Police to launch volunteer mounted patrol Memorial Day weekend

The Howard County Police Department is launching a new, volunteer mounted patrol unit, just in time for Memorial Day weekend, the department...

HCC student overcomes obstacles, earns degree

On the day before graduating from Howard Community College, Jennie Wang of Columbia considered the arduous road she had traveled and her...

At Temple Isaiah in Fulton, a rabbi's time comes to a close

Mark Panoff stood in a courtyard on a Saturday evening in May, surrounded by the people he had long helped lead and the walls of a...

Jesse L. Thomas, Colts player, dies at his Columbia home

Jesse L. Thomas, a Baltimore Colts defensive back in the 1950s who then spent four decades at Morgan State University, serving for several...

Five left without home after fires in Clarksville, Columbia

A pair of late-night fires Wednesday night and Thursday morning in Howard County have left five people without a home.

After 66 years, Forest Diner set to serve last meals May 28

It's Sunday morning, so that means Dick Weinknecht and Rick Dietrich are in their usual perches — sitting atop the red-vinyl-covered...

Board approves joint-use agreement for artificial turf fields

A joint-use agreement between Howard County schools and the Department of Recreation and Parks was approved Tuesday, clearing the way for...

Mountain bike skills course to open in Rockburn Branch Park June 2

The mountain bike skills course in Rockburn Branch Park in Elkridge is scheduled to officially open Saturday, June 2, following a 10 a.m....

Outdoor track: Howard's London, Mt. Hebron's Wilkins headline state meet

Her arms flailing and feet sputtering, Howard's Christine London stared down toward the track at Morgan State University and fought back the...

Tennis: Cramp ends state championship bid by Reservoir's Akinshemoyin

Reservoir's Biyik Akinshemoyin wanted to go on, but in the end, his body simply wouldn't let him. After more than ten sets, and almost 100...

Boys lacrosse: Hereford holds off Glenelg for state title

For Glenelg, the hole turned out to be just a little too deep. Up against four-time defending state champion Hereford at the University of...

Bits & Pieces: HCC honors its top athletes at annual awards banquet

I have attended dozens of athletic banquets in my days, but I have never been around a more boisterous and fun-loving group than the...

Sports notices: Buy an Orioles ticket and help Special Olympics

Submitting sports notices

Rec sports: Trio wins beach volleyball tournament

The deadline for submitting sports copy is 9 a.m. on Mondays. We prefer email (howardcountysports@patuxent.com). We do not accept...

High school wrap-up: Outdoor track and tennis regional results

Outdoor track

Softball: Reservoir makes history

Natalie Leffler was supposed to be in Western Maryland, celebrating her sister's graduation from Frostburg. But just about the time Jacki...

Veggie burgers are heating up the burger wars

Everybody loves burgers. That's a fact of American life. Beef, turkey, chicken, or even fish—all have their ardent fans. Maybe it's...

'You Can't Take It With You,' so enjoy Everyman play now

Audiences during the Great Depression had their spirits lifted by "You Can't Take It With You," the wacky 1936 comedy by George S....

Teachers, students fill the Columbia Art Center

The annual Faculty/Student Exhibition at the Columbia Art Center lets you know that its teachers and students have been busy. Paintings,...

Painting flowers and landscapes is in their nature

The outdoors comes indoors in a two-artist exhibit of pastels and watercolors at the Bernice Kish Gallery at Slayton House. Aptly titled "In...

No sour grapes: 10 Wine in the Woods survival tips

Whether you're a wine aficionado or someone who has always wanted to learn about the different varieties of fermented grapes, this weekend's...

You're in good 'Company' at Silhouette Stages

Stephen Sondheim's Broadway musical "Company" has a title that refers to the companionship provided by the main character's friends, but...

The bloom is back on the rose for this bourbon

I'm a wine guy. Ok; girl. Some would say that is a minor technicality. But not in the world of bourbon. You either swing one way or another....

'Urinetown: The Musical' is flush with satire

Audience members who managed to sit through the Howard Community College Arts Collective Production at the Smith Theatre last weekend...

2012 Graduation: Howard County schools

A collection of photos and lists of 2012 high school graduates from around Howard County.

School board passes APFO chart on second try

Nearly two weeks after the Board of Education failed to pass this year's Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance, the chart that helps...

Only one principal move for 2012-2013 school year

There will be one new principal next year in the 74-school Howard County system. Michael Caldwell, an assistant principal at Dayton Oaks...

With warm weather comes opening of new outdoor classroom at Guilford

The sounds of a brass band drifted through the spring air Thursday night at Guilford Elementary School in Columbia. The music led visitors...

River Hill High School teacher Justin Rix hailed as life-saver

The collage that the Howard County Recreation and Parks fourth-grade UMBC lacrosse team presented to Justin Rix is made of pages ripped from...

Dyer hearings extended into June

Administrative hearings on removing Allen Dyer from his seat on the Howard County Board of Education are now set to last to the end of June.

Single dad goes from unemployment to Howard Community College student of the year

When Mark Chewning was a kid, he dreamed of being an artist. But at some point, the Baltimore resident's dream became all but dormant,...

Rockburn Elementary event helps student in need

On a windy, sunny morning at Rockburn Elementary School, third-graders burst out of the building and down the hill behind the school,...

Soft Stuff to finish season; will reopen next as an ice cream parlor

Soft Stuff, the popular ice cream stand to the east of the Forest Diner, on the same property, will remain in business, but in a different...

Columbia firm is world's first to market with stem cell drug

A Columbia-based biotechnology company said...

Local officials excited, encouraged by first new downtown Columbia building

Local officials — many of whom have waited years as the redevelopment of downtown Columbia has been debated and discussed, and...

Housing forums to discuss FHA financing issue for condo associations

Howard County Housing is hosting three community forums this month beginning Thursday with housing professionals to discuss the growing...

$100 million project to bring upscale apartments, retail to downtown Columbia

The first new building in what will become a significant investment in downtown Columbia is itself a sizable investment — an estimated...

Wegmans donating more than eight tons of food to Howard County Food Bank

Wegmans, which is opening its Columbia store next month, will be donating 17,000 pounds of food to the Howard County Food Bank, providing...

Future of Wegmans liquor store in limbo

The proposed liquor store adjoining the new Wegmans in Columbia wouldn't be the only such store owned by someone related to executives or...

Howard County newsmakers: Local business leaders on the move

Howard Bank executives Mary Ann Scully, president and CEO; Christopher Marasco, senior vice president;...

West Friendship Station 3 firefighters pull double-duty by dousing fire and delivering a baby Ewe

During a Mother's Daybrush fire on Pfefferkorn Road, members of Station 3 not only took charge and doused the flames, but...

Getting together in Howard County

These groups meet regularly.

All Together Now at Howard library branches

Central Library

Scrabble at the Bain Center

Activity Pals

Support groups in Howard County

These groups meet regularly.

Howard County Commission on Aging hands out annual awards

Howard County's Commission on Aging held its annual awards ceremony last week, honoring two people and two organizations for outstanding...

New president, directors elected for county citizens association

Cathy Hudson of Elkridge has been selected as the new president of the Howard County Citizens Association, elected to a one-year term...

Wine festival, concerts, triathlon will snarl traffic this weekend

Between three days of concerts, a two-day wine festival and a morning-long triathlon, drivers in downtown Columbia and around Centennial...

Homeless man sentenced to 30 years in girlfriend's burning death

A homeless man who was found guilty of second-degree murder for setting his longtime girlfriend on fire in North Laurel has been sentenced...

Seniors identified as prank turns into vandalism at River Hill High School

Vandals struck at River Hill High School this past weekend in what the school's principal described as something students had intended to be...

Elkridge man indicted in decades-old death of former wife

An Elkridge man accused of killing his wife, who disappeared 21 years ago, was indicted May 9 by a Howard County grand jury.

$500,000 in pot plants found in former Balto. police tech's Laurel home

A former Baltimore city police technician has been arrested after Howard County police said they found more than a half-million dollars in...

Police grapple with overtime costs for special events

Howard County has become a more popular destination in recent years for athletic races, festivals and other special events. But that...

Columbia teen charged in string of fires, including blaze that closed Sears

A Columbia teen is facing 16 criminal charges after being accused of intentionally setting a fire that shut down the Sears store at the...

Church community begins to heal after shooting deaths

A piano played, a bell rang and a congregation that less than three days before was shaken and stunned by tragedy continued to move toward...

Howard County teen pleads guilty to terrorism plot

With a full math and science scholarship to the Johns Hopkins University and accolades for his writing, Howard County's Mohammad Hassan...

Letter: Despite traffic concerns, Wegmans will be fine addition to Columbia

I fell in love with Wegmans in Corning, New York when I was on active duty in the Navy (over 26 years ago). When opportunities would permit,...

Letter: Please don't stifle Merriweather music

I have to disagree respectfully with Steve McCord's letter noting that the sounds from Merriweather Post Pavilion disturb the neighborhood...

Letter: To slow speeders, use cameras, not speed bumps

It is with dismay that I read that Howard County is going to resume speed bump construction. My concern is that these bumps slow the...

Letter: Sometimes, government must step in to ensure freedoms

If you look back throughout the history of this country, you will see voters oppress the rights of women and interracial couples, just as...

Letter: Is Allen Dyer a 'nuisance?' Are jet planes fast?

In your editorial of May 10, 2012, you refer to Mr. Dyer as "something of a nuisance."

Letters: Enough already with the noise at Merriweather Post concerts

Last year I expressed the opinion that most concerts at Merriweather violate state standards regarding noise and vibration (the pounding...

Editorial: End the ill-advised attempt to remove Dyer from school board

While there appears to be little chance they will do so, we nonetheless urge members of the Howard County Board of Education to end their...

Letter: More green energy needed to replace fossil fuels

Kudos to your informative article on Green Energy at the River Hill pool. This innovative use, well explained in your article, will help...