Village Green/Town²

Friday my daughter received a message that something she had ordered was being returned to sender because it couldn’t be delivered. She went out to the mailbox to see what was going on. She was surprised. What on earth took this thing out?   We didn’t hear anything untoward. Could it have simply come loose from the ground by itself, or was it the victim of foul play? Feel free to send me your theories, both likely and fanciful. In the meantime we have to go to the post office to fetch our mail. The communal mailboxes are such a quirky Columbia  thing, to my mind. I wonder if they even still make them. Are they antiques? An obsolete remnant of our community’s past? Is there a warehouse somewhere in Columbia where the last few of their kind wait to be deployed?  If you travel outside of the Columbubble more than I, you may have reason to know whether communal mailboxes are more widely in use in other places. I certainly had never seen them before I moved here. Most of the t...

  Yesterday afternoon the doorbell rang. That doesn’t happen very much these days. I figured it was just a package being delivered but I went to grab a mask just in case. As I fumbled with the elastic the doorbell rang again, followed by persistent knocking on the door.  When I opened it I saw a man with a clipboard. “Are you registered to vote in Howard County?”  he asked. “Yes.” He waved his clipboard in the air as he went on. “Well, I just need your signature right here. So we can let the voters decide!” Suddenly it hit me what this was all about. I’ve been reading about friends being accosted outside local businesses, pressured to sign a petition without being given adequate information. Now these same folks were at my front door. In a neighborhood that prohibits solicitation. During a pandemic.  He was affronted when I told him I was absolutely against what he was doing.  “Oh! Really?” “Yes, please go away.” I closed the door rather emphatically.  In c...

  Every year I make my pitch for why you should run for your Village Board in Columbia, or for a seat on the Columbia Council. In recent years these posts have become more fatalistic in their tone. To be honest, results each year in Village elections show that most folks don’t know and/or don’t care. And, for those who do take the leap to get involved, there’s often a long-standing environment of power-hoarding in place that can be mightily discouraging to newcomers. Lucky for me, and you, this year’s “why you should run for your Village Board” comes from  The Merriweather Post, complete with charts, statements from past candidates, details and some history.  Village Boards and the Columbia Council, explained You get a break this year from hearing me whine at you about why you should care, and a set of fresh eyes on a topic that deserves all the perspective it can get. Put simply: we need new people, younger people, and people from diverse backgrounds to get involved in ...

The local news story of the day is undoubtedly the vote to return students to classrooms in the Howard County Schools. A few thoughts: This decision was made by the Board of Education members who are meeting remotely due to the pandemic. Scientists tell us that a newer and more contagious strain of COVID is moving into our area right now.  The possibility of receiving the COVID vaccine is close enough for educators to taste but their desire to be fully protected before returning to the classroom won’t be honored. The hybrid model under discussion will provide a far less effective learning experience for students, and creates more work and stress for already stressed and overworked teachers. Why? None of this makes any sense. Teachers feel betrayed and demoralized. They, their families, and the students they teach will be put at risk.  The Governor of the State of Maryland, aka “I have the vaccine and you don’t” Hogan, has put enormous political pressure on local jurisdictions...

  A sign of the times: HCPSS released a “snow cancellation announcement that isn’t” last night which takes into account the new world of distance learning that we live in. 1/26/21, Virtual instruction as scheduled; HCPSS buildings are closed. Meal service canceled. In-person evening activities w/ HCPSS students/staff & community-sponsored programs in HCPSS buildings are canceled. I must admit I was extremely gratified by the lone student voice who came back with: What if the power goes out I noticed that, earlier in the evening, this same account had responded to an earlier HCPSS tweet with this question: If there are power outages cause of ice tmrw, can we get off to play in the snow Long-time readers of the blog know that I hold a particular fondness for students turning up on Twitter trying to influence weather-related school decisions. We haven’t seen many of them lately, since high school students have abandoned Twitter for Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and other platforms...

A suggestion for your Monday evening: Columbia Community Care Peace and Justice Center Town Hall From the event page: Join us Monday, January 25th at 6pm to hear about our plans to open Columbia Community Care Peace & Justice Center! Learn, ask questions, hear testimonials about how community centers save lives, and experience a taste of what we will offer!  https://fb.me/e/FAIZAwl1?ti=icl   If you can’t make it tomorrow evening, join us on Thursday, January 28th at 6pm for the same presentation! https://fb.me/e/3N5b8AL6K?ti=icl   Created at the beginning of the pandemic by hcpss teacher Erika Strauss Chavarria, Columbia Community Care has successfully organized an enormous group of local volunteers and donors to provide food and other household necessities to those in financial crisis. Chavarria has been honored for her leadership by several organizations, including the Howard County Human Rights Commission Human Rights Award for 2020 and as a “Pandemic Hero” in the ...

  For some reason I’m not in the local groove this morning. My apologies. A few things that are on my mind: I watched two excellent programs on PBS last night. The first, from a series called “Secrets of the Dead” was entitled “ The woman in the iron coffin .” It traces the story of a woman whose coffin was unearthed in Queens, NY, and the subsequent efforts to discover her story. It’s fascinating. In particular, the light it sheds on the use of science, historical research, archeology, and even community outreach gives a multifaceted look at all the many ways we pursue knowledge. The second program was an episode of Amercian Masters called “ How it feels to be free” a documentary looking at pioneering Black women performers Lena Horne, Abbey Lincoln, Nina Simone, Diahann Carroll, Cicely Tyson and Pam Grier. There’s a ton of history here that I was completely unaware of. Brilliantly done. My unpopular benign opinion of the day: I’m not all so jazzed up about the Bernie Sanders mem...

It was not the news story that Delegate Stephanie Smith wanted for her bill. She was there as a sponsor of House Bill 41, to establish a Maryland State Bank Task Force. But the behavior of Delegate Rick Impallaria cast a whole different tone on the coverage that followed. Maryland delegate calls colleague ‘more attractive’ in public hearing  , Pamela Wood, Baltimore Sun As he questioned Delegate Smith, Impallaria inserted a comment comparing the physical appearance of the former and current sponsors of the bill, both women. It created an awkward moment in the hearing. And why wouldn’t it? In what universe is the physical appearance of a bill’s sponsor remotely relevant to the value of the bill?  Only in a universe where men hold the power and set the expectations. Where women’s chance of success is determined by how they compete for prizes that have nothing to do with their true worth.  When it came time for Delgate Courtney Watson to speak, she circled back to address th...

  Starting off with the good news: the Howard County Board of Education voted last night to approve Black Lives Matter at School Week for this year. If you wrote a letter in support, it looks as though you were heard, at least by the members who voted in favor. I’m disappointed that this was not a unanimous vote, with one member voting no and one abstaining.  These votes send a terrible message to our Black students, staff, and families in the community: we had a chance to lift up and educate, and we didn’t take it. Frankly I can’t think of anything more damning that could be said of someone on the Board of Education. Moving on. Yesterday Governor Larry Hogan had a press conference about resuming in-person school instruction in which he said things that weren’t true and appeared to mandate things he doesn’t by law have the authority to mandate. You can tell who the audience was for this event by who was happy afterwards: privileged white people. People not unlike Mr. Hogan him...

I have never met the new Republican appointee to the Maryland delegation. I don’t even need to do a search of Reid Novotny to know his name has never appeared on the blog. Today he makes a grand though dubious entrance as he strives to strip away the right to cast votes from Student Members of the Board across the State of Maryland.  Mr. Novotny, who was not elected by the voters but rather hand-selected by members of his party, wants to delegitimize and disempower student leaders who were duly elected by their peers. In fact, current Howard County SMOB Zach Koung received 4,732 more votes then Reid Novotny did.  And they say education issues aren’t political.  The basis of his proposed legislation is that student members must be prevented from casting what is being referred to as “deciding” votes. This, in turn, is predicated on the misunderstanding/falsehood that it was specifically the HoCoSMOB’s vote which prevented a return to in person learning. That’s not how the H...

  When your goal is to write seven days a week, you will have many days to fill where nothing in particular is going on, punctuated by the occasional days of great national import. Frankly the nondescript days are easier. On days like today everyone will be writing. There will be ample opportunity for comparison. Some really good writers come out for the big days. I try not to take that into account, but... Today is a big day.  The events of the day are national but will affect all of us here locally. So I’ll indulge myself in a few words. Today our country will install a duly-elected President who brings to the office the most important value we need if we are to save our troubled Democracy. President-elect Biden thinks and acts from a core belief that humans should foster goodness in themselves and others, and, when there is goodness to be shared, it should be. No holding back, no keeping supplies in reserve. No doubting whether the needy are deserving.    The pres...

  Yesterday was the official national observance of the birthday of the late civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior. Many took part in service activities to honor his memory. Some watched films and programs about his work. Some read from his speeches and other writings. Social media timelines were filled with Dr. King’s words of protest, equality, empowerment, and challenge. Frequently quoted: The time is always right to do what is right. Meanwhile, in Howard County, I learned that there’s been a flurry of letters to the Board of Education urging them to vote against observing this year’s Black Lives Matter at School Week .  Head. Desk. The events of the last year have shown how hungry our young people are to investigate issues of racial justice. Now is not the right time to suppress that voice. This year will be the third Black Lives Matter at School Week. I wrote about it for the first time in this piece: A Crucial Nutrient  , February 2019 Our schools ...

Suddenly I saw multiple police cars ahead on the left. At first glance it looked as though they were fanning out across the road. Were they shutting down the access to my exit? Was there an accident up ahead? I saw an officer out of his car, waving traffic over to the left. I slowed down and moved over as I pulled to a stop. Was there some kind of manhunt happening? An escaped convict? Kidnapping? So many thoughts swirled through my head in those first moments. I saw the police officer walk towards my car and I suddenly thought, “Oh! Mask!” and hastily grabbed and put mine on. “Good afternoon ma’am, you’ve been pulled over for speeding.”  My brain moved directly into mortification. Of course.  Exit 94 off Route 70. Labeled as the Security Boulevard Park & Ride. I think of it as the odd stub-end of a road that gets us to Grandma’s house. It feels long and windy and curvy and, while the goal is to move drivers from 65 miles per hour down to acceptable speeds once you enter l...

If you see the words “Bridges to Housing Stability” and think “chili” then that’s certainly to the credit of the good folks at this area non-profit anti-homelessness organization which has been raising funds with a local network of chili cook off events as they spread awareness of their mission: Prevention – helping households that are at-risk to stay in their homes or move to more affordable housing    Re-housing – helping homeless households who are ready to do so, to move into permanent housing, often without entering shelter Temporary Housing – providing housing to homeless families while they work on their goal of achieving permanent housing But today I’m here to talk to you about pizza and other tasty Italian treats because Bridges is having a restaurant night with Coal Fire in Ellicott City/Shipley’s Grant. (Want a peek at their  menu ?) This is good news for me because my family is not so fond of chili (aside from me) but they are big fans of the sort of menu ite...

  I wonder if applications are down this year. Apply for Student Member of the Board of Education by February 4, 2021 I keep seeing this item posted and shared on social media and every time I feel myself recoiling. What student in their right mind would want anything to do with this position after what has been unleashed on this year’s SMOB, Zach Koung? Is it possible that, lawsuits aside, angry parents may manage to kill interest in the SMOB position purely through their own bad behavior? I have already started to wonder: what if we had a SMOB but no one applied? Our students are not stupid. They see what’s happening. And I’m pretty sure that at least some who might have considered a run for this (once-respected) office are now shaking their heads and looking for more rewarding challenges.  Now I haven’t done any research on this yet. It’s possible that my theory is completely incorrect. But, humor me for a moment. Think about what this year’s treatment of the Student M...

  Yesterday County Executive Calvin Ball announced the appointment of Denise Boston as Howard County’s first equity and restorative practices manager. Dr. Boston is tasked with establishing this new position within the Office of Human Rights and Equity. This appointment is another significant step for County government and other leading local institutions to 1) acknowledge and articulate examples of systemic racism and historic inequity in our community, and 2) take tangible steps to create and enact solutions. Howard County hires first equity and restorative practices manager to strengthen community relationships , Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun Media  Yesterday’s event was a familiar scene to those of us in Columbia/HoCo. A podium set up down by Lake Kittamaqundi. An elected official making an important announcement, flanked by other local notables. This is the place where so many announcements are made, campaigns kicked off, important dates observed and celebrated. ...

  The Columbia Festival of the Arts is sponsoring a song-writing contest and the ten finalists await your consideration and votes for the Audience Choice Award. The contest is called “Songs of Strength.” From their website: The announcement on social media of the ten finalists caught my eye because one of them is Alan Scott.   You may recall I’ve written about him here before, most recently this past fall.  Good Trouble That post is about the song which has earned Scott a place amongst the ten finalists: Where there is hope where there is freedom where we fight for justice John Lewis lives. Where you build a bridge  Made of faith, made of courage He will walk beside you. John Lewis lives. - - John Lewis Lives (Good Trouble)  Alan Scott It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of Scott’s work already and you won’t be surprised that I’m downright exhorting you to vote for his song in the Columbia Festival of the Arts contest. But it’s only fair to encourage you to ...

  Today is the first day of the Maryland General Assembly for 2021. There are some new faces in new places and there is plenty lined up for them to consider. Add to this the precautions that must be taken due to COVID and the national political mood and I’d say it wouldn’t be amiss to call this a session like no other, even before it starts. It has always struck me that this isn’t particularly Governor Hogan’s favorite time of year. He seems much more comfortable operating in a world where there is no General Assembly. His style of leadership leans far more towards one man at the top rather than a collaborative approach. In fact, Hogan’s studied disinterest in state legislators has become such a thing that he doesn’t seem to know whether or not he knows Delgate Dan Cox.  I’m no expert in the world of Annapolis but it seems to me that it would be helpful for the Governor to know the duly elected representatives of his constituents. Best wishes to everyone working during this le...

  If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State .  - - Joseph Goebbels We know now that it doesn’t need to be an entity as large as the State to “shield the people from the political, economic and/or political consequences of the lie.” It can be an ideologically slanted “news” channel. It can be a politically infused evangelical “church” community. It can be a local Facebook group. Admin of the local Facebook group “Reopen Howard County” continue to make the statement that the Howard County Education Association, which they call “the Teacher’s Union” is corrupt. Do they present ...

  I haven’t written about it in a while, but I continue to be committed to supporting the removal of SRO’s from the Howard County Schools. It was nudged back into my consciousness this week by this excellent informative video put out by the The Howard County Coalition for Police-Free Schools. Think you understand the police-free schools conversation - who's having it, where they stand, and why? https://youtu.be/_UE4wwuZmTc It begins with a very good question: why don’t all kids get the gift of police-free schools?  As the video unfolds it becomes clear that police-free schools are a privilege granted to some, but not all, of our students. When you see the data concerning Black and Brown students and special needs students/ students with disabilities in schools where SRO’s are assigned, it’s appalling. If you’ve heard people use the term “school to prison pipeline” but you aren’t really clear on what this means, the numbers collected right here in Howard County will make it ala...

  The Columbia Association released their proposed 2022 budget plan Friday. There’s a lot to process there but the thing that stood out for me is the closure of Haven on the Lake. Let me begin by saying that there are plenty of people in this town who know more about the ongoing saga of Haven on the Lake than I do. I am no expert.  I have heard bits and pieces over the years. Perhaps you have, too. Are you a frequent visitor there? I have never been. I knew from the outset that, while appealing, Haven on the Lake was not an amenity our family could afford. I guess one might say that when the original business plans were made up, CA was not looking at our demographic.  That’s okay. Not everything has to be for me. Just because it wasn’t in my price range didn’t mean that it wouldn’t provide a valuable service. I’ve always hoped it would be a success. I was there with my daughter, sometime blogger HoCoHouseHon, at the groundbreaking ceremony at the Lakefront in 2014. You ca...

  I’ve been telling people for years that I live in a neighborhood of quadroplexes. It turns out I may have made that word up. The correct term is more likely quadplex or fourplex but I like mine better. At any rate, it means that our house is a part of a larger structure made up of four independent houses. We are surrounded by grass and trees; each house may not have a very large yard but each has a fenced patio. And there is plenty of shared open space for running, playing, sledding, and so on. It doesn’t look like the suburbia of the neighborhoods I grew up in but it is clearly suburban. When I first moved here I still had a picture of my childhood homes in Cleveland Heights, Ohio in my head and to me my little “quadroplex” was not it.  Things change. Time and life experiences change you. Living through a recession when you realize you are living in a house you can afford while many around you are struggling or losing their homes is truly transformative. Home becomes what ...