I understand how difficult the last six months have been for our students and educators, and how challenging the next few months will be. Our principals, administrators, professional staff, and teachers are all focused on ensuring our students receive the best education possible, even as they learn in a virtual environment over these next few months.

I wish all our Howard County Public School System students, administrators, and educators the very best for the 2020-2021 school year!

We want to ensure our residents are informed and empowered on the many options they have to vote this November. Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy and we must ensure that we are providing safe and easy methods to make sure that all Howard County residents are engaged and aware of how to vote in the general election this November.

I’m grateful for the staff at the Howard County Board of Elections who have been working around the clock to help ensure voters, of all abilities, are able to cast their vote in an easy, and safe manner. We will continue to work and assist our Board of Elections through consistent communications over the next two months ensuring that voter turnout Howard County is not impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Early voting begins October 26th through November 2nd, and election day is November 3rd. To see the full list of early voting sites, click here, and click here to see election day voting sites.

Unlike the 2020 Primary Elections, voters will NOT automatically receive a mail-in ballot. Instead, voters will receive an application to receive their ballot through the mail. Voters MUST submit a request in order to receive their ballot by mail.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Howard County voters are urged to cast their vote by mail. To request your ballot right now, please click here. The deadline to request your mail-in ballot is October 20th.

Please note, mail-in ballots can also be returned to a ballot drop box which will be located at the Howard County Board of Elections Office, Meadowbrook Atheletic Center, Marriotts Ridge High School, Reservoir High School, Long Reach High School, and Wilde Lake High School.

To update your voter registration, register to vote, or check your voting status, please visit the State Board of Elections website here.

Register to watch via WebEx at here or watch live on the Howard County Executive Calvin Ball Facebook page.

Howard County’s Office of Community Sustainability and Howard County Recreation and Parks have received a 2020 Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Grant by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Through this grant, Howard County can innovatively increase environmental restoration and green job opportunities within central Maryland. This transformative funding will also allow us to build on existing workforce training programs to establish a more comprehensive, regional, green workforce training program with our neighboring jurisdictions.

We’re grateful to our Congressional Delegation - Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin, and Congressmen John Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, and Dutch Ruppersberger - for supporting this opportunity to build on our initiatives and work towards a cleaner and more sustainable environment for current and future generations.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, our community has come together to support our first responders, healthcare workers, and every person on the front lines combatting this crisis. We were so honored to receive a donation of 30,000 masks from the Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce. Special thank you to Rita Wang, Dr. Eugenia Henry, and Jesse Hwang for their continued partnership.

Although our numbers and data are looking better, this pandemic is far from over. We will keep our vigilance in remaining prepared and ensuring we have supplies. We must continue taking adequate precautions to keep our community safe. Together, we will get through this.

The Roving Radish, an award-winning Howard County program that provides healthy meal kits sourced from local farms, has opened its first storefront in Long Reach Village Center. The village center, which was 80% vacant two years ago, is now part of Long Reach Rising, a new hub for entrepreneurship, arts, and education.

This new storefront will serve as a wonderful hub for regional farms to connect with more Howard County residents, and is a wonderful addition to the Long Reach Village. This program not only fits in with the direction and goals of Long Reach, but provides healthy, locally sourced meal kits that help connect our community and are offered at a discounted price to those in need.

For more information on the Roving Radish, please visit their website here.

With the Courts re-opening this week, there is an immediate need for legal assistance to support tenants in demonstrating substantial loss of income-related to COVID-19. At the recommendation of Attorney General Brian Frosh’s Access to Justice COVID-19 task force, Howard County has provided funding for Maryland Legal Aid to assist residents facing eviction and other legal challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

We’ve seen more than 46,000 residents file for unemployment since March, and there are many of our neighbors who are unable to afford private attorney assistance on top of their daily needs.

Read more here.

We need to talk more about mental health and end the stigma around asking for help.

This National Suicide Awareness Month, let's come together to support one another and remember those we have lost and their families. I encourage us all to be kinder to one another, and reach out to a friend who may be struggling in silence to remind them they are not alone through any challenge they may face.

Domestic Violence harms nearly a third of women and nearly 20% of children. We must continue to encourage kindness and respect in all our relationships and take a stand in our community. Love does not, and should not, hurt.

To learn more about domestic violence, what you can do to help, or if you wish to seek help, please contact Hopeworks 24/7 at (410) 997-2272.

To apply for a grant, please click here.

Promoting green infrastructure and continuing park improvements are priorities of my administration. We listened to and heard the concerns from the Savage community, and will preserve the Savage Remainder property - a valuable green space that connects to Savage Park while contributing to the quality of life of all our residents. Howard County Recreation and Parks will now preserve the property as open space available for use by the public.

Thank you to Councilwoman Christiana Rigby for her continued advocacy and partnership on this issue. I’m also grateful for our District 13 representatives (Senator Guy Guzzone, Delegates Shane E. Pendergrass, Vanessa Atterbeary, and Jen Terrasa) and State Delegation for prioritizing Program Open Space funding, and the expansion of parkland in Howard County, which helped us bring this project into fruition.

Read more here.

The moratorium on utility shutoffs and late fees has now been extended through October 1st.

Although we no longer have available trees, residents are able to sign up on a waiting list to receive one tree in case of a cancellation. To sign up, please click here.

No one should have to choose between paying rent or purchasing food for themselves or their family, and COVID-19 has forced many of our residents into unimaginable financial situations. Since the beginning of this pandemic, more than 44,000 Howard County residents have filed for unemployment or pandemic assistance, it’s clear access to food and groceries is one of the most urgent needs our residents are facing.

We’ve seen our community organizations, non-profits, and neighbors step-up to support one another, and we saw an opportunity to make it easier for folks to find what they need. This map clearly shows the daily options for groceries, food pantries, and meal pickups, and will hopefully reduce the stress for many people trying to figure out where to find the resources they need.

Visit the map today here.

Governor Hogan announced a statewide mask order, now in effect for Maryland.

Residents are now required to wear masks or face coverings:

Masks and face coverings are critical to keeping our businesses open and allowing our economy to recover. As we have seen in many other states around this country, not adhering to hand washing, physical distancing, and mask-wearing directly leads to spikes in cases and strains on healthcare systems.

Many of our residents have already made mask-wearing a best practice, let's continue to protect each other and keep our community safe from COVID-19

Our Department of Community Resources and Services’ (DCRS) Office on Aging and Independence’s (OAI) “Ask a Pharmacist” event has been rescheduled for Thursday, October 1^st. I invite you to join OAI on the 1^st from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. for this virtual Q&A session with Pharmacist Ruth Ayuk of DiscoverU Health, to learn more about medication safety, prescription drug interactions, considerations pertaining to COVID-19 and other pharmaceutical topics and concerns. To register for this FREE WebEx event, visit https://bit.ly/3eMwwjo or contact Malarie Burgess with OAI at 410-313-6073 for more information.

From social engagement to exercise, cooking and lifelong learning classes, DCRS' Office on Aging and Independence (OAI) is working hard to ensure our older residents have the resources they need to remain active and engaged while at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This month, OAI’s is offering something virtually every day (click HERE for OAI's August schedule) to help you –––learn, get moving, get cooking and get social. We hope you will take advantage of one or more of these great programs as we continue down the path of this COVID-19 pandemic. For questions and/or more information, please feel free to contact OAI at aging@howardcountymd.gov.

There has been an increase in reports of online extortion scams during the COVID-19 crisis. As many residents are staying at home and are online more than usual, scammers may use this opportunity to find new victims and pressure them into sending money.

Be wary of any type of robocall or email that uses the term "stimulus" and asks you to provide any personal information, like your social security number. If you believe you are the victim of a scam, please contact the Office of Consumer Protection at (410) 313-6420

In addition to our main Howard County Government (Facebook and Twitter) and Office of Emergency Management (Facebook and Twitter) social media channels, you can also find helpful tips and information about our local hazards and preparedness on our Office of Emergency Management’s "Ready HoCo" website, So please, take the time this month to get involved, be informed, build a kit and make a plan.

Several locations have been set up across our county where residents can easily get tested for COVID-19; however, if you are having trouble receiving a test, please contact the Howard County Health Department’s Coronavirus Information Line at 410-313-6284 for assistance.

Our Department of Fire and Rescue Services (HCDFRS) is constantly training to ensure its personnel are ready and prepared for whatever emergency situation might come its way. As part of its ongoing training efforts, HCDFRS will be conducting the first of a three-day TRAINING EXERCISE this coming Thursday, September 10^th, in the West End area of Ellicott City starting at 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. The exercise will involve at two vacant structures, with no immediate adjacent neighbors, in the 8600 block of Main Street. These training exercises are non-destructive and will involve the use of “theatrical” smoke, which is light in color and should not cause any alarm. There will be no actual fire. In addition to the 10^th, HCDFRS will also be conducting this training exercise on Tuesday, September 15^th and Thursday, September 17^th, same times and locations. If you have any questions and/or wish to speak to someone further regarding these training exercises, please feel free to contact HCDFRS at 410-313-6000.

I invite you to join our Office of Human Rights on September 29^th for a virtual Bystander Intervention training event to learn how to safely step up and be supportive of others facing harassment and/or hate speech. Participants will learn how to de-escalate socially-fraught situations with compassionate communication that supports and empowers targeted persons, as well as analyze critical historical and cultural data about Howard County that deconstructs stereotypes and cultural biases. This training will arm participants with the tools and knowledge necessary to “Stand. Speak. Act” in order to be a good ally. 

To register, visit https://bystanderohr.eventbrite.com. Note, space is limited to 50 participants, so be sure to register today. For more information and/or questions, please contact our Office of Human Rights’ Outreach Unit at OHRoutreach@howardcountymd.gov or call 410-313-6430.

This coming Thursday, September 3, the Planning Board will be holding a virtual meeting using WebEx starting at 7:00 p.m. to hear the following items:

Planning Board Role: Decision-Making (Rules of Procedure Section 1.108)

HoCo By Design is providing several engagement opportunities for residents to provide input and identify community priorities for maintaining and improving the County’s quality of life. This is a once in a decade opportunity to shape how the County grows and responds to changing demographics and regional shifts.

To stay updated with the progress on this project, please visit HoCo By Design on Facebook.

In case you haven’t heard, residents and visitors in Maryland can now text 911 in an emergency. "Text-to-911" is intended for use in three scenarios: (1) for individuals who are deaf, hard-of-hearing or have a speech disability; (2) for someone who is in a situation where it is unsafe to place a voice call to 911; and (3) for an individual who is experiencing a medical emergency and may be unable to speak. To learn more about this new program and how to use it, check out the County’s Police Department’s (HCPD) “Text-to-911” website. And please remember, you should ONLY text 911 in an emergency. Prank-texters can be identified and prosecuted according to local laws and regulations.

HCPD is urging anyone with information about the July 31^st shooting of a pregnant woman in Columbia, which resulted in her death and the death of her baby, to contact investigators. At approximately 11:00 p.m. on July 31, police responded to a residence in the 6600 block of Dovecote Drive in Columbia, where numerous people reside, for a report of several gunshots. Police discovered that multiple bullets had been fired into the house from the outside and that a woman inside, Rabiah Ahmad, had been struck once Ahmad, who had recently moved to Maryland and had been staying at the residence for the last few months, was 28 weeks pregnant. Ahmad died at the hospital, where doctors delivered her baby girl, Ahja, who remained in critical condition until her death on August 5. No one else was injured in the shooting on the 31^st.

Detectives have been working around the clock to follow up on possible leads in the case and are continuing their attempts to determine who inside the house may have been the intended target. Investigators believe that at this stage of the investigation, any small piece of information could help put together critical details in the case. They have increased the reward to up to $20,000 and are urging anyone with information to contact police at 410-313-STOP or email HCPDCrimeTips@howardcountymd.gov. Callers can remain anonymous.

Around 10:20 p.m. on September 3, 2017, 25-year-old Meiko Locksley was fatally shot in the 5500 block of Harpers Farm Road in Columbia. Last week, on the third anniversary of Locksley’s death, his family and HCPD gathered to ask for the public’s help in solving this homicide. Although detectives have not identified a suspect, they believe the case likely was not random. They have been looking into every potential motive, including robbery, the possibility that it may have been drug-related or the result of an ongoing dispute.

Detectives are asking anyone with information regarding the shooting, to please come forwar and contact police at 410-313-STOP or email HCPDCrimeTips@howardcountymd.gov. Callers may remain anonymous. Anyone with information may be eligible for reward money up to $20,000.

To learn more about DPW Capital 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 website and search by “County” to learn more about State road projects in Howard County.

The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) has completed work on a its new Triadelphia Road Bridge over MD 32 after a year-long lane closure. The bridge has re-opened to two-way traffic. Construction on the new bridge began last summer and is part of SHA’s MD 32 Phase II widening project (expected to be complete in 2022), which includes construction of an additional travel lane in both directions of MD 32 between Linden Church Road and the I-70 ramps.

For more information about the County's holiday "slide" schedule, visit www.howardcountymd.gov/holidayschedule or give our Bureau of Environmental Services a call at 410-313-6444 or email help@howardcountyrecycles.org.

Cycle September is here, which means Bike to Work Week 2020 is right around the corner – September 21^st to the 27^th to be exact.

This Bike to Work Week, our Office of Transportation has partnered with Love to Ride Central Maryland to bring more fun, more community and more inspiration to get more people on a bike. While this year’s usual rallies and pit stop gatherings have been replaced with online networking and encouragement due to the COVID-19 pandemic, registered riders will still receive a free t-shirt (open to the first 2,500 registrants) and have a chance to win some awesome prizes.

Tickets are $5 per child and adults are free; however, adult must obtain a free ticket to attend. Each member of your party must register in advance for a one-hour time slot to attend and spots are limited, so visit https://www.mt.cm/truck-or-treat-2 today to purchase your tickets.

REMINDER: The gymnasium and walking track at Recreation & Parks’ North Laurel Community Center is CLOSED through this Friday, September 11^th, to allow for the gymnasium and walking track floors to be resurfaced.

HEADS UP! Next Tuesday, September 15th, the playground and basketball courts at Cypressmede Park, located at 3100 Fawnwood Drive in Ellicott City, will be CLOSED due to tree removal.

RecZone Price Change: Thanks to newly allocated CARES Act funding, weekly costs for our Recreation & Parks' RecZone childcare program – geared towards elementary age students, have been reduced by approximately 30 percent. The program is now being offered at $219 per week for extended day options, 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., $185 per week for school day options, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Existing RecZone registrants will receive a credit to their Recreation & Parks account for the difference in pricing. For additional details, check out www.howardcountymd.gov/childcare.

For the latest information on what Recreatoin & Parks’ facilities, amentieis and programs are open, as well as additional Recreation & Parks announcements, visit www.howardcountymd.gov/rap or following the Department on Facebook or Twitter.