Ellicott

Art exhibits The Howard County Arts Council hosts the exhibits "Visual Storyteller: The Narrative in Art" and "No Boundaries" through Friday, April 26, at 8510 High Ridge Road in Ellicott City. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays. Information: 410-313-2787. Soccer registration The coed Elkridge Youth Organization spring soccer program is accepting registrations for ages 4-18. No tryouts are required, and all players receive substantial playing time.

The following is compiled from police reports.  Ellicott City Town and Country Boulevard, 8700 block, 11 p.m. April 9. While making delivery, pizza delivery person was approached by two men. One blocked pathway driver was walking on that led to building. Men stole portion of food order and walked away. Elkridge/Jessup Washington Boulevard, 6300 block, 4:21 a.m. April 14. Rock used to smash front glass door of Nail Salon. Cash from desk drawer and nail polish bottles, which were mounted on the wall, were stolen.

Main Street is finding its inner peace. After opening Gogo Guru, a women's yoga and fitness clothing shop, in Historic Ellicott City in November 2012, Hilary Brich expanded her operation with a yoga studio in February. Brich's original plan was to simply provide the shop's patrons with information about where in the neighborhood they could practice yoga. But with most of the studios being more than a few miles away, she noticed a problem. “People kept asking where to do yoga but didn't want to go farther away than they had to,” says Brich.

Howard Bank has agreed to buy Cecil Bank's branch at 3 W. Bel Air Ave. in Aberdeen, the institutions announced Monday. Under the deal, Howard Bank, based in Ellicott City, will acquire at least $38 million in loans and $37.9 million in deposits from Cecil Bank. That's about 10 percent of Cecil Bank's deposits. "It was a fit for both of us," said Mary Halsey, Cecil's CEO. "They were looking to expand; we were looking to head back into Cecil County, where are roots are. " Howard Bank's CEO, Mary Ann Scully, said in a statement that the bank had been growing beyond its Howard County roots, and the branch acquisition will mark its entry into Harford County.

Before it became "The Wall That Ate Some Cars," it was just a stone wall on Mulligans Hill Lane, bracing a 20-foot-high embankment - stalwart as the steep hills that give Ellicott City's historic district much of its character. Then in early September 2011 came the rains of Tropical Storm Lee, and in the dead of night a section of the wall that had stood since before the Civil War collapsed. Six cars parked along the wall were crushed or damaged. Parking spaces vanished under tons of stone quickly trucked in to shore up the embankment.

A brick-and-siding Georgian-style home in the Crestwood Estates development of Ellicott City sold last month for $751,000 - $1,000 more than the listing price. "We had three offers on the house," noted listing agent Bob Lucido of Re/Max Advantage Realty. "If you price it right, you get into a bidding situation, especially if the house is spectacular to begin with. The owners…took a lot of our staging recommendations, and it showed beautifully. " The home's open floor plan, with 4,110 square feet of living space on three finished levels, contains four bedrooms, 41/2 baths and a two-car, side-entry garage.

There was plenty to celebrate when the Howard County Arts Council held its 16th annual Celebration of the Arts. Besides the awards handed out in various categories, there was an announcement that wasn't on the scheduled program for this festive event held Saturday, March 23 at Howard Community College's Smith Theatre. Addressing the well-dressed crowd of arts advocates, Howard County Executive Ken Ulman said: "It's time to have a wonderful, state of the art, 21st-century arts center here in Howard County.