Bloggin' In Owen Brown

And we thought we were local. Owen Brown residents, or really anyone on the Columbia scene, should find the new blog Owen Brown News useful.

Welcome to the neighborhood.

Police Raid Draws Complaint

A pair of recent HoCo police raids in search of a department gun, ammunition and other items stolen from two marked police cruisers apparently failed to turn up the missing gear. Instead, the tactical squad allegedly left the homeowner with a sprained wrist, a dead dog, a bullet hole in his bed and a 12-year-old daughter who is scared every time she hears a knock on the door, according to this HoCo Times story.

Police claimed the dog, an Australian cattle dog, charged officers.

The Elkridge homeowner told the Times he has filed a complaint.

Move Along Please

Roadside beggars are a nuisance. Politicians not so much. At least that's what might be inferred from this Flier story saying the county's state legislative delegation approved eight bills for consideration this session, including another attempt to install cameras to catch speeders, and a bill to ban curbside solicitors on state roads.

The no solicitation bill is similar to laws passed for Anne Arundel and Prince George’s counties in previous legislative sessions.

Approved by the delegation at its Feb. 4 meeting in Annapolis, the Howard bill includes amendments that would allow people to stand along roads holding political signs. The amendments were aimed at addressing complaints from former political candidates worried about losing a “proven, effective” method of campaigning.

The bill will now be taken up by the House of Delegates, though no hearing schedule has been set yet.

Regarding the camera bill, Del. Gail Bates, a western Howard Republican, is trying to draft an amendment to steer any revenue from fines to charity.

Bates said the change is aimed at addressing complaints that the cameras "are nothing more than another tax."

When other lawmakers rejected her amendment because they considered it poorly worded, the bill was tabled to give her the chance to come up with better wording.

Fire Chief To Retire, Turn Off Blackberry

From HoCo Gov PR:

Howard County Executive Ken Ulman announced today that Chief Joseph Herr will be retiring as head of the County Department of Fire and Rescue Services on March 1, 2009. Herr has served as the head of this agency since December 2000. “I have been a firefighter for 38 years, and it’s a career I am quite proud of,” said Chief Herr. “I am honored to have had the privilege to serve the citizens of Howard County as Chief these past eight years and to lead the fine men and women of this department.”

“You would be hard pressed to find a more decent, honest public servant than Joe Herr,” said County Executive Ulman. “Whether it was fighting fires, responding to medical emergencies, or coordinating emergency preparedness, Joe has played a big part in bringing this department into the 21st century.”

Chief Herr began his career as a firefighter in 1971 with the Beltsville (Md.) Volunteer Fire Department. He went on to work in the District of Columbia’s Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department for 26 years. During his career Herr has literally worked his way up; he has served as a firefighter, a Sergeant, a Lieutenant, a Captain, a Battalion Chief, a Deputy Chief, an Assistant Chief, and finally as the Fire Chief. He holds a degree from the University of Maryland, a Masters from Johns Hopkins University, and has completed several safety and management courses, including the prestigious Senior Executive Fellowship from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Chief Herr has been actively involved in regional domestic preparedness issues through the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI.)

“Joe has agreed to stay on as Chief for the next month, and I have already asked for his input on finding the right person to lead us in the future,” said County Executive Ulman.

Chief Herr added, “I am looking forward to sleeping without an emergency radio and a BlackBerry on my nightstand.”

Is Slots Gamble Paying Off?

WaPo has an interesting story about efforts by state leaders to bring slot machines to Maryland.

State Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller says we all might have to start preparing for the reality that slots revenue will not meet expectations in coming years, when the program was expected to yield more than $600 million a year for education programs.

The plan envisioned slots venues at five sites in Allegany, Anne Arundel, Cecil and Worcester counties and Baltimore. On Monday, the commission handling bids announced that it had received six bids for 10,550 machines. Commission Chairman Donald Fry lowered that figure to 6,550 yesterday and said the commission will discuss the status of two bidders next week.

One of those facing disqualification is the Maryland Jockey Club, which has proposed putting slots at its Laurel Park racetrack in Anne Arundel. If disqualified, that would leave one other bid for the Anne Arundel site: a proposal by Baltimore-based Cordish to put 4,750 machines at Arundel Mills Mall, which is stirring controversy.

And there's this little curious fact in the story about the six "competitive" bidders:

If the two bidders are disqualified, the state will be left with four applicants, with one each for four of the five authorized sites.

State leaders, including Gov. O'Malley are counseling patience, the story says. And some are thinking about ways to encourage more participation.

Some lawmakers have raised the possibility of letting operators keep a greater percentage of earnings to make the sites more attractive. The law allows operators to keep 33 percent, one of the lowest shares in the country.

Is this what voters expected when they approved the slots referendum?

Save The Rain...

...and help restore our open space watersheds. That seems to be the message coming from CA these days as folks work on a plan to restore the streams and lakes. CA now has a watershed site that offers some baseline information on the condition of the waterways and some very basic tips on what homeowners can do to help.

With all the water our sump pump kicks out these days we're thinking we could use a rain garden or one of those rain barrels.

Stocking Up On Sweaters

At Columbia Talk headquarters we have one of those programmable thermostats that allow us to turn the heat waaaaay down at night and when we are typically not home. Still we've been surprised at the jump in our monthly BGE bill. And apparently we are not alone, according to this column by the Sun's Jay Hancock.


Metro Baltimore is freezing, worried about the recession and wondering why BGE bills are higher than ever even as the cost of gasoline, electricity and other energy has plunged.

Blame a cold winter and BGE's purchase of electricity last year when energy prices were hitting record heights. The popped energy bubble should eventually mean moderately lower BGE bills.

"In 2010, I think we'll see in the range of 5 to 10 percent potential drops in retail electric rates," says Mark Case, BGE's senior vice president of strategy and regulatory affairs. Natural gas rates could go down by much more.