What a strange day...

I know, Friday the 13th and all, but being only mildly superstitious, I don’t put much stock into calendrical aberrations. That said, if you’re a member of the Knights Templar, I’d keep an eye out for minions of the King of France, just to be on the safe side. This is, after all, the 699th anniversary of the massive roundup of the band of warrior monks.

Obscure reference, to be sure. But as I said, it’s a strange day and I’m feeling spunky (see below).

Anyway, there are a few interesting stories in the papers today, such as…

Report notes housing crisis: We already talked about this, but now the task force examining the affordable housing situation in Howard County has received a draft version of the study they hope will bolster support for a more aggressive strategy. The study, at least according to the article, doesn’t really add to much to what I wrote in this post, but one thing it does include is an actual number for the shortage of middle- and moderate-income housing in Howard: roughly 27,000, which is a lot.

Curiously, the article includes this paragraph:

The rental market "is equally troubling," the interim report says. It notes that vacancy rates are exceedingly low and that the median monthly rent was $1,194 in 2004, the most recent year for which figures are available. It estimates that the median has since risen to $1,373.

Which is strange because according to the Census Bureau, median monthly rent in 2004 was $1,097 and in 2005 it was $1,109. Not sure what to make of that. Perhaps the study’s author “Richard Clinch, director of economic research at the University of Baltimore's Jacob Finance Institute” gathered his own data.

Regardless, the article is worth reading.

Va. workers not sold on living in Md., survey says: So, all those people whose jobs are moving as a result of BRAC might not become our neighbors after all. Well, that would certainly relieve some pressure from the housing situation. Still, the survey comes with a caveat: “In his presentation to the County Council, Dr. Samuel Seymour, a member of the BRAC task force, characterized the survey as "premature" and said it was conducted when workers were in a "state of denial" about the move.” The transfer is scheduled to occur in 2010.

Volunteer group cleans up stream: Thank You. Can you come do the stream by my house next?