Talking about Abingdon, MD

In Spite of all the traffic hassles...

2011-11-29T11:43:00.000-05:00

We love Wegmans. The staff is friendly, it's clean and not very expensive--with the exception of the prepared food section. With that area, enter at your own risk! Home Goods is cursed with the pre-existing Weis parking lot which is too small and insanely arranged. It's very busy and has brought some life back to that center.
Our only complaint, sitting through the extra lights to get there from our side of the 24/Tollgate intersection/manmade disaster area. In our imaginations of what that intersection would look like, we imagined that we would have the light at Constant Friendship and then breeze over to the Wegmans. Now we have an extra stoplight and it takes twice as long as it used to.
And when is it going to be finished? Why as we write this is one lane of traffic closed and orange barrels everywhere? When?
Also, if you missed it, in Friday's Aegis there was an article about how great the traffic pattern was. The reporter talked with various officials who said they hadn't heard anything negative, thereby helpfully providing a laundry list of people who are going to get complaints from us at TAA. Thank you Aegis.

What the expletive expletive expletive

2011-11-21T22:04:00.000-05:00

We tried to be hopeful about the new traffic pattern but after almost facing mortality up close tonight after encountering a traffic barrel in the road on newly divided highway we have really had it.
What insane group of highly paid consultants designed this cluster expletive expletive. No one is using the highly touted bridge to Bel Air except to bypass the now --and one would guess forever-- jam packed conditions at the Tollgate/Emmorton Road "exit" of 24 to make an illegal u-turn.
Since the new traffic pattern emerged we have personally experienced the following:
** sideswiped while trying to "merge" onto traffic speeding down the hill on 24 to exit at 95 south. Merging out of Constant Friendship there is nowhere to go except into the line of traffic trying merge over and presumably kill you.
** watched numerous people try to drive over the median to get to the Tollgate Road area.
*** saw someone run into barrel dividing the new area.
*** watched dozens and dozens of vehicles come up the hill on 24 and make an illegal u-turn at the light at Singer to get to Walmart/Target, etc.
*** traffic backed up to Crisfield Drive from the light at Constant Friendship.
So who was this designed for? Not for the thousands and thousands of Wegman's customers who are forced to take the Tollgate exit and block all the lanes coming down the hill at Emmorton Road to try to get to 95.
Definitely not, as if anything is ever built to benefit the residents of Abingdon Ha!, for those of us here in Abingdon.
Who to complain to? Joe Woods? David Craig? The MTA? Who cares? It's done. I guess we should just say thank you that they didn't just bulldoze us out of here for the convenience of people trying to get out of Bel Air.

Not-free summer movies at Regal in Abingdon

2011-06-28T12:07:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the confusion with the old link. Here are updated times for the formerly free, now $1 movies at Regal.

6/28-6/29 (10am)DESPICABLE ME HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
7/5-7/6 (10am)ASTRO BOY CHRONICLES OF NARNIA
7/12-7/13 (10am)SHREK FOREVER AFTER YOGI BEAR
7/19-7/20 (10am)KARATE KID RAMONA & BEEZUS
7/26-7/27 (10am)MARMADUKE TALE OF DESPEREAUX
8/2-8/3 (10am)ALPHA AND OMEGA NANNY MCPHEE RETURNS
8/9-8/10 (10am)CLOUDY W/ MEATBALLS PIRATES WHO DON'T DO ANYTHING
8/16-8/17 (10am)DIARY OF A WIMPY KID OPEN SEASON 3

Abingdon Community Council Meeting Tonight

2011-04-25T11:38:00.000-04:00

Here's a look at tonight's agenda. We here at TAA have a previous commitment so can't attend. Please post here if you'd like to update us on what happened. The meeting is at 6:30 at the library.

Abingdon Community Council Agenda

April 25 2011

Guest Presentation

Bob Ward

Jim Martin

Developers Box Hill South Project Update

Government Updates:

1. Sheriff’s representative

2. County Executive’s representative

3. County Councilman Joe Woods

Review of Minutes

Old Business

Next meeting Traffic report by DPW and State Roads

Face book update

Community involvement with communication

New Business:

Announcements:

Next Meeting

May 23, 2011 6:30 Abingdon Branch Harford County Public Library

Bass Pro Shop is Coming-Not

2011-04-04T15:11:00.001-04:00

Unconfirmed (but reliable) reports do indeed have Bass Pro Shops coming, but not to the former Weis location, but to the Wegman's complex, or should we say Boulevard at Box Hill South.
Also, a shoe store will take over the Weis building. And in the dreams do come true department, we are hearing it is a DSW.
Please see comment below. This was discussed at a community meeting as something that was coming.

"Hairspray"

2011-03-11T10:46:00.000-05:00

Check out the new Edgewood High School and auditorium—-which we have seen and is really an impressive facility—-by enjoying the Baltimore-centric "Hairspray," presented by Edgewood High School. Performances are at 7:30 today and Saturday, and a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday. The cost is $8 for adults and $6 students. Call 410-612-1500 for more information.

A Site We Like

2011-03-10T19:58:00.001-05:00

While we thank you for reading us for local happenings, we realize that you can't get all your news from our sporadic blogging. We'd love to point you in the direction of belair.patch.com that has been doing great work.
For example, they are the only place to get a list of road closures this evening. We appreciate the attention to breaking news without all the blood-pressure inducing comment boards of other sites.

Early Years Expo Looking for Vendors

2011-03-09T13:26:00.000-05:00

From Harford County Government:

Vendors Needed for the Early Years Expo
The Harford County Department of Community Services Local Management Board, in collaboration with the Early Childhood Roundtable, is seeking vendors for The Early Years Expo, an early childhood resource fair to be held on Saturday, April 9, 2011 from 9:00am to 1:00pm at Abingdon Elementary School, 399 Singer Road in Abingdon.
The Early Years Expo is for local families with children ages birth to five years to learn about a wealth of early childhood related opportunities that exist in Harford County. The Department of Community Services Local Management Board believes in educating families about community resources and making the lineage between valuable services and the families they exist to serve. The better connected that families are to community resources, the more likely children will be provided with the building blocks of early childhood development.
Vendor Registration is due by March 18. Click here for the Vendor Registration Form. Vendors will be given the option of purchasing a table and ad space in the event program (see Vendor Registration Form for details). Event sponsorship opportunities are also available.
For more information, contact 410-638- 3166.

Odds, Ends

2011-03-07T15:01:00.000-05:00

** The Fallston Walmart is slated to open on March 16, so maybe this will alleviate some of the traffic in Constant Friendship when shoppers realize that even after a facelift a few years ago, the Abingdon Walmart still is lacking when compared to newer stores. The Fallston Walmart will have groceries, and we're guessing a less insanely designed parking lot.
** The newly formed Abingdon Community Council has a new Facebook page, if you are social media-inclined.
** The "opening soon" Pelican Cove is sporting new signage.
** A sure sign of spring, the Rita's on Emmorton Road is now open.
** Abingdon Elementary is getting a new playground. Money is coming from the school, county, PTA and private donations (which are still being accepted). We are excited because let's face it, there is no decent playground in Abingdon.

Abingdon Community Council

2011-02-27T19:13:00.000-05:00

The newly formed Abingdon Community Council will have its first meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at the Abingdon Library. The council is set to meet every fourth Monday. The agenda wasn't posted on the site, but we hope will be after this first meeting.
Council members are: Carlin Cook, Cynthia Hergenhahn, Earl Grey, Gregory Ralph Durham, Lucas Anderson and Susan Rausch Cook.

Overheard in Abingdon

2011-02-20T17:44:00.000-05:00

We've been unable to confirm a Bass Pro Shop is going in across from Wegman's, where Weis now resides. We're skeptical because Bass Pro Shops are usually pretty large and we believe everything currently in the center would have to go to make room.
The restaurant that may someday inhabit the defunct Country Kitchen has changed its named to Pelican Cove, according to its sign out front.
Saturday's wind caused damage throughout Abingdon. We were very thankful for our underground power lines yesterday.
More developments are coming. Route 7, near the HaHa Branch, will see new development, as well as more houses coming to Monmouth Meadows.
Bel Air Patchis reporting vandalism at Patterson Mill Middle/High School, something you won't see anywhere else. We here at TAA are pleased to see a local "Patch." While we enjoy reading The Dagger, it has become the home of flamers that incense us every time we visit. The Patch's focus is on news.

Abingdon Community Council

2011-01-14T15:00:00.003-05:00

Please consider joining. The last time the county put out this notice, there were just a few applicants (including us here at TAA). The council was never formed because of lack of interest. It's your community! Do something!

Here's the press release:
(Bel Air, MD) - - Harford County Executive David R. Craig has announced he
will soon be expanding the number of community councils by two. The County
Executive, along with Councilwoman Mary Ann Lisanti and Councilman Joe Woods
are seeking interested individuals to serve on the Abingdon and Bush River
Community Councils respectively.

“Community Councils have served as an effective vehicle for disseminating
and receiving information to citizens and their communities,” remarked County
Executive Craig. “We thank Councilwoman Lisanti and Councilman Woods for their
interest in developing additional community councils to help better serve the needs or
our constituents,” Craig stated.

An information and organizational meeting for the two proposed Community
Councils will be held on January 24, 2011 from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at the
Abingdon Library, located at 2510 Tollgate Road in Abingdon.

Community Councils were initiated by former County Executive James M.
Harkins in the fall of 1999. The councils replaced the previous Community Planning
Councils which began during the Rehrmann Administration.

Community Councils are significantly different than the previous Community
Planning Councils. Community Planning Councils focused on planning-related
issues. Community Councils take a much broader view of local community issues
and recommend to the Administration how best to address such areas of concern.

Goals of Community Councils are as follows:

• Strengthen existing communities and neighborhoods and help achieve a satisfying quality
of life for county residents.
• Advise the County Executive on issues of concern and interest in local communities.
• Act as a liaison between members of the community-at-large and the Harford County
Administration.
• Increase citizen participation and responsibility in community throughout Harford County.

Presently there are local Community Councils in the following geographic regions of Harford County: Dublin/Darlington; Edgewood; Fallston; Joppa/Joppatowne and Whiteford/Street. Councils shall meet at least four times per year, although they may choose to meet more regularly if necessary.

For further information regarding the work of Community Councils, or to obtain an
application to serve, contact the Office of the County Executive, Office of Constituent Services at 410-638-3511, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Restaurant opening?

2011-01-10T12:10:00.003-05:00

Pelican Pete's, located in what briefly was the Country Kitchen, appears to be opening soon, with a sign out reading just that. The owner, received tentative liquor license approval all the way back in October 2009, was required to report to the liquor board every 30 days after a meeting in May when the liquor board threatened to revoke the license because of the stalled opening.
The project has been much delayed, but we are hoping that the end result will be a vast improvement from the dismal restaurant that inhabited the space previously.

Weis in Abingdon Closing

2011-01-06T14:56:00.002-05:00

Weis will close its door Feb. 26. This is not surprising, but sooner than we expected. Certainly the two years of construction before Wegman's opens didn't help its finances. But we must say we won't miss the terrible parking lot. We did get a few good birthday cakes in there, however.

Looking Up for 2011

2011-01-05T18:37:00.003-05:00

Reading back on some of our most recent posts, we've noticed that traffic, construction, and general idiocy have been getting us down. But for 2011, at least in this entry, we're going to look at some bright spots.

As much as we hate the mass destruction of thousands of trees and an awesome sled riding hill at Box Hill South, when perusing a recipe last week we immediately thought, "Where in Harford County could we find these ingredients?" And then we had a happy thought. Maybe if at some point we can safely get through the bottleneck at Tollgate/MD 24 in September, we can go to Wegman's and buy the ingredients. What will it be like to be able to find the unusual right here in Harford County? And so close. When that construction is completed, we're sure we will breeze right over there, problem-free. (OK, we admit there might be just a smidge of sarcasm there.)
We're also hoping that a new movie theater will make an appearance at the Boulevard. On seeing "True Grit" on opening day, we were bombarded with noise from the movie next door. (Bonus movie critique: True Grit is a must-see.)

In some of our previous posts, there were also comments on Abingdon students attending Edgewood Middle and High Schools. While no one was more concerned than we were about sending our children to EMS with all the horror stories (everyone's on drugs, pregnant, homeless, gang-banged, etc) we could not be happier with the experience our student has had since attending this fall.

Two years ago we attended a meeting of the Alternate Governance Board which had chosen, of its available three options, to hire a new principal. We were skeptical that this indeed, would make any difference. But we have seen firsthand the difference one person can make when he has the tools and the authority to effect change. Dr. Lawrence Rudolph, who was given the authority by the state, not HCS, was able to hire and fire who he wanted. For years, Edgewood was a dumping ground for teachers who the county could not or would not fire. While the former superintendent talked about how much she wanted success in Edgewood, the actions of the front office clearly showed otherwise. When you walk into the building now, the change is palpable. While before when we went into EMS it was dirty with broken water fountains, it's cleaner and brighter. There are student organizations there now that didn't exist before. The teachers take time to talk to parents and work with the students.

It's not perfect, after all, it is middle school. There have been fights, just as there have been at any other middle school. There are students facing problems that students at Fallston don't have to worry about. That doesn't make them bad students--it just makes it more challenging to teach them. But when the drug-sniffing dogs came, the police officer said it was the cleanest school in the county. That's something you will never read in The Aegis.

We have had conversations with school board members in the past where they have said, "well, it's not really that bad there." They were trying to convince us to send our children there because, hey, it could be worse. They were apologists because they didn't really want to admit there was a problem. Once the state and federal government said there IS a problem, only then did it change. As much as this county hates state intervention, we would personally like to send them a thank you card for stepping in at EMS.

So we're starting out 2011 with optimistic realism, if that's possible. The bluebirds have returned to our back yard, the library's winter reading program has started, and for now, everything's looking OK.

You Know What's Funny?

2010-12-23T19:44:00.003-05:00

Receiving a call from Harford County advising patience when driving this evening because of congestion on MD 24 and Tollgate Road.
From our vantage point here at 7:45 p.m. we can see that the traffic is still crawling out of Constant Friendship Blvd. Now certainly this couldn't have been a surprise to anyone, it being a few hours before Christmas. But did the county do anything to prepare for this gridlock? No. They couldn't have just checked to see if maybe the traffic lights were synched? They couldn't have assigned a traffic patrol there earlier today, before the problem started?
We'd like to say that we are hopeful for the future. That when the construction is complete there will be an end to the congestion, which is a daily event, not something just saved for a special occasion. But the new traffic pattern will not address the real problem that the county, in its foresight when giving its blessing to the center failed to address. There's only one way in, and one way out.
So to those people who fought the proposed outlet mall that would have had its own entrance onto Interstate 95 and are probably long gone from Abingdon, we'd like to say thank you very much, and Merry Christmas.

Andy Harris..Hard at Work

2010-11-16T14:19:00.003-05:00

We usually try to stay out of politics, but the hypocrisy factor is just too high on this one. Politico -- and many other media outlets --are reporting that our soon to be Rep. Andy Harris caused quite a stir demanding he get his goverment health insurance early.

This is of course, the same man who does not believe in government subsidized health care, caught complaining that he would have to wait an entire month after he was sworn in to receive the benefit. He was quoted as saying, ""This is the only employer I've ever worked for where you don't get coverage the first day you are employed," and he spokeswoman said he was merely pointing out how "inefficient" the government run plan was.

We would really like to know where he has been working. In our indentured servitude as reporters, we sometimes had to wait as long as 3 months, with the shortest being 1month.

Putt Putt Closing

2010-10-25T20:47:00.002-04:00

The Putt Putt Fun Center/Stars and Stripes Grill is closing on Oct. 31. A result of the economy? We will keep our thoughts to ourselves on this one. We studied journalism law in college.

Lane Closures/New Traffic Pattern

2010-10-12T09:15:00.002-04:00

The new traffic pattern went into effect last night, and we must say it sounded last night as if they were bombing the new traffic pattern into place. Very loud.
Here's the official release. We've corrected the dates. The project was delayed last week because of the torrential rain. This says the lane closures should be over, but sources tell us some are still in place.

WHAT: Weather permitting, a new traffic pattern will be put into place at the MD 24 and MD 924/Tollgate Road temporary intersection which will result in two traffic signals for MD 924/Tollgate Road motorists. The new pattern also will have traffic shifted onto the new ramps from MD 24 to MD 924/Tollgate Road.
To prepare for the new pattern, single-lane closures will be in effect on northbound and southbound MD 24 approaching MD 924. In addition, periodic traffic drags will take place in both directions of MD 24 and on the ramp from southbound Interstate 95 to northbound MD 24. During the traffic drags, police will bring vehicles to a reduced pace prior to the work zone.
WHEN: On MONDAY OCT 11, at approximately 7 p.m., the right lane of southbound MD 24 will be closed. At approximately 8 p.m., the right lane of northbound MD 24 will be closed. Traffic drags will take place throughout the night. Work is anticipated to be complete and the new pattern put into effect by 5 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 12. In the event of inclement weather, the work will take place Wednesday night beginning at 7 p.m.
WHY: The new traffic pattern is being implemented to allow construction of the MD 24 bridge over MD 924 and Tollgate Road as part of the I-95/MD 24 Improvement Project.

Election Results and Thoughts on Voting

2010-09-15T08:52:00.003-04:00

Here are the unofficial election results from yesterday's primary:

Harford election results

We voted in the primary election yesterday to cast a vote for our elected school board. While we were very excited about this, our excitement was dashed when we realized that as a Democrat, we had absolutely no say in how this county will be run in the coming years.

We did not have a choice on the county council, of which Abingdon of course again, will not be represented. Please don't tell me that Joe Woods is concerned with Abingdon. If he did he might have expressed concern that we are in the middle of a crime wave, which has not been mentioned by anyone (and of course not our local newspaper). We are especially saddened to not have a choice because the last race was very tight against incumbent Roni Chenowith.

We also did not have a choice in county executive. As we watch more and more trees come down in Abingdon to make way for more retail and minimum wage jobs, we would have liked to have a chance to at least express our displeasure. But this option was not available.

As we drove past the palatial rec center that bears her name last week, we recalled a conversation we had with the late county councilwoman who said how for years she thought about trying to get us some "greenspace" in Abingdon. And (we're paraphrasing but not too much), how it would be great if we could have a "park" in Abingdon.
Well now we do. It's going to be called the Box Hill South office park with theaters and just tons of things to do.

We could not be more upset with the Democratic party who did not even field candidates. While you're giving up, we're getting paved over. Rant over.

Aegis Editorial Cartoon

2010-08-11T09:44:00.003-04:00

Maybe we've had too much coffee or read too much forwarded invective from a certain political party, but we really were offended by The Aegis editorial cartoon in today's paper.
In it, two people are talking. One white, one African-American. The white man is enthusing, wide-eyed, about how it's only a few people in Edgewood who are giving it a bad reputation. "Together we can take back the community." While the other person replies, "That shouldn't be too hard...'cept the guns and no respect for the law."
Our problem with this is twofold. The first is that it has nothing to do with anything else in the paper. The Bel Air police blotter is just as long as Edgewood in today's paper.
The second, is why does the African-American woman have to say, "'cept the guns.." Because she's African-American and assumably living in Edgewood does she have to speak in slang?
Edgewood is not perfect and that's not what we're saying. It has nothing to do with that. It has to do with the fact that there are so many stereotypes in this one small political cartoon it is mind-numbing. People who talk about the liberal media bias need just to look at this cartoon. There is no such thing in Harford County.

Crime on Crisfield Drive

2010-08-05T12:42:00.002-04:00

Crisfield Drive seems to be in the midst of a crime wave. There was a breaking and entering and several car break-ins in the last few weeks, all on Crisfield Drive. Also several accounts of shots fired near the apartments.
Keep your car doors locked and your house doors locked, especially the sliders. That's how the burglars got in the house in the breaking and entering.
Be alert, and if you see anything suspicious, call 911.

Cokesbury Memorial UMC to Celebrate College's 225th Anniversary

2010-06-14T13:03:00.001-04:00

Cokesbury Memorial United Methodist Church is gearing up to celebrate the 225th anniversary of Cokesbury College, the first Methodist college in the world on June 20.
The celebration will begin with worship on the lawn at 10:30 a.m. with featured speaker the Rev. Dr. Laurence Hull Stookey. Following the service, a box lunch will be served and Bonnie McCubbin will give her presentation, “Mystery Unearthed: Cokesbury College An Investigation into the History and Demise of the First Methodist College.” The discussion will focus on the mysterious circumstances of the fire that led to the total destruction of the college in 1795.
At 1 p.m., the afternoon festivities kick off with a circuit rider and Ken Steward as Francis Asbury, who will recreate the “foundation sermon” Bishop Asbury gave on June 5, 1785 at the site.
The Rev. Dennis Schulze will rededicate the college monument that was erected during his tenure as pastor of Cokesbury Memorial UMC at 2 p.m.. He will also discuss the excavation of the college site that he led in the late 1960s.
There also will be live music by the Lickety Split Banjo Boys and the church’s praise band, Joyful Noise.
Visitors also can tour the church and its grounds and view the famous Abingdon Bell, which will be making its way back to Abingdon from the Methodist archives at Lovely Lane especially for the celebration.
The free celebration will take place rain or shine. Please bring lawn chairs or picnic blankets. The church is located at 1304 Abingdon Road, Abingdon, MD. For more information phone (410) 676-6295 or visit cokesburymemorial.org.

Free Movies at Regal Summer 2010

2010-05-28T12:10:00.003-04:00

Regal is once again offering free movies. This is great for us here at TAA. With ticket prices going up, we're probably limiting ourselves to Toy Story 3 this summer.

06/22/2010-06/23/2010 Charlotte's Web (G)
Astro Boy (PG)
06/29/2010-06/30/2010 Doogal (G)
Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs (PG)
07/06/2010-07/07/2010 Horton Hears A Who (G)
Aliens In The Attic (PG)
07/13/2010-07/14/2010 Rugrats The Movie (G)
Planet 51 (PG)
07/20/2010-07/21/2010 Pirates Who Don't Do Anything (G)
Bandslam (PG)
07/27/2010-07/28/2010 Wallace and Gromit (G)
Night At The Museum II (PG)
08/03/2010-08/04/2010 Tale of Despereaux (G)
Alvin And The Chipmunks Squeakquel (PG)
08/10/2010-08/11/2010 Space Chimps (G)
Hotel For Dogs (PG)
08/17/2010-08/18/2010 Muppets From Space (G)
Monsters Vs. Aliens (PG)

Road Alert

2010-05-27T12:43:00.002-04:00

We have not blogged in a while because of the overall depression of seeing almost every tree in Abingdon destroyed with the building of the faux Main Street in Box Hill. That might be a slight exaggeration about the trees, but it's really starting to seem that way.
It's almost Memorial Day and with that comes increased road insanity. You'd think that with the rash of motorcycle deaths on Harford roads would come increased awareness of motorcycle drivers. And while I know that car, truck and SUV drivers are not blameless, it was a motorcycle that passed us on the windiest section of Whitaker Mill Road--on a blind curve.
There have been two accidents in as many days on Tollgate Road near Abingdon Elementary. And although we have not seen the police reports, our eyewitness account to the damage points to speed being in an issue in at least one of the crashes.
This is also a very popular walking spot, and when hurried drivers veer around a vehicle making a left turn, they can't be sure there are not walkers, joggers or a stroller around that vehicle.
Where is the common sense? Is it really that urgent to get to Target, Festival or your child's baseball game that you're putting others in danger?
And while we usually like to shelter in place during Memorial Day, that's not an option this year. So please be careful.

Priorities?

2010-03-03T09:40:00.002-05:00

With all the issues facing our county it is encouraging to us to read in The Aegis that our Harford County delegation is focusing on making English the official language of Harford County. Please note the heavy sarcasm we are using.
We are in a recession, the state is broke, and we are probably going to have to take out a loan to pay our BGE bill and THIS is a priority? We are sure there are people who are applauding their dedication to this crushing problem. We are not in that camp.

More Structural Peril

2010-02-13T09:57:00.003-05:00

The VFW is only one of many buildings experiencing damage from the weight of 40 inches of snow. Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Edgewood will not have mass this weekend because the roof of the hall is in bad shape. Prince of Peace is not the only church being inspected for damage. We'll keep you posted.

Roof Collapse

2010-02-10T18:44:00.002-05:00

Got a report that the American Legion in Edgewood had its roof collapse and the building has been condemned. We'll update if we hear more.

ABC2 Reporting in Edgewood

2010-02-10T18:04:00.002-05:00

If you're looking for Harford County coverage, ABC 2 has a reporter stationed near the Denny's in Edgewood doing live stand-ups. It's amazing, to us at least, all the folks still driving on MD 24. And not just pick ups and SUVs, smaller cars. The reporter said that people were going to Denny's and also to the Exxon there, which he said was low on fuel.
If you don't have to be out, don't be. There are people who need to be out: police, firefighters and medical workers who need to get into work. Do them a favor and if you're just out joyriding, stay home.

Blizzard Part 2

2010-02-10T11:46:00.003-05:00

Parts of Abingdon were without power around Box Hill South, but some power has been restored. Here in our part of of Abingdon we have had a recent pass of a snow plow and our road would be passable in an emergency. Of course, with the wind and blowing snow we can barely see the road.

Roads-Not Great

2010-02-09T10:18:00.002-05:00

We just ventured out and the roads are not great. Tollgate north of Singer Road still is snow covered in some spots. The traffic circles are slushy with ice underneath.
And the drivers currently on the road are ignoring the conditions. After an ill-fated trip to Bob Evans, with apparently everyone in Harford County, trying to get out of the parking lot was difficult when we were met by an SUV-driving woman talking on her cell phone who didn't even see us and drivers whipping around snow drifts who almost hit us head on.
Please remember when you're driving, you're not the only person on the road. Be aware that your lane might end abruptly. Conditions are only going to worsen so please drive slowly and carefully. Oh, and one more thing, HANG UP AND DRIVE.

The Truth About Wegman's

2010-01-14T15:07:00.002-05:00

We feel pretty silly right now. In all our starry-eyed wonder about the possibility of this great grocer heading into Abingdon, we must have overlooked the dream of David Craig to make every millimeter in Abingdon a commercial, tax-paying base that will pay for the great schools in the other part of the county. Otherwise we're sure we would have noticed that the center will include:
Over 450,000 sf of premium retail space
50,000 sf of restaurants
"Main Street" feel showcasing an eclectic mix of value and specialty retailers
An 88,000 sf multi-level office building
When complete, center will contain up to 700,000 sf of gross leasable area and over 3,500 parking spaces

To read more click here

Christopher Matthews to Relocate

2010-01-11T08:28:00.002-05:00

Fans of Christopher Matthews will be happy to learn that in February the store will be moving to a new location at 2239 Old Emmorton Rd, just a block away from Festival. We are huge fans of its card selection and unique gifts.
We've got to wonder what the owners of Festival are thinking. It's another empty storefront, in the last few years it's lost:
Bombay;
Mattress Giant (or Mr. Mattress, a matress store nonetheless)
Card Factory
Moxleys,
Carpet store
Cheeburger Cheeburger

We'd like to see something new in there that's NOT a Halloween store or temporary cheap bookstore.

We have been meaning to blog....

2009-12-10T16:35:00.002-05:00

But have been stuck at the traffic light at Tollgate/Rte. 24 for the past two months. Please forgive us. Since we got out of there we have been avoiding the intersection. Although, true story, while we were sitting there, before they destroyed the previous road, we saw MORE THAN ONE CAR attempting to drive around the "Road Closed" sign to get to 24. And no, it wasn't a construction worker.
In our absence, we missed quite a few happenings. One of the most disturbing is the Aegis account of what happened on Halloween night at The Stars and Stripes Grill at the Putt Putt Center across from Regal Cinemas. Gambling, gangs and an absent owner. Just what this area needs. Why was this just a slap on the hand offense? Until the liquor board gets serious, what's the motivation NOT to do this again? The money certainly seemed to flow.

September 25-24/Tollgate Nightmare Begins

2009-09-21T16:34:00.002-04:00

Maybe one of our smarter readers can explain another way to get into Constant Friendship. Our advice: don't go to Walmart/Target/BJs.
Here's the link that "explains" why this is going to help everyone!
Read it and weep here

Where is the Civility?

2009-09-09T18:49:00.003-04:00

We've been following the latest comments over at The Dagger and quite frankly our heads are about to explode. While we enjoy the articles, the comment section has denigrated into name-calling and overall nastiness. At one point the comments were insightful, but now they're just inciteful. One we just read comparing our current president to Hitler, saying he brainwashed the children with his speech yesterday, makes us feel sick.
And it's not just the anonymous commenters that seemed to be filled with bile, it's the anonymous drivers running redlights, cutting us off, and sometimes flipping us off on their way to Wal-Mart, Walgreen's or WaWa.
There was an article yesterday about how in the country of Samoa they went from driving on the left side of the road to the right, because they were importing more cars with the steering wheel on the left so they had to change. At the appointed time, traffic stopped, they all moved to the other side of the road while singing and clapping.
Can you ever imagine that happening here? People would say, "It's my constitutional right to drive on that side of the road! What are you, a communist for making me change? What will it do to the future and to our children making us switch sides? You're anti-American! Hitler made people do things like that!"
But of course, they wouldn't actually say that, they'd fill up message boards around the country with it. Because it's so much easier to practice hate speech on the Internet where there is no accountability, just anonymity.

Crime Wave-Update

2009-08-06T11:37:00.004-04:00

Thanks to the anonymous commenter who passed on some info about a suspicious person. But we here at TAA had enough journalism law classes to know that we can't print someone's name and accuse him of being a drug dealer. We can however, report suspicious activity. So if you happen to see a white male in his 20s walking back and forth from Stone Mill Court to the pool on Crisfield Drive and back again pay attention. This is during the day and he seems to be a known entity to those looking for drugs.
To the anonymous commenter who seems positive he's a dealer, just wondering if you called the sheriff's department? Wondering what they said. We here at TAA have been know to spend some time at the pool and we will be on the lookout.

UPDATE: Thanks to the anonymous commenter for this additional information. This suspect has been reported to the police, even videotaped which was turned into the sheriff's department, but so far nothing has been done. Thanks to the vigilance of the commenter for doing the right thing and we hope that readers will also now be on the lookout.
We personally are wondering why the sheriff's department has not done anything about this yet, after multiple complaints.

Crime Wave

2009-08-05T08:44:00.003-04:00

If we were you, we'd tuck our vehicles away in the nearest garage to keep the car thieves away. If you see five or six teens walking around with backpacks, watch them closely. The sheriff's department says they're filling said backpacks with GPS, iPods, or whatever they can grab by smashing a window.
They've hit Crisfield Drive, Constant Friendship, etc. A house was even broken into. This happened during the day with people around.
The sheriff's department promised increased patrols, but we've blissfully been sunning ourselves at the shore so haven't noticed any more drive-bys since our return.
Anything happening in your neighborhood? Feel free to comment here.

Sorry We Missed the Parade...

2009-07-07T14:34:00.002-04:00

Because it sounds as if there were more fireworks from the parade than the show later. It reminds me of Monty Python and Michael Palin yelling, "Help, help I'm being repressed!"
The Dagger has Del. McDonough's sign saga, but we just received an e-blast from Rick Impallaria about his own signage issues. Here is part of the blast:

"At the Bel Air Parade, however, my supporters and I were attacked by Mr. Michael Blum, the parade marshall, for carrying signs which clearly expressed the theme of the parade -- Patriotism Then and Now.

If there truly had been objectionable material in anyone's signs, the proper place for removal would have been the staging area, before appearing in public. But Mr. Blum stopped us on the parade route, ripping the "Support the Tea Parties" sign off our lead motorcycle, then stripping signs away from children as young as eight years old. Fortunately, my one niece, who is a true patriot, hid her sign, and for the remaining route we were left with "Stop the Taxing."

As Mr. Blum and his cohort attacked the members of my group, the spectators were outraged at what they saw, and started booing Mr. Blum, calling him a "sign Nazi" and "a Communist", and yelling "This day is all about patariotism and free speech." It was obvious that the spectators were not offended by the signs, but were offended by Mr. Blum's censoring of them.

Then, like true Nazis or Communists, they not only prevented my free speech, they attempted to confiscate my private property by refusing to return the signs. I was not about to stand for this. I repeatedly demanded they place the signs in my vehicle, and they repeatedly refused. All this was taking place in public, which was an embarassment to me, my family, and my supporters. When the van driver, my brother, got out and joined me, they realized that, in the famous words of Martin Luther King, Jr., "We shall not be moved," and the parade would be held up even further, they finally returned the signs.

As one blogger put it, "he is sick and tired of *&%^ politicians walking in the parades." I 100% agree with him, and that is exactly why we carried those signs. I believe it is the right of the people to know exactly what their elected officials stand for. If they do not support what I stand for, it is their option to boo or ridicule me. If they do, they have the right to support me for my representation of them.

Mr. Michael Blum's actions are a total disgrace. He owes a public apology to every true American who believes in freedom of speech. He should also attend classes on the Constitution given by the Institute on the Constitution which are held at Boyle Buick. Or, he should just openly admit to his fascist/community beliefs which he so clearly demonstrated at the Bel Air Parade.

As for my family, my supporters and myself, we stand 100% behind the positions we have taken, and we proudly say that we will continue to support the patriots of the past by doing all we can to be patriots of the present."

Historic Church--Abingdon Cold Case

2009-06-04T09:44:00.003-04:00

Cokesbury Memorial United Methodist Church is getting a lot of attention this week as its Heritage Day approaches. A St. Mary's College student believes she has uncovered the arsonist responsible for destroying the Methodist college that once stood on the site more than 200 years ago.
Bonnie McCubbin will discuss her findings at 10:30 a.m. Sunday with a light luncheon afterward. The church is located near the intersection of Abingdon Road/Rte. 7.
We at TAA have gotten a firsthand look at the artifacts that were languishing in boxes for decades. Fascinating if you love history.
To see The Sun article click here
To see the story that ran on WBAL-TV, click here

Free Movies at Regal

2009-05-26T16:06:00.004-04:00

The Regal in Constant Friendship will start its free summer movie festival soon. The movies start at 10 a.m. each Tuesday and Wednesday during the festival. First-come, first-served seating is limited to theatre capacity. Get there early for the popular ones, as day care centers arrive by the busloads.

Here is the summer schedule.

06/16/2009-06/17/2009 The Tale Of Despereaux (G)
Igor (PG)
06/23/2009-06/24/2009 Mr. Bean's Holiday (G)
Inkheart (PG)
06/30/2009-07/01/2009 Kit Kittredge: American Girl (G)
Spiderwick Chronicles (PG)
07/07/2009-07/08/2009 Horton Hears A Who (G)
Madagascar 2: Escape To Africa (PG)
07/14/2009-07/15/2009 Space Chimps (G)
Alvin And The Chipmunks (PG)
07/21/2009-07/22/2009 Everyone's Hero (G)
Kung Fu Panda (PG)
07/28/2009-07/29/2009 Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (G)
Star Wars: Clone Wars (PG)
08/04/2009-08/05/2009 Charlotte's Web (G)
Barnyard (PG)
08/11/2009-08/12/2009 Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: Veggie Tale Movie (G)
Monster House (PG)

Constant Friendship -- What's Old is New Again

2009-05-25T10:53:00.003-04:00

With even more traffic nightmares coming and renewed interest in what the county has previously said about Constant Friendship, I thought it would be helpful to review an earlier post.
Here is the original letter our friend Hilda received from the county:

"Thank you for your email regarding land use and traffic concerns along Constant Friendship Boulevard. Constant Friendship received approval for full build out prior to the establishment of Harford County’s Adequate Public Facilities (APF). However, a traffic study for the project was prepared by The RBA Group in June of 1987. All road improvements required in that traffic study are in place.
In addition, the Maryland Transportation Authority (MdTA) is planning improvements to the traffic patterns in that area by reconstructing the I-95/MD 24 interchange and reconstructing the intersection of MD 24/MD 924/Tollgate Road with a grade separated intersection. The improvements to the MD24/MD924 intersection should begin this year, hopefully as early as June. This project is proposed to alleviate the traffic issues at Constant Friendship Boulevard and Tollgate Road. The site, however, is physically constrained from providing an additional access into the development.
All of the lots along Constant Friendship Boulevard were approved as part of the original plan for the area. Under Harford County’s Subdivision Approval Procedure, all large-scale developments proposed for that area must be reviewed by the Development Advisory Committee (DAC). According to Section 5.03 (c) of the Harford County Subdivision Regulation, a notice is posted on the property at least 2 weeks prior to a DAC meeting with the date, time and location of the meeting and telephone number of the Department of Planning and Zoning. The regulations require that the notice be conspicuously placed on the property along the frontage near the right of way with a sign measuring 22-inches by 28-inches and with red lettering. I realize that it can be difficult to read the specifics of the sign as you drive by, so please do not hesitate to contact our Development Review Section to get more information about the project being proposed."

Here are our original comments on this post, which we stand by.
This would be funny if it wasn't so sad/discouraging. Think back to 1987. For those of us who didn't live here then, someone filled us in on what the neighborhood was like:
No Wal-Mart
No Constant Friendship townhomes, Dominion apartments
No Abingdon Elementary School (or neighboring townhouses)
Tollgate Road did not go through, stopped at Singer Road (no Monmouth Meadows)--in fact when this person bought her house, they said Tollgate would NEVER be a through-road.
Only development: Constant Branch

Also, were those signs for the new stores posted in 1987? I remember the sign for Lowe's, but never saw a sign for the pet store. (update: there also were NO signs for what's going in across from Wal-Mart)

Feel free to add your comments below. And I guess the message from the county is this: there's nothing you can do, because it was all mapped out 21 years ago.

Governor Signs School Board Bill

2009-05-19T15:31:00.001-04:00

It's official. We here at TAA did not believe that the current school board would let this happen, but Gov. O'Malley signed this into law this a.m.:

HB0639
Harford County Delegation
HARFORD COUNTY – BOARD OF EDUCATION – SELECTION OF
MEMBERS
Requiring that specified members of the Harford County Board of
Education be elected; requiring that specified members of the county board
be appointed within a specified period of time; establishing the composition
of the county board; providing for the qualifications, terms of office, and
the filling of a vacancy of members of the county board; establishing a
procedure for the election and appointment of members of the county
board; etc.
EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2009

What's Going in Across from Wal-Mart

2009-05-15T13:43:00.003-04:00

An informed source tells us that the building going on in the incredibly dangerous/inconvenient spot across from Wal-Mart is going to be a men's only hair cut shop. We'll see how many people will risk the entering/egress to try it.
There were no signs before building. It just went up. At first we thought it had something to do with the road construction until the driveway went in.
This will make traffic all the more interesting. And we mean that in a Chinese curse kind of way.

Abingdon Giant: Gas Pumps Coming?

2009-05-13T09:03:00.003-04:00

A development proposal in the classified section of The Aegis says that the Abingdon Giant has applied to construct a five pump fuel facility with canopy and kiosk on 6.03 acres.
The plans are set for review at the Development Advisory Committee meeting at 9 a.m. June 3, 220 South Main Street, Bel Air, in the second floor conference room.
Comments are requested by June 2.
This is just what that area needs -- another gas station. Because the WaWa, Exxon & gas station the corner (by the liquor store) don't offer enough gasoline for that mile of road.

A Tasty Mother's Day--or Support a Local Restaurant

2009-05-12T14:00:00.004-04:00

Here at TAA on Mother's Day we passed by the ubiquitous chain restaurants and opted instead for a local independent favorite, Clarence's Taste of New Orleans in Edgewood. If you like Cajun food -- and some local fare as well -- try this restaurant and pub at the Edgewood Train Station.
The pub and restaurant were spotlighted recently during President Obama's inaugural train trip. It's open for lunch, dinner and has a pub where they serve Hurricanes and appetizers. Clarence's also has a children's menu for the less-adventurous little ones.
While the chains seem to multiply overnight here, it seems the independent restaurants struggle. We here at TAA try to patronize these establishments as much as possible -- although admittedly (& unfortunately) we don't get out much.
For a look at Clarence's menu and other info, click here.

Road Work=Don't Go Out

2009-04-27T14:38:00.002-04:00

If you're worried about the swine flu and not going out today -- you've made the correct choice. We had a doctor's appointment and then had to get our recently repaired American vehicle back to the shop and encountered construction at almost every turn.
If you're heading out be aware road crews are working at:
Mountain Road by Mountain Christian is one lane for resurfacing. Back ups in all directions. (but hey Excursion driver, did you really need to pass us illegally, slam on your brakes and then make a U-turn to avoid the delay?)
152/Belair Road Intersection utility work, right lane blocked.
Route 1 further north, one lane (not sure why)
Route 24 by 95 interchange is a mess for that exit construction. There were various hazards here, including an accident when we drove by.
Little further up the road, utlity work on Rte. 7

What's the Agenda?

2009-04-21T10:43:00.002-04:00

We are proud supporters of Abingdon Elementary PTA here at TAA. The PTA sponsors lots of activities for students and supports teachers and classes throughout the year. Fundraising is more difficult than it has been in previous years because of the struggling economy. But the PTA has our full support because it all goes back to our children's school.
Imagine our surprise yesterday when we received a fundraising packet for a Laps for Learning program from the Greater Edgewood Education Foundation. This had my student's name on it, grade, and looked "official." In fact, it caused quite a bit of confusion from parents who thought it was a PTA fundraiser, as the PTA is going to have its own Laps for Learning in the fall.
There are two problems with this in our opinion. One is that this rather vague organization is asking for money through the school, even though it is not directly affiliated through the school but rather "Edgewood feeder schools."
The bigger issue is that the president of the organization is an on-the-record opponent of the elected school board. Everyone is allowed to have political views, obviously. The problem that we have is that she spoke against this issue identifying herself as the president of the GEEF, not as a mother of an HCPS student, concerned citizen, etc. She used her title in the organization, which, follow us, makes it a lobbying organization. Not to mention that the chairman of the group is Mark Wolkow, who has been working overtime against an elected school board.
So why are our children asked to raise money for a lobbying organization?
I know at some schools PTAs are lobbying organizations, and that the PTA on a national level definitely is. But Abingdon's PTA focuses on the needs of the children/teachers, not a political agenda. Which is why it irks us here at TAA that some of the tight fundraising dollars will be siphoned to this organization.

Longtime Councilwoman Dies

2009-03-24T19:24:00.003-04:00

Abingdon's county council representative Roni Chenowith has died.
Read The Sun article here.

Camp & Education Fair

2009-03-04T19:42:00.001-05:00

Here's some summer planning help from the valuable resource Harford County Kids Magazine:
Camp & Education Fair - March 7
Whatever your child's age or interest, a well-chosen~summer or academic program can provide your child with great fun, good friends and learning too. Come to Harford County Kids Magazine Camp & Education Fair on March 7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at John Carroll to talk one-on-one with 55+ camp and school representatives. Gain personal insights, register your child for a program or take home information and applications. Conveniently explore camps and educational options all in one place. Families can also enjoy a Fun Zone entertainment area, which includes performances, demonstrations and activities.
Families can enter to win our Hourly Raffle of giveaways and the first 200 kids to enter receive a free camp sack. There is no charge for admission. A light lunch will be available for purchase on-site. For more information visit: http://www.harfordcountykids.com/campfair

Two Oscar Winners at Regal

2009-02-27T16:24:00.002-05:00

Not only is "Slumdog Millionaire" still playing at Regal Cinemas in Constant Friendship in Abingdon, "Milk" began what we believe will be a much more limitied run there today. We here at TAA hope that theatergoers support these movies on the off-chance that someday we'll be offered more independent fare at one of the 14 available theaters there. Maybe while the kids are seeing the Jonas Brothers in 3D for the third time, you can pop over and see one. Just a thought.

New School Food "Reward" Policy

2009-02-20T14:15:00.003-05:00

Although this hasn't gotten a lot of ink, here in this corner of Abingdon the Board of Education's new policy on not giving students rewards with food receives a resounding thumbs down.
Currently students can receive pizza parties, ice cream socials for achieving class goals. Sometimes these are given for outstanding academic outcomes/good behavior. The new policy disallows these parties citing them as rewards. The new policy also prohibits taking away recess as punishment because students need the entire 15 minutes to exercise.
We know that children are more overweight than ever, but is it really caused by a pizza party once every marking period? The gift of a candy cane to a child who's gotten a good report card is leading to a life of obesity?
This is one of those cosmetic fixes so that it appears the school board is addressing a serious problem without doing anything.
Here at TAA we rarely allow our students to purchase school lunches, or what's commonly known as the choice of pizza, mozarella sticks, nachos, chicken poppers, pizzatas, and other assortments of fried, artery-clogging stupefying foods. Oprah's guru Dr. Oz did an informal study at a school where he discussed with teachers what happens after students eat school lunches: nothing. The students are dazed and lethargic. Isn't this a greater problem?
The New York Times has an op/ed piece about this outlining the problems of the current system. You can read it here. With all the local farms closeby, wouldn't it be a win/win to try something like this? A help to the local farmers as well as healthy food for students.

Dress for Success

2009-02-19T13:55:00.002-05:00

Just got this in from one of our favorite stores. It's for a good cause so help if you can -- and get a discount:

Dress Barn is once again partnering with Dress For Success to collect interview appropriate clothing during Dress for Success’s S.O.S.- Send One Suit - Weekend, Feb. 19 through Feb. 22.
Dress Barn is seeking donations of gently used suits and other interview appropriate clothing items that will be donated to underprivileged women in the local community seeking career development support.
There is more need than ever before to help women towards self-sufficiency. To show our appreciation and thank customers for supporting this event, Dress Barn will provide an additional 15 percent off total purchase savings to every customer who brings in a donation. A donation receipt will also be provided. Locally, clothing items can be donated at both Dress Barn locations at the Festival in Bel Air.

Headline of the Future....

2009-02-17T08:40:00.003-05:00

"Weis in Constant Friendship to Close"
Our friend at Bel Air News & Views has the entire story, but Wegman's is indeed coming to Abingdon. As far as we can tell, it will be directly across from Weis on one side and WaWa on the other side.
While we here are very happy it is coming, it's hard to wrap our brains about what the intersection will look like with the new exit from 95/24 configuration.
One thing we would bet on: Weis is toast. After years of neglect will it surprise anyone? After some initial doubts about the Giant renovation, we are enjoying the self scan and the upgraded natural food selection. Someone obviously knew Wegman's was in the works.
If you have a moment look at the comments on the BAN&V site. The discussion about driving all the way to Abingdon is hysterical. It reminds us of a story a friend told us about a woman she knew who lived in Bel Air and asked her, an Abingdon resident, what it was like to be able to shop at Walmart.

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper

2009-02-16T10:45:00.003-05:00

There will be a Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 24 at Cokesbury United Methodist Church Hall on Abingdon Road.
On the menu are pancakes, sausage, fruit cups, coffee, iced tea and hot tea. There is no charge for the dinner but there is an opportunity to contribute a free-will offering. Although it's free, they're asking if you could make a reservation to attend so they can get an estimate of how many pancakes to make. Please call 410-676-6295 for your reservation.

Abingdon Bank Robbery

2009-02-10T10:08:00.003-05:00

The Dagger has a new post herewith photos of the suspect in the Abingdon Bank robbery Monday morning.
TAA just happened to be at the corner of Singer/924 when this was occurring and witnessed more police converge on the site than we thought were located in Harford County. Although we couldn't immediately figure out why the police were going in different directions -- some on 924, some behind the post office -- we now realize that they were searching for a suspect. We can attest to the quick response. Unfortunately, TAA did not make a citizen's arrest and instead headed to Giant.

No Emergency at BAHS

2009-02-06T13:22:00.000-05:00

Just got this from Terri Kranefield, HCPS:

In an effort to keep you informed, I am sending you clarification regarding an event that took place today that has caused some rumors to surface throughout the county.

Harford Community College Campus Security, in conjunction with the Harford County Sheriff’s Office, conducted a practice exercise on handling crisis situations. Their simulated exercise utilized Bel Air High School as the location for the fake incident. Live handheld radios were used during their drill. Those radios were connected to live stations and their simulation exercise was overheard by an external party who thought it was a real emergency situation and alerted authorities. This was strictly a training exercise and there was NO emergency.

Wherefore art thou Aegis?

2009-01-30T17:15:00.003-05:00

Since we received an automated voice message about Baltimore Sun carriers now being in charge of delivering our Aegis, we've received exactly zero number of newspapers.
The message informed us that it would now be delivered later in the day -- so giving them an opportunity to get to us, we waited to call and ask where the paper was. We gave them a break on Wednesday because of the nasty weather, but today we really wanted a paper.
So we called the Aegis, and a speedy recording informed us that we needed to call the Sun offices, which were now handling the deliveries. So we listened to the speedy message three times and wrote down the number and then called.
We tried using the automated message system, were mysteriously put on hold, and then another recorded voice came on and said we'd have to call back tomorrow.
As a reporter at a medium-sized newspaper, TAA had a phone number that was one number away from the circulation department. TAA fielded many calls to the circulation department and transferred them on. Many times readers just wanted to know where their newspapers were. Many times circulation would transfer these poor callers back to TAA just to be annoying. At the point the callers were beyond irate and some threatened to cancel their subscriptions. But the circulation department consisted of many fine people, some on work release programs, so TAA tried not to incur their wrath.
That was quite a few years ago now, but newspapers still don't get the importance of ACTUALLY RECEIVING the newspaper. We thought about subscribing to the NYTimes again, but the memories of the constant calling, fighting for credits for missed papers, and figuring out the amended bills. It was too much to think about really.
Aegis readers are still upset about the paid obituaries and I'm sure this new "cost-cutting" arrangement will lose more subscribers. And then the costly delivery problem will be solved. There will be no readers left in need of delivery.

Surprising Movie News

2009-01-21T16:12:00.002-05:00

Happy movie news for those who like their movies just a little outside the mainstream. "Slumdog Millionaire" will be coming to Regal in Constant Friendship this Friday. We've been checking the listings hoping for this one because it's already won a Golden Globe and has the Oscar buzz. We are also fans of director Danny Boyle. "Millions" is now in rotation on one of the million Encore networks if you haven't seen it.
To check movie times, click here.

Weapons of Mass Destruction Found in Abingdon

2009-01-08T10:07:00.006-05:00

Or is it just the construction crew tearing down every last tree it can find? I don't blame them, they're just doing their jobs. But here at TAA in total naivete we believed that they would leave one tree, standing. Oh wait, they did leave one tree standing on the perimeter of Walmart. Or else they haven't gotten to it yet. (You can enlarge the photos if you click on them)
Those trees may not seem important to some readers. But in the summer they blocked the view of the highway, kept the traffic sounds to a minimum and just looked nice. It at least gave the illusion there wasn't a giant shopping center there. And for readers who will say we always complain about progress, blah blah blah, please stop reading, because it's only going to get worse.
Please be aware there are also lane restrictions and lots of construction workers running around in the road. Please be watchful.

Traffic Report

2008-12-23T14:48:00.002-05:00

Here's the traffic report for Dec. 23.
Constant Friendship: Packed
924: Where are they all going?
Festival: Is Kohls' having another biggest sale of the year?
It appears everyone, like us here at TAA, has waited until the last minute to shop. We've also noticed increased traffic on Tollgate Road because of the MD 24 construction. Please be careful. And for those of you unfamiliar with how the traffic circle works. The vehicle already in the circle has the right of way. They don't stop for you to come out. Just a helpful holiday driving tip!

Bad Day for Newspapers

2008-12-08T17:33:00.002-05:00

I know there are few fans of The Sun here in Republican Harford County, but the bankruptcy of The Sun's parent company is bad news for everyone.
Newspapers, at their best, focus on their communities. The death knell for many of the larger metropolitan newspapers occurred when other businesses decided they could make tons of money by purchasing newspapers. (Believe us we know this firsthand, after working at The Kansas City Star when it was purchased by Disney.) The owners lost any ties to the community they covered, sometimes bringing in editors who didn't know the area and coming up with ideas that would make them tons of money (see zoned editions). When these behemoths started losing money they cut the editorial staff and focused resources elsewhere (handing out free content on the Internet). Reporting suffered and the readers found fewer bylines and limited coverage.
Many say print is already dead and most people get their news from the Internet. But where is that content coming from? Many of the bloggers just steal the content without attribution and then put their spin on it. And for those of you who say reporters are all biased we would strongly disagree. Some reporters definitely are, but others try very hard to cover all sides, but more importantly, uncover the truth.
When we're all reading content from Reuters online or help us CNN, which is starting its own news service, we here at TAA will be mourning a local newspaper.
Here is The Sun story about the bankruptcy.
click here

The Aegis Nails It

2008-12-04T11:55:00.003-05:00

We don't always agree with The Aegis editorial page (see below), but the paper got it totally right in Wednesday's edition with the editorial "The James Gang." The paper not only takes the delegate to task for being responsible for killing the elected school board issue last legislative session, but also recognizes the effects of the current governing system.

From the editorial:
"The continued opposition of one solitary county legislator, Del. Mary Dulany James, to having an elected school board is ludicrous. James has torpedoed every recent attempt to bring Harford County into modern times. Her arguments that an appointed board keeps politics out of school decisions and guarantees minority representation on the school board are disingenuous. Those who subscribe to the James view might want to take note that, nearly five and a half decades after Brown vs. Board of Education, Harford County continues to have one of the most racially segregated systems in the state, but that's a topic for another day."

We especially agree with that last sentence.

Road work to begin

2008-12-02T15:24:00.002-05:00

The blinking sign on MD 24 said that roadwork on the 24/Tollgate intersection is set to begin on/or about Dec. 8. I'm sure all the merchants are very excited that the state has picked the busiest time of the year to begin this work.
Drivers, please be careful of workers. We've seen fender benders happen at this time of year with people in a hurry and smacking into the car in front of them. Please watch out for the construction workers. It's not their fault!

Response to Aegis Editorial

2008-11-19T16:23:00.003-05:00

The Aegis wrote a glowing thank you to County Councilwoman Roni Chenowith today, thanking her for all she's done for the Fallston community. Fallston named its community center after her, for her tireless efforts on their behalf.
The Abingdon community might have a different outlook. We'd like to know where's our community center? Where is one piece of green space that you don't want to pave over? Where is our relief from the peddlers who use Tollgate Road as their own personal swap meet?
At TAA we say thanks. Thanks for nothing.

Country Kitchen-Sold

2008-11-18T16:50:00.004-05:00

The former Country Kitchen property on Constant Friendship Boulevard has sold. We're thinking someone took a loss on this one. It sold for $805,700.
To read what the sale included click here.
If anyone knows what's going in there, please let us know. We're keeping our fingers crossed it's something that's much better than the previous tenants.

School Board Must Read

2008-11-13T14:33:00.004-05:00

Over at The Dagger they've reprinted a very interesting letter from a school board member about how without an appointed board there would be no minority members on the school board. To read the political ploy to keep up the charade of the permanent nominating committee click here.

A Week Later...Kratovil Wins

2008-11-11T13:04:00.002-05:00

The Sun is reporting that earlier today Republican Andy Harris conceded and Democrat Frank Kratovil claimed the 1st District House Seat. To read The Sun article, click here
The article quotes someone from the NAACP saying that that Obama voters in the lower part of the Eastern shore helped Kratovil win. But if you look at the Harford County numbers, many McCain voters actually split from a party vote to vote for Kratovil.

3rd Annual Noon Year's Eve Celebration

2008-11-09T15:46:00.002-05:00

Harford County Kids is sponsoring the 3rd Annual Noon Year's Eve Celebration in Bel Air. Families and children can join in the fun of celebrating the New Year without staying out late. A Countdown to Noon will be the highlight of the day along with activities, crafts and music such as noisemakers, DJ, dancing and much more. Light refreshments will be offered.

Date: Wednesday, Dec. 31st Time: 10am to 1pm
Location: BAACyard Clubhouse at Bel Air Athletic Club

Admission: $5 per person, age 2 and under free.
(Spaces are limited. This event sold out last year.)

Registration*: Opens November 15, 2008.
Call Member Services at 410-838-2670

This sold out in less than two weeks last year.

For more highlights,click here

Unofficial Election results for Harford

2008-11-05T10:57:00.003-05:00

Got this from the Harford County Board of Election site. These are unofficial. The Kratovil/Harris race is too close to call with 100% of the votes counted from yesterday. Absentee ballots will decide the race, but they're not counting those until tomorrow. At this point, Kratovil is slightly ahead, by less than 1,000 votes.

Here are the unofficial presidential results. No suprise here:

Number of Precincts 75
Precincts Reporting 72 96.0 %
Times Counted 114447/149651 76.5 %
Total Votes 114100
Times Blank Voted 347
Number of Uncast Votes 0
Obama-Biden DEM 44601 39.09%
McCain-Palin REP 66744 58.50%
McKinney-Clemente GRN 213 0.19%
Barr-Root LIB 767 0.67%
Nader-Gonzalez IND 884 0.77%
Baldwin-Castle CON 254 0.22%
Write-in Votes 637 0.56%

Short Lines at Abingdon Elementary

2008-11-04T10:20:00.004-05:00

Just got back from voting and in our precinct (gym side) at Abingdon Elementary we zoomed right through. There is a line on the cafeteria side, but not too long. It seems like they had maybe a few more voting machines. Definitely more volunteers, and no offense to previous volunteers, but younger volunteers. I noticed that the voters also skewed younger, at least when we were there.
If you're going to vote, the back parking lot on Singer Road was completely empty. You can't get in the side door, but it's just a short walk around to the front.
The touch screen worked well, but we still do not like the lack of a paper trail. If you have a voting experience you'd like to share, please do.
Also, if you vote and get your little voting sticker, it entitles you to a free coffee at Starbucks or an ice cream at Chik-Fil-A.

Unintentionally Funny Quote of the Day

2008-10-29T16:51:00.001-04:00

"Harford County is beyond race." State Sen. Nancy Jacobs in today's Aegis.

Happy Birthday to Us!

2008-10-22T15:28:00.002-04:00

Today is TAA's first anniversary. It seems like just yesterday we started writing about traffic, over-development and hopes for an elected school board.
As always, we welcome your feedback and are interested in what you'd like to read about in TAA.
Thanks -- and keep reading!

Voting FAQ

2008-10-17T10:54:00.002-04:00

The Maryland Board of Elections has posted a helpful FAQ on its site to address some of the rumors concerning your odds being turned away at the polls. If you are concerned about any of these issues it might be helpful to print out this page and take it to the polling place with you. Don't assume that the poll workers are familiar with these issues. We at TAA are not encouraged, especially after the primary and the confusion over the voting machines, and the expected high turnout for the general election.
The FAQ addresses what you can wear to the polls, provisional ballots, absentee ballots, etc. To check it out, click here.

Book Sale

2008-10-16T14:02:00.002-04:00

The Friends of the Library will hold a book sale from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Abingdon Library. They had lots of books last year at reasonable prices. Support the library and do some Christmas shopping. Many of these books are in really good shape. TAA loves getting books for Christmas!

Abingdon Armed Robbery

2008-10-15T19:35:00.003-04:00

It's an acknowledged pattern that when the economy goes down crime goes up. We just wish it wasn't happening so close to us here at TAA.
On 12:30 a.m. Sunday while a couple slept in their townhome on Longridge Court in Abingdon, two armed men entered through a basement door. According to The Aegis, the couple heard a noise and the man went to investigate and saw the intruders. The robbers brandished a handgun and ordered the resident upstairs, and the intruders ransacked the bedroom and the rest of the house. Police aren't detailing what was stolen and are asking anyone with information call 1-888-540-TIPS.
The police told The Aegis they believe the home was targeted. Police also said they didn't think the crime was gang-related, but there could be a possible drug connection.
Not to be alarmist, but keep those doors locked.

Last Chance to Register to Vote

2008-10-14T15:16:00.002-04:00

Got this from the Maryland Board of Elections:
The deadline to register to vote is October 14th at 9:00 p.m. The Voter Registration Application must be delivered in person to the State Board of Elections, a Local Board of Elections, or must be postmarked by October 14th to be eligible to vote in the 2008 Presidential General Election.
For more information click here.

Delaying the Uniforms Again

2008-10-14T12:33:00.000-04:00

Just got this in our inbox:

Dear Parents:

Due to economic constraints, all School Uniform Parent Community Meetings are cancelled and will be rescheduled. At this time, the Board of Education of Harford County is deferring the school uniform exploration process, as well as other new initiatives, in order to focus on current budgetary issues. The Board is analyzing all current initiatives in the operating budget and realize the need to focus their energies at this time. No decisions have been made regarding school uniforms and the process will continue at a later date. As soon as that timeline is available, it will be communicated promptly. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Teri Kranefeld, manager of communications

Harford County Public Schools

I-95/MD 24 Meeting

2008-10-09T14:12:00.002-04:00

The Maryland Transportation Authority is holding workshops to discuss the improvement project for I-95/MD 24. It says the project will begin this fall and continue through spring 2011. The workshops are from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 14 at the Abingdon Fire Hall.
There will be no formal presentation but staff will be available to answer questions. Our first question would be, we thought a specific plan wasn't approved so how can construction be starting already?
For more info click here and then click on "Capital Projects."

Are You on the List?

2008-10-08T13:39:00.002-04:00

A disturbing article from The Washington Post:

The Maryland State Police classified 53 nonviolent activists as terrorists and entered their names and personal information into state and federal databases that track terrorism suspects, the state police chief acknowledged yesterday.
Police Superintendent Terrence B. Sheridan revealed at a legislative hearing that the surveillance operation, which targeted opponents of the death penalty and the Iraq war, was far more extensive than was known when its existence was disclosed in July.
The department started sending letters of notification Saturday to the activists, inviting them to review their files before they are purged from the databases, Sheridan said.
"The names don't belong in there," he told the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee. "It's as simple as that."
The surveillance took place over 14 months in 2005 and 2006, under the administration of former governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R). The former state police superintendent who authorized the operation, Thomas E. Hutchins, defended the program in testimony yesterday. Hutchins said the program was a bulwark against potential violence and called the activists "fringe people."
Sheridan said protest groups were also entered as terrorist organizations in the databases, but his staff has not identified which ones.

The article continues:
But Sen. James Brochin (D-Baltimore County) noted that undercover troopers used aliases to infiltrate organizational meetings, rallies and group e-mail lists. He called the spying a "deliberate infiltration to find out every piece of information necessary" on groups such as the Maryland Campaign to End the Death Penalty and the Baltimore Pledge of Resistance. When Hutchins called their members "fringe people," the audience of activists who filled the seats in the hearing room in Annapolis sighed....
The police also entered the activists' names into the federal Washington-Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area database, which tracks suspected terrorists. One well-known antiwar activist from Baltimore, Max Obuszewski, was singled out in the intelligence logs released by the ACLU, which described a "primary crime" of "terrorism-anti-government" and a "secondary crime" of "terrorism-anti-war protesters."

To read the entire article
click here

Spellcheck at Work

2008-10-04T10:12:00.002-04:00

Did anyone else notice in the A1 story in The Aegis yesterday the Democratic Presidential nominee was named "Barrack Obama" ?
Ed note: However, this is not as bad as absentee ballots mailed in upstate New York with candidate Barack "Osama" listed.

October Odds and Ends

2008-10-03T09:24:00.003-04:00

Here at TAA we've been distracted by our new Facebook account and have been ignoring the blog. We've also been out and about and here are some random thoughts/ideas we've been having.

***Construction equipment is now located on Rte. 24 near the 1-95 interchange. Could the Rte. 24 project be about to start? We are doubtful, as there is no money anywhere for anything.
11 a.m. UPDATE: Maybe we're wrong. There are two construction workers with surveying equipment standing in the intersection of Tollgate/Constant Friendship Blvd. Watch out for them!

***The Aegis is reporting that Wegman's is indeed looking at the site on Rte. 24/Plumtree. Wegman's has no comment. We are skeptical about that particular site and believe the county council is trying to do some PR after completely disregarding the zoning board/board of appeals decision about that site. We could be wrong, but the timing of the leak doesn't seem coincidental.

***Uniform meetings are coming to a school near you. We would just like to add to our earlier post. The current dress code is not being enforced properly. Some children are sent home for wearing the same exact clothing as other children who are allowed to remain. It happens and it's not fair.

***Starbuck's has Wi-fi now, but good luck trying to use it. You either have to be an AT&T customer or another carrier we cannot remember, because it is not ours. The baristas said we did not need a password but we did. If any readers can help us with this technical problem we would be grateful. Also, the pumpkin spice latte is delicious.

***In an area this size it is a crime that we do not have a paid fire department. This is not 1960, 1970 or 1980 when people lived/worked in Abingdon. The reality is, people work far away and are pressed for time. Volunteer firefighters should be commended, they go far beyond normal public service. But the county needs to be realistic. There is a limited pool of possible volunteers to draw from. Nobody wants to pay a penny more than they need to for anything, while at the same time complain they have no services.

***Cokesbury Manor, the fairly new subdivision off Abingdon Road, is being used for Section 8 housing because there are no buyers for the homes. Reason: Edgewood school district. The houses are being subdivided and more than one family is living in some of them. We're not speaking against housing for people who need it. The point is, this is tax money that is being lost on these houses. Inadequate schools hurt everyone, not just the students. Everyone.

***Random thought: where is this Main Street everyone keeps talking about? Politicians and pundits keep talking about how the economic crisis is affecting the folks on Main Street. It's not 1950. Main Street is boarded up. And I know Bel Air has a Main Street, but it's not the same idealized version they're referring to. How about this phrase, "the folks in the cul-de-sac"? No?

Comments

2008-09-22T21:33:00.002-04:00

Sorry to longtime commenters, but we've had to enable comment moderating. You should still be able to sign in as usual, but it won't appear right away.
Thanks to the junior high comedian whose comments have been removed. Really. They were hilarious! Thanks so much for sharing!

Harford County Schools--Uniform Edition

2008-09-19T17:55:00.002-04:00

We just read The Aegis editorial about school uniforms. The editors predict, and we agree with them, that after a series of pointless meetings (if you remember, pointless meetings about this were already held last year), hearing from committees, dissenters, etc., the ultimate approval on school uniforms would lay with HCPS' Executive Director David Volrath.
Unlike The Aegis, we don't have a problem with the school system deciding on this issue. If they really think it's a safety issue and it might help thwart gangs or just stop poorer children being made fun of, we're for it. But decide already and focus your attention on REALLY important issues. Because with the middle school situation in Abingdon, most of the kids are wearing uniforms anyway -- when they attend St. Margaret's, Trinity, St. Paul's, etc.
We spent the summer searching in vain for a store that did not have Hannah Montana or High School Musical clothing. We dare you to try to find a non-boutique store without these. We would have gladly bought some khakis and a white polo shirt instead of searching in vain for something without a Disney-fied Lolita adorning it.
And we here at TAA are not worried about students not being able to express themselves by how they dress. For those students whining about the lack of self-expression, here's an idea: write about it! Discuss! Is wearing a shirt that says how much you hate your sister really effective after the 1,000th wearing?

Kidnap try in Bel Air

2008-09-16T14:36:00.001-04:00

Just got this in from the eSchoolnewsletter:

State police and Harford County authorities were seeking a man who attempted to abduct a woman yesterday afternoon in Bel Air while she walked back to work during a coffee break. The woman, 30, told police she was walking along Agora Drive near Econ Drive about 3 p.m. when the driver of an older-model, green Jeep Cherokee with no front license plate stopped and told her he was looking for his dog. When he showed the woman a photo of a dog, he tried to pull her into the vehicle through a passenger side window, police said she reported. The woman told police she escaped, returned to her job and called police. The woman suffered a bruise on her right cheek and declined medical treatment. Anyone with information is asked to call the Bel Air barracks at 410-679-2101.

Starbucks Open

2008-09-13T10:07:00.003-04:00

The Abingdon Starbucks, complete with drive-through, is now open. We'd advise making a right turn when exiting and going down to the BJ's traffic circle so you don't spill any of your $5 mocha trying to make a left turn out of there.

Developers Get Help from County Council

2008-09-12T18:54:00.004-04:00

Here at TAA we've been out of town so we're just now catching up on some news that we've missed. The Aegis, in the Wednesday edition, reported that the Harford County council overturned its hearing examiner's decision on rezoning Plumtree Road from residential to commercial.
You may remember this because the developers said the original zoning, which was R-4 residential, was a mistake and that they should be granted a B-3 commercial because it was more profitable. They were denied the request because the zoning board said that wasn't really a valid reason/good use for the area.
When the developers appealed, the hearing examiner laughed off the request. However, the county council voted 5-2 in favor of overturning his decision. They had no comment on the decision, because really, do they have to say anything?
Voting in favor to overturn the decision was Abingdon/Fallston councilwoman and friend-of-developers Roni Chenowith. Will she not be happy until every inch of the county is paved over with strip malls?

Provident Card Theft

2008-09-12T14:31:00.002-04:00

A TAA reader reports this news from Provident Bank. Her Provident debit card was declined for a purchase and she was subsequently given a new card. She went to the bank to determine the problem and was told that a number of debit card numbers had been stolen and that's why she was denied/then sent a new card. She was never notified of the number theft and believes she wouldn't have been told about it unless she visited the bank.
She mentioned this to a co-worker who had just received a new debit card in the mail for no reason and without explanation.
We are wondering if any readers have had similar experiences. We thought companies had to report when card information was stolen. If we missed this report, please clue us in.

Library Yard Sale

2008-09-05T16:21:00.002-04:00

The big sale set for the Abingdon Library tomorrow has been postponed until 8 a.m. Sept. 13. Hanna's already canceled all Harford County School activities tomorrow. Batten down the hatches -- or at least secure your lawn furniture.

Regal Robberies

2008-09-05T08:49:00.003-04:00

The Aegis is reporting that three suspects have been charged in one of the incidents at Regal Cinemas this summer. The three charged are all residents of Constant Friendship -- Nanticoke Court and Clairborne Way. From the article, it appears that at least one of the victims, who was walking home from the movies, knew two of the suspects because they all attend Edgewood High School. We're making assumptions here, but this sounds as if the suspects knew the victims and that's why they robbed them of less than $100.
We're not minimizing the crime, but it just sounds odd that they were all walking home on Tollgate at the same time.
The sheriff's department says the suspects might be involved in the other crimes, but as former police reporters, we'd be very surprised if this was true. This sounds like a crime of opportunity. They didn't even have a car. How many armed robbers flee on foot from a business park? Sounds odd.

I Love the Library....but

2008-09-04T14:44:00.002-04:00

Longtime readers are aware that we here at TAA love the Abingdon library. It's got everything. In fact, just last week we were checking out books when a man from Bel Air chatted us up and said, "you know, I've lived across (MD.) 24 for four years and I never realized this was over here. It's great!"
But lately we've had some library trouble, and this has happened to us enough times that we thought it was worth mentioning.
On more than one occasion we've returned books that don't show up -- movies, too -- which can be a very expensive proposition.
The first time it happened was right after the long July 4th weekend. The librarians told me they had put things in a special bin and nothing was going to be marked overdue from that bin even though it was going to take awhile to get to it. We were concerned because we'd checked out four movies. A few days later, they still hadn't showed up as returned. Then three were, but one wasn't. We had to go to the library and they marked it as "claimed to be returned" and really made us feel like we were lying about it, to be honest.
In August, we returned a book, which wasn't overdue, but it still showed up as checked out. We went to the library, got it off the shelf, and said, "this is still showing up on the card, but it's here." He assured us that when someone checked it out, it would have cleared on the card, but it was a very obscure book that no one ever may have checked out, or not checked out for a long time. And then we would have racked up fines.
This has happened a few more times since then. We are now religiously checking our account online to make sure everything clears when we take it in. But really, it makes us nervous. We don't mind giving donations to the library that we love, we just can't bear the shame of fines or having to "claim" we returned something. (We did. Honest!)

Worst Headline Ever?

2008-08-29T09:14:00.002-04:00

In today's Aegis there's an article detailing the traffic congestion predicted for this Labor Day weekend. Here's the headline: Labor on 95 days?

Odds and Ends

2008-08-20T16:59:00.003-04:00

Just got the kids' backpacks filled with their notebooks, tissues, washable markers, etc. We here at TAA are also trying to get organized, but have been unable to coordinate our thoughts in a cohesive manner. So here are some random thoughts/happening from the last week.

**Welcome to new blogger Around Harford County. Thanks also for the link to us at TAA!

**There was an armed robbery last week in the townhouses right across from the Constant Branch Pool last week. That's correct. An armed robbery which closely followed the assault on the woman who was walking her dog the previous week.

**Every time we see Mark Wolkow referred to as having children "who attended Edgewood schools" we want to scream. When did they graduate? Were they at Edgewood Middle School when the math score was a FAILING 39 last year? No. And as far as we are concerned, the Edgewood Community Alliance is part of the problem. If they would get ANGRY that these students are getting an unequal education, maybe someone would notice. Instead they keep up with the rah rah everything is fine.

**Abingdon Elementary School's open house for students is this Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. This gives the students a chance to see their new classrooms before school starts on Monday.

**Just received an e-mail from Zillow saying that home prices in Abingdon dropped 8%in the second quarter of '08 compared to '07. Nationally, home prices decreased 9.9%.

**Thanks to the unknown woman/good samaritan who saved a turtle from certain death on Tollgate Road near Crisfield Drive this a.m. Thanks!

Class Lists Posted

2008-08-12T10:50:00.002-04:00

Abingdon Elementary School posted its class lists for 2008-09 yesterday. The bus schedules are also up. It's all on the front door.

Fair and Balanced

2008-08-07T13:56:00.004-04:00

Recently we here at TAA were forced to suspend our daily subscription to The New York Times when the monthly expense became as much as a car payment. In its stead we began reading the free newspaper thrown on our lawn, The Examiner. It was OK. They have some good reporters -- Stephen Janis pops to mind. They've broken some good stories, such as uncovering the parking ticket scandal in Baltimore.
That's why it really dismayed us here at TAA when we looked at Thursday's edition. Readers can tell from the opinion page it's right leaning. That's fine. It's marked plainly "Opinion." The newspaper's prerogative is to take whatever editorial stance it chooses. That's why people buy newspapers (see Hearst, Scaife, Murdoch) What bothered us today was the next two pages after the opinion pages, on the next spread. These "news" articles were written by The Heritage Foundation, The Hudson Institute, The Tax Policy Center and the Progressive Policy Institute. Above the Heritage Foundation article there was a "Think tanking" headline that was so small it was unclear if it was for that specific article or for the entire page.
It was meant for the entire page, as there was no news, just opinions from these various think tanks. But these looked like articles, not opinion pieces. But the "think tanking" was too small to really get our attention at first. It definitely wasn't as large as the graphic with The Heritage Foundation piece, "Leadership for America," (which closely resembled the ad it ran on a previous page.)
Trying to camoflauge opinion as news taints everything in the newspaper in our opinion. What were they thinking?
From experience, we know that many readers think all reporters are biased and slanted. (We here at TAA were testified about in a church by an interview subject as being a good Christian while a few days later told by a priest we were "on the path to hell." True story) But really, many reporters do strive to be unbiased. Of course there are the fabulists and hacks. And for those who think newspapers are still owned by liberal cigar-chomping entrepreneurs, see Knight Ridder, Tribune Media, Gannett and aforementioned Rupert Murdoch. These very large corporations don't care about much except $$$. Certainly not anything local.

Back to School Shopping

2008-08-05T19:29:00.004-04:00

Here at TAA we've completed our back to school shopping. Last week the Abingdon Target was devoid of any school supply lists for Abingdon Elementary. Many other schools were there, but not AES. This might have changed since then.
If you didn't get one at the end of last year, you can find it by clicking here.
Don't forget to vote in our back-to-school poll. You've got just a short time left!

Crime Site

2008-07-31T19:59:00.004-04:00

The Examiner had an article this a.m. discussing the Crimereports.com Web site. It's interesting to look at with a detailed map and description of the crime. Very up to date. Keep in mind that the Bel Air police department is not participating, so no reports from that force are listed, only the Harford County Sheriff's Department and the Maryland State Police.

Starbucks

2008-07-31T11:03:00.003-04:00

Received a report that a Starbucks, complete with drive-through, will be opening in the space next to the mattress store on Constant Friendship Blvd. We are personally happy about this, as quality of Target Starbucks has gotten pretty bad. Don't know how/if all the recent closings of Starbucks will affect this plan.

Lipstick on a Pig

2008-07-29T20:14:00.004-04:00

I previously linked to the glowing press release sent out when the MSA test scores came out for Haford County. And now that we're back from sunning ourselves/trying to stay out of rip currents and we've actually seen the test scores for ourselves, we just keep thinking of the phrase, "that's like putting lipstick on a pig." When HCPS talked about the great improvements! in test scores, we guess we were expecting a bit more. You know, improvement that didn't resemble failure.

The math scores for 8th grade at Edgewood Middle School averaged 39.9 for all groups. For African Americans that was 29.9, for white students, 48.0 -- all groups were below 50. Compare that to Bel Air Middle, where all 8th grade groups averaged 85.3 for math, and no group finished below 50.

Some will blame these scores on transient students, broken homes, blah blah blah. These students are not receiving the same education as other parts of the county. We are paying the same taxes as the people in Bel Air, and living a stone's throw away from the Patterson Mill district where 8th-grade students averaged an 80 in math and 92 in reading.

Are we at TAA the only ones angry about this. If one more administrator or Edgewood Community Alliance member says "it's not that bad," we are going to scream. Admit there's a problem and fix it. We're not idiots.

To see the Harford County breakdown
click here

Harford County Favorites

2008-07-17T08:04:00.003-04:00

Thanks to all who voted in the last poll. Every place got at least one vote with Harford County Public Library netting the most. Abingdon Target and Rocks State Park tied for second.
Don't forget to vote in this week's poll!