Columbia

Michael Cornell is running for River Hill representative in the Columbia election this coming Saturday. Michael is a great guy who has used his substantial energy to collaborate effectively in service to the community for years running. Michael is the best choice for River Hill. Mona Eurice Ellicott City

Julia McCready blends empathy and action. While serving with her on the Oakland Mills Village Board, I saw her thoughtfully consider all sides of issues, and stand up for what is fair and honorable. As Oakland Mills' Columbia Board representative, Julia McCready will fine-tune our community. Julia believes in the original beauty of Columbia, and holds a vision for enhancing Columbia's beauty reliant on resident's needs. She believes in open spaces, safety, revitalization and community.

I have never had a conversation with either of the candidates for the Columbia Council from Oakland Mills Village. As such I'd have to base my choice on their statements published in this paper a week or two ago. Ms. McGready stated she was a supporter of a better Columbia and would work to make Columbia the better choice for families. I can appreciate that as I have seen many changes over the 30 plus years that I have lived here. Some good changes, some not so good. In that statement, she never once mentioned Oakland Mills Village.

Columbia's core, which is in the early stages of redevelopment, is the territory for a trio of walking tours organized by the Columbia Association's Columbia Archives. The WalkAlong event will take place Saturday, May 4, and participants can choose one of three routes. The guided tours, which last about two hours, will depart from the Columbia Archives (at 10227 Wincopin Circle) at 10 a.m. One tour will focus on the architecture of Frank Gehry, including Merriweather Post Pavilion and the former Rouse Co. headquarters.

Janet Hirsch says she has always been an adventurous eater, willing to try new things. But the Catonsville resident never ate pork ribs, Delmonico steaks or even turnips -- until last year. That's when Hirsch joined Friends & Farms, a Columbia-based company that connects consumers and farmers through weekly food shares. “The quality of the meat we get is fantastic,” she says. “And it turns out turnips are really good. I like them.” Hirsch, who picks up her stocked $51 food basket weekly, says she started with Friends & Farms in September to eat more local, sustainable foods and find new inspiration for mealtime.

To Funlayo Alabi, Shea Radiance is much more than a business. It's a mission. Started in their Ellicott City home by Funlayo and her husband, Shola, Shea Radiance sells skin and hair products made from shea butter. Since the company's beginning eight years ago, business has doubled every year, and Shea Radiance products are now sold in hundreds of outlets, including some Target and Whole Foods stores. What makes the Columbia-based business more than a moneymaking venture, however, is that raw shea butter -- like Funlayo and Shola Alabi -- comes from West Africa, extracted from the nut of the African shea tree.

Free guitar lessons Fred Petrogallo, a retired Harford County Community College instructor, will teach students to read music and tune a guitar at the Bain Center, 5470 Ruth Keeton Way. Students must furnish their own guitar and purchase the training manual. Registration required. Classes will be held at 10 a.m. Mondays. Information: 410-313-7469. Art exhibits •"Life Lines," an exhibit of figurative drawings by Ellicott City artist Cathy Sawdey, is on view through Friday, April 26, at Artists' Gallery, American City Building, 10227 Wincopin Circle in Columbia.

Chemical maker W.R. Grace & Co. on Wednesday announced preliminary first-quarter net income of $52 million to $53 million, or 68 cents to 69 cents per diluted share. Grace, based in Columbia, will report full earnings April 24 for the quarter that ended March 31. The company had reported earnings of $60.9 million, or 80 cents per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2012. Preliminary results for the most recent quarter show operating income of $77 million for the catalysts technologies division, with sales of about $266 million, Grace said.

No doubt you've heard of food trucks, but Casey Dyson is taking the traveling food trend to another level with CookieRide -- a self-described “mobile cookie jar.” “I knew I wanted to do something with food,” she says. “I liked the idea of cupcake trucks and the hominess of products such as cupcakes and cookies, but I felt like there were a lot of cupcake trucks out there.” So Dyson, a former baker at Touché Touchet Bakery in Columbia, decided to focus on cookies and opted for a scooter because it's more eco-friendly than a truck.

Columbia cybersecurity firm Sourcefire Inc. named John Becker, a longtime member of its board of directors, as the company's new CEO on Monday. Becker comes to Sourcefire from a position as CEO of ScienceLogic, a Reston, Va., company that sells network monitoring software and services. Before that, he led a series of information security companies that were each sold. He has served on Sourcefire's board since 2008. Becker steps in after Sourcefire founder and chief technology officer Martin F. Roesch led the company on an interim basis for nearly a year.