Mills Village

Howard County police are looking for two men in the robbery of a Columbia resident and a guest on Christmas Eve at a home in Oakland Mills village.About 8:30 p.m. Saturday, two men entered the house in the 9300 block of Indian Camp Road and one pointed a "long object" -- possibly a shotgun -- wrapped in beige cloth at a resident and his friend. The intruders then ordered them to lie on the floor.The men took a television, telephone and the victims' wallets. No one was injured, police said.

Julia McCready is a candidate for the CA Board of Directors representing Oakland Mills. What I really like about Julia is that she understands that for Columbia to remain vibrant it must be dynamic and continue to progress. She believes that this doesn't have to be a scary process; progress can be achieved incrementally, a project at a time, in an open, thoughtful, and civilized manner. Columbia should not be a static memorial to its founding father. I want leaders who won't let that happen.

A 400-meter stretch of White Acre Road in Columbia's Oakland Mills village is being revamped to make it safer for students who must cross the street to get to and from Talbott Springs Elementary School.Last week, stripes were painted for parking spaces on both sides of the road, the center of the road was striped and a median and left turn lanes were added to narrow the road.The curbs at both ends of the street will be extended within the next few weeks and a crosswalk will be added in front of the school.

While on the winding road in the Patapsco River Valley, I thought it had been 30 years since I last visited Oella, the mill village tucked deep into the hills between Catonsville and Ellicott City's Main Street. On a fall day, the rocky terrain, steep hillsides and leaf colors suggested that Oella might be in Vermont or West Virginia. Then I turned a bend and a resplendently restored Oella Mill appeared. It was one of those astounding moments, as if you hadn't been to Baltimore's harbor for 40 years and returned today.

After almost two years without even a small convenience store, residents of Oakland Mills village will get a place to shop this summer.Thunder Mart, a 3,200-square-foot convenience store, will replace the WaWa store that burned down two years ago. The store, which will face Log Chain Road, will have a full-service deli and a walk-up window to serve patrons at the nearby Thunder Hill pool.For residents of Oakland Mills village, shopping has been difficult since the WaWa store burned and the Giant grocery store left last year.

Howard County police are investigating two armed robberies at the Oakland Mills Village Center in which masked men robbed citizens of cash and other belongings Friday morning.No one was injured. Police believe the same two robbers are responsible for both incidents in the 9600 block of White Acre Road in Columbia.The first robbery occurred about 5:40 a.m. Friday at the automated teller machine outside First National Bank. Two men -- one armed with a handgun with a long barrel -- forced a man using the machine to make two cash withdrawals, police said.

DOES THE ROUSE CO. still believe in the idea of Columbia? As Howard County's planned community approaches its 30th birthday, some Oakland Mills residents and merchants may wonder whether their village concept still flickers. The development company has focused on its new power retail outlets in recent years while Columbia's village centers struggle for dear life.The latest blow came last month when Giant Food Inc. announced that it will close its store at the Oakland Mills village center.

For a group of hardy shopkeepers at Oakland Mills Village Center, the past couple of years without an anchor store have been tough. But it could have been far worse if not for their loyal Columbia customers, they say. These days, the merchants quiver with optimism when they talk about the Food Lion supermarket set to open Nov. 17. They are also thrilled - and perhaps a bit relieved - to hear that a new restaurant will take over the space once used by...

Oakland Mills Village Center has another opportunity to fill an empty building, a key piece to its rejuvenation. A liquor license application submitted this week by a prospective restaurant operator moves the village center a step closer to filling the void left by the closing of Last Chance Saloon, a 23-year-old neighborhood pub and restaurant. Vaughn Ennis, one of the three partners in the venture, said the establishment would be "a standard American family restaurant," serving a variety of dishes, including seafood.

A welcome to Erin Peacock; she is the new Oakland Mills village manager.Ms. Peacock, a Columbia resident for 21 years, has lived in Long Reach Village and now lives with her husband, Fred, in Owen Brown village.She has been active in community organizations and is a founding member of the Columbia Community Players.Ms. Peacock's most recent position was business administrator for St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic congregation. The Peacocks' sons, Tim and Andy, attended Dasher Green Elementary and Owen Brown Middle School.

The UU Chalice Concert Series will present its final concert of the season, a solo performance by pianist Irene Kim, at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Owen Brown Interfaith Center, 7246 Cradlerock Way. A student at the Peabody Conservatory, where she studies with Boris Sluts ky, Kim has performed in the United States, Canada and Spain. Tickets, available at the door, are $20, $12 for students. Children to age 12 are admitted for free with a paying adult. Patron tickets are $27. Information: 410-381-0097 or www.uucolumbia.

The Oakland Mills Community Association will hold annual village elections on April 25. The association is seeking candidates to run for seven open seats on the Oakland Mills board and one open seat as the Oakland Mills representative to the Columbia Council. Terms are for one year. Nominations will be accepted Tuesday through March 13. Nomination petitions and candidate information packets are available at The Other Barn. Information: Sandy Cederbaum at 410-730-4610, omca@columbiavillages.

A proposed office building once hailed as a key sign of resurgence at the Oakland Mills Village Center has been scuttled, according to county officials. The site, a 1.7-acre lot on Stevens Forest Road, was last used for a gas station. That business closed in 1999 and the buildings were demolished two years later. County Executive Ken Ulman said the project was scrapped after ExxonMobil, which owns the lot, refused to hold the land any longer for Metroventures, the Baltimore-based developer that proposed the 59,000-square-foot, four-story building.

The east Columbia library, 6600 Cradlerock Way, will sponsor a Rock Band Tournament for ages 11 to 17 from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday. Contestants can register alone or with up to four bandmates. Prizes will be awarded for skill and style. Permission slips are required. Information or registration: 410-313-7700. Card-making workshop The Oakland Mills Community Association will present "Stamping With Gina," a workshop on using stamping techniques to make handmade cards with a professional look, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Sept.

Compas de Nicaragua, a nonprofit organization supporting health and education projects in Nicaragua, will present a Nicaragua folklore dance performance at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 15 at the Meeting House, 5885 Robert Oliver Place, in Oakland Mills Village Center. The multimedia performance includes dances in costume, performed to marimba music. Members of the five-member ensemble are also members of Mujeres en Accion (Women in action), a women's group that lives and works on community projects in a poor settlement in Managua, Nicaragua.

With three children and two younger siblings to raise after her mother died, Diane Tolson wanted a big house, friendly neighbors and good schools when she and her husband, Gerald, moved in 1971 from Washington to Columbia's Oakland Mills village. This weekend's 40th birthday celebration of Oakland Mills, Columbia's second-oldest village, seems like a validation of their choice of a five-bedroom house on Pamplona Road, just behind Stevens Forest Elementary and down the block from Oakland Mills Middle School.

About 50 people gathered last night to listen to Howard County police discuss last week's fatal shooting of Oakland Mills resident Edwin Rudolph Aytes and to voice their concerns over the unsolved killing. "This feels like [a crime] that could have happened to anyone, and I think that's what concerns people so much. They want to be sure they're getting the protection they need," said Barbara Russell, a Columbia Association councilwoman who represents Oakland Mills. Police offered few new details about the killing, and their investigation is continuing.

For a group of hardy shopkeepers at Oakland Mills Village Center, the past couple of years without an anchor store have been tough. But it could have been far worse if not for their loyal Columbia customers, they say. These days, the merchants are optimistic when they talk about the Food Lion supermarket set to open Nov. 17. They are also thrilled - and perhaps a bit relieved - to hear that a new restaurant will take over the space once used by the...

Columbia's much-lamented Last Chance Saloon may get a second chance with new operators who plan to reopen the restaurant by summer's end, boosting revitalization efforts in Oakland Mills Village Center. Meanwhile, residents are pondering new plans for a Walgreens pharmacy nearby on Route 175 at Thunder Hill Road as they await word on whether the much-discussed Meridian Square office building will go forward, replacing a vacant lot at the village center. Word of the restaurant's revival came as a welcome surprise, officials said.

Oakland Mills to mark 40 years Plans are being made for the 40th Birthday Celebration of Oakland Mills, the second village to be established in Columbia. Celebrations will be held June 27-29 at The Other Barn in the Oakland Mills Village Center. Interesting facts and trivia about Oakland Mills, or memorabilia that can be displayed during the birthday celebration are needed. Former residents, employees and volunteers are invited. Around Town Belly dance : The Long Reach Community Association will offer belly dancing classes for adults tomorrow through July 14 at 8775 Cloudleap Court in the Long Reach Village Center.