Community

CBHC to hold its annual meeting The public is invited to the 2006 annual meeting of Community Building in Howard County. The gathering is to be held at 7:30 p.m. May 8 in the Banneker Room of the George Howard Building, 3430 Court House Drive, Ellicott City. CBHC will celebrate its 15 years of volunteer service and the county government's commitment to support implementation of its 2005 Report on the State of Community in Howard County, the first report on the state of community in the county, said the organization's vice president, Jean Toomer.

In the aftermath of the Los Angels riots Americans are looking for answers to the problems that plague our urban neighborhoods. Democratic liberals are using this as an excuse to revive their nearly moribund agenda of government-dominated approaches to social change. Republican conservatives, on the other hand, see an opportunity to nail shut the coffin of New Deal/Great Society welfare socialism. Despite this apparent antagonism, both parties believe that the key to solving the urban crisis is economic development.

The New York Times recently featured a series of articles on racially changing neighborhoods. The first described a large upper-middle-class suburban community in Maryland's Prince George's County which today consists of predominantly black upper-middle-class families. A major theme of the article was the contentment, even desire, of a portion of the families to live ''among our own,'' where especially in social situations the families felt they could more easily relax.The second article described the more typical transition of a community in south Chicago.

This is simply a letter of thanks to the individuals in the Laurel community who are helping me grow the Mance Foundation. In particular, I am especially grateful to Chief McLaughlin and every person in the Laurel City Police Department for their valuable input and community engagement in helping the organization carry out its first Tour de Laurel bike ride and 5k walk fundraisers. I cannot say thank you enough to them for volunteering their time to help keep the participants safe during these fundraisers.

Letter writer Gary Bohlke suggests that Coppin State University has failed and should be closed ("Admit Coppin is a failed institution and close it," May 7). I disagree strongly. The outreach programs at Coppin State receive high marks. As a current month-long visitor to Baltimore, I have participated regularly in outreach programs at Coppin, and my experiences there have been nothing short of fabulous. Coppin's wellness program offers Baltimore residents use of modern athletic facilities for various sporting activities at a very low cost.

Dr. LaRocco and the staff of St. Joseph Health Park at Hereford would like to thank the community for the generous response to the WLIF Blanket Baltimore program that was conducted in January. We were especially excited to see that individuals also included blankets specifically for children. The donated blankets will now be professionally cleaned and distributed to local homeless shelters around Baltimore. It is very rewarding to be a part of this very close and thoughtful community.

For decades, residents of the neighborhoods around Mount de Sales Academy have flocked to the school's historic high ground to enjoy a view of the Catonsville fireworks show and catch a glimpse of the Inner Harbor's celebration in a low-key atmosphere that allowed people to catch up with friends and neighbors. This year, however, the school decided to put an abrupt end to that neighborhood tradition. In recent months, residents have seen new black security fencing and gates erected between the school and the community.