If you missed these five, you missed some interesting stories this week. But it's not too late to catch up: Two Contract Areas Open on ICC Tuesday: The ICC opens. Get the nuts and bolts details on pricing, schedules and volume.A Wondrous Wonderland Riddle at the Greenbelt Arts Center: Anna Socrates reviews "Alice in Wonderland" at the Greenbelt Arts Center. You still have time to see it.Route 1 Re-opened in Beltsville but Auto Store is Damaged after Truck Drove Into Front: If you're headed out near COSTCO in Beltsville, you'll notice Quality Auto Parts looks different. Sane Holiday Feasting …

LABOR DAY FESTIVAL 1) This week the Greenbelt Labor Day Festival was in the news. If you missed these stories, you may want to take a look: Labor Day Festival Viewfinder with highlights of the weekend Photos: 2011 Labor Day Festival Parade Sylvia Lewis is Greenbelt Citizen of the Year for 2011 Jump Rope Champions Win 'Best in Parade' Photos: 2011 Miss Greenbelt Labor Day Festival Hoop Heroics SINGLES, MOMS and GREAT ESCAPE This week I want to showcase our columnists for you, if you haven’t checked them out yet, now is a good time. 2) Amy Headley cracked me up this week with her ideas on how …

This week the secondhand smoke case took the top spot in our coverage of Greenbelt.Day One: Trial Wrap UpDay Two: Trial HighlightsDay Two: Trial Wrap UpDay Three: Trial HighlightsDay Three: Trial Wrap UpDawn Mooney, our Mom columnist, raised quite a ruckus over parents who bring their kids into adult-rated movies, in Theatrical Distractions. Greenbelter Molly Lester questioned council over its closed-door session to discuss the city's possible acquisition of the historic Greenbelt Middle School and its lag in posting meeting minutes for the public.The GHI Board unanimously passed a new policy…

The Plaintiff talked to Greenbelters about his lawsuit against GHI over secondhand smoke. Patch also filmed people hanging out in the town center on their thoughts about a smoking ban. County Executive Baker met with City Council, and they asked him some tough questions about development and transportation. Artful Afternoon keeps on delivering winners. This time Greenbelt got a taste of Bollywood. The Community Center dripped with masala. Firefighters will be coming to Greenbelt on Sept. 11 for a special event to honor the 373 firefighters who fell at the World Trade Center. The band formerly…

If you didn't see our new reporter Dan Pendick's ACE Science Club video about radiation — with exploding light bulbs and glowing plasma, it's really funny and interesting. I love the boy who shouts "Happy New Year.""The lute — the jewel of Renaissance courts, the subject of Baroque paintings, and an instrument in King Henry VIII’s wooing of Anne Boleyn..." and virtual magic in the hands of a master when Ayreheart plays at the New Deal.Once his career ambition was to win mountain bike races, now he's set on winning souls. He's the new pastor at Greenbelt Baptist Church. And, I'm not making …

A husband and wife team open Pollo Cabana, a new family-owned restaurant in Greenbelt with a secret recipe. A lack of consensus over a task force's recommendation to convert the historic Greenbelt Middle School into a community center demands more time; the city council agrees. This week former Roosevelt stars make Patch’s headlines, like Travon Bellamy, who signs his first professional contract — with the St. Louis Rams. Prince Okoroh is also in the limelight for showing his star power on the court and in the classroom. Musicians come alive at a Cajun jam in the New Deal Cafe, as Greenbelt …

Residents and members of city agencies and services come together for an evening of fun at Franklin Park’s community celebration. Greenbelt Engine Co. 35’s open house draws four potential volunteers to an afternoon of learning what it takes to become a volunteer firefighter in Greenbelt. Greenbelt police tell residents of Greenbriar Condominiums that successful crime fighting in Greenbelt West has moved crime to Greenbelt East. A 93-year old NASA retiree, who had seen the shuttle era birthed, makes his way to Greenbelt — refusing to miss watching Atlantis' final landing with his colleagues. …

Did you notice something new up with the beer at the New Deal Café? Well, it may not be just your imagination. Greenbelt City Council met Monday and passed a $3.84 million refinance measure. Council also debated its response to the Supreme Court decision that opened the door for independent corporate spending during elections. Greenbelt gal, Amy Headley, talked about her dating foibles and why she's the single cat lady. Greenbelt was troubled by serious crime reports this week. Greenbelt police said shots were fired at a Franklin Park apartment at about 3 p.m. Thursday. And a Greenbelt man …

It is impossible to describe the sentiment in the air as the Goddard faithful watched Atlantis liftoff. You could see the sadness and pride on their faces. If a picture paints a thousand words, perhaps the video of them watching liftoff can show you what I'm trying to say.Many are now wondering what's next for the space agency. I sat down with a seasoned NASA veteran to find that out. The answer he gave proved that time, years and battles can't stop a pioneer from being one. Anna Socrates gave an engaging review of the Fourth of July in Greenbelt. She tied the spirit of the city into the …

Will the Atlantis’ final flight spell job cuts in Greenbelt and bring about the end of space exploration? A veteran NASA pioneer said the sky is still the limit and he's putting his hope in Goddard’s Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM). Have you noticed the new stage lights at the New Deal Cafe? They were a team effort. Leslie Johnson plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit evidence and witness tampering, and the state’s attorney made a statement on the case. Karl Gary photographed his first Viewfinder for Patch. It featured the gardens of Greenbelt, and the results were amazing. We had…

I decided to see if less is more and picked out only five stories from this week. It was hard leaving some out. But I hope you’ll enjoy reading these five as much as I enjoyed talking to the people who made them happen. Claudia Chavez stopped her car on Greenbelt Road so she could help a Hyattsvile man whose van had flipped over. He was unconscious and having trouble breathing, she said. Greenbelt police said a preliminary investigation indicated the Hyattsville man's van flipped after he ran a red signal while heading west on Greenbelt Road. Check out the vendors at Franklin Park's inaugural…

Doug Kammerer of NBC4 forecasts the weather from backyards in Greenbelt. Greenbelt kids and parents share what they're doing this summer as they say goodbye to another school year. With summer just around the corner, co-op produce manager, Ellen Siegel, demonstrates some healthy non-processed ways to make treats.Watch these adorable Greenbelt kittens in their film debut. The Greenbelt Animal Shelter is adopting them out for free in June.Returning to his childhood home in Greenbelt, Washingtonian editor, Todd Kliman, brings his new book and talks about a wild funky grape and what it has in …

The Greenbelt police raid 2 suspected prostitution houses.  Council Adopts Fiscal 2012 Budget, Roberts Dissents, unwilling to approve increases in both apartment and commercial office inspection and licensing fees. Watch footage of Greenbelter Joey Murray's Kalahari Desert trip, where he tracks with the Bushmen. The city holds a big Greenbelt weekend with a youth triathlon, a naturalization ceremony, art, a quilt exhibit, music and history. No one figured out last week's Get The Picture, I think it's our first-ever stump, at least it is on my watch. So this week, I updated it with a second …

This week Shannon Hoffman investigated the errors some Greenbelt Homes, Inc. (GHI) shareholders reported in their units' real estate assessments, and she followed up with a report on GHI's hypothetical comparisons between last year's assessments and this year's. We also kept up-to-date coverage on the Franklin Park chiller breakdown that left 476 units without air conditioning. Kathleen Bryan gave us an inside look at Franklin Park's Community Police Officer Tim White, by following him around with her camera on a day that it's an understatement to call interesting. Rolling Thunder …

Kathleen Bryan got the week started with the story and pics of Eleanor Roosevelt senior, Qieyana Lewis, who went to the prom, with help from mom and dad. She effervesces with that sparkle of optimism so strong in the young. From a high school senior we went to the seniors at the Baby Boomers & Beyond EXPO. Take a close look, because what they said had me laughing, so I put it in the captions. Let's go from seniors to the wee ones who went out for the Early Bird Swim, the first dip into the Aquatic Center's outdoor pool before its official open.  When a resident found deer remains and a …

On my first day, Wednesday, there was a lot of eye rolling, as I tried to meet my Patch goal of getting four stories to you before midnight. Can you say, are you kidding?  Four more were due Thursday. Ha, ha, ha, I found myself laughing madly. When I survived Thursday, Friday came demanding more. I still don't know how, but thankfully, all the stories made it to publication. I was also supposed to be doing all sorts of administrative things that, well, I didn't. One of the big things that I am failing miserably at is producing a video to introduce you to me. Cause, Lord knows, you just can't …

Prince George’s County basketball players, both girls and boys, competed in an All-Star game against Montgomery County players and dominated over the weekend. The Prince George’s County All-Stars boys spent much of their time attempting–and for the most part, completing–contest-worthy slam dunks, while their counterparts from Montgomery County loosened up with a steady supply of jump shots. The Prince George's County All-Stars girls used their defensive pressure to key a fourth-quarter rally as they picked up a 66-64 victory over Montgomery County in the VOLiSports/FiOS 1 Girls All Star game …

Representatives from two Prince George’s County advocacy groups asked the County Council to block County Executive Rushern Baker’s pick to head the county’s housing authority after reports surfaced detailing a troubled work history Monday night. Citing a lax vetting process that did not thoroughly look into the employment history of Eric C. Brown, tapped earlier this month to head the county’s Housing Authority, representatives from the Prince George’s Real Estate Agents for Change and People for Change asked council members to vote against allowing Eric C. Brown to take the helm of the …

The Greenbelt City Council met at 8 p.m. Monday night to discuss the Greenbelt West Sector Plan and to honor Mayor J. Davis. The Greenbelt Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Unit obtained an arrest warrant for a College Park man in connection with a burglary in historic Greenbelt. Former County Executive Jack Johnson was arraigned Tuesday at the U.S. Courthouse in Greenbelt at 1:45 p.m. for charges stemming from a pay-to-play scandal that persisted throughout his time in office. He pleaded not guilty to all eight counts against him, as federal prosecutors announced additional …

On Tuesday, columnist Dawn Mooney discussed how difficult it was for her to leave her children for an extended weekend when she’s used to being with them all of the time. Her story inspired six commentors who shared the same guilt. Then, more than 40 taxi drivers packed the Prince George’s County Council hearing room Tuesday to protest a plan to put a limit on cab permits—a proposal they say would create a monopoly for a handful of taxi companies. The Greenbelt Police arrested Jacob Hawkins, 19, of Capitol Heights in conjunction with a March 3 burglary at the 7900 block of Mandan Road. And …