Three towns along the Route 1 corridor allow non-citizens to vote in local elections, a policy aimed at getting new immigrants more involved that is gaining ground nationally, and now Washington, D.C. is considering its own measure, which would affect some 51,000 foreign-born residents.

Hyattsville allows 16-year-olds who have lived in the city for at least 30 days before Election Day to vote in local races, regardless of citizenship. In Riverdale Park, they must live in the city for at least 45 days. And in Mount Rainier, voters must be at least 18.

In all, 11 Maryland towns allow non-citizens to vote, out of just 15 in the entire U.S.

Although these measures only allow voting in local races, historians say that non-citizens were able to vote in local, state and federal elections at various times in 40 states from the founding of the country until 1926, especially when territories were looking to attract immigrants or boost their population to achieve statehood.

Some members of Congress are seeking to block the D.C. proposal, and several states have moved in recent years to bar local governments from allowing non-citizen voting, but for now it looks safe in Maryland.

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The New Deal Cafe, Community Forklift and other businesses along the Route 1 corridor were named winners in the annual Washington City Paper ‘Best of D.C.’ readers’ poll. And this year, a surprising number of entrants from the corridor were finalists.

Greenbelt’s New Deal Cafe won Best Place to Experience Local Music, beating out Blues Alley Jazz and the venerable 930 Club, and Best Place to Have Dinner With Live Music. It was also a finalist in Best Jazz/Blues Venue.

Edmonston’s Community Forklift won Best Green Business, which it has won before, while Hyattsville’s Bianca + Jean won Best Handmade Accessories. Federalist Pig, which is opening a location in Hyattsville, won for Best Barbecue, while Riverdale Park’s 2Fifty Texas BBQ was a runner-up in that category. Spartan Plumbing won Best Plumber.

Other local finalists included:

Best Street Art: Driskell Park

Best Theater Festival and Best Film Festival: Greenbelt’s Utopia Film Festival 

Best Art Class: Pyramid Atlantic Art Center

Best Movie Theater: Old Greenbelt Theatre

Best Music Festival: Greenbelt Blues Festival

Best High School: DeMatha Catholic High School

Best Arts & Crafts Supply Store: Artist & Craftsman Supply

Best Delivery Service (Food): Foodhini

Best Record Store: Red Onion Records

Best Brew Pub: Denizens

Best Kid-Friendly Restaurant: Franklins

Best Mexican Restaurant and Best Taco: Taqueria Habanero

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A new imaginative playground just opened in Mount Rainier at 3711 37th St., giving kids another fun outdoor play area to explore on the Route 1 corridor.

Located between Perry Street and Otis Street, the 37th Street Park was recently upgraded with new playground equipment on a rubber ground surface which includes two shaded slides along with play rocks, a spider web and other rope systems to climb on.

The city plans to hold a ribbon-cutting soon but Mayor Celina Benitez said she wanted residents to know about it now so they could take advantage of it now.

The small neighborhood park is already home to a pollinator garden and several fruit-bearing trees which were added by volunteers a few years ago.

The city recently upgraded the nearby 31st Street Park with a rain garden, a “food forest” with paw paw trees and other natural features like tree stumps for jumping and climbing on, brush piles, a walking trail, and even a lean to where kids can play.

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A long-running masonry store in Bladensburg added a third mural, adding an artsy touch to an industrial area of the Route 1 corridor.

Located at the Ernest Maier masonry supply store at 4700 Annapolis Rd., the mural depicts paving stones and retaining walls in geometric patterns and bright colors.

Artist Cindy Fletcher Holden, who currently lives in Annapolis, told the Hyattsville Wire that her goal was to depict the bricks and stones that Ernest Maier sells in a “twisty and fun” way.

“It is about finding life and fun in what is otherwise an everyday object,” she said.

Holden previously painted a mural in the same area showing the town name and a sunset over the nearby Anacostia River and another showing scenes from Bladensburg’s history and everyday life.

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Riversdale House Museum in Riverdale Park unveiled its first portrait of an enslaved resident, the latest step in the museum’s new mission to deal more directly with the legacy of slavery.

As part of a recent celebration of Maryland Emancipation Day, the museum publicly showed a portrait of Adam Francis Plummer, whose personal journal is an important part of the post-Civil War historical record.

The portrait is a mosaic by Chanel Compton, a former executive director of the Prince George’s African American Museum and Cultural Center now working in Annapolis.

The mosaic, which shows Plummer in a blue suit and tie, fits with her other works, which often use the same technique to create portraits of American historical figures such as Nat Turner and Martin Luther King Jr.

It is the first time that a portrait of an enslaved person is being permanently displayed at a place of enslavement in Prince George’s County.

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College Park is moving ahead on a project to build shops and apartments on a stretch of land off Campus Drive near the airport.

Known as “Aviation Landing,” the 1.3 million-square-foot project will include restaurants, shops and around 900 apartments when completed.

Currently home to parking lots and a small handful of industrial businesses, the land has become more valuable with the growth of the nearby Discovery District research park, new apartments and shops around the College Park Metro station and the upcoming Purple Line.

Aviation Landing is currently planned to be completed by 2026, when the light-rail transit line is expected to open.

“We’re making a place in Prince George’s County for our residents to gather without putting more cars on the road,” County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said at a recent event.

The project is being handled by the Terrapin Development Co., a partnership between the University of Maryland and the nonprofit University of Maryland College Park Foundation.

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Lola Schnoodle of University Park recently released a new book, “Lola’s Rules: Lessons on Living Your Best Life From A Real Bitch,” a charming tongue-in-snout take on the self-help guide.

Wishing to spread self-confidence and personal fulfillment, Lola shares her advice on getting the most out of life. In 12 beautifully illustrated mini-chapters, she covers topics such as demanding what you deserve, never settling for second-best, and barking back if need be.

“As a mutt, it’s very special to become an independent author,” Lola barks. “I’m honored that so many humans will get a chance to hear my take on the world.”

A frequent walker in the Hyattsville-Riverdale Park-University Park corridor, Lola hopes to inspire all the human friends she encounters each day as well as dog lovers around the world. Convinced dogs and humans make each other better, she also aims to boost human-canine interaction.

She will donate 10 percent of her profits to charity (Our Companions Animals Rescue, Animal Haven or Puppies Behind Bars, all given 100 out of 100 points by Charity Navigator).

A great gift, “Lola’s Rules” is available on Amazon under “dog humor” and “self-help.” For more information, you can also check out Lola’s website at lolasrules.com.

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