I hate to give only 4 stars to the Howard County District Court…read more First and foremost, I always had a great experience with the Howard County District Court Security located at 3451 Court House Drive (always warm and welcoming), the Sheriffs (willing to assist without hesitation), an absolutely friendly female Clerk (the person with a Jamaican Accent who is highly knowledgeable and a professional), and others who take the time to assist the general public in need. Even the cashier was very friendly and went above and beyond to assist me, even though she was unfamiliar with that particular subject (she called someone else (the lady with the Jamaican Accent) who provided me proper guidance, which I am grateful for. However, there is a male clerk who sits behind the window, and he feels that either he is unhappy with his job, or he appears to simply not want to be there. I had a terrible experience because he would not answer all the questions, and he would make people wait for no reason. When he answers, he is rude and disrespectful, and he has a nonchalant attitude. When I was there, I thought he might have had a bad day, which we all encounter here and there. However, when my son went to the courthouse on a different day, precisely a week or two later, he had the same attitude. Not only that, but my son also witnessed that others have complained about that particular individual as well. In my line of work, I provide service to the general public all the time, and it's very important to take pride in what we do and the care we deliver to the people. Moreover, I completely understand that it is a high-stress job, working in the courthouse. However, if the negativity continues, it destroys the team morale, and it makes it difficult for others who strive to deliver the best care possible. The saying goes, "all it takes is one apple to spoil the whole cart". I am not here to get anyone in trouble because life is difficult as it is. With that being said, I believe in "Just Culture". Perhaps an actual training, genuine mentoring, and working closely with the individual to help change his negative attitude to being positive one and guide him to become an expert in customer care. This will be great for not only the team but the overall success of everyone, especially the General Public!

Maryland history goes back. Waaaay back. And here's documentation of that with a marker that is on…read morethe side of Maryland Route 108 near the Snowden River Parkway and a small shopping plaza. It reads: The first large land grant in what is now Howard County. Patented October 1, 1687 to Adam Shipley who came to Maryland from England in 1668. This marks a section of the western boundary of the 500 acre grant. A Shipley family cemetery is located among the trees to the east of this marker.

Laurel has been around since the early 1800s and prides itself on its identity as an independent…read morecity. The municipal center provides contacts to all aspects of the city government, as well as housing the emergency operations center and a passport office. I wish we could expect such courteous and efficient service from other government offices.

The Howard County Police Department is absolutely wonderful! ! I had the pleasure of working…read moreclosely with the Howard County Police Department when I was a Lead Loss Prevention Agent at Nordstrom in Columbia Mall. The assistance I received from your Dispatchers and Police Officers was truly outstanding and amazing. The HCPD knows how to perfectly handle criminal matters while displaying high intelligence and empathy for people. I miss working with you and you have my highest respect! Thank you for all the incredible work you do keeping everyone safe!

June 2023…read more Disclaimer: Review based solely on jury service experience I was summoned back in April for jury service, but was sick so was excused and resummoned for June. If you are summoned for jury duty, note that the parking garage is a zoo so plan to arrive early. Fortunately they don't start promptly so it's ok if you are several minutes late. Upon arriving at the courthouse, you will need to go through security. The jury assembly room is upstairs to the left. Upon entering the room, you sign in at the desk on the right, then you can be seated anywhere. There is plenty of seats including counter seats with outlets if you need to work on a laptop or charge your electronic devices. The jury assembly room has a kitchen with vending machines, a coffee maker, microwave, refrigerator, and two dining tables (each seats 4). There is also a water dispenser (accessible for bottles), coat room, and restroom. The judge came out and spoke to us and thanked us for our time and service. Later, a circuit clerk called our names and gave us a badge with a number on it. This would be used as our personal identification instead of being referred to by our names if we were selected to be a juror. We were then instructed to go in line to get our parking validated and to receive our $30 expense money. We were informed mid-morning that we were dismissed from service and given documentation to provide to our employers as evidence of our service. It was the funniest thing to see how quickly everyone bolted out of the courthouse. It had the same feeling to me as Black Friday. Lol. Getting out of the parking garage was comparable to leaving a venue after a concert or an event. It was jam-packed and slow getting out. Note, the gate was open so it wasn't necessary to check out at the kiosk. I liked my jury experience in Howard County much better than when I served in Montgomery County mainly because parking was more adequate and I am slightly more knowledgeable of the process this time around.

A bit dated but nevertheless centrally located community center for the Cabin John area. Many…read moreevents held in this building, including "Club Mac" to help provide a fun and safe place for kids to gather and hang out. Staff are generally pleasant and strive to be helpful.

There are times when I played baseball out in the field when I was a kid and they were played right…read morehere at Clara Barton Community Center. As a kid j did not think to much about this place. Now that I pass this place almost every day, the memories of when I was little flow back into my mind from somewhere deep inside me. Funny what you thought forgotten memories, suddenly spring forth.

Bentley House is located in the Town of Brookeville, MD, approximately 18 miles north of…read moreWashington, DC. There is no fee to see the house, but it is currently a residence so there are no tours available (unless you make friends with the owner). The Town of Brookeville contains several historic homes, including Bentley House, and each has a sign out front detailing the history. Bentley House and the Town of Brookeville can be enjoyed by anyone, but those who are particularly interested in DC and US History will sure get a kick out of the fact that Brookeville was the capital of the country for one day during the War of 1812. President Madison, after fleeing the capital when the British burned the White House, found himself in Brookeville and stayed at Bentley House on August 26, 1814. I visited Brookeville on Labor Day (September 7, 2015) and thoroughly enjoyed the small town feel of it (there are only a hundred some odd residents). It's funny because even though I knew it was 2015, I almost felt transported back in time. Bentley House (and the Town of Brookeville) gets 5 stars from me for being such a neat and little known place to visit that is chock full of US history.

What can I say? The Postal Service varies so much by service location and the quality of individual…read moreemployees. This listing is for the Headquarters of our United States Postal Service. The reason for this review is to point out that some decisions are made nationally and cannot be credited to my local Post Office. This current review is to give notice to all customers that the USPS has once again submitted a request for another price increase for services provided by all Post Offices in the United States. The price increase has officially been approved and will take effect on July 14, 2024. For all information about the price increase you can go to pe.usps.com/pricechange/index Prices of interest to me and most customers are the following price increases: First class letters (Forever stamps) currently $0.68 will increase to $0.73 Postcards currently (Forever Postcard stamps) currently $0.53 will increase to $0.56 International 1 oz (Forever International stamps) currently $1.55 will increase to $1.65 There are increases available on the above website for additional weight and specific types of mail that I have not listed. My suggestion is if you frequently use the USPS, get to your local Post Office far in advance of July 14, 2024 to stock up on Forever Stamps. The other option that I have used before is to go online and purchase Forever Sttamps that you may want but don't wait until the last minute. I understand the need to make the services of the Post Office pay for themselves but I can't resist also wanting to save money when advance notice is available.