We are making incredible progress as a community to combat COVID-19 in our community, though it is still not completely eradicated. To date in Howard County, we’ve had 19,457 cases of COVID-19 and, sadly, 251 deaths. As of 9:00am today, our 7-day average positivity rate is 0.4% and our 7-day average case rate per 100,000 of our population is at 0.8. Our positivity rate continues to trend downwards and is the lowest since we began tracking it. There are currently five COVID-19 patients in both ICU and Acute Care unit.

According to the Maryland Department of Health, 82.5% of Howard County residents 12+ have received at least one dose and 76.9% are fully vaccinated. Howard County continues to lead the state with our incredible vaccination records, but we must not let the work stop there.

Let’s StayCOVIDSafe by getting vaccinated today and encourage family and friends to get their shots too.

WMAR recently designated Clarksville Commons as one of Howard County's incredible hidden gems where neighbors can gather, shop, entertain and come together. Holly and George Stone had a vision that passionate and committed people can work together to develop inspirational ideas to create new opportunities for growth and environment sustainability, and Clarksville Commons provides just that.

I encourage us all to visit this incredible center and support our local businesses! Read more about their highlight here.

Last week, we had the chance to help Roberta Manns celebrate her 100th Birthday! Roberta is a descendant of the Native American Cherokee Indians and grew up as one of eight children. She now resides at Lutheran Village at Millers Grant and has three grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. 

We can only imagine how many families, friends, and neighbors Roberta has impacted throughout her many years of life. She said it best herself, she's been "100 years blessed." 

Please join me in wishing Roberta a Happy Birthday, here's to many more!

It was an honor to celebrate our Scouts during our Scout Recognition Ceremony for those who have received an Eagle or Summit Award, or the Gold Award.

These emerging leaders exemplify the important tenets of helping others, being prepared and staying self-reliant. They remind us of so much including the importance of seeking challenges, learning from setbacks, and working together to solve problems in our community. As a former Scout, I couldn’t be more proud of our young people.

Thank you all for your dedication to our community, and my sincere congratulations on your impressive accomplishments!

Recently, leaders from around our community gathered to celebrate the grand opening of the Bauder Education Center, an early education program of the Community Action Council of Howard County at the Long Reach Village Center.

The early education program Head Start provides free preschool to eligible 3- to 5-year-olds, and this new location allows for our partners at CAC to double their enrollment from 38 to 79 children. 

For our kids to be ready and successful students, we need to give them a strong foundation. Read more on how early childhood education is an investment in our future.

Thefts of catalytic converters are on the rise. This part of a vehicle’s exhaust system contains valuable metals and can be removed in less than two minutes. Once stolen, it can cost thousands of dollars to replace and it affects commercial and personal vehicles. 

It's important that we take steps to prevent this crime from taking place. If your catalytic converter has been stolen, please report it to the Howard County Police Department. If the theft is in progress, please call 911.

Read more here.

As our students and educators closed out the school year, we've renewed our efforts to ensure that every student in Howard County can reap the benefits of our amazing public school system. I was proud to announce $750,000 for HoCo STRIVES in Fiscal Year 2022, an 88% increase over the Fiscal Year 2021 budget, to tackle the achievement gap for Howard County students.

Read more here.

We are so proud of our Howard County classes of 2020 and 2021 who have excelled through incredibly challenging times. To celebrate our graduates, trees were planted at all 12 high schools and small dedication signs were added in front of each tree. 

Trees are a lasting symbol of resilience, which is exactly what our students demonstrated over the year. We wish them all the best on their ongoing accomplishments. 

Thank you to Howard County Recreation and Parks, LiveGreenHoward, Howard County Public School System, and The Community Ecology Institute for their collaboration on this project and bringing it to life.

As we’ve known since the start of this pandemic, it’s going to take all of us working together to get to the other side of this and we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. According to the Maryland Department of Health, 70.1% of residents between the ages of 12 and 17 have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 60.9% are fully vaccinated.

There are many vaccine clinics happening around the County. Find one near you by visiting vaccine.howardcountymd.gov. Let's StayCOVIDSafe and get vaccinated!

Howard County is currently leading the State with 84% of residents 18+ who have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 78.8% are fully vaccinated, according to the Maryland Department of Health. Howard County is the only jurisdiction in the State to have more than 80% of residents 18+ vaccinated with at least one dose.

We remain committed to ensuring all eligible residents receive the COVID-19 vaccine as quickly, safely, and efficiently as possible and will continue to StayCOVIDSafe by working together.

The 2021 edition of DCRS’s Office of Children and Families’ (OCF) Parent's Guide to Howard County is now available online. The Parent's Guide provides easy access to key resources, including quality child care, early learning and behavioral supports for children, and supports for parents to help children pivot from virtual to hybrid learning environments.

Parents, together we can create a community that provides opportunities for self-determination and independence, whether in college or in one’s career, for residents of all abilities. That is why I encourage parents looking to play an integral role in ensuring all our students are ready and successful, to apply to for our Department of Community Resources and Services’ (DCRS) Commission for Transitioning Students with Disabilities. Comprised of 28 members, the Commission is responsible for: advocating for policy on behalf of students with developmental, intellectual and/or physical disabilities; examining current practices and making recommendations on ways to improve postsecondary outcomes for students with disabilities; making recommendations that would facilitate successful customized employment and postsecondary education for students exiting the Howard County Public School System; and fostering greater collaboration between the business, academic, non-profit and public sectors to engage in successful initiatives designed to immerse students with disabilities in a work environment and provide important job skills.

To learn more about the Commission, including eligibility requirements and details on how to apply, please click HERE. The DEADLINE to apply is this Wednesday, June 30^th.

As we continue to enjoy the warm summer months, be sure keep these hot weather safety tips in mind from our Office of Emergency Management. It’s especially important to remember these tips when forecasters are calling for extreme heat or a heat wave.

Have you voted yet for Sowell? Sowell is our four-legged co-worker and he’s competing for highest honor in all the canine world, the American Humane's 2021 American Hero Dog award! Our Department of Fire and Rescue Services' (DFRS) accelerant detection canine, Sowell has made it through to the next round of this year’s awards. By casting your vote daily, now through July 15^th, you can help us show everyone how great Sowell is and how much he means to DFRS, our community and Maryland.

Misplaced your COVID-19 Vaccination Card? Never fear! You can easily request your vaccination records the Maryland Department of Health’s “Maryland MyIR” website. Maryland MyIR is a free website service that allows residents to view and print copies of their official vaccination records directly from ImmuNet, Maryland's immunization information system. ImmuNet is used by healthcare providers to securely maintain vaccination records for Maryland residents of all ages.

Join our Department of Planning and Zoning's (DPZ) HoCo By Design team this Thursday, July 1^st at 2:30 p.m. for its New Town Design Session Open House. Based on feedback the team heard at its May meetings, emerging concepts will be displayed showing how broad concepts discussed in May could be applied to Village Centers, commercial corridors and employment centers. Attendees will also have the opportunity to speak directly with the design team to provide additional feedback about the design concepts for transformative opportunities in Columbia before the concepts are advanced for August. For more information about about HoCo By Design and/or to sign-up for one of six shifts available for Thursday's open house event or for details on how to attend the event virtually, visit www.hocobydesign.com.

In an effort to keep homes and neighborhoods secure, HCPD is offering these five tips to residents.

To learn about DPW projects currently underway, visit https://bit.ly/2V6K5B6. Searchable by project category and street name, from this site you’ll find additional project details, including news releases about the project. You can also contact DPW’s Customer Service Office at 410-313-3440 or email publicworks@howardcountymd.gov for further assistance.

If you have questions or are interested in finding out about a State road (numbered roadway) project in your area, visit the Maryland State Highway Administration’s (SHA) “Project Portal” website.

Don’t forget Howard County, the Independence Day holiday is one of the six holidays that affects County provided curbside trash, recycling, food scraps and yard trim collection. As a result, there will be no Monday collection on July 5^th due to the holiday being observed that day. The County's holiday "slide schedule" will therefore be in effect the week of Memorial Day, with Monday's pickup sliding to Tuesday, Tuesday to Wednesday and so forth.

Last Sunday, June 20^th, the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) began a roadway surface improvement work on US 1 between the Little Patuxent River just past Gorman Road, to the Howard/Prince George’s County line just past Columbia Street in Laurel. During overnight work hours, Sunday through Friday, 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. and daytime work hours, Wednesday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., motorists can expect single lane closures on US 1 in the area of the project. Electronic signs, barrels and cones are in place to alert motorists of the work zone and lane closure. Weather permitting, will continue for the next two weeks.

For more information about this project, click HERE and/or contact SHA at 410-545-0303.

This Year’s July 4^th Fireworks Celebration

We are popping with excitement over the return of our Department of Recreation & Parks’ annual July 4^th Fireworks celebration at the Columbia Lakefront! As I announced earlier this month, this year’s celebration now also include live entertainment, music and food trucks. With more than 75 percent of our 12 and older population fully vaccinated, we’re getting closer to normal every day and we’re grateful to every resident who has taken the important step of getting vaccinated to protect themselves and their loved ones. Achieving these important vaccine milestones allow us to host summer celebrations and events safely, such as our July 4^th Fireworks celebration and I cannot wait to see our community together once again.

To learn more about and for details regarding this year's July 4^th event, click HERE. Free public parking for this event will be located at the Mall in Columbia and by the Columbia Lakefront, adjacent to Whole Foods. To protect the grass lawn by the lakefront, we are asking spectators to hold off until 3:00 p.m. on the 4^th to lay down any blankets.

July is the National Recreation and Park Association’s (NRPA) “Park and Recreation Month. All month long, our Department of Recreation & Parks will be celebrating with a variety of fun activities, from Park and Recreation Month Bingo game to Once Upon a Park Story Scavenger Hunt! To learn more about what Recreation & Parks has going on this July, check out its Facebook page this Thursday, July 1^st.

You can also find out more information about Park and Recreation Month on NRPA’s website at www.nrpa.org/events/july/.

Starting next Tuesday, July 6^th, the Cedar Lane Park East bridge will be CLOSED as crews begin demolition of the existing structure to make way for a new bridge. Weather permitting, the new bridge is expected to be completed by early August.

CONGRATS SOMD Eliminators (U12), Next Level Blue (U14), Alpha Lime (U16) and Alpha Lime (U19) on taking home the championship wins on June 19^th at Recreation and Parks’ Hooray for Hockey Field Hockey tournament at Cedar Lane and Rockburn Branch parks!

Planning an upcoming trip to our Blandair Regional Park? Recreation & Parks is reminding park visitors to ONLY park in designated parking spaces when arriving at the park, playground and other amenities. Additionally, to ensure the safety of all park visitors, Recreation & Parks is also asking park goers to use the pedestrian pathways to travel throughout the park and to stay out of roadways. 

The Regional Transportation Agency of Central Maryland (RTA) is holding a virtual public meeting on Thursday, July 15^th, starting at 6:00 p.m., to discuss proposed service changes this fall. The RTA is proposing adjustments and modifications to certain routes in order to improve reliability, expand travel options and service connectivity, and decrease transfer times between core routes. The September 2021 Service Update largely focuses on better utilizing current resources to make more residential and commercial areas accessible to our services, including Catonsville, Beltsville and Muirkirk. Considerable attention has been paid to maintain hourly frequencies in the network where they exist, but to also better time route arrivals and departures from major locations so that connections and transfers are shorter and more dependable. If approved, the proposed changes would take effect on Sunday, September 5, 2021. For more information, including how to attend and/or to submit written testimony, visit www.transitrta.com/fall2021/.