CHVBlog

Get Turned On Friday Night!

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 01:18:00 +0000

That's the night you need to have your house well-lit with Christmas decorations in order to win the "Best Decorated House in Cheverly".

Voting you into this prestigious award will be town dignitaries, including the Mayor and members of the Council. They will be driven around town in a limousine, while quaffing champagne and eating caviar.

People on the East side of town may desperately hope to win, but we understand that there's a couple on the West side of town who have their eyes set on the prize.

Once we can figure out who is chosen as the winner, we'll let you know here.

Maryland Community Connection, hidden in plain sight.

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:29:00 +0000

Maryland Community Connection wins award.

Grassroots.org, a New York-based nonprofit organization that provides free web and technology resources for nonprofits nationwide, selected the Maryland Community Connection from more than 2,000 eligible organizations as its Member of the Month.

Each month, Grassroots.org selects one member whose work best fulfills its mission: To serve as a catalyst for positive social change by leveraging modern technologies and best business practices.

Based in Cheverly, MD, the Maryland Community Connection helps people with developmental disabilities pursue work, reach social and economic independence and achieve their goals.

Four main criteria are used to evaluate the websites: activity, growth, creativity and navigability. With its inviting web design and effective use of Grassroots.org tools, the Maryland Community Connection excelled in each of these categories.

“We want to see other nonprofits succeed and grow because of the services we provide,” said Shane Hankins, Executive Director of Grassroots.org. “The Maryland Community Connection website is a great example of how nonprofits utilize technology tools to thrive.”

Grassroots.org services let the Maryland Community Connection create a compelling and effective online community. One of the most valuable services was the volunteer graphic design program, said André Coates, executive director at Maryland Community Connection.

“The Grassroots.org volunteer created a professional image for our new website to increase visibility about our services to help individuals with disabilities achieve their goals and be included as part of their communities,” Coates said.

That image still helps the organization reach its ultimate goal of improving the quality of life for disabled community members.

“The Grassroots service has successfully assisted Maryland Community Connection to positively share our commitment to creating jobs and opportunities for people with disabilities in the community,” Coates said.

A Memoriam.

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 22:45:00 +0000

We don't normally publish comments from readers on the blog, but felt that this comment made about James Bowen was well-worth publishing for everyone to read.

This is what makes a town a community.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I am glad to read Jeanne's words here. It broke my heart that the news' reporters were not able to find someone who had kind words to say about this wonderful man. (Unfortunately when they came to my door, I had just heard the news and was too upset to talk.)

Nathan and I knew Jim well. The kids knew him as "Mr. Jim" and we all enjoyed spending time with him. We recently got to know Kevin a little and he was always kind and courteous to us.

I don't know much about antique cars, but Jim had many vintage vehicles. He even was in the last Cheverly Day Parade with his Model A Coupe. Cort got to ride in it and he felt pretty special! (Jim also had a Model A pickup.) Jim brought that Model A Coupe to Weekday Nursery and Mothers Day Out Truck Touch 2 years ago. The Model A had a very distinct horn and when Jim brought it to our house, he'd blow that horn and the boys would run to the window to look for him. Cort and Brady loved riding in that old car!

We had Jim over for dinner several times and Nathan and the boys would often go down to his house to visit. My favorite "Jimism" is that when the kids had something new to show him, he would always say, "You guys get everything!" And they would giggle.

Jeanne's words speak of the kind and generous man Jim Bowen was, and that is the man who took his grandson into his home to try to help him get on his feet. It is so sad that that generosity had to end in such a tragedy.

Please keep Jim and Kevin and their family in your thoughts and prayers.

Sincerely,
Sue McElroy

Flush More!

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 22:18:00 +0000

WSSC has announced that they are going to be undertaking a project to replace more than 22,000 feet of sewer mains in the near future. Areas that are included as part of the upgrade include Bladensburg, Hyattsville and Cheverly.

Funding is provided to the project by the "Recovery Act" also known as "Massive Amounts of New Government Debt".

WSSC does claim that the projects will provide 65 new jobs, and many, many more streets in Cheverly that are half-paved.

Full press release here.

Be Sure To Visit the Community Market Saturday.

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 02:18:00 +0000

In the final market of the season, join many of Cheverly's finest residents at the Community Market Saturday morning from 9am to 1pm at Town Hall.

Included amongst many of the vendors tomorrow will be Circle C Oysters, Andrews & Dunham Damn Fine Tea, Schlagel Farms, as well as local artisans and crafters from ChvChick, selling their handmade scarves, and hand painted glassware, as seen above.

Of course, part of the Hot Noodles will be there, serving up some folk rock, and don't forget a fresh brewed cup of coffee to warm you up.

We'll see you there!

House Fire Strikes the West Side

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 20:54:00 +0000

As temperatures drop, the occurrence of house fires increases due to problems with various methods of heating houses or rooms.

A fire struck a basement apartment on Lake Ave today around 2:00PM , sending a woman and child running for safety. No one was harmed in the fire, and we do not have an estimate on the damage. At least 4 fire trucks from Cheverly and Bladensburg FD responded to the fire.

Early indications are the basement had been converted into an apartment. According to records, there was no rental license issued for this address by the town. The Town of Cheverly requires a $500 annual rental fee for any property or room considered a rental.

Thanks to the anonymous resident who sent us this photo.

News 8 Video

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 00:17:00 +0000

Murder Victim, James L. Bowen

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:48:00 +0000

Prince George's County Police have just confirmed that the murder victim today was James Laurence Bowen, age 78 years old. His assailant, a family member, attempted suicide, and did survive the attempt, but is not expected to live.

Police have not yet released his name as he has not been formally charged with a crime.

The call was received today at 11:14 AM, and Cheverly Police were first on the scene. As that particular address is not located in the town of Cheverly, Prince George's County Police are handling all aspects of this investigation.

Kilmer Murder Update

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:53:00 +0000

As previously posted, we can confirm that a murder took place today at 6301 Kilmer, on the east side of Cheverly, near St. Ambrose and Spellman. At no time were the students at those schools in danger.

The property has been owned by James L Bowen since approximately 1990, and it is presumed at this time that James Bowen was one of the victims.

At this time reporters remain on the scene waiting for additional information to be released.

Kilmer Update

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 20:07:00 +0000

Two people were shot in a Landover neighborhood Thursday
morning, and preliminary reports from the scene indicated one victim, an elderly
man, died. The other victim, a a young man in his 20's was transported to an
area hospital.

Police say the shooting was first reported shortly after 11:00 a.m. Thursday, in
a residence in the 6300 block of Kilmer Street in Landover. A police spokesman
reported 2 victims had been critically injured, but could not immediately
confirm further details.

Mark Brady, spokesman for the fire department tells 9NEWS NOW that there were
two victims - an older man said to be in his 70's who had not been transported,
and a young adult man who was taken by ambulance to a nearby trauma center.

Massive Crime Scene on Kilmer!

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:44:00 +0000

There is a significant police presence at 6301 Kilmer St, comprised of multiple police cars, crime scene vans, and County Detectives. Early indications are that there are multiple people involved in this situation.

For the time being, please keep away from the area to allow police to do their work. Parents of children at St. Ambrose may want to try a different route for pickup, or get their children via foot.

Additional information is that this address is not technically a part of Cheverly.

We will release additional information as we're able.

ChvProm Needs Some Rock.

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 12:23:00 +0000

Or Jazz.

Or Blues.

Or Something.

The people who brought you ChvProm last year, are planning on doing it again this year, helped in part by a $500 grant from the town, which was proposed by Ward 6 Councilwoman Emily Tevault. We'd like to publicly thank Emily for making that happen, even though she does live on the East Side.

The Prom needs music, and we'd like to keep it local, so does anyone have a suggestion for a band for the Prom? The budget for music won't be much but it will be something. If you have a suggestion, please email us at chvblog@gmail.com, or pass this onto your friends.

A Green Tree.

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:54:00 +0000

A REALLY Green tree.

Assuming you order your Christmas Tree from the Cheverly Market, you have the option of getting a completely carbon-free delivery to your house. (minus the exhalation, of course) The tree will be delivered to you via Rob Hanson and his two-wheeled delivery machine, his bicycle.

There is a nominal fee for this, a measly $5, but frankly, I think it's worth double that to see a tree on a bike.

And for an extra fee, Rob might even wear his kilt...

If you're interested in tree delivery, contact Rob directly at kate.rob AT verizon.net

Art! Art! Art!

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 15:22:00 +0000

Everyone in Cheverly is invited to a holiday art show at the home of Liz Lescault, an artist who resides here in Cheverly. Featured artists are; Ronnie Spiewak's collage, Tom Kenyon's prints, Lin Bessett's jewelry, Jerre Robinson's collage, and of course, works by Liz Lescault.

Refreshments will be served, along with live music.

This Saturday and Sunday, from 1 to 5pm, at 3030 Crest Avenue.

Stolen Car Dumped, West Side.

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 03:19:00 +0000

An alert citizen notified the Cheverly PD after seeing a suspicious vehicle parked on their street. After a quick investigation by the police, it was quickly apparent that the vehicle had been stolen from an area town, and then dumped in Cheverly.

Thanks to a confidential tip, ChvBlog was quickly on the scene to capture these photos of the crime scene.

Tree Lighting Tonight

noreply@blogger.com (Charles) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:54:00 +0000

Don't forget that tonight is Cheverly's annual Christmas Tree lighting. It's in the middle of town at 7:00pm. Get there early or you'll miss it!

It's a great time to come out and mingle with your neighbors. It'll be dark so it should be pretty easy to avoid the ones who really annoy you. You may even get a chance to talk to Dan about his recent, incredibly premature endorsement of Democrat Glenn Ivey for Congress.

See you tonight!

ps. US Citizenship is not a requirement so maybe we'll see Me tonight too!

ChvBlog Endorses Ivey.

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:03:00 +0000

After a careful and exhaustive review of both Ivey and Edwards policies, ChvBlog will today announce it's endorsement of Glenn Ivey for Congressman. I feel that Ivey would function well within Congressional government, and I like his straightforward no-nonsense style that he's demonstrated as a prosecutor. Plus he's attended Cheverly Prom, and who can deny the clout that brings?

While I realize that we are the first major media organization to make such an announcement, we're confident that others will follow our lead. We expect that other smaller media outlets such as the Washington Times and Washington Post may announce later, it's simply due to their lack of vision and understanding of the political process.

Mr. Ivey Goes To Washington (He Hopes)

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 22:56:00 +0000

While we've heard rumors for several weeks, the DC area press is abuzz today with Glenn Ivey's tentative plan to run for Donna Edwards 4th Congressional District seat.

According to several sources, Ivey has confirmed that he will not run for county Executive, nor will he stay as State's Attorney, but is looking at a run for Congress.

We think this is a pretty neat idea, assuming that Rushern Baker wins the County Executive seat. (More on Rushern being a safe driver later)

We don't know Donna Edwards, but we do know Glenn Ivey, and think he'd do a better job at this than Donna. We also think that this be interesting for County Democrats, as many, many people supported Donna in her run against Al Wynn, and may not be interested in changing again.

We were invited to the White House!

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 21:23:00 +0000

You see, we have a friend at the Pentagon, and they sent us this email....

Of course, that's hardly the truth. Due to some apparent electronic snafu on the internet, a PR firm made the egregious mistake of inviting ChvBlog to attend the National Tree lighting. Of course, the invite wasn't really to attend the tree lighting, but rather to stop by the tent of UL Laboratories and learn about safer home lighting.

Apparently, they even have Home Safety Expert, John Drengenberg, who will be on hand to discuss exciting developments in home lighting safety. We also declined a chance to sit down and interview him about his lighting concerns, but we're sure they're fascinating.

We were even informed that there are YouTube videos starring Keri Russell (Curly Hair!) about safety at home. (Who knew that Keri was so excited about this?)

Anyway, while we appreciate this invitation, we're going to be busy tomorrow night getting ready for the Friday night Cheverly Christmas Tree lighting.

And organizing our sock drawer.

20 is the new magic number.

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 21:07:00 +0000

That will be the new town-wide speed limit after the Town Council votes on a new plan for speed limits within town. While there will be a few exceptions such as 25mph on Cheverly Ave, the overall effect will be to reduce speed limits throughout town.

According to Ward 1 Councilman Mike Callahan, speeding is one of the Top 3 complaints brought by citizens to the Town Government. We can only assume that the other complaints revolve around a lack of restaurants, and people on the East side of Town who have some perceived complaint against the awesomeness of the West side.

We think that the more uniform speed limits in town are a good thing, as there are still plenty of people in town who need a friendly, revenue-enhancing reminder of what the speed limits are.

St. Ambrose, Saving Turkey's Lives.

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:31:00 +0000

In somewhat late Thanksgiving news, the 2nd grade class at St. Ambrose, led by Mrs. Tam was recently featured on Fox 5 news. Each kid in the class sent a letter to President Obama, asking for their turkey's life to be spared during the Thanksgiving holidays.

A few of these letters, were read on the air as part of a segment on Fox 5.

That segment is viewable here.

For the record, we know of at least two second graders that eagerly at their portion of turkey this last Thursday....

Clean Your Current

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:27:00 +0000

If you are interested in alternative and clean energy ideas, be sure to check out this meeting on Wednesday night.

There will be a meeting with a representative of Clean Currents, the renewable energy broker*, to discuss ideas for short-term or long-term clean energy projects that we might want to undertake in Cheverly. These could involve residential, governmental or business related initiatives. We're looking for creative ideas that might have practical application in our community. We've invited the Clean Currents representative to give a dose of reality to our ideas, including helping to inform any discussions regarding funding.

The meeting will be Wednesday, Dec. 2nd in the Community Center conference room at 7:30 pm. Come and bring your ideas and questions.

Cheverly Turns Out!

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:11:00 +0000

According to event organizers, more than 50 people showed up on Sunday afternoon to help rake leaves at the Bellamy's yard. When it was all said and done, more than 90 bags of leaves and yard debris were stacked on the curb, awaiting pick up by Public Works.

Help Out Cheverly's Finest

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 02:22:00 +0000

No, we're not talking about the police, but rather the Bellamy's, long time residents of Cheverly who have been here since near the inception of the town.

The local Girl Scout Troop #2019 will be leading an effort to rake the entire (very large) yard of leaves this Sunday afternoon from 1 to 4. Their address is 2819 Cheverly Ave.

We all know that Cheverly would not be the town it is today, were it not for the efforts of the Bellamy family over many decades. Please give a little bit back to them this Sunday and join us there.

Happy Thanksgiving!

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:27:00 +0000

From everyone at ChvBlog. Even if you can't think of anything, just be thankful that you live in such a great town!

After all, you could live in Bladensburg.