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Prince George's County government offices will be closed, and trash collection and other services will not be available on Friday in observance of the Christmas holiday.

The closures include trash sites such as the landfill, electronics recycling and public drop-off center at Brown Station Road in Bowie, and the solid waste and recycling center on Missouri Avenue in Brandywine.

Homeowners with regular trash pickup on Fridays will need to wait until their next scheduled pickup date, county officials said. The next pick-up day is normally Wednesday for Friday customers, but some areas have a different schedule.

The same closings will occur Jan. 1, though once-a-week curbside recycling will take place on New Year's Day so residents do not have to wait two weeks to turn in papers, plastic and glass.

"That's a long time to wait," said Carol Terry, spokeswoman for the county's Department of Environmental Resources.

For information on trash pickup or scheduling a bulk trash pickup, contact the county's waste management division at 301-952-7630.

Down payment program reaches milestone

A program that gives up to $20,000 in loans for buyers willing to purchase a foreclosed property in Prince George's County sealed the deal on its 200th property last week, officials announced.

An Upper Marlboro home was the latest foreclosed property to be bought using government assistance from the county's "Down Payment on Your Dream" program launched in July.

The program allows first-time homebuyers who qualify for a mortgage to get down payment assistance if they are willing to buy a foreclosed home. The program is funded through a $10.8 million federal grant the county received to combat foreclosures in Prince George's.

Since the program started, more than 475 buyers have applied for the down payment assistance, county officials said. In addition to the 200 approved applications, another 175 are being processed.

Buyers do not have to pay back the down payment assistance if they agree to live in the home at least 10 years.

Prince George's County leads the state in foreclosures. A November report from real estate analysis company RealtyTrac said about one in 175 homes in the county is in a state of foreclosure, a rate twice the state average.

For information on the county's foreclosure purchasing help, visit www.princegeorgescountymd.gov/

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O'Malley salutes banking group

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) served as the keynote speaker Dec. 11 for the 14th annual gala of the Collective Banking Group Inc., and he credited the faith-based organization encouraging assistance for residents facing foreclosure.

"As Marylanders, we have always understood that we progress on the strength, not the weakness, of our neighbors," O'Malley said, explaining that the group's early warnings about getting help for struggling residents helped implement state action.

The Collective Banking Group was formed in 1993 by area ministers concerned about alleged inequities in services provided by banks and businesses.

O'Malley and state leaders say the group was a leading partner two years ago when Maryland launched the Home Owners Preserving Equity hotline, a call service where people facing mortgages beyond their ability to pay can seek counseling and other help.