What is the College Park Ranger?

You can think of this site as a newsletter, newspaper, magazine, bulletin board…

The one objective of this site is to offer up a practical, shareable, accessible place for people to find out about the goings-on in College Park, Maryland that will affect them. This will take the form of articles/posts/missives that give you the facts as I understand them, advice on how to affect change, and concrete resources for doing so.

Why is it called The Ranger?

Oh this one is easy: College Park Ranger. Park Ranger. Get it?

Yes, it’s kinda ridiculous. I was trying to think of a name that gave the sense of being an advocate, a vanguard, a warning system, a canary in a coal mine. I thought of the usual newspaper titles (Herald, Gazette, etc.) but I didn’t want to give the impression that I was seeking to be a newspaper. And so I struck upon the dumb dad joke title you see now.

But it works, you know? A ranger—someone who keeps watch over a wilderness, someone who is an advance party for others, a wanderer. So rather than wonder if people will think I’m too haughty for naming it The Tribune, I decided to go with the dad joke. I’m a dad, after all.

Why not?

Why subscribe?

Subscribing to the Ranger puts you at the frontlines of what is happening in College Park so that you can act to make a difference.

Information on Changing Times as They Happen

By subscribing you will receive an email newsletter with realtime updates so that you never have to worry about missing a dispatch. For a spam-free, ad-free reading experience, plus audio and community features, get the Substack app.

Join the Conversation

Be part of a community of people who care about what is happening in College Park.

To learn more about the tech platform that powers this publication, visit Substack.com.

Who is in Charge Here?

This site is run by and is the sole purview of Brian J. Roan, a longtime resident of College Park, a local businessman, a father of one, a member of Holy Redeemer Church, a former candidate for city council, and the secretary of the North College Park Community Association.

So if it sometimes reads like it was written by someone with not that much time on their hands, now you know why.