Hyperlocal Micronews

In area micronews, I have seen the vehicle used for repainting stripes in area crosswalks and it is adorable. It looks rather like a ride-around mower. It was paying a visit to the Oakland Mills Village Center the other day so I expect our crosswalks there are now all spruced up and easy to see. For that matter, I finally caught a glimpse of the mini-vehicle used to clear debris from the bike lane on Oakland Mills Road. I wonder if they are the same vehicle with different attachments?

Two stories I cannot offer any in-depth coverage of: a clown parade at Lake Elkhorn and a chicken found in the Merriweather District. They are both the kind of stories that make my heart sing but I don’t have much more than that at the moment. If you do, let me know.

I stopped by the Columbia Association table at Howard County Pride to let them know I enjoy the weekly newsletter. I was introduced to Ashley, who is responsible for CA’s social media. I told her I wrote a community blog and she said, “Are you Julia?” which was unexpected and, honestly, kind of nice. If you’re interested in staying current with Columbia Association activities, scroll down to the bottom of this page and subscribe.

There’s a high school marching band extravaganza tonight at Hammond High School beginning at 6:00 pm. Recommended donation is five dollars. Nine Columbia/HoCo schools are participating.

The Community Ecology Institute is holding their big annual fundraiser tonight at Freetown Farm. Tickets to the event are already sold out but you can support them by bidding on items in their Silent Auction.

There’s a Housing Resources Fair today beginning with a Housing Rally at 4 pm at the Nonprofit Collaborative on Patuxent Woods Drive. Apparently there’s going to be a Big Announcement but I have no idea what that is and it would probably be cheating for me to ask to be told in advance of the event.

Do you have any micronews to share? Did someone on your street repaint their house? New business in your Village Center? Kerfuffles in your cul-de-sac? Keep me posted.

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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...

Teacher Gifts

Today is the last day of school before the Winter Break. It’s a good time to remember the far-reaching nature of our public school system. You may not have children. You may have sent your children to independent schools. It matters not. You will be impacted one way or another. Yesterday I read a long thread on Facebook about several waves of illness in the schools right now. There’s influenza A and norovirus, I believe. And of course there’s COVID. Apparently in some individual schools the rate of illness is high enough for school admin to notify parents. When I was little the acceptable holiday gift for a teacher was one of those lovely floral handkerchief squares. (I don’t know what it was for male teachers. They were rare in my elementary years.) These days the range of teacher gifts is wider and I have fond memories of Target gift cards which I have written about before. I think it’s safe to say that giving one’s teacher Influenza, norovirus, or COVID is not the ideal holiday...

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...

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