Friday Round Up: Another Birthday...

First and foremost, a Happy Birthday wish from Maryland to Montana for my sister.

When I talked to her earlier today, we discussed the dreary weather out west (40 degrees and raining) and the fact that the onslaught of a wet September brought an end to the typical summer forest fires. One of the fires that was burning close to her house, pictured below from about a month ago, swelled to about 14,000 acres, which is roughly the size of Columbia.


Now, on to matters of local interest.

The proposed senior tax break, covered in the news here and here, is a source of considerable concern over at Columbia Compass. Well, it's not so much the tax plan itself, but rather statements like this:

Others argued that keeping longtime residents at home would help the school system and reduce the bill's cost by delaying younger families with children from buying the homes.

Which does seem to unfairly target (even vilify) a specific segment of the population, if you ask me.

Here's an interesting look at the significance of the District 13 Senate race and its broader implications for the upcoming elections.

Meanwhile, watching The Wire on television sometimes makes you forget that what happens on screen is also happening in reality. And say what you will about Dan Rodricks -- I'm not his biggest fan, but I admire how dedicated he is to the city of Baltimore -- but he offers a reasonable and sane approach to ending the city's drug problem.

Finally, a couple of meeting notices. The Merriweather Post task force will be meeting again on Monday (Sept. 25) at the county's Gateway building to hear updates on the pavilion's performance over the past year.

Also, Howard County Tomorrow will be discussing on Tuesday how we can better engage young people in local matters. The meeting will start at 6:45 pm in the Lakeside Coffee Shop and will run until about 8 pm. If you're young and reading this blog, thank you...and please come out. (What else is there to do in Columbia on a Tuesday?)