Mark your calendar for Saturday, April 25 and join us at Laurel Park for our second Voices of Laurel  Day at the Races event! The Laurel History Boys and Voices of Laurel  team will be under the tent at trackside—join us to enjoy live racing up close just one week before the Kentucky Derby and three weeks before the Preakness makes its historic debut at Laurel Park. This free event is open to all and provides an opportunity to mingle and learn about horse racing, betting, and

A roundup of local news, events, and announcements Jeffrey Mills, Kyla Clark, Mayor Keith Sydnor, James Kole, Brencis Smith, and Adrian Simmons during the first Mayor and City Council meeting on November 24, shortly after being sworn in. (Photo: Laurel TV) Voters Re-elect Familiar Faces to City Council in Intrigue-Filled Election Most of the five incumbent Laurel City Councilmembers were re-elected in the city’s general elections held on November 4. The exception was the At-L

Local news covering the Oldtown area (Above): The former home of Bertha Moore, at 622 Tenth Street. (Right): Ms. Moore, in an undated photo courtesy of The Laurel Historical Society. A Profile of Bertha Moore With Black History Month approaching, it seemed fitting to write about one of Laurel’s own extraordinary Black women. When Bertha May Levi Moore died on July 2, 1981, her obituary was printed in The Washington Post . While it mentioned her surviving children, grandchildr

Local news covering the North Laurel, Savage, and Scaggsville areas Kechy Pizza Co., a Baltimore-based restaurant chain, is planning to open in Savage on the former site of Ma’s Kettle. It will be the chain’s third location—a second is in Westminster. (Photo: Instagram/kechypizzaco) New Route 1 Corridor Campus Will Benefit Families in North Laurel, Savage, and entire county In late September 2025, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball and Community Action Council of Howard Coun

Local news covering Laurel Lakes, Victoria Falls, Oakcrest, Montpelier, and the Route 197 corridor Greater Washington Deliverance Temple, a small church on Locust Grove Drive in Oakcrest, is led by Pastor Karen Rutherford. (Photo: Diane Mezzanotte) Second-Generation Minister Leads “Love-Filled” Oakcrest Church Tucked among homes on Locust Grove Drive in South Laurel’s Oakcrest neighborhood is a church. I used to walk past it daily, many years ago, when my son was still in a s

Local news covering the West Laurel and Burtonsville areas The breakfast tacos (above) and omelette (right) offered at Eggspectation at Burtonsville Crossing, where the food is delicious, the atmosphere pleasant, and the service great.. (Photos: Russ Geis) WLCA Dedicates Garden, Will Sponsor Job Fair The West Laurel Civic Association (WLCA) will be dedicating a memorial garden to honor Melissa Daston, an active WLCA member who passed away in 2024. The native garden will be lo

Local news covering the Russett and Maryland City areas A new public playground has opened near the community pool in Russett. (Photo: Brenda Zeigler-Riley) New Playground Opens in Russett Congratulations to Russett resident Felicia Bond—a wife, mother of two, and an assistant principal—and to the members of the Russett Amenities Committee for bringing the concept of a new playground to fruition! As the only member of the committee with young children, Felicia recognized the

An original artwork of the preamble to the Constitution, created for the We Are America march by artist Lucy Larkin, displayed at Laurel Presbyterian Church on September 17. Marchers and supporters were invited to sign the canvas artwork. (Photo: Diane Mezzanotte) The nationwide protests that made headlines throughout 2025 might have brought back memories from the 1960s and 70s for many Laurel residents—some of whom brushed off their sign-making skills from 60 years ago and t

Long-Time Local Lawyer Reflects on a Full Career and His Own Next Steps (Photo courtesy of Tom Downs) When first meeting Tom Downs, he hardly seems like the type of person who talks often about death. Jovial and light-hearted though he may be, he possesses decades of experience planning for our inevitable end. Downs Law Firm, which specializes in estate planning, has been a fixture in Laurel since 2002. Raised in Greenbelt, Downs graduated a year early from high school. Witho

Photos by Tom Burkhardt The Laurel High School Class of 1975 always knew how to have a good time, and on October 3 we proved that spirit was still alive when 73 LHS alumni and guests rocked at the Savage Fire Department to celebrate 50 years since graduation! Some classmates had come from as far away as Las Vegas, Alaska, and Scotland, while others were still relatively local; most of us needed no convincing at all to make the decision to attend such a milestone event. Class

Photo courtesy of Laurel Volunteer Fire Department LVFD Recognizes Members at Annual Banquet The Laurel Volunteer Fire Department (LVFD) recognized the outstanding work of its volunteers at its 123rd Annual Awards Banquet on October 11, 2025. LVFD was privileged to have the Honorable C. Philip Nichols as their Master of Ceremony to guide us through this memorable evening. Notable guests recognized by President Vic Whipple were Laurel Mayor Keith R. Sydnor; City Councilmembers

Rosa Maher accepts the 2025 Voices of Laurel  Laurel Light Award at the Laurel Volunteer Fire Department’s Annual Banquet on October 11. (From left to right): John Maher, Rosa Maher, Mike Sellner, and Chief Brian Cox. The staff of Voices of Laurel  is pleased to announce Rosa Maher as the 2025 recipient of the Laurel Light Award. Rosa has served the Laurel community for over 50 years as an active member of the Laurel Volunteer Fire Department (LVFD) Auxiliary and is currently

Southern Management hosts a party for resident Tina Pressley, who has lived at Steward Manor Apartments since 1975. (Photo courtesy of Southern Management) My friend Paula Pressley—“Tina,” as many know her by—had a birthday on Christmas Day. I met her in 1978 when my family moved into her building at Steward Manor Apartments. The Pressleys—Tina, her daughter Audrey, and her identical twin sons Rodney and Ronald—had been living in their second floor unit for about three years

(Photo: City of Laurel) The “public hearing” component of council meetings is the most important, in my opinion, because it’s the opportunity for you to share your voice. But unless you’ve done it before, it can be a big question mark of how to actually accomplish it. There’s no need to be nervous, however. Here are tips I like to share with folks to help get them comfortable: The meeting cycle for the City Council typically follows the monthly pattern of (a) 1st Wednesday, a

Photo: Social.Cut / Unsplash You may remember that I stand outside Laurel Elementary and wave at passing cars in the morning. My primary job is a school librarian, but I wanted to write about my second job: UberEats. This is not an opinion piece on the food. I actually haven’t eaten from most of the places I have picked up from, but as an Uber driver I have had some interesting insights around Laurel eateries (a few honorable mentions outside Laurel), and I’d like to pass the

These short bits of history tend to pile up as I do more research on various topics. Unless otherwise credited, all quotes are from the Laurel Leader . 1907 In June, the Leader  ran the photo of Laurel’s military band shown above. 1918 In March, “Rev. and Mrs. H.C. Bird recently entertained 85 soldiers from Camp Laurel. Later Mr. and Mrs. E.L. Pettit entertained 75 soldiers. At both homes, coffee, cake, and sandwiches were served. There is no scarcity of musical talent in the

The Washington Branch of the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad, which opened in 1835, was routed to pass near the Savage Factory and its nearby granite quarries. This proximity was an opportunity for Amos A. Williams, who was a director of both the B&O and the Savage Manufacturing Company, to promote his business interests. He saw the railroad as a reliable and efficient way to transport the company’s products. Amos had already fabricated thousands of rail chairs, used to sec

In May 1942 a group of young U.S. Army Rangers on a field in Fort Meade stood at rapt attention as their 5'5'-tall, 136-pound instructor ordered a trainee to charge at him with his rifle and bayonet. “Come on, boy, like you mean business!” shouted the bald instructor, who held a short length of rope between his hands. The soldier did as ordered and lunged at the instructor. But in just a few seconds, the soldier lay flat on his back, tied up with the rope. Even though the ins

Photos by Jim Clash Intermittent lightning flashes near our U.S. Air Force C-130 aircraft. The odd smell of ozone from the outside electric interaction with air in the atmosphere is noticeable in the plane. But the wind is eerily calm now, here in the Eye, a far cry from just minutes ago when we passed through the final part of the menacing Eye-wall of Hurricane Dorian. Stars are visible overhead out of the cockpit window. When we entered the storm earlier, it was classified

Laurel Noir  is a series focused on historic crimes and the darker underside of our hometown. Winifred Matronia disappeared without a trace in January 2000, leaving everything behind. The Avondale apartment building on Ashford Boulevard has been in the news over the past few months, with tenants seeking help from City officials for an ongoing rodent infestation that has forced several families to move. It’s surprising and unsettling, given the building’s pleasing appearance—b