🍦Wanted: Movies to film in HoCo

Good morning, Columbia. The last time the US won Olympic gold in men’s hockey, a dozen eggs cost $0.84, Meryl Streep was about to win her first Oscar, and Tom Brady hadn’t even started preschool.

In today’s Columbia Scoop:

Let’s get to it.

— Michelle Sinclair

Starting at 9 AM this morning, Dorsey Run Road between Tar Bay Drive and Patuxent Range Road is expected to be closed in both directions for railroad repair work. Weather permitting, it is expected to reopen by Thursday at 7 AM. A detour will be in place using MD 175, US 1, and Patuxent Range Road.

As of 8 PM on Sunday evening, HCPSS is operating on a two-hour delay. District leadership will reevaluate by 7:30 AM on Monday but since these emails are written the night before, this information may be outdated. That’s why Columbia Scoop isn’t your best source for snow days for school. Our 8 PM Sunday prediction: the reevaluation results in a closure. Promise we won’t edit before publishing if we’re wrong.

The County’s snow emergency plan is in effect which means no parking on roads and streets designated as snow emergency routes.

A federal grand jury indicted 36-year-old Columbia resident Tahseen Samo for international parental kidnapping stemming from a divorce and custody dispute. In 2020, Samo flew to Sweden where his ex-wife and minor son were visiting family and took the son home. At some point he texted his wife, “You will never see your son again.”

The son remained in his custody and divorce/custody proceedings began in April 2024. In November 2024, Samo and the child flew to Denmark, but only Samo returned to the US. In October 2025, courts granted Samo’s ex-wife sole custody, requiring Samo to surrender his son or reveal his location. Authorities located the child in Sweden this January and returned him to the US.

If convicted, Samo faces up to 3 years in prison.

Howard County is no stranger to the silver screen. It hosted The Blair Witch Project, Cry Baby (Johnny Depp’s fourth movie), and Species II. But all of that was in the 90s. And County Executive Calvin Ball wants more film crews. That’s why he just signed an executive order creating the FILM Task Force – FILM = Film Industry and Location Marketing.

County leaders say the goal is simple: make it easier for productions to film here, boost local businesses, and put Howard County on more location scouts’ short lists. If it works, don’t be surprised to see more camera crews, trailers, and maybe even a star sighting at your favorite coffee spot.

Loudon Avenue Traffic Calming Open House | County public works staff will share plans to add traffic calming features like speed humps and hear community feedback on Loudon Avenue safety improvements. | Elkridge Volunteer Fire Department Event Hall — Monday, February 23, 5–6:30 PM

Seneca Farm Road Stormwater Pond Repair Meeting | Howard County Stormwater Management will discuss proposed repairs to the Seneca Farm Road pond, including replacing key infrastructure and answering questions. | HCLS East Columbia Branch (Martin Thomas Room) — Wednesday, February 25, 6 PM

FY27 Residents’ Budget Hearing | County Executive Calvin Ball invites residents to give virtual testimony and comments on the proposed Fiscal Year 2027 budget. | Online via Webex — Tuesday, March 3, 6 PM

BikeHoward Master Plan Update Workshops | The Office of Transportation will hold a series of public workshops to gather feedback on the Bicycle Master Plan update.

💁 Know about a community meeting we haven’t listed? Reply and let us know!

West Friendship resident Ryan O’Connor has filed to run for Howard County Council’s District 5 seat — and, for now, he’s the only Republican seeking county office in 2026. The 47-year-old stepped in after Republican David Yungmann decided not to run again and Republican Gene Ryan dropped out in November.

O’Connor says he wants more dialogue in local government, with a focus on school quality, rural response times, and easing pressure on taxpayers. District 5 covers much of western Howard County, including Glenwood, Dayton, and Woodbine. The filing deadline is Feb. 24 and because of his late joining, he won’t be using the Citizens’ Election Fund. ($)

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Nothing in this section is sponsored. They're just the things you need to know. I'll always let you know when something's sponsored.

The Board of Education is scheduled to adopt its FY27 operating budget Thursday, advancing Superintendent William J. Barnes’ proposed $1.278 billion plan — a 5.1% increase over this year. Ahead of the final vote, board members restored 13 high school science paraeducators, 14 high school media specialists, and 20 middle school media paraeducators, and added 20 English Language Development teachers, plus funding for literacy training and dual enrollment. The request heads to the county executive next as he prepares the full county budget, with the County Council having final say and making its decision by June 1. ($)

Oakland Mills Middle School principal Regina McLendon has dropped out of the District 2 county council race and endorsed Arinze Ifekauche. The current District 2 council member is Chair Opel Jones. He has endorsed the Ifekauche’s opponent, Jessica Nichols. The filing deadline for the race is Tuesday.

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39 🌡️ 23 | 🌬️ | 20% | 💨 21 mph

36 🌡️ 28 | 🌤️ | 2% | 💨 12 mph

53 🌡️ 25 | 🌥️ | 11% | 💨 12 mph

Cured 1821 | Dave Leoni | 6 PM

Collective Encore | Jay Swanson Trio | 7:30 PM | Tickets

The Glenelg Gladiators defended their Howard County title with five champions and 223.5 team points, led by Phil Key’s third county crown and first-time winners Josh Choi, Daniel Bianco, Jonathan Sexton, and Mason Knapp. Oakland Mills’ Raul Rodriguez and Orlando Castelan-Cortez each claimed a third title as their school took third with 139 points. Hammond placed second with 189 points.

But the biggest milestone? The first girls tournament in 56 years. River Hill’s Yasmin Cedars earned Maria Romano-Sweitzer Outstanding Wrestler honors named for HoCo’s first female wrestler. And while there was no team champion, Atholton performed extremely well with six individual champions. ($)

River Hill’s Lauren and Marella Virmani delivered an “otherworldly” performance at the Class 2A indoor track state championships, powering the Hawks to their first indoor title since 2018. The senior twins combined for four individual state titles and ran on the winning 4×800 relay, racking up 61 of the team’s 76 points — nearly topping second-place Hereford on their own. Lauren won the mile and 2-mile, Marella captured the 800, and both piled up points across six grueling events. Next stop: Northwestern, where both will continue their running careers. ($)

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