Photo courtesy Chesapeake Climate Action Network
Hundreds of activists gathered at National Harbor on Feb. 21 at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network’s 21st Annual Polar Bear Plunge to “Keep Winter Cold”.
Hundreds of Climate Activists Joined Icy ‘Winter Water Games’ at Fundraiser for Affordable Clean Energy Action
With the Potomac River off-limits, advocates faced a cold water obstacle course at National Harbor to “Keep Winter Cold” amid federal climate rollbacks
By PRESS OFFICER
Chesapeake Climate Action Network
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. (Feb. 21, 2026)—Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) hosted hundreds of activists today at its 21st Annual Polar Bear Plunge to “Keep Winter Cold”. For two decades, participants have raised donations from friends and family to brave icy conditions in support of CCAN’s mission to advance clean energy and combat climate change. In light of last month’s wastewater overflow into the Potomac River, this year’s event featured a creative twist with “Winter Water Games.” Instead of the traditional dip into the river, plungers took on a series of fun, cold-water activities onshore at National Harbor.
“Today’s joyous, boisterous event here at National Harbor is yet one more example of the resilience and the strength and determination of our climate movement,” said April Moore, Board Chair, Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN). “Even with this terrible situation of sewage in our nation’s river, we were not stopped. We found a way to do something anyway, and what we did was something really fun. We got wet and cold anyway, even though we didn’t plunge out into the freezing river. I’m proud of CCAN. I’m so proud to be a climate activist when I see these wonderful people working hard, and we’re winning.”
“Every year, our Polar Bear Plunge proves that climate action can be creative and unstoppable,” said Mike Tidwell, Executive Director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN). “Even when the Potomac River was off-limits this year, our community turned challenge into inspiration. With cold water games and big hearts, we showed that nothing, not sewage spills, not setbacks, not corporate polluters, can dampen the spirit of people fighting for a livable planet. This is what climate resilience looks like.”
Adding to the festivities, local musician Teresa Jiménez performed an energetic song to kick off the day’s events. Participants experienced a day of spirited climate activism and fun featuring chilly obstacle course activities, from water blasters and a wind-turbine sprinkler to icy buckets and more. The celebration continued after the course with live music, pizza, cold beer, and a hot cocoa bar.
“To have 245 million gallons of sewage dumped in the river, watching 40 million gallons a day gushing into the river you love and fight for every day hurts,” said Dean Naujoks, Potomac Riverkeeper with the Potomac Riverkeeper Network. “...We are right about clean water. We are right about clean air. We are going to continue to fight climate change and fight for our communities and our future because we are right about these things.”
“CCAN has given me a way to make my voice heard, and the amount that I’ve learned from it cannot be understated, said Kaede Thomas, Youth Member of the CCAN NoVa New Leaf Action Team. “Now I’m helping the Nova New Leaf team start a new educational campaign on data centers, one of the most pressing environmental issues facing our region. We are working together to educate ourselves and others and to push for accountability and clean energy requirements. The work we do and the effort we put in now serve as evidence to my generation and future generations that people care. ”
CCAN’s 2026 Polar Bear Plunge came at a critical time as environmental protections face alarming federal rollbacks and the effects of climate change grow ever more evident. Following the recent record-breaking winter storm Fern, the need for bold action on climate has never been clearer. The ‘Winter Water Games’ continued the Plunge’s legacy of passionate activism, with hundreds of climate activists braving chilly water challenges together while also helping raise funds for CCAN’s campaigns.
Chesapeake Climate Action Network is the first grassroots organization dedicated exclusively to raising awareness about the impacts and solutions associated with global warming in the Chesapeake Bay region. Founded in 2002, CCAN has been at the center of the fight for clean energy and wise climate policy in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC.
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Delegate Denise Roberts Highlights Urgent Need for HB901 at House Hearing on Autism Diagnoses in Public School
By PRESS OFFICER
Delegate Denise Roberts (District 25)
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (Feb. 25, 2026)—Delegate Denise Roberts (D–25) today presented House Bill 901, Education – Public School Students – Recognition of External Diagnosis of Autism, before the House Ways and Means Committee, calling for Maryland public schools to act promptly when a student has an external diagnosis of autism.
HB901 would require public schools to recognize an external autism diagnosis from qualified medical, mental health, or educational professionals, initiate a school-based evaluation within 30 days of receiving that diagnosis and parental consent, and determine appropriate supports during that evaluation period based on the diagnosis and its recommendations, while preserving school system discretion over which supports are appropriate.?
“In Annapolis, we are flooded with calls from parents of autistic children who waited months or years for a diagnosis only to have their public schools say, ‘Thanks, but we’re starting from zero,’” said Delegate Roberts. “That is unacceptable. If a Maryland family has climbed the mountain to get an autism diagnosis, our public schools have an obligation to meet them halfway and act, not stall.”?
Delegate Roberts’ testimony drew on extensive constituent casework and on an Autism Supports Summit she co-hosted this past weekend with Prince George’s County Council Chair Krystal Oriadha and Prince George’s County Board of Education District 7 member Dr. Phelton Moss, where parents shared stories of delays and denials in accessing school-based supports for autistic children.??
HB901 is designed to work within the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), ensuring that an external diagnosis triggers timely review and evaluation without replacing the requirement to show adverse educational impact and need for specially designed instruction. Amendments prepared with the Department of Legislative Services clarify that outside clinical recommendations inform, but do not control, school decisions about supports during the evaluation period.?
“HB901 strikes a careful balance,” Roberts added. “It respects clinical expertise and the sacrifice families make to get answers, but it keeps IEP decisions where they belong—with the public school team acting under IDEA. Schools still decide what is appropriate; they just can’t pretend the diagnosis doesn’t exist.”
The bill has bipartisan support in the Maryland House of Delegates. Roberts emphasized that HB901 aims to bring greater consistency to autism-related supports across school systems and to move Maryland toward best-in-the-nation practice in how public schools respond when a child receives an autism diagnosis.?
House Bill 901 remains before the House Ways and Means Committee.?
For more information about HB901 or to learn how to submit additional testimony, please visit the Maryland General Assembly’s website and search for “HB0901.”
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County Library Celebrates Women’s History Month With Book, Film, Art, and STEM Programs
By PRESS OFFICER
PGCMLS
LARGO, Md. (Feb. 26, 2026)—This March, the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System (PGCMLS) is proud to observe Women’s History Month with a variety of dedicated programming for all ages. Through special book discussions, film screenings, interactive storytimes, and craft-and-create and STEM programs, the Library invites the Prince George’s County Community to join the Library in celebrating the achievements, contributions, and inspiring legacy of women throughout history.
Highlights of this year’s Women’s History Month programming include four special book discussions featuring “Circe” by Madeline Miller, “Red at the Bone” by Jacqueline Woodson, “Such a Fun Age” by Kiley Reid, and “The Con Queen of Hollywood” by Scott C. Johnson, as well as six special film screenings featuring “Little Women” (dir. Greta Gerwig, 2019), “Till” (dir. Chinonye Chukwu, 2023), “Adam’s Rib” (dir. George Cukor, 1949), “Hidden Figures” (dir. Theodore Melfi, 2017), “Lady Sings the Blues” (dir. Sidney J. Furie, 1972), and the PBS American Experience documentary “Fly With Me” (dir. Sarah Colt, 2024).
Children and teens will also be invited to learn about notable women from Prince George’s County; fascinating historic figures like Josephine Baker; STEM heroines like Mae Jemison and Katherine Johnson; and artists like Yayoi Kusama, Sonia Delaunay, and Georgia O’Keeffe.
“Following a very robust offering of Black History Month programming in February, the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System is pleased to continue its 2026 Heritage Month programs with Women’s History Month,” says PGCMLS CEO Mark Winston. “Our Women’s History Month calendar reflects a dynamic set of programming of all types throughout the library system’s locations in the County.”
Select Women’s History Month programs are listed below. For full program details of all Women’s History Month events at PGCMLS branch libraries, please visit the Library’s website.
Featured PGCMLS Events Celebrating Women’s History Month
International Women’s Day:
Women Make History
Free | Saturday, March 7 at 11:30 a.m. | Teens and Adults | Bladensburg Branch Library
In celebration of International Women’s Day, commemorated on March 8, community members are invited to join the Bladensburg Branch Library in learning about twelve incredible women from ancient to modern history. Participants will explore these trailblazers’ impact on science, economics, politics, sports, human rights, and the environment and will discuss the realities of the challenges women and girls worldwide still face in these fields today. Light refreshments will be served.
STEM Fun:
Celebrating Women of NASA
Free | Tuesday, March 10 at 5:30 p.m. | Ages 5–12 | Largo-Kettering Branch Library
For this “STEM Fun” program, kids are invited to celebrate Women’s History Month by exploring the amazing achievements of women at NASA through hands-on STEM activities and simple experiments. This program inspires curiosity, creativity, and a love of science, showing that anyone—regardless of gender—can reach for the stars!
Discover:
Prince George’s County Women
A PGC250 Event
Free | Thursday, March 12 at 4:30 p.m. | Teens | Bladensburg Branch Library
From scientists to spies, innkeepers to enchantresses, the women of Prince George’s County have demonstrated courage and creativity in pursuit of better
lives. At this special Prince George’s County 250 (PGC250) program, participants will explore how to use library resources to uncover some of these women’s stories. They will also discuss how the historic women of Prince George’s County can inspire us today.
Solidarity Stories: Community-Led Book Discussion—“Red at the Bone”
Free | Tuesday, March 17 at 6:30 p.m. | Adults | miXt Food Hall
Join the Mount Rainier Branch Library and Prince George’s County Office of Human Rights for the monthly “Solidarity Stories” book club! For March, participants will be observing Women’s History Month by reading and discussing Jacqueline Woodson’s “Red at the Bone,” which tells the story of an “unexpected teenage pregnancy [that] pulls together two families from different social classes and explores their histories—reaching back to the Tulsa race massacre of 1921—and exposes the private hopes, disappointments, and longings that can bind or divide us from each other.”—from the catalog
Computer Basics: Research and Explore Women’s History
Free | Wednesday, March 18 at 6 p.m. | Teens and Adults | Hillcrest Heights Branch Library
Join the Hillcrest Heights Branch Library at this special Women’s History Month “Computer Basics” program, where participants will learn how to use the Library’s many online resources to conduct research for school, work, or personal history projects.
Kids Create: Her Story Edition
Free | Thursday, March 26 at 4 p.m. | Ages 5–12 | Hillcrest Heights Branch Library
At this special “Kids Create” program, kids will get to observe Women’s History Month by playing a matching game to celebrate and recognize the contributions of women throughout history. After that, children will create a craft to continue honoring and acknowledging women in history!
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Melwood’s Innovative YES Program Secures $235,000 in Federal Funding to Scale Proven Youth Enrichment Model Across Prince George’s County and Beyond
By PRESS OFFICER
Melwood Inc.
UPPER MARLBORO, Md. (Feb. 25, 2026)—Melwood Community Services today announced that its Youth Enrichment Services (YES) Program has received $235,000 in Fiscal Year 2026 Congressionally Directed Spending, secured through the leadership of U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks and Congressman Glenn Ivey (MD-4).
The funding recognizes the YES Program’s proven success as a nationally distinctive, hands-on after-school model that closes opportunity gaps for students facing social, economic, and disability-related barriers. Since its 2024 launch at Apple Grove Elementary School in Fort Washington, the program has served 87 first- through fifth-graders with free, inclusive enrichment that blends academic support, career exploration, life skills, and emotional regulation. Many of those students have enrolled in the program multiple years because of how valuable they and their families have found the program.
Students engage in immersive, real-world experiences—including drone-building with tech professionals, mock trials, school gardens that feed the community, business-plan development, and visits from local leaders—designed to spark curiosity and connect childhood interests to future careers. The program is fully inclusive of students with IEPs, 504 plans, and undiagnosed disabilities, creating a strengths-based environment where every child thrives.
“Melwood’s after-school program provides kids the opportunity to learn real-world skills in a hands-on environment, setting them up for success later in life. We fought to deliver these federal funds to support the YES Program to ensure they can continue helping children in Prince George’s County grow and thrive,” said Senator Chris Van Hollen, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
“Every child in Maryland deserves the chance to live beyond their wildest dreams and discover their true potential. I am so grateful the YES Program provides exactly that: a place where students in Prince George’s County can explore, grow, and see what's possible for their futures. The federal funding I was proud to help secure alongside Senator Van Hollen and Congressman Ivey will help expand these critical opportunities for our young people,” said Senator Alsobrooks.
“Programs like YES give students the tools and confidence they need to succeed, no matter what challenges they face,” Rep. Glenn Ivey (MD-4) said. “Melwood Community Services is doing extraordinary work in our district, and I’m grateful for their commitment to opening doors and creating opportunities for our young people.”
“YES changes lives by allowing children to explore interests and hobbies they might not otherwise have access to, while demonstrating how an interest in childhood can lead to a career later in life. The program has already delivered measurable growth in self-esteem, emotional regulation, and career readiness. One student used the emotional-regulation skills learned in the program to calmly call 911 during a family medical emergency—literally saving a life. With this support, we can deepen our impact and explore opportunities to bring this proven model to more schools and more students across our region. We invite educators and leaders across Maryland and the region to contact us to explore hosting YES. We’re grateful to Sens. Van Hollen and Alsobrooks for believing in our mission and fighting for our young people,” said Larysa Kautz, president and CEO of Melwood.
The YES Program is offered at no cost to families and is strengthened by partnerships with the Minority Tech Foundation, Prince George’s County Police Department, and local professionals.
Melwood Community Services offers innovative programming that empowers children, youth, and adults with disabilities to live, work, and thrive in their communities. Melwood Community Services focuses on developing bold new ideas and activities designed to foster community integration and personal growth and fulfillment for people with disabilities. With a focus on overcoming barriers and expanding opportunities, Melwood Community Services’ programs and services are designed to support people to live fully in their communities, enjoying recreational activities, exploring and retaining career choices, and providing respite for caregivers. For more information or to partner on the YES Program, visit melwood.org/yes or contact Jewelyn Cosgrove at jcosgrove@melwood.org.
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