53 beers on tap

Slip slidin' away in Howard F---ing County tonight!

Once again, Notify Me Howard is providing information for the obvious, formerly known as information any dope with three brain cells to rub together ought to know.

So the word on the street tonight is that the streets are slippery.  Go figure; an inch or so of snow, with a thin crust of ice, which partially thawed today, with temps going below freezing tonight, thus refreezing the roads and sidewalks.  I didn't know that those conditions created slippery-ness.  Did you!

Still not sure how I feel about the Notify Me Howard.  I'd feel much better about the Common Sense Howard or the Good Judgment Howard.

Oh, and as to the title of this post... enjoy this, True Believers!  Excelsior!!!

Cops in the Middle Schools

OK, so this article describes the county's plans to place officers in six of the county's middle schools, much in the same way as officers are stationed in the county's high schools.

I know we would all love to think that the real world doesn't come into our schools, and that no kids choose ever to engage in behaviors that are harmful and dangerous to themselves or their classmates.  I know that when I went through the HCPSS, we had an annual assembly with a local police officer, and I believe once we had an undercover officer in my high school doing some narcotics work.  But that was it.

I think the visible presence of Howard County police in the high schools has been a benefit and I think that extending the program to the middle schools will realize our children a similar benefit.  As to those who criticize the program and complain about the "police state" nature of local schools-- wake up and face reality.

The Fantastic Fifteen

So, barring the withdrawl of one or more candidates in the near future, the field for Howard County Board of Education will feature 15 candidates.  Six candidates will be selected in the April 3 primary, who will then vie for the three open spots availalable in the November 6 general election.

The field features the three incumbents who are all seeking reelection-- Ellen Flynn Giles, Janet Siddiqui and Allen Dyer.  The field also features another former member who wishes to return to the board, Pat Gordon.  There are several candidates who have run unsuccessfully for the board in the past, Leslie Kornreich, David Gertler, and Bob Ballinger among them.  There are candidates who have been in the public arena in other ways, Jim Adams and Ann DeLacy.  And there are are number of intriguing, first-time candidates who bring a diversity of experience and view points to the campaign.  These candidates include Jacqueline Scott, Kelly Casey Van Horn, Mary Jo Neil, Owen Hanratty, Olga Butler, and Corey Andrews.

And so the ten-week campaign for the few thousand votes needed from Howard County's voters needed to validate these candidates' prescriptions for maintaining educational excellence for our county's public school students begins!  It is amazing to me how important the Board of Education is to our county-- that the Board has say over more than 60 percent of the county's budget-- yet precious little time and attention is given by the public to this race.  Moreover, the BOE election really seems to bring out the fringe in local politics, of all political stripes.

Looking forward to seeing how things unfold!

Bridging Columbia

A long time back in the history of this blog I wrote about Bridge Columbia.  I was really dismissive of this group at the time, as it seemed to be simply a single-issue group, and yet another that was popping up like zits on the face of Columbia (like the Coalition for Columbia's Downtown, Howard County Tomorrow, Bring Back the Vision, and many others I could name.

For the uninitiated, Bridge Columbia was formed as an advocacy and planning group for the building of a more substantial bridge than the only current connecting pedestrian bridge that connects east and west Columbia now-- the footbridge between Oakland Mills and Town Center that spans US29.

Unlike those other organizations, it is clear that Bridge Columbia has been very busy!  They have created a website here and they have integrated their bridge proposal quite nicely into the overall revelopment of Columbia. 

The case that they build for the bridge on their website is very compelling.  The bridge could be used not only by pedestrians and bicycles, but for transit and emergency vehicles.  The right of the way for the bridge has existed in the plan for Columbia from the building of the city.  The bridge is presented as a green connector that could ultimately form an east-west spine of Columbia that would promote walkability.

I am impressed with the depth and detail to which this group has fleshed out their ideas.  Were that all aspects of the planned Columbia redevelopment be such!

New retail at the Mall?

So GGP is proposing some different sort of retail experience at the Columbia Mall, as evidenced by this article.  In short, they're going to take out about 30,000 square feet of existing retail and add about 75,000 square feet of new retail.  And it looks like the new retail will have a "main street"-type of presentation, meaning that the primary access to this space will be outdoors.

Or maybe covered?  I'm wondering about where I can see GGP proposing that retail be demolished.  I have to go with the space that Bun Penny formerly occupied, which is home to a tailor's shop, among others.  That part of the Mall always seems abandoned to me, though it shouldn't-- it's right next to the original Mall parking garage.

So could a plan be to demolish that retail, and then build new retail in an open air setting in that same space, including down the street facing (maybe even reaching under) the parking garage?  Hmmm.....

There's a public meeting on the proposed development on the 17th where all will be revealed!  It'll be interesting to see what's being proposed.

Howard County's Week of the Stupid

Is it just me, or has Howard F'ing County started this year on its left foot?  Maybe the HFC is just a slow starter, but right now as a community, we're not exactly distinguishing ourselves in a positive way.

Perhaps it's because we really can't help ourselves.  Because, for all of our talk about civility, values, culture, education, and affluence, people here simply can't resist the urge to occasionally, act like a bunch of hillbillies with a case full of cigarette cartons that just fell off the back of the truck.  That is to say, stupidly.

The news of the past week bears witness to this phenomenon.  My post a couple days ago about Judge Hantman throwing out a DUI due to ticket quotas by the HFCPD.  The only thing I lament about this was that someone who clearly committed a DUI walked.  I don't have a problem with either the HFCPD implementing ticket quotas, nor Judge Hantman throwing out the case.  As I said in the post, the police department was stupid enough to be caught.

Then, there's our ever-fascinating local school board campaign.  The field of candidates for which now numbers five.  Because, as I have predicted all along, the third incumbent, Allen Dyer, has entered the fray and is seeking re-election.  I am so, so sorry for incumbents Ellen Giles and Janet Siddiqui.  They are going to have to deal with this dope not just on the board, but for the next ten months on the campaign trail.  And as I stated in my earlier post, as long as Dyer's case against the board, and the move to remove him from the board, remain active, we can forget about this election being about substantive education issues facing Howard County.  No, it'll instead be a referendum on the board member's personalities, business practices, etc.  If we're lucky, the search for the new superintendent will become an issue.  But I tend to doubt it.

Oh, and last, we have the potential for new stupidity brewing on the horizon, with the General Assembly session starting Wednesday.  With the state legislative redistricting looming, one can only imagine the hilarity that is about to ensue.  The potential for a rift within the county's Democratic delegation exists.  But, does one pissed-off legislator constitute a rift?  Time will tell.

I'm hoping the HFC can regain some mojo in the second week of the year.  Looks as if the three-day King Birthday weekend can't come soon enough!  That out to afford the opportunity for us all to feel good about each other again.

Howard County: STORM READY!!!

Forgive me, but this little bit of recognition that HFC has received is leaving me just a little bit less than impressed.

So the National Weather Service has designated Howard County "Storm Ready", in part due to the fact that since NotifyMeHoward now exists, the county has a 24-hour emergency system to electronical transmit weather emergency information to the masses.

The press release annoucning this recognition indicates that if you aren't yet signed up for NotifyMeHoward, no problem, soon you'll be able to receive emergency updates whether you want to or not!  The county will soon begin testing a system by which all landlines in the county will be available to be pinged for emergency information and announcements.

OK, so, I am down with this if this system that covers the county in full is truly reserved for extraordinary, emergency purposes.  If not, then I got a problem.  I believe that people have the right to make truly, God-honest stupid decisions.  And that means the right to not sign up for an emergency system.

Since I can't seem to find the press release online, it's cut and pasted here for your pleasure.  Enjoy, true believers!  All hail the use of the "all rights reserved" denotation!

National Weather Service Names Howard County "StormReady ®" Community

New "NotifyMeHoward" system helps earn designation

ELLICOTT CITY, MD – County Executive Ken Ulman has announced that the National Weather Service (NWS) recently named Howard County a StormReady® community, thanks in part to the County’s new NotifyMeHoward system. NotifyMeHoward was officially launched in mid-November as a free enhanced notification system capable of delivering a wide variety of valuable information, like weather alerts, directly to the inbox or mobile device of subscribers.

In addition to getting out weather warnings to the public, communities with StormReady® designations must have a 24-hour "warning point" to receive NWS information and provide local reports and advice on weather conditions. They must also have an Emergency Operations Center (EOC), approved hazardous weather action plan and the ability to staff the EOC when hazardous weather events occur. StormReady® communities must conduct an annual exercise related to a natural hazard and host an annual NWS storm spotter training session.

"Public notification is one of the vital components of the ‘StormReady®’ Program," said County Executive Ulman. "NotifyMeHoward helped us earn the designation because it gives us the ability to get critical information about potentially dangerous weather situations to the public quickly so they can take the steps they need to keep themselves and their families safe."

NotifyMeHoward is also capable of delivering emergency alert notifications directly to the landlines of most Howard County homes and businesses whether they have subscribed to the service or not. Testing on that part of the system will begin during the second week of January and target homes in the Allview/Arrowhead community where flooding has been an issue in the past.

"We need to test just how effectively the landline notification works. If severe flooding occurs because of a weather incident like Tropical Storm Lee last summer, we may need to get critical information to as many residents as we can and as quickly as we can," said Deputy Director of Emergency Management Ryan Miller. "NotifyMeHoward is the most effective way to do that."

NotifyMeHoward also gives subscribers the opportunity to select the types of alerts and information they want to receive. Subscribers to NotifyMeHoward can build their own menu of "alerts" from a wide range of topics including up-to-the-minute news and information about Howard County Government. Those topics include information on special events, cancellations and closings, volunteer opportunities for the Department of Recreation & Parks, upcoming flu clinics or bulletins from the Health Department, information about upcoming road projects from the Department of Public Works, and alerts about potential scams or fraudulent activities from the Office of Consumer Affairs.

Subscribers can also get e-newsletters and news about classes and events from the Howard County Library, information and updates regarding parenting and child care issues from the Office of Children’s Resources, and information for older adults and caregivers from the Office on Aging.

To sign up for NotifyMeHoward, visit

www.notifymehoward.org and click "Sign Me Up" near the bottom of the page or the frequently asked questions (FAQ) tab. Subscribers may also sign up through rapid enrollment by texting HOWARD to 411911; subscribers who use rapid enrollment will get tornado warnings and anything else sent to "All Subscribers."


Sent by Alexandra King to Howard County Government News and Information (e-mail accounts) through NotifyMeHoward

 

 

Ticket quotas in Howard County? Shocker!!!

It takes a lot to truly astound the Marshmallow Man, but this article did the job.  I can not believe the sloppiness that allowed this to happen.

OK, I'm not a cop, never have been a cop, never weill be a cop.  I'm OK with what cops do.  But, I know that cops I know in Howard County and other jurisdictions, whose jobs largely entail the issuing of citations, do from time to time get challenged by their superiors to meet "performance goals", or some similar term.  In short, that x motorists are cited for y offense by the end of z timeframe.  For want of a better word: a quota.  So I'm not going to argue whether or not they exist.  As far as I'm concerned, they do, and I'm cool with that.

Yet it remains absurd to me that a drunk driver was let off the hook because internal police memos spelled out this "performance goal."  Truly, how stupid can someone be as to write such in a memo?  And while I consider this defense attorney the clubhouse leader for the 2012 53 Beers on Tap Big Brass Balls Award, what's with being so dogged in trying to get the 22-year-old defendant off?

Oh, and by the way, referring to the article: Sue-Ellen Hantman didn't just contemplate a run for county exec.  She ran and lost in the Democratic primary to Susan Gray.  Great moment in sports that was.

School Board election: The battle is joined!

OK, so, just in case anyone was concerned, the Howard F---ing County Board of Education election for 2012 will feature more candidates than there are seats being contested on the board.  This article discusses two candidates-- Leslie Kornreich and Ann DeLacy, entering the fray, joining incumbents Ellen Flynn Giles and Janet Siddiqui in the race for three available board seats.

Of course, more candidates are expected to join the race as next Wednesday's filing deadline approaches.  Perhaps chief among them, friend of this blog (not), Allen Dyer.  Of course, Dyer took the opportunity to be interviewed for the article and get his several paragraphs' worth of ink about himself that he regularly craves.  Kind of like how a heroin addict likes to stick a needle under their tongue to get their fix.  Yep, I said that.

Interesting about these candidates' entry into the race are that they represent patches in the county's fabric that some feel are underrepresented on the school board and even in the county at large.  DeLacy is African-American; Kornreich is from Hanover.

So right now, issues of diversity and of Allen Quixote's Perpetual Windmill Tilt O'Belligerence are dominating our local school board election.  Oh, to have issues of say, I don't know, EDUCATION to discuss in this nascent campaign???  Perish the thought!

Three and a half months til Splashdown

Well, it looks as though the fine folks at CA have made another fine mess.  This article discusses how the repairs to Splashdown, in Wilde Lake, aren't set to be completed until around March 17.

This development kinda sucks because it means that Splashdown will be closed for pretty much its entire prime season.  However, in a way, the only entity this sucks for is CA, who is losing revenue.  Splashdown is a unique facility; not exactly like there are a bunch of other indoor waterslides in the area.  So I am encouraged that people will return to Splashdown.  Hell, it may even be an oppotunity for Splashdown to be marketed and promoted as the unique facility that it is!  Wouldn't that be a concept?