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Don't allow housing to fill tract in county I feel for the residents of the Hampton area ("Hampton residents fight development," Feb. 18). As a long-term resident of the Greenspring Valley, I have been involved in many battles with nonprofits groups like the Towson United Methodist Church - the group that is, in this instance, seeking to sell and rezone land for more dense use. These nonprofits (often schools) have benefited from tax breaks over the years and often got their original land free of charge or at a low price.

Protected from elements, visitors to The Mall in Columbia can enjoy a winter wonderland - without the cold. The mall's Santastic display uses MagicSnow, a nontoxic water-based product that looks like the real thing. It floats from the chimneys of the buildings in the mall display, is blasted at children dropping letters into Santa's mailbox and evaporates when it hits the ground. Adam Williams, a former electrician, came up with the idea of the fake flakes for a magic show.