Skip to main content

Top Stories?




Yesterday’s question: What do you think are the top stories in Columbia/HoCo right now?

Nobody chimed in on this one. That’s okay. It was Sunday. Maybe you weren’t in the mood for heavy thoughts. 

Let me give you mine:

  • The HCPSS Budget woes, of which there are many.
  • Why did the HOME plan (housing opportunity meant for everyone) meet such a curious end before the County Council? It appears to have just…fizzled.
  • The Ellicott City Safe and Sound Plan. It seems to me that every concrete step taken has been met with responses of “nothing is being done.” Am I missing something?
  • Heartbreak over recent local shootings and traffic fatalities.
  • COVID cases are astoundingly high again, so let’s…all go out to eat?
  • The 50 plus center in East Columbia is close to opening - - how will that impact community connection for Seniors on my side of town?
  • What the purchase of the Baltimore Sun by Sinclair’s David Smith will mean to Columbia/HoCo news coverage, if anything. 
  • Israel and Gaza. Terrorism and genocide. As far away as this is geographically, it is striking at the heart of many of our friends and neighbors. What does remaining silent say to those around us who are hurting?
  • Is anybody worrying about the hiring of a new Columbia Association President?
Sorry this is so late. Just got back from a toasty warm overnight at the Hotel at Arundel Preserve. It looks like we will have heat by Thursday. Perhaps I will use these days to dwell on some hot topics to keep me warm. 

What are your hot topics?


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

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...

Columbia Chance Connection

  Last night, as my husband and I were about to sit down to dinner, our front door swung open and a cheery voice announced, “I’m ba—ack!”  We weren’t expecting anyone. Clearly the only people who’d walk right in to our house would be one of our offspring. I had my reading glasses on so I wasn’t seeing too clearly. It seemed too tall for our youngest, but we knew our eldest was at work. I took off my glasses to see a friendly but confused face scanning our living room. When her gaze landed on us we all had a sudden realization. We didn’t know eachother. “Oh I’m so sorry! I’m in the wrong house! My daughter just moved in and she needed hooks for the kitchen so I ran out to get them.” She waved the package. “All these houses look the same and I don’t know the neighborhood yet. I thought this was my daughter’s house.” We were all getting a bit giggly. “That’s okay. For a quick second we thought you were our daughter,” said my husband. I told her our names and said she should defin...