Five Things to Know in Columbia, 10/12

The Weather

"Rain, with thunderstorms also possible after 2pm. High near 65. East wind 11 and 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. Wednesday night: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 2am, then a chance of showers. Cloudy, with a low around 59. Southeast wind between 5 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms." — The National Weather Service

Shout-Out:

I had a great time at Wednesday night's HoCo blogger gathering at the Stanford Grill.

While my colleague Lisa Rossi slaved over her computer, live blogging the event to Howard County Patch readers, I had the tough job of milling about, chatting and meeting folks.

When I walked into the meeting room, Jessie Newburn, curator of HoCoBlogs, greeted me like a long-lost friend  — even though the two of us had never met — because she recognized me from my picture here on Columbia Patch.

Now that woman has people skills! 

I met a lot of friendly folks, including County Councilwoman Mary Kay Sigaty; Barbara Kellner of Columbia Archives; Howard County General Hospital's Sandy Harriman; self-described active transportation activist Chris Tsien; "Sarah Says" blogger Sarah Husain; blogger and photographer Jill-Ann Stolley; Tina Broccolino of the Claudia Mayer Cancer Research Center at HCGH; Anita Broccolino, daughter of Tina and HCGH president and CEO Victor Broccolino and events and development coordinator for the Mayer center; and blogger Julia McCready, who was one of the first readers to send me a welcoming email.

I met too many people to name them all, but I sure appreciate the warm welcome, the business cards and the news and event tips.

An Event Not to Miss Tonight:

Columbia Association aquatics meeting to discuss proposed plans that map out the future of the town's pools, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Owen Brown Community Center, 6800 Cradlerock Way. Advance registration is appreciated but not required.

Another Event Not to Miss Tonight:

As part of its celebration of American Archives Month, Columbia Archives will host Communication: Now and Then, a discussion featuring local media voices at 7 p.m. at the Columbia Association headquarters, 10221 Wincopin Circle.

Local journalists, including Patch Regional Associate Editor Lisa Rossi, will discuss the challenges, opportunities and importance of context in getting out the news in today's world of instant messaging and sound bites.

OK, OK, so you'll have to miss one of them, because you can't be two places at once. And if you've mastered that ability, please let me know!

Headlines You May Have Missed:

Organic Food Manufacturer to Locate Office in Columbia

Howard County Plans Better Warnings for Flash Floods