Mt. Calvary Adult Church Choir Singing at the Pre-show to the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on the Ellipse of the White House
Who: The adult choir of Mount Calvary Catholic Church in Forestville will sing at the Pre-Show of the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on the White House Ellipse. Choir Director is Gail Ruffin.
When: Wednesday, November 30, 2022, 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Where: The Ellipse of the White House, 15th and E St NW, Washington, DC 20500
Performance: The Mount Calvary Choir will sing an array of traditional Christmas songs both religious and non-religious. Additionally, Santa will also be there to entertain the crowd. The Mount Calvary adult church choir and Santa Claus will entertain the crowd before the star-studded show of actors and singers including the President and the First Lady.
TOP OF PAGE
Groundbreaking Study Seeks Volunteers
Can Memory Loss Related to Alzheimer’s Disease Be Delayed or Prevented?
By DR. THOMAS OBISESAN
Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Research Institute
Millions of people in America 65 and older live with Alzheimer’s disease, and the number is rising quickly. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, more than 8,900 people in Washington, DC have the disease. For people of color, the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease is even higher. Hispanics or Latinos and Black or African Americans are especially at risk, with incidence rates 1.5 to two times higher than whites, respectively.
To help find answers, Howard University College of Medicine researchers are conducting an Alzheimer’s research study funded by the National Institutes of Health and Eisai. The AHEAD Study is the first research study that aims to help prevent Alzheimer’s disease by enrolling participants as young as 55, who have no memory problems, using a tailored approach to treatment. The study looks at an investigational treatment aimed at delaying memory decline in people up to 20 years before the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease appear, with the treatment dose based on participants’ brain scan results. Discovering a treatment that targets brain changes early means that one day, doctors may be able to prevent memory loss.
This groundbreaking study needs volunteers, ages 55–80, who may be at increased risk of memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Diverse participants are encouraged to join the AHEAD Study so researchers can learn more about why people of color are at higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease. In Washington, DC, emphasis is being placed on enrolling participants who have traditionally been underrepresented in research studies.
If interested in learning more about the AHEAD Study, please visit AHEADStudy.org. For more information about the AHEAD Study enrolling in Washington, DC at Howard University, call Jillian Turner at 202-865-1905 or email jillian.turner@howard.edu.
TOP OF PAGE
NY Times Bestseller & Bowie Resident Rabia Chaudry Headlines 2022–2023 Prince George’s County Reads
By PRESS OFFICER
PGCMLS
Largo, Md. (Nov. 18, 2022)—Prince Georgians are invited to participate in a countywide shared reading experience this winter and spring. The second annual Prince George’s County Reads initiative, co-presented by the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System (PGCMLS), Prince George’s County Office of Human Rights (PGCOHR), and University of Maryland’s Center for Literary and Comparative Studies, is an opportunity for community members to develop a greater understanding for the cultural diversity in the Prince George’s County by engaging in discussions and special programs with neighbors. The featured book for 2022/2023 is “Fatty Fatty Boom Boom: A Memoir of Food, Fat, and Family,” by New York Times bestselling author, attorney, and Bowie, Maryland resident Rabia Chaudry.
“PGCMLS and its partners are thrilled to celebrate the accomplishments of Bowie-based author and advocate Rabia Chaudry with the selection of her book for Prince George’s County Reads,” said Nicholas A. Brown, Acting Co-Chief Executive Officer, PGCMLS. “Her memoir provides countless opportunities for local readers to advance their awareness of important issues, including immigrant identity, gender, and body image, that have an impact on daily life in Prince George’s County.”
Chaudry’s new book chronicles her Pakistani immigrant family’s journey to the United States, her relationship with her body image, and how food and culture are strongly intertwined. The 2022/2023 Prince George’s County Reads series kicks off with an author talk and signing by Rabia Chaudry at the Greenbelt Branch Library on Tuesday, December 6 at 6 pm. She will be in conversation with Renée Battle-Brooks, Executive Director, PGCOHR, and Kyla Hanington, Public Outreach and Engagement Division Manager, PGCOHR. Community members are also invited to participate in virtual book discussions on January 26, March 30, and May 25 at 7 p.m. ET.
Culinary historian and scholar Michael W. Twitty notes “Rabia Chaudry has given us the next chapter in the story of how food shapes self and how self shapes food. Here is an American, a South Asian woman writing at the intersection of food, tradition, gender, the body and pressures without and the journey within. This is an important and savory work.”
“Fatty Fatty Boom Boom” is available for borrowing through PGCMLS in print, eBook, and eAudiobook formats. Copies of the book are available for purchase through Mahogany Books.
Event Listings
Rabia Chaudry on “Fatty Fatty Boom Boom” Author Talk & Signing
2022/2023 Prince George’s County Reads Kickoff Event, Tuesday, December 6, 2022, 6–7:30 p.m., Greenbelt Branch Library, 11 Crescent Road, Greenbelt, MD 20770, Free, registration recommended: pgcmls.info/events | Livestream on YouTube. Books available for purchase at the event through the PGCMLS Foundation.
Prince George’s County Reads Countywide Book Discussion Series (Virtual)
Free, registration recommended, Thursday, January 26, 2023, 7–8 p.m.: Topic: Body Image, Thursday, March 30, 2023, 7–8 p.m.: Topic: Women’s Rights, Thursday, May 25, 2023, 7–8 p.m.: Topic: Immigrant Experience
Rabia Chaudry is a Bowie, Maryland-based bestselling author, attorney, and podcast producer/host. She is widely known for her first book, “Adnan’s Story,” and work as a co-producer and co-host of several investigative podcasts, including The 45th, The Hidden Djinn, Nighty Night, and Undisclosed. She is executive producer of HBO’s “The Case Against Adnan Syed” and her podcast “Undisclosed” has over 400 million downloads, leading to the exoneration of many wrongfully incarcerated individuals. Her distinguished career as a scholar and advocate has included roles as an Aspen Institute/Anti-Defamation League Civil Society Fellow, Truman National Security Project Fellow, and U.S. Institute of Peace Fellow. She holds a law degree from George Mason School of Law, which led her to a legal practice in the areas of immigration and civil rights law.
About Prince George’s County Reads: Each year, Prince Georgians are invited to participate in a countywide read to learn and discuss historical or contemporary topics that are relevant to everyday life in Prince George’s County. By sharing a reading journey, community members can develop new points of connection with each other. Featured books and authors are selected by the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System and Prince George’s County Office of Human Rights.
2022/2023: “Fatty Fatty Boom Boom: A Memoir of Food, Fat, and Family” by Rabia Chaudry
2021/2022: “A Question of Freedom: The Families Who Challenged Slavery from the Nation’s Founding to the Civil War” by William G. Thomas III
TOP OF PAGE
Prince George’s Community College Student Helps Launch New Voting App
By COURTNEY DAVIS
Prince George’s Community College
Largo, Md. (Nov. 16, 2022)—Prince George’s Community College (PGCC) announced today that one of its students, Lemoni Conde, helped launch Voting Buddy, a new web app designed to assist voters in their decision-making for elections.
In Voting Buddy, users start by ranking categories of voting issues based on importance, such as foreign policy, healthcare, civil rights, and environmental issues. Voting Buddy then calculates those rankings into a personalized report that identifies the user’s political ideology. After entering their state and zip code, users can find like-minded candidates in their electoral district who share the same political beliefs. Voting Buddy currently has over 1,300 politicians in its database, and users in less than 10 minutes can complete its ranking and matching process.
The web app was created by Dwight L. Williams, Ph.D., P.E., a former professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he was appointed to the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering and the Department of Political Science. “It is the analytical system that I use to pick candidates,” says Dr. Williams, mentioning that the development process took over 10 years. “I just want people to cast informed votes and feel comfortable that they’re selecting candidates that are best fits for them.”
For Ms. Conde, getting involved in Voting Buddy’s launch was an opportunity to explore one of her biggest passions. “I was inspired to become a part of the Voting Buddy team because I love politics,” says Ms. Conde, who is majoring in elementary education. “When I took a government class at Prince George’s Community College, it reignited my passion for politics and government. I was then able to get an internship related to politics which allowed me to see a new side to elections, and I realized there needed to be a change.”
Ms. Conde has played a significant role in launching Voting Buddy. She created and currently manages all of Voting Buddy’s social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and made an explainer video with narration for new users. Her efforts to spread awareness of the app have been very successful—for the 2022 midterm election cycle, Voting Buddy received over 20,000 page views. The web app has also received visitors from India, the U.K., and the Netherlands, indicating to the team that people abroad are interested in learning more about American politics.
“Lemoni demonstrated her initiative and political savvy by developing the first Voting Buddy explainer video completely on her own,” says Dr. Williams. “We have relied on her to communicate all of Voting Buddy’s new features as they come online. She has been instrumental in making Voting Buddy what it is today.”
As Voting Buddy expands its online presence, Dr. Williams and Ms. Conde remain excited to share this innovative new experience with voters everywhere. “I believe Voting Buddy is the new wave of the future,” says Ms. Conde. “When Mr. Dwight told me about the concept and the vision, I knew that this would have a positive impact on the world, and I wanted to get in on the action.”
TOP OF PAGE
Prince George’s County Department of Public Works and Transportation Fall 2022 “TheBus” Service Changes
By PAULETTE L. JONES
DPW&T
LARGO, Md. (Nov. 18, 2022)—The Prince George’s County Department of Public Works and Transportation (DPW&T) Office of Transportation adjusted six (6) “TheBus” route schedules effective November 14, 2022, to improve overall efficiency in the transit service. The goal of the fall service changes is to improve service reliability while addressing specific areas of gaps and deficiencies throughout TheBus routes in the County.
Prince George’s County “TheBus” Fall 2022 Service Changes will allow the DPW&T’s Office of Transportation to continue to rebound from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. To date the current ridership levels have recovered to about 50 percent of its pre-pandemic levels and will continue to grow as commuters return to in-person work.
“As DPW&T implements the new fall service changes we hope to eliminate the reoccurring challenges previously faced within TheBus routes,” said DPW&T Director Michael D. Johnson. “With the adjusted routes DPW&T will be able to deplete specific challenges in frequency and peak service.”
The six (6) routes DPW&T Office of Transportation will be targeting are:
Route 15X (Greenbelt Metro to NASA) - Route Reactivation
This route was deactivated due to COVID. With ridership increasing, route 15X is set to reactivate with enhanced options of a 2-vehicle shuttle service operating during peak service hours.
• 40-minute frequency 6–11:05 a.m. and 3–8:05 p.m.
• 2-vehicle shuttle service during peak service hours in the morning and evening
Route 34 – Midday Service Reactivation
Midday service for Route 34 will also be reinstated. The route will run 6–9 a.m. and 3–6 p.m. at 15-minute intervals. The 9 a.m.– 3 p.m. midday service will run at 30-minute intervals due to low ridership at that time.
Route 51x – Enhance Service Frequency
This route will be enhanced with 3 dedicated vehicles in an effort to resolve reliability concerns.
• 8-minute frequency between 6 a.m.–6 p.m.
• 3 vehicles all day to maintain frequency at 8 minutes
Route 18 – Takoma Langley/Addison Road Station Route Adjustment
The schedule adjustment, in the spring, improved on-time performance in the Purple Line Corridor by 6 to 13 percent. DPW&T will be adding additional time to provide improvements to the corridor and improve late arrivals. We anticipate a decrease in late arrivals (currently under 50 percent) within the timeframe of 3 p.m.– 6:30 p.m. with these changes.
• Increase run time by 3 minutes between 6 a.m.–3 p.m.
• Increase run time by 8 minutes between 3–6:30 p.m.
Route 21 – New Carrollton Station/County Courthouse Route Adjustment
DPW&T Transit staff anticipate a decrease in late arrivals (currently at 34% average) within the MD-214 and Brightseat Road corridor and an increase of on-time performance with these changes.
• Increase run time by 3 minutes between 6 a.m.–3 p.m.
• Increase run time by 7 minutes between 3–6:30 p.m.
South County Circulator pilot – Service Cancellation
The South County Circulator pilot will be eliminated. DPW&T will provide enhanced PGC Link service in replacement to meet the service needs. Affected communities include Oxon Hill, Fort Washington, and Temple Hills. Senior facilities that will no longer be served include Trinity Terrace Apartments, Mrs. Philippines Apartments, Woodside Village Apartments, Chestnut Oaks Apartments, Fort Washington Manor, and Fort Washington Adventist Apartments. PGC Link will, however, provide expanded access to the Padgett’s Corner/Camp Springs area.
To learn more on the fall service changes follow us on social media @PGCountyDPWT on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. You may also visit our website: Public Works & Transportation | Prince George’s County, MD (princegeorgescountymd.gov) or call us at 301-952-3700.
TOP OF PAGE
