Village Green/Town²

  From July, 2026: Maryland schools rank 10th worst for racial segregation , Liz Bowie, Baltimore Banner  Halley Potter, director of PK-12 education at the Century Foundation, said racial and economic integration matters for the long-term success of students of all races and economic status. “We have decades of research that show that integration promotes better academic outcomes, better critical thinking skills, better college attainment rates,” she said. From May, 2016:  Eliminating racial divide in Howard school suspensions requires community effort, county leaders say, Lisa Philip, Baltimore Sun  I blogged about this article in July of 2016 - - ten years ago. Lisa Philip’s article, about the racial divide in Howard County Schools, focuses on the continuing disparity in the suspension rate between white students and students of color. Even with indication of recent improvement, the rate for black students is still almost seven times that of whites, and well above ...

  I’ve heard of Never on Sunday, but I’d never heard of Never at Centennial. I was curious. Was this going to be a true confession about canoodling in cars, or a warning about local skinny dipping spots? The post on Reddit started with the words “Never at Centennial Lake.” Earlier this summer, I saw several beavers swimming in Lake Elkhorn in Owen Brown. On Friday, I saw a large beaver swimming in Centennial Lake. Interesting since there doesn’t seem to be much Beaver damage to trees around Centennial Lake, which is normally one of the telltale signs of a resident Beaver population. It wasn’t what I was expecting.  It was a  delightful conversation about HoCoLocal beavers. And muskrats*. What’s the difference, you ask? Beaver, from Wikipedia  Muskrat, also from Wikipedia   If you are a nature lover and/or curious about local creatures in our community, this one’s for you.  Have you had any interesting run ins with local wildlife recently? Let me know. ...

  I’m thinking this morning about my hotel adventures last summer while our bedroom was being rebuilt.  Do I hold a grudge? Possibly. We started out at the Doubletree (Twin Knolls) because it was quite near our house. We reasoned that the location would make it easier to meet with contractors, deal with mail and packages, etc. It started out well enough. The room was comfortable and they had cookies. Soon we realized we were getting something we didn’t want and it was a serious problem. The Doubletree pumps chemical air fresheners throughout the hotel. In the lobby. In the dining spaces. In all the hallways and public spaces. Possibly in the elevators. I was allergic. It triggered my asthma every time I left our room. I reached out online to Doubletree Corporate to ascertain whether our hotel was required to pump chemical fragrances. They said the usual corporate things and told me to contact the front desk.  The man at the front desk said they couldn't possibly turn them...

  Eight years ago I walked in the door for the first time. Trying Trifecto , August 3, 2018 Last night I was there to celebrate their eighth birthday. I got a little distracted at first, though. I really love the Clarksville Commons outdoor space. I’m not sure I’ve ever noticed this bucket chain downspout before.  If you know what kind of a flowering tree/bush this is, I’d love to know. Outdoor seating for diners! I’m a fan. Solar panel installation that looks like a sculpture. You can’t tell from my photo but there are twinkly fairy lights  strung up in the second level where Bushel and a Peck is located.  Dang. I forgot to bring something to feed the Little Free Library  It’s easy to find a place to sit and take a look at the nearby art pieces. The musicians were getting set up for their Friday night gig on the Plaza. It was time to go in for dinner. My friend had picked out one of Trifecto’s signature grilled cheese offerings and it looked so good that I just...

  This is photojournalist Paul Gillespie. From the Capital Gazette Website: Paul W. Gillespie is an award-winning staff photojournalist for Capital Gazette with nearly 25 years telling the stories of Anne Arundel County with his camera. Through Paul's lens readers have seen Navy and high school sports, breaking news, features and community events. Paul has won numerous awards for his work, including dozens MDDC Press Association Awards.  This is also Paul Gillespie: Photojournalist recalls narrow escape from rampage: "I thought I was going to die" , CBS News, July, 2018 Still shot taken from CBS News interview  Gillespie made it outside the building and ran to a neighboring bank for help. After catching his breath, he called his wife. "And I said, Jen, it's me. It's Paul. I'm okay… Somebody came into the Capital office and started shooting people. And it's real bad. And I can't talk long, but it's bad," he said. To help cope with the trag...

  The thing I should be writing about today is this, and it is breaking me.  Howard County officers cleared in fatal shooting of man with autism , Lillian Reed, Baltimore Banner  About twenty per cent of US residents identify as neurodivergent. That includes those who are autistic. Neurodivergence means that your brain operates differently. Different than what? Ahh…that’s the thing. It’s all about being different than established norms. What makes the world more disabling for neurodivergent people is the insistence that there is only one way, the neurotypical way, and anyone else is different. Wrong. A problem.  If our goal was to accommodate everyone, autism and other neurodivergent conditions would be far less disabling. It is the lack of awareness of this and the resulting lack of accommodation which creates disabling attitudes and situations daily.  It’s not about some people getting something extra. The fact is our world accommodates people with neurotypica...