, said thieves often use a stolen pickup truck that is used to pull the ATM out of the store and then carry it away.
The number of ATM thefts continues to be a major concern for law enforcement officials in Prince George’s County, with 67 ATM robberies or attempted robberies already recorded this year and 140 recorded in 2023. Local officials say they’re working on cracking down on these crimes as legislators consider passing tougher sentences for those found guilty.
Just a couple weeks ago, on the evening of June 6, an ATM was stolen from The Wayne Curry Sports and Learning Center in Landover, Md. – a facility frequently used by those in the community because of its tracks and fields, especially by seniors. But, one of the biggest “paydays” for these proficient thieves occurred four months ago when a group of bandits targeted 10 locations, most of them 7-Elevens, smashing and grabbing 14 ATMs in four days across Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia during overnight hours.
Officials sound the alarm as HIV infections, STD cases spike in Prince George’s
Health officials in Prince George’s County are urging residents to get tested and know their status after seeing a spike in rates for HIV and sexually transmitted infections.
Recent data shows that approximately 7 percent to 8 percent of people with whom the Health Department interacts tests positive for HIV while Prince George’s County is second only to Baltimore in the state of Maryland for HIV and STI rates.
On June 11, officials emphasized the importance of communicating to the public that HIV, which was a death sentence in decades past, is now both preventable and treatable.
In the U.S., Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) was first recognized as a new disease in 1981 when young homosexual men began to contract and die from unusual opportunistic infections and rare malignancies, according to the CDC.
One lesser known fact: after the first cases were detected in the U.S. in 1981, a later study revealed that African people had been infected as early as 1959. Other studies have shown that HIV has been circulating in humans for even longer, probably since the end of the 19th century.
In speaking with local reporters, Michael Rice, clinical director for Daydream Sunshine Initiative, a Bowie-based nonprofit that offers testing and treatment for HIV and STIs, said that given the resources and treatments now available, the number of new HIV infections should be zero, not the 2 percent positivity rate which his organization reported in 2023 after testing an estimated 1,100 people.
Rice added that those populations who represent the most significant increase in recent HIV infections include Black cisgender women (women whose gender identity matches the sex they were assigned at birth) and younger adults between the ages of 18 and 34. Capitol Heights, Md. has also been identified as a hotspot for new HIV infections. Health centers and nonprofits throughout Maryland offer free testing to anyone who enters their doors.
Wendell Felder wins Ward 7 Democratic primary race while Mayor Bowser considers an unprecedented run for a fourth consecutive term in 2026
Ten candidates were on the ballot for D.C.’s Democratic primary race for Ward 7, which took place on June 4. But it took two more days before The Associated Press projected a winner: 33-year-old Wendell Felder, a local politician and the former chair of the Ward 7 Democrats who currently leads the local Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC). However, Felder’s victory was far from decisive as two other candidates, Ebony Payne, a Kingsman Park ANC commissioner, and Eboni-Rose Thompson, president of the State Board of Education, were close behind by several hundred votes.
Felder’s victory presumably occurred, in part, because of his endorsement by Vincent Gray, the District’s former mayor and council chair who had held the Ward 7 seat since 2005. Gray earlier announced that he would not seek reelection due to health challenges. He suffered a stroke in 2021 and another in April 2024 and continues to receive physical therapy for complications related to mobility and speech.
Because the District is heavily dominated by Democratic voters, Felder will almost assuredly win the general election in November and succeed the retiring Gray in Ward 7.
On another note, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has been making the rounds, appearing on local TV news stations and holding multiple press conferences addressing topics that include public safety, summer internships for youth and the new budget. She has yet to decide if she will run for an unprecedented fourth consecutive term for mayor in 2026.
D.C.’s “Mayor for Life,” Marion Barry was elected mayor for four terms but only three of his terms were consecutive.
Stay tuned.