Howard County Government offices, courts, animal shelter, 50+ centers and Alpha Ridge Landfill will be closed in observance of the Memorial Day holiday on Monday, May 25. There will be no trash, recycling, yard trim or food scrap pick-up on Memorial Day. The county’s holiday "slide” schedule will be in effect.

Governor Hogan issued an emergency order today authorizing the state’s hundreds of licensed pharmacists to directly order and administer COVID-19 tests. Additionally, he directed the Maryland Department of Health to allow appointment-free testing at some VEIP stations throughout the state starting Thursday. 

A Howard County project to demolish a dilapidated home located at 7126 Montgomery Road in Elkridge, is scheduled to take place in late May. Weather permitting, the demolition will begin following the removal of utilities from the home and is expected to be completed within one week.

The Howard County Health Department is in the process of hiring and onboarding contact tracers to add to its team of current and volunteer investigators. As the contact tracing operation expands, residents who are contacted by the Health Department investigators should answer phone calls and respond to questions as fully as possible.

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball announced today his framework for reopening, HoCo RISE, Reopening Innovatively, Safely, and Effectively. Based on HoCo RISE, Ball also released guidance to Howard County residents, businesses, and organizations on what will remain closed and what will reopen Friday, May 15th at 5 p.m. 

County Executive Calvin Ball released the following statement addressing the Governor’s announcement this evening: “Governor Hogan has given individual counties and regions the discretion to review our own data and make decisions about when it is appropriate for us to relax certain restrictions. Howard County does not meet many of the criteria that the Governor outlined in his four building blocks to reopen.” 

County Executive Calvin Ball released the following statement addressing the Governor’s announcement this evening: “Governor Hogan has given individual counties and regions the discretion to review our own data and make decisions about when it is appropriate us to relax certain restrictions. Howard County does not meet many of the criteria that the Governor outlined in his four building blocks to reopen.” 

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball requested a deferral from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) for Ellicott City recovery loans offered to businesses after the 2016 and 2018 floods. The DHCD granted the request today deferring the recovery loans due date from September 2020, to September 2021.

County Executive Calvin Ball led a hospital appreciation caravan today through Howard County General Hospital’s campus. Staff from the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services, Police, Recreation & Parks, Office of Emergency Management, the Sheriff’s Office, and hospital volunteers joined the caravan.

Three Old Ellicott City businesses received renovations and support from celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s for his ‘24 Hours to Hell and Back: Save Our Town” production, premiering tonight to a national television audience from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on FOX. Ramsay and his crew spent a week in February filming in Ellicott City revamping the selected businesses and completing some beautification projects along Main Street. 

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball will host his second Virtual Town Hall on Wednesday, May 13th at 6:30 pm to answer questions and concerns from Howard County residents about COVID-19 and the local response and recovery. The following panelists will join the Town Hall and be available for questions

County Executive Calvin Ball will lead a hospital appreciation caravan on Tuesday, May 12th at noon through Howard County General Hospital’s campus. Staff from the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services, Police, Recreation & Parks, Office of Emergency Management, the Sheriff’s Office, and hospital volunteers will join the caravan.

Today, County Executive Calvin Ball launched the HoCoCounts 2020 Census dashboard, an innovative online tool providing real-time statistics on census completion within Howard County. The dashboard provides the current response rate for Howard County, other Maryland Counties, and Maryland overall. The deadline for completing the census has been extended to October 31, 2020. 

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball will host his second Virtual Town Hall on Wednesday, May 13th at 6:30 pm to answer questions and concerns from Howard County residents about COVID-19 and the local response and recovery. Residents can register online to participate via WebEx or stream live on Facebook.

Howard County Department of Recreation & Parks has canceled plans for July 4th fireworks, hosted annually at Lake Kittamaqundi in Columbia. The Department also canceled all weddings and other large gatherings at their facilities through June 14th.

County Executive Calvin Ball has designated $200k in relief funds to the Community Action Council (CAC) for food assistance in Howard County. The funds are part of the initial $500k Disaster Relief and Recovery Initiative in his proposed Fiscal Year 2021 operating budget and are subject to the approval of the County Council.

Howard County saw nearly 6,000 residents file for unemployment insurance and pandemic unemployment assistance over the past week. Since the week of March 7th, nearly 23,000 residents have filed for unemployment with Maryland.  The Howard County Office of Workforce Development is available to help connect residents to employers and jobs available in Howard County through its new portal.

New electric vehicle charging stations at the Howard County Library System’s Savage Branch complex is the second of several planned sites to add electric vehicle charging in partnership with BGE.

Howard County Department of Recreation & Parks announced the following locations and activities will re-open on Thursday, May 7th, following guidance issued by the State of Maryland...

County Executive Calvin Ball visited Howard County’s first farmers’ market of the year at Miller Branch Library. Earlier this week, Howard County Farmers’ Markets released their schedule for the season, including modified operations in response to the current COVID-19 crisis. Many of the markets will be drive-thru or pick-up only.

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball re-visited the Columbia drive-thru testing site today, provided an update on testing capacity and thanked workers. The site is now operating with four lanes and has an appointment capacity of nearly 200 per day.

A Howard County construction project to patch and repair the Columbia Gateway Drive on-ramp from Snowden River Parkway in Columbia is expected to begin on or about Tuesday, May 12. Weather permitting, the project is expected to be completed within two days.

Howard County announced today that the Thomas Isaac Log Cabin has been moved to its permanent location on the historic Barnard Fort House property located above Parking Lot F. During the May 27, 2018 flood in Ellicott City, the cabin was within two feet from the pipe that failed during the flooding. The cabin has been temporarily located in Parking Lot F during the reconstruction of Ellicott Mills Drive.

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball is visiting the COVID-19 drive-thru testing center at the Columbia VEIP Station on Tuesday, May 5th at 10 a.m. Testing capacity is now at nearly 200 appointments per day. “The Howard County testing site has been able to increase testing capacity weekly since opening in early April, with capacity now at nearly 200 appointments a day,” said Ball. “We’re grateful to have a dedicated team of professionals managing this location as it is clear from all the nation’s health experts that re-opening our economy will rely on robust testing.”