You, too, can be a judge for a day
Come Nov. 8, some 1,000 Howard County residents will be working in the 100 area polling places where voters will cast ballots for Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump and whoever else becomes a bona-fide candidate for the White House, as well as for their senator, congressman, school board members and circuit court judge.Known as “election judges,” these volunteers will be paid from... READ MORE
Bloggers share their stories
Tina Collins shares her thoughts about caring for her mother, who has dementia, as well as her own mental illness, in two blogs. Bloggers write about what resonates with them — from gardening to grandparenting — and then post it online. You can create a simple blog at no cost on several sites.Photo courtesy of Tina Collins“There was a time when people sat around a campfire ... READ MORE
Doing their part for democracy
On Maryland’s primary election day in April, Thomas Mann got to his polling place a little before 6 a.m. — and didn’t leave until around 10 o’clock that evening.No, he didn’t spend 16 hours waffling between congressional candidates or figuring out Maryland’s new paper ballots. Rather, Mann serves as a chief election judge at his precinct in Bethesda.Mann... READ MORE
Making the world a better place
In the 1970s and ‘80s, Dave Dittman helped settle refugees from the Vietnam War and the Cambodia genocide into new lives in Howard County and around the U.S.In the 1990s, he started repairing houses in Baltimore’s inner city. And since 2005, he has made numerous trips to Mississippi to help rebuild Hurricane Katrina-ravaged homes. That volunteer work — and more... READ MORE
A fruitful hobby blossoms
Before Rose Wolford even moved the first piece of furniture into her new apartment at Charlestown retirement community, she was getting her hands dirty in her new garden.“I actually obtained my garden before I moved in,” said Wolford. “I brought over a few plants from my house, including some annuals and two low-growing woody plants.”Wolford and other residents of... READ MORE
A concert for remembering
For many Americans, Memorial Day is a harbinger of summer, a day off work, and a time to fire up the grill. But for actor Joe Mantegna, Memorial Day ranks as the country’s most important holiday.Mantegna, who has co-hosted the National Memorial Day concert on the Capitol lawn for 10 years with fellow actor Gary Sinise, says he wishes people would take a more contemplative view of the... READ MORE
The perfect storm (spotters)
The quick, violent downpour one day last fall registered high enough on the rain gauge in the backyard of David Alexander’s Columbia home for him to call the National Weather Service (NWS). After receiving the call, the NWS office covering the Baltimore-Washington area declared a flood alert.The unpredicted storm took the life of the driver of a car that was swept away, but... READ MORE
Keep calm and mobile with yoga
Suzy Pennington fell in love with yoga within the first five minutes of her first class. “It wasn’t just the exercise or the social component,” she said. “It was the mindfulness and the sense of paying attention. It brought quietness to my mind that I hadn’t experienced before.” Pennington was 39 at the time. Like many baby boomers who came of age in the ‘60s, she was... READ MORE
At Genesis, a new beginning
A stroke left Ernie Osunkoya unable to work or climb the three flights of stairs in the house where he lived. And he couldn’t afford most of the accessible apartments he looked at.So Osunkoya was overjoyed when he learned about Genesis, a new apartment building on Georgia Avenue NW in Washington, with an elevator and subsidized rent.An unexpected bonus of his move last November:... READ MORE
Class of ’69 reunites on screen
Staring at herself on the silver screen was no easy feat for Bailey Evans Fine — even though she’s had hard-charging positions in Baltimore City government, helped to manage the campaigns of several judges, and served as the right-hand woman to U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (all while raising a family).Fine is one of the women anchoring Women of ’69, Unboxed — a new... READ MORE
