Skip to main content

Columbia in Pictures




I voted in my village election. Did you?


Odds are that you didn’t. Maybe you lost the ballot they mailed out or didn’t have time to vote in person. I was startled to see Harpers Choice offering another option.

Yes, that’s right, the Columbia Association has found a way to make online voting a possibility and Harpers Choice had it. My village board in Oakland Mills apparently took a pass. They’ll be hearing from me on that. Village Elections are teetering on the brink of complete irrelevance in the public consciousness. We should be doing everything we can to connect with residents. 

Yesterday the Inner Arbor Trust hosted Jazz in the Woods at the Chrysalis, featuring jazz ensembles from high schools, middle schools, and the greater community. I was not surprised to see Tweets from various schools touting their students performances. But this one, from a teacher at Howard High School, stood out:


The structural technology of the Chrysalis?  Ooh!

I responded: Chrysalis fan here! Did you teach a lesson on this in Tech Ed? Cool!

Teacher: Thanks! We talked about the Chrysalis in a recent Structural Technology warm up. I hope my dears will see it (& other structures around them) with new eyes 



Speaking of seeing things with new eyes, you would have had to get a quick glimpse of this formidable sculpture before it disappeared from the Internet this week.


Debbie Nix, local celebrator of all things Columbia, spotted this piece on Patch and was quick to share the news. The only problem was that, almost immediately, the piece seemed to have disappeared. HoCo Common Sense blog* has this mystery completely covered for you. I note that not everyone seems happy about this news.

One more thing. Pink snow is over.








*A footnote: HoCo Common Sense is written by Harpers Choice resident Joel Hurewitz. Mr. Hurewitz won a seat on the Harpers Choice Village Board yesterday. Except, he didn’t, because not enough people voted to reach a quorum. 



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Getting Fresh

One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week. New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here . I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else.  Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not  chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses...

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...

What Kids Are Thinking

  It’s a Monday in February, and if you guessed that a lot of Howard County students have the new cell phone policy on their minds, you’d be right. It will mean big changes and it will be stressful, no matter how much good we hope it will do in the long run. But on this particular Monday cell phones might not be top of mind, as amazing as that seems. Some kids will go to school wondering if they or family members will be seized by ICE. Some will fear that their parents’ employment will be purged by the ongoing rampage of Elon Musk and his cronies through Federal Government. Some fear heightened and renewed racism as programs that supprted Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are vilified and destroyed.  Some worry that it soon won’t be safe for them to use the bathroom in school anymore. It goes without saying that some kids fear going to school every day because of the prevalence of school shootings.  And look! Here’s something new to fear. That old hate group, Libs of TikTo...