Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week is a time for us to come together to recognize and call attention to the problems of hunger and homelessness in our community. No one should have to worry about whether they will have food on their plate or a roof over their head. However, it is a reality that hunger and homelessness are widespread problems that affect far too many of our friends and neighbors. 

Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center feeds and shelters those who have fallen through the safety net and helps them get on their feet again. To find out more about how you can help, please visit their website here.

The HoCo RISE Collaborative provides us an opportunity to dive deeper into the implications of this pandemic on all facets of our community and identify best practices as we restore and reimagine how to emerge from these challenging times. As we see increasing cases here and around the country, it’s also critical that we sustain our public health response and support economic activity. 

With this second round of HoCo RISE business grants, we are expanding our original scope and providing additional funds to our local small businesses. To Learn more and to apply for a grant, please visit EDA's website here.

Please join me in congratulating our Hammond High School Golden Bears for winning their first round on "It's Academic Quiz Show." Although this season may be moved to virtual, our students have continued to shine. We are so proud of our Golden Bears and their coaches for this accomplishment.

We recognize that there is COVID-19 fatigue, but we cannot grow weary. If you leave your house, you should be wearing a mask. If you are around anyone outside your household, you should be wearing a mask, it’s that simple. Face coverings not only protects yourself, but also those around you. 

If we all work together – even when we’re apart – we can keep one another safe.

This year is full of firsts, and hopefully lasts, when it comes to how we celebrate holidays. This Thanksgiving, please avoid large family gatherings, avoid traveling, and please wear a face covering, to protect yourself and those around you. 

Our ability to prevent large outbreaks this winter hinges on adhering to the recommendations from institutions like the CDC and public health officials. To read the CDC's updated guidance, please click here.

November is National Epilepsy Awareness Month, an annual recognition of epilepsy’s causes and symptoms. 1 in 26 people will be diagnosed with epilepsy at some point in their lifetime, and it is one of the least understood neurological disease.

This month, I hope you’ll join our community to raise awareness and provide information about the prevention, treatment, research, and resources surrounding epilepsy.

With Thanksgiving around the corner, and many residents planning smaller, safe dinners to enjoy with our families, it’s important that we continue to support our local farms. Mary's Land Farm, Shonuf Turkey Farm, and the TLV Tree Farm have an abundance of fresh turkeys for residents. For more information, I encourage you to visit their websites. 

This Thanksgiving and holiday season, let’s support our small, local businesses who help make our community a better place for all.

On Veterans Day, I joined my favorite veteran, my dad, to raise the American Flag outside his home. I’m so thankful for the opportunity to learn from and look up to the veterans in my life; my dad Calvin Ball, Jr., a Vietnam era veteran and my granddad, Calvin Ball, Sr. a Korean War era veteran.

We are immensely grateful for those who served, and those who are serving currently, to ensure the freedom and liberties for all Americans. Thank you to all our veterans for their fearless sacrifices in service to our country.

Join transportation officials and me THIS Wednesday, November 18th at 6:00 p.m. for a Transportation Town Hall. Topics to be discussed include transportation safety, complete street, transit, and more.

Residents may watch live on our Facebook page or through WebEx here.

Ask questions in advance at TownHall@HowardCountymd.gov

This month, I’m participating in No Shave November to raise cancer awareness and spark a conversation about men’s health. We need to have meaningful conversations with our family and friends to make sure that they understand their risks and can work to prevent or detect cancer early.

I hope you’ll join me in learning more about cancer prevention, and maybe even putting down the razor, to raise awareness and spark conversation.

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.

For more information, please click here.

Since the beginning of this pandemic, more than 46,000 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.

Calling all Howard County artists young and old, our Department of Community Resources and Services (DCRS) and our Commission on Disabilities are currently accepting entries for their 2020 Art Contest. Launched in celebration of the 30^th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), DCRS and the Commission are looking for original pieces of artwork that depict some aspect of the contest theme: “ADA30 · Disability · Equity · Inclusion · One County · Accessible to All.” The theme commemorates this landmark piece of legislation, which guarantees people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else to participate in all aspects of American life. To learn more about this Art Contest and for complete contest rules and entry form, check out www.howardcountymd.gov/ADA today. All artwork and entry forms must be received by no later than 11:59 p.m., Monday, November 30^th.

While holiday celebrations will likely be smaller for many this year, the need for assistance is greater than ever. Help us provide a holiday meal for local families in need, by donating to DCRS’ Thanksgiving Food Drive. Now through November 18^th, DCRS is collecting non-perishable food items, baskets and gift cards/cash at drop-off locations set up throughout the county. Please note, if you are looking to donate a gift card/cash, please hand deliver these items to the DCRS’ MultiService Center at 9900 Washington Boulevard, Suite I in Laurel. For a list of items in need and drop-off locations, click HERE.

DCRS OAI continues to work hard to offer our older residents the resources they need to remain active and engaged during the COVID-19 pandemic. From exercise, cooking, social engagement and lifelong learning classes, there is something to help get you moving, get cooking and stay social this 2020. Check out OAI’s November Virtual Offering Guide for this month’s activities or visit OAI’s website to learn more about its services. For questions, contact OAI at aging@howardcountymd.gov.

Help DCRS’ spread some holiday cheer this year by dropping off a new, unwrapped gift at one of three convenient locations set up throughout the county, now through December 7^th. DCRS’ OAI is collecting new gifts to present to and help brighten the holidays for our low-income seniors and our Office of Children and Families is gathering new gifts for families with children ages 0 to 5 years old in need. The wish list for children and adults includes: body lotion; body wash; books (ages 0-5); deodorant; hair brushes; hair conditioner; scarves; shampoo; shaving cream; slipper socks; socks; toothbrushes; toothpaste; toiletry gift sets; throw blankets; and toys (ages 0-5). Financial donations are also being accepted. For more information, click HERE. We sincerely thank you in advance for your kindness and generosity. 

Our Department of Fire and Rescue Services (HCDFRS) is always training to ensure its personnel are ready to go when the time comes. As noted in my past Ball Bulletin’s, HCDFRS’ Education and Training Bureau is conducting training exercises every Monday, Wednesday and Friday this month across the county. These training exercises are not expected to impact traffic flow in the training area and will only involve theatrical smoke. NO actual fire will occur during each exercise. For more information about these training exercises, including time and location, be sure to follow HCDFRS’ Facebook page and Twitter handle.

Remember, as Governor Hogan announced on November 5th, his statewide masking order remains in full effect. Under the Governor's order, all Marylanders over the age of five are required to wear face coverings in the public spaces of all businesses across the state. Face coverings are required in outdoor public areas, whenever it is not possible to maintain physical distancing.

On the 5th, the Governor also renewed the out-of-state travel advisory issued by state health officials. Under this advisory, Marylanders are strongly advised against traveling to states with positivity rates of 10 percent or higher. Anyone traveling from these states should get tested and self-quarantine while awaiting results. Marylanders should also avoid non-essential travel of any kind outside of the region.

If you believe you may have been exposed to the virus or have participated in a higher risk activity, such as traveling out-of-state or attending a gathering with individuals outside your household, I encourage you to get a COVID-19 test today. For a list of COVID-19 testing locations in Howard County, please click HERE. Also, remember, if you see "MD COVID" or (240) 466-4488 on your caller ID, please answer the call or return the missed call. While contact tracers continue to reach out to all residents who test positive for COVID-19 and their contacts, a good proportion of contacts are NOT picking up the phone. By not answering or returning the call, you may be spreading the virus among those in your household, workplace and community. Patient information and the information of those contacted is kept CONFIDENTIAL. To learn more about contact tracing, click HERE.

SAVE THE DATE for a special Howard County Behavioral Health Summit Series in partnership with Aetna beginning November 18th. Aetna is proud to partner with the Howard County Health Department and the Howard County Local Health Improvement Coalition to bring you this FREE 5-part series of webinars that will help you learn ways to stay healthy and take control in 2020 and beyond. For more information, click here.

Our Housing Opportunities Master Plan Task Force was created to identify Howard County’s housing affordability issues and offer holistic and sustainable strategies to address them. As part of its Housing Opportunities Master Plan draft process, the Task Force is seeking public feedback regarding its draft recommendations. To gather feedback, the Task Force is hosting two virtual Open House events to offer residents an opportunity to ask the Project Team questions about its recommendations. If you missed the November 10^th Open House, no worries, the Task Force’s second one is this Wednesday, November 18^th from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m.

In addition to the Open House events, the Task Force is also providing residents the opportunity to offer feedback via an online survey, available through Monday, November 30^th, or by emailing the Task Force at housingtaskforce@howardcountymd.gov.

To review the Task Force’s draft recommendations, for more information and/or questions, visit www.howardcountymd.gov/housingtaskforce or contact Housing at 410-313-6318 or housingtaskforce@howardcountymd.gov.

All month long, our Office of Human Rights (OHR) continues to cohost a number of great programs to pay tribute to the rich ancestry, cultures and traditions of American Indians and Alaska Natives in honor of Native American Heritage Month (NAHM). On November 18^th, join Lance Fisher (Northern Cheyenne) and Giovanna Gross (Oglala Lakota and Peruvian) for drumming and singing, on the 23^rd, learn how to cook Navajo Frybread with Ani Begay Auld and Jourdan Bennett-Begaye (Navajo/Diné) and on the 24^th, learn how to cook Mohawk Akwesasne Corn Soup for Thanksgiving with Bonnie Hart (St. Regis Mohawk). Finally, be sure to join OHR on November 30^th, as it concludes NAHM with a “We Are Still Here” panel discussion featuring Native American equity workers, artists and community leaders conversing about Native American cultural resilience, civil rights and the survival of Indigenous communities. For a complete NAMH schedule of events, click HERE. 

For questions and/or more information about NAMH, contact OHR at 410-313-6430 or email OHRoutreach@howardcountymd.gov.

There are just three days left (November 19^th) in our 21-day comment period to submit your remarks to the County’s Department of Planning and Zoning (DPZ) regarding its Howard County Forest Conservation Manual draft. This “how-to” guide describes in detail how forest conservation should be accomplished before, during and after the development process, so that planners and developers have the same standards to reference, resulting in better communication, time saved and positive forest conservation outcomes. Additionally, this manual implements the Forest Conservation Act, which I recently updated in order to ensure County compliance with State law, increase forest retention and replanting, reduce use of fee-in-lieu, and improve safeguards for the environment.

To review the manual and provide your thoughts, visit DPZ’s public comment portal; for instructions on how to provide comments through the portal, click HERE. Additional information is also available on DPZ’s “Environmental Planning” website or if you have questions, please contact Ms. Susan Overstreet with DPZ at 410-313-4345 or email soverstreet@howardcountymd.gov.

Our Howard County Police Department (HCPD) continues to seek the public's help to locate a dark-colored sedan, small SUV or crossover vehicle with front-end damage, including the driver’s side headlight, that investigators believe struck a 17-year-old girl on MD 108 just east of Phelps Luck Drive in Columbia, around 1:36 a.m. on November 1^st. Sadly, the victim has succumbed to her injuries and passed away. 

If you spot this vehicle, please make note of the license plate and contact police immediately at 410-313-STOP or HCPDcrimetips@howardcountymd.gov. This investigation is ongoing and HCPD is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for any information in the case.

Department of Public Works – Construction Report

To learn 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 (SHA) website and search by “County” to learn more about State road projects in Howard County.

Last Sunday, November 8^th, SHA began overnight pavement repairs to two bridge decks on northbound I-95 in Columbia. One bridge is located on the eastbound MD 32 (Patuxent Freeway) exit ramp to northbound I-95 and the other is over Guilford Road. As part of the work, SHA crews will be closing the eastbound MD 32 exit ramp and one left lane of northbound I-95 at 8:00 p.m. each night. A second left lane of northbound I-95 will also be closed starting at 9:00 p.m. Motorists on eastbound MD 32 traveling to northbound I-95 will be detoured to the US 1 interchange and then westbound MD 32 to reach their destination. All lanes will reopen by 5:00 a.m. the next day. The repairs will be done Sunday night through Friday morning and are expected to take two weeks to complete, weather permitting.

REMINDER: The Thanksgiving Day holiday is one of six holidays that affects the County’s curbside trash, recycling, food scrap and yard trim collection program. As such, the County’s holiday slide schedule will be IN EFFECT next Thursday, November 26^th as there will be no curbside collection on Thanksgiving Day. Thursday’s collection will slide to Friday and Friday to Saturday.

If you are wondering what the other five holidays are, check out the County's holiday slide schedule website at www.howardcountymd.gov/holidayschedule.

Join Recreation & Parks for some family-friendly scavenger hunt fun this month with its “ClueDunit” adventure in Historic Ellicott City. The Premise: Recreation & Parks has received an award-winning sculpture to put on display in downtown Ellicott City. While Recreation & Parks staff placed the sculpture in a location between the Patapsco Female Institute and the B&O Ellicott City Station Museum, it’s gone missing! Help Recreation & Parks locate this missing sculpture by seeking out clues hunt along Ellicott City’s Main Street to crack the case and catch the caper. For a game map, checklist, complete contest rules and more, visit www.howardcountymd.gov/cluedunit.

Once done, be sure to submit your findings to Recreation & Parks so that your team will be entered to win prizes drawn randomly each week.

This Saturday, November 21^st, Recreation & Parks’ Robinson Nature Center’s popular shopping event, Mistletoe at Midday Makers Mart, returns for another holiday season! Meet local artisans and shop for handmade and sustainable wares at physically distanced vendor tables outside and inside the Nature Center. The center gift shop will also be offering a 10 percent discount on all items, as well as Take Home Holiday kits, including a Nature’s Spa kit, a Sensory Exploration of the North Pole kit and a Sweet Season kit with treats for both wildlife and kids. Please note, this program will follow Howard County’s COVID-19 guidance for physical distancing, face covering use and reduced indoor capacity. To learn more about this year’s mart and/or to purchase a vendor space, click HERE.

Out-of-State Participant Sports Tournaments Canceled

As I noted above, the Governor has renewed the out-of-state travel advisory issued by state health officials. Under this advisory, the Maryland Department of Health strongly advises Marylanders not travel to states with positivity rates of 10 percent or higher and to avoid non-essential travel of any kind outside of the region. Given this advisory and the rise in COVID-19 cases in Howard County and across the state, our Department of Recreation & Parks has CANCELLED all tournaments with out-of-state participants. This decision was made in an effort to ensure the utmost safety of our athletes and residents. That being said, Recreation & Parks leagues, programs and tournaments consisting strictly of in-state participants will continue at this time.

Residents can watch the Town Hall live from my Facebook page or through WebEx. You can also submit transportation questions in advance to TownHall@HowardCountymd.gov.