Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Collecting Coal Along the Pope's Creek Line in Bowie

During a recent excursion with the kids to hunt for railroad spikes in Bowie, we came across a man collecting coal along the side of the tracks. The coal fell out of rail cars, and the man said that he was collecting it for a "friend" who burns it in a wood stove during the winter for heat. I'm not sure if he was just being frugal or if he fell on hard times.

Picking up coal along railroad tracks was a common practice during the Great Depression. The following is a copy of a public service poster from the 1930s discouraging parents from letting their kids pick coal along the tracks.

Photo from the Black is the New Black blog
Danger!! Parents: See that your children play in a safe place! Do not sent them out on the railroad tracks to pick coal!

Tons of coal are shipped through Bowie each day on the Pope's Creek Rail Line bound for power plants in southern Maryland.

The Pope's Creek line begins in Old Bowie at the Amtrak Northeast Corridor main line near the railroad museum. The northern sections of the track run along Chestnut Avenue and High Bridge Road, and the tracks eventually take a path that parallels Route 301.






Coal cars entering the Pope's Creek Rail Line at the intersection with Amtrak's Northeast Corridor main line in Old Bowie near the railroad museum.




Coal cars crossing Chestnut Avenue




Coal found along Pope's Creek Rail Line in Bowie




Coal and Railroad spike found along Pope's Creek Rail Line



Related Links

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Bowie News and Views: Mayor G. Fred Robinson

This week's episode of Bowie News and Views is now on YouTube in two parts. John Rouse and Burt Oliver chat with Bowie Mayor G. Fred Robinson about the potential impact of the new county executive and county council. Mayor Robinson is cautiously optimistic, and he is hoping to see changes in public safety and education. Robinson would also like the City of Bowie to have greater authority in land use decisions. Mayor Robinson also had a lot of positives things to say about presumptive county executive Rushern Baker.

Click here to see the entire Bowie News and Views YouTube collection, and click here to see the entire set of Bowie cable television YouTube videos.




Sunday, September 26, 2010

Where in Bowie? #6 - Answer revealed

In a previous blog post, I asked if anyone knew the Bowie location depicted in a set of photographs taken by Arnie Miles for the Bowie Blade in 1975. The dog rabies vaccination clinic featured in the photos was held on the grass along Route 450 near the front of Bowie High School and the Library in May, 1975. The location where some of the people are standing in 1975 is now part of the roadway for Route 450. The road was only two lanes wide in 1975.

Jennifer Raymond posted the correct answer on Facebook, and fellow Bowie blogger Bill posted the correct answer in the Bowie Living blog comments. Bill has a blog called Precipitative Ponderings that includes his thoughts on weather, climate and general science. Click here to see a video that Bill made of last Wednesday's thunderstorm in Bowie.

I recently visited the site where the rabies vaccination clinic was held to take a few pictures. Below I have a set of before and after pictures for comparison.

In the following set, the Levitt colonial can barely be seen in 2010 because of the large pine trees. You can see how small those same trees were in 1975. In both pictures, you can see the chimney on the only Country Clubber style house on Sussex Lane. Click on each picture to see an enlarged version. I also included a close-up shot of the colonial and the Country Clubber chimney.


1975
Dog Clinic
2010

2010 Close-Up



The "after" picture in the following set wasn't taken from exactly the same spot as the "before" picture, but it's close. The pine trees are visible in the background of both pictures. The top of one of the Cape style houses on Sussex Lane is also visible in both pictures.

1975
Dog Clinic
2010


And here is my favorite set of "before and after" pictures. The grass looks much better in the second photo!

1975
Dog Clinic
2010

Creative Commons License
Photos of Bowie Maryland 1973 through 1975 by Arnie Miles is licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States
License



Other "Where in Bowie" Posts:



Other Bowie Blade Pic Project Posts

Friday, September 24, 2010

Where in Bowie #6: Rabies Vaccination Clinic

The following photos were taken by Arnie Miles when he worked for the Bowie Blade in the 1970s. I have been posting some of Arnie's photos on Bowie Living as part of the Bowie Blade Pic Project.

These photos capture an outdoor rabies vaccination clinic held in May, 1975.

Can you identify where in Bowie these photos were taken? Do you recognize anyone in the pictures? Click on the photos to see larger images.


Dog Clinic


Dog Clinic


Dog Clinic

Click here for the answer.



Creative Commons License
Photos of Bowie Maryland 1973 through 1975 by Arnie Miles is licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States
License



Other "Where in Bowie" Posts:


Other Bowie Blade Pic Project Posts

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Bowie Fires: Then and Now

Wednesday night's fire on Kembridge Drive (click here to read details) inspired me to search through some of the negatives from photos that Arnie Miles shot for the Bowie Blade back in the 1970s. The negatives for these photos are on loan from Arnie Miles, and I have been posting them on Bowie Living as part of the Bowie Blade Pic Project.

Member of Bowie Volunteer Fire Department Company 39 were present at both fires. I was able to make out the names "Silvers" and "Lawson" from the helmets in the 1975 photos.


May or June, 1975






Creative Commons License
Photos of Bowie Maryland 1973 through 1975 by Arnie Miles is licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States
License




September 22, 2010
The 12300 block of Kembridge Drive













Other Bowie Blade Pic Project Posts

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Storm Sparks Blaze in Bowie's "K" Section

A thunderstorm sparked a fire in the 12300 block of Kembridge Drive in Bowie's Kenilworth neighborhood tonight. The only structure damage appeared to be a shed. Downed power lines prevented firefighters from attacking the blaze, and the shed was left to burn while firefighters waited for crews from BG&E. The exact cause of the fire was not immediately known. Neighbors speculated that the fire was caused be either a direct lightning strike or by the downed power line.

The storm caused several broken tree branches in the "K" and "S" sections, and many residents of the Kenilworth neighborhood were without power.


















Armed Robbery in Allen Pond Park

Four people sitting on a park bench at Allen Pond were robbed by four young men, including one with a semi-automatic handgun last week. One of the suspects instructed the victims to hand over their wallets. One of the victims was punched in the face for not complying. No arrests have been made, but two of the four stolen wallets were recovered.

The crime took place around 7:30pm on Wednesday, September 15th.

Click here to read the Bowie Police Department report.

Bowie News and Views: Josh Flynn from Bowie Patch

This week's episode of Bowie News and Views is now on YouTube in two parts. John Rouse and Burt Oliver chat with Bowie Patch Editor Josh Flynn about the upcoming launch of the new news/media website. Click here for a Bowie Living article on Bowie Patch, and click here for the Bowie Patch website. The launch is scheduled for Tuesday, September 28, 2010.

Click here to see the entire Bowie News and Views YouTube collection, and click here to see the entire set of Bowie cable television YouTube videos.




Monday, September 20, 2010

Bowie Man Drowns in Edgewater

A Bowie man drowned in Edgewater late last night after accidentally falling into the water at Pier 7 Marina. The body of 47 year-old Jeffrey Fitzgerald was recovered early this morning.

Related Links

Sunday, September 19, 2010

New Media Outlet to Begin Covering Bowie

A new online media outlet backed by AOL will begin coverage of Bowie at the end of September. Bowie Patch plans to provide Bowie news, event listings, a business and services directory, classified ads and breaking news alerts. Along with the new website, Bowie Patch will also distribute news and information via social media outlets Twitter and Facebook.

"Bowie residents should be excited about Patch," said Bowie Patch Editor Josh Flynn. "It's a place to get local news multiple times a day. In today's 24-hour news cycle, a weekly or even a daily news outlet just doesn't cut it anymore."

Bowie Patch will become one of more than 100 local Patch sites serving local communities in eleven states, with many sites already covering Maryland communities. Patch sites for Greenbelt, College Park, Wheaton and Kensington have been launched, and Crofton Patch will be online soon. A total of 500 Patch sites are expected to be operational by the end of the year.

Bowie Patch will be providing what is known as hyperlocal news coverage. According to Wikipedia, hyperlocal news is coverage of events in a community by people from that community for consumption by residents in that community. "One of the main differences between Patch and other news websites is the commitment to having a professional journalist living in, or very near to, the area that they are covering," said Flynn who currently resides in Bowie. "As the traditional media outlets are downsizing and reducing local coverage in smaller communities, Patch is striving to fully cover those communities and keep things as up to the minute as possible through our website, social media, and breaking news alerts that can be delivered via text or e-mail."

A comprehensive directory of businesses, organizations and government offices will be available on the Bowie Patch website. "We have sent out a team to nearly every place in Bowie that has a listed phone number and address to confirm their information, get some photos, and create a listing for them in our directory," said Flynn. "Once the site goes live, business owners have the capability to take control of their listing to post events, photos, etc; all for free." (click here to see a sample listing for Generous Joe's Deli on the Greenbelt Patch website).

Patch's hyperlocal coverage of Bowie will extend beyond news and the directory. "Patch is a forum for community engagement," explains Flynn. People will be able to create membership accounts on the Bowie Patch website, and members will be able to add announcements, add events, write reviews, post comments and upload photos and videos. There will eventually be a dedicated calendar editor for maintaining the list of events, but people with Patch membership accounts can also add events to the calendar. (click here to see the events calendar on the Greenbelt Patch website).

Patch also gives new meaning to "following a story." Readers with free membership accounts can receive email alerts when a story is updated or comments are added. Email alerts can also be requested for updates to directory entries or calendar events. This makes it possible for a reader to receive an alert when the start time for an interesting event is modified or the event is canceled.

There will also be a section of the website dedicated to volunteer opportunities in the community, and Patch will support local charities through its Give 5 program: 5% of its advertising space is provided to local charities at no cost, and all Patch employees will spend five work days per year volunteering in the community.

In a time when journalism jobs are becoming harder to find, AOL plans on hiring 500 full time journalist in 2010 - more than any other media organization in the U.S., according to AOL. In case you were hoping to be hired for a full time Patch job in Bowie, that position is taken. That's right. Bowie Patch editor Josh Flynn has the only Bowie Patch salaried position. Although there are other regional full time Patch employees providing support for multiple Patch sites, the reporting and story writing will be handled by Flynn and a team of freelancers. According to one report, between six and twelve freelance reporters and columnists are required to support each Patch site.

Despite the comprehensive directory, there is one business noticeably absent from the online database. Users searching for "Patch" on the Greenbelt Patch site receive the following message.

Sorry, we couldn't find anything matching your search. Did you spell everything correctly?
Local Patch sites do not have offices. Josh Flynn will be working out of his home office, Starbucks, Panera Bread, Noodles & Company, the Bowie Library or wherever else he can find a wired spot to get online. Despite the lack of an office, he may be more assessable than traditional print media editors, and residents may just run into him while buying their morning coffee. Look for the man behind a laptop with the Patch logo.

Flynn may want to reconsider his availability policy once the first controversial story appears on the Bowie Patch site. Former Bowie Blade-News editor John Rouse had his office in the back of the Blade-News headquarters to provide a buffer zone between himself and angry readers. Rouse fondly recalls those days.

"Even though my office was in the back of the newsroom and I had a sign above the door (for humorous purposes only) stating visitors were unwelcome, many disgruntled politicians and readers would just storm through the office, parade into my office, wave the paper in my face (or as close as they could get to it) and tell me why a reporter's story was wrong (they never were) or claim my column was off-base (well, sometimes it was). But I could never escape them....The public had full and free access to our newsroom, though sometimes I would close my door."
There's a good chance that the first controversial story on the Bowie Patch site will be written by Rouse. The Bowie news veteran has signed on as a freelance columnist, and he is sure to introduce Josh Flynn to the thorny side of the news business.

The promises of hyperlocal news coverage, up-to-the-minute stories and cool online features are exciting, but the reality is that Patch operates an experimental business model in an industry that is searching for a direction. Fewer readers, reduced ad revenue and the availability of free online content have hurt the news business.

AOL estimates that a Patch site's operating costs are 4.1% of the costs necessary to run a traditional daily newspaper. There is no rent to pay, no printing presses to operate, no paper to buy and no delivery people on the payroll.

Patch also saves money by minimizing full time staff. The local editor is the only dedicated full time employee of a Patch site. Local editors have an annual salary estimated to be between $35k and $45k, and the editors receive medical and dental benefits. Freelancers will reportedly receive between $50 to $100 per story. Freelancers will not receive benefits, and they must pay self-employment tax. The local editors may be the only people making a living wage, and it's doubtful that freelancers will be able to rely on Patch as their sole source of income.

Some reports have surfaced that Patch editors are overworked and underpaid, and the 24/7 news cycle and the lack of dedicated staff make it hard for local editors to take vacation days. One journalist estimated that a Patch local editor will need to work 60 to 80 hours per week to fulfill the responsibilities of the position.

Despite the challenges of the news business, AOL sees gold in hyperlocal coverage. AOL estimates that local online ads can potentially generate $20 billion in annual revenue. To make that a reality, local businesses like Belair Engineering and Marty Mows will have to be convinced to make the switch from print to online ads.

Look for the Bowie Patch site to go live on Tuesday, September 28th, and look for Bowie Patch editor Josh Flynn to make an appearance this week on the Bowie News & Views local access cable show hosted by John Rouse and Burt Oliver. You can also follow Bowie Patch on Twitter and Facebook.

Related Links

Thursday, September 16, 2010

This Week in the Bowie Blade-News

Only 20 percent of county voters participated in this week's primary election. Click here to read a summary of the election results.

Mitchellville woman charged in fatal accident in Adams Morgan. Click here to read the story.

New details emerge in latest Bowie homicide. Motorcycle link probed. Click here to read the story.

In the Readers' Views section, Bowie City Councilwoman Diane Polangin kindly commends the Blade-News for the candidate profiles published in last week's edition. Long time Bowie resident Terry Devaney expresses outrage over Councilman Turner's attempt to be reimbursed for tuition for a leadership training course. Click here to read this week's Readers' View section.

The D.C. region had the hottest summer on record. Click here to read the story.

Click here to see more news and articles on the Bowie Blade-News website.

Weekly News from the Bowie Star

Recently re-elected Maryland State Senator Doug Peters to focus on balancing the budget. Click here to read the story.

Improved schools and lower crime at the top of Rushern Baker's agenda. Click here to read the story.

Politicians point fingers over funding for new 911 call center in Bowie and other county projects. Click here to read the story.

The deadline for bids to purchase Glenn Dale Hospital property has been extended to October at the request of bidders. Just last week the Washington Post quoted a Maryland National-Capital Park and Planning official saying that he had not received a single call from interested parties, and this week the Bowie Star is quoting the same official saying that there is "substantial interest" in the property. Click here to read the Bowie Star story.

The man shot to death last week in Bowie is identified. Click here to read the story.

Bowie volunteer firefighter Patrick Ivey undergoing surgeries after being burned in an Upper Marlboro house fire. Click here to read the story.

The following Bowie related stories appeared in this week's Bowie Star:

Friday, September 10, 2010

Glenn Dale Hospital Property For Sale

The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission began soliciting sealed bids last June for the purchase of a 60 acre portion of the Glenn Dale Hospital property, and the bidding process closes next week. According to an article in the Washington Post, M-NCPPC has not received a single call from any interested parties, and it may be possible that no serious bidders step forward before the September 14th deadline.

The parcel of land being sold includes the adult and children's hospital buildings along with several smaller structures. The winning bidder will be responsible for tearing down the buildings and removing asbestos at a cost estimated to be in the millions of dollars.

Existing legislation requires the 60 acres to be developed into a "continuing care retirement community," and the remaining 150 acres of the Glenn Dale Hospital site must be "kept as open space in perpetuity."

Some county residents question the motivation behind the sale in the final days of County Executive Jack Johnson's administration. The Washington Post published reports in 2008 of the county selling land in sweetheart deals to Johnson's friends and political contributors.


Relates Links

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Weekly News from the Bowie Star

The Bowie Star covered the 23A House of Delegates race, including fund raising details. Click here to read the story.

Local women are helping Sudanese refugees living in Egypt become self sufficient. Click here to read the story.

Lake Arbor and Marlborough golf clubs to reopen. Click here to read the story.


The following Bowie related stories appeared in this week's Bowie Star:

This Week in the Bowie Blade-News

Some Bowie residents were bothered by problems created by poll workers and high voter turnout during early primary voting at the Bowie Library. Click here to read the story.

A Prince George's County Circuit Court judge issued an order in an attempt to limit the impact of phony political endorsement fliers. Click here to read the story.

More than 200 needy seniors have asked for help with home repairs through a city run program. Click here to read the story.

Bowie City Councilman Todd Turner used his new leadership skills to convince the City Council to approve partial funding for his participation in a leadership training program. Click here to read the story.

In this week's Police Beat section, the Bowie Blade-News reported that County Executive candidate Gerron Levi allegedly left Ledo Pizza in Crofton without paying her dinner tab. The article failed to mention that Levi later returned to the restaurant and paid her tab, and the store owner is satisfied that the issue has been resolved. Click hear to read the incomplete story in the Bowie Blade-News Police Beat, and click here to read the resolution to the Levi incident as published more than a week ago on the Bowie Star's website.

Candidates' answers to a Bowie Blade-News survey were published with little time to spare before the September 14th primary election. Michael Jackson, Sam Dean and Henry Turner did not respond. Click here to see the responses.

Click here to see more news and articles on the Bowie Blade-News Web site.

Man Killed in Bowie Shooting

A man died of multiple gunshot wounds after a shooting in the 3600 block of Elder Oaks Boulevard in Bowie Wednesday night (see map below). Police were notified after the victim was dropped off at the Northview Fire/EMS Station by three men in a van. Bowie Police officers were able to quickly locate the van, and three suspects were detained for questioning. The victim is not a Bowie resident.

The Bowie Police Department reported the following details.

On 09/08/2010 at approximately 2121Hrs Bowie Police Units responded to the area of Health Center Drive and Northview Drive in reference to a person with a gunshot wound. The Victim was dropped off by a burgundy mini van at Bowie Volunteer Fire Department 816 (Northview) with multiple gunshot wounds. The Victim was transported by ambulance to Prince George’s Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The Burgundy van that was used to transport the victim to the Fire Department was observed by Bowie Police Units and stopped at Collington Road at Route 50 West. A felony traffic stop was conducted and (3) subjects were identified, detained and transported to Prince George’s County Criminal Investigation Division-Homicide for further investigation. The shooting occurred in the 3600 Block of Elder Oaks Boulevard. Detective Watts #1589 of the Prince Georges County Police is conducting the investigation and is the contact for any further inquiries.
Click here to read the full Bowie Police Department report.

3600 block of Elder Oaks Boulevard
Bowie, MD 20716

View Larger Map

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Taste of Bowie Scheduled for Saturday

The Bowie Town Center is hosting its first ever "Taste of Bowie" event this Saturday from noon to 6pm. Food, music and activities are planned, and an outdoor showing of "The Spy Next Door" will take place in the Old Navy parking lot starting at 6:30pm.

The following event details were posted on the Bowie Town Center Web site.

9/11/2010 12:00 PM to 9/11/2010 6:00 PM
Saturday, September 11 from 12 pm - 6 pm on Emerald Way. Sample a delicious assortment of great food from our restaurants, enjoy live musical performances and children activities. Cost $3 per person. Kids under 12 free. Tickets sold at the event.

Movie Under the Stars
9/11/2010 6:30 PM to 9/11/2010 10:00 PM
Join us for The Spy Next Door. Saturday, September 11at 6:30 pm in the Old Navy Parking Lot. Childrens activities prior to movie. You are welcome to bring lawn chairs or blankets. Rain Date October 2.

Haunted House to Return to Prince George's Stadium

The Bowie Baysox and Tulip Gulch Productions announced the return of the annual haunted house to Prince George's Stadium. The haunted house will be open every Friday and Saturday night in October as well as Sunday, October 31st. The gates open at 6:30pm each night, and tours are given from sundown until 11pm. Ticket prices are $15, and the show is rated PG-13.

This year's production is called the Patuxent Research Lab, and the theme is a research project that has gone horribly wrong. Click here for more details about this year's show.

Glenn Dale Asylum was the title for the 2009 show, and Tulip Gulch Productions posted the following promotional video.



Bowie News Briefs

Armed Robbery
Belair Shell on the corner of Old Annapolis Road and Church Road was robbed by a man with a gun early Labor Day morning. The following details were reported by the Bowie Police Department.

On 9/6/10, at approximately 0616 hrs, Bowie Police responded to 13811 Old Annapolis Road for a robbery call. Upon arrival, the employee reported that an unknown male entered the location wearing a ski mask, threw two white grocery bags on the counter and asked, “Where’s the money”? The suspect then produced a black, semi-automatic style handgun and pointed it at the employee. The employee complied with the suspect and placed funds from within the cash register into the bags. The suspect then fled on foot, toward the rear alley. Prince George’s County K-9 responded to the scene to assist in a search for the suspect. The search was unsuccessful and the suspect remains at large. Prince George’s County Detective Calvert responded as well to assume the investigation.
Click here to see the full police report.


Breaking and Entering
A nineteen year old Bowie man was arrested after police responded to a report of a breaking and entering in progress in the 600 block of Jennings Mill Drive. The following details were reported by the Bowie Police Department.

On 9/3/10 at 1121 Hrs, Bowie Police Officers responded to the 600 Blk. of Jennings Mill Drive for a Burglary in progress. Upon arrival, OFC. Schwartz was waved down by 2 citizens who advised him of a suspect description and direction of travel. OFC. Schwartz relayed the description over the radio to other responding units. A perimeter was set up and the suspect was observed running in the 15000 Blk. of Jenkins Ridge Rd. OFC. Wuthrich was able to apprehend the suspect in the same block. Upon inspection of the victim’s home, there was damage observed to the exterior basement door. A screw driver and a skull cap were recovered along the path of the suspects attempted escape. The suspect was positively identified by the witnesses as the person attempting to break into the victim’s home. The suspect was transported to Upper Marlboro DOC where he was charged accordingly.

Click here to see the full police report.


Bowie Volunteer Firefighter Injured
A 26 year old Bowie Volunteer Firefighter was hospitalized after receiving third degree burns to his head while fighting a house fire in Upper Marlboro. Click here to read the story.

Friday, September 3, 2010

This Week in the Bowie Blade-News

A D.C. man was subdued with a Taser after threatening Bowie Police officers with a machete. Click here to read the story.

A D.C. man was charged with possession of a handgun after a traffic stop in Bowie. Click here to read the story.

An eighteen year old Bowie man was arrested after a foot chase in Crofton for stealing the tip jar at Ledo Pizza. The jar contained less than $22 - not even enough to pay for Gerron Levi's meal. Click here to read the story.


Click here to see more news and articles on the Bowie Blade-News Web site.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Shukoor Ahmed Wins Bowie Living Award

Bowie Living is happy to announce that Shukoor Ahmed has won the 2010 Bowie Living Sign Waving Award for best political sign waver.

Ahmed's waving should be trademarked as a choreographed dance. Shukoor performs the following moves all at once in a quick three second number.
  • Crouches down to make sure drivers can see his face as they drive by.
  • Wide smile
  • Violently waves right hand
  • Holds up sign with left hand
  • Shuffles his feet as he quickly runs backwards to try to keep up with the cars driving by
Bobby Henry came in second place with his more casual style of sign waving. Henry has a cool smile and an easy wave, but he stands still rather than attempting to run backward with traffic. Henry will point at the driver in every 5th car with an expression on his face that seems to say, "hey, I know you!"


I interrupted Shukoor Ahmed's waving routine for a quick photo at the intersection of Routes 450 and 197 in Bowie on August 30, 2010.



If that is Shukoor Ahmed in the near corner, who is the mystery man on the other corner waving an Ahmed sign?



After having the photo enhanced at the Bowie Living field office in Omaha, Nebraska, I believe that the other sign waver is the man who calls himself the Bowie City Activist, Richard Dahms. If this is the Bowie City Activist, I personally think that Shukoor Ahmed would be better off letting a stick of wood hold up his sign. On the other hand, this may be a good place for the Bowie City Activist as he is out in the open where he can easily be seen and no one will hear his name calling over the noise of the speeding cars. Comparing Bowie city officials to Nazis? Get real Bowie City Activist! Nazi comparisons are so overused and misused. Who cares? Bowie Living cares!

Weekly News from the Bowie Star

Guns have been involved in two robberies in Bowie during the last week, including a robbery at a Bank of America ATM. Click here to read the story.

A long term dispute between self proclaimed Bowie city activist Richard Dahms and City officials reached the attention of the Bowie Star after City Manager David Deutsch dropped a criminal complaint against Dahms. I have heard Richard Dahms described as a "street angel, house devil" who some people find to be very nice in person, but he publishes a hate filled Web site and frequently sends ridiculous rambling e-mails to local media and elected officials. One of those e-mails contained an alleged threat to cut off Deutsch's nuts. Advertisements for Dahms Web site have recently appeared on Facebook. Click here to read the Bowie Star story, and click here to read the ramblings of the Bowie city mad man. His words speak for themselves.

The last concert of Bowie's Sunset Concert Series takes place this coming Sunday at Allen Pond. Click here to read about the concert and see other community notes.


The following Bowie related stories appeared in this week's Bowie Star: