Howard County News Archives

“One of his lawyers characterized him as being a big gorilla that sits on the projects he wants to take”

Reported by: Jeff Hager Last Update: 5:15 pm New numbers reflect a worsening foreclosure crisis across the country, and Maryland had filings on more than 11,000 properties in the first quarter of this year ... via WMAR

“It's one thing to create the task force, to create the pretty pictures, then to do the rezoning”

Seeking to accelerate redevelopment of the U.S. 1 corridor, Howard County Executive Ken Ulman wants to change the county's complex growth laws to allow builders to move forward more quickly.

A bill submitted by Ulman for County Council introduction May 5 would make as many as 250 additional housing allocations available annually from future allotments for projects on U.S. 1 -- some similar to the mixed-use Patuxent Square apartment/retail building where a ribbon-cutting was held last week. If approved, that would double the number of allocations available to 500 a year. Read more

“Lex clavatoris designati rescindenda est”

Some students quibbled over a solution while others looked intently at their textbooks for the answer. via Howard County Times

A 46-year-old Taneytown man faces drunk driving and homicide by automobile charges for killing a man trying to pour gasoline in his stalled truck along Route 32 near Sykesville late last night. via The Baltimore Sun

“We have witnesses who have given us some information about what happened preliminarily”

Police in Howard County confirmed the identities of the four people killed in Tuesday's crash in Jessup, officials said. via WRC Washington DC Channel 4

Four people, including two children, were killed this morning in an accident involving a passenger car and a box truck on U.S. 1 in Howard County, according a county Fire Department spokesman. via The Baltimore Sun

To commemorate National Victims' Rights Week , a public memorial ceremony in remembrance of Howard County crime victims will be held at 7 p.m. today at the county government's office complex in Ellicott City. via Baltimore Sun

“They can offer more services at a local level.”

The Columbia Bank has jumped the border. The Columbia-based bank has 21 full-service locations in several counties but will open its first Anne Arundel branch Monday at the Arundel Preserve mixed-use community ... via Baltimore Examiner

“There was an incredible amount of community thought put into this”

Some of the worst "traffic" Ellicott City resident Angie Boyter faces is inside the Miller Branch Library. via Columbia Flier

“He too, was encouraged to hear that the prognosis was good for both young men”

An undercover narcotics officer was getting out of an unmarked car with his gun drawn when the weapon accidentally fired and a single bullet struck two teenagers Monday in a Howard County neighborhood, police said yesterday.

County police said the department's internal affairs division is investigating the shooting, which stemmed from suspicion of drug activity just before 5:20 p.m. in the 8300 block of Pleasant Chase Road in Jessup.

'During the process of exiting the vehicle, the gun fired,' Sherry Llewellyn, a police spokeswoman, said during a news conference yesterday at police headquarters in Ellicott City . Read more

“She was very convincing in suggesting some people we might consider [for events].”

When the Howard County Poetry and Literature Society and Howard Community College presented a reading with poet Nikki Giovanni last month, the society's executive director, Carla Du Pree, was one of the most ... via Baltimore Sun

Howard Community College invites the community to attend an event similar to NBC's Apprentice television program, in which students from Adjunct Instructor Barbara Surran's "Principles of Marketing" class will ... via The Baltimore Sun

School board, NAACP to meet The Howard County Board of Education will meet with the NAACP Education Committee at 7 p.m. Tuesday in ML2, the lobby conference room at the Department of Education, 10910 Route 108, ... via The Baltimore Sun

“That is why her legacy will be celebrated.”

The legacy of Gloria Washington Wallace, a proponent of student achievement in Howard County, will be immortalized today with the unveiling of a memorial tree and bench in front of the Board of Education in Ellicott City .

In addition, two partial scholarships will be named in Washington Wallace's honor for the Black Student Achievement Program's Summer Bridge Program. The event starts at 1 p.m.

Washington Wallace, who died July 4, 2006, at age 59 after a seven-month battle with breast cancer, is credited with starting the Black Student Achievement Program, also known as BSAP. Read more

“He was there on the ground with another young man near”

Two teenagers were wounded yesterday by a shot apparently fired accidentally by a Howard County police officer during an investigation of suspected drug activity in a Jessup neighborhood, police said.

A 14-year-old boy who was shot in the torso was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center, and a 15-year-old boy who was shot in the arm was taken to Howard County General Hospital, police said.

Police did not release the names of either youth last night, and their medical conditions were not immediately available. Police said neither injury was believed to be life-threatening. Read more

Monday, April 07, 2008 WBAL Radio as reported by Scot Wykoff Howard County Police say two teenage boys are being treated for injuries as a result what appears preliminarily to be an accidental shooting by an ... via WBAL-AM Baltimore

“The Lorien facility itself is welcome”

Work on a proposed nursing home at the western edge of Turf Valley could begin this year after Planning Board approval for the Lorien Nursing Home and Assisted Living Facility.

The facility, which would feature 62 nursing home beds and an additional 100 assisted living beds, is to be on 6 acres on the east side of Marriottsville Road just south of Interstate 70.

'It's an exciting first step in the creation of Lorien at Turf Valley,' said Gina Ellrich, a spokeswoman for Mangione Family Enterprises, the developer. 'Our goal is to enhance the community and provide needed services for Howard County's aging population.' Read more

“We want folks to be back in this new development”

The 'ooohs' and 'aaaahs' were noticeable as residents of Guilford Gardens, Howard County's public housing complex on Oakland Mills Road in Columbia, saw what could be their future.

Instead of the drab, 28-year-old townhouses and apartments that make up their county-owned development, they saw color drawings and animated pictures of glitzy apartments and stylish-looking buildings adorned with amenities such as tennis courts, a swimming pool and a community center.

Four private development partnerships are vying for the county's permission to redevelop and expand the rental community next to Guilford Elementary School into a mixed-income neighborhood. Plans call for phased demolition of the existing homes, which would be replaced with more than twice the number of units, of which 40 percent would be subsidized. Read more

“We want people to understand what opportunities they have and what help they have”

People with limited incomes who want to buy or rent a home in Howard County will have another chance Saturday at a county-sponsored housing fair at Long Reach High School.

Two Elkridge houses, one apartment condominium in Columbia, and one rental townhouse in North Laurel - all newly renovated - are to be awarded to qualified buyers at the event, which kicks off preparations for a new round of home purchases in May under the county's Moderate Income Housing Unit program. The county is trying to build a list of pre-qualified buyers it can use whenever new MIHU homes become available. Read more

“It sounds like a task force is really a good way to go”

A six-month-long exploration of how Howard County's youth can get more engaged in local government is moving toward creating a county Youth Commission.

County Council members are working on a last-minute resolution for introduction Monday night that would establish a citizens task force to study the idea and make recommendations.

'I think it's really important to empower our youth to be engaged,' said County Council member Mary Kay Sigaty, a west Columbia Democrat who has been working on the plan with fellow member Jen Terrasa and a group of high school students and youth leaders. Read more

“I think he made the right decision”

Faced with a difficult revenue picture, Howard County Executive Ken Ulman yesterday proposed a capital budget funded with slightly less county taxpayers' money than last year.

The total request to the county council is for $421 million, up from $353.7 million requested last year. But county officials said $220 million is for general county projects funded by bonds and cash, about $8 million less than last year. The rest -- $200.6 million -- is for utility projects paid for by separate water and sewer taxes. Of the total, $80.5 million is for school projects. Read more

Federal authorities say a Mount Airy woman has pleaded guilty to bank fraud in the embezzlement of $185,000 from her employer, an elementary school PTA and a Cub Scout troop. via WJZ-TV Baltimore

Howard County Executive Ken Ulman is requesting a $421 million capital budget for next fiscal year that reflects tighter economic conditions.

Though the proposed capital spending plan unveiled today seeks about $8 million less than last year, Ulman set aside money that could become the first installment on the most expensive building project the county has ever undertaken -- a $57 million renovation of Mount Hebron High School in Ellicott City .

The executive put $27 million in a contingency fund until residents and the school board agree on a final plan. Parents have pushed for a more extensive project or a new school because they believe the renovations won't rectify all of the deficiencies of the 1960s-era building. Read more

“We were concerned about them siphoning off [insured] employees. We're going to wait and see what happens when they go to the [county] council”

A $500,000 grant from the Horizon Foundation is the latest boost for Howard County's ambitious health access plan for uninsured residents.

The gift provides the bulk of the $750,000 in private donations that County Executive Ken Ulman has said the innovative program, Healthy Howard, needs for the first year of operation.

'To get this support is really tremendous,' Ulman said. 'It pretty much allows us to reach our goal.'

Aetna Insurance, which last week announced a discount dental services plan for program participants, also pledged $56,000. Read more