As John McNamara reported in the Bowie Blade-News this week, development projects, the Maglev project, the Blue Sunday triple homicide, and attempts to recall city council members were all noteworthy stories from 2017.
Development projects in the City of Bowie have dominated the news for the last two years, including stories about the Marketplace apartments, the Jesuit property, the Melford property, and the new indoor sports facility.
A group calling itself Bowie Citizens for Accountable Government attempted to recall Bowie city council members Diane Polangin, Jimmy Marcos and Mayor Fred Robinson. The group succeeded in recalling Polangin, thus forcing an upcoming election for the District 2 council seat.
Plans for a magnetic high-speed train included routes that would bisect some Bowie neighborhoods. The plans were refined, and by the end of the year, only one Old Bowie neighborhood is still threatened.
All of those stories were certainly covered on Bowie Living, but popular posts on social media don't always coincide with the biggest news stories of the day.
Below are the ten most popular Bowie Living Facebook posts of 2017 in order of popularity, followed by a few "honorable mentions."
#1: Blue Sunday Bar & Grill Triple Homicide
January 29, 2017When Bowie Living first reported this story, two people were dead and one was critically injured. The third victim died a short time later.
The Bowie Blade-News covered the homicide and subsequent reopening of the store with the following articles.
- January 30, 2017 - Police: Bartender killed owners, managers of Bowie restaurant
- January 31, 2017 - Bowie restaurant manager 'had a good soul'
- February 6, 2017 - Surviving owner wants to re-open Bowie restaurant
- March 7, 2017 - Blue Sunday Bar & Grill to reopen March 17
- March 21, 2017 - Blue Sunday reopens for business
- March 23, 2017 - Man charged with Blue Sunday murders indicted
#2: Miami Police Kill Temple Student Accused of Running Over Cop
October 9, 2017
Here is an excerpt of a Baltimore Sun article about the incident:
A 22-year-old Temple University student from Bowie who was in Miami Beach to celebrate her birthday drove her BMW into a Florida police officer and was fatally shot by another officer in front of a crowd of onlookers, police said.
Cariann Hithon crashed into several cars Sunday evening as people watched from sidewalk cafes in the tourist district known as South Beach. Video posted by the Miami Herald showed people standing around the wrecked car, wondering aloud what had happened. Then the BMW suddenly started moving again and took out the officer standing in front of it. Another officer fired three shots into the car.
#3: Father and Son Shot in Bowie
January 31, 2017
Here is an excerpt from a Bowie Blade-News article about the incident:
At about 2:15 Tuesday afternoon, Bowie police got a call about a shooting at the corner of Church Road an Urbana Lane.
There, they found two men inside an SUV who had been shot. One was an adult, the other a teenager.
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| Photo courtesty of Melinda Machado Caldwell |
#4: Three Year-Old Bowie Resident Arrested after Burglary Spree
April 1, 2017
Each year Bowie Living creates its own "fake news" for April Fools' Day. 2017 was no exception, although this story was a repeat from 2011.
A joint investigation between the Bowie and Prince George's County police departments into a rash of recent burglaries resulted in the apprehension of the youngest suspect ever to be arrested in the county. A three year-old boy was detained by police on Thursday after detectives working a stakeout in Bowie's Whitehall section observed the preschooler exiting a house through a "doggy door" with stolen goods.
#5: Bowie residents weigh in on Belair Drive traffic measures
October 11, 2017
Residents' concerns were heard during a stakeholders' meeting about traffic calming plans for Belair Drive. Here is an excerpt from a Bowie Blade-News article about the meeting:
Belair Drive has long been used as a short-cut for drivers who use the residential street to avoid traffic back-ups during certain hours of the day on Route 197 or Route 3.
The road figures to get even busier when the Melford residential/retail complex is completed. The main road through the complex – Melford Boulevard – becomes Belair Drive on the west side of Route 3.
#6: City of Bowie sponsors fundraisers for Hurricane Harvey relief
September 1, 2017
#7: Student stabbed at Bowie High, ex-student arrested
May 17, 2017
Here is an excerpt from a Bowie Blade-News article about the incident:
An 18-year-old former Bowie School student was arrested last week and charged after he came to school, confronted a current student as part of an ongoing dispute, and stabbed the student with a pocket knife.
The student, who is a juvenile, suffered non-life threatening injuries, according to Bowie police.
#8: New Chick-Fil-A Coming to Bowie
September 28, 2017
Several people have asked about the construction project between the Chick-Fil-A and Rip’s on Route 301. The new building is going to be a larger Chick-Fil-A, and the existing Chick-Fil-A building at that location will be torn down.
One of the benefits of the new design is a modified drive-thru configuration. The current drive-thru line frequently backs up onto East Ballpark Road, and it makes several parking spots unusable – including the handicap spaces.
The new drive-thru line will be longer, will be two lanes wide in some spots, and will block fewer parking spaces. The parking lot will have more parking spots overall, including more handicap parking spaces, and the handicap spaces will be more accessible.
#9: Honeybaked Ham Opening Soon
September 26, 2017
#10: Bowie PD collecting donations for Houston Officers
September 3, 2016
The Bowie Police Department had been collecting donations for Houston Police Officers through last night (Saturday).
Lauren Brown captured this photo in the Bowie Police Department lobby Saturday morning. Lauren saw a line of cars waiting to donate their change to victims of Hurricane Harvey at City Hall Saturday morning, and a steady number of people were dropping off toiletries and other items inside the police department's lobby.
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| Photo Courtesy of Lauren Brown |
Honorable Mentions
Theft from Swim Club
An Edgewater woman was charged and later plead guilty in a theft of more than $100,000 from the Belair Bath & Tennis Club.
Freak storm
April 6, 2017
Freak storm takes down trees in Meadowbrook, Victoria Heights, Yorktown and other Bowie neighborhoods.
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| Madeley Lane. Photo courtesy of Kathy Mock. |
Iconic Bowie sign to be stored for safekeeping
November 29, 2017
Here is an excerpt from a Bowie Blade-News article:
But the sign will live on somewhere in Bowie. It’s now in the hands of city officials, who plan to display it as a historical artifact.
“It is very much a piece of mid-century Bowie history,” said Pam Williams, the city’s manager of historic properties and its unofficial historian. “Everybody thought it was a critical piece of our culture.”
City retrofitting stormwater pond
September 20, 2017
Multiple people sent notes to Bowie Living asking about the construction taking place next to the Belair Swim & Racquet Club (BSR). The Midwood Pond stormwater retrofit is the first of a dozen stormwater pond upgrades that the City of Bowie will be performing over the next five to seven years. The retrofits will mean less pollution flowing into the Chesapeake Bay.
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| Photo coutesy of the City of Bowie |
Bowie Branch Library Reopens after 6-month renovation project
June 29, 2017
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| Photo courtesy of Gant Brunnett Architects |
Mishap at Tulip Grove Elementary School construction site
November 29, 2017
The new Tulip Grove Elementary School is still expected to open in the fall of 2018 despite a mishap at the construction site.
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| Photo courtesy of Mark De Russo |
Promised improvements made to the Bowie Race Course property
September 22, 2017
Bowie High School Football field gets turf and lights
October 22, 2017
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| Courtesy photo |
Vigil held for slain Bowie State University Student
May 22, 2017
Here is an excerpt from a Bowie Blade-News article:
Hundreds filled the Samuel L. Myers Auditorium Monday for a candlelight vigil to honor Collins, who was murdered Saturday on the University of Maryland campus in what police said was an unprovoked stabbing. A Severna Park man, Sean Christopher Urbanski, has been charged with first and second degree murder and is in custody, being held without bond.
City of Bowie Centennial Finale
May 6, 2017
The celebration of the City of Bowie's centennial culminated in an event at City Hall that included the burial of a time capsule .
