NEWS
August 30, 2009
CAC policy change Effective Sept. 8, the Community Action Council of Howard County will serve clients by appointment only. Walk-ins are available only for those whose electricity has been turned off or for those who are scheduled to be evicted the next business day. Call 410-313-6440 to make an appointment for energy and housing assistance. Band seeks director The Goldenaires, an all-volunteer band that plays "oldies but goodies" to entertain senior citizens throughout Maryland, is looking for an experienced director.
NEWS
March 29, 2009
Howard's healthful outlook a good start As a dietitian, I think it's great that Howard County schools are getting students involved in efforts to offer healthier foods ["Students craft their own cafeteria offerings," March 22]. Introducing healthful foods in schools can be challenging, but support from the federal government could help. Congress is revising the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act, which could help schools afford healthful foods. Under current legislation, the USDA subsidizes unhealthful foods, like high-fat meat and cheese.
NEWS
By Larry Carson | March 29, 2009
The county's General Assembly members are conflicted over the mix of local and statewide issues in the roller-coaster effort to petition to referendum a County Council bill permitting a larger grocery store at Turf Valley. They say they don't want a missing middle initial or the use of a nickname to disqualify an honest signature on a petition. But they're leery of retroactively changing state law. "The whole situation is troubling," said Del. Guy Guzzone, who chairs the House delegation.
NEWS
By Don Markus | March 22, 2009
Both sides in the heated debate over the size of a grocery store in Turf Valley can agree on one thing these days: The battle looks to be on hold until another, more far-reaching question gets answered. And coming to a resolution on that issue - what constitutes a legal signature on a referendum petition in Howard County - is generating a discussion among public officials that has expanded to include consideration of voter rights. "The biggest problem associated with all of this is that it is not just a Howard County issue, it is a statewide issue," said Del. Guy Guzzone, a Democrat who presided over a meeting with members of the county's State House delegation Wednesday.
NEWS
By Larry Carson | February 24, 2009
A group of development-wary residents have filed a lawsuit against Howard County that claims the government's process of making land-use decisions illegally denies citizens the right to challenge them by referendum. The 124-page suit, filed in federal court by residents contesting three prominent development projects, is the latest salvo in the decades-long clash over growth in the well-heeled county of about 270,000. The suit alleges that the county has violated the county charter for years by making land-use decisions via County Council resolutions and administrative decisions instead of by bill or ordinance.
NEWS
By Larry Carson | February 8, 2009
The fight over an attempt to block a 55,000-square-foot supermarket from being built as part of a village center-style development at Turf Valley in western Ellicott City is intensifying. The County Council approved a bill in November allowing the supermarket to be larger than the 18,000-square-foot limit in earlier regulations, but some residents objected and began a petition drive for a referendum in the November 2010 elections. Marc Norman, a Turf Valley resident and persistent critic of growth plans at the 800-acre hotel/golf course community submitted petitions Feb. 3 containing 6,079 signatures.
NEWS
By Jonathan Pitts | December 28, 2008
If getting a new development approved and built is a battle, the skirmishes are escalating in and around Turf Valley. After the recent launch of a petition drive challenging a law that that affects the size of grocery stores, the Howard County Chamber of Commerce has issued a call to increase the number of signatures required on such a petition. "The ... County Charter requirement for 5,000 signatures to petition the ... action of elected bodies to referendum is low and antiquated," read an "advocacy alert" the chamber e-mailed to 1,600 people at 850 businesses last week.
NEWS
By Larry Carson | November 6, 2008
A plan for a larger supermarket at Turf Valley's proposed town center was unanimously approved by the County Council on Monday night, despite objections from some residents. The five members approved one change to the bill that is intended to prevent big-box retailers from coming to the planned office/retail center near the western edge of the redeveloping 809-acre hotel/golf resort. The amendment, introduced by Fulton Republican Greg Fox, caps the size of any other store in the retail center at 20,000 square feet.
NEWS
By Larry Carson | November 2, 2008
A state delegate receiving a campaign contribution from a developer is as common as electronic voting machines these days. But what if that delegate works in another county's planning department, where a project by that donor's firm is under consideration? That is the question that was been raised about a proposal for a larger supermarket at the Turf Valley development, just before the County Council's scheduled vote on the issue tomorrow night. Marc Norman, a critic of the Mangione family's plans to redevelop an 809-acre hotel/golf resort into a large mixed-use residential community, is asking for an ethics investigation into contributions made by Greenberg Gibbons, the firm developing the Turf Valley town center, to Del. Stephen Lafferty's campaign.
NEWS
October 26, 2008
Thanks again for sharing the memories of our dad The children of James Riley McCrumb wanted to thank all the friends and family who attended the Celebration of Life service on Sept. 27. It was warming to see how many lives our father touched. It wasn't always easy being one of 1,000 kids vs. one of 3, yet knowing that we have so many brothers and sisters is comforting. Our father was a simple man who found his calling early. He lived and breathed Mount Hebron High School. He led by example.