Columbia

Greg Cantori plans to downsize when he retires. Really, really downsize. His retirement home is 238 square feet — one-tenth the size of the average new American house — and sits in his Anne Arundel County yard. He and wife Renee can hitch it to a truck and take it with them wherever they go. "It's so cheap — that's what's so cool about this," said Cantori, 52, who envisions a surf-and-turf future, alternating between the house and a sailboat. "We bought the house for $19,000.

Robert Vigorito knew he had changed some lives over the years since he helped start the Columbia Triathlon in 1984. He transformed an inaugural event that attracted fewer than 100 competitors into one of the top triathlons in the country with as many as 2,500 coming to Centennial Park each spring since 1988. It wasn't surprising, considering that Vigorito knew how competing in triathlons had changed his own life. Vigorito, whose friends growing up in East Haven, Conn., called him "Pig Iron" because he was usually among the slowest in whatever sport they were playing, went from not knowing what a triathlon was to competing in the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii six times.

A single winning ticket for a record Powerball lottery jackpot worth $590.5 million was sold in Florida, organizers said late Saturday, but there was no word about who won. The winning numbers from Saturday night's drawing were: 10, 13, 14, 22 and 52, with a Powerball number of 11. The odds of winning were put at one in 175 million. The winning ticket was sold at a Publix supermarket in Zephyrhills, a suburb of Tampa, according to the Florida Lottery. The prize tempted many Marylanders to buy tickets for the lottery game before the 11 p.m. drawing.

There is so much constant movement in our world that it takes an artist to translate some of that motion into a lasting image. In the aptly titled exhibit "Motion" at the Artists' Gallery in Columbia, painters Rana Geralis and Nancy Lee Davis encourage you to linger and look at the animals, people and cars that ordinarily don't slow down for inspection. This pairing of two artists is at its most concentrated in the side-by-side installation of two very small works that amount to portraits of individual animals: Columbia resident Geralis has a watercolor, "Paint Pony," and Clarksville resident Davis has an oil painting, "Cow Eating.

Nordstrom Rack, the discount affiliate of high-end department store company Nordstrom Inc., is opening an outlet in Columbia this spring. The roughly 41,000 square foot store opening at Columbia Crossing shopping mall will be the fourth Nordstrom Rack location in Maryland, Nordstrom Inc. said in a statement Monday. The three Rack stores currently operating in the state are in Annapolis, Gaithersburg and Towson. Nordstrom also has four department store locations in Maryland: Columbia, Towson, Bethesda and Annapolis.

R.E. Michel Co. Inc., a Glen Burnie-based distributor of heating and cooling supplies, was host to 21 plumbing and sanitary pipe distributors from Western Europe on Oct. 17.Mulligan/Griffin and Associates Inc., a land development company, and Mulligan/Griffin Property Managers Inc. are relocating to 15204 Omega Drive, Suite 100, in Rockville.Westland Printers Inc. in Burtonsville received a $3.19 million revenue bond from the Maryland Energy Financing Administration to install energy-saving equipment and make building improvements.

Tiffany Wiseman and Ali Hossein Sr. , of Columbia, announce the birth of their son, Aden Ali Hossein , on Oct. 12, 2011, at 3:44 p.m. He weighed 8 pounds, 11 ounces. His brother is Ali Jr. His grandparents are Diana Wiseman, David Weaver and John Wiseman, all of Dundalk; and Diosebeth and Ahmed Hossein, of Columbia. Breana and Jarrod Montoya , of Columbia, announce the birth of their son, Roman Miguel Montoya , on Sept. 22, 2011, at 4:16 p.m. He weighed 7 pounds, 11 ounces.

Tim and Sandy Gillen, of Columbia, announce the engagement of their daughter, Shannon Gillen to Tom Lipinski, son of Edith Lipinski, of Concord, Mass.; and Dr. Joseph Lipinski, also of Concord. Shannon Gillen and Tom Lipinski Tim and Sandy Gillen, of Columbia, announce the engagement of their daughter, Shannon Gillen to Tom Lipinski, son of Edith Lipinski, of Concord, Mass.; and Dr. Joseph Lipinski, also of Concord.

Those who want to witness the benefits of underground electrical lines on a dedicated power grid need only drive down Route 29 into Howard County and pull off into Columbia. James Rouse, the visionary planner of Columbia, set out to design a modern city, which anticipated over 100,000 residents. In doing so, all aspects of city life were taken into consideration. At the top of his list must have been buried utilities. Thank God for his insight. Today, Columbia is for most the part (although some neighborhoods share an above-ground grid)

I was so glad to see Yvonne Wenger's recent article on Columbia's bike paths ("Columbia seeks to right its paths," Jan. 15). The article tells about Columbia developing a network of pathways, both on-road and off-road, interconnecting the 100 miles of existing trails for people to walk, bike or run to their destinations without their automobiles. Over 130 residents turned out last week to voice their strong support and provide feedback to Toole Design Group. Jennifer Toole, president of the Toole Group, is a nationally known traffic planner who knows how to bring folks together to make Columbia and Howard County a model of bicycle and pedestrian travel.

Four new stores will be coming to The Mall in Columbia, including Lululemon Athletica and True Religion, mall officials said Thursday. Lululemon, a yoga-inspired athletic apparel store, and denim apparel brand True Religion are opening as part of the center's 70,000-square-foot redevelopment and expansion. The stores will flank a new entrance leading from the mall to the new open-air "lifestyle center. " Lululemon will open this summer in 3,200 square feet on the upper level across from Michael Kors.

Nordstrom Rack will open its planned store in Columbia today at 9 a.m. The discount format of upscale department store Nordstrom Inc. celebrates the opening of a 41,000-square-foot space with "Rally at the Rack. " The retailer promises music, breakfast treats and gift card prizes. When the store opens, the first 1,000 shoppers to buy something will get a free tote bag. (While supplies last.) The Columbia store , in the former Room Store space, will be the fourth Rack in the state, joining others in Annapolis, Gaithersburg and Towson.

Chamber music players typically spend so much time together that it can seem like a professional marriage. In the case of Duo Amaral, it's an actual marriage. These husband and wife guitarists perform for the Sundays at Three series on May 19 at Christ Episcopal Church in Columbia. Mia Pomerantz-Amaral and her husband, Jorge Amaral, started their guitar duo in Baltimore in 2008. Mia is from Israel, Jorge is from Mexico, and they separately were drawn to this city by the Peabody Institute's highly regarded guitar program.

These groups meet regularly. Bereavement Support Group - Fourth Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. This group is for adults who are mourning the loss of a loved one. All are welcome. St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Room 105, 8300 Old Columbia Road, Fulton. 410-792-0470, Ext. 214. Family support group - Fourth Monday, 7:30 p.m. For family and friends of adults with mental illness. First Evangelical Lutheran Church, 3604 Chatham Road, Ellicott City. 410-772-9300 or http://www.nami.org/sites/namihowardcounty.

The Candlelight Concert Society has presented so many chamber music groups that it's fitting that it has assembled a diverse roster of performers for its 40th anniversary gala on Saturday, May 18, from 3 to 6 p.m., at Howard Community College's Smith Theatre. "We're very proud of the variety and depth of our programming," says Candlelight artistic director Holly Thomas. She adds that the upcoming gala will be "celebrating what we've been doing to bring exciting and innovative works here.

Driving past The Ale House in Columbia on a warm Thursday evening, the first thing we noticed was the crowded patio; it looked fun. The second thing we noticed was the valet. Valet parking isn't an unusual sight outside a busy restaurant, but this was the first time we'd seen valet in a moderately crowded shopping center parking lot. It's all about service, explained Greg Keating, managing partner of The Ale House. The restaurant wants to make their guests as comfortable as possible, right down to the parking experience.

Nine residents living in two townhouses were displaced early Saturday morning after a fire broke out and extended up to the roof. Howard County Department responded to the fire in 9300 block of Indian Camp about 4 a.m. Firefighters brought the two-alarm fire under control within an hour and no one was seriously hurt. One firefighter suffer a minor leg injury and was treated at Howard County General Hospital. The Red Cross is working to assist residents who have been displaced. Howard County Fire Marshals were investigating to determine the cause of the fire.

A 67-year-old woman lost control of her car Thursday morning around 10 a.m. and crashed into the brick wall of a bank. According to Howard County police, Sharon Buck's Honda Accord jumped a curb "at a very low speed" and hit the side of the Bank of America in the 6200 block of Old Dobbin Lane in Columbia. Police said that there were no injuries to Buck or anyone inside the bank. Though a county building inspector deemed that the property was safe, the bank remains closed while bank officials give their report to corporate headquarters.

Ski club meets The Columbia Ski Club meets at 7 p.m. Monday, May 13, at Union Jack's, 10400 Little Patuxent Parkway. New members enjoy a 50 percent reduction in fees. Light appetizers will be provided. Open to the public. Information: 410-740-5225. 'The Full Monty' Silhouette Stages presents the story of six unemployed steelworkers who decide to form a strip act. Shows at 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, May 17-18; 24-25, and 3 p.m. Sunday, May 19, at Slayton House, 10400 Cross Fox Lane in Columbia.

The Columbia Orchestra knows how to fill the stage with musicians, but it also knows that a much smaller ensemble also can be music to the ears. That's why its season provides a mix of concerts deploying the full orchestra and other concerts that adopt a chamber music format. Where the latter format is concerned, you'll only count three musicians when the Columbia Orchestra Piano Trio performs a free concert on Saturday, May 11 at 7:30 p.m. at Christ Episcopal Church, in Columbia.