The Howard County Council this week unanimously approved a $2.16 billion operating budget as well as a $419.1 million Capital Improvement Program for fiscal 2024 that includes funding for the Lakefront Library planned for downtown Columbia.

The Howard County Youth Orchestra performed with alternative rock band Guster to celebrate the orchestra's rebranding and showcase high school students' musical talent.

This Tony Award-winning musical has been almost perfectly cast by director Joseph Ritsch. Once Rep Stage shuts down, Howard County will lose its only fully professional live theater.

The winners of the 2023 Columbia Association board of directors elections were Chris Fuchs (Dorsey’s Search), Skye Anderson (Hickory Ridge), Keith O’Neil (Kings Contrivance), Reginald T. Avery (Long Reach), Karin Emery (Oakland Mills), Eric Greenberg (River Hill) and Bill Santos (Wilde Lake).

“Grease,” featuring cast members from Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., will play at Toby's Dinner Theatre in Columbia through June 11.

Richard Henry “Dick” Hartlove, a self-trained mechanical engineer, died at Bridging Life Hospice Care at Sinai Hospital April 15. The Reisterstown resident was 83.

Amateur radio operator Dan Wilt, 68, of Columbia, was recently named the county’s Emergency Management Volunteer of the Year.

A Howard County Circuit Court judge on Thursday upheld the county Zoning Board’s denial of a petition to develop a 230-unit apartment building, retail space and a parking garage in the Hickory Ridge Village Center in Columbia.

The Halal Guys, a popular Middle Eastern and Mediterranean restaurant chain, finally opens in downtown Baltimore this weekend.

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball on Monday unveiled a proposed $2.6 billion operating budget for fiscal 2024, representing a 6.6% increase over the $2 billion fiscal 2023 budget.

As Long Reach High School drama students belt out “Let it Go” and “Love is an Open Door” this weekend during performances of Disney’s “Frozen: The Broadway Musical,” they will be the only high school in Maryland to have that honor this year.

Tickets for the two-day fall music event in the Baltimore-area go on presale Thursday.

Catherine Yvonne Woodland “Dedee” Richardson, a Baltimore City Schools guidance counselor, died March 17 at Gilchrist Center Howard County. She was 91.

Robert "Bob" Stanley Ardinger, a flashy wheelchair basketball player who fought for disability rights, died April 10 of complications from pneumonia. He was 74.

Howard County parents and students gathered Wednesday in Ellicott City ahead of a joint County Council-school board meeting to protest the loss of service and longer walks for students next school year.

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball has unveiled a proposed $379 million Capital Improvement Program, a construction budget for fiscal 2024 that includes money for education, flood control in Ellicott City, libraries, public safety, transportation, parks and recreation and aging infrastructure.

Irwin ‘Alan’ Field, a retired radio host who showcased the Great American Songbooks, died March 22 at Howard County General Hospital. The Columbia resident was 89.

Howard County police are offering a reward of up to $2,500 for information about an April 6 shooting in Columbia that left a 15-year-old boy injured.

Robyn C. Scates, an attorney and professor at Morgan State University, will become the newest member of the Howard County Board of Education, filling the District 1 seat vacated by Christina Delmont-Small in February.

Donald J. Payne, a college basketball star who later became a corporate executive, died March 2. The Lutherville resident was 90.

Gov. Wes Moore joined Howard County Executive Calvin Ball Thursday in Columbia to announce the county’s new flagship library and an expansion of mixed-income housing that officials say will be cornerstones of the city’s future.

Howard County public schools on Tuesday released new student walk zones for next school year as part of efforts to streamline transportation services and implement new school start times.

The Mall in Columbia on Thursday became the latest Baltimore-area mall to adopt a parental supervision policy, which will apply to teenagers under 18 on Friday and Saturday nights. The mall hopes to discourage gatherings of large groups of young teens, which have led to fights in recent months.

All Howard County public schools' graduation ceremonies will take place at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, with the exception of Cedar Lane School, which will be held at the school.

Howard County's Summer Youth Employment Program focuses on teaching job readiness skills and offers career exploration with local business partners. It is led by the Howard County Office of Workforce Development.

A celebration of life will be held at Howard Community College on March 25 for Vladimir “Vlad” G. Marinich, one of the college’s original professors when it opened in 1970.

The Howard County Council heard from dozens of concerned residents as well as the county auditor himself this week on a proposed bill to increase oversight on the auditor following a controversial investigation and report about a library event last fall.