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Summer 2026 Edition
New & Noteworthy
What’s New With The Laurel History Boys
NBC Sports’ Kenny Rice, reporting live from Laurel Park before the running of the Preakness Stakes, introduced a video package showcasing the racetrack’s long history featuring photos provided by The Laurel History Boys. We had been contacted by NBC Sports, who discovered our previous coverage of Laurel Park through Voices of Laurel. (Photos: NBC Sports) Grants and Donations Thank you to Connie Lucas and James Bowman for their monetary donations. We appreciate the continued s
Staff Writers
Neighborhood News
Oldtown
Local news covering the Oldtown area A section of the Lewis family’s backyard garden. (Photos: Caitlin Lewis) The Garden Tour: A View from Inside In March, my friend Maria Gonzales Jackson texted me: “Question for you. The Laurel Museum is working on planning our garden tour and a board member passed by your house and wondered who the owner is and if they would be interested in being one of the gardens on the tour.” Flattered, I ran the idea past my husband, since he would be
Caitlin Lewis
North Laurel/Savage
Local news covering the North Laurel, Savage, and Scaggsville areas The new memorial to veterans and their loved ones (Photo: Howard County Veterans Foundation) HoCo Updates Neighboring Community on Status of Route 1 Housing Plan Approximately eight acres of property along Route 1 from Whiskey Bottom Road northward could be the future site of condominiums and an apartment community. A status report on the plan was provided to area residents by Howard County Housing Commission
Angela Latham Kozlowski
West Laurel
Local news covering the West Laurel and Burtonsville areas Ginny Geis (front row, second from right) with her AFS classmates. (Photo: Russ Geis) Another Reunion—How Time Flies! I recently had the amazing privilege of attending yet another 50-year reunion, this time in Sweden rather than Laurel High. The year after I graduated from high school, I was an AFS (American Field Service) exchange student and lived with a family in Sweden on a potato farm. The Swedish high school sys
Virginia May Geis
South Laurel
Local news covering Laurel Lakes, Victoria Falls, Oakcrest, Montpelier, and the Route 197 corridor Qamaria’s beautiful décor greets you as you enter. (Photo: Diane Mezzanotte) Talk of the Town: Qamaria Coffee Shop I’ve covered several restaurant openings in South Laurel over the last few years. Unfortunately, a few of them have already come and gone. (RIP, Dirty Dough) But this latest opening, Qamaria Yemeni Coffee Co., feels like a real winner. Qamaria has enjoyed a steady f
Diane Mezzanotte
Russett/Maryland City
Local news covering the Russett and Maryland City areas Russett’s new community gardens await gardeners. (Photo: Rick Goddard) Russett Unveils First Community Garden New things are growing in Russett! Known for its park-like setting, the community is nestled next to the Little Patuxent River, encompasses 613 acres, and has 12 miles of walking trails and 70 acres of wetlands, which are part of the Oxbow Lake, a natural preserve. Originally farmland and undeveloped woodland, th
Brenda Zeigler-Riley
City Beat
City Beat
A roundup of local news, events, and announcements Amigos Mexican Grill reopened on May 14 after a six-day closure ordered by the City of Laurel following the Cinco de Mayo violence. As part of the agreement allowing it to resume operations, the restaurant accepted new operating restrictions, including a three-year ban on outdoor tent events and mandatory law enforcement security during peak evening hours. (Photo: Richard Friend) Laurel Hit with String of Violent Crimes in Ma
Staff Writers
Community
From History to Headlines
Laurel History Boys reflect on milestone anniversaries for organization and Voices of Laurel Photo illustration by Richard Friend While it seems like only yesterday that we started, Voices of Laurel recently celebrated its five-year anniversary. More incredibly, The Laurel History Boys have now been an organization for more than a decade. Time really does fly when you’re having fun! These milestones had me thinking—reflecting on the stories we’ve covered and the things we’ve
Richard Friend
What Will the Next Century Bring?
I wonder if, 100 years from now, there will still be a City of Laurel and if the citizens will remember that, 100 years earlier, it was declared that June 5th is Laurel Elementary Day. Laurel Elementary held its centennial birthday on June 5, 2026, with an after-school celebration unlike anything we have put on before. The cafeteria staged the proclamation made by Mayor Keith Sydnor and Councilmembers James Kole and Adrian Simmons before current families and many guests who h
Shane Walker
Laurel Elementary School Marks 100 Years
Photos courtesy of Laurel Historical Society On June 5, community members, students, alumni, and current and former teachers gathered at Laurel Elementary School (LES) to celebrate the school’s 100th anniversary. The celebration began with a short ceremony in the school cafeteria. Across from the stage was a mural of the original 1926 school building, a nod to the past and a reminder of the school’s century-long history! The ceremony began with a presentation of the colors by
Kristen Norton
“Art-Official” Intelligence: The Concerns of GenAI in Government
Photo: City of Laurel OPINION Whether you like it or not, the AI revolution is here to stay. It has become nearly impossible to go a day online without artificial intelligence playing some role in our digital experiences, from Google’s AI Overview appearing at the top of search results to the content that fills our social media feeds. As AI continues to change how we consume, create, and interact with information, communities and organizations are steadily contending with bot
Danielle Delgado
History
Kevin Leonard
Mark Tomassoni
Wayne Davis
Celebrating Laurel Park
Diane Mezzanotte
Angela Latham Kozlowski
Angela Latham Kozlowski
Angela Latham Kozlowski
Charles Sisler
Diane Mezzanotte
Murray Siegel
Angela Latham Kozlowski
Growing up in Laurel
Hurry Up and Wait: Rare Visit to Nuclear Missile Base
Photos courtesy of Jim Clash Minot, North Dakota (population 50,000) is home to the U.S. Air Force 91st Missile Wing. Buried deep in the ground there are 150 nuclear-tipped missiles, which, if launched, could destroy a good chunk of the world’s population. I traveled to Minot awhile back to visit an underground bunker there, in which two young men sit ready to turn keys to launch those missiles, and the silos where the underground missiles are housed. Both complexes are locat
Jim Clash
Laurel Archaeology
Small Souvenirs, Lasting Memories
Years ago, promotional items like these were a common way for businesses to advertise. Restaurants, bars, and other local establishments often gave customers free ashtrays, matchbooks, and calendars featuring their name and logo. As a kid, I assumed taking an ashtray from a restaurant was stealing. One day, after I slipped one into my pocket, a waitress caught me. Instead of getting me in trouble, she smiled and told me it was perfectly fine—they were meant to be taken as sou
Pete Lewnes
First Responders
Hot Stuff From the Laurel Volunteer Fire Department
53rd Annual LVFD Joint Memorial Day Service Members of the Laurel Volunteer Fire Department (LVFD) were honored to once again host the Annual LVFD Joint Memorial Day Service on May 25. The event brought together members of the Laurel Volunteer Rescue Squad, American Legion Post 60, and the Laurel Police Department, along with residents from throughout the community. Persistent rainfall throughout the week forced the service to relocate indoors at the Joseph R. Robison Laurel
Carreen Koubek and Mike Sellner
Obituaries
Staff Writers
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