Village Green/Town²

  I was gratified to see that yesterday’s topic resonated with so many readers. The responses confirm the degree to which the housing shortage has squeezed all kinds of people in our community. At the risk of repeating myself, the point of writing about this for me is not to put the focus on “now our kids can’t get apartments!”  The most appalling housing insecurity and injustice is and has been experienced by Black and Hispanic residents. And, for far too long, their needs weren’t considered reason enough to push for a reasonable quantity of rental housing.  The end result is that there isn’t enough rental housing for anyone who needs it and - - surprise! - - our choices as a community eventually impact us, too.  Towards the end of the day I discovered that I wasn’t the only person to write about the coalition of community groups working with the Horizon Foundation on Housing Justice. I refer you to the post on the HoCo APFO Facebook* page. (It’s not long. You have ...

  We want our kids to have the best. The best neighborhoods, the best schools, the best educational experiences, the best hobbies and activities, the best everything.  We hope all of that prepares them for the best colleges and/or career opportunities. We hope they will have happy lives. But we don’t want them to have homes. At least, not anywhere in Columbia/HoCo.  Before you protest, take a look at this listing on Redfin . I bumped into this listing on Bluesky along with commentary from Barbara Samuels, a knowledgeable Fair Housing and Affordable Housing attorney in Baltimore: 10,000 sq ft, 6BRs, 7BA, 4 car garage, guest house & pool. Must be small apt building & ADU right? No, not allowed! It is what passes for single family outside the HoCo PFA in western Ellicott City. How does it make sense to allow this use [for] 5 valuable acres but not apartments? I’ll be honest with you. Big, fancy houses houses like this used to spark my imagination. Now they just make ...

  There have been some interesting comments in response to the County’s proposal to institute additional school safety zones.  Howard County wants to add 18 new school zones for increased traffic enforcement, Jess Nocera, Baltimore Banner No one, as far as I know, is in favor of speeding and/or other unsafe driving around children and young people. On the other hand, very few want to see more speed cameras, either. Some suggest that the move is purely to generate more revenue for the county rather than to protect safety around schools. Here’s a response on the Banner website itself: Yep, just more revenue for the People's Republic of Howard County. Can you believe my tax bill went DOWN when I moved ... and not to Florida but to New Jersey. HoCo's gold-plated services don't come free. I have questions. What constitutes a gold-plated service? Why do you think that gold-plated service should be free when it comes to government? Where in your life are you able to get gold-plat...

  Substack . Do you know what it is? Lots of cool people have them. You can generate income for your writing by charging a subscription fee if you so desire. Blogs are passé. Some ‘content creators’ have moved to podcasts, TikTok, even Instagram or Threads to get their content out into the world. And some, more serious writers perhaps, announce the creation of a Substack and invite you to subscribe. Here’s why I don’t have one.: Revealed: How Substack makes money by hosting Nazi newsletter s, Geraldine McKelvie, The Guardian (2/7/2026) It’s not a short piece but it’s worth the read. The Guardian leads off with this: Site [Substack] takes a cut of subscriptions to content that promotes far-right ideology, white supremacy and antisemitism. A more recent article from the CBC elaborates: But over the last few years, users and journalists have noted that a number of Substack newsletters promote white supremacy, Holocaust denial and neo-Nazism. An investigation by the  Guardian in...

  How are the young folks doing? Well, here’s a shoutout to some hocolocals who started here and are pursuing their dreams in the arts, notably in the field of music.  I mentioned musical theatre performers MaryKate Brouillet and Patrick Gover the other day. Both have performed regularly at Toby’s in Columbia.  Gover’s older brother Vincent is an opera singer, actor, and composer.  Sara Beth Driver  performs regularly in the area, often in Silver Spring. She’s a singer, songwriter, and  acoustic guitarist.  Marissa Zechinato , a 2026 Bernard/Ebb Songwriting Awards finalist, has a gig tomorrow night at Cured.  Farther afield, Gallant is out on tour in Canada. I promised myself yesterday that I’d write about something today that made me happy. Seeing these kids (not kids anymore, oops) doing what they love gives me a sense of hope. Village Green/Town² Comments

  I’m struggling with the cruelty in the world right now. To be honest, it makes it very hard for me to write. I have ideas for stories but a strong sense of “what’s the use” clouds my brain.  Oddly enough, I was in the same place a year ago: crushed by the accumulated weight of fear and hopelessness. And yet…   A Glimmer , Village Green/Town², 8/13/2026 In a time of hate Love is an act of resistance In a time of fear Faith is an act of resistance  In a time of misinformation Education is an act of resistance  In a time of poor leadership Community is an act of resistance In a time like this Joy is an act of resistance Resist. Resist. Resist. - - Loryn Brantz  Yesterday morning I sat outside of Roggenart having an iced coffee date with a dear friend and for a moment the world felt benevolent. The sky was clear and there was a gentle breeze. She gave me a book recommendation and I told her about a BBC radio show I’ve recently discovered.  There were del...