Why The Jonas Bros Don't Come Here

The Sun's ExploreHoward blog reports that the operators of Merriweather have filed a federal antitrust suit against the world's largest concert promoter, claiming Live Nation is blocking acts from coming here.

The 11-count complaint claims Live Nation controls 19 of the top 25 regional markets in the country and wants to eliminate all competition so it can dominate all aspects of the music business. Live Nation signs deals with artists for entire tours and requires them to perform at only Live Nation-owned venues, the suit states.

That means major artists are performing at Nissan Pavilion, in Bristow, Va. and are skipping Merriweather. In 2008, fewer major acts performed in Columbia than in past years, the suit claims.

As an example, Merriweather points out that the Jonas Brothers performed at 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore rather than Merriweather, because Live National refused to let them play at Merriweather. Other acts that have performed in the past at Merriweather, including Maroon 5 and Pearl Jam, signed contracts with Live Nation that keep them from performing at the venue.

Real Lawn Chairs Are Web-Savvy

We couldn't resist this plea from River Hill...

Subject: Precision Lawnchair Marching Dads need CHAIRS!

River Hill Residents -- Do you have any of those "old fashioned" aluminum frame lawnchairs? If you do, then here is an opportunity for you: The Precision Lawnchair Marching Dads -- a highlight of our Independence Day Parade -- is in need of this kind of chair for its performance in the annual parade. The "Dads" can't find these chairs anywhere to purchase, thus, they are requesting help from the community. Even if your old chair needs rewebbing, that's okay.......the "Dads" have webbing to repair chairs.

If you can donate an old aluminum framed lawnchair to the "Dads", please contact Chris Wertman at cwertmanATaol.com or 410-531-0170.

Finally, A Proper Pharmacy...

....may be coming to our side of town. According to the Baltimore Sun, a HoCo hearing examiner has overruled the planning board and approved plans for a Walgreen's at Thunder Hill Road and Route 175.

Then again, there's this from a former member of the Columbia Council:

Barbara Russell, one of a group of residents who oppose the store, said they are considering pursuing legal action to block it.

The Columbia Desert

Except for all the kid-sports cancellations, we've enjoyed the relative cool, green spring this year. Then we spent some time noodling over the government's latest climate change report, which made us appreciate the weather a little more.

The Rolling Playground

This is how the HoCo PD rolls this summer:

To encourage constructive activities for youth during the summer, the police’s youth division has developed the mobile Community Athletic Program, or CAP, which consists of a traveling trailer filled with sports gear, games and video game equipment and staffed by school resource officers and other youth services officers.

Funding for the mobile CAP is provided by an anti-gang grant from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The concept is for police to engage with youth in areas where young people congregate during the summer. The CAP will differ from the unstaffed open space and sports facilities throughout the county. It will provide positive options for youth in their own neighborhoods – and in locations where crime tends to increase in the summer, including near shopping centers, apartment complexes, foot paths and tot lots – under the supervision of police and on a drop-in basis. The CAP’s prevention/intervention model will target middle- and high-school-aged youth who do not yet have transportation but are too old for traditional, supervised summer activities.

The trailer will visit a different neighborhood each day of the week and then return to that neighborhood on the same day in subsequent weeks. It will better utilize school resource officers by deploying them to work with youth throughout the summer. During past summers, SROs had been assigned throughout the agency while school was out.

The CAP will be integrated into the agency’s multi-faceted crime-fighting and anti-gang strategy.

Coyote Talk

From Town Center:

INFORMATION SESSION ON COYOTES IN COLUMBIA

Thursday, June 18, 2009

7:00 p.m.

Historic Oakland, 5430 Vantage Point Road

Presented by Robert Colona
State Furbearer Project Leader
Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Hurry and register!! We need twenty people registered for this program to run.
Call 410-730-4744 or email tcstaff@columbiavillages.org to register.

Sponsored by the Town Center Community Association

Traffic Flows Both Ways

Our Montgomery County friend over at the Just Up the Pike blog recently put together a list of "68 things I love about east county (part two)" that included these observations:

Merriweather Post Pavilion. Some of the biggest names in music/comedy/whatever have performed just ten minutes away from home - and, unlike those suckers in Howard County, we don't have to deal with the traffic from it.

Columbia Pike/Colesville Road/Route 29. Dr. Gridlock joked that it's becoming "95-Lite" because of the new interchanges on it, but says it's still a better bet than 95 if you're heading downtown.

We would just like to add that some of us HoCo suckers are happy to accommodate the occasional Merriweather crowd in exchange for the hospitality MoCo-ites extend us every day as we pass through their fair county on 95-lite. ;)