By Miranda S. Spivack A community group in Montgomery County was asked to pay $95,000 for copies of police discipline and complaint records, which, under a 2021 change in Maryland law, are no longer automatically private. Local public defenders in Baltimore seeking those records have been told to pay as little as $10 to the […]
Category: Prince George’s County News
Posted inCommentary
What is Anton’s Law?
By Rebecca Snyder, executive director, Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association Last year, Maryland’s General Assembly passed the groundbreaking Anton’s Law (the Maryland Police Accountability Act of 2021) to bring more transparency to police discipline records by making them available under Maryland’s Public Information Act. The movement for reform began with the 2018 death of Anton Black, a […]
Posted inPrince George's County News
Bowie approves water filter rebate program tackling brown water
By DeAnna Giles, Special to the AFRO The City of Bowie unanimously approved a water filter rebate program for residents serviced by the Bowie Water System. The rebate program was approved for $50,000, which allows the first 27 eligible residents to undergo water testing and receive up to $1,800 in rebate for a water filtration […]
Posted inMaryland Government
Commercial developers object to legislation’s climate change costs
By STEPHEN NEUKAM, Capital News Service ANNAPOLIS – The renewed effort by Maryland Democrats to push sweeping climate legislation through the General Assembly has hit one of its first major challenges, with commercial real estate representatives balking at the bill’s major alterations to building efficiency standards and questioning the affordability of the proposed changes. The […]
Posted inBaltimore News
The AFRO welcomes two new additions to the editorial team
By Micha GreenAFRO D.C. and Digital Editormgreen@afro.com The publication is pleased to welcome two new members of the editorial team to help continue the strong storytelling legacy of the media company. Longtime AFRO writer Alexis Taylor has joined the editorial team as news editor and recent graduate Nadia Reese is entering the journalism workforce as […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Legislative Brief SB0852
By J.J. McQueen, Special to the AFRO Many people often wonder what sparks the ideas for the introduction of new legislative bills. In some cases, there could be community needs, in others good news to be shared about a particular subject that needs additional support, educational needs that need to be enhanced, or increased protective […]
Posted inMaryland Government
Maryland House of Delegates passes bills to refer adult-use cannabis legalization to voters in November
Annapolis, MD — The Maryland House of Delegates approved a pair of bills that would allow voters to decide whether to legalize cannabis for adults’ use in November 2022. This marks the first time either chamber in Maryland’s legislature has voted on a bill that would legalize cannabis. HB 1, the bill to refer the […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Photographers present “Black Is” exhibition
By DeAnna Giles, Special to the AFRO A moment in Black history. “You would think that from the surface level, we don’t have anything in common. There was a particular older White gentleman who saw my images and afterwards, came to talk to me and just fell on my arms and cried. I didn’t know […]
Posted inBUSINESS
John Celestand to join Knight x LMA BloomLab as program director
By Special to the AFRO John Celestand will join the Knight x LMA BloomLab on March 9 as program director. The former NBA champion brings a wide range of experience including journalism, public broadcasting, program management, community engagement, business development and much more. Celestand will be responsible for the BloomLab’s strategic resources to foster long-term sustainability and […]
Posted inReligion
#FaithWorks: The Importance of Social Justice & the Black Church
By Shanon Murray, Givelify As we celebrate Black History Month, it’s important to spotlight the role the Black church plays in advocating for various social justice issues within the African American community. Whether it’s tackling food insecurity, police violence, or health disparities, pastors and clergy are continuing the long-held tradition of serving as both faith leaders […]
Posted inPrince George's County News
Bowie to expand compost program: Food scrap collection could reduce the costs of trash pickup
By John Little, Special to the AFRO The environmental committee for the City of Bowie wants to expand an existing food scrap collection service to the entire city over the next decade, which could reduce the cost of trash collection, while also improving the city’s environmental profile. Currently, almost 300 of the city’s nearly 21,000 […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Supplemental Education Funding submitted in Hogan’s FY 2023 budget request
By Deborah BaileySpecial to the AFRO Bowing to pressure from education advocates and Maryland General Assembly members, Governor Larry Hogan sent a supplemental funding request of $139.9 million to the State’s FY 2023 budget to fully fund the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future (Kirwan Commission) Education Reform plan. The majority of Hogan’s supplemental education funding request, […]