Centennial Park West Three New Turf Baseball Diamonds — 2026-06-28

Today's forecast: patchy fog, high near 81 degrees. Northeast wind 1 to 5 mph.

Good morning. Sunday, June 28. Three new turf baseball diamonds opened at Centennial Park West, named in honor of a county employee. Howard County's heat advisory is still in effect, and the Sunday forecast carries another round of afternoon thunderstorms. Columbia Association is marking 25 years of its CA Points program after handing out more than a million dollars in family memberships. And it's a busy Sunday at the library — teen programming, semiquincentennial movies, robots, and a ranger-led reading session. This is your morning brief for Howard County.

County Executive Calvin Ball opened three new turf baseball diamonds at Centennial Park West. All three fields are turf. They're named in honor of county employee A. Rau. The diamonds are open at Centennial Park West now. The dedication details and the honoree's full name are in the county news release at howardcountymd.gov.

Columbia Association is marking 25 years of its CA Points program, which rewards student academic achievement and attendance with a year of complimentary CA memberships. At this year's Points Party, CA will recognize 712 students and their families with CA Play or CA Fit and Play memberships, active for one year starting June 1. The total value of memberships and programs awarded comes in at more than one million dollars. Throughout the year, CA also provides free programming to participants, including tennis lessons.

At the Glenwood Branch library this morning, the program is History Relived: 250th through Movies — eleven to noon. A semiquincentennial tie-in: America turns 250 next summer. Glenwood is also running an all-ages All Together Now session at two.

Today at the library. East Columbia hosts the Teen Summer Programming Block, eleven to three thirty. Read with a Ranger runs at Savage at eleven thirty. STEAM Fun: Code and Go Robot Mouse for ages six to nine is at Elkridge, five thirty to six fifteen. Picture Book Parade at East Columbia at two. And at Elkridge, drop-in hours with a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist from the Howard County Health Department, eleven thirty to five.

Also today. Calvin Ball broke ground last month on Howard County's first Bus Rapid Transit stop — capping a decade-long effort to expand high-frequency bus service across the county. Howard County formally joined the Dementia Friendly America Network this spring. The Howard County Finance Department refreshed its Tax Credits page at howardcountymd.gov — worth a look if you're checking eligibility. Finance also rolled out Property Tax Digital Communications, a new way for residents to receive property tax notices online. The HC Aging and Independence office refreshed its Housing Resources page, covering options for older residents. The Baltimore Banner's Howard County 2026 primary election results page is still online if you want to dig back into the numbers. At the Elkridge Branch this morning, Little Learners Summer of STEAM for ages three to five with an adult, ten thirty. Two sessions of Play Partners for infants at Elkridge — nine thirty and ten thirty. At East Columbia, Stitches and Stories runs ten to eleven thirty. Also at East Columbia, All Together Now for all ages at ten thirty. At Savage, Fireflies STEAM for ages two to five at ten. And at Glenwood, All Together Now at two. The heat advisory remains in effect — find the county's full guidance at howardcountymd.gov. And Sunday storms move in by mid-afternoon — light rainfall but enough to push outdoor plans inside.

Here's what I'm watching today. Three new turf baseball diamonds at Centennial Park West — named for a county employee. The kind of dedication that goes to the staffer who probably scheduled the contractors and made the calls. That's how a parks department actually works. Columbia Association handing out more than a million dollars in memberships to seven hundred and twelve students is a quieter version of the same story — institutions investing in their people. Storms in the forecast may push your Sunday plans inside. Stay cool. Back tomorrow morning.

That's today's brief. Full edition at hocobrief.com — newsletter, archive, send tips. I'm at the desk. See you tomorrow morning.