During the Landover Hills Town Meeting on April 19, 2004, Councilmember Michael Thompson introduced a Mr. Michael Brown, Representative of the Prince George's Chapter of the "Big Brothers Big Sisters" and passed out literature about Big Brothers Big Sisters. It was pointed out that the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization is the largest and most experienced youth mentoring organization in the country; now celebrating 100 years of delivering life-changing mentoring services to children in need. Mr. Brown stressed the importance of the organization in today's society. He also pointed out that at the present time there is a great need for Big Brothers (or male mentors) in the organization. Anyone wishing to participate by serving as a mentor, may call Mr. Brown at 301-797-9170, ext. 13, or e-mail him at MBROWN@bbsncs.org,

Website address: www.bbbsnaca.org
 

The National Conference of Black Mayors, Inc., a nonsectarian, nonpartisan and benevolent organization, held its 30^th Annual Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, "The City of Brotherly Love", from Wednesday, April 28^th to Saturday, May 1, 2004. The theme of the convention was "Entering a Fourth Decade: A Call to Leadership". Delegates to the convention haled from twenty five states across the nation.
 

Included among the many interesting activities were workshops on "Promoting Business Development, Closing the Health Gap, Housing Development: Progress and Potentials and Safety Belt Demonstration Project Kickoff."
 

The Mayor of the Town of Landover Hills, also a representative of the Maryland contingent (Maryland Black Mayors, Inc.) was a delegate to the convention. Suffice to point out that the Maryland Black Mayors, Inc., is a sponsor of the Maryland Municipal League's "If I Were Mayor" contest; and also one of the primary contributors to the Landover Hills Mayor's Scholarship program; which has provided scholarships to seven young people who reside in the Town of Landover Hills and are pursuing a higher education.
 

Overall the National Conference of Black Mayors, Inc. 30^th Annual Convention was a very successful event and rewarding experience.
 

The upcoming Town Meeting will be held on Monday, May 17, 2004. The time of the meeting will be 7:30 p.m.
 

Mayor Lee P. Walker

Music at Riverdale Strawberry Festival Concert, Saturday, June 6, 2004, 6 p.m.

Program: The Seraphim Quartet is a program of songs from the 40's.

Artists: Kathleen Peery, soprano, Martha Lawrence, soprano, Phyllis Fong, messo-soprano, Charlotte Knapp, messo-soprano.

Place: Riverdale Presbyterian Church, 6513 Queens Chapel Road, University Park, MD. 301-927-0477.

Admission: Free
 

New Hope Academy's Spring Fair, Saturday, May 15^th, 10 am to 3 pm, Flea Market hours 9am to 3 pm. Carnival Games, Crafts Corner, Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Marketplace and Flea Market, Entertainment, Face Painting, Book Fair and much more. New Hope Academy, 7009 Varnum Street, Landover Hills. 301-459-7311.
 

Flea Market & Bazaar, Older American Month Sale. May Specials saluting older Americans. Senior discounts, health tips, games and door prizes. Open every weekend. Fri. Noon to 8 pm. Sat. 10 am to 7 pm, Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm. Capital Plaza Mall, 6200 Annapolis Road, Landover Hills. 301-772-6465.
 

11th Annual National Senior Health & Fitness Day Wednesday, May 26, 10 am-2 pmParticipate in sports, games, fitness activities, and health screenings. Ages 55 & up; FREE Wayne K. Curry Sports & Learning Center 8001 Sheriff Road, Landover Information: 301-386-5525; TTY 301-218-6768

Just when you thought it was safe to enjoy the sunny, early spring weather, comes this news: The cicadas are coming.

Millions of the ugly, buzzy critters are expected to make their once-every-17-years appearance in Maryland starting in mid-May. They'll probably be with us until the end of June. "This will be a big, crazy horde of loud insects," said Mike Raupp, a professor of entomology at the University of Maryland , College Park . "It will be an extravaganza." And while they'll cause headaches for gardeners and may interrupt graduation picnics, cicadas don't bite or sting and won't wreak any major havoc. "They'll just be a nuisance because there will be a lot of them, but that's all. They don't really hurt anything," said Mary Kay Malinoski with the Home and Garden Information Center at Maryland Cooperative Extension. She's been fielding calls since last summer from panicked brides worried that cicadas will land in the potato salad. At Historic London Town and Gardens, staff members are crossing their fingers that the cicadas don't create too much of a mess for spring weddings. "We have big rakes and lawn blowers and brooms, so we'll have a clean site," said Lois Williams, the park's director of marketing and special events. The last time the periodical cicadas were in town was 1987. Unlike the green dog-day cicadas that are around at the end of every summer, periodical cicadas are 1 inches to 2 inches long, with a heavy black body, red eyes and orange veins on the wings. The outer edge of the front wings have a black "W" marking. For most of their lives, periodical cicadas live underground, nourishing themselves by sucking on tree roots. After 17 years, cicada "nymphs" burrow out of the ground to annoy humans. OK, their purpose isn't to annoy. It's actually to mate. After climbing trees and shedding their skins, cicadas fly around and mate for about six weeks. The males make deafening buzzing noises to attract the females - not exactly pleasant for wedding receptions and golf outings. Legend has it that females sometimes dive-bomb cars, mistaking the sound of a revving engine for their paramours. Then the females lay their eggs in tiny tree branches. On mature trees, the egg-laying damage is minimal. But young trees - less than 6 or 7 feet tall - can be at risk because they have so many small branches. Covering the tree with inexpensive netting can usually keep the cicadas away. After that, the adults die and the eggs eventually hatch nymphs that fall to the ground and start the process all over again. It's a unique life cycle that has perplexed and fascinated entomologists for ages. Mr. Raupp said there are two main theories behind the strange life cycle. One is that by emerging all at once, the cicadas are assured of finding suitable mates. The other idea is that they simply overwhelm any possible predators. Mr. Raupp said the cicada invasion is a rare chance to see nature in action. He's planning several research projects and outings with students to see the cicadas emerging from the ground. "There's nothing that rivals this in North America for scale or grandeur," he said. "You only get a few of these in your life." Even casual observers will be able to see the stages of development and hear the various mating songs. "Try not to panic. Try to sit back and relax. Enjoy it," Mr. Raupp said. "It's a unique opportunity to see nature in its glory."For more information, visit www.hgic.umd.edu or www.entm.umd.edu or call 1-800-342-2507.

	The Talking Badge
	Chief Henry G. Norris

We have been sending code enforcement notices out to homeowners to let them know if a problem exists on their property. Most of these notices concern vehicles being stored on the property that are either unregistered or have out of state tags. If you have an unregistered vehicle on your property you must either tag it with current Maryland tags or you can put it in an enclosed garage or you must remove it from the property. If you would like to donate the vehicle to a charity, the following list should assist you in doing so:
 

Vehicles for Change 1-800-835-3821

Melwood 1-877-635-9663

Salvation Army 301-403-1704

Kars for Kids 1-877-236-6283

Cars for Sight 1-800-324-8796

Volunteers of America 1-800-948-1414

Americans Car Donation Charities Center 1-800-513-6560
 

If you have an out of state tag, you have sixty days from the date you move into the State to tag your vehicle in Maryland or if you are here temporarily you can get a parking permit from MVA for $20.00.
 

For those of you who have been given a notice before and it has been an ongoing problem and you are just ignoring our notices, you will be cited. If you have been previously cited for a vehicle and the vehicle is still there, we will be taking you to court. If you have a car cover on an unregistered car, this is still a violation and you will be cited.
 

Parking on the grass. You may think this is trivial but it does affect the appearance of the Town and there is an ordinance against it. If you do not have a driveway constructed of gravel, asphalt, concrete or concrete runners you cannot park in your yard. You must also have a curb cut to make a driveway. The fine for parking in your yard is $50.00 per vehicle. AND WE DO SEE THE VEHICLES BEHIND HOUSES!!!
 

Loose Dogs. We have recently had several loose dog complaints. Your dog must be kept on a leash or behind a fence. If the dog can get out of the yard and wanders up and down the street, even though it may go back home, it is considered a dog at large. You may know your animal but no one else does. Only the dog knows if it will bite someone or jump on them, knocking them down. If your dog is at large, we will contact you. If the dog is at large again, animal control will be contacted to pick the dog up and issue citations to the owners.
 

For those of you who love your dogs or cats we are getting to the summer season so please remember not to leave your animals in a vehicle because the temperature can go above 120 degrees.
 

Contacting the police department. If you need the police, and it is an emergency, dial 911. If you need to see an officer concerning a non-emergency situation, call 301-333-4000. Our officers are dispatched over the Prince George's County Police radio. If our officer is on another call or is in court they will send a Prince George's County Officer.

We would like to thank the residents that are keeping a watchful eye on their neighborhood and informing the police department of problems they notice. We would also like to thank the residents who are keeping their porch lights on at night. We encourage everyone to do this, it helps to illuminate the Town and an unwanted guest is less likely to approach a well lit house.

The Town of Landover Hills is now accepting paid advertisements from local businesses. The cost of a 2"x 3" (1/3 column) ad is twenty dollars ($20.00) per publication. If you are interested in placing an ad, please call Town hall @ 301-773-6401, Monday through Friday, nine to five.