The Real Thing: Friday Links

While I was enjoying an imaginative view of local news yesterday, the real thing was happening all over Columbia/HoCo. Current events did not take a pause for April Fool’s Day. I must say I did not anticipate being pranked by the weather. Rain, sleet, snow, hail, and even graupel added a surreal twist to the day.

Meanwhile, back in the real world...

The Columbia Association has announced the appointment of their new President and CEO, Lakey Boyd. She will begin work on May 3rd. I must say it’s encouraging that anyone wants to relocate to Columbia right now.

Governor Hogan has announced the establishment of more mass vaccination sites, and one of them will be right here at the Mall in Columbia. If that doesn’t move you to spend some money on retail goods or in restaurants, the Governor suggests driving to Salisbury to get vaccinated and making a stop at Ocean City to spend some money on the way back. (n.b. - - don't do this. Vaccines don’t grant instant immunity. This is a wildly unsafe suggestion.)

County Executive Calvin Ball has released his proposed 304.6 million dollar capital budget. The operating budget will be released on April 19th. I’m generally not a “budget person” but I am happy to see continued funding for the new Talbott Springs Elementary School.

Student Member of the Board Zach Koung advocated for and moved forward two proposals for courses to be taught at the high school level.

The Howard County Police Department is investigating an apparent murder-suicide in Columbia. The fact that the people involved were a married couple makes me think of domestic abuse situations in the abstract and wonder if this was the end result of that kind of dynamic.

Finally, a tip of the hat to a reader who yesterday described Columbia/HoCo as “our small little big town.” If this blog didn’t already have a name, I’d definitely choose that one. We generally tend to think we’re a whole lot bigger than we actually are.

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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...

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...

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