Graduation Sched Finally Released...

From HoCo schools:

Commencement Schedule 2009

All high school ceremonies will be held at Merriweather Post Pavilion.

Tuesday, May 26

12:00 noon Atholton (close at 10:45 a.m.)

4:00 p.m. Mt. Hebron High School

8:00 p.m. Centennial High School

Wednesday, May 27

12:00 noon Oakland Mills High School (close at 10:45 a.m.

4:00 p.m. Wilde Lake High School

8:00 p.m. Howard High School

Thursday, May 28

12:00 noon Hammond High School (close at 10:45 a.m.)

4:00 p.m. Glenelg High School

8:00 p.m. Reservoir High School

Friday, May 29

8:00 a.m. River Hill High School (open at 10:30 a.m.)

11:30 a.m. Marriotts Ridge High School (close at 10:45 a.m.)

4:00 p.m. Long Reach High School



Cedar Lane School not yet scheduled.

Posted by the HCPSS Public Information Office

HoCo To Build Two Fire Stations...

...and hire more 911 operators after finding out that response times are not what they should be, according to this Sun story.

New fire stations will be located in Glenwood and Mayfield. The latter facility will be located temporarily at the Mayfield Highway Maintenance Shop until the county finalizes a deal to purchase land at Route 175 and U.S. 1.

The new stations will be scaled-down versions of typical fire stations, officials said. The facilities will cost between $3 million and $4 million each, compared with between $10 million and $15 million for stations that usually include a community center and are outfitted with more equipment and more firefighters.

General Growth's Future Grows Gloomier

Chicago-based General Growth, owner of the mall, did not meet a deadline to work out a deal with the holders of debt associated with the former Rouse Co, and talks continue. From WaPo:

By Dana Hedgpeth
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, March 30, 2009; 9:48 AM

General Growth, the huge shopping mall owner that is struggling to avoid bankruptcy and is late in its debt payments, said today that it is continuing discussions with bond holders.

The company said in a statement that it did not achieve the minimum acceptance levels for a previously announced deal, which expired Friday. Some of the company's lenders have already moved to foreclose on its properties.

General Growth, based in Chicago, has nearly $30 billion in debt. It has been trying to get loan extensions and raise cash by selling some malls. It has gotten rid of its chief financial officer and suspended its dividend. Rating agencies have downgraded its credit ratings.

Some retail analysts predict the company is teetering on declaring bankruptcy. If it does so, that would be among the largest real estate downfalls in U.S. history.

The company owns and manages more than 200 regional shopping malls in 44 states. It owns Fashion Show in Las Vegas, Water Tower Place in Chicago and Faneuil Hall in Boston. Locally, it owns Landmark Mall in Alexandria, Tysons Galleria in McLean and Laurel Commons in Laurel.

The 50-year-old company was started by the Bucksbaum brothers, who were grocers. In the real estate market's boom years, General Growth used debt to aggressively buy properties. Its biggest acquisition came in 2004 when it paid nearly $13 billion for the Rouse Co., known for creating Columbia.

Jogger Talks About Attack

The Sun has an interview with Will Iberg, the man who was stabbed while jogging in Running Brook. The piece is chilling in describing how random the whole incident appears to be.

About 9:30 p.m., Iberg had passed a group of about 10 teenagers when he noticed one of them jogging behind him. No words were exchanged, and Iberg said that he didn't feel threatened.

Suddenly, Iberg said he felt he had been punched in the lower back. He kept running before realizing that he had been stabbed with a knife.

"I thought it was a punch until I looked; it was really bloody," Iberg recalled. "When you're finishing a long run, you have so much adrenaline and endorphins going. My gut instinct was to find someone to help."

Beware "Sexting"

Do we have your attention again? Here's a message from HoCo police posted on the school system's e-mail newsletter....

Parents of all middle and school students,

The Howard County Police Department wants to make you aware of a practice known as "sexting" that has been increasing in among area teenagers. "Sexting" involves teens using cell phones to send sexually charged materials like photos or videos of themselves to others, usually boyfriends or girlfriends.

It has become common for these images to be forwarded from the intended recipient to others and, in some cases, posted on the Internet. Some of these cases already have been brought to the attention of school administrators and the police department.

The police and school officials are concerned that Howard County is seeing similar “sexting” patterns as those being observed around the nation. Nationally, 39 percent of teens are sending or posting sexually suggestive messages, and 48 percent reported receiving such messages, according to a recent national study.

Many teens do not understand the risk posed by this practice. We are sharing this information so as parents you can be aware of this behavior and we are urging you to talk with your teen. Please let them know that this behavior is not only unhealthy and dangerous, it may be criminal. Teens involved in sending or receiving these types of images of anyone under the age of 18 could face child pornography charges. Penalties are serious, with fines of up to $10,000, ten years in prison, or both.

Our goal is not to arrest and charge teens, although in some cases such charges may be appropriate. But we do want to significantly reduce the practice of "sexting" in our teenage population. We think this can only be accomplished with parental involvement and we are asking for your help as our partners in this effort.

We are encouraging you to check your child's cell phone and e-mail account for content of this nature. If you believe your child, or any other, may be a victim of this practice, we encourage you to save the images and call the Howard County Police Department at 410-313-2200.

For more information, parents and teens can go here.

HoCo Beer Map

Now that we have your attention, check out the Baltimore Beer Guy for a listing of establishments serving beer.

Arbitron Announces Layoffs

Our newest corporate nameplate, Arbitron, which recently announced plans to move to Columbia, is laying off 10 percent of its workforce because of the slowdown in the economy, according to this Sun story.

Under the plan, 110 full-time positions, including 80 in the Baltimore area, would be eliminated, company spokesman Thom Mocarsky said in phone interview.

About 71percent, or 767, of the company's 1,084 full-time employees work in Columbia, where the company moved its headquarters this month. About 56 percent, or 269, of the company's 484 part-time workers work at the 275,000-square-foot campus.