🍦Please don’t feed the vultures

Good morning, Columbia. Yesterday someone told me that Americans are more likely to have placed a bet in the last year than read a book. Sure enough, I fact-checked it, and it’s true (57% to 48%). And now I’m sad. So I dare you to read a book this weekend. Doesn’t matter if it’s paper or Kindle, old or new.

In today’s Columbia Scoop:

Let’s get to it.

— Michelle Sinclair

HCPSS introduced seven new principals this week.

Howard Carter took over Jeffers Hill Elementary in Long Reach. He's spent 14 of his 22 years in education with HCPSS and was assistant principal at Guilford and Swansfield elementary schools. He says his dad inspired him. His father always wanted to teach, but he never got the chance to go to college.

Dr. Rhoda Núñez-Donnelly is the new principal at Oakland Mills Middle. She was assistant principal at Murray Hill and Harper's Choice middle schools, and before that she taught Spanish at Wilde Lake Middle and River Hill High. She has more than 20 educators in her family. Her great-grandfather was such a big deal as a teacher in the Dominican Republic that his hometown named streets after him.

Her advice for students: "Students should not just attend school. They should help shape it."

The other five are Michael Cometa at Folly Quarter Middle, Courtney Madden at Bushy Park Elementary, Jason Morton-Ortega at Triadelphia Ridge Elementary, Christine Johnson at Cedar Lane School, and Nicole Dennis at Marriotts Ridge High. Morton-Ortega's grandfather and both his parents taught in HCPSS. Johnson ran Cedar Lane as acting principal last year, and Dennis took over Marriotts Ridge in December.

Meet all seven (and hope your kids don’t do the same!)

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The nonprofit building The Source might have skipped Tuesday's County Council meeting. But at least they sent a letter (via lawyer).

📜 The backstory: Columbia Community Concepts got $25 million in county grants to turn the old Columbia Flier building into a community center. Councilmember Deb Jung says the group's annual report shows it's spent about half of that with little to show for it. She started raising red flags in February. Tuesday was the fifth time the group's been invited to a public meeting, according to Jung.

Attorney Gregg Bernstein called the invitation "pretextual." He wrote that Jung voted for the project twice, then turned on it after people tied to The Source backed her opponent in the county executive race. He also wrote that all the scrutiny "increases the cost of delivering the very project the County funded."

Jung opened the meeting by saying her concerns "have never been political or personal." Council Chair Opel Jones said the annual report is enough information for now.

🚧 Where it stands: Crews have torn down the old buildings, graded the site, and built the path to Wilde Lake Middle School. A water line and a retaining wall come next. Who's moving in is "proprietary."

The group's next annual report is due December 1. The new council takes office December 7. Bernstein suggested the new members decide whether more public meetings are worth it. Read the full letter.

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🎈 = family-friendly events

🎈🎶 ACW LIVE PRO WRESTLING at the Shepherd – WWE alumni Enzo Amore and James Ellsworth alongside independent wrestling talent in an all-ages show.

🎈🎃 Fall For All – Free fall festival at Howard Community College with pumpkin activities, moon bounces, corn maze, face painting, and food trucks. Costumes encouraged.

🎈🎃 The Haunted Experience – A spooky hayride designed for ages 7 and up at Rockburn Branch Park.

🍺 Eighth Anniversary Party at Sapwood Cellars – Celebrating with new beers, vintage kegs, and one-off releases.

🎨 Craft Fair & Maker's Market at Manor Hill – Local artisans, food trucks, live music, and farm-brewed beer. Vendor fees benefit the Howard County Festival of the Arts.

🎈🎨 Hispanic Heritage Festival – A free celebration of Latino and Hispanic cultures at the Chrysalis with live music, food trucks, vendors, and activities.

🎈🎨 Color Columbia Plein Air – About 50 artists set up around Lake Kittamaqundi and Wilde Lake to paint outside. Walk the lakes and watch them work.

🎈🔭 Public Star Party – The Howard Astronomical League sets up telescopes at Alpha Ridge Park at sunset. Saturday's forecast is clear.

🎈🌱 Gardening and Games for Middle Schoolers – Free gardening and games session for Howard County middle schoolers at Freetown Farm.

🎈🐐 Goat Yoga at Manor Hill – Yoga with baby goats, followed by goat time and a beverage of your choice. Ages 6 and up.

🎈🎃 Happy Haunted Hayride – A gentle daytime hayride for children ages 2 to 7, offering Halloween fun without fright.

🎈🎨 Craft Fair at Howard High – Free admission craft fair with 130+ vendors offering handmade items, art, and jewelry.

🎈🎶 Pops Concert at the Chrysalis – The Columbia Orchestra's free fall pops show on the Chrysalis lawn, with singer Lena Seikaly doing Duke Ellington and Jobim. It moved from Saturday to Sunday. Bring a blanket or a lawn chair.

🎻 Quatuor Danel & Cellist Natalie Clein – The French-Belgian Quatuor Danel makes its Chamber Music Maryland debut, joined by cellist Natalie Clein for Schubert's String Quintet at HCC’s Smith Theatre.

🎭 Summer – The Donna Summer Musical – Toby's Dinner Theatre presents the story of the Queen of Disco, complete with dinner and show.

🐴 FOXtoberfest "Yellowstone" Weekend – A Western-themed weekend in hunt country with a Friday barn party, Saturday ride, and Sunday hunting with Yellowstone flair.

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🦅 Vulture Culture – This is not satire. A Columbia woman who fed local vultures 10,000 pounds of raw chicken last winter lost her appeal this week. The result? She can’t feed the vultures, and a $2,500 fine imposed this summer stands. The judge’s take? “There’s enough roadkill along highways” for the vultures. ($)

🏛️ Hearing Aid – The County Council's public hearing is Monday at 7 PM. Two proposals could save you money. CB67 would double the senior property tax credit to 50% of your county bill starting in 2027. It's for homeowners 65 and up who meet income limits. CR188 would cap Animal Control adoption fees at $60 for a dog and $50 for a cat. Right now a dog can cost up to $291. Seniors and veterans could even adopt for free.

🗂️ Also on the Docket – Deb Jung has two bills. One says anyone who files an ethics complaint and talks about it publicly before the Ethics Commission concludes the matter could see it tossed and face sanctions. Jung was the subject of a complaint from The Source's developer in June. The other makes the inspector general a keeper of public records. Also up: $2.4 million to preserve a Woodbine horse farm, a $41 million school construction request, and much more.

🌊 Up a Creek – The State Highway Administration (SHA) restored about 4,250 feet of the Upper Little Patuxent River and a tributary back in 2015. Two big storms since then have piled up sediment, eaten away the banks, and wiped out plants. Now SHA is planning repairs and wants to hear from you. Stop by its open house at Centennial High School on Tuesday, October 20, from 6 to 8 PM. There's no presentation, just maps and staff. More info.

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64 🌡️ 56 | 🌧️ | 73% ☔ | 💨 NE 8 mph

80 🌡️ 45 | 🌧️ | 64% ☔ | 💨 SW 18 mph

54 🌡️ 37 | ☀️ | 7% ☔ | 💨 NW 18 mph

60 🌡️ 40 | ☀️ | 0% ☔ | 💨 W 6 mph

64 🌡️ 46 | ☀️ | 1% ☔ | 💨 S 7 mph

🌳🎵= Outdoor concert

Bare Bones | Kirk & Devin | 7–10 PM
Collective Encore | The Seven Wonders: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac (Night Two) | 7:30 PM | Tickets
Cured 1821 | Alisha Glover | 5–10 PM
The Morgan Inn | The Fog Acoustic Trio | 6–9 PM

Bare Bones | Virgil Cain | 8 PM–12 AM
Barn & Lodge | Brandt Dunn | 8–11 PM
Collective Encore | Cry Baby: The Janis Joplin Experience | 8 PM | Tickets
Cured 1821 | Jon Waller | 6–11 PM
Kelsey’s Restaurant & Irish Pub | The O'McPub Band | 6–9:30 PM
Looney's Maple Lawn | Liquid A | TBA
The Morgan Inn | Joint Venture | 8–11 PM
Smashing Grapes | Cynthia Marie | 8–11 PM
White Oak Tavern | Sam O'Hare | 8–10 PM

Bare Bones | Vertigo Red | 8 PM–12 AM
Barn & Lodge | Andy B | 8–11 PM
Collective Encore | Josh Christina Presents… Chuck Berry 100th Birthday Celebration | 8 PM | Tickets
Cured 1821 | Gene Okonski | 6–11 PM
Kelsey’s Restaurant & Irish Pub | Ciaran Quinn | 6–9:30 PM
Kelsey’s Restaurant & Irish Pub | Crossin' T's (tent) | 7–10:30 PM
Looney's Maple Lawn | Steal the Sky | TBA
The Morgan Inn | The Bobby Lewis Blues Band | 8–11 PM
Reckless Shepherd | Sun Room w/ Patton Magee, Kelly Bell Band, the Fitzkee Brothers (Sun Rider Fall Fest) | 5–11:30 PM | Tickets
Smashing Grapes | Andrew Bell | 8–11 PM
White Oak Tavern | Mercy Creek | 8–10 PM

Barn & Lodge | Jamie Bishop | 11 AM–2 PM
Collective Encore | Pete Evick’s Retro Rock Revival | 7 PM | Tickets
Cured 1821 | Sidestreet Duo | 5–9 PM
🌳🎵 Manor Hill Brewing | Dan Bregman | 2–5 PM
The Morgan Inn | Sunday Funday Music Jam with the Soul Family Band | 2–5:30 PM
Smashing Grapes | Justin Taylor | 11 AM–2 PM

Thanks for reading Columbia Scoop today. If you found something useful, please share it with your Long Reach friend who's been bewildered by vultures all year and finally has an explanation.