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Nov 20, 2024: Breakdown of New proposed Council Standing Rules At the coming Council Meeting on Monday, Nov 25, the Council will potentially vote on adopting new “Standing Rules” that govern the basic …
Nov 19, 2024: Council Meeting - 25 Nov 2024 See the City of Laurel’s meeting page for the official record, and if any agenda item holds interest for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out to …
Nov 18, 2024: My Learnings from Maryland Municipal League Fall Conference The week before last, I attended the Maryland Municipal League’s (MML) fall conference - Titled “Excellence in Leadership”, it was held in Cambridge, …
Nov 15, 2024: LPD Awards / Diwali / Veteran's Day Highlights & Pics Laurel Police Department Yesterday, I was pleased to be with the Laurel Police Department for their awards ceremony honoring officers and citizen …
Nov 13, 2024: Meet the new PG Education Board Member Andorful on Nov 20 in Laurel In the just-completed election, a new PG County Board of Education member was elected to represent our district, District 1 – Dr. Tiffini …
Nov 12, 2024: Spread Thanksgiving Blessings with Blessing Baskets Thanksgiving is approaching quickly and is a great time of year to reflect on all the many true blessings we have that are so easy to forget in the …
Nov 11, 2024: Honor Veterans by Placing Flags Today at 2 p.m. at Ivy Hill If you’re free this afternoon, I’d encourage you to consider taking an hour to mark Veteran’s Day by helping place flags on graves at the Ivy Hill …
Nov 10, 2024: PG County Fire Dept Reallocation Impact - Community Meeting this Thu, Nov 14 You may already be aware, but there’s a significant reallocation happening within PG County Firefighters. This coming Thursday, Nov 14, the PG County …
Nov 7, 2024: Small business retailers apply by Nov 8 to be in Passport Book Small Business Saturday is coming up later this month on Saturday, Nov 30 — But tomorrow, Friday, Nov 8 is the deadline for small business retailers …
Nov 4, 2024: November 2024 issue of “Laurel Living” The latest edition of Laurel Living, the official newsletter for the City of Laurel, is available today! – Highlights include: Details around …
Nov 1, 2024: Help Clean Riverfront Park & Main Street on Sat, Nov 2 The volunteers of Laurel for the Patuxent have an event scheduled this Saturday, Nov 2 to help cut invasive vines at Riverfront Park plus pickup trash …
Oct 30, 2024: Council Work Session + Meeting - 4 Nov 2024 Because of scheduling complexities for November, next Monday will be a combination Council Work Session (scheduled for 5 p.m.) followed by a Council …
Oct 28, 2024: Voting has Started for Nov 5 Elections A few resources if helpful to you for the current voting season: The Laurel Independent voting guide, including guide for judge elections (often …
Oct 27, 2024: “Eric’s ID Law” for Non-apparent Disabilities Through my work as Chair of the Citizen Advisory Committee for Persons with Disabilities, I’ve been honored to connect with people throughout our area …
Oct 26, 2024: Hispanic Heritage / Laurel VFD Banquet Highlight & Pics Laurel Volunteer Fire Department 122nd Awards Banquet It took a minute to sink in, but I couldn’t help but be amazed that this was the 122nd Awards …
Oct 24, 2024: Mayor Launches First-Time Homebuyer Assistance Program From the City’s announcement page: The City of Laurel is proud to announce the launch of its First-Time Homebuyer Assistance Program, designed to …
Oct 21, 2024: Council Meeting - 28 Oct 2024 See the City of Laurel’s meeting page for the official record, and if any agenda item holds interest for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out to …
Oct 20, 2024: “50 Best Places to Live in US”? #1 Silver Spring, MD After evaluating 2,000 cities across almost 200 data categories, Fortune Magazine found Silver Spring, Maryland as #1. Here’s a great 3-minute video …
Oct 13, 2024: The Laurel Independent, Oct 2024 edition out Just finished perusing my copy of October 2024 edition of The Laurel Independent and here’s some of the highlights I took note of: 5 Laurel-area …
Oct 12, 2024: FREE Recycle electronics, Paper shred, Paint drop-off, & more on Oct 19 A great service Laurel provides its residents are opportunities during the year to do a great house emptying :) – Mark your calendars for next …
Oct 11, 2024: Voices of Laurel, Fall 2024 edition out Just picked up my copy of the latest Voices of Laurel edition outside the Main Street Post Office, and it packs lots of interesting and informative …
Oct 10, 2024: Fidos creating Freedom in Laurel Yesterday, I had the pleasure of touring the Fidos for Freedom facility on Sandy Spring Road and meeting with Executive Director Diane Bernier. Fidos' …
Oct 8, 2024: Council Meeting - 16 Oct 2024 See the City of Laurel’s meeting page for the official record, and if any agenda item holds interest for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out to …
Oct 7, 2024: New "Laurel Living" newsletter, Oct 2024 edition out Hot off the presses, check out the latest edition of Laurel Living, the official newsletter for the City of Laurel. Some highlights from inside: …
Oct 3, 2024: PG County public school employee Tax Credit under consideration At last night’s Council Work Session, legislation was introduced (Ordinance 2030) with sponsorship by President Kole, to avail of a new …
Oct 2, 2024: Women Entrepreneurs Free Workshop on Oct 16 In honor of National Women’s Small Business Month, the City is co-sponsoring with Pyne Creative a FREE half-day, in-person workshop at the Laurel …
Oct 1, 2024: Faith & Blue at St. Mark's this Saturday, Oct 5 2024 is the fifth anniversary year of Faith & Blue – locally organized community-officer engagement that’s a part of the nation’s …
Sep 30, 2024: Council Meeting Schedule Explained + 2025 Calendar “When are the meetings for City Council?" – I’ve gotten this question a few times over the last couple weeks and thought …
Sep 27, 2024: Join Voices of Laurel for a “Day at the Races” Laurel Park, 113-year home of horse racing in Laurel (and the state), will be closing in 2027. Join the crew behind Voices of Laurel to make some last …
Sep 26, 2024: Council Work Session - 2 Oct 2024 See the City of Laurel’s meeting page for the official record, and if any agenda item holds interest for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out to …
Sep 25, 2024: Useful Alternative Spray for Kitchen Fires We had a small oven fire in our home last year 🔥 – Grease from a turkey spilled over the drip pan onto the bottom of the oven and caught flame. …
Sep 23, 2024: Neighborly Tradition of Cleanup Days Revived I want to give a shout out to Kathie Peterson - She helped organize a group of neighbors this past weekend to walk around their neighborhood picking …
Sep 21, 2024: Facebook Page Launched! For those in Facebookland, wanted to announce that I recently launched an ‘elected official’ Facebook page. It’s the best place to …
Sep 19, 2024: Free Fire Detectors + Women's Club Fundraiser Here’s two events going on this weekend I recommend you check-out🌞 –> The PG County Fire Department will be joining the Laurel Police …
Sep 16, 2024: Council Meeting - 23 Sep 2024 See the City of Laurel’s meeting page for the official record, and if any agenda item holds interest for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out to …
Sep 14, 2024: Emancipation / Multi-Service / Andy Kostas Highlights & Pics With September in full swing, it’s that time of year where everything kicks into full gear! 😀 Among the many highlights from the past week for me …
Sep 13, 2024: September Laurel Independent edition is out! The September edition of The Laurel Independent is out — Some items that caught my attention: Updates on Main Street’s Outback Leather plans to come …
Sep 10, 2024: Multi-service Center launches today Today is the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of the Laurel Multi-Service Center and the August edition of The Business Monthly newspaper has a …
Sep 8, 2024: Free Mission BBQ sandwich on 9/11 for Fire, Police, & First Responders We probably all remember where we were on 9/11 – I was working in downtown Baltimore at the time, and there was initially confusion among my …
Sep 6, 2024: Council Meeting - 9 Sep 2024 See the City of Laurel’s meeting page for the official record, and if any agenda item holds interest for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out to …
Sep 6, 2024: Van Dusen Road improvements coming At this week’s Work Session, Kelly from Century Engineering presented a Concept Study overview for improvements to Van Dusen Road – It takes a …
Sep 3, 2024: Maryland Police Task Force busts 11 illegal car rallies Over the weekend, members of the Maryland State Police Car Rally Task Force broke up 11 illegal car meetups and made seven arrests. Included among the …
Sep 2, 2024: New Baby Arrived! Wanted to share on a personal note, that my wife and I welcomed our new little tyke last month! - I’m happy to report that mom and baby are doing good …
Aug 30, 2024: New Small Business Grant Opens Sep 3 on First-Come Basis The new Laurel Thrive Grant I mentioned earlier this month was just launched - applications open next Tue, Sep 3 and will be awarded on a first-come, …
Aug 30, 2024: Fall Parks & Rec Activities Announced! Resident should see in their mailbox this week the latest Parks & Rec brochure for fall activities. Whether fall community events, adult or youth …
Aug 28, 2024: Council Work Session - 4 Sep 2024 See the City of Laurel’s meeting page for the official record, and if any agenda item holds interest for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out to …
Aug 28, 2024: Modified Trash Schedule for Labor Day Quick reference from the Department of Public Works for the modified trash schedule around the Labor Day holiday next week. Enjoy your Labor Day …
Aug 26, 2024: Access the Amenities at Laurel’s 2 Community Centers Last week, our family went to the Laurel Armory to get Department of Parks & Recreation Annual Admission Passes. These passes provide residents …
Aug 21, 2024: Join the St. Mark’s Emancipation Day 5k on Sep 7 It’s time for the 12th Annual St. Mark’s Emancipation Day 5k! If you wander by McCullough Field on Saturday morning each fall, you may wonder what all …
Aug 19, 2024: Pedestrian deaths are up in Maryland, opposite national average For me, one of the things that can make for good community are a variety of easy and safe ways to get around town, whether walking, cycling, busing, …
Aug 15, 2024: New Laurel 'Thrive Small Business' Grants open in September Thinking about opening a business in Laurel? Or maybe moving your business to Laurel? Well, keep your eyes peeled for a new city grant program …
Aug 14, 2024: Reminder: Council in Recess for August Reminder that the Laurel City Council is in recess for the month of August, and our next regularly scheduled Council meeting will be the Work Session …
Aug 9, 2024: Back-to-school clothing Tax Free from Aug 11-17 Getting geared up for back-to-school is fun, but expensive. 💸 The State of Maryland will help shave off at least a little of that bite if you’re …
Aug 8, 2024: Mural Art provides Everyday Beauty If you’ve been to the Laurel Quill Lot on Main Street recently (perhaps for a Farmer’s Market or to eat your lunchtime sandwich), you may …
Aug 5, 2024: Free Nats tickets for Kid Summer Readers Looking to help motivate your kid to read more, or to spend more time reading with them? How about 2 free tickets to a Nationals baseball game at Nats …
Aug 3, 2024: Laurel Police Aug 6 National Night Out Come grab a free hotdog, visit with a K-9 unit, catch live music, and connect with the various law enforcement groups we have here in Laurel – …
Jul 30, 2024: Maryland Funds for Maryland Businesses The MD Comptroller’s Office is hosting a series of lunch-and-learns in August to share with business owners about the tax credits, grants, …
Jul 29, 2024: PG County Special Primary Election July 31 - Aug 6 Prince George’s County is holding a Special Primary Election from Wed, Jul 31 to Tue, Aug 6 to select candidates to replace a vacancy on the PG County …
Jul 27, 2024: AAE Training & Security Assessments This past week as part of standard Council training, we all participated in a course about ‘Active Attacker Events’. Although it can be an …
Jul 27, 2024: Council Meeting - 29 Jul 2024 See the City of Laurel’s meeting page for the official record, and if any agenda item holds interest for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out to …
Jul 26, 2024: Take Survey by Aug 30 for What Businesses to Have in Westside Development The Mayor is soliciting input from the community on the types of businesses that would be most helpful to residents in the new Westside Development …
Jul 26, 2024: Maryland Wastewater Showing Spike in Viral Activity You may have noticed anecdotally that a lot of friends, family, neighbors, and kids seem to be cropping up with variants of fever, body aches, …
Jul 24, 2024: Touch-A-Truck a Bubble Blast It’s been a favorite of my kids for a number of years, and from the looks of it Tuesday night, many other kids too. :) As I walked around the …
Jul 22, 2024: Prince George's County passes rent stabilization On July 16, the Prince George County Council passed 10-0 a rent stabilization bill that had been in the works for around two years. This issue hit a …
Jul 21, 2024: Council Meeting - 22 Jul 2024 See the City of Laurel’s meeting page for the official record, and if any agenda item holds interest for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out to …
Jul 20, 2024: Safe Summer Nights Last night, I was happy to lend a small helping hand at Mayor Sydnor’s Safe Summer Nights program being held at the Laurel Armory. It’s …
Jul 20, 2024: Random bump into The Laurel Independent team This morning, I happened to bump into members of the Board and Staff of The Laurel Independent while grabbing a coffee at a favorite coffee shop here …
Jul 18, 2024: Laurel Board of Trade - Business Networking event It was my pleasure to participate in Laurel Board of Trade’s (LBOT) Business Networking event this afternoon – In attendance were small …
Jul 17, 2024: Voices of Laurel, Summer 2024 edition is out It’s one of those months where both of Laurel’s newspapers hit stands, and Voices of Laurel’s latest quarterly issue contains a host of topics …
Jul 16, 2024: The Laurel Independent, Jul 2024 edition is out The latest monthly edition of The Laurel Independent is out with lots of good information for goings-on in Laurel. This month’s edition includes …
Jul 15, 2024: Follow Laurel's Socials for the Latest A great way to learn about upcoming events or stay in touch with what’s going on around Laurel is through the City’s social media streams. …
Jul 11, 2024: Gov. Moore proposes cutting state budget $150 million This week, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore proposed further cutting the state budget by $150 million in what he described as “targeted and strategic …
Jul 8, 2024: Council Meeting - 8 Jul 2024 See the City of Laurel’s meeting page for the official record, and if any agenda item holds interest for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out to …
Jul 7, 2024: July 4th Celebrations in Laurel! Growing up as a kid here in Laurel, I’ve long known that Laurel takes its July 4th fireworks seriously. 😃 And all that hard work results in a …
Jul 5, 2024: Council Work Session - 5 Jul 2024 I participated in my first Council Work Session immediately after my swearing-in ceremony. See the City of Laurel meeting page for the official …
Jul 3, 2024: Swearing-in Ceremony Memories Truly memorable for me to have my wife and little guys with me for the administration of the Oath of Office. As it turns out, the littlest one is an …
Jul 2, 2024: Celebratory Drinks at Skyvibe! Following the results of Monday night’s election, friends and I went out for celebratory drinks at one of Laurel’s newest hotspots: Skyvibe Restaurant …
Jul 1, 2024: Amazing, surreal, honored Amazing, surreal, honored. Three of the many emotions I felt tonight in the process of being selected to fill the vacant Ward 1 seat on the City …