Village Green/Town²

On Tuesday I wrote about "Where We Are" in Howard County when it comes to addressing issues of racial justice. On Wednesday I woke up to the churnings of the HCPSS PR machine pushing out Tweets about something called #HoCoVoice , involving teachers and students. I was surprised. Why? Well, I follow the school system pretty closely as both a parent and a blogger, and I had no idea this was in the works. I re-checked all the HCPSS News emails from June 1st onward. June 1, 8, 15, 16, 22, 29th: nothing. You would think that if the school system were putting on a major event on diversity and inclusion that they'd want to tell people about it. Especially since it was clear that student participation was key to the success of the event. These words from John White suggested a reason this event was kept under wraps: Howard County superintendent Renee Foose announces new “Student Voice for Inclusion & Equity” model today at cultural proficiency conference." Let...

I'm having a hard time writing today. There's plenty to write about concerning the community at large. It's my own community, the smaller community, that is weighing on my mind. A long time ago I wrote about the difference between the larger community and the smaller one that can't be seen by the naked eye. Here we are in all our beauty and imperfection, I suggested. This is our 'class picture', if you will. Today some friends who are a very important part of my smaller community are moving away to begin a new life in another state. Contemplating their move has made me think a lot about those smaller communities that connect us, hold us up, enliven us, empower us. We learn what it means to be a part of the larger community from our relationships and interactions in the smaller ones. When we connect with people who help us to grow and encourage us to be our better selves, it has a positive influence not only on us as individuals, but on t...

Some things that are percolating but aren't ready to roll yet: Changing acoustics in Downtown Columbia. I keep reading about this. Changes to the landscape due to development in the Crescent, combined with changes at Merriweather, appear to be affecting who is hearing what, where, and how much. Expanded summer feeding centers in hcpss: good. One of the sites has recently-verified mold issues: bad. Why do elected members of the Board of Education often learn of hcpss/Board actions by reading about them in the newspaper? Women community and/or political bloggers in HoCo: we need more of them. Good news from Michael Blackman of the Columbia Concert Band: The Columbia Concert Band returns to where it has always belonged - the Columbia Lakefront July 4th fireworks! It's been so long, I can barely remember the last time the "hometown band" has been part of the Independence Day celebration - I am thinking 26 or 27 years (yeah, I played). Unfortunately, due to space restric...

A year ago Columbia-raised Bree Newsome scaled the flag pole in South Carolina to take down the Confederate flag. Some saw it as an act of liberation--I did. Others saw it as lawlessness, provocation. The last year has been filled with more violence and injustice towards African Amercian citizens of this country. More of the same, more of the status quo. Here in Howard County a racist video made and posted publicly by Mount Hebron students was a punch to the gut from which we are still recovering. Local students mobilized, spoke out, walked out. The response from the school system felt more like spin. "Let the grown-ups handle this." The sincerity of their actions was called into question when it was learned that the student who had shared the video in order to call out racism was punished right along with the maker of the video itself. An all-day youth summit on racial justice sponsored by area churches sought to lift up, educate, and empower the young people themselves. On...

I had a great post lined up for this morning but I realized that I just wasn't up to dealing with the possibility of conflict in the comments. It was about this article by Fatimah Waseem in the Howard County Times. There's absolutely no point in writing if I'm going to put the post under glass and hope for no (unpleasant) response, so I'll just skip that. Today is my brother in law's last service as a minister in the United Methodist Church. He is retiring. When I was little I never understood adults saying "It seems like only yesterday that..." but now, I know. It was only yesterday, wasn't it, that he left his management career at Kraft to go to seminary and completely changed the course of his (and my sister's) life? He has given it his all. Love, humor, pragmatism, grace, insight, vision, hard work, patience, diplomacy, endurance. Talking the talk and walking the walk. I've always thought that, had I lived nearby, I would have become ...

Spotted at the new Dobbin Center restaurant pie five : Strategically placed by the check-out, this eye-catching sign is a slick way to shame people out of the old tap water habit. Tap water is boring--you don't want to be boring, do you? I wonder what the folks at HoCo Unsweetened would think of that? Sugary soda (and other high-sugar beverages) and the frequency with which the typical American is drinking them continue to be a huge public health challenge. The movement to address the long-term consequences of the SSB (sugar-sweetened beverage) habit is bigger than initiatives in our own little bubble. A statement from the Baltimore City Health Department includes these words: Studies have shown that beverage companies disproportionately market their sugary drinks to low-income communities that are already hardest hit by health disparities and have the highest rates of diabetes and heart disease. The consumption of SSBs is increasing rampant inequities, speeding our most vulnera...

In the aftermath of the recent storm, neighbors have been reaching out to neighbors with help in the recovery process. The Facebook page , Western Howard County Shares, has been instrumental in providing useful information. Yesterday the admin Vicky Cutroneo posted:   If you need help, or can offer help due to storm, please comment here. I have received a few messages from people concerned about elderly relatives they can't get a hold of due to power outages, etc, or who may need help with blocked driveways and such. If you are a tree service business, feel free to post your services here too. Ms. Cutroneo herself was presented with a bit of a post-storm challenge when a rather unusual object turned up near her house. It's ours. Yay!! I will drop her off, she will be so happy. Might need to watch Netflix for a few days to help recover. Surprised she only went as far as your woods. With that wind, she could have ended up in Glenelg!! Just throw it into the yard. Hopefully anothe...

It's raining. And raining. I'm thinking about the power of the storm Tuesday afternoon, and about the rushing waters * in Ellicott City. Then I wonder about what long-term progress has been made to help residents and businesses in Old Ellicott City deal with chronic flooding. And I think about how much polluted stormwater runoff that storm generated that headed directly into the Chesapeake Bay. It reminds me of the old joke: Hey farmer, when you gonna fix that leakin’ roof? Well, stranger, when it’s a-rainin’, it’s too wet to fix it; and when it’s dry, it’s just as good as any man’s house. Still, all of this is merely a prelude to this question: what about the Columbia Patuxent Rotary Boat Float? (Yes, I went from rain to storm to rushing waters to run off to boats.) Have I missed it? Are they having it this year? I've never been, but every year I tell myself this this will be the year to go down and experience this uniquely Columbian event. Did I put it off too long? Has...

Howard County had a visit from Mayhem yesterday. A confirmed tornado  touched down in Western HoCo as a part of a violent thunderstorm yesterday afternoon. Great news: no known injuries or deaths. Bad news: significant property damage, downed trees, power outages. Where were you when the call came to take shelter? I was at an appointment at an office on the first floor of a heavily-built concrete building in Columbia. We could hear the storm but it didn't sound all that severe from where I was. A quick review of social media shows residents weathering the storm: At Home Depot In their basement At the Mall In a stairwell at HoCo Rec and Parks Having an indoor sing-along at Girl Scout Camp Face down in the auditorium at Howard High School Stuck in traffic on the way to get gas In a car on the way to pick up a child at camp We sometimes joke about how many notifications we get when a storm is imminent. I don't know if there's any correlation whatsoever, but the f...

I have made much in this space about how the Board of Education race is a nonpartisan race and should be respected as one. Not everyone agrees. Probably the nicest thing someone has said is that I am deluded, if that tells you anything. I do understand that this year's presidential election puts horrific pressure on local races because of the negative influence of the Republican candidate. Trump's patently racist statements, which stir up fear and anger as a way of solidifying support for his candidacy, are more than unappealing. They are proof positive that he is downright dangerous as a motivator of the worst kind of behavior. For some this has translated into a deep desire to know where local BOE candidates stand on Trump and his message. And, if this is what is most important to them, they have every right to ask those questions. As for me, I haven't seen any convincing proof that any of the BOE candidates are of the same stripe as Trump. If I had I would have mentioned...

There's something wrong with my shoulder. And since it's connected to my arm, and my hand, I've now got a problem holding my iPad. And that means I have a problem writing, at least until I figure this out. Grr. In the meantime, read this . The author, Marge Neal, was one of the writers for Columbia Patch, back in the day. She's now writing a blog called Scribbles from the Margen . This piece really struck me because she saw something in an obituary that many of us would have missed. In a simple life-to-death narrative she spies the evidence of opportunity denied. It was a world built for men. Men played the leading roles. Women played bit parts. And the same story: passed down from generation to generation. She invites us to contemplate the fate of Carrie Kohn Wyman, of whom she states: Women of her era weren't aware of the glass ceiling because they weren't allowed out of the basement. Ms. Neal's piece is a challenge to look beyond the usual and seek out th...

I find it amusing when we get to Mother's Day and Father's Day and stores are trying to sell me stereotypical gifts. The sex-role stereotyping is strong with these holidays. Moms apparently want pretty nightgowns, jewelry, and small kitchen appliances. Dads want grills, power tools, and sports-themed gifts. With the evolution of marketing on the Internet has come the introduction of categories for gift-giving. Is your Dad: Outdoorsy Dad? Sports Dad? Tech-Geek Dad? Executive Dad? Auto-enthusiast Dad? Grilling Dad? Well, perhaps this is an improvement over my childhood. All I remember giving my Dad? Neckties and socks. One of my memories of childhood play is that no one ever wanted to play the Dad when we played "House". The dad had such a limited role. All he did was say "I'm going to work" and then return later on, saying, "Honey, I'm home!" Who would want to do that? So at least Dad now warrants multiple drop-down menus whi...

I've made no secret that land use is not my thing. That is to say, I'm more than a little interested, but it isn't my area of expertise. But I've been seeing an uptick in conversations about APFO , proposed new developments, school overcrowding, traffic issues, and all the rest. On the one hand, those opposed to increasing (or would that be continuing?) development in Howard County point to negative impact on our way of life. They are asking questions such as: How well are we managing infrastructure needs as density increases? How effective is the school system in handling overcrowding through redistricting and building new schools? Will increasing population overwhelm the amenities and benefits that make Howard County special? On the other hand, I have heard these sorts of questions coming from the other side: Don't people understand that the law gives specific rights to the owner of the land? Isn't this just a selfish attempt to prevent other people from enjoy...

This local story brought to you by the magic of social media: FOUND DOG* wandering parking lot by The Ale House, near Walmart and 175, around 3:30 today, Weds, June 15. He does not have a micro-chip. He is wearing a green collar with no tags. PLEASE share far and wide ASAP. We do not want to take him to the pound... and I cannot fit any more canine friends in my bed : UPDATE: IT IS A GIRL!!!!!! If you take him to the pound, they can check to see if he's microchipped and maybe get him home. You can take him and have them read the chip without surrendering him if you don't want to. NO CHIP Sigh. Didn't read carefully. He looks sweet! Sorry for caps lock... I have been busily correcting my inaccurate report --- this is a GIRL. There is a homeless man that is in that area that has a similar dog. Txxxx, do you recognize him? TURNS OUT THIS IS A GIRL!!!!!! Or her :) Did I mention my daughter is a medical professional? bwahahahahahaaaa I was just saying that she does look l...

Free Food Giveaway TODAY 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. at the Oakland Mills Interfaith Center Parking Lot (closest to Santiago Road) Food distribution for those who are in temporary need of food. Food distributed to those who are 18 and older and bring any type of photo ID. The event will be held in the parking lot of the Oakland Mills Interfaith Center close to Santiago Road. If possible please bring grocery bags and a cart to carry items home (if you are walking). The Pop Up Pantry will provide free food for those in need in the community and is sponsored by the Howard County Food Bank (Community Action Council), The Oakland Mills Community Association, and the Oakland Mills Interfaith Center and with the support of Oakland Mills area schools. This food giveaway can provide temporary assistance food for up to 400 families! Sandy Cederbaum, Oakland Mills Village Manager You may have seen this posted on social media yesterday. A pop-up food pantry means taking the food to where the people ar...

When I was running for CA Board someone on my campaign team made some suggestions that I wasn't comfortable with. (I can't remember for certain who it was.) When I said that we weren't going to do those things because that's not what I stood for, someone said to me, "Do you want to win?" I did want to win, but not like that. In the end I lost. I don't regret sticking to what I believed was right. When partisan unpleasantness sprang up at Savage Fest I reached out to the three Challenger BOE candidates who had been unaffected. I asked them to speak out publicly against this kind of unproductive nastiness. One did. Last week I started receiving reports of rumor-mongering against three of the challenger candidates at the Democratic Unity Dinner and elsewhere. By Saturday these reports were confirmed by multiple, unrelated sources. These attacks were not only political but personal. Why should you care about this? Well, who do you think should wield influenc...

Here's an invitation for you. Really enlightening thread guided by @migold right now -- going places I've never been. Maybe you have. Check it out. Just go. Find @migold and just read. Read back to the beginning of the thread, which is at some point yesterday afternoon, when he asks, What was your first experience at a gay bar like? Just one simple question. Amazing responses. A chance for people to be heard. A chance for people like me to learn. A contribution to a feeling that we are all human and worthy of love. We all look for acceptance. Michael Gold was a reporter at the Baltimore Sun. He was snapped up by the Washington Post, then quickly made the leap to the New York Times. He does social media. He does it well. So, read it all. And read the article he recommends, "'It's Sacred.' A Gay Refuge, Turned Into A War Zone" by Michael Barbaro. I don't know of Mr. Gold was doing this for his job or on his own time, and it doesn't matter to me. It ...

Again we respond to horrific tragedy in our social media communities. It makes me sick that an acceptable protocol has evolved for expressing grief. In days gone by a tolling of church bells or a lowered flag were the symbols of national calamity. Now we have an array of profile pics and memes to tell our sorrow, invoke a higher power, urge greater love. We "react" and we "share" until the moment has passed. And when the next horrific slaughter occurs we will be ready to do it all again. I was surprised to see some people use an American flag yesterday to express their solidarity with the victims and their families. I understood quite well the rainbow images I was seeing. The Rainbow flag is the standard of the LGBTQ cause and the act of terror and hate was committed in a well-known Orlando gay nightclub. But I realized that I had an almost visceral response to seeing the traditional red, white, and blue. I shrank from it. Why? The Rainbow flag is a flag of inclusio...

The following post is written by my friend Debbie Fickett-Wilbar. We went to Middle School together. She had the most perfect handwriting and she was a voracious reader. She once basically dared me to read "Gone With the Wind" because I pooh-poohed it. (I went home and read it in a weekend. It was much better than I expected.)   Debbie and I found each other again on Facebook and have been enjoying a new-found friendship as adults. She has a granddaughter. I have a blog. Her granddaughter is undeniably cuter than my blog. When I read this yesterday I immediately asked permission to run it as a guest post. Although it was written in New Hampshire and not locally, I think it will still connect with folks in Howard County, Maryland. Enjoy!   *****   Dear small animals who hang out in my yard, I do not begrudge you an occasional strawberry, a carrot, or a radish. But, taking a single bite out of each and every strawberry the night before I predict they will be ripe is unacce...

She's back. I don't know who she is, but Michelle Grey is back on Clarksville Happenings trying to drum up support for a multi-million dollar sports complex in Oakland Mills. Wait up, now. This study is being done with the residents of Oakland Mills, to ascertain what is best for the Oakland Mills community. Could Ms. Grey possibly be soliciting people from outside the village to influence the result in some way? Is she aligned with a particular group? Since she uses to term "re-invent" it seems likely that the group is OMVB leadership. Head. Desk. You can bet I responded. Hi, I live in Oakland Mills. The needs and desires of Oakland Mills residents should be the primary driving force in this study. I remember remarking here once before that the people pushing this sports facility are doing so in an attempt to displace low income and minority residents of Oakland Mills. Please, no matter how much you love sports, don't buy into this without...

Candidate Robert Miller posted this to his campaign Facebook page last evening. I am sharing it with his permission. (Headings are editorial, added for ease of reading--jam)   *****   For those who may not be aware, since Saturday there has been much said on social media about some of the candidates for the Howard County Board of Education. Placement of campaign signs appears to be the spark that set off the firestorm that has included discussion about the appropriateness of linking candidates in the non-partisan Board of Education race to political parties, about what can be assumed about candidates regarding how they will perform in office based on who their political party supports for president, about the extrapolation of candidates’ views based on party platforms, etc. I would like to go on record regarding some of these issues and the people involved, though I do not want to “name names” as I feel I can make my points in generalities and without drawing attention to some...

From the movie, "A Thousand Clowns" -- Murray Burns: [ shouting at rows of houses ] Campers! The entertainment committee was quite disappointed in the really poor turnout at this morning's community sing. I mean, where's all that old Camp Chickawattamee spirit? I'm sure I speak for all of us here when I say that I... [ pause ] Murray Burns: Now, I'd like to say right now that... that... [ softly ] Murray Burns: Campers, I can't think of anything to say.  

The way that HCPSS handles bullying and sexual assault is abysmal. Just ask Christine McComas . Victims are often ignored or scapegoated. Since 2012 it appears that the preferred method in Howard County is deeming accusations to be false.   Hmm... I've been doing a lot of listening to parents of students who have been victimized twice, first by perpetrators, then by the school system. The pattern in these cases is horrifyingly consistent: for the bullies/assailants, we make excuses. For the victims, we make trouble. As we already know from the case of Glenelg High School student Grace McComas, suppression of the truth and a lack of support for victims is a matter of life and death. The fact the Grace's mother still hasn't been able to get complete school records despite multiple requests in writing, through a lawyer, and in public forums, suggests that the school system doesn't want the record of how school personnel handled her case to be more widely known....

The Board of Education race went Savage partisan over the weekend. Here's what that means to you. It means that there are some people who want to shift the focus from transparency, accountability, responsiveness, and collaboration to interpreting hot-button issues through a partisan lens. There's nothing illegal about that but, as you do your research on the candidates, you should do it with your eyes open. We have a little over five months until November. If you have genuine concerns you have every right to reach out to candidates, ask questions, weigh their qualifications. How do their actions speak? Do their actions match their words? Do you feel they have answered your questions adequately? Some words of advice from educator Bonnie Bricker: People are digging for big truths here, and in doing so passions can ignite less desirable traits. State what you KNOW, not what you've heard or what you suspect. And respond with whole truth that does not conceal. What galls me is ...

Yesterday was a day of partisan ugliness in the Board of Education race. I'm still trying to wrap my brain around it. It would be extremely easy for me to react out of anger and use this space to tell a lot of people off. Not going to do it. This race is far too important for me to "go off" just to satisfy my own personal sense of outrage. Facebook tells me that, three years ago, I wrote this . Read it. It's why I do what I do. ***** I wanted to add this comment from Bonnie Bricker, which addresses this situation perfectly: We often move within groups of people whose beliefs mirror our own. Here, we come together with those whose beliefs may be different. As humans who look for affinities - from tribalism (I write about the Middle East from time to time) to the sports teams we favor, there is comfort in being with those whose values match our own. But it is heartening to see that Democrats, Republicans, and Independents can come together to try to create a new vision ...

I made the mistake of having an extra iced coffee on the way home from work yesterday, thinking it would keep me going through a busy evening. It did. It also kept me wide awake until well past one am and this morning I am bleary-eyed and disoriented. All of the intellectual threads I am following are frayed, knotted, or loose ends. A few things: I had the opportunity to attend the first annual "Queens and Cocktails" event to raise money for Howard County PFLAG last night. It was an amazing event, and it was gratifying to see how well-supported it was. If you want to learn more about the work of PFLAG in Howard County, look here . Two highlights of the evening for me were: 1) hearing Liz Bobo take the microphone to inform the crowd that her husband, Lloyd Knowles , a former Howard County Council member, sponsored one of the first bills in the nation to include lesbians and gays in Howard County’s Human Rights Law, and 2) seeing Collette Roberts, co-founder of Howard County P...

Long, cold, damp, gloomy Spring has been overtaken by the familiar hot and humid Summer weather. School doesn't end until June 17th but swim suits are already out and in use, the AC is on and ice pops are in the freezer. My gut tells me this is all wrong. I grew up in the Midwest, where, if it was hot enough to go barefoot or go swimming, school was definitely out for the year. I'm looking forward to pool time with my daughters, lazy Sundays shopping at the Oakland Mills Famers Market, and seeing what this new Columbia Weekend in the Woods is all about. We might get away to Rehoboth for a few days. (Caramel corn FTW!) What about you? What are the things about Summer in Columbia/HoCo that you look forward to every year? I'd love to write about this in a future post, so tell me all the good stuff. What makes Summer "Summer" to you? Do you have family traditions? Are you going to try out something new this year? Speaking of trying out new things to do, the Totally H...

The HCPSS PR machine turned out a nice piece on four River Hill High School grads who share a birthday. The Scotts, who are quadruplets, have each been active in the music department and so my husband has worked with all of them. The Howard County Times ran a feature story about them today, as well. As I looked over the HCPSS story, I noted that arts education played a big role in their high school experience and preparation for college. Between the four of them they mention choral singing, acapella singing, music technology, theatre, and dance. I think it's a mistake to talk about students in a way that separates "academics" (the hard stuff) from "activities" (the soft stuff). Students are motivated most of all by their passions, and the joy and energy drawn from those inform, feed, and sustain everything else. Pushing students to load up on extra "academic" classes, multiple AP's, etc, at the expense of courses and activities that fuel their ...